Ego-resiliency Moderates the Risk of Depression and Social Anxiety Symptoms on Suicidal Ideation in Medical Students

BackgroundLittle is known about the role of protective factors in suicidal ideation among medical students. This study aimed to examine the association between suicidal ideation and protective (self-esteem/ego-resiliency/social support) and risk (depression/social anxiety) factors.MethodsData on sociodemographic factors, depression, social anxiety, self-esteem, ego-resiliency, social support, and current suicidal ideation were collected from 408 medical students. A logistic regression model was constructed to identify the independent impact of potential influencing factors on suicidal ideation. Potential moderating effects were also explored.ResultsThirty-eight participants (9.3%) reported experiencing suicidal ideation. Younger age, higher levels of depression, social anxiety, and lower levels of self-esteem, ego-resiliency, and social support were found to be significantly correlated with suicidal ideation. In the final model, higher levels of depression and social anxiety were associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation, while higher levels of self-esteem and social support were associated with a decreased risk of suicidal ideation. Although the independent effect was not significant, the interactions of ego-resiliency with both depression and social anxiety on suicidal ideation were significant. Higher levels of ego-resiliency acted as a buffer against suicidal ideation among those with higher levels of depression or social anxiety.ConclusionsIn addition to risk factors, this study revealed the underlying protective and moderating factors of suicidal ideation among medical students. Mental health programs focusing on enhancing ego-resiliency, self-esteem, and social support may contribute to suicide prevention in medical students.

A typological investigation of personality: Trait expression as a coordinated system of self-regulatory functioning

<p>Many researchers contend that the intra-individual configuration of multiple traits, as compared to isolated trait dimensions, more effectively capture personality functioning at the level of the individual. Moreover, it is argued that by identifying subsets of individuals with similar trait-profiles, we can shed light on the generative mechanisms that underlie the expression and functioning of personality. Notably, self-regulatory systems of ego-resiliency and ego-control, as developed by Block and Block, comprise a valuable theoretical foundation for the development and interpretation of personality types. However, much of the literature on this topic is theoretically ambiguous, and is afflicted with inconsistent empirical outcomes across studies. The focus of the present thesis is to advance the empirical assessment and theoretical interpretability of personality profiles. More particularly, comparisons between three and four profile solutions are at the core of the current investigations. These competing models reflect differing interpretations of ego-domains; the three profile model embodies a proposed curvilinear relationship between the two constructs, whereas the four profile model emphasises the roles of ego-resiliency and ego-control as distinct mechanisms with unique outcomes. In Study 1, Latent Profile and Latent Transition Analyses were conducted using the Six-Factor Model of personality. Three and four profile solutions were developed and compared using measures of model fit, profile interpretability, longitudinal stability, and predictive ability. In Study 2, the replicability of both solutions when using the Five-Factor Model was examined, along with the comparative value of the Six- as opposed to Five-Factor Model in profile identification. Finally, in Study 3, the interpretability of the four profile solution as reflecting differentiated domains of ego-functioning was assessed using established measures of ego-resiliency and ego-control. Across all three studies, profiles were considered using a novel approach utilising both continuous and categorical methodologies. Rather than treating profiles as entirely discrete groupings of personality functioning, the present investigation considers convergence with prototypical profiles in terms of degree. The current findings provide support for the four profile solution as a more coherent and theoretically validated model as compared to the three profile solution. Specifically, although both solutions demonstrated good fit and longitudinal stability, the four profile solution was associated with more theoretically interpretable outcomes. These findings were consistent when using both the Six- as well as Five-Factor Model of personality; however, omission of the sixth trait resulted in a reduction in profile precision and explanatory power. Finally, in Study 3, selected exemplars of the four profile solution converged onto theoretically consistent domains of high/low ego-resiliency and ego-control. Block and Block’s model of ego-resiliency and ego-control provides a clear unifying framework for the intra-individual structuring of a four profile configuration of traits. Ego-constructs are flexible self-regulatory mechanisms that develop through reciprocal person-environmental transactions. The current results are therefore suggestive of a hierarchical relationship between ego-domains and personality traits, whereby traits form the basic parameters of a dynamic self-regulatory system. Moreover, the combination of continuous and categorical methodologies presently used strengthens the conclusions and arguments in this thesis.</p>

A typological investigation of personality: Trait expression as a coordinated system of self-regulatory functioning

<p>Many researchers contend that the intra-individual configuration of multiple traits, as compared to isolated trait dimensions, more effectively capture personality functioning at the level of the individual. Moreover, it is argued that by identifying subsets of individuals with similar trait-profiles, we can shed light on the generative mechanisms that underlie the expression and functioning of personality. Notably, self-regulatory systems of ego-resiliency and ego-control, as developed by Block and Block, comprise a valuable theoretical foundation for the development and interpretation of personality types. However, much of the literature on this topic is theoretically ambiguous, and is afflicted with inconsistent empirical outcomes across studies. The focus of the present thesis is to advance the empirical assessment and theoretical interpretability of personality profiles. More particularly, comparisons between three and four profile solutions are at the core of the current investigations. These competing models reflect differing interpretations of ego-domains; the three profile model embodies a proposed curvilinear relationship between the two constructs, whereas the four profile model emphasises the roles of ego-resiliency and ego-control as distinct mechanisms with unique outcomes. In Study 1, Latent Profile and Latent Transition Analyses were conducted using the Six-Factor Model of personality. Three and four profile solutions were developed and compared using measures of model fit, profile interpretability, longitudinal stability, and predictive ability. In Study 2, the replicability of both solutions when using the Five-Factor Model was examined, along with the comparative value of the Six- as opposed to Five-Factor Model in profile identification. Finally, in Study 3, the interpretability of the four profile solution as reflecting differentiated domains of ego-functioning was assessed using established measures of ego-resiliency and ego-control. Across all three studies, profiles were considered using a novel approach utilising both continuous and categorical methodologies. Rather than treating profiles as entirely discrete groupings of personality functioning, the present investigation considers convergence with prototypical profiles in terms of degree. The current findings provide support for the four profile solution as a more coherent and theoretically validated model as compared to the three profile solution. Specifically, although both solutions demonstrated good fit and longitudinal stability, the four profile solution was associated with more theoretically interpretable outcomes. These findings were consistent when using both the Six- as well as Five-Factor Model of personality; however, omission of the sixth trait resulted in a reduction in profile precision and explanatory power. Finally, in Study 3, selected exemplars of the four profile solution converged onto theoretically consistent domains of high/low ego-resiliency and ego-control. Block and Block’s model of ego-resiliency and ego-control provides a clear unifying framework for the intra-individual structuring of a four profile configuration of traits. Ego-constructs are flexible self-regulatory mechanisms that develop through reciprocal person-environmental transactions. The current results are therefore suggestive of a hierarchical relationship between ego-domains and personality traits, whereby traits form the basic parameters of a dynamic self-regulatory system. Moreover, the combination of continuous and categorical methodologies presently used strengthens the conclusions and arguments in this thesis.</p>

The General Factor of Personality as Ego-Resiliency

It was originally hypothesized by Block that what has come to be known as the General Factor of Personality (GFP) reflects ego-resiliency. We test Block’s hypothesis in two studies. In Study 1 a meta-analysis (N = 15,609) examining the relationship between the GFP and ego-resiliency/resilience was conducted. In Study 2 (N = 157) archival data from Block and Block was used to examine the association between rater judged ego-resiliency across childhood, adolescence, and into early adulthood and the GFP based on self-report in early adulthood. Using structural equation modeling for the meta-analytic data, the correlation between the GFP and ego-resiliency/resilience was estimated at r = 0.93. Using a trait-state occasion model to test the hypothesis in Study 2, the correlation between the GFP and rated ego-resiliency was estimated at r = 0.85. The results of the two studies offer substantial support for Block’s original hypothesis. Given the strength of the associations between the GFP and ego-resiliency/resilience one may conclude that the two constructs largely reflect the same underlying phenomenon.

Relationship between self-assessed health and life satisfaction in older adults: the moderating role of ego-resiliency

The present study was focused on the relationship between the subjective assessment of physical health and satisfaction with life (SWL) in older adults. The relationship itself was found in previous studies, but we postulated that it is moderated by ego-resiliency (ER). To verify this hypothesis, 124 Polish participants aged between 60 and 89 (mean = 71.72, standard deviation = 7.08) were asked to complete questionnaire measures of: self-assessed health (SAH; measured with seven items from the World Health Organization Quality of Life WHOQOL-BREF assessment), SWL (measured with the Satisfaction with Life Scale) and ER (measured with the Ego-Resiliency Scale ER89). The results confirmed the moderating role of ER by showing that the relationship between SAH and SWL was statistically significant only when ER was high or moderate, while there was no relationship for participants with low ER. To interpret these results, we postulate that ego-resilient older adults are more accurate in the assessment of health, i.e. their SAH reflects the objective condition more closely, which strengthens the relationship between SAH and wellbeing. ER is thus conceived as an important psychological resource that promotes the accuracy of SAH and, consequently, makes it a more robust predictor of SWL. We hypothesise that this is based on the positive relationship between ER and wisdom in older adults.

Sense of Coherence and Ego-Resiliency as Predictors of Maladaptive Coping Among Juveniles With Different Levels of Delinquency

The purpose of the study is to determine the role of the sense of coherence and ego-resiliency as buffers for maladaptive coping among juveniles with different levels of delinquency. The study included 561 juveniles referred by a family court to youth education or probation centers throughout Poland. We used SEM to search for relations between variables and the critical ratio test for differences between groups. The results demonstrate that in both groups, the relationships between the components of the sense of coherence and the emotional style were negative. In both groups, the sense of comprehensibility was significantly associated with the search for social contacts. The impact of ego-resiliency on social-diversion coping was significantly stronger for the group with high compared with low demoralization. The study demonstrate that juveniles with a high degree of delinquency are more prone to emotion-oriented coping. Both groups of juveniles use two types of avoidance style to a similar extent. The results show that the stronger the sense of coherence, the less often juveniles cope with stress by reducing emotional tension and by escaping into substitute activities. Furthermore, our findings reveal the dark side of ego-resiliency.

Ego-resiliency and life satisfaction in individuals with alcohol dependence

Background: Life satisfaction is a potentially important health-promoting factor for individuals with alcohol dependence. Addictions are often associated with a decrease in the quality of life due to multiple dysfunctions in the dimensions of health, family and work. Ego-resiliency is believed to be one of factors that contribute to life satisfaction and, consequently, motivation to undergo therapy and resume satisfactory social roles. Aim: The aim of the study was to identify relationships between resiliency and life satisfaction in alcohol-dependent individuals, as well as to assess the determinants of satisfaction in the context of resiliency components. Materials and methods: A total of 100 adults participated in the study: 60 alcoholdependent patients (Cloninger’s type II alcoholism) and 40 healthy controls. The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) by Diener et al. was used to measure life satisfaction, and the Ego-Resiliency Scale, referred to as ER89-R12 (Block and Kremen), was used for resiliency. Pearson’s r correlation coefficient, multiple regression and Student’s t-test were used in the statistical analyses. Results: Ego-resiliency is positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.333; p < 0.01). Optimal regulation (β = 0.452; p < 0.05), which is one of the components of resiliency, is particularly likely to have a beneficial effect on shaping like satisfaction in alcohol-dependent individuals. Conclusions: Ego-resiliency is positively correlated with life satisfaction. Increased ego-resiliency, optimal regulation in particular, is likely to translate into higher life satisfaction.