Social Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic....Show moreSocial Networking Sites (SNS) can be valuable tools to connect people with shared interests worldwide. However, SNS screentime has increased drastically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Excessive use of SNS has been associated with adverse mental health outcomes in previous studies. Contrary to the majority of studies on SNS, which usually rely on correlations, this study used an experimental approach to examine the relationship between SNS use, depression, and anxiety. Fear of missing out (FOMO) was also investigated as a potential mediating factor. To manipulate SNS screentime a multifaceted intervention was built based on results from previous experimental studies and input from a focus group (N = 3). A convenience sample of first year psychology students (N = 122) had been collected and split into three groups. The intervention group was instructed to follow the smartphone use intervention, while participants in the active-control group received instructions with little expected influence on screentime. Both groups were instructed to reduce their smartphone use as much as possible for two weeks. The waitlist-control group was told their intervention would begin in two weeks. SNS screentime, anxiety, depression and FOMO were assessed pre- and post- intervention. The results show significantly lower post-intervention SNS screentime in both intervention groups but not in the waitlist-control group. Depression scores were significantly lower in the intervention group but not for the active-control or waitlist-control condition. No significant group differences for anxiety were found. The mediation analysis obtained no significant results for FOMO as a potential mediator variable. Overall, the findings suggest participants reduced their smartphone usage regardless of the received set of rules. However, only participants in the intervention group showed fewer depressive symptoms. Limitations and suggestions for future research on SNS use were discussed.Show less
The present study examines the effect of financial scarcity on cognitive performance by not only measuring the objective, but also the subjective aspect of scarcity, contrary to earlier research in...Show moreThe present study examines the effect of financial scarcity on cognitive performance by not only measuring the objective, but also the subjective aspect of scarcity, contrary to earlier research in this field. Cognitive performance was measured by means of a cognitive control task and a working memory task. A moderating effect of cognitive load was tested by randomly assigning participants into either a ‘difficult’ or ‘easy’ condition, determining the level of difficulty of the financial scenarios they had to solve. This effect could not be rejected, nor supported. By use of the Psychological Inventory of Financial Scarcity (PIFS), this study finds support for the relationship between subjective financial scarcity and cognitive performance. More specifically, we demonstrate an effect on cognitive control, while no support was found an effect on working memory. This study underwrites the importance of a measurement of subjective financial scarcity and encourages future research to uncover the true impact of the cognitive load in the minds of the poor.Show less
The aim of the study was to examine if there was a relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms in MBO-students (practical-orientated education) and if this relationship was...Show moreThe aim of the study was to examine if there was a relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms in MBO-students (practical-orientated education) and if this relationship was strengthened by the presence of negative life events. The study had a crosssectional design with a sample of 158 students who were enrolled in an MBO-program. Students were asked to complete an online questionnaire. For statistical analyses, linear regressions were conducted in SPSS. Results showed that there was a positive relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms. This relationship was strengthened when someone experienced more negative life events. This was especially in case the life events were experienced earlier in life (longer than 1 year ago). No significant interaction result was found for recent stressors (less than 1 year ago). There were no gender differences in the relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms. However, in the relationship between academic stress, depressive symptoms, and negative life events it seemed there was only a main effect of life events for females. However due to a low sample size of females, gender results should be interpreted with caution. Previous research showed that there is a strong relationship between academic stress and depressive symptoms in university students. The current study showed that this applies to MBO-students as well. Moreover, when these students have experienced previous stressors in life, they seem extra vulnerable when they also experience academic stress. Life events and academic stress should be taken in account for mental health interventions in MBO-students.Show less
The placebo effect is characterized by the therapeutic response to an inert agent or sham treatment and has demonstrated positive outcomes, particularly in pain management. Consequently, placebo...Show moreThe placebo effect is characterized by the therapeutic response to an inert agent or sham treatment and has demonstrated positive outcomes, particularly in pain management. Consequently, placebo treatment has gained recognition as a potential alternative to conventional medicine. However, ethical concerns and skepticisms persists regarding the implementation of placebos in clinical practice. The aim of the study was to explore the attitudes of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and healthy adults towards medicine and placebo treatment, as well as to investigate potential correlations between these modalities. The study employed a cross-sectional design and collected data through a survey. Participants were Dutch adults over the age of 18 who had been diagnosed with FMS as well as healthy adults. Two separate questionnaires were administered to assess the attitudes of participants towards placebo and medicine treatments. A total of 185 participants filled out the survey with 86 reporting the presence of FMS symptoms and 99 being healthy adults. The results showed no correlation between attitudes on medicine treatment and attitudes on placebo treatment (p = .961). Furthermore, FMS patients displayed less favorability towards both placebo treatment (p = .003) and medicine treatment (p < .001). Notably, no correlation was found between attitude of both participant groups on placebo treatment when moderated by attitude on medicine treatment (p = .283), indicating that the attitudes on the two treatments do not affect each other. Findings of this study suggested that patients with FMS are less favorable to medical care compared to adults, regardless of whether it involved medicine or placebo-basedintervention. The study contributed to the understanding of attitudes towards medicine and placebo treatment and emphasizes the importance of contextual factors in interventions. Future research could expand on this by further investigating factors that impact patients’ attitudes towards medical treatment in order to improve medical care and provide additional treatment options, particularly for FMS patients.Show less
