The Korean Journal of Health Psychology
- KOREAN
- P-ISSN1229-070X
- E-ISSN2713-9581
- KCI
Browse Articles
e-SubmissionVol.28 No.3
Abstract
Alexithymia conceptualizes difficulty in identifying and expressing emotion. The level of alexithymia can be affected by both personal characteristics and cultural background, and age is related to both domains of the factors. Considering different sociocultural backgrounds between generations due to radical changes in Korean society has gone through during a relatively short period of time, it is expected to find differences in the level of alexithymia between generations. This study, using a psychometric model, compared the levels of alexithymia, measured by the Korean version of the 20-item Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20K), between groups of young (20-30s) and middle-aged (50-60s) adults. For a valid comparison, TAS-20K should measure the same construct in the two groups, so we checked measurement invariance between the groups with the multi-group factor analytic model and alignment method. Our results show that 2-factor models consisted of difficulty identifying and expressing emotion (DIDF) and externally-oriented thinking (EOT) in both groups. The invariance was satisfied for the factor loadings but not for the intercepts between the groups. Under approximate invariance, the young adult group showed a significantly higher level of DIDF. This can be a result of both cognitive maturation and the change in value system. In addition, the results showed that TAS-20K measures similar construct in both age groups but still requires a revision for some items.
Abstract
This study aimed to elucidate the emotion recognition characteristics of the borderline personality disorder tendency according to social situations. 45 university students aged 18 or older were selected and randomly assigned to a personality disorder tendency group(n=22), and a control group(n=23). The social situation was manipulated as a Cyberball task, and after experiencing social exclusion and social acceptance in turn, the categorical emotional recognition accuracy of facial expression emotions presented in the Face Expression Recognition task (FER) was compared among individuals in the group. In addition, error patterns were analyzed in response to the name of the emotional category to clarify whether the borderline personality disorder tendency group exhibited a biased perception of a specific emotion. Results of this study showed that after experiencing the social exclusion situation, the borderline personality disorder tendency group showed lower emotional recognition accuracy for ‘anger’ emotional expression than the general group, and the error pattern analysis results revealed a perception bias. However, after experiencing the social acceptance situation, the difference in the accuracy rate between groups in all emotional expressions was not significant, and no specific error pattern was found. These findings suggest that the borderline personality disorder tendency group may misunderstand the emotions of others and experience conflict in interpersonal situations as they misrecognize the aggressive clue, ‘anger’ expression, as a clue to rejection. At the same time, patients with borderline personality disorder show a decrease in accuracy and biased perception of facial expression emotional recognition in negative situations such as social exclusion, but not in all interpersonal situations.
Abstract
This study examined the effect of social anxiety on an individual's ability to empathize with others. A total of 77 college students completed self-reported social anxiety scales and cognitive and affective empathy experiment. In the experiment, participants were presented with eight clips of young adults(2 males and 2 females) talking about their positive/negative autobiographical experiences. They were continuously requested to rate the target’s emotions, or rate their own emotions while watching the clips. Based on this, the degree to which the participant accurately estimated the target's emotions was named as cognitive empathy, and the degree to which the participant felt the same emotions as the target’s emotions was named as affective empathy. Results showed a significantly negative correlation between levels of social anxiety and positive affective empathy. In addition, there was a significant difference in negative cognitive empathy between the high social anxiety group and the control group. These results suggest that individuals with high social anxiety have trouble feeling the same positive emotions as the other person shows. Moreover, individuals with clinical level of social anxiety are more sensitive to perceive the negative emotional state of others compared to individuals without clinical level of social anxiety.
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the specificity of episodic future thinking (EFT) and its relationship with anxiety and depression. It was examined whether EFT specificity had a significant relationship with generalized anxiety, even after controlling the influence of psychological variables highly related to anxiety. Additionally, it was explored which variables influence the level of EFT specificity. The relationship between EFT specificity and depression was investigated, as well. A total of 165 participants (58 male, 107 female, mean age 24.5) were asked to describe future problematic negative situations, problem-solving situations, and positive situations. The responses were coded for specificity using an adapted Autobiographical Interview procedure. GAD-7 and K-CES-D were used to measure generalized anxiety and depression levels. The results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that EFT specificity of negative situations explained the level of general anxiety, even after controlling the influence of depression and worry. Furthermore, EFT specificity of positive situations predicted the level of depression, but only when anxiety and rumination were not controlled. Notably, it was observed that the longer and more often participants had thought about a particular future situation, the less concrete the content of their elaboration become. Based on these results, the limitations and implications of the study were discussed.
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate whether the path of rejection sensitivity to depression may differ depending on sub-factors of rejection sensitivity and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies. 300 college students (98 Males, 202 females) completed online self-report questionnaires to measure rejection sensitivity, maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and depression. Data were analyzed with SPSS AMOS 26.0. Results showed that all sub-factors of rejection sensitivity uniquely predicted depression. Furthermore, there were significant indirect effects of catastrophizing and self-blame on anxiety about rejection and depression, and the direct effect of anxiety about rejection was also significant. There was a significant indirect effect of catastrophizing on anger about rejection and depression, but the direct effect of anger about rejection was no longer significant. In the case of rejection expectation, only the direct effect leading to depression was significant without going through each maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategy. This study provides clinical implications that will be useful in providing tailored interventions based on the types of negative emotions expected in rejection situations and subsequently lower the level of depression in rejection-sensitive individuals.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between family health and family resilience on adaptation to military life, and family resilience was set as a mediating variable to evaluate if there is a mediating effect of family resilience. A total of 228 people, 198 Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps veterans located in Gangwon-do and Gyeonggi-do and 30 Navy veterans located in Gyeongsang-do, were surveyed, and a total of 207 questionnaires were used for the final analysis. Results showed that military veterans' family health and adaptation to military life had a positive significant correlation, and family resilience and adaptation to military life had a positive significant correlation. In addition, military veterans' family health and family resilience were positively correlated. Second, the results of examining the mediating effect of family resilience in the relationship between family health and military life adjustment showed that the mediating effect of family resilience had a complete mediating effect. This means that military veterans' family health has an indirect effect on military life adaptation through family resilience rather than an indirect effect. Based on these research results, when counseling veterans who experience maladjustment in military life to adapt well to military life, family resilience should be encouraged. Based on the purpose and results of this study, the implications of this study and the direction of future research were discussed.
Abstract
In this study, we evaluated the mediating effect of perceived social support in the path of depression and anxiety on Internet dependence during the COVID-19 pandemic in people who had psychological or addiction behavior problems before the pandemic’s outbreak. We recruited 140 adults who had been diagnosed with or consulted for psychological or addiction problems before the outbreak of COVID-19 (average age=31.97, SD=8.94, male 30%), and conducted two online surveys every six months. For the measurement of each variable of COVID-19 impact, the Korean version of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-4), the Social Support Scale (MSPSS), and the Adult Internet Addiction Self-Diagnosis Brief Scale (KS-A) were used. We conducted descriptive statistics and correlation analysis for the collected data using the SPSS 26.0 program and verified the mediating effect through hierarchical regression analysis. We found that high levels of depression and anxiety led to low perceived social support, and low social support showed a complete mediating effect that led to high Internet dependence. These findings suggest that people who were vulnerable to psychological and addiction behavior before COVID-19 were at high risk of becoming overdependent on the Internet because of COVID-19. Therefore, these individuals need special screening and intervention, and prior measures to reduce the level of depression and anxiety will be needed to intervene in the overreliance on the Internet of the psychologically vulnerable groups. Furthermore, it is suggested that since the role of perceived social support is important in the path where depression and anxiety in vulnerable groups lead to Internet overdependence, it can effectively intervene in Internet overdependence by enhancing the ability to perceive social support through sessions such as psychotherapy or psychological counseling.
Abstract
The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide (IPTS) posits that suicide ideation is not correlated with fearlessness about death. However, there has been an increasing number of studies reporting a positive correlation between these two variables. To investigate this discrepancy, anxiety was examined as a potential moderator of the relationship between suicide ideation and fearlessness about death, as exposure effects may vary depending on the level of anxiety. This study included 300 adults, and suicide ideation, fearlessness about death, and anxiety were measured. The moderating effect of anxiety on the relationship between suicide ideation and fearlessness about death was tested using regression analysis, slope analysis, and the Johnson-Neyman technique. The results confirmed that anxiety moderates the relationship between suicide ideation and fearlessness about death. Specifically, it was found that when anxiety levels are high, the positive correlation between suicide ideation and fearlessness about death increases. These findings suggest that the extent to which the experience of suicide ideation reduces fear of death may vary depending on the level of anxiety. Theoretical explanations for the relationship between suicide ideation and fearlessness about death should therefore be reconsidered and retested.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to verify the moderating effect of cognitive flexibility, known as a protective factor of addiction, in the relationship between behavioral activation system (BAS) and Internet addiction. A total of 307 undergraduate participants in Seoul completed the behavioral activation system (BAS) Scale, the cognitive flexibility scale (CFI), and the Korean version of the Internet addiction scale (K-scale). The main results of this study were as follows. First, the total score of BAS and subscales of BAS (reward, fun) showed significant positive correlations with Internet addiction. On the other hand, the total score of CFI and subscales of CFI (alternative, control) showed significant negative correlations with Internet addiction. Second, in the Process macro for SPSS analysis results, CFI-control presented a moderation effect on the relationship between BAS and Internet addiction. Based on the results, the following was proposed; cognitive flexibility to recognize that the situation is controllable can be useful in alleviating excessive Internet use, even if the urge and longing for Internet use is high due to overactivation of BAS. Finally, the implications and limitations of this study are discussed.
Abstract
주관적 노화 인식은 노년기 신체기능 뿐 아니라 웰빙에도 영향을 미치는 것으로 알려져 있다. 그러나 기존의 노화 인식 척도들은 노화 인식의 일부 측면만을 측정하는 한계가 있다. 본 연구는 중·장년층의 주관적 노화 인식을 종합적으로 측정하기 위해, Brothers등(2019)이 개발한 다차원적인 연령 관련 변화에 대한 인식(Awareness of Age-Related Change: AARC) 척도를 한국판으로 번안하고 타당화를 실시하였다. 연구 대상은 40세 이상의 중·장년 411명(남 234명, 여 166명)으로, K-AARC 척도의 요인구조, 수렴 및 변별타당도를 검증하였다. 또한, 주관적 연령, 노화에 대한 태도, 노화인식 척도, 단축형 행복척도와 연령에 따른 고정관념 척도를 함께 실시하였다. 탐색적 요인분석 결과, 이전 연구들과 일치하게 연령 관련 변화에 대한 인식은 크게 ‘손실’과 ‘이득’의 2요인 구조로 분류됨을 확인하였다. 확인적 요인분석에서 2요인 구조의 적합도지수가 양호하지 않았으나, 이득 요인의 하위요인인 건강 및 신체기능 점수와 손실 요인 간 경로계수를 추가하고 손실 요인 내 오차상관을 고려한 2요인 모형에서는 양호한 수준의 적합도 지수를 보였다. K-AARC 척도의 수렴 및 변별 타당도 검증 결과, 연령 관련 변화를 손실로 인식하는 경우 실제 나이보다 더 늙게 지각하고 노화에 대해 부정적인 태도를 보이며 노년기를 감퇴와 손실이 주를 이루는 시기로 인식하는 것과 관련이 있었다. 반면, 연령 관련 변화를 이득으로 인식하는 경우, 노년기를 지속적인 발전이 가능한 시기로 인식하고 삶에 대한 만족도가 높으며, 긍정 정서를 더 자주 느끼는 것과 관련이 있었다. 또한, K-AARC 척도는 연령 고정관념 척도와는 낮은 수준의 상관을 보였는데, 이는 자신의 노화와 타인의 노화에 대한 인식이 개념적으로 구분될 수 있음을 보여준다. 본 연구의 결과는 K-AARC 척도가 중년 및 노인의 연령 관련 변화에 대한 주관적 인식을 측정하는데 타당하고 유용한 도구임을 시사한다.