Aims:Parental rearing behavior has long been recognized as a crucial etiological factor contributing to the vulnerability of psychopathology. Clinical researchers have devoted considerable attention to this subject. In pursuit of this objective, it is vital to have efficient instruments able to assess remembered parental rearing behavior within clinical practice. The aim of this study was to conduct a new psychometric evaluation of the German instrument known as the "Fragebogen zum Erinnerten Elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten (FEE)," designed for the assessment of recalled parental rearing behavior. A recently collected representative dataset was used. Methods:This questionnaire was psychometrically evaluated in a representative sample of the general population (N = 2,373) in Germany which included 50.5% women and 49.5% men with a mean age of M = 49.3 (SD = 17.5, range = 14-95). Results:Fathers were rated higher in rejection and punishment, and mothers were rated higher in emotional warmth with low to medium effect sizes. Men reported higher values of rejection and punishment and lower values of emotional warmth in the father version than women. Living in a city goes along with more rejection and punishment as well as more control and overprotection compared to people from rural areas, but effect sizes were small. Reliability indices were high in the first two scales and acceptable in the scale of control and overprotection. Divergent validity was shown by expected correlations with other health-related variables. The three-dimensional structure of the FEE and the measurement invariance regarding gender and age was confirmed by confirmatory factor analyses. Norm values are presented as percent rank scores. Conclusion:The FEE represents a dependable and valid tool suitable for use in clinical practice. Our data established a connection between remembered parental rearing behavior, life satisfaction, and interpersonal issues, in accordance with existing literature. We also tackled certain challenges related to the retrospective evaluation of parental rearing behavior.

Using representative survey data from Germany, this paper investigates the association and conditionalities between perceived social grievances, namely social marginalization and loneliness, and antifeminist attitudes. We find that both grievances are positively associated with anti-feminist sentiment. Exploring effect heterogeneity, we find that the associations are slightly stronger for men, but these differences are minimal in substantive terms. However, using a three-way interaction model, we find that financial dissatisfaction can compensate for some of the negative associations between marginalization as well as loneliness with anti-feminist attitudes for men; the opposite is the case for women. Arguing from an identity threat theory perspective, the study shows how gender plays an incremental role in how the perceived personal situation exerts an influence on gender related attitudes. Therefore, our study contributes to our understanding of how perceived grievances interact with socio-demographic characteristics and how this interplay potentially increases anti-feminist attitudes.

Racial discrimination is a global issue that affects both physical and mental health. However, a comparative study looking at how racial discrimination is assessed in studies focusing on the effect of racial discrimination on overall health is lacking. This systematic review aimed to compare and describe the most commonly used racial discrimination assessment tools and the connection between racial discrimination and overall health. The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA-P guidelines and checklist. A total of 70 studies were identified as eligible for inclusion. The methodological quality of the reviewed studies was assessed using an adapted version of the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for cross-sectional studies and varied considerably across studies. Most studies were conducted in the USA with only five studies examining European samples. Within these European studies, ethnicity or race was not examined in relation to racial discrimination, but rather in the context of migration and minority status. Longitudinal designs, the use of standardized and validated instruments, and data from national or health-related surveys were rare. Nearly all studies reported positive associations between racial discrimination and adverse health outcomes. Overall, the review suggests that racial discrimination as a health risk has received little attention in European research and is predominantly discussed in the context of migration and integration. The findings further underscore the necessity of including quantitative assessments of racism, using validated questionnaires as an integral part of national and health-related surveys to better understand the significance of racial discrimination for health and obtain representative results that allow meaningful comparisons.

The Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) is a well-established instrument for assessing dental anxiety. While numerous cross-sectional studies have examined the DAS, longitudinal research investigating age-related changes, reliability, validity over time, associations with mental and physical health, and demographic determinants remains limited. Furthermore, the possibility of longitudinal changes in its factor structure has received limited attention. In 2013/2014, N = 329 German adults (53.6

Perceived stress is a construct of crucial importance to health and well-being, necessitating the provision of economic, psychometrically sound instruments to assess it in routine clinical practice and large-scale survey studies. Two competing short versions of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), each consisting of four items, have been proposed. In the present study, we compare the two in a sample representative of the German general population (n = 2,527). Our analyses show that both versions are sufficiently reliable and valid, given the right measurement model. Specifically, the original PSS-4 by Cohen et al. suffers from response style effects, which we remedied using random intercept factor analysis. With the addition of the method factor, it is a highly reliable and valid scale. The PSS-2&2 by Schäfer et al. is more complex in its interpretation since it is split into two facets which cannot be summarized into a single score. Specifically, the Helplessness subscale correlates with related constructs very similar to the original unifactorial model but its reliability is lackluster. In contrast, the Self-Efficacy subscale is reliable but diverges in terms of its correlational pattern. In sum, both versions can be recommended for research designs in need of a brief measure of stress and offer unique contributions.

IntroductionMaintaining trust in social institutions is a critical challenge for Western democracies. We examine the role of psychotherapy on institutional trust in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR; now: New Federal States of Germany) which used open and covert methods to keep opposition members under control.MethodsThe study with n = 1,805 individuals who were born and socialized in the former GDR (i.e., born before 1980) was conducted in 2022. Logistic regression models to predict a person’s probability of psychotherapy use after the system change from the GDR to the New Federal States of Germany were built using a basic model derived from the literature with predictor variables such as gender and education. This model was extended by experiences of repression. In a second analysis, linear regression models to predict institutional trust were analyzed following a similar strategy with the addition of psychotherapy experience as a predictor.ResultsReporting repression in the GDR (44% of the total sample) was related to a higher probability of psychotherapy use. In the group who reported personally experienced repression (15% of the total sample), psychotherapy appeared to be relevant for higher levels of institutional trust.DiscussionPsychotherapy might have the potential to help regaining institutional trust after a system change. Psychotherapists should consider that patients who experienced (post-)socialism were commonly affected by repression and might show less institutional trust including the healthcare system. Furthermore, this study revealed an estimation of the occurrence of repression in a representative sample in the former GDR.

Most research on adults’ vulnerability to loneliness during the pandemic has been of limited quality. This study aimed to overcome previous limitations by examining loneliness trajectories in German adults from a population-based cohort during the pandemic using face-to-face assessment, identifying risk factors and highlighting those particularly relevant to older adults. Analyses included two measurement points before and two during the pandemic, combining data from the population-based Gutenberg Health Study and COVID-19 Study ( N = 7001; baseline: M age = 51.72, SD age = 10.04). Growth mixture models identified distinct loneliness trajectories. Factors associated with these trajectories were tested by a multinomial logistic regression model including sociodemographic, individual, and pandemic-related predictors and interactions with age. Overall, mean loneliness increased. Three distinct classes were identified: No Loneliness (59.3%), Onset (23.3%), and Temporary Increase (17.4%). In comparison to No Loneliness, Onset was associated with reduction in social contact during the pandemic and Temporary Increase with sex, high school degree, pre-pandemic depression symptoms, pandemic-related stressors and social support. No unique risk factors for older adults were found. Interventions that strengthen one’s adaptability to (acute) stressors and promote social resources with special attention to women may be a promising way to prevent loneliness during the pandemic.

Dependency and self-criticism are two dimensions of personality vulnerability to depression, whereas efficacy is a dimension of personality resilience. The aim of this study was to examine the unique role of these personality dimensions in adaptation following a diagnosis of breast cancer, while controlling for the potentially confounding role of symptoms of depression and anxiety. Three adaptation outcomes were examined: Functioning, symptomatic load, and fatigue. Patients residing in Germany, diagnosed with breast cancer and comorbid depression, participated in a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) testing Supportive-Expressive Psychodynamic Psychotherapy (SEP; N = 78)) versus Treatment as Usual (TAU; N = 79). Assessments were made pre-treatment, at termination, and at 6-month follow-up. Analyses were conducted via General Linear Modelling (GLM). Pretreatment self-criticism prospectively predicted a rank-order decrease in functioning and a rank order increase in symptomatic load and fatigue. Dependency predicted an increase in breast symptoms. No effects were found for efficacy. Self-criticism may complicate adaptation to breast cancer. Implications for early detection and illness management are discussed.

Elterliches Erziehungsverhalten ist ein wesentlicher Sozialisations- und Vulnerabilitätsfaktor. Basierend auf zwei Repräsentativerhebungen wird untersucht, wie sich das Erinnerte Elterliche Erziehungsverhalten von Vätern und Müttern in Deutschland im Vergleich der Jahre 1994 und 2020, in den östlichen und westlichen Bundesländern aus Sicht von Frauen und Männern unterscheidet. Der Fragebogen zum Erinnerten Elterlichen Erziehungsverhalten (FEE) wurde mit Hilfe von ANOVAs bei Teilnehmenden der Repräsentativerhebungen der Jahre 1994 (N=2948) und 2020 (N=2503) im Alter zwischen 14 und 92 Jahren hinsichtlich Erhebungszeitpunkt, Ost-West Unterschieden, Geschlecht und Lebensalter verglichen. Entsprechend den Hypothesen wurde väterliches und mütterliches Erziehungsverhalten 2020 in Deutschland als weniger strafend und wärmer erinnert als 1994. Das Erziehungsverhalten von Vätern und Müttern wurde im Osten durchgängig weniger strafend und wärmer eingeschätzt als im Westen. Väterliche Überprotektion wurde 1994 im Westen stärker erinnert als im Osten; hier kam es wie bei der erinnerten Wärme 2020 zur Angleichung der beiden Regionen. Wie in vorangegangenen Untersuchungen erinnerten Söhne ihre Väter in Ost und West als strafender und weniger warm als Töchter; Töchter erinnerten ihre Mütter nur marginal wärmer als Söhne. Ältere Teilnehmer:innen erinnerten elterliches Erziehungsverhalten durchweg negativer als jüngere. In der 2. Erhebung waren Einschätzungen der älteren Kohorten durchweg positiver als in der früheren Erhebung mit vergleichbaren Alterskohorten. Die Ergebnisse werden im Hinblick auf den Einfluss von soziokulturellen Merkmalen auf Erinnertes Elterliches Erziehungsverhalten unter Kohorten- und Altersaspekten (z. B. Konvergenz der soziokulturellen Unterschiede in Ost und West, Geschlechtsrollen, veränderte Erinnerungen) diskutiert. Vor dem Hintergrund der robusten Assoziationen mit psychischen Erkrankungen sind positive Erinnerungen an elterliches Erziehungsverhalten als positive innerpsychische Ressource zu betrachten, die auch vielfältige soziokulturelle Einflüsse und Veränderungen widerspiegelt.

Background This study examines 1) loneliness frequency in individuals with diabetes, 2) associated factors, and 3) personality functioning and the epistemic stance as underlying mechanisms linking childhood abuse and neglect, and loneliness. Methods Using representative population data (N = 2428), loneliness (UCLA-LS) was assessed in individuals with self-reported diabetes (n = 206) and compared to those without. Regression analyses tested age, sex, relationship status, childhood abuse and neglect (ICAST-R), depression and anxiety (PHQ-4), personality functioning (OPD-SQS), and the epistemic stance (ETMCQ-12) as predictors. Structural equation modeling (SEM) investigated personality functioning and the epistemic stance as mediators between childhood abuse and neglect, and loneliness. Results In the total sample, 12.4 % reported loneliness, and loneliness was more frequent in individuals with diabetes (24.8 %) than those without (11.3 %). Higher loneliness was linked to being single, greater depression and anxiety symptoms, and impaired personality functioning. While childhood abuse and neglect were initially associated with loneliness, this became nonsignificant when personality functioning was included as a mediator, increasing the explained variance from 3.4 % to 42.0 %. Conclusions Nearly a quarter of individuals with diabetes experience loneliness, particularly linked to emotional abuse. Impaired personality functioning, associated with interpersonal difficulties, appears as a shared mechanism for diabetes and loneliness. Considering loneliness and impairments in personality functioning might be highly important in research and clinical practice.

We aimed to investigate (1) if trainee therapists differ from controls regarding childhood maltreatment and adult attachment and (2) if there are associations between childhood maltreatment, adult attachment and the alliance bond capacity. To answer the 1st question, a sample of 134 trainees and psychology students was matched to population-representative controls (CTQ: N = 2504, ECR-S: N = 2555) and compared on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR-S). For the 2nd question, the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills task was used to measure trainees' alliance bond capacity. Regression analysis was performed with age, gender, training status, CTQ and ECR-S scales as potential predictors. We found that psychology students and trainees reported more childhood emotional abuse (t = -6.268; p < 0.001), but less physical neglect (t = 2.927; p = 0.004), a lower tendency to minimize or deny adverse experiences (t = 5.415; p < 0.001) and less attachment avoidance (t = 3.048, p = 0.003) than controls. The alliance bond capacity was predicted by greater therapeutic experience (students vs. trainee, beta = -0.284, p = 0.003; with vs. without licence to practise, beta = -0.218, p = 0.025) and greater childhood physical abuse (beta = 0.200, p = 0.035). Our results emphasize addressing therapists' personal wounds. The potential beneficial effects, suggested by the positive association between physical abuse and alliance bond capacity, require further investigation and replication.

BACKGROUND:The Patient Health Questionnaire stress scale (PHQ stress) is a brief 10-item measure of psychosocial stressors, including work, health, relationship, and financial concerns. This study examines changes in psychosocial stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluates the scale's temporal stability and measurement invariance. METHODS:Longitudinal population-based data (N = 4412) were collected at three time points during the pandemic (baseline, 4 months later, and 1.5 years after baseline). Internal consistency was assessed using McDonald's omega, and temporal stability via Pearson correlations. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to verify the unidimensional factor structure. A sensitivity analysis included pre-pandemic data (1.5 years before baseline). RESULTS:PHQ stress scores increased across the four time points. Internal consistency remained acceptable (ω = 0.77-0.79), with moderate temporal stability (r = 0.631-0.697). CFA supported a stable one-factor structure (CFI = 0.947, TLI = 0.932, RMSEA = 0.048, SRMR = 0.047). CONCLUSION:The PHQ stress scale demonstrated adequate reliability and temporal stability in a longitudinal context. It effectively captured variations in stress influenced by major external events such as the pandemic and economic inflation.

The current study aimed to provide further evidence of the structural validity of the 16-item-short version of the Profile of Mood States (POMS), a widely-used tool for assessing an individual's emotional state. This is significant for various research inquiries in clinical and social psychology. In order to cross-validate previous findings, an additional evaluation of the factorial structure and the psychometric properties is necessary in a newly collected dataset. A representative sample for age and gender of N = 2503 with 1329 (53%) female, 1173 (47%) male, and 1 (< 1%) diverse, with a mean age of M = 46 (SD = 18) was collected. The model fit for the four-factor model was acceptable, with good reliability for all factors. We found evidence for (partial) strict invariance between gender and age groups. There were small to moderate group differences for the Anger and Vigor subscales regarding age. We report normative percentile ranks. Our findings suggest that the POMS-16 is a dependable and structurally valid gauge of mood states. Especially in situations where a brief and cost-effective assessment is preferred, the POMS-16 should be a considered option.

PURPOSE:Cancer patients have an elevated risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior (STBs). Therefore, healthcare professionals (HCPs) caring for them have a central role as gatekeepers in suicide prevention. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in whether and how they address patients' suicidality in practice. This study explored these variations, and the relevance of training. METHODS:An online survey was conducted among 228 oncology HCPs from several professions. The study examined sociodemographic differences in key variables (subjective knowledge, confidence, being emotionally overwhelmed, perceived control, self-efficacy, stigmatization) along with previous participation in and need for further training, routine exploration of STBs, and their interrelations. A Latent-Class Analysis (LCA) examined associations between HCPs' reports surrounding the active exploration of suicidality and their personal characteristics. A qualitative content analysis identified content recommendations. RESULTS:The majority of HCPs (81 %) reported a need for further training. Differences were found based on sociodemographic characteristics and profession. Previous participation in training was indirectly related to routine exploration through confidence and subjective knowledge. Self-efficacy statistically predicted less reported need for further training. The LCA identified three classes: (1) high exploration with low knowledge/confidence, (2) high exploration with high knowledge/confidence, and (3) less exploration with high knowledge/confidence. Participants also reported preferred training characteristics and content. CONCLUSIONS:The findings underscore the need to include all cancer care professionals in suicide prevention training. Training should enhance confidence as well as evidence-based knowledge, and evaluate both. Actual clinical behavior such as the routine exploration of STBs is a crucial outcome in real-world practice.

The main objective of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Oslo Social Support Scale (OSSS-3) and establish detailed normative values for older adults aged between 60 and 85 years. The representative sample analyzed consists of German residents aged between 60 and 85 living in private households (N = 1659). The analysis of the psychometric properties of the OSSS-3 involved reliability and validity testing as well as an EFA and a CFA. We provide age-specific normative data for the OSSS-3 for the German population aged between 60 and 85. The EFA resulted in a one-factor model for OSSS-3, and the CFA confirmed that this model fits the data well. In accordance with previous studies on this topic, we found that the OSSS-3 is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing perceived levels of social support among older adults. The generated percentile norms allow the direct comparison of individual scores of older adults on the OSSS-3 to an age-corresponding reference sample. Exploring the levels of perceived social support among older adults is important, given the low levels of perceived social support experienced by approximately 25% of older adults in Germany. The risk factors for social isolation and its consequences for the mental and physical health of older adults are discussed. If the population continues to age as expected, an even greater number of older adults in the future could face low levels of perceived social support.

BACKGROUND:Beliefs about stress significantly influence health outcomes. Reliable, economical scales are essential for assessing these beliefs to foster understanding on mechanisms by which stress mindsets affect health outcomes. Such understanding can inform interventions promoting adaptive stress perceptions and reducing chronic stress-related health risks. METHOD:This study assessed the Beliefs About Stress Scale (BASS) in a representative German sample (N = 2515). We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate factorial validity and tested measurement invariance was tested across demographics, and the BASS's associations with related constructs were analyzed for convergent and discriminant validity. RESULTS:The BASS demonstrated strong factorial validity, with a bifactor model offering superior fit to the three-factor structure. Measurement invariance analyses confirmed stability across demographics, though minor age-specific adjustments may improve interpretability. Positive beliefs about stress controllability and benefits were associated with healthier psychological outcomes, whereas negative stress beliefs linked to poorer mental health, underscoring the value of a "stress-is-enhancing" mindset. Normative data enhance the BASS's applicability in both research and clinical settings. CONCLUSION:The BASS exhibits robust validity and reliability, making it suitable for population-level applications and comparisons between groups. By clarifying the influence of stress mindsets on stress regulation, the BASS supports the development of mindset-based interventions that promote adaptive stress perceptions and help mitigate chronic stress risks.

OBJECTIVE:Research on social support, attachment insecurity, and negative affect in night eating syndrome (NES) is sparse, although these factors have been proposed as key components of etiological models in other eating disorders. This study investigated whether individuals with night eating (NE) symptoms reported lower social support, greater attachment insecurity, and increased negative affect compared to those without, and examined if negative affect mediated the relationship between interpersonal problems (lack of social support, attachment insecurity) and NE symptoms. METHOD:A representative German population sample of 2423 participants (1297 women, 53.5%) aged between 18 and 92 years completed the Night Eating Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) analyzed differences between individuals with vs. without NE symptoms in social support, attachment insecurity, and negative affect. Mediation analyses examined cross-sectionally negative affect as a mediator on the relationship between interpersonal problems (lacking social support and attachment insecurity) and NE symptoms. RESULTS:Individuals with NE symptoms reported lower social support (less than small effect), more insecure attachment (small effect), and greater negative affect (small effect) than those without NE symptoms. Negative affect mediated the associations between social support or attachment insecurity and NE symptoms (small effect). All results remained significant after controlling for BMI. DISCUSSION:Given elevated interpersonal problems and negative affect in individuals with vs. without NE symptoms, and the evidence of cross-sectional applicability of the interpersonal model to NES, longitudinal research should examine this mediational effect and investigate interpersonal problems and negative affect as potential risk or maintaining factors of NES.

Subjective feelings of inner emptiness represent a transdiagnostic phenomenon that plays a major role in clinical practice, but has so far been insufficiently addressed by psychometrics. The recently developed Subjective Emptiness Scale (SES) is a user-friendly measure that fills this gap. In this study, the German version of the SES was psychometrically evaluated in a rather large general population sample.Respondents from a sample representative of the German general population (N=2508) completed the SES and other instruments to measure psychological distress. The eval-uation included a confirmatory factor analysis, calculation of test statistics (e. g., item-total correlations, internal consistency) and correlation analyses of the sum score with sociodemographic and clinical variables. In addition, age- and gender-specific norm values were determined in the form of T-values.The SES demonstrated a unidimensional factor structure with good model fit (CFI=0.999; TLI=0.998) and excellent internal consistency (McDonald's ω=0.92). Corrected item-total correlation was above 0.75 in all instances. Significant positive correlations of the sum score were found with depression and anxiety symptoms, providing evidence for criterion validity. Normative T-scores were established for age groups and gender; an SES value of 11 can be considered to be markedly increased (T70).The German version of the SES proves to be a reliable and potentially valid instrument for measuring subjective emptiness. For a further analysis of its clinical applicability and the definition of clinically relevant threshold values, studies in clinical samples are required.