Breakthrough pain (BTP) is temporary and considerably severe. Thus, patients with BTP are more likely to perceive pain-related stimuli as a threat than those without BTP. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in attentional bias in patients with and without BTP. This study recruited 17 patients and 25 patients with and without BTP, respectively, from among patients with chronic pain at a university hospital in Suwon, Republic of Korea. The participants’ eye movements were recorded using an eye tracker during a free viewing task that features sensory pain-neutral, affective pain-neutral, and neutral-neutral word pairs. Two-way ANOVA(group*word type) was conducted on the attentional bias indices. The results were as follows: First of all, looking at the attentional-orientation index, it was found that in the time taken until the first fixation, patients with BTP were more vigilant towards sensory pain words and affective pain words than patients without BTP. In addition, during the first 250ms, patients with BTP was more vigilant towards affective pain words than patients without BTP. Finally, looking at the attentional-maintenance index, in the total time for taking the Area Of Interest (AOI), the patients without BTP showed more difficulty with distraction for sensory pain words than patients with BTP. The patients with BTP showed more difficulty with distraction for affective pain words than the patients without BTP. The results of the study provide the need for correction of the existing vigilance-avoidance pattern, and they suggest that characteristics, such as the presence or absence of BTP and word type in chronic pain patients, should be considered in the attention bias modification (ABM) program.
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of post-event rumination in the relationship between evaluative concerns perfectionism and social anxiety as well as between intolerance of uncertainty and social anxiety. A total of 369 undergraduate and graduate students were asked to complete the questionnaires, including the Evaluative Concerns Perfectionism Scale, Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12, Post-Event Rumination Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, and short form of the Korean version of Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale(CES-D). The results of this study were as follows: First, all variables were significantly positively correlated. After controlling for depression, the variables were still significantly positively correlated. Second, post-event rumination partially mediated the relationship not only between evaluative concerns perfectionism and social anxiety but also between intolerance of uncertainty and social anxiety. After controlling for depression, the mediation effect of post-event rumination was still significant. Finally, clinical implications and limitations of this study were discussed.
Many researchers have emphasized the importance of self-control in alcohol use and consumption, but there is a constant controversy about the role of self-control in the situation of ego depletion. Therefore, this study investigated the relationship between self-control and alcohol intake by inducing ego depletion in a manner that suppresses the emotion in college students. A preliminary survey was conducted in 300 college students, and 40 students with high level of self-control and 38 students with low level of self-control were selected. They were assigned to either the depletion or non-depletion conditions by ensuring similarity between gender, age, grade, and drinking behavior(quantity, frequency, and speed). The results showed that the high self-control group consumed more alcohol in the depletion condition, which was significantly different from the non-depletion condition. On the other hand, the low self-control group consumed more alcohol in the non-depletion condition, but it was not significantly different from the depletion condition. Based on these findings, the implications and limitations of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.
This study focused on proactive coping, a concept that encompasses the positive and proactive aspects of coping, and we examined in detail whether coping flexibility and perceived stress mediatedthe relationship between proactive coping and stress emotions(depression and anxiety) in a sequential manner. Two hundred and eighty adults completed the PCI, COFLEX, PSS, and ESI. The results indicated that perceived stress mediated the relationship between proactive coping and stress emotions, and both coping flexibility and perceived stress mediated the relationship sequentially. These findings indicate that coping flexibility and perceived stress are factors that link proactive coping and stress emotions. The implications and limitations of this study, and suggestions for future studies were discussed.
The purpose of this study was to prove the effect of a Motivation Management Program and Progressive Muscle Relaxation on procrastination and its related psychological factors in female university students. The participants of this study were university students who reported engaging in problematic procrastination. A total of 21 students were assigned to the motivation management group, 20 students were assigned to the progressive muscle relaxation group, and 20 students were assigned to the control group. Both the Motivation Management program and Progressive Muscle Relaxation program were administered for 6 sessions. All three groups completed the questionnaires at the pre-and post-treatmenttimepoints. In addition, the motivation management group and the progressive muscle relaxation group completed a 4 weeks follow-up test. As the measurement tools, the researcher used the Aitken Procrastination Scale, Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale. The results were as follows: procrastination was significantly decreased in both the motivation management group and the progressive muscle relaxation group compared to the control group, and the effect persisted at the follow-up test. Fear of negative evaluation was significantly decreased in the motivation management group compared to the control group, and self-efficacy was significantly increased in the motivation management group compared to the progressive muscle relaxation group. Finally, the implications of this study and suggestions for future research were discussed.
The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-esteem and healthy attitude toward life among elementary school students in early adolescence, and to examine parallel dual mediating effects of interpersonal relationship and depression on the relationships. Participants of this study were 352 students, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, from an elementary school located in Seoul. Self-esteem positive interpersonal relationship, depression, and motivation and expectation for future life were measured in this study. The results showed that the higher the level of self-esteem, the higher the level of positive interpersonal relationship, motivation and expectation for future life and the lower the level of depression in elementary school students. Positive interpersonal relationship was positively correlated with motivation and expectations of life, while depression was negatively correlated with motivation and expectations of life. In a mediating model of motivation for life, only interpersonal relationship was a significant mediator of self-esteem, and in a mediating model of expectation for future life, both interpersonal relationship and depression showed significant mediating effects. This study suggested that self-esteem makes children adapt to especially interpersonal relationships, giving them a positive attitude toward future life.
The purpose of this study is to examine the double mediating effect of external locus of control and avoidance coping on the job applicants’ socially-prescribed perfectionism and dysfunctional anger expression, which was divided into the anger-in and anger-out emotions. To examine the relationship among these factors, an online survey questionnaire was given to 455 job applicants. A total of 306 data were used for the final analysis. The results of this study were as follows: First, all variables(socially-prescribed perfectionism, anger-in, anger-out, external locus of control and avoidance coping) had a significant positive correlation with each other. Second, the relationship between socially-prescribed perfectionism and anger-in was partially mediated by external locus of control and avoidance coping. Third, the relationship between socially-prescribed perfectionism and anger-out was completely mediated by external locus of control and avoidance coping. The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to continuously develop and review therapeutic strategies to treat various psychological maladjustment factors experienced by job applicants. Based on these results, implications, limitations of this study, and suggestions for future research were discussed.
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of emotional dysregulation on the relationship between behavioral inhibition system (BIS), behavioral activation system (BAS), and anxiety and aggression. BAS basically consisted of three factors. However, in our study, the BAS score was composed of two factors, drive and fun-seeking, which are expected to increase the risk of aggression. According to the joint subsystem hypothesis, BIS and BAS can mitigate each other’s effects on psychological functions. Thus, we analyzed both the main effects and interaction effects of BIS and BAS. Participants were 300 adults (195 males and 105 females) who responded to the self-reporting questionnaires assessing BIS/BAS, difficulties in emotion regulation, state-trait anxiety, and aggression. The result of path analysis of anxiety indicated that the BIS positively predicted anxiety, and emotional dysregulation partially mediated their relationship. In contrast, the total effects of BAS on anxiety were non-significant. The interaction effects of BIS and BAS were significant, which meant that the BAS mitigated the relationship between BIS and anxiety. The result of path analysis of aggression indicated that the BAS positively predicted aggression, and emotional dysregulation partially mediated their relationship. In contrast, the indirect effects of the BAS on aggression through emotional dysregulation were positively significant, but the direct effects and total effects were non-significant. The interaction effects of BIS and BAS were also not significant which meant that the BIS did not mitigate the relationship between BAS and aggression. These findings suggest that we should consider both BIS and BAS in order to explain anxiety and aggression and importance of emotional dysregulation as a transdiagnostic factor.
The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effect of meaning in life (the presence of meaning in life and the search for meaning in life) on the relationship between perceived stress and satisfaction with life among Korean Army soldiers. A total of 370 male soldiers (Mage=20.82 years, SD=1.18) completed the questionnaires, which were designed to measure three constructs, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ). We found that the search for meaning in life was positively correlated with the presence of meaning in life. Meaning in life variables were negatively related to perceived stress and positively related to life satisfaction. Next, in a measurement model, which was constructed to assess whether the indicator variables loaded on their four latent variables, fit indices indicated a good fit of this measurement model. In addition, the mediating effect of meaning in life on the relationship between perceived stress and the satisfaction with life was more pronounced in the competitive model than in the research model. This indicated that the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction was significantly mediated by the presence of meaning in life and was not significantly mediated by the search for meaning in life itself. Instead, the search for meaning in life, with the presence of meaning in life as the primary mediator, indirectly affected the relationship between perceived stress and life satisfaction. Finally, the limitations and implications of this study were discussed.