Seeking help when transgender: Exploring the difference in mental and physical health seeking behaviors between transgender and cisgender individuals in Ireland

Abstract

Background: While there is growing awareness of the need to support the physical and mental wellbeing of transgender people, some may be reluctant to seek help from healthcare professionals. Little is understood about the mechanisms that influence help-seeking behavior in this group.

Aims: This study aimed to compare transgender and cisgender participants in their likelihood to seek help for both physical and mental health conditions, and to explore whether this help-seeking behavior is predicted by a range of sociodemographic and psychological variables.

Methods: 123 participants living in Ireland (cisgender= 67; transgender= 56) completed a questionnaire which included demographic questions, as well as measures of optimism (LOT-R), self-esteem (RSES), psychological distress (GHQ-12), attitudes towards seeking psychological help (ATSPPH-SF), and attitudes towards seeking help for a physical health problem (Attitudes Towards Seeking Medical Help Scale- Action/Intervention subscale). Associations between predictor variables and mental and physical health seeking were explored using correlation analysis and stepwise regressions.

Results: Transgender participants were less likely to seek help for a physical health issue than cisgender participants, but did not differ in mental health help-seeking behaviors. Results suggest that this may be due to differences in optimism, self-esteem and psychological distress. Transgender participants had significantly lower optimism and self-esteem, which were two factors linked to poorer physical health seeking behaviors. Optimism also emerged as a significant predictor in mental health seeking behaviors.

Discussion: The lack of a significant difference for mental health help-seeking between the transgender and cisgender participants is encouraging, as it suggests that there is less stigma surrounding mental illness than expected, however findings also contradict previous findings suggesting that physical health is less stigmatized. This could be due to stigma relating to gender-specific healthcare and suggests that healthcare professionals should acknowledge the specific healthcare needs and concerns among transgender individuals.     

Validation of the Portuguese emotion awareness questionnaire for children and adolescents

This study examined the construct and concurrent validity of the Portuguese version of the Emotion Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ) in 302 children and adolescents (mean age 13 years old). The EAQ is a self-report questionnaire that allows for analysis of how youth experience and understand their own and others’ emotions. Participants completed the EAQ along with questionnaires for Worry and Somatic Complaints. Results confirmed the expected six-factor structure, good psychometric properties, and good concurrent validity. The EAQ is a reliable questionnaire, suitable for examining emotion awareness in Portugal.     

儿童中期攻击行为测评的多质多法分析

以2695名小学三、四年级的儿童(平均年龄 10.06 ± 0.54岁)作为被试, 使用同伴评定、同伴提名和教师评定对这些儿童的三种攻击行为(身体、言语、关系)进行了测评, 采用相关分析与结构方程模型对儿童攻击行为的多质多法数据进行统计处理。多质多法模型的分析结果显示, 三种方法对儿童攻击行为的测评具有一定的会聚效度, 但区分效度较低; 同伴测评儿童攻击行为的有效性优于教师测评, 其中同伴评定的有效性好于同伴提名。     

身体攻击行为学生自主神经活动的情绪唤醒特点

运用情绪生理学的方法,以31名具有身体攻击行为的初中工读学生和30名普通初中生为研究对象,研究了身体攻击行为学生与普通学生在基线生理唤醒和情绪生理唤醒的方面不同特点。结果发现,在生理唤醒的基线水平上,身体攻击行为学生与普通学生在指温、R-R间期、心率、指脉率方面差异显著,身体攻击行为学生的指温、心率、指脉率比普通学生低,身体攻击行为学生的R-R间期比普通学生R-R间期长。在愤怒刺激条件下,身体攻击行为学生报告的愤怒体验水平比普通学生高;愤怒诱发刺激引起身体攻击行为学生R-R间期、心率变化显著,而普通学生R-R间期、心率变化不显著。厌恶与恐惧、悲伤、愉快诱发刺激引起普通学生皮肤电变化显著,而身体攻击行为学生皮肤电变化不显著     

A meta-analysis of the association between forgiveness of others and physical health

Objective: This meta-analysis tested the relation between forgiveness of others and physical health (PH) with age, gender, race, education level, employment status, sample type, research design, type of PH variables, and publication status as the potential moderators.

Design: Eligible studies had participants with or without physical or mental health problems and had quantitative data on forgiveness of others and PH. The random-effects model was used to aggregate Fisher’s z effect sizes, which were converted back to correlation coefficients.

Main Outcome Measures: State forgiveness (forgiving an offense or offender) measures, trait forgiveness (a disposition to forgive) measures and physical health measures were included in the meta-analysis.

Results: A hundred and twenty-eight studies (N?=?58,531) were retrieved, in which the mean effect sizes showed a significant positive relationship between forgiveness of others and PH (r?=?0.14, p?<?0.001, 95% CI [0.11, 0.17]). Further, no moderators showed a significant relation between forgiveness of others and PH.

Conclusions: The positive relation between forgiveness of others and PH was not affected by potential moderators. Because the results are correlational, more forgiveness interventions may be needed to examine the causal effect of the relation between forgiveness of others and PH.     

Towards consensus in conceptualizing and operationalizing physical activity maintenance

Recognized challenges in promoting long-term physical activity maintenance may be due to inconsistencies in the conceptualization and operationalization of behavior maintenance terminology in physical activity research. The overall goal of this paper is to propose a framework and agenda for the development of a common set of terms, definitions, and measures for physical activity maintenance concepts that can be widely tested and evaluated. To initiate this effort, this paper (1) provides an overview of conceptual and operational definitions of physical activity maintenance used in the empirical literature, (2) evaluates whether behavior maintenance terms used in addiction science can be translated to physical activity, (3) recommends research directions for developing consensus definitions of physical activity maintenance, and (4) proposes a conceptual model of physical activity maintenance with inflection points that require operational definitions to be decided upon through consensus efforts in the field. Consensus over the conceptualization and operationalization of physical activity maintenance is needed to draw conclusions regarding which policies and programs are best able to promote long-term behavior change.     

Testing the Physical Activity Self-Definition Model among low-active adults participating in a physical activity intervention

Seeing oneself as a physically active person is one of the strongest predictors of physical activity behaviour and self-regulatory strategies. Determining whether and how physical activity self-perceptions can be stimulated may help low-active individuals who do not see themselves as a physically active person become more active. Cross-sectional research has tested the Physical Activity Self-Definition (PASD) model among active samples; longitudinal studies among low-active adults have yet to be done. The purpose of this study was to test the predictive power of the PASD model among low-active adults over a 16-week physical activity intervention. Participants completed surveys of validated questionnaires in-person at baseline (pre-intervention) and at 16-weeks (end of intervention) at one of two primary care facilities. The final sample included 119 low-active adults. Partial least squares-structural equation modeling indicated that the original model had small-medium predictive power (Q² = 0.22; SRMR = 0.13 [0.05, 0.07]; RMSE = 1.13; MAE = 0.9; BIC = 1348.40). Two paths were added in the revised model (perceived wanting—PASD; perceived ability—perceived commitment), which explained an additional 4% and 5% of the variance in perceived commitment (R² = 0.62 [0.48, 0.72]) and PASD (R² = 0.74 [0.64, 0.80]; all p’s < 0.001), respectively. The revised model had medium predictive power (Q² = 0.25; SRMR = 0.11 [0.05, 0.06]; RMSE = 1.1; MAE = 0.87; BIC = 1332.84) All path coefficients remained positive and significant at p ≤ .001. Among low-active adults, perceived wanting and perceived ability may be more salient when engaging in physical activity and regarding themselves as a physically active person. Findings may support practitioners and health care professionals in designing physical activity interventions to foster PASD among low-active adult populations.     

‘Active’ating thoughts about affect: elicitation of physical activity judgements in insufficiently active women

Objective: A growing body of evidence suggests that affective judgements are distinct from, and exert greater influence on, physical activity behaviours than instrumental judgements.

Design: As part of a randomised controlled trial, 110 insufficiently active, female, university students were randomised to (a) an affective mental contrasting condition, (b) an instrumental mental contrasting condition, or (c) a ‘standard’ mental contrasting intervention (with no modifications). In the analyses concerning the trial’s primary outcome, the affective mental contrasting condition was found to be more effective for increasing physical activity than the standard or instrumental conditions. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively examine the physical activity outcomes and obstacles elicited from participants as part of the three mental contrasting interventions within this trial.

Results: 32 lower-order physical activity judgement themes, categorised within seven high-order themes, were derived through the use of the mental contrasting intervention. In addition to identifying several affective and instrumental outcomes and obstacles that have previously been recognised, participants in this study also highlighted contextualised responses that describe complicated relationships that exist between affective and instrumental judgements.

Conclusions: This study provides fine-grained insight into cognitive processes derived from a novel intervention involving insufficiently active women.