Notes from the Underground: Seeking the top personality correlates of self-referencing.

OBJECTIVE: Self-focused language use has been frequently assumed to reflect narcissism; however, research indicates that the association between first-person singular pronouns (i.e., "I-talk") and grandiose narcissism is negligible. METHOD: To extend this literature, we progressively identify vulnerable narcissism and rumination as positive correlates of I-talk in five studies (valid Ns = 211, 475, 1253, 289, 1113). RESULTS: The first study revealed positive correlates of I-talk suggestive of vulnerable narcissism. The second study showed more directly that vulnerable narcissism was a positive correlate but that this association was attributable to shared variance with neuroticism. The third study, a preregistered effort, replicated and extended the results of the second study. The fourth and fifth studies focused on rumination in a preregistered manner. CONCLUSIONS: All the studies point to a clear distinction: While grandiose narcissism is negligibly related to I-talk, vulnerable narcissism is positively related to I-talk; moreover, rumination is a robust predictor of I-talk. A research synthesis revealed the following constructs significantly capture I-talk: depression (r = 0.10), neuroticism (r = 0.15), rumination (r = 0.14), and vulnerable narcissism (r = 0.12). The association between I-talk and neuroticism was partially mediated by rumination, providing a testable candidate mechanism for neuroticism interventions.

Increasing character strength knowledge, interest, and skill: preliminary evidence for a collaborative and multimethod assessment procedure.

Introduction: The study's objective was to evaluate whether a qualitative, collaborative, and multimethod assessment protocol increased reports of character strength interest, knowledge, and perceived skills. Methods: Thirty-two participants completed three phases of data collection. Participants were first screened for well-being, which was used as an auxiliary covariate to order participants into experimental conditions. Selected participants were randomly assigned to a control or collaborative and multimethod assessment (card sort × qualitative interview) condition. Participants completed pre- and post-measures of strength interest, knowledge, and perceived skill. In the final phase, second phase participants were invited to report on strength-related outcomes 24 h post-administration using an online survey. Results: A series of 2 (Assessment Condition) × 3 (Time) mixed ANOVAs were analyzed. Results revealed a significant assessment condition by time interaction for strength knowledge and perceived skill. Participants in the collaborative and multimethod assessment condition reported higher strength knowledge and perceived skills compared to control participants. These effects were maintained for 24 h. Conclusion: The findings offer preliminary yet sizable support for using collaborative and multimethod assessment procedures to increase strength knowledge and perceived skill. Because of the qualitative, collaborative, and individualized nature of our assessment protocol, the findings offer a low-cost and contextually bound pathway to increase strength-based outcomes.

The Conditional Effects of Savoring on the Relationship between Minority Stress and Alcohol Misuse in an LGBTQIA + Sample.

Background: Alcohol-related difficulties are a significant public health concern in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual, and people with other sexual orientations and forms of gender identity (LGBTQIA+) communities. Considering these concerns, there is a strong push to develop affirming and strength-based prevention efforts. Unfortunately, such efforts are undermined by the lack of protective LGBTQIA + models for alcohol misuse. To this end, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate whether savoring, the ability to create, maintain, and prolong positive emotions, meets basic criteria for a protective factor for alcohol misuse in a sample of LGBTQIA + adults. Methods: The sample was comprised of 226 LGBTQIA + adults who completed an online survey. Results: Results indicated that savoring was inversely related to alcohol misuse. In addition, the relationship between minority stress and alcohol misuse varied as a function of savoring; at high levels of savoring (a score of 136.63 on the Savoring Beliefs Inventory), the relationship between minority stress and alcohol misuse was non-significant. Conclusions: In combination, these findings offer preliminary support for savoring as a protective factor for alcohol misuse among different LGBTQIA + communities. However, longitudinal and experimental research is needed to solidify the role of savoring in minimizing alcohol-related problems in this population.

Savoring Interventions Increase Positive Emotions After a Social-Evaluative Hassle.

Achieving a high quality of life is dependent upon how individuals face adversity. Positive psychological interventions are well-suited to support coping efforts; however, experimental research is limited. The purpose of the current research was to examine whether different savoring interventions could increase important coping resources (i.e., positive emotions) in response to a social-evaluative hassle. We completed an experimental mixed subject design study with a university student sample. All participants completed a hassle induction task and were then randomly assigned into different intervention groups. Positive emotion ratings were collected at three points in time (baseline, post-induction task, post-intervention). Results revealed a significant time x intervention interaction effect, such that individuals in the savoring the moment intervention reported higher levels of positive emotions (at post-intervention) compared to individuals assigned to the true control group, guided imagery control group, and savoring through reminiscence intervention. Such findings represent a significant extension to savoring theory and offer support for savoring the moment exercises as a primary prevention strategy to bolster effective responses to social-evaluative hassles.

A Protective Model for Suicidal Behaviors in American and Pakistani College Students.

There is a paucity of cross-national studies evaluating protective models for suicidal behaviors. Thus, using a behavioral framework, the purpose of this study was to examine whether higher levels of life-enhancing behaviors could mitigate or weaken the relation between depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors in United States and Pakistani college students. A total of 811 students (449 Pakistani and 362 U.S. students) participated in the study. Results indicated that the strength of the relation between depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors was stronger for U.S. students. In addition, the association between depressive symptoms and suicidal behaviors weakened in the presence of high engagement in life-enhancing behaviors. This effect was comparable in strength for American versus Pakistani students. The results offer preliminary evidence for life-enhancing behaviors as a protective factor for suicide across unique cultural settings and may serve as a valuable area of focus for secondary prevention programs.

Savouring and Self-compassion as Protective Factors for Depression.

Within positive psychology, researchers and clinicians vocalize the need to expand upon how the treatment for major depressive disorder is conceptualized and implemented. The impetus of the current study was to examine preliminary criteria for identifying savouring and self-compassion as protective factors for depression. Undergraduate students (N = 133) completed a series of surveys at two points in time, 5 weeks apart. Results revealed that savouring and self-compassion were inversely related to depression scores cross-sectionally and prospectively. However, savouring was the only positive psychological variable to predict changes in depression scores across time. Cross-sectionally, savouring was also found to moderate the relation between negative life events and depression, such that the strength of the relation between negative life events and depression decreased when higher savouring was present. However, this same effect was not significant prospectively. There was no evidence, cross-sectionally or prospectively, that self-compassion moderated the relation between negative life events and depression. Taken together, results provide preliminary support for savouring as a protective factor for depressive symptoms. Mental health professionals should consider teaching savouring strategies to help at-risk clients stimulate and sustain positive affect as a means of preventing and reducing depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Procrastination and suicide proneness: A moderated-mediation model for cognitive schemas and gender.

This study examined the direct and indirect paths between procrastination and suicide proneness while considering gender differences. Participants included 547 undergraduates from a southeastern university. Procrastination was positively related to suicide proneness for both genders, although this relation was stronger for women. Moderated-mediation analyses with bootstrapping highlighted insufficient self-control schemas as a mediator in the relation between procrastination and suicide proneness. However, indirect pathways did not vary by gender. Results represent an extension of the Procrastination-Health Model by highlighting the contribution of cognitive factors in explaining the relation between procrastination and suicide proneness.

Suicide proneness in American and Japanese college students: associations with suicide acceptability and emotional expressivity.

This study considered whether suicide acceptability and emotional expressivity were associated with suicide proneness in American and Japanese women and men. Participants included 417 (283 women, 134 men) American and 396 (243 women, 150 men) Japanese college students. Regression models indicated that suicide acceptability predicted unique variance in suicide proneness for both American and Japanese women and men. However, emotional expressivity contributed to understanding the suicide proneness of American college students only. Culturally appropriate prevention and intervention implications associated with reducing suicide acceptance and cultivating well-being and resiliency are offered.

Suicide proneness in college students: relationships with gender, procrastination, and achievement motivation.

This study examined the relationships between 2 academic dispositions (i.e., procrastination and achievement motivation) and 2 indices of suicidal proneness in college women and men. The degree these 2 academic dispositions could predict unique variance in suicide proneness scores, above and beyond the influence of depression and self-esteem was also examined for each gender. Participants included 475 (336 women, 139 men) undergraduates from a southeastern university. For both genders, procrastination and achievement motivation were significantly correlated at the univarate level with the suicide proneness indices. However, for college women, but not men, procrastination significantly accounted for unique amounts of variance in both suicide indices above and beyond the influence of depression and self-esteem. Implications for suicide intervention efforts directed toward college women and men are offered.

Sensitive research with adolescents: just how upsetting are self-report surveys anyway?

Distress related to answering personal survey questions about drug use, suicidal behavior, and physical and sexual abuse were examined in multiple convenience samples of adolescents. Samples varied in consent procedures utilized (active vs. passive parental consent), data collection setting (school vs. juvenile justice), developmental level (middle school vs. high school). Participation rates differed across consent procedures (e.g., 93% with passive vs. 62% with active parental consent). Results indicated that small percentages of adolescents in every sample reported frequently feeling upset while completing the survey (range 2.5% to 7.6%). Age, race, gender, and data collection strategy did not emerge as significant predictors of feeling upset. Instead, as hypothesized, adolescents reporting a history of suicidal ideation or attempt, illicit drug use, or experiences of physical or sexual victimization endorsed more frequent feelings of upset while completing the survey than peers without these experiences. Taken together, however, these sensitive event experiences explained only 6.6% of the variance in adolescents' upset ratings. The scientific and ethical implications of these findings are discussed with regard to adolescent participation in survey research about sensitive topics.