Norm compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic describes the adherence to health- protecting measures such as social distancing and hand hygiene practice. High norm compliance has been shown to...Show moreNorm compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic describes the adherence to health- protecting measures such as social distancing and hand hygiene practice. High norm compliance has been shown to prevent further spread of the coronavirus. Norm compliance involves decision-making processes which are linked to working memory (WM), the ability to manipulate and maintain information. A recent study by Xie et al. (2020) found that high WM capacity predicted social distancing compliance as measured two weeks after the US COVID-19 emergency declaration. It remains unknown, however, if and to what extent the relationship between WM capacity and norm compliance changes over time. The goal of this study was to partially replicate Xie et al. 's (2020) research and investigate whether WM capacity can predict norm compliance two weeks (T1) as well as six weeks (T2) after the mandated COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. A sample of 67 participants (60 for T2) completed two self-report questionnaires for T1 and T2 respectively (within-subject design). WM capacity was measured with the digit span backwards (DSB) and a compliance scale assessing social distancing and hand washing behaviour was developed. The results indicate that WM neither significantly predicted social distancing compliance at two weeks nor at six weeks, thereby not replicating the study by Xie et al. (2020). These inconclusive findings can be explained by the complexity of measuring norm compliance, the differences to Xie et al. 's (2020) research and the limited representativity and size of the sample. As norm compliance is crucial for a functioning society, future research should continue investigating (cognitive) predictors of compliant behaviour, thereby identifying strategies for compliance-enhancing interventions.Show less
Observed globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a mental health decline. The pandemic has affected the general public, individuals that have been quarantined and individuals who have been...Show moreObserved globally, the COVID-19 pandemic has generated a mental health decline. The pandemic has affected the general public, individuals that have been quarantined and individuals who have been infected with COVID-19. Currently, only a few available studies compare pandemic-onset depressive symptoms between these groups. Additionally, it is not yet known how a dominant position on the personality continuum of introversion/extraversion influences individuals’ experiences of depressive symptoms. Thus, the present study investigates differences between covid groups, as well as differences between individuals with dominant introverted versus extraverted traits. The findings will contribute to the construction of a global response in the observed mental health decline. The study is carried out through a cross-sectional online questionnaire (N = 150), in a group of adults between 18 and 30 years old. Individuals’ differences in positions on the introversion/extraversion continuum are measured using the HEXACO- PI-R. The mean PHQ-9 and HADS depression scores were observed to be 14.95/10.25 (healthy), 18.35/11.94 (quarantined), 15.64/10.25 (infected) and 15.76/11.55 (quarantined + infected) in the respective groups. No difference between covid status groups on the depression scores was found. Within the whole sample, in the healthy and quarantined + infected groups (p < 0.001), and in the PHQ-9 measured infected group (p = 0.045), significant negative relationships between extraversion and depressive symptom scores were found. These findings are limited due to small sample sizes, the cross-sectional design and the use of convenience sampling. Further studies should include larger sample sizes and make use of a longitudinal design and probability sampling.Show less
What is environmental turbulence? How does it affect organisational performance? And how is this relationship moderated by stabilising features? This thesis delves into the topic of organisational...Show moreWhat is environmental turbulence? How does it affect organisational performance? And how is this relationship moderated by stabilising features? This thesis delves into the topic of organisational stability in the wake of turbulence stemming from the outside of (public) organisations. It uses COVID-19 crisis as an example of environmental turbulence and assesses its impact on the provision of education in The Netherlands. Moreover, this thesis investigates the moderating role of stabilising features, conceptualised as personnel stability in the form of personnel tenure, forms of employment and teacher-to-student ratio. This thesis is quantitative and deductive. In order to test this relationship, a statistical model has been set up, with the data on 429 public schools in the secondary education in The Netherlands. This thesis finds positive support for the argument that stabilising features attenuate the negative effect of environmental turbulence on the organisational performance, albeit weakly. This thesis recommends to delve further into contextual factors that could have an impact on aforementioned relationships, by choosing, for instance, a smaller N, or investigating one or few particular schools through interviews and thick description.Show less
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life since its outbreak, with the lockdown having a negative reputation on mental health. This study examined mental health levels of undergraduate...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life since its outbreak, with the lockdown having a negative reputation on mental health. This study examined mental health levels of undergraduate students during and one year after the lockdown, with the expectation that they would experience more mental health problems. Mood and anxiety problems were assessed through an online questionnaire in two collection waves. The first wave was conducted between September and October 2020, after the first lockdown. The participants were reassessed one year later. The sample consisted of N = 478 undergraduates (mean age = 22,3; 55,6% female). A binary logistic regression revealed that during the lockdown, half of the students (50,8%) reported that the COVID-19 crisis had impacted their mood in a negative way. One year after the lockdown fewer students reported that the COVID-19 crisis had negatively impacted their mood (41,3%), F (1, 205) = 17.91, p < .001. Less than half of the students (38,9%) reported that the COVID-19 crisis had impacted their anxiety levels. One year after the lockdown 25,6% reported that the coronavirus had negatively impacted their anxiety levels, F (1, 206) = 7.49, p = .007. Previous mental health problems were associated with mood and anxiety problems in both waves. In contrast to preregistered hypotheses, experiencing mood and anxiety problems during the COVID-19 lockdown did not predict having more mood and anxiety problems one year after the COVID-19 lockdown. Undergraduate students were found to be largely resilient to the effects of lockdown measures on mental health.Show less
Er zijn veel factoren die meespelen in het behalen van goede schoolprestaties. In dit onderzoek wordt gepoogd een beeld te schetsen van de invloeden van vriendschapskwaliteit en thuissituaties op...Show moreEr zijn veel factoren die meespelen in het behalen van goede schoolprestaties. In dit onderzoek wordt gepoogd een beeld te schetsen van de invloeden van vriendschapskwaliteit en thuissituaties op de schoolprestaties van adolescenten. Verder wordt er gekeken of de vriendschapskwaliteit een goede voorspeller is voor het geluk van de adolescent. Deze invloeden zijn veel veranderd in verband met de huidige Covid-19 pandemie. Adolescenten zijn meer op zichzelf aangewezen en hebben een andere schoolsetting. Dit onderzoek probeert dit in kaart te brengen te brengen door een analyse van een opgezette vragenlijst. Diverse zelf-rapportage vragenlijsten zijn afgenomen bij 160 adolescenten, 11 tot 15 jaar oud. De vragenlijst bevat vragen betreffende de thuissituatie, vriendschapskwaliteit, schoolprestatie en het level van geluksgevoel bij de adolescent. Uit de meervoudige regressieanalyse bleek dat de vriendschapskwaliteit een goede voorspeller is van de schoolresultaten adolescent. Verder heeft het onderzoek aangetoond dat een hogere vriendschapskwaliteit een hogere score op geluk voorspelt. We kunnen daardoor zeggen dat vriendschapskwaliteit een belangrijke factor voor zowel prestaties op school als een hoge score op geluk. Een belangrijke implicatie van dit onderzoek betreft de hoeveelheid vragen in de zelf-rapportage vragenlijst. Voor een completer beeld zouden er meer vragen gebruikt kunnen worden. Verder kan het gebruik van zelf-rapportage vragenlijsten ook zorgen voor onnauwkeurigheden. Voor verder onderzoek naar dit onderwerp zou er gekeken kunnen worden naar de visie van ouders en docenten om zo een accurater beeld te vormen van de adolescent.Show less
Nederland ging op 13 maart 2020 in een lockdown in vanwege de intrede van COVID-19. Mensen met een cardiovasculaire ziekte ervaren stress rondom het krijgen van een besmetting met het virus, wegens...Show moreNederland ging op 13 maart 2020 in een lockdown in vanwege de intrede van COVID-19. Mensen met een cardiovasculaire ziekte ervaren stress rondom het krijgen van een besmetting met het virus, wegens de consequenties van besmetting voor deze groep en de uitgestelde zorg. Er is echter nog weinig onderzoek gedaan naar het mentaal welzijn van deze groep ten tijde van en na de pandemie. Zo lijkt psychologische flexibiliteit een rol te spelen bij mensen met een chronische ziekte ten tijde van de pandemie. In dit onderzoek is er onderzocht of er een verschil in mentaal welzijn is tijdens en na de pandemie voor mensen met en zonder cardiovasculaire ziekte, en of psychologische flexibiliteit hierbij een beschermende rol speelt. Dit is gemeten door middel van zelfrapportage vragenlijsten bij 6050 respondenten tussen de 16 en 99 jaar. Uit de regressieanalyse is gebleken dat met name mensen zonder cardiovasculaire ziekten zich na de pandemie mentaal beter voelen, in vergelijking met mensen met een cardiovasculaire ziekte. Echter is er geen significantie aangetoond voor psychologische flexibiliteit, wat erop duidt dat dit geen beschermende factor is. Vervolgonderzoek zou moeten aantonen welke chronische condities daadwerkelijk voordelen ervaren een hoge psychologische flexibiliteit en welke overlap psychologische flexibiliteit met mentaal welzijn heeft. The Netherlands entered a lockdown on March 13, 2020, due to COVID-19. People with a cardiovascular disease experienced stress around getting an infection, due to the consequences of the virus, and the delayed care for their illness. However, little research has been done for this group during and after the pandemic. For example, psychological flexibility seems to play a role in people with a chronic illness during the pandemic. This study investigated whether there is a difference in mental well-being during and after the pandemic, for people with and without cardiovascular disease, and whether psychological flexibility plays a protective role. This was measured by means of self-report questionnaires among 6050 respondents between the ages of 16 and 99. The regression analysis showed that especially people without a cardiovascular disease have a higher mental wellbeing after the pandemic, compared to people with cardiovascular disease. However, no significance has been shown for psychological flexibility, suggesting that this is not a protective factor. Follow-up research should show which chronic conditions benefit from a higher psychological flexibility.Show less
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused both academic and financial hardship for students pursuing higher education in the Netherlands, including study delays and layoffs. Given that these types of...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused both academic and financial hardship for students pursuing higher education in the Netherlands, including study delays and layoffs. Given that these types of incidents have a bearing on students' overall financial behaviour and that student loans are a common tool among students to finance their postsecondary education, one would expect these effects of the pandemic to have a direct impact on student borrowing behaviour. However, there is another variable to take into account, namely students' financial preferences, particularly with regard to having or taking on debt. Accordingly, this study reports on the degree of debt aversion and how it affects the borrowing behaviour of students in Dutch higher education during this crisis. This relationship is examined by means of three hypotheses and corresponding multiple regression analyses with moderation effects, using data obtained through the use of a survey and an additive index measuring the degree of debt aversion. This research has shown that the financial preference of debt aversion has a negative impact on the borrowing behaviour of students. In other words, the higher a student’s degree of debt aversion is, the lower their monthly amount of student loans will be. This relationship does not differ depending on whether or not a student has been directly affected by the pandemic and the effects thereof.Show less
Aims: The aim of this study is to provide more information on the relation between the COVID-19 pandemic and externalizing problems in children and adolescents with mental health problems. In...Show moreAims: The aim of this study is to provide more information on the relation between the COVID-19 pandemic and externalizing problems in children and adolescents with mental health problems. In addition, this study examined the potential influence of gender and age on the relation between the COVID-19 pandemic and externalizing problems. Methods: This study is based on a between-subjects design that examined externalizing problems among children and adolescents between the ages of 8 and 18 years in a youth care sample (N = 3,215) before the COVID-19 pandemic (April 1, 2019–March 10, 2020, N = 1,873) and during the pandemic (March 11, 2020–April 1, 2021, N = 1,342). The Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) was used to measure externalizing problems. Parents or legal guardians filled in this questionnaire at the beginning of treatment. Results: No increases in externalizing problems were found in children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to children and adolescents before the pandemic. In addition, gender and age did not influence the relation between the COVID-19 pandemic and externalizing problems significantly. Conclusions: Our results are not in line with most previous research. However, they are in line with recent research that found initial increases in mental health problems at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but not over time. This research contributes to the knowledge and sheds new light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents referred to youth care.Show less
Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
Metaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path...Show moreMetaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path metaphor and the wildfire metaphor have on the personal control people experience over the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, participants received a text about the ongoing yet hidden threat of COVID-19, in which a new outbreak was either described as a wrongly taken path, as a wildfire flaring up, or without a metaphor. To measure the experienced amount of personal control, the participants were asked about their feelings of fear and control of the virus and the measures, and how they would bring these feelings into practice by reacting to multiple scenarios involving the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Statistical testing revealed no significant effect of the metaphors on the participants’ responses, potentially due to (amongst others) the time frame of the research. It is necessary to research in which circumstances a metaphor does and does not affect attitude. Then, it can be determined how and when a metaphor can best be employed in daily life to influence the hearer’s perception of a message, for example in the contexts of climate change, disease, and politics.Show less
Background: It is unclear if COVID-19 measurements affect adolescent with a history of Childhood Aversity (CA) more than other adolescents. It is important to find out, because CA already predicts...Show moreBackground: It is unclear if COVID-19 measurements affect adolescent with a history of Childhood Aversity (CA) more than other adolescents. It is important to find out, because CA already predicts more risk for psychological problems such as depression. CA can also have an impact on the stress hormone cortisol, which can lead to less or more depressive symptoms. Research is needed to find out if CA and cortisol can be of risk for developing depression after lockdown due to COVID-19 or if adolescents will be resilient to these kinds of stressors. Method: The sample consisted of 89 adolescents with a history of CA, recruited through an earlier study named Resilience after Individual Stress Exposure (RAISE). The adolescents filled in two questionnaires: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and Mood and feelings questionnaire (MFQ). They also performed an fMRI stress task (MIST) where prior to this test blood was contained for measurement of cortisol. After the first lockdown of COVID-19 the MFQ was filled in again. Results: The results stated that after the lockdown the depression symptoms were increased (Z = 4,122, p < .001). But threat and deprivation (both CA) were not predictors of cortisol (threat: b = -.214, t (87) = -200, p = .842, deprivation: b = .316, t (87) = .2523, p = .801). Cortisol did not have mediation effect between threat/deprivation and changes in depression symptoms (threat: 95% CI [-.017,.026], deprivation: 95% CI [-.037,.031]). And lastly only threat was a predictor for changes in depression symptoms (b = .255, t (87) = 2.3863, p = .019). Discussion: This research has proved that there is an increase in depressive symptoms after the first lockdown in April of the year 2020. Secondly, history of threat and deprivation are not predictors of cortisollevels in the adolescence. Third, cortisol did not play a mediation role between CA (threat/deprivation) and depressive symptoms. Lastly, threat predicts depressive symptoms after the lockdown. In future similar situations, to prevent development of (more) depressive symptoms that may lead to depression disorder, extra support for adolescents, especially with history of threat, is needed.Show less
Background: Previous studies indicated that victims of intimate partner violence, usually women, are now exposed to perpetrators more during the pandemic, which is a period of unusual psychological...Show moreBackground: Previous studies indicated that victims of intimate partner violence, usually women, are now exposed to perpetrators more during the pandemic, which is a period of unusual psychological and financial pressure with limited access to help services. But, no systematic synthesis of evidence of its psychological effect has been undertaken. Aim: The purpose of this meta-analysis was to estimate the magnitude of pandemic-driven restrictions on the prevalence of psychological IPV rates among women. Method: Articles on IPV against women were searched up to August 18, 2021 using the electronic PubMed and Web of Science databases. The selected studies needed to meet certain criteria. Mixed-effects meta-analysis was performed. This study was conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. Results: A total of 28 empirical studies that met general inclusion criteria were yielded in the meta-analysis after several rounds of the elimination process (N=54711). Results showed that 22.62% of women were exposed to psychological violence by their intimate partners. The prevalence rate of psychological IPV before the pandemic was 24.78%, whereas it was 17.27% during COVID-19. These prevalence rates of psychological IPV showed no statistically significant difference ( t(26) = -0.373, p = 0.713). Conclusion: The pandemic was not associated with the changes in psychological IPV incidence estimates. However, limited access to emergency services during the pandemic and fear of victims asking for help might have been barriers to reporting the violence. Thus, further research and policy attention are needed. The meta-analysis had many limitations, most apparently publication bias, so it is suggested that the findings be evaluated with this notice.Show less
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions may have far-reaching consequences for mental health among adolescents with experiences of childhood adversities (CA). Exposure to CA...Show moreIntroduction: The COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions may have far-reaching consequences for mental health among adolescents with experiences of childhood adversities (CA). Exposure to CA influences information processing such as threat processing and reward processing and is therefore associated with elevated risk for psychopathology partly due to altered patterns of social functioning. We propose that adolescents with CA may experience loneliness due to the COVID-19 restrictions and that experiencing loneliness can depend on exposure to deprivation and threat because of its distinct effects on neurological development. Methods: We recruited adolescents (N = 79, 𝑀𝑎𝑔𝑒= 22,4, SD = 2,645) from the Resilience after Individual Stress Exposure (RAISE) who filled in a questionnaire of experienced Childhood Adversities before the lockdown. We measured loneliness during the first lockdown (April 2020), the relaxation of restrictions (July 2020) and the reintroduced restrictions (October 2020). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) measured Childhood adversities and the Revised University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (R-UCLA) measured loneliness. Results: The findings showed that loneliness in April, July and October did not change (F(1.906, 131.508) = .187, p > .05). Loneliness and experiences of threat did not interact with each other; reported loneliness was not influenced by experiences of threat (F(1.906, 131.508) = .282, p > .05). Loneliness and experiences of deprivation did not interact with each other; loneliness was not influenced by experiences of deprivation (F(1.906, 131.508) = .237, p > .05). There was an association between loneliness (April) and neglect (β = .1.18 (t (74) = 3.73; p < .001, r=.56), but no association between loneliness and threat (β = .005 (t) (74) = .017; p > .05). Discussion: The corona pandemic is characterized by an unpredictable situation, which may have caused feelings of fear and anxiety for the entire population which resulted in solidarity; the virus could affect anyone. This could explain the absence of association between threat and loneliness as well as the absence of difference in loneliness in April, July and October.Show less
Up to a third of children experience childhood maltreatment (CM), which is abuse and/or neglect by a caregiver. CM is a robust risk factor for depression, and adolescent depressive symptoms seem to...Show moreUp to a third of children experience childhood maltreatment (CM), which is abuse and/or neglect by a caregiver. CM is a robust risk factor for depression, and adolescent depressive symptoms seem to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study therefore investigated whether childhood maltreatment was associated with a further increase in adolescent depression in response to the pandemic, and what role self-esteem and loneliness play in this association. We examined depressive symptoms before (up to March 2020) and during the pandemic (April 2020), in a sample of 79 adolescents (16-26 years old) of which 67.1% were female and non were non-binary (REACT study; Smith et al., 2021). We found that CM was predictive of depression during the pandemic, but not of depression before the pandemic, nor of an increase in depressive symptoms. Furthermore, we found that loneliness was a significant mediator of the relationship between CM and depression during the pandemic, whereas self-esteem was found to be an independent predictor of depression increase. Based on these findings depression prevention/intervention programs are advised to identify CM survivors and to target loneliness and low self-esteem.Show less