‘Drinking is our modern way of bonding’: Young people’s beliefs about interventions to encourage moderate drinking

Efforts to discourage excessive alcohol use among young people can only be effective if the target audience is exposed to, attends to, and comprehends key messages. The aim of this study was to examine age and sex differences in drinking motives to better inform development of targeted interventions to reduce alcohol-related harm. Thirty individual interviews and 12 group interviews were conducted with English 13–25?year olds. Interviewees gave multiple motivations for drinking – especially those related to image and reputation, and played down the health implications of heavy drinking. Negative aspects of drinking – caring for drunk friends, being cared for when drunk and suffering through hangovers with friends – were considered to offer opportunities for closer interpersonal bonding than other social activities. Respondents distanced themselves from ‘problem’ drinkers, but disapproved of others’ problematic drinking or antisocial behaviour. Narrative messages demonstrating the social consequences of excessive consumption were preferred to single, static messages emphasising risk or harm. Interviewees noted that interventions must use an engaging tone or pitch: they considered many campaigns to be patronising or preaching. A lack of consensus between age and sex groups highlighted a need for multifaceted, multi-modal approaches that utilise mobile technologies and new media.     

Social comparison as a predictor of changes in burnout among nurses

Abstract

This study addressed the question whether the affect evoked by social comparisons and individual differences in social comparison orientation (SCO) may predict the development of burnout over a period of one year. The participants were 93 nurses (25 males and 68 females) who filled out a questionnaire twice, with an interval of about one year. Comparisons with others performing better than oneself (upward comparisons) were reported to occur more often, to evoke more positive affect, and to invoke less negative affect than comparisons with others performing worse than oneself (downward comparisons). Those who responded at Time 1 (T1) with more positive affect to upward comparison and with less negative affect to downward comparisons, showed a decrease in burnout at Time 2 (T2). In addition, those who responded with relatively more negative affect to upward comparisons at T1, showed an increase in burnout at T2, but only when they were high in SCO. It is concluded that in this population upward comparisons were more prevalent than, and evoked more favorable responses than, downward comparisons. The most important conclusion is that the affect evoked by social comparisons may predict future changes in burnout.     

The Use of the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale in Detecting Substance Abuse and Antisocial Personality

We evaluated the hypothesis that characterological factors, particularly antisocial personality, influence scores on the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC). Using the Washington University research criteria to establish diagnoses, the following subgroups were defined: subjects who received no psychiatric diagnoses; subjects who received diagnoses other than alcoholism, drug dependence, or antisocial personality; and subjects who received a diagnosis of alcoholism, drug dependence, and/or antisocial personality, alone or in combination with other psychiatric diagnoses. The highest MAC scores were obtained by subjects diagnosed as having antisocial personality without alcoholism or drug dependence and subjects diagnosed with antisocial personality, drug dependence, and alcoholism. Alcoholics without antisocial personality or drug dependence, and subjects with other psychiatric diagnoses scored lowest. Although higher MAC scores were obtained by males, MAC scores greater than 24 correctly classified the greatest number of males and females as alcoholic, drug dependent and/or antisocial. These findings are interpreted as consistent with MacAndrew's reinterpretation of the scale as assessing a dimension of personality, rather than solely a tendency to addiction.     

Modeling antecedents of university students' study behavior and grade point average

Two prospective surveys tested theory‐based models of university students' study behavior and grade point average (GPA). The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and personality systems interaction (PSI) theory were tested. The TPB fitted the data for self‐reported study but was less useful when applied to GPA. Some support for PSI theory was found although results varied for study behavior verses GPA. In Study 1, an interaction between volitional competency and subjective norm explained unique variation in study behavior controlling for TPB variables and past behavior. In Study 2, implicit attention control had a direct effect on GPA after the TPB variables and past achievement were controlled. Implications for interventions designed to improve tertiary‐level academic achievement are discussed.     

Parent‐offspring conflict in Japan and parental influence across six cultures

Previous research has demonstrated that parents and children often have conflicting mate preferences. The present research was conducted among 443 Japanese university students. Using an existing scale designed to uncover parent‐offspring conflict over mate choice, the results revealed that children perceived having a potential partner with traits connoting poor genetic quality as being more unacceptable to themselves, and having a potential partner with traits connoting low parental investment and cooperation with the ingroup as being more unacceptable to their parent. A number of sex differences emerged. The highest potential for parent‐offspring conflict existed between female offspring and their father, and female offspring also rated traits connoting low social status as being more unacceptable to their parents, particularly to the father.     

The Project Method of Teaching Psychology: A Rejoinder to Dr. Cason

Unlike word frequency counts—e.g., Thorndike and Lorge—or nonsense syllable norms, the total number of different words scaled in extant norms with free associations is limited, although some words were repeatedly scaled. In order to remedy this situation and broaden the word pool for future research, a new norm for 48 words was obtained by means of free associations in the present study (N = 58 men and women undergraduate students in psychology). Discrete normative free associations were procured for 10 words for the first time by the current norm. For the words previously scaled, whereas there were some noticeable differences, overall substantial consistency was observed between the present and earlier results. Further, a survey of previously available word association norms disclosed useful information and interesting trends in this field.     

Future determination of entities in Talmudic public announcement logic

Ordinary dynamic action logics deal with states and actions upon states. The actions can be deterministic or non-deterministic, but it is always assumed that the possible results of the actions are clear cut.Talmudic logic deals with actions (usually legally meaningful actions which can change the legal status of an entity) which depend on the future and therefore may be not clear cut at the present and need future clarifications.The clarification is modelled by public announcement which comes at a later time after the action has taken place.The model is further complicated by the need to know what is the status of formulas at a time before the results of the action is clarified, as we do not know at which state we are in. Talmudic logic treats such states much like the quantum superposition of states and when clarification is available we get a collapse onto a pure state.The Talmudic lack of clarity of actions arises from applying an action to entities defined using the future, like the statement of a dying man on his death bed:

Let the man who will win the jackpot in the lottery next week be the sole heir in my will now

We need to wait a week for the situation to clarify.There is also the problem of legal backwards causality, as this man, if indeed he exists, unaware of his possible good fortune, may have himself meanwhile donated all his property to a charity. Does his donation include this unknown inheritance?This paper will offer a model and a logic which can represent faithfully the Talmudic reasoning in these matters.We shall also see that we get new types of public announcement logics and (quantum-like) action logics. Ordinary public announcement logic deletes possible worlds after an announcements. Talmudic public announcement logic deletes accessibility links after an announcement. Technically these two approaches are similar but not equivalent.     

Immigration and Psychosis: an Exploratory Study

This qualitative study aimed to explore views (and related experiences) of healthcare providers regarding immigration and its relation to psychosis, such as schizophrenia, particularly to identify support needs and challenges of immigrants with psychosis and related challenges and enablers of their mental health service providers. The objectives of this study were to identify (1) barriers and enablers of mental health and other services for Canadian immigrants with psychosis and (2) barriers and enablers for their mental health service providers. The study used a phenomenological approach to elicit views of 12 mental healthcare providers with experience in providing mental healthcare to immigrants with psychosis. Semi-structured individual interview data obtained were coded and thematically analyzed. Six themes in relation to the experience of service provision to immigrants with psychosis were found: the immigration process, service availability and accessibility, social determinants of health, cultural context, psychosocial stressors, and enablers and facilitators of recovery. The most prominent challenges/barriers were related to cultural context, language, social and health services, and support. Most mental healthcare providers believed that immigration process precipitates the first episode of psychosis in a majority of immigrants and that psychosis was undetected/non-present when in the country of origin. This study demonstrated system challenges and related opportunities for service provision for immigrants with psychosis. We identified important areas for intervention to reduce disparities for immigrants with psychosis in their use of social and health services. Future directions for research in relation to immigration of people with psychosis are discussed.