Health-related Internet habits and health anxiety in university students

Health-related Internet use has grown rapidly, yet little research has considered how health anxious individuals use the Internet for this purpose. Our aim was to examine the relationships between health anxiety and the extent of, reasons for, and consequences of health-related Internet usage in university students (n = 255). Responses on a purpose-made Internet use questionnaire were correlated with health anxiety scores; multiple regression analyses controlling for depression and anxiety were also conducted. Health anxiety positively correlated with (all ps < .01): frequency of health-related searching (r_s = .163), proportion of health-related information sought (r_s = .200), time spent online for health purposes (r_s = .166), and number of searches for both illness (r_s = .453) and wellness (r_s = .208) information. Health anxiety further positively correlated with advantages perceived in health-related Internet use (r_s = .183), heightened tension (r_s = .364) and relief (r_s = .174) post-search, and perceived doctor disadvantages (r_s = .306), yet a greater likelihood to visit a doctor post-search (r_s = .217). Health anxiety also correlated with six measures of possible addiction to using the Internet for health purposes (r_s range = .171 to .366, all ps < .01). Some (including several potentially dysfunctional) aspects of health-related Internet use correlate with health anxiety. Research evaluating the possible role of Internet use in the development and maintenance of health anxiety is warranted.     

The Need to be Different Predicts Divergent Production: Toward a Social Learning Model of Originality

According to social learning theory, innovation motivation is partly composed of the subjective value set upon the opportunity to engage in different behaviors. An inventory measuring this explicit need to be different (vDiffer) has not previously been evaluated for its ability to predict divergent production of ideas. In this study, the vDiffer scale was administered together with three divergent production (originality) measures: a word-association test, a new uses test, and a test requiring examinees to name members of categories. Responses were scored for unusualness in the sample. The need to be different predicted unusual category exemplars (r = .31), word associations (r = .30), and uses for common objects (r = .31). Although general knowledge or verbal fluency also predicted some originality scores, innovation motivation tests accounted for significant variance over and above that attributable to these ability measures.     

Work Values of Jewish and Bedouin-Arab Youth in Israel

Abstract

Explanations for behaviors that emphasize the importance of biological or environmental factors have been a major theme in psychological discourse, yet they have not been adequately explored as attributional styles with distinct correlates. The present two studies examined this dimension of attribution through the systematic development and validation of the Environmental/Biological Attribution Scale (EBAS). A total of 602 Canadian university students took part in the research project. The research confirmed four hypotheses: Biologically oriented attributional styles were significantly correlated with the same styles as measured by an alternate form (r = .76), with authoritarianism (r = .25), and with racism (r = .15). Environmentally oriented attributional styles were significantly correlated with attributions concerning the importance of strength of will (r = .39).     

Habit as both a direct cause of intention to use a condom and as a moderator of the attitude-intention and subjective norm-intention relations

Abstract

Undergraduates at an American university were asked questions about their attitudes, subjective norms, habits, and intentions towards using a condom during sexual intercourse. Consistent with previous research (Chan and Fishbein, 1993; Trafimow, 1994), intentions were well predicted by attitudes and subjective norms (r = 0.88 and r = 0.73, p < 0.01 in both cases). Intentions were also well predicted by habits (r = 0.77, p < 0.01). More interestingly, however, for participants who were in the habit of using condoms, attitudes and subjective norms were not significant predictors of intentions to use condoms in the future (r = 0.18 and r = 0.10, p<0.1 in both cases). In contrast, attitudes and subjective norms were strong predictors for participants who were not in the habit of using condoms (r = 0.81 and r = 0.61, p < 0.01 in both cases). These findings were replicated in a second study.     

Measuring Prosociality: The Development of a Prosocial Behavioral Intentions Scale

Prosociality is a critical issue in behavioral research. In this investigation, we developed a measure of prosocial behavioral intentions. Qualitative responses from two surveys (n = 465) and items from existing measures were used to generate a list of prosocial behaviors in which people might intend to engage. We factor analyzed responses to these items (n = 319) and retained the most common and representative items. The new measure demonstrated adequate internal consistency (n = 247, 147; α = .81, .83); convergent validity with past prosocial behavior (r = .51, .43), moral identity (r = .50, .55), and materialism (r = –.30, –.20). The instrument also predicted prosocial behavior while controlling for a prior measure of prosocial intentions, Exp(B) = 1.99, Wald = 10.59, p = .001, thereby demonstrating incremental predictive validity. This 4-item scale could be used across contexts to advance the study of prosociality.     

Correlates of Dispositional and State Flow in Tennis Competition

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological correlates and flow in tennis competition. Using a cross-sectional design, the sample of 261 junior tennis athletes showed moderate-to-strong correlations between flow (dispositional and state) and confidence (r _disp = .59; r _state = .35), imagery use (r _disp = .58; r _state = .32), and action control (r _disp = .41; r _state = .40), whereas absorption was orthogonal to flow. Commonality analysis revealed that imagery and confidence accounted for 34.2% of the variance in dispositional flow. The results are discussed for the development of intervention studies in order to enhance flow in competition.     

Aptitude Testing Inspired by Information Processing: A Test of the Four-Sources Model

The four-sources model of human abilities posits that individual differences in performance on cognitive tasks are due to differences in working-memory capacity, information-processing speed, the breadth of declarative knowledge, and the breadth of procedural knowledge. To test this model, 310 civilian volunteers were administered a 25-test battery, consisting of verbal, quantitative, and spatial tasks designed to reflect each of the four sources. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the variance-covariance matrix of test scores to test the four-sources model and plausible alternatives. The best-fitting model was one that included both the four-sources factors and three content factors. Hierarchical and nonhierarchical models fit about equally well. From additional data on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, latent-factor correlations suggested that working-memory capacity overlapped considerably with psychometric general ability (r = .99) and breadth of declarative knowledge overlapped with psychometric verbal ability (r = .97), but information-processing speed was distinct from psychometric perceptual speed (r = .16).     

Improving the reliability of event-based laboratory tests of prospective memory

Laboratory tests of event-based prospective memory (ProM) require participants to perform actions in response to infrequent cues in a background task. We conducted three experiments to assess and improve the reliability of this popular procedure. In Experiment 1, we tested college students on 2 separate days and found that the alternate-forms reliability of ProM accuracy was quite low (r = .31), although general knowledge accuracy was more reliable (r= .89). In Experiment 2, a statistically significant difference in reliability emerged between conditions with a low (n = 6) versus a high (n = 30) number of ProM targets. Finally, lower ProM accuracy increased reliability in Experiment 3. Adopting these straightforward changes may enhance the search for individual differences in ProM.     

How Accurate Is the Pearson r-from-Z Approximation? A Monte Carlo Simulation Study

The Pearson r-from-Z approximation estimates the sample correlation (as an effect size measure) from the ratio of two quantities: the standard normal deviate equivalent (Z-score) corresponding to a one-tailed p-value divided by the square root of the total (pooled) sample size. The formula has utility in meta-analytic work when reports of research contain minimal statistical information. Although simple to implement, the accuracy of the Pearson r-from-Z approximation has not been empirically evaluated. To address this omission, we performed a series of Monte Carlo simulations. Results indicated that in some cases the formula did accurately estimate the sample correlation. However, when sample size was very small (N = 10) and effect sizes were small to small-moderate (ds of 0.1 and 0.3), the Pearson r-from-Z approximation was very inaccurate. Detailed figures that provide guidance as to when the Pearson r-from-Z formula will likely yield valid inferences are presented.     

A revised teacher rating scale for Reactive and Proactive Aggression

A teacher rating scale of reactive aggression, proactive aggression, and covert antisocial behavior was evaluated in a normative sample of third- to fifth-grade predominantly white lower middle class boys (N= 186). Factor analysis revealed independent and internally consistent Reactive Aggression (six reactive items), and Proactive Aggression (five proactive items, five covert items) factors. Although the factors were intercorrelated (r= .67), and each factor was significantly correlated with negative peer social status (r= .26 for each, controlling for grade), the independence of the factors was supported by the unique relation of Reactive Aggression with in-school detentions (r= .31), controlling for Proactive Aggression and grade. These results supported the reliability and validity of Reactive and Proactive Aggression as rated by teachers, which should facilitate further research of these constructs. This research was supported in part by an NIMH First Award to Marc Atkins (MH4682), and support from an NICHD Mental Retardation Research Center Core Center Grant (DH26979). Portions of these data were presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, Sarasota, Florida, in February 1992. The authors are grateful to Paul McDermott and Tom Power for editorial comments, and to Gail Apfel, principal, and the teachers, staff, and students of Stonehurst Elementary School for their enthusiastic participation in this research.     

A Burden to Others: A Common Source of Distress for the Terminally Ill

Recent research into the desire for death among people with terminal illness has begun to recognize the importance of “feeling oneself a burden to others” as a factor in suicidal behaviour. In this study, 69 patients with advanced cancer underwent semi‐structured interviews. The sense of self‐perceived burden was found to be a common experience, reported by 39.1% of participants as a minimal or mild concern and by 38% as a moderate to extreme concern. The sense of burden showed a low correlation with physical symptoms (r = 0.02–0.24) and higher correlations with psychological problems (r = 0.35–0.39) and existential issues (r = 0.45–0.49). Comparisons of participants with high or low levels of self‐perceived burden showed the importance of this factor for overall quality of life. In summary, self‐perceived burden is an important but underestimated dimension of social cognition in the medically ill.     

Temperamental Vulnerability and Suicide Risk After Attempted Suicide

The aim was to extend recent findings of suggested temperamental features in attempted suicide and to explore possible domains of vulnerability to suicide risk after attempted suicide. Fifty-four psychiatric inpatients hospitalized after a suicide attempt underwent lumbar puncture for analysis of CSF 5-HIAA concentration and also completed the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP) before discharge from the hospital. Suicide attempters scored high on Somatic Anxiety, Psychic Anxiety, and Muscular Tension, and low on Socialization, findings that support recent findings in suicide attempters followed up after an emergency room visit. Five patients committed early suicide, i.e., within 3 years, and the overall long-term suicide mortality after attempted suicide was 13%. There were significant correlations between survival time among early suicides and CSF 5-HIAA (r = .87;p = .054), and the following KSP scale t scores: Somatic Anxiety (r = ?.96;p < .05), Impulsivity (r = ?.88; p < .05), and Socialization (r = .90; p < .05). KSP Socialization showed correlations with CSF 5-HIAA (r = .89; p = .046) among the early suicides. Features of temperamental vulnerability to suicide risk after attempted suicide might involve anxiety proneness, impulsivity, low socialization, and low CSF 5-HIAA.     

Sleep problems,anxiety and cognitive style in school‐aged children

The associations between sleep problems, anxiety, anxiety sensitivity and attributional style were examined in self‐report data from 79 children aged 8–11 years. Total anxiety score was associated with different types of sleep problems (bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety and nightmares). Conversely, total sleep problem score was associated with different sub‐scales of anxiety (from r(78) = 0.15, p = NS to r(79) = 0.47, p < 0.01). Symptoms of anxiety correlated significantly with anxiety sensitivity, but not with attributional style. After controlling for other symptoms of anxiety, school phobias (Beta = 0.26, p < 0.05), the mental incapacitation concerns scale of anxiety sensitivity (Beta = 0.26, p < 0.05), and attributional style (Beta = −0.31, p < 0.01, R² = 0.45) predicted sleep problems. These results suggest that anxiety is associated with a range of sleep problems, and that sleep problems are associated with different types of anxiety. Furthermore, certain cognitive styles are associated with both anxiety and sleep problems and may be good candidates for further research into the association between sleep problems and anxiety in children. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Commitment in relationships: An updated meta‐analysis of the Investment Model

This article provides a systematic review and updated meta‐analysis of the extant literature on Rusbult's Investment Model of Commitment. This meta‐analysis aimed to determine the strength of the associations between commitment and its antecedents and to investigate potential moderators of these associations. This meta‐analysis included 50,427 participants from 202 independent samples (collected between 1980 and early 2016) that had examined the intercorrelations between satisfaction, investment size, quality of alternatives, and commitment. Across all studies, satisfaction had the largest aggregate association with commitment (r = 0.65), followed by investments (r = 0.53) and quality of alternatives (r = ?0.43). Several significant moderators of the relationships between the antecedents and commitment were also identified. Implications and future research directions are discussed.     

Achievement and Power Motives, Performance Feedback, and Creativity

Undergraduate students in engineering and science completed the Thematic Apperception Test, which was scored for achievement motivation and also for power motivation. They later participated in an experiment in which they first provided a solution to an engineering problem. The experimenter then gave them preprogrammed, written feedback on how well they performed in two conditions of the experiment (positive or negative feedback) and no feedback in a third condition. Feedback was couched in the language of both achievement and power imagery. Last, students rendered solutions to a second engineering problem—the water-for-Tonya problem. Two students who had completed a course in the psychology of creativity performed ratings of each solution on dimensions designated as creativity and complexity. Ratings for the two dimensions moderately correlated with one another (r = .62) and therefore were combined and summed across the two evaluators to form a single overall Creativity score. Achievement motivation correlated positively with Creativity score in the positive- and negative-feedback conditions (rs = .43 and .38) but not significantly in the no-feedback condition (r = .10). Power motivation correlated positively with Creativity in the positive-feedback condition (r = .32), and negatively in the negative-feedback condition (r = −.25), but not significantly in the no-feedback condition (r = .17). Multiple regression/correlation analysis lent further support to these findings. A major conclusion that these data suggest is a differential response to negative feedback. Achievement-motivated people appear to benefit from it, whereas power-motivated people do not.     

Comparing the validity of structured interviews for managerial‐level employees: Should we look to the past or focus on the future?

The current research investigated questions that persist regarding the criterion‐related and construct validity of situational (SI) versus past‐behaviour (PBI) structured interview formats in predicting the job performance of managers. Analyses of data collected from 157 applicants to managerial positions showed that the PBI format significantly predicted job performance ratings (r = .32, p <.01), whereas the SI format did not (r = .09, ns). Investigation of potential construct differences between the SI and PBI formats showed that the PBI was more highly related to manager‐relevant cognitive ability measures, assessment centre exercises and personality traits, as compared with the SI. Such differences help to explain the predictive validity differences between the SI and PBI observed in current and previous research.     

The Simple Copy Task: Detecting Higher Order Visual Processing Deficits in Schizophrenia,Dementia, and Movement Disorder Groups

The Simple Copy Task (SCT) is a figure copying test with inherent appeal due to its short administration time, graded task difficulty, varied stimuli, and potential to eliminate floor effects. Despite this, there is a lack of data regarding its construct validity and diagnostic utility. The present study compared SCT performance of schizophrenia (n = 29), dementia (n = 64), and movement disorder (n = 12) groups with that of unmatched healthy control participants (n = 49). Movement disorder patients committed a high degree of misplacement errors, whereas dementia patients tended to omit items, add extraneous detail, and perseverate. The schizophrenia group was most similar to the dementia group in their performance on the SCT, committing primarily omission and perseveration errors. The SCT was most closely related to the Rey Complex Figure Task (r = 0.68, p < .01) and the Block Design Task (r = 0.62, p < .01). Age (r = ?0.14, p < .01) and education (r = 0.35, p < .01) effects were present; however, there was no impact of gender and handedness. Taken together, these findings provide support for the utility of the task and directions for clinical interpretation.     

The role of anxiety sensitivity in the relationship between posttraumatic stress symptoms and negative outcomes in trauma-exposed adults

Background: The development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSs) following a trauma is related to impairment, diminished quality of life, and physical health issues. Yet it is not clear why some trauma-exposed individuals experience negative outcomes while others do not. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of several influential factors related to PTS severity and negative outcomes. Methods: One hundred and twenty-two trauma-exposed adults were administered the following self-report measures: the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian, the Trauma History Questionnaire-Short, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3, Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale 21, Sheehan Disability Scale, World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF, and an abbreviated Patient Health Questionnaire. Primary Results: PTS severity was positively correlated with depressive symptom severity (r = 0.54, p < 0.001), chronicity of the most distressing trauma (r = 0.21, p = 0.017), and number of traumas (r = 0.22, p = 0.012). Main effects were found for PTS severity (β = ?0.38, p < 0.01) and anxiety sensitivity (AS; β = ?0.39, p < 0.01) on quality of life. No interaction was found between PTS severity and AS with any negative outcome. PTS severity mediated the relationship between AS and physical health issues (0.05; 95% CI: 0.02–0.08). Conclusion: This study helps clarify the role of various factors in the relationship between trauma and negative outcomes. Clinical and research implications are discussed.     

Adolescent Sense of Control: A Downward Extension of the Shapiro Control Inventory to Pre- and Early Adolescents

The most commonly used measures of perceived control for young adolescents are dated, psychometrically flawed, or focused on particular domains. To address the need for a general purpose measure of control for this age range, the overall sense of control (OSOC) and the domains of control (DOC) subscales of the Shapiro Control Inventory (D. H. Shapiro, 1994), designed for use with adults, were modified. Exploratory factor analyses suggested that the adapted OSOC and DOC scales consisted of internally consistent 1-factor structures, accounting for 32% and 29% of the variance, respectively. In Study 1, results from 310 preadolescents (9–13 years old) indicated that a higher sense of control was related to lower stress, OSOC, r(308) = ?.52, p < .001; DOC, r(308) = ?.23, p < .001; and depression, OSOC, r(308) = ?.63, p < .001; DOC, r(308) = ?.33, p < .001. In study 2, results from 195 adolescents (11–15 years old) showed that a higher sense of control was associated with lower stress, r(193) = ?.55, p < .001, and depression, r(193) = ?.60, p < .001, concurrently. The results suggest that these 2 revised measures of adolescent perceived control exhibited good content and predictive validities.     

Engagement in Activities Is Associated With Affective Arousal in Alzheimer's Caregivers: A Preliminary Examination of the Temporal Relations Between Activity and Affect

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the synchronous and temporal relations between engagement in activities and the two primary dimensions of affect—namely, positive and negative affect—using an intensive time-series design called concomitant time series analysis (CTSA). Twenty-four dementia caregivers completed 56 diary measures (4 times per day for 2 weeks) assessing their experience of positive and negative affect as well as engagement in a variety of activities. Total number of activities was significantly correlated with positive affect (r = .40), but not negative affect (r = -.12). Obtained pleasure from activities was significantly correlated with both positive (r = .42) and negative affect (r = - .17). These results may help further develop behavioral models of depression by suggesting that behavioral or self-reinforcing activities are associated primarily (or more saliently) with one's experience of positive affect. Future research examining the effect of behavioral interventions on both positive and negative affect is suggested, as is the examination of factors that may be more strongly associated with negative affect.