There is a growing body of research into the effects of micronutrients on human mental health. There is evidence that multi-ingredient formulas are beneficial especially in relation to serious mental health disorders such as mood and anxiety disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorders. However there is almost no scientific research which looks at the effects of these formulas in an animal population. Therefore the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a micronutrient formula, EMPowerplus, on anxiety behaviour in rats, and whether there is a relationship between dose and anxiolytic effect. In order to investigate this 40 male and 40 female rats received a diet consisting of either 0%, 1.25%, 2.5% or 5% EMP+ from when they were weaned (post natal day 30) until the end of testing 141 days later. Animals were tested in a Y maze, a light-dark emergence box and an open field at mid-adulthood (PND 136-138) and late adulthood (PND 186-188). Results found that animals receiving the 5% supplemented diet occupied the centre squares the most, occupied the corner squares the least and ambulated the most in the open field compared to the other experimental groups and control groups. No significant differences were found in the Y maze or Light-dark box. Animals were found to display more anxiety-like behaviour at time 2 than at time 1 regardless of receiving a supplemented diet or not. Overall a higher dose of EMP+ was associated with the greatest reduction in anxiety related behaviour. Due to the impact of the September 4th, 2010 Canterbury Earthquake caution should be taken when interpreting these results.

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Children and adolescents are regular consumers of caffeine, and their consumption is increasing. Caffeine has been shown to affect the later behaviour of rats and mice when exposed to the drug daily before birth and during the lactational period of development. However, to date, little research has investigated the effects caffeine consumption may have on adolescent brain development, and the behavioural consequences of this. The present study, therefore, investigated the effects of repeated caffeine exposure on adolescent rats on behavioural measures of anxiety. During middle and later adulthood, the rats’ activity and emotional reactivity were assessed by means of frequencies of rearing, ambulation, immobility, defaecation and urination recorded in an open field, as well as their occupancy of corners and centre squares of the field, and their partial emergence and latencies to fully emerge from a small darkened chamber into a brightly lit arena. The results showed that those rats treated with caffeine were probably more emotionally reactive than untreated controls, as suggested by more immobility, defaecation and urination. There were also effects on rearing and ambulation that might have arisen from increased impulsivity. Overall, the results suggest that exposure to caffeine during adolescence produces some small but significant increases in emotionality in adulthood. This study may have clinical implications, as it is possible that people exposed to caffeine as adolescents, may show increased anxiety later in life.

Children and adolescents are regular consumers of caffeine, and their consumption is increasing. Caffeine has been shown to affect the later behaviour of rats and mice when exposed to the drug daily before birth and during the lactational period of development. However, to date, little research has investigated the effects caffeine consumption may have on adolescent brain development, and the behavioural consequences of this. The present study, therefore, investigated the effects of repeated caffeine exposure on adolescent rats on behavioural measures of anxiety. During middle and later adulthood, the rats’ activity and emotional reactivity were assessed by means of frequencies of rearing, ambulation, immobility, defaecation and urination recorded in an open field, as well as their occupancy of corners and centre squares of the field, and their partial emergence and latencies to fully emerge from a small darkened chamber into a brightly lit arena. The results showed that those rats treated with caffeine were probably more emotionally reactive than untreated controls, as suggested by more immobility, defaecation and urination. There were also effects on rearing and ambulation that might have arisen from increased impulsivity. Overall, the results suggest that exposure to caffeine during adolescence produces some small but significant increases in emotionality in adulthood. This study may have clinical implications, as it is possible that people exposed to caffeine as adolescents, may show increased anxiety later in life.

While many studies investigate the mediation styles enacted during conflict resolution, relatively few of them discuss the communicative processes through which discursive structures are reproduced. This dissertation is a case study illustrating how the duality of structure operates. The purpose of this dissertation is (a) to reveal the discursive resources that community mediators use, (b) to demonstrate how mediators assemble their discursive resources to form a community of practice, and (c) to explore power relations between attorneys and mediators. To understand these issues, I conducted an ethnographic study at a community mediation center employing 25 volunteer mediators. Over 330 hours of participant observations and 41 interviews were completed. Results demonstrated that mediators relied on four interpretive repertoires during mediation: Cultural Competence, Volunteer Pride, Parenting Norms, and Business Professional(ism). They used these repertoires to navigate the tenuous and emotional mediation process. The repertoires provided the mediators with a degree of discursive flexibility in constructing and controlling the immediate situation, and the repertoires were enacted to serve multiple purposes. Further, the extemporaneous engagement of issues, emotions, and discursive resources was an essential skill that was cultivated only over time and with practice. Results also showed that the mediators assembled various repertoires in a number of ways including informal conversations, co-mediations, conference attendance, and organizational meetings. Analysis suggested that the institutional knowledge and discourses provided through formal learning was of secondary importance to developing personal repertoires by mediating as often as possible. In addition, because of the organizing practices of the mediators and the ad hoc nature of the organization, the organizational form of the mediation center was a community of practice. Finally, results found that the power struggles between attorneys and mediators centered on trying to define the mediation situation using different discursive resources. Establishing control of the environment and working the process were the two main goals of mediators, and the more they took ownership of these goals the more often the conflicts settled. This dissertation suggests that taking control of the mediation process is the first step to empowering the participants and achieving a workable mediated settlement.

This report examines the masculine gender norm of restrictive emotionality, in terms of its effects on mental health and its theoretical relationship to experiential avoidance. This norm has rarely been examined in the context of emotion research despite its similarity to experiential avoidance and emotion dysregulation constructs such as expressive suppression. After reviewing the psychological impact of restrictive emotionality, as well as how it may relate to other maladaptive processes, the report proposes an intervention to reduce adherence to this gender norm. Because traditionally masculine men are often averse to psychotherapy, a writing intervention is hypothesized to benefit this population. Specifically, a guided writing based in contextual reappraisal is posited to help men reduce psychological distress by reducing levels of restrictive emotionality and experiential avoidance. Contextual reappraisal is thought to help increase acceptance of one’s emotions, thus reducing the need to avoid or restrict emotional expression. A writing contextual writing intervention could benefit emotionally restrictive men by encouraging a non-evaluative stance toward vulnerable emotions while offering a private, non-threatening outlet for expression. / text

Bariatric surgery is becoming a more common solution for weight loss in individuals with severe obesity. Much attention has been placed on negative surgery outcomes, specifically on psychosocial predictors of post-surgical weight regain and development of psychopathology. Literature on obesity suggests that eating in response to emotional cues is related to the obesity epidemic. The current review identifies all research in the literature that focuses on emotionality and emotional characteristics in bariatric surgery patients and the predicted negative impact on the surgery process from pre-surgical evaluation to post-surgical follow-up. The review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews. Six articles were identified in the literature meeting all review criteria, specifically focusing on emotionality in bariatric surgery patients. Results suggest high rates of emotional instability, impulsivity, and difficulty in identifying emotions in bariatric surgery patients, which could have adverse effects on the bariatric surgery process. Authors suggest that these components of emotionality may lead to negative effects following surgery, specifically concerning post-surgical dietary restrictions and weight regain. These findings suggest that further research needs to be done in the area of emotionality and bariatric surgery. Authors infer that high rates of emotional instability, impulsivity, and inability to identify emotions may have significant implications for screening and intervention; however, limitations in these studies indicate a need for further research on emotionality in bariatric surgery patients, particularly the impact of emotionality on surgery outcomes.

Previous research has indicated that emotion regulation (ER) strategy use is crucial for predicting emotional and behavioral functioning. The current study examined the construct of ER by integrating ER strategy use with flexibility to use strategies and overall level of experienced emotion to determine the adaptiveness of ER as a process. Self-report data regarding strategy use, flexibility, and affect intensity was collected from undergraduate psychology students (N = 380). A latent class analysis (LCA) was used to test the predicted 4-class model of ER. A 4-class model and 2-class model were supported. MANOVA results indicated that both models predicted outcomes of ER difficulties, secure attachment, and internalizing and externalizing behaviors; the comparison model of high/low strategy use did not predict ER difficulties or internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Our results suggest that integrating strategy use, flexibility, and emotionality yields classes of ER predict functioning better than strategy use alone.

Background and Aims: Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are characterized by deficits in social interactions and communication, and the presence of stereotypic behaviors and restricted interests. Children with ASD also demonstrate difficulties in emotional competence, including poor emotion regulatory capacity. The goal of this study was to investigate the link of social skills to emotion regulation and emotionality in 3 through 7 year-old children with and without ASD. Methods: Both parental report and behavioral laboratory observations were used to examine emotion regulation and emotionality in 21 typically developing (TD) children and 12 high functioning children with ASD. Results: This study had three major findings. First, an association between enhanced reported emotion regulation and increased social skills was found in children with ASD, but not in TD children. Second, children with ASD demonstrated lower reported emotion regulation, higher reported general negative emotionality, and lower reported general positive emotionality compared to their TD peers. Third, reported emotion regulation was linked to reported specific emotionality in children with ASD and to reported general emotionality in the TD group, though not in the predicted direction. Few significant findings occurred for observed emotion regulation or observed emotionality. Conclusions: Although current results should be interpreted with caution due to small sample size, a link between social skills and parent-reported emotion regulation was found in children with ASD. Children with ASD were also viewed by their parents as having poor emotion regulation and increased negative emotionality compared to their TD peers. Limitations and future research are discussed. / Ph. D.

The thesis is an exploratory and descriptive study focusing on the emotional dimensions of collegial relationships in a primary school. The research is timely given the current pressures to develop cultures of collaboration and shared leadership in schools today. The study concentrates on the non-classroom work of teachers and investigates three particular areas of school life: the collegial practices of staff; the emotional milieu of teachers' work; and the contributions of members towards an emotionally healthy staff community. An interpretive tradition has been used in conducting the research, thus giving voice to the perceptions of research participants about their work. The research was conducted as an ethnographic case study. Data were gathered largely through participant observation and interviews. The researcher visited the school on a regular basis through the course of one school year, averaging over one day per week working in the school. Eighteen staff members were formally interviewed, the principal and assistant principal on several occasions. Extensive fieldnotes and interview transcripts were created and, aided by NVivo, a computer package for the analysis of non-statistical data, data were broken down into categories and resynthesised to bring to life a picture of the lived reality of collegiality for staff members in a primary school. The study adds to new knowledge in several important ways. First, it allows for a reconceptualisation of teachers' work. It shows how many different practices contribute to a collegial culture within a primary school and demonstrates how the social and emotional dimensions of collegiality are significant in the development of professional relationships. Second, the study develops an understanding of emotional labour for school personnel and contributes importantly to a broader picture of how emotional labour can be practiced, particularly for the sake of collegiality. It is posited that different kinds of emotional labour exist within the school setting, and that emotional labour in schools may be different from that in some other service organisations. The study explores bounded emotionality as a cultural practice among staff, suggesting that it allows expression of emotions about classroom work while at the same time constrains negative emotional displays so as to build and maintain community. The study suggests that the principles of bounded emotionality, as they operate within the primary school, present both benefits and burdens for a collegial staff, but may encourage an emotionally healthy workplace.