Previous research has established a positive correlation between income and subjective wellbeing (SWB). This correlation is attributed to income's ability to provide material circumstances and ...influence one's perceived socioeconomic rank in society, known as subjective socioeconomic status (SES).
This study sought to examine whether social comparison processes could mediate the relationship between income and SWB. Specifically, we aimed to explore the impact of comparing one's current socioeconomic situation to individuals from a similar socioeconomic background (referred to as Comsim) on SWB, based on the similarity hypothesis of social comparison theory.
Data stem from two separate two-wave surveys. Study 1 comprised 588 participants, with 294 men and 294 women; age range 25-60 years; mean age 41.5 years). Study 2 comprised 614 participants, with 312 men and 302 women; age range 25-60 years; mean age 43.5 years. In both studies, data on predictors and SWB were collected 3 months apart.
In both study 1 and study 2, bivariate analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between income and SWB. However, multivariate regression models revealed that income did not have a direct effect on SWB. Instead, in both studies, subjective SES and Comsim emerged as significant predictors of SWB, with Comsim being the most influential. Furthermore, our formal mediation analysis indicated that subjective SES and Comsim fully mediated the relationship between income and SWB, when combined. Additionally, in study 2, we found that cognitive factors such as personal control, as well as affective factors like self-esteem, played a mediating role between the social comparison processes and SWB.
This study contributes to existing research by emphasizing the importance of two distinct social comparison mechanisms in mediating the relationship between income and SWB.
Therapeutic interventions to improve SWB should also consider social comparison processes. From a political standpoint, policies addressing income inequality can mitigate the negative effects of social comparisons on wellbeing. Providing support to those in lower socioeconomic positions can also enhance SWB.
This study aimed to investigate the predictive effects of two types of subjective socioeconomic status on self-reported physical and mental health. Specifically, we examined the MacArthur Scale ...(MacArthur) which measures perceived socioeconomic rank in the society and a novel scale called ComSim, which assessed how participants compared themselves socioeconomically to others coming from a similar socioeconomic background. We also considered the influence of income, education, and personal relative deprivation (PRD) in these analyses. Additionally, we explored whether these effects were mediated through negative and positive affect.
The data were collected through a cross-sectional, two-wave survey of 294 women and 294 men, with a mean age 41.6 years. Participants were recruited via an online platform.
The results from multivariate regression models revealed that socioeconomic status measured with both the MacArthur Scale and ComSim significantly predicted both self-reported health measures, whereas income and education did not predict any of these measures in the full multivariate models. PRD only predicted self-reported mental health. Mediation analyses showed that negative and positive affect mediated the relationships between socioeconomic status measured by ComSim and self-reported health measures.
These findings are discussed in the context of the similarity hypothesis of social comparison theory. The results underscore the importance of considering multiple dimensions when examining socioeconomic health disparities.
To examine subjective and objective socioeconomic status (SSES and OSES, respectively) as predictors, cognitive abilities as confounders, and personal control perceptions as mediators of health ...behaviours.
A cross-sectional study including 197 participants aged 30-50 years, recruited from the crowd-working platform, Prolific.
The Good Health Practices Scale, a 16-item inventory of health behaviours.
SSES was the most important predictor of health behaviours (beta = 0.19,
< 0.01). Among the OSES indicators, education (beta = 0.16,
< 0.05), but not income, predicted health behaviours. Intelligence (
= -0.16,
< 0.05) and memory (
= -0.22,
< 0.01) were negatively correlated with health-promoting behaviours, and the effect of memory was upheld in the multivariate model (beta = -0.17,
< 0.05). Personal control perceptions (mastery and constraints) did not act as mediators.
SSES predicted health behaviours beyond OSES. The effect of socioeconomic indicators was not confounded by cognitive abilities. Surprisingly, cognitive abilities were negatively associated with health-promoting behaviours. Future research should emphasise SSES as a predictor of health behaviours. Delineating the psychological mechanisms linking SSES with health behaviours would be a valuable contribution toward improved understanding of socioeconomic disparities in health behaviours.
The use of over-the-counter analgesics (OTCA) is common among adolescents and has been linked with increased symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, little is known about which specific symptoms ...are most strongly connected to OTCA usage. The current study assessed which anxiety and depression symptoms were most closely associated with OTCA usage in a large sample of adolescents and examined whether this differed across genders.
The present study was based on data from 626,581 participants from the Ungdata survey in Norway. Associations between OTCA and anxiety and depression symptoms were examined using network analysis. Non-regularized partial-correlation networks were constructed to estimate the conditional dependent relations between the use of OTCA and symptoms while controlling for pain. Gender-specific networks were created for comparison.
OTCA usage was associated with most symptoms, even after controlling for pain, with the strongest associations with "sleep problems", "stiff or tense", "everything is a struggle" and "suddenly scared". There were some gender differences, showing that "sleep problems" and "hopeless" were more strongly related to OTCA usage in females, whereas "stiff or tense" was more strongly related to OTCA usage in males.
Overall, the somatic symptoms of anxiety and depression displayed the strongest associations with OTCA usage. When examining the gender-specific networks, both showed similar trends, although males exhibited slightly stronger associations between OTCA usage and somatic symptoms.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Social stress and inflammatory processes are strong regulators of one another. Considerable evidence shows that social threats trigger inflammatory responses that increase infection susceptibility in ...both humans and animals, while infectious disease triggers inflammation that in turn regulates social behaviours. However, no previous study has examined whether young children's popularity and their rate of infectious disease are associated. We investigated the longitudinal bidirectional links between children's popularity status as perceived by peers, and parent reports of a variety of infectious diseases that are common in early childhood (i.e. common cold as well as eye, ear, throat, lung and gastric infections). We used data from the 'Matter of the First Friendship Study' (MOFF), a longitudinal prospective multi-informant study, following 579 Norwegian pre-schoolers (292 girls, median age at baseline = six years) with annual assessments over a period of three years. Social network analysis was used to estimate each child's level of popularity. Cross-lagged autoregressive analyses revealed negative dose-response relations between children's popularity scores and subsequent infection (b = -0.18, CI = -0.29, -0.06, and b = -0.13, CI = -0.23, -0.03). In conclusion, the results suggest that children who are unpopular in early childhood are at increased risk of contracting infection the following year.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Understanding the neural substrates of specific symptoms may provide important information about mechanisms underlying depression vulnerability. A growing body of research under the umbrella term ...‘network approach’ has recently received considerable attention5; the approach understands and aims to model mental disorders as systems of causally interacting symptoms. So far, network studies have been based on symptoms and environmental factors, ignoring relevant neurobiological factors6. Here, we address this knowledge gap by modelling a joint network of depression-related brain structures and individual depression symptoms, using 21 symptoms and five regional brain measures. The sample is a mixed group of individuals that previously have been treated for one or more major depressive episodes (MDE) and never depressed individuals, with the goal to model a continuum of depression severity. Hippocampus was negatively associated with changes in appetite and sadness, and positively associated with loss of interest and irritability. Insula was negatively associated with loss of interest in sex and sadness. Cingulate had a negative association with sadness, and positive associations with crying and worthlessness. Fusiform gyrus had positive associations with crying and irritability.
Following treatment, many depressed patients have significant residual symptoms. However, large randomised controlled trials (RCT) in this population are lacking. When Attention bias modification ...training (ABM) leads to more positive emotional biases, associated changes in clinical symptoms have been reported. A broader and more transparent picture of the true advantage of ABM based on larger and more stringent clinical trials have been requested. The current study evaluates the early effect of two weeks ABM training on blinded clinician-rated and self-reported residual symptoms, and whether changes towards more positive attentional biases (AB) would be associated with symptom reduction.
A total of 321 patients with a history of depression were included in a preregistered randomized controlled double-blinded trial. Patients were randomised to an emotional ABM paradigm over fourteen days or a closely matched control condition. Symptoms based on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) and Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) were obtained at baseline and after ABM training.
ABM training led to significantly greater decrease in clinician-rated symptoms of depression as compared to the control condition. No differences between ABM and placebo were found for self-reported symptoms. ABM induced a change of AB towards relatively more positive stimuli for participants that also showed greater symptom reduction.
The current study demonstrates that ABM produces early changes in blinded clinician-rated depressive symptoms and that changes in AB is linked to changes in symptoms. ABM may have practical potential in the treatment of residual depression.
ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02658682 (retrospectively registered in January 2016).
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs ("metacognitions") and executive control are important factors in mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, but the relationship between these concepts has ...not been studied systematically. We examined whether there is an association between metacognitions and executive control and hypothesized that decreased executive control statistically predicts increased levels of metacognitions. Two hundred and ninety-nine individuals recruited from the general population and outpatient psychiatric clinics completed the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 and three subtests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery corresponding to the three-component model of executive functions. Controlling for current depression and anxiety symptoms, decreased ability to shift between mental sets was associated with increased negative beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of worry and beliefs about the need to control thoughts. The results suggest a basic association between metacognitions and executive control. Individual differences in executive control could prove important in the personalization of metacognitive therapy.
Depression is associated with reduced executive functioning. Still, we lack a more detailed understanding of the factors explaining this association. Addressing several limitations in the previous ...literature, we examine whether poor executive functioning is associated with specific depression symptoms using a network approach. The sample consisted of currently depressed, previously depressed, and never-depressed individuals (n = 289; 67% female; M age = 37.4 years). Associations between poor executive functioning and nine depression symptoms were estimated using regularized Gaussian graphical modelling. Results showed associations between poor executive functioning and fatigue/energy loss, interest/pleasure loss, appetite changes, sleep problems, and concentration difficulties. Fatigue/energy loss was the most important symptom bridging depression with poor executive functioning. There were no direct associations between executive functions and core negative affect symptoms. Findings are discussed in the context of motivational impairments, and potential mechanisms such as immunological- and stress-related processes are considered.
•Associations between executive functioning and individual depression symptoms were examined.•Associations were examined using network analysis.•Reduced executive functioning was associated primarily with fatigue/energy loss.•The association may reflect motivational deficits.•Immunological and dopaminergic pathways are discussed as possible mechanisms.
•Socioeconomic status (SES) disparities in health are partly attributable to SES differences in health behaviours.•We examined SES differences in health behaviours.•We reviewed biopsychological ...pathways that contribute to this.•We discussed how biopsychological systems enable adaptive regulatory shifts.•We discussed these processes within an adaptative evolutionary framework.
The purpose of this article was to explore how individuals’ position in a socioeconomic hierarchy is related to health behaviours that are related to socioeconomic disparities in health. We identified research which shows that: (a) low socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with living in harsh environments, (b) harsh environments are related to increased levels of stress and inflammation, (c) stress and inflammation impact neural systems involved in self-control by sensitising the impulsive system and desensitising the reflective system, (d) the effects are inflated valuations of small immediate rewards and deflated valuations of larger delayed rewards, (e) these effects are observed as increased delay discounting, and (f) delay discounting is positively associated with practicing more unhealthy behaviours. The results are discussed within an adaptive evolutionary framework which lays out how the stress response system, and its interaction with the immune system and brain systems for decision-making and behaviours, provides the biopsychological mechanisms and regulatory shifts that make widespread conditional adaptability possible. Consequences for policy work, interventions, and future research are discussed.
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