Dynamic changes in perfectionism dimensions and psychological distress among adolescents assessed before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

This prospective longitudinal study evaluated changes in psychological distress among adolescents, pre-pandemic to intra-pandemic, the extent to which within-person and between person differences in trait multidimensional perfectionism were associated with such changes, and the role of stress in explaining associations between perfectionism and psychological distress. Adolescents (N = 187; 80% female; 78% White, 7% Asian Canadian, 2% Indigenous Peoples in Canada, 2% Black or African Canadian, 2% Latin Canadian, or 9% Other; Mage = 17.96 years) completed online surveys assessing perfectionism (i.e., self-oriented [SOP] and socially prescribed perfectionism [SPP]), depression, anxiety, and stress pre-pandemic (i.e., March 12th, 2020 or earlier) and during Ontario, Canada’s first (i.e., March 13th, 2020 to July 24th, 2020) and second (December 26th, 2020 to February 7th, 2021) government-mandated lockdowns. Between-person differences and within-person changes in multidimensional trait perfectionism were associated with increases in psychological distress and perceived stress. Perceived stress served as an intermediary pathway linking multidimensional trait perfectionism to psychological distress during the pandemic

A higher-order entity formed by the flexible assembly of RAP1 with TRF2

Essonne committee of the Ligue contre le cancer M18756 M22897 Foundation ARC pour la Recherche sur le Cancer SFI20121205503International audienceTelomere integrity is essential to maintain genome stability, and telomeric dysfunctions are associated with cancer and aging pathologies. In human, the shelterin complex binds TTAGGG DNA repeats and provides capping to chromosome ends. Within shel-terin, RAP1 is recruited through its interaction with TRF2, and TRF2 is required for telomere protection through a network of nucleic acid and protein interactions. RAP1 is one of the most conserved shelterin proteins although one unresolved question is how its interaction may influence TRF2 properties and regulate its capacity to bind multiple proteins. Through a combination of biochemical, biophysical and structural approaches, we unveiled a unique mode of assembly between RAP1 and TRF2. The complete interaction scheme between the full-length proteins involves a complex biphasic interaction of RAP1 that directly affects the binding properties of the assembly. These results reveal how a non-DNA binding protein can influence the properties of a DNA-binding partner by mutual conformational adjustments

The Role of Attachment Avoidance in Social Comparisons between Romantic Partners

Recent literature suggests that individuals respond more positively when outperformed by their partner (an upward comparison) than when they outperform the partner (a downward comparison). In some cases, however, individuals may respond negatively to a superior partner. In two studies, I examined attachment avoidance as a moderator of social comparison outcomes: I predicted that avoidant individuals would respond more negatively to upward than downward comparisons by distancing themselves from the partner (reducing closeness) and disengaging from the relationship (reducing commitment). In Study 1, attachment avoidance moderated comparison direction’s impact on closeness: Avoidant participants reported less closeness, especially after encountering a superior partner. Study 2 replicated Study 1’s findings and found that avoidant individuals reported less commitment after an upward comparison, but only in the organizational domain. Thus, not all individuals respond positively to upward comparisons with their partner; for avoidant individuals, upward comparisons may be harmful to their relationship.MAS

Redefining Social Comparisons: Self-Other Overlap and Social Comparisons of Close Others

For more than 60 years, researchers have assumed that social comparisons (i.e., comparisons that occur between the self and another person) must involve the self directly. The self, however, can also include close others. In the present research, I examine whether individuals respond to comparisons involving close others as they would to comparisons involving the self. Four studies (N = 2210) using recalled (Studies 1-3) and actual (Study 4) comparisons about attractiveness (Study 1) and relationship skills (Studies 2-4) demonstrated that individuals high in self-other overlap decrease domain relevance following upward (i.e., the close other is outperformed by another person) but not downward comparisons (i.e., the close other outperforms another person) to protect their positive partner perceptions. This strategy was absent among those low in self-other overlap. Study 2 demonstrated that this effect extends to best friends, but not casual friends, due to the degree of self-other overlap. Furthermore, when reminded of their partner’s inferiority in a domain, high overlap participants maintained positive global partner perceptions, whereas low overlap participants’ global perceptions were negatively affected (Study 3). Studies 5-8 (N = 884) examined whether this effect extends to children and parents, who are also included in the self (Study 5), using recalled comparisons about parents (Study 6) and children (Studies 7-8). Study 6 demonstrates that this effect extends to mothers but not fathers. Parents, however, decreased domain relevance when their child was inferior regardless of overlap (Studies 7 8). Moreover, parents and high overlap children demonstrated an attributional bias for their family member’s comparison outcomes: They protected family members by attributing less responsibility to them after upward comparisons and enhanced them by attributing more responsibility to them after downward comparisons. Finally, I examined the causal attributions individuals make following these comparisons to test whether they engage in these strategies to protect themselves, rather than the close other, because they feel personally responsible for the close other’s comparison outcomes. These results suggest that individuals do experience comparisons involving a close other and another person as if they were directly involved, but only if their close other is incorporated into their self-identity.Ph.D

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary Analyses - Relationship length, gender, culture effects; comparison domain analyses; exploratory factor analyses for IOS and overlap measures; child ages; comparison domain frequencie