Distress Proneness Research Articles

Leveraging machine learning to study how temperament scores predict pre-term birth status

BackgroundPreterm birth (birth at <37 completed weeks gestation) is a significant public heatlh concern worldwide. Important health, and developmental consequences of preterm birth include altered temperament development, with greater dysregulation and distress proneness. AimsThe present study leveraged advanced quantitative techniques, namely machine learning approaches, to discern the contribution of narrowly defined and broadband temperament dimensions to birth status classification (full-term vs. preterm). Along with contributing to the literature addressing temperament of infants born preterm, the present study serves as a methodological demonstration of these innovative statistical techniques. Study designThis study represents a metanalysis conducted with multiple samples (N = 19) including preterm (n = 201) children and (n = 402) born at term, with data combined across investigations to perform classification analyses. SubjectsParticipants included infants born preterm and term-born comparison children, either matched on chronological age or age adjusted for prematurity. Outcome measuresInfant Behavior Questionnaire-Revised Very Short Form (IBQ-R VSF) was completed by mothers, with factor and item-level data considered herein. Results and conclusionsAccuracy estimates were generally similar regardless of the comparison groups. Results indicated a slightly higher accuracy and efficiency for IBQR-VSF item-based models vs. factor-level models. Divergent patterns of feature importance (i.e., the extent to which a factor/item contributed to classification) were observed for the two comparison groups (chronological age vs. adjusted age) using factor-level scores; however, itemized models indicated that the two most critical items were associated with effortful control and negative emotionality regardless of comparison group.

The Role of Desire Thinking and Craving in Problematic Smartphone Use

The Elaborated Intrusion Theory of desire and the metacognitive model of desire thinking posit that the intensification of craving centres on the initiation of a voluntary cognitive process named desire thinking (DT). The role of DT in eliciting craving has been studied extensively in substance use disorders and, more recently, in some behavioral addictions. The main aim of the current study was to test the mediating role of DT and craving in the association between psychological distress, boredom proneness, and problematic Smartphone use (PSU). Six hundred and forty-six participants (mean age = 27.57 ± 9.64; females = 74.8%) took part in the study and completed a battery of self-report measures. As evidenced by path analysis, psychological distress and boredom proneness were linked to PSU through (i) imaginal prefiguration and verbal perseveration components of DT’s serial mediation; and (ii) imaginal prefiguration and craving’s serial effect. The model accounted for 60% of PSU variance and showed good fit indices. The current findings highlight the role of DT, particularly the imaginal prefiguration, in craving for the Smartphone and provide evidence that DT is associated with PSU directly, supporting the distinction between DT and craving.

Explaining the Insufficient Relationship between Affective Empathy and Physical Aggression Based on a Double-edged Sword Model.

Affective empathy is generally considered an important inhibitor of aggression. However, the meta-analysis studies on the relationship between affective empathy and aggression have challenged this common-sense view and found no substantial correlation between the two variables. We proposed a double-edged sword model to explain this counterintuitive phenomenon and tested this model by establishing an inconsistent mediation model. A total of 663 college students in China (59.1% female; Mage = 20.69 years) completed questionnaires measuring affective empathy, sympathy, personal distress, anger proneness, and physical aggression. The results showed that on the one hand, affective empathy can indirectly inhibit physical aggression by increasing sympathy; on the other hand, affective empathy can indirectly promote physical aggression through the serial mediation of personal distress and anger proneness. Such two pathways offset each other, leading to an insignificant relation observation between affective empathy and physical aggression. The findings revealed the complexity of the relationship between affective empathy and aggression, which suggested that more efforts to reduce aggression should be made to develop individuals' sympathy, while affective empathy training should be moderate to avoid excessive empathic emotional arousal.

Taking Heart: Cardiac Symptoms and Nightmares Differentiate Nightmare Proneness and Psychological Distress among Young Adults.

Introduction Nightmare proneness, a trait-like disposition to experience frequent nightmares, has been strongly related to psychological distress. The aim of the present study was to examine if cardiac symptoms and hypothetically-related variables, nightmares, and perceived physical health could be used to differentiate nightmare proneness and psychological distress. Materials and Methods In the present cross-sectional study, 254 young adults completed measures of nightmare proneness, psychological distress, cardiac symptoms, nonspecific and posttraumatic nightmares, nightmare distress, health behaviors, perceptions of physical health, perceived stress, Type-D personality, sleep fragmentation, and dream recall. Results After controlling for psychological distress, nightmare proneness remained significantly correlated with nightmares, nightmare distress, cardiac symptoms, sleep fragmentation, physical health, perceived stress, and Type-D personality. After controlling for nightmare proneness, distress remained correlated with perceived stress and Type-D personality. Regression analyses indicated that after accounting for all variables, nightmare distress, physical health, and nightmare proneness predicted cardiac symptoms. Posttraumatic nightmares, sleep fragmentation, distress, perceived stress, Type-D personality, and chest pain predicted nightmare proneness. Conclusion Nightmare proneness and psychological distress can be considered separate constructs. The findings were consistent with those of previous research and supported the theoretical propositions that nightmare proneness includes hyperarousal, vulnerability to stressors, and concretization, a mental process in which vague internal states are made more concrete.

How Parental Support Affects Latina Girls During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract. The current study focuses on a sample of low- to middle-income school-age Latina girls and their parents and examines how children’s distress proneness interacts with parental empathic accuracy and posttraumatic growth in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to predict children’s empathy and prosocial behavior toward unknown others. Approximately 2–3 months into state-mandated stay-at-home orders, 55 parent–daughter dyads were recruited to participate in this four-session longitudinal study. To assess distress proneness, daughters (ages 8–13 years, 100% Latina) identified their degree of distress in response to pandemic-related stressors. Concurrently, their parents reported how they thought their children would respond to these same pandemic-related stressors, which assessed parental empathic accuracy. Parents also completed an adapted version of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, which assessed perceived positive outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon study completion, a behavioral measure of children’s empathic and prosocial behaviors was collected. Parental empathic accuracy interacted with children’s distress proneness to positively predict children’s affective empathy, such that children’s distress proneness predicted affective empathy at high and mean, but not low, levels of parental empathic accuracy. In a separate analysis, parental posttraumatic growth interacted with children’s distress proneness to positively predict children’s altruistic sharing behavior, such that children’s distress proneness predicted altruistic sharing behavior only at high, but not mean or low, levels of parental posttraumatic growth. The results of this study highlight how positive parental socialization and understanding of children’s tendencies toward distress are associated with children’s empathic and prosocial behaviors, particularly during major global crises.

Relations between bedtime parenting behaviors and temperament across 14 cultures.

The present study examined parental sleep-supporting practices during toddlerhood in relation to temperament across 14 cultures. We hypothesized that passive sleep-supporting techniques (e.g., talking, cuddling), but not active techniques (e.g., walking, doing an activity together), would be associated with less challenging temperament profiles: higher Surgency (SUR) and Effortful Control (EC) and lower Negative Emotionality (NE), with fine-grained dimensions exhibiting relationships consistent with their overarching factors (e.g., parallel passive sleep-supporting approach effects for dimensions of NE). Caregivers (N = 841) across 14 cultures (M = 61 families per site) reported toddler (between 17 and 40 months of age; 52% male) temperament and sleep-supporting activities. Utilizing linear multilevel regression models and group-mean centering procedures, we assessed the role of between- and within-cultural variance in sleep-supporting practices in relation to temperament. Both within-and between-culture differences in passive sleep-supporting techniques were associated with temperament attributes, (e.g., lower NE at the between-culture level; higher within-culture EC). For active techniques only within-culture effects were significant (e.g., demonstrating a positive association with NE). Adding sleep-supporting behaviors to the regression models accounted for significantly more between-culture temperament variance than child age and gender alone. Hypotheses were largely supported. Findings suggest parental sleep practices could be potential targets for interventions to mitigate risk posed by challenging temperament profiles (e.g., reducing active techniques that are associated with greater distress proneness and NE).

Modelling the contribution of metacognitions and expectancies to problematic smartphone use.

Background and aimsIn the current study we have sought to clarify the contribution of metacognitions concerning smartphone use relative to smartphone use expectancies in the relationship between well-established predisposing psychological factors and problematic smartphone use (PSU). We tested a model where psychological distress, impulsivity, and proneness to boredom predict metacognitions about smartphone use and smartphone use expectancies, which in turn predict PSU.MethodsA sample of 535 participants (F = 71.2%; mean age = 27.38 ± 9.05 years) was recruited.ResultsThe model accounted for 64% of the PSU variance and showed good fit indices (χ 2 = 16.01, df = 13, P = 0.24; RMSEA [90%CI] = 0.02 [0–0.05], CFI = 0.99; SRMR = 0.03). We found that: (i) when it comes to psychological distress and boredom proneness, negative metacognitions, and both positive and negative expectancies play a mediating role in the association with PSU, with negative metacognitions showing a dominant role; (ii) there is no overlap between positive expectancies and positive metacognitions, especially when it comes to smartphone use as a means for socializing; (iii) impulsivity did not show a significant effect on PSU Direct effects of the predictors on PSU were not found.Discussion and conclusionsThe current study found additional support for applying metacognitive theory to the understanding of PSU and highlight the dominant role of negative metacognitions about smartphone in predicting PSU.

The role of distress and fear transdiagnostic dimensions in emotion regulation choice

BackgroundMost research in the area of psychopathology and emotion regulation has focused on specific disorder categories and maladaptive strategy implementation. This study aimed to extend previous research by examining emotion regulation choice in higher-order dimensions (i.e., the distress and fear transdiagnostic dimensions) predisposing individuals toward commonly co-occurring internalizing syndromes. MethodsThe sample consisted of 127 college students with varying levels of distress and fear proneness. They were randomly assigned to a short- or long-term goal condition and were asked to select between two strategies, distraction and reappraisal, in response to pictures of differing emotional intensity. The moderating effects of distress and fear dimensions were explored to assess whether they interact with emotional intensity and goal proximity to influence strategy selection. ResultsFear proneness was positively, and distress proneness was negatively, associated with the odds of choosing distraction. Fear proneness was a significant moderator in our analysis, suggesting that increased fear magnifies the effect of emotional intensity on choosing distraction as a regulatory strategy. LimitationsAlthough an effort was made to select individuals from the full range of the internalizing spectrum, this was a college student sample and thus results should be replicated in clinical samples. Additionally, the response rate in this study was low. ConclusionThese findings expand our understanding of emotion regulation choice in internalizing psychopathology by identifying common tendencies of individuals who share dispositions toward fear and distress.

Depression, negative emotionality, and self-referential language: A multi-lab, multi-measure, and multi-language-task research synthesis.

Depressive symptomatology is manifested in greater first-person singular pronoun use (i.e., I-talk), but when and for whom this effect is most apparent, and the extent to which it is specific to depression or part of a broader association between negative emotionality and I-talk, remains unclear. Using pooled data from N = 4,754 participants from 6 labs across 2 countries, we examined, in a preregistered analysis, how the depression-I-talk effect varied by (a) first-person singular pronoun type (i.e., subjective, objective, and possessive), (b) the communication context in which language was generated (i.e., personal, momentary thought, identity-related, and impersonal), and (c) gender. Overall, there was a small but reliable positive correlation between depression and I-talk (r = .10, 95% CI [.07, .13]). The effect was present for all first-person singular pronouns except the possessive type, in all communication contexts except the impersonal one, and for both females and males with little evidence of gender differences. Importantly, a similar pattern of results emerged for negative emotionality. Further, the depression-I-talk effect was substantially reduced when controlled for negative emotionality but this was not the case when the negative emotionality-I-talk effect was controlled for depression. These results suggest that the robust empirical link between depression and I-talk largely reflects a broader association between negative emotionality and I-talk. Self-referential language using first-person singular pronouns may therefore be better construed as a linguistic marker of general distress proneness or negative emotionality rather than as a specific marker of depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Musculoskeletal disorders, personality traits, psychological distress, and accident proneness of Chinese coal miners.

Human factors comprise one of the important reasons leading to the casualty accidents in coal mines. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships among musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), personality traits, psychological distress, and accident proneness of coal miners. There were 1500 Chinese coal miners surveyed in this study. Among these miners, 992 valid samples were obtained. The study surveyed the MSDs, personality traits, psychological distress, and accident proneness of coal miners with MSDs Likert scale, Eysenck personality questionnaire, Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) scale, and accident proneness questionnaire, respectively. The highest MSDs level was found in the waist. The increasing working age of the miners was connected with increased MSDs and psychological distress. Significant differences in MSDs and psychological distress of miners from different types of work were observed. Coal miners with higher MSDs had higher accident proneness. Coal miners with higher neuroticism dimension of Eysenck personality and more serious psychological distress had higher accident proneness. Phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychoticism dimension of psychological distress were the three most important indicators that had significant positive relationships with accident proneness. The MSDs, neuroticism dimension, and psychological distress of the coal mine workers are important to work safety and require serious attention. Some implications concerning coal mine safety management in China were provided.

Childhood emotional functioning and the developmental origins of cardiovascular disease risk

BackgroundDysregulated emotional functioning has been linked with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among adults. Early life experiences may influence the development of adulthood CVD, but few studies have examined whether...

The association between childhood emotional functioning and adulthood inflammation is modified by early-life socioeconomic status.

Identifying interrelationships among childhood social disadvantage, emotional functioning and adult health may help illustrate how health disparities may become embedded early in life, yet few have considered how these factors are associated. We examined whether the association of child emotional functioning and adult health risk was modified by child socioeconomic status (CSES), or whether child emotional functioning mediated the association of CSES and adult health risk. We studied 430 adult offspring (mean age 42 years) of Collaborative Perinatal Project participants, a cohort of pregnant women enrolled in 1959-1966 (Broman, Nichols, & Kennedy, 1975; Niswander & Gordon, 1972). Child emotional functioning was assessed by psychologist ratings at age 7 and included inappropriate self regulation (ISR) and distress proneness. CSES measures included parental education, household income, and parental occupation. Adult health risk was measured by the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Hypotheses were tested with multiple linear regression. Effect modification was evaluated via interaction terms and stratification of fully adjusted models by CSES. Mediation by child emotional functioning was evaluated via coefficient changes. There was no evidence that child emotional functioning mediated the association of CSES and CRP. Significant interactions were observed for ISR and low income (b = 1.67, SE = 0.70, p < .05), and distress proneness and low (b = 3.14, SE = 1.47, p < .05) and middle (b = 3.52, SE = 1.46, p < .05) income. Stratified models indicated that associations of child emotion with CRP varied significantly by level of parental education, household income and occupation. The highest levels of adult inflammation were observed among those with childhood emotional problems who were also exposed to low socioeconomic status as children. This study suggests adulthood disparities in CRP may have developmental origins in childhood adversity.

Emotional Functioning at Age 7 Years is Associated With C-Reactive Protein in Middle Adulthood

Few have considered whether and how child emotional functioning is associated with inflammation later in life. Therefore, we evaluated whether child emotional functioning at age 7 years is associated with C-reactive protein (CRP), an indicator of systemic inflammation, in middle adulthood. We studied adult offspring (mean age 42.2 years) of participants in the National Collaborative Perinatal Project, a national cohort of pregnant women enrolled between 1959 and 1966. Three measures of child emotional functioning were derived from psychologist ratings of child behavior at age 7 years: inappropriate self-regulation (ISR), distress proneness, and behavioral inhibition. Multiple linear regression models were fit to investigate the association between childhood emotional functioning and adulthood CRP and also to evaluate potential mediators of this association. Model n's were from 400 for Model 1 to 379 for Model 4 depending on covariates included and missing data on those covariates. Children with high ISR and distress proneness at age 7 years had significantly higher CRP as adults (ISR: β = 0.86; standard error [SE] = 0.28; p = .002; distress proneness: β = 1.23; SE = 0.57; p = .03). In contrast, children with high levels of behavioral inhibition had lower CRP as adults (β = -0.58; SE = 0.38; p = .04). Furthermore, there was evidence that associations of ISR and distress proneness with CRP may be mediated in part by adulthood body mass index (Sobel significance tests of mediation: ISR: p = .003; distress proneness: p = .07). Findings suggest that poor childhood emotional functioning is associated with inflammation in adulthood. These results suggest a potential childhood origin of adult inflammatory risk.

Early manifestations of personality and adult health: A life course perspective.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether individual personality or temperamental qualities that emerge early and persist over the life course, predict adult midlife health. Specific childhood personality attributes considered include distress proneness, behavioral inhibition, and ability to stay focused on a task. Prospective data are from 569 individuals followed from birth into adulthood. Outcomes include two different measures of adult health: self-rated general health, and number of illnesses in adulthood. Childhood personality attributes related to attention and distress were significantly associated with adult health, with stronger effects evident among women. Children with high attention reported better self-rated health (b = 0.12, p < .05) and fewer illnesses (b = -0.09, p < .01) as adults; more distress-prone children reported worse self-rated health (b = -0.15, p < .05) and more illnesses (b = 0.07, p < .09) as adults. Associations between child personality attributes with both general self-rated health and number of illnesses in adulthood were maintained after taking account of childhood social environment and child health. Findings indicate that early emerging personality and related processes influence adult physical health, and suggest the potential value of interventions targeting early life development.

Negative Outlook on Life May Predispose to Cognitive Impairment

Negative Outlook on Life May Predispose to Cognitive Impairment

CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN FECAL INCONTINENCE AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS IN OLDER PERSONS

Purpose: Fecal incontinence has been associated with depression in patients seen in clinic settings. We examined the cross-sectional association between fecal incontinence and depressive symptoms and distress proneness in a large bi-racial community study. Methods: Participants were 6,099 residents aged 65 years and older of a geographically-defined Chicago community (78.8% of age-eligible residents). During in-home interviews, participants completed a 10-item version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), and a 4-item short form of the NEO-FFI neuroticism scale, a measure of distress proneness. The questionused to determine the presence of fecal incontinence was: “In the past few months have you ever lost control of your bowels when you didn't want to?” Results: In separate multiple logistic regression models adjusted forage, sex, and race, higher CES-D and distress proneness scores were each associated with increased prevalence of fecal incontinence. The prevalence odds ratio was 1.26 (95% CI: 1.22-1.31) for each on point increase in CES-D score, and 1.16 (95% CI: 1.11-1.28) for each one-point increase in distress proneness score. Conclusions: Symptoms of depression and proneness to psychological distress may be associated with the occurrence of fecal incontinence.

Distress proneness and cognitive decline in a population of older persons

The association between distress proneness and cognitive decline was examined in older residents of a biracial community in Chicago. At baseline, participants completed four cognitive tests that yielded a global measure (baseline mean=101.2; standard deviation (SD)=7.8), and a brief measure of the tendency to experience negative emotions (mean=16.5; SD=6.7) based on the Neuroticism scale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory. Cognitive testing was repeated twice at three-year intervals. In mixed models that controlled age, sex, race, and education, for each point on the distress proneness scale, global cognitive score was 0.12 unit lower at baseline (p<0.001) and annual rate of decline increased by 0.01 unit (p=0.002), or about 2%. Thus, cognitive decline was about 30% faster in a person highly prone to distress (score=24, 90th percentile) compared to the one low in distress proneness (score=9, 10th percentile). This effect was unchanged after controlling for level of cognitive activity or excluding people with cognitive impairment at baseline, but it was reduced to a trend (p=0.059) after controlling for depressive symptoms. The results suggest that the tendency to experience psychological distress is associated with increased cognitive decline in old age.

P3-145 Distress proneness and cognitive decline in a population of older persons

P3-145 Distress proneness and cognitive decline in a population of older persons

Premorbid proneness to distress and episodic memory impairment in Alzheimer’s disease

Background: Chronic stress has been associated with impaired episodic memory, but the association of premorbidly experienced distress with memory function in Alzheimer’s disease is unknown. Objective: To investigate the link...

Early Manifestations of Personality and Adult Emotional Functioning.

Developmental antecedents to adult emotional functioning were investigated in an epidemiologic study using theories of personality and emotion. The authors tested whether different types of adult emotional distress can be linked to childhood personality attributes. Using data from 3,138 children at age 7, measures of 4 childhood personality attributes were developed and validated: Behavioral Inhibition, Distress Proneness, Attention, and Inappropriate Interpersonal Self-Regulation. Sound psychometric properties of these scales are demonstrated by considering the measures across multiple samples and in comparison with established child behavior measures. Emotional distress measures were obtained for 694 of these individuals at age 35. Of the personality attributes, 3 of 4 (except behavioral inhibition) predicted general levels of distress as well as specific aspects of adult emotional functioning.