Higher Levels Of Negative Emotions Research Articles

Theoretical Antecedents of Male Adolescents’ Problematic Pornography Use: A Longitudinal Assessment

ABSTRACT Although considerable research has examined the antecedents of adolescents’ pornography use (PU), little data exist on the underlying mechanisms of problematic pornography use (PPU) in adolescence. To bridge this gap, the current longitudinal study examined the long-term associations between adolescent boys’ PU frequency, PPU, and theory-based predictors of PPU. Testing three conceptual models (the moral incongruence, out of control, and mood management models), we examined the relative contributions of impulsivity, depression/anxiety symptoms, and religiosity to PPU, controlling for PU over time. The analysis was conducted using a panel sample of 337 Croatian men (Mage = 15.9 years, SD = 0.52). Latent growth curve modeling showed that baseline levels of, and subsequent growth in PU predicted later higher levels of PPU, irrespective of participants’ religiosity, negative emotions, and impulsivity. Baseline higher levels of negative emotions and impulsivity predicted higher levels of PPU three years later, even after controlling for the growth in PU over time. Religiosity moderated the association between changes in PU and PPU. Growth in PU resulted in higher PPU among more religious adolescents, compared to their less religious peers. This study’s findings support all three conceptual models explaining PPU in adults and may guide clinical work with adolescents seeking help for PPU.

Higher negative emotions in response to cigarette pictorial warning labels predict higher quit intentions among smokers

BackgroundCigarette pictorial warning labels (PWLs) could produce stronger quit intentions than text-only warning labels (TWLs) due to greater emotional arousal. Yet, it remains unclear whether PWLs that elicit different levels...

Understanding Procrastination in First-Year Undergraduates: An Application of Attribution Theory

Despite findings showing first-year undergraduates persistently engage in academic procrastination, research exploring students’ perceived reasons for their procrastination and procrastination-related emotions is lacking. The present exploratory study utilized Weiner’s (2010) attribution theory to examine the relationships between procrastination as well as students’ causal explanations and emotions specific to procrastination. Findings of 429 first-year Canadian undergraduates showed students to attribute procrastination mainly to internal and stable factors, and less so to personally controllable factors. Students who attributed procrastination to reasons within themselves reported higher levels of negative emotions, with strong direct effects of procrastination on negative emotions also observed. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering students’ causal attributions as potential contributors to their emotional experiences surrounding procrastination and encourage future longitudinal research on relations between academic procrastination, attributions, and emotional outcomes.

Putting oneself in someone's shoes: The effect of observing ostracism on physical pain, social pain, negative emotion, and self-regulation

The current research examined the hypothesis that observing another person experiencing ostracism would increase physical pain, social pain, and negative emotion, as well as impair self-regulation through increased perception of rejection. It further examined whether individual differences in rejection sensitivity would moderate the mediation effects. The results showed that compared with participants who observed a control interaction, those who observed a stranger experiencing ostracism perceived higher levels of rejection likelihood, experienced higher levels of physical and social pain, reported higher levels of negative emotion, and had lower levels of self-regulation. In addition, perceived rejection likelihood significantly mediated the effects of observing ostracism on physical pain, social pain, negative emotion, and self-regulation. Furthermore, dispositional rejection sensitivity moderated these mediation effects, such that the effects were only observed among participants with high rejection sensitivity. In sum, these findings advance our understanding of how ostracism influences observers' cognition, physiological and psychological experience, and self-regulation. They also highlight the importance of the combinative role of dispositional characteristics and situational experiences in understanding people's responses in social interactions.

Effect of Levels of Self-Regulation and Situational Stress on Achievement Emotions in Undergraduate Students: Class, Study and Testing.

Achievement emotions constitute one important variable among the many variables of students’ learning. The aim of this research was to analyze the differential effect of university students’ levels of self-regulation (1 = low, 2 = medium and 3 = high), and of their level of perceived stress in three academic situations (1 = class, 2 = study time and 3 = testing), on the type of achievement emotionality they experience (positive and negative emotions). The following hypotheses were established: (1) a higher level of student self-regulation would be accompanied by higher levels of positive emotionality and lower levels of negative emotionality and (2) a higher level of situational stress would predispose higher levels of negative emotionality and lower levels of positive emotionality. A total of 520 university students completed three self-reports with validated inventories. Descriptive, correlational, and structural prediction analyses (SEM) were performed, as well as 3 × 3 ANOVAs, under an ex post facto design by selection. The results showed overall fulfillment of the hypotheses, except for a few specific emotions. Implications for prevention and psychoeducational guidance in the sphere of university education are discussed.

The human connectome project for disordered emotional states: Protocol and rationale for a research domain criteria study of brain connectivity in young adult anxiety and depression

Through the Human Connectome Project (HCP) our understanding of the functional connectome of the healthy brain has been dramatically accelerated. Given the pressing public health need, we must increase our understanding of how connectome dysfunctions give rise to disordered mental states. Mental disorders arising from high levels of negative emotion or from the loss of positive emotional experience affect over 400 million people globally. Such states of disordered emotion cut across multiple diagnostic categories of mood and anxiety disorders and are compounded by accompanying disruptions in cognitive function. Not surprisingly, these forms of psychopathology are the leading cause of disability worldwide. The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative spearheaded by NIMH offers a framework for characterizing the relations among connectome dysfunctions, anchored in neural circuits and phenotypic profiles of behavior and self-reported symptoms. Here, we report on our Connectomes Related to Human Disease protocol for integrating an RDoC framework with HCP protocols to characterize connectome dysfunctions in disordered emotional states, and present quality control data from a representative sample of participants. We focus on three RDoC domains and constructs most relevant to depression and anxiety: 1) loss and acute threat within the Negative Valence System (NVS) domain; 2) reward valuation and responsiveness within the Positive Valence System (PVS) domain; and 3) working memory and cognitive control within the Cognitive System (CS) domain. For 29 healthy controls, we present preliminary imaging data: functional magnetic resonance imaging collected in the resting state and in tasks matching our constructs of interest (“Emotion”, “Gambling” and “Continuous Performance” tasks), as well as diffusion-weighted imaging. All functional scans demonstrated good signal-to-noise ratio. Established neural networks were robustly identified in the resting state condition by independent component analysis. Processing of negative emotional faces significantly activated the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal and occipital cortices, fusiform gyrus and amygdalae. Reward elicited a response in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal, parietal and occipital cortices, and in the striatum. Working memory was associated with activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal, parietal, motor, temporal and insular cortices, in the striatum and cerebellum. Diffusion tractography showed consistent profiles of fractional anisotropy along known white matter tracts. We also show that results are comparable to those in a matched sample from the HCP Healthy Young Adult data release. These preliminary data provide the foundation for acquisition of 250 subjects who are experiencing disordered emotional states. When complete, these data will be used to develop a neurobiological model that maps connectome dysfunctions to specific behaviors and symptoms.

The role of social support on the effects of stress and depression on African American tobacco and alcohol use

ObjectivesThe current study explored whether social support (SS) from family and peers, influences the relationship between depressed mood (DM) and substance use (SU). We hypothesized that SS would have a protective effect on DM, and moderate the association between DM and SU. Participants and MethodsAnalyses focused on 703 individuals from the Carolina African American Twin Study on Aging (mean age = 49.78 years, STD = 14.52; 51% female). Participants reported on past year frequency of cigarettes and alcohol consumption, depressed mood, and stressful life events. Social support (SS) was assessed on two domains (i.e., emotional and instrumental), as well as for perceived quality and quantity of each type. Hypotheses were tested using ordinal logistic regression in Mplus while controlling for socioeconomic status, age, and gender. ResultsQuality of emotional support was negatively associated with drinking. Smoking, but not drinking was associated with depressed mood. While individuals with high levels of depressed mood received more support, receiving better quality emotional support was associated with fewer mood and stress symptoms. Individuals who reported receiving better quality emotional support typically smoked fewer cigarettes. ConclusionQuantity of emotional support was associated with higher levels of negative emotionality, whereas the opposite was found for quality of emotional support. Emotional support may indirectly influence smoking via depressed mood. Effecting the perceived quality of support appears to be the mechanism by which emotional support helps to reduce smoking in adult African Americans.

Both High and Low Levels of Negative Emotions Are Associated with Higher Blood Pressure: Evidence from Whitehall II Cohort Study.

Previous studies of negative emotions and blood pressure (BP) produced mixed findings. Based on the functionalist and evolutionary perspective on emotions, we hypothesized that the association between negative emotions and BP is U-shaped, i.e., that both very high levels of negative emotions and theabsence thereof are related to high BP. Data from 7479 British civil servants who participated in Phases 1-11 (years 1985-2013) of theWhitehall II cohort study was used. Negative emotions were operationalized as negative affect and depressive and anxiety symptoms. Negative affect was measured at Phases 1 and 2. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed at each phase. BP was measured at every other phase. For each negative emotion measure, an average across all phases was computed and used as a predictor of PB levels throughout the follow-up period using growth curve models. Very high values of anxiety and depressive symptoms, but not negative affect, were associated with higher levels of systolic BP. However, low to moderate levels of all negative emotions were associated with lower blood pressure than the absence of negative emotions. The article offers a theoretical explanation for a previously observed inverse association between negative emotions and blood pressure and underscores that moderate levels of negative emotions that naturally occur in everyday life are not associated with risks of heightened blood pressure.

A meta-analysis of the effect of substance use interventions on emotion outcomes.

Emotional distress has been posited as a key underlying mechanism in the development and maintenance of substance use disorder (SUD), and patients seeking SUD treatment are often experiencing high levels of negative emotion and/or low levels of positive emotion. But the extent to which SUD interventions impact emotional outcomes among general SUD populations is yet unquantified. The current meta-analysis aims to fill this gap. A total of 11,754 records were screened for randomized, controlled trials examining the effect of behavioral SUD interventions on emotion outcomes. Our search yielded a total of 138 effect sizes calculated based on data from 5,146 individuals enrolled in 30 independent clinical trials. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to calculate pooled effect sizes, and metaregression analyses examined study-level moderators (e.g., intervention type). Findings indicated a small but significant effect of SUD interventions on emotion outcomes, d = 0.157, 95% CI [0.052, 0.262] (k = 30). The effect size for negative emotion was nominally bigger, d = 0.162, 95% CI [0.056, 0.269] (k = 30), whereas the effect for positive emotion did not reach statistical significance, d = 0.062, 95% CI [-0.089, 0.213] (k = 7). Studies featuring SUD interventions designed to specifically target emotions (i.e., affect-regulation, mindfulness-based treatments) produced larger reductions in negative emotion compared with studies featuring interventions that did not contain specific emotion modules (e.g., contingency management). Findings suggest that SUD interventions-especially mindfulness-based and affect-regulation treatments-indeed significantly reduce negative emotion, although relatively small effect sizes indicate potential room for improvement. Conclusions regarding positive emotion should be considered preliminary because of the limited numbers of samples assessing these outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Flow effect and resonance effect: group emotional contagion in service failure encounters

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the two effects (flow effect and resonance effect) during a group complaint based on the emotional contagion theory.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses an experimental research design in which participants’ negative emotions dynamically change driven by group emotional interactions when they are experiencing a group complaint.FindingsFlow effect and resonance effect can occur during the process of group emotional contagion. Specifically, when group customers’ negative emotional similarity is low in a group complaint, group emotional contagion leads to flow effect (i.e. negative emotions flow from customers with higher levels of negative emotions to those with lower levels of negative emotions). By contrast, when group customers’ negative emotional similarity is high in a group complaint, group emotional contagion leads to resonance effect (i.e. group customers’ negative emotions increase significantly).Originality/valueMost of the previous research studies the process of emotional contagion from one with higher levels of emotional displays to the other with lower levels of emotional displays, which is named as the “flow effect” of emotional contagion. However, when two individuals with the same levels of negative emotional displays interact with each other, the flow effect of emotional contagion is very likely not to occur. It is interesting to find that both individuals’ negative emotions increase significantly during the process of emotional contagion. The authors propose the “resonance effect” of emotional contagion to explain this phenomenon.

The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE)

Abstract. The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess positive and negative emotions. In Study 1 ( N = 4,250, 61.95% females, Mage = 28.56 years), we evaluated measurement invariance of the SPANE across gender and age using moderated factor analysis. In Study 2 ( N = 200, 52.5% females, Mage = 21.82 years), we investigated the convergent and discriminant validity of the SPANE by examining its associations with measures of well-being and religiosity. In Study 3 ( N = 160, 87.5% females, Mage = 20.38 years), we used a prospective design to examine associations of the SPANE with the Big Five personality traits. The results provided general support for the measurement invariance of the SPANE across age and gender, but some non-invariant items were detected as well. The analyses of latent mean differences across gender revealed that women reported higher levels of both positive and negative emotions than men, but the effect size for positive emotions was very small. Older participants reported lower levels of positive emotions and higher levels of negative emotions than younger participants. Both convergent and discriminant validity of the SPANE were supported.

Negative emotions and emotion avoidance in victim derogation✰

Many researchers have noted that emotions have not received due attention in just world theory research, despite evidence suggesting that negative emotions and emotion avoidance play an important role in victim derogation. To address this gap in the literature, we examined the role of negative emotions and emotion avoidance in victim derogation in a sample of 98 undergraduate students who watched five videos depicting real-world innocent victims. Participants’ negative emotions, emotion avoidance, and belief in a just world were measured, and they evaluated the character and social desirability of the victims (i.e., victim derogation). Women reported higher levels of negative emotions and derogated victims less than men. More importantly, controlling for gender, higher levels of negative emotions were associated with less victim derogation, but only among participants with lower levels of emotion avoidance. Results suggest that emotional empathy, defined as experiencing the same emotion as another person and vicariously experiencing their distress, may play an important role in victim derogation above and beyond the belief in a just world. Thus, it would be critical to examine emotional processes and use emotionally arousing stimuli in studies on victim derogation and just world theory.

ADHD and ODD Symptoms in Toddlers: Common and Specific Associations with Temperament Dimensions.

The aim of this work was to study the relationship between temperament and signs of psychopathology in typically developing toddlers. More specifically, Attentional Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms were analyzed in connection with fine-grained temperament dimensions. The sample was composed of 65 toddlers aged between 18 and 35months. Bivariate correlations showed that higher levels of negative emotionality and approach tendencies, and lower levels of inhibitory control, were related to more ADHD and ODD manifestations. Bivariate correlations also indicated unique associations: lower levels of soothability were associated with higher ODD symptoms, whereas lower attentional focusing and low-intensity pleasure were related with higher ADHD symptoms. Additionally, regression and path analysis models indicated that ADHD was predominantly associated with attentional focusing and motor activation whereas ODD was most closely related to frustration. Our findings highlight the relevance of studying early correlates of psychopathological manifestations to identify children who could benefit from prevention and early intervention programs.

Depressive Symptoms Amplify Emotional Reactivity to Daily Perceptions of Peer Rejection in Adolescence

During adolescence, interpersonal stressors such as peer rejection pose challenges to emotion regulation. Yet, very little is known about how these transactional processes unfold in adolescents' daily lives. This study investigated adolescents' (a) emotional reactivity to daily perceptions of peer rejection, which concerns concurrent changes in negative and positive emotions, and (b) emotional recovery from daily perceptions of peer rejection, which concerns subsequent changes in negative and positive emotions. Because depressive symptoms can compromise effectiveness of emotion regulation, it was investigated as a moderator for emotional reactivity and recovery to daily perceptions of peer rejection. The sample consisted of 303 adolescents (59% girls; Mage = 14.20, SD = 0.54; range 13-16 years) who reported depressive symptoms at baseline and completed ecological momentary assessments of emotions and perceived peer rejection at nine random time-points per day for six consecutive days. Results from multi-level modeling analyses showed that perceived peer rejection was related to emotional reactivity (i.e., higher levels of negative emotions and lower levels of positive emotions). This effect was stronger for those with higher depressive symptoms. For emotional recovery, perceived peer rejection had lasting effects on adolescents' negative emotions, but was not related to positive emotions. Depressive symptoms did not moderate effects of perceived peer rejection on emotional recovery. This study provides a more nuanced understanding of how depressive symptoms amplify the emotional impact of perceived peer rejection in adolescents' day-to-day lives.

Understanding public perceptions of genetically modified organisms in China: The role that heuristics play during digital media exposure

This study explicates the role that heuristics play in influencing Chinese public perceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMO) when they are exposed to digital media. According to the cognitive–affective continuum of heuristics, trust in scientists and negative emotions about GMOs are a cognition-oriented heuristic and an affect heuristic, respectively. The statistical results of an online survey (N = 414) demonstrated that trust in scientists fully mediated digital media exposure and perceptions of the risks versus benefits of GMOs. In addition, negative emotions moderated the full mediation effect, showing that the indirect effect was stronger in individuals with low levels of negative emotions than in those with high levels of negative emotions. The mediating role of trust in scientists and the moderating role of negative emotions, the two heuristics applied in this study, indicated that when negative emotions were weak, laypeople were more likely to rely on scientists to judge the consequences of GMOs than systematically process the associated information by themselves. The findings have implications for reconsidering the importance of heuristic processing in building reasonable public perceptions of risk-laden technologies through the digital environment.

Latent profile analysis of Korean undergraduates’ academic emotions in e-learning environment

This study aimed to classify latent profiles of Korean undergraduates’ academic emotions in an e-learning environment, and to examine the effects of instructional variables on these profiles as well as the differences in their learning outcomes. A survey was conducted among 777 students who participated in online courses offered by a Korean university. Latent profile analysis revealed four types of emotional profiles: a moderate type (MT); a positive type (PT); a negative type (NT); and an ambivalent type (AT). MT comprised 72.5% of the total number of participants and showed medium levels of both positive emotions (PE) and negative emotions (NE). PT comprised 13.1% of the participants and showed high levels of PE and low levels of NE. NT comprised 10.2% of the participants and showed low levels of PE and high levels of NE. AT comprised 4.2% of the participants and both showed high levels of both PE and NE. Further analysis showed that the quality of instructional content, interaction, the system, and evaluation all proved to be predictors of emotional profiles. Moreover, they indicated differences in perceived achievement and in learner satisfaction. Based on these results, this study provides a discussion and suggestions for further studies.

A trouble shared is a trouble halved: Age differences in emotional experience and expression during couples' conversations.

Although emotional experience and expression are strongly tied to social contexts, most age-comparative studies have used an individualistic approach. The few dyadic laboratory studies that exist have focused on discussions about conflicts and have suggested that older couples experience and express less negative emotion than younger couples. However, recent studies have emphasized the context dependency of age differences in emotional reactivity. More concretely, in situations such as conversations in which the experience and expression of negative emotion might be beneficial for the relationship because it can initiate support and indicate togetherness, older adults should experience and express similar or even higher levels of negative emotion than younger couples. To test this hypothesis, 37 younger (Mage = 24.33) and 41 older couples (Mage = 70.27) were instructed to talk about an ongoing problem experienced by one member of the couple. The main dependent variables were the intensity of negative emotion as manifested in subjective feelings as well as facial and verbal expressions during the conversation. Additionally, we examined age differences in couples' emphasis on togetherness. In contrast to past work but consistent with our prediction, there were not many age differences in both partners' emotional experience and expression. Moreover, in line with previous studies, older couples perceived and expressed more togetherness during the conversation than younger couples. These findings suggest that age differences in negative emotion may be context dependent and less evident if negative emotion does not harm the relationship and serves potentially adaptive functions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Moderating Effects of Temperament on the Association between Maternal Parenting Stress and Behavioral Problems in Preschool Children

This research investigated the moderating effects of children’s negative emotionality, activity and sociability on the relation between maternal parenting stress and children’s behavior problems. Participants consisted of 1,667 preschool children from the fifth wave of the Panel Study on Korean Children. EAS was used to measure the children’s temperament. Mothers reported parenting stress and children’s behavior problems. The results revealed that the magnitude of association between relation between maternal parenting stress and children’s behavior problems was greater for high levels of negative emotionality and activity as well as low levels of sociability. The results support a diathesis-stress model in which high negative emotionality, activity and low sociability confer vulnerability for preschool children in a high stress family. Keywords: parenting stress, temperament, behavior problems

Qué emociones piensan los futuros maestros que sienten los alumnos ante el cyberbullying. Análisis de su experiencia previa sobre la percepción

El escenario del futuro maestro nos muestra una población con escasa experiencia respecto a la forma de actuar frente al acoso (Álvarez-García et al, 2010). Muchos estudios se han centrado en el análisis de las emociones como factor de motivación del comportamiento. Los resultados han mostrado que actuar sobre las emociones puede provocar una modificación de conducta hacia la reducción del acoso. Las investigaciones señalan que bajos niveles de emociones negativas pueden legitimar los comportamientos de acoso (Perren y Gutzwiller-Helfenfinger, 2012) y que la experimentación de satisfacción puede contribuir a su incremento (Menesini, Palladino y Nocentini, 2015). Nuestro objetivo es conocer la percepción del cyberbullying en las aulas en los futuros maestros, y analizar si está condicionada por su experiencia previa con el acoso. Han participado en el estudio 1122 estudiantes del grado de Educación de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha. Los alumnostenían que identificar qué emociones consideraban que caracterizaban a víctimas, agresores y observadores. La escala estaba constituida por 14 emociones, placenteras, displacenteras y neutras (Larrañaga, Navarro y Yubero, 2018), con respuesta dicotómica. Los resultados apuntan que los futuros maestros reconocen en las víctimas miedo, indefensión, malestar, tristeza y preocupación. Asocian el comportamiento agresivo con emociones positivas: satisfacción, diversión y bienestar. Es interesante destacar que en víctimas y observadores consideran que aparece la culpa y la vergüenza. En el análisis diferencial según la experiencia previa, los que han sido agresores informaron de mayor ira en las víctimas, ligeramente superior en el rol mixto de víctima/agresor. También en mayor porcentaje de culpa en los agresores y los observadores. Los estudiantes que habían sido víctimas/agresores indican en mayor porcentaje que los agresores no sienten ‘nada’. Casi el 80% de los que habían sido agresores indicaron que en los observadores se producía sorpresa. Estos resultados pueden tener implicaciones relevantes para la intervención en las aulas.

Childhood Obesity: The Relationship Between Negative Emotionality, Emotion Regulation, and Parenting Styles

We aimed to compare obese children and their non-obese counterpart on children’s negative emotionality, emotion regulation and maternal parenting styles and to examine the joint contribution of children’s temperament and maternal styles to children’s obesity. A total of 200 mothers were involved in this study, 100 with children diagnosed with obesity (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years), and 100 with children with a normal weight (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years). Mothers completed self-report measures on children’s emotionality, emotion regulation, and parenting styles. The comparison between the two groups showed that obese children, compared with their non-obese counterpart, had higher levels of negative emotionality and emotional lability and a lower level of emotion regulation; they also had more authoritarian and permissive mothers than non-obese counterpart. Logistic regressions showed a joint contribution of the authoritarian parenting style and emotional lability to obesity, so that both at lower and higher levels of emotion lability, children’s obesity tended to be lower when authoritarian style was low and to be higher when authoritarian style was high. Understanding the mechanisms through which parenting styles and characteristics of children are associated to obesity risk may lead to the development of more-comprehensive and better-targeted interventions.