The Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem on Anxiety and Emotion Regulation

Do Subjects from Different Occupational Groups Experience Dental Fear and Anxiety Equally?

Background and Objectives: Research into the relationship between occupation and dental fear and anxiety (DFA) is scarce. This exploratory study aimed to compare the level of DFA and its association with its predictors amongst adults from different occupational groups. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with 422 respondents from four occupational groups (physicians, teachers, industry workers, and artists) was carried out. A questionnaire on previous dental experience using the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS), Dental Fear Survey (DFS), and Self-Esteem Scale was self-administered electronically. The data analysis involved descriptive statistics and structural equation modeling (SEM). Results: The DFA levels differed significantly across the occupational groups, with the lowest mean scores among physicians (DAS = 9.29 (SE 0.39); DFS-1 = 14.67 (0.63); DFS-2 = 33.94 (1.69)) and the highest mean scores among artists (DAS = 10.74 (0.38); DFS-1 = 17.19 (0.71); DFS-2 = 41.34 (1.92)). A significant impact of self-esteem on DFA was observed among physicians, teachers, and artists, but not among industry workers. Multi-group analysis with SEM revealed differences in the variable association (Chi-squared = 53.75; df = 21; p < 0.001), thus rejecting the hypothesis of the same mechanism underlying DFA across occupational groups. Conclusions: Individuals from various occupations experience DFA at different levels, and there are different mechanisms underlying their DFA. These findings can provide valuable insights for dental practitioners in developing tailored approaches to reduce the feeling of DFA of their patients.

Reliability and validity estimation of Urdu version of Children Emotion Management Scales (CEMS) in Pakistan

Introduction

The present study aimed to translate and validate Children's Emotion Management Scales into Urdu, the national language of Pakistan.

Method

The current study comprised three different phases, i.e., phase I: Cross-language validation over a sample of (N = 169) school children, estimated at a 1-week interval.

Results

The results indicate a significant correlation (r = 0.846-0.891) at p < 0.01. In phase II, the internal consistency reliability (r = 0.808-0.904) and split-half reliability (r = 0.737-0.898) of the scale were assessed (N = 683) at p < 0.01. Furthermore, significant results for test-retest reliability analysis (N = 168) were obtained (r = 0.736-0.917 at p < 0.01), following the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) (N = 1,083). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on the same sample chosen for CFA. EFA resulted in the retention of original inhibition (INH), dysregulated expression (DYS), and emotional coping (EMO) factors. CFA findings suggest a good model fit. In phase III, convergent validity and divergent validity were checked (N = 385, 255, and 213). Convergent validity of INH and DYS subscales and divergent validity of EMO subscales were established, with SBI (r = 0.217-0.609; 0.210-0.445; -0.026 to -0.553), SHS (r = 0.417-0.441; 0.480-0.546; -0.338 to -0.582), and suppression subscale of ERQ (r = 0.430-0.480; 0.468-0.522; -0.245 to -0.369) at p < 0.01. For divergent validity of INH and DYS subscales and convergent validity of EMO subscales, their scores were correlated with the SPS (r = -0.204 to -0.350; -0.318 to -0.459; 0.191-0.531), RSE Scale (r = -0.226 to -0.351; -0.279 to -0.352; 0.255-0.507), DTS (-0.290 to -0.617; -0.369 to -0.456; 0.246-0.680), and reappraisal subscale of ERQ (r = -0.456 to -0.541; -0.329 to -0.544; 0.446-0.601) at p < 0.01.

Discussion

It is concluded that the scale is reliable and valid with sound psychometric properties.

Can dialectical behavior therapy skills group treat social anxiety disorder? A brief integrative review

The purposes of this brief integrative review are to identify and critically evaluate recent work in the area of Dialectical Behavior Therapy-Skills Group (DBT-SG) for Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) with suicidal ideation (SI) and to suggest further how DBT-based skills may be applied to cognitive maintenance factors of SAD. Accordingly, we first evaluate the relevance of DBT in treating SI in other disorders. Second, we evaluate the relationship between SI and SAD, providing considerations for the complexity of comorbid disorders and presentations. Finally, we extend this knowledge to discuss considerations for the use of DBT-SG skills to target specific etiological and maintenance elements of SAD, with a focus on four themes (interpersonal effectiveness, mindfulness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance). Overall, we conclude that DBT-SG may prove beneficial in reducing SI and symptoms in SAD that impact social and emotional functioning.

Deleterious effects of unchosen solitude on adolescents' mental and social health: The moderating role of self-esteem

Can self-esteem reduce the deleterious effects of solitude on adolescents' mental and social health? Solitude is twofold because it can be chosen (self-determined) or forced (not self-determined). When it is not a chosen behavior (e.g., social ignorance, exclusion, or fear of others' judgment), individuals experience higher levels of anxiety and depression and feel the deleterious effects of loneliness more. On the other hand, the level of self-esteem relates positively to lower levels of anxiety and depression as well as to good social relationships. We hypothesized that self-esteem moderates the effects of unchosen solitude. Eighty high school students participated in this study by filling out a self-report booklet of questionnaires. We first examine the links between unchosen solitude and anxiety, depression, loneliness, hopelessness, and quality of the connection to family and peers; next, we examine the moderating role of self-esteem in these links. Regression analyses confirm the classic negative effect of not-self-determined solitude on the health outcomes considered, and moderation analyses show that a good level of self-esteem decreases this effect, at least on depression, hopelessness, and connection to peers. We suggest further studies to complete and refine these results and propose to assess more systematically the adolescents' self-esteem and to reinforce it to prevent negative mental and social health outcomes.

The Use of Alternative Rooms in Forensic and Regular Psychiatric Units: A Scoping Review

(1) Background: Emotional regulation, distress and relational conflicts often occur during hospitalization and rehabilitation on psychiatric units, especially in patients suffering from severe and persistent mental disorders. While widely used in children and geriatric patients, little literature exists on the use and outcomes of alternative rooms in the context of forensic and regular psychiatric units for adult patients. Considering the scarcity of the literature on alternative use, this study is motivated by the following research question: what are the main uses and outcomes of alternative rooms in the context of forensic and regular psychiatric units? The main objective of this study is to conduct a scoping review of the use and outcomes of alternative rooms for the context of psychiatric inpatients. (2) Methods: A systematic search was performed in the electronic databases of MedLine, Web of Science, PsycNet (PsycINFO) and Google Scholar from their inception dates until 2022. (3) Results: A total of nine studies were analyzed. Sensory, multisensory rooms, Snoezelen, and comfort rooms are the types of alternative rooms discussed in these studies. Distress and anxiety reduction, increase in self-esteem, impact on seclusion rates, patient-staff communication and alliances, heart and respiration rate reduction, and improvement of alexithymia were identified among the main uses and outcomes of these rooms. (4) Conclusions: The scarcity of literature available to draw information from for this review and possible impact on improving patient outcomes and quality of treatment in psychiatric units opens the door to future studies to better understand the efficacy of such rooms. Research into the ideal implementation tactics of such rooms, long-term outcomes, and the influence on diverse patient demographics could be areas of improvement in the use of alternative rooms.

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self-esteem

Sibling bullying is associated with poor mental health in autistic adolescents. The reasons for this remain unknown. In the current study, we attempted to replicate the existing findings on the direct associations between sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents and expand knowledge by focusing on the indirect associations through self-esteem. We made use of existing data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative UK-based birth cohort study. We fitted a mediation model to longitudinal data from a sample of 416 autistic adolescents aged 11, 14, and 17 years old who had at least one sibling. We found that sibling bullying was prevalent in the lives of autistic adolescents, especially in those who were late-diagnosed, had a shared bedroom, and lived in a low-income household. Additionally, increased sibling bullying in early adolescence was a significant predictor of reduced self-esteem in mid-adolescence; in turn, reduced self-esteem predicted poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence. Our findings indicate that sibling bullying in early adolescence may indirectly lead to poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence through a reduction in self-esteem in mid-adolescence in autistic adolescents. We discuss the implications of these findings further.

Emotion regulation in undergraduate nursing students: A latent profile analysis

BACKGROUND

Current research on emotion regulation of undergraduate nursing students mainly focused on the overall level of emotion regulation and its relationship with other variables, ignoring the individual heterogeneity of emotion regulation of undergraduate nursing students.

AIM

By latent profile analysis (LPA), this study aimed to identify different emotion regulation profiles among undergraduate nursing students and to explore demographic and personal factors associated with different emotion regulation profiles.

METHOD

This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 578 nursing students were investigated by the demographic questionnaire, the emotion regulation scale, the Connor-Davidson resilience scale-10 item and the core self-evaluations scale. LPA was used to analyze the latent profiles of emotion regulation among undergraduate nursing students. And multiple logistic regression was used to explore the predictors of different profiles.

RESULT

Three potential profiles were identified: profile 1-- low suppression and moderate reappraisal group, profile 2-- moderate suppression and high reappraisal group, profile 3-- high suppression and high reappraisal group. Resilience, family monthly income and perception of nursing profession were predictors of different profiles.

CONCLUSION

Most nursing students were classified into profile 2 and their emotion regulation was relatively good. However, students in profile 1 were with moderate cognitive reappraisal and students in profile 3 were with high expressive suppression, and their emotion regulation need to be further improved by increasing their cognitive reappraisal and decreasing their expressive suppression. Strategies tails to improve resilience, increase scholarships and change the perception of nursing profession may be effective ways to improve emotion regulation of undergraduate nursing students in different profiles.

Mediating effects of self-esteem on the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in Chinese adolescents

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in Chinese adolescents and to explore the mediating roles of self-esteem between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. A total of 302 adolescents and their main caregivers were investigated by using the Chinese version of the Mindful Parenting Scale, Self-Esteem Scale and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale and the Social Anxiety Scale. Related analysis was used to investigate the relationship between mindful parenting, self-esteem and social anxiety level. Mindful parenting and self-esteem were significantly associated with social anxiety level. Self-esteem mediated the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. Both mindful discipline and being in the moment influenced adolescents' social anxiety level through self-esteem. Self-esteem completely mediated the association between mindful parenting and social anxiety level. Longitudinal research is needed to better understand the relationship between mindful parenting and social anxiety level in adolescents.

Does Low Self-Esteem Predict Anxiety Among Chinese College Students?

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal relationship between anxiety and self-esteem among college students.

Participants and methods

A total of 2473 Chinese college students were tracked, with their anxiety and self-esteem levels collected annually over the four academic years. The study employed a four-wave random intercept cross-lagged panel model to examine the prospective relationship between anxiety and self-esteem.

Results

The anxiety levels were negatively associated with self-esteem over campus life. Results of the four-wave cross-lagged panel model revealed that low self-esteem maintained having subsequent negative impacts on students' anxiety levels, while the effects became progressively stronger over the four academic years. Meanwhile, no significant prospective effects were identified of anxiety levels on self-esteem.

Conclusion

The study confirmed self-esteem as one of the leading contributors to anxiety for college students and emphasized the importance of nourishing the self-esteem of students to alleviate their anxiety issues and improve their mental health at college.