Experiential Avoidance, Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Academic Impairment.

The ways in which Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms lead to impairments in functioning, including academic performance, are not well understood. The present study sought to examine the role of a common maladaptive coping strategy, experiential avoidance, as a moderator of the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and academic achievement. Participants (N = 326) were undergraduate students enrolled in introductory psychology courses at a large university in the Midwestern United States who reported at least one event potentially meeting Criterion A for PTSD. The prospective association of PTSS with current and subsequent semester GPAs, and with experiential avoidance as the moderator, were examined. The interaction between PTSS and experiential avoidance significantly predicted both current semester GPA and subsequent semester GPA, with stronger associations between PTSS and GPA being observed at higher levels of experiential avoidance. These results were not fully explained by control variables of high school performance, standardized test scores, and general negative affect. This study found that experiential avoidance significantly moderates the relationship between PTSS and academic performance. These results suggest that interventions that target PTSS and/or experiential avoidance may increase GPA. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

Metacognition as a Mediator for Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Following Childhood Stressful Life Events: An Examination of the Construct Validity of the Metacognitions Questionnaire-Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Both cognitive and metacognitive theories implicate posttraumatic metacognition as an important factor in the maintenance of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following stressful life events (SLEs). The Metacognitions Questionnaire-posttraumatic stress disorder (MCQ-PTSD; Wells, 2009) was previously developed to assess for metacognitions specific to SLEs and resulting PTSS. This study aimed to examine the construct validity of this measure in the context of childhood SLEs specifically. First, we confirmed the factor structure underlying the MCQ-PTSD in our sample. We then assessed whether the MCQ-PTSD would function as expected based on a theoretical model in which, controlling for posttraumatic cognitions, posttraumatic metacognitions were expected to mediate the relationship between childhood SLEs and PTSS. Using data from a racially diverse sample of undergraduate psychology students (N = 402; Agemean = 19.38 ± 1.81) at a large Midwestern university, the two-factor structure of the MCQ-PTSD was confirmed. Among participants who endorsed clinically significant experience of childhood SLEs (n = 203; Agemean = 19.49 ± 1.94), negative metacognitions mediated the relationships of emotional and sexual abuse with PTSS, when controlling for other posttraumatic cognitions. These relationships were not observed for positive metacognitions. These results are consistent with a metacognitive model for PTSD and suggest that the MCQ-PTSD may be a valid measure of posttraumatic metacognitions following childhood SLEs.

Measures of Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents.

This study examines select psychometric properties (i.e., internal reliability, and factorial, convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity) of three commonly-used measures of anxiety disorder symptoms in adolescents in the context of multi-trait, multi-method matrix analyses. A sample of 331 adolescents (age M = 17.1; 75.3% white; 71.0% female) completed three self-report scales that assess symptoms of separation anxiety, social anxiety, panic, and generalized anxiety, as well as measures of depression, experiential avoidance, and intolerance of uncertainty. Measures of panic disorder symptoms showed poor factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity. A multi-trait, multi-method matrix model to understand the relationships among the measures of separation anxiety, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety symptoms provided a reasonable fit to the data. Measures of separation anxiety showed poor discriminant and criterion validity, suggesting limited relevance of separation anxiety in this adolescent sample. Measures of social anxiety generally showed evidence of adequate-to-good factorial, convergent, and discriminant validity. Measures of generalized anxiety showed adequate -to-good factorial and convergent validity, and poor-to-adequate discriminant validity. The associations of measures of social and generalized anxiety with measures of depression, experiential avoidance, and intolerance of uncertainty were at least partially independent of method variance. The findings of this study add to the growing literature that evaluates the strengths and limitations of these scales for clinical practice and research.

Parental Management of Adolescents' Peer Relationships in Ghana and the United States.

A sample of Ghanaian (n = 119) and United States (US; n = 70) adolescents was used to examine parental management of peer relationships. Adolescents completed measures of consulting, guiding, parent-adolescent conflict about peers, and social behavior. Compared to US adolescents, Ghanaian adolescents reported higher levels of overt aggression and relational aggression. Ghanaian adolescents reported higher levels of conflict with parents about peers than US adolescents. Ghanaian boys reported the highest level of conflict with parents about peers, US boys reported the lowest level of conflict with parents about peers, and Ghanaian and US girls reported medium levels of conflict about peers. Girls reported higher levels of prosocial behavior than boys. Older adolescents reported higher levels of conflict with parents about peers, higher levels of overt aggression, and higher levels of relational aggression. Across nationality groups, higher levels of consulting were related to lower levels of overt aggression. Multiple regression analyses suggested that higher levels of conflict with parents about peer relationships was related to higher levels of overt aggression and relational aggression across nationality groups. A significant two-way interaction revealed that, for US adolescents, higher levels of consulting were related to higher levels of prosocial behavior. A significant three-way interaction suggested that guiding was not related to prosocial behavior regardless of level of conflict among Ghanaian adolescents. For US adolescents, higher levels of guiding at higher levels of conflict were associated with higher levels of prosocial behavior among US adolescents.

Do ask, do tell? Observations of mothers' solicitation and adolescents' disclosure.

This investigation used sequential analysis to examine patterns of maternal solicitation and adolescent disclosure that occur in adolescents' and mothers' conversations about peer relationships. An ethnically diverse sample of 68 early adolescents (Mage = 12.39; 51% girls) and their mothers from the United States participated in the investigation. Participants completed questionnaires and participated in video-recorded discussions of hypothetical situations related to peer relationships. Sequences of maternal solicitation followed by adolescent disclosure and sequences of adolescent disclosure followed by maternal solicitation occurred at higher than chance levels. Higher levels of conflict about peer relationships in conjunction with a lower likelihood of adolescent disclosure following maternal solicitation were related to lower levels of adolescent-reported prosocial behavior, higher levels of adolescent-reported victimization, and higher levels of mother-reported aggression and victimization. Results suggest that similar interaction dynamics can have different effects depending on the relational context in which they take place. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Anxiety sensitivity, disgust sensitivity and aversive reactions to four stimuli.

BACKGROUND: Prior theory and research has implicated disgust as relevant to some, but not all phobias. AIMS: The current study examined whether anxiety sensitivity is more relevant to certain specific phobias and whether disgust sensitivity is more relevant to other specific phobias. METHOD: Participants (n = 201) completed measures of anxiety sensitivity, disgust sensitivity and measures of aversive reactions in the presence of two fear-relevant stimuli (i.e. heights and small, enclosed spaces) and two disgust-relevant stimuli (i.e. spiders and blood/injury). RESULTS: Results of multiple linear regression analyses revealed that disgust sensitivity showed significant associations with aversive reactions in all four stimulus domains after controlling for anxiety sensitivity. After controlling for disgust sensitivity, anxiety sensitivity showed associations with the two fear-relevant phobias but not with the two disgust-relevant phobias included in this study. Anxiety sensitivity also showed an association with variance specific to one of the two fear-relevant specific phobias included in the study. Disgust sensitivity also showed associations with variance specific to both of the disgust-relevant phobias included in the study but not with variance specific to either of the fear-relevant specific phobias. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that the distinction between fear-relevant and disgust-relevant specific phobias is meaningful and also implicate disgust sensitivity as relevant to aversive reactions to all stimuli included in this study.

Reassurance seeking and spoiled answers on academic tests.

Background: The current study examined whether test-related reassurance seeking is associated with lower scores on a high stakes, standardized test (i.e., the ACT) after controlling for academic performance in high school, and with spoiled answers (i.e., changing correct answers to incorrect) on a subsequent academic exam. Method: Students (N = 59) completed measures of test-related reassurance seeking behavior, other test anxiety-related constructs, and social anxiety-related constructs prior to taking the last in-class exam in their introductory psychology courses. Erasure marks on the bubble answer sheets were inspected to identify the number of spoiled answers. Results: Replicating results from a prior study, reassurance seeking predicted underperformance on the ACT. In addition, reassurance seeking predicted the number of spoiled answers on the in-class exam. Reassurance seeking did not predict irrelevant changes or corrections. Conclusions: Overall, these results provide additional evidence that test-related reassurance seeking is associated with performance on academic tests, and novel evidence that test-related reassurance seeking is associated with spoiling answers.

Development and Initial Test of the Safety Behaviors in Test Anxiety Questionnaire: Superstitious Behavior, Reassurance Seeking, Test Anxiety, and Test Performance.

The purpose of the current studies is to identify safety behavior dimensions relevant to test anxiety, to develop a questionnaire to assess those dimensions, and to examine the validity of that questionnaire. Items were generated from interviews with college students ( N = 24). Another sample ( N = 301) completed an initial 33-item measure. Another sample ( N = 151) completed the final 19-item version the Safety Behaviors in Test Anxiety Questionnaire and provided access to their academic records. Interviews and expert evaluations were used to select items for the initial pool. An examination of item distributions and exploratory factor analysis were used to identify dimensions and reduce the item pool. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to validate the factorial structure. Correlational analyses were used to examine criterion validity of the final measure. The Safety Behaviors in Test Anxiety Questionnaire consists of a 9-item "Superstitious Behaviors" scale and a 10-item "Reassurance Seeking." The measure shows good content validity, factorial validity, internal consistency, and convergent and discriminant validity. Only the Reassurance Seeking scale showed good incremental criterion validity. Overall, these findings suggest that reassurance seeking may be a neglected target for interventions that might increase performance on high stakes tests.

High dose alcohol consumption predicts less reduction in post-traumatic stress symptoms after a campus mass shooting.

BACKGROUND: Recognizing that alcohol might affect subsequent processing of trauma-related information, this study examined whether high dose alcohol consumption (HDAC) following a campus mass shooting affected the relation between shooting exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). METHODS: Female participants (N = 691) recorded levels of physical exposure to the shooting event, alcohol use, and PTSS 1 month following the shooting event and 8 months later. RESULTS: No evidence was found to suggest that pre-shooting HDAC moderated the relationship between trauma exposure and PTSS 1 month following the shooting. HDAC in the month following the shooting predicted less resolution of PTSS 8 months later. Specifically, at higher (but not lower) levels of HDAC, shooting exposure was associated with less reduction in PTSS from 1 to 8 months post-trauma. Several alternate explanations were ruled out. CONCLUSIONS: Less reduction in PTSS seems to occur at high levels of both shooting exposure and HDAC. Theoretical implications and directions for future research are discussed.

The latent structure of social anxiety disorder and the performance only specifier: a taxometric analysis.

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is often treated as a discrete diagnostic entity that represents a naturally occurring class, though empirical evidence largely supports a dimensional conceptualization of social fears. Further, the inclusion of a "performance only" specifier in the DSM-5 implies that individuals who experience intense social anxiety exclusively in performance situations are distinct from those with broader social fears. The purpose of the present research was to examine the latent structure of SAD and the DSM-5 "performance only" specifier in a large nonclinical sample (n = 2019). Three taxometric procedures (MAXCOV, MAMBAC, and L-Mode) were applied to indicators derived from two commonly used measures of social anxiety. Results yielded convergent evidence indicating that social anxiety exhibits a dimensional latent structure. Further, social performance anxiety demonstrates continuous relationships with milder social fears, suggesting that the "performance only" specifier may not represent a discrete entity. The implications of these findings for the assessment, diagnosis, classification, and treatment of social anxiety are discussed.

Social Anxiety and Relationship Formation During the College Transition: Self-Verification, Self-Image, and Victimization.

This study tested a self-verification model of social anxiety in the context of relationship formation during the transition to college. Incoming college freshmen (N = 68) completed measures of social anxiety and social self-esteem at the beginning of college and 10 weeks later. Using sociometric ratings completed 10 weeks later, relational victimization appeared to be a unitary construct and not distinct from physical victimization. Participants with low social self-esteem at Time 1 were subsequently seen as victimized, reported disliking spending time at Time 2 with peers who reported liking them, and reported high social anxiety at Time 2 even in the absence of subsequent victimization. The implications of these results for understanding the role of self-verification processes in the maintenance of self-image and social anxiety are discussed.

Method Variance in Adolescents', Mothers', and Observers' Reports of Peer Management: Nuisance or Information?

The purpose of this investigation was to examine discrepancies among three informants' (adolescents, mothers, and observers) reports of maternal consulting in regard to peer relationships and the relation of the discrepancies to four social adjustment variables (prosocial behavior, loneliness, positive friendship quality, and physical victimization). An ethnically diverse sample of 70 early adolescents (51 % female) and their mothers participated in this multimethod investigation. Adolescent reports of parental consulting, but not mother or observer reports, were significantly associated with adolescent reports of four psychosocial outcomes. Recognizing that comparison of equivalent regression models can inform interpretations of the data such as the monomethod associations found in this study, this article describes and discusses a strategy for analyzing data from multiple informants. The associations of adolescent reports of parental consulting with loneliness and physical victimization could be fully explained in terms of adolescent bias or other systematic variance uniquely associated with adolescent reports, but those with prosocial behavior and positive friendship quality could not. The view that discrepancies between mother and adolescent reports of parental consulting reflect poor relationship quality appeared most applicable in models of positive friendship quality, somewhat applicable in models of prosocial behavior and physical victimization, and not applicable in models of loneliness. The view that discrepancies might reflect normative and adaptive autonomy was not supported. In addition to adding to our understanding of maternal consulting in regard to peer relationships, it is also hoped that the analytic approach developed for this study will stimulate developments in research that uses multiple informants.

Focus-of-attention behavioral experiment: an examination of a therapeutic procedure to reduce social anxiety.

A clinical protocol based on contemporary cognitive behavioral treatment for social anxiety was developed and examined. Previously published instructions for conducting a focus-of-attention behavioral experiment targeting self-focused attention and safety behaviors during exposure were used to create a structured protocol. Individuals (n = 45) with high levels of social anxiety and public-speaking anxiety were randomly assigned to either a focus-of-attention behavioral experiment (FABE) or an Exposure-Only Control (EOC) condition. During four exposure trials, those in the FABE condition (n = 24) were alternately instructed to engage in self-focused attention vs. externally focused attention and to eliminate safety behaviors. Those in the EOC condition (n = 21) were not so instructed. At post-intervention, individuals in the FABE condition showed significantly less self-focused attention and anxiety, and better observed performance as rated by audience members. Focus-of-attention statistically mediated the effect of condition on anxiety. For those in the FABE condition, the degree of association between focus-of-attention and anxiety during the intervention predicted less self-focused attention post-intervention. The FABE appears to be a useful procedure for implementing part of the contemporary cognitive behavioral treatment model.

Self-focused attention affects subsequent processing of positive (but not negative) performance appraisals.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cognitive-behavioral models highlight the conjoint roles of self-focused attention (SFA), post-event processing (PEP), and performance appraisals in the maintenance of social anxiety. SFA, PEP, and biased performance appraisals are related to social anxiety; however, limited research has examined how SFA affects information-processing following social events. The current study examined whether SFA affects the relationships between performance appraisals and PEP following a social event.. METHODS: 137 participants with high (n = 72) or low (n = 65) social anxiety were randomly assigned to conditions of high SFA or low SFA while engaging in a standardized social performance. Subsequent performance appraisals and PEP were measured. RESULTS: Immediate performance appraisals were not affected by SFA. High levels of SFA led to a stronger, inverse relationship between immediate positive performance appraisals and subsequent negative PEP. High levels of SFA also led to a stronger, inverse relationship between negative PEP and changes in positive performance appraisals.. LIMITATIONS: Future research should examine whether the current findings, which involved a standardized social performance event, extend to interaction events as well as in a clinical sample. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that SFA affects the processing of positive information following a social performance event. SFA is particularly important for understanding how negative PEP undermines positive performance appraisals..

Mothers' Management of Adolescent Peer Relationships: Associations With Aggressive, Prosocial, and Playful Behavior.

The authors examined the relation between adolescents' reports of mothers' management of peer relationships and adolescents' reports of their own aggressive, prosocial, and playful behaviors. The sample comprised 92 adolescents (M age = 15.41 years, SD = 1.81 years) enrolled in a residential summer camp. Higher levels of consulting were related to lower levels of adolescents' relational aggression, physical aggression, playful teasing, and rough-and-tumble play. Higher levels of consulting were related to higher levels of prosocial behavior. Higher levels of guiding were related to higher levels of adolescents' relational aggression and social inclusion. Higher levels of granting access to peers were related to higher levels of adolescents' prosocial behavior and social inclusion. Moderate levels of granting access to peers were related higher levels of playful teasing.

The Circumscribed Fear Measure: Development and initial validation of a trans-stimulus phobia measure.

Extant stimulus-specific fear measures are limited to a small number of stimuli and contain significantly different content. This article describes 2 studies that develop a more flexible fear measure­the Circumscribed Fear Measure (CFM)­and examine its psychometric properties. In Study 1, participants (N = 771) completed an initial item pool while considering their most feared stimulus. Results of factor analyses were used to propose a 25-item, 5-factor measure that would span the domain of specific phobia reactions, applicable to different stimuli. In Study 2, participants (N = 959) completed the 25-item CFM, extant phobia measures, and a measure of disability. The CFM exhibited a 5-scale structure that had an equivalent structure across different stimuli. It showed good factorial validity, reliability, and generally good convergent and discriminant validity. Criterion validity was commensurate with that of extant phobia measures. The use of the measure as an index of an individual's greatest fear is also discussed. The CFM shows promise and could have substantial research and clinical utility.

The OCD Project: Educational or Sensational?

Ninety-two young adults were randomly assigned to watch two episodes of The OCD Project, a reality television program depicting the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder using exposure therapy, or two episodes of another reality television program (Big Brother). Participants in The OCD Project condition (n = 35) endorsed significantly fewer negative beliefs about exposure therapy than participants in the Big Brother condition (n = 42). Participants' obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms did not moderate the beneficial effects of watching The OCD Project These results provide preliminary evidence that reality television programs can have a modest psychoeducational benefit and might be used to change attitudes about mental health problems and their treatment.

Examining the symptom-level specificity of negative problem orientation in a clinical sample.

Given the equivocal state of the literature as to the symptom-level specificity of the cognitive variable labeled negative problem orientation (NPO), we targeted NPO-symptom relations. A clinical sample (N = 132) of adults diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, mood disorder, or obsessive-compulsive disorder completed self-reports of NPO and symptom types (worry, depression, obsessive-compulsive, panic, and social anxiety). Symptom-level specificity was examined using a combination of zero-order and regression analyses that controlled for the other assessed symptoms. Results were that NPO shared small to moderate correlations with the symptoms. Regression results indicated that NPO only shared unique associations with worry, depression, and social anxiety. In the analyses, NPO clustered particularly strongly with worry. The present results provide support for conceptualizing NPO as a cognitive variable common to emotional disorders, but not as related equivalently to all disorders within this category.

The Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and the Social Phobia Scale (SPS): a comparison of two short-form versions.

The widespread use of Mattick and Clarke's (1998) Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS) and Social Phobia Scale (SPS) led 2 independent groups of researchers to develop short forms of these measures (Fergus, Valentiner, McGrath, Gier-Lonsway, & Kim, 2012; Peters, Sunderland, Andrews, Rapee, & Mattick, 2012). This 3-part study examined the psychometric properties of Fergus et al.'s and Peters et al.'s short forms of the SIAS and SPS using an American nonclinical adolescent sample in Study 1 (N = 98), American patient sample with an anxiety disorder in Study 2 (N = 117), and both a South Korean college student sample (N = 341) and an American college student sample (N = 550) in Study 3. Scores on both sets of short forms evidenced adequate internal consistency, interitem correlations, and measurement invariance. Scores on Fergus et al.'s short forms, particularly their SIAS short form, tended to capture more unique variance in scores of criterion measures than did scores on Peters et al.'s short forms. Implications for the use of these 2 sets of short forms are discussed.

The Combination of Health Anxiety and Somatic Symptoms: Examining Associations With Health-Related Beliefs and Gender Differences.

Current diagnostic criteria suggest that some individuals experience health anxiety and severe somatic symptoms, whereas others experience health anxiety and either no or mild somatic symptoms. However, to date, our understanding of potential differences among individuals with health anxiety and varying severity of somatic symptoms remains limited. Adopting a dimensional approach, we completed this study to help fill this gap in the literature by examining whether the interactive effect between health anxiety and somatic symptoms was related to health-related beliefs among men (n = 211) and women (n = 220). Among both men and women, health anxiety was related to certain health-related beliefs, particularly anxiety sensitivity, only when coupled with severe somatic symptoms. Conceptual and therapeutic implications of these results are discussed.