A Psychometric Analysis of the Brief Self-Control Scale

The Relationship between Game Addiction and Aggression among Adolescents with Mediating Role of Narcissism and Self-Control

Objective: With the increase of game addiction, the problem of aggression as one of the most serious issues confronting today's society is affecting the mental health of the young generation. While available research has clarified the relationship between game addiction and aggression, this research contributes to future literature through examining the mediating role of narcissism and self-control in this relationship. Method : This study is a quantitative, cross-sectional, correlational research conducted in 2023 on Malaysian adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. Volunteer adolescents completed self-report questionnaires including the Buss and Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Gaming Addiction Scale, Childhood Narcissism Scale, and Brief Self-Control Scale. All questionnaires were prepared through a Sojump link posted on social media platforms. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and path analysis were used for statistical analysis. Results: N = 595 adolescents were participated in this survey. According to correlation analysis, there were significant positive correlations between game addiction and aggression (r = 0.777, P < 0.001), game addiction and narcissism (r = 0.785, P < 0.001) as well as a significant negative correlation between game addiction and self-control (r = -0.668, P < 0.001). Besides, narcissism and self-control could significantly partially mediate the relationship between game addiction and aggression. The mediation model discovered a significant path from game addiction to narcissism (β = 0.785, CI = [0.7692, 1.0293], P < 0.001) and from narcissism to aggression (β = 0.442, CI [0.7731, 1.7244], P < 0.001). The total effect of game addiction on aggression was found to be statistically significant (β = 0.777, P < 0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this research reveal a captivating profile, indicating that specific psychological attributes such as aggression, self-control, and narcissistic tendencies might make certain individuals more susceptible to developing an addiction to online games.

Dynamics of self-control during choice and post-choice consumption quantity

Observed choices between options representing a relative vice and a relative virtue have commonly been used as a measure of eating self-control in the literature. However, even though self-control operations may manifest across the post-choice consumption stage, either similarly or in different ways from the choice stage, most prior research has ignored consumption quantity of the chosen option. While the behavior of choosing a virtue instead of a vice does manifest self-control, we examine how this plays out in post-choice consumption. Specifically, we find that when processing resources are limited, after having chosen a virtue food, unrestrained eaters ironically consumed greater quantities and therefore more calories than restrained eaters (Study 1). This reflects more persistent self-control in the post-choice consumption stage among restrained eaters than unrestrained eaters, and occurs because choosing a virtue lowers accessibility of the self-control goal among unrestrained eaters relative to restrained eaters (Study 2), thereby increasing intake of the virtuous food. In contrast, subsequent to having chosen a vice, unrestrained eaters and restrained eaters did not show any such difference in intake (Study 1) or goal accessibility (Study 2). Together, these results reveal that persistence of self-control in the post-choice consumption stage depends on individuals' dietary restraint and their initial exercise of self-control in the choice decision. The mere act of choosing a virtue satisfies unrestrained eaters' self-control goal and leads to increased food intake, whereas the same act keeps the same goal activated among restrained eaters who reduce intake of the chosen virtue. Put differently, persistent self-control across choice and quantity decisions is observed only when those with a dietary goal show successful self-control enactment in the choice stage. We therefore highlight that the operation of self-control can be dynamic within a consumption episode, and thus, choice and post-choice quantity are both informative of self-control.

Self-control and grit: associations with weight management and healthy habits

Weight management requires resisting immediate temptations in one's environment (self-control) as well as the ability to persevere towards one's long-term goals despite minor setbacks (grit). This study sought to establish relationships between self-control, grit, and behavioral and health outcomes in the context of a couples-based weight management intervention. Couples (n = 64 dyads) in a behaviorally based intervention completed measures of self-control and grit at study entry and the end of treatment (6 months). Habit automaticity for self-weighing and exercise as well as objective weights were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months (maintenance). Self-control and grit increased during treatment; these increases were significantly associated with greater self-weighing habit automaticity at 6 months. Baseline self-control, changes in self-control, and baseline grit were also associated with 6-month exercise automaticity. Only baseline grit was associated with weight loss maintenance. No partner effects were observed. Findings suggest that self-control and grit are malleable constructs that may play an important role in health behavior habits associated with weight management.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02570009, October, 7, 2015.

Daily Functioning of Veterans With Type 2 Diabetes: Protocol for an Ambulatory Assessment Study

BACKGROUND

Diabetes impacts nearly 25% of veterans. Many veterans do not engage in recommended physical activity and other diabetes self-management behaviors. Type 2 diabetes is generally asymptomatic; as such, the long-term consequences of inadequate self-management and benefits of consistent self-management are not salient in the short term. Furthermore, self-management behaviors typically take place outside of medical visits; however, self-management-related factors are only assessed during medical visits, likely missing large amounts of variability. Thus, ambulatory assessment methods such as ecological momentary assessment (EMA), accelerometry, and continuous glucose monitoring are needed to understand the dynamics of daily self-management and identify potential intervention targets.

OBJECTIVE

The overarching goal of this study is to understand daily, time-varying factors (comorbid affective symptoms and social context) that influence physical activity, diabetes self-management, glycemic management, daily functioning, and quality of life in participants' natural environments.

METHODS

We are recruiting veterans with type 2 diabetes (target N=100). Participants are required to complete a battery of baseline assessments related to mental health, psychosocial factors, and self-management behaviors. Participants then receive 5 momentary EMA surveys and 1 daily EMA survey per day, in which veterans report comorbid affective symptoms (mood, stress, and pain), social support, social interactions, physical activity, and other self-management behaviors. Momentary surveys are delivered randomly during daily preprogrammed intervals over a 14-day sampling period. Accelerometry and continuous glucose monitoring are also used to assess physical activity and blood glucose, respectively. The first 6 participants also completed interviews assessing their experience in the study and barriers to participation. These test participants informed modifications to the protocol for the remaining participants.

RESULTS

The project received funding in April of 2023. Enrollment began in March of 2023 and is planned to be completed in April 2025. Among the 6 test participants, the overall EMA response rate was 87% (range 74%-95%). The response rate for the EMA survey including daily items (67%, range 21%-93%) was lower than the earlier shorter EMA surveys (89%, range 81%-96%). The mean rate of valid accelerometer wear of at least 20 hours per day was 93% (SD 11%), and continuous glucose monitoring data were available for 91% (SD 17%) of days on average. Participants reported few barriers to completing EMA surveys but noted the random timing of questions made it difficult to plan around, and the end-of-day survey was long. Two participants reported survey items reminded or motivated them to engage in diabetes self-management behaviors.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessment tools developed from this study can inform clinical decision-making by considering barriers to self-management that occur in daily life. Clinical applications include tailored, adaptive technology-supported interventions to improve self-management that provide the right type and amount of support at the right time by adapting to an individual's changing internal and contextual state.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/53874.

Applying Item Response Theory to the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire: Examining Psychometric Characteristics and Developing Computerized Adaptive Testing Version

Incoming students have many difficulties adjusting to college, and selecting appropriate measures to effectively screen them is indispensable, especially in China, where there is insufficient research in this area. To enrich domestic research, this study seeks to examine psychometric characteristics and develop a computerized adaptive version of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ-CAT) based on a sample of Chinese students. Under the framework of item response theory, the item bank of student adaptation to college was formulated after uni-dimensionality testing, model comparison, item fit testing, and local independence testing. Subsequently, a CAT simulation, including three termination rules, was performed using real data to evaluate and verify the SACQ-CAT. The results showed reliability values exceeding 0.90 when participants' latent traits were between -4 and 3, covering majority of the subjects. The SACQ-CAT administered an average of fewer than 10 items to participants compared to 67 items on the original scale. The correlation coefficient between latency estimated by the SACQ-CAT and the SACQ is greater than .85, whereas the correlation coefficient with the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) scores ranges from -.33 to -.55 (p < .001). The SACQ-CAT largely reduced the number of items administered to the participants and avoided losing measurement precision.

A single item measure of self-control – validation and location in a nomological network of self-control, boredom, and if-then planning