Comparison of barriers self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control for explaining physical activity across 1 year among adolescent girls.

The absence of longitudinal data about correlates of physical activity during adolescence has hindered the identification of key mediator variables that can be targeted by interventions. Building on the authors' previous report of a cross-sectional analysis, this study compared barriers self-efficacy and perceived behavioral control as predictors of change in 2 levels of physical activity across a 1-year period among a sample of Black and White adolescent girls (N=1,038). Self-efficacy did not predict change in either moderate or vigorous physical activity. In contrast, perceived behavioral control exhibited a longitudinal, independent relationship with change in vigorous physical activity. The authors concluded that perceived behavioral control is an independent predictor of change in vigorous physical activity levels across a 1-year period among a sample of Black and White adolescent girls and warrants study as a potential mediator variable in interventions designed to increase or maintain physical activity.     

The development of emotion recognition from facial expressions and non‐linguistic vocalizations during childhood

Sensitivity to facial and vocal emotion is fundamental to children's social competence. Previous research has focused on children's facial emotion recognition, and few studies have investigated non‐linguistic vocal emotion processing in childhood. We compared facial and vocal emotion recognition and processing biases in 4‐ to 11‐year‐olds and adults. Eighty‐eight 4‐ to 11‐year‐olds and 21 adults participated. Participants viewed/listened to faces and voices (angry, happy, and sad) at three intensity levels (50%, 75%, and 100%). Non‐linguistic tones were used. For each modality, participants completed an emotion identification task. Accuracy and bias for each emotion and modality were compared across 4‐ to 5‐, 6‐ to 9‐ and 10‐ to 11‐year‐olds and adults. The results showed that children's emotion recognition improved with age; preschoolers were less accurate than other groups. Facial emotion recognition reached adult levels by 11 years, whereas vocal emotion recognition continued to develop in late childhood. Response bias decreased with age. For both modalities, sadness recognition was delayed across development relative to anger and happiness. The results demonstrate that developmental trajectories of emotion processing differ as a function of emotion type and stimulus modality. In addition, vocal emotion processing showed a more protracted developmental trajectory, compared to facial emotion processing. The results have important implications for programmes aiming to improve children's socio‐emotional competence.     

Eschatological companions: Christian hope in virtual worlds

ABSTRACT

The Christian faith is oriented around the hope that is found in the birth, life, death, resurrection and return of Jesus Christ, and this hope shapes Christian understandings of being human and human flourishing. What then might this Christian hope have to say about our technological developments and, in particular, how those shape our reflection on being human? Moreover, how do the various virtual worlds that we inhabit in continuity with our physical environment shape our thinking on bodies, gender, sexuality, identity and relationships? This article adds constructive theological reflection on technologically shape virtual worlds through the lens of Christian hope, moving beyond only eschatological dimensions to focus also on technological narratives of purpose and novelty and theological thinking around humanity, Christology and salvation. It is our contention that Christian hope provides a unifying theme for fruitful theological reflection on virtual worlds and our lives within them.     

Predictors of Suicidality Among Patients with Psychotic Disorders in a Partial Hospital Treatment Program

Individuals with psychotic disorders are at increased risk for suicidality. Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared in individuals with psychotic disorders reporting either high or low suicidality. Among this sample of 259 partial hospital patients, 116 (44.8%) were classified as high risk on the suicidality section of the Mini Neuropsychiatric Interview, and 143 (55.2%) were considered low risk. Bivariate analyses revealed that patients classified as high risk demonstrated greater depression severity, more relationship difficulties, greater emotional lability, and more substance use problems. A logistic regression model indicated that substance use was the most powerful predictor of higher levels of suicidality. Monitoring and intervention for substance use should be targeted as a particularly important aspect of treatment for acutely ill patients diagnosed with psychotic disorders.     

A Theory of Physical Activity Maintenance

Regular physical activity is related to numerous psychological and physical benefits. Physical activity interventions have had varying degrees of success with adoption; however, maintenance over the long term is even more difficult to achieve, as the majority of individuals who start a physical activity program drop out or relapse. Although the physical activity maintenance literature is scant, there is evidence that the predictors of adoption are different from those of maintenance. Thus, it follows that physical activity adoption and maintenance require unique approaches. The explanatory power of such predictors, however, is limited by the absence of a cogent theoretical framework. Therefore, this paper presents the Physical Activity Maintenance (PAM) theory, which incorporates individual psychosocial variables (goal-setting, motivation, and self-efficacy), and contextual variables of the environment and life stress (triggers of relapse). Goal-setting is framed as satisfaction, attainment, and commitment; motivation as self-motivation and expectations; and self-efficacy as both barrier and relapse. The contextual variables may facilitate or impede physical activity maintenance directly and indirectly via the individual psychosocial variables. The PAM is presented to stimulate research on physical activity maintenance and advance our understanding of how and why people do and do not maintain physical activity long term.