Psychology & Health最新文献

Objective: Psychological network analysis was used to evaluate the relations between beliefs about cigarette smoking in current smokers with and without a recent quit attempt and determine if these networks differed in global strength (how strongly beliefs are related) or global structure (which beliefs are related).

Design: Using two publicly available datasets, the California Smokers' Cohort (CSC; N = 933) and Wave 1 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH; N = 7855), we evaluated differences in global strength and global structure of the beliefs held by current smokers with and without a recent quit attempt.

Main outcome measures: Strength and structure of networks generated for current smokers with and without a recent quit attempt.

Results: In the CSC dataset there were differences between smokers with and without a recent quit attempt in global structure and marginal differences in global strength; the PATH dataset suggested small differences in global strength and structure.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that consideration of relations among smoking beliefs may be a valuable contribution to characterizing smoking beliefs when assessing smoking quit attempts.

Objectives: Functional movement disorders (FMD) have poor prognosis and high physical and psychological co-morbidity. Their pathogenesis remains unclear, clinicians often find them difficult to treat, and lack of agreement between healthcare providers and patients is common. This study aimed to explore the experiences of living with FMD to improve understanding of its impact and patients' needs.

Methods: Ten participants across the UK were recruited online through a charity's social media platforms. Semi structured interviews were conducted via video calls and were audio recorded and verbatim transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results: Three superordinate themes were generated from the data, representing the three battles fought by the participants: (1) intrapersonal: the tug of war with the secret agent within- the power struggle with symptoms; (2) interpersonal: navigating stigma and self-preservation; (3) systemic: pursuing hope and treatments against helplessness and passivity.

Conclusions: Loss of control, feelings of powerlessness and oppression by symptoms is often mirrored in participants' experiences of seeking healthcare and navigating societal stigma. Active efforts to regain influence, improve quality of life and maintain hope can be jeopardised by others' dismissive attitudes and lack of knowledge. Antonovsky's model of salutogenesis is proposed as a useful framework for facilitating empowerment in FMD service provision.

Objective: To enhance Making Every Contact Count (MECC, an opportunistic approach to health promotion), training in the Third and Social Economy (TSE, all groups and organisations primarily working towards social justice, outside of the government or household) by examining the degree to which the behavioural content of MECC training tackled significant factors influencing MECC delivery.

Methods and measures: A strategic behavioural analysis design. Semi-structured interviews with service providers (n = 15) and users (n = 5) were coded for barriers and facilitators of MECC delivery using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Existing MECC training was coded for behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and intervention functions (IFs). The degree to which BCTs and IFs addressed the key TDF domains of influences on MECC delivery in the TSE were examined using prespecified tools.

Results: Seven key TDF domains of influences in MECC delivery were identified. Overall, only 9/31 linked BCTs were utilised within MECC training, with percentage utilisation of relevant BCTs for each domain ranging from 0% to 66.7%. Training adequately addressed 2/7 key domains.

Conclusion: The TSE and healthcare share many common key TDF domains, although there are differences in how each are relevant. Limitations and recommendations for MECC training are discussed.

Objectives: While anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs can reduce vaccine intentions, longitudinal research shows that vaccine hesitancy can increase conspiracy beliefs. In three experiments (N = 949), we examined the effect of fear about a vaccine on vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs.

Method and measures: In Studies 1a (N = 221) and 1b (N = 508), participants were exposed to high fear (vs low fear) about a (fictional) vaccine before reporting vaccine hesitancy and anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs. In Study 2, all participants were exposed to high fear before being asked to think about not getting vaccinated (vs vaccinated) against the (fictional) disease. Participants then reported their vaccine hesitancy, anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs, and closeness to others who distrust official narratives.

Results: In Studies 1a and 1b, exposure to high fear (vs low fear) increased vaccine hesitancy, which was positively correlated with anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs. The reverse model's effect was either smaller (Study 1a) or non-significant (Study 1b). In Study 2, fear and not wanting to vaccinate resulted in vaccine hesitancy, which then predicted anti-vaccine conspiracy beliefs and feeling closer to those distrusting official narratives.

Conclusion: Therefore, fear creates a response not to get vaccinated. A conspiracy belief may then justify this response.

Objective: Responses to miscarriage can vary, with many, but not all, people describing inadequate support, feelings of isolation and significant psychological distress. Limited knowledge exists about the support that people seek and offer online following miscarriage. We aimed to explore how people impacted by miscarriage use an online Facebook support group to seek and offer support.

Methods and measures: We employed directed content analysis to examine 270 opening posts and 3,484 responding comments within an 'open' Facebook support group for miscarriage. Opening posts and responding comments were coded into five social support categories using an existing support framework.

Results: Informational Support, particularly medical information or advice, was the most commonly sought support in opening posts, followed by Emotional Support, where people expressed their grief-related feelings. In responding comments, Emotional Support and Informational Support were predominantly offered.

Conclusion: While not a substitute for appropriate medical care, people impacted by miscarriage seek and offer support online. Health professionals should be aware of this behaviour and discuss potential benefits and risks of online support with patients. A social support framework may usefully guide health professionals in identifying patients' support needs and in knowing how to support patients.

Objective: Engaging a support partner during behavioral weight loss (BWL) programs can improve outcomes. However, little information is available about those selected as support partners. The study aimed to (1) characterize support partners and qualities of the relationship, (2) assess differences in relationship dynamics across relationship types, and (3) assess differences in supportive relationships by participant gender.

Methods and measures: Upon entering a 24-month BWL program, participants (N = 323) nominated a support person from their existing social networks. Participants completed self-report measures at baseline, including the Working Alliance Inventory and study-specific measures assessing characteristics of the support person and comfort in communicating with them.

Results: Spouse/partners were chosen by 43.3% of all participants. Among married participants, 80.9% of men and 53.8% of women chose their spouse/partner. Working alliance was lower when the support partner was a spouse/partner versus a friend (p < 0.05, r = -0.19). Comfort talking about exercise with a support partner was higher than talking about eating or weight (p < 0.001, η²_p= 0.05).

Conclusion: A variety of friends and family can be selected as support partners during BWL. Programs should attend to the unique needs of men versus women when identifying sources of support.

Objective: There is continued interest in understanding what leads people to engage in CDC-recommended COVID-19 prevention behaviors. We tested whether fear and COVID-19 worry would replicate as the primary drivers of six CDC recommended prevention behaviors. Methods and Measures: We recruited 741 adult participants during the second major peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States (early 2021). Using very similar methods to the original study, participants completed a 10-day daily diary. Mixed effects models identified the strongest predictors of each individual prevention behavior as well as approach and avoidance behavior clusters. Results: At the between-person level, COVID-19 worry, COVID-19 perceived susceptibility, fear, and positive emotions all had positive zero-order associations with the prevention behaviors. However, with all predictors in the same model together, primarily COVID-19 worry remained significant for both the individual behaviors and behavior clusters. At the within-person level, only fear related to assessing oneself for COVID-19 and approach behaviors on the same day, but not the next day. Mediational analyses suggested COVID-19 worry, but not COVID-19 susceptibility, mediated the links between fear and approach/avoidance behaviors. Conclusion: Findings replicated worry about yourself or a loved one getting COVID-19 as the strongest predictor of prevention behaviors.

Objectives: This research aimed to construct and psychometrically test a measure of multiple sociocultural dimensions (i.e. family, peers, media) theoretically associated with exercise behaviours/attitudes in adolescents; the Sociocultural Influences on Exercise Behaviours in Adolescents Questionnaire (SIEBAQ).

Methods and measurement: Part 1 of this study focused on measure construction and psychometric testing, involving item generation and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to refine the item pool, with 905 adolescents (Mage 13.66 years (SD = 0.94); girls = 442). Part 2 sought to explore the convergent validity of the SIEBAQ (n = 846; n = 414 girls).

Results: EFA resulted in a 47-item measure with a nine-factor structure (including social media modelling, parent exercise expectations, peer co-participation; α = 0.72-0.92). Correlations revealed weak-moderate significant relationships between the SIEBAQ and related constructs (e.g. compulsive exercise, sociocultural attitudes towards appearance). Regression analyses with the SIEBAQ identified social media modelling of exercise as a significant predictor of compulsive exercise in boys and girls. Proving exercise ability to significant others also significantly predicted compulsive exercise outcomes.

Conclusion: This newly developed measure holds promise. Further psychometric testing and validation of the SIEBAQ is the recommended next step to confirm the measure's nine-factor structure identified through EFA.

Objective: This study is a replication and extension of previous work examining the well-being of patients at a breast biopsy appointment. Expanding on a previous study, we aim to identify predictors of well-being following the appointment (i.e. waiting for results).

Design: In this longitudinal study, female patients (N = 197) were surveyed at their breast biopsy appointments and then completed daily surveys assessing distress and coping during the week-long wait for results.

Main outcome measures: Surveys asked about patient characteristics, subjective health, cancer history, support availability, outcome expectations, and distress.

Results/conclusions: Consistent with the previous study, health history and demographic factors were largely unassociated with distress, this time while waiting for biopsy results. Latina ethnicity emerged one of the few predictors of coping, pointing to opportunities for differential clinical interventions that take cultural factors into account. Finally, anxiety was highest at the beginning and end of the wait for biopsy results, suggesting that interventions may be most effective following a breast biopsy and the days prior to learning one's result.