In the Netherlands, there has been an increase in suicide rates among young adults (20 to 30 years) in the past two years and since 2022 there has been almost a doubling of young people with...Show moreIn the Netherlands, there has been an increase in suicide rates among young adults (20 to 30 years) in the past two years and since 2022 there has been almost a doubling of young people with suicidal thoughts compared to 2021. Because of this rise, we want to gain a deeper insight into factors that might contribute to suicidal thoughts and possible differences between men and women. This is because gender differences are found in suicidal ideation. By exploring risk factors and possible gender differences, early gender-specific interventions can be made. The current study combines quantitative and qualitative data to reach insights by analyzing survey data (N = 1367) and talking with young adults (having suicidal thoughts in the past two years but no active ideation; n = 19) risk factors are explored and interpreted. The analyses conducted were univariate and multivariate LRAs. After a Holm-Bonferroni correction, problems in Mental Health (p < .001), Loneliness (p < .001), and Trauma (p = .001) were positively associated with suicidal thoughts and Social Support (p = .001) was negatively associated with suicidal thoughts. We tentatively conclude that these risk factors play a role in both men and women, and it is important to support all young adults in these fields. It is recommended in further research to separate young adults having recent and long-term suicidal thoughts to gain a deeper understanding of the increase in the past two years.Show less
The thesis contains information about the voting behavior of female young adults in the regional elections of 2023 in the Netherlands. There is a research gap in the research of young adults in the...Show moreThe thesis contains information about the voting behavior of female young adults in the regional elections of 2023 in the Netherlands. There is a research gap in the research of young adults in the regional elections in the Netherlands, which this thesis tries to close. By using multiple interviews of five different Dutch female young adults, the voting behavior is analyzed. Next to the interviews, there is also literature from previous provincial elections in the Netherlands, the voting behavior of young adults, the voting in the Netherlands, and the effect of gender on voting behavior.Show less
Online peer victimization, more commonly known as cyberbullying, is becoming more and more commonplace, with its effects yet to be fully discovered. The current study investigated whether online...Show moreOnline peer victimization, more commonly known as cyberbullying, is becoming more and more commonplace, with its effects yet to be fully discovered. The current study investigated whether online peer victimization would significantly predict positive and negative feedback learning in young adults. A moderation effect of social anxiety was also investigated. Moreover, differences between subscales 'direct' and 'indirect' online peer victimization were investigated. Relations between online peer victimization and social anxiety and between social anxiety and feedback learning were found in prior research and therefore a relation between online peer victimization and feedback learning was expected. Participants were gathered from Leiden University and its surroundings and were a priori screened for Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (LSAS) scores. This experiment was part of a larger study. For the present study, the Multidimensional Offline and Online Peer Victimization (MOOPV) questionnaire and the LSAS questionnaire were used. A feedback learning paradigm was conducted, measuring the tendency to either learn from positive or negative feedback. Results show no relation between online peer victimization and feedback learning. A significant interaction effect was found for 'indirect' online peer victimization and moderator social anxiety. 'Indirect' online peer victimization was only able to predict feedback learning for people with high social anxiety. The results of this study highlight the importance of educating teachers and students on the effects of 'indirect' online peer victimization. Future research should focus on identifying underlying reasons for the difference between 'direct' and 'indirect' online peer victimization. Moreover, the interaction effect should be taken into consideration in treatment of social anxiety, as online peer victimization causes socially anxious individuals to learn more from negative feedback.Show less
Due to the rise of the internet and social media in the 21st century, we are seeing a shift in behaviours from the offline to the online world. This has both positive and negative consequences. One...Show moreDue to the rise of the internet and social media in the 21st century, we are seeing a shift in behaviours from the offline to the online world. This has both positive and negative consequences. One of these consequences is a rise in cyberbullying cases, which could lead to negative effects for victims. Therefore, it is important to research ways to prevent cyberbullying. The goal of this research paper was to investigate the relationship between social media use and perpetration of cyberbullying and what role gender plays in this relationship, thereby possibly identifying gender and social media use as possible risk factors for perpetration of cyberbullying. The study assessed self-reported social media use including sexting and cyberbullying experiences and behaviours in a sample of 120 young adults between the ages of 18 to 24 years old (N = 38 males, Mean age = 21.94). Data was analysed with a multiple regression analysis. Results showed that, for women, there was a positive relationship between social media use and the perpetration of cyberbullying. For men no such relationship was found. Our findings are in line with evolutionary and gender socialization theories that suggest women are more inclined to use indirect forms of aggression whereas men are more inclined to use direct forms. These results have implications for future research into risk factors for cyberbullying and for identifying risk factors to prevent perpetration in practice. The focus in research and in practice should not only lie in identifying individual risk factors, but also consider the importance of gender effects.Show less
South Korea is currently experiencing a significant housing problem with skyrocketing housing prices. This study aims to find out how the housing insecurity felt by many South Korean citizens...Show moreSouth Korea is currently experiencing a significant housing problem with skyrocketing housing prices. This study aims to find out how the housing insecurity felt by many South Korean citizens affects young adults in particular in their process of moving out of their parental home. In this context housing insecurity is defined as the uncertainty people feel when looking for housing due to the high housing prices and low availability. To test the hypothesis that the housing insecurity is causing young adults to delay their move out of their parents house an online questionnaire has been distributed to a number of South Korean young adults. The results show that the housing price has in fact influenced the participants to stay with their parents longer. However, the research has also proven that South Korean young adults do not feel the need to move out as intensely as initially thought. This shows that while the housing insecurity does have an effect on the moving out process it cannot be pointed at as the sole cause. Improvements in the housing quality, price and location need to be made to prevent more young adults from delaying their move to independent living.Show less
This research focuses on improving the accessibility of archaeology in the Netherlands. The motives for this research are both to create more awareness and support for archaeology and to meet the...Show moreThis research focuses on improving the accessibility of archaeology in the Netherlands. The motives for this research are both to create more awareness and support for archaeology and to meet the needs of people that are interested in archaeology. This topic is addressed by analysing blogs and social networking sites. Additionally, it is examined whether these digital communication methods can help reach non-traditional audiences, particularly to engage the more difficult to reach target group of young adults. To be able to answer the research questions, questionnaires were set up for three target groups: bloggers, blog readers and young adults. A total number of 1.174 respondents have provided for many new insights regarding the use of blogs and social networking sites in archaeology, which messages need to be communicated and in which ways they can be communicated. Among other things, it has appeared that there are still some significant differences in the preferences of blog readers and the content that bloggers mainly blog about: most blog readers prefer to read about specific archaeological regions, excavations and sites, while most bloggers blog about personal opinions on archaeological matters. Blogs and social networking sites can contribute to making archaeology more accessible for a wider public and reaching out to young adults by incorporating and listening to the preferences, ideas, needs and wishes of the audiences they reach and of young adults themselves. Specifically regarding young adults, there are several approaches that can be applied in order to reach them. This requires depending less on the technology of blogs and social media and requires more of a focus on the content and message.Show less
In this study is examined whether internationally adopted young adults (N = 146) show differences in physiological response in reaction to two different infant cry sounds, 500 Hz versus 900 Hz....Show moreIn this study is examined whether internationally adopted young adults (N = 146) show differences in physiological response in reaction to two different infant cry sounds, 500 Hz versus 900 Hz. There is also examined whether maternal sensitivity experienced in infancy and stressful life events at age 23, had influence on this physiological response. The adoptees were followed from infancy to the early adulthood. Maternal sensitivity was measured at 12, 18, and 30 months during different short tasks situations at the laboratory. The physiological response, pre-ejection period (PEP) and skin conductance, was measured with the VU-AMS during a cry task at age 23 in which three different frequencies cry sounds were presented. Stressful life events at age 23 were measured with a questionnaire consisting of 17 items. No differences were found between the physiological responses in reaction to infant cry sounds of 500 Hz versus 900 Hz. In addition maternal sensitivity and stressful life events did not influence the physiological responses in reaction to different infant cry sounds. These results suggest that adopted young adults do not react differently to infant cry sounds of 500 Hz than 900 Hz. Further research can investigate whether other factors, like attachment, may influence the physiological response to psychological stressors. Future research can also examine whether adoptees react differently to psychological stressors in comparison to an additional group.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2017-08-28T00:00:00Z
This study was conducted to assess subjective quality of life and to distinguish predictors of quality of life in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Young adults with ASD enrolled in...Show moreThis study was conducted to assess subjective quality of life and to distinguish predictors of quality of life in young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Young adults with ASD enrolled in higher education were compared to control students without ASD with respect to quality of life, executive functioning, motivation performance, social anxiety, emotion regulation, stress coping abilities, ASD symptoms, adaptive functioning, and self-reflection. Young adults with ASD reported lower subjective quality of life than control peers and showed higher impairment in all of the above-mentioned areas. Within the ASD group, low initiative taking, high internalizing problems, and high negative tension in social situations predict lower quality of life. Together, these findings indicate that deficits in the stress regulation system lead to lower subjective quality of life in young adults with ASD, despite their high functioning.Show less
