French adaptation of the Mini-IPIP: A short measure of the Big Five

IntroductionThe Big Five, or the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, is the dominant model in trait psychology. Instruments to assess personality traits are usually long and not available in French. The Mini-International Personality Item Pool (Mini-IPIP) is a brief measure evaluating personality traits according to the Big Five model with promising psychometric properties.ObjectiveThe main purposes of this study were to develop and validate a French adaptation of the Mini-International Personality Item Pool.MethodIn Study 1, adaptation procedures that led to the translation of the French version as well as steps to maximize equivalence are described, in addition to internal consistency, temporal stability, and factor structure within a sample of 139 participants. In study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was carried out with a sample of 1308 participants, and convergent validity was explored with several pertinent constructs.ResultsInternal consistency and test-retest correlations over a four-week period suggest adequate reliability, with coefficients respectively ranging from .64 to .81 and .74 to .89. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a sharply delineated structure. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analyzes revealed a five-factor solution consistent with the Big Five model, and convergent validity with several constructs was detailed.ConclusionOverall, results pointed to a satisfactory equivalence between the original and the adapted instrument. The satisfactory indices of reliability and validity of the Mini-IPIP warrant the use of the French adaptation of the Mini-IPIP.     

Coping by doping?A qualitative inquiry into permitted and prohibited substance use in competitive rugby

ObjectivesDespite a growing body of literature examining the social psychology of doping in sport, stressors and coping as potential doping risk and or protective factors have received scant attention. The aim of this study was to explore permitted and prohibited substances when coping with stressors among a sample of rugby players.DesignUnderpinned by our relativist ontology and our constructionist epistemological position, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.MethodsFollowing criterion-based sampling, we interviewed three women and eight men (M_age = 22.64, SD = 2.66 years) who were competing in rugby league (n = 7) or rugby union (n = 4) at national level one or above in the United Kingdom. We recursively used six phases of reflexive thematic analysis to analyze the data, and enhanced rigor by focusing on a worthy topic, coherence, rich rigor, credibility, and making a significant contribution.ResultsThe sampled players used permitted and prohibited substances to cope with stressors (e.g., injury, pressure to perform, selection) and perceived these substances to be helpful during injury rehabilitation; to facilitate sleep, performance, recovery, and selection; and to adjust bodyweight and composition. The health risks of permitted and prohibited substances, anti-doping rules, parents, and the athlete’s persona had both protective and vulnerability roles.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the rugby players’ diminished capacities to anticipate, cope with, resist, and recover from the surroundings, opportunities, and conditions that promote potentially harmful permitted and prohibited substance use in rugby. Collective and coordinated action should be taken to reduce player vulnerability.     

The debate over food biotechnology in the United States: is a societal consensus achievable?

Unless the public comes to agree that the benefits of food biotechnology are desirable and the associated risks are acceptable, our society may fail to realize much of the potential benefits. Three historical cases of major technological innovations whose benefits and risks were the subject of heated public controversy are examined, in search of lessons that may suggest a path toward consensus in the biotechnology debate. In each of the cases—water fluoridation, nuclear power and pesticides—proponents of the technology gathered scientific evidence that they believed established that the innovations were safe. In each case, the federal government was heavily involved in oversight, safety regulation, and in the first two cases, active promotion of the technology. Supporters of the technologies employed a variety of communications strategies, ranging from massive “educational” campaigns (e.g. “Our Friend The Atom”) to vituperative ad hominem attacks on leading opponents. None of these strategies succeeded in achieving broad societal acceptance of the technologies. Fluoridation today is opposed as vigorously by activist groups as it was when first introduced around 1950; it has not been universally adopted even in the U.S., and it has been rejected in most other countries. The American nuclear power industry is moribund, and the public has essentially rejected the technology. The pesticide industry is thriving, with new generations of products succeeding older more hazardous chemicals in a constant cycle. However, strong regulation has failed to prevent adverse health and ecological effects, which have been empirically associated with pesticide uses after the chemicals were dispersed in the environment. Debate over whether risks of such effects are acceptable has been heated for four decades, with scientists and the public divided. None of these cases offers an ideal model for the biotechnology revolution, though they do reveal many strategies that have not worked. The biotechnology debate is also taking place at a time when our concepts of risk communication have improved, and when many consumers are more actively concerned with buying products perceived to be less likely to harm the environment. Based on the three case histories and more recent trends, some characteristics of a process for seeking a societal consensus are described. They include explicitly defining the subjects for consensus; including all stakeholders in a respectful dialogue; confronting value issues, such as acceptability of risks and ethical perceptions; listening to others’ perspectives, and being willing to change one’s own point of view. If activists on all sides of the food biotechnology debate are willing to commit to such a consensus-building process, there is hope that the U.S. national debate can be resolved in a manner satisfactory to essentially all parties.     

高中生解决化学实验问题的心理过程及其影响因素的进一步研究

对中学化学实验问题解决心理机制的前期研究的基础上,本研究进一步采用活动任务分析、心理模拟、现场实验活动观测、学生自我反思问卷调查,以及定量统计相结合的研究方法,对22名高三优秀学生解决化学实验问题的心理活动及其影响因素进行了较深入的探查,对了解我国高中生化学实验问题解决的能力和水平特点,以及如何改革中学化学实验教学具有重要启示.     

Exploring the Complexities of Familism and Acculturation: Central Constructs for People of Mexican Origin

We examined the relationships between three dimensions of familism: importance of family, family support, and family conflict with acculturation, assessed orthogonally (Mexican and American cultural contributions assessed independently), and the relative contribution these factors make to psychological adjustment among 248 (124 women, 124 men) adults of Mexican origin. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, positive associations were found between importance of family and the biculturalism of Mexican and American cultural identity; family support and Mexican cultural identity; but no associations between family conflict and level of acculturation. Psychological well-being was positively associated with Mexican cultural identity and family support, whereas psychological distress was associated with greater family conflict and lower family support. The greater relative contribution of Mexican cultural identity to familism and well-being, and the importance of assessing acculturation orthogonally are discussed. This research was supported in part by a Minority Supplement to National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH47193 to the Research Center on the Psychobiology of Ethnicity, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and by a research award from Pitzer College to Norma Rodriguez.     

New York City young adults’ psychological reactions to 9/11: findings from the Reach for Health longitudinal study

This research examines psychological distress among 955 economically disadvantaged New York City residents surveyed during high school and again after the September 11th terrorist attacks (9/11), when they were young adults. As part of the longitudinal Reach for Health study, young adult surveys were conducted from 6–19 months post-9/11 (average 8 months), providing opportunity to assess types of exposures and psychological distress, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, hopelessness, and anger. Regressions of psychological distress on 9/11 exposure were performed, controlling for high school distress, prior exposure to violence victimization, and socio-demographic characteristics. Exposure to 9/11 was positively associated with anger, hopelessness, and PTSD symptoms and a measure of global distress. The relationship was greater among women for PTSD symptoms. Although those who reported high school distress also reported more distress in young adulthood, prior psychological distress did not moderate the relationship between exposure and psychological outcomes. Greater exposure is related to distress among those who, during high school, reported lower distress, as well as among those who reported prior greater distress.     

Psychological Health and Attitude Toward Christianity Among Protestant and Catholic Sixth-Form Pupils in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland remains both one of the more religiously active and also one of the most religiously divided countries in Europe. In this context 1,093 sixth-form pupils attending Protestant schools and 1,266 sixth-form pupils attending Catholic schools (aged between 16 and 19 years) completed the abbreviated Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Revised (EPQR-A), as a measure of psychological health, alongside the Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christainity (FSAC). The findings demonstrated that a positive attitude toward Christianity was associated with neither higher nor lower neuroticism scores, but was associated in both religious communities with lower psychoticism scores. There is no evidence, therefore, to associate a positive view of Christianity with poorer levels of psychological health among adolescents in Northern Ireland, and some evidence to associate a positive view of Christianity with better levels of psychological health.     

Impairments in inhibition or cognitive control in psychological disorders

Contributions to this special issue of Applied & Preventive Psychology richly elucidate connections between a variety of psychological disorders and performance in a number of tasks that are used to reason about inhibitory deficits. This commentary calls attention to the different uses of the concept of inhibition – vernacular, neural, operational, and theoretical – and suggests that the term cognitive control avoids claims about dampened memory representations that are difficult to support. Central findings from the reviews are summarized; evidence concerning suppression-induced forgetting is featured and directions to foster application are discussed.     

Consonances and controversies: Investigation and its discontents revisited

The author responds to the commentaries of 13 experts on his 1980 American Psychologist article, “Investigation and its discontents: On some constraints on progress in psychological research.” Among the themes addressed are the role of theory in psychological research, the meanings and implications of “productivity” by scholars and researchers, the role of grants, and of money in general, in directing research efforts, and the relation between psychological and neuropsychological research.     

Living with Hereditary Non-polyposis Colorectal Cancer; Experiences from and Impact of Genetic Testing

Hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) is one of our most common cancer syndromes and an increasing number of individuals live in families with verified hereditary cancer. We conducted an interview study to explore experiences from and perceived impact on life after genetic testing for HNPCC. Three major themes emerged: reactions and emotions, family relations and implications for life. Among the reactions described were suspecting heredity, feelings of guilt, the importance of experiential knowledge, and coping strategies. The impact on family relations was related to perceived responsibility for conveying information, encountering different reactions among family members, and difficulties in communication and relations. The implications described included uncertainty, adaptation, new choices and changes in life, family planning issues, and experiences of surveillance programs. We suggest that the themes and sub-themes identified should be taken into account during genetic counselling in order to facilitate the spread of information and to prepare family members for the impact on life that knowledge about hereditary cancer may have.