Psychology & Health最新文献

Objectives: Previous operationalisations of bedtime procrastination were incongruent with its definition. We addressed this gap in knowledge by testing a new operationalisation that incorporates the three necessary and sufficient conditions of bedtime procrastination. We investigate the motivational antecedents of bedtime procrastination in daily life with this new operationalisation.

Methods and measures: Participants (n = 336) self-reported goal motives, chronotype, and typical sleep metrics on a Sunday evening. For the following 7-days, participants self-assessed their 24-h sleep metrics, goal-regulatory variables, and psychological needs.

Results: The bedtime discrepancy scores from the new assessment correlate in expected direction with sleep quantity and chronotype. However, our findings pertaining to motivational correlates of bedtime procrastination showed low compatibility with our expectations.

Discussion: We introduced a new operationalisation of bedtime procrastination that aligns with its definition, and which can complement existing approaches that primarily encompass trait-like elements. Incorporating all three necessary and sufficient conditions of bedtime procrastination at the daily level suggests previous prevalence estimates of this sleep-related behaviour obtained with trait-like operationalisations may be overestimated. The low compatibility between our expectations regarding the motivational antecedents of bedtime procrastination suggest a need for congruence between the levels at which antecedents are captured with this sleep-related behaviour.

Objective: Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has shown efficacy in improving mental health and symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD), a prevalent disorder of gut-brain interaction (DGBI). However, FD-specific CBT is not widely available or scalable. Therefore, this study explored the perspectives of patients with FD and clinicians who treat them on the use of digital CBT-based interventions.

Methods and measures: This qualitative study involved semi-structured interviews with 21 patients with FD and 10 clinicians. Iterative, inductive thematic analysis was conducted.

Results: Three patient themes were developed: (1) their experiences contributing to coping difficulties, emphasising the complexity of self-management; (2) a desire for more personalised options, highlighting the need for accessible, FD-tailored CBT; and (3) concerns regarding human contact, safety, usability, and data security. Four clinician themes were also developed: (1) digital CBT bridges a gap in psychological support within gastroenterology; (2) perceived clinical utility of CBT; (3) digital CBT allows patient self-management; and (4) clinical concerns, including symptom tracking and patient safety.

Conclusion: Both patients and clinicians recognised the value and utility of digital CBT for FD. Tailored, digital CBT could inform and improve current management, making FD-specific psychological support more accessible.

Objectives: To showcase a novel, theoretically informed methodology for conducting scoping reviews by operationalising critical theory. And to advance the field of women's digital health by applying this critical scoping review methodology (CSR) to research on menstrual tracking apps (MTAs).

Methods and measures: 116 articles published in English, between November 2015 and November 2023, focusing on MTAs, and/or user's experiences of MTAs, were thematically analysed through the Foucauldian concept of problematisation and analytics from critical psychology. This method examined what was produced as a problem, and the underpinning discourses, subject positions, paradigms, desired outcomes, and absences within these problem categories.

Results: Four problematisations were identified, (1) the problem of data privacy (subproblems: type of data, consent, abortion surveillance); (2) the problem with efficacy (subproblems: evaluating efficacy, accuracy, useability); (3) the problem of regulation (subproblems: self-surveillance, normative femininity, hormonal imperative, cycle regularity imperative, menstrual stigma); and (4) the problem of women (subproblems: health literacy, technology use, medically unknown, hard to design for).

Conclusion: MTA researchers would benefit from understanding their field through these problematisations. The CSR offers an important theoretically informed methodology for mapping and interpreting a research literature, which can identify, and expand, possibilities for research thought and practice.

Objective: Prolonged sedentary behaviour is associated with numerous negative health outcomes. Immersive virtual reality (IVR) offers opportunities for retired and non-working adults to take part in meaningful non-sedentary activities that may not be available to them in their natural environment. Using the behaviour change wheel and theoretical domains framework, an IVR intervention prototype was developed. This study aimed to explore and optimise the prototype with retired and non-working adults. A secondary aim was to explore participants' perceptions of IVR more generally.

Methods and measures: Five semi-structured mini-focus group interviews were conducted with 12 retired and non-working adults. Each group explored the intervention prototype together and discussed their experiences afterwards. A rapid analysis and reflexive thematic analysis (TA) were conducted on the data.

Results: Several feasible intervention design changes were generated through the rapid analysis. The reflexive TA generated three themes relating to participants' past experiences reducing their time spent sedentary, how they experienced the intervention prototype as a means to reduce their time spent sedentary, and their perspectives on using such an intervention in the future.

Conclusion: The results indicate that retired and non-working adults may enjoy using IVR to reduce sedentary time but generally favour natural experiences when possible.

Access to safe abortion is critical for women's health, but women are stigmatised for seeking out an abortion due to social norms regarding gender roles and sexuality. This abortion stigma is likely more prevalent in U.S. cultures of honour (primarily southern and western states), where women's reputation for sexual purity is paramount to their status. To test this possibility, we examined the relationship between honour and abortion-related outcomes at both the state and individual levels. At the state-level, we found that abortion rates were lower in honour (v. dignity) states after controlling for covariates. At the individual-level, we found that endorsement of feminine honour norms was associated with abortion stigma (Study 2) and indirectly linked with support for abortion concealment through anticipated stigma and shame (Study 3). Lastly, using a series of vignettes describing different scenarios in which a woman received an abortion (e.g. rape, relationship difficulties), we found that feminine honour endorsement was associated with decreased support for abortions and stigmatising attitudes toward the woman receiving an abortion (Study 4). Findings elucidate the relationship between honour norms and social stigma around abortion and enhance insights into how cultural processes may influence women's decision making and access to care.

Methods. This secondary analysis used data from 240 women with stage 0-III breast cancer who completed measures of BF (Benefit Finding Scale) and perceived stress management skills (PSMS) at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months post-randomization into CBSM or a psycho-education condition. We tested a six-factor BF model using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and assessed CBSM-related changes in BF and PSMS using Hierarchical Linear Models. We included significantly affected BF dimensions in mediation models.

Results. A six-factor model of BF had good fit [χ²(212) = 391.5, p < .001; CFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06; SRMR = 0.04]. CBSM positively affected changes in personal growth (β = 0.06, p = .01), social relations (β = 0.05, p = .05), and worldview (β = 0.05, p = .02) BF. Perceived relaxation skill increases significantly mediated changes in personal growth (β = 0.03, p = .04) and social relations (β = 0.03, p = .04).

Conclusion. Some aspects of perceived stress management skills appear to account for specific BF dimensions and should be considered in future efforts to develop interventions to modulate BF.

Objective: Moving overseas to study can be exciting, however many international students find this transition stressful. Therefore, empirically supported strategies to assist with managing stress and supporting well-being are needed. Motivated music listening is an effective stress management strategy, and is linked with international student well-being. Tuned In is a group program designed to increase emotion awareness and regulation using motivated music listening.

Methods and measures: We evaluated a 4-session online version of Tuned In for motivated music use, emotion regulation, and well-being in international students. The study used a 2 (Treatment; Waitlist) x 3 (timepoints: pre = T1; +4 weeks = T2; +8 weeks = T3) randomised controlled cross-over design. Treatment participants (n = 23) completed Tuned In between T1 and T2, Waitlist participants (n = 27) completed Tuned In between T2 and T3.

Results: Between T1 and T2, motivated music use increased in Treatment participants but not for the Waitlist. Treatment participants were also more confident in maintaining happiness and in having healthy ways of managing emotions at T2. All participants enjoyed Tuned In.

Conclusions: Tuned In, a group-based music listening program, even when delivered online, provides benefits for international students. With student well-being at risk as they begin university, enjoyable programs that help develop skills for students' academic journey should be a priority.

Objectives: Exercise identity may promote exercise maintenance. However, less is known about factors that affect exercise identity. Whether descriptive social norms are potential intervention targets for identity development was evaluated.

Design: A cross-sectional design using data from the Attitudes, Identities, and Individual Differences (AIID) study was employed - with additional cases collected to increase sample size and power - to evaluate whether descriptive social norms regarding exercise are related to implicit and explicit exercise identities.

Main outcome measures: Participants completed measures of proximal and distal descriptive social norms regarding exercise, explicit and implicit exercise identity, physical activity behavior, and demographics. Multiple regression was used to assess whether social norms regarding exercise predict exercise identities.

Results: Only proximal descriptive social norms were significantly associated with explicit exercise identity, whereas neither proximal nor distal descriptive social norms were associated with implicit exercise identity. The slopes for explicit and implicit identity differed when predicted by distal (but not proximal) descriptive social norms.

Conclusions: Proximal descriptive social norms may be associated with explicit exercise identity and may be a worthy intervention targeting alongside identity to influence change in exercise behavior. More research is needed to further understand these relationships.

Background: Stress is associated with obesity through several mechanisms, including coping methods used in stressful situations. However, long-term prospective studies investigating stress-induced eating and drinking in parallel and their relationships with weight are scarce.

Purpose: We examined the prevalence of stress-induced eating and drinking and their associations with body mass index (BMI) among women and men during a 30-year follow-up, as well as BMI trajectories from early adulthood to middle age.

Methods: Participants of a Finnish cohort study were followed by questionnaires at the ages of 22 (N = 1656), 32 (N = 1471), 42 (N = 1334), and 52 (N = 1160). Their coping methods were evaluated by asking how common it was for them to act in certain ways when they encountered stressful situations. We used linear regression analysis to examine the associations between coping methods and BMI, and latent growth models to analyze the BMI trajectories.

Results: The prevalence of stress-induced eating was higher among women than men throughout the follow-up, whereas stress-induced drinking was more common among men at 22 and 32 years of age. Stress-induced eating was associated with higher BMI at all ages among women, and from the age of 32 among men. Eating as a persistent coping method over the life course was associated with a higher and faster growth rate of BMI trajectories. Stress-induced drinking was associated with higher BMI in middle age, and with a faster growth of BMI among men.

Conclusions: Effective, appropriate stress management may be one essential factor in preventing weight gain in the adult population.

Objective: Purpose in life is associated with engagement in physical activity and better cognitive health. This study examines the association between purpose in life and patterns of physical activity measured with an accelerometer and whether these patterns mediate the association between purpose and episodic memory among older adults.

Methods and measures: This research is a secondary analysis of data from the accelerometry sub-study of the National Health and Aging Trends Study. Participants (N = 747; mean age = 79.20) reported on their purpose, wore an accelerometer for eight days, and completed an episodic memory task.

Results: Purpose in life was associated with healthier patterns of physical activity, including higher total activity counts (β = .10, p = .002), more active bouts per day (β = .11, p = .003), less activity fragmentation (β = -.17, p < .001) and more sedentary fragmentation (β = .11, p = .002). These associations were generally similar across age, sex, race and education. Higher total activity counts and less activity fragmentation were associated with better episodic memory and accounted for part of the association between purpose and episodic memory.

Conclusion: Purpose in life is associated with healthier patterns of physical activity measured through accelerometry among older adults and such patterns may be one factor in the pathway from purpose to healthier episodic memory.