Prevalence of Insomnia and Sleep Habits during the First and Second Wave of COVID-19 in Belgium
Belgium has one of the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases per 1 million inhabitants. The pandemic has led to significant societal changes with repercussions on sleep and on mental health. We aimed to investigate the effect of the first and the second wave of COVID-19 on the sleep of the Belgian populationWe launched two online questionnaires, one during the first lockdown (7240 respondents) and one during the second (3240 respondents), to test differences in self-reported clinical insomnia (as measured by the Insomnia Severity Index) and sleep habits during the two lockdowns in comparison with the pre-COVID period. The numb...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - February 21, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Thanks to Reviewers 2022
All manuscripts published in Psychologica Belgica have been assessed conscientiously and unselfishly by expert reviewers. The quality of our journal totally depends on their valuable and constructive criticisms to the authors. Both the editors and the authors highly appreciate the input and dedication of all our reviewers. Many thanks. Published on 2023-02-02 11:50:59 (Source: Psychologica Belgica)
Source: Psychologica Belgica - February 2, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Predicting Compliance with Sanitary Behaviors among Students in Higher Education During the Second COVID-19 Wave: The Role of Health Anxiety and Risk Perception
To limit the spread of COVID-19, public authorities have recommended sanitary behaviors such as handwashing, mask-wearing, physical distancing, and social distancing. We recruited a large sample of higher education students in Belgium (N = 3201 –3441) to investigate the role of sociodemographic variables, mental health, previous COVID-19 infections, academic involvement, and risk perception on adherence to these sanitary behaviors. This cross-sectional study took place during the second COVID-19 wave in Belgium, between February and Marc h 2021. Analyses showed that living alone, being female, later in the academic curri...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - January 5, 2023 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Role of Impulsivity and Emotion Dysregulation Dimensions on Core Characteristics of Binge Drinking among University Students
This study aimed to investigate the potential differential contributions of impulsivity and emotion regulation difficulties to core characteristics of binge drinking (consumption speed, frequency of binge drinking episodes, and the ratio of binge drinking episodes) among a sample of non-abstainers college students. One thousand and five hundred fifty-five participants (17 –25 years old) completed the UPPS-P Impulsive behavior scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and measures related to alcohol consumption patterns and affects by means of an online survey. Multiple regression analyses showed that UPP...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - December 22, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Negative Affect and Problematic Binge-Watching: The Mediating Role of Unconstructive Ruminative Thinking Style
The practice of binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of TV series in one session) has become increasingly prevalent, but comprehending its nature and potential underlying factors has been challenging. In particular, problematic binge-watching remains ill-defined and conceptualized, being regarded either as an addictive behaviour or a maladaptive emotion regulation strategy. Following a process-based approach, in the current study we explored the latter conceptualization, by investigating the potential mediating role of an unconstructive ruminative thinking style between negative affect and problematic binge-wat...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - September 30, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

A Meta-Analysis on Mobile-Assisted Language Learning Applications: Benefits and Risks
Mobile language learning applications are a pervasive facet of modern life, however evidence on their effectiveness on L2 learning outcomes is lacking. In the current work, we sought to determine the effect of mobile language learning applications on L2 proficiency between groups who used mobile language learning applications and control groups who learned with traditional methods on L2 achievement. We systematically searched journal articles and grey literature between 2007 –2019 and performed a quantitative meta-analysis based on 23 synthesized effect sizes. We also performed risk of bias and quality of evidence assess...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - September 16, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The “Dutch Reading Test for Adults” has Been Used for 29 Years to Estimate the Premorbid Performance Level, does it Still Meet the Expectations?
To detect cognitive change after brain damage, it is important to know the level of premorbid intellectual functioning. A popular instrument in this context is the “Nederlandse Leestest voor Volwassenen” (NLV; Schmand et al., 1992). In this test, 50 words with irregular pronunciation must be read out loud. The score on this test used to be considered as a good estimate of someone’s premorbid IQ, due to high correlations with the Verbal and Full-Scale IQ estimates of the WAIS (Verbal IQ: r = .85, Full Scale IQ: r = .74; Schmand et al., 1992). Despite some updates of the normative data (e.g., Bouma et al., 2012), the v...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - August 22, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Impulsivity, Depressive Mood, and Cannabis Use in a Representative Sample of French-Speaking Swiss Young Men
Cannabis is the most popular psychoactive substance under international regulations, with more than 192 million users worldwide. It has been associated with an addictive pattern of use and negative social and health-related outcomes in a subgroup of users. Consequently, understanding the individual differences that contribute to cannabis use and problematic use is of much importance. The current study examined the impact of impulsivity traits (negative urgency, positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, sensation seeking), delay reward discounting, and depressive mood on cannabis use status during the p...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - July 26, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The Effects of Intent, Outcome, and Causality on Moral Judgments and Decision Processes
Over the past decade, moral judgments and their underlying decision processes have more frequently been considered from a dynamic and multi-factorial perspective rather than a binary approach (e.g., dual-system processes). The agent ’s intent and his or her causal role in the outcome–as well as the outcome importance–are key psychological factors that influence moral decisions, especially judgments of punishment. The current research aimed to study the influence of intent, outcome, and causality variations on moral decisi ons, and to identify their interaction during the decision process by embedding the moral scenar...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - July 6, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Translation and Validation of the French Version of the Revised Green et al., Paranoid Thoughts Scale (R-GPTS) in Two Samples: Non-Clinical and Clinical Adults
In conclusion, the French version of the R-GPTS is a valid and reliable tool to measure paranoia in the general population. Due to the small sample size of the clinical sample, further studies are needed in order to confirm good psychometric properties in clinical populations, even though our preliminary findings are promising. Published on 2022-06-02 11:34:04 (Source: Psychologica Belgica)
Source: Psychologica Belgica - June 2, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Looking for Ties with Secret Agendas During the Pandemic: Conspiracy Mentality is Associated with Reduced Trust in Political, Medical, and Scientific Institutions – but Not in Medical Personnel
In a preregistered research, we examined the relationships between conspiracy mentality (i.e., the individual susceptibility to endorse conspiracy theories, Bruder et al., 2013) and trust in three actors of the COVID-19 crisis: 1) Political institutions, 2) scientific and medical institutions, and 3) the medical personnel. While the two former groups have played a direct or indirect role in decisions related to public health measures, the latter has not. We expected all these relationships to be negative and mediated by the belief that the pandemic is instrumentalized by authorities to pursue secret agendas. In a study con...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - May 17, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The Belgian Association for Psychological Sciences: 75th Anniversary
The Belgian Association for Psychological Sciences (BAPS) is a learned society founded in 1947. Its mission is to unite people in Belgium interested in the development and application of psychological sciences. It does so through the publication of Psychologica Belgica, the organisation of an annual scientific meeting, the award of prizes, initiatives to improve the communication among members, and representing researchers and psychologists nationally and internationally. The present paper describes the third 25-year period of BAPS. It reviews the main initiatives and activities of the society from 1997 to 2022. Published ...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - April 28, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Towards a Dimensional, Multifactorial, and Integrative Approach to Procrastination in Everyday Life: An Illustration through Interviews
Procrastination is a widespread phenomenon that has been extensively studied but about which a clear and integrated picture is still lacking, as reflected in the multiplicity and diversity of its definitions, causes and consequences. In addition, its examination in everyday life has been somewhat overlooked. The aim of this paper is to further the understanding of procrastination, first by providing an overview of its various definitions, causes, and consequences. Using a qualitative approach, we then provide an in-depth descriptive account of procrastination episodes retrospectively reported by six participants from the g...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - April 18, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

Comparative Optimism, Self-Superiority, Egocentric Impact Perception and Health Information Seeking: A COVID-19 Study
We examined perceived self-other differences (self-uniqueness) in appraisals of one ’s risk of an infectious disease (COVID-19), one’s adherence to behavioural precautionary measures against the disease, and the impact of these measures on one’s life. We also examined the relationship of self-uniqueness with information seeking and trust in sources of information about the di sease. We administered an online survey to a community sample (N = 8696) of Dutch-speaking individuals, mainly in Belgium and The Netherlands, during the first lockdown (late April-Mid June 2020). As a group, participants reported that they were...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - April 13, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research

The Role of Psychology in Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-National Study
This study aimed to analyze the media framing of information from psychology during the COVID-19 pandemic in six countries from America and Europe, identifying the most recurrent topics in the news (n news items = 541) related to psychology and mental health. In all six countries the media address the psychological needs of the population, which vary depending on the imposed restrictions. The news content is influenced by the scientific sources used by the media. While the most prevalent topics focus on psychological risk and the need to seek mental health care, the least prevalent topics relate to counseling and behaviora...
Source: Psychologica Belgica - April 12, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research