The Biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans inherently need nature for their mental well-being. Hence, the current contrast between natural environments and artificial urban settings may...Show moreThe Biophilia hypothesis suggests that humans inherently need nature for their mental well-being. Hence, the current contrast between natural environments and artificial urban settings may contribute to modern stress levels. Studies show that adolescents, who out of all the age groups feel the least connected to nature, are highly prone to mental health problems. However, research on the relationship between nature connectedness and mental health in adolescents remains scarce. This paper analyzed scores from the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in 214 adolescents (172 women, 39 men, 2 non-binaries, 1 genderqueer) between the age of 16-25, M = 20, to investigate the association between mental health and connectedness to nature. Pearson correlation analysis revealed a non-significant and negative relationship between adolescents’ mental health and their connectedness to nature. Although this finding contrasts with prior literature, the relationship seems to be more complex with other contextual factors that were not included in the study. CNS might positively impact mental health only as a moderator between mental well-being and exposure to green spaces, although this study did not test this moderating relationship. Possible influential factors include sensitivity to climate change at high CNS levels. Avenues for future research include studying connectedness to nature as a moderator in the relationship between exposure to green spaces and mental health as well as including contextual variables to inform nature-based therapies.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
Background: In the Netherlands, suicide was the primary death cause in people under 30 in 2022. An antecedent of suicide is suicidal ideation and its prevalence varies between 14.3-22.6% in...Show moreBackground: In the Netherlands, suicide was the primary death cause in people under 30 in 2022. An antecedent of suicide is suicidal ideation and its prevalence varies between 14.3-22.6% in adolescents. Previous attempts to explain and predict suicidality led to the elaboration of several theories. However, while addressing behaviours aimed at the destruction of the ego, these theories overlook the ego’s role. Objective: This study investigated whether the ego function of mentalization moderates the relationship between perceived burdensomeness (PB)/thwarted belongingness (TB) and suicidal ideation (SI) among 17–26-year-old adolescents. This research could expand the Interpersonal Psychological Theory (IPT) of Suicidal Behavior framework. Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, we collected data via several online questionnaires. The final sample size consisted of 99 18-26 years old Leiden University students. Data was analyzed using a correlation matrix and two hierarchical regression analyses corresponding to the two moderation models tested. Results: All the variables were significantly correlated to one another. Additionally, PB (p < .001) and TB (p < .001) positively predicted SI. Mentalization did not moderate the relationships between PB/TB and SI. Therefore, the moderation models were not supported. An additional linear regression was conducted as an exploratory analysis and revealed that mentalization negatively predicted SI (p < .05). Conclusion: In adolescents, lower mentalization might relate to more PB, TB and SI. Additionally, higher PB and TB might predict more SI. The exploratory analysis revealed that lower mentalization ability might also predict more SI in adolescents. However, mentalization did not moderate the relationships between PB/TB and SI and possible reasons for this are discussed. The theoretical implications are that the investigation of ego functions’ roles in suicidality and mentalization in the context of IPT may hold promise and current suicide theories may indeed be incomplete. Practical implications are related to suggesting new intervention targets among suicidal adolescents.Show less
Background. Parenting plays an important role in the development of adolescent’s emotion regulation (ER). Parental psychological control (PC) is negatively and parental autonomy support (AS) is...Show moreBackground. Parenting plays an important role in the development of adolescent’s emotion regulation (ER). Parental psychological control (PC) is negatively and parental autonomy support (AS) is positively linked to adolescent ER. Impaired ER has been linked to internalizing- and externalizing problems. Parenting is usually examined trough observation or trough self-report methods, but these methods are not interchangeable. Research question. Is adolescent-perceived or observed parenting more important for ER in adolescents, while controlling for depression? Method. In this cross-sectional and multi-method study, 35 depressed and 80 control adolescents (11-17 years) reported on perceived parental PC and AS using the Parental Bonding Inventory and their own behavioral ER using the Children's Emotion Management Scale. Parental PC and AS was observed and scored on the Problem-solving Interaction task. A multiple regression analysis was used. Results. Depressed adolescents showed significantly lower adaptive ER. There were no significant results for adolescent-perceived and observed PC and AS in relation to ER. For the interaction effect of group status with autonomy support, parental support, and ER, no significant results were found. A trend effect was found for the moderating effect between depression and adolescent-perceived PC. Conclusions. Depressed adolescents showed significantly lower adaptive ER, demonstrating the need for ER focused interventions. For teens in middle adolescence, PC and AS parenting did not have a significant effect on their ER. Lastly, when depressed adolescents experienced their parents as more psychologically controlling, they had more difficulty with their ER, highlighting the potential benefit of cognitive behavioral therapy.Show less
The current study investigated the mediating role of social-evaluative anxiety in the relationship between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 160 adolescents (aged between...Show moreThe current study investigated the mediating role of social-evaluative anxiety in the relationship between self-concept clarity and body dissatisfaction in a sample of 160 adolescents (aged between 11 and 21 years). Participants completed self-report questionnaires to measure their self-concept clarity and level of social-evaluative anxiety. To measure body dissatisfaction, participants undertook an fMRI task measuring physical self- concept and completed the physical domain of the Competence Experience Scale for Adolescents (CBSA). A correlational analysis revealed that low self-concept clarity is related to higher body dissatisfaction, regardless of gender. The relationship was found to be partially mediated by social-evaluative anxiety. Gender comparisons did not reveal any significant gender differences. Findings suggest that targeting low self-concept clarity as well as social-evaluative anxiety might be an important part of interventions aiming to reduce body dissatisfaction among adolescents. In addition, the results underline the necessity to equally include both genders in future research and potential interventions.Show less
Adolescence is often characterized by an increase in negative affect and depressive symptoms. Sleep problems are common in depressed adolescents. Previous research indicates that sleep and mood are...Show moreAdolescence is often characterized by an increase in negative affect and depressive symptoms. Sleep problems are common in depressed adolescents. Previous research indicates that sleep and mood are bidirectionally associated. However, the predictive relationship between daily mood and sleep in the next night remains less clear. The current study aimed to compare subjective sleep quality between healthy and depressed adolescents. Secondly, this study aimed to examine whether the daily mood of the adolescents and parents, as well as parent-child interactions, predict sleep quality. A 14-day longitudinal observational study using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) was conducted in a sample of depressed (n = 80) and healthy adolescents (n = 35), aged between 11 and 17 years (M = 15.79, SD = 1.46), and their parents (n = 216). 65.6% of the participants were female and 34,4% were male. Participants completed four daily assessments on their mobile phones. The results indicate that adolescents with depression suffer from poorer sleep quality than healthy adolescents (MD = 1.60 (95% CI, 1.39 to 1.82), t(366.88) = 14.48, p < 0.001). Daily positive affect of the adolescent (b = 0.16, t(773.05) = 3.21, p < 0.001) and daily positive affect of the parents (b = 0.18, t(605.26) = 2.57, p = 0.01) were associated with better sleep quality of the adolescents. The effect of adolescent positive affect disappeared when controlling for other variables. Increasing positive affect during the day might consequently improve sleep quality. Interventions should consider the role of the family environment in adolescent sleep.Show less
The current study focuses on the influence of giftedness and pubertal phase on prosocial giving. Specifically, it was examined whether young adolescents differentiate between different targets in...Show moreThe current study focuses on the influence of giftedness and pubertal phase on prosocial giving. Specifically, it was examined whether young adolescents differentiate between different targets in prosocial giving, whether gifted young adolescents show more prosocial giving than non-gifted young adolescents and whether young adolescents in pubertal phase show more prosocial giving than young adolescents in pre-pubertal phase. The participants were 145 young adolescents (9-12 years old) who performed the Prosocial Donation Task (PDT) and filled out the Pubertal Development Scale (PDS). In the PDT participants divided ten coins between themselves and a specific target (friend, disliked peer, anonymous peer, father and mother). We measured their pubertal development with the PDS, after which we compared it to the Tanner Stages. This study found that young adolescents differentiate in prosocial giving towards the different targets, and that disliked peers and anonymous peers receive fewer coins than friends or parents. However, we did not find that gifted adolescents engage in more prosocial giving than non-gifted adolescents. The results of puberty showed that the pubertal phase itself does not affect prosocial giving, but that young adolescent girls do differentiate differently towards the targets than young adolescent girls in pre-pubertal phase do. For boys we found that young adolescent boys in pre-pubertal phase give fewer coins towards anonymous peers than young adolescent boys in pubertal phase. These findings suggest that targets influence young adolescents’ prosocial giving, which is insightful for social development in young adolescents. Young adolescents can act upon the person facing them and indicate that they show more prosocial giving towards their in-group than an out-group, which is in line with earlier research.Show less
Introduction. Adolescence represents a period of high risk for the development anxiety problems and disorders. This is due to an impaired extinction of fear. Adolescents seem to show a less...Show moreIntroduction. Adolescence represents a period of high risk for the development anxiety problems and disorders. This is due to an impaired extinction of fear. Adolescents seem to show a less successful fear extinction, but unclear remains if sex and puberty are of influence. Additionally, it remains unclear whether gifted or typical developing adolescents are more vulnerable to an impaired fear extinction. Therefore, this study examines the question “Do sex and puberty affect fear extinction learning in gifted versus typically developing early-adolescents?”. Method. The role of sex, puberty and being a gifted or typical developing adolescent on the fundamental process of fear extinction were measured with the ‘Fear Conditioning Task: The Screaming Lady’ and the Self-Rating Scale for Pubertal Development (N = 130). The obtained data was analyzed by looking at several main- and interaction-effects with a Repeated Mixed Measures ANOVA. Results. Girls seem to better learn fear than boys. Prepubertal adolescents seem to be better at extinguishing fear than pubertal participants. Gifted and typical developing adolescents showed an equal process of fear extinction. Prepubertal adolescents that follow regular education seem to better learn fear than pubertal and/or gifted adolescents. Discussion. Findings in this study contradict with findings in literature. Only the given that prepubertal adolescents seem to be better at extinguishing fear than pubertal participants can be confirmed. Further research on the complex interactions of this study should be done to make conclusions on processes of fear extinction in adolescents.Show less
In this study, the role of gender identity in self-esteem and substance use was examined. It was also studied whether the adolescents’ sex functioned as a moderator. The goal of this study was to...Show moreIn this study, the role of gender identity in self-esteem and substance use was examined. It was also studied whether the adolescents’ sex functioned as a moderator. The goal of this study was to give more insights on the role of gender identity, considering that previous research mainly focused on adolescents from the LGBTQIA+ community and not on all adolescents, regardless their sexual preference. Adolscents at the age of 17 (N = 100) filled out quesstionaires to research this topic. Gender identity was measured with the Multi-dimensional Gender Identity Measure and consisted of three different aspects, namely gender typicality (the extent to which someone’s interests and behaviors align with the ones of peers from their gender group), gender contentedness (the extent to which some is content with his or her gender identity) and felt pressure (regarding their gender identity, mainly from their parents). Self-esteem was measured with the Self-Perception Profile for Children – Global self-worth subscale and substance use was measured with five questions regarding the frequency to which they used different substances. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of gender identity on the dependent factors self-esteem and substance use. The analyses showed that the aspect gender typicality was positively and significantly related to self- esteem and alcohol use. No moderating effects for gender were found for the relation between gender identity and the outcome variables. The current study showed that the aspect gender typicality of gender identity plays an important role in the degree of self-esteem and amount of alcohol use among adolescents. It is important to focus on how to decrease the impact of gender typicality and to increase the normalization and acceptation of diversity regarding adolescents’ gender identity.Show less
This study focuses on the relationship between giftedness and prosocial giving behaviour. This study examined whether early adolescents give differently towards various targets, whether gifted...Show moreThis study focuses on the relationship between giftedness and prosocial giving behaviour. This study examined whether early adolescents give differently towards various targets, whether gifted early adolescents show more prosocial behaviour than non-gifted early adolescents and whether gifted early adolescents show more prosocial behaviour towards their friends than anonymous people. 117 early adolescents between 9 and 12 years old participated in this study where they participated in a game called the Prosocial Donation Task. In this game, they had to divide 10 coins between themselves and a target (a friend, someone they do not like, an anonymous person, their father and their mother). The results show a significant difference in early adolescents’ giving behaviour, meaning that early adolescents give differently towards varying targets. However, the study found no significant indication that gifted early adolescents give differently than non-gifted early adolescents. Moreover, the study found no significant evidence that gifted early adolescents give differently towards their friend than an anonymous person.Show less
Men and women still have different career paths. The roots of these gendered career paths may lay in high school, where adolescents are already making career related decisions by choosing elective...Show moreMen and women still have different career paths. The roots of these gendered career paths may lay in high school, where adolescents are already making career related decisions by choosing elective courses. Grades and self-perceived abilities play a big part in choosing these elective courses and previous research has shown that gender stereotypes influence grades and self-perceived abilities. This study assessed whether there is a relation between implicit gender stereotypes and grades in math and language for adolescents and if this relation is mediated by self-perceived abilities. The results did not yield evidence for the proposed mediation. The results did however show a positive relation between adolescents’ self-perceived abilities and their math and language grades.Show less
In the Netherlands, suicide is the leading cause of death in youths aged 10 – 20. As emphasised by the World Health Organisation, suicide is preventable. Early identification of those at risk of...Show moreIn the Netherlands, suicide is the leading cause of death in youths aged 10 – 20. As emphasised by the World Health Organisation, suicide is preventable. Early identification of those at risk of suicide is essential to provide suitable care. Previous research has shown that those who have experienced adverse life events are at a greater risk of suicide. The Icelandic Model for Primary Prevention of Substance Abuse (IPM) is a pioneering preventative model. The main goal of this model is to prevent substance abuse in Icelandic youths. One major aspect of the IPM is community-building. Community building has shown to be able to aid in not only preventing substance abuse, but suicidality as well, as social isolation is a risk factor for suicidality. This study attempted to assess how youth suicidality, negative life events, and community support interconnect, and whether this relationship is the same in the Netherlands and Iceland. Results showed a significant relationship between negative life events and suicidal thoughts in youths. In the Netherlands, a small moderating effect of community support on this relationship was found; this was not found in Iceland. The relationship between negative life events, suicidal thoughts and community support is different in the two countries. This means that from this research, there is not enough data to support the idea that the IPM could help significantly reduce youth suicidality in the Netherlands through increased community support. Further research could focus more broadly on suicidal behaviour, rather than suicidal thoughts, in relation to community support and negative life events.Show less
Adolescence is a sensitive period for the onset of internalizing problems. Previous studies showed that internalizing problems in adolescence may stem from lack of parental warmth and critical...Show moreAdolescence is a sensitive period for the onset of internalizing problems. Previous studies showed that internalizing problems in adolescence may stem from lack of parental warmth and critical parenting. However, most research between parenting and adolescent well-being is based on longitudinal designs, that do not account for the dynamic nature of daily parenting processes and the daily fluctuations in the adolescent affective states. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate to what extent perceived critical parenting and lack of parental warmth of both fathers and mothers are associated with negative affect of adolescents in daily life. Parental attachment was included to investigate the influence of attachment on the link between (negative) parenting behaviour and negative affect. The sample consisted of 80 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 15.90, 63.7% female) who completed ecological momentary assessments for a total of 14 days (4 surveys a day). The multi-level regression models showed that adolescents experienced significantly more negative affect on days when parents showed more criticism or less warmth. In addition, no significant interaction-effect was found between attachment and daily parental criticism from father and mother on adolescent's negative affect. Parental attachment only influences the association between lack of daily parental warmth from fathers and adolescent negative affect. The results showed that daily warmth from father has a stronger positive influence on adolescent negative affect when adolescents had a more secure attachment to their father. In addition, no significant interaction effect was found between attachment with mother and mother's warmth on adolescent's negative affect. These current findings could aid in developing new parental interventions to prevent internalizing problems in adolescents.Show less
Previous studies showed that psychological and physical aggression between parents is related to more aggression between siblings and child behavioural problems. In addition, other studies showed...Show morePrevious studies showed that psychological and physical aggression between parents is related to more aggression between siblings and child behavioural problems. In addition, other studies showed that child behavioural problems is related to more aggression between siblings. This study aims to investigate the relation between psychological and physical aggression between parents and aggression between siblings and whether this is mediated by child behavioural problems. A total of 32 families participated in this study, both parents and two adolescent siblings between the ages of 10 and 18 filled in online questionnaires. To assess the aggression between adolescent siblings, an adapted version of the Sibling Version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2-SP) was used. The Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) was used to assess the level of psychological and physical aggression between parents and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used to assess behavioural problems of both adolescent siblings. The Baron and Kenny method (1986) was used to conduct the mediation analysis. This showed that there was no indirect effect of psychological and physical aggression between parents and aggression between adolescent siblings through behavioural problems. There was however a positive relation between psychological and physical aggression between parents with child behavioural problems of both adolescent siblings and between child behavioural problems of both adolescent siblings with aggression between siblings. This study contributes to the knowledge of which factors can contribute to aggression between siblings.Show less
Research master thesis | Psychology (research) (MSc)
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Research into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger...Show moreResearch into Dutch substance-dependent youths who have committed crimes (age 16-22) is scarce, even though this population might benefit from more targeted treatment (e.g., addition of anger management to treatment for youths who have committed violent crimes) and is more likely to exhibit recidivism. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relation between different types of drugs (alcohol, cannabis, and hard drugs) and different types of crime (violent, drug-related, and property). It was expected that (1) alcohol users were more likely to commit violent crimes than cannabis or hard drug users, (2) cannabis users were less likely to commit drug-related crimes than alcohol or hard drugs users, and (3) hard drug users were more likely to commit property crimes than alcohol or cannabis users. Gender, SES, education, polydrug use, and conduct disorder were also taken into account. All variables were assessed using a structured interview in a sample of 209 youths who came into treatment for SUD at different treatment centers across the Netherlands. The key finding of this study was that the majority of this sample had committed multiple types of crime and were using multiple types of drugs, which made confirmatory analyses impossible. Exploratory analyses indicated that cannabis users were more likely to commit drug-related crimes than non-cannabis users and that there was no specific type of drug that increased the likeliness that a youth would commit multiple crimes.Show less
There is a wealth of literature describing the role of eye contact in parent-child bonding between mothers and their infant children and in interpersonal bonding between adults. However, it is...Show moreThere is a wealth of literature describing the role of eye contact in parent-child bonding between mothers and their infant children and in interpersonal bonding between adults. However, it is unclear how making eye contact with parents during adolescence – a period during which individuals seek independence from their parents– relates to feelings of connectedness to parents. This study examined adolescents’ (n=61; 67.2% female) subjective feelings of connectedness, liking of interaction-partner and mood after receiving a direct and an averted gaze from their parent and other unfamiliar people. It also explored whether individual differences in attachment to parents moderate increases in these feelings after making eye contact. Participants, aged between 12 and 18 years-old (M=16.03; SD=1.22), were asked to make eye contact with one of their parents, an unfamiliar adult and an unfamiliar peer, using pre-recorded videos. In half of the videos, interaction partners averted their gaze while in the other half they looked directly into the camera. After each video, adolescents were asked to report on their feeling of connectedness, liking of each person and mood. My results demonstrate that adolescents reported increased feelings of connectedness, liking of their interaction-partner and mood after making eye contact with all interaction-partners. Individual differences in attachment (measured using the Inventory of Parent Attachment; IPPA) did not modulate subjective feelings after making eye contact. These findings provide evidence for a causal role of making eye contact on mood and feelings of connectedness. Potentially, eye contact can be used to improve dysfunctional parent-adolescent relationships, by facilitating closeness in clinical settings.Show less
Recently, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the linguistic behaviour of humans when profanity is used. However, much of the current literature focuses on adult participants, the...Show moreRecently, there has been a renewed interest in understanding the linguistic behaviour of humans when profanity is used. However, much of the current literature focuses on adult participants, the factual usage of swear words or the distinction between English as an L1 and L2 when using profane expressions. Thus, the perceived profane behaviour amongst Dutch adolescents still has to be understood. Hence, this research aimed to analyse the perception of frequency and severity with regard to profane behaviour amongst Dutch adolescents. As a result, four research questions were posed in order to compare the perceptions of adolescents to profanity in relation to two demographic factors, namely, socioeconomic status and urbanity. The different social contexts and the perception of severity related to such contexts were also explored. The current study employed a crosslinguistic approach using both a questionnaire and follow-up interviews as tools. The results of this research show that the lower socioeconomic status group perceived their swearing behaviour as less frequent compared to average and higher socioeconomic statuses. The degree of urbanity for the places in which the schools were situated was divided into three categories: urban, semi-urban, and rural, based on the official ranking of the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek considering the address density (CBS, 2019). When regarding the perceptual parameter for frequency and severity, the findings yield similar results, concluding that the students in rural areas perceive to use the most frequent, and severe profane words. Lastly, the different social environments in which Dutch adolescents perceive to use profane words were analysed. The findings show a general tendency of profanity being expressed in informal environments, and in particular in the presence of friends. However, it seems unacceptable to utter swear words when in the presence of a family member or an authoritative figure. This study implies that Dutch adolescents perceive to use swear words frequently, distinguishing between mild swear words such as ""kut"" ""fuck"", and ""shit"" versus more severe expressions such as ""kanker"" ""tyfus"" and ""homo"". This is in line with the existing literature 4 (see, e.g. Jay, 1992; Jay & Janschewits, 2008). In order to gain more insight into the perspective of Dutch adolescents, further research could be required.Show less
