Introduction Child sexual abuse is a common problem. Psychological and behavioural problems in children and adults who have experienced child sexual abuse have been associated with the abuse. Little research has been conducted which has been long-term, prospective, involved substantiated sexual abuse, included a control group, took into account mediating factors, utilised multiple data sources, relied on standardised measures and had a high follow-up rate. Aim The aims of this study were to compare a cohort of sexually abused young people with a group of nonabused peers and to establish predictors of psychological and behavioural outcome. Method This study was a follow-up which was long-term, prospective, involved a sample of children with substantiated sexual abuse, included a control group, took into account mediating factors, utilised multiple data sources, relied on standardised measures and had a high follow-up rate. Eighty-four sexually abused young people were followed up five years after presenting to Children�s Hospitals� Child Protection Units for sexual abuse and were compared to a group of 84 nonabused young people of similar age and sex. The two groups were compared on the basis of demographic variables, family functioning, mother�s mental health and life events; the outcome measures of depression, self-esteem, anxiety, behaviour, criminal activity, alcohol and other drug use, eating problems, running away, suicide attempts, self-injury, hopefulness, despair and attributional style; and potential mediating factors such as further notifications to the Department of Community Services, receipt of psychological treatment, legal action against offenders and victims compensation. Potential predictors of outcome were (1) demographic variables, (2) sexual abuse characteristcs, (3) intake data and (4) five year follow-up variables. Main findings Follow-up rates were 81percent (n equals 68) for cases and 89percent (n equals 75) for controls. Five years after presenting for the sexual abuse, the sexually abused young people were performing more poorly than their nonabused peers on various measures of psychological state and behaviour. Although the abused children had experienced more negative life events (p<.001), were from lower socio-economic groups (p<.0001), had more changes in parent figures (p<.001) and had mothers who were more psychologically distressed (p equals .03), multiple regression analysis showed that after allowing for these and other demographic and family factors, there were still significant differences between the groups after the 5 years. The abused children displayed more disturbed behavior (p equals .002), had lower self-esteem (p<.001), were more depressed or unhappy (p<.001) and were more anxious (p equals .03) than controls. Sexually abused children had significantly higher levels of bingeing (p equals .02), self-injury (p equals.009) and suicide attempts (p equals .03). Significant predictors of psychological and behavioural outcome were significantly related to family and parent functioning variables. Abuse status was not a significant predictor when offered to each of the predictive models. Significant predictors of outcome included the following intake variables: family functioning, mother�s mental health, whether parents were employed or not, behaviour scores, prior notifications for neglect, history of parental discord and whether there were caregiver changes or not prior to intake. The classification of the index sexual abuse event as indecent assault and whether there were notifications for sexual abuse prior to the index event also significantly predicted outcome. Five year follow-up variables which were significant predictors of outcome were the young person�s age, number of negative life events, attributional style, self-esteem, depression, number of parent changes, anxiety, despair, whether there were notifications for abuse/neglect after intake and having a parent with a history of drug/alcohol problems. Conclusions Difficulties associated with child sexual abuse continue for some years after the abuse event. Child sexual abuse needs to be considered as a possible antecedent of behaviour and psychological difficulties in young people. Treatment and monitoring should continue for some years after the abuse. Treatment may need to be directed more towards young people�s psychological states rather than focusing specifically on the sexual abuse. Family and parent functioning may need to be addressed early in order to prevent some of the behavioural and psychological difficulties associated with the long-term outcome of child sexual abuse.

No description available.

Variables predicting the effects of surgery in patients with low back pain Abstract The theoretical part of the thesis summarizes the knowledge about pain and its types, especially chronic pain. Than we focus on low back pain and currently used approaches in the treatment of this syndrome. In this work we summarize the influence of central sensitization and adverse life experineces and posttraumatic stress disorder on pain (especially low back pain). In the practical part, we investigated the effect of central sensitization and adverse life events and posttraumatic stress disroder on the effect of spinal surgery in low back region. The results were obtained using Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), PTSD Cecklist dor DSM-5 (PCL- 5) a Life Event Checklist (LEC-5 Standard), Short Form 36 Helth Survey Questionnaire (SF- 36), NASS Lumbar Spine Questionnaire. The obtained data were statistically evaluated and processed. Higher scores of CSI and LEC-5 (more adverse life events) were both statistically significantly correlated with worse low back surgery outcomes. At the same time, a statistically significant relationship between PCL-5 (checklist of PTSD symptoms) and CSI was confirmed. Keywords Pain, central sensitization, adverse life experiences, adverse life events, PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder,...

Decades of research in quantitative genetics have found substantial heritability for personality traits as well as for mental disorders which formed the basis of the ongoing molecular genetic studies that aim to identify genetic variations that actually contribute to the manifestation of complex traits. With regard to psychological traits, genetic variation impacting neurotransmitter function have been of particular interest. Additionally, the role of environmental factors including gene × environment interactions has been further investigated and the impor-tance of developmental aspects has been stressed. Furthermore, endophenotypes which link complex traits with their respective biological underpinnings and thus bridge the gap between gene and behaviour have begun to be included in research efforts. In accordance with this approach, this thesis aims to further examine the influence of genetic variation impacting serotonergic and dopaminergic functioning on endophenotypes of anxiety-related behaviour. To this end, two well established paradigms – the acoustic startle reflex and the cortisol stress response – were employed. Both show considerable interindividual variation which has been found in quantitative genetic studies to be at least partly based on genetic factors. In addition, the neural circuits underlying these endophenotypes are relatively well understood and thus reveal references for the detection of associated genetic influences. The results of this thesis associate the overall startle magnitude in two independent samples of young adults with a polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene (5-HTTLPR): Carriers of the short (S) allele which results in a reduced gene ex-pression showed a stronger startle magnitude which is in line with numerous findings linking the S allele to increased measures of negative emotionality. In addition to 5-HTTLPR, the effects of past stressful life events on the startle response were investigated: Participants who had recently experienced at least one stressful life event exhibited stronger startle responses and reduced habituation of the startle reflex although there was no 5-HTTLPR × environment inter-action effect. A third study revealed independent and joint effects of 5-HTTLPR and a poly-morphism in the dopamine receptor 4 gene (DRD4) in the same sample of young adults with regard to the cortisol stress response with carriers of the DRD4 7R allele which has been associ-ated with higher scores in sensation seeking, showing reduced cortisol responses. In addition, a 5-HTTLPR × DRD4 interaction effect emerged: 5-HTTLPR long (L) allele carriers showed the lowest cortisol response but only when they possessed at least one copy of the DRD4 7R allele. Moreover, in a fourth study a life span approach was taken and the influence of a further important serotonergic polymorphism which impacts the functioning of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2), the rate limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of serotonin, on interindividual differences in the startle response was investigated in three different age samples: children, young adults and older adults. There was a sex × TPH2 genotype interaction effect in a sample of young adults on the overall startle response while there was no effect of TPH2 in children or older adults. The last study of this thesis presents findings regarding the influence of two dopaminergic polymorphisms in genes encoding the enzyme catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and the dopamine transporter (DAT), respectively, which both terminate dopamine signalling and are thus important regulators of dopaminergic neurotransmission, on the startle reflex in older adults. COMT met/met homozygotes showed the strongest and val/val homozygotes displayed the smallest startle magnitude which is in line with findings linking the COMT met allele to increased scores of anxiety related traits and disorders. Regarding DAT, participants homozygous for the 10R allele, which had previously associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, showed a stronger overall startle response. In sum, this thesis comprises data on interindividual differences in an electrophysiological and a hormonal endophenotype across the life span and their association with serotonergic and dopaminergic function based on genetic variation. One major finding is the clear evidence for the influence of serotonergic polymorphisms on the startle response in young adults while in contrast in older adults genetic variation in the dopaminergic system exerted considerable influence. These differences might be due to developmental processes in the different stages of life although cohort effects and effects of different recruitment strategies can also not be ruled out. Furthermore, there were significant differences regarding the genetic influence on the acoustic startle reflex and cortisol stress response in one and the same sample which might be due to methodological differences of the two paradigms as well as differences in their underlying neuronal circuits. In conclusion, this thesis supports the acoustic startle reflex and the cortisol stress response as valuable endophenotypes and thus indicators for underlying neurobiological circuits although some methodological issues remain. It also highlights the importance of taking developmental factors and changes over the course of life into account. Finally, this thesis emphasizes the necessity to include reliably and validly assessed past experienced events in molecular genetic studies in order to understand the interplay between genetic and environmental factors in shaping (endo)-phenotypes.

The 5-HTT gene (SLC6A4) is regulated by a common polymorphism in the promoter region (5-HTTLPR), which has functional consequences. Two major alleles have been observed and shown to have differential transcriptional activity with the long (L) allele having greater gene expression than the short (S) allele. 5-HTTLPR appears to modulate depression, anxiety and personality traits such as neuroticism. Additionally, a significant influence of 5-HTTLPR genotype on amygdala reactivity in response to fearful stimuli has been reported. Moreover, 5-HTTLPR seems to impact on the role of stressful life events (SLEs) in the development of depression. An elevated risk of depression and suicidal behaviors has been found in carriers of at least one low expressing S allele who had experienced SLEs, suggesting a gene x environment interaction. However, a recent meta-analysis showed that several findings failed to replicate this finding. Since genetic polymorphisms of the dopaminergic and serotonergic neurotransmission interact at the molecular, analyses with another polymorphism of the dopaminergic system, the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) was included to consider these likely gene-gene interactions (epistasis). The aim of this series of studies was to investigate the role 5-HTTLPR and SLEs on the endocrine stress response in different age samples. While newborns have been examined by a heel prick, stress responses were provoked in children (8-12 yrs) and younger adults (19-31 yrs) and older adults (54-68 yrs.) with the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). The Life History Calendar (LHC) and Life Events Questionnaire (LEQ) were used to acquire data on SLEs. While in newborns the S/S genotype showed a significantly higher acute endocrine stress response than L/L or S/L genotypes, no significant difference between genotype groups was found in children. In the younger adult sample, the genotype impacted on cortisol stress responsiveness was reversed. Adults carrying the more active L allele of the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism showed a significantly larger cortisol response to the TSST than individuals carrying at least one of the lower expressing S allele. In older adults, no significant difference between genotype groups was found. However, results point in the same direction with showing highest cortisol response in individuals with L/L genotype. These data suggest that the association between 5-HTTLPR and endocrine stress reactivity seems to alter across lifespan, more specific the effects of genotype turns around. In addition, a significant interaction effect of 5-HTTLPR and SLEs has been found in the sample of younger adults, i.e. that early SLE as well as a severe number SLEs across the entire lifespan seem to modulate the interaction between HPA axis activity and 5-HTTLPR genotype. Additionally, a DRD4 by 5-HTTLPR interaction emerged which point to independent and joint effects of these polymorphisms on stress responsivity with regard to the concept of genegene interaction.

Les différences de genre quant à l’exposition et l’impact d’événements de vie stressants contribuent à expliquer la prévalence différentielle de difficultés d’adaptation comme la dépression ou les problèmes extériorisés. Cette recherche vise à déterminer si de tels processus différentiels s’appliquent également à une autre dimension clé de l’inadaptation des adolescents, soit le décrochage scolaire. Pour ce faire, les événements de vie stressants ont été évalués auprès d’un échantillon d’adolescents âgés de 14 à 18 ans (N= 545, 52 % de garçons), recruté suivant un devis à cas témoins appariés et divisé en trois catégories : 1) des élèves ayant récemment abandonné leurs études; 2) des élèves appariés résilients et 3) des élèves normatifs. Lorsque tous les types d’événements stressants étaient considérés simultanément, l’exposition globale, de même que le lien entre cette exposition et le décrochage scolaire, était similaire pour les adolescents et adolescentes. Toutefois, des différences entre les genres ont émergé pour certains types spécifiques d’événements, les garçons étant particulièrement exposés aux événements en lien avec la performance (échec scolaire, suspension) et les conflits avec des figures d’autorité (enseignants, police), alors que les filles étaient particulièrement exposées à ceux impliquant des problèmes relationnels avec des membres de la famille, des pairs ou des partenaires amoureux. Une association spécifique aux garçons a également été observée entre les événements de vie stressants liés à la performance et aux conflits avec les figures d’autorité. Les implications théoriques et pratiques de ces résultats sont abordées en discussion. / Gender differences in exposure and reactivity to stressful life events contribute to explain adolescent girls’ and boys’ differential sensitivity regarding adjustment difficulties like depression or behavioral problems. However, few studies focus on stressful life events in relation to school dropout and even fewer studies analyze this link considering gender differences in adolescence. This research aims to fill this gap. For this purpose, individual interviews were conducted to assess stressful life events in a sample of academically vulnerable adolescents between the age of 14 and 18 years old (N= 545, 52% boys). This sample included three different groups of participants: 1) students who had recently dropped out of high school, 2) matched students at risk, that were persevering in school and 3) normative students. Global exposure was the same for boys and girls, when all the types of stressful life events were considered as a whole. However, gender differences emerged for specific stressful life events, with boys being more exposed to stressful life events related to performance (e.g., school failure, suspension) and conflicts with authority figures (e.g., teachers, police officers), and girls with stressful life events involving relational conflicts with family, peers and romantic partners. Moreover, stressful life events related to performance and conflicts with authority figures were significantly associated with dropout only for boys. It thus appears important to take into account those gender differences in order to better understand the unfolding of school difficulties that can lead to serious mental health and well-being issues later in their life.

Le stress prénatal maternel (SPM) est un concept largement étudié et ce, autant par de méthodes objectives que subjectives. Certains chercheurs évaluent les symptômes d’anxiété et de dépression des femmes au cours de leur grossesse alors que d’autres préfèrent mesurer les niveaux de cortisol des femmes enceintes. Pour cette thèse, le SPM a été mesuré par deux méthodes différentes, soit l’exposition des femmes enceintes à une catastrophe naturelle et l’exposition des mêmes femmes enceintes à des événements de vie stressants plus courants. Puisqu’il est bien établi que ce type de stress engendre des répercussions négatives sur la femme enceinte ainsi que sur le développement de l’enfant, il est désormais d’intérêt d’accentuer les recherches sur les moyens qui permettent d’atténuer les conséquences d’un tel stress. Dans les études auprès des animaux, nous savons que les conditions de maternage ainsi que l'enrichissement environnemental semblent renverser les effets du SPM, mais nous ne savons pas si, chez les humains, un bon encadrement parental, c’est-à-dire un cadre structuré avec des règles prévisibles et consistantes, peut protéger les enfants des effets du SPM. L’objectif de cette thèse est donc d’augmenter notre compréhension sur l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental dans le développement d’enfants qui ont été exposés à différents types de SPM. Cet objectif pourra être atteint grâce à une collaboration internationale initiée par la Dre Suzanne King suite aux inondations qui se sont produites en 2008 dans l'état d'Iowa. Suite à la catastrophe, la Dre King est entrée en contact avec le Dr O’Hara afin d'évaluer la sévérité du stress dû aux inondations chez les femmes enceintes et pour déterminer les effets de ce stress sur leur enfant. Trois types de stress ont été évalués: le degré objectif de difficulté (p. ex., pertes financières), l'évaluation cognitive de la catastrophe en tant qu'expérience négative, neutre ou positive, et la détresse subjective causée par l'inondation (p. ex., symptômes de TSPT). Suite au recrutement des mères, les enfants de l'échantillon ont été évalués à l’âge de 2, 4, 5 et 7 ans. La présente thèse est composée de trois études. La première étude porte sur l’effet modérateur de l’encadrement parental sur les associations entre le SPM causé par les inondations d’Iowa et les problèmes comportementaux chez les enfants âgés de sept ans. Les résultats indiquent qu’un encadrement parental où la discipline est consistante protège les garçons qui ont été exposés au SPM objectif contre différents symptômes de problèmes internalisés et externalisés. La deuxième étude se penche également sur la question de l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental sur les associations entre le SPM et les problèmes comportementaux chez les enfants âgés de sept ans. Toutefois, cette étude s’est plutôt penchée sur l’influence du SPM lorsque celui-ci est causé par des événements de vie qui sont plus communs qu’un désastre naturel. De nouveau, les résultats de cette étude nous révèlent qu’un encadrement parental consistant joue le rôle de facteur de protection, chez les garçons qui ont été exposés au SPM causé par des événements de vie stressants, mais seulement en ce qui concerne les problèmes de comportement externalisés. La troisième étude vient reconsidérer l’effet protecteur de l’encadrement parental sur les liens entre le SPM et les problèmes comportementaux des enfants qui ont été exposés à un désastre naturel. Cependant, pour cette étude, les comportements des enfants n’ont pas été évalués par un questionnaire, mais plutôt par une méthode observationnelle (tâche de frustration). Toutefois, dans cette étude, il n’est ressorti aucun effet significatif de l’encadrement parental comme variable modératrice. En somme, nos résultats rapportent que l’implantation d’un cadre structuré et consistant peut venir pallier et même renverser les conséquences du SPM sur le comportement des garçons. / Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) is a widely studied concept, both by objective and subjective methods. Some researchers assess women's symptoms of anxiety and depression during pregnancy, while others prefer to measure cortisol levels in pregnant women. For this thesis, PNMS was measured by two different methods: either exposure of pregnant women to a natural disaster, or exposure of these same pregnant women to more common stressful life events. Since it is well established that this type of stress has a negative impact on the pregnant woman as well as on the development of the unborn child, it is now of interest to increase research on ways to mitigate the consequences of such stress. In animal studies, we know that rearing conditions and environmental enrichment seem to reverse the effects of PNMS, but we do not know whether, in humans, good parental structure, that is, a structured framework with predictable and consistent rules, can protect children from the effects of PNMS. The aim of this thesis is, therefore, to increase understanding of the protective effect of parental structure in the development of children who have been exposed to different types of PNMS. This goal can be achieved through an international collaboration initiated by Dr. Suzanne King following the 2008 floods in the state of Iowa. Following the disaster, Dr. King contacted Dr. O'Hara to assess the severity of flood stress in pregnant women and to determine the effects of this stress on their children. Following the recruitment of mothers, the children in the sample were assessed at the ages of 2, 4, 5 and 7 years. This thesis consists of three studies. The first study examines the moderating effect of parental structure on the associations between PNMS caused by a natural disaster and behavioural problems in the Iowa Flood Study children at age 7 years as reported by their mothers. The results indicate that consistent parenting protects boys who have been exposed to PNMS from various symptoms of internalizing and externalizing problems. The second study also examines the issue of the protective effect of parental structure on associations between PNMS and behavioural problems, as reported by their mothers, in the Iowa Flood Study seven-year-olds. However, this study looked at the influence of PNMS when it is caused by life events that are more common than a natural disaster while controlling for the severity of their flood exposure. Again, the results of this study reveal that consistent parenting plays the role of a protective factor in boys who have been exposed to PNMS caused by stressful life events, but only with regard to externalizing behaviour. The third study reconsiders the protective effect of parental structure on the links between PNMS and behavioral problems of children who have been exposed to a natural disaster. However, for this study, children's behaviors were not assessed by a questionnaire, but rather by an observational method (task of frustration). However, the limitations of this study did not allow us to observe the effects of parental structure. In summary, our results show that the implementation of a structured and consistent framework can overcome, and even reverse, the consequences of PNMS on boys' behaviour.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Prospective epidemiologic evidence indicates that both stressful life events (SLEs) and depression are associated with an increased risk of subclinical atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. Even though stressful life events (SLEs) and depression co-occur and may act together to influence cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, these psychosocial factors have been mainly examined in isolation. For instance, depression may moderate the relationship between SLEs and CVD outcomes. I hypothesized that depressive symptoms would potentiate the deleterious effect of SLEs on subclinical atherosclerosis. This hypothesis is plausible, given that depressed adults exhibit exaggerated and prolonged sympathetic nervous system, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and inflammatory responses to stress, which in turn could promote atherosclerosis. As compared to their nondepressed counterparts, depressed individuals may also be more likely to engage in maladaptive methods to cope with SLEs (e.g., increased tobacco use, alcohol use, and consumption of low-nutrient, energy dense foods), which could also promote atherosclerosis. I examined cross-sectional data from 274 to 279 (depending on the outcome measure) older, African American adults (mean age = 66 years, 67% female) with no evidence of clinical CVD or dementia who participated in the St. Louis African American Health-Heart study (2009–2011). Number of SLEs was assessed using the Life Events Calendar, a structured interview. From this interview, a continuous SLEs variable was computed (number of adult SLEs: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 11+). Severity of depression symptoms was measured using the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Two measures of subclinical atherosclerosis were obtained: carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT; assessed by ultrasonography) and coronary artery calcification (CAC; assessed by multi-detector computerized tomography). I conducted linear (CIMT) and logistic (CAC) regression models, first adjusted for demographics (age, sex, education) and then fully-adjusted (demographics; mean arterial pressure; low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); hemoglobin A1c; BMI; tobacco use; diabetes diagnosis; and use of antihypertensitve, lipid lowering, antidiabetic, and antidepressant medications). No main effects of SLEs or HAM-D were found for CIMT or CAC. There were also no SLEs by HAM-D interactions for CIMT or CAC. Because the current results are largely inconsistent with prior literature and there is a paucity of studies utilizing African American samples, future research is needed to examine the independent and interactive associations of SLEs and depressive symptoms with measures of subclinical atherosclerosis. If the present results are replicated, it may suggest that SLEs, depressive symptoms, and their interactive effect are not cardiotoxic among African American adults.

Hur förändras gudsbilden vid svåra livshändelser? Vad innebär förändringen (för tron/för den troende)? Syftet med denna uppsats är att bidra till att undersöka frågeställningen genom en enkätundersökning, samt reflektera över frågan och resultatet i relation till systematiskt teologiska röster.Tolv präster och pastorer har generöst delat med sig av sina erfarenheter och tankar i en enkätundersökning. Resultatet av denna empiriska undersökning visar gemensamma drag för de svarande vad gäller förändringens riktning, även om det mellan svaren finns olikheter. Undersökningen stannar inte vid upplevelsen av Guds frånvaro som många upplever mitt i svåra livshändelser, utan tar upp gudsbildens förändring som den beskrivs över tid i relation till svåra livshändelser.Med utgångspunkt i Paul Tillich teologi om tro kan den empiriska undersökningens resultat beskrivas som trosutveckling. I resultatet finns riktningen från förklaring till upplevelse, teologerna Mäster Eckehart och Simone Weil har använts för att reflektera kring detta. En jämförande tolkning med Sofia Camnerin och C. S. Lewis självbiografiska berättelser visar att det finns paralleller till enkätundersökningens resultat. Den bild som framträder utifrån resultatet av 12 enkätsvar och systematisk teologisk analys är att det finns en väg mot tillit när en människa möter svåra livshändelser.

Beeinflusst unsere Variabilität, wie wir über andere denken? Betrifft die Veränderung unserer Persönlichkeitszustände mehr als uns selbst? Wie beeinflussen andere unsere Persönlichkeitsentwicklung? Wie wirkt sich Selbstbezug auf das Denken über andere aus? In dieser Arbeit werden die vielfältigen Beziehungen zwischen unserer Persönlichkeit und der Beziehung zu und Interaktion mit anderen Menschen in verschiedenen Bereichen der Persönlichkeitspsychologie untersucht. Neben der Zusammenfassung der vier Veröffentlichungen, wird der theoriegeleitete Ansatz erläutert und in Persönlichkeitsdynamik und -prozesse eingeführt. Zentral sind die Konzepte der Persönlichkeitsmerkmale, der innerpersonellen Variabilität, der Persönlichkeitsentwicklung, des Selbstfokus, des Egozentrismus und der egozentrischen Verzerrung–im Rahmen ihrer Bedeutung für die Theory of Mind (ToM). Publikation 1 schlägt ein zweistufiges Model vor, wie die innerpersonelle Variabilität die ToM durch Erweiterung und Relativierung des Egozentrismus einer Person erleichtern kann. Publikation 2 fürht die Terminologie und die statistischen Werkzeuge der dynamischen Systemtheorie für die Untersuchung von Persönlichkeitszuständen ein und diskutiert Anwendungsfälle. Publikation 3 stellt ein Klassifizierungssystem vor, mit dem systematisch zwischen persönlichen und kollektiven Lebensereignissen unterschieden werden kann, wobei die unterschiedlichen Mechanismen berücksichtigt werden, durch die beide Arten von Lebensereignissen die Persönlichkeitsentwicklung beeinflussen können. Publikation 4 präsentiert Belege für eine kleine, aber robuste positive Beziehung zwischen achtsamer Selbstfokussierung und ToM. Nach der Reflektion der Beiträge zum Fachgebiet werden drei Forschungsansätze aus dem Risikomanagement, der Persönlichkeitspsychologie und den Neurowissenschaften diskutiert, die auf die Forschung zu innerpersönlicher Variabilität und Persönlichkeitsentwicklung sowie zu Egozentrismus und ToM einzahlen könnten. / Does our own variability affect how we think about others? Do personality states changes involve more than ourselves? How do others affect our personality development? How does focusing on oneself affect thinking about others? This dissertation explores the many relationships between an individual’s personality and ther relation to and interaction with other people across multiple areas of personality psychological research. Before summarizing four publications of this cumulative project, I explain my theory-driven approach and introduce the field of personality dynamics and processes. In particular, I focus on the concepts of personality traits, within-person variability, personality development, self-focus, egocentrism, egocentric bias–often in light of their relevant for Theory of Mind. The first publication proposes a two-tier framework of how within-person variability can facilitate Theory of Mind by broadening and relativizing a person’s egocentrism. The second publication introduces the terminology and statistical tools of dynamic systems theory to the investigation of personality state levels and presents possible use cases. The third publication introduces a classification system to differentiate between personal and collective live events in a systematic way that is sensitive to the different mechanisms by which both kinds of life events can affect personality development. The fourth publication presents evidence for a small but robust positive relationship between mindful self-focus and Theory of Mind. Finally, I reflect on the publications’ contributions to the field and suggest three lines of research stemming from risk management, personality psychology, and neuroscience that could inform research on within-person variability and personality development as well as on egocentrism and Theory of Mind further in the future.