The selective attention towards specific emotional concerns, such as itch- related stimuli, is referred to as attentional bias (AB). The relationship between AB and itch has been scarcely...Show moreThe selective attention towards specific emotional concerns, such as itch- related stimuli, is referred to as attentional bias (AB). The relationship between AB and itch has been scarcely researched, with contradictory findings among healthy individuals. While some studies report no attentional bias for itch in this population, others establish a relationship. In individuals experiencing chronic itch, findings are more harmonious and indicate a relationship between attentional bias and itch. The influence of negative affect on attention towards itch, regarding itch-related symptoms, remains unclear in the scientific field. In light of these gaps, this study aimed to investigate AB towards itch in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) or psoriasis compared to a healthy control group. We also explored the potential influence of catastrophizing thoughts about itch and the degree of experienced itch on AB towards itch. We conducted an online study, utilising a pictorial dot-probe task to measure attentional bias in a total of 70 participants: half were patients suffering from AD or psoriasis, and the other half were healthy controls. Various measures were employed, including a dot-probe task, a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) to report the current level of itch, and Pain Catastrophizing Scale Adjusted for Itch (PCS-I). In line with the initial hypothesis, the study did reveal the presence of a significant AB towards itch in the patient group, but an absence of one in the control group. Additionally, we found that a higher degree of catastrophizing thoughts about itch and experienced itch did not predict AB towards itch in either group, which contradicted the initial hypothesis. Implications of this study suggest the need for further exploration into the influence of beliefs, expectancies, and stigmatisation on AB towards itch in patients suffering from AD or psoriasis. Moreover, in addition to physiological treatment, mindfulness cognitive therapy could be effective to target AB in individuals suffering from chronic itch. In conclusion, although the study did not yield all the anticipated results, it contributes valuable information to future research on the topic.Show less
Several studies have revealed that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s early emotional development and regulation. However, research on emotion regulation in adolescents and how...Show moreSeveral studies have revealed that parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s early emotional development and regulation. However, research on emotion regulation in adolescents and how peer victimization experiences affect it have been scarce on that field. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate if the effect of parent-child relationship quality on emotion regulation strategies was different in different levels of peer victimization exposure. A total of 87 students from two secondary Dutch schools, aged between 13-16 years old, participated in the study. Data about their peer victimization history, tendencies to regulate their emotions and the way they assessed their relationship with their primary caregivers were collected through self-report measures. The findings revealed that peer victimization effectively moderated the relationship between negative parent-child relationship quality and expressive suppression. Specifically, the effect of negative parent-child relationship quality on expressive suppression use was stronger for adolescents who experienced lower levels of peer victimization. A main effect of positive relationship quality on habitual use of cognitive reappraisal was also recognized. These results suggest that in general parent child relationship quality plays a significant role in the regulation of emotions in middle adolescence, whether peer victimization is involved or not. The limitations of the current study highlighted the need for further investigation with a longitudinal study design and heterogenous sample to examine how emotion regulation strategies and parent-child relationship are affected across the developmental period of adolescence and across different ethnicities.Show less
Financial scarcity is known to negatively affect well-being of young adults, leading to heightened stress and uncertainty about their financial future. Despite the availability of numerous debt...Show moreFinancial scarcity is known to negatively affect well-being of young adults, leading to heightened stress and uncertainty about their financial future. Despite the availability of numerous debt relief and financial counselling programs, too little use is being made of this offered assistance. The reluctance to accept help may be influenced by a strong desire for autonomy. This study aimed to assess the association between the implicit need for autonomy and the willingness to accept help in young adults experiencing financial scarcity. Participants completed a survey that included a modernized Picture Story Exercise and a self-report questionnaire on help acceptance. Results from a multivariate regression analysis gave a marginally significant result showing that a higher implicit need for autonomy was associated with a slightly higher likelihood of help acceptance behavior, and with a more negative emotional attitude towards accepting help. Exploratory analyses highlighted that negative feelings about financial debt were a stronger predictor of help acceptance. These results underscore the importance of considering autonomy and debt-related feelings in improving interventions for young adults facing financial scarcity.Show less
Humor is a pleasant and universal yet still not fully understood human experience. A growing body of literature proposes potential anxiety alleviating effects of humor but thus far has been...Show moreHumor is a pleasant and universal yet still not fully understood human experience. A growing body of literature proposes potential anxiety alleviating effects of humor but thus far has been inconclusive and methodologically lacking. With the world’s population getting older and a concerning number of older adults having anxiety-related complaints, we set out to rigorously test this hypothesis using a prospective longitudinal design. We investigated whether humor influences anxiety following adverse life events in older adults. We analyzed data of 1589 participants collected over three measurement points three years apart using a Multilevel Linear Mixed model. Scores on anxiety, humor and negative life events questionnaires were compared. Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, we did not demonstrate humor affect anxiety following adverse life events. Stress-buffering effect of humor is hence yet to be conclusively proven. Study limitations and future directions were discussed.Show less
Disordered eating is a predictor of clinical eating disorders, which have an increasing prevalence nowadays. Thus, it is important to understand risk and protective factors for the prevention of...Show moreDisordered eating is a predictor of clinical eating disorders, which have an increasing prevalence nowadays. Thus, it is important to understand risk and protective factors for the prevention of disordered eating. It has been shown that sex hormones affect eating behaviour, but research on how eating behaviour may be affected by hormonal contraceptives is scarce. However, self-esteem has been shown to be one of the main predictors or disordered eating in several studies. The association between hormonal contraception and self-esteem is less understood. The hypothesis of the study is that hormonal contraception is positively related to disordered eating and possibly mediated/moderated by self-esteem. To test this, a sample of 760 female participants filled out the Rosenberg Self-Esteem questionnaire, SCOFF and answered questions regarding their contraceptive use. A mediation analysis found out that there is no direct relationship, but a mediated one. In a moderation analysis a significant interaction between hormonal contraception and self-esteem has been found. This suggests that people taking hormonal contraceptives and having lower levels of self-esteem are potentially at a higher risk of developing disordered eating. Future research should focus on examining the different types of hormonal contraceptives and exogenous sex hormones, since this study was not able to make a differentiation.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Poverty in the UK has increased, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic. To prevent people from falling into a poverty trap, it is important to understand how financial scarcity affects financial...Show morePoverty in the UK has increased, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic. To prevent people from falling into a poverty trap, it is important to understand how financial scarcity affects financial decisions involving risks. This topic lacks consensus in the literature with some authors arguing for a tendency towards more risk-taking, while others arguing for more risk aversion. This study posits that the risk tendency is influenced by frames of gains and losses. More specifically, financial scarcity leads to more risky choices in the domain of losses (H1), whereas it leads to less risky choices in the domain of gains (H2). People in financial scarcity tend to experience negative affect that impacts their cognitive systems, leading to more reliance on System 1 thinking, which exacerbates biases, such as the reflection effect. To test the hypotheses an online survey was conducted and 200 participants from the UK were recruited via Prolific Academic. The participants were divided into two groups for the manipulation of financial scarcity using the household task. Half of the participants were in the debts condition (financial scarcity), whereas the other half were not (control). Subsequently, all participants were presented with six risky choices, where they had to choose one of two options (one risky, the other conservative) framed in both gains and losses and three combinations of probabilities. Results from a Generalized Mixed Model showed that the cognitive bias associated with the reflection effect was found to be equally present in everyone and was more pronounced for more extreme probabilities (e.g., 10%/90% and 20%/80%), but not for moderate probabilities (e.g., 40%/60%). Thus, the expected interaction between debts and frames was not confirmed. It is suggested that future studies use an intuitive decision-making manipulation with more extreme probabilities (e.g., 1%/99%), consider a field risk manipulation, an incentivized lottery and the same expected value within and between probabilities at the lottery.Show less
Theories of cooperation and competition focus on actions that explain how people behave and make choices in social interactions. Nevertheless, what might influence an individual's decision to...Show moreTheories of cooperation and competition focus on actions that explain how people behave and make choices in social interactions. Nevertheless, what might influence an individual's decision to cooperate or compete? The Maximizers and Satisficers theory contribute to this domain by highlighting the impact of different decision-making strategies. Maximizers strive for the best possible choice, meticulously exploring all options and information to attain optimal results. In contrast, satisficers seek satisfactory, "good enough" choices without pursuing the absolute best outcome. We developed an innovative economic game to investigate the relationship between individuals with higher maximization tendencies. Unlike traditional models focusing solely on cooperation or competition, the co-peace game allows participants to engage in cooperation and competition simultaneously and introduces a unique option: peace. With 198 participants, the study revealed no significant results in competition, cooperation, and peace between those with higher and lower maximization tendencies. This outcome emphasizes the complexity of social behavior, suggesting that various motivations influence decisions beyond maximization tendencies.Show less
Background: With the introduction of the Care Product Model (in Dutch the Zorg Prestatie Model), the Dutch mental health sector has adopted the Health of the Nations Outcome Scales+ (HoNOS+) for...Show moreBackground: With the introduction of the Care Product Model (in Dutch the Zorg Prestatie Model), the Dutch mental health sector has adopted the Health of the Nations Outcome Scales+ (HoNOS+) for determining the so-called care demand type (in Dutch ZorgVraagTypering). This care demand type is intended to reflect the care a patient requires at the time of admission. The final care demand type is determined by the clinical practitioner’s judgement. To date, limited research has been conducted on the accuracy of the HoNOS+ and its contribution to mental health care optimisation. The current study examined whether the care demand type assigned according to the HoNOS+ aligns with the care demand type assigned by the clinical practitioner. Additionally, the study explored features of discrepant cases and whether the Outcome Questionnaire-Symptomatic Distress subscale (OQ-SD) could enhance the predictive value of the HoNOS+ for the clinical judgement. Method: For this study, data was collected at PuntP, a clinic for clients with common mental disorders. For each participant a HoNOS+ score and a clinical evaluation of the care demand type was available. For the majority of cases, also an OQ-SD score had been obtained. Results: The main findings indicated a high agreement between the HoNOS+ recommendation and the clinical practitioner’s decision of the care demand type. An exploratory analysis revealed no factors that were related to discrepancy between the HoNOS+ recommendation and the clinical judgement. Adding the OQ-SD has provided additional predictive value over the HoNOS+. Discussion: Although, the results on this study are promising about the use of the HoNOS+ in Dutch mental health care, there are a number of limitations to consider. The value or validity of the Care Demand Type in the Dutch Care Product Model is mainly determined by how accurately it predicts the care that is actually provided. Further and more extensive research is needed on whether the Care Demand Type also corresponds to the care provided.Show less
Aim. The aim of this research was to contribute to the necessary knowledge for preventive action in reducing the development of aggressive behavior. Currently, many trainings and interventions...Show moreAim. The aim of this research was to contribute to the necessary knowledge for preventive action in reducing the development of aggressive behavior. Currently, many trainings and interventions focus on dealing with aggressive behavior reactively. The literature discusses the origin of aggressive behavior and how it can be influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Increased insight into these factors might also allow for more preventive action. However, little is known about the risk factors that can influence the development of aggressive behavior, even though this knowledge is crucial for recognizing these signs and taking. Design. The data for this quantitative study comes from the Mother-Infant Neurodevelopment Study (MINDS). For the current study, 253 mother-child pairs participated. The participants completed several questionnaires for this study: the Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale (CICS), the Self-efficacy in the Nurturing Role Scale (SENR), and the Physical Aggression Scale for Early Childhood (PASEC). The questionnaires were about the precursors of aggressive behavior in the child, the mother's sense of parental competence, and the expression of aggressive behavior. Findings. To examine these factors, a multiple regression with interaction effects was conducted. Both the interaction effect and the individual factors were analyzed. It was found that there is no significant interaction effect. However, both the early signs of aggression and the sense of parental competence proved to be significant predictors separately for the development of aggressive behavior in the child. This suggests that if a child exhibits more early signs of aggressive behavior at a younger age (6 months old), the child is more likely to develop aggressive behavior at a later age (12 months). Additionally, this means that if a mother experiences a lower sense of parental competence when the child is younger (6 months old), it can also be a predictor for the development of aggressive behavior in the child. Conclusion. This study confirms that there are already risk factors visible at a young age that increase the likelihood of developing aggressive behavior. For this reason, it is essential to conduct more research on additional possible risk factors and how professionals in practice can identify these factors. Subsequently, interventions for these risk factors can also be explored to take preventive action in combating the development of aggressive behaviorShow less
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent disorder in adolescents. It manifests itself in avoidance of social situations, difficulties forming relationships and an overall increased impairment...Show moreSocial anxiety disorder (SAD) is a prevalent disorder in adolescents. It manifests itself in avoidance of social situations, difficulties forming relationships and an overall increased impairment in social functioning. In adulthood, individuals with SAD report an overall poorer quality of life. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and coping strategies have been associated with SAD in recent literature. However, information on this subject is scarce in adolescents. This study investigates the relationship between IU and traits of social anxiety (SA) in adolescents, incorporating age as a moderating variable and adaptive and maladaptive coping strategies as a mediating variable. Data on SA traits, IU and coping strategies was collected within a larger study from a non-clinical sample using questionnaires. This study included 233 participants (Mage = 18.6, SD = 3.3) of which 81% were female. Results of this study show a positive relationship between IU and SA traits. This positive relationship weakens with age during adolescence. Additionally, maladaptive coping strategies mediate the relationship between SA and IU, strengthening this relationship. These findings indicate IU, age and coping are important factors to be considered in relation to the development and maintenance of SAD. Future research should continue on this subject to provide additional practical implications for the prevention and treatment of SADShow less
Individuals' financial constraints create a dilemma of revealing or hiding them. The dilemma arises since sharing one's financial struggles may lead to receiving support and empathy, whereas...Show moreIndividuals' financial constraints create a dilemma of revealing or hiding them. The dilemma arises since sharing one's financial struggles may lead to receiving support and empathy, whereas concealing these challenges can serve as a means to alleviate feelings of shame and the apprehension of encountering negative societal judgments. This study explores the intricate connection between financial scarcity, identity signalling, and the role of shame. The paper discusses whether embarrassment may deter those struggling financially from disclosing their financial status. The dynamics were investigated using an online platform involving 120 British participants. Surprisingly, it turned out that shame did not have a significant effect on the behaviour of participants. Moreover, the people in the financial scarcity condition tended to disclaim more about their economic situation than those in the financial abundance condition. Thus, peer relationships could be an assistance avenue or source of emotional relief for them. The study emphasises the complexity of people's financial journeys and suggests that the role of social support networks might help ease the pressure. Future research can explore the mechanisms through which identity signalling serves as a coping strategy in times of financial scarcity and how peer support can be harnessed to address economic challenges.Show less
Introduction: Previous research in blood plasma has revealed a potential relationship between depression and the immune system. A similar relationship between aggressive behavior and the immune...Show moreIntroduction: Previous research in blood plasma has revealed a potential relationship between depression and the immune system. A similar relationship between aggressive behavior and the immune system suggests that the three phenomena are interconnected in some way. To date, this interaction has not been researched in adolescents. The current study investigates the relationship between adolescent depression and immune markers (IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and CRP), and examines aggressive behavior as a potential moderator in this relationship. Immune markers were measured in salivary samples, contributing to the incorporation of a novel, non- invasive way to assess inflammation in mental health research. Methods: A total of 114 adolescents with and without clinically diagnosed depression were included in the present study (32 depressed, 76 healthy controls; 32.4% males; mean age 15.91 years old, ranging from 12-18). Participants provided 2ml saliva via passive drool, in which IL6, IL-1β and TNF-α were analyzed with the Luminex Human Discovery Assay (Bio-Techne), and CRP was analyzed with an ELISA Kit Generation II (Salimetrics). Parents of the participating adolescents filled in the Child Behavior Checklist-questionnaire on aggressive behavior. Results: In an analysis of covariance no significant associations were found between depression and levels of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α and CRP. In addition, no significant moderating effects of aggressive behavior on this relationship were found. Conclusion: Despite earlier evidence nudging towards a relationship between depression and the immune system, this study has not obtained similar results. Future studies on the matter are warranted, preferably with simultaneous advancement of salivary measurement technologies.Show less
Introduction. Maternal depression is one of the most common mental disorders in The Netherlands. In earlier research, an association was found between maternal depression and disturbed development...Show moreIntroduction. Maternal depression is one of the most common mental disorders in The Netherlands. In earlier research, an association was found between maternal depression and disturbed development of empathy in their children. The main goal of this thesis is to examine the relation between maternal depressive symptoms and emotion regulation in mothers and infant empathy precursors. Methods. The current study is part of the longitudinal study 'Een Goed Begin’ by Leiden University. The sample consisted of 151 mother-child dyads, the mothers age varied between 17 and 27 years (M = 22.66 years, SD = 2.209). At 20 months post-partum, depressive symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al., 1996). Emotion regulation was measured with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004). (Precursors of) empathy in children was measured by the Pain Task (Young et al., 1999; Zahn-Waxler et al., 1992) at 30 months. Results. A significant, positive correlation between emotion regulation and depressive symptoms was found, as expected. There is no main effect of maternal depressive symptoms on precursors of empathy, as well as no main effect of maternal emotion regulation on empathy and no interaction effect between the three variables. Conclusion. The results of this study suggest a significant and positive correlation between depression and empathy, where more symptoms of depression correlated with more empathy, contrary to what was expected. In addition, a trend is found between depression and empathy. Therefore, more research regarding this topic is recommended. Improving the understanding of this relationship can lead to the development of a risk profile when mothers suffer from depressive symptoms and targeted interventions for empathy development.Show less
Developments in applications of virtual reality (VR) in the field of children's education and healthcare have been increasing rapidly in recent years. Until today, little research has been done on...Show moreDevelopments in applications of virtual reality (VR) in the field of children's education and healthcare have been increasing rapidly in recent years. Until today, little research has been done on the negative physical effects that the use of VR can cause in children aged 8-12 years. The aim of the research reported in this paper is to determine whether the use of VR causes negative physical symptoms in children and to what extent gender, level of fun of the VR task and degree of media use are influencing factors regarding such symptoms. In this study, 64 children aged 8-12 years participated. Before and after playing a short VR game, the children completed a questionnaire (CSSQ) measuring cybersickness symptoms. The results showed that children suffered some degree of cybersickness symptoms after playing a short VR game. Nevertheless, the number of children in the study suffering from cybersickness was very small. The factors of gender, degree of media use and level of fun of the VR game did not seem to influence the development of cybersickness symptoms. In follow-up studies, larger subgroups could be examined to determine more accurately at what age cybersickness symptoms are most prevalent.Show less
This research explores why individuals in positions of relative (social) power over subordinates sometimes exhibit greater financial risk-taking propensity due to this power. This research proposes...Show moreThis research explores why individuals in positions of relative (social) power over subordinates sometimes exhibit greater financial risk-taking propensity due to this power. This research proposes that a sense of power makes power holders more optimistic and perceive lesser financial risks associated with their actions, driving greater financial risk-taking propensity in investment decision-making scenarios. An experimental survey study was conducted with managers to test these predictions. Power holders who experienced a greater sense of power were more optimistic and perceived fewer financial risks associated with their decisions and actions, stimulating financial risk-taking propensity in financial investment scenarios. The findings suggest that financial risk-taking propensity exhibited by power holders arises from inflated financial optimism and consequent diminished financial risk perceptions. Encouraging power holders who occupy positions of relative (social) power over others to focus on their responsibilities could suppress the inflated propensity to take financial risks with potentially harmful consequences for others. Hence, this research sheds light on the psychology behind financial risk-taking among those in power.Show less
While honesty itself is a widely researched topic, most research has been done on human-human interactions. This laid the foundation for many similar studies and a rapidly expanding literature on...Show moreWhile honesty itself is a widely researched topic, most research has been done on human-human interactions. This laid the foundation for many similar studies and a rapidly expanding literature on honesty for human-avatar and human-robot interaction studies. This experiment builds on such research. In the current study, we intended to determine how much (dis)honest behavior participants would display during a coin-toss game with three agents: a robot, an avatar, and a human confederate. In all three conditions, the agents’ pupil size had been manipulated to be either dilated or constricted form. There were three blocks, with 18 trials each. The trials were counterbalanced. We hypothesized that the participants would be more honest with the agents with dilated pupils compared to constricted pupils, as previous studies have shown that people with dilated pupils are perceived more positively. Additionally, we hypothesized that overall, the participants would show more honest behavior when interacting with the confederate because human-to-human contact is familiar and not (yet) comparable to human-AI (Artificial Intelligence) contact. Curiously, results show that our first hypothesis is not met, as pupil size did not have a significant effect (p = .171). Our second hypothesis is partly met as there was a significant difference between the human condition and robot condition (p = .007), but not between human condition and avatar condition.Show less
