“I'm Not a Gadget”: A Grounded Theory on Unplugging

ABSTRACT

Technology has become a pervasive and indispensable part of our lives over the past few decades. Researchers have begun examining the impacts that technology has on individuals as well as on relationships. Although positive outcomes are associated with technology use, a concern about being always connected has motivated individuals to participate in periods of unplugging, with the goal to enhance individual well-being and relationships. Pervasive use of technology means today's therapist will work with clients impacted by the role technology plays in their lives and relationships. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impacts that “unplugging,” or disconnecting from certain types of technology or digital media, would have on individuals and their individual and interpersonal well-being. Using 29 publicly shared stories on blogs, websites, and news articles, the authors presents a theoretical model derived through grounded theory methodology. The theoretical model includes four thematic codes, taking the initial steps, realizing the dependence, regaining time and life, and re-plugging and evaluating the experience, which indicates a progressive process that individuals experience when choosing to unplug. The thematic codes, as well as domains comprising those codes, are presented in a visual format. Future research and clinical implications are discussed.     

Emotional eating and cognitive conflicts as predictors of binge eating disorder in patients with obesity

Background/Objectives: Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is often associated with obesity. In order to identify the variables that allow to better detect the presence of BED, people with overnutrition were compared with and without BED in the presence of cognitive conflicts, eating symptoms and anxious-depressive symptoms. The inclusion of cognitive conflicts had been relevant in bulimia studies but had not been investigated with respect to BED. Method: Two groups with obesity were evaluated, one without BED (OB, n = 54) and the other with BED (OB-BED, n = 48), using a social-demographic questionnaire as well as a semi-structured interview to assess BED, questionnaires (DASS-21, EDE-Q, EEQ) and the Repertory Grid Technique. Results: Overall, the OB-BED group presented more conflicts and more symptoms. The model that best differentiated between the groups included emotional eating and level of cognitive conflicts, correctly classifying 91.4% of the sample. Conclusion: These results highlight the role played by cognitive conflicts and emotional eating as differentiating elements between OB and OB-BED, with a high level of predictive accuracy.     

Commitment to Islam in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan: An Item Response Theory Analysis

Worthington conceptualized a model of religiosity assessment. The dimensions of the model include Religious Norms, Religious Doctrine, and Authority of Leaders. A 10-item scale for Islamic religious assessment was constructed and administered in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. First-order factor analysis conducted on the 10 items of the religiosity scale revealed factorial structure corresponding to Worthington’s model. A second-order factor analysis assured 1 underlying latent trait. Two-parameter logistic item response theory models were fit to responses collected in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Results supported psychometric soundness of the instrument. The items on the scale revealed excellent discrimination properties between the populations of high and low religious commitment. The study offers a short, practical scale for assessment of commitment to Islam in Central Asian countries.     

Development and Validation of the Couple Communication Satisfaction Scale

Abstract

The study presents the development and validation of a new Couples Communication Satisfaction Scale (CCSS). The CCSS observes each partner’s level of satisfaction with various aspects of their communication. An exploratory factor analysis revealed five factors that addressed their own communication presence, own emotional experience, their partner’s responsiveness, their partner’s contribution, and communication characteristics. A confirmatory factor analysis was also conducted to validate the five-factor structure. Findings revealed high levels of reliability in the sample and across genders. Measuring couple communication satisfaction may be helpful in providing a more complete picture of couple communication processes.