Low Personal Control Research Articles

Superficial ingroup love? Collective narcissism predicts ingroup image defense, outgroup prejudice, and lower ingroup loyalty.

We examined the associations between the need for personal control, different types of ingroup commitment, and group-related outcomes: (1) defensive responses to ingroup criticism, (2) ingroup disloyalty, and (3) outgroup attitudes. We assumed that collective narcissism (i.e., a belief in ingroup's greatness which is contingent on external validation and stems from frustrated individual needs) should be concerned with defending the ingroup image and derogating outgroups, but not necessarily with being loyal to the ingroup. Secure ingroup identification (i.e., a confidently held ingroup evaluation, which stems from satisfied needs), in contrast, should predict greater ingroup loyalty and positive outgroup attitudes. We expected these effects to be especially strong once we account for the overlap between collective narcissism and group-level self-investment - a key component of ingroup identification. In a nationally representative sample of Polish adults (n=1,007), collective narcissism (net of group-level self-investment) mediated between low personal control and ingroup image defense, lower group loyalty, and less positive outgroup attitudes. Secure ingroup identification (group-level self-investment net of collective narcissism) mediated between high personal control and ingroup loyalty and positive outgroup attitudes. It was not associated with ingroup image defense. Implications for understanding the role of identification in inter- and intra-group relations are discussed.

Illness perceptions, risk perceptions and worries in patients with early systemic sclerosis: A focus group study.

ObjectivesThis study explores illness perceptions, risk perceptions and degree of worry in patients with recently diagnosed systemic sclerosis (SSc). Specifically, it aims to answer whether and how early diagnosis in a stage that disease is relatively mild can impact patients' lives, and if and how disease severity associates with illness perceptions and risk perception.MethodsPatients with a diagnosis of SSc <2 years were invited to participate in a focus group discussion for in‐depth exploration of illness perceptions, risk perceptions and worry. In addition, illness perceptions, risk perceptions and worries were evaluated with the use of questionnaires. To explore how patients perceive SSc, we asked them to draw their disease. Physician global assessment of disease severity was used to measure disease severity. Associations between disease severity, illness/risk perceptions, drawings and elements of the focus group were assessed.ResultsWe observed three dimensions of illness perception as most relevant for patients: personal control, concern and consequences. Patients with SSc experienced many symptoms and felt low personal control. Concerns about the future were often mentioned, and the majority of patients scored high on the worry questionnaire. None of the patients was preoccupied with prognosis or death. All drawings illustrate the impact of SSc on daily life and psychological well‐being. Illness perceptions were highly variable between patients and did not associate with disease severity.ConclusionThis study showed that a diagnosis of early SSc had a significant impact on patients' lives, also in the absence of severe disease complications.

Am I being watched? The role of researcher presence on toddlers’ behaviour during ‘everyday’ pain experiences: a pilot study

Objective: Paediatric research on ‘everyday’ pain experiences is sparse, stemming from a lack of appropriate methodologies. We explored the feasibility of two methodologies for conducting naturalistic observations of ‘everyday’ pains within family’s homes, against an established methodology for day-care observations. Design: Within family homes, video-cameras recorded a typical morning or afternoon (maximum three hours), either with, or without researcher presence. To compare feasibility, children in day-care were observed by researchers for three hours without video-recording. Outcome measures: logistics of observation, child pain behaviours, caregiver responses to child pain. Results: Thirteen children (Mage = 45.4 months) were recorded at home, experiencing 14 pain events. Researcher presence increased child distress intensity, but reduced the number of pain events compared to sessions without a researcher. Thirty-two children (Mage = 48.4 months) were observed in day-care, experiencing 44 pain events. Children experiencing pain events in day-care exhibited decreased distress and lower personal control than those observed at home. Across all conditions, caregivers engaged mostly in physical comfort. Researcher estimates of child pain were highest if scored while present in the home. Conclusions: Observing everyday pain events within the child’s natural environment is feasible and may provide insight into the social context of childhood pain experiences.

Sleep quality among college students: exploring the role of a divine locus of sleep control

ObjectivesTo explore (a) how perceptions of personal and divine control over one's sleep schedule combine in distinct ways to predict sleep quality among college students and (b) whether health behaviors and psychological distress mediate the associations between perceptions of sleep control and sleep quality. MethodsWe surveyed 1251 students attending a public university in South Texas. All measures were derived from self-reports. Binary logistic regression techniques were used to predict the odds of reporting high-quality sleep in the past month. Mediation analyses were used to decompose the estimated effects of perceptions of sleep control on sleep quality via smoking, drinking, and psychological distress. ResultsCompared to participants who reported both low personal control and low divine control over their sleep schedules, students who reported both high personal control and high divine control exhibited 148% greater odds of reporting high-quality sleep (odds ratio = 2.48; 95% confidence interval = 1.434-4.294). These same participants also showed the highest predicted probabilities of reporting high-quality sleep (22%) compared to students with other sleep control orientations. Mediation analyses indicated that reduced psychological distress partially accounted for these differences, whereas smoking and drinking behaviors did not. ConclusionCollege students who felt they and God both shared full control over their sleep schedules reported the highest quality sleep, which was partially explained by their lower average levels of psychological distress.

A control-based account of stereotyping

Drawing from compensatory control theory, we propose that because stereotypes provide psychological assurance that the world is orderly and predictable, stereotyping should increase among those lacking control. Four studies support this control-based account of stereotyping: lower personal control, both measured (Studies 1 and 3) and manipulated (Study 2a and 2b), was associated with greater gender (Studies 1, 2a, and 2b) and occupational stereotyping (Study 3). Furthermore, the association between control and stereotyping was mediated by need for structure (Studies 2a, 2b, and 3). We also explore the moderating role of interdependent self-construal (Studies 1 to 3). These findings have implications for our understanding of when, why and to what end people stereotype others.

Impact of Different Illness Perceptions and Emotions Associated with Chronic Back Pain on Anxiety and Depression in Patients Qualified for Surgery

BackgroundAnxiety and depression are known comorbidities of chronic back pain. Their psychological predictors are not well established in patients with chronic back pain qualified for neurosurgery. AimsThe purpose of this study was to determine the psychological predictors of depression and anxiety in patients with chronic back pain qualified for surgery. DesignThis was a cross-sectional study. SettingsA neurosurgical ward in Gdańsk, Poland. Participants/SubjectsAll patients who were admitted to the neurosurgical ward and met the inclusion criteria were recruited for the study. Finally, 83 patients with chronic back pain waiting for surgery were recruited. MethodsA battery of questionnaires, including Illness Perceptions Questionnaire–Revised, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Brief Pain Inventory, was used in 83 spinal surgery candidates. ResultsHigher anxiety was predicted by stronger beliefs about negative consequences of illness (β = .205, p < .05), worse illness coherence (β = .204, p < .05), negative emotional representations of illness (β = .216, p < .05), and depression (β = .686, p < .001). Higher depression was predicted by anxiety (β = .601, p < .001), pain interference (β = .323, p < .01), lower personal control over pain (β = −.160, p < .05), and lower external control of health (β = −.161, p < .05) but, surprisingly, higher internal control of health (β = .208, p < .01). ConclusionsAnxiety and depression commonly coexist in chronic back pain sufferers qualified for spine surgery but are derived from dissimilar beliefs. The results highlight the usefulness of advising about the disease and treatment in comprehensive care for this group of patients.

Locus of control and involvement in videogaming

An external locus of control (feeling low personal control over one’s life) has been linked with excessive/addictive behaviours, including problematic videogaming. The current study sought to determine whether this is driven by the opportunity for greater control over one’s environment within a videogame. Participants ( n = 252, 59% males) completed a traditional locus of control scale, alongside a modified version assessing in-game feelings of control. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that feeling less under the control of powerful others in-game than in the real world was a significant predictor of gaming frequency (standardised β = .31, p &lt; .0005), while feeling comparatively more internal control in-game than in real life significantly predicted problematic gaming (standardised β = .17, p = .02). This demonstrates that locus of control in-game can diverge from that experienced in the real world, and the degree of divergence could be a risk factor for frequent and/or problematic gaming in some individuals.

To what extent do disease severity and illness perceptions explain depression, anxiety and quality of life in hidradenitis suppurativa?

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) can have significant psychological consequences and affect quality of life (QoL). This has been associated with disease severity. However, it has not been established whether these effects are more strongly related to the severity of the disease, as rated by the clinician, or to the patient's perception of their condition. To examine the relationships between disease severity and illness perceptions, and depression, anxiety and QoL in HS. This study was cross-sectional in design. In total, 211 patients with HS completed the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (BIPQ), the Patient's Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). HS severity was assessed by the clinician, using the Hurley staging system. Patients with HS perceived their condition as chronic - having many symptoms, severe consequences and a negative emotional influence - and felt low personal control over their illness. Self-reports showed significant levels of depression, anxiety and impaired QoL, which were strongly associated with illness perceptions. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that illness perceptions explained a much greater proportion of variance in depression, anxiety and QoL than the traditional explanatory variable, disease severity. HS can severely impair psychological well-being and QoL, which are more strongly associated with the person's beliefs about their illness than clinicians' severity assessments. Therefore, illness perceptions may be useful in the routine assessment of patients with HS and may provide a strong basis for interventions aimed at improving their psychological well-being and QoL.

Long-term implications of autologous HCT for caregiver quality of life: how does the survivor's health matter?

This study examines caregiver quality of life (CQOL) 3-26years after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with lymphoma. Using a framework that views the patient-caregiver dyad as a system of mutual influence, we argue that CQOL is associated with survivor functional health status and sense of personal control. Ninety-nine autologous HCT survivor-caregiver dyads participated. CQOL was measured using the Caregiver Quality of Life Scale-Cancer. Survivor functional health status was assessed using the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Sense of control was examined using an instrument from the MIDUS II study. Clinical measures were collected from medical records. After controlling for sociodemographic and clinical covariates, caregivers with higher sense of control had higher CQOL. Poorer survivor functional health was associated with lower CQOL but only when the survivor reported low personal control. When the survivor reported high personal control, functional health was not a factor. Lower CQOL was observed for younger and more educated caregivers. In contrast, more education among survivors was linked to higher CQOL. These results (1) support using a mutuality framework for the study of long-term outcomes of caregivers, (2) suggest the importance of ongoing support for caregivers, and (3) help identify caregivers at risk for poorer adaptation. Poorer survivor functional health is a risk factor, but its adverse implications can be offset by higher caregiver and survivor sense of control, a psychological resource aiding caregiver adaptation. These findings can inform the development of support programs for long-term caregivers.

Presence of trauma and suicide risk: Personal control as a moderator

ABSTRACTGiven past findings that have linked trauma and lack of personal control to greater suicidal risk in adults, the present study examined how trauma presence and personal control are uniquely involved in predicting suicidal risk in a sample of 469 college students. Regression analyses indicated that both trauma presence and personal control were significant predictors of suicidal risk, as was their interaction. The present findings suggest a need to consider both trauma presence and low personal control in assessing for suicidal risk in college students.

Validity and reliability of a Malay version of the brief illness perception questionnaire for patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

BackgroundIllness perceptions involve the personal beliefs that patients have about their illness and may influence health behaviours considerably. Since an instrument to measure these perceptions for Malay population in Malaysia is lacking, we translated and examined the psychometric properties of the Malay version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (MBIPQ) in adult patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.MethodsThe MBIPQ has nine items, all use a 0–10 response scale, except the ninth item about causal factors, which is an open-ended item. A standard procedure was used to translate and adapt the English BIPQ into Malay language. Construct validity was examined comparing item scores and scores on the Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale, the Morisky Medication Adherence Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief, the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 17-item Diabetes Distress Scale, HbA1c and the presence of complications. In addition, 2-week and 4-week test-retest reliability were studied.ResultsA total of 312 patients completed the MBIPQ. Out of this, 97 and 215 patients completed the 2- or 4-weeks test-retest reliability questionnaire, respectively. Moderate inter-items correlations were observed between illness perception dimensions (r = −0.31 to 0.53). MBIPQ items showed the expected correlations with self-efficacy (r = 0.35), medication adherence (r = 0.29), quality of life (r = −0.17 to 0.31) and depressive symptoms (r = −0.18 to 0.21). People with severe diabetes-related distress also were more concern (t-test = 4.01, p < 0.001) and experienced lower personal control (t-test = 2.07, p = 0.031). People with any diabetes-related complication perceived the consequences as more serious (t-test = 2.04, p = 0.044). The 2-week and 4-week test-retest reliabilities varied between ICCagreement 0.39 to 0.70 and 0.58 to 0.78, respectively.ConclusionsThe psychometric properties of items in the MBIPQ are moderate. The MBIPQ showed good cross-cultural validity and moderate construct validity. Test-retest reliability was moderate. Despite the moderate psychometric properties, the MBIPQ may be useful in clinical practice as it is a useful instrument to elicit and communicate on patient’s personal thoughts and feelings. Future research is needed to establish its responsiveness and predictive validity.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02730754 registered on March 29, 2016; NCT02730078 registered on March 29, 2016.

Essentializing Politics: If Perceptions of Politics Become Genetically Essentialized, What Will Be the Consequences?

Research investigating the genetic roots of political orientation has proliferated in the past decade. Such genetic accounts resonate with the human tendency to essentialize variation in psychology and behavior—to attribute variation to differences in an invisible, underlying, fixed essence. Invoking genetic essentialist biases leads people to consider traits to be relatively immutable and to consider social groups to be homogenous and discrete. These biases have real-world implications for out-group perceptions, stereotyping, and ascriptions of personal control. This article discusses the viability and potential implications of genetically essentializing political orientation. Genetic attributions of political orientation may lead to less derogation of political dissidents due to perceptions of lower personal control. Conversely, essentializing political orientation may lead to perceptions of more discrete group boundaries between political groups, higher perceived out-group homogeneity, and lower ascrip...

Personal control decreases narcissistic but increases non-narcissistic in-group positivity.

We examined the effects of control motivation on in-group positivity. Past research suggests that people compensate for low personal control by increasing support for social in-groups. We predicted that the effect of personal control on in-group positivity would depend on the type of in-group positivity. Low personal control should increase compensatory, narcissistic in-group positivity, whereas high personal control should increase secure, non-narcissistic in-group positivity. These hypotheses were tested in a cross-sectional survey (Study 1 N = 1,083, 54% female, Mage = 47.68), two experiments (Study 2 N = 105, 50% female, Mage = 32.05; Study 3 N = 154, 40% female, Mage = 29.93), and a longitudinal survey (Study 4 N = 398, 51% female, Mage = 32.05). In all studies, personal control was negatively associated with narcissistic in-group positivity but positively associated with non-narcissistic in-group positivity. The longitudinal survey additionally showed that the positive relationship between personal control and non-narcissistic in-group positivity was reciprocal. Moreover, both types of in-group positivity differentially mediated between personal control and out-group attitudes: Narcissistic in-group positivity predicted negative attitudes, and non-narcissistic positivity predicted positive attitudes. These findings highlight the role of individual motivation in fostering different types of in-group positivity and intergroup outcomes.

The influence of treatment modality on illness perception and secondary prevention outcomes among patients with acute myocardial infarction

ObjectivesThis study aims to determine if patients with acute myocardial infarction differ in illness perception and secondary prevention outcomes depending on the treatment they received. MethodsA repeated measures design was used to compare patients with acute myocardial infarction receiving three different treatment modalities: ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary percutaneous coronary intervention, ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated by thrombolytic therapy, and non ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated by medication. A convenient sampling technique was used to recruit 206 patients with acute myocardial infarction who agreed to participate in the current study. Patients' illness perception, physical activity, and demographical and clinical data were collected during hospital admission and again at 6 months. ResultsA total of 186 patients completed the study. Results showed that the primary percutaneous coronary intervention group perceived their illness as acute rather than chronic (P = 0.034) and has lower personal control (P = 0.032), higher treatment control (P = 0.025), and higher perception of illness coherence (P = 0.022) compared with patients receiving thrombolytic therapy and treated after non-ST segment infarction. Moreover, they report low control of their blood pressure (P = 0.013) and less physical activity (P = 0.001). ConclusionThe results of this study revealed that patients' treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention had negative illness perception and limited behavioral changes 6 months after hospitalization in comparison with other treatment modalities such as percutaneous coronary intervention and thrombolytic treatment. Further research is recommended to confirm this association with longer follow-up study and among different cultures.

Loss of Control and Self-Regulation: The Role of Childhood Lessons

This article demonstrates that a loss of personal control leads to an increase in self-regulatory behavior. This occurs because a loss of control puts consumers at a deficit relative to one of the major lessons they learn during their childhood, which is to have control over the outcomes of their actions. This deficit triggers a compensatory process focused on following other lessons that consumers believe they learned during their childhood. Because exerting self-regulation is another major lesson parents emphasize, consumers engage in self-regulatory behavior to compensate for a loss of personal control. However, when consumers believe their parents emphasized self-regulation less strongly during childhood (i.e., they believe their parents had a more permissive style), a loss of control can reduce self-regulatory behavior. These findings have implications for what we know about the effects of childhood experiences on adult consumer behavior, the importance of individuals’ beliefs about childhood experiences in determining adult behavior, the consequences of low personal control, and the antecedents of self-regulatory behavior.

Perceived control over the medical procedure and its association with adjustment to a low-control situation: the case of infertility

Illness perceptions were shown to be related to emotional and physical outcomes, as proposed by Leventhal’s self-regulation model. These perceptions include the illness identity, its timeline, consequences, causes, and controllability, which later research found to include self-control and treatment control. The current study aimed to examine the role of a third type of perceived control: Control over the treatment procedures. We hypothesized that this type of control would be important for women undergoing infertility treatments, which are characterized by high uncertainty and low personal control. The sample included 194 Israeli women who were undergoing infertility treatments, 70% recruited in hospitals and the remainder in a fertility counseling center and website. All participants were married religious Jewish women, which added to the stress inherent in infertility. Study measures included the Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R), adapted to infertility, with an additional subscale assessing control over the procedure, and infertility-specific distress and well-being scales. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses supported the factor structure, including the distinct new subscale. A structural equations model showed that perceived consequences were most strongly related to distress and well-being. The three types of control were positively intercorrelated but differed in their associations with distress and well-being: Self-control over the problem and treatment control were unrelated to either measure while self-control over the procedure was related to greater well-being. These findings suggest that when control over the condition or the treatment outcomes is impossible, individuals may still benefit from control over external factors such as their health care. Healthcare providers can support them by seeking ways to increase their control over their treatment procedures, which may contribute to better psychological adjustment. Future studies should examine the role of perceived control over the procedures in other low-control situations (e.g., newly diagnosed cancer; aging-related declines).

Illness perceptions or recurrence risk perceptions: What comes first? A longitudinal cross-lagged examination among cardiac patients

Objectives: Previous research suggested that illness perceptions provide the basis for illness risk perceptions through an inductive reasoning process. This study aimed to assess the direction of relationships between illness and recurrence risk perceptions over time, among cardiac patients.Design: A longitudinal study was conducted among 138 patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. Self-report questionnaires measured perceived recurrence risk and illness perceptions one day and one month after catheterisation.Results: Cross-lagged Panel Model Analyses revealed that higher perceptions of timeline, consequences and emotional representations of illness at hospitalisation were associated with higher recurrence risk perceptions one month later. Perceived personal control was the only illness perception with bi-directional associations: higher perceived personal control at hospitalisation was associated with higher recurrence risk perceptions one month later; and higher recurrence risk perceptions at hospitalisation was associated with lower personal control one month later.Conclusions: The findings suggest that the associations between recurrence risk and illness perceptions can only partly be explained by inductive reasoning. Halo effects and defensive processes are suggested as complementary explanations for the observed associations between risk and illness perceptions.

A latent profile analysis of attributions for poverty: Identifying response patterns underlying people’s willingness to help the poor

Attribution theory posits that poverty beliefs vary along the causal properties of locus, stability, personal control, and other control. The current paper extends this framework by using a latent profile analysis to identify the unique response patterns (latent profiles) that underlie these beliefs. Results indicated that participants (N=315) displayed one of three attributional profiles: Blaming (high internal locus; moderate stability; high personal control; high other control), Caring (low internal locus; moderate stability; low personal control; high other control), or Ambivalent (moderate across causal properties). Subsequent analyses showed that levels of conservatism and system justification positively correlated with membership in the Blaming (vs. Caring) profile. In turn, belonging in the Blaming (vs. Caring) profile predicted more anger, less sympathy, and less support for the poor. These findings advance attribution theory by taking a person-centered perspective and demonstrating that three distinct response patterns underlie individual differences in people’s poverty beliefs.

Physical inactivity and associated factors among university students in 23 low-, middle- and high-income countries.

The aim of this study was to determine estimates of the prevalence and social correlates of physical inactivity among university students in 23 low-, middle- and high-income countries. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire was used to collect data from 17,928 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.8, SD = 2.8) from 24 universities in 23 countries. The prevalence of physical inactivity was 41.4 %, ranging from 21.9 % in Kyrgyzstan to 80.6 % in Pakistan. In multivariate logistic regression, older age (22-30 years), studying in a low- or lower middle-income country, skipping breakfast and lack of social support were associated with physical inactivity. In men, being underweight, being overweight or obese, not avoiding fat and cholesterol, not having severe depression symptoms, low beliefs in the health benefits of physical activity, low personal control and knowledge of exercise-heart link, and in women, not trying to eat fibre, low personal mastery and medium personal control were additionally associated with physical inactivity. Four in each ten students are physically inactive, calling for strategic interventions by relevant professionals in higher educational institutions.

Step by Step

People are motivated to maintain the belief that they live in an orderly world in which things are under control. Previous research has shown that perceptions of order can be maintained via two routes: affirming personal control over one’s life and future outcomes, and bolstering one’s belief in external systems or agents that exert control over the world. Both religion and sociopolitical institutions can provide subjective and socially sanctioned security in the context of low personal control or disorder in one’s environment. In this article, we argue that belief in science and progress could serve a similar function. Science is not only assumed to simplify people’s lives; it also creates a sense of order and predictability. We show that perceiving order (regardless of external agency) can be sufficient to combat lack of control, and that perceptions of order can be derived from science and from more general beliefs about progress. We also discuss findings from our research addressing the processes underlying these effects and the functionality of compensatory beliefs and perceptions. We conclude that endorsing scientific theories and beliefs in societal and scientific progress helps people regulate threats to order and control, as long as these theories and beliefs suggest that the world is (or will be) an orderly place.