Effects of sexual orientation-based prejudice and discrimination in family of origin on depressive symptoms and life satisfaction in a Chinese sample: Reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety as moderators.

Experiencing prejudice and discrimination from family has been found to be positively associated with mental health problems among sexual minorities. Emerging evidence also shows the value of contextualizing the internalization of minority stress by considering individual cultural factors, such as filial piety. We examined whether authoritarian filial piety (AFP) and reciprocal filial piety (RFP) moderated the link between distal stressors in one's family and mental health outcomes. A total of 362 (56.9% male; age: M = 24.55, SD = 6.60) Chinese lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/questioning, and other non-heterosexual (LGBQ+) individuals participated in this study. They provided demographic information and completed a battery of measures for AFP and RFP, sexual orientation-based prejudice and discrimination in family of origin (SOPDF), depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. Structural equation modeling results showed that SOPDF had a positive and negative link with depressive symptoms and life satisfaction, respectively. In addition, we identified AFP and RFP as significant moderators for the association between SOPDF and depressive symptoms, and the association between SOPDF and life satisfaction, respectively. Specifically, the positive effect of SOPDF on depressive symptoms was greater for participants with higher levels of AFP; the negative effect of SOPDF on life satisfaction was greater for participants who endorsed higher levels of RFP. Our findings corroborated past studies' conclusion about the detrimental impact of familial sexual stigma on LGBQ+ people's mental health. Furthermore, such impact on negative and positive mental health outcomes are respectively conditioned by the degree to which LGBQ+ individuals endorse AFP and RFP. These findings underscore the importance for therapists who endorse family therapy to help LGBQ+ clients navigate familial sexual stigma and consider the role of filial piety beliefs in shaping the impact of familial sexual stigma on these clients' mental health.

Internalized Homonegativity and Psychological Distress Among Chinese Gay Men: The Mediating Role of Loneliness and the Moderating Role of Authoritarian Filial Piety.

Purpose: Previous research has consistently found that internalized homonegativity is a salient predictor of psychological distress, but how and when this relationship occurs is unclear, especially among Chinese sexual minority individuals, who are less frequently studied in the literature. This study explored whether the cultural norm of filial piety moderates the indirect association between internalized homonegativity and psychological problems (i.e., symptoms of anxiety and depression) through a sense of loneliness. Methods: To study this question, data were collected from 426 self-identified gay men in China, from February to July 2021, using an online platform. Demographic data, loneliness, authoritarian filial piety (AFP), and internalized homonegativity were measured in this cross-sectional study. Results: In the direct and mediation models, internalized homonegativity had a significant association with psychological distress. In the moderated mediation model, AFP strengthened the effect of internalized homonegativity on loneliness. The indirect positive effect of internalized homonegativity on psychological distress through loneliness was stronger for participants with higher AFP. Conclusions: Loneliness appears to play a role in the relationship between internalized homonegativity and psychological distress. Intervention programs for reducing psychological distress among sexual minority individuals should especially target gay men who endorse high levels of AFP because as a group, their internalized homonegativity is more likely to have a stronger impact on psychological health through loneliness compared with those with low levels of AFP.

The impact of adolescent profiles of posttraumatic stress, emotion regulation, and disorganized attachment on posttraumatic growth and psychiatric symptoms: Academic stress and egocentrism as covariates.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to examine the profile patterns of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cognitive emotion regulation (CER), and disorganized attachment in traumatized adolescents. It also aimed to examine whether these adolescents with different profiles would differ in posttraumatic growth (PTG) and comorbid psychiatric symptoms after controlling for academic stress and egocentrism. METHOD: Nine hundred and forty-nine (N = 949) adolescents were recruited from two secondary schools in China. They completed measures on PTSD, comorbid psychiatric symptoms, PTG, CER, disorganized attachment, and covariates of egocentrism and academic stress. RESULTS: Latent profile analysis identified a four-class model as the optimal solution: low trauma group (Class 1), adaptive copers (Class 2), moderate trauma group (Class 3), and high trauma group (Class 4). After controlling for demographics and levels of egocentrism and academic stress, Class 4 had more severe comorbid psychiatric symptoms than the other three classes. Class 3 had higher levels of comorbid psychiatric symptoms than Class 2 and Class 1, while these latter two were comparable in comorbid psychiatric symptoms. Conversely, Class 4 students had lower levels of PTG than individuals in the other three classes. Class 3 had similar levels of PTG to Class 1, and these two classes reported lower levels of PTG than Class 2. CONCLUSIONS: Chinese adolescents may experience both negative and positive changes after stressful events. The extent of these psychological outcomes could vary depending on the adolescents' previous trauma experiences, emotion regulation, and attachment qualities. Implications for clinical practice were discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Presession mood induction in therapists: Effects on therapist empathy.

Previous studies show that therapist mood is associated with psychotherapy processes, but the observational nature of these studies does not allow for causal inference. It is also unclear if other therapist characteristics, such as therapist trait empathy, moderate the relation between therapist mood and process variables. Thirty-four therapists and volunteer client dyads participated in three weekly counseling sessions. Before each session, therapists were induced to experience one of three moods, elation, depression, or neutral, in a counterbalanced order, using a combination of music and the Velten method. After each session, clients rated therapist empathy and session quality, therapists rated session quality, and observers rated therapist empathy using videotapes. Electrocardiogram was collected from therapists and clients during the session to assess heart rate synchrony as an indicator of therapist empathy. Therapist trait empathy moderated the effect of mood induction on observer-rated therapist empathy, such that when induced to experience elation, therapists with high trait empathy were observed to be more empathic, whereas therapists with low trait empathy were observed to be less empathic. Therapists of different trait empathy levels did not differ on observer-rated empathy when induced to experience depression or neutral mood. No significant effect of mood induction was found for client-rated empathy, client- and therapist-rated session quality, or heart rate synchrony. The experimental design offers preliminary evidence that therapist presession mood may influence the psychotherapy process. The findings are explained in light of empathy amplification and empathy attenuation hypotheses in relation to positive emotion. Practice and research implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

LGBQ affirmative practice and psychological well-being in China.

Research has consistently shown the importance of affirmative practice when therapists work with lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer/questioning (LGBQ) clients. However, less is known about factors that may influence the extent to which clients benefit from affirmative practice. The present study intends to address this gap by examining whether LGBQ affirmative practice would be positively associated with psychological well-being, and whether individuals factors including internalized homophobia (IH), reciprocal filial piety (RFP; providing care and support for parents based on affective bonding), and authoritarian filial piety (AFP; showing unconditional obedience to parents based on parental authority) would moderate this relationship. A total of 128 Chinese LGBQ clients (50% male, 38.3% female, and 11.7% nonbinary/gender queer; age: M = 25.26 years, SD = 5.46) from 21 provinces and regions completed the online survey. Results revealed that LGBQ affirmative practice was positively associated with psychological well-being after controlling for LGBQ clients' pretherapy distress and therapists' credibility. Such association was greater for LGBQ clients who had higher levels of IH and AFP, whereas such effect did not vary with RFP. This study provides preliminary empirical evidence for the effectiveness of LGBQ affirmative practice in psychological health among Chinese LGBQ clients. Moreover, LGBQ affirmative practice might be more helpful for LGBQ clients with higher IH and AFP. These findings implicate that Chinese counselors and therapists should engage in LGBQ affirmative practice when they work with LGBQ clients, especially for those who have high levels of IH and AFP. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

On the Link Between Reciprocal/Authoritarian Filial Piety and Internalized Homonegativity: Perceived Pressure to Get Married in a Heterosexual Marriage as a Mediator.

Previous research has revealed that filial piety belief plays a critical role in self-acceptance of sexual orientation, but studies have rarely examined whether and how reciprocal (i.e., providing care and support based on affective bonding) and authoritarian (i.e., showing unconditional obedience to parents because of parental authority) filial piety contribute to internalized homonegativity. A total of 477 Chinese lesbian, gay, bisexual, questioning/queer, or other non-heterosexual (LGBQ +) adults participated in this study. These participants completed a battery of measures for reciprocal and authoritarian filial piety, perceived internalized, social, and parental pressure to get married in a heterosexual marriage, internalized heteronormativity, socially oriented identity (i.e., negative beliefs about how others in society would negatively treat them because of their sexual orientation), and family-oriented identity (e.g., guilt related to filial piety and worries about present and future life). The results indicated that higher reciprocal filial piety was directly associated with higher internalized heteronormativity. Higher authoritarian filial piety had a direct link with higher family-oriented identity. In addition, authoritarian filial piety was positively associated with internalized heteronormativity through internalized pressure to get married; authoritarian filial piety had a positive link with socially oriented identity through perceived social pressure to get married; authoritarian filial piety was positively related to family-oriented identity through perceived parental pressure to get married. Conclusions: Authoritarian filial piety is a risk factor for internalized homonegativity, and perceived pressure to get married in a heterosexual marriage might be the underlying mechanism for the relationship between authoritarian filial piety and internalized homonegativity.

Comparison between emerging adults and adults in terms of contamination fear, post-COVID-19 PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity.

The present study compared Chinese emerging adults and adults regarding the association between contamination fear, posttraumatic stress disorder post-COVID-19 and psychiatric comorbidity after controlling for demographic and trauma exposure variables. 1089 Chinese civilians (M = 382; F = 707) with a mean age of 26 years (M = 26.36, SD = 8.58) were recruited from different provinces in China via an online survey posted on mainstream Chinese social networking platforms. They completed a demographic page with questions on trauma exposure, the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory, the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 and the General Health Questionnaire-28. Results showed that 12.7%, 68.7% and 18.6% met criteria for full, partial and no PTSD, respectively. Emerging adults reported significantly lower levels of symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance, somatic problems, anxiety and fear of contamination than adults. In both emerging adults and adults, contamination fear was correlated with PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity. High educational attainment was significantly correlated with psychiatric comorbidity in emerging adults, but with PTSD in adults. Length of quarantine was correlated with psychiatric comorbidity only in adults. In conclusion, both emerging adults and adults developed varying levels of contamination fear, posttraumatic stress and general psychological symptoms following the outbreak of COVID-19. Emerging adults were more resilient than adults in coping with distress.

Language Learning Motivation and Burnout Among English as a Foreign Language Undergraduates: The Moderating Role of Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Strategies.

In the context of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), burnout study dominantly revolves around teachers but learners' academic burnout is largely underexplored. Academic burnout is a concerning issue worldwide that is particularly predicted by academic motivation. However, we know little about the association between motivation and burnout among EFL learners and whether maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (ERS) could moderate their association. To fill this research gap, we recruited 841 EFL undergraduates from two universities in China. Descriptive analysis showed that participants reported high levels of language learning burnout. Correlational and bootstrapped moderation analysis found that motivation and maladaptive ERS were significantly correlated with burnout in opposite directions and the correlation between motivation and burnout was significantly influenced by students' use of two maladaptive ERS (avoiding and venting). The more frequently students chose to avoid and vent unpleasant feelings, the protective role of motivation on burnout was weaker. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Clients' experience of LGBQ affirmative and nonaffirmative practice in China: An interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and questioning (LGBQ) affirmative therapy originated from an individualistic culture that emphasizes autonomy and personal independence, but it has become more commonly practiced in Mainland China. Given the influence of collectivistic culture, where Chinese people value interpersonal relationship and harmony more than personal interest, it is unclear whether Chinese sexual minority clients have different expectations and experiences of LGBQ affirmative practice. The purpose of this study is to explore Chinese LGBQ clients' perceived characteristics and impacts of LGBQ affirmative and nonaffirmative practice. A sample of 12 Chinese LGBQ individuals aged 20-35 were recruited to complete an in-depth semistructured interview. Using interpretative phenomenological analysis, two superordinate and nine subordinate themes emerged. Findings from the subordinate themes suggest that counselors working with Chinese LGBQ clients should demonstrate calm assurance rather than being effusive when communicating their affirming attitude, enrich their LGBQ-related knowledge and improve their capacity to provide guidance, and use LGBQ affirmative skills flexibly based on clients' sexual identity development and presenting problems. In addition, LGBQ affirmative practice might be a promising approach to facilitate the counseling process for Chinese LGBQ clients. Implications for these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Reciprocal/Authoritarian Filial Piety and Mental Well-Being in the Chinese LGB Population: The Roles of LGB-Specific and General Interpersonal Factors.

Although filial piety is considered as a salient value in the Chinese culture, studies on the mental well-being of Chinese lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals rarely take filial piety into account or examine it in relation to other variables to clarify the mechanism between filial piety and mental well-being. A total of 1453 LGB participants from 30 provinces and regions in Mainland China completed the online survey. They provided demographic information and completed measures of filial piety, a general interpersonal factor (i.e., perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness), an LGB-specific interpersonal factor (i.e., perceived parental support for sexual orientation), and mental well-being. Structural equation modelling results indicated that higher reciprocal filial piety was directly, and indirectly through lower thwarted belongingness, associated with better mental well-being. Lower authoritarian filial piety was indirectly associated with better mental well-being through higher perceived parental support for sexual orientation and lower thwarted belongingness. In addition, reciprocal filial piety had a stronger effect on perceived parental support for sexual orientation and perceived burdensomeness among lesbians and bisexual women than gay and bisexual men. These findings suggest that reciprocal filial piety is a protective factor, whereas authoritarian filial piety is a risk factor, for the mental well-being of Chinese LGB persons. Moreover, perceived parental support for sexual orientation and thwarted belongingness might be the mechanisms underlying the effect of reciprocal/authoritarian filial piety on mental well-being. Implications of findings for practice and research are discussed.

Emotional experience of psychotherapists: A latent profile analysis.

Psychotherapists respond to clients' emotions in their daily work. However, little is known about therapists' emotional experience and how different patterns of emotional experience are related to therapist empathy. Two samples of therapists, 1 from English-speaking countries (n = 314) and 1 from Mainland China (n = 589), completed measures of emotional reactivity, emotional regulation, expressive flexibility, and empathy. Latent profile analyses identified 3 profiles of emotional experience, namely, Calm Regulators (CR), Moderate Experiencers (ME), and Emotional Feelers (EF), in both samples, although the distribution and indicator levels of profiles differed between samples. In general, CR reported the lowest levels of emotional reactivity and emotional regulation difficulty, followed by ME and EF. CR also reported greater ability to suppress emotional expression as needed compared to ME and EF. In terms of empathy, CR reported greater perspective taking and lower personal distress than ME and EF in both samples. Empathic concern was higher in CR than ME and EF in the English-speaking sample, but did not differ across profiles in the Chinese sample. In addition, CR tended to be older and had more years of clinical experience in both samples. As an exploratory analysis, Chinese therapists with the CR profile reported higher levels of self-efficacy in handling client distress and conflicts in the therapeutic relationship compared to ME and EF. Implications of findings for practice, training, and research are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The effects of lesbian, gay, and bisexual experiences and internal beliefs on lesbian, gay, and bisexual affirmative counselor competence among Chinese counselors.

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) affirmative counselor competence is important for counselors to work effectively with sexual minority clients, but the level of competence is unclear among counselors in China, given the more conservative sociocultural climate. To understand the factors that contribute to Chinese counselors' LGB affirmative counselor competence, this study examined how situational (e.g., LGB experiences) and cognitive factors (e.g., internal beliefs) contribute to such competence in light of cultural learning theory. A total of 672 counselors (79.40% female; Mage = 36.33 years, SD = 7.87) from Mainland China completed an online survey. They provided information about demographics and LGB experiences (i.e., hours of LGB training, number of LGB clients, and number of LGB friends) and completed the Essentialist Beliefs Scale, Social Dominance Orientation Scale, and Sexual Orientation Counselor Competency Scale (SOCCS). Structural equation modeling results indicated that number of LGB friends was positively associated with SOCCS-Attitude. Number of LGB clients had the greatest effect on SOCCS-Skill, followed by hours of LGB training and number of LGB friends. Lower discreteness belief, higher immutability belief, and lower social dominance orientation were associated with higher level of SOCCS-Attitude. Higher universality belief was associated with higher levels of SOCCS-Knowledge and Skill. Interestingly, more hours of LGB training were not associated with higher levels of SOCCS-Attitude and Knowledge. In addition, counselors' gender or sexual orientation did not moderate the effects of LGB experiences and internal beliefs on LGB affirmative counselor competence. The implications for these findings are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Effect of peer attachment and loneliness on self-esteem among children in rural area / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To study the effects of peer attachment and loneliness on self-esteem and to provide suggestions for the development of self-esteem among children in rural area.@*Methods@#A total of 1 009 fourth to sixth graders from ten primary schools in rural area of Sichuan and Henan Provinces participated in this longitudinal study. The self-esteem, peer attachment and loneliness were assessed at baseline, and the selfesteem was assessed after 9-month follow up.@*Results@#After controlling for age, gender, whether parents migrate to work in urban area and self-esteem, peer attachment( β =0.14)and loneliness at Time 1 ( β = -0.13 ) were found to significantly predict self-esteem at Time 2. In addition, the interaction between loneliness at Time 1 and peer attachment at Time 1 on self-esteem at Time 2 was significant( β =-0.08)( P <0.01). Specifically, the relation between peer attachment at Time 1 and selfesteem at Time 2 was greater when children had low level of loneliness at Time 1.@*Conclusion@#The findings indicated that initial low level of loneliness facilitates the protective effect of initial peer attachment on later self-esteem. It reminds parents and educators that both promoting children’s secure attachment towards peers and reducing children’s sense of loneliness are needed in order to develop children’s self-esteem in rural area.

The semantic anatomical network: Evidence from healthy and brain-damaged patient populations.

Semantic processing is central to cognition and is supported by widely distributed gray matter (GM) regions and white matter (WM) tracts. The exact manner in which GM regions are anatomically connected to process semantics remains unknown. We mapped the semantic anatomical network (connectome) by conducting diffusion imaging tractography in 48 healthy participants across 90 GM "nodes," and correlating the integrity of each obtained WM edge and semantic performance across 80 brain-damaged patients. Fifty-three WM edges were obtained whose lower integrity associated with semantic deficits and together with their linked GM nodes constitute a semantic WM network. Graph analyses of this network revealed three structurally segregated modules that point to distinct semantic processing components and identified network hubs and connectors that are central in the communication across the subnetworks. Together, our results provide an anatomical framework of human semantic network, advancing the understanding of the structural substrates supporting semantic processing.