1. |
- Barcaccia, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Attachment: A Network Analysis of Psychopathology Symptoms in Adolescents
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Mindfulness. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1868-8535 .- 1868-8527. ; 11, s. 2531-2541
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesMindfulness, positive self-related attitudes and secure attachment have been shown to protect against psychopathology during adolescence, but it is unknown how these factors are related to each other and which are most strongly linked to psychopathology symptoms.MethodsA cross-sectional research design was used with a large sample of adolescents (aged 14 to 18 years; n = 1660) that completed validated measures of mindfulness, self-related attitudes, attachment, depression, anxiety and anger. We employed network analytic methods in order to better understand associations among these variables.ResultsMindfulness was linked to lower levels of depression and anxiety while self-reassurance was linked to lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of anger. Self-hate was linked to depression. In turn, self-reassurance and self-hate were differentially linked to facets of attachment, particularly trust in parents.ConclusionsInterventions combining mindfulness practice and clinical techniques based on attachment theory, which operate on different psychological levels, may improve self-related attitudes, which in turn can help ameliorate depression and anxiety in adolescents. Alternatively, interventions directly targeting self-related attitudes, particularly self-reassurance and self-inadequacy, hold promise to achieve positive effects on mental health among adolescents.
|
|
2. |
- Barcaccia, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
Purpose in life as an asset for well-being and a protective factor against depression in adolescents
- 2023
-
Ingår i: Frontiers in Psychology. - 1664-1078. ; 14
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Purpose in life, which is a central component of the eudaimonic paradigm of well-being, has been sparsely examined in adolescence. This is unfortunate as adolescence is characterised by identity development and is a key period for the onset of mental disorders. To inform future research on well-being and purpose in life in adolescents, we drew factors from several fields of research, including mental health and psychological factors, and explored which factors were most strongly associated with purpose in life. Data were collected in a sample of 444 Italian adolescents (Mage = 16.30 [SD = 1.50], range: 14 to 20 years; 58% girls) and associations with mental health (stress, anxiety, depression, anger), psychological traits (mindfulness, self-hate, self-inadequacy, self-reassurance, isolation), and sociodemographic variables (age, sex, place of birth) were examined. Regression, dominance, and network analyses indicated that a stronger sense of purpose in life was associated with lower depressive symptoms, higher levels of self-reassurance, and being born in Italy. Our findings suggest that purpose in life is an important asset for well-being in adolescents and may protect against depression. Future longitudinal and/or experimental research should examine the potential protective role of purpose in life in relation to adolescent depression and how self-reassurance and sociodemographic factors (e.g., immigrant background) are involved.
|
|
3. |
- Barcaccia, Barbara, et al.
(författare)
-
Whom are you mad at? : Anger and revenge in obsessive-compulsive symptoms during adolescence
- 2022
-
Ingår i: Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-3649. ; 35
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previous research has extensively explored the role of anxiety, disgust, guilt, and shame in obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms, but few studies have investigated anger and associated vengeful motivations, especially during adolescence, when OC symptoms typically onset. This is unfortunate as anger is a key human emotion linked to various aspects of behaviour. Our aim was to explore how anger and revenge motivations were associated with the most common OC subtypes in adolescents. Participants were 1035 high school students who completed a battery of questionnaires including the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Child Version, the Children's Depression Inventory, the Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory-18 and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory for children and adolescents. Even when accounting for different aspects of anger, TRIMs and depression, trait anger (i.e., a stable tendency to experience anger) was uniquely associated with all types of OC symptoms (doubting/checking, obsessing, and ordering). Unique associations were also found between revenge motivation and doubting/checking and obsessing. Our findings show that adolescents with high OC symptoms may experience not only intense anger, but also vengeful feelings and motivations. Future research should examine how anger, vengeful motivations and OC symptoms co-develop over time. Clinicians should be aware that anger and vengeful motivations can be part of the clinical presentation of OCD, which can inform assessment and treatment.
|
|
4. |
- Breeze, Catherine, et al.
(författare)
-
Unique contributions of anxiety, stress and depression to immunity: A cross-cultural investigation
- 2024
-
Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders Reports. - 2666-9153. ; 15
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- While immunity and psychological distress are strongly associated, studies seldom consider how different types of distress relate to immune functioning. The literature tends to emphasis the impact of stress on immunity. The present cross-sectional study estimated the unique contributions of depression, anxiety, and stress on immune function in culturally diverse samples of adults from Italy, New Zealand and India. Participants were Italian (n = 1061), New Zealand (n = 1037), and Indian (n = 384) volunteers. Stepwise multiple linear regression and dominance analysis were used to analyse differences in immunity uniquely explained by anxiety, depression, and stress. While samples from the three countries differed significantly, anxiety consistently explained the greatest proportion of differences in immunity. After accounting for the effect of anxiety, stress and depression explained only negligible variation in immune functioning. This association of anxiety with immune functioning was consistent across three different countries and this unique impact was further confirmed by the results of dominance analysis. These findings suggest a clear link between anxiety and immunity, which advances the prevailing stress-disease model and foster further experimental and longitudinal research into the impact of anxiety on immunity.
|
|
5. |
|
|
6. |
- Cervin, Matti, et al.
(författare)
-
Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and their links to depression and anxiety in clinic- and community-based pediatric samples: A network analysis
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1573-2517 .- 0165-0327. ; 271, s. 9-18
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and associated with more severe OCD, greater impairment, and worse treatment outcome. Beyond twin studies showing that genetic factors contribute to the high co-occurrence, few studies have examined how OCD, depression, and anxiety are linked in youth, and current studies often fail to account for OCD and anxiety heterogeneity. Methods: Network analysis was used to investigate how OCD were linked to depression and anxiety in multinational youth diagnosed with OCD (total n = 419) and in school-recruited, community-based samples of youth (total n = 2 991). Results: Initial results aligned with earlier work showing that severity of obsession-related symptoms are important in linking OCD to depression in youth with OCD. However, when symptom content of OCD (e.g., washing, ordering) was fully taken into account and when measures of anxiety were included, specific OCD symptom dimensions (primarily obsessing and doubting/checking) were linked to specific anxiety dimensions (primarily panic and generalized anxiety) which in turn were linked to depression. These results were replicated in three separate community-based samples from Chile, Italy, and Spain using different measures of anxiety and depression. Limitations: Cross-sectional data were analyzed which precludes causal inference. Self-report measures were used. Conclusions: Youth with OCD with symptoms related to doubting/checking and obsessing should be carefully assessed for symptoms of panic and generalized anxiety. Non-responders to standard OCD treatment may benefit from interventions targeting panic and generalized anxiety, but more research is needed to test this hypothesis.
|
|
7. |
- Cervin, Matti, et al.
(författare)
-
The centrality of doubting and checking in the network structure of obsessive-compulsive symptom dimensions in youth
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. - : Elsevier BV. - 0890-8567 .- 1527-5418. ; 59:7, s. 880-889
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a heterogeneous condition with well-established symptom dimensions across the lifespan. The objective of the present study was to use network analysis to investigate the internal structure and central features of these dimensions in unselected schoolchildren and in youth with OCD.Method. We estimated the network structure of OCD symptom dimensions in 6,991 schoolchildren and 704 youth diagnosed with OCD from 18 sites across six countries. All participants completed the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory - Child Version.Results. In both the school-based and clinic-based samples, the OCD dimensions formed an interconnected network with doubting/checking emerging as a highly central node, i.e. exerting strong influence over other symptom dimensions in the network. The centrality of the doubting/checking dimension was consistent across countries, genders, age groups, clinical status, and tic disorder comorbidity. Network differences were observed for age and gender in the school-based but not the clinic-based samples.Conclusion. The centrality of doubting/checking in the network structure of childhood OCD adds to classic and recent conceptualizations of the disorder in which the important role of doubt in disorder severity and maintenance is highlighted. The present results suggest that doubting/checking is a potentially important target for further research into the etiology and treatment of childhood OCD.
|
|
8. |
- Medvedev, Oleg, et al.
(författare)
-
Network Analysis of Mindfulness Facets, Affect, Compassion, and Distress
- 2020
-
Ingår i: Mindfulness. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1868-8535 .- 1868-8527.
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ObjectivesMindfulness, positive affect, and compassion may protect against psychological distress but there is lack of understanding about the ways in which these factors are linked to mental health. Network analysis is a statistical method used to investigate complex associations among constructs in a single network and is particularly suitable for this purpose. The aim of this study was to explore how mindfulness facets, affect, and compassion were linked to psychological distress using network analysis.MethodsThe sample (n = 400) included equal numbers from general and student populations who completed measures of five mindfulness facets, compassion, positive and negative affect, depression, anxiety, and stress. Network analysis was used to explore the direct associations between these variables.ResultsCompassion was directly related to positive affect, which in turn was strongly and inversely related to depression and positively related to the observing and describing facets of mindfulness. The non-judgment facet of mindfulness was strongly and inversely related to negative affect, anxiety, and depression, while non-reactivity and acting with awareness were inversely associated with stress and anxiety, respectively. Strong associations were found between all distress variables.ConclusionsThe present network analysis highlights the strong link between compassion and positive affect and suggests that observing and describing the world through the lens of compassion may enhance resilience to depression. Taking a non-judging and non-reacting stance toward internal experience while acting with awareness may protect against psychological distress. Applicability of these findings can be examined in experimental studies aiming to prevent distress and enhance psychological well-being.
|
|