Het doel van dit experimentele scriptie onderzoek was om het effect van de verwachtings-optimalisatie tool op de verwachte omgang met pijn tijdens de bevalling te onderzoeken. Met de verwachtings...Show moreHet doel van dit experimentele scriptie onderzoek was om het effect van de verwachtings-optimalisatie tool op de verwachte omgang met pijn tijdens de bevalling te onderzoeken. Met de verwachtings-optimalisatie tool vormen vrouwen positieve, maar realistische verwachtingen. Verwachtingen zijn belangrijk, aangezien het voldoen aan eerdere verwachtingen een positieve ervaring van de bevalling creëert. Dit is essentieel omdat een negatieve bevallingservaring één van de grootste uitdagingen in de zorg is. Het overkoepelende pilotonderzoek wil de algemene bevallingservaringen verbeteren door met verwachtingen de effectiviteit van pijnbehandelingen te vergroten. Voor een positieve bevallingservaring is effectief omgaan met pijn cruciaal. In dit scriptie onderzoek waren er twee hypotheses, namelijk dat respondenten na het doorlopen van de tool een betere verwachte omgang met pijn verwachten en dat dit effect versterkt werd door een hoge zelfeffectiviteit. De steekproef (N = 32) bestond uit vrouwen met zwangerschapsplannen binnen vijf jaar, willekeurig verdeeld over een interventie- (n = 16) en een controlegroep (n = 16). De interventiegroep voltooide de tool, terwijl de controlegroep enkel het geboorteplan invulde in Qualitrics. Data-analyse werd uitgevoerd middels een onafhankelijke t-toets en Hayes’ PROCESS-macro. De resultaten toonden geen significant effect van de tool op de verwachte omgang met pijn (d = 0,40 ), noch een interactie-effect in de moderatieanalyse (b = - 0,07 ). Ondanks dat de hypothesen niet werden bevestigd, vormt dit onderzoek een eerste stap in de ontwikkeling van interventies gericht op het cultiveren van positieve, realistische verwachtingen om de bevallingservaring te verbeteren en in het begrijpen wat voor rol zelfeffectiviteit speelt.Show less
Functioneren is een belangrijk concept in de zorg, maar dit wordt nog niet uitgevraagd als single item vraag in gezondheidsmonitors, zoals dat bij ervaren gezondheid gebeurt. De verwachte stijgende...Show moreFunctioneren is een belangrijk concept in de zorg, maar dit wordt nog niet uitgevraagd als single item vraag in gezondheidsmonitors, zoals dat bij ervaren gezondheid gebeurt. De verwachte stijgende prevalentie van ouderdomsziektes door vergrijzing levert een behoefte aan een oplossing voor de hoge werkdruk bij zorgpersoneel en single item vragen verminderen werklast bij zorgpersoneel en patiënt. Het doel van dit onderzoek was om te onderzoeken of ervaren functioneren en ervaren gezondheid twee verschillende constructen zijn. De hypothese was dat dit twee verschillende constructen zouden zijn. Deze zouden naast elkaar uitgevraagd kunnen worden in gezondheidsmonitors en gezondheidsevaluatielijsten in de zorg om aanvullende informatie te geven over kwaliteit van leven en welzijn van een patiënt. Uit verschillende bestaande gezondheidsmonitors is een vragenlijst samengesteld. Hieraan zijn items over demografische kenmerken en de ervaren gezondheid en zelf ontworpen ervaren functioneren vraag toegevoegd. De vragenlijst bestond uit 47 vragen en is verspreid via sociale media. De dataset bestond uit 281 respondenten, waarvan 42,3 % man, 55,9% vrouw en 1,1% non-binair. 65,5% van de respondenten had geen ervaring met een langdurige ziekte, 22,8 % met één langdurige ziekte en 11,7% met twee of meer langdurige ziekten. De correlaties tussen drie van vijf items van de EQ-5D5L (mobiliteit, pijn/ongemak en angst/somberheid) en ervaren functioneren waren significant verschillend met de correlaties tussen de items en de ervaren gezondheid vraag. Ook de EQ-VAS correleerde significant verschillend. Hoewel ervaren functioneren en ervaren gezondheid niet significant verschillend correleerden op elk item van de EQ-5D5L, reageerden ze niet identiek. Dit kan een aanwijzing zijn dat ervaren functioneren en ervaren gezondheid twee verschillende constructen zijn. Er is meer onderzoek nodig naar de domeinen waarop ervaren functioneren en ervaren gezondheid wel dan niet verschillen.Show less
This study investigates the relationship between rejection sensitivity and social feedback learning rate. Rejection sensitivity is an aspect of social anxiety disorder which is especially prevalent...Show moreThis study investigates the relationship between rejection sensitivity and social feedback learning rate. Rejection sensitivity is an aspect of social anxiety disorder which is especially prevalent in adolescents. SAD has a significant relationship with social feedback learning rate and this study aims to go a step further and research whether rejection sensitivity is a leading factor in this relationship. Participants fill in the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale as well as the Children’s Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire. Afterwards they will do a speech task which includes a public speaking section and is judged by confederate judges who will rate them on their performance. The participants rate themselves before and after the feedback from the judges. The difference between individual’s rating before and after the feedback will be measured and this will form the basis of our data for analysis. During the analysis a correlational relationship will be analyzed between rejection sensitivity, its sub measures and social feedback learning rate. The hypothesis of the study is that individuals with higher rejection sensitivity score will have higher negative social feedback learning rates. Results show no significant relationship between the variables.Show less
Social anxiety can have a huge impact on adolescents’ lives, including emotional, social, and educational problems. The relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness...Show moreSocial anxiety can have a huge impact on adolescents’ lives, including emotional, social, and educational problems. The relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness are considered to play a role in the development of those problems, since they cause intense distress or even avoidance of social or performance situations. Effective treatment options are therefore important to prevent further problems. This study examined the relationship between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness, and the feasibility of blended care. To examine this, 43 participants followed a 12 week blended care intervention consisting of psychoeducation, social skills training, cognitive restructuring techniques, exposure tasks, assertiveness training, and homework assignments. In addition, the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents, the Audience Perception Questionnaire, and the Speech Performance Observation Scale for Youth were administered before and after treatment. A mediation analysis was done to study whether audience perception mediated the relationship between social anxiety and expressiveness. To test whether blended care was feasible in reducing symptoms of social anxiety, and increase audience perception and expressiveness, multiple paired samples t-tests were performed. No significant relationships were found between social anxiety and audience perception (β = -.054, p = .40), between social anxiety and expressiveness (β = .005, p =.37), and between audience perception and expressiveness (β = -.009, p =.75). Logically, the whole mediation model was also not significant (β = .005, p =.45). Results from the paired samples t-tests showed significant differences for social anxiety (t(29) = 2.66, p = .013), lowering the mean scores from 56.8 to 50.6, and audience perception (t(28) = -4.00, p < .001), increasing the mean scores from -3.2 to -0,8. No significant differences were found for expressiveness (t(13) = .10, p = .92). The results show no relationships between social anxiety, audience perception, and expressiveness, which could be explained by the unfamiliarity of the concept of expressiveness, a different mediator that has influence on these variables, having a small sample size, or participants’ level of education. Further research is needed on both, to gain more insight in relationships affecting social anxiety in adolescents. The results did show the feasibility of blended care in reducing social anxiety and increasing audience perception. Using blended care is encouraged to provide more and better care to adolescents.Show less
This master thesis investigated how social motives (prosocial vs. pro-self) and communication medium (headphones vs. no headphones) affect group negotiation outcomes. The study used a 2x2 factorial...Show moreThis master thesis investigated how social motives (prosocial vs. pro-self) and communication medium (headphones vs. no headphones) affect group negotiation outcomes. The study used a 2x2 factorial design with 41 three-person groups (N = 123), who engaged in a structured negotiation task. Hypothesis 1 predicted that prosocial groups would achieve higher joint outcomes than pro-self groups, and results of an ANOVA supported this prediction. Hypotheses 2 and 3, predicting that structured communication, using headphones to manipulate turn-taking behaviour, would improve prosocial and reduce pro-self groups negotiation outcomes, respectively, were not supported by an ANOVA. This suggests that while prosocial motives significantly improve outcomes, structured communication alone does not. Future research should explore additional communication structuring methods and broader contexts to validate these findings.Show less
Prior research indicates a positive correlation between affective empathy, encompassing both empathic concern and personal distress, and anxiety. Empathic concern is associated with pro-social...Show morePrior research indicates a positive correlation between affective empathy, encompassing both empathic concern and personal distress, and anxiety. Empathic concern is associated with pro-social behaviours, whereas personal distress is linked to avoidant behaviours. However little research has been done in a parental sample. This study explores whether empathic concern might mediate the relationship between parental anxiety and parental bonding. Parental bonding is the expected behavioural outcome of empathy and encompasses supportive parenting behaviours. Using data from the RE-PAIR study, a mediation analysis via regression was conducted. The sample consisted of 143 parents and their (adolescent) child. The parental bonding was measured through a questionnaire that the child had to fill in about their parents after the reminiscence task (REM). The REM was conducted in the lab, the task entailed that the child had to talk about an emotional event. Results showed that there was no mediating effect, though anxiety did seem to correlate significantly with empathic concern (β = 0.20, p = 0.01). There was no correlation found between anxiety and parental bonding or between empathic concern and parental bonding. This suggests that higher empathic concern does not necessarily translate into perceived supportive parenting behaviours. This may indicate issues in the communication of expressing empathy. Perhaps, family therapies or a training focusing on emotional communication could be beneficial. Future research could focus on conducting multiple lab measures in order to take out more situational variables.Show less
Measurement invariance of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was examined in secondary samples of young adults and adults from China and the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis found that a...Show moreMeasurement invariance of the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) was examined in secondary samples of young adults and adults from China and the USA. Confirmatory factor analysis found that a unidimensional structure of the SIAS, in which its three reverse- coded items were removed (S-SIAS), showed the best fit for both samples. Subsequently, this model was used in a hierarchical multi-group confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA). The results of the MGCFA support the S-SIAS’ configural and metric invariance across these two countries. This is an indication of the S-SIAS being a unidimensional measure of social interaction anxiety in the USA and China. However, the results indicate the presence of only partial scalar invariance. Therefore, it is likely that individuals from these cultures interpret certain items of the SIAS differently, which complicates direct comparisons across these groups. What this implies for past and current research comparing individuals from these cultures, in terms of social anxiety, as well as implications for future research, are explored further.Show less
Sibling relationships are among the longest-lasting relationships in most individuals' lives and the majority of the Dutch population has at least one sibling. Sibling relationships are crucial, as...Show moreSibling relationships are among the longest-lasting relationships in most individuals' lives and the majority of the Dutch population has at least one sibling. Sibling relationships are crucial, as they offer daily opportunities for children to develop social skills. The quality of sibling relationships can be influenced by various factors, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which include 10 types of possible traumatic experiences among which child abuse, neglect and household dysfunction. ACEs can negatively impact a child's social and emotional development, posing risks to their ability to form and maintain relationships and having a possibly negative effect on their mental health later on in life. Current research often only considers biological siblings while the step-sibling relationship was the fastest-growing type of sibling relationship in families with divorced parents between 1997 and 2017. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the association between ACEs and the quality of the relationship among both biological and step-siblings who have experienced parental divorce. Hundred young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 completed a questionnaire in which they answered questions about their relationship with their siblings and their ACEs. Multiple regression analyses revealed that ACEs were similarly associated with a lower quality of the sibling relationships for both biological and stepsiblings. Specifically, emotional abuse by a parent during childhood and having a parent with alcohol and/or drug problems during childhood were linked to lower quality of the sibling relationship, while other childhood experiences examined were not related to relationship quality. These results highlight the significance of improving sibling relationship quality, as these relationships may buffer the adverse impacts of traumatic experiences. Adopting a family-focused approach could reduce these negative impacts, addressing the shadow of the past that these experiences may cast on sibling relationships.Show less
Social network centrality is the social position of a person in a social network. The more friendships or social connections they have in the network, the higher the centrality. A low level of...Show moreSocial network centrality is the social position of a person in a social network. The more friendships or social connections they have in the network, the higher the centrality. A low level of social network centrality is often thought to be related to feelings of loneliness. Yet there is still a lot of discussion if this is also the case for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Thus, this study examined the level of loneliness as well as the level of social network centrality in children with ASD, compared to their peers without ASD, and the relation between these two aspects in special education settings. Children with ASD were expected to show a lower level of social network centrality than children without ASD. However it was expected that children with ASD would not feel lonelier than their peers without ASD. Thus, while it was expected that a lower level of centrality relates to a higher level of loneliness in children without ASD, this was not expected for children with ASD. This study compared a group of 47 children with ASD and a group of 52 children without ASD, aged from 8 to 13 years old (M= 10.806; SD = 1.266), in a special education primary school setting. Loneliness was measured with the Children’s Loneliness Scale, and the centrality was measured in a “Like to Play” measure and was based on the number of friendship nominations a child received. ANOVA showed that the children with ASD did not show a significantly lower level of social network centrality nor feel lonelier than their peers without ASD. A hierarchical regression showed no significant relations between social network centrality and the level of loneliness in the two groups. Based on the results of this study children with ASD in an inclusive environment might be more socially central and less lonely than expected.Show less
Background: the vascular hypothesis of apathy suggests a link between vascular factors like cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and apathy symptoms, through lesions in the brain’s reward network....Show moreBackground: the vascular hypothesis of apathy suggests a link between vascular factors like cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) and apathy symptoms, through lesions in the brain’s reward network. Previous studies found a cross-sectional association between lower blood pressure (BP) and symptoms of apathy in older persons with more CSVD, potentially through reduced cerebral blood flow (CBF). However, longitudinal research on these associations is lacking. This thesis investigated whether structural and dynamic vascular factors are associated with apathy symptoms over time in older persons. Methods: this longitudinal cohort study used participants of the Discontinuation of ANtihypertensive Treatment in the Elderly (DANTE)-Leiden, community-dwelling older persons on antihypertensive treatment with mild cognitive deficits. BP was measured at baseline and apathy was assessed with the Apathy Scale at baseline and after four years of follow-up (n=178). Additionally, a baseline MRI sub-study (n=109) was conducted to measure CSVD and CBF. Results: the mean age of the sample was 80 years (SD 4) and 63% was female. No significant association was found between the summary CSVD scores (β(95% CI)=0.018(-1.089-1.125), p=.975) or its separate features; WMH (β(95%CI)=0.012(-0.011-0.035), p=.318), CMB (β(95%CI)=-0.017(-0.605-0.572), p=.956), lacunar infarctions (β(95% CI)=-0.413(-1.266-0.440), p=.339), and a change in Apathy Scale score. Additionally, no significant association was found between the dynamic vascular factors; CBF (β(95% CI)=-0.029(-0.152-0.094), p=.640), systolic BP (β(95% CI)=-0.019(-0.056-0.018), p=.310) and diastolic BP (β(95%CI) =-0.029(-0.099-0.042), p=.425), and change in Apathy Scale score. The multiple linear regression model, incorporating all the structural and dynamic vascular parameters, was not significant (F(7,90)=1.32 , p=.250, R2=.093). Conclusions: in older persons with mild cognitive deficits, structural and dynamic vascular factors were not associated with apathy symptoms over time, in contrast to previous cross-sectional studies. Our findings did not support the vascular apathy hypothesis. Other factors, such as lifestyle, might confound the cross-sectional association between vascular factors and apathy. This study highlights the importance of further research into vascular factors and apathy, which acknowledge our limitations, or into other possible mechanisms for apathy.Show less
Aim: Effective self-management is essential for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can enhance patients’ functioning and wellbeing. This study aims to examine the relationship between...Show moreAim: Effective self-management is essential for managing chronic kidney disease (CKD) and can enhance patients’ functioning and wellbeing. This study aims to examine the relationship between illness perceptions and self-management behaviors of CKD patients, as to whether illness perceptions are associated with improvements in self-management behaviors over time. Method: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to test an online self-management program with 121 participants, the majority of whom had received a kidney transplant (65.3%). Illness perceptions (helplessness, acceptance, emotional response, timeline and perceived control) were assessed using the ICQ and B-IPQ. Baseline self-management behaviors (medication adherence, healthy diet, physical activity, weight maintenance, and non-smoking) were measured with the PPPQ-self-management and the reported improvements or deterioration with regard to patients self-selected self-management goals with the PPPQ-self-management improvements at 6-months follow-up. Regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between illness perceptions and self-management behaviors at baseline, as well as between illness perceptions at baseline and the reported improvements in self-management goals at 6-months follow-up. Analysis were controlled for the confounding variables gender, comorbidities, kidney transplantation, and participation in the E-GOAL study. Results: Helplessness showed a significant relationship with the reported self-management improvements at 6-months follow-up (R2= .040, β = -.20, p = .036), which remained significant after controlling for confounders. Patients who experienced greater helplessness at baseline reported smaller improvements in their self-management goals at 6- months follow-up. Conclusion: Helplessness was found to be significantly related to self- management improvements, yet no other significant relationships were found between the other illness perceptions and the self-management behaviors or their improvements in CKD patients. These findings suggest that addressing feelings of helplessness in self-management programs may be crucial, as it can interfere with self-management improvements. Healthcare providers could assess patients’ levels of helplessness and incorporate psychological interventions into self-management programs to reduce these feelings and support patients in improving their self-management behaviors, ultimately leading to better overall patient wellbeing.Show less
