Recent data indicates that 49% of Dutch youth aged 12 to 25 reported frequent stress in the past month. Growing evidence suggests that childhood stress has concerning long-term effects on mental...Show moreRecent data indicates that 49% of Dutch youth aged 12 to 25 reported frequent stress in the past month. Growing evidence suggests that childhood stress has concerning long-term effects on mental and physical health due to its negative effects on brain development and the stress network. Additionally, the increasing diversity in Dutch society underscores the importance of understanding stress and its effects, especially in vulnerable groups like children with a migration background. Previous research, mostly among adults and adolescents, shows inconsistent findings on the role of ethnicity in stress among children. This study examines the relationship between the ethnic (migration) backgrounds of students in grades 7 and 8 in Dutch primary schools and their current stress levels, perceptions of stressors, and coping strategies. The study included 92 students from primary schools in the Randstad area. Employing a cross-sectional research design, measurement instruments comprised self-report questionnaires, including the Adolescent Stress Questionnaire-Short (ASQ-S) for stress assessment, the Bicultural Stress Scale for cultural stressors, and the Brief-COPE for coping strategies. Analysis showed significant differences in stress levels, with non-Western students reporting higher overall stress levels and social-cultural stressors than Western peers. However, non-Western students did not employ more problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance coping strategies than their Western peers. Overall, non-Western students experienced significantly higher stress levels, reported more socio-cultural stressors, but did not employ more coping strategies compared to their Western counterparts. Various factors, including acculturation processes, parental support, socio-economic status, and cultural conflicts, may contribute to these disparities. Understanding these findings, can provide insights for effective psychosocial support and culturally sensitive interventions for non-Western students. By recognizing their specific stress experiences, caregivers and schools can develop and implement targeted interventions that promote their well-being.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
Most research on autism and coping is focused on parents of children with autism. There is a lack of understanding how individuals with autism cope themselves and how it may relate to their mental...Show moreMost research on autism and coping is focused on parents of children with autism. There is a lack of understanding how individuals with autism cope themselves and how it may relate to their mental health. Every year more people with autism enroll into higher education, which calls for a better understanding of the potential difficulties they may face. This study focused on the relationship between autism, primary coping style and depressive symptoms in a sample of university students with and without a diagnosis of autism. A cross-sectional online survey (n = 222) was administered to explore how these factors relate by using multiple questionnaires measuring coping style, depressive symptoms, autism diagnosis and autism symptoms. Results showed that primary coping style was associated with depressive symptoms. Avoidant coping in particular was related to more depressive symptoms. However, there was no significant link between autism diagnosis and depressive symptoms. The study also found that students with autism were more likely to use avoidant and emotion-focused coping styles compared to problem-focused coping. Furthermore, coping style seems to be responsible for higher levels of depressive symptoms in students with autism, and not the autism diagnosis itself. Implications and alternative explanations for these results are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.Show less
In deze studie is onderzoek gedaan naar de invloed van negatieve levensgebeurtenissen en copingstijl op binge-drinking (meer dan zes eenheden alcohol op één avond drinken). De deelnemers (n = 1046)...Show moreIn deze studie is onderzoek gedaan naar de invloed van negatieve levensgebeurtenissen en copingstijl op binge-drinking (meer dan zes eenheden alcohol op één avond drinken). De deelnemers (n = 1046) hebben de vragenlijst recente gebeurtenissen ingevuld om te kijken in welke mate zij negatieve levensgebeurtenissen hebben meegemaakt en wat de impact daarvan is. Verder is er gekeken of deelnemers een meer of minder positieve of negatieve copingstijl hebben door middel van de Utrechtse copinglijst. De resultaten zijn verkregen door middel van ANOVA analyses en het vergelijken van groepsgemiddelden. Uit dit onderzoek bleek dat vrouwen (p = 0,025) en jongeren onder de 18 jaar (p = 0,042) die veel negatieve levensgebeurtenissen met een grote impact hebben meegemaakt meer aan binge-drinking deden. Verder bleek het hebben van een positieve of negatieve copingstijl binge-drinking niet te beïnvloeden. In het interactie-effect was een trend te zien (0,068) met betrekking tot het meemaken van veel negatieve levensgebeurtenissen en het hebben van een minder negatieve copingstijl. In de praktijk moet rekening worden gehouden met het feit dat jongeren die negatieve levensgebeurtenissen hebben meegemaakt eerder geneigd zijn te doen aan binge-drinking, vooral vrouwen en jongeren onder de 18 jaar. Aangezien copingstijl geen invloed blijkt te hebben, wordt het drinken van alcohol mogelijk gezien als sociale activiteit, in plaats van drinken als verwerking van problemen. Bij het drinken van alcohol als sociale activiteit moeten jongeren goed worden ingelicht over alle mogelijke gevolgen van binge-drinking, omdat het grote problemen met zich mee kan brengen. Het interactie-effect kan mogelijk worden verklaard vanuit het feit dat jongeren die goed met hun negatieve levensgebeurtenissen om kunnen gaan, geneigd zijn tot meer sociaal contact. Dit sociale contact kan vervolgens weer in combinatie zijn met alcoholgebruik (waaronder binge-drinking).Show less
