Does Quit Smoking Desire Influence E-Cigarette Smoking Behaviour? Malaysian Perspectives

Recent years have witnessed an emerging trend of e-cigarette smoking in Southeast Asia. On the basis of Malaysian perspectives, this cross-sectional study explored the relationship between e-cigarette smoking behaviour and variables such as perceived health benefit, the desire to quit, social acceptance, social impact and product usefulness. Individuals aged 17 years old and older were recruited via purposive convenience sampling, yielding a total sample of 503 respondents. Collected data were analysed via partial least squares-structural equational modelling. The results showed that perceived heath benefit (β = 0.19, P < 0.01), social acceptance (β = 0.23, P < 0.01) and social impact (β = 0.49, P < 0.01) positively influence e-cigarette smoking behaviour. No such effect is exerted by the desire to quit smoking (β = 0.08, P < 0.05) and product usefulness t (β = -0. 10, P < 0.05). Future studies should examine whether demographic variables affect e-cigarette smoking behaviour.

Application of Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) to Validate Content of Spiritual Intelligence Instrument for Muslim Nurses

Background & Purpose

This study aims to consolidate expert views and validated 371 items for developing spiritual intelligence instrument for Muslim nurses guided by the Spiritual Intelligence Model for Human Excellence (SIMHE).

Methods

A Fuzzy Delphi Method (FDM) was used to validate these items and analyzed with Triangular Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process. Views from 20 experts from three different backgrounds, namely, theology/Sufism, psychology and Islamic counseling, and evaluation and measurement, were also included in the validation process.

Results

All items fulfilled the prerequisite of a threshold level of (d) ≤ 0.2, which obtained more than 75% of expert consensus and ±-cut value ≥ of 0.5.

Conclusion

The FDM analysis results indicated that all items could further validate the instrument using Rasch measurement analysis.

Comparability of Self–Reported Conscientiousness across 21 Countries

In cross–national studies, mean levels of self–reported phenomena are often not congruent with more objective criteria. One prominent explanation for such findings is that people make self–report judgements in relation to culture–specific standards (often called the reference group effect), thereby undermining the cross–cultural comparability of the judgements. We employed a simple method called anchoring vignettes in order to test whether people from 21 different countries have varying standards for Conscientiousness, a Big Five personality trait that has repeatedly shown unexpected nation–level relationships with external criteria. Participants rated their own Conscientiousness and that of 30 hypothetical persons portrayed in short vignettes. The latter type of ratings was expected to reveal individual differences in standards of Conscientiousness. The vignettes were rated relatively similarly in all countries, suggesting no substantial culture–related differences in standards for Conscientiousness. Controlling for the small differences in standards did not substantially change the rankings of countries on mean self–ratings or the predictive validities of these rankings for objective criteria. These findings are not consistent with mean self–rated Conscientiousness scores being influenced by culture–specific standards. The technique of anchoring vignettes can be used in various types of studies to assess the potentially confounding effects of reference levels. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Religiosity as Mediator in Reducing Misconduct of Adolescents-at-Risk

In dealing with adolescents-at-risk who are involved in misconduct, the religious factor can be an effective approach. The objective of this research is to study the religious factor as a mediator in dealing with misconduct of adolescents-at-risk. This research is a survey study by design. The method used is quantitative through questionnaire using Likert scale. A study was done on 556 respondents comprising of adolescents within the range of ages 13 to 24 years. Factor analysis finds two main domains in misconduct of adolescents-at-risk, that is, family dysfunction and lack of religiosity. Mediation analysis is used to determine whether the religious factor may become the mediator for adolescent misconduct. Results of regression analysis show that the factor of family dysfunction contributes higher to the misconduct of adolescent-at-risk in comparison with the factor of religiosity. However, the issue of dysfunctional family itself is related with the lack of religiosity within family. A family which is concerned about religious education and practice will reduce the opportunity for adolescents to be involved in misconduct. Hence, to further empower the role of the religious factor in dealing with adolescents-at-risk, the family plays an important role in applying religious aspects in order for adolescents to be able to control themselves from any misconduct. Thus, results of mediation analysis show that 0.275 states the religious factor is a mediator for misconduct of adolescents-at-risk. This research will also focus on the relationship between lack of religiosity among adolescents, how it is related to dysfunctional family and how religiosity can be a mediator to reduce misconduct of adolescent-at-risk.

The emergence of sex differences in personality traits in early adolescence: A cross-sectional, cross-cultural study

Although large international studies have found consistent patterns of sex differences in personality traits among adults (i.e., women scoring higher on most facets), less is known about cross-cultural sex differences in adolescent personality and the role of culture and age in shaping them. The present study examines the NEO Personality Inventory-3 (McCrae, Costa, & Martin, 2005) informant ratings of adolescents from 23 cultures (N = 4,850), and investigates culture and age as sources of variability in sex differences of adolescents' personality. The effect for Neuroticism (with females scoring higher than males) begins to take on its adult form around age 14. Girls score higher on Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness at all ages between 12 and 17 years. A more complex pattern emerges for Extraversion and Agreeableness, although by age 17, sex differences for these traits are highly similar to those observed in adulthood. Cross-sectional data suggest that (a) with advancing age, sex differences found in adolescents increasingly converge toward adult patterns with respect to both direction and magnitude; (b) girls display sex-typed personality traits at an earlier age than boys; and (c) the emergence of sex differences was similar across cultures. Practical implications of the present findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Cross-Cultural Differences in a Global “Survey of World Views”

We know that there are cross-cultural differences in psychological variables, such as individualism/collectivism. But it has not been clear which of these variables show relatively the greatest differences. The Survey of World Views project operated from the premise that such issues are best addressed in a diverse sampling of countries representing a majority of the world’s population, with a very large range of item-content. Data were collected online from 8,883 individuals (almost entirely college students based on local publicizing efforts) in 33 countries that constitute more than two third of the world’s population, using items drawn from measures of nearly 50 variables. This report focuses on the broadest patterns evident in item data. The largest differences were not in those contents most frequently emphasized in cross-cultural psychology (e.g., values, social axioms, cultural tightness), but instead in contents involving religion, regularity-norm behaviors, family roles and living arrangements, and ethnonationalism. Content not often studied cross-culturally (e.g., materialism, Machiavellianism, isms dimensions, moral foundations) demonstrated moderate-magnitude differences. Further studies are needed to refine such conclusions, but indications are that cross-cultural psychology may benefit from casting a wider net in terms of the psychological variables of focus.

Gender Stereotypes of Personality

Numerous studies have documented subtle but consistent sex differences in self-reports and observer-ratings of five-factor personality traits, and such effects were found to show well-defined developmental trajectories and remarkable similarity across nations. In contrast, very little is known about perceived gender differences in five-factor traits in spite of their potential implications for gender biases at the interpersonal and societal level. In particular, it is not clear how perceived gender differences in five-factor personality vary across age groups and national contexts and to what extent they accurately reflect assessed sex differences in personality. To address these questions, we analyzed responses from 3,323 individuals across 26 nations (mean age = 22.3 years, 31% male) who were asked to rate the five-factor personality traits of typical men or women in three age groups (adolescent, adult, and older adult) in their respective nations. Raters perceived women as slightly higher in openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness as well as some aspects of extraversion and neuroticism. Perceived gender differences were fairly consistent across nations and target age groups and mapped closely onto assessed sex differences in self- and observer-rated personality. Associations between the average size of perceived gender differences and national variations in sociodemographic characteristics, value systems, or gender equality did not reach statistical significance. Findings contribute to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms of gender stereotypes of personality and suggest that perceptions of actual sex differences may play a more important role than culturally based gender roles and socialization processes.

The Inaccuracy of National Character Stereotypes

Consensual stereotypes of some groups are relatively accurate, whereas others are not. Previous work suggesting that national character stereotypes are inaccurate has been criticized on several grounds. In this article we (a) provide arguments for the validity of assessed national mean trait levels as criteria for evaluating stereotype accuracy; and (b) report new data on national character in 26 cultures from descriptions (N=3,323) of the typical male or female adolescent, adult, or old person in each. The average ratings were internally consistent and converged with independent stereotypes of the typical culture member, but were weakly related to objective assessments of personality. We argue that this conclusion is consistent with the broader literature on the inaccuracy of national character stereotypes.

Stereotypes of age differences in personality traits: universal and accurate?

Age trajectories for personality traits are known to be similar across cultures. To address whether stereotypes of age groups reflect these age-related changes in personality, we asked participants in 26 countries (N = 3,323) to rate typical adolescents, adults, and old persons in their own country. Raters across nations tended to share similar beliefs about different age groups; adolescents were seen as impulsive, rebellious, undisciplined, preferring excitement and novelty, whereas old people were consistently considered lower on impulsivity, activity, antagonism, and Openness. These consensual age group stereotypes correlated strongly with published age differences on the five major dimensions of personality and most of 30 specific traits, using as criteria of accuracy both self-reports and observer ratings, different survey methodologies, and data from up to 50 nations. However, personal stereotypes were considerably less accurate, and consensual stereotypes tended to exaggerate differences across age groups.

Nations' income inequality predicts ambivalence in stereotype content: how societies mind the gap

Income inequality undermines societies: The more inequality, the more health problems, social tensions, and the lower social mobility, trust, life expectancy. Given people's tendency to legitimate existing social arrangements, the stereotype content model (SCM) argues that ambivalence-perceiving many groups as either warm or competent, but not both-may help maintain socio-economic disparities. The association between stereotype ambivalence and income inequality in 37 cross-national samples from Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Asia, and Africa investigates how groups' overall warmth-competence, status-competence, and competition-warmth correlations vary across societies, and whether these variations associate with income inequality (Gini index). More unequal societies report more ambivalent stereotypes, whereas more equal ones dislike competitive groups and do not necessarily respect them as competent. Unequal societies may need ambivalence for system stability: Income inequality compensates groups with partially positive social images.

The Effect of Response Style on Self-Reported Conscientiousness Across 20 Countries

Rankings of countries on mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness continue to puzzle researchers. Based on the hypothesis that cross-cultural differences in the tendency to prefer extreme response categories of ordinal rating scales over moderate categories can influence the comparability of self-reports, this study investigated possible effects of response style on the mean levels of self-reported Conscientiousness in 22 samples from 20 countries. Extreme and neutral responding were estimated based on respondents’ ratings of 30 hypothetical people described in short vignettes. In the vignette ratings, clear cross-sample differences in extreme and neutral responding emerged. These responding style differences were correlated with mean self-reported Conscientiousness scores. Correcting self-reports for extreme and neutral responding changed sample rankings of Conscientiousness, as well as the predictive validities of these rankings for external criteria. The findings suggest that the puzzling country rankings of self-reported Conscientiousness may to some extent result from differences in response styles.

Perceptions of aging across 26 cultures and their culture-level associates

College students (N=3,435) in 26 cultures reported their perceptions of age-related changes in physical, cognitive, and socioemotional areas of functioning and rated societal views of aging within their culture. There was widespread cross-cultural consensus regarding the expected direction of aging trajectories with (a) perceived declines in societal views of aging, physical attractiveness, the ability to perform everyday tasks, and new learning; (b) perceived increases in wisdom, knowledge, and received respect; and (c) perceived stability in family authority and life satisfaction. Cross-cultural variations in aging perceptions were associated with culture-level indicators of population aging, education levels, values, and national character stereotypes. These associations were stronger for societal views on aging and perceptions of socioemotional changes than for perceptions of physical and cognitive changes. A consideration of culture-level variables also suggested that previously reported differences in aging perceptions between Asian and Western countries may be related to differences in population structure.