Claudia Menne-Lothmann1, Jeroen Decoster1,2, Ruud van Winkel1,2, Dina Collip1, Bart P F Rutten1, Philippe Delespaul1, Marc De Hert2, Catherine Derom3,4, Evert Thiery5, Nele Jacobs1,6, Jim van Os1,7, Marieke Wichers1,8. 1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands. 2. University Psychiatric Centre KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 3. Centre of Human Genetics, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 4. Department of Human Genetics, KU Leuven, Belgium. 5. Department of Neurology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 6. Faculty of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, The Netherlands. 7. Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, King's Health Partners, London, United Kingdom. 8. Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Centre of Groningen, Groningen University, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Negative social evaluation is associated with psychopathology. Given the frequency of evaluation through increasingly prevalent virtual social networks, increased understanding of the effects of this social evaluation is urgently required. METHODS: A new digital social peer evaluation experiment (digi-SPEE) was developed to mimic everyday online social interactions between peers. Participants received mildly negative feedback on their appearance, intelligence, and congeniality. Two hundred and forty-one young people [58.9% female, aged 18.9 years (15 to 34)] from an ongoing novel general population twin study participated in this study. Positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), implicit self-esteem, and cortisol were assessed before and after exposure to the social evaluation experiment. RESULTS: The social evaluation experiment decreased PA (B=-5.25, p<.001) and implicit self-esteem (B=-.19; p<.001), whereas it increased NA (B=5.99; p<.001) and cortisol levels (B=.07; p<.001). Females (PA: B=-7.62; p<.001; NA: B=8.28; p<.001) and participants with higher levels of general psychological distress (PA: B=-.04, p=.035; NA: B=.06; p=.028) showed stronger affective responses. Stressor-induced cortisol increase was stronger in adolescents under the age of 18 than in participants 18 years and older (B=-.06, p=.002). CONCLUSION: The digi-SPEE represents a social evaluation stressor that elicits biological and implicit and explicit mental changes that are relevant to mechanisms of psychopathology.
INTRODUCTION: Negative social evaluation is associated with psychopathology. Given the frequency of evaluation through increasingly prevalent virtual social networks, increased understanding of the effects of this social evaluation is urgently required. METHODS: A new digital social peer evaluation experiment (digi-SPEE) was developed to mimic everyday online social interactions between peers. Participants received mildly negative feedback on their appearance, intelligence, and congeniality. Two hundred and forty-one young people [58.9% female, aged 18.9 years (15 to 34)] from an ongoing novel general population twin study participated in this study. Positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), implicit self-esteem, and cortisol were assessed before and after exposure to the social evaluation experiment. RESULTS: The social evaluation experiment decreased PA (B=-5.25, p<.001) and implicit self-esteem (B=-.19; p<.001), whereas it increased NA (B=5.99; p<.001) and cortisol levels (B=.07; p<.001). Females (PA: B=-7.62; p<.001; NA: B=8.28; p<.001) and participants with higher levels of general psychological distress (PA: B=-.04, p=.035; NA: B=.06; p=.028) showed stronger affective responses. Stressor-induced cortisol increase was stronger in adolescents under the age of 18 than in participants 18 years and older (B=-.06, p=.002). CONCLUSION: The digi-SPEE represents a social evaluation stressor that elicits biological and implicit and explicit mental changes that are relevant to mechanisms of psychopathology.
Entities:
Keywords:
Social evaluation; cortisol; experimental design; psychological stress; psychopathology; risk
Authors: Sanne H Booij; Esther M C Bouma; Peter de Jonge; Johan Ormel; Albertine J Oldehinkel Journal: Psychoneuroendocrinology Date: 2012-09-08 Impact factor: 4.905
Authors: Zach J Gray; Grant S Shields; Stassja Sichko; Theresa Q Bui; Meghan Vinograd; Hector A Olvera-Alvarez; George M Slavich Journal: Compr Psychoneuroendocrinol Date: 2022-06-16
Authors: Lotta-Katrin Pries; Sinan Guloksuz; Claudia Menne-Lothmann; Jeroen Decoster; Ruud van Winkel; Dina Collip; Philippe Delespaul; Marc De Hert; Catherine Derom; Evert Thiery; Nele Jacobs; Marieke Wichers; Claudia J P Simons; Bart P F Rutten; Jim van Os Journal: PLoS One Date: 2017-08-23 Impact factor: 3.240