Background: This study on gut feelings investigates the correlation between microdiversity in the gut and cognitive reactivity in the brain with sex as a potential moderator. Research on potential...Show moreBackground: This study on gut feelings investigates the correlation between microdiversity in the gut and cognitive reactivity in the brain with sex as a potential moderator. Research on potential correlations and moderators is relevant to gain further insight into the networks involved in the gut-brain axis. The findings can influence treatment approaches in the field of clinical psychology to a greater focus on the gutbrain axis. Two hypotheses were examined: 1) a higher microdiversity in the gut is correlated with less emotion regulation difficulties, and 2) there are sex differences in the correlation between microdiversity and emotion regulation. Methods: This research was an observational between-subjects design with a total number of 75 participants. The primary outcome was the alpha score, assessed with the Shannon Index, which gives insight into individual microdiversity. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale was used to assess self-reported difficulties in emotion regulation to have insight into individual cognitive reactivity. Sex was conceptualised as the moderator variable. A correlational analysis for alpha scores and DERS scores was carried out, followed by a multiple regression analysis, which tested for a moderation with the variable sex. Results: There was no evidence for a negative correlation between high microdiversity and few emotion regulation difficulties. Sex did not have a significant moderation on this correlation either. Implications: Further research is needed on the gut-brain axis and sex differences in gut microdiversity and emotion regulation to adapt the treatment of stress-related disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or other anxiety-related disorders from a cognitive- to a more holistic approach.Show less
Levels of anxious and avoidant attachment are influenced by age, sex and ecological stress. However, incongruencies on how these factors exactly affect anxious and avoidant attachment styles remain...Show moreLevels of anxious and avoidant attachment are influenced by age, sex and ecological stress. However, incongruencies on how these factors exactly affect anxious and avoidant attachment styles remain. The current study aims to strengthen current theories with a large and diverse sample, as well as to close the gaps in research. It therefore researches the effect of age, sex and ecological stress on anxious and avoidant attachment using a web-based version of the Experiences in Close Relationships (ECR) questionnaire (N = 44,885; 30,766 females, 14,119 males, age range: 13-59). Ecological stress was evaluated using the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI). Results showed highest levels of anxious attachment in early adolescence, and lower levels in older age groups. Levels of avoidant attachment did not differ between all age groups, but were highest among 16-19 year olds and lowest among 50-59 year olds. Females showed higher levels of both anxious and avoidant attachment. Sex differences in anxious attachment were largest in adulthood, while sex differences in avoidant attachment were largest around early adolescence, smallest in middle adulthood, and increased again in older adulthood. Levels of anxious and avoidant attachment were highest in countries with a medium HDI, and lowest in countries with a low HDI. There was no significant effect for the two-way interaction between sex and HDI for both anxious and avoidant attachment. Suggestions for future research are discussed.Show less
Human beings learn about themselves through social information, meaning that their self-esteem is dependent on self-referencing feedback provided by their social environment. While self-esteem has...Show moreHuman beings learn about themselves through social information, meaning that their self-esteem is dependent on self-referencing feedback provided by their social environment. While self-esteem has been comprehensively studied, the concept of self-esteem contingency (i.e., how strongly individuals update their self-esteem in response to social ego-referencing feedback) has yet to be investigated systematically. More specifically, while we have a limited understanding of this construct in adults, its expression in adolescents remains a mystery. However, developmental studies indicate that self-esteem dynamics in adults and adolescents vary, emphasising the importance of investigating this construct in all age groups. Therefore, this study examined whether adults and adolescents show differences in self-esteem contingency by investigating whether self-esteem, age, and sex influence this construct. One hundred and six adults and 64 adolescents were tasked with performing a speech in front of three alleged judges. Participants subsequently evaluated themselves and received pre-generated positive or negative feedback about their performance. Computational modelling was used to assess trial-to-trial changes in self-esteem contingency. Results revealed that adults processed positive and negative feedback very distinctly, while only a small inclination towards such two-dimensional strategies was observed in adolescents. Moreover, the data illustrated a positivity bias in adults with high self-esteem, whereas a negativity bias was found in adolescents with lower self-esteem. Furthermore, adolescents and adults did not differ in self-esteem contingency and proved more contingent on positive than negative feedback. Lastly, we found no impact of the participants’ sex on their self-esteem contingency in either age group. Overall, these findings indicate that adults have developed a self-protective strategy that allows them to incorporate positive information more strongly into their self-view, whereas this skill seems less sophisticated in adolescents.Show less
Introduction: Bullying victimization has been positively associated with depressive symptoms. However, previous studies have yielded conflicting findings regarding the prevalence of bullying...Show moreIntroduction: Bullying victimization has been positively associated with depressive symptoms. However, previous studies have yielded conflicting findings regarding the prevalence of bullying between boys and girls. The objective of this study is to investigate the sex differences in bullying victimization and if one sex is more prone to get depressive symptoms if they are bullied. Methods: For the present research, the data of the study from crone et al. (2022) has been included. The present study used the revised Olweus bully/victim questionnaire and the strength and difficulties questionnaire to measure bullying victimization and depressive symptoms respectively. An Independent sample t-test was used to determine which sex was bullied more than the other, and a moderation analysis was used to determine if one sex was more likely to get depressive symptoms if they were bullied. Results: The results did not find a significant difference for bullying between the genders. The results also did not find a significant difference in the rate of depressive symptoms among boys and girls who experience bullying. This means that no sex was more likely to have depressive symptoms than the other if they were being bullied. Conclusion: The results of the present study show that both sexes are equally likely to be bullied and that both sexes are equally likely to get depressive symptoms from bullying. This is in contrast with previous studies that have found that girls are more vulnerable to develop depression than boys when subjected to bullying. This implies that there is no need for sex-specific countermeasures to bullying in regards to depression.Show less
Background: The aim of this study is to investigate differences in QoL between males and females visiting a memory clinic. Knowledge about determinants of QoL is limited, especially from patients'...Show moreBackground: The aim of this study is to investigate differences in QoL between males and females visiting a memory clinic. Knowledge about determinants of QoL is limited, especially from patients' own perspective. We examined whether there was a relationship between sex and QoL in patients in different stages and with different types of dementia taken together (total sample), whether this relationship existed within patient groups of specific stages or types of dementia separately and whether this relationship in the total sample was mediated by anxiety, depression, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and/or coping style. Methods: In total, 375 patients aged between 32 and 82 years, who visited the memory clinic and who completed an 88-item self-reported questionnaire, were included in the study. Linear regressions were performed to assess the relationship between sex and QoL and whether stage and type of dementia affect this relationship. In addition, we performed mediation analyses to assess whether anxiety, depression, perceived severity, perceived susceptibility and/or coping styles mediate the relationship between sex and QoL. In all our analyses, age and education were added as covariates. We corrected for multiple testing using False Discovery Rate (FDR). Results: Sex was not associated with QoL (p = .160) in the total sample. Sex was also not associated with QoL within the different stages (CN p = .847, MCI p = .688 and dementia p = .688), or within different types of dementia (FTD p = .895, AD p = .809 and other types of dementia p = .895). Our mediation analyses showed that only anxiety was a significant mediator in the relationship between sex and QoL (p = .010). Conclusion: In our study, there was no relationship between sex and QoL. For patients trying to maintain or improve their QoL, it is important to be aware of the factors that play an important role in QoL.Show less
Men and women may cognitively construe power differently, i.e., either as an opportunity or a responsibility. In the current research, we explore the influence of gender identity and conformity on...Show moreMen and women may cognitively construe power differently, i.e., either as an opportunity or a responsibility. In the current research, we explore the influence of gender identity and conformity on power construal. To study these hypotheses, 402 participants were primed with having low power or high power using a recall task; subsequently the different meanings of power (responsibility and opportunity) were measured. Results indicate that the high power condition significantly increased the perception of both opportunities and responsibilities. Sex and conformity did not influence power construal while a more feminine gender identity was significantly related to the perception of responsibilities. Future studies could possibly look into how the findings of the current study fit in with the previously recorded findings, since there seems to be some discrepancy between the findings.Show less
It has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder....Show moreIt has been suggested that power provides both opportunities for promoting the achievement of one's own goals and responsibilities for the outcomes of those who are dependent on the power-holder. In our study we investigated whether sex and gender identity influence the construal of power as either opportunity or responsibility in a variety of power contexts, while also examining the possible moderating role of personality traits. Power was manipulated by priming participants in a high or low power condition, by requesting them to describe a situation in which they felt powerful or powerless. There were also questions about the meaning they ascribed to that power, while their gender identity was measured by a recently developed scale. Our results showed that participants in the high power condition were more likely to construe their power as both an opportunity and a responsibility than the participants in the low power condition and that femininity is associated with the construal of power as a responsibility irrespective of the level of power. Females construed their power as a responsibility more than males only when we controlled for neuroticism, openness to experience and their stability of power. Limitations and implications of the study are discussed.Show less
