Psychology

An experimental study investigated self- and other-esteem responses to either fully supportive
or less supportive interpersonal feedback in college students with avoidant and borderline
personality disorder features (APD and BPD, respectively). Disturbances in self-esteem and in
evaluations of others are central to definitions of both APD and BPD, but the extent to which
such interpersonal appraisals are responsive to contextual features, such as evaluative feedback
from others, is not yet clear. In theory, we would expect that individuals with pronounced PD
features would show more inflexible and more negative self- and other-evaluations than those
without PD features. In this study with 169 undergraduates, APD but not BPD features were
associated with other-contingent state self-esteem and other-esteem. A significant interaction
indicated that highly avoidant respondents felt particularly negatively about themselves and
their close others in situations that conveyed subtle criticism but not in situations signaling
unequivocal support. This suggests that their self- and other-esteem, rather than being rigidly
negative, is instead highly contingent upon interpersonal feedback. Such context-contingency
has implications for the trait-like description of diagnostic characteristics within current
taxonomies and is in line with contemporary dynamic models of personality structure and
process.

Self-injurious behavior (or self-harm) is a frequently reported maladaptive behavior in the
general population and a key feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Poor affect
regulation is strongly linked to a propensity to self-harm, is a core component of BPD,
and is linked with reduced attentional control abilities. The idea that attentional control
difficulties may provide a link between BPD, negative affect and self-harm has yet to
be established, however. The present study explored the putative relationship between
levels of BPD features, three aspects of attentional/executive control, affect, and self-harm
history in a sample of 340 non-clinical participants recruited online from self-harm forums
and social networking sites. Analyses showed that self-reported levels of BPD features and
attentional focusing predicted self-harm incidence, and high attentional focusing increased
the likelihood of a prior self-harm history in those with high BPD features. Ability to shift
attention was associated with a reduced likelihood of self-harm, suggesting that good
attentional switching ability may provide a protective buffer against self-harm behavior for
some individuals. These attentional control differences mediated the association between
negative affect and self-harm, but the relationship between BPD and self-harm appears
independent.

An experimental study investigated self-and other-esteem responses to either fully supportive or less supportive interpersonal feedback in college students with avoidant and borderline personality disorder features (APD and BPD, respectively). Disturbances in self-esteem and in evaluations of others are central to definitions of both APD and BPD, but the extent to which such interpersonal appraisals are responsive to contextual features, such as evaluative feedback from others, is not yet clear. In theory, we would expect that individuals with pronounced PD features would show more inflexible and more negative self-and other-evaluations than those without PD features. In this study with 169 undergraduates, APD but not BPD features were associated with other-contingent state self-esteem and other-esteem. A significant interaction indicated that highly avoidant respondents felt particularly negatively about themselves and their close others in situations that conveyed subtle criticism but not in situations signaling unequivocal support. This suggests that their self-and other-esteem, rather than being rigidly negative, is instead highly contingent upon interpersonal feedback. Such context-contingency has implications for the trait-like description of diagnostic characteristics within current taxonomies and is in line with contemporary dynamic models of personality structure and process.

Self-injurious behavior (or self-harm) is a frequently reported maladaptive behavior in the general population and a key feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Poor affect regulation is strongly linked to a propensity to self-harm, is a core component of BPD, and is linked with reduced attentional control abilities. The idea that attentional control difficulties may provide a link between BPD, negative affect and self-harm has yet to be established, however. The present study explored the putative relationship between levels of BPD features, three aspects of attentional/executive control, affect, and self-harm history in a sample of 340 non-clinical participants recruited online from self-harm forums and social networking sites. Analyses showed that self-reported levels of BPD features and attentional focusing predicted self-harm incidence, and high attentional focusing increased the likelihood of a prior self-harm history in those with high BPD features. Ability to shift...

Data will be made available on reasonable request. Declaration of Competing Interests: No conflicts of interest declared in relation to this paper. Contributors: All authors contributed to developing the design of this study and data collection. Data was analysed by UA. Interpretation of results was conducted by UA. An initial version of the manuscript was written by UA. Following, input was sought from all other authors who approved the final version of the manuscript.

Previous research highlights the potential benefits of engaging with depressive internet memes for those experiencing symptoms of depression. This study aimed to determine whether: compared to non-depressed controls, individuals experiencing depressive symptoms were quicker to orient and maintain overall attention for internet memes depicting depressive content relative to neutral memes. N = 21 individuals were grouped based on the severity of reported depression symptoms using the PhQ-9. Specifically, a score of:  ≤ 4 denoted the control group; and  ≥ 15 the depressive symptoms group. Participants viewed a series of meme pairs depicting depressive and neutral memes for periods of 4000 ms. Data for the first fixation onset and duration, total fixation count and total fixation and gaze duration of eye-movements were recorded. A significant group x meme-type interaction indicated that participants with depressive symptoms displayed significantly more fixations on depressive rather tha...

Personality research has shown that negativity in social evaluations (e.g., negative evaluations of others) can be reduced by the activation of participants’ sense of attachment security. Individuals with avoidant personality disorder (APD), however, are theroretically less responsive to context or situational cues because of their personality disposition. This idea was tested in a sample of 169 undergraduates who were assessed for APD features and assigned to positive, negative or neutral priming conditions. More pronounced APD features were associated with more negative responses to vignettes describing potentially distressing social situations. A significant interaction showed that participants with more avoidant features consistently appraised the vignettes relatively more negatively, regardless of priming condition. Those without avoidant PD features, by contrast, did not exhibit negative appraisals/evaluations unless negatively primed (curvilinear effect). This effect could not be explained by depression, current mood, or attachment insecurity, all of which related to negative appraisal biases, but none of which related to situation inflexibility. These findings provide empirical support for the notion that negative information processing is unusually inflexible and context-unresponsive among individuals with more pronounced features of APD.

According to self-determination theory, well-being and healthy personality development depend on the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. However, various contextual features can interfere with need satisfaction and undermine well-being. We hypothesized that fashion models, who are often valued for superficial reasons (i.e., their looks) and who may not have regular opportunities to cultivate deep relationships or exercise personal control on the job, might experience lower psychological need satisfaction, less well-being, and less optimal personality adjustment. Two studies were conducted in which professional fashion models (N  = 56 in Study 1; N = 35 in Study 2) were compared to approximately equally large groups of non-models. Fashion models reported slightly lower need satisfaction and well-being but greater personality maladjustment (personality disorder features). Mediation analyses in Study 1 suggested that the lower well-being among models was explained via unfulfilled basic needs. These findings further substantiate the importance of basic need satisfaction for well-being and optimal adjustment.

Both avoidant and borderline personality disorder (APD and BPD) are theoretically associated with temperamental vulnerabilities, adverse attachment experiences, and negative (pessimistic or catastrophic) reactions to the threat of perceived rejection; however, more work is needed to differentiate how these processes account for the etiology and maintenance of both disorders. In this study, 156 adults completed questionnaires measuring APD and BPD features, temperament (sensory processing sensitivity), mood, and attachment experiences. A vignette task was devised to examine pessimistic cognitive-affective reactions in situations signaling potential rejection. Both APD and BPD were associated with temperamental sensitivity, but BPD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring sensitivity to mental and emotive stimuli, whereas APD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring the control and avoidance of aversive stimulation. Compared to APD, BPD was more strongly linked with negative moods (anxiety, anger, sadness) and insecure attachment to parents, whereas APD was more strongly linked (than BPD) to pessimistic cognitive-affective responses to rejection-related situations.

An experimental study investigated self-esteem and other-esteem responses to either fully supportive or less supportive interpersonal feedback in college students with avoidant and borderline personality disorder features (APD and BPD respectively). Disturbances in self-esteem and in evaluations of others are central to definitions of both APD and BPD, but the extent to which such interpersonal appraisals are responsive to contextual features, such as evaluative feedback from others, is not yet clear. In theory, we would expect that individuals with pronounced PD features would show more inflexible and more negative self-evaluations and others- evaluations than those without PD features. In this study with 169 undergraduates, APD but not BPD features were associated with other-contingent state self-esteem and other-esteem. A significant interaction indicated that highly avoidant respondents felt particularly negatively about themselves and their close others in situations that conveyed subtle criticism but not in situations signalling unequivocal support. This suggests that their self-esteem and other-esteem, rather than being rigidly negative, are instead highly contingent upon interpersonal feedback. Such context contingency has implications for the trait-like description of diagnostic characteristics within current taxonomies and is in line with contemporary dynamic models of personality structure and process. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Self-injurious behavior (or self-harm) is a frequently reported maladaptive behavior in the general population and a key feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Poor affect regulation is strongly linked to a propensity to self-harm, is a core component of BPD, and is linked with reduced attentional control abilities. The idea that attentional control difficulties may provide a link between BPD, negative affect and self-harm has yet to be established, however. The present study explored the putative relationship between levels of BPD features, three aspects of attentional/executive control, affect, and self-harm history in a sample of 340 non-clinical participants recruited online from self-harm forums and social networking sites. Analyses showed that self-reported levels of BPD features and attentional focusing predicted self-harm incidence, and high attentional focusing increased the likelihood of a prior self-harm history in those with high BPD features. Ability to shift attention was associated with a reduced likelihood of self-harm, suggesting that good attentional switching ability may provide a protective buffer against self-harm behavior for some individuals. These attentional control differences mediated the association between negative affect and self-harm, but the relationship between BPD and self-harm appears independent. Citation: Drabble J, Bowles DP and Barker LA Investigating the role of executive attentional control to self-harm in a non-clinical cohort with borderline personality features. Front. Behav. Neurosci. 8:274.

An experimental study investigated self-and other-esteem responses to either fully supportive or less supportive interpersonal feedback in college students with avoidant and borderline personality disorder features (APD and BPD, respectively). Disturbances in self-esteem and in evaluations of others are central to definitions of both APD and BPD, but the extent to which such interpersonal appraisals are responsive to contextual features, such as evaluative feedback from others, is not yet clear. In theory, we would expect that individuals with pronounced PD features would show more inflexible and more negative self-and other-evaluations than those without PD features. In this study with 169 undergraduates, APD but not BPD features were associated with other-contingent state self-esteem and other-esteem. A significant interaction indicated that highly avoidant respondents felt particularly negatively about themselves and their close others in situations that conveyed subtle criticism but not in situations signaling unequivocal support. This suggests that their self-and other-esteem, rather than being rigidly negative, is instead highly contingent upon interpersonal feedback. Such context-contingency has implications for the trait-like description of diagnostic characteristics within current taxonomies and is in line with contemporary dynamic models of personality structure and process.

Personality research has shown that negativity in social situations (e.g., negative evaluations of others) can be reduced by the activation of participants' sense of attachment security. Individuals with avoidant personality disorder (APD), however, are theoretically less responsive to context or situational cues because of the inflexible nature of their personality disposition. This idea of individual differences in context-responsiveness was tested in a sample of 169 undergraduates who were assessed for APD features and assigned to positive, negative or neutral attachment priming conditions. More pronounced APD features were associated with more negative responses to vignettes describing potentially distressing social situations. A significant interaction showed that participants with more avoidant features consistently appraised the vignettes relatively more negatively, regardless of priming condition. Those withoutAPD features, by contrast, did not exhibit negative appraisals/evaluations unless negatively primed (curvilinear effect). This effect could not be explained by depression, current mood, or attachment insecurity, all of which related to negative evaluative biases, but none of which related to situation inflexibility. These findings provide empirical support for the notion that negative information-processing is unusually inflexible and context-unresponsive among individuals with more pronounced features of APD. Priming and avoidant personality features 3 Attachment Priming and Avoidant Personality Features as Predictors of Social-Evaluation Biases Some of the most intriguing research in personality psychology over the past ten years has demonstrated that contextual cues can covertly activate thoughts and feelings that then influence behavior despite the person's subjective sense of acting autonomously. For example, most people do not think of themselves as racist; yet, when subliminally exposed to images of African-American faces, participants in one study later exhibited greater hostility in their interactions with a confederate (Bargh, Chen, & Burrows, 1996). As a more positive example, Mikulincer, Gillath et al. (2001) showed that priming can increase empathy: When participants were presented with an image of a mother and her babypriming to activate their attachment security-they subsequently showed more empathic behavior. Furthermore, Ferguson, Bargh, and Nayak (2005) found that subliminal priming could affect whether participants subsequently evaluated certain famous people in a positive or negative light. What this research shows is that motivation and behavior is normally responsive to context, even though it is not always accessible to (or governed by) conscious awareness (Bargh & Ferguson, 2000). In maladjusted variants of personality, however, responsiveness to context may be fundamentally impaired. Indeed, an essential feature of the DSM-IV definition of personality disorders is inflexibility in maladaptive cognitive, affective, and behavioral patterns (APA, 1994). In avoidant personality disorder (APD), socially dysfunctional cognitive-affective-behavioral patterns include chronic feelings of low self-worth, expectations of rejection or humiliation from others, social withdrawal, and shy behavior (APA, 1994; Millon & Davis, 1996). Inflexibility in these dysfunctional patterns means that in relatively benign, or even positive situations, individuals with APD may feel threatened, act suspiciously and adopt behaviors aimed at reducing the perceived threat. Priming and avoidant personality features 4 Indeed there is emerging empirical evidence for increased levels of suspicion, rejection expectancies, and other negative biases in social cognition among individuals with more pronounced APD features (e.g., Dreessen, Arntz, Hendriks, Keune & van den

Both avoidant and borderline personality disorder (APD and BPD) are theoretically associated with temperamental vulnerabilities, adverse attachment experiences, and negative (pessimistic or catastrophic) reactions to the threat of perceived rejection; however, more work is needed to differentiate how these processes account for the etiology and maintenance of both disorders. In this study, 156 adults completed questionnaires measuring APD and BPD features, temperament (sensoryprocessing sensitivity), mood, and attachment experiences. A vignette task was devised to examine pessimistic cognitive-affective reactions in situations signaling potential rejection. Both APD and BPD were associated with temperamental sensitivity, but BPD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring sensitivity to mental and emotive stimuli, whereas APD was uniquely linked with a subscale measuring the control and avoidance of aversive stimulation. Compared to APD, BPD was more strongly linked with negative moods (anxiety, anger, sadness) and insecure attachment to parents, whereas APD was more strongly linked (than BPD) to pessimistic cognitive-affective responses to rejection-related situations. Avoidant and borderline personality disorder (APD and BPD) are similar in that both are characterized by intense worries about, and efforts to counteract, interpersonal rejection (American Psychiatric Association, 2000; Jovev & Jackson, 2004). Individuals with APD, however, withdraw from social situations preemptively to avoid the pain of rejection, while those with BPD tend to be less consistent but more dramatic in their motivational and behavioral strategies when faced with potential rejection (Millon & Davis, 1996)-they experience extreme negative moods, conflicting atti

According to self-determination theory, well-being and healthy personality development depend on the fulfillment of three basic psychological needs: autonomy, relatedness, and competence. However, various contextual features can interfere with need satisfaction and undermine well-being. We hypothesized that fashion models, who are often valued for superficial reasons (i.e., their looks) and who may not have regular opportunities to cultivate deep relationships or exercise personal control on the job, might experience lower psychological need satisfaction, less well-being, and less optimal personality adjustment. Two studies were conducted in which professional fashion models (N ¼ 56 in Study 1; N ¼ 35 in Study 2) were compared to approximately equally large groups of non-models. Fashion models reported slightly lower need satisfaction and well-being but greater personality maladjustment (personality disorder features). Mediation analyses in Study 1 suggested that the lower well-being among models was explained via unfulfilled basic needs. These findings further substantiate the importance of basic need satisfaction for well-being and optimal adjustment.

Research suggests that experiencing narratives may be a way to change empathic responding to others (e.g. Paluck, 2009) but less is known about the impact of narratives on empathic responding towards people who are traditionally disliked (i.e. non-positive role models such as offenders). It is known that the ability to express empathy is an important factor in working effectively with a variety of disadvantaged groups (Serran & Marshall, 2010). The current research investigated the mechanisms predicting empathic responding to an offender. Participants read either a narrative or non-narrative text before completing questionnaires measuring: perceived similarity to, and identification with, the protagonist; transportation; and self-reported empathy. A final measure recorded the extent to which empathic questions were selected for use in an interview with a different offender. Regression analysis showed that transportation mediated the effect of narrative intervention on the degree to which empathic questions were selected. Narrative transportation may facilitate empathic responding to traditionally disliked or blamed groups. 1. Introduction Our regular experience of engaging with stories, through films, books, games and television is valuable as a means of entertainment and distraction from daily life. It is proposed here, however, that experiencing stories may also be able to profoundly affect our beliefs, attitudes, and intentions (Hoeken & Sinkeldam, 2014). Stories are argued to be important because they provide simulations of the social world, allowing us to practice important social processing skills (Oatley, 1999). It is possible that this social simulation through narrative may increase compassion and pro-social behaviour towards others (Koopman, 2015) and may, therefore, be an important factor in improving empathic responses towards marginalised groups, or even towards people who are traditionally disliked. Research has explored the potential persuasive and positive impacts of narratives, such as reducing prejudice (

Research suggests that experiencing narratives may be a way to change empathic responding to others (e.g. Paluck, 2009) but less is known about the impact of narratives on empathic responding towards people who are traditionally disliked (i.e. non-positive role models such as offenders). It is known that the ability to express empathy is an important factor in working effectively with a variety of disadvantaged groups (Serran & Marshall, 2010). The current research investigated the mechanisms predicting empathic responding to an offender. Participants read either a narrative or non-narrative text before completing questionnaires measuring: perceived similarity to, and identification with, the protagonist; transportation; and self-reported empathy. A final measure recorded the extent to which empathic questions were selected for use in an interview with a different offender. Regression analysis showed that transportation mediated the effect of narrative intervention on the degree to which empathic questions were selected. Narrative transportation may facilitate empathic responding to traditionally disliked or blamed groups. 1. Introduction Our regular experience of engaging with stories, through films, books, games and television is valuable as a means of entertainment and distraction from daily life. It is proposed here, however, that experiencing stories may also be able to profoundly affect our beliefs, attitudes, and intentions (Hoeken & Sinkeldam, 2014). Stories are argued to be important because they provide simulations of the social world, allowing us to practice important social processing skills (Oatley, 1999). It is possible that this social simulation through narrative may increase compassion and pro-social behaviour towards others (Koopman, 2015) and may, therefore, be an important factor in improving empathic responses towards marginalised groups, or even towards people who are traditionally disliked. Research has explored the potential persuasive and positive impacts of narratives, such as reducing prejudice (

Although recognised by policy incentives shaping children's services, research and service development for children with complex healthcare needs have received limited attention. Both health-care professionals and families of those children affected frequently report fragmented care and unmet needs in the literature. Not only is the wellbeing of the family and health of the child jeopardised, but also the lack of consistent service coordination between diagnosis, impairment, functional need or disability, directly contributes to a lack of data for the subgroup of children with complex healthcare needs. In this scoping review, key themes are identified, proposing priorities for innovation of future services. It is clear from the literature, longitudinal data analysis providing a more accessible platform for service evaluation and improvement, specialist training for key workers, and further research around definitions and classification systems, is lacking.

The objective of this study was to determine if a prefrontal somatosensory mismatch response (sMMR) could be recorded in response to deviations in duration of somatosensory stimuli. Intracranial somatosensory event-related potentials were recorded from temporal, parietal, and frontal lobe sites in 12 pediatric patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy surgery. The stimuli were presented using an oddball paradigm and consisted of short vibratory bursts applied to hand digits 2 and 3. Early sMMRs, consisting of a negative and a positive component, were recorded over the postcentral gyrus and a later one, consisting of only a negative component, was recorded over the left middle frontal gyrus. The presence of an anterior sMMR suggests similar cortical processing to the auditory mismatch negativity (aMMN), with the posterior sMMR reflecting the neuronal processes involved in discriminating between stimuli and this is then followed by the anterior sMMR that may reflect processes involved in switching attention to these changes. The presence of both a prefrontal aMMN and sMMR may reflect activity with a multimodal network.