Staying connected in old age: associations between bonding social capital, loneliness and well-being and the value of digital media.

OBJECTIVES: We examined associations between age, bonding social capital (BSC), loneliness and psychological, social and emotional well-being in old age. As in theory digital media can support both preservation of and access to someone's social capital, we also explored associations between the use of WhatsApp, social network sites (SNS) and Internet applications and respectively BSC and loneliness. METHOD: In this cross-sectional study a sample of 349 older adults (range = 70y-93y; Mean(SD)=74.8y(4.9y); 59.6% male) filled out a questionnaire including the bonding social capital subscale of the personal social capital scale for elderly (PSCSE), validated scales measuring social, emotional, and psychological well-being and loneliness, the SNS intensity scale and items measuring frequencies of Whatsapp use and use of various Internet functions. Also relevant demographic and other covariates were included. RESULTS: Regression analyses including relevant covariates confirmed our hypotheses, finding negative associations between BSC and both age and loneliness, and positive associations between BSC and psychological, social and emotional well-being. WhatsApp and Internet use were both found positively associated with BSC, whilst a negative association between WhatsApp use and loneliness was found. SNS use was not associated with BSC nor with loneliness. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate BSC as an important factor in positive aging and illustrate a widening gap between the need for socio-emotional resources versus their availability. With regard to digital media, we conclude that its value in old age should be sought in providing access to one's bonding social capital rather than adding to it by expanding the number of social relations.

Prospective associations between working alliance, basic psychological need satisfaction, and coaching outcome indicators: a two-wave survey study among 181 Dutch coaching clients.

BACKGROUND: The coach-coachee working alliance and coachee motivation seem important factors for achieving positive coaching results. Self-determination theory, specifically basic psychological need theory, has been proposed as a relevant framework for understanding these relationships. The current longitudinal survey study therefore investigates prospective associations between coachees' appraisal of the working alliance, basic psychological need satisfaction, and the coaching outcome indicators goal attainment, wellbeing, absence of psychopathology, and personal growth initiative. METHODS: The sample (N = 181) consisted of Dutch coachees that were recruited across a range of coaching settings and contexts. Online self-report questionnaires were administered twice (T0 and T1), with an intervening time of 3 weeks, assessing working alliance, basic psychological need satisfaction, goal attainment, wellbeing, absence of psychopathology, and personal growth initiative. Parallel analysis with Monte Carlo simulations and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to assess the dimensionality of working alliance and basic psychological need satisfaction scores. Multiple regression analyses (stepwise) were used to examine prospective (T0 to T1) associations between working alliance and basic psychological need satisfaction, and their association with outcome indicators. RESULTS: The coachees' perception of the working alliance was positively and reciprocally, although modestly, associated with basic psychological need satisfaction. In addition, both working alliance and basic psychological need satisfaction were prospectively associated with goal attainment, but not with other outcome indicators. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide tentative support for a role of basic psychological need satisfaction in facilitating the establishment of a good working alliance. Additionally, the perception of a good quality, need supportive relationship with the coach appears to be associated with better goal achievement, but not with other outcome indicators. Associations were generally modest, and more research is needed to better measure and comprehend the unique contributions of specific relational and motivational factors to outcomes in coaching and assess the robustness of the current study findings.

Companion Animals as Buffer against the Impact of Stress on Affect: An Experience Sampling Study.

Companion animals have been identified as a unique source of social support and as contributors to mental wellbeing. This study uses the Experience Sampling Method to test whether this effect is due to stress-buffering. A total of 159 dog and cat owners responded to a series of randomly scheduled questionnaires on their smartphones. At each measurement moment, they reported in whether a pet is present at that moment and to what extent they have interacted with the pet. They also reported on stressful activities and events and on their current positive (PA) and negative (NA) affect. Multilevel regression analyses showed that when a companion animal was present (vs. absent) the negative association between stress and PA is less pronounced (event stress: B = 0.13, p = 0.002, 95% CI = 0.05; 0.21 activity stress: B = 0.08, p < 0.001, 95% CI = 0.04; 0.12). No additional main effect was revealed when tested in a subsample of records that reported low or no stress. Main effects were found for the presence of a companion animal on negative affect (B = 0.08, p < 0.001; 95% CI = 0.12; 0.05) and for interacting with a companion animal on positive affect (B = 0.06, p < 0.001; 95% CI = 0.04; 0.08). This shows that the presence of a companion animal buffers against the negative consequences of stress on positive affect, indicating stress-buffering as a mechanism behind the pet-effect. It is, however, not the only mechanism and more research is required to further elucidate how companion animals contribute to human wellbeing.

Optimism and Mental Health in Adolescence: a Prospective Validation Study of the Dutch Life-Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R-A) for Adolescents.

The study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Dutch Life Orientation Test-Revised for Adolescents (LOT-R-A), a self-report questionnaire assessing dispositional optimism, and to evaluate the two-factor structure (optimism, pessimism). The LOT-R-A and the questionnaires measuring well-being (MHC-SF-A) and psychological problems (SDQ) were completed by 459 Dutch adolescents (178 boys and 281 girls) between the ages of 11 and 18 years at baseline and 281 adolescents at a four-week follow-up. The results confirmed the two-factor structure (optimism, pessimism) of the LOT-R-A. The findings provided evidence of internal consistency of scores ranging from low to good, and evidence of good test-retest reliability of scores. Further, scores of optimism were cross-sectionally positively associated with scores of positive emotions and well-being and negatively with scores of psychological problems and negative emotions, providing evidence of convergent and divergent validity of optimism scores with emotions, well-being, and psychological problems. Lastly, scores of optimism were prospectively positively associated with scores of well-being and negatively with scores of psychological problems, providing evidence of criterion validity of optimism scores with well-being and psychological problems. Based on these findings it can be concluded that the LOT-R-A is a valid instrument to examine optimism among adolescents. Future research can help to elucidate the role of optimism in mental health interventions and can gather knowledge on how these interventions can be refined to optimally cultivate optimism during the developmental period of adolescence.

Bonding personal social capital as an ingredient for positive aging and mental well-being. A study among a sample of Dutch elderly.

OBJECTIVES: The current study aims to add to the limited empirical research of possible benefits of personal social capital for the well-being of elderly. A validated personal social capital scale, measuring both bonding and bridging social capital in a general population, was adjusted to fit the characteristics of the social environment of elderly, to explore the association between social capital and well-being of elderly, as well as the mediating role of loneliness. METHOD: A sample of 328 Dutch adults, varying in age from 65 to 90 years (Mean = 72.07; SD = 4.90) filled out an online questionnaire including the adapted personal social capital scale for elderly (PSCSE), as well as validated scales measuring social, emotional, and psychological well-being and loneliness. Relevant other (demographic) variables were included for testing construct and criterion validity. RESULTS: CFA analysis revealed the subdimensions bonding and bridging social capital with reliability scores of respectively α = .88 and α = .87, and α = .89 for the total scale. Regression analyses confirmed construct and criterion validity. Subsequently, significant positive associations between bonding social capital and respectively social, emotional and psychological well-being were found. These associations were mediated by loneliness. Bridging social capital was only found to be significantly associated with social well-being, not mediated by loneliness. CONCLUSION: Our findings have enhanced our understanding of the association between social capital and mental well-being of elderly and indicate that bonding personal social capital in particular may be considered an ingredient for positive aging.

Gratitude and loneliness in adults over 40 years: examining the role of psychological flexibility and engaged living.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between trait gratitude and loneliness in a Dutch population sample of adults over 40 years. In addition, the mediating role of psychological flexibility and engaged living between trait gratitude and loneliness was assessed. METHOD: A total sample of 163 adults of which 65 men (40%) and 98 women (60%) between 41 and 92 years (Mage = 66, SDage = 12) participated in this study. Data from the Loneliness Questionnaire, Flexibility Index Test, Engaged Living Scale and the Short Gratitude, Resentment, and Appreciation Test were used. Mediation analysis was performed. RESULTS: Analysis showed a negative association between trait gratitude and loneliness. In addition, after adjusting for the demographic variables age, gender and educational level, the association between trait gratitude and loneliness was fully mediated by psychological flexibility, and partially mediated by engaged living. CONCLUSION: This study endorses the importance of trait gratitude and psychological flexibility in relation to experiencing loneliness. Further research is needed to replicate these findings in a more diverse sample and to investigate the causal relationships between these constructs. It would also be interesting to further investigate the role of different age groups and goal (dis)engagement strategies in this relation.

Cultural differences in positive psychotic experiences assessed with the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences-42 (CAPE-42): a comparison of student populations in the Netherlands, Nigeria and Norway.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that culture impacts the experience of psychosis. The current study set out to extend these findings by examining cultural variation in subclinical positive psychotic experiences in students from The Netherlands, Nigeria, and Norway. Positive psychotic experiences were hypothesized to (i) be more frequently endorsed by, and (ii) cause less distress in Nigerian vs. Dutch and Norwegian students. METHODS: Psychology students, aged 18 to 30 years, from universities in the Netherlands (n = 245), Nigeria (n = 478), and Norway (n = 162) were assessed cross-sectionally with regard to the frequency of subclinical positive psychotic experiences and related distress, using the Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-42). Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and multivariate analysis of covariance were performed to assess measurement invariance of the positive symptom dimension (CAPE-Pos) and compare mean frequency and associated distress of positive psychotic experiences across study samples. RESULTS: Only CAPE-Pos items pertaining to the dimensions 'strange experiences' and 'paranoia' met assumptions for (partial) measurement invariance. Frequencies of these experiences were higher in the Nigerian sample, compared to both the Dutch and Norwegian samples, which were similar. In addition, levels of experience-related distress were similar or higher in the Nigerian sample compared to respectively the Dutch and Norwegian samples. CONCLUSION: Although positive psychotic experiences may be more commonly endorsed in non-Western societies, our findings do not support the notion that they represent a more benign, and hence less distressing aspect of human experience. Rather, the experience of psychotic phenomena may be just as, if not more, distressing in African than in European culture. However, observed differences in CAPE-Pos frequency and distress between samples from different cultural settings may partly reflect differences in the measure rather than in the latent trait. Future studies may therefore consider further cross-cultural adaptation of CAPE-42, in addition to explicitly examining cultural acceptance of psychotic phenomena, and environmental and other known risk factors for psychosis, when comparing and interpreting subclinical psychotic phenomena across cultural groups.

Developmental course of subclinical positive and negative psychotic symptoms and their associations with genetic risk status and impairment.

The proneness-persistence-impairment (PPI) model states that psychotic experiences are more likely to lead to impairment if their expression becomes persistent. Higher genetic risk for psychosis is known to affect proneness and persistence of subclinical positive symptoms. Less is known about potential effects of genetic risk on the course of subclinical negative symptoms, impairment, and their subsequent associations. The current study examined these issues in a large sample (n=1131), consisting of individuals with higher genetic risk (siblings of patients with psychotic disorders, n=703) and lower genetic risk (controls without a family member with lifetime psychosis, n=428). Psychotic experiences were assessed with the CAPE questionnaire, at two time points three years apart. Participants were allocated to one of four groups representing developmental course: stable low, decreasing, increasing or persisting subclinical positive/negative symptoms. Lifetime clinical psychosis was an exclusion criterion at baseline. Higher genetic risk status was found to be associated with a persisting course of both subclinical positive and negative symptoms, symptom-related distress and functional impairment. There is no evidence for an effect of genetic risk status on the association between developmental course and impairment. The results of the current study underline the importance of assessing psychotic experiences in the context of genetic risk, multidimensional and over time. Additionally, the current findings both underscore and contribute to the PPI model: psychotic experiences are more likely to lead to impairment if their expression becomes persistent, both in individuals with higher and lower genetic risk for psychosis.

Remission criteria and functional outcome in patients with schizophrenia, a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: The Remission in Schizophrenia Working Group (RSWG) has proposed remission criteria for schizophrenia, which were shown to be valid in terms of functional and clinical outcomes. However, studies investigating the association between dynamics in remission status in relation to longitudinal functional and clinical outcome are scarce. METHODS: A total of 648 patients were allocated to four change-in-remission groups, i.e. remission/remission, remission/no-remission, no-remission/remission, and no-remission/no-remission. Remission status was based on PANSS ratings. Multilevel linear modelling techniques were used to investigate whether enduring remission was associated with more improvement in functional outcome at follow-up. Further, change in functional and clinical outcome at follow-up measurement was assessed for each remission category separately. RESULTS: Both at baseline and at follow-up, remission status was associated with better functioning. At baseline, patients who subsequently moved out of remission status could be characterized by more severe psychopathology, disabilities, unmet needs and worse quality of life (QoL) compared with patients who continued to be in remission. The stable in-remission group was characterized by significantly better functioning and QoL, both at baseline and follow-up compared with all other remission groups. Nevertheless, QoL increased in all four patient categories. CONCLUSIONS: In a large sample of patients with a non-affective psychotic disorder, stable remission or moving into remission over time, based on the RSWG criteria, was associated with a favourable functional outcome and QoL, providing further support for the clinical validity of the RSWG remission criteria. The findings also suggest growing adaptation and self-management over time, despite ongoing difficulties.

Evidence that transition from health to psychotic disorder can be traced to semi-ubiquitous environmental effects operating against background genetic risk.

BACKGROUND: In order to assess the importance of environmental and genetic risk on transition from health to psychotic disorder, a prospective study of individuals at average (n = 462) and high genetic risk (n = 810) was conducted. METHOD: A three-year cohort study examined the rate of transition to psychotic disorder. Binary measures indexing environmental exposure (combining urban birth, cannabis use, ethnicity and childhood trauma) and proxy genetic risk (high-risk sibling status) were used to model transition. RESULTS: The majority of high-risk siblings (68%) and healthy comparison subjects (60%) had been exposed to one or more environmental risks. The risk of transition in siblings (n = 9, 1.1%) was higher than the risk in healthy comparison subjects (n = 2, 0.4%; OR(adj) = 2.2,95%CI:5-10.3). All transitions (100%) were associated with environmental exposure, compared to 65% of non-transitions (p = 0.014), with the greatest effects for childhood trauma (OR(adj) = 34.4,95%CI:4.4-267.4), cannabis use (OR = 4.1,95%CI:1.1, 15.4), minority ethnic group (OR = 3.8,95%CI:1.2,12.8) and urban birth (OR = 3.7,95%CI:0.9,15.4). The proportion of transitions in the population attributable to environmental and genetic risk ranged from 28% for minority ethnic group, 45% for urban birth, 57% for cannabis use, 86% for childhood trauma, and 50% for high-risk sibling status. Nine out of 11 transitions (82%) were exposed to both genetic and environmental risk, compared to only 43% of non-transitions (p = 0.03). CONCLUSION: Environmental risk associated with transition to psychotic disorder is semi-ubiquitous regardless of genetic high risk status. Careful prospective documentation suggests most transitions can be attributed to powerful environmental effects that become detectable when analysed against elevated background genetic risk, indicating gene-environment interaction.