Journal of Health Psychology最新文献

This study explores the psychological and emotional impacts of infertility treatments on couples. Utilizing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, this qualitative research delves into the shared experiences of five couples undergoing fertility treatments, uncovering the deep-seated personal and relational dynamics of their journeys. Three key themes were identified: From Hope to Exhaustion: Navigating the Emotional Rollercoaster of Treatment, Redefining Togetherness: Making Sense of Infertility as a Couple, and Networks of Care: Negotiating Support Within and Beyond the Couple. Study explores how couples undergoing in vitro fertilization construct shared meaning around their experiences and how the process shapes their relational and psychological dynamics. This study adopts a couple-based interpretative phenomenological approach to reveal how partners co-construct meaning, manage shared distress, and experience relational growth during infertility treatment. It offers new insights into the dyadic processes that foster resilience amid infertility.

The aim of current study was to assess the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and successful aging among Chinese. A total of 7517 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011 were included in cross-sectional analyses. Any of 12 ACEs, measured by indicators on a questionnaire. Overall prevalence of successful aging was 11.77%, and there was an increase in number of ACEs was associated with a decreasing trend in the prevalence of successful aging, and those experiencing four or more ACEs had the lowest level of successful aging. Compared to participants without ACEs exposure, those experiencing three and four or more ACEs were associated with lower odds of achieving successful aging, with corresponding odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of 0.77 (0.60-0.98) and 0.63 (0.49-0.82), respectively. In conclusion, exposure to ACEs showed a lower likelihood of successful aging among the middle-aged and elderly people in China.

While health-related awareness has been extensively studied, the concept of health uncertainty in the general population remains inadequately conceptualized and operationalized. This study aims to develop a conceptual framework and measurement tool for health uncertainty, and to examine its associations with health anxiety and health behaviors. The research comprised two studies conducted in China. Study 1 developed and validated a health uncertainty scale using data from 709 participants. The scale, which comprises dimensions of health status uncertainty, health changes unpredictability, and health threat and information ambiguity, demonstrated good reliability and validity. Study 2 employed a questionnaire-based approach with 345 participants and showed that health uncertainty negatively predicted health behaviors, with health anxiety acting as a mediator. The findings highlight the impact of health uncertainty on psychological and behavioral responses, emphasizing the need for strategies to reduce uncertainty during public health crises to promote healthier behaviors and achieve public health goals.

Healthcare professionals often perceive antibiotic resistance (ABR) as distant and abstract, thereby underestimating their susceptibility to it. This study examined whether reading or writing a narrative can enhance perceived susceptibility to ABR. In an experiment, Dutch medical students (n = 237) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: reading or writing a narrative or reading non-narrative information (control). Perceived susceptibility was measured at three spatial distance levels: 'you', 'your patients', and patients abroad. Narratives, whether read or written, were not more effective than non-narrative information in increasing participants' perceived susceptibility to ABR. Imaginability mediated the relationship between type of narrative and perceived susceptibility post-manipulation only at the distance level 'your patients'. At this distance level, the pre-constructed narrative increased imaginability more than the self-constructed narrative. Future experimental studies should investigate the effect of adjusted narratives in increasing perceived susceptibility to ABR, a threat perceived as distant and abstract.

This study identified latent profiles of Asian American (AA) young adults based on family connectedness, interaction quality, and shared activities, and examined their associations with perceived influence on health behaviors (diet, exercise, sleep, stress management, social relationships, and risky substances). Using survey data from 500 AA young adults (ages 18-35), Latent Profile Analysis identified three profiles: fragmented (11.2%), ambivalent (33%), and strongly bonded (55.8%). Strongly bonded individuals reported greater family influence on health behaviors-especially sleep, stress management, and social relationships, and stronger personal influence on family members' diet and exercise compared to the fragmented group. The ambivalent group showed limited influence, with most effects insubstantially different from the fragmented group. Findings underscore the importance of tailoring health interventions to distinct family profiles-leveraging strong bonds through culturally grounded programs, enhancing interaction in ambivalent families, and providing external support for those with strained family ties.

Binge eating is associated with a range of negative health outcomes and may be influenced by early life adversity. While childhood trauma is a known risk factor for disordered eating, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are not fully understood. This study examined whether perceived stress mediates the association between childhood trauma and trait binge eating in adults. A community sample of 391 participants (82% women; aged 17-76) completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, the Perceived Stress Scale, and the Binge Eating Scale. Mediation analyses revealed perceived stress partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and binge eating symptoms. Furthermore perceived helplessness and low self-efficacy as sub-components of perceived stress were mediators in relation to emotional abuse and physical neglect. These findings support the role of cognitive-affective stress appraisals as mechanisms linking early adversity to disordered eating behaviours and highlight targets for prevention and intervention efforts.

Young people's eating behavior is influenced by their prototypes of typical healthy and unhealthy peer eaters. This study evaluates the effects of a poster and cartoon strip campaign to promote positive images of vegetable eating peers and vegetable consumption among conscripted men in a quasi-experimental study design. Samples of young Finnish men reported vegetable consumption frequency at the start of compulsory military service (control arm n = 848, intervention arm n = 959) and at 6 months of service (control n = 424, intervention n = 484). Half of the participants reported their perceptions of Vegetable chooser or Vegetable abstainer prototypes, respectively, at baseline and follow-up (control n = 239, intervention n = 234). Three out of six prototypes became less positive toward vegetable consumption at follow-up. However, these trends were less pronounced in the intervention than control group for prototypes and vegetable consumption.

Physical activity enhances subjective well-being, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study examined the mediating role of emotion regulation and the moderating influence of gender roles among 896 university students (411 men). Physical activity was positively correlated with life satisfaction (r = 0.33, p < 0.01) and interpersonal relationship quality (r = 0.19, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with depression (r = -0.23, p < 0.01). Emotion regulation partially mediated these associations. Moderated mediation analyses indicated that the indirect effects were significant only for students adhering to masculine (β = 0.30, p < 0.01) and feminine (β = 0.13, p < 0.05) orientations, but not for androgynous or undifferentiated groups. These results highlight that the psychological benefits of physical activity are not uniform but shaped by individual differences in gender-role orientations, underscoring the need for tailored strategies that match students' gender-role identities when promoting mental health.

Health anxiety is feeling anxious about health and illnesses. Certain symptoms and biases, such as memory bias, attention bias, and preoccupation, have been identified within the cognitive-behavioral model and explored in numerous studies. To our knowledge, no systematic review has specifically examined the cognitive vulnerability factors and how they contribute to the onset and persistence of health anxiety, rather than the cognitive symptoms once health anxiety was developed. Therefore, the current study aimed to systematically review cognitive vulnerability factors of health anxiety. A literature search was conducted across Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed, yielding 2823 records, of which 24 studies met the inclusion criteria (e.g. full-text, English-written, quantitative studies) after screening. Results showed that anxiety sensitivity and intolerance of uncertainty were the most reported cognitive variables associated with health anxiety. These transdiagnostic factors were considered as alternative targets of therapy because this approach was reported to be effective.

Preterm birth is a stressful and potentially traumatic experience for mothers, often leading to psychological distress, including symptoms of anxiety and depression that may persist after hospital discharge. This scoping review aimed to map the available evidence on the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in mothers of preterm newborns (PTNBs) after discharge and to identify associated risk factors. The review was conducted using the databases VHL, MEDLINE via PubMed, Scopus, and Embase, covering studies published between January 2014 and March 2025. The methodology followed the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines and the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Eleven studies were included. Anxiety and depression symptoms were common among mothers of PTNBs post-discharge. Clinical maternal and neonatal conditions, along with socioeconomic factors, were associated with higher risk. Understanding the persistence and determinants of maternal psychological distress after preterm birth is crucial for developing interventions that support maternal mental health and promote healthy child development.