Showing papers in "Psychology & Health in 2014"
TL;DR: Some evidence that mindfulness training during pregnancy may effectively reduce PRA and worry is provided and some of the dilemmas in pursuing this translational strategy are discussed and suggestions are offered for researchers interested in conducting mind-body interventions during pregnancy.
Abstract: This randomised controlled pilot trial tested a six-week mindfulness-based intervention in a sample of pregnant women experiencing high levels of perceived stress and pregnancy anxiety. Forty-seven women enrolled between 10 and 25 weeks gestation were randomly assigned to either a series of weekly Mindful Awareness Practices classes (n = 24) with home practice or to a reading control condition (n = 23). Hierarchical linear models of between-group differences in change over time demonstrated that participants in the mindfulness intervention experienced larger decreases from pre-to post-intervention in pregnancy-specific anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA) than participants in the reading control condition. However, these effects were not sustained through follow-up at six weeks post-intervention. Participants in both groups experienced increased mindfulness, as well as decreased perceived stress and state anxiety over the course of the intervention and follow-up periods. This study is one of the first randomised controlled pilot trials of a mindfulness meditation intervention during pregnancy and provides some evidence that mindfulness training during pregnancy may effectively reduce PRA and worry. We discuss some of the dilemmas in pursuing this translational strategy and offer suggestions for researchers interested in conducting mind-body interventions during pregnancy.
174 citations
TL;DR: Views on ageing are a promising intervention technique to be incorporated into future physical activity interventions for older adults through prompting positive views on ageing within a physical activity intervention.
Abstract: Objective: Physical activity is a key factor for healthy ageing, yet many older people lead a sedentary lifestyle. Traditional physical activity interventions do not consider the specific needs and views of older adults. As views on ageing are known to be related to health behaviours, the current study evaluates the effectiveness of prompting positive views on ageing within a physical activity intervention.Design: Randomised controlled trial with three groups aged 65+: Intervention for physical activity with ‘views-on-ageing’-component (n = 101; IGVoA), and without ‘views-on-ageing’-component (n = 30; IG), and active control intervention for volunteering (n = 103; CG).Main outcome measures: Attitudes towards older adults and physical activity were assessed five weeks before intervention, two weeks, six weeks and 8.5 months after the intervention.Results: Compared to the IG and CG, positive attitudes towards older adults increased in the IGVoA after the intervention. For IGVoA, the indirect intervention ef...
138 citations
TL;DR: People who were prepared for physical losses (negative SPA), and who were nevertheless optimistic, were better able to maintain better physical functioning, and lower depressive symptoms, and a multidimensional perspective on ageing seems to be best for the maintenance of good health.
Abstract: Objectives: First, to replicate previous findings on the detrimental effect of negative self-perceptions of ageing (SPA) on physical health outcomes and to expand them to the prediction of mental health; second, to test whether an optimistic outlook to the future can buffer the effect of negative SPA on physical and mental health outcomes.Design: Data for this study comes from the 2008 and 2011 waves of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS; n = 6205), a population-based representative survey of adults aged 40–85 years. Mean age of the participants was 61.50 (±12.1), 49.5% were women.Main Outcome Measures: Self-rated health, physical functioning and depressive symptoms.Results: Multiple regression analyses indicated that negative SPA predicted deterioration in the three health outcomes over a three-year period, controlling for demographics and illnesses. The most remarkable finding is the interaction with optimism: People who were prepared for physical losses (negative SPA), and who were nevertheless optimistic,...
131 citations
TL;DR: The concrete construal diaries may promote mindfulness and self-compassion and potentially promote long-term weight loss.
Abstract: Research on the usefulness of mindfulness and self-compassion for dieting has focused on meditative practices. However, meditation can be difficult to maintain, especially while dieting. Thus, the present research attempted to induce mindfulness and self-compassion by using food diaries that required the participant to either focus on concrete (i.e. how they are eating) construals or abstract (i.e. why they are eating) construals. The concrete construals were expected to increase mindfulness and self-compassion, as well as decrease avoidance and negative thoughts (which would further aid the development of mindfulness and self-compassion). Study 1 found that mindfulness and self-compassion mediated the inverse relationship of avoidance and negative thoughts with weight loss. Study 2 showed that concrete construal diaries increased mindfulness and self-compassion, decreased avoidance and negative thoughts, and supported weight loss significantly more than the abstract construal diaries. Study 3, then, compared the concrete construal diaries with a mindful self-compassionate meditation programme. There was no difference in weight loss at the end of the intervention, but at a three-month follow-up, the diaries performed better at weight maintenance. Thus, the concrete construal diaries may promote mindfulness and self-compassion and potentially promote long-term weight loss.
114 citations
TL;DR: Notable sexual morbidity predictors included mastectomy, which was associated with worse sexual/body change distress, and post-treatment weight gain, which predicted greater body dissatisfaction/ body change stress.
Abstract: Objective: Breast cancer survivors report adverse sexual effects (sexual morbidity) such as disrupted sexual function, sexual distress and body dissatisfaction. However, most studies have failed to evaluate the persistence of these effects in long-term survivors. The present study comprehensively assessed the prevalence and predictors of sexual/body image problems among survivors three or more years post diagnosis.Design/outcome measures: Eighty-three breast cancer survivors completed surveys a median of seven years post diagnosis. Survey items probed demographic, diagnostic and clinical information, in addition to sexual activity, sexual function (Female Sexual Function Index [FSFI]), body image, and distress regarding body changes and sexual problems (Female Sexual Distress Scale-revised; FSDS-R).Results: Seventy-seven percent of all participants and 60% of sexually active participants qualified for sexual dysfunction based on the FSFI. Between 37 and 51% met criteria for female sexual dysfunction, base...
112 citations
TL;DR: Emphasising the role of the food environment in causing obesity may promote food policy support and health behaviours without imposing the negative consequences associated with other attributions.
Abstract: Objective: The objective of this research was to compare the effects of different causal attributions for overweight and obesity, among individuals with overweight and obesity, on weight-related beliefs, stigmatising attitudes and policy support.Design: In Study 1, an online sample of 95 US adults rated the extent to which they believed various factors caused their own weight status. In Study 2, 125 US adults read one of three randomly assigned online passages attributing obesity to personal responsibility, biology, or the ‘food environment.’ All participants in both studies were overweight or obese.Main outcome measures: All participants reported beliefs about weight loss, weight-stigmatising attitudes, and support for obesity-related policies.Results: In Study 1, biological attributions were associated with low weight-malleability beliefs and blame, high policy support, but high internalised weight bias. ‘Food environment’ attributions were not associated with any outcomes, while ‘personal responsibilit...
107 citations
TL;DR: Evidence is provided of the association of SOC with stress and emotional symptoms during adolescence, especially anxiety in girls, and SOC also moderated the association between stress related to peer pressure and depressive symptoms in both genders.
Abstract: This paper aims to investigate the association between the domains of stress, sense of coherence (SOC) and emotional symptoms (depression and anxiety) in adolescents, as well as the potential moderating role of SOC on the relationship between stress and emotional symptoms. The study is based on a cross-sectional sample of 1183 adolescents aged 13-18 who attend public elementary and secondary schools in Mid-Norway. The results showed that girls scored higher than boys on stress related to peer pressure, home life, school performance, school/leisure conflict and emotional symptoms. Conversely, boys reported higher SOC than girls. Results from multiple hierarchical regression analyses showed that for boys, stress related to school performance was positively associated with symptoms of both depression and anxiety, whereas stress from peer pressure was associated with depressive symptoms. For girls, stress from peer pressure, romantic relationships and school was associated with more depressive symptoms. SOC was strongly and inversely associated with emotional symptoms, especially anxiety in girls. SOC also moderated the association between stress related to peer pressure and depressive symptoms in both genders. The study provides evidence of the association of SOC with stress and emotional symptoms during adolescence.
103 citations
TL;DR: The lower level of exercise among depressive patients is partly due to motivational, partly to volitional deficits, and interventions should be stage-matched and should focus on pessimistic beliefs (negative outcome expectations, self-efficacy) and planning deficits in depression.
Abstract: Objective: The study aimed at uncovering the correlates of reduced exercise in depressive patients. On the basis of the Health Action Process Approach (Schwarzer, 2011), we hypothesised that reduced exercise in depressive patients can be explained by motivational deficits and volitional deficits.Design: A longitudinal sample of 56 clinically depressive outpatients was compared to a sample of 56 parallelised non-depressive controls.Main outcome measures: Self-reported intention, exercise, and motivational and volitional HAPA variables were measured with self-report questionnaires at baseline and four-week follow-up.Results: Depressive patients showed a motivational deficit: they had significantly reduced intentions to exercise compared to non-depressive participants, and they suffered from reduced self-efficacy and increased negative outcome expectations. No differences were found with regard to positive outcome expectations. Depressive patients also showed a volitional deficit: depressive high-intenders w...
97 citations
TL;DR: It is suggested that on the short term, cue-monitoring suffices to decrease unhealthy snacking, without additional benefit from planning, and future research should examine whether supplementing cue- monitoring with implementation intentions is required to establish long-term behaviour change maintenance.
Abstract: Implementation intentions aimed at changing unwanted habits require the identification of personally relevant cues triggering the habitual response in order to be effective. To facilitate successful implementation intention formation, in the present study, planning was combined with cue-monitoring, a novel way to gain insight into triggers for unhealthy snacking. It was tested whether keeping a cue-monitoring diary and tailoring implementation intentions accordingly improves plan effectiveness. A 2 Monitoring (cue-monitoring, control) × 2 Planning (implementation intention, goal intention) between subjects design was adopted. Participants (N = 161) monitored their unhealthy snacking behaviour for a week using either a cue-monitoring or a control diary. Participants then formulated a goal intention or an implementation intention tailored to their personal cue. Snacking frequency and caloric intake from unhealthy snacks were examined using a seven-day snack diary. The results did not indicate an interaction but yielded a main effect of Monitoring. Cue-monitoring either or not combined with implementation intentions reduced unhealthy snacking behaviour compared with control. Findings emphasise the effectiveness of cue-monitoring, suggesting that on the short term, cue-monitoring suffices to decrease unhealthy snacking, without additional benefit from planning. Future research should examine whether supplementing cue-monitoring with implementation intentions is required to establish long-term behaviour change maintenance.
93 citations
TL;DR: The findings unsettle traditional health promotion campaigns which advocate moderate drinking among students without always suggesting how it might be most successfully accomplished and offer tentative guidance on how non-drinking during specific social occasions might be managed more successfully.
Abstract: Recent research suggests that safer student alcohol consumption might be assisted by understanding how social occasions are managed by non-drinkers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with five 19 – 22 year old non-drinking English undergraduates were subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis. We present five inter-linked themes: ‘living with challenges to non-drinking’; ‘seeing what goes on in drinking environments’; ‘dealing with conversations about non-drinking (making excuses vs. coming out)’; ‘knowing which friends care about you’; and ‘the importance of minimising “legroom” for peer pressure’. Participants felt under persistent peer scrutiny (as a form of peer pressure) and could feel alienated in drinking environments. Talking about non-drinking was characterised by whether to ‘come out’ (as a non-drinker) or ‘fake it’ (e.g. ‘I’m on antibiotics’). Loyal friendships were reported as particularly important in this context. The decision not to drink was experienced as providing a successful buffer to peer pressure for former drinkers. Our findings unsettle traditional health promotion campaigns which advocate moderate drinking among students without always suggesting how it might be most successfully accomplished and offer tentative guidance on how non-drinking during specific social occasions might be managed more successfully. Findings are discussed in relation to extant literature and future research directions are suggested.
71 citations
TL;DR: Together these understandings of drinking photos function to delimit socially appropriate online drinking displays, effectively ‘airbrushing’ these visual depictions of young adults’ drinking as always pleasurable and without negative consequences.
Abstract: A range of negative health outcomes are associated with young adults’ drinking practices. One key arena where images of, and interaction about, drinking practices occurs is social networking sites, particularly Facebook. This study investigated the ways in which young adults’ talked about and understood their uses of Facebook within their drinking practices. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven New Zealand young adults as they displayed, navigated and talked about their Facebook pages and drinking behaviours. Our social constructionist thematic analysis identified three major themes, namely ‘friendship group belonging’, ‘balanced self-display’ and ‘absences in positive photos’. Drinking photos reinforced friendship group relationships but time and effort was required to limit drunken photo displays to maintain an overall attractive online identity. Positive photos prompted discussion of negative drinking events which were not explicitly represented. Together these understandi...
TL;DR: The results highlight the need to develop family-based interventions to facilitate a functional adjustment to COPD, but these interventions in COPD remain undeveloped and empirical evidence is needed.
Abstract: Objective: This study explores the perspectives of both patients and family members regarding the impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in their family life.Design: An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with patients and their family members in the chronic phase of COPD. Individual interviews were performed to explore participants’ perspectives and submitted to thematic analysis.Results: Six major themes emerged from patients’ perspective: (1) impact of COPD symptoms on personal and family daily life; (2) (over)protective family support; (3) difficulties in couple communication; (4) sense of identity loss; (5) fear of COPD progression; and (6) coping resources. Five main themes emerged from the family members’ perspective: (1) restrictions in family’s social life; (2) emotional distress related to COPD exacerbations; (3) tension in couple relationship; (4) financial strain of COPD; and (5) coping resources.Conclusions: The overall findings illustrate the complex interaction betwe...
TL;DR: It is suggested that women with cervical cancer may be stigmatised and blame may play a role in this process.
Abstract: This two-study paper examined stigma toward women with cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), a sexually transmitted infection (STI). For Study 1, participants (N = 352) were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in which they read a brief description of a patient with either cervical or ovarian cancer in which the cause of the patient’s cancer was either specified (cervical: HPV, a STI vs. ovarian: family history) or unspecified. Participants in the cervical cancer/cause-specified condition rated the patient as more dirty, dishonest and unwise, and reported feeling more moral disgust and ‘grossed out’ than participants in the cervical cancer/cause-unspecified condition. For Study 2, participants (N = 126) were randomly assigned to read a vignette about a patient with cervical cancer in which the cause of cancer was either specified or unspecified. Consistent with Study 1, participants in the cause-specified condition rated the patient as more unwise, and reported ...
TL;DR: It is concluded that the empirical evidence in favour of the hypothesis is weak and the ramifications of this for future message framing research are discussed.
Abstract: Health-promoting messages can be framed in terms of the beneficial consequences of healthy behaviour (gain-framed messages) or the detrimental consequences of unhealthy behaviour (loss-framed messages). An influential notion holds that the perceived risk associated with the recommended behaviour determines the relative persuasiveness of gain- and loss-framed messages. This ‘risk-framing hypothesis’, as we call it, was derived from prospect theory, has been central to health message framing research for the last two decades, and does not cease to appeal to researchers. The present paper examines the validity of the risk-framing hypothesis. We performed six empirical studies on the interaction between perceived risk and message framing. These studies were conducted in two different countries and employed framed messages targeting skin cancer prevention and detection, physical activity, breast self-examination and vaccination behaviour. Behavioural intention served as the outcome measure. None of these studies found evidence in support of the risk-framing hypothesis. We conclude that the empirical evidence in favour of the hypothesis is weak and discuss the ramifications of this for future message framing research.
TL;DR: Habit strength and transfer cognitions are important factors underlying the relationship between exercise and nutrition, according to a new framework introduced to explain this association on a psychosocial level.
Abstract: Objective: Long-term rehabilitation success depends on regular exercise and healthy nutrition. The present study introduces a new framework to explain this association on a psychosocial level. The exercise–nutrition relationship was investigated by exploring the sequential mediation of habit strength and transfer cognitions.Design: Analyses were performed at two measurement points in time (at 12 and 18 months after rehabilitation), involving 470 medical rehabilitation patients who participated in an exercise intervention.Main outcome measures: Patients filled in paper-pencil questionnaires assessing exercise (t1) and habit strength, transfer cognitions and healthy nutrition at follow-up (t2).Results: Habit strength and transfer cognitions mediated the relationship between exercise and nutrition.Conclusion: Findings suggest that habit strength and transfer cognitions are important factors underlying the relationship between exercise and nutrition.
TL;DR: It is concluded that an increased activation of food-related cognitions may provide a mechanism for the link between food advertising and consumption and has implications for tackling pathological (over)eating.
Abstract: Objective: This study investigated the effect of exposure to television food advertising on accessibility of food-related cognitions and motivation to eat.Design and main outcome measures: We initially developed a word stem completion task to measure accessibility of food-related cognitions. In two subsequent experiments, 160 female undergraduate students (Experiment 1) and 124 overweight or obese community-dwelling women (Experiment 2) viewed a series of television commercials advertising either food or non-food products. They then completed the word stem task and also rated their desire to eat.Results: Exposure to televised food advertisements led to the completion of word stems with more food- and eating-related words in both experiments. It also increased self-reported desire to eat, but only for overweight and obese individuals (Experiment 2). In both samples, there was a positive association between accessibility of food-related cognitions and reported desire to eat, following priming with televisio...
TL;DR: PVE was found to prospectively predict unique variance in indices of exercise-related well-being, in addition to that explained by perceived competence, relatedness and autonomy.
Abstract: Objective: Perceived variety represents a psychosocial experience that gives rise to, and supports the maintenance of, an individual’s well-being. In this study, we developed an instrument to measure perceived variety in exercise (PVE), and examined whether ratings of PVE predict unique variance in indices of exercise-related well-being in addition to that explained by satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs (for competence, relatedness and autonomy) embedded within self-determination theory (SDT). We also examined the extent to which variance in perceived variety is empirically distinct from (or subsumed by) competence, relatedness and autonomy in the context of exercise.Methods: A convenience sample of community adults (N = 507) completed online surveys twice over a six-week period (n = 367).Results: PVE was found to prospectively predict unique variance in indices of exercise-related well-being, in addition to that explained by perceived competence, relatedness and autonomy. Using explorato...
TL;DR: Young mothers with breast cancer need support to manage their fears of having a recurrence and to cope with problems in intimacy well into remission, according to this study identifies the most vulnerable groups of mothers.
Abstract: Objective: Parenting while coping with breast cancer can be challenging for many young women, yet little is known about the impact of motherhood on their well-being over time.Design: The first part of this study examined differences in perceived stress, illness intrusiveness and fear of cancer recurrence between young breast cancer survivors with and without children in two separate time frames (0–5 and 5–15 years since diagnosis). The second part identified determinants for these elements of well-being in young mothers exclusively.Main outcome measures: Seven hundred and forty two young North American women previously diagnosed with breast cancer completed measures of perceived stress, illness intrusiveness, fear of cancer recurrence and parenting stress (mothers only) via a web-based survey.Results: Compared to young survivors without children, young mothers reported higher levels of fear of cancer recurrence and illness intrusiveness in intimate life domains during both time frames. Part 2 revealed how...
TL;DR: Fathering appears to be particularly affected by the loss of a close adult relationship, and men felt that their partner’s depression led to significant physical and/or psychological maternal absence as well as a fracturing of the family unit.
Abstract: Objectives: Postnatal depression affects approximately 15% of women in Western countries. There are conflicting findings about the effects on fathers as well as the extent to which fathers buffer against the negative effects of depression on children. This study sought to understand the ways in which maternal postnatal depression affects men and their ways of fathering.Design: Narrative interviews were conducted with 14 British fathers (mean age = 33.9 years) whose (ex)partners had experienced at least one episode of postnatal depression. Interviews explored how their partner’s depression affected them, the partner relationship, their children and their ways of fathering. Data were analysed with interpretative phenomenological analysis.Results and Conclusions: Men felt that their partner’s depression led to significant physical and/or psychological maternal absence as well as a fracturing of the family unit, which had been an important ideological foundation for men’s fathering. Unequal divisions of labou...
TL;DR: In San Francisco, a city with a great deal of acceptance surrounding HIV and a large, politically active community of persons living with HIV, gay men continue to struggle with disclosure and stigma, which may be the result of a high degree of HIV testing and attempts by both HIV-positive and negative gay men to practise serosorting.
Abstract: Objective: HIV-related stigma is a major driver of poor prognosis for the treatment and reduced spread of HIV. The present article provides a qualitative analysis surrounding various themes related to stigma and shame as a result HIV.Design: Eight gay men recruited from a community HIV clinic contacted the researchers in response to a study involving participation in a structured, eight-week group intervention for HIV-related stigma. Following this group, three men took part in open-ended interviews about their thoughts and experiences.Methods: Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to examine the participants’ experiences surrounding shame and stigma related to living with HIV.Results: Three superordinate themes were identified: social support and the disclosure of serostatus, stigma associated with serosorting and attempts to negotiate a spoiled identity.Conclusion: In San Francisco, a city with a great deal of acceptance surrounding HIV and a large, politically active community of persons li...
TL;DR: In this paper, a systematic review was conducted to identify and describe psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer and evaluate their efficacy, and the results obtained were mixed in regard to efficacy, although the overwhelming majority of studies found benefits for both women and their partners in some dimensions.
Abstract: Objective: Information about psychological intervention with couples coping with breast cancer is not well-disseminated. This can be explained, at least in part, by the absence of knowledge about the efficacy of this kind of intervention. The aim of the present systematic review is to identify and describe psychological interventions for couples coping with breast cancer and evaluate their efficacy.Design: Studies identified by a searching multiple literature databases related to health and psychology between 1975 and 2013. Rigorous inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilised.Results: Of 129 abstracts, 13 were extracted for further analysis and a final ten studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. Data were extracted from each study regarding study sample characteristics, design, results and methodological limitations. The results obtained were mixed in regard to efficacy, although the overwhelming majority of studies (eight studies) found benefits for both women and their partners in some dimensions...
TL;DR: The results suggest that emotional eaters who are also highly active may still feel the urge to eat when under emotional distress; however, they also choose more healthy foods to cope with this distress, and increasing physical activity could be a promising intervention strategy in preventing weight gain in emotional eater.
Abstract: Objective: Research has demonstrated that emotional eating (eating induced by negative affect or distress) is associated with overconsumption and weight gain. This study tests whether recreational physical activity attenuates the relationship between emotional eating and body weight.Design: Analyses are based on the second (2011) and third (2012) wave of the Swiss Food Panel, an ongoing longitudinal survey of the eating and activity behaviour of the Swiss population. Data from 3425 participants (47% males) with a mean age of 56 years (SD = 14) were analysed.Main outcome measures: Body mass index, health consciousness and food consumption (vegetables/fruits and sweet, high-fat foods).Results: Analyses revealed an independent interaction effect of emotional eating and recreational physical activity, over and above other predictors of Body Mass Index (BMI). Compared to their low-active counterparts, highly active emotional eaters had a lower BMI and consumed more vegetables and fruits. No difference was foun...
TL;DR: It is indicated that conflict between patients’ own conceptualisations of CRF and those of family/friends and/or medical professionals hampers social and medical dialogue ofCRF, a potentially chronic condition that is inadequately discussed, diagnosed and treated.
Abstract: Objective: Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a potentially chronic condition that is inadequately discussed, diagnosed and treated. This study examined the factors that contribute to the absence of a discourse of CRF.Method: A thematic discourse analysis was carried out on the ‘additional comments’ left by 73 fatigued cancer patients and survivors as part of a questionnaire study on CRF.Results: The findings indicated that conflict between patients’ own conceptualisations of CRF and those of family/friends and/or medical professionals hampers social and medical dialogue of CRF. Fatigue forms a part of patients’ ongoing cancer identity even after cancer treatment has been completed; however, because of the dominance of wider social discourses on recovery from illness and cancer survivorship, others fail to recognise individual narratives of CRF when these deviate from or oppose such established discourses. Furthermore, the development of a discourse of CRF is actively obstructed because the enormity of cance...
TL;DR: The results confirm the importance of examining both self-regulation and social factors in smoking cessation and should be considered when developing future interventions for smoking cessation.
Abstract: Objective: In smoking cessation, individual self-regulation and social support have both proven to be useful. However, the roles of self-regulatory processes and social support are mostly examined separately. The present study aims at examining the unique and joint interactive effects of self-regulation as specified in the health action process approach (HAPA) and social support on smoking cessation. The study tested whether social support can compensate for low levels of self-regulation or whether synergistic effects emerge.Design & Measures: Around a self-set quit date, 99 smokers completed baseline questionnaires on HAPA-variables, smoking-specific received social support and smoking cessation (continuous abstinence and point prevalence), with a follow-up Cpproximately 29 days after the quitdate.Results: Social support moderated the association between volitional self-efficacy and smoking, as well as coping planning and smoking but not between action planning and smoking. No compensatory effect of soci...
TL;DR: It is suggested that CHBs are of particular importance in the process of intention formation, in that higher CHBs were associated with lower intentions to be physically active at T2 and a reduction in intentions from T1 to T2.
Abstract: Objective: Compensatory health beliefs (CHBs), defined as beliefs that healthy behaviours can compensate for unhealthy behaviours, may be one possible factor hindering people in adopting a healthier lifestyle. This study examined the contribution of CHBs to the prediction of adolescents’ physical activity within the theoretical framework of the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA).Design: The study followed a prospective survey design with assessments at baseline (T1) and two weeks later (T2).Method: Questionnaire data on physical activity, HAPA variables and CHBs were obtained twice from 430 adolescents of four different Swiss schools. Multilevel modelling was applied.Results: CHBs added significantly to the prediction of intentions and change in intentions, in that higher CHBs were associated with lower intentions to be physically active at T2 and a reduction in intentions from T1 to T2. No effect of CHBs emerged for the prediction of self-reported levels of physical activity at T2 and change in physic...
TL;DR: It is suggested that fertility is of importance to young women cancer survivors, and that compromised fertility can negatively impact subjectivity.
Abstract: Younger women diagnosed with cancer often face compromised fertility as a result of their treatment. However, previous research has adopted a biomedical model of fertility and utilised hypothetico-deductive research methods which have not allowed for full exploration of women’s subjectivity. This study explored younger women’s construction of their fertility post-cancer, and their discussions of fertility with healthcare professionals, from a social constructionist epistemology. Semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted with eight women aged 18–26, across a variety of cancer types. Foucaultian Discourse Analysis identified three subject positions associated with fertility concerns: ‘Inadequate woman: Accepting the motherhood mandate’; ‘Adequate woman: Resisting the motherhood mandate’; and ‘Survival of the fittest: Woman as genetically defective’. Implications of these subject positions included feelings of inadequacy, fear and devastation; feeling undesirable to romantic partners; and concern ...
TL;DR: Interventions should be aimed at reducing psychological distress and improving QoL and given the associations between perceived psychological causes and psychological distress/QoL, NCCP patients in the ED might benefit from psychological therapies to manage their chest pain.
Abstract: Objective: Many patients who attend an emergency department (ED) with chest pain receive a diagnosis of non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP), and often suffer poor psychological outcomes and continued pain. This study assessed the role of illness representations in explaining psychological distress and continued chest pain in patients attending an ED.Methods: ED NCCP patients (N = 138) completed measures assessing illness representations, anxiety, depression and quality of life (QoL) at baseline, and chest pain at one month.Results: Illness representations explained significant amounts of the variance in anxiety (Adj. R² = .38), depression (Adj. R² = .18) and mental QoL (Adj. R² = .36). A belief in psychological causes had the strongest associations with outcomes. At one month, 28.7% of participants reported experiencing frequent pain, 13.2% infrequent pain and 58.1% no pain. Anxiety, depression and poor QoL, but not illness representations, were associated with continued chest pain.Conclusions: The findings sug...
TL;DR: Three studies suggest that perceptions of impulsivity and excess eating while eating several smaller units of food compared to one large unit might be a key factor explaining consumption effects in earlier studies on this bias.
Abstract: In deciding how much to eat, people are influenced by environmental cues. The unit size of food (i.e. the number of units in which a given amount of food is divided) provides such a cue. Previous research showed that given equal caloric and volumetric content, smaller units of food tend to reduce food consumption. We propose that the unit size of food impacts intake as it influences perceptions of impulsiveness and appropriateness. Our analysis is based on three experimental studies, all employing between subject designs. When consuming similar amounts of chocolates in studies 1 (n = 118) and 2 (n = 124), both studies show that consumption of five small units of chocolates is considered to be more impulsive, excessive and less appropriate than consuming one large unit of chocolate. Results of a third study (n = 165) indicate that about 23% less chocolate is eaten when it is presented in small unit size vs. a large unit size and this effect is mediated by perceptions of impulsivity. All three studies sugge...
TL;DR: Results delineate one way early attachment quality may contribute to EDs among some adolescent girls, and support recent efforts to incorporate relational components into obesity and ED prevention programmes.
Abstract: Objective: There is growing evidence that children’s early relational environment has lasting implications for physical and mental health. In this paper, we test whether attachment insecurity in early childhood is associated with increased responsivity to risk factors for eating disorders (EDs; e.g. pubertal weight gain, maternal negative affect) during adolescence.Design: Hypotheses were tested with longitudinal data from 447 girls (final mean age = 15.1 years) over a 12-year period. Tests of direct effects, moderation and moderated mediation were conducted using nested structural equation models and bootstrapped estimates of direct and indirect effects.Results: Early attachment quality was not directly associated with disordered eating attitudes and behaviours (DEABs), but did moderate relations between adolescent ED risk factors and DEABs. Specifically, among girls with an insecure attachment history, higher BMI at age 15 directly predicted more DEABs, while maternal negative affect and pubertal weight...
TL;DR: The current findings point to the potential for the social environment to influence later health, while demonstrating the nuanced role that the authors' social lives play with respect to health.
Abstract: Objective: The present research examined the effects of the social environment on the onset of specific health ailments. Design: Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, we examined participants’ responses to social environment questions in 2006 as predictors of onset of different health conditions over the next four years.Main Outcome Measures: Healthy participants (n = 7514) reported on their number of social partners, interaction frequency, positive social support and negative social support with respect to both their family and friends. These variables were used to predict onset of seven conditions in 2010: high blood pressure, heart condition, lung disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and arthritis.Results: Logistic regressions indicated that the social environment provided some predictive value for onset of most health outcomes, with more positive and less negative social support appearing to buffer against onset. Social environmental variables related to friendships appeared to play a greater ...