The association of Big Five personality traits and religiosity on Internet addiction among Israeli-Palestinian Muslim college students in Israel

ABSTRACT

Prior studies have demonstrated that personality traits and religiosity may be protective/risk factors for the development of Internet addiction; however, these associations have not been examined among the unique population of Israeli-Palestinian young adults. This study was the first to investigate the relationships between Internet addiction (Internet Addiction Test; IAT) with the Big Five personality traits (Big Five Personality Trait Short Questionnaire; BFPTSQ) and religiosity (Positions Regarding Religion Questionnaire) among a sample of Israeli-Palestinian Muslim college students (n?=?350). IAT scores were positively associated with BFPTSQ openness (r?=?.33, p?<?.01), BFPTSQ extraversion (r?=?.30, p?<?.01), and BFPTSQ agreeableness (r?=?.36, p?<?.01), whereas IAT scores were negatively related to religiosity (r?=??.46, p?<?.01), BFPTSQ conscientiousness (r?=??.33, p?<?.01), and BFPTSQ emotional stability (r?=??.36, p?<?.01). The present work may provide insight into risk factors for developing Internet addiction in a manner that may increase early identification and intervention efforts.     

A placebo-controlled randomized trial of D-cycloserine augmentation of cue exposure therapy for smoking cessation

Recent studies underscore the importance of studying d-cycloserine (DCS) augmentation under conditions of adequate cue exposure treatment (CET) and protection from reconditioning experiences. In this randomized trial, we evaluated the efficacy of DCS for augmenting CET for smoking cessation under these conditions.

Sixty-two smokers attained at least 18 hours abstinence following 4 weeks of smoking cessation treatment and were randomly assigned to receive a single dose of DCS (n=30) or placebo (n=32) prior to each of two sessions of CET. Mechanistic outcomes were self-reported cravings and physiologic reactivity to smoking cues. The primary clinical outcome was 6-week, biochemically-verified, continuous tobacco abstinence.

DCS, relative to placebo, augmentation of CET resulted in lower self-reported craving to smoking pictorial and in vivo cues (d = 0.8 to 1.21) in a relevant subsample of participants who were reactive to cues and free from smoking-related reconditioning experiences. Select craving outcomes were correlated with smoking abstinence, and DCS augmentation was associated with a trend toward a higher continuous abstinence rate (33% vs. 13% for placebo augmentation).

DCS augmentation of CET can significantly reduce cue-induced craving, supporting the therapeutic potential of DCS augmentation when applied under appropriate conditions for adequate extinction learning.     

网络成瘾大学生对眼部情绪线索识别的研究

在网络飞速发展的现代社会,网络成瘾问题也随之引起社会的高度注意,当今大学生日渐成为网络成瘾的高发人群,一些特定的问题如社交焦虑、幸福感缺失、人际关系紧张等接踵而至。本文旨在通过对眼部情绪图片的识别来对网络成瘾大学生的社交特点进行研究。运用问卷法确定了60名被试组成实验组和对照组,再分别对其进行用DMDX软件编程的眼部情绪线索识别的心理实验。在尽力控制无关变量的影响下,经过数据分析,得出以下结论:网络成瘾大学生与非成瘾大学生对眼部情绪图片识别的正确率和平均正确反应时不存在显著性差异;网络成瘾大学生与非成瘾大学生对正性、中性和负性眼部情绪图片识别的反应时和正确率不存在显著性差异。     

A step away from impaired well-being: a latent growth curve analysis of an intervention with activity trackers among employees

ABSTRACT

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of a workplace intervention combining activity trackers (behavioural approach) with an online coach (cognitive approach) in order to increase employees’ number of steps and improve their impaired well-being (i.e., emotional strain and negative affect). To analyse the intervention’s effectiveness, the study applied latent growth curve modelling. Moreover, we tested whether work-related and personal resources (i.e., job control and self-efficacy) moderated the intervention’s effectiveness and whether an increase in number of steps was associated with an improvement in impaired well-being. During the intervention, data were collected at six measurement points from 108 mainly low active employees. The results revealed that employees increased their number of steps until the second intervention week; this increase was not moderated by job control or self-efficacy. Moreover, the intervention was effective in decreasing emotional strain and negative affect over the course of the intervention. Further analyses showed that the increase in number of steps was related to the decrease in negative affect, whereas no such association was found for the increase in number of steps and the decrease in emotional strain. In conclusion, the findings showed that our intervention was effective in improving physical activity and impaired well-being among employees.     

Smartphone distraction-addiction: Examining the relationship between psychosocial variables and patterns of use

The use of smartphones has been increasing worldwide. Usage of these devices has been associated with addiction and adverse emotional states. This study employs a mixed methods approach to study these relationships in an Australian sample. The study comprised of 164 participants aged between 18–70 who completed the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Smartphone Addiction Scale, and the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. Seven participants were also interviewed providing answers of a qualitative nature. Smartphone addiction significantly predicted higher levels of smartphone usage. Additionally, smartphone addiction, and distractibility also significantly predicted higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety. Qualitative results identified themes such as convenience, time of the day and activities in relation to smartphone usage as well as short-and long-term effects of this usage. Findings indicated that both distraction and addiction have an influence in the use of smartphones and that an increased usage has detrimental consequences to emotional health. Themes such as dependence and temptation and interferences appear congruent and consistent with the results of scales used.     

Investigating curvilinear relationships of explicit and implicit aggression with workplace outcomes

ABSTRACT

Although previous research has demonstrated the value of integrating explicit and implicit measures of aggression for predicting workplace outcomes, such investigations only examined linear and interactive effects. Here we examine nonlinear (i.e., curvilinear) effects of explicit and implicit aggression, which revealed subtleties in the manifestation of aggression. We found significant curvilinear effects of explicit aggression on peer-reported deviance (property deviance, production deviance, and personal aggression). In each case, deviance was lowest when explicit aggression was low, and increased as explicit aggression increased. However, production and property deviance decreased at elevated levels of explicit aggression. In contrast, for disciplinary actions, explicit and implicit aggression interacted, but there was also a curvilinear effect of implicit aggression. This pattern led to discipline being highest when explicit and implicit aggression were very incongruent, but being quite low when they were congruent. The results show that examining nonlinear effects with respect to explicit and implicit aggression can reveal unexpected relationships when predicting peer-reported criteria or organizational personnel data. Propositions for future research on the relationship of personality to workplace outcomes are presented deriving from the trait activation model, and implications for workplace interventions are discussed.