Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) has received considerable attention in the literature. The present study is a quantitative integration and review of that research. From a database of 185 independent studies published up to the end of 1997, the TPB accounted for 27% and 39% of the variance in behaviour and intention, respectively. The perceived behavioural control (PBC) construct accounted for significant amounts of variance in intention and behaviour, independent of theory of reasoned action variables. When behaviour measures were self-reports, the TPB accounted for 11% more of the variance in behaviour than when behaviour measures were objective or observed (R2s = .31 and .21, respectively). Attitude, subjective norm and PBC account for significantly more of the variance in individuals' desires than intentions or self-predictions, but intentions and self-predictions were better predictors of behaviour. The subjective norm construct is generally found to be a weak predictor of intentions. This is partly attributable to a combination of poor measurement and the need for expansion of the normative component. The discussion focuses on ways in which current TPB research can be taken forward in the light of the present review.

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Efficacy of the Theory of Planned Behaviour: a meta-analytic review.

This survey of attitude theory and research published between 1996 and 1999 covers the conceptualization of attitude, attitude formation and activation, attitude structure and function, and the attitude-behavior relation. Research regarding the expectancy-value model of attitude is considered, as are the roles of accessible beliefs and affective versus cognitive processes in the formation of attitudes. The survey reviews research on attitude strength and its antecedents and consequences, and covers progress made on the assessment of attitudinal ambivalence and its effects. Also considered is research on automatic attitude activation, attitude functions, and the relation of attitudes to broader values. A large number of studies dealt with the relation between attitudes and behavior. Research revealing additional moderators of this relation is reviewed, as are theory and research on the link between intentions and actions. Most work in this context was devoted to issues raised by the theories of reasoned action and planned behavior. The present review highlights the nature of perceived behavioral control, the relative importance of attitudes and subjective norms, the utility of adding more predictors, and the roles of prior behavior and habit.

http://psych415.class.uic.edu/Readings/Ajzen,%20Attitude%20theory,%20AnnRevPsy,%202001.pdf

Nature and Operation of Attitudes

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Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people may be at higher risk of mental disorders than heterosexual people. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of mental disorder, substance misuse, suicide, suicidal ideation and deliberate self harm in LGB people. We searched Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, Cinahl, the Cochrane Library Database, the Web of Knowledge, the Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts, the Campbell Collaboration and grey literature databases for articles published January 1966 to April 2005. We also used Google and Google Scholar and contacted authors where necessary. We searched all terms related to homosexual, lesbian and bisexual people and all terms related to mental disorders, suicide, and deliberate self harm. We included papers on population based studies which contained concurrent heterosexual comparison groups and valid definition of sexual orientation and mental health outcomes. Of 13706 papers identified, 476 were initially selected and 28 (25 studies) met inclusion criteria. Only one study met all our four quality criteria and seven met three of these criteria. Data was extracted on 214,344 heterosexual and 11,971 non heterosexual people. Meta-analyses revealed a two fold excess in suicide attempts in lesbian, gay and bisexual people [pooled risk ratio for lifetime risk 2.47 (CI 1.87, 3.28)]. The risk for depression and anxiety disorders (over a period of 12 months or a lifetime) on meta-analyses were at least 1.5 times higher in lesbian, gay and bisexual people (RR range 1.54–2.58) and alcohol and other substance dependence over 12 months was also 1.5 times higher (RR range 1.51–4.00). Results were similar in both sexes but meta analyses revealed that lesbian and bisexual women were particularly at risk of substance dependence (alcohol 12 months: RR 4.00, CI 2.85, 5.61; drug dependence: RR 3.50, CI 1.87, 6.53; any substance use disorder RR 3.42, CI 1.97–5.92), while lifetime prevalence of suicide attempt was especially high in gay and bisexual men (RR 4.28, CI 2.32, 7.88). LGB people are at higher risk of mental disorder, suicidal ideation, substance misuse, and deliberate self harm than heterosexual people.

/pdf/a-systematic-review-of-mental-disorder-suicide-and-4nfjmodyug.pdf

A systematic review of mental disorder, suicide, and deliberate self harm in lesbian, gay and bisexual people

One hundred and twenty one participants reported sexual orientation, body mass index, body shape concerns, eating motives and eating styles. Measures of body dissatisfaction were greater in heterosexual women and homosexual men (ps <.05), while heterosexual women had smaller (ps <.001) ideal body shapes. Eating weight control motive was lower in heterosexual men compared to women (ps <.05). Restrained eating was lower in heterosexual men compared to heterosexual women or homosexual men (ps <.001). The findings support the role of socially prescribed body shapes on body shape concerns, eating motivations, and eating styles in men and women and suggest impacts are greater for heterosexual women and homosexual men.

Gender, Sexuality, Body Image and Eating Behaviours:

Eating sweet snacks: gender differences in attitudes and behaviour

BACKGROUND: In cross-sectional surveys, increasing numbers of adolescents report using both electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and cigarettes. This study assessed whether adolescent e-cigarette use was associated prospectively with initiation or escalation of cigarette use. METHODS: Data were from 2836 adolescents (aged 13-14 years at baseline) in 20 schools in England. At baseline, breath carbon monoxide levels, self-reported e-cigarette and cigarette use, sex, age, friends and family smoking, beliefs about cigarette use and percentage receiving free school meals (measure of socioeconomic status) were assessed. At 12-month follow-up, self-reported cigarette use was assessed and validated by breath carbon monoxide levels. RESULTS: At baseline, 34.2% of adolescents reported ever using e-cigarettes (16.0% used only e-cigarettes). Baseline ever use of e-cigarettes was strongly associated with subsequent initiation and escalation of cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to report prospective relationships between ever use of e-cigarettes and initiation and escalation of cigarette use among UK adolescents. Ever use of e-cigarettes was robustly associated with initiation but more modestly related to escalation of cigarette use. Further research with longer follow-up in a broader age range of adolescents is required.

https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/tobaccocontrol/27/4/365.full.pdf

Do electronic cigarettes increase cigarette smoking in UK adolescents? Evidence from a 12-month prospective study.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of viewing same-gender photographic models on women and men's body-esteem. Women and men completed body-esteem scales before and after viewing pictures of same-gender photographic models (experimental group) or landscapes (control group). Women scored significantly lower than men on the body-esteem scale [F(1, 90) = 58.5, p < .001]. Women [F(1, 90) = 8.70, p < .05] and men [F(1, 90) = 4.17, p < .05] in the experimental group showed a significant decrease in body-esteem after seeing the photographs and the controls showed no significant change [women F(1, 90) = 0.57; men F(1, 90) = 0.00]. Results suggest that upward comparisons are made by women and men when viewing attractive same-gender models.

The Effects of Viewing Same-Gender Photographic Models on Body-Esteem

Research presented in this special issue focuses on a number of key contemporary themes relating to gendered body image. This paper considers what these studies tell us about the associations between body image and self-esteem, internalization of thin/muscular ideals, social comparison, and social identity and makes suggestions for interventions to improve body image in girls/women and boys/men. It is concluded that psycho-social interventions to reduce internalization, to make social comparison processes more realistic, to raise self-esteem and to enable people to question social identities related to body dissatisfaction may be useful short-term solutions to improving body image in males and females with negative images of their bodies. Since most evidence for effectiveness of these kinds of interventions has focused on women and girls, more work is needed on how to make these effective for men and boys.

Sarah Grogan

Papers

Gender, Sexuality, Body Image and Eating Behaviours:

Eating sweet snacks: gender differences in attitudes and behaviour

Do electronic cigarettes increase cigarette smoking in UK adolescents? Evidence from a 12-month prospective study.

The Effects of Viewing Same-Gender Photographic Models on Body-Esteem

Promoting Positive Body Image in Males and Females: Contemporary Issues and Future Directions