On the reciprocal effects between multiple group identifications and mental health: A longitudinal study of Scottish adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to investigate the link between social group identification and mental health outcomes in a sample of secondary school pupils. Based on previous work, it was predicted that multiple high group identifications would protect against psychological ill health. Furthermore, it was predicted that better mental health would also predict greater number of group identifications, thus creating a 'virtuous circle'. DESIGN: A longitudinal questionnaire design was used. METHODS: A total of 409 Scottish secondary school pupils aged 13-17 completed a questionnaire twice over a year. Pupils' responses regarding their mental health and the extent of their identification with three groups (the family, school, and friends) were measured. RESULTS: A path analysis of the data showed that greater number of high group identifications predicted better mental health outcomes amongst participants. However, better mental health also predicted greater number of high group identifications, suggesting that there is a cyclical relationship between both variables. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have both theoretical and practical implications. They highlight the importance of conceptualizing the link between group identification and mental health as cyclical, rather than unidirectional. This reconceptualization has implications for mental health promotion strategies, as it highlights the importance of attempting to turn a potentially 'vicious cycle' of social disidentification and mental ill health into a 'virtuous cycle' of social identification and mental health. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Results showed that in a population of 409 high school pupils, the more high group identifications pupils had, the better their mental health outcomes. Better mental health also predicted a greater number of high group identifications over time. The findings suggest that we would benefit from conceptualizing the relationship between group identification and mental outcomes as being cyclical rather than unidirectional. Viewing the relationship between group identification and mental health in this way enables us to consider interventions which help turn a 'vicious cycle' into a 'virtuous cycle'. Limitations A potential limitation of the work relates to the use of self-report questionnaires which may elicit socially desirable responses. The sample only consists of high school pupils from mainstream public schools within Scotland.

Frequency of "Time for Self" Is a Significant Predictor of Postnatal Depressive Symptoms: Results from a Prospective Pregnancy Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to explore the relationship between frequency of time for self and maternal depressive symptoms at 6 months postpartum. METHODS: A prospective cohort study of 1,507 first-time mothers in Australia, recruited in early pregnancy with follow-up at 6 months postpartum, was conducted. Scores of more than or equal to 13 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale were used to identify depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Of 1,507 women recruited to the study, 92.6 percent completed follow-up at 6 months postpartum. Almost half (48.5%) reported having time for themselves when someone else looked after their baby (time for self) once a week or more. Compared with women who reported less frequent time for self, women who had time for themselves once a week or more were less likely to report depressive symptoms (unadjusted OR 0.44 [95% CI 0.30-0.66]). Women who had more frequent time for themselves were more likely to have more practical and emotional support. However, this only partially explained the relationship between time for self and depressive symptoms, which remained significant in regression models after adjusting for other recognized risk factors for maternal depression, including social support (adjusted OR 0.60 [95% CI 0.39-0.94]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that having time for self at least once a week in the first 6 months after childbirth may have a beneficial influence on maternal mental health. Ensuring women get regular respite from the challenges of caring for a young baby may be a relatively simple and effective way of promoting maternal mental health in the year after childbirth.

First-year students' achievement emotions at university: A cluster analytic approach to understand variability in attendance and attainment.

BACKGROUND: Students' initial experiences at university often shape their attendance and attainment. For some students, university is a positive experience, whereas others seemingly struggle and have more negative emotions. Unearthing distinctions in first-year students' emotionality may be valuable in understanding their academic engagement and performance. AIMS: The study's aim was to identify distinct profiles of students based on their achievement emotions and explore whether these profiles differed in university attendance and attainment. At least three emotional profiles were hypothesized (positive; moderate; negative) with a positive profile expected to display the highest attendance and attainment. SAMPLE: Participants were 294 first-year undergraduate students from a university in the United Kingdom (Mage = 19.33 years; 127 men; 162 women). METHODS: Students completed self-report measures of eight achievement emotions for general learning. Attendance and attainment data were collected from official records. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed to profile students on their achievement emotions. Analysis of covariance explored profile differences in attendance and attainment. RESULTS: Four emotional profiles emerged: positive; moderate; negative; mixed-valence (both positive and negative activating emotions). The positive and mixed-valence groups displayed equally high attendance compared to the moderate and negative groups. The positive group obtained higher academic attainment than the mixed-valence and negative emotion groups, but not the moderate group. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the diverse emotional experiences of first-year university students and the existence of co-occurring positive and negative activation emotions. This evidence may be of practical worth to educators in understanding variability in students' emotions, attendance and attainment.

Greater number of group identifications is associated with healthier behaviour in adolescents.

We investigated the relationship between group identification (with the family, school, and friendship groups) and adolescent health behaviour (smoking, binge drinking, and cannabis use). 1,111 students from 4 Scottish secondary (high) schools completed a questionnaire which included measures of group identification, group contact, health behaviours, and demographic variables. We found that identification with the family and school groups predicted reduced odds of substance use, whereas identification with the friend group predicted increased odds of substance use. Furthermore, the greater the number of social groups with which the participant strongly identified, the lower the odds that he/she participated in negative health behaviours. In contrast, merely having contact (rather than identifying strongly) with these groups increased the odds of participation in these behaviours. We suggest that group identification influences behaviour to the extent that it encourages adherence to group norms.

Identification with social groups is associated with mental health in adolescents: Evidence from a Scottish community sample.

The promotion and maintenance of mental health is an increasingly important societal issue. Previous research has shown that identification with social groups is positively associated with adult mental wellbeing, with multiple group identifications being particularly beneficial. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether the same is true for adolescents. 1111 Scottish secondary school students aged 13-17 completed a questionnaire investigating mental health symptoms and the extent of their identification with their family, school, and friendship groups. Higher identification with each group predicted better mental health. There was also an additive effect of group identification, with the odds of reporting psychiatric disturbance decreasing for every additional group with which participants identified strongly. These effects held even when age, gender, and group contact were controlled for. Our findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of mental problems, offering an alternative to traditional ways of viewing mental illness in adolescence and beyond.

Asynchrony in discrete bimanual aiming: evidence for visual strategies of coordination.

The bimanual coupling literature supposes an inherent drive for synchrony between the upper limbs when making discrete bimanual movements. The level of synchrony is argued to be task dependent, reliant on the visual demands of the two targets, and the result of a complex pattern of hand and eye movements (Bingham, Hughes, & Mon-Williams, 2008 ; Riek, Tresilian, Mon-Williams, Coppard, & Carson, 2003). However, recent work by Bruyn and Mason (2009) suggests that temporal coordination is not solely influenced by visual saccades. In this experimental series, a total of 8 participants performed congruent movements to targets either near or far from the midline. Targets far from the midline, requiring a visual saccade, resulted in greater terminal asynchrony. Initial and terminal asynchrony were not consistent, but linked to the task demands at that stage of the movement. If the asynchrony evident at the end of a bimanual movement is due to a complex pattern of hand and eye movements then the removal of visual feedback should result in an increase in synchrony. Sixteen participants then completed congruent and incongruent bimanual aiming movements to near and/or far targets. Movements were made with or without visual feedback of hands and targets. Analyses revealed that movements made without visual feedback showed increased synchrony between the limbs, yet movements to incongruent targets still showed greater asynchrony. We suggest that visual constraints are not the sole cause of asynchrony in discrete bimanual movements.