Stress is an element in our daily lives that influences how we interact with others. In recent years, its association with prosocial behaviour has been researched. The literature, however, presents...Show moreStress is an element in our daily lives that influences how we interact with others. In recent years, its association with prosocial behaviour has been researched. The literature, however, presents inconsistent findings. Given this inconsistency, we aim to test whether acute stress is positively correlated with prosocial behaviour. Additionally, we aim to test whether low and high-perceived stress correlate with prosocial behaviour, to then test if the two groups differed on prosocial behaviour during exams. Therefore, we recruited 510 students from universities in the UK on Prolific. This research was part of a larger study, which involved repeated measurements. Stress was induced in a naturalistic manner: at T1, students had exams so they were expected to be more stressed than at T2, when they did not. Given our interest in the relationship between acute stress and prosocial behaviour, we focused on T1 (N = 236). The Perceived Stress Scale-10 was used to measure acute stress, while the Prosocial Effort Task was used to measure prosocial behaviour. The research questions were investigated using Spearman’s correlations and a Mann-Whitney U-test. The three correlation analyses revealed a non-significant correlation between prosocial behaviour and acute stress, regadless of how stress was categorised. Additionally, the comparison analysis revealed no group difference. Ultimately, these results show how complex the relationship between acute stress and prosocial behaviour is. Prior to this paper, few studies explored the low and high categorisation of acute stress on prosocial behaviour, making it necessary for future research to expand furtherShow less
In a world characterised by economic disparities, understanding the drivers of conspicuous consumption is crucial for both theoretical and practical reasons. This study investigates the impact of...Show moreIn a world characterised by economic disparities, understanding the drivers of conspicuous consumption is crucial for both theoretical and practical reasons. This study investigates the impact of inequality of outcomes and inequality of opportunities on conspicuous consumption, among undergraduate students in the United States, addressing a notable gap in the literature that often overlooks the influence of different types of inequality. Participants were primed to reflect on their experiences related to either inequality of outcomes, opportunities, or routine activities (control). We hypothesised that students who are primed with inequality of outcomes (H1), inequality of opportunities (H2) would exhibit higher levels of conspicuous consumption compared to the control group. Additionally, we posited that students with low disposable incomes primed with inequality (H3) would engage more in conspicuous consumption than higher-income students in the control group. Despite extensive literature linking inequality to increased conspicuous consumption, our results did not show a significant effect of the priming conditions on conspicuous consumption intentions. However, disposable income was found to be a significant predictor, with higher income students engaging in more conspicuous consumption. The study highlights the importance of considering economic capacity in conspicuous consumption behaviours and suggests the need for diverse samples and alternative methods in future research to better understand the relationship between the examined variables.Show less
Research on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations....Show moreResearch on suicidal ideation indicates the significant role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and early parental attachment but fails to investigate risk potential in student populations. This study aimed to research how adverse childhood experiences in a population of university students who report mood and stress problems are related to suicidal ideation and whether the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation is moderated by attachment style. To target students at risk for suicidal ideation, purposive sampling was employed. An independent samples t-test with consecutive multiple regression (n= 234) showed that adverse childhood experiences, measured with the ACE questionnaire, predicted the presence and severity of suicidal ideation, measured by the BSSI. Consecutive ANCOVA showed that disorganized attachment to the mother and father, measured with the PBI, were found to predict suicidal ideation. Secure attachment was negatively associated with suicidal ideation, whereas for avoidant and anxious attachment there was no association found. A logistic regression analysis showed no moderation effect of insecure attachment styles in the relation between adverse childhood experiences and suicidal ideation. Gender, academic pressure, and nationality were controlled. Findings may be limited due to methodological and performance flaws. The results highlight the importance of early identification of adverse childhood experiences and disorganized attachment for intervention and prevention of later suicidal ideation amongst students.Show less
Nomophobia is the fear of being without one’s phone and is an increasing phobia in today’s digital society. This study examines the measurement invariance of a modified Chinese Nomophobia scale ...Show moreNomophobia is the fear of being without one’s phone and is an increasing phobia in today’s digital society. This study examines the measurement invariance of a modified Chinese Nomophobia scale (NMP-C) across gender groups using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. Gender differences in nomophobia vary significantly based on cultural context. Generally, females have been found to exhibit higher levels of nomophobia. However, understanding how gender influences the assessment of nomophobia is crucial for developing effective interventions to address its negative consequences, such as depressive states or sleep problems. The NMP-C scale was translated to Chinese in 2020, yet the measurement invariance across genders was not assessed. Ensuring measurement invariance is important to confirm that the scale measures the construct equivalently across different groups. The publicly available dataset used in this study was collected from 673 college students in China using a 16-item Nomophobia scale for Chinese. The results of the analysis revealed partial scalar measurement invariance. These findings indicate that while the nomophobia scale captures the same underlying construct for both males and females, intercepts needed to be adjusted for certain items and residual variances differed across groups. In addition, the results suggest that NMP-C should be adjusted for the Chinese population. Further implication shows a repeating pattern of gender differences in nomophobia scoring. Hence, this study highlights the importance of measurement invariance across gender testing in future nomophobia scale validations.Show less
College students experience a high prevalence of mood disorders, largely due to unstable life structure. This group encounters multiple barriers in accessing mental health treatment, including a...Show moreCollege students experience a high prevalence of mood disorders, largely due to unstable life structure. This group encounters multiple barriers in accessing mental health treatment, including a demanding schedules limited time, stigma, and a tight budget. Moodpep, an online eHealth intervention designed to address depressive symptoms, helps overcome these barriers. This study investigated the effectiveness of Moodpep, a Cognitive Behavioural Therapy based online intervention for students with depressive symptoms, and examined whether its effects persisted during follow-up. Additionally, this study explored the impact of gender, concurrent treatment, and the differential improvement between clinically and subclinically depressed participants. The sample consisted of 255 students from 9 universities in the Netherlands. Repeated measures ANOVA and independent samples t-tests were used for data-analysis. The findings indicated that depressive symptoms significantly reduced after completing Moodpep, with these improvements maintained at the six-month follow-up. Gender and concurrent treatments did not have a significant effect on the outcomes. Notably, participants with clinical levels of depression showed greater improvement compared to those with subclinical symptoms. Despite these promising results, the study faced limitations, including high dropout rates, uncertainty regarding the reasons for dropout, lack of a control group and regression toward the mean. Future research should focus on understanding dropout causes, conducting randomized controlled trials, evaluating long-term effects, and exploring the integration of eHealth interventions with traditional face-to-face treatments. Moodpep offers a promising early intervention for depressive symptoms by providing an anonymous, travel-free, flexible treatment option accessible to all students. The practical implication could be increased by raising awareness of Moodpep's availability.Show less
Sleep is fundamental for a healthy lifestyle, yet people commonly report problems regarding sleep quality. Poor sleep quality is also a frequent issue among college students. Sleep quality can be...Show moreSleep is fundamental for a healthy lifestyle, yet people commonly report problems regarding sleep quality. Poor sleep quality is also a frequent issue among college students. Sleep quality can be affected by various factors, including stress and the consumption of specific substances like caffeine. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the connections between caffeine consumption, caffeine time use, academic stress, and sleep quality. This study also investigated possible moderating roles of caffeine consumption and timing of caffeine consumption in the relationship between stress and sleep quality, as well as the evening caffeine use in the association between caffeine consumption and sleep quality. Data were gathered from 315 participants (78.4% female, mean age 20.8 years, SD = 2.52) in March 2020. Respondents completed online questionnaires, including the Law Student Perceived Stress Scale to measure stress levels, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to measure sleep quality, and self-reporting questions about caffeine, alcohol, and cannabis consumption. Multiple regression analyses with interactions were performed. A negative association between stress and sleep quality was found, indicating that more stress is related to poorer sleep quality; however, there was no association between stress and caffeine use, nor between caffeine and sleep quality. Furthermore, there was no evidence of moderation in any of the relationships. It appears that among college students, the relationship between stress and sleep quality may be influenced by other substances rather than caffeine itself. More investigation is warranted to provide clarity on the inconsistencies in the existing literature. Future research can focus on exploring the advantages of online interventions for students experiencing poor sleep quality.Show less
Research into Adverse Life Events (ALE) is rarely focused on students. ALE are a common experience among students and may have significant effects on mental health outcomes such as depression,...Show moreResearch into Adverse Life Events (ALE) is rarely focused on students. ALE are a common experience among students and may have significant effects on mental health outcomes such as depression, anxiety, stress, and lifetime depression. In this study we use multiple measures for ALE, which assess several types of ALE, including life trauma, childhood trauma, bullying, childhood adversities and negative life experiences. These outcomes are measured by the PHQ-9, GAD-7, PSS-10 and the LIDAS. This study investigated the relationships between ALE and these mental health outcomes, together with the predictive role of childhood trauma, negative life experiences, being bullied and childhood adversities by using multiple regression. In addition, we explored the role of gender as a control variable and conducted an exploratory network analysis. A multicohort study provided data from a sample of 449 Dutch higher education students who completed self-report measures of mental health outcomes and ALE experiences. The results showed that negative life events are significant predictors for all four mental health outcomes. Childhood trauma predicted depression, lifetime depression and stress, and life trauma were predictive of depression. Overall, these findings were supported by network analysis. They suggest that negative life events may be more impactful to current mental health than life trauma, and that both can have a lasting impact on the mental health of students. The implications and alternative explanations for these findings are discussed, together with suggestions for future research.Show less
As individuals are faced with more financial stress, the tendency to avoid one’s financial situation increases. Among students, this could potentially affect how well they are trying to resolve...Show moreAs individuals are faced with more financial stress, the tendency to avoid one’s financial situation increases. Among students, this could potentially affect how well they are trying to resolve their financial stress. A correlational study was performed in which data was collected from 143 students from the United Kingdom and analyzed in order to assess the relationship between financial stress and actions students are undertaking to resolve their financial stress, as well as examining the potential mediating role of financial avoidance in this relationship. This study found that neither avoiding financial information, nor delaying financial decisions mediate the relationship between financial stress and the actions students undertake to resolve their financial stress. In contrast to prior research, it was found that students, when experiencing more financial stress, students are undertaking more actions towards resolving their financial stress, instead of less.Show less
In recent years suicidal behavior has become more prevalent among students, especially in cases of depression. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide has suggested that feelings of thwarted...Show moreIn recent years suicidal behavior has become more prevalent among students, especially in cases of depression. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide has suggested that feelings of thwarted belongingness and burdensomeness can precede suicidal ideation. Both concepts are rooted deeply in the social world and research suggests that social support may alleviate these feelings offering a promising avenue of research for suicide prevention. The current study aims to explore the relationship between social support and suicidal ideation in the context of depressive symptoms among students by using a network analysis. A network of 11 nodes was computed using a Gaussian Graphical model. Nodes represented depressive symptoms (suicide ideation, low energy, sleep problems, weight/appetite changes, psychomotor changes, concentration problems, guilt, sadness and loneliness), perceived social support and objective social support. Participants (N = 453) were recruited as part of the WARN-D program and suicide ideation, level of social support and depressive symptoms were assessed using various questionnaires. Contrary to our expectation, no relationship was found between suicide ideation and social support or loneliness. Loneliness emerged as the most central node in the network. Guilt was found to have the most connections with other variables in the network. Further research is needed to clarify the role social support can play in preventing suicide ideation and in depression in general.Show less
The Covid-19 pandemic has plunged many countries into a lockdown affecting the daily lives of students by limiting access to almost all public venues including universities. Students with pre...Show moreThe Covid-19 pandemic has plunged many countries into a lockdown affecting the daily lives of students by limiting access to almost all public venues including universities. Students with pre-existing mental health disorders might be more susceptible to the negative effects associated with Covid-19 on their levels of anxiety. This research compared the experienced anxiety levels and duration between students with and without pre-existing mental health disorders and determined if these effects were persistent after one-year of lockdown. Differences between the types of mental health disorders were also explored. Students (N = 478) from three different courses were asked to fill out an online questionnaire about their mental health history and experienced anxiety during the Covid-19 pandemic. Students suffering from pre-existing mental health disorders (n = 167) experienced significantly greater anxiety levels and this anxiety is of greater duration compared to otherwise healthy students (n = 311). These effects persisted over a one-year period. Nationality of students significantly contributed to the levels of experienced anxiety with non-Dutch students reporting higher levels of anxiety relative to Dutch students. No apparent differences between the types of mental health disorder were found. Students with a mental health history seem to be impacted more by the pandemic. Underlying reasons may include decreased psychological flexibility and inadequate coping strategies to counteract the drastic changes experienced by the pandemic and ensuing lockdown. These findings demonstrate the vulnerable position some students are in and emphasises the need for the development of prevention programs and adequate treatment.Show less
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life since its outbreak, with the lockdown having a negative reputation on mental health. This study examined mental health levels of undergraduate...Show moreThe COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s life since its outbreak, with the lockdown having a negative reputation on mental health. This study examined mental health levels of undergraduate students during and one year after the lockdown, with the expectation that they would experience more mental health problems. Mood and anxiety problems were assessed through an online questionnaire in two collection waves. The first wave was conducted between September and October 2020, after the first lockdown. The participants were reassessed one year later. The sample consisted of N = 478 undergraduates (mean age = 22,3; 55,6% female). A binary logistic regression revealed that during the lockdown, half of the students (50,8%) reported that the COVID-19 crisis had impacted their mood in a negative way. One year after the lockdown fewer students reported that the COVID-19 crisis had negatively impacted their mood (41,3%), F (1, 205) = 17.91, p < .001. Less than half of the students (38,9%) reported that the COVID-19 crisis had impacted their anxiety levels. One year after the lockdown 25,6% reported that the coronavirus had negatively impacted their anxiety levels, F (1, 206) = 7.49, p = .007. Previous mental health problems were associated with mood and anxiety problems in both waves. In contrast to preregistered hypotheses, experiencing mood and anxiety problems during the COVID-19 lockdown did not predict having more mood and anxiety problems one year after the COVID-19 lockdown. Undergraduate students were found to be largely resilient to the effects of lockdown measures on mental health.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 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
Previous studies show an alarming increase in burnout in university students, yet there is a surprising lack of research regarding their burnout prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis...Show morePrevious studies show an alarming increase in burnout in university students, yet there is a surprising lack of research regarding their burnout prevention. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effect of burnout prevention interventions on perceived stress and burnout in higher education. It was hypothesised that prevention interventions are effective in reducing burnout and stress, and that study background acts as a moderator. This study was a continuation of past research at Leiden University. Of the dataset, extracted in 2019, 12 studies met the following eligibility criteria: containing (1) an intervention aimed at reducing burnout in (2) residency, university, or college, (3) a burnout-outcome, and (4) were written in English, Dutch, or Greek. Qualitative results suggest that burnout prevention interventions are successful in reducing burnout and stress in the student population. Effects included reduced stress, increased relaxation, and stress-management skills. Quantitative outcomes showed burnout prevention interventions reduced stress (intervention-control: Hedges’ g 0.56, p=0.008; pre-post: Hedges’ g 0.7; p=0.004), but not burnout (intervention-control: Hedges’ g 0.12, p=0.55; pre-post: Hedges’ g 0.17, p=0.42). Study background, especially education, significantly moderated stress (Hedges’ g 0.7; p<0.001) making the interventions more effective. However, the background was not a significant moderator for burnout (Hedges’ g 0.16; p=0.36). Since stress is a precursor of burnout, the interventions could potentially prevent early-stage burnout. Further research on burnout prevention at different symptom severity is strongly suggested. This study is the first step into preventing burnout prematurely by giving students tools to detect and counteract its warning signs.Show less
Recent research reveals concerning rates of burnout in students, with worrisome consequences. Therefore, interventions to prevent burnout symptoms are desirable. This review aims at exploring...Show moreRecent research reveals concerning rates of burnout in students, with worrisome consequences. Therefore, interventions to prevent burnout symptoms are desirable. This review aims at exploring existing burnout prevention interventions for higher education students and their effectiveness. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to create an overview of existing interventions. To be eligible for this review, a study must be an intervention study, it must be aimed at (a component of) burnout prevention or stress prevention/reduction, it must include a student population and it must be written in English, Dutch or Greek language. Both qualitative and quantitative studies were eligible. Finally, ten studies where included in the qualitative analysis. Qualitative analysis revealed that the included interventions are useful in stress source recognition, stress reduction and increasing relaxation. Therefore, they are seen as helpful in preventing burnout in students. Five of the included studies (239 participants in total) contained enough data to be included in the meta-analysis. The quantitative analysis revealed that the included interventions significantly reduce levels of stress (Hedges’ g intervention-control comparison studies: 0.544; pre-post comparison studies: 0.692), but did not significantly reduce burnout symptoms (Hedges’ g omnibus intervention-control comparison studies: 0.127; focused intervention-control comparison studies: 0.110; omnibus pre-post comparison studies: 0.040; focused pre-post comparison studies: -0.049). In conclusion, results from this review and meta-analysis provide support that effective stress reduction interventions for students exist. However, these interventions are not effective in reducing burnout symptoms. Equalization and operationalization of terms and constructs in this area of research is needed.Show less
Bachelor thesis | South and Southeast Asian Studies (BA)
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According to the 2001 Census, almost half of all persons with disabilities are literate and visually disabled. It is when seeing this relatively large number I wondered if visually impaired...Show moreAccording to the 2001 Census, almost half of all persons with disabilities are literate and visually disabled. It is when seeing this relatively large number I wondered if visually impaired children from poverty get an equal chance at education in India. The reason chosen for this subject is empathy and personal interest. I work at Voorall, a foundation in The Hague that stands up for the interests of disabled people. Children are the future of the world and education is something that should be invested in because knowledge is relevant for one’s development. Empowerment of visually disabled people from a poor environment is of great importance, because all children deserve a fair and equal chance in education. This makes it essential that education should be inclusive. Firstly, the methodology will be explained. For this research it was important to do both desk research as well as qualitative research. For the desk research primary as well as secondary sources have been used. The qualitative research has been done in the form of a questionnaire with 9 visually impaired students from India that are from a poor background. The hypothesis is that although the government, NGO’s and institutions are involved in inclusive education, visually challenged school children from poverty have less chance on a good education. Therefore, the main question for this thesis is: How can a fear chance at education also be given to visually challenged students from poverty? Besides the fact that this question will be theoretically approached, I will also give advice with help of the read theories. Some questions need to be answered to form the right advice for the main question. Hence, the sub questions are: What are the policies on inclusiveness and disability by the state?, Which parties and NGO’s are involved in getting poor students an education?, How do schools approach a visual impairment?, How can the state of India and NGO’s realize inclusivity in education amongst the visually challenged underprivileged? and How do visually impaired students experience inclusive education?. For the latter the results of the questionnaire are most useful. In the conclusion a piece of advice will be given on how India can improve inclusive education based on the results of the research questions and questionnaire.Show less
