The impact of self-efficacy on behavior change and weight change among overweight participants in a weight loss trial.

Despite considerable clinical interest, attempts to link perceived self-efficacy with successful weight control have had mixed success. Definitive data on prospective associations between self-efficacy and weight loss are particularly sparse. This study examined relationships between self-efficacy beliefs, weight control behaviors, and weight change among individuals participating in a weight loss trial (N = 349, 87% women). Cross-sectionally, eating and exercise self-efficacy beliefs were strongly associated with corresponding weight loss behaviors. Self-efficacy beliefs prospectively predicted weight control behavior and weight change during active treatment but not during follow-up. Mediational models indicate that people's weight control behaviors mediate the impact of self-efficacy on weight change.     

Occupational differentiation among white men in the first decade after high school

Most research on career development is concerned with the fate of individuals, but portraits of the heterogeneity and development of whole populations or aggregates of individuals can also be useful for understanding the needs and development of different client populations. Two population-level concepts are proposed and defined: differentiation and distribution. This report then charts the rate at which occupational differentiation proceeds among 3730 young white men and investigates the personal and family attributes by which these men are distributed, or distribute themselves, to jobs. Data from the National Longitudinal (Parnes) Survey of the Labor Force Experience of Young Men are used to examine employment among men aged 16 to 28 in different levels and fields of work. Results suggest that the rate of labor force participation stabilizes in the early twenties, differentiation among men by education and the distribution of men among different broad levels and fields of work stabilize by the mid-twenties, and the sorting of men with different socioeconomic backgrounds into different occupational groups continues through the late twenties at which age it appears to have been largely completed. Discriminant analyses suggest that the distribution of men to jobs is primarily along an occupational status dimension, and secondarily according to field of work. Among the variables used in the analyses, academic achievement is the major dimension by which men are sorted or sort themselves to different jobs.     

Psychological disturbance in children with physical disabilities: Continuity and change in a 5-year follow-up

This study measures continuity in behavioral disturbance over a 5-year period among 255 children with physical disabilities who were 6 to 18 years old at first assessment. The pattern of the results differed from that reported previously for a sample of the general population of children. Disabled children showed little stability in aggression, an area in which stability over time had been consistently reported for the general child population. Furthermore, important differences were observed between children with cystic fibrosis and children with cerebral palsy, myelodysplasia, or multiple physical handicaps, all conditions involving brain abnormality. Children with cystic fibrosis followed the trend toward better adjustment seen among the general population of children. In contrast, among children with conditions involving the brain, the majority of those who had been classified as psychologically severely impaired remained at this level of impairment 5 years later. In two behavioral domains, Mentation Problems and Isolation, children with conditions involving the brain maintained, on the average, the same markedly high score they had initially. Among children with physical conditions involving the brain, Mentation Problems and Isolation signify persistent problems that do not subside as the children mature.This study was supported by NIH grant No. HD-16821, by Research Scientist Development Award No. MH-00380 from NIMH, and by grants from the Cleveland Foundation and the Charles S. Mott Foundation.     

Big-Five personality factors, obesity and 2-year weight gain in Australian adults

The objective of this paper was to examine whether the Big-Five Personality factors were associated with obesity and 2-year weight gain in Australian adults. The sample included 5265 Australian adults aged 25-65 years. Binary logistic regression models indicated that Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism were cross-sectionally associated with obesity, with Conscientiousness inversely associated with obesity. The longitudinal analyses indicated that Extraversion predicted 2-year weight gain. The relationships between personality and obesity/weight gain were not moderated by age or sex. These results have potentially important implications for developing more effective treatment and prevention strategies for obesity.     

The differential importance of weight and body image among college men and women

Among a sample of American college students, body image and the degree of desired weight change were associated with academic self-rankings, with social and psychological well-being, and with the development of eating difficulties. The effects of body image and desired weight change on eating disorders were generally found to be greater for women than for men, and their effects on student self-rankings of academic ability, social, and psychological traits were more pervasive for women than for men. The less attractive a woman perceived herself to be and the more weight she wanted to lose, the greater was her overall sense of academic, social, and psychological impairment. Women who had poor body images and who desired to lose weight were more likely to report eating difficulties.     

Continuity and change in personality traits from adolescence to midlife: a 25-year longitudinal study comparing representative and adjudicated men

In the first study, a hierarchical structure of personality traits was identified using data from a longitudinal study tracing two samples of men from adolescence to midlife (i.e., a representative sample of the general population and a sample of individuals adjudicated during their adolescence). The second study examined structural, rank-order, and mean-level continuity. Partial structural continuity was demonstrated through confirmatory factor analysis. Regarding rank-order continuity, the correlations were stronger as age increased, particularly for the adjudicated men. For mean-level continuity, the adjudicated men displayed higher scores from adolescence to midlife for nearly every personality trait related to Disinhibition and Negative Emotionality. Significant decreases were observed in these traits for both samples, supporting the hypothesis of a normative psychological maturation. Although both samples showed this maturation, the adjudicated men displayed a lower rate of change during adolescence and early adulthood. The two samples did not differ in Extraversion and this trait remained more stable, particularly for adjudicated men.     

Sense of coherence as a protective factor for psychological distress among gay men: a prospective cohort study

Gay men face a greater risk of psychological distress than heterosexual men, yet research on protective factors among gay men has been limited. This prospective cohort study investigated whether a sense of coherence (SOC), as a form of coping, helps to protect against psychological distress among middle-aged and older gay men. A nationwide online survey was conducted among a baseline sample of 1135 Australian gay-identified men aged 40 years and older, with a follow-up survey 12 months later. SOC was measured using the 13-item SOC Scale. Psychological distress was measured using the K10 Psychological Distress Scale. Hierarchical regressions were conducted, with analyses controlling for several potential risk factors for distress. Over half of participants had moderate or high psychological distress. However, baseline distress was significantly lower among those with stronger baseline SOC. In addition, baseline SOC significantly predicted distress 12 months later. This predictive effect of SOC was independent of baseline distress levels and occurred despite a strong correlation between baseline and follow-up distress. With SOC appearing to be a protective factor, strategies among middle-aged and older gay men that strengthen SOC may assist in the prevention and treatment of anxiety and other psychological distress in this vulnerable population.     

Hopelessness as a predictor of attempted suicide among first admission patients with psychosis: a 10-year cohort study

Little is known about the longitudinal relationship of hopelessness to attempted suicide in psychotic disorders. This study addresses this gap by assessing hopelessness and attempted suicide at multiple time-points over 10 years in a first-admission cohort with psychosis (n = 414). Approximately one in five participants attempted suicide during the 10-year follow-up, and those who attempted suicide scored significantly higher at baseline on the Beck Hopelessness Scale. In general, a given assessment of hopelessness (i.e., baseline, 6, 24, and 48 months) reliably predicted attempted suicide up to 4 to 6 years later, but not beyond. Structural equation modeling indicated that hopelessness prospectively predicted attempted suicide even when controlling for previous attempts. Notably, a cut-point of 3 or greater on the Beck Hopelessness Scale yielded sensitivity and specificity values similar to those found in nonpsychotic populations using a cut-point of 9. Results suggest that hopelessness in individuals with psychotic disorders confers information about suicide risk above and beyond history of attempted suicide. Moreover, in comparison with nonpsychotic populations, even relatively modest levels of hopelessness appear to confer risk for suicide in psychotic disorders.     

Occupational stress and mental well-being in a cohort of Black South African teachers

This study explored levels of occupational stress and mental well-being of a cohort of Black South African teachers. 200 secondary school teachers completed the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI: Boyle, Borg, Falzon, & Baglion, 1995), General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28: Goldberg & Hillier, 1979 Goldberg, D. P., & Hillier, V. F. (1979). A scaled version of the General Health Questionnaire. Psychological Medicine, 9, 139–145. doi: 10.1017/S0033291700021644[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and Mental Health Continuum-Short Form (MHC-SF: Keyes, 2006 Keyes, C. L. M. (2006). Mental health in adolescence: Is America's youth flourishing? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(3), 395–402. doi: 10.1037/0002-9432.76.3.395[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Correlations and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) were used to determine the levels of occupational stress and well-being of participants, and to establish the relation between these variables. A significant majority of the teachers reported high levels of mental health (flourishing) despite high levels of teacher stress. These results show teachers’ ability to withstand and cope with stress whilst maintaining their mental health. This suggests the presence of protective factors that mediate the effect of work-related stressors and, in so doing, contribute to the teachers’ levels of resilience.     

Childhood bullying and becoming a young father in a national cohort of Finnish boys

Lehti, V., Brunstein Klomek, A., Tamminen, T., Moilanen, I., Kumpulainen, K., Piha, J., Almqvist. F. & Sourander, A. (2012). Childhood bullying and becoming a young father in a national cohort of Finnish boys. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 53, 461–466. Childhood bullying is known to be associated with various adverse psychosocial outcomes in later life. No studies exist on its association with becoming a young father. The study is based on a national cohort, which included 2,946 Finnish boys at baseline in 1989. Information on bullying was collected from children, their parents and their teachers. Follow‐up data on becoming a father under the age of 22 were collected from a nationwide register. The follow‐up sample included 2,721 boys. Bullying other children frequently was significantly associated with becoming a young father independently of being victimized, childhood psychiatric symptoms and parental educational level. Being a victim of bullying was not associated with becoming a young father when adjusted for possible confounders. When the co‐occurrence of bullying and victimization was studied, it was found that being a bully‐victim, but not a pure bully or a pure victim, is significantly associated with becoming a young father. This study adds to other studies, which have shown that the risk profile and relational patterns of bully‐victims differ from those of other children, and it emphasizes the importance of including peer relationships when studying young fathers.     

AIDS-related factors predictive of suicidal ideation of low and high intent among gay and bisexual men.

AIDS-related stressors were studied in relationship to suicidal ideation and suicide intent among 778 gay and bisexual men (none with AIDS). Over the previous six months, 27% (n = 212) reported suicidal ideation. Subjects who reported suicidal ideation (compared to those who did not) were more likely to report recent (last 6 months) bereavement of partner, recent ARC diagnosis, and multiple close friends with ARC. Suicide ideators were divided by a median split on a self-report scale of suicide intent into low (n = 105) and high (n = 107) intent suicide ideators. News of HIV seropositivity was specifically related to low intent suicidal ideation. High intent suicidal ideation was associated with having a partner with AIDS or ARC, or multiple close friends with AIDS, or having ARC. Generally speaking, while temporally discrete AIDS-related events were associated the report of suicidal ideation, ongoing stressors which may more greatly challenge adaptational capacities were more associated with high intent suicidal ideation.     

Weight perception, weight change intentions, and alcohol use among young adults

Obesity and binge drinking are important health issues for young adults in the United States. Several studies have investigated the relationship between these constructs with mixed results. One possible explanation to disentangle this relationship suggests that how people feel about their weight, regardless of their actual weight, may explain some variation in alcohol use. This study (n = 4497) investigated the relationship between two types of body weight concerns--weight perception and weight change intentions--and binge drinking. Controlling for measured body weight, we considered whether body weight concerns increase risk for binge drinking. Findings suggest that women who reported trying to lose weight had an increased risk of binge drinking. Conversely, men who perceived themselves overweight were significantly less likely to participate in binge drinking. We conclude with a discussion of the finding's implications.     

Person factors associated with suicidal behavior among African American women and men

This study compared person risk factors among the following groups of low-income, African American adults in an urban, public hospital: (a) suicide attempters and nonattempters, (b) male and female attempters, and (c) all 4 groups (50 female attempters, 50 female nonattempters, 50 male attempters, and 50 male nonattempters). Participants completed psychological distress, aggression, substance use, cognitive processes, religiosity/spirituality, and ethnic identity measures. Compared with nonattempters, attempters reported more psychological distress, aggression, substance use, and maladaptive coping strategies; less religiosity/spirituality; and lower levels of ethnic identity. Male attempters endorsed more substance use than female attempters. No person risk factors differentiated among the 4 groups. Assessment of person risk factors and implementation of commensurate culturally competent interventions are recommended.     

Life transitions and mental health in a national cohort of young Australian women

Young adulthood, a time of major life transitions and risk of poor mental health, may affect emotional well-being throughout adult life. This article uses longitudinal survey data to examine young Australian women's transitions across 4 domains: residential independence, relationships, work and study, and motherhood. Changes over 3 years in health-related quality of life, optimism, depressive symptoms, stress, and life satisfaction, were examined in relation to these transitions among 7,619 young adult participants in the nationally representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health. Positive changes in mental health occurred for women moving into cohabitation and marriage, whereas reductions were observed among those experiencing marital separation or divorce and those taking on or remaining in traditionally "feminine" roles (out of the workforce, motherhood). The data suggest that women cope well with major life changes at this life stage, but reductions in psychological well-being are associated with some transitions. The findings suggest that preventive interventions to improve women's resilience and coping might target women undergoing these transitions and that social structures may not be providing sufficient support for women making traditional life choices.     

Exposure to internet pornography among children and adolescents: a national survey.

Estimates suggest that up to 90% or more youth between 12 and 18 years have access to the Internet. Concern has been raised that this increased accessibility may lead to a rise in pornography seeking among children and adolescents, with potentially serious ramifications for child and adolescent sexual development. Using data from the Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative, cross-sectional telephone survey of 1501 children and adolescents (ages 10-17 years), characteristics associated with self-reported pornography seeking behavior, both on the Internet and using traditional methods (e.g., magazines), are identified. Seekers of pornography, both online and offline, are significantly more likely to be male, with only 5% of self-identified seekers being female. The vast majority (87%) of youth who report looking for sexual images online are 14 years of age or older, when it is developmentally appropriate to be sexually curious. Children under the age of 14 who have intentionally looked at pornography are more likely to report traditional exposures, such as magazines or movies. Concerns about a large group of young children exposing themselves to pornography on the Internet may be overstated. Those who report intentional exposure to pornography, irrespective of source, are significantly more likely to cross-sectionally report delinquent behavior and substance use in the previous year. Further, online seekers versus offline seekers are more likely to report clinical features associated with depression and lower levels of emotional bonding with their caregiver. Results of the current investigation raise important questions for further inquiry. Findings from these cross-sectional data provide justification for longitudinal studies aimed at parsing out temporal sequencing of psychosocial experiences.     

Occupational Distress and Health among a Sample of Christian Clergy

Pastoral Psychology - To examine the association between occupational distress, physical and mental health, and health behaviors among clergy, a convenience sample of full-time Christian clergy...     

Stage of change as a predictor of success in weight control in adult women.

Weight change over 3 years was examined in a large and heterogeneous sample of women as a function of stage of change for weight control. Women were classified into Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, and Action stages on the basis of reports of current and past weight control behaviors and future intentions. Stage of change did not predict success in weight control. Mean weight changes over 3 years were 1.1 kg, 1.0 kg, 2.1 kg, and 2.3 kg for Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, and Action stages, respectively. The findings call into question the generality of the stages-of-change classification system across behavioral domains.