Indicators Of Psychosocial Functioning Research Articles

Psychosocial predictors of problem gambling severity in males: findings from a longitudinal study of Australian men

ABSTRACT Gambling disorder has emerged as a significant public health issue in Australia. Men are more likely than women to gamble and to develop gambling disorder. This study aimed predict men’s problem gambling severity using a multivariate approach comprised of different indicators of psychosocial functioning, past gambling behavior, and demographics (age and socioeconomic disadvantage). This study reports on data from a subset of 2018 men aged 20–62 years who participated in Waves 1 to 4 of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Male Health (Ten to Men). Hierarchical negative binomial regression was used to predict problem gambling severity. All predictor variables were found to have significant bivariate associations with problem gambling severity. However, the final regression model found only two predictors could explain unique variance in problem gambling. Increased gambling frequency and lower rates of social support at Wave 3 were predicted greater levels of problem gambling severity at Wave 4 – collectively accounting for a moderate proportion of variance. The identification of these risk factors is consistent with past research and help identify potential targets for early identification and intervention for problem gambling in men.

Childhood and Adolescent Depression Symptoms and Young Adult Mental Health and Psychosocial Outcomes

Depression is a leading cause of disability. The timing and persistence of depression may be differentially associated with long-term mental health and psychosocial outcomes. To examine if depression symptoms during early and middle childhood and adolescence and persistent depression symptoms are associated with impaired young adult outcomes independent of early risk factors. Data for this prospective, longitudinal cohort study were from the Québec Longitudinal Study of Child Development, a representative population-based Canadian birth cohort. The cohort consists of infants born from October 1, 1997, to July 31, 1998. This is an ongoing study; data are collected annually or every 2 years and include those ages 5 months to 21 years. The end date for the data in this study was June 30, 2019, and data analyses were performed from October 4, 2022, to January 3, 2024. Depression symptoms were assessed using maternal reports in early childhood (ages 1.5 to 6 years) from 1999 to 2004, teacher reports in middle childhood (ages 7 to 12 years) from 2005 to 2010, and self-reports in adolescence (ages 13 to 17 years) from 2011 to 2015. The primary outcome was depression symptoms at age 20 years, and secondary outcomes were indicators of psychosocial functioning (binge drinking; perceived stress; not being in education, employment, or training; social support; and experiencing online harrasment) at age 21 years. All outcomes were self-reported. Adult outcomes were reported by participants at ages 20 and 21 years from 2017 to 2019. Risk factors assessed when children were aged 5 months old were considered as covariates to assess the independent associations of childhood and adolescent depression symptoms with adult outcomes. The cohort consisted of 2120 infants. The analytic sample size varied from 1118 to 1254 participants across outcomes (56.85% to 57.96% female). Concerning the primary outcome, adjusting for early risk factors and multiple testing, depression symptoms during adolescence were associated with higher levels of depression symptoms (β, 1.08 [95% CI, 0.84-1.32]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted) in young adulthood. Concerning the secondary outcomes, depression symptoms in adolescence were only associated with perceived stress (β, 3.63 [95% CI, 2.66-4.60]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted), while both middle-childhood (β, -1.58 [95% CI, -2.65 to -0.51]; P = .003 unadjusted and P < .001 Bonferroni adjusted) and adolescent (β, -1.97 [95% CI, -2.53 to -1.41]; P < .001 unadjusted and Bonferroni adjusted) depression symptoms were associated with lower levels of social support. There were no associations for binge drinking; not being in education, employment, or training; or experiencing online harrasment. In this cohort study of Canadian children and adolescents, childhood and adolescent depression symptoms were associated with impaired adult psychosocial functioning. Interventions should aim to screen and monitor children and adolescents for depression to inform policymaking regarding young adult mental health and psychosocial outcomes.

Development of a scale for capturing psychological aspects of physical–digital integration: relationships with psychosocial functioning and facial emotion recognition

The present work aims at developing a scale for the assessment of a construct that we called “physical–digital integration”, which refers to the tendency of some individuals not to perceive a clear differentiation between feelings and perceptions that pertain to the physical or digital environment. The construct is articulated in four facets: identity, social relationships, time–space perception, and sensory perception. Data from a sample of 369 participants were collected to evaluate factor structure (unidimensional model, bifactor model, correlated four-factor model), internal consistency (Cronbach’s α, McDonald’s ω), and correlations of the physical–digital integration scale with other measures. Results showed that the scale is valid and internally consistent, and that both the total score and the scores at its four subscales are worthy of consideration. The physical–digital integration scores were found to be differently associated with digital and non-digital behaviors, individuals’ ability to read emotions in the facial expressions of others, and indicators of psychosocial functioning (anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with social relationships). The paper proposes a new measure whose scores are associated with several variables that may have relevant consequences at both individual and social levels.

Оцінка якості життя в дітей із поєднанням функціональної диспепсії та синдрому подразненого кишечника

The prevalence of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) in children ranges from 19% to 40%, depending on age. The combination of functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is detected in 15-44.6% of patients with FGID. Their course is characterized by more pronounced clinical symptoms: abdominal pain, which is combined with flatulence, nausea, difficulty in defecation or diarrhea, impaired stool consistency, feeling of incomplete bowel movement and deterioration in quality of life. Purpose - to assess the quality of life in children with a combination of FD and IBS to optimize therapy. Materials and methods. The study included 44 children with a combination FD and IBS aged 6 to 18 years (the main group). The control group consisted of 30 practically healthy children of the same age. Diagnoses of FD and IBS were made on the basis of clinical symptoms according to the Rome criteria IV (2016). A survey of children and their parents was conducted using the international questionnaire PedsQL™ 4.0 (Pediatrics Quality of Life Inventory), which is one of the most popular questionnaires in the world, has proven to be a simple, reliable, sensitive method for studying the quality of life of healthy and sick children of different ages (2-17 years). The questionnaire has general scales, but there is a separate version of the PedsQL™4.0 Generic Core Scales, which describes physical, emotional, social, and role functioning. Results. It was established that indicators of physical, emotional, social and school functioning and, as a result, indicators of psychosocial functioning and the overall quality of life assessment are significantly reduced in children with combined FD and IBS compared to the control group. Conclusions. Quality of life studies are an important component of a comprehensive assessment of the overall condition of a child with comorbid FD and IBS to prevent the development of these disorders, to improve quality of life, to reduce the time and cost of assessment, and to optimize therapy. The research was carried out in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The Local Ethic Committee of the institution specified in the work adopted the study protocol. Informed consent of the children’s parents was obtained for the research. No conflict of interests was declared by the authors.

The Revised Version of the Committing and Experiencing Cyber-Violence Scale and Its Relation to Psychosocial Functioning and Online Behavioral Problems

Cyber-violence is the type of online risk behavior inclined to harm others. Development of new forms of cyber-violent behavior leads to the need to revise specific-item measures of cyber-violence periodically. The aim of this research was to explore the psychometric properties of the revised Committing and Experiencing Cyber-Violence Scale: its latent structure, reliability, and descriptive statistics of underlying dimensions, as well as the relation of some known correlates of cyber-violence, like indicators of psychosocial functioning and online behavioral problems, with cyber-violence. Online questionnaires (cyber-violence, depression, anxiety and stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming) were filled out by 1725 adolescents from a convenient sample. Using exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical regression analysis, the questionnaire’s latent structure and contribution of relevant correlates for explaining cyber-violence variance was examined. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed a five-factor solution with satisfactory reliability: shaming, information manipulation, hate speech, technology abuse, and information sharing. Participants commit and experience cyber-violence rarely, leading to a positive distribution of data in the factors. The Committing and Experiencing Cyber-violence subscales have a large positive correlation. Gender (male), grades, maternal education, depression, anxiety, stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming are positive predictors of experiencing cyber-violence, whereas gender (male), grades, hours spent online on weekdays, depression, anxiety, stress, problematic Internet use, and problematic gaming are positive predictors of committing cyber-violence. Conclusions: Cyber-violence is connected with lower psychosocial functioning and more risky behavior online (problematic Internet use, problematic online gaming).

Associations of self-reported vision problems with health and psychosocial functioning: A 9-year longitudinal perspective

Impaired vision often results in restrictions across diverse key indicators of successful aging. However, little is known about how impaired vision affects the long-term trajectories of these outcomes, whether effects are moderated by age, and whether psychosocial resources beyond well-being such as subjective age views are also affected by vision loss. We analyzed how self-reported vision problems as a time-varying predictor are related to long-term changes in health and cognitive ability (functional health, number of chronic diseases, self-rated health, information processing speed), well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, depressive symptoms, loneliness), and subjective age views (subjective age; aging-related cognitions: social loss, physical decline, continuous growth). Our sample was derived from the German Ageing Survey, comprising 6,378 individuals (40–89 years) who provided up to four observations over a 9-year period. Controlling for gender, age, education, and functional as well as self-rated health, we observed that both on a between- and a within-person level, indicators of successful aging were consistently less favorable among individuals with more vision problems. Associations between vision problems and functional health became stronger with advancing age. In contrast, with increasing age, vision problems were less closely associated with change in several indicators of psychosocial functioning. Our findings suggest that self-reported visual impairment is associated with restrictions across a broad range of developmental domains. Some detrimental effects of vision problems are augmented in later life, whereas several effects on well-being and subjective age views were attenuated with advancing age, which might indicate processes of late-life adaptation to vision loss.

Additive, Curvilinear, and Interactive Relations of Anxiety and Depression With Indicators of Psychosocial Functioning

This study examines additive, curvilinear, and interactive relations of anxiety and depression with several subjective indicators of intrapersonal (i.e., hope, self-compassion, shame) and interpersonal (i.e., social connectedness, quality of social relationships) functioning in a sample of adults (N = 547, Mage = 43.37 ± 12.02, female = 56.88%) seeking treatment for psychological difficulties. Results of complementary analyses were largely consistent with the hypothesis that increasing levels of anxiety and depression would correspond with worse psychosocial functioning, although nonlinear relations indicated that the effect of depression progressively attenuated at higher levels of symptom severity. Whereas the findings generally supported additive effects of anxiety and depression, the hypothesis that there would be synergistic effects of anxiety and depression was not supported. Supplementary group comparisons revealed that the functional implications of subsyndromal combinations of anxiety and depression may be comparable to those associated with symptoms that meet more traditional standards (i.e., syndromal or dimensional definitions) of comorbid anxiety-depression. The findings offer further insight into the complex relations of anxiety and depression with psychosocial functioning and emphasize the importance of detecting and offering appropriate treatments for anxiety and depression symptoms that coexist at subsyndromal levels.

Validation of the Arabic and Hebrew versions of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS)

IntroductionThe Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS; Crocetti, Rubini, & Meeus, 2008) is a self-report scale that can be applied to measure three identity processes (commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) in specific domains. The current study was aimed at testing the applicability of the U-MICS in two new languages: Arabic and Hebrew. Specifically, we (a) tested the fit of the three-factor structure; (b) examined measurement invariance of the Arabic and Hebrew versions; and (c) investigated convergent validity by relating the identity processes (commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) to multiple indicators of psychosocial adjustment (self-esteem, prosocial behaviors, and delinquency). MethodsParticipants were 314 Arab and 386 Jewish adolescents living in Israel (N = 770; 54.7% girls; Mage = 13.79, SDage = 0.51, age-range = 12–15). Assessments of identity processes, self-esteem, and delinquency were collected using self-report measures, while prosocial behaviors were measured through peer nominations. ResultsThe results highlighted that (a) the three-factor model fit the data excellently in the total sample as well as in Arab and Jewish samples; (b) hierarchical levels of measurement invariance (configural, metric, and scalar), as well as invariance of covariances, could be clearly established; and (c) convergent validity was demonstrated by showing meaningful associations between identity processes and indicators of psychosocial functioning. ConclusionsThis study indicates that the U-MICS is a reliable instrument for assessing identity processes in Arabic and Hebrew-speaking adolescents.

Computer and internet use among people with long-standing spinal cord injury: a cross-sectional survey in the Netherlands.

Cross-sectional survey OBJECTIVES: To describe computer and Internet use (other than for work or study) among people with long-standing spinal cord injury (SCI), examine associations between demographic and lesion characteristics and Internet use, and examine associations between Internet use and mental health, participation, and life satisfaction. Community, The Netherlands METHODS: Participants were 265 individuals living with SCI for at least 10 years, who were 18-35 at the onset of SCI, aged 28-65 at the time of the study and wheelchair-user. Scales for General and Health-related Internet use were developed. Nearly all (97.7%) participants had Internet access and 98.4% of those used it daily or weekly. Of those with tetraplegia, 47.4% had assistive devices for computer use. General Internet use, such as following news and online banking, was very frequent. Websites with information on general health or accessibility were typically visited a few times a year. Three-quarters never visited websites of other individuals with SCI or foreign websites with information on SCI. General Internet use was associated with male gender, younger age, and higher education. Participants with tetraplegia scored higher on Health-related Internet use compared to participants with paraplegia. Health-related Internet use was associated with worse participation, but not with the other psychosocial variables. Internet has become part of daily life of people with SCI in the Netherlands. However, only one association between Internet use and indicators of psychosocial functioning was found. Possible underuse of adaptive devices and of SCI-specific websites warrant further investigation.

Religious and Spiritual Salience, Well-Being, and Psychosocial Functioning Among Psychotherapy Clients: Moderator Effects for Humility.

A number of studies have examined the mediating factors in the relationship between religion and spirituality (R/S) and psychological health. Humility is a virtue that has been positively correlated with R/S variables, measures of well-being, and indicators of psychosocial functioning. In this study, we investigate dispositional humility as a potential moderator in the relationship between religious and spiritual salience and (1) well-being and (2) psychosocial functioning outcomes in a clinical sample. Results indicated that dispositional humility significantly moderated the relationships tested. Implications for future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Stress, Social Support, and Psychosocial Functioning of Ethnically Diverse Students

This study examined the stress‐buffering role of social support on indicators of psychosocial functioning among a combined and split sample of ethnically diverse college students. Although high social support significantly moderated 2 relationships in the combined sample, high and low levels of social support significantly reduced the effect of stress on depressive symptoms of students of color. For White students, high social support moderated the effect of stress on protective behaviors. Implications for college counselors are discussed.

Psycho-educational interventions for children and young people with Type 1 Diabetes in the UK: How effective are they? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AimsTo synthesise evidence from UK-based randomised trials of psycho-educational interventions in children and young people (CYP) with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) to inform the evidence-base for adoption of such interventions into the NHS.MethodsWe searched Medline, Embase, Cochrane, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Web of Science up to March 2016. Two reviewers independently selected UK-based randomised trials comparing psycho-educational interventions for improving management of T1D for CYP with a control group of usual care or attention control. The main outcome was glycaemic control measured by percentage of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c); secondary outcomes included psychosocial functioning, diabetes knowledge, adverse and other clinical outcomes. A narrative synthesis and meta-analysis were conducted. Pooled effect sizes of standardised mean difference (SMD) were calculated.ResultsTen eligible trials of three educational and seven psycho-educational interventions were identified. Most interventions were delivered by non-psychologists and targeted adolescents with more than one year duration of diabetes. Meta-analysis of nine of these trials (N = 1,838 participants) showed a non-significant reduction in HbA1c attributable to the intervention (pooled SMD = -0.06, 95% CI: -0.21 to 0.09). Psycho-educational interventions aiming to increase children’s self-efficacy had a moderate, beneficial effect (SMD = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.87). No benefits on diabetes knowledge and other indicators of psychosocial functioning were identified.ConclusionsThere is insufficient evidence to recommend the use of particular psycho-educational programme for CYP with T1D in the UK. Further trials with sufficient power and reporting standards are needed. Future trials could consider active involvement of psychological specialists in the delivery of psychologically informed interventions and implementation of psycho-educational interventions earlier in the course of the disease.Systematic review registrationPROSPERO CRD42015010701

Posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder comorbidity in homeless adults: Prevalence, correlates, and sex differences.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are highly prevalent in homeless populations, and rates are typically greater among males. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common co-occurring condition among individuals with SUDs; however, little attention has been directed to examining this comorbidity in homeless populations. Although some studies indicate considerable sex differences among individuals with PTSD, it has also been suggested that sex differences in PTSD rates diminish in populations with severe SUDs. This cross-sectional study investigated SUD-PTSD comorbidity and its associations with indicators of psychosocial functioning in a sample of 500 homeless individuals from Canada. Sex-related patterns of SUD, PTSD, and their comorbidity were also examined. Males and females had similar SUD prevalence rates, but the rates of PTSD and PTSD-SUD comorbidity were higher in females. PTSD and sex were found to have significant main effects on suicidality, psychological distress, somatic symptoms, and incarceration among individuals with SUD. Sex also moderated the association of PTSD with suicide risk and psychological distress. Our results contradict assumptions that sex differences in PTSD rates attenuate in samples with severe SUDs. Organizations providing SUD treatment for homeless people should address PTSD as an integrated part of their services. SUD and integrated treatment programs may benefit from sex-specific components.

The Effectiveness of a Multi-Disciplinary Group Rehabilitation Program on the Psychosocial Functioning of Elderly People who are Visually Impaired

Introduction The pilot study reported here determined the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary group rehabilitation program, Visually Impaired Elderly Persons Participating (VIPP), on psychosocial functioning. Methods The single-group pretest–posttest pilot study included 29 persons with visual impairments (aged 55 and older) who were referred to a low-vision rehabilitation center. The VIPP intervention (20 weekly meetings) consisted of four components (practical training; education, social interaction, counseling, and training in problem-solving skills; individual and group goal setting; and a home-based exercise program). Psychosocial adaptation to vision loss, helplessness, self-efficacy, mental health, and fear of falling were used as indicators of psychosocial functioning and were assessed at the baseline, halfway, immediately after completion of the intervention, and at the six-month follow-up. Results Directly after the intervention, the participants’ adaptation to vision loss (ES = 0.57), self-efficacy (ES = 0.50), and mental health (ES = 0.39) improved compared to the baseline. Moreover, helplessness and a generic and vision-specific fear of falling decreased (ES = 0.26, ES = 0.20, and ES = 0.24, respectively). The six-month follow-up measure indicated improved adaptation to vision loss (ES = 0.54), a lesser feeling of helplessness (ES = 0.53), better mental health (ES = 0.22), and a lesser vision-specific fear of falling (ES = 0.27). In contrast, a decrease in self-efficacy (ES = 0.14) and an increase in the generic fear of falling (ES = 0.18) were found. Discussion The tentative conclusion of this small-scale pilot study is that the VIPP program benefits psychosocial functioning in both the short and long term. Implications for practitioners The study showed that low-vision rehabilitation centers could implement multidisciplinary group rehabilitation programs, such as VIPP, to improve the psychosocial functioning of elderly people who are visually impaired.

Differences in trauma and posttraumatic stress symptoms in clients with schizophrenia spectrum and major mood disorders

The current study of 371 community mental health clients with severe mental illness examined differences in frequency of common lifetime trauma and other stressful events in clients with schizophrenia spectrum and major mood disorders in order to gauge the unique variance in posttraumatic stress symptoms explained by trauma/stressful events when controlling for other psychiatric measures. The overwhelming majority (88.1%) of these clients reported at least one stressful/traumatic event in their lifetime with a median of seven such events. Regression modeling revealed that physical abuse was uniquely predictive of posttraumatic stress symptoms when controlling for gender, psychiatric symptoms, and other problems in functioning. Suggestions for future trauma research include measuring multiple types and frequencies of traumatic events, including “non-criterion A” stressors, and controlling for other psychiatric symptoms and indicators of psychosocial functioning in order to better isolate the unique effects of trauma. Limitations of the study include the lack of a structured interview schedule for diagnosis and the cross sectional design.

Television as escape from self: Psychological predictors of media involvement

The present study extends prior research investigating psychological predictors of media preferences by examining various indicators of psychosocial functioning (self esteem, social anxiety, attachment anxiety/avoidance, negative affect, effortful control) in the context of two specific forms of media involvement: parasocial interaction with media characters and transportation into media programs. Results of a questionnaire study reveal that negative affect and decreased attentional/impulse control are most strongly predictive of both forms of media involvement. Additionally, attachment anxiety was found to predict increased transportation tendencies, and increased TV viewing hours predicted greater parasocial involvement with favorite characters. Results are discussed in light of the gratifications that may motivate individuals toward emotional involvement with entertainment media.

Exposure to “Low-Level” Aggression in School: Associations With Aggressive Behavior, Future Expectations, and Perceived Safety

Examined associations with witnessing and being victimized by "low-level" aggressive acts (e.g., pushing, gossip) and three indicators of psychosocial functioning in a sample of 771 elementary school students from one urban and one suburban school district. Results indicated that exposure to low-level aggression appears to relate to psychosocial functioning in ways similar to more severe forms of aggression. Students who were exposed to higher levels of both witnessing and victimization by low-level aggression reported the highest levels of engagement in aggression, the lowest levels of positive expectations for the future, and the lowest levels of perceived safety. Findings are discussed in the context of research on exposure to aggression in general, with suggestions offered for future studies. Implications of the findings for school-based intervention programs are raised.

The relationship between social skills and psycho-social functioning in early adolescence

This study discusses the relationship between adolescents' social skills and four indicators of psycho-social functioning, viz. self-esteem, well-being, coping and social support. A total of 660 adolescents, 13–15 years of age, responded to a series of self-report measures which referred to these several domains. Correlational and regression analysis showed that the social skills measure and the different psycho-social measures were clearly related. Furthermore, after the social skills measure had led to the identification of three subgroups (Subassertives, Assertives and Indifferents), these groups also showed distinguishable profiles in the different psycho-social measures. The results are discussed in terms of whether psycho-social functioning is related to level of anxiety or level of performance in social situations.