Undergraduate Sample Research Articles

Supplemental Material for Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Relationships Between Mental Health Stigma and Suicidal Ideation: A Comparison of Regression and Structural Equation Modeling in Two Undergraduate Samples

Supplemental Material for Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Relationships Between Mental Health Stigma and Suicidal Ideation: A Comparison of Regression and Structural Equation Modeling in Two Undergraduate Samples

Development and Validation of the Five-Factor Borderline Inventory-Super Short Form and Screener.

The Five-Factor Borderline Inventory (FFBI) and FFBI-Short Form (FFBI-SF) are 120-item and 48-item measures that assess the underlying maladaptive personality traits of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The purpose of this study was to develop a super short form (FFBI-SSF) and an FFBI-Screener to facilitate the use of dimensional trait measures for BPD. Using item response theory analyses, the 48-item measure was reduced to 22 items using a large undergraduate sample (N = 1300) and then retested using a Mechanical Turk sample (N = 602), demonstrating strong replicability. IRT was again used to further reduce the measure from 22 items to four items to provide a brief screening tool. Correlations of the FFBI-SSF and Screener with measures of BPD-related variables were compared across five samples (N = 919, 204, 580, 281, and 488). Overall, the FFBI-SSF showed similar relations to the FFBI-SF at the full scale and domain-level scales, while the FFBI-screener demonstrated similar relations at the full scale level. This super short form and screener may best be used in large-scale research studies or as part of a screening tool in clinical settings.

Scaling a common assessment of associative ability: Development and validation of a multiple-choice compound remote associates task.

The assessment of creativity as an individual difference has historically focused on divergent thinking, which is increasingly viewed as involving the associative processes that are also understood to be a key component of creative potential. Research on associative processes has proliferated in many sub-fields, often using Compound Remote Associates (CRA) tasks with an open response format and relatively small participant samples. In the present work, we introduce a new format that is more amenable to large-scale data collection in survey designs, and present evidence for the reliability and validity of CRA measures in general using multiple large samples. Study 1 uses a large, representative dataset (N = 1,323,480) to demonstrate strong unidimensionality and internal consistency (α = .97; ωt = .87), as well as links to individual differences in temperament, cognitive ability, occupation, and job characteristics. Study 2 uses an undergraduate sample (N = 685) to validate the use of a multiple-choice format relative to the traditional approach. Study 3 uses a crowdsourced sample (N = 357) to demonstrate high test-retest reliability of the items (r =.74). Finally, Study 4 uses a sample that overlaps with Study 1 (N = 1,502,922) to provide item response theory (IRT) parameters for a large set of high-quality CRA items that use a multiple-choice response mode, thus facilitating their use in future research on creativity, insight, and related topics.

The Fear of COVID-19 Scale: Psychometric properties and measurement invariance across 10 months

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to various negative consequences including fear. The Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) has been widely used in diverse cultures, but no study has ever investigated its longitudinal measurement invariance and predictive validity. Therefore, we examined its longitudinal measurement invariance and predictive validity over 10 months. A sample of Chinese undergraduates (N = 682; first wave 842; 682 second wave) completed the FCV-19S as well as measures assessing depression, anxiety, and stress. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted along with measurement invariance testing. The results showed that the bifactor model fitted well, and significantly predicted stress and anxiety, but not depression. The FCV-19S demonstrated partial measurement invariance (i.e. configural and metric invariances) across time. These findings suggest that the Chinese version of FCV-19S is a reliable tool and could be used in evaluating the severity of fear of COVID-19 among Chinese young adults.

Beyond Gender and Race: The Representation of Concealable Identities Among College Science Instructors at Research Institutions.

Concealable stigmatized identities (CSIs) are identities that can be kept hidden and carry negative stereotypes. To understand the potential influence instructors have as role models, we must first explore the identities instructors have and whether they disclose those identities to undergraduates. We surveyed national samples of science instructors (n = 1248) and undergraduates (n = 2428) at research institutions to assess the extent to which instructors hold CSIs, whether they reveal those identities to undergraduates, how the prevalence of CSIs among instructors compares to their prevalence among undergraduates, and the reasons instructors reveal or conceal their CSIs. The most common CSIs instructors reported were having anxiety (35%) and being a first-generation college student (29%). Relatively few instructors revealed CSIs to students. The largest mismatches of CSI prevalence were for struggling academically in college (-30%) and having anxiety (-25%); all mismatches grew when accounting for instructor CSI disclosure, highlighting that students perceive fewer role models of scientists with CSIs than actually exist.

Computer versus live delivery of the Sussex Waterloo Scale of Hypnotizability (SWASH).

There exist reliable and stable trait differences in the ability to control phenomenology in response to imaginative suggestion. Hypnotisability scales measure response to imaginative suggestion within a hypnotic context. Because hypnotisability has recently been shown to predict measures of experiential change in psychological experiments (e.g., the rubber hand illusion), there is a need for easy to use screening tools which are accessible to researchers with little or no background in hypnosis or imaginative suggestion research. The SWASH is a time efficient group hypnotisability scale which can be administered to up to 50 participants simultaneously. Here we present norms from an undergraduate sample for a recorded version delivered by a computer program alongside norms for a live presentation. Reliability, validity and mean scores are similar across the two presentations. Computer delivery of a prerecorded script provides a simple tool to rapidly screen for hypnotisability in large groups for researchers with no prior experience of hypnosis research.

Construct representation and predictive validity of integrated writing tasks: A study on the writing component of the Duolingo English Test

This study examined whether two integrated reading-to-write tasks could broaden the construct representation of the writing component of Duolingo English Test (DET). It also verified whether they could enhance DET’s predictive power of English academic writing in universities. The tasks were (1) writing a summary based on two source texts and (2) writing a reading-to-write essay based on five texts. Both were given to a sample (N = 204) of undergraduates from Hong Kong. Each participant also submitted an academic assignment written for the assessment of a disciplinary course. Three professional raters double-marked all writing samples against detailed analytical rubrics. Raw scores were first processed using Multi-Faceted Rasch Measurement to estimate inter- and intra-rater consistency and generate adjusted (fair) measures. Based on these measures, descriptive analyses, sequential multiple regression, and Structural Equation Modeling were conducted (in that order). The analyses verified the writing tasks’ underlying component constructs and assessed their relative contributions to the overall integrated writing scores. Both tasks were found to contribute to DET’s construct representation and add moderate predictive power to the domain performance. The findings, along with their practical implications, are discussed, especially regarding the complex relations between construct representation and predictive validity.

Interplay between Empathy and Pro-Social Behavior among Undergraduate University Students

This quantitative study examined the interplay between empathy and prosocial behavior among undergraduate university students. A sample of (N=220) undergraduates from 11 public and private universities of Punjab, Pakistan participated through the online survey. These undergraduate students (ages between 18 to 25 years), were chosen from diverse academic disciplines of selected universities. Prosocial behavior was measured using the Prosocial Behavior Scale (Caprara et al., 2005), and Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (Spreng et al., 2009) was utilized to measure empathy. The study employed convenience sampling technique and utilized SPSS (version 25) for data analysis. Results indicated a significant positive correlation (r =.453**) between prosocial behavior and empathy among undergraduate university students, which means that higher empathy will aid escalation in prosocial behavior. Furthermore, significant gender difference (p=.002**) was found in the level of empathy, female students exhibited higher level of empathy as compared to male students. Conversely, no gender difference was found in the level of pro-social behaviors. moreover, students belonging to the urban areas showed significantly greater level (p=.001**) of pro-social behavior as compared to rural student, while the insignificant difference was seen regarding level of empathy among urban and rural students. These findings will contribute to induce the empathy and pro-social behaviors to create a sustainable society.

Influence of Mobility Constraints and Educational Experiences on Future Decent Work Access Among Chinese Emerging Adults

Drawing on the Psychology of Working Theory, the present study investigates whether and how mobility constraints and educational experiences predict access to future decent work among two samples of Chinese undergraduates. The results reveal that educational experiences are directly related to future decent work access, while also indirectly linked to future decent work access via career adaptability and work volition, respectively. In addition, both objective and subjective mobility constraints are not associated with future decent work access, yet they are indirectly linked to future decent work access through career adaptability and work volition, respectively. Moreover, subjective mobility constraints but not objective mobility constraints are indirectly linked to future decent work access through educational experiences. The results provide empirical evidence for the recent expansion of decent education and of the school-to-work transition expansion of the Psychology of Working Theory.

Italian validation of the mentalization scale (MentS)

The research aimed to assess the reliability, factor structure, and validity of the Italian adaptation of the Mentalization Scale (MentS), a 28-item self-report questionnaire that measures mentalization across three dimensions. The psychometric properties of the Italian version were examined in two studies with large samples of adults and adolescents. The first study (Study 1) aimed to evaluate, through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the construct validity of the Italian version of the MentS in adolescents (N = 618) and adults (N = 720). The second study (Study 2) was undertaken to test the convergent validity and temporal stability of the Italian version of the MentS. Specifically, the study assessed the relationship between the MentS and scores on the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8), one of the most widely used instruments to assess mentalization, in a large sample of high-school students (N = 472). Furthermore, the study evaluated the 4-week test-retest reliability of the instrument in a sample of undergraduates (N = 128). The questionnaire exhibited strong internal consistency across both adult and adolescent samples, with Cronbach’s alphas ranging from 0.71 to 0.83. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses consistently identified three correlated underlying factors within both age groups, demonstrating the robust factor structure of the Italian version of the MentS. Furthermore, the tool demonstrated strong convergent validity with the RFQ-8 and acceptable test-retest reliability over a 4-week period. These findings provide compelling evidence supporting the Italian version of the MentS as a reliable and valid self-report measure for comprehensively assessing different facets of mentalization.

The Computer-Mediated Online Round Robin (CMORR): An Online Method for Studying Impressions and Social Interactions

Research on impressions and social interactions has predominately examined perceptions of artificial stimuli or those made by convenience samples of undergraduates. In the present work, we introduce and validate a new experimental method, the Computer-Mediated Online Round Robin (CMORR), with the aim of providing researchers a tool to extend the study of interpersonal phenomena to more diverse populations. We describe the method and provide guidance for future CMORR studies. We collected CMORR data from an undergraduate sample ( N = 171), and compared the structure and accuracy of impressions of Big Five personality trait to two in-person studies; one with group interactions ( N = 225), one with dyadic interactions ( N = 511), and meta-analytic estimates from the literature. The results showed a general correspondence between impressions formed in online interactions and in in-person contexts. The findings support using CMORR to study general questions about impressions and social interactions.

Interpersonal Problem Profiles of Personality and Psychopathology Constructs in Chinese Undergraduates and Offenders.

The interpersonal problem circumplex is extensively used in the field as an assessment framework for understanding the interpersonal implications of a range of personality and psychopathology constructs. The vast majority of this large literature has been conducted in Western convenience and clinical samples. We computed interpersonal problem structural summary parameters for a range of personality and psychopathology variables in two Chinese offender samples (N = 424 and N = 555) and one undergraduate sample (N = 511) to test how well findings from Western samples generalize to Chinese undergraduates and offenders. The results showed that findings in Western samples generalized reasonably well to Chinese young adult and forensic contexts, although the interpersonal profiles of external variables were less specific in Chinese samples. Compared with undergraduates, interpersonal distress has stronger associations with the mental health of offenders. This study further elaborates the interpersonal correlates of individual differences in personality and psychopathology across cultures and assessment contexts, and it also extends the literature examining interpersonal problems in forensic settings.

Knowledge and self-perceived competence about cardiopulmonary resuscitation among youths: a cross-sectional study in a sample of Italian undergraduates.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is fundamental to improve the outcomes of a life-threatening event. The correct knowledge of first aid actions to provide may guarantee the victim's survival. This study was aimed at evaluating the competence about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and its predictors in a sample of Italian undergraduate students. Information on socio-demographic characteristics, first aid training, knowledge of stroke and heart attack symptoms and perceived ability to provide first aid, were collected through a web-based questionnaire. On a total of 744 respondents (mean age 23.9±5.4 years, 62.5% female), 71.4% identified correctly first aid actions, 59.9% and 60.8% showed a good knowledge of stroke and heart attack symptoms, respectively. However, only 39.0% of them declared their ability to intervene in case of emergency. Attending a healthcare degree course and having had first aid training were associated with knowledge of symptoms and perceived ability to provide first aid. Female gender was negatively related with perceived ability to intervene. In spite of the satisfactory level of knowledge, these findings highlight the need to enhance the competence about cardiopulmonary resuscitation in the lay population, especially among females.

A Study of Attitudes Toward Teacher-Student Sexual Misconduct Cases Based on Student Age, Student Gender, and Teacher Gender

ABSTRACT Teacher-student sexual misconduct is a serious instance of child sexual abuse that impacts an estimated 10% of students. We tested whether two effects seen in research about these types of cases replicated across online American adult and undergraduate samples: (1) sympathy toward younger students who experience sexual abuse compared to older students and (2) leniency in cases of female teachers engaging with male students compared to other gender dyads. Participants (N = 525) reviewed a mock teacher-student sexual encounter and then answered questions about their views and case-related outcomes. Student age emerged as the most influential factor across all our variables of interest, where cases with younger students were viewed as more egregious than those involving older students. Incidents involving boys who experienced abuse were perceived as more “normal” than those involving girls. We found some support for the idea that there is leniency toward women teachers, but limited support for a female teacher-male student leniency effect. While these cases were viewed to be more normal and acceptable than other gender dyads, there were no effects on the other dependent variables. Sample type effects were also minimal, as our adult sample viewed the teachers involved to be more responsible and student complainants as more credible versus the undergraduate sample.

Avoidance of Negative Emotional Contrasts as a Diagnostic Feature of OCD: A Receiver-Operator Characteristic Curve Analysis of the Contrast Avoidance Questionnaires

Introduction The Contrast Avoidance Model (CAM) was developed to explain pathological worry in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The CAM posits that those with GAD are sensitive to sharp increases in emotions, and use worry to maintain heightened states of negative arousal to avoid these emotional shifts. Research has widely supported the CAM in the conceptualization of GAD, and has extended these findings to other disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). Despite the utility of the CAM model in informing the etiology of these conditions, research has yet to expand these findings beyond GAD, MDD, and SAD. Specifically, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which co-occurs with GAD, MDD, and SAD in adults at a rate of 15.0%, 40.7%, and 14.7%, respectively, and shares many of their etiological features, has yet to examined in the context of the CAM. Thus, examining CA as a relevant mechanism and therapeutic target for OCD is an unstudied conceptual framework that may offer meaningful clinical utility.ObjectivesThe present study used receiver operator curve (ROC) analyses to examine the predictive utility of the CAQ-W and CAQ-GE in detecting probable OCD in a large undergraduate sample. We hypothesized that the CAQ-W and CAQ-GE would be higher in participants with probable OCD and would offer sufficient sensitivity and specificity in predicting probable OCD.Methods 1259 undergraduates were recruited for a mass University screening. Participants were included in the OCD group (N = 291) if they met diagnostic criteria for OCD (DOCS total score > 20). Participants were included in the nondisordered group (n = 249) if they did not meet diagnostic criteria for any of the screened disorders (SAD, MDD, GAD, OCD, panic disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, OCD, borderline personality disorder), denied suicidality, and denied receiving mental health treatment in the last 12 months. ROC analyses were used to examine the accuracy of the CAQ-W and the CAQ-GE in detecting probable OCD.ResultsResults of ROC analyses are reported in Table 1. AUC values for the CAQ-W and CAQ-GE were significantly different from the null hypothesis (AUC = .50, p < .001), and demonstrated excellent (.89) to outstanding (.91) accuracy in predicting probable OCD (Figure 1), respectively. Optimal sensitivity and specificity to detect probable OCD (Table 2) was achieved at a cut off score of 67.5 for the CAQ-W (Sensitivity = 81.4%; Specificity = 82.3%) and a cutoff score of 43.5 for the CAQ-GE (Sensitivity = 84.9%; Specificity = 85.5%).Image:Image 2:Image 3:ConclusionsResults suggest that OCD can be accurately characterized by CA. Findings also highlight the utility of examining CA as a relevant maintenance factor for OCD symptoms. Future research should examine the impact of CA on OCD symptoms in-laboratory and ecological settings.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

In obsessive-compulsive disorder, autogenous and reactive obsessions are differentiated by disgust and mating strategies

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been conceptualized as the product of dysfunctional harm prevention systems accompanied by heightened negative emotions like disgust. However, models have not fully accounted for functional heterogeneity in OCD, such as the distinction between OCD subtypes (autogenous vs. reactive) and their differing profiles of relationships with other psychological constructs. The current investigation tested hypotheses about different expected associations between OCD subtypes, disgust, and mating strategies. In Study 1 (patients with self-reported diagnoses of OCD; n = 70), reactive obsessions were associated with higher pathogen disgust but had no associations with mating strategy. Autogenous obsessions had no associations with disgust domains but were associated with higher short-term (and lower long-term) mating orientation. In Study 2 (undergraduate sample; n = 458), reactive obsessions, again, were associated with heightened pathogen disgust but again had no association to mating strategy. Autogenous obsessions were associated with lower pathogen, moral, and sexual disgust, and again, higher short-term (and lower long-term) mating orientation. In both studies, we tested sexual disgust as a mediator of the relationship between autogenous obsessions and short-term mating. Significant mediation was found in Study 2, but not Study 1. Results demonstrate that reactive and autogenous forms of OCD are differentiated by disgust and mating strategy and have implications for evolutionary models of OCD.

Examining measurement invariance of appetitive trait and ARFID symptom measures by food security status

ObjectiveMeasures assessing appetitive traits (i.e., individual differences in the desire to consume food) and disordered eating have generally been developed in predominantly food-secure populations. The current study aims to test measurement invariance (MI) for a measure of appetitive traits and a measure of Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) symptomology across food security status. MethodData from a sample of mothers (n = 634) and two undergraduate samples (n = 945 and n = 442) were used to assess MI for the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire (AEBQ), which measures appetitive traits, and the Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS), which measures ARFID symptomology. Current food security was assessed using the 18-item USDA Household Food Security Survey Module, which was dichotomized into two groups: 1) the ‘food insecure’ group included marginal, low, and very low food security and 2) the ‘food secure’ group included high food security. Overall and multi-group confirmatory factor analyses were conducted separately for each measure in each sample. ResultsResults demonstrated scalar (i.e., strong) MI for both measures across samples, indicating that these measures performed equivalently across food-secure and food-insecure individuals. ConclusionFindings suggest that differences in appetitive traits by food security status observed in prior research are not artifacts of measurement differences, but instead reflect true differences. Additionally, past mixed results regarding the relationship between food insecurity (FI) and ARFID symptomology are not likely driven by measurement error when using the NIAS.

Perfectionism, Feelings of Not Mattering, and Suicide Ideation: An Integrated Test of the Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model and the Existential Model of Perfectionism

The Perfectionism Social Disconnection Model (PSDM) and the Existential Model of Perfectionism and Depressive Symptoms (EMPDS) are promising models of perfectionism and psychopathology. However, research examining suicide ideation within the PSDM is scarce, and no research has examined suicide ideation as an outcome in the EMPDS. Moreover, tests of the PSDM and EMPDS have been conducted separately and most research has examined the PSDM and EMPDS using cross-sectional or two-wave longitudinal designs, which do not provide a satisfactory test of mediation. In the current study, we addressed these limitations by testing whether perfectionism confers vulnerability to suicide ideation via feelings of mattering and anti-mattering (from the PSDM) and via difficulty accepting the past (from the EMPDS) in a three-wave longitudinal design in two independent samples of undergraduate students and community adults. Participants completed measures on three occasions over 6 weeks. Findings revealed that socially prescribed perfectionism indirectly predicted suicide ideation via difficulty accepting the past in both samples. In addition, in the undergraduate sample only, socially prescribed perfectionism indirectly predicted higher suicide ideation via anti-mattering, and self-oriented perfectionism indirectly predicted higher suicide ideation via mattering. Based on our findings, we advocate for future research to include suicide ideation in the PSDM and EMPDS, to integrate explanatory models, and to examine a mattering-specific EMPDS.

Cool or hot: How dietary restraint produces both positive and negative eating behaviors

Restrained eating is the tendency to restrict food intake to control weight. Restrained eaters’ behavior is thought to be under cognitive control. The dual process model classifies human cognition into two systems: 1) the reflective system, which is slow, deliberative, and conscious (i.e., the “cool system”), and 2) the automatic system, which is fast and unconscious (i.e., the “hot system”). Previous research has argued food items are more likely to be emotionally arousing for restrained eaters, which triggers the hot system. We hypothesize that restrained eaters make less caloric food decisions when their cool system is engaged. An undergraduate sample of 241 students reported their level of restraint, mindful eating, and food cravings. The hot system path is represented by a food decision that must be made quickly and offers an immediate reward, since exerting time pressure induces hot system processing. The cool system path is represented by a computerized menu selection task, in which the individual has unlimited time to consider the food decision. Results show restrained eating reduces caloric intake intentions via the process of mindful eating through the cool system. However, restrained eating increases caloric snack selection via the process of food cravings through the hot system. Restrained eaters should limit their exposure to food decision-making situations in which their hot system may be triggered. Our findings suggest nudging may be useful for restrained eaters, in that it encourages cool system processing.

Identifying cannabis risk profiles from expectancies and use behaviors: a person-centered approach

Background Cannabis use is prevalent among college students and is associated with negative consequences and cannabis use disorder. Cannabis expectancies (i.e. anticipated effects from using) are integral to cannabis use models and are related to cannabis use outcomes and cannabis motives (i.e. specific reasons for use). However, research has traditionally examined expectancy relations using variable-centered approaches that emphasize higher-order expectancies, despite evidence that expectancies are heterogeneous and comprised of lower-order domains. The current study employed a person-centered approach to identify subgroups of undergraduates who use cannabis from lower-order expectancies and cannabis use behaviors, and subgroup differences across negative consequences, cannabis use disorder risk, and motives were examined. Method A multisite sample of undergraduates (N = 1148) completed questionnaires regarding cannabis use, expectancies, motives, negative consequences, and cannabis use disorder risk. Results Latent profile analysis suggested that a six-profile solution best fit the data: profile 1 (low use/very weak expectancies, 9.0%); profile 2 (low use/moderate expectancies, 27.3%); profile 3 (low-moderate use/weak positive expectancies, 17.2%); profile 4 (low-moderate use/strong positive expectancies, 20.6%); profile 5 (moderate use/very strong expectancies, 6.5%); profile 6 (very high use/moderate expectancies, 19.3%). Profiles differed on all outcomes, and those with the strongest expectancies and highest use (profiles 5 and 6) endorsed more negative consequences, risk for cannabis use disorder, and higher levels of motives. Discussion Findings align with motivational models of cannabis use and suggest that expectancies may be a relevant cannabis use risk marker. Intervention efforts may be enhanced by screening for expectancies, as well as by attempting to modify these expectancies.