Browsing by Author "Meral, Yasemin"

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Bound by Society: An Exploratory Study of Pet Attachment and Social Constraints in Pet Bereavement Among a Turkish Sample
(Routledge Journals, Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2025) Demirci, Oyku; Yuksel, Ozge; Meral, Yasemin
Pet owners often form deep emotional bonds with their animals, and the death of a pet can elicit grief responses similar to human loss. However, pet loss is often considered disenfranchized grief, socially unrecognized and unsupported. Guided by social-cognitive processing and attachment perspectives, this study examines how pet attachment, social constraints, and loss-related variables shape grief intensity. The study included 210 adults who lost a pet within the past year and completed measures of pet bereavement, attachment to pets, and social constraints. Attachment to the pet was the strongest predictor of grief severity, while social constraints also influenced grief, with those facing emotional inhibition experiencing greater distress. Loss-related factors such as euthanasia initially predicted grief, but their effect diminished once attachment and social constraints were considered. These findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of pet loss grief and the need for greater societal recognition and support for the bereaved pet owners.
Kovid-19 Kaynaklı Endişenin Yaygın Anksiyete Bozukluğuna Etkisinde Bilinçli Farkındalık, Bilişsel Kontrol ve Bilişsel Esneklik Değişkenlerinin Aracı Rolü
(Association for Clinical Psychology Research, 2024) Meral Öğütçü, Yasemin; Yakın, İ.; Çarboğa, G.; Bayram, Ö.E.; Meral, Yasemin
The outbreak of COVID-19 presents a threat to human psychology and shows an increase in anxiety. With the uncertainty during the pandemic, individuals are concerned about different areas in their life such as health or economy. Thus, an increase in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms is expected. The present study aimed to investigate the association between COVID-19 concerns and GAD-symptoms, and the mediating roles of Mindfulness, Cognitive Control (CC), and Cognitive Flexibility (CF) in this relationship. 458 individuals aged between 18-75 (78.4% female, 21.6% male) participated in the present study. Data was collected online using self-reported questionnaires measuring concerns related to COVID-19, GAD-symptoms, Mindfulness, CC, and CF. The results of the present study showed that GAD-symptoms were significantly predicted by coronavirus concerns. The more worries about the pandemic outcome, the higher GAD-symptoms were reported. Moreover, this association was mediated by Mindfulness and CC. Mindful individuals and those with higher CC showed fewer GAD-symptoms. Even though CF has been found as decreasing anxiety symptoms, it did not affect coronavirus concerns. Regarding GAD, individuals’ worries are not unrealistic, but mostly not linked to real threat. During the pandemic on the other hand, worries are related to real danger. Thus, beliefs about the pandemic might not be maladaptive. Instead of changing these beliefs, having the ability to direct attention purposefully through CC might be more functional. Furthermore, accepting their experiences in a non-judgmental way might be adaptive. These results highlight that individuals with GAD-symp-toms might benefit from interventions based on Mindfulness and CC during the pandemic. © 2024 Association of Clinical Psychology Research. All rights reserved.
Citation - WoS: 2
Citation - Scopus: 2
Self-Image and Self-Focused Attention in a Social Interaction Situation: What Is Relevant for Social Anxiety?
(Cambridge Univ Press, 2022) Meral Öğütçü, Yasemin; Vriends, Noortje; Meral, Yasemin
Background: According to Clark and Wells' cognitive model (Clark and Wells, 1995), social anxiety is maintained by both a negative self-image and self-focused attention (SFA). Although these maintaining factors were investigated extensively in previous studies, the direction of this relationship remains unclear, and so far, few studies have investigated self-image and SFA together within a current social interaction situation. Aims: The aim of this experiment is to investigate the influence of a negative versus positive self-image on social anxiety and on SFA during a social interaction. Method: High (n = 27) and low (n = 36) socially anxious participants, holding a manipulated negative versus positive self-image in mind, had a real-time video conversation with a confederate. Social anxiety, SFA and state anxiety before and during the conversation were measured with questionnaires. Results: An interaction between negative self-image and social anxiety showed that high socially anxious individuals with a negative self-image in mind were more anxious than those with a positive self-image in mind during the conversation. They were also more anxious compared with low socially anxious individuals. Furthermore, high socially anxious individuals reported higher SFA; however, SFA was not affected by negative or positive self-image. Conclusion: The present results confirm once again the strong influence of self-image and SFA on social anxiety, highlighting that a negative self-image has more impact on socially anxious individuals. Moreover, the present results suggest that SFA is not necessarily affected by a negative self-image, indicating that therapies should focus on both.