The present study investigated the influence of engaging in online regulatory behaviors in the use of one’s smart phone and the outcomes of those behaviors on perceived online behavioral control ...Show moreThe present study investigated the influence of engaging in online regulatory behaviors in the use of one’s smart phone and the outcomes of those behaviors on perceived online behavioral control (PoBC). Additionally, the moderating influence of PoBC on the relationship between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and the frequency of checking one’s smartphone was investigated. We were also interested in the relationship between social media fatigue and academic stress. A convenience sample of Dutch-speaking students (N = 82) completed a 15-minute self-report questionnaire assessing FoMO, frequency of smartphone checking, PoBC, and online regulatory behaviors. Contrary to our expectations, PoBC does not weaken the relationship between FoMO and participants’ frequency of checking one’s smartphone. On the one hand, as expected, in the subgroup of participants with a weaker sense of PoBC, the correlation between FoMO and the frequency of checking one’s smartphone is positive, although not significant (r = .20), indicating that participants with higher levels of FoMO tend to check their phone more frequently. On the other hand, however, in the subgroup of participants with a stronger sense of control, the correlation is not weakened, but remains equally strong (r = -.20, again n.s.), but this time negative, suggesting that in this subgroup of participants, higher levels of FoMO tend to be associated with less frequent phone-checking. A possible explanation for this unexpected result is offered in the Discussion. Furthermore, unexpectedly, participants experiencing more social media fatigue do not experience more academic stress. However, individuals who believe that regulating their online behavior is effective to not be distracted, perceive a stronger sense of control over their online behavior. This study suggests that enhancing the belief that regulatory behaviors may help to prevent unwanted disturbances.Show less
Quality sleep is paramount for the mental and physical health of university students and for their academic success. Stress was found to be a precipitator and a maintaining factor of poor sleep....Show moreQuality sleep is paramount for the mental and physical health of university students and for their academic success. Stress was found to be a precipitator and a maintaining factor of poor sleep. Moreover, vulnerabilities in the student population may maintain and/or exacerbate a possible association between stress and sleep quality; one of which is the development or the existence of poor coping strategies to deal with stress, such as a propensity to engage in perseverative negative cognitions (PNCs). This study examined whether an increase in academic stress was related to a decrease in the sleep quality of university students. Additionally, moderation by two different PNCs (i.e., excessive worry and rumination) were expected, with high levels of PNCs associated with an exacerbation of the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality. Lastly, the unique contribution of the two PNCs to the moderation effect was explored. Cross-sectional data from 49 university students were obtained using a series of questionnaires (Mage = 19.6 years, female = 95.9%). A simple regression analysis failed to indicate that an increase in academic stress predicts a decrease in sleep quality (p = .30). In addition, a hierarchical multiple regression failed to establish that PNCs moderate the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality (p = .18), suggesting that high levels of PNCs may not be associated with an exacerbation of the relationship. Furthermore, this study did not find evidence for the individual contribution of both types of PNCs to the moderation effect of PNCs in the association between academic stress and sleep quality (p = .28 for worry as a moderator; p = .47 for rumination as a moderator). These findings inform that academic stress might not share the same link with sleep difficulties as other types of stress have demonstrated. Furthermore, there is the possibility of additional concomitant difficulties (i.e., depression and anxiety) being relevant for the associations investigated, either as subsequent outcomes or as determinants of these associations. These findings provide a basis for future research on possible resistances experienced by this population and inform interventions that could help ameliorate sleep quality in university students.Show less
Greater perceived stress is associated with maladaptive repetitive thinking, which can be divided into worry and rumination. Previous literature found associations between rumination, stress, and...Show moreGreater perceived stress is associated with maladaptive repetitive thinking, which can be divided into worry and rumination. Previous literature found associations between rumination, stress, and sleep quality; however, for the subcomponents of rumination, namely brooding rumination and reflective pondering, only a relationship between brooding rumination and stress has been found in which brooding rumination increases after the occurrence of a stressor. In order to gain more insights into both the relationship of brooding rumination and sleep quality in moderation of academic stress in students, and to exploratively investigate the relationships between brooding rumination and reflective pondering with sleep quality, an online questionnaire using the Ruminative Response Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Perception of Academic Stress was used with Leiden university students. The hierarchical multiple linear regression with interaction did not find a moderation effect for academic stress on the relationship between brooding rumination and sleep quality with F(3, 43) = 0.98 p = .413, and both simple linear regressions revealed insignificant results for an association between brooding rumination and reflective pondering with sleep quality with F(1, 44) = 1.35 p = .252 and F(1, 44) = 0.06, p = .803, respectively. Whereas the latter finding may suggest an association of the subcomponents of rumination with sleep quality through the possible mediator depression, the former finding could be depicted in a simple slope analysis that suggested a moderation effect of academic stress after all. The clinical relevance of this study therefore lies on the moderation effect of academic stress and the relationships between rumination, sleep quality, and depression.Show less
In recent years, more attention has been paid to the importance that coping strategies play in the development of psychopathology. This attention is well needed in the academic sector with high...Show moreIn recent years, more attention has been paid to the importance that coping strategies play in the development of psychopathology. This attention is well needed in the academic sector with high numbers of students going through mental health crises during their studies. The present study focused on the effects of using different cognitive and behavioral coping strategies on mental health and academic stress. We extended the investigation to examine cross-cultural differences within these effects. The relation of cognitive and behavioral coping strategies to anxious and depressive symptoms as well as academic stress was studied among university students from three different countries (N = 521, the United States; N = 279, China; N = 175, the Netherlands). All of the students filled in self-report questionnaires on perceived academic stress (LSPSS), anxious symptoms (GAD-7), depressive symptoms (PHQ-9), cognitive coping strategies (CERQ), behavioral coping strategies (BERQ), and self-compassion (SCCM). The results of univariate and multivariate analyses showed significant differences on perceived academic stress, and anxious and depressive symptoms with American students scoring significantly higher on all three scales than Chinese and Dutch students. Remarkable differences between the samples were also found on most of the subscales of behavioral and cognitive coping strategies. Furthermore, regression analyses demonstrated consistencies and discrepancies in the relationships between mental health, academic stress and coping strategies across countries. Most notably, consistencies across samples were found for self-blame and withdrawal predicting anxious and depressive symptoms, and rumination and withdrawal predicting academic stress. Discrepancies were mainly found in how the strategies ignoring, rumination, catastrophizing, seeking social support and low self-compassion predicted anxious and/or depressive symptoms and/or academic stress. This suggests cultural variations in the efficacy of coping strategies to alleviate mental health problems and academic stress and provides useful directions for the development of interventions for students.Show less
To date, a growing body of literature studies maladaptive repetitive thinking; an unproductive emotion regulation strategy, where a person engages in certain negative thoughts, that are maintained...Show moreTo date, a growing body of literature studies maladaptive repetitive thinking; an unproductive emotion regulation strategy, where a person engages in certain negative thoughts, that are maintained on a conscious state for a prolonged time period. Maladaptive repetitive thinking consists of different components, like worry and rumination. Researchers argue whether the two are actually distinct cognitive processes. Limited bibliography examined the relationship between maladaptive repetitive thinking and stress, which is why this study addresses this topic. Specifically, it investigates whether higher worry and rumination levels predict higher academic and general stress levels of undergraduate students, during an exam and a non-exam week. In addition, it is hypothesized that students will report higher academic and general stress levels during the exam week compared to the non-exam week. Lastly, we anticipate worry to be highly associated with rumination. Forty students during the non-exam week and twenty-eight during the exam week responded to the completion of self-report questionnaires, regarding worry, rumination, academic, and general stress. With the exception of general stress during the non-exam week, only increased rumination predicted increased levels of academic and general stress, during both weeks. Students reported higher general stress levels during the non-exam week compared to the exam week, whereas academic stress levels did not differ between the two weeks. As expected, worry highly correlated with rumination during both academic weeks, building on the literature in favor of this relationship. Our findings claim that, possibly, rumination is a stronger predictor of academic and general stress, compared to worry. Further exploration on how maladaptive repetitive thinking potentially affects the stress levels of students during different academic periods is needed. Limitations of the study are addressed and future directions are suggested.Show less
Challenges in stress management, effective attention direction, and striving for adequate sleep are reflected in a student’s life and academic performance. According to recent research, decreased...Show moreChallenges in stress management, effective attention direction, and striving for adequate sleep are reflected in a student’s life and academic performance. According to recent research, decreased attentional control is related to an increased tendency to engage in maladaptive repetitive thinking (RT) i.e., rumination and worry, which has been considered as a threat to sleep quality. Furthermore, an increase in academic stress has been found to impair students' sleep quality. Using moderation analysis, the current study investigated whether maladaptive RT strengthened the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality. We used linear regression analysis (LRA) to investigate the relationship between attentional control and maladaptive RT. A number of self- report questionnaires were used in this cross-sectional study to measure attentional control, sleep quality, academic stress, worry, and rumination. The final sample consisted of 50 Leiden University students aged 17-30 years. The results of the simple LRA showed that poor attentional control is related to a higher tendency of maladaptive RT, such as rumination and worry. The result of the moderation analysis revealed that neither rumination (b = -.001, t = -0.90, p = .930) nor worry (b = - .003, t = -0.73, p = .471) strengthened the relationship between increased academic stress and poor sleep quality. Despite its limitations, the study serves as a preliminary study into the role of rumination and worry in the relationship between academic stress and sleep quality and provides methodological suggestions for future research to yield more reliable results.Show less
This study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of...Show moreThis study (N = 153) investigated the relationship between academic stress, mental health – consisted of anxiety and depression scores – and self-efficacy in university students, and the effect of perceived parental autonomy support and psychological control on their mental health and self-efficacy. Online survey entries were collected over three weeks. Multiple regression analyses were conducted and also tested for moderating effects. Academic stress was associated with higher anxiety and depression levels. General self-efficacy buffered against elevated anxiety and depression from academic stress. Perceived parental autonomy support was associated with higher self-efficacy, and the association between academic stress and depression was stronger for students reporting high perceived maternal psychological control, but using a post hoc correction both findings became non-significant. Limitations, study conclusions, and further research directions are also discussed.Show less
This thesis raises the point that incorporating bottom-up understandings of psychology in Chinese society can give us a more complete outlook on the level of development of psychology in the nation...Show moreThis thesis raises the point that incorporating bottom-up understandings of psychology in Chinese society can give us a more complete outlook on the level of development of psychology in the nation. This is done by using academic stress as the focus of research. By looking at Chinese internet sources of everyday situations of academic stress and analyzing these with the help of Foucauldian thought and the theory of “Interpretive Perspective”, these results are compared to the current state of psychology as an academic discourse in China. It is concluded that psychology is indeed much more developed in China than top-down academic discourse may give it credit for. Furthermore, a more complete account on how academic stress is experienced by students in China is given by integrating primary internet sources with secondary literature and finds that academic stress is not expressed the same by all students.Show less
