Primenjena psihologija

Relations of self-discrepancies with depression and anxiety in adolescents: The role of parents’ and peers’ expectations

Marija Stamać Ožanić — 2024-10-30

This research aimed to explore relations between self-discrepancies, particularly in the actual and ought self, on one side, and depression and social anxiety on the other. The inconsistency in findings in existing studies is speculated to arise from variations in the definition of the ought self, which represents expectations of significant others about who we should be, with the term significant others not being defined. The results of research conducted on 543 high school students showed that all discrepancies are positively correlated with depression and social anxiety, and negatively with two dimensions of self-esteem: self-competence and self-liking. The findings indicate that all self-discrepancies serve as significant predictors of depression, with the discrepancy in the actual-ideal self and the actual-ought self by parents demonstrating a stronger predictive power than the discrepancy between the actual and ought self by peers. With regards to social anxiety, the discrepancy between actual and ought self by peers is a more influential determinant than the discrepancy between the actual and ought self by parents. It was also found that the discrepancy between the actual and ideal self is more significant than the expected discrepancy in the actual and ought self by peers in the prediction of social anxiety. Data on self-competence showed it was a mediating variable in the correlation between discrepancy in actual-ought self by parents, as well as actual and ideal self, and depression. Finally, self-liking appeared to be a mediating variable in the correlation between the actual-ideal discrepancy and social anxiety.

What Can Network Analysis Tell Us About the Intolerance of Uncertainty?

Marija Volarov — 2024-10-30

In this study, we explored the network structure of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) using a community sample. We tested the interplay of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs about uncertainty (as measured by the Serbian Intolerance of Uncertainty-11 Scale) and evaluated whether our results would align with those obtained by the Italian researchers, considering the use of somewhat different versions of the scale in somewhat different cultural settings. The walktrap community detection algorithm yielded two communities referring to 1) Inhibitory anxiety and 2) Prospective anxiety. Thus, our findings suggest that IU can be decomposed into these two aspects regardless of which approach is used – network approach or factor analysis. The three most central nodes referred to perceiving uncertainty as upsetting and intolerable and believing one must avoid all the uncertainty. Two central nodes belonged to the Prospective anxiety community, and the third one belonged to the Inhibitory anxiety community and indicated reduced overall quality of life due to uncertainty. The roles of these three constituents in understanding the nature of IU are discussed further in the paper.

Validation of perceived narcissistic parenting scale

Luka Borović — 2024-10-30

Narcissistic parenting describes a parent-child relationship in which the needs of the parents are a priority while children's needs and autonomy are neglected or prohibited. The child is used as a means of satisfying parental needs and goals with no regard to its authentic needs and emotions. Despite the significant number of research studies there is a lack of validated instruments for measuring the perception of this parenting type. In this research a preliminary version of the Perceived narcissistic parenting scale was constructed, with parallel forms for mother and father. The initial scale consisted of 33 items, that describe the following indicators of narcissistic parenting: psychological control, conditional regard, high standards, and parental favoritism. The sample of the research consisted of 230 youth, aged 18 to 30 (M = 22, SD = 3.00), 83.91% female. More than third of participants (36.52%) report that they sought professional psychological help in their lives. Exploratory factor analysis of mother and father scale form shows that one-factor solution is optimal in both cases, once the items about perceived parental favoritism are removed. Both mother (ω = .98) and father (ω = .97) versions of the scale show high internal consistency. Participants who were or are currently involved in psychological counselling achieve significantly higher scores on both forms compared to participants who never sought psychological help, which is a potential sign of good convergent validity. The constructed scale has satisfying psychometric characteristics. Scale limitations include the retrospective nature of items and the need for participants to be aware of the problematic nature of parental behavior.

The Relationship between Neuroticism, Nightmare Characteristics and Suffering in respect to PTSD Psychopathology

Sonja Protić — 2024-10-30

Introduction: The role of neuroticism in the relationship between nightmare characteristics (e.g., frequency and replicativity), and nightmare-related suffering, i.e., nightmare-related distress and impairment after awaking, is still to be explored.

Methods: In a sample of 346 soldiers (mean age 33.95 years, 13.9% females) who experienced at least one traumatic event (47.0% having a formal clinical diagnosis of PTSD), we tested the contributions of neuroticisms and PTSD symptomatology in predicting nightmare characteristics, as well as their moderating effects on the relationship between variables reflecting nightmare characteristics and suffering.

Results: Results showed no significant effect of neuroticism on nightmare frequency and replicativity beyond PTSD symptomatology, while its contribution to nightmare-related suffering was only partially explained by PTSD symptomatology. However, in the subsample of soldiers with PTSD diagnosis, neuroticism showed no significant effects beyond PTSD symptom severity and replicativity. Furthermore, no moderating effects of neuroticism or PTSD symptom severity on the relationship between nightmare characteristics and nightmare-related suffering in traumatized soldiers were found.

Discussion: These results confirm the predictive role of neuroticism on PTSD symptom severity and nightmare-related suffering but not nightmare frequency and replicativity. Furthermore, neuroticism and PTSD symptom severity did not contribute to higher vulnerability to nightmare suffering, in traumatized people who experience frequent and replicative nightmares.

Teachers’ basic psychological needs, (de)motivating styles and professional well-being

Aleksandra Huić — 2024-10-30

In this study we adopt the lens of self-determination theory to examine the interplay between teachers’ basic psychological needs, behaviors, and well-being. We investigate teachers’ classroom behavior in the form of their (de)motivating styles as mediators between their need satisfaction/frustration and levels of their emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. A total of 365 Croatian teachers completed an online survey filling out the Situations-in-School Questionnaire, Basic psychological need satisfaction and frustration scale, Short Index of Job Satisfaction and Emotional exhaustion scale. In line with the bright pathway, results showed that teachers with higher need satisfaction used more autonomy-supportive and structuring motivating styles and were more satisfied with their job. Teachers who used autonomy-supportive style were also more satisfied with their job, and this style partially mediated the relationship between need satisfaction and job satisfaction. In line with the dark pathway, teachers whose basic needs were more frustrated used more controlling and chaotic demotivating styles and reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion. Control and chaos as demotivating styles were not significant mediators between need frustration and emotional exhaustion, while teachers who used higher levels of the chaotic style reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion.