Psychology Hub

How And Why? Effects Of Covid -19 And Lockdown On University Students' Language: An Italian Study

Giulia Di Fini — 2024-12-16

In 2020, Italy became the first country in Europe to impose a nationwide lockdown with restrictive measures that particularly affected northern regions. As part of a larger Italian study, 20 students from the University of Turin were asked to describe their experiences of the lockdown and pandemic emergency using a photovoice task. We analyzed the texts using LIWC and investigated the differences in the use of linguistic categories between March 2020 and March 2021. Differences between pandemic phases were found primarily between the first months of the lockdown and one year later. Over time, participants expressed themselves cognitively rather than emotionally. In contrast to other studies, at the emotional level, words related to sadness decreased, while those related to anxiety increased. Our interpretation of the results suggests the peculiarity of the course of the pandemic in Italy, as well as the continued expansion of measures to contain the virus.

Children’s recreational activities during lockdown, use of digital devices and psychological difficulties. Individual and contextual factors.

Chiara Mascaro — 2024-12-16

The present study aims to investigate how children spent their free time during the lockdown, analysing the relationship between the time spent on activities involving the use of Digital Devices (DD) and those that do not, taking into account individual factors (gender and age of the child) and contextual factors (parent's educational qualification); it also investigates the relationship between the increase in psychological difficulties during the lockdown and the way children spent their free time. 3602 parents of Italian girls and boys (52% male) aged between 3 and 10 years responded to the questionnaire (M=6.46; SD=2.23).

Does self-esteem mediate the relationship between stress and exercise addiction?

Paolo Soraci — 2024-12-16

Background: The risk of exercise addiction is generally associated with high levels of stress and low self-esteem. Previous studies have revealed a significant association between stress, risk of exercise addiction, and self-esteem. However, the mediating effect of the latter was not examined. Aims: Based on the Interactional Model of Exercise Addiction, we hypothesized that stress might influence the risk of exercise addiction through the mediating role of self-esteem. Method: This cross-sectional study used a convenience sample of 200 Italian exercisers aged 18 to 69 (M = 35; SD = 4.05; 62% females). Participants completed demographic and exercise habits-related questions, the revised Exercise Addiction Inventory, Stress subscale of DASS-21, and the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale in an online survey. Results: A positive association was found between stress and the risk of exercise addiction. However, a negative association emerged between stress and self-esteem. Furthermore, self-esteem was also related negatively to the risk of exercise addiction. Notably, self-esteem partially mediated the association between stress and the risk of exercise addiction. Conclusions: Self-esteem plays a role in the stress and exercise addiction relationship. Overall, the results contribute to a better understanding of the complex set of mechanisms that underlie the effects of stress on exercise addiction.

Worker bees and their queens: The dynamics of ostracism and trait mindfulness

Cleoputri Yusainy — 2024-12-16

”Queen bee” behavior is often conjectured as legitimization of intragender inequality that may or may not include ostracism. This study examines whether the psychological effect of exposure to a female superior with queen bee behavior could be moderated by the female subordinate (“worker bee”) being more mindful, and whether the moderation would occur when the superior later displays workplace ostracism. We used a randomized controlled experiment (queen bee X ostracism scenarios) and tested the result consistency on participants of female undergraduates from Australia (Study 1; N = 140) and Indonesia (Study 2; N = 222). A superior displaying queen bee behavior was considered more sexist and triggered more negative affect, especially by Australian females low in trait mindfulness. The moderation of trait mindfulness diminished once the superior ostracized, albeit lower trait mindfulness still predicted higher negative affect.

Psychometric properties of the 28-item General Health Scale (GHQ-28). Analysis from the Classical Test and Item Response Theories in Ecuadorian university students

Rodrigo Moreta-Herrera — 2024-12-16

Background: Monitoring mental health in the university population is essential to be able to meet the demands and needs of this segment. For this, it is essential to have properly calibrated instruments to adequately describe reality and generate adequate decision making. That is why the objective of the study is to confirm factorial invariance by sex, internal consistency according to Classical Test Theory (CTT), and discrimination and difficulty according to Item Response Theory (IRT) for the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ- 28) in university students in Ecuador. Participants and procedure: A descriptive and instrumental design of the GHQ-28 from a bi-factor model was used with 476 participants, of whom 61.5% were women and 38.5% men, aged 17 to 47 years (M= 21.2; SD= 3.7), from 34 higher education centers in Ecuador. Results: The factorial validity of the GHQ-28 was confirmed based on a bi-factor model. In addition, it showed measurement invariance across sex of the participants. The factors and global assesment show high internal consistency according to the CTT. The items of the scale present adequate discrimination and difficulty based on IRT. Conclusion: The GHQ-28 is a valid test that can be applied to a university population in Ecuador. The scale is essentially unidimensional in its evaluation of psychological distress.

No evidence for the association of the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTTLPR polymorphism with anorexia nervosa: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Arturo Bevilacqua — 2024-12-16

The link between anorexia nervosa and the rs25531 polymorphism of the serotonin transporter 5-HTT gene, characterized by short and long alleles, has been explored in many candidate gene studies.

Meta-analyses of early studies indicated an association, suggesting that the short allele was a risk factor for the disorder. However, recent meta-analyses incorporating additional studies have revealed inconsistencies in these findings.

To provide updated insights into this matter, we conducted a new systematic literature review of articles published between 1997 and 2024 investigating the association between anorexia nervosa and the rs25531 5-HTT polymorphism. Following PRISMA guidelines, we selected, evaluated and meta-analyzed fifteen studies.

When all studies were aggregated, with 2,021 patients and 2,232 controls, an association was observed (short-short vs. short-long + long-long genotype, Fixed Effect, Odds Ratio = 1.29, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.11 – 1.51; p = 0.001), and (short allele vs. long allele, Fixed Effect, Odds Ratio = 1.15, 95% Confidence Interval = 1.05 – 1.26, p = 0.003). However, further analyses revealed that this finding was primarily due to one study conducted in Italy and two studies conducted in East Asia, whereas all other studies indicated no association. Geographic subgroup analysis performed on European studies confirmed the absence of an association across the regions considered.

These findings further suggest that the 5-HTT rs25531 polymorphism does not significantly contribute to the genetic susceptibility of anorexia nervosa. A more comprehensive understanding of the multifactorial etiology of anorexia nervosa may be attained through genome wide association studies and epigenetic studies.

A qualitative exploration of stressors and coping strategies of transgender men during the global crisis

Akanksha Srivastava — 2024-12-16

Introduction: The lockdown protocols with various restrictions were put in effect to stop the proliferation of coronavirus. It brought many challenges in the life of mass community, but the challenges faced by transmen during the lockdown were unique and even more challenging which led to the poor psychological and physical health and well-being of these individuals. The present paper aims to understand the subjective ordeal of transmen, the stressors they faced at the time of lockdown and their coping strategies opted to deal with the stressors.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 transmen after the end of lockdown. The interviews were analyzed using Thematic content analysis.

Result: The analysis shows several physical, psychological, and social stressors emerged during pandemic including emotional and physical abuse from unaccepting parents, unavailability of supportive organization, inaccessibility of medical assistance and hormone treatment, suicidal ideation due to free time, feeling of isolation and use of wrong pronouns all affecting the mental health severely. To deal with these stressors the transmen adopted various strategies that include, cognitive appraisal, emotional support from friends and self-help thought.

Conclusion: Findings are discussed within the Indian context during the pandemic. The findings of present work will help transgender men in suggesting the ways of dealing with the stressors at uncertain times.

The Shift from Romantic-related Insignificance to the Extreme Striving for Success at Work: The Role of Obsessive Passion

Federico Contu — 2024-12-16

Drawing on Significance Quest Theory (Kruglanski et al., 2022), and the concept of ‘substitutable mean’ for significance restoration, we hypothesized that when people experience romantic-related feelings of significance loss, they should develop a work-related obsessive (but not harmonious) passion, which in turn should enhance their willingness to act in an extreme manner to reach professional success. To test this hypothesis, we ran a cross-sectional study (N=151). Results confirmed our hypothesis with respect to two different operationalization of work-related extreme behaviors – i.e., self-sacrifice, and workaholism. Interestingly, these results confirmed existing findings with respect to means substitutability in significance restoration while adding knowledge about the mediational role of obsessive and harmonious passion in this process. Also, this research represents an additional confirmation of the fact that significance is pursued as a superordinate goal independently on which life area cause the significance loss, or which is exploited to re-gain it.

Understanding Parental Decisions in Early Childhood Education Enrollment: Motivations and Educational Outcomes

Matteo Alpini — 2024-12-16

The importance of early childhood educational programs as an integral part of the basic educational system and as an essential context for the children's cultural socialization is now well established by both scientific literature and Italian political regulations (Integrated "Zero-to-Six" System). Despite this, the availability and attendance of Early childhood education centers (ECEC) dedicated to the 0-3 age group are far from homogeneous and widespread in our country. The research explored, through a questionnaire administered to 115 parents, the motivations behind the parental choice to enroll or not enroll their child in an ECEC, also in relation to socio-demographic variables. The results show that this choice produces significant differences in the participating parents' parental skills, knowledge about child development and educational practices in which to involve and engage them at home. ECEC is an important context of educational and cultural socialization for children and also their parents. The implications of these results for educational services and future research directions on the topic will be discussed.