Sarah Le Vigouroux

Dans la littérature, un effet de positivité, se traduisant par une augmentation des affects positifs et/ou une diminution des affects négatifs lors de la période de l’âge adulte, est identifié. Plusieurs modèles sont proposés pour tenter d’expliquer cet effet de positivité. Ils portent sur différents aspects des individus, du développement cognitif et de la régulation affective. Ce travail de thèse s’appuie sur quatre modèles : les théories de sélectivité socioémotionnelle (Löckenhoff & Carstensen, 2004), de sélection-optimisation-compensation en régulation émotionnelle (Urry & Gross, 2010), de l’intégration dynamique (Labouvie-Vief, 2003) et celle de l’intégration des forces et des vulnérabilités (Charles, 2010). L’évolution de trois processus est ciblée : la sélection, l’efficacité et la temporalité d’utilisation des stratégies de régulation. Deux hypothèses sont prises en compte. L’hypothèse développementale est qu’avec l’avancée en âge les individus acquerraient une expertise dans l’utilisation des stratégies, qui serait visible sur ces trois processus de régulation. L’hypothèse différentielle se centre sur les différences individuelles dans l’effet de positivité et sur le développement de l’expertise dans la régulation affective. Les résultats obtenus mettent en évidence un effet de positivité général. Cet effet de positivité s’explique par le développement d’une expertise, mais qui n’est la même pour tous les individus. En effet certains vont cibler la réduction des affects négatifs pendant que d’autres ciblent l’augmentation des affects positifs. Dans l’ensemble, ces résultats mettent en évidence un basculement hédonique des objectifs de régulation affective.

The aim of this study was to validate the French version of the Multidimensional Psychological Flexibility Inventory (MPFI-60) for use in French-speaking populations. The MPFI-60 was translated into French and administered to a total of 1,245 non-clinical participants from France, Canada and Belgium, including a university student sample (N=628; 82 % female; M= 23.77 years old, SD= 8,87 years) and a general population sample (N= 617; 83 % female; M= 42.47 years old, SD= 12,36 years). Participants completed an online cross-sectional survey including the French MPFI and other measures of psychological flexibility and inflexibility processes. Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the original MPFI structure, supporting a two second-order factor model comprising six flexibility and six inflexibility first-order factors. The French MPFI demonstrated good internal consistency, convergent validity, temporal stability and measurement invariance across gender, age, country and educational level. Overall, the French MPFI provides a reliable and valid assessment of psychological flexibility and inflexibility at both global and subprocess levels in French-speaking populations.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to compare women who are not experiencing infertility, women who have experienced infertility in the past, and women who are currently experiencing infertility on illness representations of infertility. Participants were 668 women recruited via social media discussion forums and divided into three groups: not experiencing infertility (n = 299), experienced infertility in the past (n = 229), and currently experiencing infertility (n = 140). Their illness representations (cognitive and emotional) of infertility were measured with the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire. Comparisons between the three groups showed that women who had not experienced infertility perceived fewer symptoms to be associated with infertility than the other two groups did and attributed infertility more to biological and psychological causes. Women who were currently experiencing infertility reported less negative emotions than the other two groups and attributed their infertility more to contraception, the medical profession, and their weight. Finally, women who experienced infertility in the past perceived more consequences of infertility, considered it to be more long-lasting and attributed it more to substances and environmental causes than the two other groups. Results revealed several differences between the illness representations of infertility in women. These findings highlight the need for information campaigns about infertility, with messages that are more closely tailored to the target population.

Trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, and metacognitive beliefs influence executive functions (EFs) and academic achievement. This study examines their interplay and impact on academic success. In total, 275 adolescents (10–17 years) and parents completed an online questionnaire assessing trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, metacognition, parent-reported behaviors related to executive functioning, and overall school average. Preliminary analyses confirmed consistency with the existing literature for each variable and their interaction. Furthermore, we conducted a network analysis among the main variables. This analysis supports the need to pay more attention to reflective variables—maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and metacognitive beliefs about worry—when studying trait anxiety. These variables were linked to problematic executive functioning in adolescents, and the latter was negatively linked to academic achievement. This study offers innovative insights by investigating relationships less explored in the scientific literature. It reveals high and significant correlations between metacognitive beliefs, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, and trait anxiety (r > 0.500, p < 0.001) but also between these variables and both executive functioning and academic achievement. These findings offer new perspectives for research and underscore the importance of holistically examining the psychological factors related to academic success.

Trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, and metacognitive beliefs influence executive functions (EF) and academic achievement. This study examines their interplay and impact on academic success. In total, 275 adolescents (10-17 years) and parents completed an online questionnaire assessing trait anxiety, emotion regulation strategies, metacognition, parent-reported behaviors related to executive functioning, and overall school average. Preliminary analyses confirmed consistency with existing literature for each variable and their interaction. Furthermore, we conducted a network analysis among the main variables. This analysis supports the need to pay more attention to reflective variables - maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and metacognitive beliefs about worry - when studying trait anxiety. These variables were linked to problematic executive functioning in adolescents. These latter had a negative link to academic achievement. This study offers innovative insights by investigating less-explored relationships in the scientific literature. It reveals high and significant correlations between metacognitive beliefs, maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and trait anxiety (r > .500, p < .001) but also between these variables and both executive functioning and academic achievement. These findings offer new perspectives for research and underscore the importance of holistically examining psychological factors related to academic success.

Background: the mental health of students was particularly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study therefore examined the relationships between anxiety and depressive symptoms, eating-related problems, coping, fear of COVID-19, and intolerance of uncertainty. Methods: 2139 French students of 54 universities were recruited in the different regions of France during a French lockdown (between 21 April and 3 May 2021). Six variables were measured: fear of COVID-19, intolerance of uncertainty, coping, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and eating-related problems. To explore the directions of the relationships between our variables of interest, we calculated a directed acyclic graph. Results: our data highlighted the central roles of intolerance of uncertainty in students’ anxiety and depressive symptoms, and the direct role of prospective intolerance of uncertainty on eating-related problems. Conclusions: these findings indicate that intolerance of uncertainty should be targeted by interventions designed to help students with high levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, and/or eating-related problems.