Suicidal Intent and Method of Self‐Harm: A Large‐scale Study of Self‐Harm Patients Presenting to a General Hospital

Data from the Oxford Monitoring System for Attempted Suicide (2004–2011) were used to study hospital presentations for self‐harm in which Suicidal Intent Scale (SIS) scores were obtained (N = 4,840). Regression of medians was used to control for the confounding effect of age and gender. Higher estimated median SIS scores were associated with increasing age, male gender, self‐poisoning versus self‐injury, multiple methods of self‐harm versus self‐injury alone, use of gas (mainly carbon monoxide), dangerous methods of self‐injury (including hanging, gunshot), and use of alcohol as part of the act. For self‐poisoning patients, there was a correlation between the number of tablets taken and the total SIS score. Compared with self‐poisoning with paracetamol and paracetamol‐containing compounds, self‐poisoning with antipsychotics was associated with a lower median SIS score while antidepressants had the same estimated median as paracetamol. Use of alcohol within 6 hours of self‐harm was associated with lower SIS scores. In conclusion, certain methods of self‐harm, particularly dangerous methods of self‐injury and self‐poisoning with gas, were associated with high intent and should alert clinicians to potential higher risk of suicide. However, apart from use of gas, suicidal intent cannot be inferred from type of drugs used for self‐poisoning.     

Measuring social influence of a senior midwife on decision‐making in maternity care: an experimental study

The document Changing Childbirth produced by the Department of Health (1993) requests provision of more choice, continuity and control for women during pregnancy and childbirth. In this context this study considers whether midwives'decisions are influenced by a senior midwife. A simple, valid and reliable scale—the Social Influence Scale for Midwifery (SIS‐M)—was devised to measure and score midwives' private anonymous responses to 10 clinical decisions. The SIS‐M was initially administered as a self‐completed postal survey by 209 midwives. Following a 9‐month time gap, a stratified sample of 60 (20 E, F, G grade midwives) were invited for interview in which a senior midwife attempted to influence SIS‐M responses in a conformist direction. Overall, a 3 × 2 (E, F, G grade midwives x private and interview SIS‐M scores) analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed midwives were significantly more conformist when influenced by a senior midwife, in comparison to private anonymous responses. No significant interaction between groups was found. These findings indicate that there is influence of a senior midwife on clinical decisions that should be woman‐centred, according to Changing Childbirth (1993). The implication is that this influence may remove choice from women. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluations of Employment Suitability: Does Accent Always Matter?

This “matched‐guise” study provides data regarding attitudes toward (Mandarin) Chinese speakers by eliciting non‐Asian Americans' reactions to Chinese speaker using 2 varieties of English (standard American and Mandarin Chinese‐accented) and introduced in the context of an employment interview with either an Anglo‐American or ethnic Chinese name. Results indicate that speakers in all conditions were rated equally suitable for 3 types of employment. Despite the fact that language attitudes research has consistently demonstrated that individuals with nonstandard accents are judged to be less suitable for high‐status jobs and more suitable for low‐status jobs, the present results contradict this generalization.     

Extending self‐leadership research to the East: Measurement equivalence of the Chinese and English versions of the MSLQ

In response to calls regarding the applicability of self‐leadership measurement in Eastern (collectivistic) and Western (individualistic) cultures, this study examined the psychometric properties and measurement invariance of the modified self‐leadership questionnaire (MSLQ). The sample consisted of 395 Chinese students and 241 Australian students. Results revealed that the modified self‐leadership questionnaire exhibited a satisfactory condition of psychometric properties across cultures. A series of multi‐sample confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated the cross‐cultural similarity of an 11‐factor model across the Chinese and Australian samples. The modified self‐leadership questionnaire was also found to possess measurement invariance, suggesting that it is appropriate for cross‐cultural research assessing differences of self‐leadership behaviour across Chinese and Western cultures. Implications for future research are also discussed.     

The Impact of Cross‐Cultural Experiences on Worldviews of Chinese International Students

This study compared worldviews of Chinese international students who have been in the United States for 1 year or less, Chinese international students who have been in the United States for 4 years or more, and European American students. Worldview was assessed with the Scale to Assess Worldview (F. A. Ibrahim & H. Kahn, 1987). Results indicated that (a) each group demonstrated its own general patterns of worldviews, (b) Chinese international students with substantial cross‐cultural experience believed more in controlling nature and were more future oriented than were European Americans, and (c) newly arrived Chinese international students viewed human relationships as more individualistic than did European American students. Implications for cross‐cultural counseling are discussed.     

A cluster analysis of the circumstances of death in suicides in Hong Kong

Classification of suicides is essential for clinicians to better identify self-harm patients with future suicidal risks. This study examined potential subtypes of suicide in a psychological autopsy sample (N = 148) in Hong Kong. Hierarchical cluster analysis extracted two subgroups of subjects in terms of expressed deliberation assessed by the Beck Suicide Intent Scale (SIS). The first group was associated with charcoal burning suicide, no psychiatric illness, indebtedness, better problem-solving ability, chronic stress, and higher overall SIS scores. The second group was associated with jumping from a height, psychotic disorders, psychiatric treatment, acute stress, and lower overall SIS score. The existence of a substantial cluster of subjects with lower expressed intent and preparation has important implications for the performance of the SIS as a predictive tool. Suicide prevention strategy may have to target potential subgroups with specific approaches.     

Chinese adaptation of Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ‐CCA): A psychometric evaluation in Chinese children

This study validated a Chinese adaptation of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (ERQ‐CCA), a self‐report instrument that evaluates two emotion regulation (ER) strategies, based on the process model of ER. The ERQ‐CCA was evaluated using a sample of 1381 Chinese children aged between 7 and 12 years. The internal consistencies of the two factors indicated adequate reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed good support as the structure proved to be identical with that of the original instrument. Multigroup CFA supported an invariant factor solution of the ERQ‐CCA across several demographic variations (gender, age, registered permanent residence and migrant status) in different groups. Test–retest correlations over a 2‐month period were calculated using a subsample of children (N = 70). Convergent validity was evaluated in relation to the model dimensions of the ERQ‐CCA, Chinese version of the Children's Depression Inventory, and Chinese version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents. Results indicated that the ERQ‐CCA has generally satisfactory reliability and validity in investigating the use of two ER strategies during the middle childhood developmental period.     

Comparison of brain mechanisms underlying the processing of Chinese characters and pseudo-characters: an event-related potential study

Most Chinese characters are composed of a semantic radical on the left and a phonetic radical on the right. The semantic radical provides the semantic information; the phonetic radical provides information concerning the pronunciation of the whole character. The pseudo‐characters in the study consisted of different sub‐lexical parts of real Chinese characters and consequently they also had the semantic radical and the phonetic radical. But they were not readable and had no actual meaning. In order to investigate the spatiotemporal cortical activation patterns underlying the orthographic, phonological and semantic processing of Chinese characters, we used event‐related brain potentials (ERPs) to explore the processing of Chinese characters and pseudo‐characters when 14 healthy Chinese college students viewed the characters passively. Results showed that both Chinese characters and pseudo‐characters elicited an evident negative potential peaking around 120 ms (N120), which appeared to reflect initial orthographic distinction and evaluation. Then, Chinese pseudo‐characters elicited a more positive ERP deflection (P220) than did Chinese characters 200–250 ms after onset of the stimuli. It was similar to the recognition potential (RP) and might reflect the integration processes of phonological and semantic processing on the basis of early orthographic information. Dipole source analysis of the difference wave (pseudo‐characters minus characters) indicated that a generator localized in the left temporal‐occipital junction contributed to this effect, which was possibly related to phonological and perceptual–semantic information integration. Between 350–450 ms, a greater negativity (N360) in pseudo‐characters as compared to characters was found over midline fronto‐central scalp regions. Dipole analysis localized the generator of N360 in the right parahippocampal cortex. Therefore, the N360 might be an N400 component and reflect the higher‐level semantic activation on the basis of orthographic, phonological and perceptual–semantic processing.     

Differential item functioning of the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale in the US and China: Measurement bias matters

Using an item‐response theory‐based approach (i.e. likelihood ratio test with an iterative procedure), we examined the equivalence of the Rosenberg Self‐Esteem Scale (RSES) in a sample of US and Chinese college students. Results from the differential item functioning (DIF) analysis showed that the RSES was not fully equivalent at the item level, as well as at the scale level. The two cultural groups did not use the scale comparably, with the US students showing more extreme responses than the Chinese students. Moreover, we evaluated the practical impact of DIF and found that cultural differences in average self‐esteem scores disappeared after the DIF was taken into account. In the present study, we discuss the implications of our findings for cross‐cultural research and provide suggestions for future studies using the RSES in China.     

Making sense of positive self‐evaluations in China: The role of sociocultural change

Recent research points to Chinese people's elevated tendency to make positive self‐evaluations, despite the general claim that East Asians do not self‐enhance. We present three studies in support of a novel prediction that sociocultural change in China plays an important role in augmenting self‐enhancement. We operationalized self‐enhancement primarily in terms of the better‐than‐average effect (BTAE) and accounted for trait desirability or importance. We found that: (i) compared with Chinese Canadians, Chinese showed a stronger BTAE; (ii) within the Chinese, identification with contemporary Chinese culture uniquely predicted a stronger BTAE; and (iii) priming contemporary (vs. traditional) Chinese culture led to a stronger BTAE. Finally, we provided further evidence that motivation, in part, underlies the rising Chinese BTAE. We conclude by discussing the importance of both socioeconomic and cultural perspectives for understanding how and when of self‐enhancement in contemporary China and other societies undergoing social change.     

Interpretations for anxiety symptoms in social phobia

This study explored the ways in which people interpret visible physical symptoms of anxiety. A group of participants with social phobia (SP) and a nonclinical control (NCC) group completed either the Actor version or the Observer version of the Symptom Interpretation Scale (SIS), designed for the purposes of this study. The SIS asks participants to rate the extent to which each of eight interpretations is a likely explanation for a number of visible symptoms of anxiety. On the Actor version of the SIS, participants are asked to judge how their own anxiety symptoms are interpreted by others. On the Observer version of the SIS, participants are asked how they typically interpret anxiety symptoms that they notice in others. When participants were asked about anxiety symptoms that they themselves exhibit, people with social phobia were more likely than nonclinical controls to think that others interpreted these symptoms as being indicative of intense anxiety or a psychiatric condition and were less likely to think that others interpreted these symptoms as being indicative of a normal physical state. Data also suggested that people with social phobia have a more flexible cognitive style when asked to interpret anxiety symptoms exhibited by others than when asked about how others view their own anxiety symptoms. These findings are discussed in the context of recent psychological models of social anxiety and social phobia.     

Fairness‐related behaviour modulation by friendship is moderated by American primes in Chinese participants

Empirical studies from the fields of psychology and behavioural economics indicate that people do not like being treated unfairly and may punish those who violate the norm, even at a cost to themselves. Recent research has emphasized the relationship effect on fairness‐related behaviour but has shown conflicting results and has not focused much on the characteristics of culture. This study used the cultural priming paradigm and the Ultimatum Game (UG) to explore whether cultural primes could moderate the relationship effect on fairness‐related decision making. We primed Chinese participants with either Chinese cultural symbols or American cultural symbols and asked them to play as responders with friends or strangers in the two‐party UG (experiment 1) or in the three‐party UG (experiment 2). Results from the two experiments confirm that Chinese participants accepted unfair offers more often when the offers were made by friends than when the offers were made by strangers. However, the relationship effect was diminished after American cultural priming. These results suggest that American primes can moderate the relationship effect on fairness‐related behaviour in Chinese people. This finding may shed new light on the likelihood of exiting from the heavy reliance on social relationships in Chinese society.     

Perceived discrimination and antisocial behaviour among Chinese rural‐to‐urban migrant adolescents: Mediating effects of social support

Using cross‐sectional data from rural‐to‐urban migrant adolescents in urban areas of Beijing, China, we examined the mediating effects of social support (i.e. teacher support and classmate support) in the relationship between perceived discrimination (PD) and antisocial behaviour (ASB) among Chinese migrant adolescents. Participants were 897 adolescents (459 boys and 438 girls, mean age = 13.34 years) from four migrant schools (68.8%) and four public schools (31.2%). Participants completed self‐report questionnaires concerning PD, ASB, teacher support and classmate support. Results indicated that Chinese migrant adolescents who perceived more discrimination were more likely to engage in ASB. Teacher support partially mediated the relationship between PD and ASB. Gender moderated this mediational relationship, such that teacher support exerted a mediating role among girls, but not boys. The findings suggest that reductions in teacher support may partially account for the effect of PD on ASB among Chinese migrant adolescents girls.     

Relationship Between Work Performance and Personality Traits in Hong Kong Organizational Settings

Four hundred and thirty‐seven employees from four Hong Kong organizations completed the Traditional Chinese versions of the Fifteen Factor Personality Questionnaire Plus (15FQ+) and the Cross‐Cultural Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI‐2) (indigenous scales) and provided objective and memory‐based recent performance appraisal scores. A number of significant bivariate correlations were found between personality and performance scores. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that a number of the scales from the 15FQ+ contributed to significantly predicting four of the performance competency dimensions, but that the CPAI‐2 indigenous scales contributed no incremental validity in performance prediction over and above the 15FQ+. Results are discussed in the light of previous research and a call made for continued research to further develop and increase the reliability of the Chinese instruments used in the study and to enable generalization of the findings with confidence.     

Age of acquisition effects in reading Chinese: Evidence in favour of the arbitrary mapping hypothesis

Two experiments explored the locus of the age of acquisition (AoA) effects in the processing of Chinese characters and tested the arbitrary mapping hypothesis of AoA effects. In Experiment 1, AoA and predictability from orthography to pronunciation of Chinese characters were manipulated in a naming task. Results showed a larger AoA effect for characters from low‐predictive families than for characters from high‐predictive families. In Experiment 2, AoA and predictability from orthography to meaning were manipulated in a semantic category judgment task. Results showed a larger AoA effect for characters from low‐predictive families than for characters from high‐predictive families. In summary, the two experiments provided empirical support for the arbitrary mapping hypothesis to explain AoA effects.     

Chimpanzees demonstrate individual differences in social information use

Studies of transmission biases in social learning have greatly informed our understanding of how behaviour patterns may diffuse through animal populations, yet within-species inter-individual variation in social information use has received little attention and remains poorly understood. We have addressed this question by examining individual performances across multiple experiments with the same population of primates. We compiled a dataset spanning 16 social learning studies (26 experimental conditions) carried out at the same study site over a 12-year period, incorporating a total of 167 chimpanzees. We applied a binary scoring system to code each participant’s performance in each study according to whether they demonstrated evidence of using social information from conspecifics to solve the experimental task or not (Social Information Score—‘SIS’). Bayesian binomial mixed effects models were then used to estimate the extent to which individual differences influenced SIS, together with any effects of sex, rearing history, age, prior involvement in research and task type on SIS. An estimate of repeatability found that approximately half of the variance in SIS was accounted for by individual identity, indicating that individual differences play a critical role in the social learning behaviour of chimpanzees. According to the model that best fit the data, females were, depending on their rearing history, 15–24% more likely to use social information to solve experimental tasks than males. However, there was no strong evidence of an effect of age or research experience, and pedigree records indicated that SIS was not a strongly heritable trait. Our study offers a novel, transferable method for the study of individual differences in social learning.     

Influence of self‐esteem,locus of control,and organizational climate on psychological empowerment in a sample of Chinese teachers

This study examined the effects of locus of control, self‐esteem, and organizational climate on psychological empowerment in a sample of Chinese teachers. Participants were 1,272 Chinese teachers (460 men and 821 women) residing in six provinces in China. Results indicated that self‐esteem was a positive predictor of psychological empowerment. Several dimensions of organizational climate, namely professional communication, decision‐making, appraisal and recognition, supportive leadership, and professional growth, were also positive predictors of teachers’ psychological empowerment. Locus of control, although related to psychological empowerment, had no predictive effects when other factors related to empowerment were considered.     

Contact,configural coding and the other‐race effect in face recognition

The other‐race effect (ORE) in face recognition describes a well‐established finding of better recognition for own‐race than other‐race faces. Although widely thought to reflect differences in contact between own‐ and other‐race faces, little is known about how different contact levels relate to changes in processing of those faces. This study investigated how contact affects the size of the ORE and the use of expert configural face‐coding mechanisms. Using inversion decrements as an index of configural coding, we predicted that increased self‐reported contact would be associated with greater use of configural‐coding mechanisms. Chinese and Caucasian participants varying in contact with other‐race faces were recruited. The Chinese participants also varied in their length of residence in a Western country. Results showed that higher levels of contact were associated with a reduction in the ORE in both face recognition and configural coding. Importantly, smaller cross‐race differences in configural coding were also associated with a smaller ORE in face recognition.     

Mindfulness training for loneliness among Chinese college students: A pilot randomized controlled trial

Loneliness has been found to predict a wide range of physical and mental health problems. It is suggested that China's One‐Child Policy places young Chinese people at a particularly high risk for loneliness. Although loneliness is most prevalent in late adolescence and early adulthood, interventions have primarily targeted children or older adults with limited success. The current study examines a pilot randomized controlled trial of a mindfulness training program among Chinese college students. Participants with elevated loneliness (N = 50, ages 17–25) were randomized into either an 8‐week mindfulness training or a control group. Self‐reported measures of loneliness and mindfulness were administered at baseline and posttest. The training group also completed a program evaluation form and a 3‐month follow‐up assessment. Results provided preliminary evidence indicating that the intervention was feasible and effective at reducing loneliness among Chinese college students. Limitations and future directions were discussed.     

Culture and decision‐making: Investigating cultural variations in the East Asian and North American online decision‐making processes

Research in cross‐cultural psychology suggests that East Asians hold holistic thinking styles whereas North Americans hold analytic thinking styles. The present study examines the influence of cultural thinking styles on the online decision‐making processes for Hong Kong Chinese and European Canadians, with and without time constraints. We investigated the online decision‐making processes in terms of (1) information search speed, (2) quantity of information used, and (3) type of information used. Results show that, without time constraints, Hong Kong Chinese, compared to European Canadians, spent less time on decisions and parsed through information more efficiently, and Hong Kong Chinese attended to both important and less important information, whereas European Canadians selectively focused on important information. No cultural differences were found in the quantity of information used. When under time constraints, all cultural variations disappeared. The dynamics of cultural differences and similarities in decision‐making are discussed.