Journal of Genetic Psychology最新文献

Empathy and Theory of Mind (ToM) undergo major development in preschoolers and help them in their social interactions. This study investigated (1) how affective, cognitive and behavioral empathy are linked with ToM relating to affective and cognitive mental states; and (2) whether subgroups of children could be differentiated according to their skills in these two domains. Mothers of 364 three-to-six-year-old children completed the French version of the Griffith Empathy Measure, Empathy Questionnaire, and Theory of Mind Inventory. The ToM Tasks Battery was also administered to children. A path analysis model showed positive relationships between distinct dimensions of empathy and ToM. Hierarchical cluster analyses identified four subgroups of cases, including one of children at risk of difficulties in empathy and ToM. This study emphasizes the importance of assessing these domains to detect children at risk and refer them to intervention programmes that target the development of these skills.

Previous research suggests that individual changes of school that are not part of general school transitions are associated with lower grades. School grades in German language and mathematics of a sample of N = 814 (407 school remainers and 407 school changers) were assessed in a nationwide 5-year longitudinal study. School changers were older and more likely to attend vocational (blue collar) and administrative (white collar) school tracks with shorter education, while school remainers were more likely to attend comprehensive schools and academic school tracks. Also, parents of school changers had been in education for a shorter time. Migration background was not different between the two groups. School changers who attended a school with an academic track were at particular disadvantage. Path modeling showed that language grades were more affected by school change than mathematics. Effects of primary school changes on language grades cascaded into secondary school but then diminished. Parental background and more mature age yielded significant effects and exhaustively explained remaining variance in school grades but did not change the significant effects of primary and secondary school changes.

The pursuit of intrinsic goals plays a pivotal role in enhancing an individual's overall psycho-social well-being, health, and more (Deci & Ryan, 2000). As such, understanding the factors that influence the formation of intrinsic goals is essential. This study tests hypotheses about the relationship between childhood risk environments and intrinsic goals, focusing on childhood unpredictability and harshness as independent variables, with Chinese university students serving as the subjects. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2,355 students from three universities in China, using four measurement tools: the Childhood Unpredictability Questionnaire, Childhood Harshness Questionnaire, Parental Autonomy Support Questionnaire, and Desire Index Scale. Data analysis was carried out with SPSS 24.0 and AMOS 24.0 software. The results reveal that childhood unpredictability, rather than harshness, is negatively linked with students' intrinsic goals. Childhood harshness shows a positive predictive link to intrinsic goals when unpredictability is high, and a negative link when unpredictability is low. Furthermore, when parental autonomy support is low, childhood harshness positively correlates with intrinsic goals. Additionally, childhood unpredictability and harshness indirectly relate to intrinsic goals by diminishing parental autonomy support. These findings underscore the detrimental relationship between childhood unpredictability and intrinsic goals, while also highlighting the protective role that parental autonomy support can play in fostering intrinsic goal development.

This study aims to explore the relationships between effort-reward imbalance, academic anxiety, sensory processing sensitivity, and control beliefs, and to investigate the mediating and moderating roles of sensory processing sensitivity and control beliefs in the association between effort-reward imbalance and academic anxiety. Employing a quantitative research approach and integrating the diathesis-stress model and effort-reward imbalance theoretical framework, an assessment was conducted on 1522 middle school students (52.04% girls) aged 11 to 18 years (12.82 ± 0.73 years) from regions of Western China, selected through convenience sampling. The study utilized the Effort-Reward Imbalance Scale, Academic Anxiety Scale, Sensory Processing Sensitivity Scale, and Control Beliefs Scale for comprehensive evaluation. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Mplus 8.3 was employed to analyze the data. The study revealed a moderate positive correlation between effort-reward imbalance and academic anxiety, with sensory processing sensitivity acting as a mediator. Moreover, control beliefs demonstrated a moderating effect on this relationship's initial and direct paths. It is crucial to acknowledge the impact of effort-reward imbalance and to maintain a moderate level of control beliefs to enhance the psychological well-being of secondary school students.

The goal of this study was to examine the relation between bullying victimization and problematic internet use among adolescents, as well as the mediating roles of relative deprivation and anxiety. A total of 742 adolescents (54.4% male, 45.6% female; Mage = 13 years old, SD = 0.63) reported their bullying victimization, relative deprivation, anxiety, and problematic internet use through questionnaires. Results indicated adolescents' bullying victimization was positively associated with their problematic internet use, and adolescents' relative deprivation and anxiety, respectively, mediated the association between bullying victimization and problematic internet use. Furthermore, bullying victimization was positively related to adolescents' problematic internet use through the chain mediating effects of relative deprivation and anxiety. The findings revealed the correlates and possible mechanisms of adolescents' problematic internet use development, practical implications, and future directions are discussed.

Psychological distress is a growing concern among university students, yet the role of Psychological Capital (PsyCap) components in mitigating distress remains unclear. This study examines the protective roles of self-efficacy, optimism, hope, and resilience on psychological distress among Malaysian university students. A total of 547 students aged 18 to 24 years (M = 21.23, SD = 1.82) participated in this cross-sectional correlational study. Using SmartPLS software, the regression analysis showed that self-efficacy and optimism were significant negative predictors of psychological distress, whereas pessimism and succumbing were significant positive predictors. However, hope and resilience did not exhibit significant predictive effects. These findings highlight the protective roles of self-efficacy and optimism in reducing distress, while acknowledging the detrimental impact of pessimism and succumbing. Outcomes of the study support Psychological Distress Theory and partially validate PsyCap, highlighting the distinct contributions of its components on psychological distress. Addressing these negative psychological constructs through targeted interventions such as self-efficacy enhancement workshops and cognitive-behavioural programs may help reduce pessimistic thoughts and psychological distress among university students.

From both psychological and physiological perspectives, the current study focused on investigating the moderating role of resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (resting RSA) in the association between trait anger and aggression. One-hundred and sixteen college students (73.28 % females, M_age= 19.15, SD = 0.92) reported their trait anger and aggression. RSA data was collected during a resting period in the laboratory. The results showed that trait anger interacted with resting RSA in predicting aggression, such that a positive association between trait anger and aggression was found among participants with lower, rather than higher, resting RSA. Our findings suggested that high resting RSA may be a protective physiological factor in the relation between trait anger and aggression among college students.

The study probes the relationship between parenting styles and three adolescents' psychological outcome variables: impostor phenomenon, self-esteem, and emotion dysregulation. Using path analysis, it aimed at testing the mediating role played by the latter two variables in the association between parenting and adolescents' impostor feelings, while differentiating between maternal and paternal parenting effect in the context of the child's gender. The sample consisted of 103 adolescent males and 117 females whose mean age was 14.10 ± 1.53. The participants took part in an online survey, where they reported their parents' parenting styles and their psychological variables using battery of instruments. For mothers, authoritative parenting was directly associated among male adolescents and indirectly associated (via higher self-esteem) among female adolescents with lower impostor feelings. For fathers, a similar an indirect association via self-esteem was recorded solely among male adolescents. Emotion dysregulation was found to be uniquely related to authoritarian parenting among adolescent females and to permissive parenting among adolescent males. Respectively, these psychological variables mediated the relationships between parenting styles and adolescents' impostor feelings. The study contributes unique evidence for the role played by emotion dysregulation and self-esteem in explaining adolescents' impostor feelings, while considering the importance of parenting styles and parent-child gender.