Interpreting Survey Questions About Sexual Aggression in Cross-Cultural Research: A Qualitative Study with Young Adults from Nine European Countries

Examining equivalence in the interpretation of survey items on sexual assault by participants from different cultures is an important step toward building a valid international knowledge base about the prevalence of sexual aggression among young adults. Referring to the theoretical framework of contextualism, this study presents qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 128 young adults from nine EU countries on their understanding of survey items from the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S). The measure had previously been used to collect quantitative data on the prevalence of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization in the same countries that had yielded substantial differences in the rates of victimization and perpetration between countries. Based on the methodological approach of a mixed research design, the current study was conducted as a follow-up to the quantitative study with a new sample to explore whether systematic differences in the interpretation of the survey items in the different countries might explain part of the variation in prevalence rates. The interviews showed that participants from the nine countries interpreted the items of the SAV-S in a similar way and as intended by the authors of the scale. Systematic differences between men and women in interpreting the survey items were revealed. Implications of the findings for conducting survey research on sexual aggression across cultures are discussed.     

Determinants influencing conservation behaviour: Perceptions of Vietnamese consumers

Environmental degradation is one of the most serious issues impacting our lives and those of future generations. In this respect, several studies on pro‐environmental behaviour have investigated the attitude–behaviour relationship of consumers. This study builds on previous models and examines the influence of four relevant determinants, i.e. consumers' perceptions associated with environmental concern, ecological effect, perceived consumer effectiveness (PCE) and moral obligation on their pro‐environmental behaviour. The data were collected from consumers in Vietnam, where there are serious environmental issues. The findings suggest that all the four determinants influenced consumers' conservation behaviour, albeit each in varying strengths. The most influential determinant was PCE, followed by ecological effect, environmental concern and finally moral obligation. The findings of this study have important academic and practical implications. Government and private environmental and sustainability campaigners, especially in Vietnam, would be well advised to use these findings in developing and designing new policies and initiatives aimed at enhancing consumers' pro‐environmental behaviour. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Behavioural Problems in Children with Headache and Maternal Stress: Is Children's Attachment Security a Protective Factor?

Headache is a potentially disabling condition involving enduring pain that negatively influences the quality of family life. Behavioural problems are more common in children with headache and are potentially associated with higher levels of parental stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent to which children's behavioural problems were associated with maternal stress and how the child's perception of security in the maternal attachment relationship moderates this association. Seventy‐one school‐aged children with headache (headache group (HG), age M = 9.8 years old, SD = 1.3) and 71 children from a low‐risk normative population (control group (CG), age M = 9.2 years old, SD = 1) and their mothers were involved in the study. Mothers' reports of children's behavioural problems were associated with higher maternal stress in the caring task both in the HG and in the CG. Results also showed that the HG was more at risk for behavioural problems, whereas no difference between groups was detected for parenting stress and for attachment insecurity. In children with headache, perception of attachment security decreased the strength of the association between maternal stress and externalizing behavioural problems. Secure attachment may provide children with headache and their parents with support in managing the negative emotions that arise in the context of significant health issues. Implications for practice are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Psychodynamic Importance of “Cyber” and “In the Flesh” Friends in Psychotherapy with College-Aged Adolescents with Eating Disorders

ABSTRACT

It is well established that friends are an important part of child and adolescent emotional and psychological development (Erikson, 1980/1959; Kohut, 1971; Rubin et al., 2004; Sroufe et al., 1999; Sullivan, 1953). Friendships among 21st century children and adolescents develop not only in person but also through social media. Some of these friends are never seen “in the flesh,” yet there is no question they have an impact on the psyches of the youngsters involved. When it comes to eating disorders, both peer pressure and social focus on weight and size have long been recognized as having an impact on the development of eating disorders in children and adolescents. Adolescents susceptible to developing eating disorders often have a particular vulnerability to peer pressure and the demands of friends (Bunnell, 2016; Petrucelli, 2016; Zerbe, 2008, 2016). Friendships conducted through social media and electronic tools can have a significant affect not only on how these young people feel about their bodies, their selves, and their general sense of the world in which they live but also on their specific eating behaviors (Bunnell, 2016; Defeciani, 2016; Lanzieri and Hildebrandt, 2016; Sales, 2016).     

Five‐Factor Model Personality Traits and the Objective and Subjective Experience of Body Weight

Research on personality and adiposity has focused primarily on middle‐aged and older adults. The present research sought to (a) replicate these associations in a young adult sample, (b) examine whether sex, race, or ethnicity moderate these associations, and (c) test whether personality is associated with the subjective experience of body weight and discrepancies between perceived and actual weight. Participants (N = 15,669; M_age = 29; 53% female; ～40% ethnic/racial minority) from Wave 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health completed a Five‐Factor Model personality measure and reported their weight, height, and perception of weight category (e.g., overweight); trained staff measured participants’ height, weight, and waist circumference. Conscientiousness was associated with healthier weight, with a nearly 5 kg difference between the top and bottom quartiles. Neuroticism among women and Extraversion among men were associated with higher adiposity. Neuroticism was also associated with misperceived heavier weight, whereas Extraversion was associated with misperceived taller and leaner. The associations were similar across race/ethnic groups. Personality is associated with objective and subjective adiposity in young adulthood. Although modest, the effects are consistent with life span theories of personality, and the misperceptions are consistent with the conceptual worldviews associated with the traits.     

Inherent directionality of “even if” counterfactual conditionals

In this research, we investigate whether semifactual conditionals such as “even if there had been an A, there would have been a B” are understood by thinking initially of the antecedent “A”, as was found with factual conditionals. The “inherent directionality” hypothesis assumes that for the comprehension of most relational statements, a presuppositional element (i.e. the “relatum”) is initially established. For “even if”, both terms could work as “relatum”. This is because on the one hand, people tend to infer “B” from “A” and “not-A” and, on the other hand, “B” could work as a pragmatic presupposition. In the present experiment, semifactual and factual conditionals were tested with a sentence-picture verification task. Results were consistent with the “inherent directionality” hypothesis: only “if then” factual conditionals, but not semifactuals, showed a preference for reasoning from the antecedent, with faster verifications.     

The impact of balance‐focused attitudes on job stress: Gender differences evidenced in American and Chinese samples

Based on gender role expectations model, we examined how balance‐focused attitudes would affect job stress by influencing individuals' perceptions of family interference with work (FIW), and investigated whether a gender difference would exist in the relationships among balance‐focused attitudes, FIW and job stress. Using two independent samples from the United States and China, we found support for the indirect influence of balance‐focused attitudes on job stress, through FIW. Participants with balance‐focused attitudes experienced lower levels of job stress as they perceived less interference from family to work. As expected, such indirect effect was more pronounce among male participants, meaning that the male participants benefited more from having balance‐focused attitudes. Discussion, theoretical and practical implications are provided.     

Parents' child‐rearing values and beliefs in the United States and Russia: the impact of culture and social class

Parents' values for their children and their beliefs about appropriate child‐rearing practices contribute to the ways in which they try to shape their children's development. This paper examines the values and beliefs of 71 parents (37 mothers and 34 fathers) from two cities in the United States and Russia. Half of the families were middle class (determined by education and occupation criteria) and half were working class. The results revealed no cross‐societal differences in value for self‐direction in the children; perhaps reflecting the recent economic and ideological changes in Russia. In contrast, significant social class differences, for both mothers and fathers, were found in child‐rearing values and beliefs. Middle class parents in both societies were more likely to value self‐direction and believe that children should have freedom in and around the home, whereas working class parents were more likely to believe that children should be expected to conform to rules. The results of this study underscore the role of within‐society heterogeneity, as a function of social class, in parents' values and beliefs about child‐rearing.