Author: whitted.29

New Publication!

Congrats Ally, Kristen, & Dr. Cheavens on the new publication!

Howard, K.P., Heiland, A.M., & Cheavens, J.S. (2024). Characterizing interpersonal emotion regulation across dimensions of personality pathology. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.

Abstract:

There is growing recognition of the value of better understanding interpersonal emotion regulation (IER) in individuals with personality pathology, with some initial investigations providing preliminary information about IER in borderline personality disorder (BPD). We aimed to examine characteristics of IER across dimensional measures of personality pathology. In a sample recruited for elevated levels of personality pathology, specifically BPD features, (N = 95; 63% met criteria for at least one PD), we examined the relations among interpersonal and emotional personality pathology domains (i.e., negative affect, detachment, and antagonism) and characteristics of IER (i.e., frequency, efficacy, and perceived willingness of partners to assist in IER) with social network partners. Overall, detachment was associated with a smaller network of IER partners, while negative affect was associated with greater frequency of IER. In multilevel models, participants reported higher IER frequency with partners with both greater relative positive relationship quality and greater relative negative relationship quality. However, partners with greater positive relationship quality and lower negative relationship quality were perceived as more efficacious and willing to help in the process of IER. We also examined the moderating role of personality pathology in the associations of partner quality and IER. All domains were associated with differences in the qualities of partners they perceive as most efficacious or willing. These results help broaden our understanding of IER across a range of personality pathology.

New Lab Publications!

Check out some of our new publications by current graduate students:

Criminalizing Psychopathology in Black Americans: Racial and Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Psychopathology and Arrests

Black Americans are arrested at disproportionate levels compared with White Americans. We sought to understand whether the association between psychopathology and arrest record is equally strong for Black Americans and White Americans, hypothesizing that the association would be stronger for Black Americans. In a sample of adults (age: M = 34.81 years), we found that at the same level of psychopathology severity, emotion dysregulation, and impulsivity, Black Americans (n = 585) exhibited higher rates of being arrested in adulthood than White Americans (n = 977). These findings held even when controlling for environmental (e.g., socioeconomic status) and individual (e.g., substance-use history) factors associated with arrests. This suggests that the risk conferred by more severe psychopathology on arrests is stronger for Black Americans than White Americans. Our results highlight how structural racism affects both psychopathology and the carceral system to contribute to the overrepresentation of Black Americans within the criminal justice system.

Brownlow, B. N., Harmon, K. S., Pek, J., Cheavens, J. S., Moore III, J. L., & Coccaro, E. F. (2024). Criminalizing Psychopathology in Black Americans: Racial and Gender Differences in the Relationship Between Psychopathology and Arrests. Clinical Psychological Science, 21677026231217312.

Seeing is believing: The effect of subtle communication in social media on viewers’ beliefs about depression and anxiety symptom trajectories.

Objective: One barrier to treatment seeking, uptake, and engagement is the belief that nothing can be done to reduce symptoms. Given the widespread use of social media to disseminate information about important issues, including psychological health, we sought to understand how the influence of social media communication regarding mental health impacts viewers’ beliefs about psychopathology recovery. Method: Undergraduate participants from a large Midwestern university (N = 322) were randomized to view a series of Tweets characterizing psychopathology from a fixed mindset perspective, a growth mindset perspective, or, in the control condition, Tweets unrelated to psychopathology. Afterward, they completed a series of questionnaires designed to assess beliefs about recovery from depression and anxiety. Results: Participants in the growth mindset condition endorsed less pessimistic beliefs about their ability (i.e., self-efficacy) to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, and they believed these symptoms to be less stable and innate relative to those in the fixed mindset condition. Conclusion: Social media communication that characterizes psychopathology from a growth mindset perspective may be a viable intervention for improving beliefs around mental health self-efficacy and the malleable nature of mental illness, particularly depression and anxiety. Clinicians may be able to use social media platforms to promote functional beliefs around mental illness.

 

Whitted, W. M., Southward, M. W., Howard, K. P., Wick, S. B., Strunk, D. R., & Cheavens, J. S. (2024). Seeing is believing: The effect of subtle communication in social media on viewers’ beliefs about depression and anxiety symptom trajectories. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

NSF Honorable Mention

We are so proud of Ally Heiland for receiving an Honorable Mention for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program! Way to go!

Ally’s research summary:

This research aims to explore the concept of interpersonal negativity bias, which suggests that individuals are more likely to respond to negative emotions and events shared by others than positive ones, potentially leading to long-term increases in psychological distress for both the sharer and the responder. Experiments will test if differential reinforcement of negative versus positive experiences influences future sharing behaviors, and if consistently attending to negative experiences leads to heightened distress and lower well-being compared to focusing on positive experiences or engaging in self-care. The research will also examine the role of social connection, self-esteem, and social network dynamics as potential mechanisms underlying these effects.

MAPS Lab at MPA

Check out our research assistants and graduate students who presented at the Midwestern Psychological Association this year!

Daniels, S. M., Heiland, A. M., & Cheavens, J. S. Perceptions of extrinsic IER consequences for positive and negative scenarios. Poster presented at the annual meeting of the Midwestern Psychological Association; 2024, April 19, Chicago, IL.

Arntz, A., Whitted, W. M., Brunette, D. B., & Cheavens, J. S. When in Doubt, Choose Kindness: Investigating the Impact of Quality on Well-Being Interventions’ Functionality. Poster session presented at: Midwestern Psychological Association; 2024, April 19, Chicago, IL.

 

SPSP Poster Presenters

Cameryn Cooley and Whitney Whitted presented at the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) conference! Nice work!

Cooley, C., Brouder, L., Brunette, D., Strunk, D., and Cheavens, J. (2024, February) Hope:  A Longitudinal Examination of Stability. Poster presented at the 2024 Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP) Conference

Whitted, W.M. & Cheavens, J. S. #GrowthMindset: Social Media Influence on Beliefs about Self-Efficacy and the Malleability of Psychological Health. Poster session presented at: Society for Personality and Social Psychology Annual Conference, 2024 February 8 – 10, San Diego, CA.

 

Candidacy Completion

Kassidie Harmon successfully defended her doctoral candidacy exam! She completed a detailed content exam titled, “Efficacy of alternative formats and applications of dialectical behavior therapy.” Great work, doctoral candidate, Kassidie!

Kindness Study Featured on the Greater Good

Check out our act of kindness research featured on the Greater Good as one of the top 10 insights from the science of a meaningful life in 2023!

“…this may be the first time that practicing kindness compared favorably to more traditional recommendations for depression and anxiety. This means it could be a powerful tool for improving mental health, while promoting more social connection—for all of us.”