Greater Negative Affect Research Articles

Women’s perceptions of, and emotional responses to, sexual violence depicted in film or series

Sexual violence, particularly against women, is alarmingly common. Many survivors experience post-traumatic stress ( Cortina & Kubiak, 2006 ); thus, reminders of the trauma could cause flashbacks, dissociative symptoms, and intense fear ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013 ). Given that women consume media that regularly depicts sexual violence, which could cause distress, the current study examined women’s perceptions of, and emotional responses to, scenes of sexual violence. It was predicted that women would perceive scenes of sexual violence negatively and that would be particularly true for women with a sexual violence history, those who reported post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms related to sexual violence history, and those who use negative coping strategies in response to stressors. Participants were women ( n = 229) who completed an online survey. More than half (52%) of participants reported that they had experienced sexual violence. Participants generally reported negative perceptions of scenes of sexual violence, with a majority viewing them as too graphic, used for shock value/titillation, and unnecessary to the plot. Women with a history of sexual violence reported greater avoidance of media that might contain sexual violence and greater negative affect in response to scenes of sexual violence; however, women who exceeded the post-traumatic stress disorder screen cut-off did not report greater avoidance and negative affect than those who did not exceed the cut-off. Finally, those who reported a greater tendency to cope with stressors using problem avoidance reported more avoidance of, and negative affect in response to, scenes of sexual violence. Exploratory analyses, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

Exploring Use Patterns and Racial and Ethnic Differences in Real Time Affective States During Social Media Use Among a Clinical Sample of Adolescents With Depression: Prospective Cohort Study.

BackgroundIncreasing youth mental health problems over time correlate with increasing rates of social media use (SMU); however, a proposed contributory relationship remains unproven. To better understand how SMU impacts mental health requires a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between different patterns of SMU and specific individual factors. Studies suggest that more active forms of SMU may offer mental health benefits when compared with more passive forms. Furthermore, the literature suggests important differences in patterns of SMU and affective states among those identifying as racial and ethnic minorities.ObjectiveUsing ecological momentary assessment (EMA), this study aims to investigate potential differences in affective states during active and passive forms of SMU and whether such differences vary by race and ethnicity.MethodsWe recruited patients seeking care at a large urban adolescent medicine clinic who exhibited at least mild depressive symptoms based on Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores. Participants completed an enrollment survey and a 7-day EMA protocol, receiving 5 EMA questionnaires per day, which assessed real time SMU behaviors and affective states using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule–Expanded form subscales. To correct for nonindependent data with EMA responses clustered within individuals, data were analyzed using mixed-effects modeling, allowing for a random intercept at the individual level to examine associations between EMA-reported SMU and affective states while adjusting results for age, gender, race and ethnicity, PHQ-9 score, and EMA response rate.ResultsA racially and ethnically diverse group of 55 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years provided a total of 976 EMA responses, averaging 17.76 (SD 8.76) responses per participant, with a response rate of 51.15%. Participants reported higher mean levels of negative affect during active SMU (F1,215=3.86; SE 0.05; t1,215=1.96; P=.05) and lower mean levels of positive affect during passive SMU (F1,369=3.90; SE 0.09; t1,369=–1.98; P=.049). However, within different racial and ethnic groups, higher levels of negative affect during moments of active SMU were seen only among Black non-Hispanic participants: F1,81=6.31; SE 0.05; t81=2.51; P=.01). Similarly, lower levels of positive affect during passive SMU were seen only among White non-Hispanic participants (F1,295=10.52; SE 0.13; t295=–3.24; P=.001).ConclusionsAlthough in aggregate, adolescents with depressive symptoms experienced more negative affect during active SMU and less positive affect during passive SMU, these mean outcomes were driven solely by greater negative affect during active SMU by Black non-Hispanic participants and lower positive affect during passive SMU by White non-Hispanic participants. Differences in intentionality, content, context, and expectations of SMU among youths across racial and ethnic groups may result in different affective outcomes. Exploration of the interactions among cultural differences in SMU strategies and characteristics will be critical to furthering our understanding of the impact of SMU on youth mental health.

Social-emotional need satisfaction, prosocial motivation, and students’ positive behavioral and well-being outcomes

This study investigated the extent to which students’ social-emotional basic psychological need satisfaction (of social-emotional autonomy, social competence, relatedness with students, and relatedness with teachers) is associated with their prosocial motivation and, in turn, behavioral and emotional well-being outcomes. For motivation, autonomous prosocial motivation and controlled prosocial motivation (by way of introjected and external regulation) were examined. Behavioral outcomes comprised prosocial behavior and conduct problems reported by parents/carers, and emotional well-being were positive and negative affect reported by students. With data from 408 secondary school students (and their parents/carers), structural equation modeling showed that perceived autonomy was associated with lower negative affect. Perceived social competence was associated with greater autonomous prosocial motivation, lower external prosocial regulation, greater positive affect, and lower negative affect. Relatedness with teachers was associated with greater autonomous prosocial motivation. In turn, autonomous prosocial motivation was associated with greater prosocial behavior, whereas external prosocial regulation was associated with lower prosocial behavior. Introjected prosocial regulation was only associated with greater negative affect. The results hold implications for promoting social and emotional competence among students.

Emotion regulation and cortisol response to the still-face procedure in preterm and full-term infants

In infancy, stress responses and emotion regulation are often coupled. Both are impacted by prematurity, though their relationship to one another in the case of infants born preterm is not fully understood. We investigated emotion regulation behaviours, cortisol reactivity and recovery and coupling between emotion regulation and cortisol reactivity to and recovery from a stressor in preterm infants. 53 preterm and 67 full-term infants with mean (range) gestational age at birth 29+3 (24+0-31+6) and 39+3 (36+2-42+0) weeks respectively were exposed to a socio-emotional stressor, the still-face (SF) paradigm, at 9 months of age (corrected for prematurity). The duration of negative affect and self-comforting behaviours exhibited in response to the SF, coded from a 10-minute video-taped interaction, were compared between groups. Saliva was collected from a subset (20 preterm, 24 term infants) at three timepoints: pre-SF and 20- and 30-minutes post SF. Cortisol concentrations at each timepoint were compared between groups. Associations between behavioural measures and cortisol concentrations were explored. There was no significant difference in duration of self-comforting behaviour between preterm and term infants. Preterm infants spent a significantly smaller proportion of time in a negative affective state compared to term infants (0.18 vs 0.25 s, p = 0.03). Salivary cortisol concentration was significantly higher in the preterm compared to the term group 30 min post SF (2.85 vs 1.77 nmol/L, p = 0.009), though findings were no longer significant after adjusting for time of day of sampling and socioeconomic deprivation. After controlling for time of day, greater negative affect was correlated with higher cortisol concentration 30 min post SF in the full-term (r = 0.58, p = 0.004) but not the preterm group (r = −0.01, p > 0.05). Our findings suggest altered response to an acute stressor in preterm infants, manifesting as a muted emotional response, and a lack of coupling between endocrine and behavioural stress response. Replication studies in larger samples would help to further understand biological stress repose in preterm infants and its relationship to behaviour, time of day and deprivation.

Personality predictors of 6-month readmission in adult psychiatric inpatients.

Readmission of psychiatric inpatients is highly prevalent and places a significant financial burden on the healthcare system. Rehospitalisation is often used as a metric of quality of care in psychiatric settings, but little is known about how specific personality traits impact readmission in adult psychiatric inpatients. A convenience sample of 94 adults (mean age=36.8 years; female=54.3%; European American=76.6%) at an inpatient psychiatric hospital completed the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form (PID-5-BF; American Psychiatric Association, 2013); demographic and medical information and readmission data were extracted via chart review. Poisson regression was used to predict number of readmissions at 6months after discharge from PID-5-BF domain scores of Negative Affectivity, Detachment, Antagonism, Disinhibition and Psychoticism. Twenty-three patients (24.5%) were readmitted at least once by 6-month follow-up. Higher PID-5-BF Negative Affectivity domain scores predicted greater number of readmissions at 6months (incidence rate ratio (IRR)=1.14, robust standard error (RSE)=0.05, p< .01, 95% confidence interval [1.04, 1.25]). The other PID-5-BF domain scores were not significantly related to number of readmissions. Thus, greater negative affect, indicative of higher trait neuroticism, heightened experience of negative emotions and poor self-concept, was a significant personality predictor of readmission in the study. These results suggest that assessing this trait domain might help to identify psychiatric inpatients at greater risk for readmission and determine those most in need of enhanced services to reduce rehospitalisation.

Strategies to promote responsive bottle-feeding in WIC predict less frequent use of food to soothe and healthier weight status for infants with negative temperaments.

Infants with greater temperamental negative affectivity are at higher risk for overfeeding and excess weight gain. To examine whether strategies to promote responsive bottle-feeding within WIC promoted healthier maternal feeding practices and infant weight status among infants with greater negative affectivity. Secondary analysis of data from a matched-pair cluster randomized trial. Policy, systems and environmental change (PSE) strategies to promote responsive bottle-feeding were implemented at three WIC clinics; these clinics were compared with three matched control clinics. Linear mixed models tested whether infant negative affectivity interacted with PSE strategies to predict feeding and weight outcomes when infants were 4-6months old. Significant interactions between infant negative affectivity and PSE strategies were noted. Among infants with high negative affectivity, mothers in PSE clinics reported less frequent use of food to soothe (p=0.009) compared with mothers in control clinics. Among infants with moderate (p=0.008) or high (p=0.029) negative affectivity, infants in PSE clinics had healthier weight status compared with infants in control clinics. Promotion of responsive bottle-feeding is an effective way to support WIC mothers and reduce risk for overfeeding and excess weight gain, particularly for mothers of infants with greater negative affectivity.

Effects of Chronic Burden Across Multiple Domains and Experiences of Daily Stressors on Negative Affect.

Exposure to chronic psychological stress across multiple life domains (multi-domain chronic burden) is associated with poor health. This may be because multi-domain chronic burden influences daily-level emotional processes, though this hypothesis has not been thoroughly tested. The current study tested whether (a) multi-domain chronic burden is associated with greater exposure to daily stressors and (b) multi-domain chronic burden compounds negative affect on days with stressors compared to stressor-free days. The MIDUS Study (Wave II) and the National Study of Daily Experiences sub-study were conducted from 2004 to 2006 (N = 2,022). Participants reported on eight life domains of psychological stress used to create a multi-domain chronic burden summary score. For eight consecutive days, participants reported the daily occurrence of stressful events and daily negative affect. Participants with greater multi-domain chronic burden were significantly more likely to report daily stressors. There was also a significant interaction between multi-domain chronic burden and daily stressors on negative affect: participants with higher multi-domain chronic burden had greater negative affect on stressor days than stressor-free days compared to those with lower multi-domain chronic burden. Participants with higher multi-domain chronic burden were more likely to report daily stressors and there was a compounding effect of multi-domain chronic burden and daily stressors on negative affect. These results suggest that experiencing a greater amount of psychological stress across multiple life domains may make daily stressors more toxic for daily affect.

Symptom Patterns of the Occurrence of Depression and Anxiety in a Japanese General Adult Population Sample: A Latent Class Analysis.

BackgroundGiven the high comorbidity and shared risk factors between depression and anxiety, whether they represent theoretically distinct disease entities or are just characteristics of a common negative affect dimension remains debated. Employing a data-driven and person-centered approach, the present study aims to identify meaningful and discrete symptom patterns of the occurrence of depression and anxiety.MethodsUsing data from an adult sample from the Japanese general population (n = 403, including 184 females, age = 42.28 ± 11.87 years), we applied latent class analysis to identify distinct symptom patterns of depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (STAI Y1). To empirically validate the derived class memberships, we tested the association between the derived classes and personal profiles including childhood experiences, life events, and personality traits.ResultsThe best-fitting solution had four distinct symptom patterns or classes. Whereas both Class 1 and 2 had high depression, Class 1 showed high anxiety due to high anxiety-present symptoms (e.g., “I feel nervous”) while Class 2 showed moderate anxiety due to few anxiety-absent symptoms (e.g., “I feel calm”). Class 3 manifested mild anxiety symptoms due to lacking responses on anxiety-absent items. Class 4 manifested the least depressive and anxiety-present symptoms as well as the most anxiety-absent symptoms. Importantly, whereas both Class 1 and 2 had higher childhood neglect and reduced reward responsiveness, etc. compared to Class 4 (i.e., the most healthy class), only Class 1 had greater negative affect and reported more negative life events.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first latent class analysis that examined the symptom patterns of depression and anxiety in Asian subjects. The classes we identified have distinct features that confirm their unique patterns of symptom endorsement. Our findings may provide insights into the etiology of depression, anxiety, and their comorbidity.

Self-expression can be authentic or inauthentic, with differential outcomes for well-being: Development of the authentic and inauthentic expression scale (AIES)

Being oneself in interpersonal relationships has many benefits, but research has yet to distinguish between (intrapersonal) feelings of authenticity and (interpersonal) authentic behaviors. Four studies developed and tested a scale designed to measure two types of self-expression: authentic and inauthentic. Findings consistently validated a two-factor structure: there were two distinct forms of expressing oneself, authentic and inauthentic. Findings consistently demonstrated that authentic expression was associated with positive need satisfaction and well-being outcomes, while inauthentic expression was associated with less autonomy satisfaction and greater negative affect. While authentic expression had consistent positive effects, inauthentic expression was more nuanced, suggesting it may not be wholly negative.

Feel to Heal: Negative Emotion Differentiation Promotes Medication Adherence in Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that results in lower quality of life. Medication adherence is important for reducing relapse, disease progression, and MS-related symptoms, particularly during the early stages of MS. However, adherence may be impacted by negative emotional states. Therefore, it is important to identify protective factors. Past research suggests that the ability to discriminate between negative emotional states, also known as negative emotion differentiation (NED), may be protective against enactment of maladaptive risk-related behaviors. However, less is known as to how NED may promote adaptive health behaviors such as medication adherence. Utilizing weekly diaries, we investigated whether NED moderates the association between negative affect and medication adherence rates across 58 weeks among patients (n = 27) newly diagnosed with MS (following McDonald criteria). Results revealed that NED significantly moderated the relationship between negative affect and medication adherence. Specifically, greater negative affect was associated with lower adherence only for individuals reporting low NED. However, this link disappeared for those reporting moderate to high NED. Building upon past research, our findings suggest that NED may promote adaptive health behaviors and have important clinical implications for the treatment and management of chronic illness.

Understanding the Consequences of Moment-by-Moment Fluctuations in Mood and Social Experience for Paranoid Ideation in Psychotic Disorders.

Among individuals with psychotic disorders, paranoid ideation is common and associated with increased impairment, decreased quality of life, and a more pessimistic prognosis. Although accumulating research indicates negative affect is a key precipitant of paranoid ideation, the possible protective role of positive affect has not been examined. Further, despite the interpersonal nature of paranoid ideation, there are limited and inconsistent findings regarding how social context, perceptions, and motivation influence paranoid ideation in real-world contexts. In this pilot study, we used smartphone ecological momentary assessment to understand the relevance of hour-by-hour fluctuations in mood and social experience for paranoid ideation in adults with psychotic disorders. Multilevel modeling results indicated that greater negative affect is associated with higher concurrent levels of paranoid ideation and that it is marginally related to elevated levels of future paranoid ideation. In contrast, positive affect was unrelated to momentary experiences of paranoid ideation. More severe momentary paranoid ideation was also associated with an elevated desire to withdraw from social encounters, irrespective of when with familiar or unfamiliar others. These observations underscore the role of negative affect in promoting paranoid ideation and highlight the contribution of paranoid ideation to the motivation to socially withdraw in psychotic disorders.

Positive and Negative Affect influences Attitudes Toward Aging

The Aging Semantic Differential (ASD; Rosencranz & McNevin, 1969) is one of the most widely used measures in the aging literature to measure attitudes rather than knowledge or beliefs about aging. Originally 32-items the ASD has been reduced through careful factor analysis to 20-items representing 4 factors representing: Instrumentality, Autonomy, Acceptability, and Integrity. Latent summary scores were created for each factor, with lower scores representing more positive attitude toward older adults. Despite its widespread use there are no published studies that examine the relationships between the four ASD factors and Positive and Negative affect. Positive and Negative affect are related to and represent the core aspects of Extraversion and Neuroticism. The prime objective of this study was to assess the relationships between Positive and Negative affect and the four ASD factors. The sample comprises 1189 undergraduate participants with a mean age of 22.02 (SD=6.27). The sample included 611 men and 578 women. Results showed the path model fitted the data well (CFI = 953, TLI = .944, RMSEA = 0.066, SRMR = 0.035). Positive affect was significantly related to Instrumentality, Acceptability, and Integrity (β= -0.073, (SE= 0.034); p=0.034; β= --0.141 (SE= 0.033), p=0.0001; β= -0.146 (SE= 0.032), p=0.0001). These results show that higher positive affect was related to more positive beliefs about Instrumentality, Acceptability, and Integrity. Negative affect was significantly related to Integrity (β= 0.079, (SE= 0.032); p=0.012) indicating that greater negative affect was related to more negative beliefs about bodily integrity.

Affect Reactivity to Daily Stressors Mediates the Relationship Between Personality Traits and Physical Health

Researchers hypothesize that how people react to daily stressful events partly explains the personality-health relationship, yet no study has examined longitudinal associations between these factors. The current study examined the role of negative affect reactivity to daily stressors as a mediating pathway between personality and physical health outcomes using three waves of data spanning 20-years from a nationwide probability sample of 1,176 adults. Results indicate that Wave 1 neuroticism was associated with greater negative affect reactivity at Wave 2, which then predicted the development of chronic conditions and functional limitations at Wave 3. Higher conscientiousness was associated with less negative affect reactivity, which in turn predicted better physical health at Wave 3. Negative affect reactivity partially mediated both personality traits and physical. These findings highlight the usefulness of using a daily stress framework for understanding how personality impacts health over time, which has important implications for disease prevention.

An experimental study revisiting the link between media attention and breast cancer concern: exploring the role of cognitive fusion

ABSTRACT Research examining the link between media attention and breast cancer concern has been frequently conducted with middle/old-age women, even though young women (<40 years old) have been overrepresented media stories about breast cancer. Accordingly, little is known about young women’s emotional reactions to breast cancer media messages and the psychological factors modulating such reactions. This study examined the impact of breast cancer media messages and cognitive fusion on negative affect, fear of breast cancer (FBC), and perceived susceptibility to breast cancer. 207 young women were randomly assigned to watch a low- or high-threat video about breast cancer. A MANCOVA revealed that participants who viewed the high-threat video reported greater negative affect and perceived susceptibility, but not FBC; however, participants in both conditions showed moderate/high FBC. Correlational analyses and a MANOVA showed that participants reporting higher cognitive fusion reported higher negative affect across conditions, as well as higher FBC in the high-threat condition. Taken together, these results suggest that young women may show habituation to alarmist media messages, but may nonetheless construe breast cancer as a significant threat. Moreover, young women showing medium/high cognitive fusion seem more likely to show heightened concern upon exposure to alarmist media messages about breast cancer.

Alexithymia disrupts emotion regulation processes and is associated with greater negative affect and alcohol problems

Alexithymia is common among people who abuse alcohol, yet the mechanisms by which alexithymia exerts its influence remain unclear. This analysis tested a model whereby the three subscales of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale exert an indirect effect on alcohol problems through difficulties with emotion regulation and psychological distress. Men and women (n = 141) seeking alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Difficulties with Emotion Regulation Scale, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Short Inventory of Problems, and the Alcohol Dependence Scale. The Difficulty Identifying Feelings subscale of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale was positively associated with alcohol problems through emotion dysregulation and psychological distress. The other two subscales, Difficulty Describing Feelings and Externally oriented Thinking, were not associated with any other variables. People with alexithymia may consume alcohol to help regulate undifferentiated states of emotional arousal. Given the prevalence of alexithymia among people who abuse alcohol, treatment supplements that enhance the identification of emotions are needed.

The Relationship Between Loneliness and Positive Affect in Older Adults

To establish whether positive affect (PA) is uniquely associated with loneliness and other social functioning variables beyond negative affect (NA) among older adults. Four hundred and twenty-eight participants (aged 60+ years old, 82% White, and 48% female) were recruited using random digit-dialing and completed scales for loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale), companionship (PROMIS scale), satisfaction with discretionary social activities (PROMIS scale), PA (Center for Epidemiologic Studies [CES] Happiness Scale), and NA (CES-Depression scale and Brief Symptom Inventory-Anxiety Subscale). Multiple linear regression models found PA to be a significant predictor of lower loneliness where the effect of PA on loneliness is dependent on the level of NA; a large effect size at the mean level of NA, which becomes attenuated when NA increases. Although the direction of effect of PA on loneliness will change for NA > 5.10, which is 5 standard deviations away from 0, based on the model estimates, the percent of subjects with this large NA levels is practically 0. Thus, higher PA is associated with lower loneliness, however this effect is attenuated for larger NA. Similarly, multiple linear regression models found that companionship was associated with PA and NA where the effect of PA is dependent on the level of NA; a medium effect size at the mean level of NA, which becomes attenuated when NA increases. As in the case of loneliness, the direction of effect of PA on companionship will change for NA > 3.52, which is 3.5 standard deviation away from 0, based on the model estimates, but the percent of subjects with this large NA levels is practically 0. Thus, higher PA is associated with increased companionship, aand this effect is attenuated with greater NA. Satisfaction with social activities was associated with PA only (medium effect size). Results suggest PA appears to be uniquely associated with social functioning among older adults. These findings support the potential for treatments that target PA to decrease loneliness among older adults, or vice versa.

A daily diary study of minority stress and negative and positive affect among racially diverse sexual minority adolescents.

We conducted an intensive longitudinal study of sexual minority adolescents to address gaps in the literature, limitations in retrospective reporting, and test tenets of the minority stress model. We examined the frequency of daily minority stressors and their within-person associations with negative and positive affect. We also tested the moderating effects of depressive symptomology on these associations. Sexual minority adolescents (N = 94; 35.1% were bisexual; 31.9% were gender minority; 45.2% were racial/ethnic minority), ages 12-18 years old (M = 16.1, SD = 1.5), were recruited from the community and completed a baseline questionnaire and then a 21-day daily dairy (82.5% response rate). Participants experienced at least one minority stressor, with an average of 16.96 minority stressors (SD = 18.7, Range: 0-83), over the 21-day monitoring period. Some minority stressors were more commonly experienced than others (e.g., vicarious minority stress) and most participants attributed their sexual orientation to these stressors. Participants also attributed other marginalized identities to these stressors (e.g., gender identity, race). Daily minority stressors were associated with greater negative affect but not positive affect. Participants had greater negative affect on days where sexual-orientation-specific minority stressors were endorsed compared to days where minority stressors were not reported. These associations were not moderated by depression symptomology. The results underscore that minority stressors are pervasive experiences of sexual minority adolescents' daily life and natural environment and they are associated with daily emotions. The findings have implications for the minority stress model and future research and interventions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Integration of Patient-reported Outcomes Assessment Into Routine Care for Patients Receiving Residential Treatment for Alcohol and/or Substance Use Disorder.

More than 3 million individuals receive treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) and/or substance use disorder each year, yet there exists no standardized method for measuring patient success in treatment. Quantifying a more comprehensive assessment of treatment outcomes could identify the relative efficacy of different treatment strategies for individuals with AUD/substance use disorders, and help patients to identify, in advance, appropriate treatment options. This study developed and embedded patient-reported outcome measures into the routine clinical operations of a residential treatment program. Surveys assessed demographics, drug use history, physical and mental health, and quality of life. Outcomes were assessed among participants at admission (n = 961) and in patients who completed the survey at time of discharge (n = 633). Past 30-day alcohol and/or opioid use at admission were correlated with worse self-reported physical and mental health, sleep, and quality of life, and greater negative affect and craving ( P s < 0.05). Previous history of treatment and/or withdrawal management were associated with worse self-reported physical and mental health, quality of life, and increased craving ( P s < 0.05). Physical and mental health improved across timepoints and was most pronounced when comparing persons receiving treatment for opioid use disorder versus AUD, wherein persons with opioid use disorder had worse physical health at all time points, and greater sleep disturbance and negative affect at discharge ( P s < 0.05). It is feasible to embed patient outcome monitoring into routine clinic operations, which could be used in the future to tailor treatment plans.

People Might Be More Willing to Use Automated Vehicles in Pandemics like COVID-19

ABSTRACT COVID-19 pandemic may positively impact the transportation sector’s use of automated vehicles (AVs) and hasten AV adoption in areas such as contactless delivery. However, resistance or negative attitudes toward AVs and fear over safety creates unknowns about whether people are willing to adopt driverless AVs if available in similar pandemics. Two vignette-based studies (N = 1087) found that the pandemic can lead Chinese participants to be more willing to use driverless Robotaxis and exhibit more positive responses to Robotaxis than traditional, manned taxis. In Study 1, their preference for a Robotaxi was greater in the pandemic than in the normal condition. They also preferred the Robotaxi over the manned taxi in the pandemic when we manipulated the Robotaxi to be merely as safe as or superior to the manned taxi. Study 2 compared the Robotaxi and manned taxis with equal safety in both conditions. Participants expressed greater negative affect (fear and anxiety) and lower willingness to ride in a Robotaxi in the normal condition. However, in the pandemic condition, they expressed lower negative affect and greater willingness to ride in the Robotaxi. Trust in Robotaxi was lower than in the manned taxi in the normal condition, whereas there was no difference in trust in both taxis in the pandemic. There was no difference in risk acceptance across the two conditions. Our research provides unique and empirical evidence for supporting the adoption of AVs in similar situations and calls on policy support to develop and deploy AVs to meet the consumer need for driverless mobility services in these situations.

Associations between acculturation, perceived discrimination and subjective well-being among Syrian adolescents living in Turkey.

Although numerous studies have documented the associations between perceived discrimination, acculturation and well-being in immigrants, far fewer have examined these associations in adolescent immigrants in the context of forced displacement. The focus of this study was to refine our understanding of the link between acculturation, perceived discrimination and subjective well-being in understudied forcibly displaced Syrian adolescents residing in Turkey. The data were collected from 181 Syrian adolescents (53.19% girls) aged between 10 and 16 years (Mage =13, SD=1.53). The participants completed measures of acculturation, perceived discrimination, positive affect and negative affect alongside demographic variables. The results indicated that boys reported more experience of positive affect while girls reported more experience of negative affect. Younger adolescents reported greater positive affect, higher heritage acculturation and lesser negative affect. Adolescents who had higher host acculturation and experienced low perceived discrimination had a greater positive, whereas adolescents who experienced perceived discrimination had a greater negative affect. Host acculturation and perceived discrimination significantly contributed to the variance in explaining positive and negative affect over and above the age and gender. The results elucidate our understanding in terms of acculturation and perceived discrimination that significantly contribute to subjective well-being in the context of forcibly displaced Syrian adolescents.