Explaining differences in self-focused and other-involved public health preventive behaviors between the US and China: the role of self- construal and health locus of control.

Background: This study examined national similarities and differences in people's engagement in health preventive behaviors during a public health crisis, as well as investigated the underlying individual-level psychological mechanisms. A conceptual distinction was made between self-focused and other-involved preventive behaviors in response to public health crises. Method: Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted in the United States (N = 888) and China (N = 844) during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hayes' PROCESS was utilized to assess national differences in seven preventive behaviors, along with the mediating effects of self-construal and health locus of control. Results: The results showed that American participants reported greater engagement in self-focused preventive behaviors than Chinese, whereas Chinese participants reported greater engagement in other-involved preventive behaviors than Americans. Chinese participants also engaged more in other-involved than self-focused preventive behaviors. Self-construal and health locus of control partially explained the observed differences in engagement in preventive behaviors. Discussion: This study introduces a culture-sensitive approach to provide insights for crafting communication interventions that can enhance the effectiveness of health campaigns in the context of a public health crisis.

Psychotherapists' perspectives on loss of sense of control.

INTRODUCTION: Sense of control is an integral part of well-being. Studies have reported on the connection between loss of control and psychological symptoms. However, loss of sense of control has not yet been studied from the perspective of psychotherapists. METHODS: This study had three research objectives: to find out how psychotherapists define loss of sense of control, whether they consider loss of sense of control to play a role in the start of psychological symptoms, and, if so, in what cases. Lebanese psychotherapists were interviewed and the data were then analyzed using frame analysis. RESULTS: The analysis revealed two definitions for loss of sense of control and conflicting views on whether it plays a role in the onset of disorders. Problems within relationships and stress were the most mentioned examples of loss of sense of control. CONCLUSION: The findings shed light on psychotherapists' diverse opinions and explanations regarding the role of loss of sense of control in the development of psychological symptoms.

Pandemic fatigue and depressive symptoms among college students in the COVID-19 context: indirect effects through sense of control and intolerance of uncertainty.

Pandemic fatigue, the state of weariness, exhaustion, and demotivation to engage in protective behaviors during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, have been linked with depressive symptoms. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains unclear. Based on the stress process model, the present study examined the indirect effects of pandemic fatigue on depressive symptoms through the indirect roles of sense of control and intolerance of uncertainty. Data were collected from 1,162 Chinese undergraduate and postgraduate students (Mage = 21.61 years old, SD = 2.81, 64.29% women) through electronic questionnaires. The pandemic fatigue scale, the personal mastery scale, the short version of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Depression subscale of the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Scales were employed. Indirect effects were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results revealed that pandemic fatigue related to COVID-19 was positively associated with depressive symptoms through (a) sense of control; (b) intolerance of uncertainty; and (c) a sequential pathway from sense of control to intolerance of uncertainty. The findings expand the application of the stress process model to the context of COVID-19 and deepen the understanding of pandemic fatigue-depressive symptoms link with considering the indirect roles of sense of control and intolerance of uncertainty. Psychological distress in the context of COVID-19 could be alleviated by the interventions on strengthening sense of control and tolerance of uncertainty and lessening the adverse effects of pandemic fatigue.

The Mediating Role of Sense of Control in the Associations Between Remote Contacts and Loneliness Among Older Adults.

This study explored whether a sense of control over social life mediated the associations between using remote contact (phone calls, letters/emails, social media) and loneliness for socially isolated older adults. We used path analysis with the 2014 and 2016 Health and Retirement Study datasets (N = 3767). Results showed that more frequent phone calls and letters/emails were associated with lower levels of loneliness through sense of control. However, sense of control did not mediate the association between social media and loneliness. Findings suggest that promoting sense of control over social life by remote contact, particularly phone calls and letters/emails, may be effective in alleviating loneliness for isolated older adults.

Peripartum dissociation, sense of control, postpartum posttraumatic stress disorder and emotional adjustment to motherhood in adult survivors of childhood maltreatment.

Survivors of childhood maltreatment (CM) may experience difficulties in the peripartum period and in adjustment to motherhood. In this study we examined a model wherein CM is associated with maternal self-efficacy and maternal bonding three months postpartum, through mediation of peripartum dissociation and reduced sense of control during childbirth and postpartum-posttraumatic-stress disorder (P-PTSD). Women were recruited in a maternity ward within 48 h of childbirth (T1, N = 440), and contacted three-months postpartum (T2, N = 295). Participants completed self-report questionnaires: peripartum dissociation, sense of control (T1), and CM, P-PTSD, postpartum-depression, maternal self-efficacy and bonding (T2). Obstetrical data were collected from medical files. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test the hypothesized model, controlling for mode of delivery and postpartum-depression. Reported CM included child emotional neglect (CEN; 23.5%), child emotional abuse (CEA; 16.3%), child sexual abuse (CSA; 12.9%) and child physical abuse (CPA; 7.1%). CM was positively associated with peripartum dissociation and P-PTSD (p < .001). Peripartum dissociation was positively associated with P-PTSD (p < .001). P-PTSD was negatively associated with maternal self-efficacy (p < .001) and maternal bonding (p < .001). Association between CM and maternal self-efficacy and bonding was serially mediated by peripartum dissociation and P-PTSD, but not by sense of control. Findings remained significant after controlling for mode of delivery and postpartum-depression. CM is a risk factor for adjustment to motherhood, owing to its effects on peripartum dissociation and P-PTSD. Implementation of a trauma-informed approach in obstetric care and recognition of peripartum dissociative reactions are warranted.

The relationship between self-efficacy and locus of control in medical students related to nomophobia tendency.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation of self-efficacy and locus of control on nomophobia in medical students. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study of Indonesian medical students that employs correlational statistical analysis methods. The research instrument included the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Internality Powerful-Others Chance (IPC) Levenson Multidimensional Locus of Control Scales, and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). RESULTS: The majority of the 388 subjects had high self-efficacy, used an internal locus of control, and were moderately nomophobia. The mixed locus of control had the greatest effect on the tendency of severe nomophobia (p < .05, OR=3.02 [CI 1.01-90.8]). CONCLUSION: In general, self-efficacy and external locus of control have a significant influence on the tendency of severe nomophobia with weak relationship strength. For the positive goal, a smartphone balance was required so that the smartphone had no negative impact.

Health locus of control and self-management behaviours among individuals with ischaemic heart disease: protocol for a scoping review.

INTRODUCTION: Ischaemic heart disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Self-management is a way to reduce the risk associated with ischaemic heart disease; however, some individuals may not have the ability or willingness to engage in self-management behaviours. One approach to identify an individual's readiness and capacity to engage in self-management behaviours is to assess their health locus of control. Based on the Individual and Family Self-Management Theory, this review's objectives are to describe: (1) how health locus of control affects the process of engaging in self-management behaviours, (2) impacts of health locus of control on outcomes associated with self-management behaviours and (3) potential contextual variations in the relationship between health locus of control and self-management behaviours. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: The scoping review will be guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework. A comprehensive search will encompass seven electronic databases (Ovid Medline, CINAHL, EMBASE, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Scopus) and grey literature sources (ProQuest Dissertations, ClinicalTrials.gov). Collaborative efforts with library experts will inform our search strategies, building on insights from previous reviews centred on self-management and ischaemic heart disease. Two review authors will independently conduct the screening and data extraction processes; discrepancies will be resolved through consensus or discussion with a third review author. The review will include English studies from database inception, focusing on the health locus of control among adults with ischaemic heart disease. Findings will be presented graphically and tabularly, together with a narrative description. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: We will collect data from published and grey literature, meaning ethical approval is not necessary. Findings will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at academic conferences. REGISTRATION DETAILS: Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/B4A6F).

Exploring the complex relationships between coping strategies, locus of control and self-esteem with psychopathology: structural equation modeling with a special focus on clinical high-risk of psychosis.

BACKGROUND: Coping strategies, competence, and locus of control (LOC) beliefs are important predictors of mental health (MH). However, research into their complex interactions has produced mixed results. Our study investigated them further in the previously unexplored context of clinical high-risk (CHR) of psychosis. METHODS: We tested six alternative structural equation models in a community sample (N = 523), hypothesizing a mediating role of coping and treating CHR symptoms as (i) an additional mediator or (ii) a specific outcome. Our measurement model included two latent factors of MH: (1) psychopathology (PP), consisting of presence of mental disorders, global and psychosocial functioning, and (2) self-rated health (SRH) status. RESULTS: In the model with the best Akaike Information Criterion and the latent factors as outcome variables, maladaptive coping completely mediated the impact of maladaptive LOC on PP and SRH. Additionally, CHR symptoms partially mediated the effect of maladaptive coping on PP and SRH in the community sample, as long as sex was not entered into the model. In the clinical sample (N = 371), the model did not support a mediation by CHR symptoms, despite significant pathways with both coping and MH outcomes; further, competence beliefs directly impacted SRH. CONCLUSIONS: Coping strategies are an important intervention target for MH promotion, especially in the community. In clinical populations, interventions focusing on coping strategies may improve CHR symptoms, thus potentially supporting better MH, especially SRH. Additionally, due to their mostly cascading effects on MH, improving competence and LOC beliefs may also promote psychological well-being.

Reciprocal associations between beliefs about medicines, health locus of control and adherence to immunosuppressive medication in allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant patients: Findings from the ADE-TRAM study.

PURPOSE: Patients undergoing allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) are required to strictly adhere to immunosuppressive medications to avoid rejection and infective complications. Since medication adherence is among the most important modifiable behaviors to achieve better outcomes, the aims of this study were to measure the baseline and longitudinal trends of medication adherence and investigate the psychological factors associated with medication adherence in allo-HSCT patients. METHODS: This was a single-center, longitudinal study of patients who underwent allo-HSCT to treat hematological malignancies at the University hospital of Florence (Italy). Adherence was measured with the Immunosuppressive Medication Self-Management Scale; psychological factors (i.e., beliefs about medicines and health locus of control) were measured with the Beliefs About Medicines Questionnaire and Multidimensional Health locus of Control Scale. Data were collected 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after discharge. A mixed effects model was performed after adjusting for demographic characteristics. RESULTS: 50 adult patients were included in this study. Adherence to immunosuppressant was optimal and increased significantly 3 months after bone marrow transplantation (B = 0.23, p = 0.041). Patients with lower concerns about immunosuppressive medications were more likely to be adherent (B = 0.02, p = 0.040), while those having beliefs that their disease was due to external factors were less likely to be adherent (B = -0.02, p = 0.026) than their counterparts. CONCLUSIONS: These results underline the importance of psychological factors in affecting adherence to immunosuppressants of allo-HSCT patients. Healthcare providers and researchers should target medication beliefs and reorient locus of control with appropriate interventions, in order to improve adherence.

The association between depression and addictive social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic: The mediating role of sense of control.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 precipitated a plethora of mental health difficulties, particularly for those with pre-existing mental health concerns such as depression or addictive tendencies. For some, the distress that emanated from the experience of the pandemic prompted excessive engagement in the safety of online interactions on social media. The present study examined whether variation in individuals' sense of control explained the association between depression and addictive social media use. METHOD: A sample of 1322 participants from two Middle Eastern nations provided data collected during the peak of the pandemic from February to May 2021. A combination of convenience and snowball sampling were used to recruit and collect data from college-aged students enrolled at two universities in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, respectively. This study adopted a cross-sectional design in which participants completed a self-administered survey that consisted of measures that assessed depressive affect, sense of control, and addictive social media use. RESULTS: Depression was significantly and positively associated with addictive SMU. Sense of control was negatively related to both depression and SMU and significantly mediated the association between these two variables (ß = .62, SE = .03, 95%CI .56, .68). CONCLUSION: This study identified a potential protective variable that could be targeted by psychological treatment to ameliorate the potential onset of addictive SMU in individuals with depressive symptoms under conditions of immense psychological distress such as a worldwide pandemic.

The reliability of assistance systems modulates the sense of control and acceptability of human operators.

Individuals are increasingly required to interact with complex and autonomous technologies, which often has a significant impact on the control they experience over their actions and choices. A better characterization of the factors responsible for modulating the control experience of human operators is therefore a major challenge to improve the quality of human-system interactions. Using a decision-making task performed in interaction with an automated system, we investigated the influence of two key properties of automated systems, their reliability and explicability, on participants' sense of agency (SoA), as well as the perceived acceptability of system choices. The results show an increase in SoA associated with the most explicable system. Importantly, the increase in system explicability influenced participants' ability to regulate the control resources they engaged in the current decision. In particular, we observed that participants' SoA varied with system reliability in the "explained" condition, whereas no variation was observed in the "non-explained" condition. Finally, we found that system reliability had a direct impact on system acceptability, such that the most reliable systems were also considered the most acceptable systems. These results highlight the importance of studying agency in human-computer interaction in order to define more acceptable automation technologies.

Investigation of Anxiety and Health Locus of Control in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis.

INTRODUCTION: Hemodialysis is the most frequent treatment modality for End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). However, a number of limitations and modifications accompany this treatment, affecting people's physical and psychological well-being and increasing anxiety symptoms. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of anxiety and health locus of control among dialysis patients. METHODOLOGY: One hundred and five patients on hemodialysis treatment completed a questionnaire with demographic characteristics, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Multidisciplinary Health Locus of Control Scale. RESULTS: Women had significantly higher levels of state anxiety than men (p = 0.019). Similarly, patients with primary school education had significantly higher trait and total anxiety levels than those with technological education (p = 0.002 and p = 0.033, respectively). Widowed patients exhibited significantly higher state, trait, and total anxiety levels than married (p = 0.032, p = 0.012, and p = 0.012, respectively). Participants who did not do any kind of exercise had significantly higher level of state, trait, and total anxiety than those who did (p = 0.011, p = 0.015, and p = 0.006, respectively). Respondents who did not have any self-care skills had significantly higher level of state, trait, and total anxiety than those who had (p = 0.011, p = 0.015, and p = 0.006, respectively). State, trait, and total anxiety levels were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) correlated negatively with internal locus of control and positively with "chance" locus of control scale. CONCLUSIONS: Hemodialysis patients had increased anxiety symptoms and believed that others had control over their health to a greater extent. Renal professionals need to apply effective interventions to dialysis patients in order to help them gain a better sense of control over their health and reduce anxiety symptoms.

Associations among internalized and perceived stigma, state mindfulness, self-efficacy, and depression symptoms among men who have sex with men in China: A serial mediation model.

Previous research has demonstrated that stigma is strongly related to depressive symptoms among men who have sex with men (MSM). However, data are limited regarding the associations between stigma, state mindfulness, self-efficacy, and depression symptoms. The current study aimed to analyze state mindfulness and self-efficacy as possible mediators between internalized and perceived stigma and depression symptoms. A sample of 2610 Chinese MSM (Mage = 23.99, SD = 6.09, age range: 18-68 years) was recruited from an online survey platform and completed the HIV and Homosexuality Related Stigma Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the short version of Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the Chinese General Self-Efficacy Scale. Results indicated that state mindfulness significantly mediated the linkage between internalized and perceived stigma and depressive symptoms, and self-efficacy significantly mediated the relation between state mindfulness and depression symptoms. Furthermore, internalized and perceived stigma were associated with depression symptoms through a serial mediation of state mindfulness and self-efficacy. This study highlights that state mindfulness and self-efficacy might play important roles in the psychological response of MSM to stigmatization and psychopathology symptoms.

Changes and predictors of adolescent emotion regulation, self-esteem, and locus of control during the COVID-19 pandemic: 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort.

OBJECTIVES: There is growing interest in examining the impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on adolescent socioemotional development. This study aimed to examine changes in adolescent emotion regulation (ER), self-esteem (SE), and locus of control (LoC) from before to during the pandemic in a Brazilian birth cohort, and to investigate the variables associated with changes in those socioemotional competences. METHODS: 1,949 adolescents from the 2004 Pelotas Birth Cohort were assessed before (T1, November 2019 to March 2020) and during (T2, August to December 2021) the COVID-19 pandemic (mean ages [SD] = 15.69 [0.19] and 17.41 [0.26], respectively). Adolescents' socioemotional competences were assessed, including ER, SE, and LoC. Sociodemographic, pre-pandemic, and pandemic-related correlates were examined as predictors of change. Multivariate latent change score models were used in the analyses. RESULTS: There were significant mean increases in adolescents' ER and SE (mean ER = 1.918, p < 0.001; mean SE = 1.561, p = 0.001) and a significant mean decrease (towards internalization) in LoC levels (MLoC = -0.497, p < 0.01) during the pandemic. Factors that predicted a lower competency increase included family conflicts, harsh parenting, and maternal depressive symptoms during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Despite the stress imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the adolescents of this cohort showed positive development in their socioemotional competences. Family-related factors emerged as important predictors of adolescent socioemotional adjustment during the study period.

An enigma of Malaysia's low-income young adults: Mediation of financial behaviour on financial well-being and locus of control cohesion.

Young adults face many significant challenges to their financial well-being. The rising cost of living and unstable economies have impacted how they consume, manage, and save monthly income to maintain their standard of living. Hence, exploring the financial well-being of young adults in Malaysia is an intriguing and relevant research topic that deserves examination from multiple perspectives. This study aims to investigate how these three factors, namely financial knowledge and locus of control with financial behaviour as a mediator, are correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults in Malaysia. A total of 520 young adults from North, Central, South, East zones in Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia were randomly chosen using a multi-stage sampling technique as the sample of this study. Data in this study were obtained using a set of questionnaire-based survey through cross-sectional study and then scrutinized using IBM SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Science). This study discovered that financial knowledge, internal and external locus of control, and financial behaviour were significantly correlated with the financial well-being of low-income young adults. The findings also demonstrate that financial behaviour mediates the correlation between financial knowledge, both internal and external locus of control, and financial well-being. This study is one of the very few important studies that explore the link between financial literacy, locus of control, financial behaviour, and financial well-being among low-income young adults. This study also found an interesting and noteworthy fact regarding the impact of the minimum monthly wage policy on highly educated young adults in Malaysia, which is worth discussing and needs to be alerted to the policymakers and leaders of the country. Therefore, the findings of this study can be utilized as a starting point by policymakers, government organizations, and non-governmental organizations to create new initiatives aimed at raising financial well-being among the younger generation.

Decline in positive future orientations among adolescents during covid-19: The role of socioeconomic status, parental support, and sense of control.

INTRODUCTION: Before coronavirus disease (covid-19), adolescents from a lower socioeconomic status (SES) background tend to have less positive future orientations, receive less parental support, and have a weaker sense of control than adolescents from a higher SES background. The covid-19 pandemic has potentially increased the socioeconomic gaps in positive future orientations, parental support, and sense of control among adolescents who are currently in vocational education. As societies are aiming to return back to precovid norms, certain groups of adolescents might require more attention for ensuring a stable future than others. METHODS: Two-wave questionnaire data of 689 Dutch adolescents (Mage = 17.8; 56% female) from the Youth Got Talent project was analyzed. Latent Change Score models are a relatively novel approach that allows two-wave data to estimate associations between precovid predictor variables and changes in outcome variables from before to during covid-19 (e.g., SES, positive future orientations, parental support, and sense of control). Analyses were preregistered. RESULTS: The precovid socioeconomic differences in adolescent's positive future orientations and sense of control remained stable during covid-19, whereas the socioeconomic difference in parental support decreased during covid-19. A decline in parental support, an increase in sense of control, and more covid-19 hardships were associated with an increase in future orientations. CONCLUSION: The covid-19 situation has not substantially increased socioeconomic differences in positive future orientations and sense of control, but did decrease socioeconomic differences in parental support among adolescents. Short-term policies should aim to facilitate parental support and positive future orientations to all adolescents who experienced a decline, while also long-term focusing on the more consistent socioeconomic difference in sense of control among adolescents.

Economic inequality reduces sense of control and increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior.

Societies worldwide are witnessing higher levels of economic inequality. While prior work has examined ethical judgments toward inequality itself (e.g., "is inequality unethical?"), less is known about how inequality shapes judgments of unethical behavior (e.g., "is unethical behavior more acceptable?"). In two correlational studies, we find that higher objective (Study 1; n = 127,953) and subjective (Study 2; n = 806) inequality is associated with greater acceptability of self-interested unethical behavior. In Studies 3a-6b (total N = 4,851; preregistered), we manipulated perceived inequality and test several mediating pathways. Results point toward the importance of sense of control as a mechanism: Under conditions of high inequality, individuals report a lower sense of control, which increases the acceptability of self-interested unethical behaviors. As a supplement, we also explore associations regarding why high inequality reduces sense of control (reduced perceptions of social mobility) and why sense of control is associated with greater acceptability of unethical behavior (greater situational attributions). Overall, our results suggest inequality changes ethical standards by reducing one's sense of control, providing evidence for another pathway through which inequality harms societies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Age as a moderator in the interplay among locus of control, coping, and quality of life of people with chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: Identifying the factors that determine the quality of life of patients with chronic pain is an integral part of developing interventions to reduce the negative impact of persistent pain. Locus of control (LoC) could play an important role in adaptation to prolonged pain, but the results of studies are inconsistent. We examined the link between pain LoC and quality of life. Moreover, we investigated whether the relationship between LoC and quality of life is mediated by passive and active coping, and whether age moderates the LoC-coping relationship. METHODS: The study was cross-sectional, and variables (internal, chance and powerful-others LoC, pain coping strategies, average pain intensity, and quality of life) were assessed via questionnaires in a sample of 594 individuals (67% females) with chronic pain who were 18-72 (mean: 36) years of age. RESULTS: Mediation and moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Internal and external LoC were associated, respectively, with better and with worse quality of life. Passive coping mediated the association between the powerful-others dimension of LoC and poor quality of life. Additionally, indirect effects of internal LoC on quality of life via passive and active coping were found. The relationship between the powerful-others dimension of LoC and coping was stronger for middle-aged and older individuals than for younger individuals. CONCLUSIONS: This study contributes to a better understanding of the mechanisms linking LoC with quality of life of patients with chronic pain. Depending on the age, control beliefs might translate differently into strategies used to cope with pain, and thus into quality of life.

Hope therapy: Can it treat hopelessness and internal locus of control on diabetes mellitus patients?

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) are always required to be able to control a healthy lifestyle throughout their life to avoid various diseases that can accompany the previous illness. However, psychological factors in the form of despair due to lack of hope make people with diabetes more depressed and less able to control behavior and maintain blood sugar stability, so an excellent internal locus of control is needed to be stronger. This study aimed to determine the effect of hope therapy in reducing hopelessness and increasing internal locus of control in people with DM. The research design used a experimental study with ten randomly selected respondents divided into two groups, namely the control group and the experimental group. Data retrieval using the locus of control scale and the beck hopelessness scale. Data analysis used non-parametric analysis, namely the Mann Whitney test, Wilcoxon test, and Spearman's Rank Correlation test. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test on the internal locus of control variable show a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), it can be concluded that there are differences in the internal locus of control in the experimental group compared to the internal locus of control in the control group. The hopelessness variable shows a value of 0.000 and a p score of 0.008 (p <0.05), this indicates that there is a difference in hopelessness in the experimental group and the control group. There is a decrease in hopelessness and an increase in internal locus of control in people with DM given hope therapy.