Individual Psychological Factors Research Articles

青少年自我同一性的本土化研究现状及趋势<br>The Current Situation and Trend on the Self Identity of Adolescence in China

自我同一性是Erikson人格发展理论中的核心概念，作为一种重要的心理现象，它是青少年个体的生物、心理和社会三方面因素的统一体。本文旨在通过系统分析，进一步探讨青少年自我同一性本土化研究现状及趋势，多角度梳理这方面研究的理论和实践。 The self-identity is the core of Erikson’s personality theory, as an important phenomenon of so- ciety and psychology, as an important psychological phenomenon, which is a unity of the young individual biological, psychological and social factors. The test mainly aims at systematically analysising, future dis- cussing the current situation and trend on the self identity of adolescence in china, combing indigenous the- ory of the self identity of adolescence from much perspective.

Inequalities in oral health and oral health promotion

This article offers a critical review of the problem of inequalities in oral health and discusses strategies for disease prevention and oral health promotion. It shows that oral health is not merely a result of individual biological, psychological, and behavioral factors; rather, it is the sum of collective social conditions created when people interact with the social environment. Oral health status is directly related to socioeconomic position across the socioeconomic gradient in almost all populations. The main priority for dental interventions is that they be integrated collaboratively and enable research and policies that address the main proximal determinants of oral diseases, i.e., sugars, smoking, hygiene, and risk behaviors. Adopting a mixed approach, these interventions should also reduce inequality, focusing on the socioeconomic determinants, to change the slope of the social gradient. The cornerstone of this approach is the Integrated Common Risk Factor Approach (CRFA).

Understanding accommodation managers’ crisis planning intention: An application of the theory of planned behaviour

Despite the potential of crisis planning and preparedness to create more resilient tourism organisations, the majority of past studies concerned with tourism crises have focused on response and recovery, rather than on crisis planning. Further, most are descriptive in nature and few have undertaken a predictive or explanatory research approach underpinned by a strong theoretical framework. This study attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the psychological factors that influence crisis planning in the Australian accommodation industry. The theory of planning behaviour (TPB) was extended to examine the influence of attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioural control and past experience on crisis planning intentions. Data were collected through a nationwide online survey in Australia (N=386) and analysed by path analysis using structural equation modelling. In terms of predicting crisis planning intentions, three individual psychological factors (attitude, subjective norms, and past crisis experience) were identified as the key factors that influence crisis planning behaviour, while the path coefficient between perceived control and behavioural intentions was not found to be significant. These findings suggest that managers and industry associations should articulate the advantages of crisis planning and provide resources, tool kits, and workshops to support attitude change and boost reference group support. These findings will also be of interest to tourism sectors other than the accommodation industry, and to countries other than Australia. Future research avenues based on the findings are also outlined.

Social Contexts of Risk Behaviors for HIV Among Male, Unskilled, Unregistered Laborers in Urban Vietnam

In Vietnam there has been relatively little success in controlling the HIV epidemic, in part because the subpopulations most exposed to the virus are often difficult to engage in prevention research and programs. In this qualitative study we explored social contexts shaping HIV risk behaviors among Vietnamese men involved in unskilled, unregistered, and low-income labor in urban settings. Based on self-disclosed behaviors, it is clear that these men were at high risk of sexually transmitted infection (STI). Evidence emerged from the interview data highlighting equivalent influences of individual psychological factors, social integration, social barriers, and accessibility regarding drug use and sexual risk behavior. Psychological influences such as tedium, distress, fatalism and revenge, and the strong effects of collective decision making and fear of social isolation appeared important for these men living on the economic and social margins of this rapidly urbanizing society. The study findings suggest directions for research and culturally appropriate HIV preventive education and services for these men.

You’ve got to have friends: the predictive value of social integration and support in suicidal ideation among rural communities

To explore the role of social integration and support in the longitudinal course of suicidal ideation (SI) in a rural population. Baseline and 12-month data were obtained from participants within the Australian Rural Mental Health Study, a longitudinal study of community residents within rural and remote New South Wales, Australia. SI was assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire. Individual psychological factors, family and community characteristics were examined alongside personal social networks (Berkman Syme Social Network Index), availability of social support (Interview Schedule for Social Interaction) and perception of local community (Sense of Community Index). Thirteen hundred and fifty-six participants were included in the analysis (39% male, mean age 56.5years). Sixty-one participants reported recent SI at baseline, while 57 reported SI at follow-up. Baseline SI was a strong predictor of SI at 12months [odds ratio (OR) 19.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 8.6-42.3); significant effects were also observed for baseline values of psychological distress (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0-1.9) and availability of social support (OR 0.76, 95% 0.58-1.0) on 12-month SI. The emergence of SI at 12-month follow-up was predicted by higher psychological distress (OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.3-2.4); there was a marginal effect of lower availability of support (OR 0.74, 95% CI 0.55-1.0); neither of these variables predicted SI resolution. This study investigated factors associated with SI over a 12-month period in a rural cohort. After controlling for known risk factors for SI, low availability of social support at baseline was associated with greater likelihood of SI at 12-month follow-up.

In Mysterious Ways: On petitionary prayer and subtle forms of supernatural causation

The psychology of prayer and supernatural causation has received surprisingly little attention from empirical researchers. This paper discusses implicit belief patterns about the causal mechanisms by which God effects changes in the world. The authors offer a psychological account of belief in supernatural causation based on the existing empirical literature on petitionary prayer, incorporating mechanisms of psychological self-correction and rationalisation, confirmation bias and folk physics. They propose that religious believers ‘prefer’ modes of divine action that are subtle and indistinguishable from the natural course of events: given that the causal structure of our world is partly inscrutable, beliefs in subtle and unascertainable modes of supernatural causation will be compelling and cognitively appealing because they are more susceptible to occasional confirmation and less vulnerable to repeated disconfirmation. In other words, believers who request supernatural interventions that are subtle and indistinguishable from the natural course of events will have a better chance of finding themselves in a situation in which they can attribute the events in question to God answering their prayers. The authors argue that such individual psychological factors play a role in the cultural transmission of prayer practices as well, leading to culturally widespread beliefs in subtle forms of supernatural causation.

A qualitative analysis of the experiences of elite athletes who have admitted to doping for performance enhancement

The purpose of this study was to provide an ecologically valid account of the experiences of ‘admitted dopers’. In-depth interviews were conducted with five elite athletes from the sports of road cycling, mountain biking and weightlifting. The athletes had either tested positive for banned substances or had admitted to prior drug use after their retirement from competitive sport. Thematic analysis was used to extract meaning from the interview data. Individual psychological factors and contextual influences on the athletes' doping decisions were identified. The conflicting responses of these athletes make the identification of a psychological profile of athletes most at-risk for doping difficult, but morality was consistently cited as an important consideration. The culture of the athletes' team or training group and ‘critical incidents’ during the athletes' careers were often influential in precipitating drug use. Doping deterrents were also discussed, of which guilt and shame were predominant. The athletes outlined their perceived personal and social consequences of doping. Their future outlook for reducing the problem of doping in sport was generally optimistic. The findings have significant implications for the design of anti-doping research and education, and the implementation of anti-doping policy.

Contextual effect of neighborhood environment on homebound elderly in a Japanese community

Homebound status is associated with poorer health and disability; however, the impact of community factors on the decision to remain homebound is unclear. We applied multilevel analyses to examine the association between neighborhood environment and homebound status among Japanese community-dwelling elderly. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in February 2009 using a mailed questionnaire. A total of 4123 participants aged 20 years and over living in 72 small districts of Kashiwa, Japan, were randomly selected for the survey. Of the 1735 returned questionnaires, the 588 that were completed by individuals aged 65 years and over were used for analysis. Frequency of going outdoors was assessed and respondents going outdoors once a week or less were defined as homebound. Neighborhood environment was assessed using three subscales of the Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS-A) (land use mix-access, aesthetics and crime safety). Multilevel logistic regression analysis indicated that the lower score of land use mix-access at the district level was associated with the elderly being homebound after adjustment for individual demographic data, physical, psychological and social factors and district prevalence of population aged 65 years or more. This finding could contribute to devising a successful community-based strategy for homebound prevention of community-dwelling elderly individuals.

Toward Understanding Resilient Outcomes

Can J Psychiatry. 2011;56(5):256-257. Resilience, or the ability to maintain or regain mental health despite exposure to significant adversity, has captured the attention of researchers, clinicians, and policymakers in the last decade. Although systematic research on resilience began in the 1970s,1 its conceptualization has evolved from attention solely to personal psychological attributes, to an understanding that environment, in its broadest sense, interacts with genetic endowment and psychological factors to contribute to resilience.2 Consequently, the roles of family, schools, communities, social and health systems, and policies have assumed greater importance in resilience research and interventions. has evolved so rapidly that Norwegian researchers3 commented in 2007 that 85% of publications on this topic had appeared in the last decade. They attributed the growing interest in resilience to be largely motivated by the potential of identifying protective factors and mechanisms essential to prevent the development of psychiatric disorders despite exposure to significant life Stressors. The term resilience was made a Medical Subject Heading term in 2009, greatly facilitating literature searches so that a search of PsycINFO in August 2010 using the search term psychological resilience yielded 3931 papers. The first review article, What Is Resilience? by Professor Helen Herman (from Australia) and colleagues,4 discusses the evolution of definitions of resilience, the various psychological, biological, and environmental factors that contribute to it and recent attempts to measure resilience. The authors delineate some of the gaps in the resilience field that need to be addressed, including a lack of a standardized definition, a generally accepted theory, and some methodological issues. They outline exciting new biological research, including epigenetic (Gene ? Environment) investigations that are beginning to partly explain some of the mechanisms involved when some people exposed to adversity do not develop psychiatric disorders and how a few very fortunate people may even thrive following extreme hardship. They note the emerging view of resilience as resulting from multiple interacting personal and social circumstances and experiences. Finally, they consider the clinical and public health implications. As the factors determining mental health and resilience operate at 2 broad levels: each person's life and development and the socioculturel context; therefore, 2 different types of actions are needed to influence change in both of these. and mental health are promoted, as in all fields of health, through population-based public health measures alongside improved access to evidence-based treatment and prevention in primary and mental health care systems. The second review paper, Resilience Following Child Maltreatment: A Review of Protective Factors by Dr Tracie O Afifi and Professor Harriet L MacMillan,5 is a welcome contribution to the resilience field. The authors selected the 27 highest quality studies published on protective factors following child maltreatment and found that a stable family environment and supportive relationships were consistently linked to resilience. Individual personality traits were also found to be associated with resilience, but not so frequently as family environment and supportive relationships, thereby underscoring the importance of looking not only at individual psychological factors but also the contextual environment in which they are embedded. The authors comment that the subtypes of child maltreatment (physical, sexual, emotional, neglect, and exposure to intimate partner violence) need to be specified more clearly in future research on protective factors. Unlike many reviews on this topic that combine studies, Dr Afifi and Professor MacMillan have separated the longitudinal and cross-sectional studies and then divided them into those extending from childhood and adolescence into early adulthood, and those within childhood and adolescence. …

The influence of psychological, social and contextual factors on the expression and measurement of awareness in early‐stage dementia: testing a biopsychosocial model

Insufficient attention has been paid to the influence of psychological and social factors on discrepancy-based measures of awareness. The present study tested a biopsychosocial model of awareness in early-stage dementia by gathering evidence regarding the relative contributions of neuropsychological, individual psychological and social factors to the level of scoring on measures used to index awareness. Awareness was assessed in relation to memory, activities of daily living and social functioning in 101 individuals with early-stage dementia participating in the Memory Impairment and Dementia Awareness (MIDAS) Study. People with dementia (PwD) and carers also completed measures of individual psychological and social variables, and PwD completed measures of neuropsychological functioning. Scores on discrepancy-based indices of awareness and on the self-ratings and informant ratings contributing to these indices were associated with a range of factors including neuropsychological functioning of PwD, individual traits and dispositions and current affective functioning of PwD, socio-demographic characteristics of PwD and carers, carer well-being and carer perceptions of PwD and of quality of relationship with PwD. Patterns of association varied across domains of functioning. The findings support the relevance of a biopsychosocial approach to understanding the factors that influence unawareness of impairment in dementia.

Conspiracist ideation in Britain and Austria: Evidence of a monological belief system and associations between individual psychological differences and real-world and fictitious conspiracy theories

Despite evidence of widespread belief in conspiracy theories, there remains a dearth of research on the individual difference correlates of conspiracist ideation. In two studies, we sought to overcome this limitation by examining correlations between conspiracist ideation and a range of individual psychological factors. In Study 1, 817 Britons indicated their agreement with conspiracist ideation concerning the July 7, 2005 (7/7), London bombings, and completed a battery of individual difference scales. Results showed that stronger belief in 7/7 conspiracy theories was predicted by stronger belief in other real-world conspiracy theories, greater exposure to conspiracist ideation, higher political cynicism, greater support for democratic principles, more negative attitudes to authority, lower self-esteem, and lower Agreeableness. In Study 2, 281 Austrians indicated their agreement with an entirely fictitious conspiracy theory and completed a battery of individual difference measures not examined in Study 1. Results showed that belief in the entirely fictitious conspiracy theory was significantly associated with stronger belief in other real-world conspiracy theories, stronger paranormal beliefs, and lower crystallized intelligence. These results are discussed in terms of the potential of identifying individual difference constellations among conspiracy theorists.

Alien psychology: Associations between extraterrestrial beliefs and paranormal ideation, superstitious beliefs, schizotypy, and the Big Five personality factors

This study examined the associations between the belief that intelligent extraterrestrial life has visited Earth and that governmental agencies have knowledge of this fact and various individual psychological difference factors. A total of 433 participants completed measures of extraterrestrial beliefs, paranormal beliefs, superstitious ideation, schizotypy, the Big Five personality factors, and demographic variables. Results showed that extraterrestrial beliefs were significantly predicted by paranormal beliefs, the unusual experience factor of schizotypy, Openness to Experience, and education. These results are discussed in relation to work suggesting that an individual differences approach may be useful to clarifying the underlying processes that give rise to extraterrestrial beliefs.

Content analysis on the potential significance of color in dreams: A preliminary investigation

The potential significance and stimulus of color in dreams was postulated from a content analysis of color in spontaneously recalled dream reports. The analysis was performed on 15,245 dream reports in the DreamBank.net database, plus 12,841dream reports from long-term dream journals. One objective was to determine, to the degree possible from content analysis, whether dream color reports simply reflect our waking visual experience or if the colors reported are influenced by physiological or psychological factors or both. The conclusion from the observed data was that the color recalled from dreams is neither a direct reflection of the waking visual experience nor does it reflect personal associations alone, but rather dream color appears to align with common neurological or physiological mechanisms involved in the human perception of or reaction to color, which may in turn be influenced strongly by individual emotional or psychological factors.

A psychological model of entrepreneurial decision making

A causal model of a mechanism related to entrepreneurial decision making was built using information obtained from psychological questionnaires (the Entrepreneurial Alertness Questionnaire, Miao, 2006; The Prior Knowledge Questionnaire, derived from Shane, 2000, and 2 questionnaires developed by Miao - The Entrepreneurial Opportunity and Entrepreneurial Decision Making Questionnaire). Based on data from 327 entrepreneurs, the hypothesized structural equation model was validated. Results indicated that the individual psychological factors (entrepreneurial alertness and prior knowledge) were the antecedents of entrepreneurial opportunity recognition and influenced entrepreneurial decision-making criteria. Therefore, it was evident that opportunity recognition played a key mediating role in the model.

A theoretical model for strategic crisis planning: factors influencing crisis planning in the hotel industry

The hotel industry is susceptible and vulnerable to crises; thus there is a need to address these problems through effective crisis planning. This paper develops a conceptual framework called the Onion Model of Strategic Crisis Planning (OMSCP) to examine the key factors influencing hotel crisis planning, including individual psychological factors, organisational factors and environmental contextual factors. The paper concludes by suggesting that this model could be used to better understand and explain crisis planning in the hotel context and that this would be a useful tool for further research in this area.

Knowledge on democracy and knowledge in the democracy

Topic of the article is the role of knowledge within democratic order. Author points out the difference between knowledge on democracy and knowledge in the democracy Arguments are given for the thesis that possession of rational knowledge on democracy still does not mean that actor will fallow this knowledge in practice. In what follows author outlines social and individual psychological factors undermine cognitive components of democracy. Reasons why instrumental knowledge prevails in democracy could be found in ever increasing complexity of society, emotional structure of personality and its value orientation, and in personal interpretation of collective interests. Other reasons could be found in component of democracy on the level of pragmatics and of interests. For realization of particular interests knowledge of personal implicit kind will be more often used than rational-scientific one. At last, giving up of theoretical knowledge on democracy could be explained by the social pressure toward acceptance of pragmatically knowledge. In final part of the article author envisages the prospects of democracy in the near future.

Awareness and Causal Attributions of Risk Factors for Heart Disease among Immigrant Women Living in Australia

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and risk factors for CHD are associated with social and cultural attribution as well as individual psychological factors. The aims of this study were to explore the causal attributions of risk factors for CHD and to describe the relationship between their physiological status and causal attributions among immigrant Arabic, Turkish, and Iranian women living in Australia. Fifty-five women of Turkish, Iranian, and Persian backgrounds were recruited from community groups in metropolitan Sydney using snowball sampling and the assistance of bilingual health care workers. Body weight and blood pressure were assessed, and a questionnaire, including investigator-developed instruments and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, was administered. Health interpreters assisted with study procedures and translation of study instruments. There was a low level of awareness of the risk of heart disease among women, although participants had knowledge of risk factors for heart disease broadly. The most highly attributed risk factors for CHD among participants were obesity, physical inactivity, and psychological distress. Women who rated highly on psychological distress scores were more likely to attribute negative emotions as causative factors for heart disease. Strategies to promote the awareness of the association between heart disease and women are required among migrant women. Further investigation is required to overcome the barriers to engaging in effective risk minimizing behaviors for heart disease.

Study of parental and individual psychological protective factors influencing adolescents’ self-perceived health

A serdulők egeszsegi allapotanak vizsgalataban kiemelt szerepet kap az egeszseg onertekelese, amely osszefugg az objektiv egeszsegi allapottal, valamint a szubjektiv jollettel es az egeszseg mindharom (testi, lelki, szocialis) dimenziojaval. Serdulőkorban a pszichoszocialis dimenzio kulonosen nagy hangsulyt kap. Tanulmanyunk celja, hogy a serdulők egeszsegenek onertekeleset elemezze ket lehetseges vedőfaktor-csoporttal osszefuggesben: egyreszt a szulői kapcsolat, a szulői tarsas tamogatas, masreszt olyan egyeni pszichologiai jellemzők fuggvenyeben, mint az elettel valo elegedettseg es az optimizmus. Jelen vizsgalatunkat szegedi kozepiskolasok (14–20 evesek, N = 881) koreben vegeztuk. Az adatgyűjteshez onkitolteses kerdőives modszert alkalmaztunk, amely kiterjedt az egeszsegi allapot onertekelesen tul az egyeni pszichologiai (elettel valo elegedettseg, optimizmus) es szulői vedőfaktorok (szulői tarsas tamogatas, szulői ertekrend elfogadasa) szerepenek igazolasara. Adataink alapjan arra kovetkeztethetunk, h...

Transitioning to low carbon communities—from behaviour change to systemic change: Lessons from Australia

Transitioning to low carbon communities requires an understanding of community practices and resultant emissions, as well as the technologies, infrastructures and institutions associated with and accessed by communities. Moreover, it requires an understanding of the connections between these integrated system components, its dynamics, a defined transition and potential ‘levers’ involved in ‘transitioning’. This paper accepts the notion that ‘levers’ include programmes designed to achieve practice or behaviour change in households which result in less carbon intensive lifestyles, and focuses on the factors that shape human behaviour and influence householder energy consumption. Research to date by the authors and others indicates that a comprehensive socio-technical framework that considers both individual psychological factors as well as the systems, standards and norms under which individuals operate is fundamental to the development of successful strategies to shift towards low carbon communities. A database has been compiled of over one hundred local programmes aimed at realising carbon neutral communities across Australia largely through approaches to behaviour change. This paper presents the findings of an analysis of these programmes, particularly with regard to the extent to which they take account of a socio-technical framework or understanding of domestic consumption behaviours and whether they are aware of or aim to influence changing standards and expectations around consumption practices within the home. While a number of exemplary community-based programmes adopt an integrated approach to addressing both technical and behavioural dimensions in the shift to low carbon communities, it was found that most fail to take sufficient account of the systems, standards and norms shaping consumption. Conclusions include directions for policy and programme design based on the study findings.

Psychiatric factors and weight loss patterns following gastric bypass surgery in a veteran population.

BackgroundAlthough pre-surgical psychological evaluations are commonly administered to patients considered for weight loss surgeries, the value of these evaluations for predicting weight loss success has been questioned. In this study, we addressed this issue by examining patient’s total number of psychiatric indicators rather than individual psychological factors as predictors of weight loss/weight regain.MethodsSixty adult veterans completed gastric bypass surgery or laparoscopic gastric banding after completing a multidisciplinary evaluation for surgical clearance, including a psychological assessment. Patients were subsequently followed for 24 month to examine changes in weight, body mass index, and risk of weight regain.ResultsNearly three fourths of the sample carried either a single (40.0%) or multiple psychiatric diagnoses (33.4%). Nearly half (47.5%) of the sample ceased losing weight after 1 year, with 29.5% regaining weight after this point. Neither psychiatric nor biomedical factors effectively predicted 1-year weight loss totals; however, we observed a significant linear relationship between the number of psychiatric factors and post-1-year weight changes (r = 0.33, p = 0.01). After adjusting for demographic and biomedical factors, patients with two or more psychiatric diagnoses were found to be significantly more likely to experience weight loss cessation or weight regain after 1-year (OR = 6.4, 95% CI = 1.3–12.4) relative to those with zero or one psychiatric diagnosis.ConclusionsAssessing mental health factors in terms of the total number of psychiatric conditions improved the prediction of weight loss surgery outcomes in this veteran sample. An expanded model for understanding how psychological factors may affect weight loss surgery may improve the utility of pre-bariatric psychological assessments.