Studies in various patient populations have found reduced quality of life, lower self-esteem and more cognitive complaints compared to the general population. Research indicates that similar...Show moreStudies in various patient populations have found reduced quality of life, lower self-esteem and more cognitive complaints compared to the general population. Research indicates that similar tendencies are also observable in patients with personality disorders, however only a few studies have addressed these areas in patients with Cluster C personality disorder, despite the fact, that it is the most prevalent personality disorder type. The goal of the present study was to describe the most commonly occurring cognitive complaints in this patient population, as well as to examine the associations between quality of life, self-esteem and cognitive complaints. For this purpose, data from 347 outpatients with Cluster C personality disorder was analysed as part of a greater nationwide ongoing research. To operationalize the constructs of interest, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and the MHQoL-7D questionnaires were used, measuring cognitive complaints, self-esteem and quality of life respectively. Linear regression analysis as well as visual inspection of descriptives were the statistical methods of choice. Results indicated mild disability on the cognitive domain in the patient population. Furthermore, significant associations were found between more cognitive complaints and lower self-esteem (p ˂ .001) and lower quality of life (p ˂ .001). Additionally, higher self-esteem correlated with better quality of life (p ˂ .001) and higher age of the participants (p ˂ .001). Higher age was also associated with lower quality of life (p = .047). Nationality and gender did not have a statistically significant association with any outcome variable. These results were in line with findings of previous research in other patient populations. As these characteristics can potentially influence treatment outcomes, the findings of the current study can be considered an important contribution to the currently lacking knowledge base of patients with Cluster C personality disorder.Show less
1 / 30 Abstract 2 / 30 This study aimed to investigate how feedback influences affective updating and self-perception in healthy adolescents. Adolescence is characterized by significant...Show more1 / 30 Abstract 2 / 30 This study aimed to investigate how feedback influences affective updating and self-perception in healthy adolescents. Adolescence is characterized by significant developmental changes and an important developmental stage for the formation of identity. This identifies formation plays a crucial role in shaping self-esteem and self-confidence. Adolescents compare their self-perception with that of others to explore their identity, relying on their self-confidence as a guiding factor. The way adolescents respond to feedback can significantly influence their self-perception. Affective updating of feelings is the process through which adolescents adapt their emotions in response to feedback, and it plays a vital role in maintaining beliefs about their shortcomings and negative feelings towards self-perception, particularly among anxious adolescents. To explore these dynamics, a social-evaluative speech performance task will be conducted. Eighty adolescents aged 12 to 17 years engaged in a simulated social-evaluating setting, self-evaluated their performance, and received feedback from expert judges. Participants then indicated their emotional state after receiving the feedback. Using computational modeling we examined the affective updating of self-feelings response to positive and negative performance feedback. Additionally, regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between self-confidence and affective updating of feelings. This study contributes to our understanding of the psychological processes involved in self-perception and affective updating in healthy adolescents. The findings may have implications for interventions and support strategies aimed at fostering positive self-perception and emotional adjustment during adolescence. By understanding the impact of feedback on adolescents' affective responses and self-perception, we can provide valuable insights into their emotional well-being and development. Keywords: Social feedback 3 / 30 Affective updating Self-image Self-esteem Adolescents Speech task Layman’s summary During adolescence (12-17 years), there are numerous changes, including the development of one's own identity. Self-perception and self-confidence play a crucial role during this stage. Adolescents compare their self-perception with that of others to discover who they are, relying on their self-confidence. Self-confidence evaluates the value they place on their self-perception. The way adolescents respond to feedback influences their self-perception. The process through which adolescents adjust their emotions after receiving feedback is known as affective updating of feelings. This phenomenon plays a significant role in maintaining beliefs about their shortcomings and negative feelings related to self-perception, particularly among anxious adolescents. Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common disorders among adolescents. Adolescents with social anxiety disorder often have low self-confidence and are more sensitive to negative feedback, struggling with rejecting such feedback. However, we were specifically interested in understanding how this process works in healthy adolescents. We aimed to determine whether positive or negative feedback has a greater impact on affective updating of feelings. Additionally, we wanted to investigate whether the level of self-confidence had any relationship with how adolescents affectively update their feelings in response to positive and negative feedback. We aimed to achieve this by replicating a social-evaluative speech task with 80 healthy adolescents.Show less
Parents are thought to play an important role in the onset and maintenance of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the possible mediating influence of self-esteem...Show moreParents are thought to play an important role in the onset and maintenance of deliberate self-harm (DSH) in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the possible mediating influence of self-esteem on the relationship between perceived parental support and adolescent DSH, correcting for the effects of age, gender, traumatic life events, and substance use. A cross-sectional self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from Dutch high school students between the age of 14 and 18 (Age M = 15.26 years; SD = .74) from various regions throughout the Netherlands. Of the 4,171 adolescents whose data were analyzed, 552 indicated having engaged in DSH in the past. Results showed a direct effect of parental support on DSH occurrence, as well as an indirect effect via self-esteem. Therefore, the results of this study suggest the relationship between parental support and DSH to be partly mediated via self-esteem. These results support the idea that parents play an important role in adolescent DSH and suggest the importance of involving parents when implementing prevention interventions for adolescent DSH.Show less
Introduction The reinforcement learning theory shows that learning for another (prosocial learning) and learning for ourselves (selfish learning) can both be used as an effective way to learn. Low...Show moreIntroduction The reinforcement learning theory shows that learning for another (prosocial learning) and learning for ourselves (selfish learning) can both be used as an effective way to learn. Low self-esteem is linked to many clinical disorders and with prosocial and selfish behavior. The current study further examines selfish and prosocial learning and a possible relation with self-esteem. Method A total of 139 healthy participants finished the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale and performed an online learning task. Participants had to choose between different stimuli that were probabilistically associated with rewards for themselves (self), another person (prosocial), or no one (control). The number of high probable stimuli (correctly chosen trials) for the selfish condition, prosocial condition and the none condition were analyzed. The two probability ratios that were used were 40/60 and 30/70. Results In contrast with our hypothesis, in the 30/70 probability context there was no significant difference found between conditions over time. Additionally, no significant effect was found between conditions and the 25% high and low self-esteem over time. Additionally, no significant correlations were found between self-esteem and the difference score ‘Prosocial minus Selfish’, the selfish condition and the prosocial condition. Discussion The current study found no significant relation between selfish and prosocial learning and self-esteem. The insignificant effects found in this study may be due to the difficulty of the task, uncontrollable environment, in diversity of sample and differences between global and specific self-esteem. Future research should focus on providing better insight in the relation between prosocial learning and self-esteem.Show less
The valuation of one’s self-worth, i.e., self-esteem, is derived from social feedback throughout life. During adolescence, the period between ages 10 to 19, many changes occur in one's social...Show moreThe valuation of one’s self-worth, i.e., self-esteem, is derived from social feedback throughout life. During adolescence, the period between ages 10 to 19, many changes occur in one's social environment– peers gain importance, and dependency on parents decreases. However, parents continue to influence self-esteem. Although the early parent-child relationship has been linked to self-esteem formation, it is unclear how perceived parenting climate influences self-esteem updating in adolescence in response to peer feedback, as these mechanisms have only been studied in young adults (individuals aged 18–25). This study used self-reports about perceived parenting, alongside computational modelling and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how parenting climate co-varies with neurocognitive mechanisms supporting self-esteem formation in 61 healthy adolescents (Mage = 15.8; SD age = 1.42). The adolescents performed a social evaluation task during fMRI scanning which required them to predict “likes” or “dislikes” from two groups of raters and to rate their self-esteem every 2 to 3 trials. Using a computational model, we extracted a set of variables about the adolescents’ self-esteem in response to the task and performed a canonical correlation analysis to link it to a set of self-reports collected about parenting climate. The canonical correlation analysis yielded a single significant canonical dimension, Wilks’s λ = 0.04, F(117,305) = 1.35, p = 0.022, which we labelled “positive parenting”. “Positive parenting” was associated with high levels of perceived maternal care, low maternal conflict, and low emotional abuse. Adolescents scoring higher on this dimension exhibited more responsive, fluctuating self-esteem (higher self-esteem instability) compared to their lower-scoring peers, 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑐𝑎𝑛𝑜𝑛𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑤1 = 0.31. Our study in adolescents did not find activation in neural regions that were previously proposed to represent the neural processes underlying self-esteem formation in young adults (VS/sgACC: z = 1.84, p = 0.065; vmPFC: z = 0.50, p = 0.618). Lastly, adolescents scoring lower on this dimension did not present with a neural phenotype of psychiatric vulnerability previously found in young adults (AI responses to SPEs ρ(59) = 0.028, p = 0.831; insula-vmPFC functional connectivity ρ(59) = 0.045, p = 0.731). This study suggests that more responsive, fluctuating self-esteem associated with the “positive parenting” dimension may be adaptive in the developmental stage of adolescence, and that developmental differences may be present in neurocognitive mechanisms supporting self-esteem updating in adolescents versus in young adults.Show less
