Korean Journal of Health Psychology
- KOREAN
- P-ISSN1229-070X
- E-ISSN2713-9581
- KCI
Vol.31 No.2
Abstract
This study investigated the impact of Meditation·Mindfulness·Positive Psychology Training (MMPT) on parenting stress, negative emotions, and parenting style among parents of children with disabilities. Twenty-seven parents were randomly assigned to either a treatment group (n=14) or a wait-list control group (n=13). The treatment group participated in eight MMPT sessions over four weeks, while the control group received the program after completing the post-test. Parenting stress, negative emotions, parenting style, and mindfulness were assessed both before and after the intervention. The treatment group exhibited significant reductions in parental distress and depression compared to the control group, along with notable increases in mindfulness, awareness, and attention. While there were no statistically significant interaction effects on parenting style, the treatment group showed a significant decrease in the 'expressing anger' dimension of authoritarian parenting. Lastly, the study discussed the potential of MMPT as a brief emotion-focused intervention for parents of children with disabilities, along with its limitations and suggestions for future research.
Abstract
ADHD is a behavioral condition marked by challenges in completing everyday tasks and maintaining attention. Research suggests that ADHD traits are closely linked to emotional vulnerability, particularly depression stemming from negative self-perceptions. However, studies exploring secondary symptoms related to the core aspects of ADHD are limited. This study aimed to examine the sequential mediating effects of self-discrepancy—defined as the perceived gap between one's ideal self and actual self—and self-efficacy, or beliefs about one's abilities, in the relationship between ADHD traits and depression among college students. A total of 271 college students completed measures assessing ADHD traits, self-discrepancy, self-efficacy, and depression. Correlation and mediation analyses were performed on the collected data. The results revealed several key findings. First, ADHD traits were significantly correlated with depression, self-discrepancy, and self-efficacy. Second, ADHD traits had both a direct effect on depression and a significant sequential mediating effect: higher ADHD traits increased self-discrepancy, which reduced self-efficacy and subsequently heightened depressive symptoms. These findings indicate that psychological interventions aimed at reducing depression in individuals with ADHD traits should focus on minimizing the gap between the actual self and the ideal self, while also enhancing self-efficacy. Specifically, interventions that involve setting achievable goals and providing gradual mastery experiences may strengthen beliefs in one's capabilities and serve as effective strategies for alleviating emotional difficulties.
Abstract
Insomnia significantly impacts mental health by intensifying negative emotions. It has been proposed that insomnia may also contribute to negative self-evaluation and self-disgust, potentially leading to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study explored whether the connection between insomnia and NSSI is mediated by both negative affect (including depression, anxiety, and overall negative feelings) and self-disgust. We analyzed the individual mediating effects of anxiety and depression while also assessing the combined influence of overall negative affect. Our participants included 300 adults (63.7% female, 36.3% male; Mage = 34.76, SD = 11.02) with a history of NSSI, recruited from across the country. Data collected through self-report measures were examined using Model 6 of the PROCESS macro. The results showed that in all three models, the relationship between insomnia and NSSI was significantly mediated by both negative affect (anxiety, depression, and overall negative affect) and self-disgust. These findings emphasize the need to address both negative emotions and self-disgust in psychological interventions aimed at treating comorbid insomnia and NSSI, highlighting the necessity for a multifaceted approach to NSSI prevention.
Abstract
This study explored the relationship between empathy and aggression, specifically examining the role of the Dark Tetrad traits: Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, and sadism. Aggression can lead to various negative consequences, including social maladjustment, interpersonal conflict, and crime. Therefore, understanding the psychological mechanisms behind aggression is crucial for developing effective intervention strategies. While empathy is often viewed as a protective factor that reduces aggression, previous research has yielded inconsistent results, suggesting that personality traits may play a significant role. A total of 510 adults aged 19 and older participated by completing assessments of empathy, Dark Tetrad traits, and aggression. We employed structural equation modeling to investigate the indirect pathways through which empathy relates to Dark Tetrad traits and, subsequently, to aggression. The results showed that the direct effect of empathy on aggression was not significant. However, empathy exhibited a significant negative indirect effect on aggression through psychopathy and sadism. In contrast, narcissism displayed an unusual pathway, indicating that it requires separate consideration. These findings underscore the importance of accounting for dark personality traits when interpreting the relationship between empathy and aggression. They also suggest that empathy-based interventions could benefit from addressing individual differences, such as personality traits that are closely related to both empathy and aggression.
Abstract
This study examined the role of worry and rumination, both forms of perseverative cognition, as parallel mediators in the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and somatization symptoms. A total of 545 adults completed online self-report questionnaires assessing socially prescribed perfectionism, worry, rumination, and somatization symptoms. The results showed a positive association between socially prescribed perfectionism and both worry and rumination, as well as an increase in somatization symptoms. Additionally, the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and somatization symptoms was fully mediated in parallel by worry and rumination. These findings indicate that individuals with high socially prescribed perfectionism, which involves a strong desire to meet others' expectations or external standards, tend to experience more worry and engage in rumination more frequently. Consequently, these patterns of perseverative cognition are linked to increased somatization symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, and sleep difficulties. The results highlight the significance of addressing perseverative cognition in interventions for somatization among those with high levels of socially prescribed perfectionism. The study also discusses its implications and limitations.
Abstract
This study investigated how childhood attachment trauma influences complex trauma symptoms in young adulthood, focusing on the mediating role of self-system damage and the moderated mediation effect of mentalization. A total of 172 non-clinical emerging adults, aged 18 to 32, who reported experiencing childhood attachment trauma completed self-report online questionnaires. We conducted descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and conditional process analysis using PROCESS macro Model 14 (Hayes, 2018). The results revealed that childhood attachment trauma significantly increased complex trauma symptoms in early adulthood, with self-system damage identified as a key mediator connecting attachment trauma to complex trauma. Furthermore, the index of moderated mediation was statistically significant, indicating that mentalization played a moderating role in the indirect pathway through self-system damage. Specifically, when self-system damage was low or average, higher levels of mentalization were linked to reduced complex trauma symptoms. Conversely, when self-system damage was high, this protective effect diminished, leading to an increase in complex trauma symptoms. These findings suggest that the role of mentalization may differ based on the level of self-system damage, acting as a conditional moderator that can be either protective or maladaptive depending on self-system stability. The study emphasizes that enhancing mentalization does not provide uniform therapeutic benefits across varying levels of self-system impairment and highlights the need for a staged, developmentally informed intervention approach that prioritizes self-system stabilization in treating complex trauma related to developmental attachment trauma.
Abstract
Trauma and stress experiences influence not only psychological well-being but also physical health. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt an integrative approach that considers both psychological and somatic symptoms when examining the complex characteristics of these responses. This study utilized the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology(HiTOP) as a theoretical framework and employed a person-centered approach to empirically identify subtypes of trauma- and stressor-related disorders. Using Latent Profile Analysis(LPA) on 35 MMPI-2-RF scales from 168 psychiatric outpatients, we identified five profiles: Adaptive Group(AG, 20.2%), Depression-Predominant Group(DPG, 14.9%), Emotion Processing Difficulty Group(EPDG, 26.8%), Depression-Anxiety Group(DAG, 20.8%), and Broad Symptom Report Group(BSRG, 17.3%). The AG demonstrated psychological stability indicative of a resilient trajectory, while the EPDG showed a hierarchical discrepancy pattern with heightened headache complaints and suicidal ideation despite normal higher-order scales, suggesting somatization linked to alexithymia. The DPG was marked by melancholic features and reduced energy and activity, whereas the DAG exhibited complex internalizing issues, including comorbid depression, anxiety, and somatic or cognitive symptoms. The BSRG revealed multidimensional functional impairments across internalizing, thought, and externalizing dimensions. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that Higher-Order scales were the most effective predictors of profile membership(classification accuracy=83.9%), with Emotional Internalizing Dysfunction(EID) identified as the strongest predictor. This finding supports the theoretical view that trauma-related disorders reside within the internalizing dimension of HiTOP. Overall, this study confirmed the utility of the hierarchical structure of the MMPI-2-RF for identifying the heterogeneity of trauma and stress responses. It also emphasized the importance of integrating psychological and somatic symptoms in assessments, offering foundational data for personalized treatment planning tailored to the characteristics of each profile.
Abstract
This study explored the connections between behavioral and substance addictions in digital environments by identifying keywords that mediate links between these addictions on the social networking service platform X (Twitter). Posts were collected using representative keywords related to gaming, gambling, pornography, alcohol use, and drugs. After preprocessing, a total of 8,712 posts containing 5,027 unique keywords were analyzed. A semantic network was created based on a co-occurrence threshold of 200, employing Girvan–Newman community detection and edge betweenness centrality. The results revealed that platform- and function-based keywords, such as "RT," "Telegram," and "Line," frequently appeared across various addiction categories. In contrast, transaction- and participation-related terms (e.g., "inquiry," "sale," "purchase," "event") served as mid-level bridging keywords that enhanced connectivity between addictions. Additionally, even identical keywords showed different co-occurrence patterns depending on the addiction category. These findings indicate that the digital environment can facilitate mediation and transitions between addictions, blurring the lines between behavioral and substance addictions. They underscore the necessity for prevention and regulatory strategies to monitor and address the digital pathways that enable cross-addiction linkages.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to develop the Korean adaptation of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 for adolescent (STAXI-2 for adolescent), designed to measure state anger (10 items), trait anger (10 items), anger-in (5 items), anger-out (5 items), and anger-control (5 items). An attempt was made to construct a pilot scale based on a variety of resources (e.g., STAXI-2 for child and adolescent, open-ended questionnaire on anger, review of the Korean adaptation of the STAXI/STAXI-2). As a result, a pilot scale was composed of 95 items, nearly three times the original scale. In Study 1, we examined the psychometric properties of the pilot scale in student sample nationwide (N = 359). Exploratory factor analyses and item-total correlations showed problematic factor structure. Thus, we deleted inappropriate items and replaced 9 items out of 35 items. In Study 2, we examined the psychometric properties of the second version of the Korean adaptation of the STAXI-2 for adolescent in student sample nationwide (N = 1,186). Exploratory factor analyses showed clear-cut factors for five subscales: state anger, trait anger, anger-in, anger-out, and anger-control. Further exploratory factor analyses showed that there are also two subscales under state anger (i.e., state anger/general mode vs. state anger/verbal·physical mode) and that there are also two subscales under trait anger (i.e., trait anger/temperament vs. trait anger/response). In addition, all subscales revealed satisfactory level of reliability. In sum, results provided support for the reliability and validity of the Korean adaptation of the STAXI-2 for adolescent. Thus, the Korean adaptation of the STAXI-2 for adolescent is a useful instrument in the area of psychology, medicine, nursing, education, counseling, criminal justice, welfare facilities, among others.
Abstract
Beliefs about emotions are closely linked to emotion regulation, psychological adjustment, and mental health. While only a few scales exist to measure these beliefs, none effectively evaluate the overarching dimensions and valence (positive vs. negative) of emotions. To fill this gap, the Emotion Beliefs Questionnaire - Korean version (EBQ-K) was developed. This study assessed the reliability and validity of the EBQ-K among 880 Korean adults (440 men and 440 women, with 220 participants in each age group). Various measures were employed, including the DASS-12, eating attitudes, avoidant personality disorder scale, and existing emotion regulation and belief assessments. The findings demonstrated strong internal consistency, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a four-factor structure that aligns with the original scale. Additionally, convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed, along with measurement invariance across age groups. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the EBQ-K sub-factors significantly predicted levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. These results indicate that the EBQ-K is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing emotion beliefs, with potential applications in clinical and counseling contexts.
Abstract
This study aimed to translate the Tonic Immobility Scale(TIS), designed to evaluate tonic immobility (TI) reactions following traumatic events, into Korean (K-TIS) and to assess its reliability and validity. Data were gathered from 400 adults throughout South Korea, comprising participants from local communities (n=150) and an online professional survey agency (n=250). Exploratory factor analyses revealed that a one-factor structure was the best fit for the K-TIS across the samples. The total scale exhibited high internal consistency, and the K-TIS demonstrated significant positive correlations with measures of somatoform and psychoform dissociation, supporting its convergent validity. Additionally, TI scores showed significant differences between individuals with and without posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Hierarchical logistic regression analyses indicated that TI significantly predicted classification as PTSD or Complex PTSD, even after controlling for somatoform and psychoform dissociation. Overall, these findings suggest that the K-TIS is a reliable and valid tool for assessing tonic immobility as a trauma-related response in adults.