Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction have consistently been associated with the development of dysfunctional thinking patterns, known as Early...Show moreAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction have consistently been associated with the development of dysfunctional thinking patterns, known as Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ACE and the EMS Impaired Limits domain, while exploring the potential moderating role of sex assigned at birth in this relationship. We expected that more adverse experiences would predict more severe difficulties in controlling impulses and following rules and that sex assigned at birth would moderate this relationship. A cross-sectional design with convenience sampling was implemented, and self-report online questionnaires were completed by 131 Leiden University students, who volunteered to participate in the study. The Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE-Q) and the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form; version 3 (YSQ-S3) were used to measure ACE and the EMS Impaired Limits domain respectively. Demographic information was collected, regarding participants’ sex assigned at birth, gender identity, country of origin, years lived in the Netherlands and cumulative GPA. The final sample consisted of 125 participants, out of which 114 were female (91.2%) and 11 (8.8%) were male. The average age of the participants was 19 years. To examine the relationship between ACE and the EMS Impaired Limits domain, linear regression analysis was conducted. The findings revealed that ACE score significantly predicted participants’ scores in the EMS Impaired Limits domain, (β = 1.66, p < .001, 95% CI [20.63, 24.02]), explaining 10.5% of the variance (R2 = 0.105). Moderation analysis to explore the role of sex assigned at birth did not yield reliable results, due to the disproportionate representation of male participants in the sample. The findings underscore the importance of ACE in understanding the development of the EMS Impaired Limits domain, highlighting the need for early and tailored interventions for individuals with a history of ACE. Future studies could further investigate additional factors influencing the development of this EMS domain, including a nuanced exploration of both sex assigned at birth and gender identity, utilizing more balanced and representative samples.Show less
The reading skills of children in the Netherlands have been significantly declining since 2015. Reading skills are fundamental for successful participation in society. The reading enjoyment of...Show moreThe reading skills of children in the Netherlands have been significantly declining since 2015. Reading skills are fundamental for successful participation in society. The reading enjoyment of children is also declining and reading enjoyment is associated with reading skills. Research has shown that struggling readers need individualized intensive multicomponent reading interventions to improve their reading skills. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of two online reading interventions on reading skills and reading enjoyment of struggling readers in grades 4 and 5. The first reading intervention, the ‘Universele Interventie voor Lezen’ (UIL), is individualized and intensive and uses direct and explicit instruction. The second reading intervention, the ‘Meelees Interventie’ (MLI), is individualized, but less intensive and makes less use of direct and explicit instruction. Both interventions cover multiple components of reading. The interventions were compared to a wait-list control group (CG) in which children received the UIL at the end of the study. Reading skills were divided in word reading, reading fluency and reading comprehension and were measured using CBM word reading, CBM reading aloud, and CBM maze-selection. Reading enjoyment was measured using the Reading and Me Survey. Results revealed that struggling readers in the intervention conditions (UIL and MLI) made significantly greater pre-posttest gains in word reading than did struggling readers in the control group. No significant effects were found for reading fluency, reading comprehension or reading enjoyment. The results suggest that providing extra, intensive individualized multicomponent reading interventions to struggling 4th- and 5th-grade readers over a period of 4 weeks with 8 sessions may increase their word reading skills, but not their reading fluency skills, their reading comprehension skills or their reading enjoyment. In addition, the results suggest that interventions with more and less direct and explicit instruction were equally effective.Show less
The occurrence of traumatic experiences in early life is associated with increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The objective of this study is to integrate childhood trauma (CT) and...Show moreThe occurrence of traumatic experiences in early life is associated with increased vulnerability to psychiatric disorders. The objective of this study is to integrate childhood trauma (CT) and emotional eating (EE) with anxiety to show how implementing tailored treatment in standard therapy benefits overall health. This study is the first of its kind to investigate these variables. Three research questions are explored, all using regression analysis: first, is there an association between CT and EE in healthy controls (no diagnosis of anxiety or depression) and with diagnosed anxiety, second, what role does anxiety play in EE and what is the moderating effect of anxiety on CT and EE. The third investigates the five subtypes of childhood trauma (emotional, sexual, physical abuse, emotional and physical neglect) and its association with EE. The population was taken from the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA), a total of 1391 participants were included with either a lifetime diagnosed anxiety disorder or healthy controls. There was a significant positive association between CT and EE when controlled for anxiety. EE was higher in participants with an anxiety disorder relative to controls. Emotional abuse had the strongest association with EE, physical abuse had no significant association. The findings provide evidence that risk groups with childhood trauma and emotional eating would benefit from tailored interventions such as mindfulness, emotional regulation and dialectal behaviour therapy. Future research is recommended to investigate factors such as gender and depression to understand the extent of symptomology and ensure successful treatment.Show less
About 40% of Dutch employees engage in physically demanding work (PDW). PDW involves tasks during work that require prolonged standing, heavy lifting, repetitive movements, and taxing postures....Show moreAbout 40% of Dutch employees engage in physically demanding work (PDW). PDW involves tasks during work that require prolonged standing, heavy lifting, repetitive movements, and taxing postures. Recent research shows that PDW deteriorates health, but mechanisms and buffers or boosters for this relation have remained unclear. In the present study, lower leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) and higher alcohol consumption are postulated as explanations and as moderators for the negative relation between PDW and health. Thus, this study investigates the relationship between PDW and health outcomes over one year, and further focusses on the potential mediating and moderating roles of the lifestyle behaviors, LTPA and alcohol consumption. The sample consisted of N = 1,259 Dutch employees and data was used from a longitudinal study (LISS-panel) conducted over two waves with a one-year interval (2021-2022). Using self-reported questionnaires, the participants reported about their health status (at both baseline and after one year), physical work demands, alcohol consumption and participation in LTPA. The statistical analysis involved a regression analysis (main effect), and the PROCESS Macro by Hayes model 1 (moderation) and 4 (mediation). There was controlled for gender, age, education level and health at baseline. The analyses showed that first, in line with the literature, PDW negatively affects health. Second, neither LTPA nor alcohol consumption significantly mediates or moderates the negative relationship between PDW and health outcome. These results suggest that the impact of PDW cannot be explained by the lifestyle factors studied. Also, the findings point at a need for investigating other mechanisms in the relation between PDW and health, such as other lifestyle behaviors or implementing tools to make jobs itself less physically demanding. We also recommend future research to follow up on these findings with objective measurements of health and physical activity (instead of self-reporting questionnaires), longer study periods, and the use of multiple item questions to fully understand the long-term health implications of PDW and lifestyle behavior.Show less
Global temperatures are rising as policymakers aim to tackle the climate challenges our world faces today. The European Union plays a leading role in climate politics and the global reduction of...Show moreGlobal temperatures are rising as policymakers aim to tackle the climate challenges our world faces today. The European Union plays a leading role in climate politics and the global reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through one of its key tools, the Emissions Trading System. This thesis examines the impact of EU member states’ industrial composition on implementing the EU ETS in phase 2 through a comparative analysis of the Netherlands and Belgium. An examination of the correlation between national industries and the national implementation of the ETS has thus far remained absent in the existing literature and provides policy insights for future climate politics. An analysis of the relevant policy documents reveals how both countries varied in their implementation of the system. It demonstrates how the more pollutive industrial composition of the Netherlands caused the government to be more responsive to the affected industries’ interests in the allocation process. However, contrary to expectations, the Netherlands was not more lenient the monitoring of the system and was even more strict than Belgium in most areas.Show less
Deze bachelorscriptie onderzoekt descriptieve representatie op gemeenteniveau in Nederland. Dit onderzoek kijkt als een van de eerste onderzoeken naar descriptieve representatie als afhankelijke...Show moreDeze bachelorscriptie onderzoekt descriptieve representatie op gemeenteniveau in Nederland. Dit onderzoek kijkt als een van de eerste onderzoeken naar descriptieve representatie als afhankelijke variabele. Hiermee wordt een wetenschappelijke bijdrage geleverd door te onderzoeken welke factoren een invloed hebben op de mate van descriptieve representatie. In dit onderzoek worden regressieanalyses gebruikt om te onderzoeken of er een correlatie bestaat tussen descriptieve representatie van vrouwen, mensen met een migratieachtergrond en leeftijd als afhankelijke variabelen. Daarnaast gaat het in dit onderzoek om het aandeel hoogopgeleiden, gemiddeld inkomen per persoon en de mate van religieuze aanhang in een gemeente als onafhankelijke variabele. Er wordt geconcludeerd dat opleidingsniveau een positief verband kent met descriptieve representatie. Gemiddeld inkomen kent een negatief verband bij descriptieve representatie van vrouwen en voor mensen van de leeftijd van 18 tot en met 35 jaar. De mate van religieuze aanhang heeft een negatief effect op de descriptieve representatie van vrouwen. Voor migratieachtergrond en leeftijd zijn er in dit onderzoek geen statistisch significante verbanden gevonden.Show less
Dit onderzoek richt zich op uitdagingen en ondersteuningsbehoeften op het gebied van psychosociaal functioneren en zelfredzaamheid van jonge vrouwen vanaf achttien jaar die ongepland zwanger zijn...Show moreDit onderzoek richt zich op uitdagingen en ondersteuningsbehoeften op het gebied van psychosociaal functioneren en zelfredzaamheid van jonge vrouwen vanaf achttien jaar die ongepland zwanger zijn geraakt en een eigen woonplek hebben. De studie is uitgevoerd middels semi-gestructureerde interviews en is kwalitatief van aard. Er is voor een kwalitatieve benadering gekozen omdat op deze manier diepere kennis vergaard kan worden. Daarnaast is gekozen voor een selecte steekproef, waarbij alleen de cliënten van Siriz zijn geworven op vrijwillige basis. De uiteindelijke steekproef bestond uit twee personen. De data zijn geanalyseerd door middel van een inhoudsanalyse om te kunnen achterhalen wat de uitdagingen en behoeften van de ongeplande zwangere vrouwen zijn. Tevens is een literatuuronderzoek uitgevoerd. Uit de literatuur blijkt dat ongeplande zwangerschappen gepaard kunnen gaan met fysieke problemen en een negatievere kijk op hun zwangerschap en bevalling dan vrouwen met een geplande zwangerschap (Karaçam et al., 2011). Echter was er beperkte beschikbare literatuur. De gevonden informatie sluit hierdoor niet volledig aan op de onderzoeksvraag. Het empirisch onderzoek toonde aan dat de deelnemers vooral uitdagingen ervaren op het gebied van gebrekkig contact met eigen opvoeders, financiën, sociale vaardigheden en beide deelnemers hebben geen relatie meer met de biologische vader van hun kinderen. Daarnaast blijkt uit het onderzoek dat de behoeften verschilden per individu. De deelnemers gaven aan behoefte te hebben aan meer duidelijkheid en ondersteuning na de bevalling, aan meer lichaamsbeweging en om te stoppen met roken. Tevens gaven ze aan behoefte te hebben aan opvang of een oppas voor hun kind om werk of studie te kunnen combineren met de verzorging van het kind. Tot slot was er behoefte aan oude leefgewoonten. Om de vrouwen binnen Siriz optimaal te kunnen helpen, is het van belang dat er naar gestreefd wordt om elke ongepland zwangere vrouw de juiste hulp en ondersteuning te bieden bij haar specifieke situatie. Maatwerk is daarom een cruciaal aspect. De ondersteuning kan geboden worden middels voorlichting, trainingen of intensieve een-op-een begeleiding. Geadviseerd wordt dat Siriz zich gaat richten op het bieden van gerichte ondersteuning op de veelvoorkomende uitdagingen en behoeften die in dit onderzoek naar voren zijn gekomen. Dit kan ervoor zorgen dat de ongepland zwangere vrouwen zich beter kunnen redden in het dagelijks leven. Door het bieden van ondersteuning kan de zelfredzaamheid en het psychosociaal functioneren verbeterd worden.Show less
The severe consequences of climate change are effecting people worldwide. To minimize the negative effects of climate change, it is important to increase our pro-environmental behavior. This study...Show moreThe severe consequences of climate change are effecting people worldwide. To minimize the negative effects of climate change, it is important to increase our pro-environmental behavior. This study explored the underlying factors within the environmental attitude – behavior gap among young adults by investigating the mediating role of descriptive environmental norms between environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior of young adults, moderated by social connectedness. Data was collected from 216 young adults using self-report questionnaires. The moderated mediation model using Hayes PROCESS macro (model 14) was conducted to test the study hypothesis. Results showed there was no significant moderated mediation. Environmental attitudes were not significantly associated with either pro-environmental behavior or descriptive environmental norms. However, descriptive environmental norms showed a significant positive association with pro-environmental behavior (t = 6.86, p < .001, 95% CI [0.27, 0.49]). Furthermore, social connectedness significantly moderated the association between descriptive environmental norms and pro-environmental behavior, with lower social connectedness strengthening this association (t = -2.39, p = .018, 95% CI [-0.23, 0.02]). These findings provide a better understanding of what drives young adults to pro-environmental behavior and can contribute to more targeted campaigns to encourage young adults to pro-environmental behavior.Show less
Background: Child welfare services face substantial challenges in managing out-of-home placements, with various risk factors influencing the duration and outcomes of these placements. Research has...Show moreBackground: Child welfare services face substantial challenges in managing out-of-home placements, with various risk factors influencing the duration and outcomes of these placements. Research has shown that both maternal and child characteristics can significantly impact the stability and length of these out-of-home placements, yet there is a lack of comprehensive studies examining these relationships within the Dutch context. Understanding these factors is crucial for developing effective interventions and support mechanisms. That is why this study aims to investigate the associations between the duration of out-of-home placements and maternal and child risk factors, as well as the role of help provided during the placement. Method: A case file analysis was conducted of 199 children (104 boys, 95 girls) within the Dutch child welfare system. The data was collected from randomly selected case files from various certified agencies across the Netherlands. The study employes both correlation and regression analysis to examine the relationship between the variables. Results: Correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between maternal risk factors and the child’s age and a significant positive correlation with the duration of the placement and the amount of help provided during the placement. Child risk factors were positively correlated with the child’s age and negatively correlated with maternal risk factors. Regression analysis confirmed that maternal risk factors and help during the placement are significant predictors of the duration of out-of-home placements. Conclusions: This study underscores the importance of targeted interventions addressing maternal risk factors and providing psycho-education for mothers regarding their role in the duration of out-of-home placements. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that access to support services is easy and straightforward for mothers, to encourage their engagement and participation in available interventions.Show less
Previous research has argued the importance of education for future gains (Palomino et al., 2019) and how inequality can negatively affect educational aspirations (Jia et al., 2021). Therefore,...Show morePrevious research has argued the importance of education for future gains (Palomino et al., 2019) and how inequality can negatively affect educational aspirations (Jia et al., 2021). Therefore, this study aimed to further demonstrate whether differences in perceptions of inequality of opportunity and outcome negatively affects students’ educational aspirations. Further, based on previous research demonstrating positive main effect of internal locus of control (Sagone & Caroli, 2014) and a moderating effect of internal locus of control (Jia et al., 2021) on educational outcomes, locus of control was added as a moderator to see if an internal locus of control offsets negative effects of inequality on educational aspirations. Our manipulation, videos explaining inequality of opportunity and outcome, failed to tease apart perceptions of inequality of opportunity and outcome and were consequently combined into one factor, inequality. We found no significant main effect of perception of inequality, but a significant positive main effect of locus of control on educational aspirations. An interaction effect between perceptions of inequality and locus of control on educational aspirations was found. However, unexpectedly, students perceiving inequality within the external locus of control group scored highest on educational aspirations. Implications, limitations, and avenues for further research are discussed.Show less
The exam period can be stressful for students, significantly impacting their lifestyle behaviours. Research indicates that students tend to have poorer diets during exam periods, with stress and...Show moreThe exam period can be stressful for students, significantly impacting their lifestyle behaviours. Research indicates that students tend to have poorer diets during exam periods, with stress and sleep quality potentially influencing this pattern. The decline in diet quality among university students during examinations is a significant social issue that needs to further understanding. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between exam stress and perceived changes in food choice -healthy or unhealthy eating- during an exam period among university students aged 18 to 25 and to assess to what extent this relationship is mediated by sleep quality during an exam period. Utilizing a cross-sectional design, data was collected from 200 Dutch university students who completed three questionnaires, the Examination Stress Scale, a questionnaire about changes in food choice during an exam period and the Regensburg Insomnia Scale. A mediation analysis was conducted using linear regressions in SPSS. The results indicated no significant relationship between exam stress and changes in food choice (β = .042 , p = .558). There was a significant positive relationship between exam stress and poor sleep quality (β = .44, p < .001). No significant association was found between sleep quality and changes in food choice (β = -.02, p < .770). When controlling for sleep quality, exam stress was still not associated with changes in food choices (β = .05, p < .514). Thus, the present study concluded that there is no relationship between exam stress and perceived changes in food choice -healthy or unhealthy eating- among university students ages 18 to 25 and that this relationship is not mediated by sleep quality during exams. However, there was a significant relationship between exam stress and poor sleep quality. Prevention strategies for exam stress and poor sleep should include stress management and education about the importance of sufficient sleep.Show less
Seeking to more profoundly understand the nexus between race and class in Brazil, and comprehend its implications for political consciousness, this thesis centres the question: “How is political...Show moreSeeking to more profoundly understand the nexus between race and class in Brazil, and comprehend its implications for political consciousness, this thesis centres the question: “How is political consciousness of Afro-Brazilian emancipation movements informed by class interests?” In this capacity, class interests are interpreted as racialised consciousness, derived from the neo- Marxist theory of racialisation, a lens that figures prominently in this study. Remaining open to alternative explanations, through exploring discourse of Afro-Brazilian movement Black Coalition for Rights, this study concludes that two forms of consciousness theoretically assumed to be different are both built on similar premises that recognise the role of capitalist structures in processes of racialisation.Show less
Depression and anxiety are increasingly prevalent and often co-occur in adolescence. Symptoms of stress are a commonality of these disorders. However, the role of this commonality in the co...Show moreDepression and anxiety are increasingly prevalent and often co-occur in adolescence. Symptoms of stress are a commonality of these disorders. However, the role of this commonality in the co-occurrence remains unknown. This cross-sectional study investigated the co-occurrence of depression, anxiety, and stress in adolescence using the network psychometrics approach. We obtained our data from the Open-Source Psychometrics Project. The data consisted of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS)-42 (N = 25,086, ages 13-24 years old). We estimated Gaussian Graphical Models (i.e., partial correlations between nodes) and analyzed the bridge nodes. Bridge nodes are nodes of the network that are most influential in connecting the different disorders. We expected the bridge nodes to be the overlapping symptoms found among depression, anxiety, and stress as indicated in the DSM-V. Moreover, to examine whether bridge nodes were consistent across adolescence, we divided our sample into three age groups: early adolescence (ages 13-15, N = 2,354), middle adolescence (ages 16-19, N = 9,476) and late adolescence (ages 20-24, N = 13,256). Our findings of the full sample adolescent network indicated that symptoms of restlessness (stress) and negative mood (depression) served as bridge nodes, which was in line with our hypothesis. Other bridge nodes, not in line with our hypothesis, were symptoms of subjective experience of anxiety (anxiety) and situational anxiety (anxiety). Bridge nodes exclusive to the late adolescent network were: Finding it hard to wind down (stress) and feeling terrified (anxiety). Moreover, relief after anxious situations (anxiety) was uniquely present in the early and late adolescent networks. This study expands the current theoretical knowledge by, for the first time to our knowledge, including stress symptoms in the network models and by comparing the different adolescent age groups using a broad age range (13 to 24 years). Future research should examine whether clinicians can successfully incorporate this knowledge into transdiagnostic treatment interventions, which could contribute to better overall mental health.Show less
Background: Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder where individuals fail to speak in specific situations despite being able to speak in others. Research indicates a significant association...Show moreBackground: Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder where individuals fail to speak in specific situations despite being able to speak in others. Research indicates a significant association between selective mutism and social anxiety. Moreover, specific parental behaviours, particularly overprotection, are linked to the development of social anxiety in children. In families with children diagnosed with selective mutism, various parenting styles are observed. Aim: This study analyses the possible relation between parental behaviour and social anxiety in four- and five-year-old children, both with and without the risk of developing selective mutism. Method: The current comparative study employs a cross-sectional design (n = 31), comprising fifteen children in the risk group and sixteen children in the comparison group. Two questionnaires completed by parents were used: the Social Anxiety Scale for Children Revised (SASC-R) to measure social anxiety in their children and the Comprehensive Early Childhood Parenting Questionnaire (CECPAQ) to assess parental behaviour. Results: The main findings indicate that children in the risk group exhibit higher levels of social anxiety and that their parents demonstrate less positive parenting behaviour compared to the control group. No relationship was found between positive parenting behaviour and social anxiety, with group status not being a significant moderator. However, a significant positive correlation was found between the level of structure provided by parents in the risk group and their children's social anxiety. Implications: Longitudinal research and parent-child observations are necessary to further verify and understand these findings. This study suggests that refining and improving interventions for selective mutism may involve increasing the focus on parental behaviour characteristics and parent-child interaction.Show less