Meaning-Making Coping Among Cancer Patients in Sweden and South Korea: A Comparative Perspective

Journal of Religion and Health - The present study compared meaning-making coping among cancer patients in Sweden and South Korea, with a focus on the sociocultural context. Semi-structured...     

Interplay between Attachment to Peers and Parents in Korean Adolescents’ Behavior Problems

The present study investigated the relative contribution of style of peer attachment (secure, anxious, avoidant) and quality of attachment to parents on behavior problems in Korean adolescents. In addition, we examined the role of paternal and maternal attachment separately as a potential moderator in the relationship between style of peer attachment and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Middle school students (245 males, 209 females) completed the Korean version of the Adolescent Friendship Attachment Scale, Inventory of Parental and Peer Attachment-Revised, and Youth Self-Report. Attachment to peers and parents as predictors of behavior problems were tested via hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results revealed that anxious peer attachment remained the strongest predictor of behavior problems among adolescents (internalizing behavior problems β?=?.18, p?<?.01; externalizing behavior problems β?=?.21, p? <?.001), indicating the relative importance of peer relationship compared to attachment to parents. Paternal attachment significantly moderated the relationship between avoidant peer attachment and externalizing behavior problems (β?=?.15, p?<?.05), even when the main effect of avoidant peer attachment on externalizing behavior problems was not significant. Results highlight the role of both attachments to peers and parents on adolescents’ psychological adjustment.     

Asian Parents’ Perception of Child Weight Status: A Systematic Review

Parental perception of a child’s weight is important in determining parenting and feeding styles, which relate to childhood obesity. Evidence suggests this perception can vary by ethnicity. The purpose of this review was to explore Asian parents’ child weight perception and examine factors related to Asian parents’ child weight misperception. A systematic literature review was conducted on eight studies between 2000 and 2016 through the databases of CINAHL, Cochrane Reviews, PsycINFO, Medline, and PubMed. Searching key words were Asians, Asian-Americans, weight perception, and parents. The review revealed that all eight studies identified child weight misperception, but with highly varying results (ranging from 29.7 to 89.2%). Factors that influenced the accuracy of a parent’s child weight perception included maternal BMI, parental gender and age, child’s BMI, child’s own weight perception, child’s gender and age, and child’s birth order and birth weight. Misperception about their children’s weight is prevalent among Asian parents. Anthropometric measurement of a child, rather than a parent’s reporting of a child’s weight, should be used to educate Asian parents regarding childhood obesity. Health care professionals should be aware of misperceptions when developing and providing a culturally appropriate intervention to address overweight/obesity among Asian children, which might include improving weight perception.     

Stress-Related Growth Experience: Listening to Korean Adolescents who have Visual Impairments

Research suggests that negative life events facilitate stress-related growth, such as the development of coping strategies and restoration skills. In this study, we aimed to capture the characteristics of stress-related growth among Korean adolescents who have visual impairments. Using a constructive grounded theory methodology, three themes were identified as characteristics of stress-related growth experiences: (a) developing meaningful relationships, (b) creating coping strategies, and (c) discovering personal strength. This study indicates that Korean adolescents who had visual impairments developed their own coping strategies to deal with various stressors and increased their awareness of their inner strengths and talents. It also suggests that challenging life circumstances may provide opportunities for Korean adolescents who have visual impairments to experience emotional wellbeing.     

Beta-Amyloid Deposition and the Aging Brain

A central issue in cognitive neuroscience of aging research is pinpointing precise neural mechanisms that determine cognitive outcome in late adulthood as well as identifying early markers of less successful cognitive aging. One promising biomarker is beta amyloid (Aβ) deposition. Several new radiotracers have been developed that bind to fibrillar Aβ providing sensitive estimates of amyloid deposition in various brain regions. Aβ imaging has been primarily used to study patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI); however, there is now building data on Aβ deposition in healthy controls that suggest at least 20% and perhaps as much as a third of healthy older adults show significant deposition. Considerable evidence suggests amyloid deposition precedes declines in cognition and may be the initiator in a cascade of events that indirectly leads to age-related cognitive decline. We review studies of Aβ deposition imaging in AD, MCI, and normal adults, its cognitive consequences, and the role of genetic risk and cognitive reserve.     

Revisiting the Social Sources of American Christianity 1972–1998

We examine the relationship between demographics and adherence to certain religious traditions within American Christianity. Starting with Niebuhr's Social Sources of Denominationalism , we interact with a long scholarly tradition that connects demographics and religious groups, particularly the abiding "class-sect" relationship. Included in this literature are works by Roof and McKinney (1987), and the particular profiles of evangelicals by Hunter (1983) and more recently by Smith et al. (1998). Findings indicate slow convergence on certain demographics highlighted by Niebuhr (social class, region, population size), and slow divergence on other demographics (age, percent female, percent married, number of children). Contrary to previous research, evangelical Protestantism is not very distinct demographically; however, black Protestantism is, and this reflects the continued demographic significance of race. Our findings lead us to question accepted theoretical links between demographics and religious groups. We end with some preliminary recommendations for future theorizing in this area.     

Cognitive,affective and conative responses to visual simulation: the effects of rotation in online product presentation

• Rotation, one type of visual simulation used to create three‐dimensional (3‐D) experiences, and currently being used for product presentation on some e‐tail websites, may create consumer responses. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the effects of rotation in product presentation on the cognitive, affective, and conative responses of consumers. This study employed a single‐factor between‐subjects design: product presentation (rotating vs. non‐rotating). Causal model analysis showed the influence of rotation in product presentation on perceived information quantity, mood, attitude, and purchase intention. Theoretical and managerial implications, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is aversion to incest psychologically privileged? When sex and sociosexuality do not predict sexual willingness

As human possess powerful incest-avoidance mechanisms (which likely evolved due to the high costs of inbreeding), reactions to incestuous sexual encounters may be psychologically distinct from reactions to non-incestuous (but still non-normative) sexual encounters. Accordingly, variables such as sex and sociosexuality that normally predict openness to sexual encounters in other situations (i.e., men and sociosexually unrestricted people tend to be more sexually willing) may not do so – or do so only weakly – in incestuous situations. In Study 1, sociosexuality predicted negative judgments of non-incestuous (but still normatively proscribed) sexual acts, but not judgments of incestuous sexual acts. In Study 2, sociosexuality predicted negative reactions to imagined sex with biologically unrelated (but still normatively unusual) partners, but not reactions to imagined sex with related partners (this effect was limited to women); also, men reacted less negatively than women to imagined sex with unrelated partners, but men and women reacted equally negatively to imagined sex with related partners (the latter effect was limited to sociosexually restricted men).