Disordered eating behaviours and basic psychological need satisfaction: the mediating role of anxiety symptoms in preadolescents.

Objective: According to self-determination theory, satisfied basic psychological needs can be a protective factor for psychopathology, including eating disorders and anxiety symptomatology. However, most research has focused on adolescent and adult populations, with less work examining perceived basic psychological need satisfaction from parents in younger samples who report anxiety and disordered eating. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether basic psychological need satisfaction from parents was associated with disordered eating in preadolescents and whether anxiety mediated this relation.Method: A total of 211 preadolescents were recruited from primary schools across south Wales (mean age = 10.27 years, age range = 9-11 years; 49.3% female). Children completed self-report questionnaires on their basic psychological need satisfaction when with parents, as well as disordered eating and anxiety symptoms.Results: It was found that higher needs satisfaction was associated with lower disordered eating and anxiety, with stronger relations found in girls compared with boys. Furthermore, anxiety was found to mediate this relationship.Conclusions: Results suggest that basic psychological needs satisfaction may play an important role in the early emergence of co-occurring disordered eating and anxiety symptoms in boys and girls. The importance of considering anxiety symptoms in future work investigating needs satisfaction in the context of disordered eating and eating disorders is discussed.

Stigma and its impact on disclosure and mental health secrecy in young people with clinical depression symptoms: A qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: Clinical depression ranks as a leading cause of disease and disability in young people worldwide, but it is widely stigmatized. The aim of this qualitative research was to gather young people's experiences of depression stigma and its impact on loneliness, social isolation, and mental health disclosure and secrecy. This novel information can then be used to guide psychosocial interventions for young people with depression. METHODS: This qualitative study included N = 28 young people aged 18-25 years (Mage = 21.30). Participants were recruited from the community who had high symptoms of depression (assessed through a pre-screen using the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) with a benchmark score > 27) or had been recently diagnosed with depression by a medical professional. Semi-structured interviews were based on conceptual model drawings created by participants and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four main themes emerged: 1) Depression secrecy: positive and negative aspects; 2) Depression disclosure: positive and negative aspects; 3) The solution is selective disclosure; and 4) Participants' recommendations do not align with personal preferences. In particular, the young people described non-disclosure as a way to be in control, but that secrecy prevented authentic engagement with others. Young people also described disclosure as eliciting more stigma but as necessary to gain help. Finally, the young people described struggling with knowing how much to disclose in relation to their mental health and with whom they could disclose. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides new evidence of how young people with depression experience stigma and its effects on disclosure and mental health secrecy. Knowing how young people struggle with these issues can allow us to develop interventions to encourage them to come forward and discuss their mental health in order to receive appropriate support and treatment. We recommend young people be signposted and have access to mental health champions or nominated teachers in their schools or universities.

Motivation Science Can Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings.

Recent reviews of efforts to reduce prejudice and increase diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace have converged on the conclusion that prejudice is resistant to change and that merely raising awareness of the problem is not enough. There is growing recognition that DEI efforts may fall short because they do not effectively motivate attitudinal and behavioral change, especially the type of change that translates to reducing disparities. Lasting change requires sustained effort and commitment, yet insights from motivation science about how to inspire this are missing from the scientific and practitioner literatures on DEI trainings. Herein, we leverage evidence from two complementary approaches to motivating change and reducing defensiveness: self-determination theory, a metatheory of human motivation, and motivational interviewing, a clinical approach for behavior change, to tackle the question of how to improve DEI efforts. We distill these insights for researchers, teachers, practitioners, and leaders wanting to apply motivational principles to their own DEI work. We highlight challenges of using this approach and recommend training takes place alongside larger structural and organizational changes. We conclude that motivation is a necessary (but insufficient) ingredient for effective DEI efforts that can energize personal commitment to DEI.

Balance between solitude and socializing: everyday solitude time both benefits and harms well-being.

Two literatures argue that time alone is harmful (i.e., isolation) and valuable (i.e., positive solitude). We explored whether people benefit from a balance between their daily solitude and social time, such that having 'right' quantities of both maximizes well-being. Participants (n = 178) completed a 21-day diary study, which quantified solitude time in hours through reconstructing daily events. This procedure minimized retrospective bias and tested natural variations across time. There was no evidence for a one-size-fits-all 'optimal balance' between solitude and social time. Linear effects suggested that people were lonelier and less satisfied on days in which they spent more hours in solitude. These detrimental relations were nullified or reduced when daily solitude was autonomous (choiceful) and did not accumulate across days; those who were generally alone more were not, on the whole, lonelier. On days in which people spent more time alone they felt less stress and greater autonomy satisfaction (volitional, authentic, and free from pressure). These benefits were cumulative; those who spent more time alone across the span of the study were less stressed and more autonomy satisfied overall. Solitude time risks lowering well-being on some metrics but may hold key advantages to other aspects of well-being. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on June 1, 2022. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/5KXQ3 .

Listening to understand: The role of high-quality listening on speakers' attitude depolarization during disagreements.

Disagreements can polarize attitudes when they evoke defensiveness from the conversation partners. When a speaker talks, listeners often think about ways to counterargue. This process often fails to depolarize attitudes and might even backfire (i.e., the Boomerang effect). However, what happens in disagreements if one conversation partner genuinely listens to the other's perspective? We hypothesized that when conversation partners convey high-quality listening-characterized by attention, understanding, and positive intentions-speakers will feel more socially comfortable and connected to them (i.e., positivity resonance) and reflect on their attitudes in a less defensive manner (i.e., have self-insight). We further hypothesized that this process reduces perceived polarization (perceived attitude change, perceived attitude similarity with the listener) and actual polarization (reduced attitude extremity). Four experiments manipulated poor, moderate, and high-quality listening using a video vignette (Study 1) and live interactions (Studies 2-4). The results consistently supported the research hypotheses and a serial mediation model in which listening influences depolarization through positivity resonance and nondefensive self-reflection. Most of the effects of the listening manipulation on perceived and actual depolarization generalized across indicators of attitude strength, specifically attitude certainty and attitude morality. These findings suggest that high-quality listening can be a valuable tool for bridging attitudinal and ideological divides. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Balancing listening and action is key to supportive parenting.

Parents convey high-quality listening when they pay close attention and show acceptance and comprehension of what their child expresses. These behaviors are fundamental to supporting closeness and autonomy, increasing well-being, and fostering future self-disclosures. Whether and how parental listening is balanced with action may depend on the domain of interaction. When children and parents are exploring each other's perspectives or sharing, and when children are seeking comfort for worries or sadness (attachment), listening dominates. When parents are called to discipline or keep safe, listening helps inform parents' actions, but may need to be curtailed to ensure effective action. Models of parental listening and action represent a next step in the literature and inform research in self-determination theory and perceived parent responsiveness.

Effects of mental health stigma on loneliness, social isolation, and relationships in young people with depression symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent affective disorder and the leading cause of illness and disability among young people worldwide. Besides being more susceptible to the onset of depression, young people have a higher risk of loneliness, and their personal and social development is impacted by social relationships during this time. It is thought that mental health stigma can undermine both help-seeking and longer-term outcomes for disorders like depression in young people. However, how stigma (i.e., related to depression) might affect young people's feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and relationships is unclear. Using qualitative research methods, this study aimed to explore the subjective experiences of public and internalized stigma and its effects on loneliness, social isolation, and relationship quality in young people with depression symptoms. METHODS: We carried out in-depth, semi-structured interviews with N = 22 young people aged 17-25 (Mage = 22 years) who reported high symptoms of depression (Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (MFQ) score > 27) (i.e., community sample, N = 9) or had been previously diagnosed with depression by a medical professional (i.e., clinical sample, N = 13). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. We explored the subjective effects of depression stigma on loneliness, social isolation, and relationships. RESULTS: Participants described both public stigma (i.e., initiated by others) and internalized stigma (i.e., self-imposed) as disrupting social relationships and eliciting loneliness, isolation, and depressive symptomology. Four main themes about young people's subjective experiences of stigma were identified: 1) Others' Misunderstanding of Mental Health Disorders and the Impact Misunderstanding has on Relationships; 2) Effects of Stigma on the Self and Wellbeing; 3) Stigma Fosters Secrecy Versus Disclosure; and 4) Stigma Increases Loneliness Driven by Avoidance of Social Contexts. CONCLUSIONS: Young people's accounts revealed a wide range of consequences beyond their depression diagnosis. Participants often felt discriminated against, misunderstood, and judged by others as a result of public stigma; they discussed internalizing these attitudes. They suggested that a lack of understanding from others, for example from their partners, family, and peers, and unreliable and/or absent support systems resulted in increased feelings of loneliness and social isolation and reduced the quality and quantity of relationship formation, social bonds, and interactions. Stigma also reduced their self-esteem and confidence, which in turn fostered secrecy and a reluctance to disclose their depression. Despite depression's stigma, most participants reported having long-term goals and aspirations to reconnect with others. These goals stood in contrast to feeling hopeless and unmotivated during periods of depression. Overall, we reveal how stigma can impact feelings of loneliness, social isolation, and relationships among young people with depression, which could lead to targeted interventions to lessen the impact of stigma in this population.

Connection Heals Wounds: Feeling Listened to Reduces Speakers' Loneliness Following a Social Rejection Disclosure.

Memories of rejection contribute to feeling lonely. However, high-quality listening that conveys well-meaning attention and understanding when speakers discuss social rejection may help them to reconnect. Speakers may experience less loneliness because they feel close and connected (relatedness) to the listener and because listening supports self-congruent expression (autonomy). Five experiments (total N = 1,643) manipulated listening during visualized (Studies 1, 4, 5) and actual (Studies 2, 3) conversations. We used different methods (video vignettes; in-person; computer-mediated; recall; written scenarios) to compare high-quality with regular (all studies) and poor (Study 1) listening. Findings across studies showed that high-quality listening reduced speakers' state loneliness after they shared past experiences of social rejection. Parallel mediation analyses indicated that both feeling related to the listener and autonomy satisfaction (particularly its self-congruence component; Study 5) mediated the effect of listening on loneliness. These results provide novel insights into the hitherto unexplored effect of listening on state loneliness.

Definitions of Solitude in Everyday Life.

What does it mean to be in solitude? Researchers building this nascent field are learning much about the potential affordances of solitude, but lack an agreed-upon definition or set of definitions. Arriving at that meaning is crucial to forming a solid foundation for studies that use both naturalistic and laboratory designs to explore outcomes of solitude. This study identified themes from semi-structured interviews with adults aged 19 to 80 from diverse backgrounds. We concluded that solitude is a state in which the dominant relationship is with the self. If not physically alone, people in solitude are mentally distanced from others and away from active technology-mediated interactions. Complete solitude involves both physical separation and inner focus, but solitude is best defined through a taxonomy that recognizes physical separation and internal focus as independent, sufficient characteristics. An internal focus benefits from (but is not defined by) balancing solitude with social time, quiet, and choice.

Teachers' motivational prosody: A pre-registered experimental test of children's reactions to tone of voice used by teachers.

BACKGROUND: Teachers' behaviours drive motivational climates that shape children's engagement and well-being in the classroom, but few studies examine how specific teachers' behaviours such as wording, body language, or voice contribute to these outcomes in isolation of one another. AIMS: This pre-registered experiment sought to examine the often-forgotten role that teachers' tone of voice plays in children's education. Informed by the theoretical framework of self-determination theory (SDT; Ryan & Deci, Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness, 2017), conditions manipulated controlling (pressuring, demanding), autonomy-supportive (inviting of choice), or motivationally neutral, tones of voice to explore their effects on children's self-reported psychological needs satisfaction, well-being, intention to self-disclose to and intention to cooperate with their teacher. SAMPLE AND METHOD: Children aged 10-16 years (n = 250) heard pre-recorded teachers' voices holding sentence content and speakers constant across conditions, but varying tones of voice. RESULTS: We hypothesized a-priori and found that when children heard controlling sounding voices, they anticipated lower basic psychological need satisfaction, well-being, and intention to disclose to teachers, as compared to neutral-sounding voices. We also anticipated beneficial effects for autonomy-supportive versus neutral voices, but pre-registered analyses did not support these expectations. Intention to cooperate with teachers did not differ across conditions. Supporting relational motivation theory (RMT; Deci & Ryan, Human Motivation and Interpersonal Relationships, 2014), exploratory analyses showed that hearing autonomy-supportive sounding voices increased autonomy and relatedness need satisfactions (but not competence need satisfaction), and through doing so indirectly related to beneficial outcomes (well-being, intention to cooperate and self-disclose). CONCLUSION: In summary, tones of voice seem to play an important role in shaping teachers' impact on their students.

A safe and just operating space for human identity: a systems perspective.

A safe and just operating space for socioecological systems is a powerful bridging concept in sustainability science. It integrates biophysical earth-system tipping points (ie, thresholds at which small changes can lead to amplifying effects) with social science considerations of distributional equity and justice. Often neglected, however, are the multiple feedback loops between self-identity and planetary boundaries. Environmental degradation can reduce self-identification with nature, leading to decreased pro-environmental behaviours and decreased cooperation with out-groups, further increasing the likelihood of transgressing planetary boundaries. This vicious cycle competes with a virtuous one, where improving environmental quality enhances the integration of nature into self-identity and improves health, thereby facilitating prosocial and pro-environmental behaviour. These behavioural changes can also cascade up to influence social and economic institutions. Given a possible minimum degree of individual self-care to maintain health and prosperity, there would seem to exist an analogous safe and just operating space for self-identity, for which system stewardship for planetary health is crucial.

How to get through hard times: Principals' listening buffers teachers' stress on turnover intention and promotes organizational citizenship behavior.

When principals listen to their teachers, they may foster an open and receptive work environment that helps teachers adapt during stressful times. Two studies examined the role of perceived principals' listening to teachers on workplace outcomes. Study 1 (N = 218) was conducted during the first nationwide lockdown in Israel. Study 2 (N = 247) was conducted during a later lockdown and controlled for social support to test the independent effects of the two distinct interpersonal experiences. Findings supported our hypothesis that principals' listening would relate to lower teacher turnover intention. In addition, in line with our hypothesis, teachers high on perceived stress generally reported higher turnover intentions. However, the detrimental effect of perceived stress was not observed when teachers evaluated their principals as good listeners. Finally, we anticipated and found that principal listening is associated with organizational citizenship behavior. Specifically, teachers were more likely to help one another when feeling listened to by their principals.

Who enjoys solitude? autonomous functioning (but not introversion) predicts self-determined motivation (but not preference) for solitude.

Within the solitude literature, two discrete constructs reflect different perspectives on how time spent alone is motivated. Self-determined motivation for solitude reflects wanting time alone to find enjoyment and gain meaningful benefits from it, whereas preference for solitude concerns wanting time for oneself over others' company regardless of reasons for why time alone is wanted. We investigated two personality characteristics: introversion from Big-Five personality theory and dispositional autonomy from self-determination theory. In two diary studies university students completed personality measures and reported about their experiences with time spent alone over a period of seven days. Across both studies, contrary to popular belief that introverts spend time alone because they enjoy it, results showed no evidence that introversion is predictive of either preference or motivation for solitude. Dispositional autonomy-the tendency to regulate from a place of self-congruence, interest, and lack of pressure-consistently predicted self-determined motivation for solitude but was unrelated to preference for solitude. These findings provided evidence supporting the link between valuing time spent alone with individual differences in the capacity to self-regulate in choiceful and authentic way.

Can We Communicate Autonomy Support and a Mandate? How Motivating Messages Relate to Motivation for Staying at Home across Time during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A multi-wave study across two months tested changes in motivation for staying at home at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK and US in 683 living-alone older adults (mean age = 53 years), those that might experience greater psychological costs of being isolated for long periods of time. The study was focused on changes in two types of motivation: autonomous motivation- finding importance in the task of staying at home, and controlled motivation- staying at home because of felt pressure or choicelessness, as autonomous motivation predicts effective behavior change better than controlled motivation, especially long-term. Predictions grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) tested whether three motivating aspects of messages to stay at home from governmental and public health agencies, physicians, the news, and family and friends predicted changes in these motivations across time. Perceiving messages to stay at home as controlling predicted increases in controlled motivation and decreases in autonomous motivation over two months. Conversely, perceiving messages to stay at home as autonomy supportive predicted increases in autonomous motivation over two months. Results for mandated orders to stay at home were intriguing: they related to increases in both controlled and autonomous motivations over time. Exploratory analyses revealed that increases in autonomous motivation over time predicted actual time spent at home reported at Wave 2, whereas increases in controlled motivation did not relate. Discussion focuses on contributions to theory and public health messaging about behavioral change.

What Time Alone Offers: Narratives of Solitude From Adolescence to Older Adulthood.

Solitude - the state of being alone and not physically with another - can be rewarding. The present research explored the potential benefits of solitude from a pragmatist approach: a ground-up, top-down perspective that is receptive to new knowledge but informed by theory. Participant recruitment was stratified by age and gender, and the sample involved 2,035 individuals including adolescents (13-16 years), adults (35-55 years), or older adults (65+ years). Data were analyzed with a mixed-methods approach. Coded themes from brief narratives about solitude were extracted, and their frequencies (i.e., their salience to participants) were compared across the lifespan. Themes were then correlated with two indicators of well-being in solitude: self-determined motivation for solitude and peaceful mood. Several prominent themes emerged when talking about time spent in solitude. With the exception of feeling competent in solitude, which was described frequently but consistently unrelated to self-reported well-being regardless of age, benefits of solitude tended to shift over the lifespan. Some qualities, such as a sense of autonomy (self-connection and reliance; absence of pressure), were salient and consequential for everyone, but increasingly so from adolescence to older adulthood. Older adults also reported feeling most peaceful in solitude and described their social connection and alienation less frequently, suggesting they see solitude and social time as more distinct states. Findings are discussed in light of existing work on solitude across the lifespan, and theoretical frameworks that spoke well to the data (e.g., self-determination theory).

Parental listening when adolescents self-disclose: A preregistered experimental study.

Parental listening is believed to be an important quality of parent-child interactions, but its effects on adolescents are not well understood. The current study experimentally manipulated parental listening in video-recordings of an adolescent's self-disclosure to test effects on anticipated well-being (positive affect, self-esteem, and less negative affect) and self-disclosure intention. Good listening was manipulated in two situations relevant to vaping: hurt feelings of alienation from pressuring peers and having transgressed by vaping. Participants (N = 1001) aged 13-16 years viewed videos and reported on their anticipated reactions. Following a preregistered analytic plan, viewing good listening was found to predict greater well-being and self-disclosure intention. Consistent with self-determination theory, anticipated psychological need satisfaction for autonomy (freedom to be self-congruent) and relatedness (connectedness to parents) mediated the effects of listening on downstream outcomes. Parental listening effects on adolescent outcomes generalized across both situations of disclosure, in line with preregistered hypotheses.

Relations of civil liberties and women's health satisfaction around the globe: The explanatory power of autonomy.

Research on how sociopolitical factors differentially affect the health and well-being of individuals is nascent and mechanisms responsible have not yet been identified. This work examined how the civil liberties afforded across 79 countries differentially affect the health satisfaction of men and women and tested one potential reason for this link: autonomy satisfaction, the experience of being choiceful, and free to express oneself. Women reported lower health satisfaction in countries that were lower in civil liberties, a relation mediated by autonomy. Implications for women and other marginalized groups most affected by a society's restrictive policies and norms are discussed.

Results from an 18 country cross-sectional study examining experiences of nature for people with common mental health disorders.

Exposure to natural environments is associated with a lower risk of common mental health disorders (CMDs), such as depression and anxiety, but we know little about nature-related motivations, practices and experiences of those already experiencing CMDs. We used data from an 18-country survey to explore these issues (n = 18,838), taking self-reported doctor-prescribed medication for depression and/or anxiety as an indicator of a CMD (n = 2698, 14%). Intrinsic motivation for visiting nature was high for all, though slightly lower for those with CMDs. Most individuals with a CMD reported visiting nature ≥ once a week. Although perceived social pressure to visit nature was associated with higher visit likelihood, it was also associated with lower intrinsic motivation, lower visit happiness and higher visit anxiety. Individuals with CMDs seem to be using nature for self-management, but 'green prescription' programmes need to be sensitive, and avoid undermining intrinsic motivation and nature-based experiences.

Can high quality listening predict lower speakers' prejudiced attitudes?

Theorizing from humanistic and motivational literatures suggests attitude change may occur because high quality listening facilitates the insight needed to explore and integrate potentially threatening information relevant to the self. By extension, self-insight may enable attitude change as a result of conversations about prejudice. We tested whether high quality listening would predict attitudes related to speakers' prejudices and whether self-insight would mediate this effect. Study 1 (preregistered) examined scripted conversations characterized by high, regular, and poor listening quality. In Study 2, we manipulated high versus regular listening quality in the laboratory as speakers talked about their prejudiced attitudes. Finally, Study 3 (preregistered) used a more robust measure of prejudiced attitudes to test whether perceived social acceptance could be an alternative explanation to Study 2 findings. Across these studies, the exploratory (pilot study and Study 2) and confirmatory (Studies 1 & 3) findings were in line with expectations that high, versus regular and poor, quality listening facilitated lower prejudiced attitudes because it increased self-insight. A meta-analysis of the studies (N = 952) showed that the average effect sizes for high quality listening (vs. comparison conditions) on self-insight, openness to change and prejudiced attitudes were, ds = 1.19, 0.46, 0.32 95%CIs [0.73, 1.51], [0.29, 0.63] [0.12, 0.53], respectively. These results suggest that when having conversations about prejudice, high-quality listening modestly shapes prejudice following conversations about it, and underscore the importance of self-insight and openness to change in this process.