American Sample Research Articles

Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States

The media's adherence to “if it bleeds, it leads” has resulted in global dominance of negative news (e.g., stories of corruption, fraud, shootings, terrorism, and war). The appetite for negative news is fueled by negativity bias, which compels people to prioritize negative over positive stories. This cross-cultural study, inspired by media effect theories such as Cultivation Theory, explored the links between problematic consumption of negative news (doomscrolling), existential anxiety, pessimistic views about human nature, and belief about a just world in two distinct cultures. Participants included convenience samples of Iranian (n = 620) and American (n = 180) university-student social media users. Doomscrolling was associated with elevated levels of existential anxiety in both samples. Additionally, misanthropy was positively associated with doomscrolling only in the Iranian sample. Aligned with the Media-induced PTSD Hypothesis and the Shattered Assumption Theory, our findings suggest that prolonged exposure to negative news can contribute to the development of existential anxiety. Current news framing with its overemphasis on negativity could fuel doomscrolling-inspired existential concerns.

Believe it or not: A network analysis investigating how individuals embrace false and true statements during COVID-19

ABSTRACT As individuals make belief decisions on truths and falsehoods, a systematic organization of (mis)information emerges. In this study, we employ a network approach to illustrate how a sample of Americans share a cognitive network of false and true statements related to COVID-19. Moreover, we examine what factors are associated with the formation of misbeliefs. Findings from our US-based rolling cross-sectional survey data indicate that conservative groups exhibit a greater tendency to mix up false and true information than liberal groups. This tendency is preserved across different time points, revealing more homogenously structured information networks of conservative groups compared to liberal groups. The benefits of a cognitive network framework that integrates structural perspectives into theories are discussed.

Interactive Effects of Racism and Racial Centrality on ADHD Symptoms.

Although race-related stress is associated with numerous mental health outcomes, no previous research has examined associations with ADHD symptoms. We examine how such associations differ in Black Americans based on racial identity to allow for more nuanced understandings of racial discrimination's association with ADHD symptoms. This study asked a sample of Black Americans to answer questionnaires assessing race-related stress, ADHD symptoms, and racial centrality. In predicting ADHD symptoms, we found a positive effect of race-related stress and a negative effect of centrality. At low levels of centrality, the association between ADHD symptoms and race-related stress was stronger than at mean and high levels of centrality. Through additional sub-group analyses we found the interaction effect not replicating in one of our conditions. These results suggest experiences of race-related stress and racial identity are important factors for consideration in the treatment of ADHD symptoms.

The sun's position at birth is unrelated to subjective well‐being: Debunking astrological claims

AbstractBeliefs linking zodiac signs to personality traits, life outcomes, and well‐being remain widespread across various cultures. This study examined the relationship between Western zodiac signs and subjective well‐being in a nationally representative American sample from the General Social Survey (N = 12,791). Well‐being was measured across eight components: general unhappiness, depressive symptoms, psychological distress, work dissatisfaction, financial dissatisfaction, perceived dullness of one's life, self‐rated health, and unhappiness with marriage. Parametric and nonparametric analyses consistently revealed no robust associations between zodiac signs and any of the well‐being variables, regardless of whether demographic factors were controlled for. The effect sizes were negligible, accounting for 0.3% or less of the variance in well‐being, demonstrating that zodiac signs lack predictive power for well‐being outcomes. An additional analysis revealed that astrological signs were no more predictive of than random numbers. Thus, a randomly generated number between 1 and 12 is statistically as predictive of one's well‐being as one's zodiac sign. These findings challenge popular astrological claims about the influence of zodiac signs on well‐being and quality of life.

COVID-19 Vaccine Motivation and Hesitancy among a Sample of African American, Afro-Caribbean, and African Respondents in the United States.

Understanding the motivations and decisions behind COVID-19 vaccine acceptance is crucial for designing targeted public health interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. We conducted a qualitative analysis to explore COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among diverse ethnic subgroups of Black Americans in the United States. This study investigates the 2021-2022 responses of 79 African American, Afro-Caribbean, and African respondents over the age of 18 in Washington State and Texas. Respondents were asked "Do you plan to get the COVID-19 vaccination?" Qualitative responses were analyzed by content category and ethnic subgroup. Of the 79 responses, 60 expressed favorable perceptions, 16 expressed unfavorable perceptions, and 3 expressed neutral perceptions. Dominant categories among participants in favor of the vaccine included personal health (26), concern for health of family/or community members (13), and desire to protect others (11). Among the 42 vaccinated African American respondents, the primary motivation was personal health (20). The 12 unvaccinated African American respondents cited fear of side effects as their dominate motivation. Caribbean respondents cited family or elders as motivation for their decision. African respondents were nearly unanimous in taking the vaccine (13/16), citing trust in health care, protecting friends and family, and personal health as reasons. Community and personal relationships were critical decision-making factors in accepting the COVID-19 vaccine, with African Americans having the strongest hesitancy.

A sociocultural approach to voting: Construing voting as a duty to others predicts political interest and engagement

A representative democracy requires citizens to be politically engaged; however, a substantial portion of eligible United States voters do not vote. While structural (e.g., ease or difficulty of voting) and individual (e.g., political efficacy, civic knowledge) factors contribute to (a lack of) turnout, the present work adopts a sociocultural perspective to investigate an additional contributor: how people construe-or make sense of-the duty to vote. We examine whether, and for whom, construing voting as interdependent (i.e., voting as a duty to others), compared to independent (i.e., voting as a duty to self), is associated with increased perceived duty and political engagement. Archival analysis (n[Formula: see text] 10,185) documents how perceived duty to vote relates to voter turnout in a nationally representative sample of Americans (Study 1). Two preregistered studies (total n[Formula: see text] 1,256) provide evidence that naturalistically construing one's duty to vote as interdependent (Study 2) and experimentally reflecting on interdependence (Study 3) both predict increases in perceived voting duty. Perceived duty to vote, in turn, is associated with heightened political engagement intentions. Taken together, the present work suggests that how voting is construed-as an independent duty to the self or an interdependent duty to others-may meaningfully influence political engagement, with implications for voter turnout interventions.

Risk Factors for Elder Mistreatment Among Older Korean Americans.

Using data from a sample of older Korean Americans (n = 2,150), we examined the prevalence and associated factors of physical, emotional, and financial mistreatment. Given the importance of contextual factors, we examined the effect of immigration-related (years in the U.S. and acculturation) and interpersonal/community-related (family solidarity, social network, and ethnic community social cohesion) factors in addition to sociodemographic and health-related characteristics. The rate of experiencing physical, emotional, and financial mistreatment during the past year was 3%, 37.9%, and 16.1%, respectively. Younger age and lower family solidarity were common risk factors for emotional and financial mistreatment. The experience of emotional mistreatment was also more likely among females and those with higher level of acculturation, smaller social networks, and lower ethnic community social cohesion. Chronic disease was an additional risk factor for financial mistreatment. The findings suggest targeted prevention and intervention strategies for elder mistreatment.

Profiles of Risk and Promotive Factors Associated With Aggression and Other Problem Behaviors Among Middle School Students in an Urban School System

This study’s goal was to identify patterns of risk and promotive factors across multiple social-ecological domains and their associations with adolescents’ problem behaviors (aggression, substance use, and other delinquent behaviors), victimization, and distress symptoms. Participants were a mostly African American (79%) sample of 2711 middle school students (Mage = 12.7; 52% female) in urban neighborhoods who completed measures of 13 risk and promotive factors and adjustment. Ratings were also obtained from teachers. Latent profile analysis identified four subgroups: high risk/low promotive (10% of the sample), moderate risk/low promotive (36%), low risk/low promotive (15%), and low risk/high promotive (38%). Subgroups varied in student- and teacher-reported aggression, problem behaviors, victimization, and distress. The findings indicated that risk and promotive factors tend to operate together and in distinct patterns rather than in isolation. This suggests researchers move beyond variable-centered analyses of limited sets of risk and protective factors.

Personality Traits in Latin America: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Big Five Factor Structure and its Relationship with Self-Reported Daily Behaviors

The Big Five factors model of personality is one of the most internationally studied and applied since it has been replicated in multiple investigations in different countries and cultures. This five-dimensional structure has evidence from studies carrying out factor analyses in different versions and adaptations of personality measurement instruments under these theoretical assumptions, and cross-cultural studies reveal its universality. However, no research has investigated how this structure is replicated in Latin American countries yet. This study aimed to carry out a cross-cultural study evaluating the factorial congruence of the Revised International Personality Item Pool in Latin American countries. The validity was also analyzed assessing relationships with gender, age, and self-reported activities of daily living. The five-dimensional structure was supported by evidence in the different samples that participated in this study, preserving the individual differences that characterize each country. Differences according to gender and age were found in different personality factors, as well as relationships with recreational activities. It is concluded that the five-factor structure of the scale is replicated in Latin American samples and that the psychometric properties of the instrument are consistent. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

Cross-Cultural Generalizability of the First Year Inventory for Early ASD Screening in China.

The First Year Inventory (FYI) is a parent report screening measure, aimed at identifying the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 12-month-old infants. This study aimed to investigate the utility of FYI within the Chinese community and develop a short version, encompassing both a low-risk sample and a high-risk sample comprising infants with older siblings diagnosed with ASD. Parents of 53 high-risk (HR) infants and 519 low-risk (LR) infants, aged 11 to 13 months, were recruited. After comparing response distributions across Chinese and American samples, a new factorial structure was developed according to the factor analyses. The construct validity and internal consistency of the two FYI versions were examined. The implementation of FYI in the HR sample was also assessed. Noteworthy disparities in response distribution were observed between the Chinese and American samples. Both FYI 2.0 and the FYI short version demonstrated moderate construct validity and internal consistency, with the FYI short version exhibiting better predictive ability in the HR sample. Significant lower risk scores was observed in the HR sample compared to the LR sample. These findings substantiate the applicability and validity of the Chinese short version of FYI. Future research should include follow-up assessments with the Chinese sample to evaluate cutoff scores, considering the cutoff between sensitivity and specificity and the sample?s characteristics.

Validation of the translated Negative Physical Self Scale in a sample of Asian women living in Canada.

Body dissatisfaction is often linked to the internalization of Western beauty standards. Existing measures of body dissatisfaction, developed in Western societies, may fail to capture complex variations across ethnicities and cultures. The Negative Physical Self Scale (NPSS) assesses cognitive, affective, perceptual, and behavioural facets of body dissatisfaction. While unique in its consideration of Chinese ideals of body image, the NPSS has recently been translated and validated in a North American sample. The English-translated version of the NPSS has the potential to be an appropriate body dissatisfaction assessment tool for Asian women living in North America. The current study aims to validate the NPSS in an Asian female population living in Canada. A sample of 899 undergraduate women residing in Canada with self-identified Asian ethnicity completed an online survey consisting of the NPSS and other measures of body dissatisfaction. An initial confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the four-factor structure of the NPSS, previously suggested in a primarily non-Asian North American sample, was a poor fit for the data. A second-order multidimensional model, based on a model proposed during the original development of the NPSS in a Chinese sample, indicated good fit once items were removed due to loadings < .60. High internal consistency between subscales and strong convergent validity with other measures were demonstrated. Notably, the NPSS Body Concern subscale demonstrated high convergence with other popular measures of body dissatisfaction and has the potential for use as a brief measure of body dissatisfaction among North American Asian females in clinical and research settings. The NPSS provides a valid assessment of body dissatisfaction among a sample of Asian women living in Canada, a specific subpopulation that has not been previously investigated. The findings highlight the importance of developing culturally sensitive measures of body dissatisfaction for differing ethnic and cultural groups.

Infection and re-infection of Leptospira spp. in stray dogs and cats from Bogota, Colombia.

Leptospirosis is a re-emerging zoonosis that is under-reported in tropical countries, and canines can be a potential reservoir of the disease. The objective of this study was to diagnose Leptospira spp. that is actively infected and re-infected in stray dogs and cats from Bogota, D.C., Colombia. A sample of 200 animals, including dogs and cats from the animal protection programs of Bogota, Colombia, were used in this study. Blood was collected from these animals for serum and DNA analysis. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the 16s rRNA primer set, and higher-quality amplification products were sequenced by Sanger. For serodiagnosis, a group of PCR-positive samples was tested using the microagglutination test (MAT). The overall PCR positivity of stray dogs and cats was 56%, 52.9%, and 65.3% in dogs and cats, respectively. The MAT seropositivity was 77.3%, and only dogs showed titers higher than 1:400. Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pomona, Hardjo Prajitno, and Canicola and Hardjo prajitno were the serogroups associated with dogs and cats, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the strains belonging to Leptospira interrogans serovars related to isolated samples of American, European, and Asian bats (Myotis myotis), dogs, and bovines of American origin. These results showed that stray dogs and cats were previously exposed to different serovars of Leptospira spp. and re-infected with other serovars that actively participated in the transmission cycle. These findings highlight the importance of actively diagnosing infectious animals to design effective intervention strategies.

Examining associations between goal and attribute framing, HIV treatment motivation, and affective responses: A mixed methods study of patient thoughts and perceptions

AbstractThe use of framing in persuasive health communications considerably affects health behaviour, but our understanding of how framing influences patient motivation to take HIV treatments remains limited. This study examined how goal and attribute framing are related to the motivational and affective responses linked to HIV treatment adherence behaviours. The predominantly low‐income, African American sample (n = 30) consisted of HIV patients living in Chicago and Los Angeles who reported their thoughts and perceptions regarding HIV treatment in two previous studies. We performed content analysis on data consisting of a total of 119 thoughts and perceptions, categorized the data by type of framing expressed (goal, attribute), and determined correlations between framing type, treatment‐related motivation (i.e., intrinsic, extrinsic, approach, avoidance) and affective responses (i.e., positive, negative). Goal framed thoughts were classified as either gain‐ or loss‐framed. We found that goal framed thoughts highlighting the gains associated with medication adherence were associated with higher levels of intrinsic motivation than either goal framed thoughts highlighting losses or attribute framed thoughts (p &lt; .02). There were no significant associations between type of framing and patients' extrinsic, approach, or avoidance treatment motivations. Negative affect related more strongly to attribute framed thoughts and perceptions than to either gain‐ or loss‐framed thoughts (p &lt; .001). Findings suggest that gain framing may be associated with stronger and more consistent adherence and treatment engagement among HIV patients with a promotion‐oriented self‐regulatory focus. Future studies are needed to evaluate the relative effect of framing manipulations on actual changes in HIV treatment adherence across time.

Associations of Handgrip Strength Weakness and Asymmetry with Lower Cognitive Function: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2014).

The joint associations of handgrip strength (HGS) weakness and asymmetry with cognitive decline remain understudied in older adults. To investigate the associations between HGS weakness, asymmetry, and lower cognitive function in a nationally representative sample of older Americans. This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2014. Weakness was defined as HGS <26 kg for men and <16 kg for women. Asymmetry was determined by calculating the ratio of dominant to non-dominant HGS. Participants with an HGS ratio <0.90 or >1.10 were classified as having any HGS asymmetry. Those with an HGS ratio >1.10 exhibited dominant HGS asymmetry, while those with an HGS ratio <0.90 displayed nondominant HGS asymmetry, respectively. Lower cognitive functioning was defined as global cognitive composite scores more than 1 standard deviation below the mean. Covariate-adjusted logistic regression models were used to analyze the associations between HGS asymmetry/weakness and lower cognitive functioning. Compared to individuals with non-weak and symmetric HGS, those with any HGS asymmetry alone and weakness alone had 1.017 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.707-1.463) and 1.391 (95% CI: 0.542-3.571) greater odds for cognitive decline, while co-occurrence of both HGS asymmetry and weakness was associated with 3.724 (95% CI: 1.711-8.107) greater odds for lower cognitive function after controlling for confounders. Individuals exhibiting both diminished and asymmetrical HGS demonstrated an elevated susceptibility to cognitive impairment, thereby implying that the inclusion of HGS asymmetry assessment in conjunction with weakness evaluation may enhance the accuracy of prognosticating cognitive decline.

The Interpersonal Guilt Rating Scale 15 Item Self-Report Version (IGRS-15s): Exploring the Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties in a Sample of American Post 9/11 Active-Duty and Veteran Military Personnel

The Interpersonal Guilt Rating Scale 15 Item Self-Report Version (IGRS-15s): Exploring the Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties in a Sample of American Post 9/11 Active-Duty and Veteran Military Personnel

The Brazilian version of the Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-Expanded Version: Internal structure, invariance by sex and race, and associations with pathological personality traits.

The Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms-Expanded version (IDAS-II) is one of the few tools designed to assess internalizing symptoms based on dimensional models. We conducted two studies, the first testing internal validity aspects of the IDAS-II and the second testing the external validity of the scales. In the first study we adapted the IDAS-II to Brazilian Portuguese and tested its internal structure, including a higher order factorial solution coherent with the internalizing spectrum, the stability of the factor structure, and its measurement invariance for sex and racial groups. Participants were 2,379 Brazilian adults. In the second study, we investigated the IDAS-II scales' associations with broad pathological personality traits in Brazilian (N = 245) and North American (N = 402) samples. The results of the first study indicated that the IDAS-II scales are grouped into three first-order factors (Distress, Obsessions/Fear, and Positive Mood), replicating Wester et al. (2022) and Petre et al. (2023). Our results also suggested the plausibility of an internalizing second-order factor for the IDAS-II Brazilian version. The multigroup confirmatory factor analysis shows that this scale is invariant for males and females and for White and Black/Brown people. In the second study, the IDAS-II scales demonstrated mostly coherent associations with broad domains of pathological personality traits. Besides the internal validity of the Brazilian IDAS-II, our results also provide information about its external validity and expand its nomological network, as it is the first study reporting its associations with broad domains of pathological personality traits. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Orthorexia Nervosa and Healthy Orthorexia in a Physically Active North American Population.

The Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS) defines two related but distinct constructs: Orthorexia Nervosa (OrNe), a pathological fixation on a healthy diet, and Healthy Orthorexia (HeOr), an interest in a healthy diet independent of psychopathology. Here, we (a) assessed both types of Orthorexia in a large North American sample using the TOS and (b) explored if engaging in regular physical activity was associated with a greater risk of Orthorexia. A cohort of physically active adults (n = 927; 41% men) completed the TOS, as well as the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), to broadly assess aerobic physical activity level and participation in strength and/or flexibility training. As expected, scores for HeOr and OrNe differed between participants, with lower scores for Orthorexia Nervosa in our physically active non-clinical sample. Higher HeOr scores were associated with lower BMI, and this was true for both men and women. We also found that measures of Orthorexia were associated with self-reported physical activity: active adults reporting more aerobic physical activity had higher HeOr scores, with the most active men having the highest scores. Notably, adults who reported regular strength training had higher scores for both HeOr and OrNe, with men who strength trained showing higher OrNe scores than women. Here, those who participate in regular strength training are more likely to exhibit orthorexic behaviors, and this effect was more pronounced for men than women. Prior work has validated the TOS in young, primarily female samples of non-English speakers outside the United States: present data from an age-diverse, physically active, gender balanced sample support the use of TOS for measurement of Orthorexia Nervosa and Healthy Orthorexia in English speakers and suggest that more work is needed to assess potential gender differences in these constructs.

Mortality risk among adult americans living with cancer and elevated CRP

The role of C Reactive Protein (CRP) in predicting long-term outcomes among people living with cancer has not been well explored. We aimed to assess the role of elevated CRP in predicting all-cause mortality among a community-based sample of adult Americans living with cancer. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2010 was linked with mortality files up to December 2019 from the National Death Index. Sociodemographic and health-related variables of 30,711 participants (mean age=46.5 years) were analyzed to compute adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause mortality. The risk of mortality, in unadjusted analysis, was significantly higher among those with cancer compared to those without cancer 3.53 (95% CI= 3.13–3.98, p < 0.001). In adjusted analysis, when stratified by CRP levels (elevated=cutoff point at ≥2 mg/dL), among individuals with elevated CRP but no cancer history, the risk of mortality was significantly higher (HR=1.67, 95% CI=1.24–2.25) compared to those without cancer or elevated CRP. Among individuals with cancer but without elevated CRP as well, the risk of mortality was 20% higher compared to their counterparts. The highest risk of mortality was observed among those with both cancer and elevated CRP (HR=2.10, 95% CI=1.11–4.33). Age and income were significant predictors of these relationships. Among people living with cancer, CRP may serve as a marker for mortality and future studies should explore the pathways by which the risk of mortality may increase due to variation of CRP in cancer patients.

Cross-Cultural Validation of the International Affective Picture System (IAPS) on a Moroccan Sample

The International Affective Picture System (IAPS) is a database of unified images used to study emotion and attention. This study aims to investigate the reliability and validity of these images to arouse the emotions of Moroccans.123 Moroccan students (75 female, age group:18-51) belonging to the Department of Psychology at Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, rated valence, arousal, and dominance for 238 stratified representative samples from IAPS images, using the self-assessment manikin (SAM). The reliability values showed significant internal consistency in the participants' evaluations.The results of the comparisonbetween the evaluations of our sample and the North American sample showed a significant correlation (.94 for valence, .75 for dominance, and .70 for arousal), which indicates that the evaluations of the two samples are similar. Moreover, the distribution of images in the emotional space of pleasure and excitement was embodied as boomerang-shaped as was the case in the American sample, with there being more clarity in our sample.These results confirm the validity of using IAPS images to arouse the emotions of Moroccans.

African Americans’ Willingness to Extend Legitimacy to the Police: Connections to Identities and Experiences in the Post-George Floyd Era

Abstract Numerous benefits materialize when people extend legitimacy to institutions; consequently, many investigations of the legitimacy of the police have been reported. However, several critical issues remain unanswered. My paper’s purpose is to revisit the question of willingness to grant police legitimacy, focusing on a nationally representative sample of African Americans. I test hypotheses connecting police legitimacy with experiences with unfair treatment by legal authorities, ingroup attachments, attitudes toward systemic racism, and engagement with Black Lives Matter. My findings reveal significant connections between experience with discrimination, ingroup attachments, and beliefs about systemic racism but little relationship between BLM attitudes and police legitimacy.