Sample Of Community Participants Research Articles

Shame-proneness touches the relationship between pathological narcissism and suicide ideation

Suicidal ideation and behavior have a marked prevalence in several cluster B personality disorders (e.g., Borderline and narcissistic personality disorders according to the last versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders), compared to others. Intense feelings of shame can often be found in individuals with narcissistic personality disorder and may play a role in suicidal behavior. To explore the relationship between narcissism, shame and suicide ideation, Pathological Narcissism Inventory, Test of Self Conscious Affects and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation were administered to a sample of individuals with suicide ideation (N = 68; Mage=35,18, SD=15,62; 44,1 % males) and a sample of community participants (N = 153; Mage=27,41, SD=12,17; 41,2 % males). Controlling for age and gender, we found that Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation scores were significantly associated with narcissistic vulnerability and interpersonal shame. In the clinical sample, interpersonal shame partially mediated the relationship between the vulnerability facet of narcissism and suicidal ideation. Shame seems to have a crucial role in the relationship between the vulnerability facet of narcissism and suicidal ideation, although its complex influence remains to be understood. Clinicians may want to pay attention to intense shame feelings in individuals with vulnerable narcissism that may lead to decompensation and increase suicide risk.

Validation of the Consumer Health Activation Index (CHAI) in general population samples of older Australians

ObjectiveTo validate the 10-item Consumer Health Activation Index (CHAI), developed in the United States, as an activation measure for interventions targeted at the Australian older general population. MethodsThe study was a cross sectional design. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on survey data from a community sample of participants (n = 250), aged 55–75 years. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate dimensionality among a second sample of participants randomly sampled from the electoral roll (n = 571), aged 50–75 years. Associations between the CHAI and self-reported health behaviours were examined. ResultsEFA revealed a 7-item, two-factor structure (‘Health self-management’ and ‘Patient-provider engagement’). CFA indicated optimum model fit was obtained with this structure. Subscale reliability and validity were confirmed, with significant correlation to age, functional health literacy and health screening. ConclusionIn contrast to the original structure, optimum model fit was obtained with a two-factor solution and retention of seven items. The subscales have utility as a measure of health activation for tailoring of information in this group. InnovationA freely-available, unidimensional health activation measure has demonstrated an underlying two-scale structure that will enable tailored approaches toward the enhancement and maintenance of self- and externally-managed health behaviours in an Australian population.

Protocol for a mobile laboratory study of co-administration of cannabis concentrates with a standard alcohol dose in humans.

Cannabis is commonly used among people who drink alcohol, yet evidence on acute effects of co-use is conflicting. Two important variables that may influence the effects of cannabis and alcohol are cannabinoid content (i.e., the ratio of cannabidiol [CBD] and 9-tetrahydrocannabinol [THC]) as well as the order of use (i.e., cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Research is mixed regarding the acute imapct of cannabis on alcohol consumption and intoxication, with some studies suggesting additive effects of alcohol and cannabis, and others demonstrating negligible effects of combining these substances. Further complicating this, high-THC-content cannabis concentrates are increasingly popular on the legal-market, but to our knowledge, no studies have explored concentrate and alcohol co-use. In addition to cannabinoid content, order of use may influence intoxication and other acute effects, but is also understudied. Co-use studies typically administer a fixed dose of alcohol before cannabis, and there is a lack of data on the acute effects of cannabis before alcohol. Thus, there is a need for experimental co-use studies exploring the impact of cannabinoid content (particularly of highly potent cannabis concentrates) and order effects on intoxication. This study uses a federally-compliant mobile laboratory procedure to explore the effects of co-administration of legal-market cannabis concentrates with a moderate alcohol dose (.8g/kg) in a sample of community participants who regularly use alcohol and cannabis. The study will also explore alcohol and cannabis order effects (cannabis before alcohol vs. alcohol before cannabis). Outcomes are objective intoxication (measured using blood cannabinoid level, heart rate, psychomotor performance and breath alcohol level [BrAC]) and subjective intoxication (assessed via self-report measures). Overall, this study may influence harm-reduction recommendations for individuals who drink alcohol and use cannabis.

Emotion regulation strategies and dissociation in Gambling Disorder

ABSTRACT Dysfunctions in emotion regulation appear to be a central feature of Gambling Disorder (GD). Theoretical literature asserted that dissociation is a core process of Gambling Disorder used to defensively regulate emotional arousal induced by traumatic experiences memories. However, few is known on the relationship between emotion regulation capacities and dissociation among individuals with GD. We administered to a sample of individual with GD (n = 80) and a sample of community participants (n = 70) the Problem Gambling Index Scale (PGSI), the Dissociative Experience Scale 2nd version (DES-II) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). Individuals with GD scored higher, compared to community participants, on the Suppression subscale of the ERQ and on both the Amnesia and Absorption subscales of the DES-II. Also, they showed lower levels of Cognitive Reappraisal compared to the comparison group. Correlations analyses indicated that only two subscales of the DES-II correlated positively with the scores obtained on the PGSI. The inverse pattern of results was found for Cognitive Reappraisal dimension. Finally, we found that Dissociation predicted significantly GD severity along with Emotion regulation strategies. Theoretical assumptions on the role of both dissociation and emotion regulation in GD are supported and argued for treating these aspects in GD.

Emotion dysregulation acts in the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and suicidal ideation.

Suicide behaviors are peculiar aspects of several cluster B disorders, including Narcissistic Personality Disorder. To date, it is still unclear which facet of narcissism is more related to the desire to die and which other factors are involved in this relationship. This study aims to offer preliminary empirical evidences concerning the relationship between narcissism, emotion dysregulation and suicide ideation. We administered the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), PID‐5‐BF (Personality Inventory for DSM‐5‐Short Form) and Beck Scale for Suicide ideation (BSI) to a sample of individuals with suicide ideation (n = 70) and a sample of community participants (n = 154). Controlling for age, gender and Negative Affectivity, we found that BSI scores correlated significantly with the vulnerable dimension of narcissism, but not with the grandiose one, and with all DERS dimension, apart from Awareness. Nevertheless, emotion dysregulation moderates the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and suicide ideation. Suicide ideation seems to be deeply connected with the vulnerable dimension of pathological narcissism and the relationship between the constructs is totally mediated by emotion dysregulation. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

The role of emotion dysregulation in the relationship between narcissism and suicide

IntroductionSuicide attempts and suicidal ideation are peculiar aspects of several cluster b disorders, including Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Similarly, difficulty in regulating negative affects can play a role in the relationship between narcissist features and suicidal ideation. To date, it is still unclear which facet of narcissism is more related to the desire to die and which other factors are involved in this relationship.ObjectivesTo offer preliminary empirical evidences concerning the relationship between narcissism, emotion regulation and suicide ideation.MethodsWe administered Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSI) to a sample of individuals with Suicide ideation (n= 68) and a sample of community participants (n=140).ResultsControlling for age and gender, we found that BSI scores correlated significantly with the vulnerable dimension of narcissism, but not with the grandiose one, and with all DERS dimensions. Nevertheless, emotion dysregulation moderates the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and suicidal ideation.ConclusionsSuicide ideation seems to be deeply connected with the vulnerable dimension of pathological narcissism and the relationship between the constructs is partially mediated by emotion dysregulation. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Suicide in narcissism: Can shame-proneness make a difference?

IntroductionCluster B personality disorders are characterized by a higher prevalence of suicidal ideation and behavior than others, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder is no different. Very intense feelings of shame, intolerable for the individual, are often found in patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder and may have a role in suicidal behavior.ObjectivesTo offer preliminary empirical evidences concerning the relationship between narcissism, shame and suicide ideation.MethodsWe administered Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), Test of Self Conscious Affects (TOSCA) and Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSI) to a sample of individuals with Suicide ideation (n= 65) and a sample of community participants (n=65).ResultsControlling for age and gender, in the merged sample we found that BSI scores correlated significantly with the vulnerable dimension of narcissism and with TOSCA Interpersonal Shame subscale. In the clinical sample, Interpersonal shame partially mediates the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and suicidal ideation.ConclusionsShame seems to play a key role in the relationship between the vulnerable facet of narcissism and suicidal ideation, although the profound mechanism by which it works remains to be understood. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Improving Self-Control Through Financial Counseling: A Randomized Controlled Trial

The efficacy of family budgeting programs is often measured purely in terms of financial outcomes. There has been less research on its potential impacts on cognitive outcomes. The present study investigated whether an existing financial counseling intervention could help people improve their deliberative cognitive capacity. A community sample of participants in Auckland, New Zealand who identified that they wanted to better manage their money were randomly assigned to a month-long financial counseling intervention or a wait-list control group. Results showed that participants exposed to the intervention had a greater improvement in self-control than participants in the control group, and that self-control improved more for people with a low income than a high income. Financial counseling interventions may impart broader cognitive benefits that help people escape further financial hardship.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Coalitional Mate Retention Inventory (CMRI) and Evidence for Two Superordinate Domains

Abstract. The Coalitional Mate Retention Inventory (CMRI; Pham, Barbaro, Mogilski, & Shackelford, 2015 ) assesses the frequency with which individuals solicit allies to assist with mate retention efforts. The current study subjected the CMRI to confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs). A model comparison approach was employed using data from a large community sample of participants currently in a heterosexual romantic relationship ( n = 1,003, 54% male). The seven-factor structure of the CMRI demonstrates good model fit and provides significantly better fit than an alternative single-factor structure. The results also demonstrate that the seven tactics of the CMRI are subsumed by two superordinate domains of Benefit-Provisioning and Cost-Inflicting coalitional mate retention. Correlational analyses with the superordinate domains of coalitional mate retention are presented and highlight their predictive utility. We recommend the continued use of the CMRI in psychological research.

Aggression Among Offenders: The Complex Interplay by Grandiose Narcissism, Spitefulness, and Impulsivity

Impulsivity seems closely related to both narcissism and spitefulness as a potential common pathway by which these pathological personality traits lead to violence. We administered the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Spitefulness Scale, and the Impulsive Behavior Scale Short Form to a sample of individuals convicted of violent offenses ( n = 182) and a sample of community participants ( n = 203). Hierarchical regression analysis of the convicted sample showed that spitefulness predicted AQ scores positively and significantly beyond the roles of both pathological narcissism and impulsivity. Finally, mediation analyses showed that impulsivity partially mediated the relationships between aggression and both grandiose narcissism and spitefulness. Our results support the hypothesis that spitefulness plays an important role in the prediction of aggressiveness. Finally, impulsivity seems to be a central common variable that explains the relationship between pathological personality traits and aggressive behavior among individuals convicted of violent offenses.

Broadcasting for help: A typology of support-seeking strategies on Facebook

Social network sites are desirable media through which to seek supportive communication, and users can signal a need for assistance to large, diverse pools of potential support providers with a single message. According to social information processing theory, support seekers adapt to the lack of nonverbal cues online by leveraging the verbal elements of messages. This study classifies the variety of verbal strategies that Facebook users employ to seek support to better understand how people publicly initiate supportive exchanges online. A community sample of participants ( N = 291) completed an online questionnaire in which they provided their most recent Facebook post that was intended to garner supportive communication. A thematic analysis revealed seven themes that describe the verbal strategies of support-seeking that social network site users enacted to request support. Implications for initiating supportive exchanges and revealing personal information online are discussed.

Struggling with Happiness: A Pathway Leading Depression to Gambling Disorder.

A number of studies have suggested that depressive mood might lead to the development and/or maintenance of a gambling disorder (GD). The pathways by which such relationships are fostered may involve deficits in emotional regulation capacity and dysfunctional coping styles. This study aims to explore the role played by depressive symptomatology and the regulation of positive emotion in GD. We administered the South Oaks Gambling Inventory (SOGS, Lesieur and Blume in Am J Psychiatry 144(9):1184-1188, 1987), the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21, Lovibond and Lovibond in Manual for the depression anxiety stress scales. Psychology Foundation, Sydney, 1995) and the Kill-joy Thinking subscale of the Ways of Savouring Checklist (WOSC, Bryant and Veroff in Savoring: a new model of positive experience. Lawrence Erlbaum, Mahwah, 2007) to a sample of pathological gamblers (n = 91) and a sample of community participants (n = 105). The pathological gamblers scored higher on the DASS-21 subscales and obtained higher scores on the Kill-joy Thinking subscale of the WOSC compared to the controls. Moreover, the SOGS scores positively correlate with the DASS-21 subscales, and with the Kill-Joy Thinking measure. Finally, it is evident that Kill-joy Thinking fully mediates the relationship between depressive symptomatology and GD severity. Our results further confirm the roles of depression, anxiety and stress in GD. Moreover, this is the first study to explore the mediating role of dampening processes in the relationship between depression and GD. Future lines of research are also discussed.

Childhood Cancer Survivorship and Substance Use Behaviors: A Matched Case-Control Study Among Hispanic Adolescents and Young Adults

PurposeThis case-control study compared substance use behaviors between Hispanic adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancers (cases) and a community sample of participants without cancer (controls). MethodsA total of 100 cases were matched to controls (200 participants) one to one by ethnicity, age, and sex (mean age at survey 19.27, standard deviation = 1.92). Differences in self-reported previous 30-day use of tobacco, alcohol, binge drinking of alcohol, and marijuana were examined using conditional multivariable logistic regression. ResultsThe odds of tobacco, alcohol, binge drinking, and marijuana use were significantly lower for cases than for controls (all p's <.05). When stratified by age, cases (vs. controls) under 21 years of age reported lower levels of substance use (all p's <.05), whereas differences over the age of 21 were nonsignificant. ConclusionsLower levels of substance use among Hispanic adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancers (vs. controls) are most apparent at younger ages. Future work needs to examine a potential delay in initiation of use among survivors.

Assessment of anxiety among Northern Plains Indians.

This study is an examination of the reliability and validity of the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI; Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988) in a sample of NPIs (N = 529). Validity was assessed by comparing BAI scores among 3 different diagnostic categories in a clinical sample (anxiety disorder, mood disorder, and comorbid anxiety/mood disorder diagnostic groups) and a community sample of participants with no self-reported mental health diagnoses. The BAI was also compared with depression, quality of life, and anxiety measures to assess validity. Support toward the validity of the BAI was demonstrated through high correlations with similar measures of anxiety, as well as higher scores among the clinical samples compared to the control sample. The BAI also demonstrated strong internal consistency (α = .95). An exploratory factor analysis indicated the presence of 3 factors: (a) fear, (b) cardiorespiratory, and (c) body instability symptoms. The BAI was unable to accurately differentiate between mood disorder and anxiety disorder groups. Results of this study indicate that the BAI may be a useful instrument in the assessment of anxiety with NPIs; however, the BAI is potentially unsuited to differentiating between mood disorders and anxiety disorders with this population. (PsycINFO Database Record

Cognitive-Processing Biases in Individuals High on Perceived Criticism

A considerable literature now shows that perceived criticism (PC) predicts clinical outcomes transdiagnostically. Recent work has begun to identify potential mechanisms underlying PC’s connection to clinical outcomes. For example, anomalies have been found in neural processing when individuals who rate their key relatives as highly critical listen to criticism. To explore whether high-PC individuals are also characterized by other processing abnormalities, we examined cognitive processing in a sample of community participants ( N = 76) high or low on PC. We measured the executive control of attention when these two groups of individuals processed emotional information and interpreted acoustically presented ambiguous words. High-PC individuals showed impaired executive control of negative emotional information relative to low-PC individuals. They also made more negative interpretations of ambiguous words. These findings indicate that PC is associated with underlying vulnerabilities that may predispose individuals to develop psychopathology.

Associations Among Aspects of Meaning in Life and Death Anxiety in Young Adults

This investigation explored the relationship between two aspects of meaning in life, presence of meaning in life and search for meaning in life, and the fear of death and dying in young adults. A community sample of participants (N=168) completed measures of meaning in life and death anxiety. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed using the search for meaning and presence of meaning as independent variables and fear of death and dying as dependent variables. Results indicated that only the search for meaning in life was significantly associated with fear of dying and death in young adults.

Parental personality disorder symptoms are associated with dysfunctional parent-child interactions during early childhood: A multilevel modeling analysis.

Personality disorders (PDs) have been linked to impaired functioning in important interpersonal domains. The present study examined the effects of parental PD symptoms on observationally assessed parent-child interaction behaviors in a community sample of 145 mothers, fathers, and their 3- to 6-year-old children. As expected, parents who endorsed more PD symptoms generally demonstrated more negative parenting; effects were also found for children's interaction behaviors. Some effects on parent-child interaction were pervasive across PD constructs, whereas others were specific to particular PDs; several moderating effects of parent sex and child age were also found. Our results provide further evidence that personality pathology reflects pervasive dysfunction that is manifested across situational and interpersonal contexts, including the parent-child relationship, even within a community sample of participants with relatively mild levels of PD symptoms.

Lifetime Polytraumatization in Adolescence and Being a Victim of Bullying

The purposes of this study were to examine the mental health consequences of having been a victim of bullying and to investigate whether the impact of bullying was dependent on the co-occurrence of other potentially traumatic events, noninterpersonal traumas, interpersonal traumas, as well as adverse childhood circumstances. A community sample of participants (n = 462; 216 males and 246 females) aged 15 to 20 years completed the self-administered Linkoping's Youth Life Experience Scale about lifetime exposure to a range of traumatic and other adverse events and circumstances and the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC). The results showed that those who reported being a victim of bullying reported significantly higher scores on all TSCC clinical scales as well as significantly more other traumatic and adverse family exposures. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that the impact of bullying on mental health was explained, to a considerable degree, by the accumulation of other adverse and traumatic exposures, particularly in the females.

Relationship Among Sexual Desire, Sexual Satisfaction, and Quality of Life in Middle-Aged and Older Adults

The authors examined the association among sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, and quality of life in a sample of community participants. They predicted that quality of life would be positivity correlated with sexual satisfaction and that sexual desire would indirectly influence quality of life. This research showed that elderly adults’ sexual desire and sexual satisfaction decrease with age and that nearly 40% of the interviewees still had sexual activity one or more times every month. The results revealed that sexual desire does not directly influence quality of life, but it does have a direct effect on sexual satisfaction; hence, sexual satisfaction will indirectly affect quality of life.

Do intrusive memory characteristics predict depression at 6 months?

Two prospective studies have investigated whether the presence, intrusion, and avoidance of negative intrusive memories predict depression, and have reported conflicting findings. We aimed to replicate and extend these investigations by exploring the role of intrusion and avoidance of intrusive memories, as well as memory characteristics, in the prediction of depression prospectively. At Time 1 a mixed sample of community participants (N=85) were interviewed and completed self-report measures of depression, anxiety, and intrusive memory features. At Time 2 (6 months later, N=64) depression and anxiety symptoms were reassessed. Results were partly consistent with hypotheses for the sub-sample of participants who did not receive treatment between the baseline and follow-up assessments. Baseline levels of intrusion and some memory features (uncontrollability, distress, interference, numbness, detachment) predicted follow-up depression, controlling for baseline depression symptoms. Unexpectedly, avoidance of intrusive memories and other features (e.g., here and now quality) did not predict depression. Levels of intrusion and avoidance did not predict anxiety at follow-up. These results provide further evidence that intrusive memories are not simply an epiphenomenon of depression, but predict depression prospectively. Our results suggest that novel, depression-specific theories that emphasise the role of memory disturbances in the maintenance of depression are needed.