The Self-Concept Is Represented in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex in Terms of Self-Importance.

Knowledge about one's personality, the self-concept, shapes human experience. Social cognitive neuroscience has made strides addressing the question of where and how the self is represented in the brain. The answer, however, remains elusive. We conducted two functional magnetic resonance imaging experiments (the second preregistered) with human male and female participants employing a self-reference task with a broad range of attributes and carrying out a searchlight representational similarity analysis (RSA). The importance of attributes to self-identity was represented in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), whereas mPFC activation was unrelated both to self-descriptiveness of attributes (experiments 1 and 2) and importance of attributes to a friend's self-identity (experiment 2). Our research provides a comprehensive answer to the abovementioned question: The self-concept is conceptualized in terms of self-importance and represented in the mPFC.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The self-concept comprises beliefs about who one is as an individual (e.g., personality traits, physical characteristics, desires, likes/dislikes, and social roles). Despite researchers' efforts in the last two decades to understand where and how the self-concept is stored in the brain, the question remains elusive. Using a neuroimaging technique, we found that a brain region called medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) shows differential but systematic activation patterns depending on the importance of presented word stimuli to a participant's self-concept. Our findings suggest that one's sense of the self is supported by neural populations in the mPFC, each of which is differently sensitive to distinct levels of the personal importance of incoming information.

A Fluid Self-Concept: How the Brain Maintains Coherence and Positivity across an Interconnected Self-Concept While Incorporating Social Feedback.

People experience instances of social feedback as interdependent with potential implications for their entire self-concept. How do people maintain positivity and coherence across the self-concept while updating self-views from feedback? We present a network model describing how the brain represents the semantic dependency relations among traits and uses this information to avoid an overall loss of positivity and coherence. Both male and female human participants received social feedback during a self-evaluation task while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. We modeled self-belief updating by incorporating a reinforcement learning model within the network structure. Participants learned more rapidly from positive than negative feedback and were less likely to change self-views for traits with more dependencies in the network. Further, participants back propagated feedback across network relations while retrieving prior feedback on the basis of network similarity to inform ongoing self-views. Activation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) reflected the constrained updating process such that positive feedback led to higher activation and negative feedback to less activation for traits with more dependencies. Additionally, vmPFC was associated with the novelty of a trait relative to previously self-evaluated traits in the network, and angular gyrus was associated with greater certainty for self-beliefs given the relevance of prior feedback. We propose that neural computations that selectively enhance or attenuate social feedback and retrieve past relevant experiences to guide ongoing self-evaluations may support an overall positive and coherent self-concept.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We humans experience social feedback throughout our lives, but we do not dispassionately incorporate feedback into our self-concept. The implications of feedback for our entire self-concept plays a role in how we either change or retain our prior self-beliefs. In a neuroimaging study, we find that people are less likely to change their beliefs from feedback when the feedback has broader implications for the self-concept. This resistance to change is reflected in processing in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, a region that is central to self-referential and social cognition. These results are broadly applicable given the role that maintaining a positive and coherent self-concept plays in promoting mental health and development throughout the lifespan.

Psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire to assess perceived disability in people with epilepsy.

It has been determined that quality of life in epilepsy is closely related to the perceived disability experienced by individuals with the diagnosis. However, this measure is seldom considered in healthcare processes. The objective of the present study is to establish the psychometric properties of the Perceived Disability Questionnaire in individuals diagnosed with epilepsy within a Latin American context. A cross-sectional, analytical study was conducted involving 325 participants, aged 12 years and older (M 40.42 years), individuals diagnosed with epilepsy in Colombia. The main psychometric properties of the instrument were explored to account for its factorial validity and reliability. The Perceived Disability Questionnaire exhibits high reliability (α = 0.878) and the three subscales comprising the final version of the questionnaire (Dissatisfaction, Pessimism, and Self-Disdain) explain 45.393 % of the total variance in relation to beliefs of disability associated with the diagnosis of epilepsy; the questionnaire significantly correlates with the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-10). Adequate psychometric properties of the instrument are found, which allows for its proposal as a tool in epilepsy care processes within the Colombian context.

Self-concept and academic achievement in children with chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Within the pediatric population, a positive self-concept is associated with better academic achievement. Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk for lower quality of life and academic underachievement. Little is known about self-concept among children with CKD and how self-concept influences academic achievement. The objectives of the present study were to (1) describe patient-reported self-concept among children with CKD and (2) evaluate the relationship between self-concept and academic performance. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 23 children, aged 6-16 years, with mild to moderate CKD (cause of disease due to congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract) and 26 age-matched comparators. Participants completed the Self-Description Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT-4). Linear regression models were used to evaluate self-concept as a predictor of academic achievement in the CKD cohort. RESULTS: Self-concept ratings were comparable between children with CKD and non-CKD comparators; however, academic achievement trended lower for the CKD patients on measures of arithmetic (estimate = - 0.278, 95% confidence interval (CI) [- 0.530: - 0.026], t(45) = - 1.99, p = 0.053). All of the SDQ domains predicted WRAT-4 arithmetic performance, such that higher scores on the SDQ were associated with higher scores in mathematics. Kidney function did not have an effect on the relationship between self-concept and academic achievement. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the presence of a chronic disease, children with CKD endorse a positive self-concept. Positive self-concept may predict academic success in this population.

Momentary appearance focused self-concept is associated with dietary restraint and binge eating in female university students: An experience sampling study.

OBJECTIVE: Appearance focused self-concept (i.e., overvaluing the importance of appearance for self-definition and self-worth) is theorized to predict dietary restraint and binge eating in the short-term (e.g., daily life). Yet, no research has examined whether appearance focused self-concept increases within-persons during a day and if such increases are linked to greater dietary restraint and binge eating for that day. We addressed this gap in knowledge. METHOD: Sixty-three female university students completed four items from the Beliefs About Appearance Scale as a measure of appearance focused self-concept six times per day (9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm, 5 pm, and 7 pm) for 14 days. Daily at 9 pm, they completed measures of dietary restraint and binge eating for that day. RESULTS: Analyzing data from 555 days, latent growth curve analyses revealed a small-to-moderate linear increase in appearance focused self-concept from 9 am to 3 pm that plateaued from 3 to 7 pm. A more rapid linear increase in appearance focused self-concept from 9 am to 3 pm was associated with greater binge-eating frequency during that day, but not with dietary restraint. The findings were observed when adjusting for between-day appearance focused self-concept at 9 am, which was positively associated with dietary restraint and binge-eating frequency. DISCUSSION: Findings are discussed in relation to research on appearance focused self-concept as a risk factor for disordered eating. Findings are also discussed in relation to how sociocultural factors may increase appearance focused self-concept over time. Future research should delve into the within-day dynamic interplay between appearance focused self-concept and disordered eating. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: Our study revealed a noteworthy increase in the importance women attach to their appearance over the course of a day, correlating with increased binge eating during that day. Additionally, heightened appearance importance at the onset of a day was associated with more dietary restraint and binge eating during that day. These findings suggest a shorter timescale for the connection between appearance importance and disordered eating than previously understood.

"Finding My Worth as a Sexual Being": A Qualitative Gender Analysis of Sexual Self-Concept and Coping in Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse.

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is likely to have impacts on adult survivors' sexuality, particularly on their sexual self-concept. However, little is known about how survivors cope with CSA-related sexual impacts, including sexual self-concept impairments. Thus, this study aimed to examine the interplay between sexual self-concept and coping strategies in CSA survivors by (1) documenting the manifestations of their impaired sexual self-concepts; (2) identifying their strategies to cope with the sexual impacts of CSA; and (3) examining gender differences on sexual self-concept impairments and coping strategies. Content analysis was conducted on semi-structured interviews with 25 women and 26 men adult survivors of CSA recruited via social networks and victim support organizations. Analyses yielded three conceptual categories: (1) Developing an unconsolidated and unfavorable sexual self-concept following CSA; (2) Avoiding CSA-related sexual impacts and impaired sexual self-concept; (3) Approaching CSA-related sexual impacts with more authenticity. Men often managed their suffering and compensated for their impaired sexual self-concept by engaging in sexual dominance and over-investment, by accepting their sexual difficulties and relying on medication to overcome them. Women tended to restrict themselves and disconnect sexually to avoid suffering, complied with their partners' sexual demands out of a sense of duty, prioritized sexual intimacy over orgasm, and seek professional help. Interventions with survivors should promote the development of approach strategies to cope with sexual difficulties, including self-concept impairments, and foster sexual authenticity.

Sexual Self-Concept After Child Maltreatment: The Role of Resilient Coping and Sexual Experience Among U.S. Young Adults.

Evidence supports sexual experience as normative and health-promoting for many, but this picture is less clear for people with histories of adversity. Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) was used to garner data from a sample of 362 young adults (aged 18-25) wherein 44.5% (n = 161) identified as women. We assessed longitudinal associations between child maltreatment and sexual self-concept, as mediated by sexual behaviors and sexual partners, and whether resilient coping moderated these associations using structural equation modeling. Although both child maltreatment and resilient coping were directly associated with aspects of sexual experience, only resilient coping was directly associated with sexual self-concept. In addition, we found support for sexual experience as a mediator between child maltreatment/resilient coping and sexual self-concept. Specifically, cumulative maltreatment was associated with more sexual partners, which was associated with higher sexual self-monitoring. Resilient coping was associated with more sexual partners and more sexual behaviors, which was associated with higher sexual self-monitoring and higher sexual self-consciousness, sexual assertiveness, sexual self-esteem, and sexual motivation, respectively. Thus, sexual behaviors and sexual partners operated independently. Findings contrast messaging that sexual experience is universally risky regardless of maltreatment history. Rather, sexual experience may foster positive sexual self-concept for some. Sexual health advocates must attend to differences between sexual behaviors and sexual partners in relation to sexual well-being, and support resilience in the sexual domain.

Self-concept mediates the relationships between childhood traumatic experiences and adolescent depression in both clinical and community samples.

BACKGROUND: Childhood trauma is a pivotal risk factor for adolescent depression. While the association between childhood trauma and depression is well-established, the mediating role of self-concept has not been acknowledged. Specifically, limited attention has been paid to how childhood maltreatment impacts adolescent depression through physical and social self-concept, both in clinical and community samples. This study aims to investigate how distinct and cumulative childhood trauma affects adolescent depression, as well as the potential mediating role of self-concept in their relationships. METHODS: We recruited 227 depressed adolescents (dataset 1, 45 males, age = 15.34 ± 1.96) and 574 community adolescents (dataset 2, 107 males, age = 16.79 ± 0.65). Each participant was assessed on five subtypes of childhood trauma severity, cumulative trauma index, physical and social self-concept, and depression. Mediation models were tested separately in the clinical and community samples. RESULTS: Clinically depressed adolescents experienced a higher level of trauma severity, a greater number of trauma subtypes, and had lower levels of physical and social self-concept compared to community adolescents. Analyses on childhood trauma severity and cumulative trauma index jointly indicated that physical and social self-concept played mediation roles in the relationships between childhood trauma experiences and depression. Moreover, the mediating effects of self-concept were stronger in depressed adolescents when compared to community samples. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that physical and social self-concept play mediating roles in the pathway linking childhood trauma and adolescent depression, particularly in clinically depressed individuals.

The mediating effects of hope on the relationships of social support and self-esteem with psychological resilience in patients with stroke.

PURPOSE: To explore the mediating effect of hope in the relationships between social support and self-esteem with psychological resilience among patients with stroke survivors in early rehabilitation. METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was adopted. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 210 patients undergoing early stroke rehabilitation were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The variables of interest were measured using the Connor Davidson Resilience Scale, the Social Support Rating Scale, the Herth Hope Index, and the Self-Esteem Scale. This article reports according to the STROBE checklist. RESULTS: A positive relationship was found between social support and psychological resilience (ß1 = 0.548), which was mediated by hope (ß2 = 0.114), and social support had significant direct effect on resilience (ß3 = 0.434). A positive relationship was also found between self-esteem and psychological resilience (ß4 = 0.380), which was mediated by hope (ß5 = 0.200), and self-esteem had significant direct effect on resilience (ß6 = 0.179). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, some strategies can be incorporated into the rehabilitation process to enhance psychological resilience, such as cultivating individual personality characteristics and improving patients' social relationships. In the future, we need to explore methods for improving psychological resilience among patients with stroke in combination with their risk factors to improve their quality of life and reduce the incidence of post-stroke depression.

The effect of sexual education on the postpartum women's sexual self-confidence and self-efficacy: a theory-based intervention.

INTRODUCTION: Pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period cause significant physical and psychological changes in mothers, leading to changes in their sexual self-concept and adverse effects on their sexual self-confidence and self-efficacy. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effect of sexual education on postpartum women's sexual self-efficacy and self-confidence. METHOD: This randomized interventional study was conducted on 115 women who had given birth at least six weeks ago and attended healthcare centers. Using convenience sampling, the researchers randomly allocated the participants into two intervention and control groups through a block size of six. The intervention group received six 90-minute online training sessions based on the sexual self-concept model over one month, while the control group received routine care. To collect data, the self-efficacy and sexual confidence questionnaires by Buzwell and Rosenthal were used before the intervention, immediately after the intervention, and one month later. RESULTS: The study findings demonstrated no significant differences in demographic characteristics, sexual self-confidence, and sexual self-efficacy scores between the two groups before the intervention. However, the repeated measures ANOVA results revealed a substantial increase in sexual self-confidence and self-efficacy scores over time in the intervention group immediately after participating in the training sessions and one month later. CONCLUSION: Considering the effect of training based on the sexual self-concept model on postpartum women, the researchers recommend using this model to improve their sexual self-efficacy and self-confidence after childbirth. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered at the Iranian Registry Clinical Trial (IRCT20220530055025N1).

Comparing upward: How parental social comparisons shape children's self-concept and mastery motivation in China.

The prevalence of Chinese parents using upward social comparisons to influence their children's behavior is well-documented. However, the lack of reliable tools for measuring parental social comparisons, combined with a limited understanding of their association with preschoolers' mastery motivation, highlights a significant gap in research. To bridge this gap, we undertook a comprehensive investigation. Study 1 involved the development of the Parental Social Comparison Scale. Study 2 and Study 3 explored the association between parental social comparisons and children's mastery motivation, considering perspectives from parents (N = 194; Mage = 33.72 years, SD = 4.97) and children (N = 102; Mage = 5.14 years, SD = 3.78). We found that parental social comparisons were positively associated with children's mastery motivation according to parents' perceptions but were negatively associated with mastery motivation through children's self-concept from children's perspectives.

Comparing sexual self-concept in women with obesity pre- and post-bariatric surgery.

BACKGROUND: Obesity leads to increased disease burden, decreased life expectancy, and disrupted sexual life. One of the most effective ways of obesity treatment is bariatric surgery. This study was conducted aiming to determine and compare sexual self-concept in women with obesity pre- and post-bariatric surgery. METHOD: A longitudinal study comparing sexual self-concept pre and post- surgery was conducted on women with obesity referring to obesity clinics in the city of Tehran in 2020-2021. Data collection was performed using Snell's Multidimensional Sexual Self-Concept Questionnaire (MSSCQ), which was completed online. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 statistical software and Fisher's exact test, chi-square, Mann-Whitney, independent t, and logistic and linear regression tests. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: According to the findings, the mean (standard deviation) score of sexual self-concept was 240.26 (26.82) in the post-surgery group and 200.26 (32.24) in the pre-surgery group (P = 0.001), and the highest mean (standard deviation) score of sexual self-concept both in the pre-surgery group (13.06 [4.00]) and in the post-surgery group (15.46 [2.16]) was related to the area of sexual depression (P = 0.05). Also, with increasing educational level, the odds of bariatric surgery increased by 33%, and those who had no private bedroom had lower odds of bariatric surgery by 65%. In those who did not have other individuals living in their house and their spouse was not a smoker, the self-concept score was 52.35 and 23.11 units higher. CONCLUSION: In general, bariatric surgery can improve sexual self-care. Considering the issue of sexual self-concept in bariatric surgery, it is recommended to design appropriate counseling and planning before surgery according to the culture of each country.

Maintaining the working state of firefighters by utilizing self-concept clarity as a resource.

The working state of firefighters is important for their own safety as well as that of the general public. The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlations between self-concept clarity, resilience, work engagement, and job burnout among firefighters, as well as the impacts of self-concept clarity and resilience as resources that can maintain their working state. Based on data from 2,156 firefighters, analysis showed that self-concept clarity was negatively associated with job burnout and positively associated with work engagement. The results also showed that self-concept clarity had a direct effect on job burnout and work engagement, and an indirect effect by improving the firefighters' resilience. Maintaining and improving their self-concept clarity and resilience promises to be an effective strategy for guaranteeing the working state of firefighters.

In emotion and reading motivation, children with a diagnosis of dyslexia are not just the end of a continuum.

Children with dyslexia (CwD) often report poor psychological well-being. We examined (i) whether anxiety, self-concept and reading motivation in CwD differed from those of typically developing children (TDC; case-control design, Study 1a) and (ii) whether these differences mirrored the linear relationships that these variables present with reading ability in the TDC group (dimensional approach, Study 1b). In Study 1a, 34 CwD were compared with 191 TDC in grades 4-8 on anxiety, self-concept, reading motivation and reading strategy using self-reports (controlling for sex, intelligence and math ability scores). In Study 1b, the differences that emerged in Study 1a were compared with the results obtained from a simulation procedure that generated dyslexia observations under the assumptions of a dimensional hypothesis. The CwD group presented small-to-moderate difficulties, which partially mirrored the predictions in the TDC group. However, violations of predictions based on the population without dyslexia were found for reading self-concept, social anxiety and reading competitiveness. In sum, children's diagnoses affect their self-perception as readers and social anxiety in a way that cannot be inferred from linear relationships. CwD need support to preserve an adequate image of themselves as readers and cope with social anxiety.

Misremembering Solitude: The Role of Personality and Cultural Self-Concepts in Shaping Discrepancies Between Recalled and Concurrent Affect in Solitude.

BACKGROUND: Affect recall is key to psychological assessment and decision-making. However, self-concepts (self-beliefs) may bias retrospective affect reports such that they deviate from lived experiences. Does this experience-memory gap apply to solitude experiences? We hypothesized that individuals misremember how they feel overall and when in solitude, in line with self-concepts of introversion, self-determined/not-self-determined solitude motivations, and independent/interdependent self-construal. A pilot study comparing retrospective to daily affect reports captured over 2 weeks (N = 104 UK university students) provided preliminary evidence of introversion and not-self-determined solitude shaping affect recall. METHODS: In the main pre-registered study, participants aged 18-49 in the UK (N = 160) and Hong Kong (N = 159) reported their momentary affective states and social situations 5 times per day over 7 days, then recalled how they felt over the week. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Individuals higher in self-determined solitude were more prone to retrospectively overestimate their high- and low-arousal positive affect in solitude and showed less overestimation/more underestimation of negative affect in solitude. Higher not-self-determined solitude was associated with overestimating loneliness, and higher interdependent self-construal with overestimating loneliness and energy levels, in solitude. Comparisons based on residence/ethnicity suggest culture influences solitude-seeking and affective memory. Implications for well-being and affect measurement are discussed.

Daily associations between global self-esteem and self-concept clarity and their relationships with subjective well-being in a sample of adult workers.

OBJECTIVES: The present pre-registered study examined the reciprocal day-to-day associations between global self-esteem and self-concept clarity and their incremental validity with respect to daily life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. METHODS: We used intensive longitudinal data from 153 adult workers (45.1% women), over a period of 31 days. Data were analyzed using dynamic structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Results attested higher global self-esteem and self-concept clarity mean levels for older vs. younger participants, and lower global self-esteem and self-concept clarity variability for older vs. younger participants. Furthermore, global self-esteem and self-concept clarity were correlated at a cross-sectional daily level, yet only self-concept clarity states positively predicted subsequent global self-esteem states, while global self-esteem states did not predict subsequent self-concept clarity states. Daily global self-esteem and daily self-concept clarity further predicted subsequent daily higher life satisfaction and positive affect, respectively. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings shed light on the short-term relationships linking global self-esteem and self-concept clarity, pointing to their discriminant validity in predicting individuals' subjective well-being.

Longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image, self-concept clarity, and emotional well-being in adolescents.

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the longitudinal relationships among sociocultural pressure for body image (SPBI), self-concept clarity (SCC), and emotional well-being (EWB) at both the between- and within-person levels. METHODS: The participants were 2001 Chinese adolescents (age range 11-24, 42.9% males). Recruitment of participants occurred for 1 year across three waves (i.e., 6 months apart across three cohorts). The baseline and follow-up questionnaire surveys were utilized to assess SPBI, SCC, EWB, and background variables. Longitudinal associations between the above main variables were tested using a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and multilevel regression analysis. RESULTS: The CLPM and multilevel-model analysis showed that SCC longitudinally mediated the relationships between SPBI and EWB. Besides, gender and age were considered moderators in the associations among SPBI, SCC, and EWB. CONCLUSIONS: SCC could be an underlying mechanism for the longitudinal relationship between SPBI and EWB among Chinese adolescents, which provides a potential intervention target for improving adolescents' well-being from a sociocultural framework.

Cryptocurrency Trading, Day Trading, and Gambling Behavior: Examining the Moderating Effects of Financially Focused Self-Concept and Gambling Motives.

Cryptocurrency and day trading have grown in popularity over the past decade following the creation of the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, in 2009. These activities share important features with gambling, including risking money on an uncertain outcome, a chance of monetary rewards, and the potential to experience harm (e.g., financial or relationship problems). However, little is known about cryptocurrency and day trading engagement in the adult population, including associations with gambling behavior, harm, and psychological factors that might moderate these relationships. We analyzed cross-sectional data for n = 822 adults from an online panel in the U.S. to examine: (1) the extent to which cryptocurrency trading, day trading, and gambling are associated, (2) relationships between cryptocurrency trading, day trading, and higher risk gambling behavior, and (3) whether financially focused self-concept and four types of gambling motives moderate these relationships. We found moderate to strong positive intercorrelations between cryptocurrency and day trading, and gambling behavior, including engagement and risk. We identified significant moderating effects of financially focused self-concept, and coping motives for gambling, on the relationship between cryptocurrency trading and gambling frequency, and between day trading and gambling frequency. For the models predicting higher risk gambling status, the only significant moderators were financially focused self-concept for the day trading model, and the enhancement motive for the cryptocurrency and day trading models. Our results have important implications for understanding interrelationships between gambling-adjacent activities and more traditional gambling forms, as well as the moderating roles of key psychosocial concepts in these relationships.

Does Role Identity Mediate the Influence of Motivational Regulations on Physical Activity Behavior Among People 55 Years or Older?

The objective of this study was to estimate the extent to which motivational regulations influence physical activity behavior through role identity among people 55 years or older. Participants (N = 409; Mage = 66.29 years [SD = 7.06]) completed online questionnaires to measure motivational regulations, role identity, and the frequency of physical activity in a typical week and in the past month. Mediation analysis using ordinary least squares path analysis revealed that autonomous forms of motivational regulation (positively) and controlled forms of motivational regulation (negatively) influenced role identity, which then positively influenced physical activity behavior. Bootstrap confidence intervals (95%) for the indirect effects (a × b) based on 5,000 bootstrap samples were entirely above or below zero. These findings point to future experimental evaluations of interventions aiming at both increasing and decreasing autonomous and controlled motivational regulations, respectively, to promote physical activity behavior through role identity.

Predictors of Impairment and Self-Concept in Children and Adolescents with Persistent Tic Disorder.

This study examined predictors of, and associations between, self-concept, demographic variables, and clinical measures in fifty-eight children and adolescents with Persistent Tic Disorder (PTD; 44 males, Mage = 11.9 years, SD = 2.74). Participants completed measures that assessed self-concept, tic severity, tic-related impairment, and comorbid psychological symptoms. Results showed that generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, total tic severity, number and complexity of tics, and total and social tic-related impairment were associated with self-concept. Tic-related social impairment mediated the relationship between tic severity and self-concept. Exploratory analyses found that total tic severity, motor tic severity, and vocal tic severity, as well as the number, intensity, and interference of tics predicted social tic-related impairment. Results suggest that treatments to reduce the number and complexity of tics, with additional focus on navigating social interactions, may serve to decrease tic severity and impairment, and in turn, improve self-concept.