The Unified Narcissism Scale-Revised: Testing Incremental Validity and Shortening the Measure.

Narcissism has had a long history of conceptual and measurement confusion. In this paper, we aimed to assess the incremental and external validity of the Unified Narcissism Scale-Revised (UNS-R), and to determine a prototype short form of the measure that is invariant across cultures. In Study 1, we constructed a 15-item short form prototype that was scalar invariant across four countries (United States, China, Sri Lanka, and Australia). Using this short form, we found the Australian sample to be the most different from the other samples. We speculate this is due to Australia having a more horizontal culture, demonstrating resistance to hierarchy and a stronger endorsement of equality. In Study 2, we assessed the incremental and external validity of the UNS-R long and short form and found it to be a superior measure of grandiose narcissism in terms of strength and cogence of external correlations compared to existing measures, but the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory-Short Form (FFNI-SF) was a better measure of vulnerable narcissism. In conclusion, we have illustrated the robustness of the UNS-R, and its short form, as a measure of narcissism and, in the process, highlighted important cross-cultural differences.

Psychological mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation: Longitudinal cohort study.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of the development of suicidal ideation and its moderating and protective factors. Drawing on the Interpersonal-psychological theory of suicide, we proposed that disruptions to belongingness, in conjunction with tolerance of health risk, may influence the development of suicidal ideation above and beyond psychosocial changes such as disruptions to finances and work. METHODS: The study involved a longitudinal investigation of an Australian representative sample reporting suicidal ideation fortnightly for 12 weeks between March and June 2020. RESULTS: The results indicated that participants who reported higher levels of belongingness, mastery, and intolerance of health risk were less likely to experience suicidal ideation and had lower severity of suicidal ideation. Mastery significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the incidence of suicidal ideation, while agreeableness significantly strengthened the negative link between belongingness and the severity of suicidal ideation over time. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that supporting effective social connectedness during times of isolation and promoting self-efficacy, mastery, and regulation of risk tolerance, may be crucial for suicide prevention and therapeutic intervention.

Testing a syndemics perspective on the effects of multiple adversities on depression and anxiety symptoms in a representative population sample.

PURPOSE: Considerable empirical evidence indicates that stressful life experiences may have a negative impact on mental health. However, it is unclear how multiple adverse experiences may intersect to influence symptoms of depression and anxiety. Using a syndemics approach to identify potential synergistic effects between major stressors, we aimed to quantify the roles of multiple recent adverse life experiences on depression and anxiety symptoms. METHODS: A population-representative sample of 1090 Australian adults (53% women, Mage 47 years) completed a cross-sectional survey in 2022 that assessed mental health and retrospective reports of nine specific stressful life experiences in the past year. RESULTS: The most common adverse life experiences in the past year were financial problems (64%), loneliness (63%), or a major health problem (51%). In multivariate logistic regression analyses, financial problems, personal health problems, health problems in a close contact, relationship problems and loneliness were significantly associated with both depression and anxiety symptoms (p < 0.05). There was just one synergistic interaction and one buffering interaction of combined adversities on anxiety, and no synergistic interactions of adverse experiences on depression. The perceived impact of combined adversities was associated with both depression (b = 0.59, p < 0.001) and anxiety (b = 0.48, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Adversity was strongly associated with depression and anxiety. Inconsistent with a syndemics framework, there were very few synergistic relationships between different types of adversities, suggesting that different adverse experiences may independently influence mental health. The findings indicate important opportunities for early intervention to prevent depression and anxiety during difficult times.

COVID-19 infection associated with poorer mental health in a representative population sample.

OBJECTIVE: There is limited evidence of the direct effects of COVID-19 infection on mental health, and whether these are influenced by vaccination or physical health symptoms. We aimed to investigate the relationships of COVID-19 infection, current symptom presentation, and vaccination status with mental health symptoms in adults. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: A cross-sectional sample of the Australian adult population that was representative by age, gender, and location was recruited through market research panels (N = 1407, 51.3% female, mean age 47.9 years). Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine the associations of COVID-19 infection history and current COVID-19 symptoms with symptoms of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) and social anxiety (Mini-Social Phobia Inventory). RESULTS: COVID-19 infection was associated with significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms, but only in those who were not fully vaccinated. Current experience of COVID-related symptoms was associated with significantly higher depression and anxiety symptoms, and attenuated the direct effect of infection on mental health outcomes to non-significance. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 infection may be associated with increased mental health symptoms. However, the effects of infection on mental health were primarily evident in those who were not fully vaccinated and were explained by greater physical health problems associated with COVID-19 infection. The findings reinforce the efficacy of vaccination for reducing physical and mental health symptoms following infection.

Cognitive reappraisal moderates the protective effect of body satisfaction on mental health and wellbeing in adults: A prospective study during COVID-19 lockdown.

BACKGROUND: Body satisfaction is associated with mental health and well-being in adults. However, prospective studies are needed to better understand its protective effects, and in whom these are most beneficial. This study investigated body satisfaction as a predictor of depressive symptoms, generalised anxiety, and well-being in a representative Australian sample collected during the initial COVID-19 lockdown. Two emotion regulation strategies - cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression - were also tested as moderating variables. METHODS: The sample comprised 684 adults aged 19 to 87 years who completed three primary waves of data spanning two months [Wave 3 (W3), W4 and W7] from the Australian National COVID-19 Mental Health, Behaviour and Risk Communication Survey. RESULTS: Hierarchical multiple regression models controlling for demographic and COVID-19 risk factors, as well as W3 for each outcome variable, indicated that W3 body satisfaction predicted greater W7 well-being, and fewer W7 depressive symptoms and greater W7 well-being in participants reporting low levels of W4 cognitive reappraisal. No moderation for W4 expressive suppression was observed, nor predictive relationships between W3 body satisfaction and W7 anxiety. LIMITATIONS: The two-month follow-up period precludes conclusions relating to the longer-term protective effects of body satisfaction within and beyond the pandemic context. Examination of focal relationships in clinical samples, and inclusion of broader indices of body image, emotion regulation and mental health, is needed in future studies. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest body satisfaction warrants attention in community well-being promotion in adults, and may be particularly beneficial for those lack adaptive emotion regulation strategies.

Core features of callous-unemotional traits: a cross-cultural comparison of youth in four countries.

With considerable debate concerning the impact of culture on the expression of callous-unemotional (CU) traits, it is unclear whether the core features of CU traits generalize to youth across cultures. This study aimed to examine whether cultural differences are reflected in the core features of CU traits and the associations among these features. Network analysis was employed to identify the core features and to examine the network structure of CU traits operationalized by the Inventory of Callous Unemotional traits (ICU) in four community youth samples from different nations (Australia, N = 190; the UK, N = 437; the USA, N = 330; China, N = 503). The item "Apologizes to people" was identified as a cross-cultural core feature in the ICU network with a greater centrality of this item compared to others in all four samples. In addition, some items were identified as culture-specific core features in the network, differing in their centrality across samples. The network structures of the youth self-report ICU items were moderately similar across samples, while the structures of parent-report items showed substantial differences. These findings have important implications for cross-cultural research on CU traits as well as practical implications for screening and treatment. The core features of ICU appear to be generalizable in youth across cultures, although cultural-specific manifestations should be noted.

Callous-unemotional Traits and Child Response to Teacher Rewards, Discipline, and Instructional Methods in Chinese Preschools: A Classroom Observation Study.

Atypical responses to teacher rewards, discipline and different forms of instructional methods have been identified as potential contributors to disruptive behavior, low school engagement, and academic underachievement in children with elevated callous-unemotional (CU) traits. To date, research on CU traits in schools has relied on interview or questionnaire methods and has predominantly been conducted in Western countries. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the relationships between CU traits and children's responses to teacher rewards, discipline and instructional methods in the Chinese preschool context using classroom observation. Eight teachers (7 females, 1 male; M = 37.66 years) and 116 children (56% girls; M = 5.16 years) from two mainstream Chinese preschools participated in the study. Of the 116 eligible children, the behavior of 108 children from four classes were observed during classroom activities. Findings indicated that CU traits were not related to children's responses to discipline, nor did CU traits moderate the relationship between instructional methods and children's academic engagement. Higher CU traits predicted a greater frequency of one-to-one teacher-child interaction. Our findings offer initial insights into the potential of early school-based interventions in fostering engagement and prosocial behavior among children with CU traits. However, they also highlight the need for additional support for preschool teachers, who face the challenge of managing these high-risk children who appear to require more individual time and attention.

A Bayesian model of the jumping-to-conclusions bias and its relationship to psychopathology.

The mechanisms by which delusion and anxiety affect the tendency to make hasty decisions (Jumping-to-Conclusions bias) remain unclear. This paper proposes a Bayesian computational model that explores the assignment of evidence weights as a potential explanation of the Jumping-to-Conclusions bias using the Beads Task. We also investigate the Beads Task as a repeated measure by varying the key aspects of the paradigm. The Bayesian model estimations from two online studies showed that higher delusional ideation promoted reduced belief updating but the impact of general and social anxiety on evidence weighting was inconsistent. The altered evidence weighting as a result of a psychopathological trait appeared insufficient in contributing to the Jumping-to-Conclusions bias. Variations in Beads Task aspects significantly affected subjective certainty at the point of decisions but not the number of draws to decisions. Repetitions of the Beads Task are feasible if one assesses the Jumping-to-Conclusions bias using number of draws to decisions.

Understanding Australian Government Risk Communication Early in the COVID-19 Pandemic: Sociodemographics, Risk Attitudes and Media Consumption.

Effective risk communication is essential for government and health authorities to effectively manage public health during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding the factors that influence people's perceptions of crisis-related risk messages is critical to identify gaps and inequalities in population risk communication. Using a longitudinal survey of a representative adult sample, we examined risk communication about COVID-19 during April-June 2020 in Australia across sociodemographic groups especially the at-risk groups, accounting for and exploring the effects of risk attitudes and media engagement. Our findings showed that individuals who were younger, more left-wing, more risk-tolerant, and had a current or a history of mental disorders perceived risk communication of the Australian Government to be lower quality. On the other hand, greater consumption of information from televisions was found to be associated with more positive attitudes toward government risk communication. Our results also revealed the importance of effective and high-quality risk communication in gaining the public endorsement of various public health directions. We discuss the implications of results in terms of the development of effective public communications that lead to health-protective behaviors and effectively scaffold public understanding of risk.

The Factors Associated With Telehealth Use and Avoidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Longitudinal Survey.

BACKGROUND: Social distancing requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic saw a rapid increase in the delivery of telehealth consultations as an alternative to face-to-face health care services. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to assess the use and acceptability of telehealth during the early stages of the pandemic and identify factors associated with telehealth avoidance during this period. METHODS: Data were obtained from waves 4 and 7 of a longitudinal survey designed to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and behavior of a representative sample of Australian adults. Participants reported on their use or avoidance of telehealth during the assessment period, as well as the mode of telehealth used and acceptability. RESULTS: Approximately 30% of participants reported using telehealth during the assessment periods, with the most common telehealth modality being the telephone. Acceptance of telehealth was generally high and was higher among those who used telehealth compared with those who did not. Approximately 18% of participants reported avoiding health care due to telehealth. Across assessment waves, avoidance was associated with younger age, speaking a language other than or in addition to English, having a current medical diagnosis, and lower levels of telehealth acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: While most participants in this study were accepting of telehealth services, there remain barriers to use, especially among those from particular sociodemographic groups. At a population level, avoidance of health services in nearly one in five adults may have considerable long-term impacts on morbidity and potentially mortality. Targeted efforts to promote engagement with telehealth services are critical if these adverse outcomes are to be avoided, particularly during periods when access to face-to-face services may be limited.

Why the other-race effect matters: Poor recognition of other-race faces impacts everyday social interactions.

What happens to everyday social interactions when other-race recognition fails? Here, we provide the first formal investigation of this question. We gave East Asian international students (N = 89) a questionnaire concerning their experiences of the other-race effect (ORE) in Australia, and a laboratory test of their objective other-race face recognition deficit using the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT). As a 'perpetrator' of the ORE, participants reported that their problems telling apart Caucasian people contributed significantly to difficulties socializing with them. Moreover, the severity of this problem correlated with their ORE on the CFMT. As a 'victim' of the ORE, participants reported that Caucasians' problems telling them apart also contributed to difficulties socializing. Further, 81% of participants had been confused with other Asians by a Caucasian authority figure (e.g., university tutor, workplace boss), resulting in varying levels of upset/difficulty. When compared to previously established contributors to international students' high rates of social isolation, ORE-related problems were perceived as equally important as the language barrier and only moderately less important than cultural differences. We conclude that the real-world impact of the ORE extends beyond previously identified specialized settings (eyewitness testimony, security), to common everyday situations experienced by all humans.

Risk tolerance and changes in coronavirus disease (COVID) related health behaviors: A longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined behavioral responses during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the role of dispositional risk tolerance in the Australian context. METHOD: The study involved a six-wave longitudinal investigation with a nationally representative sample of Australians (N = 1,296). Dispositional risk tolerance was measured at Wave 1 and participants' anxiety level and self-report implementation of 10 COVID actions was assessed in each wave. Autoregressive multinomial regression models were estimated to assess the unique contribution of risk tolerance to the longitudinal change of participants' implementation of COVID actions. RESULTS: The results revealed a high implementation rate for protective actions when Australia had a peak in the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently declined with the easing threat of the pandemic. Individuals' dispositional risk tolerance significantly predicted transition to, and endorsement of, protective actions. Participants who had low risk tolerance were more likely to remain at the state of implementing COVID-19 measures than being in, or transitioning to, other states. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that when encouraging protective actions, governments and public authorities should acknowledge variability in the community in responding to risk and consider measures in addition to risk messaging to encourage protective actions among individuals with a high level of risk tolerance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Patterns and predictors of alcohol use during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia: Longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in disruptions across many life domains. The distress associated with the pandemic itself, and with public health efforts to manage the outbreak, could result in increased alcohol use. This study aimed to quantify changes in alcohol use during the early stages of the pandemic and factors associated with different patterns of use. METHODS: Data were obtained from a longitudinal survey of a representative Australian adult sample (N = 1296, 50% female, Mage  = 46.0) conducted from March to June 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak in Australia. Change in alcohol consumption was examined using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) scores from waves one, three, five, and seven of the study, each 4 weeks apart. Factors associated with alcohol consumption were examined, including depression (PHQ-9) and anxiety (GAD-7) symptoms, health risk tolerance, stress and coping, work and social impairment (WSAS), COVID impacts, and sociodemographic variables. We tested changes in alcohol use across the full sample using a mixed effects repeated measure ANOVA model and a multinomial logistic regression to identify factors assessed at wave 1 that were independently associated with alcohol use. RESULTS: There was no significant change in AUDIT-C scores across the study. For most participants, alcohol use did not increase during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. COVID-19 exposure, higher perceived coping, depression symptoms, and male gender were associated with greater odds of increasing or elevated levels of alcohol use. Social changes, which included working from home, had mixed effects on alcohol consumption. CONCLUSIONS: Although no evidence was found for increased alcohol use overall during the early months of the pandemic, several factors were associated with alcohol consumption at risky levels. Greater understanding of motivations for drinking across public and private contexts, along with targeted support for high-risk groups, could assist in reducing harm associated with alcohol consumption.

The Psychological Benefits of an Uncertain World: Hope and Optimism in the Face of Existential Threat.

We examine how prior mental health predicts hopes and how hopes predict subsequent mental health, testing hypotheses in a longitudinal study with an Australian nation-wide adult sample regarding mental health consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak during its initial stage. Quota sampling was used to select a sample representative of the adult Australian population in terms of age groups, gender, and geographical location. Mental health measures were selected to include those with the best psychometric properties. Hypotheses were tested using generalized linear models with random intercepts, with the type of GLM determined by the nature of the dependent variable. Greater anxiety, depression, distress, and loneliness predict less hope, but impaired quality of life and stress positively predict hopes of gaining new skills. Distress and loneliness predict hopes for social connectedness and an improved society, suggesting that predictors of hope depend on what is hoped for. These findings suggest the need for more nuanced theories of hope. Greater hopes for societal improvement predict lower anxiety, depression, distress, and impaired quality of life, but greater hopes for skills and better mental health predict higher levels of these covariates. Moreover, when relevant prior psychological states are more intense, the impact of hope state declines. These findings indicate that the consequences of hope are heterogeneous, and suggest a possible explanation for the seemingly inconsistent therapeutic effectiveness of raising hope.

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicidal ideation in a representative Australian population sample-Longitudinal cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: The direct and indirect mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are considerable. However, it is unclear how suicidal ideation was affected in communities during the acute lockdown phase of the pandemic, and over the longer-term. This study provides longitudinal data on the prevalence of, and risk factors for, suicidal ideation in the Australian national population, during the pandemic. METHOD: The Australian National COVID-19 Mental Health and Risk Communication Survey assessed a nationally representative sample of Australian adults (N = 1296) fortnightly for 12 weeks from late-March to June 2020 (7 waves), and again in March 2021 (wave 8). Cox proportional hazards models examined demographic and pandemic-related risk factors for suicidal ideation over time. RESULTS: Prevalence of suicidal ideation was high but steady at ∼18% across the acute lockdown phase of the pandemic, and 16.2% in March 2021. People who had direct experience with COVID-19 (tested, diagnosed, or contact with someone who was diagnosed) had increased risk for suicidal ideation. Higher pandemic-related work and social impairment, recent adversity, loneliness, and being younger were also associated with increased risk of suicidal ideation over time. CONCLUSION: Both the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 were associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation over time, although prevalence did not vary over time. The high prevalence of suicidal ideation in our sample flags a critical need for accessible mental health support, and findings provide insights into the factors placing people at risk during the pandemic.

Immediate emotions and subjective stakes in risky decision-making under uncertainty.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has shown that immediate emotions and cognitive processing of the stakes of outcomes influence decision-making under uncertainty. The effect of perceived beneficial stakes and different types of immediate emotions on decision-making is an important topic that has received little attention in the literature. This study investigated the effects of trait anxiety and anticipatory emotions (fear, sadness, excitement and comfortability) on the perception of thee stakes of outcomes and behavioral intentions. METHOD: Participants from the community completed a task measuring anticipatory emotions and their perceived stakes of risky and beneficial outcomes in a range of uncertain situations. Trait anxiety was also measured. RESULTS: Results revealed that anticipatory emotions (except for sadness), trait anxiety and subjective stakes all demonstrated significant associations with risky behavioral intention in uncertain situations. Anticipatory emotions, but not trait anxiety, had stable effects on stake perceptions. However, trait anxiety moderated the effect of excitement on risky behavioral intention. In addition, positive emotions (comfortability and excitement) and beneficial stakes demonstrated consistent effects in the decision-making process. CONCLUSIONS: The current study sheds light on future immediate-emotion-based interventions for deficits in uncertain decision-making.

Measuring Risk Tolerance across Domains: Scale Development and Validation.

Risk attitudes are of interest to researchers in many fields as they play a crucial role in our day-to-day decision-making. In this paper we develop a measure of risk attitudes-the Multi-Domain Risk Tolerance (MDRT) scale-that addresses some key shortcomings of popular self-report scales, such as the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale. We do this by clearly aligning the risk in the items with the particular domain of risk, reducing item ambiguity, and reducing the impact of prior knowledge. We developed the MDRT using an Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) and Item Response Theory (IRT) approach with a community sample (N = 921). We examined its construct and convergent validity (N = 493) and construct generalizability (N = 487). We found that the MDRT had excellent internal consistency, dimensionality and latent factor structure. The MDRT also demonstrated significant convergent validity with related scales used in the literature. The MDRT is shown to be a promising alternative measure of risk attitudes.

Cause or symptom? A longitudinal test of bidirectional relationships between emotion regulation strategies and mental health symptoms.

Previous work has generally conceptualized emotion regulation as contributing to mental health outcomes, and not vice versa. The present study challenges this assumption by using a prospective design to investigate the directionality of underlying relationships between emotion regulation and mental health in the context of a major population-level stressor. We surveyed a large nationally representative sample of adults (18-91 years, N = 704) at three 1-month intervals across the acute lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, using standardized measures of depression and anxiety symptoms. At each time point, we also measured the use of two emotion regulation strategies-cognitive reappraisal and emotional suppression-previously associated with adaptive and maladaptive mental health outcomes, respectively. We found cognitive reappraisal was unrelated to mental health symptoms. In contrast, greater emotional suppression was robustly associated with higher symptom levels for both depression and anxiety. Longitudinal analyses revealed this association reflected bidirectional relationships. Higher symptoms of depression and anxiety each predicted greater subsequent use of emotional suppression, and greater use of emotional suppression predicted higher subsequent symptoms. This bidirectionality suggests emotional suppression is both symptomatic and predictive of psychological distress. The lack of a relationship for cognitive reappraisal is discussed with respect to the pandemic context and evidence that high stress might reduce people's ability to use this strategy effectively. Given the strong emphasis on reappraisal in clinical practice, there is a critical need to understand for whom, what and when this strategy is helpful. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Identifying the contingencies of self-worth associated with eating disorder symptoms: The use of choice-based conjoint analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Self-worth contingent on shape/weight is a diagnostic criterion and key maintaining factor for eating disorders. However, the role of other contingencies of self-worth (i.e., domains in which self-worth is invested) is largely unknown. Moreover, research has relied on self-ratings of contingency strength, which are subject to distortion through socially desirable responding and limited self-awareness, and may have limitations in terms of ecological validity. To overcome these limitations, the present study investigated a broad range of contingencies of self-worth in relation to eating disorder pathology and employed a choice-based conjoint (CBC) approach for assessing these contingencies. METHOD: Young women and men from the community (N = 428) completed a CBC task to assess the domains in which self-worth is invested, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) to assess eating disorder symptomatology, and the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding to assess socially desirable responding. RESULTS: Beta regression analyses showed that CBC thinness and athletic competence predicted higher scores on all EDE-Q scales. CBC muscularity and facial attractiveness predicted higher scores, while coping ability and quality of relationships predicted lower scores, on various aspects of eating disorder symptoms. CBC social acceptance predicted lower eating disorder symptoms in males only. DISCUSSION: The findings suggest that a broader range of contingencies of self-worth beyond shape/weight are relevant to eating disorder pathology and should be considered as potential underlying mechanisms and treatment targets. In addition, this first use of the CBC method in eating disorder research provides initial support for its validity and utility.