Negative Self-evaluation Research Articles

Psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES-SP)

The Core Self-Evaluations Scale (CSES) was designed to assess a latent construct that includes facets of four core traits: self-esteem, self-efficacy, emotional stability, and locus of control. This study analyzed the validity and reliability of the Spanish version of the CSES in a sample of 730 university students. A two-factor model with two related factors (“positive core self-evaluations” and “negative core self-evaluations”) fit the data better than a one-factor model. The results indicated that the Spanish version of the CSES was a reliable and valid measure.

Putative Risk Factors for Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Eating Disorders.

Evidence suggests a common association between eating disorders (EDs) and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). The present study aimed to investigate the potential risk factors for NSSI among ED patients. We assessed 245 ED patients with the Oxford Risk Factor Interview for ED. The results showed that 33% of ED patients reported NSSI in their lifetime. NSSI appeared to occur more frequently among binge eating/purging type ED patients than among patients with other ED and to be related to a more severe eating pathology. A younger age at the onset of eating problems, more negative self-evaluation, suicide attempts, substance abuse, parents' low weight, family tension at mealtime, parental alcohol problems, childhood abuse, peer aggression, and negative antecedent life events were more common among patients with co-occurring EDs and NSSI than among patients without NSSI. The results may inform the risk assessment and treatment of NSSI in EDs in the early detection period. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Contradicting effects of self-insight: Self-insight can conditionally contribute to increased depressive symptoms

Past research has suggested that self-insight functions as a genuine factor to enhance psychological adjustment. However, because most of the previous studies had used a cross-sectional design, a prospective study was warranted to establish the temporal and causal relationship between self-insight and depressive symptoms. Another important issue was that there seems to be a moderator that influences the adaptive function of self-insight. Stein and Grant (2014) suggested that positive self-evaluation mediates the association between self-insight and well-being. This result could imply that self-insight does not lead to well-being with negative self-evaluation. In this study, therefore, we conducted a longitudinal questionnaire survey to examine the prospective effect of self-insight on future depressive symptoms with self-complexity as a putative moderator. A complete dataset of 93 Japanese undergraduates was analyzed. The prospective analysis showed a significant moderating role of negative self-complexity in the associations among self-insight, depressive symptoms, and stress; people with high self-insight and low negative self-complexity were less likely to be influenced by stressors, whereas those with high self-insight and high negative self-complexity showed significant increases in depressive symptoms after stressful experiences. These findings implicate that the adaptive effect of self-insight can be conditional depending on the extent of negative self-complexity.

The Characteristics of Chinese Adolescents With Suicidal Ideation: A Mixed-Methods Approach

We conducted a mixed-methods study to explore the characteristics of Chinese adolescents with suicidal ideation, using both quantitative and qualitative data and analysis. Participants were N = 244 adolescents, who completed self-report assessments of suicidal ideation, as well as indices of psychological functioning and well-being. A subset of n = 6 high and n = 6 low suicidal ideation adolescents participated in the follow-up interviews. Among the quantitative results, as compared with adolescents with low suicidal ideation, adolescents with high suicidal ideation reported significantly higher scores for stressful life events, coping-avoidant strategies, loneliness, and depression, as well as significantly lower scores for coping-approach strategies. Among the qualitative results, adolescents with high suicidal ideation demonstrated the following characteristics: (a) most troubled by academic pressures and relations, (b) negative self-evaluations, (c) maladaptive understanding of life and death, (d) individual-oriented attributions, and (e) negative coping strategies and self-fulfilling prophesy. These findings contribute to the early identification of adolescents who are at higher risk for suicide, further expand the stress and coping model with the distress-to-meaninglessness framework, and suggest that improving positive self-evaluation may be a focus of prevention and intervention.

Am I a 6 or a 10? Mate Value Among Young Adult Survivors of Childhood Cancer and Healthy Peers.

This study focused on self-perceived mate value of young adult survivors of childhood cancer relative to healthy peers. Qualitative studies indicate potential problems surrounding romantic relationships among survivors, but systematic studies are missing. One-hundred forty-nine childhood cancer survivors and 149 matched controls completed online questionnaires about their mate value, social comparison strategies (i.e., upward/downward identifying/contrasting strategies), and marital status. Survivors and controls were aged 20-40 (M = 27.8), 55% were female, and survivors had been treated for brain tumors (n = 52; 35%), leukemia (n = 42; 28%), lymphoma (n = 31; 21%), or other solid tumors (n = 24; 16%) at 5-33 years before study participation. Survivors and controls did not differ on overall mate value, but on individual characteristics: Survivors thought they had a better sense of humor (d = 0.36), were more loyal (d = 0.32), had higher social status (d = 0.26), and were more ambitious (d = 0.19), while also considering themselves less sexually adventurous (d = 0.31), less healthy (d = 0.26), having less desire to have children (d = 0.21), and a less attractive face (d = 0.20). Higher mate value was related to being partnered, more upward-identifying, less upward-contrasting, and less downward-identifying strategies. Moreover, less downward-identifying was associated with higher mate value in survivors, but not controls; whereas greater downward-contrasting was associated with higher mate value among controls only (R2 = 30.8%). Survivors do not generally view themselves as less valuable (potential) romantic partners, but they evaluate different characteristics either more positively or more negatively. Social comparison strategies offer targetable points of interventions to intervene on negative self-evaluations, potentially enhancing well-being.

Examining the scope and patterns of deliberate self-injurious cutting content in popular social media.

Social networking services (SNS) have rapidly become a central platform for adolescents' social interactions and media consumption patterns. The present study examined a representative sample of publicly accessible content related to deliberate self-injurious cutting across three SNS platforms: Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. Data collection simulated searches for publicly available deliberate self-injury content on Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram. Over a six-month period at randomly generated time points, data were obtained by searching "#cutting" on each SNS platform and collecting the first 10 posts generated. Independent evaluators coded posts for presence of the following: (a) graphic content, (b) negative self-evaluations, (c) references to mental health terms, (d) discouragement of deliberate self-injury, and (e) recovery-oriented resources. Differences across platforms were examined. Data collection yielded a sample of 1,155 public posts (770 of which were related to mental health). Roughly 60% of sampled posts depicted graphic content, almost half included negative self-evaluations, only 9.5% discouraged self-injury, and <1% included formal recovery resources. Instagram posts displayed the greatest proportion of graphic content and negative self-evaluations, whereas Twitter exhibited the smallest proportion of each. Findings characterize the graphic nature of online SNS deliberate self-injury content and the relative absence of SNS-posted resources for populations seeking out deliberate self-injurious cutting content. Mental health professionals must recognize the rapidly changing landscape of adolescent media consumption, influences, and social interaction as they may pertain to self-harm patterns.

A Cognitive Distortions and Deficits Model of Suicide Ideation.

Although cognitive distortions and deficits are known risk factors for the development and escalation of suicide ideation and behaviour, no empirical work has examined how these variables interact to predict suicide ideation. The current study proposes an integrative model of cognitive distortions (hopelessness and negative evaluations of self and future) and deficits (problem solving deficits, problem solving avoidance, and cognitive rigidity). To test the integrity of this model, a sample of 397 undergraduate students completed measures of deficits, distortions, and current suicide ideation. A structural equation model demonstrated excellent fit, and findings indicated that only distortions have a direct effect on suicidal thinking, whereas cognitive deficits may exert their effects on suicide ideation via their reciprocal relation with distortions. Findings underscore the importance of both cognitive distortions and deficits for understanding suicidality, which may have implications for preventative efforts and treatment.

Self-Focus and Cardiovascular Effects of Stressor Anticipation and Active Coping: The Moderating Influence of Trait Social Anxiety

Background: Self-focused attention has been found to facilitate task engagement and cardiac activity in active performance situations. According to theories on self-awareness this facilitating effect might be confined to individuals with favorable outcome expectancies, though. Objective: To provide information on this issue, the present study evaluated the moderating influence of trait social anxiety, a dispositional indicator of impaired confidence. In extension of prior research, effects of enhanced self-awareness were assessed during both anticipation and performance of an active social stressor. Method: Sixty normotensive female students characterized as either high or low in trait social anxiety engaged in an evaluative speaking task either in the context of high or low self-awareness. Results: The moderating influence of social anxiety was found to vary with type of demand. During passive stressor anticipation, self-focus augmented distress-related vascular reactivity in high but not in low socially anxious individuals. During speech preparation self-focus was found to facilitate task engagement and cardiac reactivity in low socially anxious individuals, whereas high anxious showed some withdrawal. Greater self-awareness during speech performance elicited cardiac increases in both social anxiety groups. However, among high anxious individuals this sustained engagement was accompanied by increased negative affect and negative self-evaluations. Conclusion: These findings seem to suggest that only in high socially anxious individuals heightened self-awareness may contribute to dysfunctional cardiovascular and psychological processes.

On the context dependency of implicit self-esteem in social anxiety disorder

Background and objectivesCognitive models assume that negative self-evaluations are automatically activated in individuals with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) during social situations, increasing their individual level of anxiety. This study examined automatic self-evaluations (i.e., implicit self-esteem) and state anxiety in a group of individuals with SAD (n = 45) and a non-clinical comparison group (NC; n = 46). MethodsParticipants were randomly assigned to either a speech condition with social threat induction (giving an impromptu speech) or to a no-speech condition without social threat induction. We measured implicit self-esteem with an Implicit Association Test (IAT). ResultsImplicit self-esteem differed significantly between SAD and NC groups under the speech condition but not under the no-speech condition. The SAD group showed lower implicit self-esteem than the NC group under the speech-condition. State anxiety was significantly higher under the speech condition than under the no-speech condition in the SAD group but not in the NC group. Mediation analyses supported the idea that for the SAD group, the effect of experimental condition on state anxiety was mediated by implicit self-esteem. LimitationsThe causal relation between implicit self-esteem and state anxiety could not be determined. ConclusionThe findings corroborate hypotheses derived from cognitive models of SAD: Automatic self-evaluations were negatively biased in individuals with SAD facing social threat and showed an inverse relationship to levels of state anxiety. However, automatic self-evaluations in individuals with SAD can be unbiased (similar to NC) in situations without social threat.

The effect of social exclusion on state paranoia and explicit and implicit self-esteem in a non-clinical sample

Background and objectivesThe relationship between self-esteem and paranoia may be influenced by social stress. This study aimed to replicate previous research on the impact ofsocial exclusion on paranoia and self-esteem in a non-clinical sample and to extend this work by examining the effect of exclusion on self-esteem at the ‘implicit’ level. MethodsNon-clinical participants (N = 85) were randomly allocated to the Inclusion or Exclusion condition of a virtual ball-toss game (‘Cyberball’). They completed self-reportmeasures of state paranoia and self-esteem, and two implicit measures of self-esteem – theImplicit Association Task (IAT) and Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP) –prior to and after exposure to Cyberball. ResultsSocial exclusion increased state paranoia. This effect was moderated by distress associated with trait paranoia. Exclusion was also associated with decreased self-reported self-esteem, as well as reduced implicit self-esteem on the IAT. Changes in self-reported self-esteem were associated with state paranoia at post-Cyberball. The IRAP indicated that reductions in implicit self-esteem may be due to increases in ‘Me-Negative’ and ‘Others-Positive’ biases (rather than reductions in ‘Me-Positive’ bias). LimitationsThe current study involved a non-clinical sample and so findings cannot be generalized to clinical paranoia. ConclusionsThese findings are consistent with previous evidence that paranoia is associated with negative self-evaluations, whereas positive self-evaluations can persist in paranoia. They also provide support for the suggestion that investigations of self-esteem in paranoia should extend beyond global self-esteem and might benefit from a distinction between positive and negative components.

The empirical distinction of core self-evaluations and psychological capital and the identification of negative core self-evaluations and negative psychological capital

Core self-evaluations (CSE) and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) each consist of four first-order dimensions, and the two constructs are strong predictors of personal and organizational outcomes. Despite their similarities, much is still unknown regarding the manner in which the two constructs are distinct. Also, while both constructs are described as positive attributes, the most popular CSE and PsyCap scales include items that represent negative attributes. We suggest that these items may represent two alternative constructs – Negative CSE and Negative PsyCap. Through a series of three studies, we address these research questions. We show that, although strongly related, the constructs of CSE and PsyCap represent two distinct factors, even when the scale instructions provide a common temporal stability and/or specificity. We also show that the two most popular CSE and PsyCap scales are best represented by four factors that represent CSE, PsyCap, Negative CSE, and Negative PsyCap. As two separate dimensions emerged for the items describing negative attributes, this finding suggests that the factors representing the negative items are more than artifactors alone. We discuss the implications of these findings in regards to the measurement of CSE and PsyCap as well as the future study of Negative CSE and Negative PsyCap.

The split version of Global Assessment of Functioning scale – application and utility in remitted psychotic patients

IntroductionCurrent knowledge about the advantages of using split version of GAF scale – having separate Symptom (GAF-S) and Functioning (GAF-F) subscales is insufficient and has number of gaps. Present study analyzed the manner in which young adult remitted psychotic patients with different functional levels vary in their symptom severity and how GAF-F reflects presence/absence of well-known psychosis risk factors.MethodsSample comprised 37 remitted psychotic patients (56.8% male, 29.4 ± 6.1 years), categorized based on GAF-F scores into groups: ‘Moderate remission’ (GAF-F 41–60, n = 19) and “Good remission” (GAF-F &gt; 61, n = 18). Participants were assessed using the GAF-S, WAIS-R, Nottingham Onset Schedule, Premorbid Adjustment and Brief Core Schema scales, childhood trauma and bullying questionnaires. Mann–Whitney and Student's t-tests were used to assess between-group differences.ResultsGroups did not differ in age, sex and education. When compared to “Good remission” group, “Moderate remission” group exhibited earlier illness’ onset (P = 0.01), greater symptom severity (P = 0.00), negative self-evaluation (P = 0.02), more childhood physical abuse (P = 0.01) and bullying (P = 0.01). Moreover, trend-like significances (P = 0.08) were observed for poorer adolescence adjustment and negative evaluation of others. There were no between-group differences regarding IQ and duration of untreated/treated illness.ConclusionsGAF scale is in the continual use since early 1990, however, evidence of further development of the instrument itself is sparse. Present research is demonstrating that GAF-F scores reflect diverse factors related to psychosis risk, the illness’ course and quality of remission. Moreover, the results contribute to surmount some of the gaps in knowledge about the split version of GAF scale.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Mental health stigma among Oman Medical Speciality Board (OMSB) residents

BackgroundArab/Islamic culture such as those in Oman has been prescribed to be part of “collective culture” where family is central to one's identity. It is not clear how mental illness is perceived among young doctors in Oman in the light of modernization and acculturation.AimsExplore the socio-cultural teaching impact on attitudes towards mental health problems among Omani physicians.MethodThe consenting residents were asked to fill self-reported questionnaire Attitudes towards Mental Health Problems (ATMHP). It measure: external shame (beliefs that others will look down on themselves self if one have mental health problems); internal shame (related to negative self-evaluations); and reflected shame (believing that one can bring shame to their family/community). Socio-demographic information was also sought, including age, gender and previous contact with a person with mental illness.ResultsOne hundred and seventy residents filled the questionnaire. The response rate was &gt; 80%. The majority were female. It showed elevated scores in indices of external shame and reflected shame. However, having a history of mental distress or having contact with a person with mental illness have moderate indices external shame and reflected shame.ConclusionThis study suggests that medical education has little eroded societal teaching among physicians under training in Oman. Thus, their attitude toward mental disorder appears to be expressed in term of external shame and reflected shame, which, in turn, encapsulate cultural patterning of shame and the centrality of family identity in Oman. Such socio-cultural teaching could lay groundwork for further research to mitigate mental illness in Oman.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Factor structure, factorial invariance, and validity of the Multidimensional Shame-Related Response Inventory-21 (MSRI-21).

We describe 2 studies designed to evaluate scores on the Multidimensional Shame-related Response Inventory-21 (MSRI-21), a recently developed instrument that measures affective and behavioral responses to shame. The inventory assesses shame-related responses in 3 categories: negative self-evaluation, fear of social consequences, and maladaptive behavior tendency. For Study 1, (N = 743) undergraduates completed the MSRI-21. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the MSRI-21 3-factor structure. Latent variable modeling of coefficient-α provided strong evidence for the internal consistency of scores on each scale. In Study 2, (N = 540) undergraduates completed the instrument along with 5 concurrent measures chosen for clinical significance. Achievement of factorial invariance supported the use of MSRI-21 scale scores to make valid mean comparisons across gender. In addition, MSRI-21 scale scores were associated as expected with scores on measures of self-harm, suicide, and other risk factors. Taken together, results of 2 studies support the internal consistency reliability, factorial validity, factorial invariance, and convergent validity of scores on the MSRI-21. Further work is needed to assess the temporal stability of the MSRI-21 scale scores, invariance across clinical status and other groupings, item-level measurement properties, and viability in highly symptomatic samples. (PsycINFO Database Record

Understanding Negative Self-Evaluations in Borderline Personality Disorder-a Review of Self-Related Cognitions, Emotions, and Motives.

Self-conscious emotions, such as guilt, shame, or self-disgust, as well as self-related motives, such as self-enhancement or self-verification, influence how people perceive, evaluate, memorize, and respond to self-related information. They not only influence peoples' concepts of themselves but may also affect their behavior in social environments. In the current review, we describe alterations of self-related processing in borderline personality disorder (BPD). We chose BPD as an example of a mental disorder of which impairments in self-functioning and identity constitute a major feature. Since terminology used in clinical research on self-referential processing is diverse and often confusing, we start with reviewing some of the main concepts in this area of research using a conceptual framework provided from social psychology. Most studies on self-referential processing in BPD focused on descriptions of self-esteem and revealed a negative self-concept, particularly expressed by explicitly reported low self-esteem. Moreover, self-esteem is unstable in BPD and likely reactive to self-relevant cues. BPD patients are prone to negative emotions with respect to themselves, such as self-disgust and shame. First data point to altered self-related motives, too. In conclusion, although explicit self-esteem is widely studied as a global and trait-like feature of BPD, there is a strong lack of studies that take the complexity of the construct self-esteem into account. Further studies on alterations in self-related processes are required to deepen our understanding of impairments of the self-concept in BPD and enable the improvement of psychosocial therapeutic approaches.

Correlation and interaction between the social phobia and test anxiety

Introduction: A considerable number of students, who experience high rates of test anxiety, are faced with problems before or during test/exam situations. Anxious behaviour creates barriers to learning and taking exams, contributes to low test performances and makes students leave their studies. This leads to students' negative self-evaluation and possible disruption of their lives. The Aim: The aim of the present research is to establish potential connections between a social phobia and test anxiety with polled students in order to make them susceptible to more appropriate treatment and enable them to lead normal lives. Preventive measures taken with younger generations could inhibit the development of anxiety at early stage and comorbid anxiety disorders as a consequence. Material and Methods: The research involved 120 students of the first and fourth years of studies. To determine the level of the social phobia we used Social Phobia Inventory - SPIN, and The Test Anxiety Inventory - TAI to estimate the degree of test anxiety. Results: The results confirmed connections between a social phobia and test anxiety with a certain number of students in respect to their average mark during the studies as well as to their parents expectations and their loss of self-confidence. We did not establish the connection with students' economic position or with anxiety connection in terms of gender, because the female student population was much higher than the male population, so the results would not be valid. Conclusion: The results we have obtained show that there is statistically significant evidence of connection between a social phobia and test anxiety with the polled students, the fact which can facilitate their treatment and prevention with younger generations.

The relationship between depression and insight into the possibility of suicide in patients with schizophrenia

Objective: This study aims at investigating the relationship between suicide probability and insight and depression in schizophrenic patients. Methods: A total of 104 patients, in the 18-65 age group, who were observed with schizophrenia diagnosis for minimum two years at psychiatry outpatient of a university and the Community Mental Health Center, were included into our study between the dates of March 17th and April 15th 2015. Interview form was used in collection of data along with the Suicide Probability Scale, the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and Birchwood Insight Scale. Data were analyzed with the multiple comparison, independent t test, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann Whitney U, ANOVA, covariant analysis and Pearson correlation tests. Results: 56.7% of the cases have stated that they have previously attempted suicide, and 45.2% have used pills and 7.7% used sharp objects in their suicide attempt. A negative relationship was found between Suicide Probability total score, subscales of Suicide Ideation and Negative Self-Evaluation and the Awareness of Symptoms subscale of Birchwood Insight Scale. A positive relationship was found between Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia and the Hopelessness and Hostility subscales of the Suicide Probability Scale and a negative relationship was found between the subscales of Suicide Ideation and Negative Self-Evaluation. Conclusion: Suicide is a significant problem in schizophrenia. Our study has shown that the probability of suicide decreased in patients who are aware of the symptoms however that the most important factors in suicide were negative affect and hopelessness.

Assessment of psychosocial features and quality of life of typically developing siblings of children who diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare typically developing siblings of children, who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with typically developing children matched by sociodemographic characteristics, in terms of psychosocial features and quality of life. Methods: Forty-one typically developing siblings of 41 cases who diagnosed autistic disorder, Asperger disorder and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified according to DSM IV-TR and 43 controls of typically developing controls, who has no history of any psychiatric disorder in their family, were included. Psychiatric diagnostic interview were applied to all children who admitted to the study. Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire and Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire were applied to case and control groups. Childhood Autism Rating Scale and Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire-parent form and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire-parent form were applied to parent of case and control groups. Results: The physical health total scores, emotional functioning scores, psychosocial health total scores and total scores of Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire and prosocial subscale scores of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were significantly lower in case group. Conclusion: It can be considered that even typically developing siblings of children who diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder have no psychiatric diagnosis according to international diagnostic criteria, these children have negative self-evaluation in physical and social areas and their parents are not enough to be aware of difficulties that these children experienced.

Organizational Commitment, Occupational Stress, and Core Self-Evaluation as Predictors of Workplace Deviance

The study investigated organizational commitment, occupational stress, and core self-evaluation as predictors of workplace deviance in the Nigerian civil service. Two hundred and eighty four (284) adults drawn from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka campus participated in the study. Questionnaires were used to elicit information from the participants. Results of regression analyses show that there was a significant negative relationship between organizational commitment and workplace deviance. Also, core self-evaluation was negatively correlated to workplace deviance. This implies that individuals with positive core self-evaluation are less likely to engage in workplace deviance, while individuals with negative core self-evaluation are more likely to engage in workplace deviance.

You and me: Investigating the role of self-evaluative emotion in preschool prosociality

Self-evaluative emotions depend on internalized social standards and motivate social action. However, there is a lack of empirical research documenting the impact of self-evaluative emotion on 3- and 4-year-olds’ prosociality. Extant research relates children’s experiences of guilt to empathetic concern and making amends. However, the relationship between guilt and both concern and making amends is potentially reductive. Empathetic concern involves similar bodily expressions to guilt, and amend making is used to distinguish guilt from shame in children. This is the first study to relate the development of both positive and negative self-evaluative emotions to empathetic concern and prosocial choice (making amends and spontaneous help). Results confirm that the broad capacity for self-evaluative emotion is established during the preschool years and relates to empathetic concern. Moreover, these social emotions can be used to predict prosocial choice. Making amends was best predicted by empathetic concern and by children’s responses to achievement (pride following success and lack of shame following failure). Alongside moral pride, pride in response to achievement and resilience to shame was also the best predictor of spontaneous help. The data support the idea that young children’s prosocial choices may be partially driven by the affective drive to maintain an “ideal” self. Psychologists have emphasized that in order to be adaptive, self-evaluative emotion should be guilt oriented rather than shame oriented. However, the adaptive role of pride has been neglected. We call on future research to redress the focus on negative self-evaluation in moral development and further explore the prosocial potential of pride.