The effects of physical contact and decision type on moral decision making: A study of harm to save moral behavior

This study examined the relationship between physical contact and decision type in predicting “harm to save” behavior. Participants were assigned to making either a judgment or a choice involving moral dilemmas. All participants were presented with dilemmas that either required or did not require having physical contact with potential victims. Participants were asked to decide whether to sacrifice fewer people to save more (utilitarian responses) or not to do so and thus more people would die (deontological responses). The study sample included 345 participants who completed a set of self‐report measures. Results indicated an interaction between physical contact and decision type. In the choice condition only, participants reported significantly less utilitarian responses to the dilemmas that required having physical contact with the person to be harmed than to dilemmas that did not require physical contact. This difference was not found in the judgment condition. These results contribute to a greater understanding of the nature and potential malleability of human morality.     

The unique influence of attachment to god on forgiveness among incarcerated males

Religious constructs associated with forgiveness are understudied among incarcerated males. Attachment and forgiveness theory supported hypotheses that attachment to God would uniquely influence forgiveness, controlling for other biopsychosocial resources in regression modeling. Results, utilizing data collected from 261 male prison inmates, ages 45 to 82, demonstrated that each of three blocks of predictors explained significant amounts of variance in forgiveness: (1) biological and control variables; (2) social support and positive evaluation of life; and (3) attachment to God. The final model explained 53.7% of the total variance. Discussion focuses on the use of attachment to God and forgiveness assessments.     

Carry-over effect between diet and physical activity: the bottom-up and top-down hypotheses of hierarchical self-efficacy

Healthy diet and physical activity have consistently been found to be positively correlated; however, most health behavior theories are focused on regulation of changes in single, rather than multiple, behaviors. Thus, this study explored the mechanism of the carry-over effect between diet and physical activity by conducting a longitudinal study with 706 participants to test the bottom-up and top-down hypotheses of hierarchical self-efficacy (SE). At Time 1 (baseline) and Time 3 (4 weeks after baseline), dietary behavior, physical activity, and self-efficacies of these behaviors (at the contextual level) were measured, while at Time 2 (2 weeks after baseline), general SE (at the general level) was assessed. Mediation analysis and structural equation models supported both the bottom-up and top-down hypotheses for different levels of self-efficacies, suggesting that hierarchical SE is an important factor underlying the carry-over mechanism between diet and physical activity.     

Association of hypertension-related distress with lack of self-care among hypertensive patients

Research on factors associated with poor adherence to self-care focuses primarily on psychiatric emotional disorders such as depression and anxiety, whereas non-psychiatric chronic-disease-related emotional distress has received little attention in hypertensive patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association of hypertension-related distress with the lack of self-care including low adherence to pharmacological treatment, lack of regular physical activity, low intake of fruits and vegetables and frequent intake of high-salt foods. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2014 in two family medical units affiliated with the Mexican Institute of Social Security. The study included 487 hypertensive patients >19 years of age. The conceptual framework for the study was based on the Health Promotion Model. The analysis included multiple Poisson regression models. We found that 21.1% of participants had hypertension-related distress. Low adherence to pharmacological treatment was identified in 45.8% of patients, whereas 46.8% lacked regular physical activity, 30.8% reported a low consumption of fruits and vegetables, and 54.6% frequently consumed foods high in salt content. Hypertension-related distress was associated with lack of regular physical activity and low intake of fruits and vegetables. These findings highlight the importance of addressing distress in order to improve self-care of hypertensive patients.     

Associations of Emotional Abuse Types With Suicide Ideation Among Dating Couples

Numerous studies have demonstrated that coercive control is more strongly associated with suicidal ideation than other forms of intimate partner violence. However, a majority of these studies focused on samples of help-seeking women. This study examined whether coercive control remains the form of intimate partner violence most strongly associated with suicidal ideation within a sample of nonclinical dating couples. This cross-sectional, survey study on 104 dating couples examined the associations of coercive control (i.e., dominance/intimidation and restrictive engulfment) with suicidal ideation, while controlling for other forms of emotional abuse (i.e., hostile withdrawal and denigration), physical assault, and depressive symptoms. As expected, dominance/intimidation and depressive symptoms, but not denigration and physical assault, were associated with suicidal ideation. Contrary to our hypothesis, hostile withdrawal, but not restrictive engulfment, was associated with suicidal ideation. This study suggests that dominance/intimidation and hostile withdrawal are forms of emotional abuse that are pertinent to suicidal ideation in nonclinical dating couples.     

Test–retest reliability of the Brunel Lifestyle Physical Activity Questionnaire

ObjectivesTo establish the test–retest reliability of planned physical activity (PPA) and unplanned physical activity (UPA) components of the Brunel Lifestyle Physical Activity Questionnaire (BLPAQ). To provide evidence of the BLPAQ's stability using the proportion of agreement (PoA) method over a 5-week period.DesignTest–retest over a 5-week period using three diverse samples of adults.MethodsThe 277 participants were subdivided into three adult samples: gymnasium users (n = 80), undergraduate students (n = 111), and university staff members (n = 86). They were asked to complete the test–retest measure in their places of exercise, study, or work respectively.ResultsCorrelation coefficients between test–retest administrations were calculated for each participant group and intraclass correlations were calculated for each item. Pearson's product-moment correlations ranged from r = 0.95 to r = 0.96 for the PPA subscale and r = 0.93 to r = 0.98 for the UPA subscale. Intraclass correlations ranged from R = 0.52 to R = 0.99 for PPA and R = 0.87 to R = 0.99 for UPA. Fisher's z tests indicated that the test–retest correlation coefficients for the BLPAQ subscales were, on the whole, significantly stronger than those of older, comparable subscales from lifestyle physical activity questionnaires. The PoA analysis for each item revealed that the test–retest administrations were in high agreement (>95%).ConclusionsOverall, the PPA and UPA factors of the BLPAQ demonstrated high reliability and stability. The present study also illustrates the utility of PoA analysis in establishing the stability of physical activity measures.     

Self‐efficacy or perceived behavioural control: Which influences consumers' physical activity and healthful eating behaviour maintenance?

This research investigated the role of a commercial program, Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation (MB12WBT), that uses a variety of tools including social support to influence weight management behaviours such as exercising and eating healthfully. The need for research into weight management remains current given obesity rates have continued to increase in recent decades. Weight management is a complex behaviour that for many consumers involves barriers that influence their commitment to continue exercising and eating healthily. The Theory of Planned Behaviour is frequently used to explain, and to a lesser extent predict, behaviours such as physical activity and healthy eating; however, there is much debate as to whether a perceived behavioural control variable or self‐efficacy is the best predictor of behaviour. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse data from a sample of 724 respondents who answered a baseline and three month follow‐up survey. The analysis revealed self‐efficacy and perceived behavioural control were two distinct constructs. Self‐efficacy was a better predictor of behaviour than perceived behavioural control variables as suggested in the original Theory of Planned Behaviour. Furthermore, self‐efficacy had a significant impact on exercising and eating healthfully behaviour. The findings and implications for both behaviour change theory and practice are discussed.     

Barriers and facilitators of physical activity and sport participation among young transgender adults who are medically transitioning

Background: Transgender people (those who feel incongruence between the gender they were assigned at birth and their gender identity) engage in lower levels of physical activity compared to cisgender (non-transgender) people. Several factors have been shown to affect physical activity engagement in the cisgender population; however, the physical activity experiences of young transgender adults have not been explored. It is therefore the aim of the current study to understand what factors are associated with physical activity and sport engagement in young transgender adults who are medically transitioning.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 young transgender adults (18–36 years) who had initiated their medical transition at a transgender health service in the United Kingdom. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Results: Two main themes were identified: (1) barriers and (2) facilitators to physical activity and sport. Overall, the young transgender adults were insufficiently active due to inadequate changing facilities, body dissatisfaction, fears surrounding “passing” and not being accepted by others. At the same time, participants were motivated to engage in physical activity to increase their body satisfaction and gender congruence. However, participants felt there was a lack of safe and comfortable spaces to engage in physical activity and sport.

Conclusion: Young transgender adults who are medically transitioning experience several barriers to physical activity and sport, despite being motivated to be physically active. Initiatives to facilitate young transgender adults' ability to put their motivations into practice (i.e. to be more physically active) are needed.     

利他仅仅利他吗?——进化视角的双路径模型

利他对受助者及社会有弥足珍贵的价值,能提高群体的功能性,增加危机中的生存概率从而保持种群延续;但利他会降低助人者自身的适应性,使其生存与繁殖的可能性较其他个体,尤其是自利者,处于不利地位。利他行为是如何得到进化的这一难题吸引了各领域学者的关注。本文回顾了具有代表性的多水平选择理论与竞争性利他理论,结合利他研究的最新实证证据,提出利他增加助人者适应性的双路径模型。内部路径指利他行为可以通过自激励的内在过程,促进助人者身心的正性互动,带来内部效用增益,从而在某些时刻提高其适应性。外部路径为利他传递展现助人者品质的信号,有助于提升其群体内地位并增加合作、择偶机会。进而,利他行为能够在个体与群体层面的进化选择中得到保存。未来研究可以从身心关系的角度继续探讨利他问题,促成利他的正性循环。     

青少年抑制控制与同伴拒绝:身体攻击、关系攻击的中介作用

选取1589名青少年(平均年龄15.22±0.36岁)为被试,考察身体攻击、关系攻击在抑制控制与同伴拒绝间的中介作用。结果发现,(1)抑制控制与身体攻击、关系攻击、同伴拒绝之间均存在显著负相关,身体攻击、关系攻击与同伴拒绝之间存在显著正相关;(2)身体、关系攻击在抑制控制与同伴拒绝之间发挥中介作用;相比关系攻击,身体攻击的中介效应更强。该结果表明抑制控制对于同伴拒绝的作用既存在直接效应,又可通过身体攻击、关系攻击的中介效应实现,身体攻击、关系攻击的中介效应存在差异。