Prediction of psychopathology during the COVID-19 pandemic using linear and non-linear methodologies: importance of COVID-19 threat perception, emotional competencies and resilience.

The presence of a mental or physical illness prior to the pandemic, the perceived threat from COVID-19, resilience or emotional intelligence may influence the onset or increase of psychopathology during the COVID-19 lockdown. The aim was to assess predictors of psychopathology by comparing two statistical methodologies (one linear and one non-linear). METHOD: A total of 802 Spanish participants (65.50% female) completed the questionnaires independently after signing informed consent. Psychopathology, perceived threat, resilience and emotional intelligence were assessed. Descriptive statistics, hierarchical regression models (HRM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) were conducted. RESULTS: The data obtained through the HRM showed that the presence of a previous mental illness, low resilience and emotional clarity, high emotional attention and repair, and COVID-19 threat perception predicted 51% of the variance in psychopathology. Results obtained from QCA showed that different combinations of these variables explained 37% of high levels of psychopathology and 86% of low levels of psychopathology, highlighting how the presence of prior mental illness, high emotional clarity, high resilience, low emotional attention and low perceived COVID-19 threat play a key role in explaining psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: These aspects will help promote personal resources to buffer psychopathology in lockdown situations.

La présence d'une maladie mentale ou physique avant la pandémie, la menace perçue du COVID-19, la résilience ou l'intelligence émotionnelle peuvent influencer l'apparition ou l'augmentation de la psychopathologie pendant le confinement lié au COVID-19. L'objectif était d'évaluer les prédicteurs de la psychopathologie en comparant deux méthodologies statistiques (linéaire et non linéaire).Méthode: Un total de 802 participants espagnols (65,50% de femmes) ont rempli les questionnaires de manière indépendante après avoir donné leur consentement éclairé. La psychopathologie, la menace perçue, la résilience et l'intelligence émotionnelle ont été évaluées. Des statistiques descriptives, des modèles de régression hiérarchique (HRM) et une analyse qualitative comparative floue (fsQCA) ont été effectués.Résultats: Les données obtenues grâce au HRM ont montré que la présence d'une maladie mentale antérieure, une faible résilience et une clarté émotionnelle réduite, une attention et une réparation émotionnelles élevées, ainsi que la perception de la menace COVID-19, ont prédit 51% de la variance de la psychopathologie. Les résultats obtenus à partir de QCA ont montré que différentes combinaisons de ces variables expliquaient 37% des niveaux élevés de psychopathologie et 86% des niveaux faibles de psychopathologie, mettant en évidence l'importance de la présence d'une maladie mentale antérieure, d'une clarté émotionnelle élevée, d'une résilience élevée, d'une attention émotionnelle réduite et d'une menace perçue de COVID-19 faible dans l'explication de la psychopathologie.Conclusions: Ces aspects aideront à promouvoir les ressources personnelles pour atténuer la psychopathologie dans les situations de confinement.

The Perception of Threat from Emotions in Predicting Binge Eating Behaviours in People Who Are Obese and Seeking Treatment for Their Weight.

OBJECTIVE: The affect regulation theory suggests that people binge eat to regulate negative emotional states. In this study, we used a basic emotions perspective to consider the role of perceived threat of emotions, emotional suppression and reduced emotional expressiveness in predicting binge eating behaviours in people who are obese. METHOD: Treatment-seeking participants with obesity (N = 51, body mass index range from 30.8 to 60.2 kg m-2 ) completed measures of 'perception of threat from emotion' as well as 'emotional expressiveness' and binge eating. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that perceived threat of sadness predicted binge eating (ß = .55, p < .05). Additionally, a mediation analysis revealed that reduced emotional expressiveness mediated the relationship between perceived threat of fear and binge eating (ß = .25, 95%). DISCUSSION: These findings are contextualized within a theoretical perspective that suggests that individuals who binge eat are threatened by certain emotional states and they use binge eating to suppress certain, but not all, emotional states. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY PRACTITIONER MESSAGE: Considering basic emotions within binge eating should be a part of a psychological assessment and treatment. This should consider how emotions could often be perceived as being threatening and their expression is limited. It is possible that the emotions of fear and sadness appear to be particularly threatening within binge eating/obese populations.

The Impact of Pain, Threat Perception and Emotional Distress on Suicide Risk in Individuals with Colorectal Cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) can significantly impact mental health, increasing suicide risk. Variables such as pain and threat perception may be crucial. This study aims to identify predictors of suicide risk in individuals with CRC. METHODS: A total of 71 participants (76.06% men) aged 27 to 88 years (M = 65.18, SD = 12.02) were assessed using the SF-36 for pain, the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ) for threat perception, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for emotional distress, and the Plutchik suicide risk scale for suicide risk. Descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses were performed, followed by a linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Nearly 20% of participants exhibited high suicide risk. There was a moderate-to-high association between suicide risk and the perception of threat, pain, and emotional distress. The linear regression model explained 39% of the variance in suicide risk, with threat perception, pain, and emotional distress as significant predictors. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the need for multidisciplinary care for individuals with CRC, including emotional support from health psychologists, and holistic, human-centered care from nursing and medical professionals. Future research is necessary to further explore these relationships and improve patient care strategies.

Perception of threat and national identity: Investigation of the mediating role of collective self esteem.

This article examines whether perceived threat can predict national identity mediated by collective self-esteem in the context of students in Indonesia. The notion of national identity can be described as an individual's attachment to a country. The strength of the bond between national identity and its individuals has an impact on raising collective self-esteem. This article shows that national identity is latent, as it can emerge and be self-reinforced when stimulated by a perceived threat. The connection between the perception of threat and national identity is indirect but mediated by collective self-esteem. This study involved 504 students from 49 universities in Indonesia. The samples of the research were obtained by using convenience sampling. The Lisrell 8.7 program was used to conduct this study's entire data analysis process. The analysis showed that the perception of threat affects the national identity, which was mediated by collective self-esteem. From the result above, collective self-esteem is influential as the mediator variable. Additionally, the impact of the perception of the threat on national identity can indicate collective self-esteem. People who perceive social phenomena in their environment will strengthen ties to the nation but this correlation is affected by the strengh of collective self-esteem.

Stress and Feline Health.

In the health sciences, stress often is defined in terms of stressors; events that are perceived as threats to one's perception of control. From this perspective, a stressor is anything that activates the central threat response system (CTRS). Recent research shows that the CTRS can be sensitized to environmental events through epigenetic modulation of gene expression. When CTRS activation is chronic, health and welfare may be harmed. Environmental modification can mitigate the harmful effects of chronic CTRS activation by reducing the individual's perception of threat and increasing its perception of control, which improves health and welfare.

The Relation Between Functional Anatomy of the Face and Threat Perception Evoked by Facial Expression of Anger in Schizophrenia.

INTRODUCTION: It is well known that patients with schizophrenia are more sensitive to negative rather than positive feelings. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the degree of explicitly perceived threat against facial expressions of anger. We were also interested in the association between perceived threat, and both the objective intensity of facial expression of anger and the functional anatomy of the perceived faces. METHOD: Forty-eight patients with schizophrenia and 51 healthy controls were enrolled. Participants were presented a total of 21 sequences of anger including six different face images, which were selected from The Cohn-Kanade AU-Coded Facial Expression Database with emotions gradually changing from neutral to peak expression of anger. We measured when [time to threat (TtT)] and to which degree [Total perception of threat (TPoT)] threat was perceived by participants. The relation between perceived threat with the involvement of functional anatomic units among the face stimuli was also investigated. RESULTS: TPoT was higher in the index compared to the control group. TtT was comparable in two groups and was associated with the severity of hallucinations among the index group. Total emotion intensity was lower in the sequences that evoked more threat in the index group. Functional contribution of the eyes and the upper lip to expression of anger were associated with TPoT among the index group. CONCLUSION: Schizophrenia subjects may be prone to perceive more threat in response to facial expression of anger. This proneness may be evident in response to less intense expression of anger, particularly via eyes and the upper lip.

The role of basic psychological needs in the perception of job insecurity.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether satisfied basic psychological needs reduce the perception of threat generated by job insecurity, defined as self-assessment of the availability of the working role to its performers in the foreseeable future. The study included 310 participants employed in 24 companies, who completed the Perception of Job Insecurity Scale and Need Satisfaction Scale. The hypotheses were tested with multiple regression analyses. The results point to the importance of two basic needs - Autonomy and Competence - as factors that reduce the level of perceived job insecurity. This study broadens the understanding of personality resources as factors that moderate the perception of job insecurity and confirms the self-determination theory in the organisational context. Satisfying the needs for autonomy and competence can serve as a basis for interventions aimed at strengthening resilience to stress in employees.

The Importance of Self-Efficacy in Parental Emergency Preparedness: A Moderated Mediation Model.

OBJECTIVE: Disasters occur without warning and can have devastating consequences. Emergency preparedness can reduce negative effects. It is especially important that parents prepare, as children are particularly vulnerable after disasters. This study tested 2 hypotheses: (1) adults with more children are likely to be better prepared than those with fewer or no children because greater caretaking is linked to greater perceived threat of disaster leading to greater preparedness and (2) the strength of this mediational link varies as a function of parental self-efficacy. METHODS: Data from an online survey about human-made disasters (terrorism) with a community convenience sample were used to test the hypothesis that perceived threat mediates the relationship between parental status (number of children cared for) and preparedness behaviors, moderated by level of self-efficacy for emergency preparedness. RESULTS: A bootstrapping analysis with relevant covariates supported the hypothesized mediating effect of threat on the relationship between parental status and preparedness. This relationship was strengthened at higher levels of parental preparedness self-efficacy. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study are particularly relevant for preparedness interventions. Because threat leads to preparedness, particularly for parents with high self-efficacy, it is important to focus attention on factors that can improve parents' sense of self-efficacy. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018; 12: 345-351).

Positive and negative behavioural intentions towards refugees in Turkey: The roles of national identification, threat, and humanitarian concern.

The present research investigated positive and negative behavioural intentions towards Syrian refugees in Turkey. The behavioural intentions were examined in relation to national identification, perception of threat, and humanitarian concerns. A questionnaire was conducted among Turkish participants (n = 605) and the results showed that respondents made a distinction between negative and positive behavioural intentions towards Syrian refugees. Further, higher national identification was associated with more negative and less positive behavioural intentions, and perception of threat was responsible for these associations. In addition, humanitarian concern was associated with more positive behavioural intentions and less negative ones. Additionally, stronger humanitarian concern weakened the association between threat perceptions and negative behavioural intentions but also strengthened the association between higher threat and lower positive behavioural intentions.

Perception of the threat of War in Israel- implications for future preparedness planning.

BACKGROUND: It has been recently reported that the preparedness of the Israeli public to a war scenario is mediocre. These findings suggest a need to study the psychosocial mechanisms behind individual motivation to engage in preparedness behavior. One component of these mechanisms is the perception of threat. The purpose of this study is to portray the perception of the threat of war by the Israeli public and to deduce possible implications for resilience-promoting policies. METHODS: Portions of the data accumulated in a telephone-based random sampling of 503 households (representing the Israeli population) performed in October 2013 were utilized to examine the perception of the threat of war by Israelis. The questionnaire was used to examine the level of household preparedness, as well as attitudes toward perception of threat, preparedness responsibility, willingness to search for information, and sense of preparedness. Statistical analysis was performed to determine the correlations between different components of threat perception, and to evaluate the preparedness promoting features of specific perception factors. RESULTS: The data suggest that the perception of threat is influenced by different socio-demographic factors. In particular, age, religion and education seem to play an important role in the perception of threat. Compared to data collected almost a decade ago, the likelihood perception and threat intrusiveness rates were significantly reduced. The regression analysis suggests that perception of the severity of the impact on a family's routine and willingness to search for information, two known preparedness promoting factors, can be predicted by various socio-demographic and threat perception components. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the Israeli public, post the Second Lebanon War (2006) and the Gaza conflicts of 2009 and 2012, perceives the probabilities of war and being affected by it as diminished. The Israeli public demonstrates what can be considered as the unique characteristics of a war-victimized population. Implications for a future resilience-promoting policy were discussed.