Social Maladjustment Research Articles

Quality of life of patients with total loss of teeth and psychometric properties of the OHIP-20 DG enquireR. Part 2. Monitoring stages of dental orthopedic treatment

BACKGROUND: The most affordable and economical types of prosthetics are modern designs of completely removable plate prostheses. However, in most cases, they do not meet the patients expectation. OHIP-20-DG, which is a specific quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire, is a valid tool that allows diagnosis of patients response to treatment, assessment of the effectiveness of prosthetics, and better understanding of patients complaints and dissatisfaction.
 AIM: To create a sensitive specific questionnaire of dental QOL indicators for patients with total loss of teeth based on the well-known valid questionnaire Dental health impact profile OHIP-49 and to examine patients quality of life before and after prosthetic application.
 MATERIAL AND METHODS: The QOL of 50 patients with total loss of teeth (17 women and 33 men, aged 4287 years), who received removable dentures with an acrylic polymer base and set teeth, was examined. QOL monitoring was performed using the proposed specific questionnaire OHIP-20 DG.
 RESULTS: The integral QOL index increased to 47.42% after prosthetic application and to 78.43% following adaptation to the prosthesis after 6 months. Age and gender differences in the QOL level of patients were determined. According to the domains physical discomfort, psychological discomfort, and social maladjustment, men and women assessed their satisfaction with their physical, psychological, emotional, and social functioning differently. Gender differences in patients aged 55 years in the psychological discomfort and social maladjustment domains were significant (p=0.065) when compared with those of patients aged 55 years (p=0.115).
 CONCLUSION: Results of monitoring the QOL of patients with total loss of teeth before, during the stages, and after application of prosthetics with fully removable dentures, obtained using the OHIP-20 DG questionnaire, allow us to reliably assess the effectiveness of prosthetics.

Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms, Physical Illness, and Social Adjustment Among Disaster Victims.

Posttraumatic stress disorder is one of the most studied outcomes after a disaster. Posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are maladaptive and disabling and can severely impair affected individuals' psychosocial functioning and quality of life. Consequently, the objective of this research is to investigate the prevalence of PTSS and physical illness among disaster victims. We analyzed disaster victims' survey data in South Korea 1 year after a natural disaster (n = 1659). Then, we performed multivariable comparisons of social and work adjustments between individuals with PTSS and individuals with physical illness to examine the association between PTSS and functional impairment. Individuals with PTSS had a significant association with work and social maladjustments whether or not they had a physical illness; PTSS (+) physical illness (-) group (OR: 1.18, CI: 1.12-1.26, P < 0.001) and PTSS (+) physical illness (+) group (OR: 1.16, CI: 1.08-1.23, P < 0.001). Interestingly, this association was not significant in the group that exclusively presented physical illness. Our results suggest that PTSS might be a critical factor in social maladjustment during the post-disaster period. Subsequently, an assessment of disaster victims' PTSS would help ensure effective medical and governmental approaches to assist disaster victims.

SMARTPHONE ADDICTION AND CYBERBULLYING VICTIMIZATION: PREVALENCE OF SOCIAL ANXIETY AMONG FEMALE UNDERGRADUATES

Smartphone pervasiveness is a global issue among teenagers, and the continual presence of smartphones has a negative impact on their well-being. With the extensive, daily use of the Internet and smartphones, young people are at increased risk to be exposed to some form of cyberbullying (Ljepava, &amp; Tomic, 2019). Cyberbullying is a public health issue that affects mostly women and causes them grief and anxiety. Cyber-victimization has the ability to inflict serious harm as well as increased social anxiety. Cyberbullying is a common social maladjustment that has negative repercussions on the wellbeing and development of adolescents, but numerous questions remain as to the relationship between cyberbullying and social anxiety in adolescence (Martínez-Monteagudo et al, 2020). The primary purpose of the present study is to explore the relationship between social anxiety and cyberbullying victimization among female undergraduates and to establish if smartphone addiction moderates the above relationship. Ex-post facto research design and purposive sampling technique were adopted in the present study. Data was collected from samples (69 female undergraduate students) through self-reported questionnaires covering smartphone addiction, cyber bullying victimization, and social anxiety as variables. Moderator analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0. The results revealed higher the social anxiety, the higher the cyberbullying victimization, and the higher the smartphone addiction, the higher the cyberbullying victimization. Understanding the relationship between social anxiety and cyberbullying victimization and the impact of smartphone addiction could help the researchers to develop effective coping strategies, to prevent or combat the progression of social anxiety

Acculturation stress and social support for international students' adjustment in Malaysia: does language proficiency matter?

PurposeInternational students with low proficiency in the English language remain at high risk of academic, social and psychological maladjustment. Using an acculturation theoretical framework, this study aims to show that acculturation stress and social support mediate the relationship between language proficiency and academic, social, and psychological adjustment among 675 international postgraduate students in Malaysian public universities.Design/methodology/approachCorrelational research design was employed to gather data from 227 females and 448 males aged between 22–45 years belonging to Asian, Middle Eastern or African countries. Out of these, 292 students were enrolled in master's degrees, and 383 students were enrolled in Ph.D. Self-administered questionnaires were used which includes Student Adjustment to the College Questionnaire (SACQ) to measure students' academic adjustment, Kwak to assess students' English language proficiency, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) to assess perceived availability of social support from friends and Acculturative Stress Scale for International Students (ASSIS) to measure acculturation stress.FindingsThe hypothesized model was tested using path analysis with manifest variables in Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) 23.0. The findings suggest that language proficiency is a significant predictor of academic, social and psychological adjustment of international students, and this relationship is partially mediated by acculturation stress and social support.Research limitations/implicationsThe article concludes with implications and recommendations for international student offices and program organizers to ensure conditions for successful academic, social and psychological adjustment of the international students.Originality/valueThe manuscript has not been published or submitted elsewhere.

Investigation of the Relationship Between Emotional Well-being and Coping Behavior in Adolescence

The subject of the study is an empirical analysis of the relationship between the level of emotional well-being and coping behavior of adolescents In the course of the study, a technique for diagnosing stress-coping behavior was used (D. Amirkhan). In order to assess socio-psychological distress and destructive behavior, an express assessment map was developed, including a study of socio-environmental (social distress, social maladjustment, sustained social isolation) and psychological markers (accentuated features of age-related personality development, destructive communication/aggression, psychological maladjustment, autoaggression). Thanks to the correlation analysis carried out according to the r-Spearman criterion, it was possible to establish the essential interrelations of socio-environmental markers of emotional distress of adolescents with coping strategies. As a result of the conducted research, it was found that the reaction of adolescents to socio-environmental distress is associated with the ability to overcome difficult life periods. With the ability of a teenager to independently resolve existing difficulties or turn to social support, it is easier for a teenager to endure external disharmony, which allows him to maintain emotional stability. In conditions when a teenager does not have constructive ways of coping and is not ready to tell others about his experiences, social distress is aggravated by emotional disharmony, which leads to the development of stable social isolation and autoaggression. Also in our article, ways of working with adolescents with different levels of emotional distress were proposed.

Interparental Conflict Appraisals and Adolescents’ Maladaptation in Siblings: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model

The aim of this study was to evaluate dyadic effects among siblings by testing an actor–partner interdependence model of associations between interparental conflict perceptions and children maladjustment. In particular, associations between siblings’ perceptions of interparental conflict properties, threat, and self-blame, and general, personal, school, and social maladjustment and adolescents’ family and sibling dissatisfaction were examined. The hypotheses of the study were analyzed through an Actor-Partner Interdependent Model. The sample was made up of 50 pairs of siblings recruited in Spain; older siblings’ mean age was 13.3 years (SD = 2.51) and younger siblings’ mean age was 10.4 years (SD = 2.33). The results emphasize the association between children’s and adolescents’ perception of interparental conflict and their own maladjustment (actor effect). However, the main novel contribution of this study is the analysis of partner effects for siblings in interparental conflict situations and the results highlight that they are greater for older siblings compared to younger siblings. Also, the results confirm the interdependency of siblings’ perceptions of interparental conflict properties, but also the independency of threat and self-blame feelings experienced by each sibling. Results and limitations of the study are discussed.

Anxiety and Depression from Cybervictimization in Adolescents: A Metaanalysis and Meta-regression Study

Background/Objective: Cyberbullying is one of the social problems of most concern in educational spheres, especially in adolescence, where victimization experiences have been associated with episodes of anxiety and depression. The aim of this work was to analyze the relationship between cybervictimization, anxiety and depression in adolescence in a meta-analysis and identify the moderating variables that could help to explain the various correlations.Method: A search for cross-sectional studies was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus, and PsycINFO databases. Of the 156 studies identified, finally 13 met inclusion criteria, with a total of 7,348 participants.Results: The results show statistically significant correlations between cybervictimization and anxiety (r = .31) and cybervictimization and depression (r = .28), with moderate-to-large effect sizes. The meta-regression analysis showed that the percentage of women and continent are moderating variables in the relationship between cybervictimization with depression and anxiety.Conclusions: In conclusion, misuse of the new information and communication technologies can lead to psychological and social maladjustment of individuals, with negative repercussions on their development.

Relation of Anger Rumination and Self-Criticism with Social Maladjustment with the Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility in Adolescent Boys and Girls

Background: Anger rumination affects adolescents’ mental health and seriously damages their functions in interpersonal and communication situations and their social adjustment function in various family, academic and occupational situations. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the relation of anger rumination and self-criticism with social maladjustment with the mediating role of psychological flexibility in adolescent boys and girls in Ahvaz (Iran). Materials &amp; Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The statistical population was all secondary school students of Ahvaz in the 2020-21 academic year. The 848 participants (443 girls and 405 boys) aged between 16 and 18 years old, were selected using multistage cluster sampling. The research instruments included the Anger Rumination Scale, Levels of Self-Criticism Scale, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II, and Social Development Scale. Multigroup SEM was used to compare the proposed model between the girls and the boys. Results: There was a significant direct relationship between anger rumination, self-criticism, psychological flexibility, and social maladjustment (P&lt;0.001). The findings suggested that psychological flexibility played a mediating role in the relationships of anger rumination and self-criticism with social maladjustment (P&lt;0.01). In addition, there was a significant direct relationship between anger rumination and self-criticism to social maladjustment in boys, while this relationship was not significant in girls. Conclusion: The results suggested the desirable goodness of fit of the final model. Therefore, it is suggested to consider the roles of anger rumination, self-criticism, and psychological flexibility in predicting social maladjustment in students while regarding their gender differences in developing and implementing educational programs

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Background and objectivesAggression is a most common symptom shared by various mental disorders but is often neglected when not associated with overt signs and symptoms of psychiatric illnesses. When in excess aggression can prove destructive and results in social maladjustment. Aggression is considered to be a normal reaction of humans and can be provoked by any type of stressful situation like COVID-19. During COVID-19 Pandemic, and lockdown implemented to curtail the spread of infection, people were restricted to their houses. Prolonged stay at home, financial problems, closure of schools and recreational parks increased frustration in all. The present study was aimed to investigate the levels of aggression and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) of healthy adults during times of Pandemic.Material and methodsTo examine the hypothesis, an online survey was conducted during the lockdown period of the COVID-19 Pandemic April to August 2020. A Google form of 65 questions (9 questions asking about socio-demographic variables, 29 questions enquiring about aggression and 27 questions about quality of life) was created with a starting question asking for consent to participate in the survey. The hypothesis of the study was mentioned at the top of the survey page. The inclusion criteria for the participants were age between 18 to 55 years with minimum qualification of high school so that they can easily understand the questionnaire without any history of psychiatric illness or use of psychotropic medication for the same at the time of survey or in past. The Google form was shared on social media to reach the maximum number of participants. After fulfilling the inclusion criteria, the participants filled the questions about sociodemographic variables, the Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire and the WHO-BREF Quality of life questionnaire.Statistical AnalysisThe data were entered in SPSS.21 a software package of a comprehensive system for analysing data. The descriptive statistics, average mean score and standard deviation of different variables have been calculated followed by the t-test and ANOVA to check the significance. The multiple regression analysis was performed to find the correlation across subscales of aggression and quality of life.ResultsA total of 192 healthy adults voluntarily participated in the online survey. The average age of the participants was 32.03±6.09 years. Out of 192, 60.41% (n=116) were males and 39.58% (n=76) were females, 51.56% (n=99) were married and 48.43% (n=93) were unmarried. The majority 85.41% (n=164) of the participants were graduates and postgraduates. The total aggression score was found more in males than females with a mean of 77.78±20.35, 71.0±20.26. The males also scored higher in physical and verbal aggression. Physical aggression was found more in the married group with a Mean±SD of 20.68±8.4. The participants from urban backgrounds scored higher in Anger (20.68±8.4), verbal (15.55±4.7) and total aggression (77.98±20.35) than rural group (18.30±7.1, 13.55±3.8, 71.00±20.26, respectively) and the difference was statistically significant (S=.036, .003, .021, respectively). The psychological quality of life was found less in joint families with a Mean±SD of 19.10±2.9 than nuclear families (20.38±3.0) and the difference was statistically significant (S=.004). the social quality of life was found less in the unmarried group with a Mean±SD of 10.10±1.9. From this study, a positive and significant correlation between subscales of aggression and subscales of quality of life was found. The results also showed a negative and significant correlation between the aggression scale and the quality of life scale.ConclusionAccording to this study, the physical and verbal aggression levels were found to be more prevalent than hostility and anger. It was revealed that as the level of aggression increases, all the subscales of quality of life were negatively affected. More impact was found on psychological and social quality of life which indicates COVID-19 had a direct impact on psychosocial wellbeing of people.

Antipsychotic selection strategies: the need for a holistic approach

To describe the connections between strategies for antipsychotic prescribing and clinical, socio-psychological factors of treatment adherence in patients with psychotic disorders. The study included 83 inpatients with schizophrenic spectrum disorders (F2x) - 67%, affective disorders (F3x) - 15%, neurotic and personality (F4x + F6x) - 9%, organic diseases of the central nervous system (F0x) - 9%. We used a visual analog scale for patients' subjective severity of their condition, locus control test, Internalized stigma of mental disorder scale (ISMI), Treatment motivation assessment questionnaire (TMAQ), and Medication Compliance Scale (MCS), which also includes BPRS, SANS, GAF scales. Dispersion analysis (p≤0.05), effect sizes calculation (Cohen's d/Cramer's V) were performed (ES). The options for prescribed antipsychotics did not depend on positive and negative symptoms, social maladjustment, suicidality, disease recurrence. The outpatient use of more than one antipsychotic was associated with socio-demographic differences in patients, high internality in life failures (ES=0.98), self-stigmatization (ES=0.94) due to the psychiatric stereotypes endorsement (ES=1.03), and social self-isolation (ES=1.08). Prescription of atypical antipsychotics during hospitalization was associated with subjectively less severe condition in patients (ES=0.7), their position of active cooperation with a doctor (ES=1.08), high internality of achievements (ES=0.99), lower psychiatric stereotypes endorsement (ES=1.19), social self-isolation (ES=1.58). Depot antipsychotic was predominantly an option for patients with secondary education (ES=0.34). Types and forms of antipsychotic treatment were associated not with clinical but with social and psychological patients' characteristics. The prescription of atypical antipsychotics, including depot forms, is specifically associated with not only treatment adherence, but with a favorable profile of patients' motivation for treatment.

Questions of primary diagnosis of schizophrenia in middle-aged and older patients

An analysis of clinical and social characteristics of patients aged 40 years and older with primary diagnosis of schizophrenia (F 20-21) in a psychiatric hospital. We studied 114 medical records of patients aged 40 and over who were admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a two-year period (2018-2019) with a first-time diagnosis of schizophrenia (F 20-21) based on the results of inpatient examination and treatment. The analysis shows that 90% of patients were aged 40-59 years, 59.6% of them were women. In every third patient (33.3%), clinical signs of psychosis were observed for five or more years before hospitalization and diagnosis, and in 14.9% for more than 10 years, the average duration of psychosis before diagnosis was 5.1 years. Markers of psychosis were non-specific factors of family adaptation, working capacity, and substance use, which revealed relationships with gender characteristics and age of diagnosis of psychosis. Better adaptation parameters correlated with the female sex and later diagnosis of schizophrenia, lower indicators were more typical for the male sex and earlier diagnosis. Signs of increasing social maladjustment should be alarming to the patient's relatives, as well as social and medical services. In addition, the timely diagnosis of psychosis requires psychoeducation of the population, training of social workers and primary health care professionals.

Therapeutic education for patients with schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a chronic and complex mental illness with a multifactorial aetiology, resulting from the interaction between neurobiological and environmental factors. Affecting approximately 1% ofthe world's population, it generally appears slowly and progressively in subjects aged 15 to 25 years. The polymorphic symptomatology is a source of disability and often ofsocial maladjustment, which implies the implementation, if possible at an early stage, ofmulti-axis support in order to meet the specific needs of these patients and their families. Therapeutic patient education is one of the targeted interventions that have proven to be effective in improving the quality of life and functional prognosis ofthe subjects with schizophrenic disorders.

Feeling Socially Anxious at University: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

For those with feelings of social anxiety, university can present unique challenges. Socially anxious students can face functional impairments such as interpersonal and academic deficits, as well as social maladjustment due to a shift in their social networks. Despite this, there is surprisingly little research exploring their experiences at university using qualitative designs. The present study set out to explore how a small sample of undergraduate students experienced feeling socially anxious at university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight psychology undergraduates and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore their experiences and interpret deeper meaning. Five main themes emerged, two of which are presented in the present study: “persistent self-consciousness” and “avoiding reality.” Findings are discussed in relation to Clark and Wells’ (1995) cognitive model of social anxiety as well as existing literature. Areas requiring further exploration are discussed, as well as how universities may support socially anxious students.

Humor and Expression of Anger in Socially Maladapted Youth

Appropriate regulation of emotions is important for maintaining physical and psychological health and well-being, as well as social adaptation and development. In the prevention of social maladjustment, it is particularly important to support factors that contribute to the proper control of emotions, especially anger. One such factor is humor, which helps to relieve emotional tension and express anger in a safe way. This research aims to identify the types of anger expression occurring in adolescents who are socially maladapted and determine whether there are significant differences in the use of humor between (sub)groups of minors due to their type of anger expression. The study was carried out in twenty-four juvenile correctional institutions in Poland and included a sample of 705 minors (29% females and 71% males, aged between 12 and 21 years old, with an average age of 17). Two research tools were used: the Anger Expression Scale (AES) and the Humor Style Questionnaire (HSQ). K-means cluster analysis led to the separation of three types of anger expression in the group of socially maladjusted youth: Anger-out, Low-Anger, and Anger-control. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) analysis revealed the statistically significant differences between the groups of minors (clusters) in their use of three styles of humor: affiliative, self-enhancing, and aggressive. These findings can be used in the design of modern interventions in the field of prevention and promotion of mental and social health.

Features of the Perception of a Life Perspective in a Difficult Life Situation (On the Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic)

The article presents the results of an empirical study of the relationship between life time perspective and the peculiarities of cognitive assessment and emotional perception of the COVID-19 pandemic as a difficult life situation. The paper presents a theoretical review of current domestic and foreign studies of theories of life and time perspective within the psychological time of the individual. The life perspective is considered as a complex of conditions and circumstances that provide a person with the opportunity to develop on his life path. The time perspective is seen as a motivational aspect of life. In the work, to collect data, the survey method (questionnaire) was used, as well as Method for the diagnosis of cognitive assessment of difficult life situations by E.V. Bityutskaya; Questionnaire of Zimbardo's time perspective. The data were processed by methods of mathematical statistics (contingency tables, frequency, correlation analysis). The results of the psychological research showed that respondents with a pronounced perspective of orientation towards a positive past most often experience difficulties in making decisions in the present. Moreover, if a person is focused on the present, then most often it is accompanied by negative emotional states - apathy, despair, grief, anxiety. It was also found that respondents with a pronounced future orientation perspective do not experience strong negative emotions. Nevertheless, for the overwhelming majority of respondents, the future seems distant and vague, due to which they are unable to make plans and view their lives in the future. Many people are afraid to make plans in a pandemic situation, avoid responsibility, make impulsive decisions, seek pleasure, which increases the risks of social maladjustment.

Social Pedagogy as a Source of Social Prophylactics and Social Rehabilation Theory and Practice

The article presents an analysis and interpretation of the sources and other materials gathered in search of answers to the questions about social pedagogy as the source of contemporary social rehabilitation thinking and practice. Social pedagogy and social rehabilitation pedagogy share some of their history, both rooted in the thinking and writings of the first Polish pedagogues (19th/20th century), and also in the institutional measures designed to serve people and social groups, especially children threatened by poverty, marginalization and social maladjustment. The article discusses the developmental stages of Polish social pedagogy, with the turning point being 1945, as well as their implications for the evolution of social rehabilitation ideas and practice, from their origin at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries to the present day.

Kumulacja niekorzystnych czynników biopsychicznych i socjokulturowych w przebiegu procesu demoralizacji nieletniego z niepełnosprawnością sensoryczną słuchu

The reality is full of new phenomena, and the existing ones are transformed. An example is the phenomenon of social maladjustment. There is an increase in the number of criminal acts and acts proving demoralization committed by children and adolescents. The situation forces us to take radical measures, preceded by an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms and causes of the problem. The analysis shows the diversification of the demoralization phenomenon and, most often, the accumulation of risk factors for the emergence of the problem of social maladjustment, with the scarcity of the so-called protective factors. People with disabilities are in a particularly disadvantaged situation, often with a low degree of adaptation, exposed to unfavorable social situations. The greater the danger, the less favorable the environmental conditions - family and lack of support.

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Anger and Attention Problems as Mechanisms Linking Maltreatment Subtypes and Witnessed Violence to Social Functioning Among Children in Out-of-Home Care.

Research has consistently shown that child maltreatment and witnessed violence lead to disrupted patterns of social functioning, yet the mechanisms underlying these pathways remain unclear. This cross-sectional study evaluated whether anger and/or attention problems mediated the links from abuse, neglect, and witnessed violence to peer problems and aggressive behavior. Participants included a diverse sample of 470 children (ages 8-11; 52.1% boys) living in out-of-home care. Subtype and severity of maltreatment exposure were coded using Child Protection Services' intake reports and court records. Witnessed violence and anger were assessed using child-reports, and caregivers provided ratings of attention problems and social functioning. Indirect effects were tested using a series of structural equation path analysis models. Results indicated that anger fully mediated the links from witnessed violence to both peer problems and aggressive behavior. Further, attention problems fully mediated the links from physical abuse and physical neglect to both peer problems and aggressive behavior. These findings highlight the need for interventions to target anger regulation and attentional control among children in out-of-home care in order to mitigate their risk for social maladjustment.

Higher-order dimensions of psychopathology in a neurodevelopmental transdiagnostic sample.

Hierarchical dimensional models of psychopathology derived for adult and child community populations offer more informative and efficient methods for assessing and treating symptoms of mental ill health than traditional diagnostic approaches. It is not yet clear how many dimensions should be included in models for youth with neurodevelopmental conditions. The aim of this study was to delineate the hierarchical dimensional structure of psychopathology in a transdiagnostic sample of children and adolescents with learning-related problems, and to test the concurrent predictive value of the model for clinically, socially, and educationally relevant outcomes. A sample of N = 403 participants from the Centre for Attention Learning and Memory (CALM) cohort were included. Hierarchical factor analysis delineated dimensions of psychopathology from ratings on the Conner’s Parent Rating Short Form, the Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. A hierarchical structure with a general p factor at the apex, broad internalizing and broad externalizing spectra below, and three more specific factors (specific internalizing, social maladjustment, and neurodevelopmental) emerged. The p factor predicted all concurrently measured social, clinical, and educational outcomes, but the other dimensions provided incremental predictive value. The neurodevelopmental dimension, which captured symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, and executive function and emerged from the higher-order externalizing factor, was the strongest predictor of learning. This suggests that in struggling learners, cognitive and affective behaviors may interact to influence learning outcomes.