Measures Of Guilt Research Articles

Bereavement guilt among young adults impacted by caregivers' cancer: Associations with attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility.

This paper focuses on the experiences of bereavement guilt among young adults bereaved by a caregiver's cancer, examining associations with attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility with the aim of informing psychosocial interventions for this population. Ninety-seven young adults (18-25 years) bereaved by a parent/guardian's cancer completed an online survey, including measures of bereavement guilt, attachment style, experiential avoidance, and psychological flexibility. Mediation analyses explored the associations between attachment style (anxious, avoidant) and bereavement guilt, and if these associations were mediated by experiential avoidance or psychological flexibility. Bereavement guilt was significantly positively associated with anxious, but not avoidant, attachment to the deceased; the relationship between anxious attachment and bereavement guilt was partially mediated by experiential avoidance. Bereavement guilt was also negatively associated with psychological flexibility and engagement with bereavement counseling. Given the limited literature on cancer-related bereavement in young adulthood, this study offers important theoretical and clinical insights into factors associated with more complex aspects of grief in this population. Specifically, this work identified that anxious attachment is associated with ongoing bereavement complications in the years following the death of a caregiver to cancer, with experiential avoidance partially mediating this relationship. While further research is needed to better understand the interaction between these factors and other related constructs, such as psychological flexibility, these findings may be helpful in selecting therapeutic approaches to use with this population.

Moral responsibility of russian citizens for aggression against Ukraine as a factor of pressure on their political will

The article focuses on the need to actualize the issue of bringing russian citizens to moral responsibility for violation of universal human values and other moral obligations of a person, which is expressed in their support for a large-scale war against Ukraine and the aggressive policy of the russian federation in general. In this vein, the author rethinks the concept of moral responsibility, argues for the inclusion of both individual and collective moral subjects, and highlights the impact of the means of moral responsibility on the formation of consciousness and, especially, the political will of the moral subject. In the discussion with other scholars, the author proposes that the subjects of collective responsibility include those structures, communities, and social groups that act as a collective actor, demonstrate their internal identity and are mutually responsible. The article argues that the russian public, which politically supports the current regime, is objectively a direct subject of the war and, accordingly, bears the full measure of direct political and moral guilt for the actions of its state and their consequences. It is proposed to call the supporters of the war “agents of war”, which will highlight their moral culpability. Therefore, it is important that not only the leadership of the russian federation, but also the entire russian public realise their part of the blame for the russian-Ukrainian war. It is proposed to incriminate moral and political culpability of russian citizens for the military aggression against Ukraine and to carry out information activities in order to make them aware of their personal and solidarity share of guilt and responsibility for this aggression. In order to give the moral condemnation of russian citizens a targeted and universal impact, the author argues for the establishment of a special international moral tribunal to encourage moral actors to fulfill their moral obligations, which will simultaneously contribute to the improvement of the security sphere of humanity. It is not about creating an official administrative structure, but about introducing a single humanistic information space that will counter this aggression. It is believed that it is in the form of a moral and ethical tribunal that the efforts of civilized countries, political, national and religious movements can be effectively united in the general condemnation of the russian aggression, its violation of human norms of goodness and justice, peace and secure existence. The central paradigm of the tribunal should be the phenomenon of safe human existence, human life as a value that excludes aggressive state policy and encroachment on human rights and freedoms. We believe that today, in counteracting russian information and psychological operations, we should focus more on the moral collective guilt and responsibility of all russian citizens who still stand in the position of not resisting evil.

The Effectiveness of a Group Counseling Program Based on Feminist Therapy Reducing Feelings of Guilt and Stigma of Battered Women

Objectives: The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a group counseling program based on feminist therapy in reducing feelings of guilt and stigma among battered women. Methods: The study sample included thirty battered women randomly assigned to one of two equal groups: an experimental group (number=15) that participated in the group counseling program and a control group (number=15) that did not participate in any intervention program. To achieve the aims of the study, the researchers gathered data from both study groups using measures of guilt and stigma in pre- and post-tests. They were also employed in the experimental group’s follow-up test. Results: The results of the accompanying variance analysis revealed statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups in the mean scores on the scale of guilt in the post-test, favoring the experimental group with an arithmetic mean of (2.096) and a standard deviation of (0.352), noting that the program’s effect size reached the value of (0.874%), and on the stigma scale in the post-test with an arithmetic mean of (2.249) and a standard deviation of (0.287), emphasizing that the program’s effect size has attained a value of (0.879%), indicating the program’s efficacy. The results of the post- and follow-up comparisons among the experimental group members revealed that there were no statistically significant differences in the measure of guilt between the average of the post-measurement, which was (2.10) and a standard deviation of (0.352), and the follow-up, which was (2.23) and a standard deviation of (0.348), and the absence of statistically significant differences between the mean of the post-measurement, which was (2.10) and a standard deviation of (0.348). Conclusions: Because of its success in reducing guilt and stigma among battered women, the program utilized in the current study within group counseling in counseling centers is needed for women’s service.

Emotion Regulation Difficulties and Callous-Unemotional Traits: The Role of Guilt Across Samples of Incarcerated Male Adult Offenders

ABSTRACT The study aimed to: (1) analyze differences between psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders in terms of difficulties in emotion regulation and callous-unemotional traits, (2) investigate the association between difficulties in emotion regulation and callous-unemotional traits among psychopathic and non-psychopathic offenders, and (3) examine the mediation role of guilt in the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and callous-unemotional traits among non-psychopathic offenders, controlling for the level of desirable responses. The participants were 191 incarcerated male adult offenders serving their sentences in closed and semi-open custody. The incarcerated offenders participated in a semi-structured interview and completed self-report measures of emotion dysregulation, guilt, callous-unemotional traits, and social desirability. According to the results on the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, 60 (27.9%) participants were included in the psychopathic group, while 131 (60.9%) were non-psychopathic. The results showed a positive relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation, callousness, and psychopathy. The multiple regression analysis indicated that guilt contributed to the variance of callousness. Guilt was a mediator in the relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and callousness among the group of non-psychopathic incarcerated offenders. The current study highlighted the importance of guilt as an adaptive moral emotion useful in the treatment of several psychological problems among male offenders.

Development and Validation of the Parental Food Choice Guilt Scale

Abstract: Guilt is an important correlate of the food choices parents make for their children. However, without a validated self-report measure of feeding-related guilt, researchers remain unable to reliably assess its consequences for parents and children. This study developed and validated the Parental Food Choice Guilt (PFCG) Scale. Items were iteratively developed based on feedback from parents and content experts and refined through three preliminary rounds of data collection. The final 7-item PFCG was evaluated using an Internet-based sample of 294 parents (194 mothers, 99 fathers) of children aged 3–13. Participants responded to the PFCG alongside measures of child eating habits, parent feeding behavior, and guilt-proneness. Exploratory factor analysis indicated the unidimensionality of the underlying construct. A Graded Response Model indicated all items functioned well psychometrically. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach’s α = .90). Differential item functioning was not detected by parent gender, parent or child weight status, or parent education. The PFCG was positively correlated with global guilt, parenting-related guilt, and poorer child eating habits, and negatively correlated with feeding self-efficacy and healthfulness of the child’s diet. The PFCG is a reliable and valid measure that will aid researchers across many applications, including clarifying guilt’s role in child feeding.

Shame and guilt for alcohol-related transgressions and hazardous drinking among male and female college students

Objective: Shame and guilt are often present prior to and consequent to alcohol use among college students. Little is known about the propensity to experience these emotions in the context of transgressions that occur while drinking alcohol. We examined the association between shame and guilt propensity for alcohol-related transgressions with hazardous drinking, and the role of gender in these relationships. Participants: College student drinkers (N = 130; M age=19.39; 68% females; 86% White) from a Mid-south college. Methods: An online confidential survey included measures of hazardous drinking, guilt and shame propensity, and guilt and shame propensity specific to alcohol-related transgressions. Results: Our preliminary findings suggest that experiencing guilt (but not shame) after alcohol-related transgressions was related to less hazardous drinking when controlling for general guilt and shame propensity for male and female students. Conclusions: Targeting components of guilt (e.g., reparative behaviors) after alcohol-related transgressions may help to reduce problematic drinking among college students.

Trauma-Related Shame and Guilt as Prospective Predictors of Daily Mental Contamination and PTSD Symptoms in Survivors of Sexual Trauma.

Mental contamination (MC), the experience of dirtiness in the absence of a physical contaminant, has established links with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Shame and guilt have well-documented relationships with symptoms of PTSD and may play a role in the development and maintenance of MC. The present study examined whether trauma-related shame and guilt prospectively predicted daily MC and symptoms of PTSD among 41 women with a history of sexual trauma. Women completed baseline and twice-daily assessments of MC and symptoms of PTSD over a 2-week period and baseline measures of trauma-related shame and guilt. Two sets of hierarchical mixed linear regression models examined individual and combined fixed effects of baseline trauma-related guilt (guilt cognitions and global guilt) and shame in predicting daily trauma-related MC and symptoms of PTSD. Trauma-related shame positively predicted both daily MC and PTSD. This association remained robust even when accounting for the experience of trauma-related guilt. Neither trauma-related guilt cognitions nor global guilt predicted daily MC or PTSD. While other studies have addressed shame related to sexual assault, this is the first study to demonstrate a positive prospective relationship between shame and trauma-related MC. Findings regarding PTSD and shame are consistent with a growing literature. Further research is needed to better understand the temporal relationships between trauma-related shame, MC, and symptoms of PTSD, including how these variables interact and change over the course of PTSD treatment. A better understanding of the factors influencing the development and maintenance of MC can inform efforts to more easily target and improve MC, and subsequently PTSD.

Exploring Guilt Differences in Grandiose Narcissism, Vulnerable Narcissism, and Malignant Self-Regard.

Narcissistic personality disorder is a heterogeneous and complex pathology which manifests itself very differently in individuals. The aim of the present study was to analyze differences and similarities in morality and sensitivity to feelings of guilt among grandiose narcissism (GN), vulnerable narcissism (VN), and malignant self-regard (MSR). We expected that MSR and VN would be most sensitive to deontological and altruistic guilt, and that MSR and VN would have higher levels of moral standards than GN. A nonclinical sample of 752 participants was evaluated. Results showed a significant association among MSR, VN, and GN. According to our hypothesis, GN turned out to be the one with the lowest association values to guilt measures. Our results demonstrated that MSR is strongly associated with all types of guilt, GN is associated with a substantial lack of guilt, and VN is associated with deontological guilt and self-hate, but not altruistic guilt. Results confirm the relevance of considering and understanding guilt when differentiating GN, VN, and MSR.

Parenting During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Portugal: The Mediating Role of Work-Family Guilt in the Relationship Between Self-Compassion and Mindful Parenting in a Sample of Working Mothers.

The current study explored the mediating role of work interference on family guilt (WIFG) and family interference on work guilt (FIWG) in association with parents' self-compassion and mindful parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic, while controlling for the effects of educational level and marital status. In May 2020, a sample of 398 mothers (26-50years) participated in the study and completed an online survey that included a sociodemographic form and measures of self-compassion, work-family guilt, and mindful parenting. A parallel multiple mediation model was tested to explore the indirect effect of parents' self-compassion on mindful parenting through WIFG and FIWG. Independent samples t-tests were performed to compare study variables by mothers' working conditions during the pandemic. The mediation analysis indicated that parents' higher levels of self-compassion were indirectly associated with higher levels of mindful parenting through lower levels of WIFG/FIWG. Comparison analyses indicated that mothers who were working in their workplace during the pandemic reported higher levels of WIFG than those working from home; conversely, mothers who were working from home reported higher levels of FIWG than those working in their workplace. These data highlight the importance of research in this field and support the development of intervention community programs for promoting mindful parenting, by developing more adaptive emotional regulation strategies such as self-compassion, which specifically target parents who experience higher levels of guilt associated with work and family conflict. This study is not pre-registered.

Comorbid eating, depressive, and anxiety psychopathology is associated with elevated shame in women with food insecurity.

To compare participants with current food insecurity and different psychopathology profiles on shame, guilt, anxiety, and depression using a cross-sectional design. Women with current food insecurity (n= 99; 54% White) were placed into four groups based on their endorsement of symptoms of psychopathology: eating disorder with depression/anxiety comorbidity (ED-C group; n= 17), depression/anxiety only (Depression/anxiety group; n= 34), eating disorder only (ED group; n= 12), and No-diagnosis group (n= 36). Groups were compared on self-report measures of shame, guilt, depression, and anxiety using analysis of covariance. The presence of an eating disorder was associated with quadruple the risk of screening positive for comorbid depression and anxiety. The ED-C group reported elevated shame relative to the ED and No-diagnosis groups. The ED-C group reported the highest levels of anxiety, followed by the Depression/anxiety group, and the ED and No-diagnosis groups. The presence of an eating disorder with comorbidity among women with food insecurity is associated with heightened shame. Given shame's status as a transdiagnostic predictor of psychopathology, it may serve as a putative mechanism underlying the relationship between food insecurity and eating disorder comorbidity. Women with food insecurity and an ED were more likely to also screen positive for depression and/or anxiety than women with food insecurity and no ED. Overlap between ED, depression, and anxiety was associated with elevated shame, a harmful, maladaptive emotion with negative psychosocial consequences.

A brief measure of guilt and shame: validation of the Guilt and Shame Questionnaire (GSQ-8)

ABSTRACT Background: Guilt and shame regulate basic human processes such as social cognition and relations. Both emotions are also involved in the aetiology and maintenance of trauma-related mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, a concise scale that adequately captures these constructs is currently lacking, impeding research efforts to understand them more thoroughly. Objective: To this end, we developed the eight-item Guilt and Shame Questionnaire (GSQ-8) in English, German, and Dutch. Method: We examined the reliability and validity of the GSQ-8 in a clinical sample of adults seeking treatment for childhood-trauma-related posttraumatic stress disorder (n = 209), a sample of adults who had suffered at least one traumatic life event reporting different levels of PTSD symptoms (n = 556), and a non-clinical sample of adults (n = 156). Results: Theory-driven confirmatory factor analyses confirmed two correlated latent factors guilt and shame with four items for each factor. Across all samples, two-factor models yielded better model fit than one-factor solutions. Measurement invariance across the three samples, gender, and Dutch and German language was mostly established. Guilt and shame composite scores were associated with PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, mental health-related quality of life, and self-blame, thus supporting scale validity. Importantly, both subscales predicted PTSD symptoms, depression, life satisfaction, and mental health-related quality of life over and above cognitions of self-blame. Conclusions: The GSQ-8 is a parsimonious, reliable, and valid tool to assess guilt and shame in clinical, sub-clinical, and non-clinical populations, allowing applications across a broad range of research questions.

Grounded by Mother Nature's Revenge.

Leisure air travel is a popular form of tourism, but its emissions are a major contributor to anthropogenic climate change. Restrictions to leisure air travel have previously received little support; however, the same restrictions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have been popular. This support is unlikely to persist in a postpandemic world, highlighting the need for alternative ways to improve support for reducing leisure air travel. Anthropomorphism of nature has consistently predicted proenvironmental behavior, which has been mediated by guilt felt for harm to the environment. This research is the first empirical study to explore this relationship in the context of COVID-19, where it examined support for restricting leisure air travel to help mitigate (1) COVID-19 and (2) climate change. In an experimental online study, Australian residents (N = 325, Mage = 54.48, SDage = 14.63, 62% women) were recruited through social media. Anthropomorphism of nature in the context of COVID-19 (AMP-19) was manipulated through exposure to a news article. Participants then completed measures of environmental guilt and support for restricting leisure air travel to mitigate COVID-19 (LAT-19) and to mitigate climate change (LAT-CC). A significant indirect effect was observed in both models, such that AMP-19 predicted environmental guilt which in turn predicted LAT-19 (f2 = .26; BCI [0.66, 3.87]) and LAT-CC (f2 = .45; BCI [0.84, 5.06]). The results imply that anthropomorphism of nature in the context of COVID-19 can improve attitudes toward this proenvironmental behavior, with greater support when this was to mitigate climate change. Implications are discussed.

Examining the Effect of Increased Aerobic Exercise in Moderately Fit Adults on Psychological State and Cognitive Function.

Regular physical exercise can decrease the risk for obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease, increase life expectancy, and promote psychological health and neurocognitive functioning. Cross-sectional studies show that cardiorespiratory fitness level (VO2 max) is associated with enhanced brain health, including improved mood state and heightened cognitive performance. Interventional studies are consistent with these cross-sectional studies, but most have focused on low-fit populations. Few such studies have asked if increasing levels of physical activity in moderately fit people can significantly enhance mood, motivation, and cognition. Therefore, the current study investigated the effects of increasing aerobic exercise in moderately fit individuals on psychological state and cognitive performance. We randomly assigned moderately fit healthy adults, 25–59 years of age, who were engaged in one or two aerobic exercise sessions per week to either maintain their exercise regimen (n = 41) or increase their exercise regimen (i.e., 4–7 aerobic workouts per week; n = 39) for a duration of 3 months. Both before and after the intervention, we assessed aerobic capacity using a modified cardiorespiratory fitness test, and hippocampal functioning via various neuropsychological assessments including a spatial navigation task and the Mnemonic Similarity Task as well as self-reported measures including the Positive and Negative Affect Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale, Rumination Scale, Eating Disorders Examination, Eating Attitudes Test, Body Attitudes Test, and Behavioral Regulation of Exercise Questionnaire. Consistent with our initial working hypotheses, we found that increasing exercise significantly decreased measures of negative affect, including fear, sadness, guilt, and hostility, as well as improved body image. Further, we found that the total number of workouts was significantly associated with improved spatial navigation abilities and body image as well as reduced anxiety, general negative affect, fear, sadness, hostility, rumination, and disordered eating. In addition, increases in fitness levels were significantly associated with improved episodic memory and exercise motivation as well as decreased stress and disordered eating. Our findings are some of the first to indicate that in middle-aged moderately-fit adults, continuing to increase exercise levels in an already ongoing fitness regimen is associated with additional benefits for both psychological and cognitive health.

The relationship of trauma-related guilt with PTSD symptoms in adult trauma survivors: a meta-analysis.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe condition that is associated with trauma-related guilt. We aimed at providing a comprehensive quantitative systematic review on the relationship between trauma-related guilt and adult PTSD. Database searches in Medline, PsycINFO, PTSDpubs and Web of Knowledge resulted in the inclusion of 163 eligible studies with a total of 35 020 trauma survivors. The studies reported on 157 cross-sectional and 19 longitudinal data points. Overall, we included 135 studies not included in previous meta-analyses. Random-effect models yielded a moderate cross-sectional correlation (r = 0.38, 95% CI 0.35-0.42, p < 0.001, I2 = 90.3%) and a small to moderate predictive correlation (r = 0.21, 95% CI 0.13-0.29, p < 0.001, I2 = 66.7%). The association appeared to be stable over time and was robust to sensitivity analyses. All symptom clusters significantly correlated with guilt. No effects were found for military v. civilian populations or clinical v. non-clinical samples. Effects were smaller for high-quality studies and larger for instruments based on DSM-5. Further significant moderators were type of guilt measure and trauma type. The largest association was found among participants reporting war-related trauma (r = 0.44, 95% CI 0.36-0.51) and the smallest among survivors of motor-vehicle accidents (r = 0.18, 95% CI 0.02-0.33). The results underpin the role of trauma-related guilt in the onset and maintenance of PTSD symptoms, which have important clinical implications. Future studies should further explore the change interactions of guilt and PTSD symptoms.

Pilot Study of the Residential Care Transition Module to Support Australian Spouses of People with Dementia

ABSTRACT Objectives Spouses are at risk of poor psychosocial outcomes following placement of their partner with dementia into long-term care. The Residential Care Transition Module (RCTM) is a psychosocial intervention developed in the United States to support carers post-placement. This study aimed to test the RCTM delivered by telephone to Australian spousal carers. Methods A small-scale RCT [N = 21] was conducted to test feasibility of recruitment, retention, acceptability, and preliminary effects on measures of stress, grief, depression, guilt, quality-of-life, and satisfaction with care, compared to a group receiving printed information. Results The Transition Counselor and study participants considered the intervention delivery, dose, and content as acceptable. Retention was high (91%). At follow-up, significant time effects were found for stress, depression and “nursing home hassles.” A significant interaction effect was found for quality-of-life in favor of the comparison group. No effects were found for guilt or overall grief, however a promising result regarding the sub-scale of “acceptance of loss” was found in favor of the RCTM. Conclusions The delivery of the RCTM to Australian spousal carers was feasible and acceptable. Clinical implications The RCTM shows potential for improving support to spouses of people with dementia following long-term care placement.

Eating-related guilt and mental health across middle childhood to early adolescence

• We examined associations between eating-related guilt and mental health. • Eating-related guilt was positively associated with internalizing symptoms cross-sectionally. • Increases in eating-related guilt were positively associated with increases in internalizing symptoms across waves. • Eating-related guilt and self-esteem were unrelated. • There was an interaction of eating-related guilt and executive functioning deficits in relation to internalizing symptoms and self-esteem. Limited research exists on the association of eating-related guilt and mental health across middle childhood to early adolescence. Therefore, this study was guided by two aims: (1) to examine cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between eating-related guilt and mental health (i.e., internalizing symptoms and self-esteem) and (2) to examine how executive functioning deficits moderate the cross-sectional association between eating-related guilt and mental health. Children ( N = 202) completed self-report measures of eating-related guilt, internalizing symptoms, and self-esteem across three years in six semi-annual waves. A self-report measure of executive functioning deficits was completed at Wave 6. Eating-related guilt was positively associated with internalizing symptoms cross-sectionally, but there were no prospective associations. There was a significant parallel association between eating-related guilt and internalizing symptoms slopes, suggesting increases in eating-related guilt were positively associated with internalizing symptoms across waves. Eating-related guilt and self-esteem were unrelated. There was an interaction of eating-related guilt and executive functioning deficits in relation to internalizing symptoms and self-esteem such that at high executive functioning deficits, there was a relation between higher eating-related guilt and higher internalizing symptoms and lower self-esteem. Constructs were assessed with self-report measures, with eating-related guilt being assessed with an abbreviated measure. For the second aim, only cross-sectional data were available for executive functioning. Eating-related guilt and internalizing symptoms appear to track together across middle childhood and early adolescence; executive functioning deficits may explain risk for negative outcomes for children experiencing eating-related guilt.

Negative self-conscious emotions in women with borderline personality disorder as assessed by an Implicit Association Test.

Shame and guilt are vital in borderline personality disorder (BPD), and previous research using explicit measures has consistently found elevated levels of these self-conscious emotions (SCE) in those with BPD. However, these measures cannot elucidate implicit processes that are equally important, as they guide the perceptions of the self and influence behavioral responses. Thus, we aimed to extend the research on SCE in BPD utilizing an indirect latency-based measure. A total of 29 female inpatients with BPD and 21 healthy women were assessed with a shame and a guilt self-concept Implicit Association Test (IAT). These two tasks use reaction time measurements to determine the relative strengths of associations between the self versus others and shame versus pride and guilt versus innocence. In addition, participants completed questionnaires capturing shame, guilt, and BPD symptoms. Women with BPD displayed significantly more shame- and guilt-prone implicit self-concepts than the control group (d = 1.2 and d = 0.7, respectively). They also scored significantly higher on explicit measures of shame and guilt. Although explicitly and implicitly assessed shame and guilt were strongly associated with borderline pathology, multivariate models indicated that solely self-reported, but not implicitly measured, guilt was consistently related to all BPD outcomes. Shame was only associated with the number of BPD criteria. This study extends previous findings on SCE in BPD, in that women with BPD do not only explicitly conceive themselves as more shame- and guilt-prone but also exhibit implicitly more shame and guilt self-concepts than healthy controls. Our results may hold clinical and therapeutic implications. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Marital Status at First Intercourse in Married Christian Women: Relationships with Guilt, Sanctification of Sexuality, and Marital Satisfaction

Previous research has demonstrated that women experience higher levels of guilt compared with men at first sexual intercourse. Research also indicates that guilt is related to religiosity and to level of relational commitment. However, there has been no research on the correlates of sexual debut in a Christian population. This study compares the experiences of married Christian women who had first intercourse before or after marriage on guilt, sanctification of sex, and marital satisfaction. A total of 210 married Christian women were administered a survey containing measures of guilt at first intercourse, sanctification of sexuality, and marital satisfaction. The results indicate that the premarital group reported significantly higher levels of guilt at first intercourse and significantly lower levels of theistic sanctification and marital satisfaction than the marital group. In addition, there was no significant correlation between relational commitment and guilt for the premarital debut group, suggesting that those who were in a committed relationship at sexual debut experienced similar levels of guilt to those who were not in a committed relationship at debut. This study has meaningful implications for the way sexuality is discussed in Christian culture.

Childhood maltreatment and adulthood proneness to shame and guilt: The mediating role of maladaptive schemas

The current study aimed to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) in the associations between types of childhood maltreatment and adulthood proneness to shame and guilt. A path analysis was tested to examine the direct and indirect effects of neglect, sexual abuse, and punishment on shame and guilt via EMSs of incompetence, failure, social isolation, emotional inhibition, and unrelenting standards, over and above gender. Data were collected from 415 university students (73% female) aged 18–26. Participants completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, EMSs, and shame and guilt. Neglect was indirectly associated with increased shame-withdraw via incompetence. Sexual abuse was directly associated with decreased guilt-repair. Punishment was indirectly associated with increased guilt-repair via unrelenting standards. Results identified different developmental pathways of proneness to shame and guilt and supported the mediating role of EMSs of incompetence and unrelenting standards. Findings provide support for treatments of shame that target childhood neglect and maladaptive schemas.

Shame and Theory-of-Mind Predicts Rule-Following Behavior

This paper examines the idea that adherence to social rules is in part driven by moral emotions and the ability to recognize the emotions of others. Moral emotions like shame and guilt produce negative feelings when social rules are transgressed. The ability to recognize and understand the emotions of others is known as affective theory of mind (ToM). ToM is necessary for people to understand how others are affected by the violations of social rules. Using a laboratory experiment, individuals participated in a rule-following task designed to capture the propensity to follow costly social rules and completed psychometric measures of guilt, shame, and ToM. The results show that individuals who feel more shame and have higher ToM are more likely to follow the rules. The results from this experiment suggest that both shame and ToM are important in understanding rule-following.