Psychometric Properties of the Anticipatory Social Behaviours Questionnaire

Relative to other components of Clark and Wells’ (1995) model, anticipatory processing has been understudied, despite research that suggests that anticipatory processing may maintain social anxiety through mechanisms such as increased anxiety, negative memory biases, and other negative consequences. Anticipatory processing has only been examined as a unitary process, with no efforts examining the underlying structure of this process. The purpose of the current study was to examine the factor structure of the Anticipatory Social Behaviours Questionnaire (ASBQ, Hinrichsen and Clark Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 34, 205–218, 2003) and identify relationships between the measure’s factors and other constructs of social anxiety. Study 1 (N?=?861) used exploratory factor analysis and concluded that a two-factor model (Avoidance and Preparation) was the best conceptualization of anticipatory processing. Study 2 confirmed the two factor model in a separate sample (N?=?485) and demonstrated the superiority of the two-factor model over a unitary model. Results of Study 3 suggested that, with a sample of high-socially-anxious undergraduates (N?=?59), the Avoidance factor was more maladaptive than the Preparation factor. Results are discussed in the context of the anticipatory processing literature and future directions are proposed.     

Examining direct and indirect pathways to health behaviour: The influence of cognitive and affective probability beliefs

This study aimed to extricate the influence of rational (e.g. ‘I think …’) and intuitive (e.g. ‘I feel …’) probability beliefs in the behavioural decision-making process regarding skin cancer prevention practices. Structural equation modelling was used in two longitudinal surveys (sun protection during winter sports [N?=?491]; sun protection during summer [N?=?277]) to examine direct and indirect behavioural effects of affective and cognitive likelihood (i.e. unmediated or mediated by intention), controlled for attitude, social influence and self-efficacy. Affective likelihood was directly related to sun protection in both studies, whereas no direct effects were found for cognitive likelihood. After accounting for past sun protective behaviour, affective likelihood was only directly related to sun protection in Study 1. No support was found for the indirect effects of affective and cognitive likelihood through intention. The findings underscore the importance of feelings of (cancer) risk in the decision-making process and should be acknowledged by health behaviour theories and risk communication practices. Suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Working mechanisms of a web-based self-management intervention for cancer survivors: a randomised controlled trial

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether problem-solving skills and perceived personal control over cancer recovery mediated the intervention effects on depression and fatigue of a web-based computer-tailored intervention for cancer survivors – the Kanker Nazorg Wijzer (Cancer Aftercare Guide).

Design: Patients were recruited through 21 Dutch hospitals (November 2013–June 2014). The mediation model was tested in a randomised controlled trial with an intervention group (n = 231) and a waiting list control group (n = 231).

Main outcome measures: Hypothesised mediators problem-solving skills (SPSI-R) and personal control (IPQ-R) were measured at baseline and 3 months from baseline. Outcomes depression (HADS) and fatigue (CIS) were measured at baseline and 6 months from baseline.

Results: The intervention effects in decreasing depression and fatigue were mediated by personal control. Problem-solving skills did not mediate the intervention effects on depression and fatigue.

Conclusion: While personal control in the control group decreased in the first three months after baseline, levels of personal control within the intervention group were maintained. This effect partially explained the intervention effects on depression and fatigue. The results provide evidence for the relevance of addressing personal control in web-based interventions in order to improve psychosocial well-being in early cancer survivors.     

The Dangerous Human Right to Education

Studies in Philosophy and Education -     

Motivational interviewing and self-determination theory in a web-based computer tailored physical activity intervention: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: This study explores whether a web-based physical activity (PA) intervention grounded in self-determination theory (SDT) and motivational interviewing (MI) is more effective and better appreciated than a traditional web-based PA intervention.

Design: A randomized controlled trial was conducted, comparing (1) I Move; a web-based PA intervention based on SDT and MI, (2) Active Plus; a traditional web-based PA intervention and (3) a waiting list control condition.

Main outcome measures: Weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous PA and weekly days with ≥30 min PA were measured through self-report at baseline and at 3 and 6 months from baseline.

Results: I Move achieved a small, but significant increase in weekly minutes of moderate to vigorous PA, while Active Plus did not have a significant impact on this outcome. Both interventions were effective in increasing weekly days with ≥30 min PA, whereas Active Plus yielded a greater effect on this outcome.

Conclusion: Overall, the web-based PA intervention grounded in SDT and MI did not outperform the traditional web-based PA intervention. Further research should reveal whether this type of intervention is profitable for long-term maintenance of PA levels.     

Adolescent Self-Reports of Social Anxiety: Can They Disagree with Objective Psychophysiological Measures and Still Be Valid?

We examined self-reported and parent-reported adolescent social anxiety symptoms and objective baseline measures of psychophysiological flexibility in 62 families. Measures completed by 31 adolescents referred for a clinical screening evaluation for social anxiety were compared to an age- and gender-matched community control sample of 31 adolescents (total sample: age range 14 to 17?years; 22 boys and 40 girls; M?=?15.32?years; SD?=?1.1). Clinic referred adolescents reported significantly fewer social anxiety symptoms than parents reported about adolescents. Further, for all adolescents, self-reported social anxiety symptoms exhibited low correspondence with objective psychophysiological measures. Yet, both measures uniquely discriminated between adolescents on whether they were clinic referred for a social anxiety screening. Further, adolescent self-reported social anxiety symptoms exhibited high levels of internal consistency and convergent validity. Findings indicate that researchers and practitioners should refrain from using disagreements between adolescent self-reports and other measures (e.g., parent report, objective measures) as indicators of the veracity of adolescent self-reports.     

Habit as moderator of the intention–physical activity relationship in older adults: a longitudinal study

This longitudinal study examined whether habit strength moderates the intention–physical activity (PA) relationship in older adults, within the framework of the attitude–social influences–efficacy (ASE) model and the theory of planned behaviour (TPB). A total of 1836 older adults (M _age?=?62.95?years, SD _age?=?8.17) completed a questionnaire on social cognitive constructs and PA habit strength at baseline, and six?months later a measure of PA. Three PA habit groups (i.e. low, medium and high) were composed, based on tertiles of the mean index score. Multi-group structural equation modelling analyses showed that intention significantly determined PA behaviour only in participants with a low or medium habit strength towards PA. This result suggests that PA is not intentional at high levels of habit strength and demonstrates the usefulness of incorporating habit in the ASE and TPB models. Results also showed that about half of the participants with a strong PA habit did not meet the recommended PA level. As strong habits may prevent intentional behavioural change and may hinder the receptiveness and openness for informational PA change strategies, additional intervention strategies, such as awareness raising and the use of implementation intentions, are needed for strongly habitual, but insufficiently active older adults.     

Humor styles impact the relationship between symptoms of social anxiety and depression

Recent research suggests that examining humor styles may contribute to our understanding of clinical problems, such as risk and resiliency. The goal of the current study was to examine whether humor styles moderate the association between social anxiety and depressive symptoms in an unselected sample. Three-hundred and six participants (66% female) at a large Southern US university completed self-report measures of humor styles and symptoms of social anxiety and depression. Regression analyses suggested that affiliative and self-defeating humor styles individually moderated the relationship between social anxiety and depressive symptoms. Clinical implications regarding the monitoring of humor use as a means of understanding the maintenance of depressive symptoms among socially anxious individuals are discussed.     

Individual,situational, and cultural correlates of acquiescent responding: Towards a unified conceptual framework

Acquiescence (‘yea-saying’) can seriously harm the validity of self-report questionnaire data. Towards a better understanding of why some individuals and groups acquiesce more strongly than others do, we developed a unified conceptual framework of acquiescent responding. Our framework posits that acquiescent responding is a joint function of respondent characteristics (e.g. age, education, values), situational/survey characteristics (e.g., interview privacy, respondents’ interest), and cultural characteristics (e.g., social norms, economic development). The framework posits two putative mechanisms through which these characteristics may relate to acquiescence: cognitive processing capacities and deferential communication styles. Multilevel analyses using data from 60 heterogeneous countries from the World Values Survey (N = 90,347) support our framework's proposition that acquiescence is a joint function of respondent, situational, and cultural characteristics. Acquiescence was higher among respondents who were older (over 55 years old), less educated, who valued deference (i.e., conformity and tradition), and, unexpectedly, were male. Interview privacy corresponded to lower acquiescence, but this association was small and vanished after including respondent characteristics. Unexpectedly, acquiescence was higher in interviewees who showed a stronger interest in the interview. Finally, acquiescence was considerably higher in countries with stronger social norms of deference. We discuss implications of these findings for the validity of research based on self-report data and delineate how our framework can guide future inquiries into acquiescent responding.