Psychometric validation of the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) in Hungary with a particular focus on 'Don't know' responses and further scoring recommendations

AIMS

Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) was designed to measure mental health stigma-related behaviors in the general public. We aimed to examine its psychometric properties and validate the scale in a Hungarian non-clinical community sample. The secondary aim of this study was to assess the appropriateness of the current scoring recommendations of 'Don't know' responses being coded as neutral, which had never been investigated before. In addition, we provide an overview of the results of already existing studies on the scale.

METHODS

Hungarian participants completed the RIBS within this cross-sectional online survey study and were considered non-clinical individuals based on a cut-off point of the Global Severity Index T score of 63 on the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Confirmatory factor analysis, reliability measures, and comparative analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Of the n = 5,701, n = 5,141 participants were included in the analysis. The mean age was 27.8 ± 11.1 years, and 89.2% (n = 4,587) of the sample were female. The unidimensional structure was supported by good model fit indices (RMSEA = 0.031, CFI = 0.999, TLI = 0.996, and WRMR = 0.006). Internal consistency of the RIBS and its test-retest reliability with a 5-month follow-up period were found to be good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.88 and ICC = 0.838). We found statistically significant differences between the total scores when the 'Don't know' responders were excluded from the sample or when they were coded as neutral as recommended by the scale authors (16 (IQR:13-18) vs. 15 (IQR:13-18) p < 0.0001). There were also statistically significant differences between 'Neither agree nor disagree' and 'Don't know' participants in several aspects of lived experiences of mental health problems.

CONCLUSIONS

The RIBS demonstrated good psychometric properties and can be transferred to the Hungarian context. It will be a valuable tool in assessing stigmatizing behavior and testing the efficacy of antistigma programs. Our results suggest that 'Neither agree nor disagree' and 'Don't know' responses bear different meanings, and coding should account for this.

Effects of Health Anxiety, Social Support, and Coping on Dissociation with Mediating Role of Perceived Stress during the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND

Our study aimed to examine whether health anxiety, social support, and ways of coping relate to dissociation directly or only through the mediation of perceived stress, moderated by the time of measurement (lockdown). We investigated the effect of perceived stress on different forms (sub-scales) of dissociation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was conducted by an online form at two points in time: the beginning and the later stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

We received a total of 1711 responses. Perceived stress moderately correlated with dissociation in both international and Hungarian samples. Health anxiety showed a strong direct and indirect correlation with dissociation. Regarding social support, the support of family significantly decreased the dissociative experiences in the Hungarian sample mediated by perceived and direct stress. In the international sample, goal-oriented coping strategies strongly decreased all dissociation scales in the first measurement, through the mediation of perceived stress. As for the Hungarian sample, positive thinking was found to decrease dissociation by decreasing perceived stress.

CONCLUSION

health anxiety, coping, and social support appeared to influence dissociation directly and through the mediation of perceived stress. Social support, mainly support of the family and problem-focused coping strategies may decrease the level of stress, this way decreasing dissociative behavior.

[The effect of surgical psychoeducation on the outcome of spinal surgery]

<p class="s15" style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Background and purpose&nbsp;</strong><span class="s14">&ndash; Interdiscipli&shy; nary researches demonstrate that patients&rsquo; fears and anxieties about surgery play </span>a key role in the success of postoperative recovery. Psychoeducation is a professional information transfer method that aims to increase patients&rsquo; knowledge about their dis&shy; ease, and how to cope with it, and to emo&shy; tionally process the problems associated with the disease. If patients feel competent in their own healing process after surgery, they will experience less pain and become self&shy;sufficient sooner, thereby the number of nursing days spent in the clinic reduces.<br><span class="s15"><strong>Methods</strong>&nbsp;</span>&ndash; In this study the effect of psycho-education before spinal surgery on the use of postoperative analgetics was investigated. <span class="s13">Results&nbsp;</span>&ndash; The drug consumption of the study group who had been previously administered patient education is significantly reduced in comparison the control group.<br><strong>Conclusion&nbsp;</strong><span class="s14">&ndash; Cooperation of a psychologist in surgical therapy promotes early recovery of patients in physical and mental well&shy;being and reduces the costs of rehabilitation as well.</span></p>.

The Effects and Differences of Social Support, Depression, and Vital Exhaustion during the COVID-19 Pandemic among International and Domestic University Students

BACKGROUND

Our study aimed to assess the differences between domestic and international students in terms of social support, vital exhaustion, and depression during the period of COVID-19 and to examine the relationships and potential effects of these factors on each other.

METHODS

The online cross-sectional survey was conducted via Google Forms^® at three time intervals during the pandemic.

RESULTS

Here, 1320, 246, and 139 students completed our questionnaires in the different time intervals. The international students reported significantly lower values in terms of perceived social support. Concerning depression, the international female students reported higher values than the domestic female students. Significant correlations were found in both samples between vital exhaustion and depression, as well as between perceived social support and depression.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the international students reported lower levels of perceived social support and higher levels of depression, particularly among females. The correlations between depression, social support, and vital exhaustion might highlight protective and risk factors. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing social support and mental health among university students, especially among international students who have a difficult time finding social support during times of stress, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Connection between satisfaction with relationship-, life, well-being and the development of the family structure]

INTRODUCTION

The study is focusing on the relationships between several different, widely researched topics - such as satisfaction with relationship and life, well-being and the development of family structure - and examining them from different perspectives. In general, satisfaction with life, just as the subjective well-being displays high correlation with relationship satisfaction, which has effect on the development of the family structure as well. According to our assumption, those people who live in a happy and balanced relationship/marriage are happier and more satisfied with their lives. All of this is substantially influenced by one of the most important issues in people's lives/relationships, that is childbearing. This is also considerable for the development of life satisfaction and well-being. Moreover, a more balanced relationship is supposed to have a positive relationship with family cohesion, flexibility and communication within the family.

METHOD

In the present study, we examined on our entire database the relationship between life satisfaction, well-being, relationship satisfaction and the possible changes in all of these relationships depending on the changes in the family structure. In our analysis, we also examined the effect of children's presence in the family in relation with relationship satisfaction. 192 people participated in the present study.

RESULTS

According to the results, life satisfaction and the optimal communication within the family have a positive effect on relationship satisfaction. Satisfaction with family communication proved to be the strongest predictor. Despite our hypothesis, the number and age of children - more children and younger age - did not show a negative correlation with relatinship satisfaction.

CONCLUSION

Not just during a crisis, under optimal circumstances, several factors affect relationship satisfaction, but the main influencing aspect is an optimal family structure. In a well-functioning family, the optimal level of communication has a positive effect on the development of the relationship, whereas disintegration and inadequate communication can lead to severe dysfunction both in terms of the relationship and the family unit. The results from the analysis show important conclusions and reveal new research directions, which should be examined in a larger sample in the future.

Health anxiety, perceived stress, and coping styles in the shadow of the COVID-19

Background

In the case of people who carry an increased number of anxiety traits and maladaptive coping strategies, psychosocial stressors may further increase the level of perceived stress they experience. In our research study, we aimed to examine the levels of perceived stress and health anxiety as well as coping styles among university students amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online-based survey at the University of Debrecen during the official lockdown in Hungary when dormitories were closed, and teaching was conducted remotely. Our questionnaire solicited data using three assessment tools, namely, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ), and the Short Health Anxiety Inventory (SHAI).

Results

A total of 1320 students have participated in our study and 31 non-eligible responses were excluded. Among the remaining 1289 participants, 948 (73.5%) and 341 (26.5%) were Hungarian and international students, respectively. Female students predominated the overall sample with 920 participants (71.4%). In general, there was a statistically significant positive relationship between perceived stress and health anxiety. Health anxiety and perceived stress levels were significantly higher among international students compared to domestic ones. Regarding coping, wishful thinking was associated with higher levels of stress and anxiety among international students, while being a goal-oriented person acted the opposite way. Among the domestic students, cognitive restructuring as a coping strategy was associated with lower levels of stress and anxiety. Concerning health anxiety, female students (domestic and international) had significantly higher levels of health anxiety compared to males. Moreover, female students had significantly higher levels of perceived stress compared to males in the international group, however, there was no significant difference in perceived stress between males and females in the domestic group.

Conclusion

The elevated perceived stress levels during major life events can be further deepened by disengagement from home (being away/abroad from country or family) and by using inadequate coping strategies. By following and adhering to the international recommendations, adopting proper coping methods, and equipping oneself with the required coping and stress management skills, the associated high levels of perceived stress and anxiety could be mitigated.

[Examination of emotion regulation difficulties, coping, impulsivity, external-internal control and sensation seeking among occasional and regular marijuana users]

INTRODUCTION

Several studies have investigated the relationship between personality and psychoactive substance use. Researches of personality and marijuana use suggests that certain personality traits differentiate between occasional and regular marijuana consumers. Understanding the relationship between individual persona - lity traits and marijuana use is a key step in the development of prevention and treatment methods. In the current study, we present the development of emotion regulation difficulties, coping with stress, impulsivity, external-internal control and sensation seeking in occasional and regular marijuana users.

METHODS

322 people participated in our study, within this 51 occasional and 56 regular marijuana users and 215 non-marijuana users who formed the control group. The examined personality traits were measured with the Diffi - culties in Emotion Regulation Scale, the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, the Internal-External Locus of Control Scale and the Sensation Seeking Scale.

RESULTS

Varying levels of marijuana use increased difficulty in emotion regulation as well as impulsivity. Addi tio nally, the use of emotion-oriented coping strategies were most common in occasional and regular marijuana use. Regular marijuana users were more likely to have external control than occasional users. Non-marijuana users were less sen - sation seekers that the two groups of marijuana users, however, we did not find significant difference between occasio nal and regular users.

["Better late than never". Studying procrastination among students]

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of the study is to investigate dispositional procrastination, procrastination types, and an operative measurement of this behavior in academic environment. Procrastination is a common and problematic phenomenon that explains the need for a comprehensive and complex approach of this behavior. The main focus of the study was to investigate the incidence and incidence of the different types of procrastination. Furthermore, we aimed to test the correspondence between dispositional procrastination and the operative measurement.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 131 participants. Lay's Procrastination Scale was used to measure dispositional procrastination and the Types of procrastination questionnaire was applied to assess the frequency of its different types. Furthermore an operative measurement was gained by assigning a deadline for returning the paper and pensil form of the questionnaire. Participants received a message informing them that the deadline had been extended by three more days on the last night before the deadline.

RESULTS

Based on the empirical results 63% of the participants can be classified as procrastinator. In regards of the different types of procrastination, "perfectionist" and "crisis-maker" types were the most frequent. A positive correlation was found between dispositional procrastination and the operative measurement of procrastination.

CONCLUSIONS

The results proved the common presence of procrastination, as well as the close connection between its dispositional and operative measure. Besides, they raise attention to the perfectionist and crisis-maker types of procrastination.

[Be in role. Examination of dissociative experiences of theatrical actors]

INTRODUCTION

In spite of the fact that acting makes great demands on the personality, there is lack of research dealing with the psychological status of actors. Resulted from their profession actors often experience dissociation, since absorption and changing of their identity is a routine task for them. They are acting on the stage, and they are acting in private.

METHOD

36 theatrical actors completed the DISQ-H version of the Dissociation Questionnaire measuring four subscales: Identity Confusion, Amnesia, Loss of Control and Absorption. In order to understand their experiences deeper, nine actors were interviewed. The sample consisted of 21 men and 15 women and their ages ranged from 23 to 60. Higher ages implied longer career as an actor, thus the youngest subject had been working for 2 years, while the oldest one had been working for 39 years.

RESULTS

DISQ-H total score results of the actors were significantly higher compared to the Hungarian standard scores. As we expected, the two non-pathological subscales (Loss of Control and Absorption) showed significant differences compared to the standard scores of the subscales. In the case of Identity Confusion subscale we found no significant differences, however the results indicate that the tendency observed emphasizes the importance of further research of this phenomenon.

CONCLUSION

To sum up, dissociative experiences proved to be important elements of acting.