Beliefs About Tobacco, Health, and Addiction Among Adults in Cambodia: Findings from a National Survey

There remains a very high rate of smoked and smokeless tobacco use in the Western Pacific Region. The most recent findings from national adult tobacco surveys indicate that very few daily users of tobacco intend to quit tobacco use. In Cambodia, a nation that is predominantly Buddhist, faith-based tobacco control programs have been implemented where, under the fifth precept of Buddhism that proscribes addictive behaviors, monks were encouraged to quit tobacco and temples have been declared smoke-free. In the present study, we included items on a large national tobacco survey to examine the relation between beliefs (faith-based, other) about tobacco, health, and addiction among adults (18 years and older). In a stratified, multistage cluster sample (n = 13,988) of all provinces of Cambodia, we found that (1) 88–93% believe that Buddhist monks should not use tobacco, buy tobacco, or be offered tobacco during a religious ceremony; (2) 86–93% believe that the Wat (temple) should be a smoke-free area; (3) 93–95% believe that tobacco is addictive in the same way as habits (opium, gambling, alcohol) listed under the fifth precept of Buddhism; and (4) those who do not use tobacco are significantly more likely to cite a Buddhist principle as part of their anti-tobacco beliefs. These data indicate that anti-tobacco sentiments are highly prevalent in the Buddhist belief system of Cambodian adults and are especially evident among non-users of tobacco. Our findings indicate that faith-based initiatives could be an effective part of anti-tobacco campaigns in Cambodia.     

God,Purpose in Life,and Mental Well‐Being Among Older Adults

This research note uses mixed methods on data from a nationwide sample of 1,525 Americans age 40 and older to make two theoretical contributions to the literatures on purpose and religion. First, by categorizing open‐ended responses to an item asking “Please describe a few of the things, feelings, ideas, etc. that give you a sense of purpose in your life,” we present a categorization framework to group sources of purpose (SPs) in life. Next, we run multivariate models, using mental well‐being as a dependent measure, which simultaneously enter dummy variables reflecting each of the SPs categories within our framework. We hypothesize no relative differences in the effect that any specific source of purpose category would have on mental well‐being. This prediction is undercut by finding a positive link between mental well‐being and a single SP—citing one's “relationship with God”—although this relationship is noted only among respondents age 60 and older. Beyond this research's theoretical contributions, we offer some practical guidance in arguing that research on SPs, particularly when claiming comprehensiveness or examining mental well‐being, should not preclude religious measures and should consider that SPs may have differing effects between age groups.     

Mental Health Clinicians' Beliefs About the Biological, Psychological, and Environmental Bases of Mental Disorders

The current experiments examine mental health clinicians' beliefs about biological, psychological, and environmental bases of the DSM-IV-TR mental disorders and the consequences of those causal beliefs for judging treatment effectiveness. Study 1 found a large negative correlation between clinicians' beliefs about biological bases and environmental/psychological bases, suggesting that clinicians conceptualize mental disorders along a single continuum spanning from highly biological disorders (e.g., autistic disorder) to highly nonbiological disorders (e.g., adjustment disorders). Study 2 replicated this finding by having clinicians list what they thought were the specific causes of nine familiar mental disorders and rate their bio–psycho–environmental bases. Study 3 further found that clinicians believe medication to be more effective for biologically based mental disorders and psychotherapy to be more effective for psychosocially based mental disorders. These results demonstrate that even expert mental health clinicians make strong distinctions between psychological and biological phenomena.     

Racial Differences in Beliefs About the Effectiveness and Necessity of Mental Health Treatment

Members of racial/ethnic minority groups are less likely than Caucasians to access mental health services despite recent evidence of more favorable attitudes regarding treatment effectiveness. The present study explored this discrepancy by examining racial differences in beliefs about how the natural course and seriousness of mental illnesses relate to perceived treatment effectiveness. The analysis is based on a nationally representative sample of 583 Caucasian and 82 African American participants in a vignette experiment about people living with mental illness. While African Americans were more likely than Caucasians to believe that mental health professionals could help individuals with schizophrenia and major depression, they were also more likely to believe mental health problems would improve on their own. This belief was unrelated to beliefs about treatment effectiveness. These findings suggest that a belief in treatment effectiveness may not increase service utilization among African Americans who are more likely to believe treatment is unnecessary.     

Opposite-Sex Siblings and Marital Beliefs Among Emerging Adults

Data from 428 emerging adults were analyzed to investigate how growing up with at least one opposite-sex sibling related to marital beliefs. Participants were divided into three groups: having an opposite-sex sibling, having only a same–same sibling(s), and having no siblings. Using the belief dimensions and assumptions of Marital Paradigms Theory, results from a MANCOVA indicated a few statistically significant associations regarding opposite-sex siblings. Those with an opposite-sex sibling tended to believe in having shorter ideal engagement periods (marital timing), rated getting married as especially important (marital salience), and were less likely to believe cohabitation was a good preparation for marriage (marital context). Implications for future research are briefly explored.     

Positive Irrational Beliefs and Mental Health

Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy - This study examined the relationship between positive irrational beliefs, or positive illusions, and mental health. It attempted to...     

Beliefs in and About God and Attitudes Toward Voluntary Euthanasia

I use data from the General Social Survey to evaluate several hypotheses regarding how beliefs in and about God predict attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I find that certainty in the belief in God significantly predicts negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I also find that belief in a caring God and in a God that is the primary source of moral rules significantly predicts negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. I also find that respondents’ beliefs about the how close they are to God and how close they want to be with God predict negative attitudes toward voluntary euthanasia. These associations hold even after controlling for religious affiliation, religious attendance, views of the Bible, and sociodemographic factors. The findings indicate that to understand individuals’ attitudes about voluntary euthanasia, one must pay attention to their beliefs in and about God.     

Perceptions of Responsibility and Mental Health Help-Seeking Among Psychologically Distressed Older Adults

This study explored the perceptions of responsibility for the cause and the solution of problems and the models of helping (or helping orientations) characterizing a sample of 319 community-dwelling, psychologically distressed older adults. All participants were referred for psychotherapy and had either accepted or rejected their referrals. We investigated whether the models distinguished acceptors and rejecters of psychotherapy referrals and whether they were differentially associated with help-seeking from nontherapist helpers. Results indicated that the preponderance of respondents subscribed to the moral and compensatory models. The compensatory model was associated with rejection of referrals, whereas the moral model was associated with increased help-seeking both from mental health professionals and from other formal and informal helpers. Implications of the findings for promoting older adults' utilization of mental health services are discussed.     

Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Among American Indians From Eastern Tribes

This study examined the differences in mental health and substance use by gender and across education levels of 634 American Indians from 4 eastern tribes. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated that men self‐rated significantly better mental health but binge drank and used illicit drugs more often compared with women. Participants with a post–high school degree had significantly better mental health than those without a high school diploma. As education increased, cigarette smoking significantly decreased. Implications for culturally appropriate interventions are discussed. Este estudio examinó las diferencias en salud mental y abuso de sustancias entre distintos sexos y niveles de educación de 634 indios americanos de 4 tribus del este. El análisis multivariante de la varianza indicó que los hombres autoevaluaron su salud mental como significativamente mejor, pero consumían alcohol en exceso y usaban drogas ilícitas con más frecuencia que las mujeres. Los participantes con un grado superior a la enseñanza secundaria tenían una salud mental significativamente mejor que aquellos que no terminaron la enseñanza secundaria. A niveles educativos mayores, la incidencia de fumadores disminuyó significativamente. Se discuten implicaciones para intervenciones culturalmente apropiadas.     

Beliefs About Psychological Services Among Guatemalan College Students

This mixed-methods study identified the help-seeking attitudes of Guatemalan college students. A random sample of 248 students across 2 universities responded to a cultural adaptation of the Beliefs About Psychological Services (BAPS; Ægisdóttir & Gerstein, 2009) survey. The directors of both universities and a subsample of participants were also interviewed. Quantitative findings demonstrated low levels of stigma and positive help-seeking attitudes among students. Qualitative findings indicated that psychological services were limited, financially out of reach, or failed to address students’ gender-specific concerns. Recommendations to address these challenges are presented. Este estudio de métodos mixtos identificó las actitudes de búsqueda de ayuda de estudiantes universitarios guatemaltecos. Una muestra aleatoria de 248 estudiantes de dos universidades respondió a una adaptación cultural de la encuesta Creencias sobre Servicios Psicológicos (BAPS, por sus siglas en inglés; Ægisdóttir & Gerstein, 2009). También se entrevistó a los directores de ambas universidades y a una submuestra de participantes. Los hallazgos cuantitativos demostraron bajos niveles de estigma y actitudes de búsqueda de ayuda positivas entre los estudiantes. Los hallazgos cualitativos indicaron que los servicios psicológicos eran limitados, no eran lo bastante asequibles o no abordaban las preocupaciones relativas al sexo de los estudiantes. Se presentan recomendaciones para abordar estos desafíos.     

Happiness, Mental Health, and Socio-Demographic Associations Among a National Cohort of Thai Adults

Research on happiness has been of interest in many parts of the world. Here we provide evidence from developing countries; this is the first analysis of happiness among a cohort of Thai distance learning adults residing throughout the country (n?=?60,569 in 2009). To measure happiness, we tested use of the short format Thai Mental Health Indicators (TMHI), correlating each domain with two direct measures of happiness and life satisfaction. Several TMHI domains correlated strongly with happiness. We found the mental state and the social support domains moderately or strongly correlated with happiness by either measure (correlation coefficients 0.24–0.56). The other two TMHI domains (mental capacity and mental quality) were not correlated with happiness. Analysis of socio-demographic attributes and happiness revealed little effect of age and sex but marital status (divorced or widowed), low household income, and no paid work all had strong adverse effects. Our findings provide Thai benchmarks for measuring happiness and associated socio-demographic attributes. We also provide evidence that the TMHI can measure happiness in the Thai population. Furthermore, the results among Thai cohort members can be monitored over time and could be useful for comparison with other Southeast Asian countries.     

Beliefs About Overcoming Psychological Problems Among British and Japanese Students

Abstract

This study was part of a series investigating lay attributions for the cure of psychological problems. Three groups of students–Japanese students in Japan, Japanese students studying in England, and British students–completed a questionnaire and rated the perceived efficacy of 24 different strategies for overcoming each of 5 psychological problems: agoraphobia, depression, smoking cessation, lack of confidence, and obesity. Factor analysis of the curative strategies revealed 5 interpretable factors, the first 3 of which were Professional Help, Inner Control, and Understanding. There were numerous cultural differences between the British group and both Japanese groups in their written ratings of strategies, particularly professional help, for each psychological problem.     

A Qualitative Exploration of Sun Safety Beliefs Among Australian Adults

Informed broadly by the theory of planned behaviour, this study used qualitative methodology to understand Australian adults' sun‐protective decisions. Forty‐two adults participated in focus groups where they discussed behavioural (advantages and disadvantages), normative (important referents), and control (barriers and facilitators) beliefs, as well as potential social influences and images of tanned and non‐tanned people. Responses were analysed using the consensual qualitative research approach to determine the dominant themes. Themes of fashion and comfort were prominent, the important role of friends and family in sun safe decision‐making was highlighted, as was the availability of sun‐protective measures (e.g., in an accessible place or in the environment). Additional themes included the need to model sound sun‐protective behaviours to (current and future) children, the emphasis on personal choice and personal responsibility to be sun safe, and the influence of Australian identity and culture on tanning and socially acceptable forms of sun protection. These beliefs can be used to inform interventions and public health campaigns targeting sun safety among Australians, a population with the highest skin cancer incidence in the world.     

Close Ties,Intercessory Prayer,and Optimism Among American Adults: Locating God in the Social Support Network

Prayer is often an interpersonal phenomenon. It represents not only a form of social support shared between or among people, but also a means of embedding an unobservable actor (God) within a conventionally observable social network. This study considers whether the receipt of intercessory prayer from close network ties is associated with future‐oriented well‐being. Analyses use social network module data from the Portraits of American Life Study (PALS), a nationally representative study of American adults containing a breadth of information not available in prior studies of networks, prayer, and well‐being. Despite experiencing more instances of recent adversity (mental or physical health problem, financial trouble, and unemployment), prayed‐for PALS respondents report the highest levels of optimism. Furthermore, the association between network prayer and optimism is robust to inclusion of individual‐level indicators of religiosity. Finally, other forms of social support that an individual receives from his or her close ties do not explain the benefits of intercessory prayer.     

Perceived Racism and Encouragement Among African American Adults

The effects of spirituality, racial socialization, and ethnic pride on encouragement in the face of racism among African American adults (N= 201) were investigated. The negative relationship between perceived racism and encouragement disappeared when spirituality, ethnic pride, and a racial socialization history were entered into the regression equation. Se investigaron los efectos de la espiritualidad, la socialización racial y el orgullo étnico sobre el ánimo para enfrentarse al racismo entre adultos Afroamericanos (N = 201). La relación negativa entre el racismo percibido y el ánimo desapareció cuando se introdujeron en la ecuación regresiva la espiritualidad, el orgullo étnico y una historia de socialización racial.     

Beliefs About Poverty and Opportunity Among Mexican Immigrant Farm Workers1

This study examined attributions for poverty and beliefs about upward mobility among 124 Mexican immigrant farm workers. The effects of gender and length of United States residency were also analyzed. Despite living in poverty and perceiving racism as a significant problem, respondents expected upward mobility for themselves and their children. Consistent with previous research on low‐income and ethnic minority attributions (Bullock, 1999; Hunt, 1996; Kluegel & Smith, 1986), structural explanations for poverty were favored over individualistic causes, however, considerable support for individualistic causes was also expressed. Gender and length of residency were not predictive of immigrants’ beliefs about poverty. Implications for future research are discussed.