Relationship Between Religiosity and Psychological Symptoms in Female University Students

Depression, anxiety and stress are among major psychiatric conditions being prevalent in contemporary youth. This study intended to examine the role of three religious orientations (Allport and Ross 1967) in students demonstrating these psychological symptoms. A sample comprising 502 Pakistani girls studying at university level was randomly selected. Age Universal I–E Scale and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to collect data. Findings reveal an inverse relationship between extrinsic personal religious orientation and symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress among the respondents. Results support the integration of religious orientations in mental health care of young adults in Pakistan.     

What Do White Counselors and Psychotherapists Need to Know About Race? White Racial Socialization in Counseling and Psychotherapy Training Programs

Multicultural training in academic counseling and psychotherapy programs is often designed to address the needs of minority populations, and it rarely places Whiteness in the spotlight. Its structure, in fact, risks mirroring the very dynamics embedded in White privilege. Using the framework of feminist theory, we build on key findings on White racial socialization—which has a profound impact on the quality of communication and interaction within and across racial groups—to outline the skills and awareness needed for White counselors and psychotherapists to promote racial justice in both their individual/counseling and community/advocacy work.     

Combined effect of strontium modifier and antimony refiner on texture and growth mode of eutectic phase in an Al-11Si-2Cu-0.8Zn-0.6Fe cast alloy

Results of electron back-scattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies reveal that the orientation of aluminium in the eutectic phase is different from the surrounding aluminium dendrites and that twin spacing of eutectic silicon increased significantly due to the interaction between strontium and antimony. In addition, the formation of ternary Mg₂Sb₂Sr intermetallic compound that precedes the eutectic reaction was proposed to be responsible for interaction.     

Continuing Medical Education: A Cross Sectional Study on a Developing Country’s Perspective

To determine the attitude of general practitioners towards continuing medical education (CME) and reasons motivating or hindering them from attending CME procedures, we conducted a cross-sectional survey from November 2013 to April 2014 in Karachi. Three hundred general practitioners who possessed a medical license for practice in Pakistan filled a pre-designed questionnaire consisting of questions pertaining to attitudes towards CME. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS v16.0. 70.3% (n = 211) of the participants were males. Mean age was 47.75 ± 9.47 years. Only 67.33% knew about CME and only 52% had attended a CME session. Reasons for attending CME procedures reported were: need for updating knowledge, skills and competencies (67.30%), opportunity to meet colleagues (18.58%) and presenting scientific papers (8.97%). Mean Likert score was 1.67 (±0.667) for those who thought CME is worthwhile and 1.44 (±0.686) for those who consider their clinical duties as the major hurdle in attending CME procedures. Most common cause for not attending CME was lack of knowledge (32.66%) followed by time constraint (24%). Most physicians were not sufficiently informed about the potential benefits of CME and had never attended a CME session. Most common reason for attending CME procedures reported was need for updating knowledge, skills and competencies while reasons hindering physicians from attending CME were lack of knowledge and time constraint.     

Children show limited movement repertoire when learning a novel motor skill

Examining age differences in motor learning using real‐world tasks is often problematic due to task novelty and biomechanical confounds. Here, we investigated how children and adults acquire a novel motor skill in a virtual environment. Participants of three different age groups (9‐year‐olds, 12‐year‐olds, and adults) learned to use their upper body movements to control a cursor on a computer screen. Results showed that 9‐year‐old and 12‐year‐old children showed poorer ability to control the cursor at the end of practice. Critically, when we investigated the movement coordination, we found that the lower task performance of children was associated with limited exploration of their movement repertoire. These results reveal the critical role of motor exploration in understanding developmental differences in motor learning.     

Examining the role of two aspects of eWOM in online repurchase intention: An integrated trust–loyalty perspective

As electronic word‐of‐mouth (eWOM) has become an influential information resource for digital consumers who purchase products, understanding how the 2 ways of eWOM influence consumers' online repurchase intention (ORPI) becomes very pivotal. Despite its importance, there is no study in the literature that examined receiving and participating aspects of eWOM in an integrated perspective. The purpose of this study is to understand how 2 controversial eWOM aspects influence ORPI of consumers. Moreover, this study examines the mediating roles of e‐trust and e‐loyalty in the association between 2 sides of eWOM aspects and ORPI. The results indicated that 2 eWOM receiving factors, eWOM quality and eWOM quantity, have positive influences on e‐trust and ORPI. However, as an eWOM participating factor, the eWOM content has no significant influence on ORPI whereas another participating factor, the eWOM intensity, has the greatest impact on ORPI. Furthermore, the findings illustrate that e‐trust has a complementary mediation effect in the association between 2 receiving eWOM aspects and ORPI; likewise, e‐loyalty has a complementary mediation in the relationship between 2 participating eWOM aspects and ORPI.     

The impact of a laryngectomy on the spouse: Who is better off?

Background: Diabetes self-care is a key element in the overall management of diabetes. However, the importance of psychosocial factors for successful disease management is under investigated. This study aimed at exploring the role of coping styles and social support in the relationship between self-care activities and glycated haemoglobin in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: One hundred adults (60% female, aged 40–70 years) with type 2 diabetes completed questionnaires assessing self-care activities, coping styles and social support. In addition, a blood test was performed to obtain glycated haemoglobin levels.

Results: Result showed significant relationships of glycated haemoglobin with self-care activities, coping styles and social support. Regression analysis indicated that social support had a moderating role on the relationship between self-care activities and glycated haemoglobin, such that, at very high levels of social support the association, between Self-Care and HbA1c disappears.

Conclusions: Findings indicate that health care providers, within the context of the Iranian social and cultural situation, should pay more attention to psychosocial factors when addressing self-care activities. Delineation of the role of coping styles and social support might be useful for identifying patients in need of particular counselling and support for improving self-care activities and HbA1c levels.