Aggressive Humor and Social Connectedness: The Moderating Roles of Subjective Social Status and Gender.

Aggressive humor has been conceived as a maladaptive humor style that jeopardizes social relationships. However, past studies have yielded inconsistent findings regarding the detrimental effects of aggressive humor on social relationships. This study attempts to advance the existing literature by examining the gender difference in the moderating role of subjective social status in the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness. Participants were 228 (53.1% female) adults aged from 18 to 53 years (M = 23.19, SD = 6.43). The hypothesized moderated moderation effect was significant, suggesting that gender significantly moderated the moderating effect of subjective social status on the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness. Subjective social status significantly moderated the association between aggressive humor and social connectedness for men but not for women. For men, aggressive humor was negatively associated with social connectedness when subjective social status was low or medium, but the association was not significant when subjective social status was high. For women, aggressive humor was not associated with social connectedness regardless of subjective social status. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Peer victimization among Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal validation study.

Peer victimization is a social problem for children and adolescents worldwide. This study examined the factor structure of peer victimization in relation to school life among Chinese adolescent students. The Multidimensional Peer-Victimization Scale (MPVS) was used to measure this phenomenon. We examined psychometric properties such as factor structure, factorial invariance across genders, area types (urban vs. rural), and time (Time 1 vs. Time 2), nomological network validity in relation to the symptoms of depression and anxiety, and internal consistency reliability of the MPVS in Chinese culture. We analyzed the results of a survey of 2,764 adolescents from six public secondary schools in Fujian Province, China; 50.8% of these participants were female, and their mean age was 13.967 years (SD = .843). Of these participants, 2,217 (51.2% female), with a mean age of 13.839 years (SD = .802), also completed the survey at Time 2. Four-factor models were tested: a null model, a one-factor model, the hypothesized four-factor model, and a hierarchical model. The results revealed that the four-factor model exhibited the best fit and demonstrated factorial invariance across genders, area types, and time points. Future directions for research among Chinese adolescents were also discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Longitudinal modifiable risk and protective factors of internet gaming disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background and aims: The study aims to thoroughly understand the causal and precedent modifiable risk or protective factors for Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), a newly defined and prevalent mental disorder. Methods: We performed a systematic review on quality-designed longitudinal studies based on five online databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if they addressed IGD, adopted longitudinal, prospective, or cohort study designs, presented modifiable factors of IGD, and reported the effect sizes for correlations. Pooled Pearson's correlations were calculated using the random effects model. Results: Thirty-nine studies with 37,042 subjects were included. We identified 34 modifiable factors, including 23 intrapersonal factors (e.g., gaming time, loneliness, etc.), 10 interpersonal factors (e.g., peer relationship, social support, etc.), and 1 environmental factor (i.e., school engagement). Age, the male ratio, study region, and study years were significant moderators. Discussion and conclusions: Intrapersonal factors were stronger predictors than interpersonal and environmental factors. It may imply that individual-based theories are more powerful to explain the development of IGD. Longitudinal research on the environmental factors of IGD was lacking; more studies are warranted. The identified modifiable factors would help to guide effective interventions for IGD reduction and prevention.

Psychometric properties of the traditional Chinese version of the COVID Stress Scales in Hong Kong.

Introduction: The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) assess six domains of COVID-19-related stress, including (a) COVID danger, (b) COVID socioeconomic consequences, (c) COVID xenophobia, (d) COVID contamination, (e) COVID traumatic stress symptoms, and (f) COVID compulsive checking. Although the CSS have been validated in various cultural contexts, their psychometric properties in Hong Kong have not been examined. This study endeavors to validate the traditional Chinese version of the 36-item CSS (CSS-36) and the 18-item CSS (CSS-18) in Hong Kong. Method: Participants were 521 Hong Kong undergraduate students (61% female) aged from 18 to 26 years (M = 20.65, SD = 1.56). An online questionnaire was used for data collection. Results: The results of confirmatory factor analyses supported a six-factor structure for both the CSS-36 and the CSS-18. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses established the gender invariance of the six-factor model for both the CSS-36 and the CSS-18. The CSS-36 and the CSS-18 exhibited good internal consistency reliability and concurrent validity with fear of COVID-19 and negative emotional states. Discussion: The findings offer evidence for the psychometric properties of the traditional Chinese version of the CSS-36 and the CSS-18 in the Hong Kong context.

Attitudes toward Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage: The Roles of Parental Attitudes, Traditional Gender Role Values, and Filial Piety.

Past studies have suggested that people's attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriages are influenced by their parents' attitudes toward homosexuality. The current study intends to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of these associations by proposing a moderated mediation model incorporating traditional gender role values as a mediator and filial piety as a moderator. One hundred and fifteen adults (33.9% male and 66.1% female) aged from 18 to 36 years (M = 21.47, SD = 3.78) from Hong Kong completed an online questionnaire. The results of the latent moderated structural equations model showed that filial piety significantly moderated the indirect effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and attitudes toward same-sex marriage via traditional gender role values. The indirect effects were only significant when filial piety was high or medium but not when filial piety was low. These findings unpack the mechanisms underlying the effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage and provide the boundary condition for the indirect effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage through traditional gender role values.

Stress communication, communication satisfaction, and relationship satisfaction: an actor-partner interdependence mediation model.

Past research has revealed positive effects of stress communication by oneself and by the partner on relationship satisfaction. However, the mechanisms through which stress communication by oneself and by the partner influence relationship satisfaction have not been well studied. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of one's own and the partner's stress communication on relationship satisfaction and the mediating roles of one's own and the partner's communication satisfaction in these associations. A total of 227 unmarried heterosexual couples were recruited. An actor-partner interdependence mediation model was used to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results showed that the actor effects of stress communication on relationship satisfaction were mediated by the actor effects of communication satisfaction. Moreover, the indirect effect of male stress communication on female relationship satisfaction through female communication satisfaction was found to be significant. These findings provide insights into the mechanism through which stress communication influences relationship satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

How does psychological capital lead to better well-being for students? The roles of family support and problem-focused coping.

Recent studies have shifted the attention on the beneficial role of psychological capital from workplace to academic contexts. Moreover, the mediating role of psychological capital in the effect of social support on student outcomes remains unknown. This topic has become more imperative under the pandemic. The current study aimed to investigate the impact of psychological capital on students' well-being with family support as an antecedent and problem-focused coping as a mediator. Two hundred and eighty-one students completed the questionnaire at two time points. Results of the cross-lagged mediation analysis showed that family support positively predicted psychological capital, psychological capital positively predicted problem-focused coping, and problem-focused coping predicted well-being. Moreover, the chain mediation path between family support and well-being via psychological capital and problem-focused coping was significant. The current findings identify the antecedent and underlying mechanism behind the relationship between psychological capital and well-being, providing insights into psychological capital interventions for students.

The day-of-week (DOW) effect on liberalism-conservatism: Evidence from a large-scale online survey in China.

Introduction: Past research has shown that psychological states tend to fluctuate across the days of a week, which is referred to as the day-of-week (DOW) effect. This study investigated the DOW effect on liberalism-conservatism among Chinese people by testing two competing hypotheses. According to the cognitive states hypothesis, it was predicted that liberalism would be high on Mondays but gradually decrease to Fridays due to the depletion of cognitive resources over the weekdays. In contrast, the affective states hypothesis predicted the opposite, considering the more positive affect brought by the approaching weekends. Both hypotheses predicted the level of liberalism would peak at weekends. Methods: Data (n = 171,830) were collected via an online questionnaire, the Chinese Political Compass (CPC) survey, which includes 50 items to measure people' liberalism-conservatism in three domains (i.e., political, economic, and social). Results: The results showed the level of liberalism decreased gradually from Mondays until Wednesdays, rebounded from Wednesdays to Fridays, and peaked at weekends. Discussion: The V-shaped pattern suggested that the DOW fluctuation in liberalism-conservatism could derive from the synergy of both cognitive and affective processes, instead of either one alone. The findings have important implications for practice and policy-making, including the recent pilot scheme of 4-day workweek.

Family-to-Work Interface and Workplace Injuries: The Mediating Roles of Burnout, Work Engagement, and Safety Violations.

Past research has primarily investigated the role of the negative side (family-to-work conflict; FWC) of the family-to-work interface in workplace safety outcomes and neglected the positive side (family-to-work enrichment; FWE). Moreover, the mechanism underlying the relation between the family-to-work interface and workplace safety has not been well studied. From the perspectives of the job demands-resources model as well as conservation of resources theory, this study endeavors to extend the current literature on workplace safety by evaluating the mediating roles of burnout, work engagement, and safety violations in the associations of FWC and FWE with workplace injuries. Two-wave longitudinal survey data were obtained from 233 Chinese employees in two high-risk industries (nursing and railways). The hypothesized longitudinal mediation model was analyzed with the structural equation modeling technique. It was revealed that the association of FWE with workplace injuries was mediated by work engagement and then safety violations. Burnout was found to mediate the association of FWC with workplace injuries. Safety violations were also found to mediate the association of FWC with workplace injuries. The present findings offer insights into the underlying mechanisms by which the family-to-work interface influences workplace injuries.

Psychological Capital and Family Satisfaction among Employees: Do Occupational Stressors Moderate the Relationship?

The COVID-19 pandemic has created more occupational stressors, particularly work-family interface issues. The purpose of this study was to investigate the moderating role of occupational stressors in the relationship between a personal resource (psychological capital) and family satisfaction. A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 787 employees (367 males, 420 females) from the Greater Bay Area of China between October and November 2020. Participants completed an online survey which included the Chinese version of the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, measures of occupational stressors from the Work Stress Management DIY Kit and a measure of family satisfaction. Latent moderated structural equation modeling revealed that family satisfaction was positively associated with psychological capital and negatively associated with occupational stressors. Furthermore, occupational stressors weakened the positive association between psychological capital and family satisfaction. These findings provided empirical evidence for the work-home resources model and may suggest that it would be beneficial to boost psychological capital and reduce occupational stressors of employees.

Striving to Avoid Inferiority and Procrastination among University Students: The Mediating Roles of Stress and Self-Control.

The current study intended to examine whether the relationship between university students' striving to avoid inferiority (SAI) and procrastination was serially mediated by stress and self-control. The sample consisted of 154 Hong Kong university students. Their levels of striving to avoid inferiority, stress, self-control, and procrastination were measured by the Striving to Avoid Inferiority Scale (SAIS), the stress subscale of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), the Short Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SSRQ), and the General Procrastination Scale (GPS), respectively. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that SAI positively predicted stress, stress negatively predicted self-control, and self-control negatively predicted procrastination. SAI did not directly predict procrastination. The results of bootstrapping analyses supported the hypotheses that the effect of stress on procrastination was mediated by self-control, the effect of SAI on self-control was mediated by stress, and more importantly, the effect of SAI on procrastination was serially mediated by stress and self-control. Further research is suggested to investigate the thoughts and feelings pertinent to procrastination and the actual duration of procrastination among university students.

Parental Demandingness Predicts Adolescents' Rumination and Depressive Symptoms in a One-year Longitudinal Study.

While past research has linked parental demandingness (parents' rules, regulations, and restrictions for their children) to depression in adolescents, the mechanism underlying this relationship has not been well understood. This study attempts to disentangle the association between parental demandingness and depression by examining the potential mediating role of rumination (a repetitive and passive focus on negative emotions and symptoms) using an objective observational measure of parenting and a two-wave longitudinal design. Participants were 125 students aged 9 to 14 (M = 12.21, SD = 1.39) from local schools in Hong Kong. Participants completed questionnaires and participated in interaction tasks with their primary caregiving parents at T1 and completed the questionnaires again at T2 (one year later). A longitudinal mediation analysis suggested that the relationship between parental demandingness and depression was mediated by rumination. This study advances the existing literature by supporting that parental demandingness influences depression among children through increasing rumination. The present findings provide insights into the future development of parenting interventions (which aim at reducing parents' commands) in prevention programs for depression in children.

Worry and Permissive Parenting in Association with the Development of Internet Addiction in Children.

The Internet has experienced a rapid increase in use globally. Specifically, more than 90% of Hong Kong's citizens use the Internet, and 70% of children in the age group of 6-17 years have daily access to it. However, internet addiction could pose serious social and health issues. Therefore, conducting research to investigate its causes and risk factors is fundamental. The current study examined the relationship between worry and Internet addiction among children in Hong Kong and investigated the moderating effect of the permissive parenting style on such a relationship. The participants consisted of 227 fourth- and fifth-grade students (120 males, 52.9%) with a mean age of 9.55 (standard deviation (SD) = 0.58) in Hong Kong. Each participant was asked to complete the questionnaires, including the Internet Addiction Test for Internet addiction, the Penn State Worry Questionnaire for Children for worry, and the Parental Authority Questionnaire for the permissive parenting style. The results indicated that worry was related to greater Internet addiction among children. Furthermore, there was a moderating effect of the permissive parenting style such that the positive association between worry and Internet addiction was stronger when the permissive parenting style was higher. Our findings imply that parenting styles are influential in the prevention of Internet addiction.

Comparing the efficacy of integrative body-mind-spirit intervention with cognitive behavioral therapy in patient-caregiver parallel groups for lung cancer patients using a randomized controlled trial.

Purposes/objectives: This paper reports the comparative efficacies of integrative body-mind-spirit intervention (I-BMS) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patient-caregiver parallel groups for Chinese patients with lung cancer.Design: Randomized controlled trial (RCT).Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven patient-caregiver dyads with no marked functional impairment were randomized into one of the two interventions with eight weekly patient-caregiver parallel groups. Assessments were conducted at baseline, within one, eight- and sixteen-weeks post-intervention. Effects of treatment group across time were analyzed by multilevel modeling.Findings: CBT led to greater reduction in emotional vulnerability than I-BMS. I-BMS resulted in greater increase in overall QoL and spiritual self-care, and more reduction in depression than CBT. Patients in both interventions experienced improvement in physical, emotional and spiritual, except social, domains of QoL.Conclusion: I-BMS was more efficacious for diverse domains of QoL, and CBT was more effective for emotional well-being, despite the relatively small between-group effect sizes.Implications for psychosocial providers/policy: (1) With the expanding repertoire of psychosocial interventions for families facing lung cancer, it has become imperative to investigate the comparative efficacies of empirically supported and culturally adapted interventions. (2) Our findings show that I-BMS was more effective for diverse domains of QoL, while CBT was more efficacious with emotional well-being, although both interventions led to significant improvements in physical, emotional and spiritual domains of patient QoL. (3) Patient-caregiver parallel groups have been shown to be effective for enhancing QoL of Chinese lung cancer patients. (4) Care professionals are encouraged to dispense interventions based on the idiosyncratic needs and preferences of the patients to maximize the treatment effects.

Parental Demandingness and Executive Functioning in Predicting Anxiety among Children in a Longitudinal Community Study.

Theoretical models and empirical studies of anxiety have predominately focused on the main effects of various predictors such as executive functioning deficits on anxiety. This study examined the moderating role of parental demandingness in the relationship between executive functioning deficits and anxiety in children. Ninety children (46.67% female) aged from 9 to 14 years completed several executive functioning tasks and a measure of anxiety. Parental demandingness was rated based on an observation of parent-child interactions. The children completed the anxiety measure again at one-year follow-up. The results showed that parental demandingness significantly moderated the prospective relationship between executive functioning deficits and anxiety, such that the association between executive functioning deficits and anxiety in children was weaker when parental demandingness was lower. These findings suggest that low parental demandingness may serve as a protective factor that buffers the detrimental effects of executive functioning deficits on anxiety.

Subjective-Objective Sleep Discrepancy in Schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Subjective methods are often employed for sleep assessment due to their ease of use, but the results may not concur with objective findings. This discrepancy may be present in schizophrenia; however, limited data are available. We performed a secondary analysis to evaluate the agreement between 1-week actigraphy and sleep diary-derived parameters and factors that contribute to subjective-objective sleep discrepancy. PARTICIPANTS: 66 outpatients with schizophrenia (mean age = 44.08 years; 45.45% males). METHODS: Agreement between subjective-objective parameters was assessed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and Bland-Altman plot. The magnitude of discrepancy was quantified using Cohen's d. Pearson's correlation was used to determine the significant factors of subjective-objective sleep discrepancy. Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment was performed to account for multiple testing. RESULTS: On average, sleep diaries overestimated sleep onset latency by 20.45 min, total sleep time by 37.63 min, and sleep efficiency by 4.29%, but underestimated wake after sleep onset by 33.28 min. Cohen's d ranged between 0.61 and 1.41. Subjective-objective discrepancies were significantly associated with marital and employment status, self-reported sleep disturbance, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, chronotype, and psychosocial functioning (r = 0.32-0.44; Benjamini-Hochberg corrected p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that differences between subjective and objective measurements of sleep are present in schizophrenia. Although actigraphy is not a standard procedure for sleep disturbance in schizophrenia, clinical judgment should be used if patients are suspected to have overestimated their sleep difficulties. Further studies should examine whether feedback based on actigraphy can benefit patients with schizophrenia and comorbid sleep disturbances.

Cognitive-behavior therapy with and without parental involvement for anxious Chinese adolescents: A randomized controlled trial.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a culturally attuned group cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) intervention for Chinese adolescents at risk for anxiety disorders in Hong Kong and the additive effects of parental involvement. A randomized controlled design was adopted. Assessments were gathered at pre- and posttreatment, and 6-month follow-up. Participants (N = 136) were randomly assigned to (a) CBT plus parental involvement (CBT-PI) (n = 46), (b) CBT (n = 45), and (c) social activity (n = 45) conditions. Data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle using multilevel modeling. The CBT-PI condition showed a greater reduction in physical injury fears compared with the CBT condition. The current findings suggest that involving parents in CBT for Chinese adolescents with anxiety problems may provide a small improvement in treatment efficacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Caregiving burden and psychological distress in Chinese spousal caregivers: gender difference in the moderating role of positive aspects of caregiving.

Objectives: This study endeavors to advance the current literature by examining the gender differences in the caregiving experiences and the stress-buffering role of positive aspects of caregiving (PAC) among Chinese spousal caregivers of frail elders in Hong Kong. Method: Forty-nine husband caregivers and 121 wife caregivers of frail elders in Hong Kong (N = 170) responded to the Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC) scale, the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21), and demographic questions. These spousal caregivers were diverse in age, and their care receivers were diverse in terms of age and health condition. Results: As predicted, there were significant gender differences in the moderating effects of PAC on the relationships of caregiving burden to depression, anxiety, and overall psychological distress. While PAC significantly buffered the effects of caregiving burden on depression, anxiety, and overall psychological distress for wife caregivers, the moderating effects of PAC were not significant for husband caregivers. Unexpectedly, wife caregivers reported lower PAC, higher caregiving burden, and higher psychological distress. Conclusion: As these findings suggest that PAC is lower but more beneficial for Chinese wife caregivers than Chinese husband caregivers, helping professionals are recommended to use strengths-based interventions that target PAC when working with Chinese wife caregivers.

Correlates of sleep irregularity in schizophrenia.

Circadian rhythm disruption, manifested as circadian misalignment, difficulty initiating sleep, and sleep-wake irregularity, is often left unrecognized in patients with schizophrenia. Studies have shown multiple adverse consequences of sleep irregularity, but limited data is available on schizophrenia. This is a secondary analysis of a case-control study of 66 schizophrenia patients with delayed sleep-wake phase (with or without meeting criteria for the disorder) and normal sleep-wake phase (mean age = 44.08 years; 45.45% males). Potential correlates included sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, social rhythms, chronotype, psychiatric symptoms, psychosocial functioning, metabolic index, cognitive function, and sociodemographic, lifestyle and pharmacological factors. Square successive difference (SSD) scores, derived from 1-week sleep diary and actigraphy, were indexes of sleep irregularity. Multilevel modeling analysis, with SSD scores as level-1 measures and the hypothesized correlates as level-2 measures, was performed. Statistical significance was Bonferroni-adjusted. Higher SSD scores of sleep diary and actigraphy variables were significantly associated with positive and depressive symptoms, poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, irregular social rhythm, evening chronotype, delayed sleep-wake phase disorder, later caffeine use and dinner time, greater cigarette use, and lower dosages of hypnotics and antipsychotics. Our findings highlight the implications of sleep irregularity in schizophrenia and the need for a multimodal intervention.