It has been demonstrated that exploring a new environment promotes memory in young adults. Animal studies propose that the enhancement of memory in novel settings is linked to hippocampal dopamine....Show moreIt has been demonstrated that exploring a new environment promotes memory in young adults. Animal studies propose that the enhancement of memory in novel settings is linked to hippocampal dopamine. While the dopaminergic system undergoes changes across the lifespan, little is known about the effects of novelty on memory throughout different life stages. This research contributes to the understanding of the effects of novelty in older adults. The participants (n=14) explored both novel and previously familiarised virtual environments to assess the influence of spatial novelty on declarative memory. Subsequently, participants were presented with a word list to memorise, and their memory performance was evaluated through both immediate and delayed recall. Our results indicate superior immediate recall compared to delayed recall, with no evidence for an effect of novelty. We found no difference in spontaneous eye blinking rate following exposure to a novel or familiar environment. Furthermore, a negative correlation was found between spontaneous eye blinking rate and memory recall. Finally, this sample showed that participants had a slightly better performance on day two compared to day three, especially when they had lower expectations. This suggests that there is an extra novelty effect that is noticeable on the second day, which is suggestive of a decreasing novelty effect over the course of subsequent days. Our findings could potentially be explained by the fact that the advantageous effects of novelty decrease as individuals age, likely due to deterioration in the neural pathways associated with novelty processing. In today's society, where the active contribution of older adults is increasingly valued, it is crucial to address age-related cognitive decline. In order to develop intervention for age-related memory decline, further research is necessary for the specific role of novelty-induced memory in older adults.Show less
Goals ‘frame’ the way in which people process information, and how people act upon that information. Multiple goal frames can be active at the same time, but the most dominant frame determines how...Show moreGoals ‘frame’ the way in which people process information, and how people act upon that information. Multiple goal frames can be active at the same time, but the most dominant frame determines how someone will behave. There are three main goal frames: a normative (acting appropriately), gain (improving resources), and hedonic goal frame (instant gratification). This paper investigates the different effects that each of these goal frames may have on someone’s consistency in pro-environmental behavior by inducing a frame, and measuring a series of environmental behaviors. We expected that the normative frame would lead to the most consistency, followed by a hedonic frame, followed by a gain frame. The results seem to indicate that there are no differences between the three goal frames on the consistency of pro-environmental behavior. This could be due to our small sample size, a wrong manipulation check, or maybe because of an intention-behavior gap.Show less
Individuals diagnosed with a personality disorder (PD) are often confronted with a low quality of life (QoL) and high health costs, both important outcome variables among cost-effectiveness studies...Show moreIndividuals diagnosed with a personality disorder (PD) are often confronted with a low quality of life (QoL) and high health costs, both important outcome variables among cost-effectiveness studies. Several factors have been identified that are associated with a low QoL and high health costs in individuals diagnosed with a PD. The influence of trauma is unknown. It has been found that PDs are associated with both past trauma experiences and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their daily life. While several studies suggested that individuals with a Borderline PD (BPD) and comorbid PTSD suffer from a more impaired QoL compared to individuals with a single disorder, less is known about the effect of PTSD on PDs other than BPD and the relation between trauma severity and health costs. The current study investigates the effect of both childhood trauma and current PTSD symptoms on QoL and health costs in individuals diagnosed with a PD and the possible mediating role of QoL on the relationship between trauma and health costs. The sample consisted of 65 individuals, with a mean age of 38 (SD = 12.3), diagnosed with one or more PDs. Data was collected with several questionnaires (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, Treatment Inventory of Costs in Patients with psychiatric disorders, and the Mental Health Quality of Life questionnaire). The results show that severity of current PTSD symptoms (t(58) = -4.19, p < .001) but not childhood trauma was related to a decreased QoL in individuals diagnosed with a PD. Both current PTSD symptoms and childhood trauma were not significantly related to health costs. QoL did not perform a mediating role on the relationship between trauma and health costs. To conclude, severe PTSD symptoms represent an additional deprivation for QoL among personality-disordered individuals in this sample. This conclusion is based on a relatively small sample, thus should be further investigated with a larger sample.Show less
Research on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations....Show moreResearch on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations. This study aimed to research how adverse childhood experiences in a population of university students who report mood and stress problems are related to suicidal ideation and whether the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation is moderated by attachment style. To target students at risk for suicidal ideation, purposive sampling was employed. An independent samples t-test with consecutive multiple regression (n= 234) showed that adverse childhood experiences, measured with the ACE questionnaire, predicted the presence and severity of suicidal ideation, measured by the BSSI. Consecutive ANCOVA showed that disorganized attachment to the mother and father, measured with the PBI, were found to predict suicidal ideation. Secure attachment was negatively associated with suicidal ideation, whereas for avoidant and anxious attachment there was no association found. A logistic regression analysis showed no moderation effect of insecure attachment styles in the relation between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation. Gender, academic pressure, and nationality were controlled. Findings may be limited due to methodological and performance flaws. The results highlight the importance of early identification of adverse childhood experiences and disorganized attachment for intervention and prevention of later suicidal ideation amongst students.Show less
Background. Psychosocial consequences of psoriasis have been studied extensively. Feelings of stigmatization, worrying, and psychological distress are common consequences for patients with...Show moreBackground. Psychosocial consequences of psoriasis have been studied extensively. Feelings of stigmatization, worrying, and psychological distress are common consequences for patients with psoriasis. However, research on the prospective influence of psychosocial factors on psoriasis symptom severity is scarce. Thus, in this study, it is researched if feelings of stigmatization, worrying, and psychological distress are related to the exacerbation of psoriasis symptoms six and twelve months later. Method. This prospective study examined through four multiple regression analyses if the predictors stigmatization, worrying, and psychological distress influenced clinician-assessed and self-administered psoriasis severity after six and twelve months. The type of dermatological treatment and baseline disease severity were included as control variables. Data was collected among 49 psoriasis outpatients using an extensive questionnaire containing multiple self-report questionnaires and through clinician-assessed psoriasis severity. This was conducted at three time points: baseline, at six months, and twelve months. Results. Solely for one predictor a significant effect was found, indicating that higher feelings of stigmatization during baseline measurement predicted lower self-administered psoriasis severity after 6 months (ß = -.38, t = -2.25, p = .03) No other significant effects were found for any predictor, regardless of the clinician-assessed or self-administered severity or the time point (all p ≥ .06). There were predominantly no to small effect sizes found (-.36 ≤ r ≤ .30). Conclusion and discussion. The results of this study cannot substantiate the effect of perceived stigmatization, worrying, and psychological distress on psoriasis severity later. However, a lack of power, the extended interval between measurements, and low mean baseline scores can partly explain the lack of results. Future research should enhance their research design by considering more control variables such as treatment adherence, alcohol consumption, visibility of the lesions, and coping strategies. Besides, a broader range of disease severity should be included. As psoriasis has a serious psychological impact, it is worthwhile to continue the research on the effect of psychosocial factors on psoriasis severity. Previous research suggests the existence of an effect, and establishing this could enhance and increase the use of tailored psychological interventions in the treatment of patients diagnosed with psoriasis. This subsequently can contribute to alleviating their disease burden.Show less
Financial stress among young adults is a growing problem that could significantly affect their well-being. This study examines the help-seeking behaviors of young adults under financial stress,...Show moreFinancial stress among young adults is a growing problem that could significantly affect their well-being. This study examines the help-seeking behaviors of young adults under financial stress, focusing on the preference of source and type of help. Here, a distinction was made between professional help and help from the social network and between financial advice and emotional support. Four flyers were developed, each representing one type of help, to encourage young adults to seek help. An experimental design with 197 participants from the United Kingdom was used to test their willingness to seek help. Contrary to expectations, the results showed no significant preference for a specific source or type of help and no strong correlation was found between self-efficacy and willingness to seek help. These findings suggest that young adults may not have a specific preference when seeking help for financial stress and that self-efficacy does not play a determining role, highlighting the need for further studies on the various factors influencing and stimulating help-seeking behavior.Show less
Background: Excessive sedentary behavior (SB) is linked with increased risk for a variety of negative health consequences, and, thus, it is vital to focus on decreasing unhealthy sedentarism....Show moreBackground: Excessive sedentary behavior (SB) is linked with increased risk for a variety of negative health consequences, and, thus, it is vital to focus on decreasing unhealthy sedentarism. Previous studies attempted to use motivational constructs to explain the attractiveness of SB and to find a way to reduce it. However, no research has explicitly investigated whether people evaluate SB as more rewarding compared to its behavioral alternative, standing. Objective/Method: Participants (N = 129) were given a smartphone game and were asked to play it for 10 minutes while maintaining a specific body posture, i.e., either standing or sitting. Subsequently, participants filled in the questionnaire that assessed the rewarding value of a smartphone game (liking and wanting), intentions to minimize SB, the perceived physical effort of standing, and general background information. The present study sought to explore whether engaging in a certain activity, such as playing a smartphone game, while being sedentary would be more rewarding for participants (higher liking and wanting) compared to doing the same activity while standing. Additionally, a plausible influence of two moderators, i.e., intentions to minimize SB and the perceived physical effort of standing, on the effect of body posture (sitting vs. standing) on liking/wanting an activity was investigated. Results: Participants reported higher liking for the game in the sit condition in comparison with participants in the stand condition, a small to medium effect size, p = .009. Moreover, participants in the sit condition indicated higher wanting for the game compared to participants in the stand condition, a small to medium effect size, p = .043. Intentions to minimize SB and the perceived physical effort of standing did not significantly moderate the relationship between body posture and liking/wanting to play the game. Conclusion: Participants liked and wanted the game more in the sit condition, meaning that engaging in an activity while being sedentary appears to be more rewarding than while standing. Thus, to decrease SB, it is crucial to increase the rewarding value of standing (or other physical activity) by making it more pleasurable and enjoyable. Additionally, it seems that intentions to minimize SB do not have an effect on the attractiveness of SB. Hence, intervention designers, clinicians, and researchers whose aim is to reduce SB are advised to consider strategies that serve as bridges between intentions and actual behavior rather than focusing exclusively on intentions.Show less
This study investigated the effects on the victim of bystander non-intervention in the workplace. We performed a vignette study, with three different scenarios: active bystanders, passive...Show moreThis study investigated the effects on the victim of bystander non-intervention in the workplace. We performed a vignette study, with three different scenarios: active bystanders, passive bystanders, and no bystanders. We hypothesised that in the passive bystander condition the four psychological fundamental needs (belonging, meaningful existence, control, and self-esteem) would go down, sexual harassment myth acceptance would be higher, self-blame and bystander blame would be higher and blame towards the perpetrator and society would be lower. The data from the 159 participants showed that the fundamental needs of belonging and meaningful existence decreased, and that bystander blame was higher in the passive bystander condition, compared to the active bystander condition. The fundamental needs of control and self-esteem, sexual harassment myth acceptance, self-blame, perpetrator blame and society blame were not affected. Possible explanations for the results are provided, as well as the limitations of the study and recommendations for further research.Show less
Background: Many patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) suffer from self-stigma. Self-stigma can lead to a decrease in recovery speed and treatment adherence. Psychoeducation for depression...Show moreBackground: Many patients with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) suffer from self-stigma. Self-stigma can lead to a decrease in recovery speed and treatment adherence. Psychoeducation for depression has shown to be effective in improving treatment adherence and self-stigma. In recent years, researchers investigated Virtual reality (VR) as a potential tool in the treatment of depression. Studies have shown that VR interventions can reduce, among other things, self-stigma and depressive symptoms. We investigated the impact of a VR experience combined with psychoeducation compared to traditional, non-VR psychoeducation on self-stigma and depressive symptoms in individuals with MDD. We expected the VR intervention to have a more positive effect in reducing self-stigma and depressive symptoms than non-VR. Methods: The 31 recruited participants, aged 18-65 years old, were randomized into two groups: VR and non-VR. Two 360-degree VR videos were developed to experience a day in the life of a patient with depression. Self-stigma and depressive symptoms were measured before intervention (T0), directly after intervention (T1, only self-stigma), after 1 week (T2), and a follow-up after 10 weeks (T3). A repeated measures ANOVA was used for comparing the treatment groups. Results: Contrary to the hypothesis, the repeated measures ANOVA results indicated no significant interaction effect between time and treatment group for self-stigma (p = .393). In terms of depressive symptoms, a repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect between time and treatment group (p = .027), with a medium effect size (η2 = .095). Post hoc testing using Bonferroni showed that non-VR significantly decreased depressive symptoms across different time points compared to VR. Additionally, post hoc testing revealed that self-stigma and depressive symptoms may be positively correlated. Conclusion: No significant difference was found between the two treatment conditions in terms of decreasing self-stigma. However, the non-VR condition demonstrated a significant decrease in depressive symptoms compared to the VR condition. Additionally, positive correlations were observed between self-stigma and depressive symptoms, which emphasize the value of incorporating psychoeducation into treatment plans for people with MDD.Show less
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals’ physical and mental well-being, particularly affecting their sleep patterns. However, prospective research on the...Show moreIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on individuals’ physical and mental well-being, particularly affecting their sleep patterns. However, prospective research on the specific effects of COVID-19 on sleep quality and rumination remains limited. The current study aims to fill this gap by investigating how the pandemic affects sleep quality and nighttime rumination in both adults and adolescents. It was hypothesised that COVID-19 would worsen sleep quality and increase nighttime rumination, particularly in adolescents. Methods: 101 participants (67 adults, 34 adolescents) were assessed using a within-betweensubjects design comparing two time periods (before and during COVID-19) across two age groups. Sleep quality was assessed daily by asking three questions that measured subjective sleep quality, sleep latency and wake after sleep onset. Nighttime rumination was quantified using self-reported rumination scores. Results: No significant differences in sleep quality or nighttime rumination were observed between the two periods for either age group. However, during the pandemic, adults experienced significantly worse sleep quality and increased nighttime rumination compared to adolescents. Additionally, nighttime rumination had a negative effect on sleep quality in both age groups. Conclusion: The study did not find statistically significant differences across time periods, but adults reported poorer sleep quality and higher levels of nighttime rumination during the pandemic compared to adolescents. These findings highlight the importance of further research to understand and address the psychological impact of global health crises in diverse populations.Show less
Earlier research showed that children who endure war are more at risk of developing trauma symptoms or PTSD. Trauma symptoms or PTSD can lead to significant disruptions in cognitive empathy and...Show moreEarlier research showed that children who endure war are more at risk of developing trauma symptoms or PTSD. Trauma symptoms or PTSD can lead to significant disruptions in cognitive empathy and high levels of anxiety. The aim of the current study is to look into the relationships between PTSD, cognitive empathy and anxiety in Syrian refugee children, and to test for gender differences. Participants were 33 Syrian refugee children aged 10-18. PTSD was measured using CPSS, cognitive empathy was measured using the EmQue-CA and the EDG (three social conditions were used: neutral individuals, victims and offenders of intentional pain) and anxiety was measured using the SCARED. Results showed that cognitive empathy did not affect Syrian refugee children in social situations. Secondly, anxiety did not affect cognitive empathy levels. Thirdly, anxiety did not affect cognitive empathy differently for boys and girls. Lastly, cognitive empathy is disrupted within Syrian refugee children with trauma symptoms or even PTSD. Suggesting that cognitive empathy is a predictor of PTSD. The findings of the current study could potentially be important for future faster treatment of trauma symptoms or even PTSD by using cognitive empathy levels as a predictive factor.Show less
Part of the origin of anxiety comes from genetic heredity and the rest is explained by environmental factors. Parental and family characteristics play an important role in the environmental factors...Show morePart of the origin of anxiety comes from genetic heredity and the rest is explained by environmental factors. Parental and family characteristics play an important role in the environmental factors of anxiety. Specific parenting styles are linked to childhood anxiety. Several studies showed that parental overprotection can be linked to anxiety in children. However, there are some inconsistent results between the different studies. This inconsistency may occur because previous studies looked at parents and children in general and possibly, this relationship is mainly important in specific groups of parents and children. Therefore, in this study we look at parents’ socioeconomic status and the gender of the child as a moderator for the link between parental overprotection and anxiety in children. This study was part of a larger research project named Cool Little Kids. We used the pre-intervention, baseline data of the Cool Little Kids project in which 170 parents participated. Parents filled out several questionnaires regarding parental overprotection, child anxiety and demographic characteristics. The results showed that there was no significant effect between overprotective parenting and childhood anxiety that is moderated by SES of the parents and gender of the child. However, the results did point at the expected directions, although they are too small to give significant results. This means that overprotective parenting may not be as important as we assumed. Results of this study must be considered with regard to several limitations. The sample size of this study is small, parents with low socioeconomic status are underrepresented and the study is based on cross-sectional data. Further studies might focus on other parental and environmental factors such as an authoritarian parenting style that may have a larger influence on childhood anxiety and the influence of parenting styles on childhood anxiety in same sex parent-child pairs.Show less
This study aims to investigate relative age within primary school grades as a potential influential factor of perceived ADHD symptoms. It examines whether relatively younger pupils show more ADHD...Show moreThis study aims to investigate relative age within primary school grades as a potential influential factor of perceived ADHD symptoms. It examines whether relatively younger pupils show more ADHD symptoms than their classmates. The study is of cross-sectional design, using data of primary school children throughout the Netherlands. Participating children are in the age range of four to twelve years old, N = 168. To measure ADHD symptoms, the SNAP-IV (18) has been filled out by parents of the participating children. Relative age serves as the main predictor of this study. Simple linear regressions have been run on relative age (predictor) and ADHD symptoms (dependent). Analyses showed that relative age is no predictor of ADHD symptoms, implying that relative age is no influential factor in perceived ADHD symptoms. However, data screening pointed out that the sample of the current study might not be representative for the general population. Furthermore, the current research design worked with parental observations of ADHD symptoms, and not official ADHD diagnoses. Whether a child has had an ADHD diagnosis was unknown during this study. Incorporating this information in future research could potentially lead to a better understanding of the topic. All in all, the results of this study must be interpreted with care and future research is needed to (dis)prove the relation between relative age and ADHD symptoms.Show less
A social fear adolescents with and without a Social Anxiety Disorder experience very frequently is public speaking anxiety. The cognitions these adolescents have in public speaking situations play...Show moreA social fear adolescents with and without a Social Anxiety Disorder experience very frequently is public speaking anxiety. The cognitions these adolescents have in public speaking situations play an important role in the development and maintenance of their anxiety. Because of the impairments they experience in life, it is important to start treatment. The fact that only a small proportion of adolescents with social fears receive the focussed treatment they need, and that treatment outcomes are not optimal, is problematic. Blended care, the combination of face-to-face and online therapy, is a new type of treatment that appears to be promising for the treatment of mental health problems. This study aimed to research the feasibility of the blended care module ‘’Skills for Academic and Social Success’’ for treating adolescents with public speaking anxiety. Changes in cognitions and effects of comorbid depression were also explored. A total of 41 adolescents between 11 and 17 years, recruited from high schools in Leiden, The Netherlands, participated in this study. These adolescents followed the blended care module and were asked to, among others, fill out different self-report questionnaires on public speaking anxiety (PRPSA), cognitions (CATS-N/P) and depression (CDI-2) at four timepoints. The results show that the adolescents showed a decrease in public speaking anxiety during treatment. A higher level of anxiety at the start of the treatment was associated with a higher level afterwards, but also with greater, absolute improvements. Comorbid depression was also associated with a greater, absolute reduction in public speaking anxiety and there was a decrease in depression as well. The results also show that public speaking anxiety was negatively correlated with positive cognitions and positively with different types of negative cognitions. Some of these negative cognitions decreased during the treatment and were replaced with positive cognitions. However, there was almost no association between changes in cognitions and changes in public speaking anxiety. According to these findings, the blended care module appears to be feasible for the treatment of adolescents with public speaking anxiety, of which cognitions are part, and suitable for different levels of anxiety and for when comorbid depression is present.Show less
Childhood bullying victimization has been empirically established as a risk factor for insecure adult attachment as well as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression in adulthood. However...Show moreChildhood bullying victimization has been empirically established as a risk factor for insecure adult attachment as well as mental health issues such as anxiety and depression in adulthood. However, there is a lack of research exploring adult attachment styles as a mediator between bullying victimization in childhood and adult depressive and anxious symptoms. The present study investigated if the relationship between bullying victimization before the age of 18 and anxious and depressive symptoms in university students is mediated by adult attachment styles. Participants were part of a larger survey study of the Caring Universities Project. The sample included 3388 participants (university students) between the ages of 18 to 36, who filled out an online questionnaire testing for bullying victimization (RBQ), anxious symptoms (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), and adult attachment styles (RQ). It was hypothesized that the relationship between bullying victimization and mental health is mediated by insecure attachment styles. A partially mediating effect of fearful and preoccupied attachment styles on the association between bullying victimization and anxious and depressive symptoms was established. A reason for the mediation effect of these two insecure attachment styles might be the underlying negative concept of the self that these attachment styles have in common. Limitations and implications of the findings are discussed.Show less
Anxiety is a prevalent mental health disorder among children and adolescents, affecting over 30% of individuals aged 13 to 18 years and can lead to significant long-term consequences if left...Show moreAnxiety is a prevalent mental health disorder among children and adolescents, affecting over 30% of individuals aged 13 to 18 years and can lead to significant long-term consequences if left untreated. Parental behaviour and mental health play pivotal roles in the development and persistence of childhood anxiety. One empirically supported preventative option is a group-based parenting intervention that is targeted to children with sub-clinical anxiety symptoms. Although this type of intervention focuses on reducing sub-clinical anxiety symptoms in children indirectly by working through the parents, some gains for the parents themselves have been hypothesised. In analogous research exploring universal group- based interventions and interventions for conduct disorder, parents have benefitted from these interventions themselves. Proposed mechanisms for this secondary effect include symptom reduction in the child and cognitive-behavioural changes in their parents, as parents may apply the techniques to themselves as well. Together, these lead to a reduction in stress in the wider family and parent marital relationship. Despite research into this mechanism in treatment of other disorders, there has been no such study directed at childhood anxiety specifically. Accordingly, the current systematic review and meta- analysis investigated the impact of targeted group-based parenting interventions on parental mental health in childhood anxiety prevention. It was predicted that results would mirror prior analogous research with the interventions positively impacting parental mental health. In January 2024, PsychInfo and relevant meta-analyses were searched for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of targeted group-based parenting interventions for childhood anxiety. A total of 193 articles were screened by independent researchers, identifying 11 eligible studies. A mixed-effects model was used, and a moderation analysis was conducted to investigate potential sources of heterogeneity, exploring low- and high-intensity interventions. This did not account for the observed heterogeneity. While previous research indicated positive effects of these interventions on parental mental health, the current meta-analysis found no effect. Limitations, including variability in measures across studies and the absence of pre-existing psychopathology in parents, may account for the observed results. Future research should address these limitations, considering parental characteristics and extend the scope of the review by including additional databases in the literature search.Show less
