Indices Of Maladjustment Research Articles

The role of victimisation and sleep quality in self-harm and depression among sexual minority adolescents. A prospective cohort study.

Sexual minority adolescents (SMA) have a disproportionately high prevalence of victimisation, self-harm, and depressed mood, relative to the general population. Yet, the contributing and mechanistic factors are unclear. We aim to explore the directional relationship between victimisation and self-harm and depressed mood, with poor sleep quality as a possible mediator. A secondary data analysis was conducted using a nationally representative birth cohort in the United Kingdom, where participants self-identified as sexual minority (N = 1922, aged 11-13, 67.1% female) and their parents completed questionnaires and interviews when the participants were aged 11, 14 and 17. Logistic and linear regression were used to test whether victimisation prospectively predicted self-harm and depressed mood with mediation analyses conducted to assess if sleep onset latency and nocturnal awakening mediated their relationships. After adjusting for demographic factors and baseline self-harm and depressed mood, victimisation at age 11 significantly predicted self-harm (OR = 1.40, p < .01) and depressed mood (B = 0.024, SE = 0.01, p < .05) at age 17. In the mediation analyses, frequent nocturnal awakening at age 14, but not sleep onset latency, significantly mediated the effect of victimisation at age 11 on self-harm (indirect effect B = 0.008, SE = 0.004, 95%CI = 0.001-0.017) and depressed mood (indirect effect B = 0.005, SE = 0.002 95%CI = 0.001-0.010) at age 17. Our findings supported that victimisation contributed to negative mental health among SMA. Poor sleep quality could be an indicator of maladjustment with victimisation, which further increased vulnerability to negative mental health. Victimisation and sleep quality could be important assessment targets in mental health campaign among sexual minority adolescents.

Level of social adaptation in children with down syndrome depending on verbal communication ability

Down syndrome, like other syndromes associated with mental pathology that occur and develop in childhood and/or adolescence, often prevent the normal adaptation of the individual in society. Children with Down syndrome are often anxious, timid, misunderstand the intentions of others, and therefore misinterpret them and react inappropriately; social skills in such children are often underdeveloped. Detachment from peers and social isolation can reduce the effectiveness of rehabilitation programs for children with Down syndrome and deepen cognitive and affective deficits in children with this disease. The aim of the study was to determine the level of social adaptation depending on the ability to verbal communication in children with Down syndrome. The research was carried out on the basis of the National Medical Center of ZOR, 97 children with Down's syndrome were thoroughly examined. The patients were divided into two groups according to the criterion of the ability to verbal communication: group 1 (G1) included 77 children capable of verbal communication, group 2 (G2) — 20 children who do not speak. As a result of the research, the level of social adaptation was determined depending on the ability to verbal communication in children with Down syndrome. Both in G1 and in G2, a normal level of adaptability, emotional comfort and manageability was revealed, which generally indicates a feeling of inner peace in a familiar environment and a high level of satisfaction with one's own microsocial environment. In G1 and G2, there was a decrease in the indicators of maladjustment, self-rejection, rejection of others, emotional discomfort, which can be interpreted as a decrease in the level of criticism of both oneself and others in both groups, regardless of the ability to speak. In G1, significantly higher levels of self-acceptance and internal control were found, which indicates higher self-esteem and the ability to independently solve difficult life situations in children with Down syndrome who are able to speak. In G2, a significant decrease in indicators of external control and escapism was established, which may be the result of a more gentle and careful attitude towards children with Down syndrome who are not capable of verbal communication. Key words: Down syndrome, social adaptation, social anxiety, psychocorrection, children psychiatry

Perception of Parental Love as a Predictor of Children's Life Satisfaction

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Love is a fundamental part of psychological well-adjustment, but a gap in the literature exists surrounding how perceptions of how loved adults felt by their biological parents in childhood can contribute to life satisfaction and psychological adjustment. This study aims to fill that gap by examining the impact of feeling loved by biological parents and grandparents on psychological well-being and adjustment factors later in life. 1,189 college-aged participants volunteered for the study and were recruited online via SONA at a university in the United States. We constructed a Likert-style rating scale to measure individuals’ level of perceived love (LUV) and its contribution to various adjustment indicators, including life satisfaction, depression, anxiety, trait anger, and conduct disturbance. Linear regression models and bivariate correlations were calculated for the predictor and maladjustment indicators. Results showed a modest correlation between the LUV index and life satisfaction as well as other maladjustment indicators and revealed that LUV significantly predicted life satisfaction. LUV was also a significant predictor of depression, anxiety, anger, and conduct disturbance. These results suggest that perceived love could be an important resilience factor and could be used to predict life satisfaction and psychological adjustment later in life.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Coping Strategies and Psychological Maladjustment/Adjustment: A Meta-Analytic Approach with Children and Adolescents Exposed to Natural Disasters

BackgroundFollowing disasters, children and adolescents can use coping strategies to feel better. A growing body of studies investigated the relation between them and maladjustment/adjustment, i.e., negative symptomatology/positive indicators of development. Yet, these constructs are studied separately.ObjectiveWe conducted two meta-analyses to examine the mean correlation between disaster-related coping strategies and indicators of maladjustment/adjustment following natural disasters in children and adolescents, considering the role of some moderators.MethodsWe used PsycINFO, PubMed, Eric, and Scopus databases to identify articles on natural disasters (filters: participants ≤ 18 years at the disaster, peer-review, English language). Inclusion required investigating the relation between at least one coping strategy and at least one indicator of maladjustment (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, depression) and/or adjustment (e.g., self-efficacy, emotion understanding), for a total of 26 studies (k = 64, n = 9692, for maladjustment; k = 37, n = 3504, for adjustment).ResultsThere were global positive significant correlations between coping strategies and negative symptomatology (rpooled = .23) for maladjustment, and positive indicators (rpooled = .17) for adjustment. Negative symptomatology positively correlated with escape (r = .19), social isolation (r = .15), submission (r = .64), and opposition (r = .16); positive indicators positively correlated with problem solving (r = .31), social support (r = .22), and submission (r = .30). We found a moderating role of age, disaster type, and continent for maladjustment.ConclusionsThe study presented an analysis of the coping strategies that can be effective for children and adolescents dealing with natural disasters.

Inertia of negative emotions at work: Correlates of inflexible emotion dynamics in the workplace*

AbstractEmotional inertia is a central feature of emotion dynamics and it refers to the degree to which emotional states are self‐predictive and linger over time, describing their resistance to change. It is related to several indicators of maladjustment, yet there is limited research on its correlates in the workplace, where it may be particularly relevant as emotional experiences deeply influence organizational life. In two experience‐sampling studies, we studied temporal dependency of negative emotional states at work in terms of emotional inertia. In a first study (n = 128), we investigated the association between exhaustion, the core dimension of burnout, with inertia of negative emotions. In a second study (n = 116), we aimed to replicate findings from the first study and additionally examined the moderating role of inertia of negative emotions in the relationship between negative emotions at work and counterproductive work behaviour. The findings show that exhaustion is consistently associated with inertia of negative emotions, and that inertia of negative emotions aggravates the relation between negative emotions and workers' counterproductive work behaviour.

Temporal dependency of emotional states at work and its relationship with dynamic performance

Emotion dynamics, how people’s emotions fluctuate across time, represent a key source of information about people’s psychological functioning and well-being. Investigating emotion dynamics in the workplace is particularly relevant, as affective experiences are intimately connected to organizational behavior and effectiveness. In this study, we examined the moderating role of emotional inertia in the dynamic association between both positive and negative emotions and self-rated job performance among a sample of 120 Italian workers (average age 41.4, SD = 14), which were prompted six times per day, for five working days. Emotional inertia refers to the extent that emotional states are self-predictive or carry on over time and is measured in terms of the autocorrelation of emotional states across time. Although inertia has been linked to several indicators of maladjustment, little is known about its correlates in terms of organizational behavior. Findings revealed that workers reporting high levels of positive emotions and high inertia rated their performance lower than workers high in positive emotions, but low in inertia. In contrast, the relation between negative emotions and performance was not significant for either high levels of inertia or low levels of inertia. Taken together, these results suggest the relevance of investigating the temporal dependency of emotional states at work.

Asphyxiophilia: Sexual Distress and Maladjustment Correlates

Asphyxiophilia is the term for sexual arousal derived from the autoerotic restriction of air flow. This study examined the prevalence and selected correlates of erotic asphyxiophilia from a national sample ( N = 917). Survey respondents acknowledging recurrent erotic asphyxiophilia were compared to control counterparts. Criterion measures canvassed a range of developmental and maladjustment indicators. A total of 8.8% of this sample identified choking (restricted oxygen) as the primary focus of a “vast majority” (&gt;80%) of their sexual fantasies. This asphyxiophilic cohort was disproportionately represented by people who were less religious (Cohen's d = 0.41), sexually abused (relative risk = 2.44), hypersexual (Cohen's d = 0.80), and exposed to pornography at a younger age (Cohen's d = 0.43). Asphyxiophilia group members showed higher levels of maladjustment on all of the Sexual Addiction Screening Test–Revised subscales and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Short Form subscales. Erotic asphyxiophilia is a consequential condition that has not generated adequate attention in the psychiatric literature. [ Psychiatr Ann. 2019;49(5):224–229.]

Lifetime Acts of Violence Assessment (LAVA) predictors of laboratory aggression.

While self-report data warrants interpretive caution in applied settings, these indices serve an important role in exploratory research. The Lifetime Assessment of Violent Acts (LAVA) inventory is a brief, reliable, face-valid questionnaire for estimating the frequency, triggers, and consequences (including injuries to others) of prior acts of aggression. The LAVA also identifies the situational contexts in which prior violence was triggered and provides a basis for risk classifications based on past reactive, intimate partner, alcohol-related, and/or weapon-related violence. Scores on the LAVA indices have been linked to a range of developmental and maladjustment indicators. Associations were found between lab-provoked (Taylor Aggression Paradigm) responding and both dimensional and risk classification scores in this sample (N = 92) of college men. Participants "competed" with a fictional opponent using electric shock as a retaliatory measure for perceived provocation. The total LAVA dimensional score predicted mean shock intensity ( d = .87), baseline responding ( d = 0.90), and past sexual aggression ( d = 1.01). Shock intensities in response to high provocation were predicted ( M d = 0.57) by all but one LAVA index. Participants who reported inflicting one or more injuries on another showed more intense escalations of aggression ( d = 0.46) in response to provocation than normative counterparts. Prior injuries to another ( RR = 2.71), reactive acts of aggression ( RR = 3.73), or intimate-partner violence ( RR = 4.19) elevated the risk of one or more prior acts of self-reported sexual aggression. The limitations and potential value of self-report data were discussed in regard to aggression research.

Somebody to Lean On: The Moderating Effect of Relationships on Links Between Social Withdrawal and Self-Worth

AbstractPrevious research has discovered different subtypes of social withdrawal based on motivations to approach or avoid social interactions. Each of these motivations are uniquely related to indices of maladjustment during emerging adulthood, including aspects of the self. However, research has yet to investigate whether or not relationship quality moderates these associations. The purpose of this study was to examine whether relationship quality with best friends, romantic partners, mothers, and fathers, respectively, serve as protective factors in the negative links between shyness and avoidance and self-worth. The participants included 519 college students (Mage= 19.87,SD= 1.99, 61% female) from four universities across the United States. Results revealed that relationship quality with both best friends and romantic partners moderated the relation between shyness and self-worth. The differences between parent and peer relationships are discussed.

Peer Victimization Trajectories at the Adolescent Transition: Associations Among Chronic Victimization, Peer-Reported Status, and Adjustment

The current study demonstrated that chronic peer victimization, as compared to time-limited victimization, is particularly associated with peer status and peer-reported adjustment at the adolescent transition. Using a cohort sequential design, a sample of 653 adolescents (48% female, 87% Caucasian) in Grades 6–8 were assessed at 3 annual time points; data captured indices of peer victimization, likeability, popularity, and several peer-reported indices of internalizing (e.g., sadness, worry) and externalizing (e.g., anger, fighting) symptoms across Grades 6–10. Four trajectories of victimization experiences were identified—chronic, high decreasing, low increasing, and low stable—suggesting instability in victimization experiences over time. Adolescents who experienced chronic victimization, as compared to those with low-stable, decreasing, or increasing levels of victimization, were rated by peers more often on indices of maladjustment and less often on measures of popularity and likeability. Findings highlight negative associations with chronic victimization and underscore the need for targeted interventions to prevent chronic victimization. Overall, findings further emphasize the role of chronicity in victimization and highlight the importance of identifying chronic victims for intervention and prevention efforts.

Assessing the Link Between Exposure to a Violent Prison Context and Inmate Maladjustment

The importance of prison safety has generated a number of studies of the correlates to inmate maladjustment, and researchers have found that both individual and environmental characteristics impact the level of maladjustment across prisons. However, no studies have examined the impact of exposure to a violent prison context on maladjustment. We hypothesize that exposure to a violent prison context directly increases maladjustment among the inmate population. We also expect that exposure to a violent prison context moderates the relationships between individual-level risk and protective factors and maladjustment. Analyses of data collected from a national sample of inmates confined in state prisons revealed that exposure to violent prison contexts is associated with higher rates of inmate maladjustment. We also found that exposure to a violent prison context moderates the relationships between individual-level risk and protective factors and some indicators of maladjustment

Withdrawing to a virtual world: Associations between subtypes of withdrawal, media use, and maladjustment in emerging adults.

An approach-avoidance model of social withdrawal (Asendorpf, 1990) identifies 3 types of social withdrawal including shyness, unsociability, and avoidance. Each appears to be uniquely associated with varying indicators of maladjustment in emerging adulthood (Nelson, 2013) but little, if any, work has been done to see how they might be linked to media use in the third decade of life. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine longitudinally the links between subtypes of social withdrawal, connective media (e.g., e-mail, social networking) and problematic (forms of media such as violent video games that, when used in high amounts, have been found to be linked to indices of maladjustment) media use, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors. The participants in the study (Mage = 20.70, SD = 1.98, range = 18-29 at Time 2) consisted of 204 undergraduate students (58% female) recruited from 2 large public universities in the United States who completed questionnaires at 2 points of time separated by 1 year. Results revealed that avoidant individuals use problematic forms of media more than average, unsociable, and shy individuals. Furthermore, problematic media use predicted more withdrawn behavior at Time 2 and mediated the relation between avoidance and externalizing behaviors over time. Few problems were found for unsociable behavior. The need to differentiate between multiple forms of withdrawal in emerging adulthood and their links with problematic forms of media and subsequent risk factors is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Clinical and psychopathological features of paranoid schizophrenia in patients with comorbid bone tuberculosis in terms of their psychosocial rehabilitation

Aim – to analyze the features of clinical and psychopathological symptomatology of paranoid schizophrenia (PS) in patients with comorbid bone tuberculosis (CBT) in terms of detecting an influence of the main maladjustment indicators that lead to problems in patients functioning as the targets of measures for their psychosocial rehabilitation. Contingent . 120 men with paranoid schizophrenia (PS). 60 patients with PS and comorbid bone tuberculosis (CBT) formed the main group of research, 60 patients with PS formed the comparative one. Methods . The main method of research was clinical and psychopathological one that included standardized clinical interview with the use of “Evaluating list of symptoms and glossary for psychical disorders WHO” (1994) (Module F2: psychotic syndrome) that was added with materials of retrospective analysis of medical documentation and the results of using the scale РANSS. Results . The study of clinical and psychopathological features and the structure of intensity of positive, negative and general psychopathological syndromes of PS with CBT obligatory must be carried out from two points of view: firstly the correction of psychosocial maladjustment that is needs and tasks that appear in rehabilitative work with comorbid patients. So, various in most cases unpredictable character of combination of clinical signs leads to “maladjustment obstacles” in psychosocial rehabilitation. Secondly the neglect of the degree of symptoms intensity at psychosocial rehabilitation leads to decrease of “adaptive potential” and destruction of acquired “general habits of adaptation” at overcoming the problems in functioning as a result of both PS and CBT. Conclusions . Established features of clinical and psychopathological manifestations of paranoid schizophrenia in patients with comorbid bone tuberculosis were used as a basis at elaboration of complex measures for rehabilitation of given contingent

The cost of perfection with apparent ease: Theoretical foundations and development of the Effortless Perfectionism Scale.

Effortless perfection is a term used to describe an intense pressure to be perfect without visible effort (Yee, 2003), and is thought to be linked to several indicators of maladjustment among college-age youth (Ruane, 2012; Yee, 2003). Although effortless perfectionism (EP) is a phenomenon referenced in popular culture, empirical support for this construct is needed. In addition to conceptualizing and discussing the theoretical underpinnings of EP, this paper describes the development of an instrument to assess EP: the 10-item Effortless Perfectionism scale (EPS). The responses of a large sample of students from a Midwestern university (N = 1,270) were used to develop a 1-factor measurement model for the EPS. The EPS showed good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and demonstrated convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity in relation to other perfectionism scales, as a predictor of psychosocial adjustment, and as a mediator of the effects of gender on adjustment. The present study supports the reliability and construct validity of the EPS as a self-report measure of EP, a distinct type of perfectionism that warrants future investigation.

Nonpathological and Pathological Narcissism: Which Self-Reported Characteristics Are Most Problematic in Adolescents?

Prior research indicates that dimensions of adolescent narcissism differ in their associations with indicators of positive and negative psychological functioning (e.g., Barry, Frick, Adler, & Grafeman, 2007; Barry & Wallace, 2010). This study investigated correlates of 2 empirically derived factors of adolescent narcissism (i.e., pathological and nonpathological narcissism) from 2 measures thought to differ based on their inclusion of pathological versus nonpathological content. In a sample of 188 at-risk adolescents ages 16 to 18, pathological narcissism was associated with various indicators of maladjustment, including aggression, low self-esteem, internalizing problems, and poor perceived interpersonal relationships. On the other hand, nonpathological narcissism was positively associated with self-esteem and aggression but negatively associated with internalizing problems. The implications for the conceptualization of adolescent narcissism are discussed.

Going It Alone: Comparing Subtypes of Withdrawal on Indices of Adjustment and Maladjustment in Emerging Adulthood

AbstractScholars have distinguished conceptually between multiple forms of social withdrawal among children and adolescents, but this distinction has yet to be investigated fully during emerging adulthood. Therefore, the overarching goal of this study was to employ a person‐oriented approach to examine differences between subtypes of withdrawal on indicators of internalizing issues and relationships in emerging adulthood. The sample for the current study (Mage = 19.60, SD = 1.85, range = 18–29) consisted of 791 undergraduate students (548 women, 243 men). Results revealed that three distinct forms of social withdrawal (shyness, avoidance, unsociable) can be identified in emerging adulthood, with each one uniquely related to indices of maladjustment in regard to internalizing problems and relationship difficulties. In general, both shy and avoidant individuals reported more problems of an internalizing nature and in their relationships. Far fewer problems appear to exist for unsociable individuals.

Evidence for the Validity of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire in a Nonclinical Population: More Than Just Negative Affectivity

This study examined the validity of the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire (CPQ; Fairburn, Cooper, & Shafran, 2003) in a nonclinical sample of 61 men and 182 women. Consistent with expectations, we found that scores on the CPQ were positively associated with scores on common measures of maladjustment, namely, depressive symptoms, anxious symptoms, and stress. In addition, results from regression analyses indicated that the CPQ accounted for additional variance in each of the 3 indexes of maladjustment beyond what was accounted for by multidimensional perfectionism and negative affectivity. Accordingly, our findings provide promising support for the validity of the CPQ in a nonclinical population.

The Effects of Marital Conflict on Korean Children’s Appraisal of Conflict and Psychological Adjustment

This study examined the effects of marital conflict on Korean children’s psychological adjustment and appraisal of hypothetical marital conflict situations. Children between the ages of 10 and 12 were divided into “high-conflict” (n = 58) and “low-conflict” (n = 58) groups based on their self-reported degree of perceived interparental conflict in the home environment. Hypothetical marital conflict situations were provided in cartoon format, and were differentiated based conflict intensity (verbal versus physical aggression) and content (child-related conflict versus non-child-related conflict). In general, children reported greater negative affect and perceived threat to hypothetical conflict situations involving physical aggression compared to situations involving verbal conflict. In child-related conflict situations, children reported more fear of being drawn in and endorsed coping strategies that involved direct intervention. “High-conflict group” children evidenced stronger reactivity in responding to marital conflict situations in general and endorsed indirect intervention strategies—a finding previously not found in similar studies conducted with European-American children—indicating the possibility of cross-cultural difference in coping preferences in interparental conflict situations. Furthermore, “high-conflict group” children manifested more indices of maladjustment as indicated by externalizing and internalizing behavior problems, in addition to more self-reported depressive symptoms. Results highlight the effects of marital conflict on children’s psychological adjustment and indicate the possibility of cross-cultural differences in preferred coping mechanism in interparental conflict situations for Korean children.

Emotional Intelligence in Social Phobia and Other Anxiety Disorders

This study examined the associations between clinical anxiety, domains of emotional intelligence (EI), and three clinician-rated indices of maladjustment. Of key interest was whether social phobia (SP) is unique among anxiety disorders in being characterized by lower levels of Interpersonal and, particularly, Intrapersonal EI, and whether these differentially predict maladjustment. Individuals with SP (n = 169) obsessive-compulsive disorder (n = 65) and panic disorder (n = 64), and nonclinical controls (n = 169) completed the short form self-report Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i: S). All anxiety disorder groups showed lower total EI than controls, and differed among themselves with the SP group displaying the lowest levels of total EI and lower scores on two EQ-i:S subscales (Interpersonal and, more robustly, Intrapersonal). The Intrapersonal dimension alone predicted all indices of greater maladjustment in the SP group. These findings indicate a negative relationship between anxiety disorders and EI, and reaffirm the foremost link between Intrapersonal EI and SP and its functional outcomes.

Don’t Fret, Be Supportive! Maternal Characteristics Linking Child Shyness to Psychosocial and School Adjustment in Kindergarten

The goal of this study was to explore the moderating role of maternal personality and parenting characteristics in the links between shyness and adjustment in kindergarten. Participants were 197 children enrolled in kindergarten programs (and their mothers and teachers). Multisource assessment was employed, including maternal ratings, behavioral observations, teacher ratings, and individual child interviews. Results indicated that shyness was associated with a wide range of socio-emotional and school adjustment difficulties in kindergarten. Moreover, support for the moderating role of parenting was also found. Relations between shyness and certain indices of maladjustment were stronger among children with mothers characterized by higher neuroticism, BIS sensitivity, and an overprotective parenting style, and weaker for mothers characterized by high agree-ableness and an authoritative parenting style.