Browsing by Author "LeRoy, Angie S."
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Item Expanding the Concept of Perceived Burdensomeness: The Relationship Between Burden, Ostracism, and Pain(2015-12) LeRoy, Angie S.; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Lu, Qian; Zvolensky, Michael J.; Neighbors, ClaytonPerceived burdensomeness (PB) is a real or imagined perception of being a burden to others, and is related to several negative outcomes, such as pain, depression, and suicide ideation. However, very little research has addressed the possible link between PB and pain. In the current proposal, we take a multi-disciplinary approach to investigate whether and why PB leads to pain; we propose that anticipated ostracism may explain this link. 262 participants completed an online study in which they were asked to recall an experience in which they were either burdensome to others (burdensome condition) or contribute equally to others (control condition) during a group task. In general, participants in the burdensome condition experienced more perceived burdensomeness, social pain, negative affect, and depressive symptoms than participants in the control condition. We also found evidence to suggest anticipated ostracism may partially explain the relationship between PB and pain. In addition, individuals with highly interdependent self-construal were more likely to perceive themselves as burdensome to others. Anticipated ostracism may be a modifiable mechanism practitioners can target in order to reduce negative outcomes including pain. Future research should examine the intricacies of the pain experience for those who perceive themselves as burdensome to others.Item The Role of Attachment and Naturally Occurring Variation in the OPRM1 Gene in Differential Grief Responses during Spousal Bereavement(2018-08) LeRoy, Angie S.; Knee, C. Raymond; Fagundes, Christopher P.; Derrick, Jaye L.; Zvolensky, Michael J.Losing a spouse is the most stressful life event one can encounter. However, everyone grieves differently. For some people, adjusting to life without their spouse gets easier over time. For others, grief persists or even escalates. Anxiously attached individuals are at a higher risk for developing complications in the grieving process. Separation from an attachment figure prompts abrupt cessation of opioid release, which impacts feelings of distress and grief in response to loss. Individual differences in grief responses may depend on naturally occurring variation in the μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1), involved in mu opioid receptor signaling. 102 participants who have recently lost a spouse completed self-report measures of attachment and grief and underwent a single stick blood draw to collect genetic data. Even when controlling for clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms, bereaved individuals who scored high on attachment anxiety also reported significantly greater grief symptoms at about three months after losing their spouse. In some models, attachment avoidance trended toward significance; individuals who were more avoidant trended toward reporting significantly less grief symptoms than those who were less avoidant. Being a G allele carrier of the OPRM1 gene (specifically, the A118G polymorphism) was not related to grief symptoms. However, this cross-sectional investigation may underestimate the impact of the OPRM1 gene and its influence on individual’s sensitivity to grief responses across longer term grief trajectories.