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Parents whose self-esteem is contingent on their children’s achievements tend to exert more control over their children by displaying decreased affection and regard after failure in school (parental academic conditional negative regard). The current study examined parental anger and dysregulated anger expression as possible mechanisms in the respective association. In total, 221 mothers reported their child-invested contingent self-esteem, habitual dysregulated anger expression, anticipated anger after child failure, and their explicit use of conditional negative regard; their 12- to 14-year-old adolescent children reported perceived conditional negative regard. The moderated mediation analysis revealed that anger after child failure partially mediated the effect of child-invested contingent self-esteem on maternal explicit use of conditional negative regard, which, in turn, predicted adolescents’ perception of conditional negative regard. The effect of anger was moderated by dysregulated anger expression, and anger was only positively related to conditional negative regard when expressed as medium- to highly-dysregulated. The results support our hypotheses and provide an explanation for parental application of conditional negative regard apart from socialization goals or a lack of knowledge about its suboptimal nature. Furthermore, our results underscore the importance of parents’ self-esteem concerns and strategies for anger regulation. We discuss the practical implications of an anger-driven, reactive type of conditional regard.

This chapter focuses on conditional regard as an influence practice in parenting, at school, and among romantic partners. It distinguishes between conditional negative regard (CNR), giving less affection and esteem when others do not comply with one’s expectations, and conditional positive regard (CPR), giving more affection and esteem when others comply. As CPR involves positive emotional reinforcement, behaviorally oriented theorists may view it as a benign and useful practice. However, research shows that CPR, and not only CNR, leads to serious performance, emotional, and relational costs. These negative effects occur because these practices provide a diluted and provisional experience of relatedness satisfaction at the cost of significant autonomy frustration. These need experiences then lead to stressful and resentful internalization, which underlies most of the negative effects of conditional regard. Additionally, the chapter discusses potential antecedents and moderators of conditional regard along with conceptual clarifications and challenges as a basis for future research.

Although sexual desire for one's partner is theorized to serve as a gut-level indicator of partner mate value that motivates investment in valued partners, there is scant empirical evidence to support this hypothesis. Five studies addressed this possibility, examining whether experiencing sexual desire encouraged the enactment of relationship-promoting behaviors and whether perceptions of partner mate value motivated this proposed process. In a pilot study and Study 1, participants relived an activity they experienced with their partner, which was either sexual or non-sexual. Then, participants rated their desire to engage in sex and other non-sexual relationship-promoting activities with their partner (pilot study) and their partner's responsiveness to personal disclosures. Participants' enacted responsiveness was also evaluated by judges (Study 1). Results showed that experiences of desire enhanced relationship-promoting tendencies. Using experimental, daily experiences, and longitudinal methods, Studies 2-4 extended these findings, indicating that both manipulated and perceived partner mate value predicted desire, which, in turn, was associated with engagement in relationship-promoting behaviors. These findings demonstrate that sexual desire functions as a mechanism encouraging investment in partners who are perceived to be worth pursuing and retaining.

To have a child is among individuals' most important and meaningful decisions, with far-reaching implications. Despite evidence linking this decision to a wide variety of consequences, little is known about what motivates people to have children, and even less so about the long-term effects of different childbearing motivations on parenting and child adjustment. This study took a self-determination theory (SDT) perspective, examining how prenatal maternal autonomous and controlled childbearing motivations are related to child behavior problems through parenting styles. The rationale was that prenatal autonomous (sense of volition and self-fulfillment) and controlled (feeling pressured) childbearing motivations would shape later parental styles (autonomy-supportive vs. controlling, respectively) and, consequently, child adjustment. Over a period of 2 years beginning at pregnancy, 326 Israeli mothers reported their prenatal childbearing motivations, as well as parental styles and child behavior problems 20 months postpartum. Results of a path analysis revealed that prenatal autonomous childbearing motivation predicted autonomy-supportive parenting, yet the latter was not associated with children's behavior problems. Prenatal controlled motivation predicted controlling parenting, which, in turn, predicted children's internalizing and externalizing problems. No direct effects of childbearing motivation on children's behavior problems are observed, suggesting that childbearing motivation is a distal antecedent operating through more proximal factors such as parenting style. Findings were robust to children's temperamental tendencies and sociodemographic risk factors such as maternal age, high-risk pregnancy, and preterm birth. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for the discourse on motivations underlying the childbearing decision and their effects on parenting and child adjustment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

The Peace of Mind (POM) program was designed to enable combat veterans in Israel to process their combat experience, address difficulties in the transition to civilian life and facilitate psychological growth as a result of their military experience. During the course of the program, 1068 participants were studied at four time points. Post-traumatic symptoms were measured using the PTSD checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), and post-traumatic growth (PTG) was measured using the Post Traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI). Multilevel Modeling (MLM) was used to assess symptom and psychological trajectories for all participants and for those who began with and without PTSD symptoms, respectively. The results demonstrated that those who began the program with elevated PTSD symptoms experienced a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms following the completion of the intensive element of the program. Additionally, all participants demonstrated an increase in PTG following the intensive section of the program and this was maintained throughout follow-up. The findings indicate that the POM program is beneficial in relation to both positive and negative outcomes of traumatic military experiences though it is clear that the transition from combat to civilian life is more complex than the current measures identify and that further research needs to examine the distinct lifestyle and functional changes which occur following the program.

Background: Job satisfaction is a key factor in organizational growth and success. Intern satisfaction, on the contrary, has not received much attention, despite its effect on all relevant players. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine factors affecting intern satisfaction in startup companies through the lens of the Job Characteristics Model (JCM) and additional work environment characteristics. Methodology/Approach: A total of 434 undergraduate students—participating in an unpaid internship for 10 weeks—filled out a 20-item survey regarding their experience. Items were designed to measure core job characteristics, the consequent experienced psychological states, work environment characteristics, and participants’ satisfaction. Findings/Conclusions: Factors affecting intern satisfaction corresponded to predictions of the JCM as evidenced by three mediation models. Core job characteristics predicted hypothesized psychological states, which then predicted intern satisfaction. Learning opportunities, supervisor support, and organizational atmosphere contributed significantly in explaining additional satisfaction variance. Implications: Internship programs in startups potentially benefit all sides: students, institutions, and companies. In coordinating and planning these programs, both the universities and the companies would do best to consider the psychological factors that best predict the intern’s satisfaction—feelings of responsibility, meaning, and knowledge of work results—in addition to offering learning opportunities, supervisory support, and a positive organizational atmosphere.

Based on Self-Determination theory, we examined three hypotheses: (1) mothers’ achievement-oriented controlling behaviour towards their toddlers predicts children’s helpless coping with failure thr...

While some research has documented links between supervisors’ leadership style and subordinates’ motivation, little is known about what drives leadership behaviors in the first place. This study aimed to contribute to the scholarly literature on motivational antecedents of leadership by drawing on the self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation and the full range leadership theory. We traced work motivation throughout the leadership process, starting with supervisors’ work motivations as potential antecedents of leadership styles and proceeding to how leadership styles associate with subordinates’ work motivations. A 2-2-1 multilevel mediational model tested on 61 supervisors and their 244 subordinates showed that supervisors’ autonomous work motivation was linked with subordinates’ ratings of supervisors’ transformational leadership which, in turn, was linked with subordinates’ autonomous work motivation. Furthermore, supervisors’ transactional leadership mediated the association between their controlled motivation and their subordinates’ controlled motivation, whereas supervisors’ passive-avoidant leadership mediated the link between their amotivation and their subordinates’ amotivation. Our integration of the full spectrum of SDT’s conceptualization of motivation with the full range of leadership theory provides insights into the motivational processes that naturally direct supervisors toward transformational, transactional, or passive-avoidant leadership styles and their consequent reflection in subordinates’ motivations. The work has both theoretical and practical implications.

Dog owners often ascribe human qualities to their dogs and, as such, view them as close others and a source of need support that fosters psychological well-being—this is called the pet effect. In this work, we went beyond the effect of what owners receive from their dogs and examined the benefits of giving need support. Applying self-determination theory’s conceptualization of basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence, we designed a 21-daily diary study (n = 104). Results showed giving need support to a dog contributed to owners’ well-being, lessened their psychological distress, and led to greater closeness to the dog, beyond the contribution of receiving need support. Similar to previous research, we observed benefits for receiving need support. In addition, well-being and closeness increased the tendency to care for a dog. These results support the notion that giving daily need support to a close other, a dog in this case, is beneficial to psychological wellness.

The two studies presented here examine the extent to which perceived authority legitimacy mediates the association between supervisors' motivating styles and subordinates' work-related outcomes. From the perspective of the self-determination theory (SDT), we examined two supervisory motivating styles: the autonomy-supportive style that nurtures employees' inner motivational resources and the controlling style in which supervisors pressure their employees to behave in specific manager-directed ways. Perceived authority legitimacy was defined according to the Relational Model of Authority (RMA). The results of Study 1 (n = 191) showed that the autonomy-supportive motivating style, but not the controlling style, was associated with employees' work satisfaction, commitment, and burnout through legitimacy. These results were replicated in Study 2 (n = 314), even after controlling for task-autonomous and controlled motivation, and extended to other reported employee behavioral outcomes such as organizational citizenship behavior, deviant behavior, and conflicts within the workplace. Taken together, the results suggest that the effectiveness of the autonomy-supportive motivating style is partly due to its association with volitional deference to authority. The paper concludes by discussing theoretical implications of integrating SDT with RMA and the practical implications of the findings.

Background Maternal psychopathology and caregiving behavior are linked with child anxiety and these associations may be particularly salient when families face mass trauma together and members influence each other's symptomatology and resilience. Despite the well-known mother-to-child effects, less research addressed the longitudinal bidirectional effects of maternal and child's anxiety symptoms on each other. Methods Mothers and children exposed to chronic war-related trauma from Sderot, Israel, and comparison group were followed at three time-points; Early childhood (T1:N = 232, MAge = 2.76 years), late childhood (T3:N = 176, MAge = 9.3 years), and early adolescence (T4:N = 110, MAge = 11.66 years). At each time-point maternal and child's anxiety symptoms were evaluated via questionnaires and maternal sensitivity was coded from videotaped observations of parent-child interactions. Bidirectional associations were examined using traditional cross-lagged panel model (CLPM) and CLPM with random intercepts (RI-CLPM). Results Trauma-exposed mothers and children exhibited more anxiety symptoms and lower maternal sensitivity. Cross-lagged panel models revealed cross-time bidirectional associations between maternal anxiety and child anxiety from early to late childhood. Child anxiety at each time-point predicted maternal anxiety and maternal sensitivity at the next stage; however, maternal sensitivity did not show longitudinal associations with child anxiety, highlighting children's role in shaping caregiving. Conclusions Findings demonstrate bidirectional cross-generational influences of mother and child on each other's anxiety in contexts of trauma and pinpoint early childhood as a sensitive period for such mutual influences. Children's increased anxiety following trauma appears to be further exacerbated via its impact on increasing maternal anxiety and compromising sensitive caregiving, underscoring the potential benefits of parental and mother-child interventions for trauma-exposed populations.

With the growing popularity of Facebook for social interaction and information exchange, researchers are starting to examine its “dark side”, notably Facebook addiction. Previous research finds low self-esteem is a key risk factor of maladaptive Facebook use. Building on this finding, in two related studies we examined whether contingencies of self-worth on social acceptance can help explain Facebook addiction. Study 1 involved 337 participants taking an online survey. Results indicated that contingent self-worth (CSW) in the domain of others' approval was positively linked with Facebook addiction and excessive usage time. These results were unique to CSW over and above global self-esteem and the big-5 personality traits. Study 2 employed a daily diary methodology in which 80 participants provided daily reports on their self-esteem and Facebook experience for 21 consecutive days. Multilevel modeling indicated that daily fluctuations in social acceptance CSW positively predicted day-to-day changes in Facebook addiction. Again, this finding was unique to CSW over and above daily changes in global self-esteem. Together, the results of these two studies provide initial support for the key role of CSW in the emergence and sustainment of Facebook addiction. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical implications of the two studies' findings.

Parental conditional regard (PCR) involves parents providing or withdrawing affection to motivate children to do what the parents want. Numerous studies have demonstrated that PCR has harmful consequences for children. The present research examines associations between PCR and children’s later relationships with young-adult peers. We conducted two cross-sectional studies (Study 1: 118 participants, 73 women; Study 2: 120 participants, 89 women). Study 3 involved collecting data from both members of a romantic heterosexual dyad (109 couples). Study 4 involved participants interacting with a neutral accomplice (73 participants, 56 women). We found support for several mediators of the association between PCR and young-adults’ relationship quality: psychological need satisfaction (Studies 1 and 2), and projection of one’s own conditional regard onto a partner (Studies 3 and 4). Although longitudinal data are needed to establish causality, these findings suggest that exposure to PCR is negatively associated with adult-children’s peer relationship quality, and offers clues for disrupting this inimical association.

Research addressing the underlying functions of sexual fantasies has mainly focused on variables associated with frequency and content of fantasies. Relatively less is known about how sexual fantasizing affects the relationship. Four studies examined the contribution of fantasizing about one’s partner (“dyadic fantasies”) to relationship outcomes. In Studies 1 and 2, participants fantasized either about their partner or about someone else and rated their desire to engage in sex and other nonsexual relationship-promoting activities with their partner. In Studies 3 and 4, romantic partners recorded their fantasies and relationship interactions each evening for a period of 21 and 42 days, respectively. In Study 4, partners also provided daily reports on relationship perceptions. Overall, dyadic fantasizing was associated with heightened desire and increased engagement in relationship-promoting behaviors. Relationship perceptions explained the link between dyadic fantasies and relationship-promoting behaviors, suggesting that such fantasies benefit the relationship by enhancing partner and relationship appeal.

Do feelings of uncertainty about existing or potential relationships spice up relationships or impair them? Six studies employed complementary methods to examine whether relationship uncertainty affects partners' sexual desirability, and whether expressions of partners' regard influence these effects. In Studies 1–4, participants interacted online with confederates who were either clear or vague about their romantic intentions. Results showed that relationship uncertainty had detrimental effects on confederates' appeal only when they were perceived as uninterested in the participants. Moreover, explicit expressions of romantic interest fostered certainty about confederates' behavioral intentions, thereby enhancing their appeal. Using survey and daily experiences methodologies, Studies 5 and 6 replicated these findings in established relationships, demonstrating that partners' regard predicted lower uncertainty, which, in turn, was associated with greater perceived partner desirability. These findings suggest that inhibiting desire serves as a mechanism aimed at protecting the self from investing in a relationship whose future is uncertain.

Sexual desire between romantic partners tends to decrease over time. A decrease in frequency of dyadic fantasies and an increase in frequency of extradyadic fantasies are typical manifestations of this process. The present diary study adopted an attachment-theoretical perspective to better understand why some people are less likely to fantasize about their partners. Both members of 100 romantic couples completed measures of relationship-specific insecurities, partner responsiveness, and frequency of sexual fantasies every evening for 42 days. Results showed that attachment insecurities were associated with lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Partner responsiveness mediated these associations, such that attachment insecurities were associated with perceiving partners as less responsive, which, in turn, predicted lower frequency of dyadic fantasies. Men’s avoidance predicted higher frequency of extradyadic fantasies. These findings demonstrated the role of responsiveness in sustaining desire, suggesting that attachment insecurities bias people to perceive their partner as less responsive, thereby hampering sexual desire.

The present study developed a new measure of involvement in care of pediatric oncology patients termed the Child Involvement in Care Scale (CICS), and empirically examined the mental health consequences of involvement in care for children with cancer. The CICS was administered to 236 children with cancer aged 8–12 who were recruited from three large hospitals in Israel. The children also completed questionnaires on their mental-health symptoms and emotional well-being. The children’s parents completed measures on their child’s compliance with treatment and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported a 2-factor structure (knowledge and participation), representing different aspects of involvement in care. Compliance with treatment served as a mediator for the relationships between involvement in care and health-related outcomes. Involvement in care was positively associated with higher treatment compliance. In addition, treatment compliance was positively associated with HRQOL and positive emotions but negatively associated with psychiatric symptoms. Pediatric cancer patients’ involvement in the process of care is linked to better treatment compliance and mental health outcomes. Additional research is needed to examine the specific conditions and contexts in which involvement in care contributes to mental health and subjective well-being of children with cancer.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the mediating and moderating roles of perceived supervisor legitimacy in the association between perceived supervisor motivating styles and subordinate functioning. Specifically, based on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), two supervisory motivating styles were examined: the autonomy-supportive style, characterized by nurturing employees’ inner motivational resources, and the controlling style, in which supervisors pressure their employees to behave in specific manager-directed ways. Legitimacy was defined according to the Relational Model of Authority (RMA).Design/methodology/approachAn online survey was administered to a sample of 252 employees. Moderation and mediation analyses were conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe autonomy-supportive motivating style, but not the controlling style, was linked to employee work-related outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction, commitment, engagement, burnout, and depression) through perceived legitimacy. Legitimacy buffered the negative impact of the controlled orientation on burnout and depression.Originality/valueTaken together, the results suggest that legitimacy as a resource may be enhanced by autonomy support and can also minimize the harmful consequences of controlling supervisory behaviors. The theoretical implications of integrating SDT with RMA and the practical implications of these findings are discussed.

Repercussions of war captivity may transmit to spouses of former prisoners of war (POW) via posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS). Overidentification with their partners underlies the PTSS experienced by former wives of POWs, thus implying impaired self-differentiation. Although wives' indirect exposure to their husbands' captivity and subsequent PTSS has been associated with the wives' PTSS and differentiation, the combined effects remain unclear. Furthermore, previous cross-sectional studies could not illuminate directionality. This prospective study investigates (a) the moderating role of indirect exposure to captivity in the association between husbands' PTSS and wives' PTSS and differentiation; and (b) the directionality of the association between wives' differentiation and PTSS over time. The wives of both former POWs (n = 143) and combatants (n = 102) were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The wives of former POWs endorsed higher PTSS and fusion differentiation, η2p = .06 to .14. Indirect exposure to captivity moderated the associations between husbands' PTSS and wives' PTSS, Cohen's f2 = .01 to .03. The association between the wives' differentiation and PTSS over time was bidirectional, β = -0.18 to 0.68; R2 = .54 to .73. Results suggest a vicious cycle between PTSS and differentiation, and the need for clinical interventions that further differentiation for spouses of prolonged trauma victims.

This study aimed to assess the longitudinal associations between the 1973 Israeli-Arab War ex-prisoners of war’s (ex-POWs) posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSS) and dyadic adjustment (DAS) and their adult offspring’s secondary PTSS and DAS. A sample of 124 Israeli father–child dyads has been examined (fathers at 2003 and 2008; offspring at 2013–2014). Results show that fathers’ PTSS and DAS mediated the link between war captivity and offspring’s secondary PTSS and DAS, respectively. The intergenerational transmission of captivity trauma is indirectly explained by the long-term effects of the fathers’ PTSS on their offspring’s secondary PTSS and DAS.

Alloparental care, the cooperative care of offspring by group members other than the biological mother, has been widely practiced since early hominin evolution to increase infant survival and thriving. The coparental bond-a relationship of solidarity and commitment between two adults who join their effort to care for children-is a central contributor to children's well-being and sociality; yet, the neural basis of coparenting has not been studied in humans. Here, we followed 84 first-time co-parents (42 couples) across the first 6 years of family formation, including opposite-sex and same-sex couples, measured brain response to coparental stimuli, observed collaborative and undermining coparental behaviors in infancy and preschool, assayed oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP), and measured coparenting and child behavior problems at 6 years. Across family types, coparental stimuli activated the striatum, specifically the ventral striatum and caudate, striatal nodes implicated in motivational goal-directed social behavior. Psychophysiological interaction analysis indicated that both nodes were functionally coupled with the vmPFC in support of the human coparental bond and this connectivity was stronger as collaborative coparental behavior increased. Furthermore, caudate functional connectivity patterns differentiated distinct corticostriatal pathways associated with two stable coparental behavioral styles; stronger caudate-vmPFC connectivity was associated with more collaborative coparenting and was linked to OT, whereas a stronger caudate-dACC connectivity was associated with increase in undermining coparenting and was related to AVP. Finally, dyadic path-analysis model indicated that the parental caudate-vmPFC connectivity in infancy predicted lower child externalizing symptoms at 6 years as mediated by collaborative coparenting in preschool. Findings indicate that the coparental bond is underpinned by striatal activations and corticostriatal connectivity similar to other human affiliative bonds; highlight specific corticostriatal pathways as defining distinct coparental orientations that underpin family life; chart brain-hormone-behavior constellations for the mature, child-orientated coparental bond; and demonstrate the flexibility of this bond across family constellations and its unique contribution to child well-being.

We examined the association between protracted political violence and the connection between bullying and suicidality among Palestinian adolescents. Data were collected from a representative sample of Palestinian students (N = 5,713) from 100 schools in the West Bank and East Jerusalem who completed an in-class survey. Students who were victims of bullying or bully victims who were exposed to political violence were at higher risk for suicide attempts compared to students who were victims of bullying or bully victims but not exposed to political violence. Political violence moderated the association between bullying and suicide attempts after controlling for socio demographic and other mental health variables.

Studies have shown that supervisors’ autonomy supportive managerial style predicts static job performance and other positive organisational outcomes (Gagne & Deci, 2005). The present study extends these results by investigating the ways in which supervisors’ autonomy support affected job performance trajectories over a period of 5 months in a sample of 68 newly employed sport analysts. Multilevel modeling indicated that performance increases in a decelerated fashion over time. Perceived supervisors’ autonomy support significantly moderated the linear and quadratic performance trajectories. Thus, over time, the performance growth of employees who perceived their supervisors as supportive of their autonomy was steeper and decelerated at a slower rate. The implications are discussed in the light of autonomy support within Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000).

Teachers' conditional positive regard and conditional negative regard are common motivational techniques in the classroom. This study investigated their respective effects on adolescent students' agentic engagement, while considering students' basic psychological needs for autonomy and relatedness as potential mediators. Data collected from 30 teachers and 651 7th to 10th graders (52% female) were used to test a multilevel mediation model. The results indicated that teachers' conditional negative regard undermined students' agentic engagement by frustrating both of their autonomy and relatedness needs. Teachers' conditional positive regard thwarted students' sense of autonomy, which consequently undermined their agentic engagement. The findings are discussed in terms of conditional positive and negative regard as undesirable classroom motivational practices and the mechanisms through which they operate. The discussion also notes the importance of investigating contextual factors at the classroom level.

Considering that negative intergroup emotions can hinder conflict resolution, we proposed integrative emotion regulation (IER) as possibly predicting conciliatory policies towards outgroups in violent conflict. Two studies examined Jewish Israelis' self-reported IER, empathy, liberal attitudes, and support for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. Study 1 (N = 298) found that unlike reappraisal Jewish Israelis' ability to explore emotions (e.g. IER) promoted concern for others' emotions (empathy), which in turn predicted support for humanitarian aid (while controlling for education level, and religiosity). Study 2 (N = 291) replicated this mediation model, additionally confirming that liberal attitudes (upholding equal, fair treatment for minorities) moderated the relation between IER and support for humanitarian aid. Thus, IER linked more strongly with humanitarian support when the commitment for liberal egalitarian beliefs was high. Preliminary results hold important theoretical and practical implications regarding the potential to empathise with outgroup members in intractable conflicts.

Sexual desire tends to subside gradually over time, with many couples failing to maintain desire in their long-term relationships. Three studies employed complementary methodologies to examine whether partner responsiveness, an intimacy-building behavior, could instill desire for one's partner. In Study 1, participants were led to believe that they would interact online with their partner. In reality, they interacted with either a responsive or an unresponsive confederate. In Study 2, participants interacted face-to-face with their partner, and judges coded their displays of responsiveness and sexual desire. Study 3 used a daily experiences methodology to examine the mechanisms underlying the responsiveness-desire linkage. Overall, responsiveness was associated with increased desire, but more strongly in women. Feeling special and perceived partner mate value explained the responsiveness-desire link, suggesting that responsive partners were seen as making one feel valued as well as better potential mates for anyone and thus as more sexually desirable. (PsycINFO Database Record

As positive psychology is a nascent area of research, there are very few empirical studies assessing the impact and sustained effects of positive psychology school interventions. The current study presents a 2-year longitudinal evaluation of the effects of a school-based positive psychology program on students' subjective well-being, school engagement, and academic achievements. The study investigated the effectiveness of the Maytiv school program using a positive psychology-based classroom-level intervention with 2517 seventh- to ninth-grade students in 70 classrooms, from six schools in the center of Israel. The classes were randomly assigned to intervention and control conditions, which were comparable in terms of students' age, gender, and socio-economic status. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed positive intervention effects on positive emotions, peer relations, emotional engagement in school, cognitive engagement, and grade point average scores (Cohen's ds 0.16-0.71). In the control group, there were significant decreases in positive emotions and cognitive engagement, and no significant changes in peer relations, emotional engagement or school achievements. These findings demonstrate the significant socio-emotional and academic benefits of incorporating components of positive psychology into school curricula.

This study is the first to examine and compare the psychological symptomatology, self-esteem and life satisfaction of women in polygamous and monogamous relationships in Syria. A convenience sample of 276 women was studied, of whom 163 were senior wives in polygamous marriages and 113 were wives in monogamous marriages. Findings revealed that senior wives in polygamous marriages experienced lower self-esteem, less life satisfaction and more mental health symptomatology than women in monogamous marriages. Many of the mental health symptoms were different; noteworthy were elevated somatization, depression, hostility and psychoticism. Implications for mental health practice, policy and further research are discussed.

Research on immigration underscores the importance of language acculturation in successful adjustment to life in a new country. However, the profound impact of different levels of language proficiency between immigrant spouses on their married life is an understudied topic. The current study explores whether differences between immigrant spouses in host language proficiency predict marital satisfaction in their first four years in the host country. Using a three-wave longitudinal study, with intervals of one to two years, we collected data from 316 married couples who immigrated from the Former Soviet Union to Germany and Israel. Language proficiency and marital satisfaction were measured via self-report questionnaires. We conducted an Actor-Partner Interdependence Model analysis to control for dyadic and time data dependencies. The results indicate that differences between spouses in their host language proficiency predict marital dissatisfaction, and that this effect is exacerbated over time. These associations held across gender and host country. The findings are discussed in light of the gap-distress model.

According to self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000 ), fulfillment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness within close relationships are essential for well-being. In the current research, we sought to further explore this association as regards human–pet relationships. Drawing on recent studies that have documented the benefits pet owners can derive from their relationship with a pet, we examined the extent to which perceived need support by a pet can facilitate well-being and allay psychological distress. Participants were 206 pet owners (dog or cat). Results of a SEM analysis indicated that perceived needs support by a pet significantly predicted higher well-being but did not predict level of psychological distress. These associations were found over and beyond needs support by a close human other. The implications of the uniqueness of human–pet relationships to well-being through the lens of SDT are discussed.

Background The aversive impact of combat and parents' combat-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on young children has been examined in a few studies. However, the long-term toll of war captivity on the secondary traumatization (ST) of adult offspring remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the longitudinal associations between former prisoners of war (ex-POWs), PTSD, depressive symptoms and their adult offsprings ST. Method: A sample of 134 Israeli father-child dyads (80 ex-POWs dyads and a comparison group of 44 veterans'dyads) completed self-report measures. The fathers participated in three waves of measurements following the Yom Kippur War (T1: 1991, T2: 2003, and T3: 2008), while the offspring took part in T4 (2013). Results Offspring of ex-POWs with PTSD at T3 reported more ST symptoms than offspring of ex-POWs without PTSD and controls. Ex-POWs' PTSD hyper-arousal symptom cluster at T3 was positively related to offsprings ST avoidance symptom cluster. Offspring of ex-POWs with chronic and delayed PTSD trajectories reported more ST symptoms than offspring of ex-POWS and controls with resilient trajectories. Ex-POWs' PTSD and depression symptoms at T1, T2 and T3 mediated the link between war captivity (groups) and offsprings ST in T4. Limitations The use of self-report measures that did not cover the entire span of 40 years since the war, might may bias the results. Conclusions The intergenerational transmission of captivity related trauma following the Yom Kippur War was exemplified. ST symptoms among ex-POWs' adult offspring are closely related to their father' PTSD and related depressive symptom comorbidity.

The aim of the present study was to examine the directionality of the association between post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) and attachment insecurities across time among indirect trauma survivors. Wives of former prisoners of war (ex-POWs), with and without post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and comparable controls were assessed 30 (T1) and 38 (T2) years after the Yom Kippur War. As expected, wives of ex-POWs endorsed higher PTSS compared to wives of controls. Wives of ex-POWs with PTSD endorsed higher PTSS and higher attachment avoidance compared to wives of ex-POWs without PTSD and controls. There were significant associations between PTSS and attachment insecurities. Contrary to the hypothesis, the relationship between PTSS and attachment insecurities among wives of ex-POWs was unidirectional, with attachment anxiety at T1 predicting PTSS at T2, and not vice versa. Results indicate that attachment anxiety might act as a risk factor for secondary traumatic reactions.

How infants shape their own development has puzzled developmentalists for decades. Recent models suggest that infant dispositions, particularly negative reactivity and regulation, affect outcome by determining the extent of parental effects. Here, we used a microanalytic experimental approach and proposed that infants with varying levels of negative reactivity will be differentially impacted by parent–infant synchrony in predicting physiological and behavioral regulation of increasing social stress during an experimental paradigm. One hundred and twenty-two mother–infant dyads (4–6 months) were observed in the face-to-face still face (SF) paradigm and randomly assigned to three experimental conditions: SF with touch, standard SF, and SF with arms’ restraint. Mother–infant synchrony and infant negative reactivity were observed at baseline, and three mechanisms of behavior regulation were microcoded; distress, disengagement, and social regulation. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia baseline, reactivity, and recovery were quantified. Structural equation modeling provided support for our hypothesis. For physiological regulation, infants high in negative reactivity receiving high mother–infant synchrony showed greater vagal withdrawal, which in turn predicted comparable levels of vagal recovery to that of nonreactive infants. In behavioral regulation, only infants low in negative reactivity who received high synchrony were able to regulate stress by employing social engagement cues during the SF phase. Distress was reduced only among calm infants to highly synchronous mothers, and disengagement was lowest among highly reactive infants experiencing high mother–infant synchrony. Findings chart two pathways by which synchrony may bolster regulation in infants of high and low reactivity. Among low reactive infants, synchrony builds a social repertoire for handling interpersonal stress, whereas in highly reactive infants, it constructs a platform for repeated reparation of momentary interactive “failures” and reduces the natural tendency of stressed infants to disengage from source of distress. Implications for the construction of synchrony-focused interventions targeting infants of varying dispositions are discussed.

The sharp rise in academic dishonesty is prompting increased concern in educational institutions. Based on the Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), we posited that frustration of the three basic psychological needs for autonomy (endorsing one's actions at the highest level of reflection), competence (feeling capable in one's pursuits), and relatedness (feelings of belonging and connection with others) underpins the likelihood of academic deception. We tested this hypothesis in two studies. Study 1 ( n = 121) utilized an experimental design in which need fulfillment was manipulated by providing different instructions about accomplishing a task to a sample of undergraduate students. Results showed that participants in the need-frustration condition were more likely to cheat, whereas those in the need-satisfaction condition were least likely to cheat. Those in the neutral condition scored in between the other two groups. In Study 2, we investigated whether autonomous motivation mediated the effect of need fulfillment on academic dishonesty in a sample of junior high school students ( n = 115). A mediation analysis showed that perceived need fulfillment in learning activities was positively associated with autonomous motivation, which, in turn, was inversely related to self-reported academic dishonesty. Implications for promoting needs-supportive educational strategies are discussed.

Two studies explored the role of parents' unconditional positive regard (UCPR) as perceived by adolescents and young adults in promoting the effectiveness of specific parenting practices that may support offspring's academic autonomous motivation. Study 1 tested the hypothesis that UCPR predicts rationale-giving and choice-provision practices and, at the same time, moderates their relations with adolescents' autonomous motivation. Study 2 replicated the association between UCPR and the parental practices, and further explored the role of parents' authenticity as an antecedent of UCPR and parental autonomy support. Study 1 included 125 adolescents and Study 2 considered 128 college-students and their mothers. The offspring reported on their perceptions of their mothers and on their autonomous motivation, and the mothers reported on their sense of authenticity. Both studies found consistent associations between UCPR and parenting practices that may support autonomous motivation. Moreover, Study 1 demonstrated that the rationale giving and choice provision were more strongly related to adolescents' autonomous motivation when adolescents perceived mothers as high on UCPR. Finally, Study 2 demonstrated that mothers' authenticity predicted UCPR, which in turn was related to autonomy-supportive parenting. Findings support the assumption that parents' autonomy-supportive practices are more effective when accompanied by UCPR.

Objective The primary purpose of diagnostic systems is to improve the care of individuals suffering from mental disorders. Yet, few studies have explored the clinical use of the DSM. Here, we investigated clinicians' methods of obtaining and using diagnostic information during the mental health intake session. We examined the specific diagnostic information collected in usual care using unstructured interviews and the way this information was applied to make diagnostic decisions within naturalistic settings. We compared these decisions to diagnoses made using independent structured diagnostic interviews that served as the gold standard for psychiatric diagnosis. Finally, we examined ways to improve diagnostic efficiency by identifying the best probes for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) in naturalistic settings. Method A total of 122 intake sessions in 4 community mental health clinics in Israel were audiotaped. Data were collected from October 2012 to April 2013. Immediately following the intake, clinicians listed the service user's diagnoses according to the DSM-IV while the service user completed a structured diagnostic interview with an independent interviewer. Recorded intake sessions were coded by independent clinicians using an information checklist. Results Overall, clinicians tended to underuse the DSM, not collecting sufficient information to establish a correct diagnosis for most disorders. Accuracy of diagnostic decisions for MDD improved when only 2 screener items (depressed mood and diminished interest or pleasure) were assessed, compared to assessing 5 or more criteria as required by DSM-IV (diagnostic odds ratios = 9.44 and 3.85, respectively). Conclusion The problem of missing diagnostic information may underlie the poor reliability of the clinical diagnostic decision process. Systematically evaluating clinicians' assessment process in regular care can help identify the best probes to use in clinical practice to increase diagnostic efficiency.

We investigated the association between the content of the information exchanged between clients and therapists during mental health intake and the quality of the therapeutic alliance. Thirty-eight therapists and 107 clients from four mental health clinics in Israel participated in the study. The content of information discussed was coded directly from the recorded intakes by blinded raters. Clients and therapists completed the Working Alliance Inventory immediately following the intake. Therapists spent the majority of intake time in collecting information about their clients' diagnostic symptoms and personal history and sociocultural background. Due to the high negative correlation between these factors, r(107) = -.68, p < .001, we created a measure of delta score with higher scores reflecting more discussion of personal history and sociocultural background and less discussion of diagnostic symptoms. We computed three-level hierarchical linear model analysis, with intakes nested within therapists and therapists nested within sites, to examine the association between the delta score and the working alliance, while controlling for intake duration. Results showed significant association between the delta score and clients' rating of the working alliance (γ200 = 0.014, p = .02), indicating that discussing more personal history and sociocultural background and less diagnostic symptoms was associated with better clients' rating of the working alliance. Therapists' rating of the working alliance was not significantly associated with the content of the information exchanged. The restricted intake time allocated to therapists dictates use of strategies to deal with time trade-offs to complete a thorough diagnostic assessment while allowing clients to tell their personal story.

Research on conditional positive regard (CPR) has shown that this seemingly benign practice has maladaptive correlates when used by parents. However, there is no research on the correlates of this practice in romantic relationships or on the processes mediating its effects. Building on self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000), three studies tested the hypothesis that perceived CPR impairs relationship quality, partly because it undermines the fulfillment of the basic psychological needs for autonomy and relatedness. Study 1 (N = 125) examined perceived CPR and relationship quality across four relationship targets: mother, father, romantic partner, and best friend. Study 2, involving romantic partners (N = 142), examined whether needs fulfillment mediated the association between perceived CPR and relationship quality. Study 3, involving romantic dyads (N = 85), also included partner reports on CPR. Across the three studies, CPR was linked with poor relationship quality between relationships, between people, and between dyadic partners. Moreover, results of Study 2 and Study 3 revealed that the inverse association between perceived CPR and relationship quality was mediated by dissatisfaction of autonomy but not relatedness. Despite its seemingly benign nature, CPR is detrimental to relationship quality, partly because it thwarts the basic need for autonomy.

While chronic early stress increases child susceptibility to psychopathology, risk and resilience trajectories are shaped by maternal social influences whose role requires much further research in longitudinal studies. We examined the social transmission of risk by assessing paths leading from war-exposure to child symptoms as mediated by 3 sources of maternal social influence; stress physiology, synchronous parenting, and psychiatric disorder. Mothers and children living in a zone of continuous war were assessed in early childhood (1.5-5 years) and the current study revisited families in late (9-11years) childhood (N = 177; N = 101 war-exposed; N = 76 controls). At both time-points, maternal and child's salivary cortisol (SC), social behavior, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms were assessed. In late childhood, hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) were also measured and mother and child underwent psychiatric diagnosis. The social transmission model was tested against 2 alternative models; 1 proposing direct impact of war on children without maternal mediation, the other predicting late-childhood symptoms from early childhood variables, not change trajectories. Path analysis controlling for early childhood variables supported our conceptual model. Whereas maternal psychopathology was directly linked with child symptoms, defining direct mediation, the impact of maternal stress hormones was indirect and passed through stress contagion mechanisms involving coupling between maternal and child's HCC and SC. Similarly, maternal synchrony linked with child social engagement as the pathway to reduced symptomatology. Findings underscore the critical role of maternal stress physiology, attuned behavior, and well-being in shaping child psychopathology amid adversity and specify direct and indirect paths by which mothers stand between war and the child. (PsycINFO Database Record

Objective We studied a recently conceptualized aspect of autonomy-support and suppression, not examined so far: Sensitivity to temperament dispositions. Based on self-determination theory, we hypothesized that, across cultures, disposition-frustrating decisions would have similar negative effects on adolescents' intrinsic motivation to participate in decision-related activities, and these negative effects would not be mitigated in collectivist-hierarchical cultures, when parents make the decision. Method In Study 1 (n = 570, mean age = 15.2 years), Bedouin and Jewish adolescents were presented with work modes frustrating or supporting their shyness and sociability dispositions. For example, in one frustrating work mode condition, shy participants expected to work with strangers. Then, participants indicated their intrinsic motivation to participate in the activities. Study 2 (n = 278 Bedouins and Jews, mean age = 14.9 years) was an experiment using self-report and projective measures, examining the effects of temperament-supporting versus frustrating work modes, ostensibly chosen by parents, on adolescents' intrinsic motivation to participate in relevant activities. Results Both studies showed that, across cultures, frustrating work modes had negative effects on participants' intrinsic motivation. These effects were not moderated by cultural background. Conclusions Results suggest that belonging to a collectivist Bedouin culture endorsing deference and obedience to parental authority does not mitigate the negative motivational effect of parents' temperament-insensitivity, and this type of autonomy-support is important across cultures.

Objectives Maternal postpartum depression symptoms (PDS) are linked with negative personal, family, and child developmental outcomes. However, paternal PDS, let alone dyadic process, are understudied. Grounded in the Self-Determination Theory of motivation, this longitudinal study examined whether mothers' and fathers' type of prenatal motivation to have a child predicted depression symptoms 3-6 months after birth. Method The data (N = 90 heterosexual couples) were analyzed using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results Dyadic analyses showed that a person's prenatal autonomous motivation to have a child significantly predicted own PDS and partner's PDS. Importantly, these finding were equivalent across genders. Conclusions The findings highlight the importance of dyadic prenatal motivational processes as antecedents of PDS.

Objective: Three studies explored the consequences of the self‐determination theory conception of integrative emotion regulation (IER; Ryan & Deci, 2017), which involves an interested stance toward emotions. Emotional, physiological, and cognitive consequences of IER were compared to the consequences of emotional distancing (ED), in relation to a fear‐eliciting film. Method: In Study 1, we manipulated emotion regulation by prompting students' (N = 90) IER and ED and also included a control group. Then we tested groups' defensive versus nondefensive emotional processing, coded from post‐film written texts. Study 2 (N = 90) and Study 3 (N = 135) used the same emotion regulation manipulations but exposed participants to the fear‐eliciting film twice, 72 hr apart, to examine each style's protection from adverse emotional, physiological, and cognitive costs at second exposure. Results: Participants who had been prompted to practice IER were expected to benefit more than participants in the ED and control groups at second exposure, as manifested in lower arousal and better cognitive capacity. Overall, results supported our hypotheses. Conclusions: The current studies provide some support for the assumption that in comparison to ED, taking interest in and accepting one's negative emotions are linked with less defensive processing of negative experiences and with better functioning.