Attitudes and Attitude Change

Examining drivers of NFT purchase intention: The impact of perceived scarcity and risk

The emergence of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has elicited both excitement and apprehension among consumers, who find themselves influenced by the perceived scarcity and the perceived risks surrounding these novel digital assets. This study investigates the factors influencing consumer adoption of NFTs by integrating the concepts of perceived scarcity and perceived risks within the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Employing structural equation modeling, the research evaluates the impact of perceived scarcity, perceived ease of use, attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and perceived risk on NFT purchase intentions. The findings reveal that perceived scarcity and perceived ease of use significantly positively affect consumers' intentions to purchase NFTs. Conversely, perceived risk exerts a negative effect on purchase intentions. Additionally, the study demonstrates that attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control positively affect NFT purchase intentions. This study provides a behavioral roadmap for navigating the complex love-hate relationship consumers have with NFTs, shedding light on the factors that motivate individuals to embrace or avoid these digital collectibles.

Beliefs, mindset and personality of farm managers working in large commercial dairy herds: Association with calf on-farm mortality

This study aimed to describe the attitudes and personalities of farm managers (FMs) in large Estonian dairy herds and analyse the potential associations with calf mortality. The study included FMs from 114 free-stall farms with at least 100 cows. Each participant completed a questionnaire that comprised questions about the respondent and various statements to reveal their attitudes towards calves, calf mortality, and farming in general. A 7-point Likert scale was used to record the responses. The data on the number of live births and deaths and animal movement data were gathered from farm records and the Estonian Agricultural Registers and Information Board. The yearly calf mortality risk (%) during the first 21 days (YAG) and mortality rate between 22-90 days of age (OAG) adjusted for the animal time-at-risk were then calculated for each herd. Univariate negative binomial regression analysis was used to identify associations between calf mortality risk/rate, and the studied statements and variables with a p-value < 0.25 were included in a k-modes clustering analysis. The mean calf mortality risk was determined to be 5.9 % (range 0.0-26.8 %) during the first 21 days and mean calf mortality rate was 1.8 (range 0.0-9.2) deaths per 100 calf-months during 22-90 days of age. In both age group analyses, two FMs´ clusters formed based on 17 pre-selected statements. The FMs of the high-mortality cluster were found to be dissatisfied with the calf mortality levels. In the YAG analysis, FMs from high-mortality cluster gave lower priority to the issue of calf mortality, placed high importance on the influence of workers on calf mortality, and were more satisfied with the staff's performance compared to FMs of the cluster of herds with lower calf mortality. They were additionally less satisfied with their own performance and felt less recognized by the farm staff. They were also more inclined to try new products and practices on the farm and demonstrated greater empathy towards cattle. In the OAG analysis, the FMs from the higher-mortality cluster viewed reducing calf mortality more costly, had a less ambitious and target-driven management style, and rated their self-performance lower. This study determined that FMs working in herds with high calf mortality were dissatisfied and did not prioritize addressing calf mortality compared to managers working in farms with lower calf mortality. FMs' attitudes and management styles were associated with calf mortality, while the respondents' personality traits had little influence.

Measurement of social norms for entertainment-education

BACKGROUND

While there has been a marked increase in measurement and scholarship surrounding social norms in recent years, there is little evidence related to social norms measurement in the context of health campaigns utilizing entertainment-education. Entertainment-education goals and objectives have shifted over time to include social norms and an update is needed to merge contemporary practice with the most recent measures from the literature. The aim of the present study was to analyze commonly used quantitative measures and their properties for social norms and entertainment-education, specifically on the topic of family planning, to bolster ongoing research and practice efforts by validating items for social norms measurement in entertainment-education programs.

METHODS

The study used data from a survey conducted with 438 married women aged 19-34 in the Central Province of Zambia in 2019 who were exposed to the entertainment-education initiative Kwishilya (Over the Horizon), a Bemba-language, 156-episode radio program designed to shift social norms on family planning. Multiple items were included to measure descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and outcome expectations. Exploratory factor analysis and estimates of scale reliability were conducted to understand the properties and structure of the social norms items.

RESULTS

Results showed a five-factor solution best fit the data, which accounted for 45.7% of the variance, exhibited fair reliability, and loaded largely as expected.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides a useful tool for practitioners and scholars to use globally to measure important social norms constructs in entertainment-education.

The mediating role of nurses' attitude towards reporting child abuse and neglect

PURPOSE

Attitudes towards reporting child abuse and neglect play a significant role in determining the tendency to report abuse and neglect. In addition, Cognitive Response Theory (Shen, 2020) suggests that individuals actively process messages by producing pro and/or counter arguments referred to as "Gain - loss thoughts". However, literature positioning the variable, attitudes towards reporting, as a mediator, as well as its importance, are limited. The purpose of the study was to investigate the mediating effect of pediatric nurses' attitudes between "gain-loss thoughts" and the tendency to report child abuse and neglect.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study examined 124 pediatric nurses working in central Israel's hospital departments concerning nurses' tendency to report (tendency to report = TTR), attitudes towards reporting, and "gain-loss thoughts" (positive and negative consequences for the child).

RESULTS

Most of the nurses had professional experience of 11 years or more (n = 75; 62.5%). According to the findings, nurses' attitudes towards reporting mediate the effect of gain-loss on the TTR child abuse and neglect.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings from this study contributed to our understanding of the importance of pediatric nurses' attitudes in determining the TTR abuse and neglect. Only nurses' positive attitudes towards reporting child abuse had a mediating effect on TTR.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Understanding the importance of attitudes and gain-loss thoughts can serve as a strategy for training programs and in the assimilation of reporting obligations by health professionals in general and nurses in particular.

Developmental Trajectories Leading to Hostility Toward Women: A Structural Equation Modeling Study

Hostility toward women is frequently examined as a risk factor for violence against women, but research on its antecedents is sparse. The aim of this study was to explore the developmental and psychological antecedents associated with hostility toward women in a Canadian sample of sexual aggressors of women. Drawing on Malamuth's confluence model of sexual aggression, we developed a multifactorial model of hostility toward women, using structural equation modeling. The results indicate the presence of three trajectories, all starting from childhood victimization and leading to hostility toward women, involving antisocial characteristics, emotional negativity, anxiety, and depression.

Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism in the war-affected migrant and refugee communities in Austria and Germany: a survey-based study on language attitudes

Introduction

This paper provides an initial exploration of Ukrainian-Russian bilingualism in the context of the war-affected migration from Ukraine to Austria and Germany. While extensive research exists on various aspects of Ukrainian- Russian bilingualism in relation to Ukraine itself, thus far no studies have been conducted on this bilingualism in the diasporic context, i.e., as a language of the first and subsequential generations with a migrant background in Austria and Germany.

Methods

To address this research gap, our paper examines the language attitudes of two respondent groups with a Ukrainian background in the two countries: migrants and refugees who left Ukraine after 2014 and those who left after Russia's invasion in February 2022. In the framework of a sociolinguistic survey, we describe their current attitudes regarding the use of Ukrainian and Russian, among others, in relation to the actual and intended use of the language(s) in the multilingual context of migration. The survey eliciting information on demographic information, language proficiency, language attitudes and language use was conducted on 406 Ukrainians in two host countries (Austria: n = 103; Germany: n = 306). First, we compared self-rated proficiency in Ukrainian and Russian as well as attitudes and use of these languages. Second, we applied a network modelling analysis to determine the nature of relationships between these variables.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that proficiency in Ukrainian and in Russian were the strongest nodes in the model affecting language use and language attitudes toward the respective languages. Our data analysis focused on the pragmatic and symbolic value of Russian and Ukrainian playing a crucial role in the language vitality in multilingual settings. The paper discusses the imbalanced correlation of the symbolic and pragmatic value of Ukrainian and Russian in the diasporic Ukrainian communities. While Ukrainian has gained a higher symbolic status, Russian maintains a better pragmatic one, despite its negative symbolic status. However, we anticipate that the increasing symbolic value of Ukrainian and the diminishing value of Russian will lead to an increase in the use of Ukrainian also in Russian-dominant bilingual groups of Ukrainian migrants and refugees, even as an insider-code in hermetic minority groups.

The relationship between attitude toward physical activity and weight gain in children and young adolescence

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between attitudes toward physical activity and weight gain among children and young adolescents with an additional focus on the impact of gender on these attitudes.

Methods

Employing a descriptive survey method, data were systematically gathered via purposive sampling from 11 specific cities in Türkiye, ensuring representation from all seven regions. A total of 3,138 students, aged between 9 and 14 years, participated in this study, with a distribution of 46% girls and 54% boys. To assess the attitudes of children and young adolescents toward physical activity, the Youth Physical Activity Attitude Scale was utilized. Height and body weight measurements were taken to determine the body mass index of participants. SPSS 26.0 software facilitated the statistical analyses, including Pearson correlation analysis to explore relationships between variables. Multivariate Analysis of Variance was employed to evaluate the impact of age, BMI, and gender on attitudes toward physical activity.

Results

Participants classified as normal weight exhibited a more positive attitude towards physical activity compared to their obese and overweight counterparts. Moreover, a significant gender difference emerged, with boys demonstrating significantly higher positive attitudes toward physical activity than girls. However, no significant difference was observed in negative attitudes based on gender. The study also revealed that an escalation in negative attitudes towards physical activity correlated with students being categorized as underweight, overweight, or obese, as opposed to having a normal weight status. Additionally, a statistically significant divergence in both positive and negative attitudes towards physical activity was found based on age. Specifically, the results indicated that students aged 9 and 14 exhibited lower levels of positive attitude when contrasted with their counterparts of different age groups. Conversely, in the domain of negative attitudes, students at the age of 9 scored higher than their peers in other age categories.

Discussion

Attitudes towards physical activity can serve as a convenient indicator and guide for assessing the effectiveness of various practices or interventions aimed at promoting physical activity, with recognition of the significant gender difference in positive attitudes among children and young adolescents.

Modelling social norms: an integration of the norm-utility approach with beliefs dynamics

We review theoretical approaches for modelling the origin, persistence and change of social norms. The most comprehensive models describe the coevolution of behaviours, personal, descriptive and injunctive norms while considering influences of various authorities and accounting for cognitive processes and between-individual differences. Models show that social norms can improve individual and group well-being. Under some conditions though, deleterious norms can persist in the population through conformity, preference falsification and pluralistic ignorance. Polarization in behaviour and beliefs can be maintained, even when societal advantages of particular behaviours or belief systems over alternatives are clear. Attempts to change social norms can backfire through cognitive processes including cognitive dissonance and psychological reactance. Under some conditions social norms can change rapidly via tipping point dynamics. Norms can be highly susceptible to manipulation, and network structure influences their propagation. Future models should incorporate network structure more thoroughly, explicitly study online norms, consider cultural variations and be applied to real-world processes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Social norm change: drivers and consequences'.

Combating ageism in medical education with narrative medicine

Ageism is common in medical trainees and difficult to overcome. The My Life, My Story program has been shown to be an effective tool for increasing empathy. We explored its use as an instrument for combating ageism by implementing it in a Geriatrics clerkship for fourth year medical students. During our evaluation, 151 students interviewed patients about their lives using a semi-structured question guide. Students completed the UCLA Geriatrics Attitudes Scale and the Expectations Regarding Aging Survey pre-and post-clerkship. We also facilitated 9 student debriefs and 5 faculty interviews. After completing My Life, My Story, students were more likely to disagree with "I would rather see younger patients than elderly ones" and "it's normal to be depressed when you are old". In qualitative analysis of the debriefs, we identified a key summative theme: "impact of the intervention on care teams". Within that, we describe three subthemes: an awareness of richness of the lives led by older people, their current value to society, and the social determinants of health they have faced. After participating in My Life, My Story, students' attitudes toward aging changed. A narrative medicine program using life stories can be a practical tool for addressing ageist stereotypes.

Effective health communication depends on the interaction of message source and content: two experiments on adherence to COVID-19 measures in Türkiye

OBJECTIVE

Following the COVID-19 outbreak, authorities recommended preventive measures to reduce infection rates. However, adherence to calls varied between individuals and across cultures. To determine the characteristics of effective health communication, we investigated three key features: message source, content, and audience.

METHODS

Using a pre-test and two experiments, we tested how message content (emphasizing personal or social benefit), audience (individual differences), message source (scientists or state officials), and their interaction influence adherence to preventive measures. Using fliers advocating preventive measures, Experiment 1 investigated the effects of message content and examined the moderator role of individual differences. Experiment 2 presented the messages using news articles and manipulated sources.

RESULTS

Study 1 found decreasing adherence over time, with no significant impact from message content or individual differences. Study 2 found messages emphasizing 'protect yourself' and 'protect your country' to increase intentions for adherence to preventive measures. It also revealed an interaction between message source and content whereby messages emphasizing personal benefit were more effective when they came from healthcare professionals than from state officials. However, message source and content did not affect vaccination intentions or donations for vaccine research.

CONCLUSION

Effective health communication requires simultaneous consideration of message source and content.

Sex education through the lifespan: a pilot intervention for older adults in changing attitudes and comfort with sexuality

Researchers conducted a four-week pilot sexual health education intervention to investigate changes among older adults' attitudes about and comfort with sexuality. Six adults between the ages of 74-83 participated in a pilot intervention on sexual health and were administered a pretest and posttest on comfort with and attitudes about sexuality. The intervention included information on personal history of sexuality, sex education, masturbation, sexuality and bodily change in older adulthood, safe sex, healthy relationships, and talking to health care providers. Descriptive statistics for average responses in the pretest and posttest before and after the intervention were used to highlight differences among the participants. Implications for gerontologists, geriatric providers, and education and research regarding older adults are shared.

Nurses' intention to care for patients with infectious disease: a content analysis study

OBJECTIVE

This present study was designed to explain the concept of nurses intention to care of patients with infectious diseases.

METHODS

This study is a deductive content analysis study that was performed from May 2022 to Jun 2022 in three hospitals in Iran. In total 21 nurses were chosen by purposive sampling and for deta collection used semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was done using Elo and Kingas method.

RESULTS

This study have revealed the formation of seven distinct themes, namely Job satisfaction, Professional ethics, Personal values, Standard precautions, Preserving health, Support, and Attitude of patients and their families. These themes are comprised of 17 categories and 59 subcategories.

CONCLUSION

By comprehending the dimensions of nurses' intentions to care for patients with infectious diseases, it is possible to develop suitable planning and strategies to meet the healthcare requirements of such patients. Managers can take action by examining the issues and demands of nurses, and by providing job security, they can establish a Healthcare service systems with high security that can effectively respond during an outbreak of infectious diseases. Additionally, Nursing managers can prevent nurses from leaving their jobs by taking appropriate intervention, increasing their motivation, and enhancing their satisfaction.

Breastfeeding training improved healthcare professional's self-efficacy to provide evidence-based breastfeeding support: A pre-post intervention study

OBJECTIVE

To describe healthcare professional's (HCP's) perceived self-efficacy in their ability to provide breastfeeding support before and after a breastfeeding training program.

DESIGN

Pre-post intervention study.

SETTING

Antenatal care and child healthcare (CHC) centres in Sweden during 2020.

PARTICIPANTS

An intervention group consisting of 39 HCPs (midwives 51.3%, child healthcare nurses 46.2%) completing a questionnaire at baseline and after intervention, and a control group of 34 HCPs (midwives 61.8%, child healthcare nurses 38.2%) completing a questionnaire at baseline.

INTERVENTION

A breastfeeding training program in line with the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and WHO recommendations about breastfeeding.

MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS

The 11-item Breastfeeding Support Confidence Scale (BSCS) measures HCP's self-efficacy regarding providing breastfeeding support in line with Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding and WHO recommendations. The intervention group experienced a significantly increased self-efficacy from pre-intervention to post-intervention for 8 of the 11 BSCS items, with the overall BSCS index score increasing from 36.87 to 39.56 points (p = 0.001). The index score in the intervention group at follow-up was significantly higher than the corresponding score in the control group at baseline (p = 0.025). The intervention group had significantly higher scores at follow-up than the control group at baseline on the questions: "I'm sure that I can help mothers continue to breastfeed even if the infant doesn't follow the growth curve" (p = 0.026) and "I'm sure that I can help mothers continue to breastfeed when the breastfeeding is painful" (p = 0.048).

KEY CONCLUSIONS

The breastfeeding training program improved HCP' self-efficacy to provide evidence-based support to breastfeeding mothers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This training program is well suited to implement in clinical practice and follows the Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ACTRN12623000648628.

Mental health, gender, and higher education attainment

We compared the mental health of higher education students with that of nonstudents. Moreover, we examined whether the mental health of students predicts their probability of obtaining a higher education degree, and whether the extent to which mental health affects educational attainment varies by gender. Drawing on a risk and resilience framework, we considered five facets of mental health that may be implicated in distinct ways in the educational attainment process: positive attitude towards life, self-esteem, self-efficacy, negative affectivity, and perceived stress. We used data from a nationally representative panel study from Switzerland (Nstudents = 2070, 42.8% male; Nnonstudents = 3755, 45.9% male). The findings suggest that overall, the mental health of higher education students was relatively similar to that of nonstudents, although students exhibited slightly higher self-esteem, slightly weaker self-efficacy, greater negative affectivity, and higher levels of perceived stress. The effects of different facets of mental health on higher education degree attainment were mostly statistically and/or practically insignificant. However, positive attitudes towards life had a substantial positive effect on the probability of being awarded a higher education degree. Mental health was equally important for male and female students' educational attainment.

Supplementary Information

The online version of this article (10.1007/s11618-023-01187-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

People's perception of changes in their abortion attitudes over the life course: A mixed methods approach

Research examining the extent that people's attitudes toward abortion vary across the life course is mixed. Some studies do not show a strong relationship between abortion attitudes and life stage, while others do find strong associations in both directions-older age associated with both more and less favorable attitudes toward legal abortion. Taken together, these findings suggest that individual attitudes toward abortion are static for some but malleable for others. Little is known about the prevalence, reasons, and directionality of attitude changes. This explanatory sequential mixed methods study investigates people's perceptions of whether, how, why, and for whom their abortion attitudes may have changed over their life course. We qualitatively investigated the reasons (e.g., experiences, life events) that triggered changes in respondents' abortion attitudes and quantitatively explored the sociodemographic factors associated with the perceived direction of those changes. The quantitative data come from a 2020 online survey completed by 1501 English and Spanish-speaking adults in the US. Qualitative data were collected from a subsample (n = 24) of the survey respondents who indicated interest in a follow-up in-depth interview. Our findings indicate that access to information and knowledge played an important role in changing abortion attitudes across a spectrum of support or opposition. For those who indicated becoming more opposed to abortion over time, experiencing parenthood was an important trigger for change and family/religious upbringing were key to shaping attitudes. For those who became more supportive of abortion over time, empathy for women was an important trigger for change and disagreeing with or distancing oneself from family/religious upbringing were key to shaping their attitudes. If attitudinal change occurs, becoming more supportive of abortion over the life-course is more common than becoming more opposed, however there are some nuances across age and gender. Understanding the different factors that influence attitudinal change regarding abortion has important implications for public opinion research and possible ramifications for abortion legality.

Effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity: a scoping review

BACKGROUND

Chronic ultimorbidity is the most frequent and serious health problem in older adults. Home visiting programmes could be a strategy with potential benefits. However, there are no scoping reviews to date that examine the effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effects of home visiting programmes on community-dwelling older adults with chronic multimorbidity.

METHODS

A scoping review was carried out following PRISMA-ScR reporting guidelines. The search was conducted in six databases (PubMed/Medline, Cochrane, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE) between October 2021 and April 2022.

RESULTS

Four RCTs with 560 patients were included. The visits were carried out by nurses, nursing students, volunteers, and other healthcare professionals. The interventions varied in the number of visits, frequency, duration of follow-up, and whether or not they were combined with other strategies such as telephone calls. Discrepancies were found in the effects of the interventions on quality of life, self-efficacy, self-rated health, and use and cost of health and social services.

CONCLUSION

This review shows that home visiting programmes could have potential benefits for older adults with chronic multimorbidity. However, its results have been inconclusive. There is a need for high quality studies involving a larger number of patients, in which home visits are the main intervention.

Topics in Antivax and Provax Discourse: Yearlong Synoptic Study of COVID-19 Vaccine Tweets

BACKGROUND

Developing an understanding of the public discourse on COVID-19 vaccination on social media is important not only for addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic but also for future pathogen outbreaks. There are various research efforts in this domain, although, a need still exists for a comprehensive topic-wise analysis of tweets in favor of and against COVID-19 vaccines.

OBJECTIVE

This study characterizes the discussion points in favor of and against COVID-19 vaccines posted on Twitter during the first year of the pandemic. The aim of this study was primarily to contrast the views expressed by both camps, their respective activity patterns, and their correlation with vaccine-related events. A further aim was to gauge the genuineness of the concerns expressed in antivax tweets.

METHODS

We examined a Twitter data set containing 75 million English tweets discussing the COVID-19 vaccination from March 2020 to March 2021. We trained a stance detection algorithm using natural language processing techniques to classify tweets as antivax or provax and examined the main topics of discourse using topic modeling techniques.

RESULTS

Provax tweets (37 million) far outnumbered antivax tweets (10 million) and focused mostly on vaccine development, whereas antivax tweets covered a wide range of topics, including opposition to vaccine mandate and concerns about safety. Although some antivax tweets included genuine concerns, there was a large amount of falsehood. Both stances discussed many of the same topics from opposite viewpoints. Memes and jokes were among the most retweeted messages. Most tweets from both stances (9,007,481/10,566,679, 85.24% antivax and 24,463,708/37,044,507, 66.03% provax tweets) came from dual-stance users who posted both provax and antivax tweets during the observation period.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is a comprehensive account of COVID-19 vaccine discourse in the English language on Twitter from March 2020 to March 2021. The broad range of discussion points covered almost the entire conversation, and their temporal dynamics revealed a significant correlation with COVID-19 vaccine-related events. We did not find any evidence of polarization and prevalence of antivax discourse over Twitter. However, targeted countering of falsehoods is important because only a small fraction of antivax discourse touched on a genuine issue. Future research should examine the role of memes and humor in driving web-based social media activity.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of medication therapy management: a national survey among pharmacists in Indonesia

Introduction

The use of medication therapy management (MTM) is a proven method for reducing medication errors. MTM services rely heavily on pharmacists as service providers, particularly in community health centers (CHCs). Thus, understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of MTM among pharmacists in CHCs is crucial to the strategy for the implementation of MTM program in Indonesia. This study aimed to assess the level of KAP regarding MTM among pharmacists working at CHCs and its associated factors and investigate pharmacists' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of MTM provision in the future.

Methods

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted. The respondents were pharmacists working at CHCs in 28 provinces in Indonesia. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the responses. Demographic differences were determined using Chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests, and associations were identified using multivariable ordinal regression for knowledge and multivariable logistic regression for attitude and practice. Barriers and facilitators were determined from codes and categories of frequency derived from pharmacists' responses to the open-ended questions.

Results

Of the 1,132 pharmacists, 74.9% had a high level of knowledge, 53.6% had a positive attitude, and 57.9% had a positive practice toward MTM. Gender, practice settings, province of CHCs, years of practice, and experience in MTM services were factors associated with the KAP level. Respondents perceived that the chronic disease conditions in Indonesia, MTM service features, and current practices were facilitators of MTM provision. The lack of interprofessional collaboration, staff, pharmacist knowledge, patient cooperation, facilities/drug supply/documentation systems, stakeholder support, and patient compliance were the most common barriers to MTM implementation in the future.

Conclusion

Most of the pharmacists had high knowledge of MTM; however, only half had positive attitudes and practices toward MTM. Information about factors associated with the KAP level suggests that direct involvement is essential to improve pharmacists' understanding and view of MTM. Pharmacists also perceived barriers to the MTM provision in the future, such as interprofessional and pharmacist-patient relationships. A training program is needed to improve the KAP of MTM and develop skills for collaborating with other healthcare professionals and communicating with patients.

The effects of executive coaching on behaviors, attitudes, and personal characteristics: a meta-analysis of randomized control trial studies

Background

A growing number of studies emphasize executive coaching as an effective developmental tool that managers can use to increase their performance in organizational settings. However, the coaching research suggests a large variety of processes and outcomes, lacking clarity on the primary psychological dimensions most impacted.

Method

Reviewing 20 studies with a rigorous methodological design that used control trials and pre-post tests, we evaluated and compared the relative effects of coaching on different types and sub-types of outcomes by means of a classification of coaching outcomes based on previously used taxonomies.

Results

The results indicate that the impact of coaching on behavioral outcomes was higher compared to attitudes and person characteristics outcomes, suggesting that behavioral coaching outcomes, especially cognitive behavioral activities, are the most impacted by executive coaching. Moreover, we found significant positive effects for some specific outcomes, such as self-efficacy, psychological capital, and resilience, indicating that executive coaching is effective in producing change even on dimensions considered relatively stable over time. The results show no moderation effects of the number of sessions. The length of the coaching program was a significant moderator only for the attitudes outcomes.

Discussion

These findings provide evidence that executive coaching is a powerful instrument for organizations to support positive change and personal development.

Examining Twitter-Derived Negative Racial Sentiment as Indicators of Cultural Racism: Observational Associations With Preterm Birth and Low Birth Weight Among a Multiracial Sample of Mothers, 2011-2021

BACKGROUND

Large racial and ethnic disparities in adverse birth outcomes persist. Increasing evidence points to the potential role of racism in creating and perpetuating these disparities. Valid measures of area-level racial attitudes and bias remain elusive, but capture an important and underexplored form of racism that may help explain these disparities. Cultural values and attitudes expressed through social media reflect and shape public norms and subsequent behaviors. Few studies have quantified attitudes toward different racial groups using social media with the aim of examining associations with birth outcomes.

OBJECTIVE

We used Twitter data to measure state-level racial sentiments and investigate associations with preterm birth (PTB) and low birth weight (LBW) in a multiracial or ethnic sample of mothers in the United States.

METHODS

A random 1% sample of publicly available tweets from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2021, was collected using Twitter's Academic Application Programming Interface (N=56,400,097). Analyses were on English-language tweets from the United States that used one or more race-related keywords. We assessed the sentiment of each tweet using support vector machine, a supervised machine learning model. We used 5-fold cross-validation to assess model performance and achieved high accuracy for negative sentiment classification (91%) and a high F1 score (84%). For each year, the state-level racial sentiment was merged with birth data during that year (~3 million births per year). We estimated incidence ratios for LBW and PTB using log binomial regression models, among all mothers, Black mothers, racially minoritized mothers (Asian, Black, or Latina mothers), and White mothers. Models were controlled for individual-level maternal characteristics and state-level demographics.

RESULTS

Mothers living in states in the highest tertile of negative racial sentiment for tweets referencing racial and ethnic minoritized groups had an 8% higher (95% CI 3%-13%) incidence of LBW and 5% higher (95% CI 0%-11%) incidence of PTB compared to mothers living in the lowest tertile. Negative racial sentiment referencing racially minoritized groups was associated with adverse birth outcomes in the total population, among minoritized mothers, and White mothers. Black mothers living in states in the highest tertile of negative Black sentiment had 6% (95% CI 1%-11%) and 7% (95% CI 2%-13%) higher incidence of LBW and PTB, respectively, compared to mothers living in the lowest tertile. Negative Latinx sentiment was associated with a 6% (95% CI 1%-11%) and 3% (95% CI 0%-6%) higher incidence of LBW and PTB among Latina mothers, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Twitter-derived negative state-level racial sentiment toward racially minoritized groups was associated with a higher risk of adverse birth outcomes among the total population and racially minoritized groups. Policies and supports establishing an inclusive environment accepting of all races and cultures may decrease the overall risk of adverse birth outcomes and reduce racial birth outcome disparities.

The Influence of Medicine Approaches on Patient Trust, Satisfaction, and Loyalty

The increase in traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) methods has revealed the necessity of determining relevant behavioral tendencies among healthcare users. In our study, the evaluation of TCM approaches of healthcare users living in North Cyprus in terms of treatment effectiveness, patient trust and patient satisfaction, and the effects of these variables on patient loyalty, were investigated. Data were collected utilizing the scale approach as well as the survey technique in order to measure the variables in the study. A total of 452 participants completed the survey. TCM has a positive effect on treatment effectiveness, patient trust and patient satisfaction. Patient trust and patient satisfaction have a positive effect on patient loyalty, whereas treatment effectiveness did not have a significant effect on patient loyalty. There is a significant and positive mediating effect of patient trust and patient satisfaction between TCM and patient loyalty. However, the mediating effect of treatment effectiveness is not significant between TCM and patient loyalty. This study will help researchers and practitioners understand the importance of attitude, trust, effectiveness, satisfaction and loyalty in relation to TCM. It is suggested that studies that measure the behaviors of patients should increase in order to obtain better health outcomes.

Expectations Regarding Gastein Healing Gallery Treatment and Their Connection to Health-Related Quality of Life

The present study examines connections between patient expectations and health-related quality of life. We explore a key distinction between expectations about general health and expectations for functional improvement. Patients were 1444 individuals with multiple conditions experiencing chronic pain who were seeking treatment at the Gastein Healing Gallery in Böckstein, near Bad Gastein, Austria. In addition to measures of expectations, patients completed measures of pain, mental and physical health, life satisfaction, fatigue, and sleep problems. Structural equation models were used to fit a latent variable model where both expectation variables were used to predict health-related quality of life. Results showed that expectations regarding potential functional improvement resulting from treatments at the Gastein Healing Gallery were associated with improved health-related quality of life. Expectations about general health improvements related to treatment were not associated with health-related quality of life. To facilitate optimal healing, clinicians may decide to emphasize expectations about functional recovery when discussing treatment methods similar to those offered at the Gastein Healing Gallery, and in so doing, health-related quality of life may benefit.

Artificial Intelligence and Groups: Effects of Attitudes and Discretion on Collaboration

We theorize about human-team collaboration with AI by drawing upon research in groups and teams, social psychology, information systems, engineering, and beyond. Based on our review, we focus on two main issues in the teams and AI arena. The first is whether the team generally views AI positively or negatively. The second is whether the decision to use AI is left up to the team members (voluntary use of AI) or mandated by top management or other policy-setters in the organization. These two aspects guide our creation of a team-level conceptual framework modeling how AI introduced as a mandated addition to the team can have asymmetric effects on collaboration level depending on the team’s attitudes about AI. When AI is viewed positively by the team, the effect of mandatory use suppresses collaboration in the team. But when a team has negative attitudes toward AI, mandatory use elevates team collaboration. Our model emphasizes the need for managing team attitudes and discretion strategies and promoting new research directions regarding AI’s implications for teamwork.

Coproducing leadership: a reason to resist destructive leaders

Purpose

Follower's individual differences have been receiving increased attention in studying destructive leadership because followers may enable or disable it. One of these yet under-researched features is the role of followers' leadership coproduction beliefs (a role construal) in explaining their resistance to destructive leaders. Departing from the proactive motivation theory, this paper explores the robustness of coproduction beliefs by testing its ability to predict followers' resistance to destructive leaders across four situations – abusive supervision, exploitative leadership, organization directed behaviors and laissez-faire.

Design/methodology/approach

With a sample of 359 participants that answered a scenario-based survey, the present study tests the relationship between coproduction beliefs and resistance behaviors in the four mentioned groups, while controlling for alternative explanations. A multigroup analysis was conducted with PLS-SEM.

Findings

Constructive resistance is always favored by coproduction beliefs independently of the leader's type of destructive behavior. Dysfunctional resistance, however, is sensitive to the leader's type of destructive behavior.

Originality/value

This paper extends knowledge on the role of coproduction beliefs as an individual-based resource against destructive leaders.

Attitudes Toward Engagement in Citizen Science Increase Self-Related, Ecology-Related, and Motivation-Related Outcomes in an Urban Wildlife Project

Citizen science projects are crucial for engaging citizens in conservation efforts. Although attitudes toward engagement in citizen science were mostly considered an outcome of citizen science participation, citizens may also have a certain attitude toward engagement in citizen science when starting with a citizen science project. Moreover, there is a lack of citizen science studies that consider changes over longer periods of time. Therefore, in this research, we present two-wave data from four field studies of a citizen science project about urban wildlife ecology using cross-lagged panel analyses. We investigated the influence of attitudes toward engagement in citizen science on self-related, ecology-related, and motivation-related outcomes. We found that positive attitudes toward engagement in citizen science at the beginning of the project had positive influences on the participants' psychological ownership and pride in their participation, their attitudes toward and enthusiasm about wildlife, and their internal and external motivation 2 months later. We discuss the implications for citizen science research and practice.

The influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors on e-WOM behaviour: The role of psychological impact during the time of COVID-19 crisis

This investigation unearths the trait antecedents of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational drivers and their consequences on attitude towards e-WOM of social mobile app users. Additionally, this study attempts to explore the moderating role of psychological impact on attitude towards e-WOM when COVID-19 is ravaging the world. Following the descriptive research method, the survey was carried out among convenience sample respondents of 627 social mobile app users. The outcome brought out that extraversion had a favourable influence on opinion leadership, customer engagement, and self-expression for sharing consumption related information during the pandemic. Likewise, materialism also had a strong effect on self-expression. Nonetheless, extraversion and materialism failed to affect self-presentation motives. And, self-presentation was observed influencing attitude towards e-WOM negatively. The outcome of the study demonstrates that individuals with high psychological impact have a strong motivation to involve in customer engagement to participate in e-WOM communication. Motivational drivers such as self-expression, opinion leadership, and customer engagement had a significant effect on attitude towards e-WOM for the whole sample analysis. This investigation contributes to existing literature of e-WOM behaviour and widens the scope of self-presentation theory, social exchange theory, theory of planned behaviour etc. Finally, this research also assists marketers and practitioners to take better decision-making on developing a social media advertising and campaign using the framework.

A single exposure to cancer misinformation may not significantly affect related behavioural intentions

Background: In recent years, rates of online cancer misinformation have grown, with many concerned that this could lead patients to alter their daily behaviours or forego conventional treatment. However, no published study has investigated whether exposure to cancer misinformation can affect health behaviours or behavioural intentions. Method: In this preregistered study, participants (N = 774) were exposed to cancer misinformation in the form of news stories before rating their intentions to engage in related behaviours. Each participant was randomly presented with two of four possible false cancer headlines such as “Drinking fluoridated water shown to increase cancer risk by a factor of 3”, before rating their intentions to engage in certain behaviours (such as avoiding fluoridated water). Participants were also randomly assigned to either an accuracy-nudge intervention intended to reduce susceptibility to misinformation or a control condition with no intervention. Results: Viewing the fake cancer headlines did not significantly affect participants’ behavioural intentions – e.g., those who saw the headline regarding fluoridated water were not more likely to report intentions to reduce their fluoridated water intake. The accuracy-nudge intervention did not affect behavioural intentions. Conclusion: Although cancer misinformation is considered a threat to public health, we conclude that once-off exposures to cancer misinformation may not be sufficient to significantly alter behavioural intentions. We note that claims about the effects of cancer misinformation on behaviour have not been adequately researched and we therefore call for more research into the behavioural effects of cancer misinformation exposure, particularly repeated exposure or information passed from trusted sources.

Mental health nurses' measured attitudes to people and practice: Systematic review of UK empirical research 2000-2019

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Many studies have investigated the attitudes of mental health nurses towards a range of targets. These targets are person-oriented (for example groups of people with a similar mental health diagnosis) or practice-oriented (for example practices such as seclusion or restraint). It is thought that attitudes contribute to the practice of mental health nurses because research suggests attitudes have a role in shaping behaviour. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: To date, research about mental health nurses' attitudes has examined different attitudes in isolation from one another. By demonstrating a lack of connectedness across studies this paper highlights the need for new theory-informed approaches to attitudinal research. By standardizing measurements across different studies this review demonstrates that the most negatively appraised attitudinal targets-indicated by large proportions of respondents who appraise negatively-concern people with diagnoses of borderline personality disorder, substance misuse, and acute mental health presentations. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Significant numbers of mental health nurses may have attitudes, especially towards people with borderline personality diagnoses and those who misuse substances, that may not be concordant with good practice. There is insufficient evidence about what the actual implications this has for practice because the body of relevant research lacks coherence, interconnectedness and a grounding in contemporary theoretical developments. Training programmes that focus on attitudinal change need to be more rigorously evaluated. ABSTRACT: Introduction Attitudes are considered integral to mental health nursing practice. Aims To comprehensively describe the (i) measured attitudes of UK mental health nurses towards people and practice; (ii) effectiveness of interventions to change attitudes; and (iii) relationships between their attitudes, other variables/constructs and practice. Methods Using systematic review methodology, multiple databases (CINAHL, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science Core Collection, Google Scholar) were searched. Eligible studies involved measurement of UK-based mental health nurses' attitudes with multi-item scales. Studies were quality appraised, mean (SD) attitudinal data were standardized, and other results converted to standardized effect sizes. Results N = 42 studies were included. Negatively appraised attitudinal targets were people with a borderline personality disorder diagnosis, substance misuse, and acute mental health presentations. Educational interventions were associated with immediate increases in positive appraisals but sustainability was poorly evidenced. There was very limited study of attitude-practice links. Discussion This review identifies priority attitudinal targets for action but also demonstrates that future work must consider the interconnectedness of attitudes and their relationship with practice. Implications for Practice Priority areas for consideration are attitudes to borderline personality disorder, substance misuse and mental health co-morbidity. Addressing disparities between nurses' attitudes and those of service users is important. More robust research is required into the effectiveness of interventions to change attitudes and into attitude-practice links.

How Context Matters: Change and Persistence of Homophobic Attitudes among Cameroonian Migrants in Switzerland

Debates on human rights in recent years have brought to the fore stark fault lines between African countries, where societal intolerance towards homosexuality is prevalent, and Western countries, which hold more tolerant views towards homosexuality. As contention rages around African identity and homosexuality, one interesting question calls for attention: how do the attitudes of Africans towards homosexuality evolve—or not—when they migrate from their home context to a more open society where homosexuality is widely accepted? This study draws on Herek’s ‘attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scale’ (ATLG) to investigate homophobia among Cameroonians at home compared to Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland and uses in-depth interviews to understand the reasons for any change in or persistence of attitudes. Survey data shows that Cameroonian migrants in Switzerland portray significantly less homophobia compared to Cameroonians living at home. Qualitative analysis identified four factors that contributed to change in attitudes among Cameroonian migrants: (i) experiencing racial prejudice and xenophobia prompted self-reflection about their own prejudices towards others; (ii) witnessing, first-hand, the huge infrastructure and development gap between their host and home country exposed anti-homosexuality politics back home as a needless distraction from actual development priorities; (iii) greater opportunities to meet and interact with gay people in the host country challenged long-held home-grown stereotypes about homosexuality; and (iv) non-discrimination standards and codes of conduct in the workplace in the host country encouraged conformity and shifts towards greater tolerance.

Examining Pride Cups as a health promotion resource to address homophobia in Australian men's sport

Effective interventions are needed to stop homophobic behaviours in sport settings as these behaviours are associated with negative health and social outcomes for individuals who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or other diverse genders and sexualities. This paper reports the results of a quasi-experimental study commissioned by a public health agency to explore the benefits of a novel intervention that has been widely adopted by Australian community sport clubs. The 'Pride Cup' intervention includes education for club leaders, sport participants and the hosting of a rainbow-themed 'pride game'. Survey responses of male participants from six randomly selected sport clubs which had received the intervention (n = 148) were compared to responses (n = 137) from six randomly selected comparison clubs (Australian Football, cricket, field hockey, roller derby). Employing a post-test-only design, the study explored differences in homophobic attitudes, behaviours and individual efficacy to react negatively to homophobic behaviours. The study found significant differences (p < 0.001) in self-reported use of homophobic slurs (e.g. fag) in the last 2 weeks by participants in the treatment (11%) versus comparison (31.8%) clubs, and significant differences in the perceived use of these slurs by teammates (25.9% vs. 56.6%) or coaches (7.8% vs. 23.3%). There were also significant differences in efficacy scores, but no differences in homophobic attitudes. These results, combined with evidence of community-driven adoption, support the allocation of public health resources to conduct larger scale trials using pre/post designs to confirm these findings.

Measuring the effects of misinformation exposure and beliefs on behavioural intentions: a COVID-19 vaccination study

Misinformation has been a pressing issue since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening our ability to effectively act on the crisis. Nevertheless, little is known about the actual effects of fake news on behavioural intentions. Does exposure to or belief in misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines affect people's intentions to receive such a vaccine? This paper attempts to address this question via three preregistered experiments (N = 3463). In Study 1, participants (n = 1269) were exposed to fabricated pro- or anti-vaccine information or to neutral true information, and then asked about their intentions to get vaccinated. In Study 2, participants (n = 646) were exposed to true pro- and anti-vaccine information, while Study 3 (n = 1548) experimentally manipulated beliefs in novel misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines by increasing exposure to the information. The results of these three studies showed that exposure to false information about the vaccines had little effect on participants' intentions to get vaccinated, even when multiple exposures led them to believe the headlines to be more accurate. An exploratory meta-analysis of studies 1 and 3, with a combined sample size of 2683, showed that exposure to false information both supporting and opposing COVID-19 vaccines actually increased vaccination intentions, though the effect size was very small. We conclude by cautioning researchers against equating exposure to misinformation or perceived accuracy of false news with actual behaviours.

Promoting a hand sanitizer by persuasive messages: moving bottle and background color as approach and avoidance cues

In message-based health interventions, peripheral cues such as motion and color capture exogenous attention. These cues may elicit approach and avoidance motivation and the core ingredients of persuasion (argument framing, source of the message, and persuasion knowledge). In two studies, we presented participants with persuasive messages about a hand sanitizer. Messages varied by the framing of the arguments (gain vs. loss) and by the source of the message (healthcare industry vs. public health agency). In Study 1 (N = 137), the forward apparent motion of the hand sanitizer bottle compared to a backward apparent motion increased a positive attitude toward the hand sanitizer, the intention to buy it, and ease of judgment. In Study 2 (N = 280), a small main positive effect of a green background was observed for attractiveness of the hand sanitizer, but only when a green background followed a red one. Green (vs. red) background increased willingness to buy the hand sanitizer. We observed no main effects of argument framing or source of the message. The discussion emphasizes approach and avoidance motivation as a common framework for understanding the respective contribution of peripheral cues and core ingredients of messages to the persuasion process.

Lifestyle Intervention for Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Introduction

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, accounting for about 25% and 33% of the world's adult population and Iranians, respectively. There is currently no effective therapeutic agent available for the treatment of NAFLD. However, lifestyle modifications aimed at weight loss have been introduced as a cornerstone of NAFLD management. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of educational intervention on lifestyle and anthropometric indices in patients with NAFLD.

Methods

The randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 87 overweight or obese patients with NAFLD, including intervention (n = 42) and control (n = 45) groups. The intervention received 8 training sessions based on theory of planned behavior (TPB), while the control groups received nutritional and physical activity recommendations from their internal specialist and nutritionist. Analyses were carried out based on data collected from TPB constructs and anthropometric indices (weight, body mass index (BMI), waist size, and waist-hip ratio (WHR)) at three stages (before intervention and two and 12 weeks after the intervention), as well as data obtained from liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)), and ultrasound-based grading of NAFLD at two stages (before and 12 weeks after the intervention).

Results

After the intervention, a significant difference was found between the intervention and control groups, resulting in the increased mean scores of TPB constructs, decreased liver enzymes, and decreased degree of NAFLD ultrasound. In addition, the intervention group experienced more activity and healthy diet as compared with the control group. Anthropometric indices showed only a significant decrease in BMI in the intervention group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

TPB-based training, as compared with traditional training, is a more effective and cost-effective strategy for altering nutritional behavior and physical activity of patients with NAFLD.

Repeated information of benefits reduces COVID-19 vaccination hesitancy: Experimental evidence from Germany

Background

Many countries, such as Germany, struggle to vaccinate enough people against COVID-19 despite the availability of safe and efficient vaccines. With new variants emerging and the need for booster vaccinations, overcoming vaccination hesitancy gains importance. The research to date has revealed some promising, albeit contentious, interventions to increase vaccination intention. However, these have yet to be tested for their effectiveness in increasing vaccination rates.

Methods & results

We conducted a preregistered survey experiment with N = 1,324 participants in Germany in May/June 2021. This was followed by a series of emails reminding participants to get vaccinated in August and concluded with a follow-up survey in September. We experimentally assess whether debunking vaccination myths, highlighting the benefits of being vaccinated, or sending vaccination reminders decreases hesitancy. In the survey experiment, we find no increase in the intention to vaccinate regardless of the information provided. However, communicating vaccination benefits over several weeks reduced the likelihood of not being vaccinated by 9 percentage points, which translates into a 27% reduction compared to the control group. Debunking vaccination myths and reminders alone also decreased the likelihood, yet not significantly.

Discussion

Our findings suggest that if soft governmental interventions such as information campaigns are employed, highlighting benefits should be given preference over debunking vaccination myths. Furthermore, it seems that repeated messages affect vaccination action while one-time messages might be insufficient, even for increasing vaccination intentions. Our study highlights the importance of testing interventions outside of survey experiments that are limited to measuring vaccination intentions—not actions—and immediate changes in attitudes and intentions—not long-term changes.

The influence of pro-vaping “gatewatchers” on the dissemination of COVID-19 misinformation on Twitter (Preprint)

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Charming e-cigarette users with distorted science: a survey examining social media platform use, nicotine-related misinformation and attitudes towards the tobacco industry

OBJECTIVE

To examine the role of social media in promoting recall and belief of distorted science about nicotine and COVID-19 and whether recall and belief predict tobacco industry beliefs.

DESIGN

Young adults aged 18-34 years (N=1225) were surveyed cross-sectionally via online Qualtrics panel. The survey assessed recall and belief in three claims about nicotine and COVID-19 and three about nicotine in general followed by assessments of industry beliefs and use of social media. Ordinal logistic regression with robust standard errors controlling for gender, race/ethnicity, education, current e-cigarette use and age was used to examine relationships between variables.

RESULTS

Twitter use was associated with higher odds of recall (OR=1.21, 95% CI=1.01 to 1.44) and belief (OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.04 to 1.52) in COVID-19-specific distorted science. YouTube use was associated with higher odds of believing COVID-19-specific distorted science (OR=1.32, 95% CI=1.09 to 1.60). Reddit use was associated with lower odds of believing COVID-19-specific distorted science (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.59 to 0.88). Recall (OR=1.26, 95% CI=1.07 to 1.47) and belief (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.09 to 1.50) in distorted science about nicotine in general as well as belief in distorted science specific to COVID-19 (OR=1.61, 95% CI=1.34 to 1.95) were associated with more positive beliefs about the tobacco industry. Belief in distorted science about nicotine in general was also associated with more negative beliefs about the tobacco industry (OR=1.18, 95% CI=1.02 to 1.35).

CONCLUSIONS

Use of social media platforms may help to both spread and dispel distorted science about nicotine. Addressing distorted science about nicotine is important, as it appears to be associated with more favourable views of the tobacco industry which may erode public support for effective regulation.

Social comparison for concern and action on climate change, racial injustice, and COVID-19

Preventing the negative impacts of major, intersectional social issues hinges on personal concern and willingness to take action. This research examines social comparison in the context of climate change, racial injustice, and COVID-19 during Fall 2020. Participants in a U.S. university sample (n = 288), reported personal levels of concern and action and estimated peers' concern and action regarding these three issues. Participants estimated that they were more concerned than peers for all three issues and took more action than peers regarding COVID-19 and climate change. Participants who reported higher levels of personal concern also estimated that they took greater action than peers (relative to participants who reported lower levels of concern). Exploratory analyses found that perceived personal control over social issues were associated with greater concern and action for racial injustice and climate change but not for COVID-19. This indicates that issue-specific features, including perceived controllability, may drive people to differently assess their experiences of distinct social issues.

Postpartum Care Behavior Improvement during COVID-19 Pandemic in Indonesia Using Mobile-Health Interactive Message

Background

Since 2018, maternal mortality in Semarang City, Indonesia, has mostly (75%) occurred during the postpartum period. Therefore, a health intervention is necessary to improve safe and effective postpartum care. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a mobile-based health intervention is preferred due to the government's regulation of COVID-19 safety prevention. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the mobile-health interactive message on the postpartum care behavior of mothers and their husbands.

Methods

The study was conducted in a quasi-experimental design. It includes the treatment group and the control group, in which each group consists of 46 pairs of pregnant women in the third trimester and their husbands. The research subjects were chosen through the purposive sampling technique. Data collection was conducted via interviews and observations. The m-health intervention is carried out in the form of text messages, images, videos, and interactive mentoring. The latter was carried out through group messaging via the WhatsApp application for the treatment group. Meanwhile, the control group received regular counseling from the local Community Health Center. Data analysis was performed by Mann-Whitney test, unpaired T-Test, Chi-Square Test dan Fisher Exact Test.

Results

Intervention for 2.5 months increased the knowledge of mothers and husbands. The intervention for 3.5 months improved the mother's attitude, but not the husband's attitude. The intervention also improves maternal practices related to postpartum visits, such as Early Initiation of Breastfeeding assistance requests from health workers, iron tablets and nutritious food consumption, personal hygiene, postpartum danger signs monitoring, and the husband's practice of accompanying mothers during postpartum visits.

Conclusion

Mobile-Health interactive messages effectively improved postpartum care behavior for mothers and their husbands.

Understanding the role of subpopulations and reliability in between-group studies

The replication crisis has led to a renewed discussion about the impacts of measurement quality on the precision of psychology research. High measurement quality is associated with low measurement error, yet the role of reliability in the quality of experimental research is not always well understood. In this study, we attempt to understand the role of reliability through its relationship with power while focusing on between-group designs for experimental studies. We outline a latent variable framework to investigate this nuanced relationship through equations. An under-evaluated aspect of the relationship is the variance and homogeneity of the subpopulation from which the study sample is drawn. Higher homogeneity implies a lower reliability, but yields higher power. We proceed to demonstrate the impact of this relationship between reliability and power by imitating different scenarios of large-scale replications with between-group designs. We find negative correlations between reliability and power when there are sizable differences in the latent variable variance and negligible differences in the other parameters across studies. Finally, we analyze the data from the replications of the ego depletion effect (Hagger et al., 2016) and the replications of the grammatical aspect effect (Eerland et al., 2016), each time with between-group designs, and the results align with previous findings. The applications show that a negative relationship between reliability and power is a realistic possibility with consequences for applied work. We suggest that more attention be given to the homogeneity of the subpopulation when study-specific reliability coefficients are reported in between-group studies.

The effectiveness of nudging: A meta-analysis of choice architecture interventions across behavioral domains

Changing individuals’ behavior is key to tackling some of today’s most pressing societal challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic or climate change. Choice architecture interventions aim to nudge people toward personally and socially desirable behavior through the design of choice environments. Although increasingly popular, little is known about the overall effectiveness of choice architecture interventions and the conditions under which they facilitate behavior change. Here we quantitatively review over a decade of research, showing that choice architecture interventions successfully promote behavior change across key behavioral domains, populations, and locations. Our findings offer insights into the effects of choice architecture and provide guidelines for behaviorally informed policy making.

Over the past decade, choice architecture interventions or so-called nudges have received widespread attention from both researchers and policy makers. Built on insights from the behavioral sciences, this class of behavioral interventions focuses on the design of choice environments that facilitate personally and socially desirable decisions without restricting people in their freedom of choice. Drawing on more than 200 studies reporting over 450 effect sizes (n = 2,149,683), we present a comprehensive analysis of the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions across techniques, behavioral domains, and contextual study characteristics. Our results show that choice architecture interventions overall promote behavior change with a small to medium effect size of Cohen’s d = 0.45 (95% CI [0.39, 0.52]). In addition, we find that the effectiveness of choice architecture interventions varies significantly as a function of technique and domain. Across behavioral domains, interventions that target the organization and structure of choice alternatives (decision structure) consistently outperform interventions that focus on the description of alternatives (decision information) or the reinforcement of behavioral intentions (decision assistance). Food choices are particularly responsive to choice architecture interventions, with effect sizes up to 2.5 times larger than those in other behavioral domains. Overall, choice architecture interventions affect behavior relatively independently of contextual study characteristics such as the geographical location or the target population of the intervention. Our analysis further reveals a moderate publication bias toward positive results in the literature. We end with a discussion of the implications of our findings for theory and behaviorally informed policy making.

Evaluation of an AIDS educational mobile game (AIDS Fighter · Health Defense) for young students to improve AIDS-related knowledge, stigma and attitude of high-risk behaviors in China: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

The AIDS epidemic among young students is serious, and effective preventive interventions are urgently needed. Game-based intervention has become an innovative way to change healthy behaviors, and we have developed an AIDS educational game called AIDS Fighter · Health Defense. In this study we tested the effect of an AIDS Fighter · Health Defense for young students to improve AIDS-related knowledge, stigma and attitude of high-risk behaviors in Southwest China.

OBJECTIVE

To test the effect of an AIDS educational game (AIDS Fighter · Health Defense) for young students to improve AIDS-related knowledge, stigma and attitude of high-risk behaviors in Southwest China.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was conducted from September 14 to September 27, 2020. Ninety-six students from two classes in a middle school were selected by stratified cluster sampling in Luzhou City, China. The two classes were randomly divided into the intervention group (n=50) and the control group (n=46). The intervention group received AIDS educational game (AIDS Fighter · Health Defense); the control group learned AIDS-related knowledge through independent learning on the QQ chat group. The AIDS-related knowledge questionnaire, the stigma scale, the attitude questionnaire on AIDS-related high-risk behaviors were used to measure the effect of an AIDS educational game by face-to-face. The user's experience of the game was assessed by the Educational Game User Experience Evaluation Scale. The difference was statistically significant with P≤0.05.

RESULTS

After the intervention, the AIDS knowledge awareness rate (±S, ％) of the intervention group and the control group were 70.09±11.58 and 57.49±16.58（t=4.282, P<0.001）. The stigma scores of the two groups were 2.44±0.57 and 2.48±0.47（t=0.373, P =0.710）, The positive rate (±S, ％) of attitudes of high-risk AIDS behaviors of the two groups were 82.00±23.44 and 79.62±17.94（t=0.555, P =0.580. The mean percentage of the game evaluation as excellent was 54.73%, and 31.45% of good, 13.09% of medium, 0.73% of poor.

CONCLUSIONS

AIDS Fighter · Health Defense could increase the AIDS-related knowledge among young students, but the effect of the game in reducing AIDS-related stigma and improving the attitudes of high-risk AIDS behaviors has not appeared. Long-term effects and large-scale studies are needed to assess the efficacy of game-based intervention.

CLINICALTRIAL

Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR2000038230. Registered 14 September 2020.

Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on public managers' attitudes toward digital transformation

The COVID-19 pandemic has induced a process of digital acceleration and has likely changed the attitudes of local public managers toward information and communication technology (ICT). While this attitude change has been reasonably argued, it has not been systematically measured. This study narrows this gap by measuring the attitudes of public managers before and after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, this study finds that the pandemic has led public managers to be more confident in the capacity of ICT to help cities achieve their economic, social, and environmental goals and respond to challenges. Both explicit and implicit measures confirmed attitude changes. The explicit measures also indicated that the change in public managers' attitude toward ICT was similar to their change in attitude toward scientific progress and greater than their change in attitude toward other issues that have played a major role during the pandemic, namely, climate change, citizen participation, and privacy.

The Intentional Stance Test-2: How to Measure the Tendency to Adopt Intentional Stance Towards Robots

In human-robot interactions, people tend to attribute to robots mental states such as intentions or desires, in order to make sense of their behaviour. This cognitive strategy is termed "intentional stance". Adopting the intentional stance influences how one will consider, engage and behave towards robots. However, people differ in their likelihood to adopt intentional stance towards robots. Therefore, it seems crucial to assess these interindividual differences. In two studies we developed and validated the structure of a task aiming at evaluating to what extent people adopt intentional stance towards robot actions, the Intentional Stance task (IST). The Intentional Stance Task consists in a task that probes participants' stance by requiring them to choose the plausibility of a description (mentalistic vs. mechanistic) of behaviour of a robot depicted in a scenario composed of three photographs. Results showed a reliable psychometric structure of the IST. This paper therefore concludes with the proposal of using the IST as a proxy for assessing the degree of adoption of the intentional stance towards robots.