Effects of receptive listening on the congruence of speakers' response latencies in dialogues

The present study investigated the receptiveness of speakers toward conversational partners in dialogues by comparing duration of response latencies in both Compromise and Debate conditions. 12 dyads of speakers holding opposing opinions participated in a 15-min. dialogue. Six dyads in the Compromise condition reached a conclusion through discussion and consideration of the partner's opinion. The six dyads in the Debate condition imposed their opinion on the conversational partner. Analysis indicated that in compromise dialogues, the response latencies of the conversational partners become similar over the time course, while in debate diaogues, the response latency does not become similar, suggesting that speakers having a receptive attitude adjust their response latencies to match the partner's. The role of congruence of response latencies in dyadic communication was discussed.     

Locus of Control and Academic Engagement: Mediating Role of Religious Commitment

Earlier studies have shown that locus of control is related to academic processes and outcomes. However, the nature of the relationship between locus of control, religious commitment, and academic engagement is unclear. This study examined the mediating role of religious commitment in linking locus of control with academic engagement, as well as the engagement dimensions - vigour, dedication, and absorption. Four hundred and eight university students completed the Locus of Control Behaviour Scale, Religious Commitment Inventory and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale – Student version. Locus of control was found to be positively related to the outcome variables. Intrapersonal religious commitment was positively related to the outcome variables. Interpersonal religious commitment did not have a significant relationship with vigour and absorption but it was significantly related to dedication and the total scores of academic engagement. Structural equation modelling analyses indicated significant paths from locus of control to academic engagement through both intrapersonal religious commitment and interpersonal religious commitment. Locus of control and religious commitment are suggested to be relevant in programmes and interventions to enhance academic engagement.     

Does Posttraumatic Growth Buffer the Association Between Death Anxiety and Quality of Life Among People living with HIV/AIDS?

People living with HIV (PLWH) may experience death anxiety (DA), which can be detrimental to quality of life. Posttraumatic growth (PTG), however, is antithetical to DA, with its positive attributes at odds with negative psychosocial outcomes. Previous research has not examined the buffering effect of PTG on the association between DA and quality of life. Therefore, in addition to the direct effects of DA and PTG on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), we investigated the moderating role of PTG on the relationship between DA and HRQoL among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) in Nigeria. Using cross-sectional design and availability sampling method, we selected 201 outpatients (men, n?=?63, 31.3%, women, n?=?138, 68.7%, mean age?=?40.1, SD?=?10.5) managed for HIV/AIDS in a Nigerian tertiary healthcare institution. Death Anxiety Inventory-Revised, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory-Short Form, and Patient-Reported Outcome Quality of Life-HIV were used to access DA, PTG and HRQoL, respectively. Results showed that while adjusting for socio-demographic factors (age, gender, time since diagnosis and educational status), DA was associated with physical health, mental health and social relationships domains of HRQoL as well as overall HRQoL. In contrast, PTG did not evidence significant association with HRQoL dimensions and overall HRQoL. The moderation effect of PTG on the association between DA and HRQoL was not supported. Independent of PTG, alleviating DA may be an important target in terms of therapeutic intervention towards improving quality life of PLWH.

     

Age and burnout syndrome in nursing professionals: moderating role of emotion-focused coping

This study examined whether the association between age and the three burnout dimensions (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment) depend on the extent of nursing professionals’ use of emotion-focused coping strategy. Participants were 283 nurses (Mage = 35 years, SD = 8.17, Range = 23–66 years) from a tertiary healthcare institution in south-eastern Nigeria. They completed self-report measures of relevant variables in paper and pencil form. Increased age was associated with reduced personal accomplishment for nurses with high emotion-focused coping, but not for those who were low or moderate in use of emotion-focused coping. Such moderation effects were not found for emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Findings clarify the conditions under which age may be associated with reduced sense of achievement at work among nursing professionals. The study adds to knowledge in combating burnout in nursing and could guide health managers in developing strategies that might prevent or ameliorate nurses’ burnout.     

Processes of Social Influence on Sampling Behavior: The Effect of Other's Positive Attitude and Receiver's Prior Experience

Studies about attitude formation have pointed out the importance of sampling behavior. When thinking about actual social interaction scenes, it may be better to consider them as attitude-updating processes between those who have already formed attitudes based on some experience. Sixty-five participants took part in the experiment, in which the other's positive attitude and the participant's own prior experience were manipulated. After participants had been presented five types of puzzles (experience: direct vs. indirect), which had been made to improve analytic ability, their attitudes towards the puzzles were measured (“pre attitude”). They were shown the other's positive attitude (inconsistent vs. consistent), and they were given 10 min of free time before “testing on their analytic ability.” The amount of time spent on each puzzle was recorded to index sampling behavior and the attitudes towards the puzzles were measured after the free time (“post attitude”). The results of analyses showed that the other's positive attitude increased sampling behavior when the participant's attitude was positive (first-ranked) and negative (fifth-ranked), and that prior experience and sampling contributed to attitude change for the first-ranked puzzle. Those who had had direct experience and those who had spent more time sampling this puzzle tended to maintain their previous positive attitude. The potential boundary conditions of social influence on sampling behavior are discussed.     

Indigenizing counselling valuing the afterlife with the Igbo of south eastern Nigeria: a case for ino-uwa based intervention

This study examines prospects for the utilization of the concept of ino-uwa practised by the Igbo cultural-linguistic community of South Eastern Nigeria to understand and address counselling needs of a child and his family. Ino-uwa is the cultural familial scaffold that bridges the lifeworlds of ancestors and the living. In this case, a child with debilitating and unspecific general illness was cured with evocation of ino-uwa. The implications of this anecdote are important for authentic counselling practice in an African cultural heritage context.     

Test anxiety: contributions of gender,age, parent's occupation and self-esteem among secondary school students in Nigeria

Most of the previous studies on test anxiety have focused on students in higher institutions with little research on test anxiety in secondary school students. The present study examined the contributions of gender, age, parent's occupation and self-esteem on test anxiety among secondary school students. Participants were 281 students (males?=?156, females?=?125; mean age?=?17.05, SD?=?1.87) who were candidates for centralised, high-stakes examinations in two randomly selected secondary schools in Onitsha, Anambra state, Nigeria. Data were collected using questionnaires comprising the State Self-esteem Scale, the Test Anxiety Inventory and spaces for the provision of relevant socio-demographic information. Results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that age and gender did not significantly contribute to test anxiety. Parent's occupation explained 2% of the variance in test anxiety and self-esteem contributed 10% in explaining test anxiety. Based on the findings, personal predispositions explain test anxiety among school students more than do their demographics.     

Role of event centrality and emotion regulation in posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among internally displaced persons

Background: Event centrality and emotion regulation in relation to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been documented in various global samples especially in Western cultures; but internally displaced persons (IDPs) still constitute an underrepresented population in psychotraumatology literature. This study tested the roles of event centrality and emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in PTSD symptoms among IDPs in Nigeria.

Design: The multi-group cross-sectional design was adopted.

Methods: Tiv language versions of the Centrality of Events Scale, Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and Harvard Trauma Questionnaire were completed by 859 IDPs in two camps located in Benue State, North-central region of Nigeria.

Results: Hierarchical multiple linear regression results indicated that event centrality positively predicted PTSD symptoms. Cognitive reappraisal was a negative predictor of PTSD symptoms while expressive suppression was a positive predictor of PTSD symptoms. Bonferroni corrections indicated that expressive suppression was the strongest predictor of total PTSD symptoms, avoidance/numbing symptoms, and hyper-arousal symptoms; but event centrality was the most robust predictor of PTSD intrusion/re-experiencing symptoms.

Conclusion: The findings underscore recent developments in psychotraumatology indicating that the extent to which individual differences impact the development of PTSD is essential in clinical psychology research and practice.     

What to do? Upgrade!

The contents of what we transmit in colleges and universities as philosophic traditions need upgrading. But so do the methods of transmission.