Positive Negative Affect Research Articles

Effectiveness of craniosacral therapy, Bowen therapy, static touch and standard exercise program on sleep quality in fibromyalgia syndrome: A randomized controlled trial

BackgroundSleep disturbance is commonly seen in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS); however, high quality studies involving manual therapies that target FMS-linked poor sleep quality are lacking for the Indian population. ObjectiveCraniosacral therapy (CST), Bowen therapy and exercises have been found to influence the autonomic nervous system, which plays a crucial role in sleep physiology. Given the paucity of evidence concerning these effects in individuals with FMS, our study tests the effectiveness of CST, Bowen therapy and a standard exercise program against static touch (the manual placebo group) on sleep quality in FMS. Design, setting, participants and interventionA placebo-controlled randomized trial was conducted on 132 FMS participants with poor sleep at a hospital in Bangalore. The participants were randomly allocated to one of the four study groups, including CST, Bowen therapy, standard exercise program, and a manual placebo control group that received static touch. CST, Bowen therapy and static touch treatments were administered in once-weekly 45-minute sessions for 12 weeks; the standard exercise group received weekly supervised exercises for 6 weeks with home exercises until 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, all study participants performed the standard exercises at home for another 12 weeks. Main outcome measuresSleep quality, pressure pain threshold (PPT), quality of life and fibromyalgia impact, physical function, fatigue, pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and positive–negative affect were recorded at baseline, and at weeks 12 and 24 of the intervention. ResultsAt the end of 12 weeks, the sleep quality improved significantly in the CST group (P = 0.037) and Bowen therapy group (P = 0.023), and the PPT improved significantly in the Bowen therapy group (P = 0.002) and the standard exercise group (P < 0.001), compared to the static touch group. These improvements were maintained at 24 weeks. No between-group differences were observed for other secondary outcomes. ConclusionCST and Bowen therapy improved sleep quality, and Bowen therapy and standard exercises improved pain threshold in the short term. These improvements were retained within the groups in the long term by adding exercises. CST and Bowen therapy are treatment options to improve sleep and reduce pain in FMS. Trial registration numberRegistered at Clinical Trials Registry of India with the number of CTRI/2020/04/024551.Please cite this article as: Ughreja RA, Venkatesan P, Gopalakrishna DB, Singh YP, Lakshmi VR. Effectiveness of craniosacral therapy, Bowen therapy, static touch and standard exercise program on sleep quality in fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(4): 474–484.

Exploring the Influence of Mindfulness on Emotional Competence, Anxiety Management and Psychological Well Being among College Students

Humans have various roles to play during a span of their lifetime, and student life is a time full of opportunities and future goal planning where hard work and experiences are measured by the level of achievement. College comes as a big change in any students life, both males and females lives. The present study was done to study the effect of mindfulness on emotional competence, anxiety management and psychological well being of college students. For this purpose 120 college students ( 60 female and 60 male) between the ages of 18 to 25 were taken from urban areas of Delhi NCR, India. Emotional competence scale by Dr Harish Sharma, Beck anxiety inventory , positive and negative affect schedule and mindfulness attention awareness scale were taken as tools to collect data and these questionnaires were given to participants, and they were asked to fill them honesty. The results depicted that for females mindfulness was negatively correlated with anxiety and emotional competence, and positively correlated with psychological positive negative affect. For males mindfulness was positively correlated with anxiety and emotional competence, and negatively correlated with psychological positive negative affect. This study further recommends other researchers to keep different age and geographical scales when further taking up this topic for research in future.

Clinical subtypes of postpsychotic depression in the first episode of schizophrenia: results of a cross-sectional observational study

BACKGROUND: Clinical diagnosis of depression in schizophrenia is difficult because of the dimensional overlap of a number of affective symptoms with negative manifestations of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. In the very first attack of schizophrenia, when the negative symptom complex is not yet clear enough, the difficulties of differential diagnosis become even more relevant, especially when depression occurs in the post-attack stage during the formation of remission and the manifestation of postpsychotic depression.&#x0D; AIM: To establish a diagnostic approach based on a combination of clinical-psychopathological and psychometric methods for the assessment of postpsychotic depression in patients with a first episode of schizophrenia.&#x0D; MATERIAL AND METHODS: We are examined 1112 patients who had suffered a first psychotic episode. Аfter introducing inclusion/exclusion criteria, two groups were formed in the final design: 243 patients with postpsychotic depression (PPD) and 119 patients without depression in partial remission. Clinical-psychopathological, psychometric (PANSS, CDSS, SCL-90-R scales), and statistical (descriptive, non-parametric statistics — significance level p 0.05) methods were used.&#x0D; RESULTS: Based on the concept of positive-negative affectivity, three types of PPD have been identified: with signs of positive affectivity — anxious, sensitive-psychasthenic, depersonalisation-hypochondriacal and melancholic-anergic subtypes; with signs of negative affectivity anhedonic, dysthymic-apathetic and dysphoric subtypes; formed due to psychopathological manifestations of the non-affective register — obsessive-ruminative, agoraphobic, paranoid-symbolic subtypes. Patients who were diagnosed with PPD with positive affectivity after an attack were predominat (p 0.05): 46.91% of the total number of depressed patients. PPD formed due to non-affective spectrum disorders is accompanied by the strongest subjective severity of suffering in patients, compared to patients diagnosed with PPD with positive affectivity. Subjectively, the easiest for patients is PPD with negative affectivity, which, however, does not mean that it can be considered as favourable from the standpoint of therapy and rehabilitation.&#x0D; CONCLUSION: PPD is detected in a significant number of patients with a first psychotic episode, even after excluding the group with pharmacogenic depression, both due to subjective complaints, nosogenic depressive experiences, and as a result of a psychometric assessment of the patients’ condition. The concept of “dissociated post-attack depression” is substantiated.

Positive-Negative Affectivity and Decision Making Among Mindfulness Meditators and Non-Meditators

Mindfulness has gained significant attention in recent years due to its potential benefits for&#x0D; cognitive and emotional processes. However, how mindfulness interplays with affect to exert its&#x0D; effect on decision-making remains relatively less explored. The present study examined and&#x0D; compared the performance of both mindfulness meditators and non-meditators on decisionmaking&#x0D; tasks under different affective states. A total of 100 participants (50 mindfulness meditators&#x0D; and 50 non-meditators) responded to the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and&#x0D; performed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). Both groups were further divided into positive affect&#x0D; and negative affect conditions. The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) was used to&#x0D; induce positive and negative affective states among the participants. The baseline affective state&#x0D; of the participants was assessed using the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS).&#x0D; Independent sample t-tests and a univariate ANOVA were computed to analyze the obtained&#x0D; data. Results showed that mindfulness meditators scored significantly higher on the total FFMQ&#x0D; as well as on its different facets. Furthermore, the results revealed a significant main effect of&#x0D; mindfulness and the affect group on IGT performance. The interaction between mindfulness and&#x0D; affective conditions was also found to be significant. Mindfulness meditators performed equally&#x0D; well on IGT under both positive and negative affect conditions, whereas non-meditators&#x0D; performed better only under positive affect conditions. The findings have practical implications,&#x0D; as they suggest that mindfulness meditation enhances decision-making by promoting effective&#x0D; emotion regulation and suppressing impulsive responses during decision-making in different&#x0D; domains of life.

TERAPI PEMAAFAN UNTUK MENINGKATKAN SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING PADA ISTRI YANG MENGALAMI KEKERASAN DALAM RUMAH TANGGA

The background of this research is that a wife has experienced domestic violence and finds it difficult to accept the experience of domestic violence. The purpose of this research is to increase SWB in wives who have experienced domestic violence by giving forgiveness therapy. The type of research is action research single case experimental design with two subjects. Data collection techniques used interview observations and the SWB scale which consisted of life satisfaction and positive negative affect components. The method of data analysis was carried out by means of qualitative quantitative analysis. Quantitative analysis used Kendalls'Wa non-parametric statistical tests, while qualitative analysis was carried out based on written documents summarized during the assessment process to follow-up. The quantitative results showed that the P value of life satisfaction = 0.263 (p 0.05), the positive P affect = 0.105 (p 0.05) and the negative P affect = 0.115 (p 0.05) indicating that the quantitative hypothesis test did not there is a significant increase in SWB. Meanwhile, based on the results of the qualitative analysis, it was concluded that in general, forgiveness therapy can increase SWB in wives who experience domestic violence because they feel the benefits and changes from each stage of the intervention.Keywords : wife has experienced domestic violence (KDRT), SWB, Forgiveness therapy

Mapping the mental space of emotional concepts through kinematic measures of decision uncertainty.

Emotional concepts and their mental representations have been extensively studied. Yet, some ecologically relevant aspects, such as how they are processed in ambiguous contexts (e.g., in relation to other emotional stimuli that share similar characteristics), are incompletely known. We employed a similarity judgement of emotional concepts and manipulated the contextual congruency of the responses along the two main affective dimensions of hedonic valence and physiological activation, respectively. Behavioural and kinematics (mouse-tracking) measures were combined to gather a novel 'similarity index' between emotional concepts, to derive topographical maps of their mental representations. Self-report (interoceptive sensibility, positive-negative affectivity, depression) and physiological measures (heart rate variability, HRV) have been collected to explore their possible association with emotional conceptual representation. Results indicate that emotional concepts typically associated with low arousal profit by contextual congruency, with faster responses and reduced uncertainty when contextual ambiguity decreases. The emotional maps recreate two almost orthogonal axes of valence and arousal, and the similarity measure captures the smooth boundaries between emotions. The emotional map of a subgroup of individuals with low positive affectivity reveals a narrower conceptual distribution, with variations in positive emotions and in individuals with reduced arousal (such as those with reduced HRV). Our work introduces a novel methodology to study emotional conceptual representations, bringing the behavioural dynamics of decision-making processes and choice uncertainty into the affective domain. This article is part of the theme issue 'Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences'.

Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Positive Strengthening mHealth Interventions for the Promotion of Subjective Emotional Wellbeing and Management of Self-Efficacy for Chronic Cardiac Diseases.

Intervention in health prevention and treatment via mobile phones is becoming a key element on health promotion. Testing the efficacy of these mobile health (mHealth) psychological interventions for cardiovascular health is necessary as it is a chronic pathology, and it can influence the affective and cognitive states of patients. This research aimed to analyze the effectiveness of two brief psychological interventions-mindfulness and positive strengthening-to promote subjective emotional wellbeing and disease management self-efficacy using mHealth. This was a three-arm intervention and feasibility study, with a pre-post design and three follow-up measures with 105 patients (93 completed all phases) with cardiovascular diseases. Group 1 and 2 received the mindfulness or strengthening intervention, and Group 3 was the control group. The positive-negative affect and management self-efficacy for chronic and cardiovascular diseases were analyzed over time, while anxiety and depression levels were assessed at the beginning of the study. The results showed that mindfulness and positive strengthening interventions both had a positive effect on participants' affective state and management self-efficacy for the disease in comparison with the control group over time, even after controlling for baseline anxiety and depression levels. Positive strengthening seems to be more effective for improving cardiac self-efficacy, while mindfulness practice was significantly more effective at reducing negative affect at the first face-to-face evaluation.

Testing the Nonlinearity Assumption Underlying the Use of Reverse-Keyed Items: A Logical Response Perspective.

Researchers often assume a strong, linear relationship between regular- and reverse-keyed items, with responses on regular-keyed items (e.g., agree) perfectly mirroring those on reverse-keyed items (e.g., disagree). The current research challenges this received view and propounds a possible nonlinear relationship, partly due to the logical tendency of midlevel respondents to disagree with both types of items. In four examples (reported human height, job satisfaction, positive-negative affect, and self-esteem; total N = 50,544), a nonlinear model consistently explained additional item variance beyond a linear model. We further demonstrate that this relationship is moderated by item characteristics such as item extremity (job satisfaction) and item softening (self-esteem). Suboptimal modeling of the relationship may result in the apparent bidmensionality of a construct that characterizes regular- and reverse-keyed items as separate factors. User-friendly syntax for the examination of nonlinearity is provided to enhance the accessibility of the procedure.

Investigation of the Effects of Art Therapy on Self-Compassion, Mood and Cognitive Functioning Levels in the Elderly

The aim of this study is to examine the effects of art therapy practices on self-compassion, positive-negative mood and cognitive function levels in elderly individuals. In the research, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was used. The sample of the study consists of 50 elderly individuals who are in the study (n=25) and comparison (n=25) groups. The entire sample lives in a long-term care home and is male. Sociodemographic Information Form, Positive-Negative Affect Scale, Self-Compassion Scale and Standardized Mini-Mental Test were administered to the participants. The Art Therapy Program was applied to the study group by the researchers once a week for a total of 10 sessions (each session 90 minutes). The comparison group was not included in any application. The analysis of the data obtained in this study was made with SPSS 25.0 and Dependent Groups T test and Independent Groups T test were used. As a result of the research findings, it was determined that there were statistically significant differences (p&lt;.05) between the post-test scores of the study and comparison groups. After the Art Therapy Program, the positive affect and self-compassion levels of the elderly individuals participating in the study group increased. No statistically significant difference was found in the cognitive function levels of the participants. There are few quantitative studies on Art Therapy conducted with elderly individuals. The study is important in terms of giving the opportunity to examine the application of Art Therapy on experimental research to improve the lives of elderly individuals. Keywords: Cognitive function, self-compassion, positive-negative affect, art therapy, elderly

Daily Emotional Dynamics of Custodial Grandfamilies: Cross-Dyad Correlations of Affect Means and Variability

Evidence indicates that daily emotional dynamics are associated with mental and physical health. However, these processes have not been examined among custodial grandmothers taking care of adolescent grandchildren. This daily diary study examined correlations between grandmothers and adolescents’ mean levels and variability in negative (NA) and positive affect (PA). Custodial dyads (M = 214) across the nation completed two weeks of daily surveys. For both grandmothers and adolescents, their own PA means were negatively correlated with NA means, PA variability, and NA variability; NA means were positively correlated with variability in PA and NA (ps <.01). Across dyads, grandmothers’ PA means were positively correlated with adolescents’ PA means and negatively correlated with adolescents’ NA means, PA variability and NA variability. Grandmothers’ NA means were positively correlated with adolescents’ variability in PA and NA (ps <.01). Our findings demonstrate how daily emotional dynamics are correlated within and between family members.

The Effect of Transformational Leadership and Well-Being on Performance of Soccer Players: An Inclusive Model

The current study focuses on the effect of transformational leadership on athletes’ performance in the mediation of psychological need satisfaction, burnout, competition anxiety, life satisfaction, and positive–negative affect. The sample consisted of 391 soccer players aged between 16 and 20 years. Six scales were used in this study: Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, Needs Satisfaction Scale, Athlete Burnout Measure, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Positive and Negative Affect Scale, and Sport Competition Anxiety Test. The method of Vallerand was preferred to measure performance, and structural equation modeling was employed to analyze data. The model data fit was also verified. It was found that the transformational leadership behaviors of coaches signally influence athletes’ performance either directly or indirectly. From another perspective, increasing the psychological health or well-being of athletes has important effects on sport performance.

Role of Affect and Risk-Benefit Perception on Reckless Betting: Prior Wins and Losses Both Lead to Risky Bets.

People who have experienced many gambling wins tend to make larger bets even when they are unlikely to win (reckless betting) than those who have experienced many losses. This study examined psychological factors underlying reckless betting when gambling from the perspectives of affect and risk-benefit perception. University students (N = 63) participated in an experiment using the Acey-Deucey Task, in which the number of wins and losses during the 1st session was experimentally manipulated such that there were either 24, 12, or 6 wins out of 30 trials. Positive-negative affect and perceived risk-benefit during the task were assessed by self-report. Betting recklessness during the 2nd session was calculated using winning probability and bet size data in each trial. The results indicated that experiencing few prior wins, that is, many prior losses decreased positive affect and perceived benefits of betting and increased negative affect and perceived risks of betting. Path analysis results suggested that gambler's positive and negative affect altered perceived benefits of betting, which influenced reckless betting. Although participants that experienced more prior wins made more reckless bets similar to previous studies, there were no statistical differences between the three groups. Time-series analysis revealed that participants who experienced many prior losses made increasingly reckless bets at the end of the gambling task. We have discussed other potential variables that might have influenced recklessness, and the time-series analysis' implications on reckless betting and loss-chasing.

Psychological outcomes, knowledge and preferences of pregnant women on first-trimester screening for fetal structural abnormalities: A prospective cohort study.

IntroductionThe primary aim of this study is to investigate the impact of a 13-week anomaly scan on the experienced levels of maternal anxiety and well-being. Secondly, to explore women’s knowledge on the possibilities and limitations of the scan and the preferred timing of screening for structural abnormalities.Material and methodsIn a prospective-cohort study conducted between 2013–2015, pregnant women in the North-Netherlands underwent a 13-week anomaly scan. Four online-questionnaires (Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4) were completed before and after the 13- and the 20-week anomaly scans. In total, 1512 women consented to participate in the study and 1118 (74%) completed the questionnaires at Q1, 941 (64%) at Q2, 807 (55%) at Q3 and 535 (37%) at Q4. Psychological outcomes were measured by the state-trait inventory-scale (STAI), the patient’s positive-negative affect (PANAS) and ad-hoc designed questionnaires.ResultsNine-nine percent of women wished to be informed as early as possible in pregnancy about the absence/presence of structural abnormalities. In 87% of women levels of knowledge on the goals and limitations of the 13-week anomaly scan were moderate-to-high. In women with a normal 13-week scan result, anxiety levels decreased (P < .001) and well-being increased over time (P < .001). In women with false-positive results (n = 26), anxiety levels initially increased (STAI-Q1: 39.8 vs. STAI-Q2: 48.6, P = 0.025), but later decreased around the 20-week anomaly scan (STAI-Q3: 36.4 vs. STAI-Q4: 34.2, P = 0.36).ConclusionsThe 13-week scan did not negatively impact the psychological well-being of pregnant women. The small number of women with screen-positive results temporarily experienced higher anxiety after the scan but, in false-positive cases, anxiety levels normalized again when the abnormality was not confirmed at follow-up scans. Finally, most pregnant women have moderate-to-high levels of knowledge and strongly prefer early screening for fetal structural abnormalities.

Predicting and Moderating the Response to the Unified Protocol: Do Baseline Personality and Affective Profiles Matter?

Neuroticism (N), extraversion (E), and negative/positive affect (NA/PA) are personality/affective characteristics highly related to the etiology and maintenance of emotional disorders (EDs). This study aims at exploring the moderating role of baseline personality/ and affectivity profiles in the response to a transdiagnostic psychological treatment for EDs. Outcomes were N, E, NA, PA, depression, and anxiety. These were assessed at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up in 157 participants with EDs who received the Unified Protocol (UP) in group format in the Spanish Health System. A linear mixed model analysis was carried out to investigate different recovery trajectories as a function of baseline personality and affective profiles Significant changes occurred in all variables after the UP. Medium and high baseline scores in N and NA moderate the largest changes on N, NA and E while lower baseline scores in PA and E moderate the largest changes on E and PA. Changes over time on depression and anxiety symptoms were not predicted from personality/affect baseline scores. The study results support the short-medium term utility of the UP to address all study outcomes. Moreover, personalizing interventions according to baseline personality/affect might be a sensible strategy to enhance the UP effectiveness. Trial registration number NCT03064477 (March 10, 2017).

Positive and negative affect during a pandemic: Mediating role of emotional regulation strategies

The purpose of the current study is to determine the mediator role of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between positive affect and negative affect experienced by individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 436 individuals witnessing and experiencing the process of the COVID-19 pandemic in Turkey participated in the current study and 310 (71.1%) of the participants are females and 126 (28.9%) are males. The data of the current study were collected by using the Positive - Negative Affect Scale and Emotional Regulation Questionnaire. The path analysis technique was used in the analysis of the data. In order to test the significance of indirect effects, bootstrapping analysis was used by generating 1000 samples. According to the findings of the study, one unit increase in negative affect decreases individuals' use of emotional regulation strategies by 0.13 (t= -.2.829; p<.01 ). On the other hand, one unit increase in emotional regulation strategies increases individuals' positive affect by 0.43 (t = 9.848; p<.01 ). In addition, the full mediator role of emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between negative affect and positive affect has been proven. It is thought that the findings obtained as a result of the research can be a guide for mental health professionals and future research.

Apoyo Social, Autoestima y Bienestar Subjetivo en Escolares. El caso de México y Argentina

Se analiza si la autoestima media la relación entre apoyo social y bienestar subjetivo en niños de educación básica que se encuentran en condición de vulnerabilidad social por situación de precariedad económica, en el que se realizaron dos estudios. El primero, evalúa estas variables en niños mexicanos y el segundo explora si esta asociación se da en la misma dirección en el caso de niños argentinos. La muestra total está conformada por 207 escolares, 96 niños y 111 niñas, con un rango de edad de 11 a 15 años (M= 11.93, DT= .97) todos de escuelas públicas de educación básica. Los participantes del grupo 1 son 100 niños mexicanos de ambos sexos, el grupo 2 son 107 participantes (46 niños y 61 niñas) de la ciudad de Mendoza Argentina. Aplicándose escalas de: autoestima, apoyo social familiar, afectividad positiva-negativa y de satisfacción con la vida. La asociación entre las variables fue significativa excepto la afectividad negativa, al igual que los modelos de regresión. Se comprueba parcialmente el modelo de trayectorias propuesto. Se sugiere continuar verificando el modelo, y considerar la inclusión de variables contextuales como el ambiente familiar, y académicas para explicar los factores que contribuyen en el bienestar infantil.

Validation of the Patient Reported Outcome Measure of Spiritual Care (PROM) in an Australian Setting

A multi-site study across five hospitals in Australia, undertaken as part of the study to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Patient Reported Outcome Measure of spiritual care (PROM) scale. Two hundred and eighty-one patients participated in the study. Data were analysed using AMOS (version 24) to assess the validity and reliability of the PROM using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Predictive (criterion) validity of the scale was also assessed by evaluating the relationship of the PROM scale with the quality of spiritual care. The results demonstrated acceptable validity, model-based reliability and predicative validity for the PROM scale. It is recommended that a further study for cross-validation of the scale in different samples and populations is undertaken. Controlling for other variables such as (positive-negative affect or personality characteristics) for future studies might shed more light on the content validity of the PROM. The study has implications for the longer-term goal of building an evidence base for a spiritual care framework for Australian healthcare organizations and beyond. It is hoped that the data collected will enable spiritual health organizations to contrib- ute to a larger database of evidence, both nationally and internationally.

Transformational Leadership (TFL) dan Subjective Well-Being (SWB) pada Karyawan Produksi PT. X Salatiga

Abstract&#x0D; A leader's behavior is suspected to influence employee's subjective well-being (SWB) in achieving organizational goals through idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized, consideration that provides an evaluation of the life and positive-negative affect on the employee. Transformational leadership (TFL) is leadership that supports followers thinking creatively by using new approaches or strategies, engaging employees in the decision making process, inspiring employee loyalty, and trying to understand individual employee differences to develop optimal potential. SWB is a global evaluation of themselves and positive and negative affect. The aim of research to determine the correlation of TFL and SWB on 66 production employees at PT. X Salatiga. The data collection is used by the multifactor leadership questionnaire scale (MLQ), satisfaction whit life scale (SWLS) and positive-negative affect scale (PANAS) to measure SWB. The result showed a positive correlation between TFL on SWB with r = 0.51 (p = 0.00).&#x0D; Keywords: Transformational leadership, subjective well-being, satisfaction, positive-negative affect

The effects of violent video games and shyness on individuals' aggressive behaviors.

The general aggression model (GAM) has suggested that the interaction between person factors (e.g., personality variables) and situation factors (e.g., playing violent video games [VVGs]) can increase individuals' aggressive behaviors through their cognition (e.g., hostile attributions), affect (e.g., negative affect), and/or arousal. The present study employed a modified competitive reaction time task to test the effects of shyness, violent (vs. nonviolent) gameplay, and shyness on individuals' positive-negative affect, hostile attributions, and aggressive behaviors. In addition, the present study also employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the mediation (by cognition and affect) and moderation (by shyness). Results showed that playing a VVG increased aggressive behaviors, negative affect, and hostile attributions primarily among shy participants. In addition, the results of SEM also revealed that this moderating role was mediated by negative affect and hostile attributions. The present study supported GAM and showed that individuals' aggressive behaviors are differentially susceptible to VVGs, depending on their level of shyness in a "for bad and for worse" manner.

Life Satisfaction, Religiosity, Positive-Negative Affect and Academic Performance in Undergraduates

This study investigated the relationships among life satisfaction, religiosity, positive-negative affect and academic performance in 80 undergraduate students. Convenience sampling technique was applied and Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larson, &amp; Griffen, 1985), Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson &amp; Clark, 1998) and Index of Religiosity (Aziz &amp; Rehman, 1996) were administered to collect the data. Preceding semester GPA was asked in order to get the idea about the academic performance of the students. The analyses revealed that religiosity and life satisfaction were significantly related to academic performance. Whereas, negative affect was negatively related to academic performance, life satisfaction and religiosity. The analysis also indicated that positive affect and religiosity are not related with life satisfaction. No significant differences were found between gender on studied variables. It was concluded that religiosity and life satisfaction are predictors of high academic performance in undergraduate students.