Volunteer client adult attachment, memory for in-session emotion, and mood awareness: An affect regulation perspective.

In this study, the authors examined relations between volunteer client adult attachment and both (a) memory for negative affect occurring within the first session of therapy and (b) mood awareness (mood labeling and mood monitoring). Participants were 80 volunteer clients (students with a personal issue who volunteered to participate in the research for credit) who participated in 2 counseling sessions with a counselor trainee. As hypothesized, higher levels of attachment anxiety were associated with (a) greater memory for negative affect and (b) more mood monitoring but, contrary to expectation, were not associated with mood labeling. Also contrary to expectation, attachment avoidance was not associated with a minimizing strategy with respect to memory for emotion or monitoring of mood, but it was negatively related to mood labeling. As hypothesized, some evidence emerged for an Attachment Anxiety × Avoidance interaction in predicting memory for negative affect. There were no significant Attachment Anxiety × Avoidance interactions in predicting mood labeling or mood monitoring. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Smoking expectancies as mediators between dietary restraint and disinhibition and smoking in college women.

Women's beliefs about the appetite and weight control properties of cigarette smoking, dietary restraint and disinhibition, and smoking status were examined. As hypothesized, dietary restraint and disinhibition predicted appetite and weight control expectancies and smoking rate, such that women higher in dietary restraint and disinhibition reported stronger beliefs in the appetite and weight control properties of cigarettes and were more likely to be smoking than those lower in dietary restraint and disinhibition. Consistent with previous research, smoking expectancies for appetite and weight control predicted smoking status and smoking rate. Smoking expectancies for appetite and weight control were found to mediate the relationship between dietary restraint and smoking, and between disinhibition and smoking. This relationship between smoking and dietary constructs should be considered in smoking cessation and dietary interventions with young women. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An affective-motivational model of marijuana and alcohol problems among college students.

The study examined models of marijuana (n = 309) and alcohol (n = 731) problems. Impulsivity was directly associated with both marijuana- and alcohol-related problems. Negative mood regulation expectancies were indirectly associated with marijuana problems through coping motives. Sensation seeking was indirectly associated with alcohol problems through enhancement motives. Affect lability and negative affect were indirectly associated with alcohol problems though coping motives. In both models, coping motives were directly associated with use-related problems. A multigroup analysis indicated that the association between negative affect and coping motives as well as use and problems was stronger among participants using both alcohol and marijuana relative to alcohol only. Enhancement motives were a stronger predictor of alcohol use among participants using alcohol only. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Emotion regulation, coping, and psychological symptoms.

The question of whether emotion control and coping are separate independent concepts or overlapping constructs was explored with a sample of 422 university students using the Emotional Control Questionnaire and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. In addition, the relationship between emotion control, coping, and psychological symptoms was explored using the Brief Symptom Inventory. Evidence was found for both independence and overlap between emotion control and coping. Emotion focused coping was a strong predictor of psychopathology. Rehearsal and benign control were associated with the set of psychological symptoms. Aggression control was related to hostility and interpersonal sensitivity. Coping-emotion control combinations and gender differences were also examined in terms of the psychological symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The contributions of parental attachment bonds to college student development and adjustment: A meta-analytic review.

We report findings from a meta-analysis of 156 studies conducted between 1987 and 2009 (N = 32,969) that examined the relationship between self-reported parental attachment and multiple adjustment outcomes and developmental advances during the college years. Overall, a small-to-medium relationship was found between indicators of parental attachment quality and favorable adjustment outcomes (r = .23). Effect sizes were of similar magnitude for mother and father attachment relationships, for male and female students, and across ethnicity and nationality of the sample. The attachment–adjustment relationship varied somewhat according to the developmental task being investigated in the study, showing the strongest association for the task of separation–individuation. Additionally, we found stronger attachment–adjustment links for students residing away from their parents when compared with students living at home during college. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Minority stress, perceived bicultural competence, and depressive symptoms among ethnic minority college students.

Based on biculturalism theory (LaFromboise, Coleman, & Gerton, 1993), the present study examined the direct effect of perceived bicultural competence (PBC) on depressive symptoms, and PBC as a potential coping resource to moderate the association between minority stress and depressive symptoms. Participants were 167 Asian American, African American, and Latino/a American students at a predominantly White Midwest university. Results from a hierarchical regression analysis suggested that (a) minority stress was positively associated with depressive symptoms after controlling for perceived general stress, (b) PBC was negatively associated with depressive symptoms after controlling for perceived general stress and minority stress, and (c) the interaction between minority stress and PBC was significant in predicting depressive symptoms. Results from a simple effect analysis supported the hypothesis that a higher level of PBC buffers the association between minority stress and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, post hoc exploratory analyses of the components of PBC suggested that 2 components, Social Groundedness and Cultural Knowledge, may be especially important coping resources. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Identifying patterns of appraising tests in first-year college students: Implications for anxiety and emotion regulation during test taking.

The authors explored patterns of appraising tests in a large sample of 1st-year college students. Cluster analysis was used to identify homogeneous groups of 1st-year students who shared similar patterns of cognitive appraisals about testing. The authors internally validated findings with an independent sample from the same population of students and examined the extent to which cluster membership differentiated undergraduates on the basis of external indicators (e.g., anxiety, emotion-regulation strategies, and achievement). The authors used 2 randomly drawn samples to conduct an initial cluster analysis (n = 1,107) and to replicate the solution on a 2nd, independent cluster and cross-classification analysis (n = 1,108). There may be 5 subtypes of test takers who differ in how they approach tests, their experience of anxiety, and how they manage problems that occur during test taking. Theoretical implications for emotion and emotion regulation, as well as practical implications for working with undergraduates who experience test anxiety, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Minority status stress and coping processes among African American college students.

The current study tested coping efforts as moderators of the effects of minority status stress on general levels of perceived stress and academic performance for African American students at a predominantly White college and university (PWCU) and a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Multivariate analyses revealed that African American students at the PWCU experienced significantly higher levels of minority status stress than their counterparts at the HBCU. Students did not differ in overall levels of perceived stress and in most coping efforts assessed. HBCU students reported higher mean use of problem-oriented strategies and spiritual efforts than students at the PWCU. Moderated regression analyses revealed an increase in the effects of minority status stress on perceived stress at high levels of problem-oriented efforts. The effects of minority status stress on perceived stress decreased at higher levels of disengagement. In predicting academic performance, type of institution was the strongest predictor. Implications of the findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perfectionism, perceived stress, drinking to cope, and alcohol-related problems among college students.

This study investigated the association between perfectionism (categorized by adaptive perfectionistic, maladaptive perfectionistic, or nonperfectionistic groups), perceived stress, drinking alcohol to cope, and alcohol-related problems in a large sample of college students (N = 354). Maladaptive perfectionists reported significantly higher levels of stress and drinking to cope than adaptive perfectionists and nonperfectionists. Adaptive perfectionists reported the fewest alcohol-related problems, suggesting that healthy levels of high standards may protect against drinking to cope with stress. Across all participants, a significant indirect effect for drinking to cope supported its role as a mediator between stress and alcohol-related problems. Structural equation modeling analyses supported the moderating role of perfectionism in this mediation model, such that maladaptive perfectionists were more likely to drink to cope under stress and report alcohol-related problems, whereas higher stress was associated with fewer alcohol-related problems among nonperfectionists. Additional analyses revealed higher stress levels for women and a stronger link between stress and drinking to cope for women compared to men. Future research directions as well as clinical implications regarding perfectionism, stress, drinking to cope, and alcohol-related problems are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-construals and social anxiety among Asian American college students: Testing emotion suppression as a mediator.

Although past studies have revealed ethnic and cultural variations in social anxiety, little research addresses why these variations might arise. The present study addressed this gap by examining emotion regulation as an explanatory mechanism that may account for such differences. Drawing from a culture-specific (Kitayama, Karasawa, & Mesquita, 2004), as well as process-based (Gross, 1998) model of emotion regulation, we hypothesized that emotion suppression would mediate associations between self-construals (interdependent and independent) and social anxiety symptoms. The data analytic sample consisted of 784 self-identified Asian American college students from 20 colleges/universities in the United States. Participants completed the study measures via a confidential, online questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated a significant indirect effect of both types of self-construal on social anxiety through emotion suppression. Specifically, an interdependent self-construal was associated with more (whereas an independent self-construal was associated with less) emotion suppression, which in turn, was associated with higher levels of social anxiety. Clinically, these findings suggest that an individual's emotion regulation strategy could serve as a proximal target of intervention among Asian American young adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Family conflict and intragroup marginalization as predictors of acculturative stress in Latino college students.

This study examined the impact of family conflict and intragroup marginalization on acculturative stress in 188 bicultural Latino college students. Results showed that low parental income, low acculturation, perceived family conflict, and perceived intragroup marginalization were related to higher acculturative stress for participants. Intragroup marginalization accounted for a statistically significant proportion of the variance in acculturative stress after all variables were controlled. The findings emphasize the need to recognize culture-specific stressors of college students. Implications for mental health providers are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Acculturative stress, depression, and anxiety in migrant farmwork college students of Mexican heritage.

Migrant status (migrant, nonmigrant) and sex (female, male) differences were examined in a sample of 168 college students of Mexican heritage on measures of college stress, acculturative stress, depression, anxiety, and academic achievement. Migrant farmwork students reported higher levels of acculturative stress than nonmigrants, and men reported higher levels of acculturative stress than women. When language preference was held constant, there were no differences in depression and anxiety. However, migrant students reported higher levels of depression and anxiety than nonmigrants when language preference was not held constant. The overall sample reported high levels of depression: 55% versus the expected 20% of the general population shown in other research. Depression and anxiety were highly correlated, and women reported a higher grade point average than male students. Implications include the importance of integrating cultural factors in stress research with this population and accounting for acculturative stress, depression, and anxiety in clinical treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping strategies and collective efficacy as mediators between stress appraisal and quality of life among rescue workers.

Fire-fighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians routinely confront potentially traumatic events in the course of their jobs. The mediation role of coping strategies and collective efficacy in the relationship between stress appraisal and quality of life was examined (compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout) in a correlational study. Participants were 463 Italian rescue workers (fire fighters and different categories of emergency health care professionals). Participants filled out measures of stress appraisal, collective efficacy, coping strategies, and quality of life. The results showed that emotion and support coping, self-blame coping, and self-distraction mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and compassion fatigue. Moreover, collective efficacy, self-blame coping, and religious coping mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and burnout. Finally, collective efficacy, self-blame coping, and problem-focused coping mediated the relationship between stress appraisal and compassion satisfaction. Cognitive restructuring and denial did not mediate the relation between stress appraisal and any of the quality of life dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Coping style use predicts posttraumatic stress and complicated grief symptom severity among college students reporting a traumatic loss.

Problem-focused coping, and active and avoidant emotional coping were examined as correlates of grief and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severity among 123 college students reporting the unexpected death of an immediate family member, romantic partner, or very close friend. The authors administered to participants, via the Internet, 5 survey instruments that measured demographic characteristics, traumatic event exposure (Stressful Life Events Screening Questionnaire; L. Goodman, C. Corcoran, K. Turner, N. Yuan, & B. L. Green, 1998), complicated grief (CG) severity (Inventory of Complicated Grief--Revised--Short Form; A. E. Latham & H. G. Prigerson, 2004; H. G. Prigerson & S. C. Jacobs, 2001), PTSD severity (PTSD Checklist; F. W. Weathers, B. T. Litz, D. S. Herman, J. A. Huska, & T. M. Keane, 1993), and coping style use (Brief COPE; C. S. Carver, 1997). Results demonstrated that CG and PTSD severity were both significantly positively correlated with problem-focused, and active and avoidant emotional coping styles. The authors used path analysis to control for time since the loss and trauma frequency and found that only avoidant emotional coping remained significant in predicting CG and PTSD severity. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical implications for treating individuals with traumatic losses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relational regulation theory: A new approach to explain the link between perceived social support and mental health.

Perceived support is consistently linked to good mental health, which is typically explained as resulting from objectively supportive actions that buffer stress. Yet this explanation has difficulty accounting for the often-observed main effects between support and mental health. Relational regulation theory (RRT) hypothesizes that main effects occur when people regulate their affect, thought, and action through ordinary yet affectively consequential conversations and shared activities, rather than through conversations about how to cope with stress. This regulation is primarily relational in that the types of people and social interactions that regulate recipients are mostly a matter of personal taste. RRT operationally defines relationships quantitatively, permitting the clean distinction between relationships and recipient personality. RRT makes a number of new predictions about social support, including new approaches to intervention. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Fitting in and feeling fine: Conformity and coping motives as mediators of the relationship between social anxiety and problematic drinking.

The present research was conducted to clarify the relationships among social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and negative-reinforcement drinking motives among college students. Heavy drinking students (N = 316, 53.80% female) completed self-report measures of social anxiety, alcohol consumption, alcohol-related problems, and drinking motives. Findings indicated that students higher in social anxiety consumed less alcohol but experienced more negative consequences. Moreover, the relationship between social anxiety and negative consequences was mediated by coping and conformity drinking motives in addition to alcohol consumption. In the context of social anxiety, the current research demonstrates the importance of examining problematic drinking as distinct constructs: alcohol consumption and negative consequences. Findings are also discussed in terms of implications for interventions with socially anxious students. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes among Asian American and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander college students.

In a cross-sectional survey of college students (N = 614), we studied interpersonal violence victimization, perpetration, and mental health outcomes in an ethnoracially diverse rural-based sample of Asian Americans (27%) and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islanders (25%), two groups vastly underrepresented in trauma research. High rates of interpersonal violence (34%), violence perpetration (13%), and probable psychiatric diagnoses (77%), including posttraumatic stress disorder, were found. Exposure to physical violence, sexual violence, and life stress all were predictive of psychopathology. Female participants were associated with higher likelihood of sexual violence victimization compared to male participants, and Asian American status (especially among males) was associated with lower likelihood of physical and sexual violence compared with European Americans. These data enhance our understanding of interpersonal violence and mental health outcomes among previously understudied minority groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)