Problematic Social Situations Research Articles

Virtual reality roleplays for patients with depression: A user experience evaluation

BackgroundVirtual reality (VR) has been used successfully and effectively in psychotherapy for a variety of disorders. In the field of depression, there are only a few VR interventions and approaches. Although simple social interactions have been successfully modeled in VR for several mental disorders, there has been no transfer to the field of depression therapy. VR may be employed for psychodynamic psychotherapy to work on interpersonal conflict patterns. In this study, we developed and evaluated a VR intervention for the simulation of roleplay situations in the context of supportive-expressive therapy. MethodsWe conducted a clinical user experience (UX) study at a psychotherapeutic clinic in Düsseldorf, Germany. Eight inpatients with depression and four therapists were included. Semi-structured interviews and qualitative content analysis were used to identify UX issues of the developed VR intervention. Usability questionnaires and technical usage data were also considered. The VR intervention consisted of two therapist-controlled roleplay scenarios designed to support work on the core conflictual relationship theme by allowing patients to interact in typical problematic social situations. Recorded VR roleplays allow for therapeutic debriefing with a change of perspective. Therapists were given the option of using the roleplay in multiple sessions. ResultsAll therapists conducted one session per patient with the VR intervention. From the patient interviews, 26 UX issues were extracted, of which one technical malfunction and two unclarities in the interaction with the VR agent were rated as major problems. From the therapist interviews, 14 UX issues were extracted, of which five were rated as major problems related to the interface in the dialog control or the complex system setup. ConclusionThe main problem was designing a dialog structure that allows both complex conversational flows and a clear control interface. In principle, VR roleplays could be integrated well and safely into therapy. The VR intervention shows promise for providing an emotional experience of interpersonal conflict patterns in the context of psychotherapy. Additionally, other roleplay situations involving various social problem areas must be created and evaluated in terms of the fit to the patients' core conflictual relationship themes.

Toward an integrative socio-cognitive approach in autism spectrum disorder: NEAR method adaptation-study protocol.

BackgroundThe cognitive impairments exhibited by people with ASD, threaten the development of social skills that are essential for establishing and maintaining harmonious social relationships. Cognitive remediation and social skills training are now considered as crucial therapeutic approaches in the management of these disorders. Several programs have already been validated and have shown improvements in social skills or cognitive performance. However, the effects of these training methods seem to be difficult to generalize to other everyday life. The aim of our study is to alleviate cognitive and social deficiencies by using a socio-cognitive framework to adapt the Neuropsychological Educational Approach to Remediation (NEAR) method for adolescents with ASD.Methods/designAdolescents meeting the DSM-5 criteria for ASD, older than 13 years, and following a regular school curriculum will be recruited from clinical population at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Razi University Hospital-Manouba- Tunisia. Our study is an open and non-randomized controlled trial including 30 patients: NEAR group / control group. The NEAR method combines computerized cognitive exercises and bridging groups inspired from cognitive behavioral therapy. NEAR group will be divided into three groups of five patients each. The duration of the sessions will vary according to the capacities of the participants and the exchanges between them (about 60–120 min). In our study, bridging groups will be amended by adding other tasks including planning role plays and scenarios of problematic social situations in autism, taking into account cultural particularities in order to promote social skills. Computerized exercises will be enriched by adding other tasks aiming to improve the recognition and expression of facial emotions by using digital videos and photographs expressing the six basic emotions. The duration of the program will be about 6 months. All selected patients will have an assessment of cognitive function: social cognition, neurocognition and pragmatic skills, social skills, self-esteem and global functioning at baseline, 1 week after the end of the NEAR program and 6 months later.ConclusionThis adaptive program is a promising socio-cognitive intervention that create new perspectives for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Equity/Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Other EDI Phrases and EDI Policy Frameworks: A Scoping Review

Equity, equality, diversity, inclusion, belonging, dignity, justice, accessibility, accountability, and decolonization are individual concepts used to engage with problematic social situations of marginalized groups. Phrases that put together these concepts in different ways, such as “equity, diversity and inclusion”, “equality, diversity, and inclusion”, “diversity, equity and inclusion”, “equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility”, “justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion”, and “equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization” are increasingly used, indicating that any one of these concepts is not enough to guide policy decisions. These phrases are also used to engage with problems in the workplace. Universities are one workplace where these phrases are used to improve the research, education, and general workplace climate of marginalized students, non-academic staff, and academic staff. EDI policy frameworks such as Athena SWAN and DIMENSIONS: equity, diversity, and inclusion have been also set up with the same purpose. What EDI data are generated within the academic literature focusing on EDI in the workplace, including the higher education workplace, influence the implementation and direction of EDI policies and practices within the workplace and outside. The aim of this scoping review of academic abstracts employing SCOPUS, the 70 databases of EBSCO-HOST and Web of Sciences, was to generate data that allow for a detailed understanding of the academic inquiry into EDI. The objective of this study was to map out the engagement with EDI in the academic literature by answering seven research questions using quantitative hit count manifest coding: (1) Which EDI policy frameworks and phrases are mentioned? (2) Which workplaces are mentioned? (3) Which academic associations, societies, and journals and which universities, colleges, departments, and academic disciplines are mentioned? (4) Which medical disciplines and health professionals are mentioned? (5) Which terms, phrases, and measures of the “social” are present? (6) Which technologies, science, and technology governance terms and ethics fields are present? (7) Which EDI-linked groups are mentioned and which “ism” terms? Using a qualitative thematic analysis, we aimed to answer the following research question: (8) What are the EDI-related themes present in relation to (a) the COVID-19/pandemic, (b) technologies, (c) work/life, (d) intersectionality, (e) empowerment of whom, (f) “best practices”, (g) evaluation and assessment of EDI programs, (h) well-being, and (i) health equity. We found many gaps in the academic coverage, suggesting many opportunities for academic inquiries and a broadening of the EDI research community.

Poverty, Psychological Distress, and Suicidality Among Gay Men and Transgender Women Sex Workers During the Covid-19 Pandemic in Phuket, Thailand.

Thai gay men and transgender women (GM&TGW) sex workers are more likely to suffer from economic harm since the sex tourism industry in Thailand has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. They also are more likely to experience poverty and mental health issues subsequent to the pandemic as minority groups in conservative Thai society. While their highly problematic social and economic situation would predict a wide range of psychological issues, little is known about their mental health. Hence, this study examined the prevalence and symptom severity of psychological distress among the group as well as the associations between suicidal ideation, poverty, and psychological distress. Two hundred seventy questionnaire responses were collected online via Google forms in Phuket in 2021. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and Smart-PLS. Based on the results, most respondents had experienced mild to extremely severe symptoms of psychological distress. However, transgender women sex workers scored higher on depression and anxiety compared to gay men sex workers. This study confirmed the prominent associations between the study variables and the mediation effect of psychological distress. Poverty resulting from the pandemic imposes a substantial human cost for this vulnerable minority beyond the virus itself as it amplifies mental health problems. The findings further extend our awareness of the discriminatory treatment of Thai GM&TGW sex workers and address a gap in Thai law and policy for prohibiting discrimination against them. It is of urgent necessity for Thai public health and tourism policymakers to establish sound support interventions.

Comparison of children's social problem-solving skills who play videogames and traditional games: A cross-cultural study

Social problem-solving is a skill that needs to be developed starting from an early age in order to cope with the problems encountered in all areas of individual's lives. Studies trying to explain the influence of children's games (including videogames and more traditional games) on social problem-solving skills examining only a single game are arguably limited because most children do not play a single game in their daily lives and prefer to play a variety of different games. Therefore, the present study investigated the extent to which videogames and traditional games are associated with problem-solving skills among children across two different cultures (i.e., Turkish and British). The study comprised 523 schoolchildren (aged 9–11 years). Of these, 255 of them were studying in the UK (53.33% girl) and 268 of them were studying in Turkey (52.24% girl). The results showed that British children played videogames more than Turkish children while Turkish children spent significantly more time playing traditional games than British children. Boys in both samples spent more time playing videogames than girls. Using the Social Problem Situations Inventory for Children (SPSIC), girls' SPSIC scores were higher than boys' scores and children who played videogames for less than 1 h a day had significantly higher SPSIC scores than those who played videogames for 4 h or more per day. In both cultures (Turkish and British), action and role-playing videogames were the most preferred genres by children while simulation and puzzle games were the least preferred genres. In relation to traditional games, British children mostly preferred to play sport games while Turkish children mostly preferred action games. Action-adventure videogames were a negative predictor of SPSIC scores while simulation and puzzle games and the videogame genres whose primarily production purposes were serious and educational were positive predictors of SPSIC scores. Moreover, action, strategy, role-playing and sport traditional game genres were positively predicted SPSIC scores.

Hemophilia carriers: quality of life and management at different life stages.

The carrier testing, genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis have become an integrated part of the comprehensive care for hemophilia, but quality of life and management of carriers frequently remain suboptimal. It is paramount to evaluate the physical and psycho-social impact of them as problematic physical, psychological and social situations are not uncommon. There are to instruct them about their hemorrhagic possible symptoms and condition for offering solutions that meet their needs and help them enjoy a satisfactory quality of life in all life stages.

Accidental and Ambiguous Situations Reveal Specific Social Information Processing Biases and Deficits in Adolescents with Low Intellectual Level and Clinical Levels of Externalizing Behavior

Addressing aggression in youth requires understanding of the range of social problem situations that may lead to biased social information processing (SIP). The present study investigated situation-specificity of SIP and analyzed whether SIP deficits and biases are found in ambiguous as well as clearly accidental situations in adolescents with clinical levels of externalizing behavior or with low intellectual level, congruent with mild intellectual disability. Adolescents (N = 220, Mage = 15.21) completed a SIP test on a mobile app with six videos with ambiguous, hostile, and accidental social problems. Caretakers, teachers, and adolescents themselves reported on youth externalizing behavior problems. In accidental situations specifically, adolescents with low IQ scores more often attributed purposeful intent to perpetrators than peers with borderline or average IQ scores. In accidental situations, adolescents with clinical levels of externalizing behavior generated and selected more aggressive responses than nonclinical adolescents, regardless of their cognitive level. In line with previous literature, the ambiguous situations also brought out SIP differences between IQ groups. These results suggest that not only ambiguous situations should be considered informative for understanding SIP biases, but situations in which adolescents are clearly accidentally disadvantaged bring out SIP biases as well, that may lead to conflicts with others.

Ιδιωτική ζωή και επιτήρηση στο Διαδίκτυο: Η εποχή της μετα-ιδιωτικότητας (Private life and surveillance in the internet: The age of post-privacy)

Abstract in English: The digital world is a field of entertainment and information for users and a mining field of one of the most valuable goods as it has been formed in recent years: personal data. How much of a threat to privacy is the collection and processing of data by third parties? How much can this violation contribute to the formation of problematic social situations? On the occasion of the extensive methods of surveillance and data collection of citizens in the global crisis of COVID-19 this study presents the data of the recent international research on the use of the Internet by the World Internet Project on attitudes and behaviors of individuals regarding online privacy and surveillance. The aim is to trace whether and to what extent the recorded concern about the violation of privacy intersects with an expanding acceptance of its absence. Abstract in Greek: Ο ψηφιακός κόσμος eίναι ένα πeδίο διασκέδασης και πληροφόρησης για τους χρήστeς και πeδίο eξόρυξης eνός eκ των πολυτιμότeρων αγαθών, όπως διαμορφώθηκe τα τeλeυταία χρόνια, των προσωπικών δeδομένων. Πόσο μeγάλη απeιλή για την ιδιωτικότητα eίναι η συλλογή και eπeξeργασία δeδομένων από τρίτα μέρη; Πόσο μπορeί αυτή η παραβίαση να συμβάλeι στη διαμόρφωση προβληματικών κοινωνικών καταστάσeων; Μe αφορμή τις eκτeταμένeς μeθόδους eπιτήρησης και συλλογής δeδομένων των πολιτών στην παγκόσμια κρίση του COVID-19 αυτή η μeλέτη παρουσιάζeι τα στοιχeία της πρόσφατης διeθνούς έρeυνας για τη χρήση του Διαδικτύου από το World Internet Project για τις στάσeις και συμπeριφορές των ατόμων αναφορικά μe τη διαδικτυακή ιδιωτικότητα και την eπιτήρηση. Σκοπός μας eίναι να ιχνηλατήσουμe το αν και κατά πόσο η καταγeγραμμένη ανησυχία για την παραβίαση της ιδιωτικότητας διασταυρώνeται μe μια eκτeινόμeνη αποδοχή της έλλeιψής της.

Social problem solving in adult patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience interpersonal difficulties potentially linked to impaired social cognition. We aimed to investigate social problem solving strategies in adults with ADHD. Nineteen patients with ADHD and 20 healthy controls were assessed with a scenario-based battery gauging the ability to understand other people's mental states, to recognize interpersonal conflicts and to generate and identify optimal (i.e. both socially sensitive and practically effective) solutions to these conflicts. Furthermore, measures of socioemotional and executive functioning were administered. Patients and controls performed on a similar level with respect to theory of mind, the generation of the “best” solution to problematic social situations and the selection of the optimal solution out of alternatives. However, in a fluency task, patients generated fewer optimal solutions, while the number of only socially sensitive, only practically effective or irrelevant solutions was comparable in both groups. The overall ability to freely generate problem solutions was not linked to executive functioning or trait empathy, but better generation abilities were related to lower social interaction anxiety in the patients only. This suggests impaired generation fluency of optimal interpersonal conflict solutions in patients with ADHD which might contribute to higher levels of anxiety in social interactions.

An Experimental Assessment of Third Parties as Potential Guardians: Victim Gender, Conflict, and Individual Perceptions of Social Situations.

The guardianship component of routine activity theory (RAT) remains underexamined. Recent research has emphasized "guardianship-in-action," or the processes by which individuals evaluate potentially problematic situations. Research has also begun to identify conditions conducive to bystander intervention in troublesome situations, but has not been incorporated into the emerging literature on guardianship-in-action. The current study integrates these literatures to understand how individuals perceive problematic social situations by examining how victims' gender influences guardians' perceptions of social situations and willingness to intervene across conflicts. Using an experimental vignette design, and a sample of 370 American adults, respondents were randomly assigned to vignettes involving verbal and physical conflicts between two men or a man and a woman. A series of t tests, chi-square tests, and McNemar's tests assessed mean differences in respondent perceptions. Situations in which victims are female were perceived as being more serious and requiring intervention. Situations involving interpersonal physical violence similarly elicit stronger concerns, and a greater willingness to intervene, from potential guardians. Theory and policy implications are discussed.

Intervene: Modeling Pro-Social Bystander Behavior in College Students through Online Video

ABSTRACTThis study evaluates the impact of a theory- and empirical evidence- based 20-minute video, Intervene, on college students’ intentions to intervene on behalf of others in multiple problematic situations: an alcohol emergency, emotional distress, hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. A randomized controlled trial of undergraduate and graduate students (N = 1,243) was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the video as an intervention for increasing students’ self-reported likelihood to engage in pro-social bystander behavior across these various situations. Results showed that participants who viewed the video online reported higher likelihood at 4 weeks post-viewing to intervene in situations involving hazing, intimate partner violence, racial bias, and sexual harassment than did their control group counterparts. Intervene is the first video-based bystander education intervention shown to be effective, even 4 weeks after viewing, at increasing college students’ self-reported likelihood to intervene in multiple problematic social situations. Providing access to this free online video represents a cost-effective prevention and communication strategy that can be employed by other colleges and universities.

Victim Blaming and Victim-Blaming Shaming

By considering various case studies drawn from contemporary culture, I propose the idea of victim-blaming shaming, which, like victim blaming, involves replicating injustice by focusing attention on the particular situation rather than the general problem. In cases of victim-blaming shaming, a person is criticized for in any way addressing a problem by addressing the victim. Victim-blaming not only involves an inconsistent ethic, but because of this inconsistency promotes that which it opposes. It responds to a social problem by directing attention to an individual within that problematic social situation.

MODELING OF PROBLEMATIC SITUATIONS IN INTERSUBJECTIVE CONTROL THEORY

Objectives. The classical management approach associated with the organisation of management processes in enterprises, regions and states is aimed at improving the efficiency of the operation of the management object, but not at solving problem situations encountered by representatives of the society. By developing a theory of joint search for solutions to problem situations in which social actors find themselves, it is proposed to supplement traditional management techniques with an intersubjective social management approach aimed at improving the quality of life of people. The aim of the research is the further development of intersubjective management theory and its supplementation by formalised means for practical application. Methods. The system approach, methods of analysis and synthesis and mathematical modeling are applied. In order to visualise the stage sequence of finding a way out of a problem situation, a method relying on graphic images is used. Results. The theory of intersubjective management for finding a way out of problematic social situations is developed. Additionally, an algorithm for analysing the problem situation and finding a solution is presented, the “problem situation” is considered in terms of the meaning of the problem situation chain, a formal mathematical model of the problem situation is constructed and the application of the basic provisions of the theory of intersubjective control is described on an example. Conclusion. The proposed scheme for analysing problematic situations complements existing theoretic using an approach that will allow it to be applied in practice.

Problematic Social Situations for Peer-Rejected Students in the First Year of Elementary School.

This study examined the social situations that are problematic for peer-rejected students in the first year of elementary school. For this purpose, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the Taxonomy of Problematic Social Situations for Children (TOPS, Dodge et al., 1985) in 169 rejected pupils, identified from a sample of 1457 first-grade students (ages 5–7) enrolled in 62 classrooms of elementary school. For each rejected student, another student of average sociometric status of the same gender was selected at random from the same classroom (naverage = 169). The model for the rejected students showed a good fit, and was also invariant in the group of average students. Four types of situations were identified in which rejected students have significantly more difficulties than average students. They are, in descending order: (a) respect for authority and rules, (b) being disadvantaged, (c) prosocial and empathic behavior, and (d) response to own success. Rejected boys have more problems in situations of prosociability and empathy than girls. The implications concerning the design of specific programs to prevent and reduce early childhood rejection in the classroom are discussed.

Measuring Inappropriate Responses of Adolescents to Problematic Social Situations in Secure Institutional and Correctional Youth Care

The present study examined the construct, concurrent and divergent validity, and reliability of the "Taxonomy of Problematic Social Situations-Adolescent self-report version" (TOPS-A) in a sample of 128 adolescents placed in Dutch secure juvenile facilities. The instrument measures inappropriate responses of adolescents to problematic social situations at the living group. Confirmatory factor analysis of a four-factor model (inappropriate responses to situations of disadvantage, competition, accepting/giving help, and accepting authority) with a second-order factor (inappropriate responses to problematic social situations) showed an exact fit to the data, indicating construct validity of the TOPS-A. Evidence for concurrent validity was found in associations with aggression and living group climate. Divergent validity could not be reliably assessed. Cronbach's α reliability coefficients were satisfactory. The TOPS-A is a parsimonious instrument that can be used to assess and target inappropriate responses to problematic social situations in (delinquent) adolescents in secure institutional and correctional youth care.

Worry, Beliefs about Worry and Problem Solving in Young Children

Childhood worry is common, and yet little is known about why some children develop pathological worry and others do not. Two theories of adult worry that are particularly relevant to children are Davey's problem-solving model in which perseverative worry occurs as a result of thwarted problem-solving attempts, and Wells' metacognitive model, in which positive and negative beliefs about worry interact to produce pathological worry. The present study aimed to test hypotheses that levels of worry in young children are associated with poor or avoidant solution generation for social problems, and poor problem-solving confidence. It also aimed to explore beliefs about worry in this age group, and to examine their relationships with worry, anxiety and age. Fifty-seven young children (6-10 years) responded to open ended questions about social problem-solving situations and beliefs about worry, and completed measures of worry, anxiety and problem-solving confidence. Children with higher levels of worry and anxiety reported using more avoidant solutions in social problem situations and children's low confidence in problem solving was associated with high levels of worry. Children as young as 6 years old reported both positive and negative beliefs about worry, but neither were associated with age, gender, or level of anxiety or worry. RESULTS indicate similarities between adults and children in the relationships between problem-solving variables and worry, but not in relationships between beliefs about worry and worry. This may be due to developmental factors, or may be the result of measurement issues.

Selfish strategies develop in social problem situations in chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) mother–infant pairs

Humans employ various strategies, including selfish and altruistic strategies, depending on the situation.In order to examine whether non-human animals show such flexibility or not, we analyzed chimpanzees' selfish and cooperative behavior in two types of social problem situations.In this study, we tested chimpanzee mother–infant pairs in two adjacent booths, each equipped with a vending machine. When a token was inserted into a vending machine, the vending machine delivered food rewards to the adjacent booth. In experiment 1, a partition between the two booths was open. In experiment 2, the partition was closed and a mother and her infant were placed in separate booths, so that reciprocal cooperation was essential for them to receive rewards. The participants did not cooperate reciprocally in either experiment. In experiment 1, the chimpanzees developed selfish tactics to get rewards and changed their tactics flexibly according to the partner's behaviors. In experiment 2, in which they could not receive rewards without cooperation, they stopped altogether inserting tokens. In both cases, the infants stopped cooperating first. These findings support the idea that chimpanzees are primarily competitive rather than cooperative. Chimpanzees'high social intelligence might be demonstrated in the flexibility of their selfish tactics, but not in the form of reciprocal cooperation at least when food is involved. We suggest that the failure to establish reciprocal cooperation was due to the social relationship between the mother and her infant, which was characterized by infant's privilege and mother's tolerance.

Individual differences in coping with criticism of one's physical appearance among Taiwanese students

When someone is criticized for some failure or deficiency, he or she is faced with a dilemma about whether or how to respond. To date, most research on responses to criticism has adopted a communication approach and has focused on general social complaints. The present study instead adopted the perspective of stress and coping and aimed to delineate possible responses to criticism pertaining to one's physical appearance. We investigated the efficacy of three coping styles, namely acceptance, avoidance, and retaliation in explaining emotional reactions towards such criticism, and we additionally controlled for personality characteristics, in particular assertion and harmony beliefs. A sample of Taiwanese university students (N = 300) was surveyed for their coping styles and psychological outcomes, and personality traits were examined as possible predictors of response options. We found that (1) acceptance, retaliation, and avoidance were three broad coping styles in this problematic social situation; (2) the individual trait of assertion was negatively related to the use of avoidance, while harmony beliefs were positively related to acceptance and avoidance, but negatively related to retaliation; and (3) the use of acceptance and avoidance were positively related to positive emotions, whereas retaliation was positively related to negative emotions. Males tended to use more acceptance. Implications of these findings were discussed in relation to existing studies of communication, stress and coping. Possible influences of the Chinese collectivist culture on people's responses to criticism were also delineated, such as valuing interpersonal harmony and face-work in social situations.

Thinking about social situations: The moderated effects of imposing structure

Previous research indicates that people with social anxiety disorder tend to experience escalating distress when thinking about past social situations. We investigated whether such distress could be limited by either an intervention or the participant's pre-existing abilities. Participants were 38 undergraduate students who reported problematic levels of social anxiety. Participants who endorsed a poor ability to purposefully engage with thoughts about stressful social situations reported a deterioration of mood after 25 min of unstructured writing about a recent problematic social situation, whereas those who demonstrated low levels of purposeful engagement but received writing prompts (based on cognitive restructuring techniques) did not show a strong deterioration of mood. In contrast, participants who endorsed greater purposeful engagement ability did not show such deterioration. Results suggest that the negative effects of thinking about social situations might be ameliorated, for at least some participants, if they are provided with structure.

Theory and Empirical Research in Analytical Sociology: The Case of Cooperation in Problematic Social Situations

Abstract The integration of theory and empirical research in analytical social science has always been a core topic of Analyse &amp Kritik. This paper focuses on how analytical theory and empirical research have moved closer to each other in sociology, using rational choice theory and game-theoretic models as well as empirical research on problematic social situations (social dilemmas, collective action problems, etc.) as an example. We try to highlight the use of complementary research designs (surveys, vignette studies, lab experiments) for testing the same hypotheses. We also try to show that empirical research indicates the need for the development of more complex theoretical models.