Open Access

Estimates of factor variances observed together with negative factor correlations in CFA using the bifactor model are explored for specific characteristics. The analysis is conducted on the basis of quantified accounts of common systematic variation achieved by the two group latent variables of the model. It reveals that negative factor correlations tend to be associated with larger factor variance estimates than the zero correlation and positive correlations. Further, it reveals that upper limits to the sizes of factor variances for positive factor correlations corresponding to expectations exist while in negative correlations such limits are missing and allow for overly large factor variance estimates. Results of the analysis based on quantified accounts are supported by the results of a simulation study.

The arrangement of objects in scenes follows certain rules (“Scene Grammar”), which we exploit to perceive and interact efficiently with our environment. We have proposed that Scene Grammar is hierarchically organized: scenes are divided into clusters of objects (“phrases”, e.g., the sink phrase); within every phrase, one object (“anchor”, e.g., the sink) holds strong predictions about identity and position of other objects (“local objects”, e.g., a toothbrush). To investigate if this hierarchy is reflected in the mental representations of objects, we collected pairwise similarity judgments for everyday object pictures and for the corresponding words. Similarity judgments were stronger not only for object pairs appearing in the same scene, but also object pairs appearing within the same phrase of the same scene as opposed to appearing in different phrases of the same scene. Besides, object pairs with the same status in the scenes (i.e., being both anchors or both local objects) were judged as more similar than pairs of different status. Comparing effects between pictures and words, we found similar, significant impact of scene hierarchy on the organization of mental representation of objects, independent of stimulus modality. We conclude that the hierarchical structure of visual environment is incorporated into abstract, domain general mental representations of the world.

Young people and women seem to suffer more from social restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic than do others. Findings from pre-pandemic surveys identified students as a specific risk group for developing anxiety and depressive symptoms. Recent studies have indicated that students especially denoted a decrease in mental health during the pandemic. In a sample of n = 1938 university students (67.6% female), we investigated protective factors that are associated with mental health (defined as the absence of any mental disorder) and more specifically, the absence of major depression during the pandemic despite social restrictions. Investigated protective factors were social support, sense of coherence and situational coping strategies. The results of the multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that male gender, high sense of coherence and specific coping strategies could be identified to be associated with mental health in general and the absence of major depression. Protective coping strategies that were related to mental health in general were lower substance use, lower behavioral disengagement, higher positive reframing and lower self-blame. Protective coping strategies that were associated with the absence of major depression specifically were higher use of instrumental support, lower substance use, lower behavioral disengagement, higher positive reframing, higher emotional support, lower self-blame and lower humor. Social support was related to the absence of major depression, but not to mental health in general. Higher age in university students was associated with better mental health, but not with the absence of major depression specifically. These findings indicate that sense of coherence and situational coping strategies can buffer the adverse effect of social restrictions on mental health and thus, can serve as important resilience factors. Moreover, they highlight the political relevance of promoting specific coping strategies to foster mental health in students encompassing adverse events and social restrictions.

This study investigated the association of school attendance restrictions in the early stages of the coronavirus disease pandemic with teacher-specific workload, and work-related rumination of teachers in Germany. Deduced from the effort-recovery model, that assumes that work might lead to strain reactions, making recovery necessary to avoid long-term health impairments, fatigue and positive as well as negative contents of work-related rumination in nonwork time were investigated in a five-day diary study with three measurement points per day. A total of 1,697 daily measures of 174 teachers were gathered over three consecutive workdays and the weekend. Only those days were included in which the teachers worked. Multilevel structural equation modeling revealed that teachers during school restrictions showed lower teacher-specific workload, which was associated with lower levels of affective rumination and problem-solving pondering. The effect on fatigue was mediated only by affective rumination such that a higher affective rumination was related to a higher fatigue level on the between and within-level. There was a significant three-path mediation from group belongingness over teacher-specific workload to affective rumination and fatigue. Problem-solving pondering did not affect fatigue level. The present study provides evidence of the association of COVID-19 restrictions with teacher-specific workload and the importance of differentiating the facets of work-related rumination.