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.

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).

Histórico, desafios e mudanças da auditoria no SUS enquanto instrumento de gestão / History, challenges and changes of auditing in the SUS as a management tool

Este trabalho de pesquisa realizou um histórico da Auditoria no SUS, sua formação, organização e atuação nas duas primeiras décadas dos anos 2000, evidenciando o Sistema Nacional de Auditoria, e seu órgão, o DENASUS, cuja nomenclatura foi recentemente modificada para AUDSUS. Destacou também, nesse contexto, o componente estadual de Auditoria da Secretaria de Estado de Saúde do Rio de Janeiro e seu alinhamento com os Planos Estaduais de Saúde. Buscou evidenciar as legislações que acompanharam e acompanham a Auditoria no SUS e sua correlação com outros conceitos e outros Órgãos do Poder Público, como o Tribunal de Contas da União e a Controladoria Geral da União, pontuando os principais desafios e mudanças que se desdobraram. (AU)

This research work carried out a history of Auditing in the SUS, its formation, organization and performance in the first two decades of the 2000s, highlighting the National Audit System, and its body, DENASUS, whose nomenclature was recently changed to AUDSUS. He also highlighted, in this context, the state Audit component of the Rio de Janeiro State Health Secretariat and its alignment with the State Health Plans. It sought to highlight the laws that followed and follow the Audit in the SUS and its correlation with other concepts and other Public Power Bodies, such as the Federal Court of Auditors and the General Comptroller of the Union, pointing out the main challenges and changes that unfolded. (AU)

Nutritional Behaviors, Health Literacy, and Health Locus of Control of Secondary Schoolers in Southern Poland: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Nutritional behaviors remain an essential part of a healthy lifestyle. It seems obvious that unfavorable health behaviors adopted in adolescence are maintained late in adulthood and may have a profound effect on health status. The main aim of this study was to assess the association between nutritional behaviors and health literacy (HL), health locus of control (HLC), and socioeconomic variables in secondary school pupils from a voivodship (the main unit of territorial division) in southern Poland. The analysis was based on dataTable from a paper-and-pencil survey taken by 2223 pupils from schools selected as the result of cluster sampling. The survey questionnaire encompassed a set of five items asking about dietary patterns and the consumption of fruit and vegetables as well as fast food, a European Health Literacy Project Questionnaire consisting of 47 items, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scale, and items asking about sociodemographic and economic variables. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression models have been developed to assess the predictors of indicator nutrition behaviors. The adjusted models revealed that internal HLC was not significantly associated with any of analyzed nutritional behaviors. "Powerful other HLC" and "Chance HLC" (dimension of external HLC) were significant predictors of the selected dietary patterns. Furthermore, higher HL was associated with higher consumption of fruit and vegetables [odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (OR, 95% CI)]: 1.02 (1.01-1.04) and with lower consumption of fast food (OR, 95% CI, 0.98, 0.95-0.999). There was a significant relationship between gender, the size of the household, self-assessed economic situation, expenditures on mobile phones, and weekly duration of Internet use and selected nutrition behaviors. In conclusion, developed regression models confirmed a significant relationship between HL and the types of consumed food, but not with dieting patterns. Contrary to earlier studies, internal HLC was not associated with nutrition behaviors. In our study, boys showed more favorable nutritional behaviors than girls. More intense use of the Internet was associated with less beneficial nutritional behaviors. This study brings important results that should have an impact on health promotion interventions addressed to adolescents in southern Poland.

The cumulation of ill health and low agency in socially excluded city dwellers in the Netherlands: how to better identify high-risk/high-need population segments with public health survey data.

BACKGROUND: Population segmentation and risk stratification are important strategies for allocating resources in public health, health care and social care. Social exclusion, which is defined as the cumulation of disadvantages in social, economic, cultural and political domains, is associated with an increased risk of health problems, low agency, and as a consequence, a higher need for health and social care. The aim of this study is to test social exclusion against traditional social stratifiers to identify high-risk/high-need population segments. METHODS: We used data from 33,285 adults from the 2016 Public Health Monitor of four major cities in the Netherlands. To identify at-risk populations for cardiovascular risk, cancer, low self-rated health, anxiety and depression symptoms, and low personal control, we compared relative risks (RR) and population attributable fractions (PAF) for social exclusion, which was measured with the Social Exclusion Index for Health Surveys (SEI-HS), and four traditional social stratifiers, namely, education, income, labour market position and migration background. RESULTS: The analyses showed significant associations of social exclusion with all the health indicators and personal control. Particular strong RRs were found for anxiety and depression symptoms (7.95) and low personal control (6.36), with corresponding PAFs of 42 and 35%, respectively. Social exclusion was significantly better at identifying population segments with high anxiety and depression symptoms and low personal control than were the four traditional stratifiers, while the two approaches were similar at identifying other health problems. The combination of social exclusion with a low labour market position (19.5% of the adult population) captured 67% of the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and 60% of the prevalence of low personal control, as well as substantial proportions of the other health indicators. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the SEI-HS is a powerful tool for identifying high-risk/high-need population segments in which not only ill health is concentrated, as is the case with traditional social stratifiers, but also a high prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and low personal control are present, in addition to an accumulation of social problems. These findings have implications for health care practice, public health and social interventions in large cities.

Association between serum sphingolipids and eudaimonic well-being in white U.S. adults.

Emerging research has linked psychological well-being with many physiological markers as well as morbidity and mortality. In this analysis, the relationship between components of eudaimonic well-being and serum sphingolipids levels was investigated using data from a large national survey of middle-aged American adults (Midlife in the United States). Health behaviors (i.e., diet, exercise, and sleep) were also examined as potential mediators of these relationships. Serum levels of total ceramides-the main molecular class of sphingolipids previously associated with several disease conditions-were inversely linked with environmental mastery. In addition, significant correlations were found between specific ceramide, dihydroceramide, and hexosylceramides species with environmental mastery, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Using hierarchical regression and mediation analyses, health behaviors appeared to mediate these associations. However, the link between ceramides and environmental mastery was partially independent of health behaviors, suggesting the role of additional mediating factors. These findings point to sphingolipid metabolism as a novel pathway of health benefits associated with psychological well-being. In particular, having a sense of environmental mastery may promote restorative behaviors and benefit health via improved blood sphingolipid profiles.

The positive influence of sense of control on physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health in older adults: An outcome-wide approach.

Accumulating research indicates robust associations between sense of control and salutary health and well-being outcomes. However, whether change in sense of control is associated with subsequent outcomes has been under-evaluated. Participants (N = 12,998) were from the Health and Retirement Study-a diverse, nationally representative, and longitudinal sample of U.S. adults aged >50 years. We examined how increase in sense of control (from t0:2006/2008 to t1: 2010/2012) was associated with better outcomes on 35 indicators of: physical-, behavioral-, and psychosocial-health (t2:2014/2016). We used multiple logistic-, linear-, and generalized-linear regression models and controlled for sociodemographic characteristics, personality traits, sense of control, and all outcomes in the pre-baseline wave (t0:2006/2008). During the 4-year follow-up, people in the highest (vs. lowest) quartile of sense of control, conditional on prior sense of control, had reduced risk of mortality and improved physical-health outcomes (lower risk of: stroke, lung disease, physical limitations, cognitive impairment, chronic pain and higher self-rated health). Sense of control was related to better health-behaviors (increased physical activity, reduced sleep problems), higher psychological well-being (positive affect, life satisfaction, optimism, purpose, personal-, health-, financial-mastery), lower psychological distress (depression, hopelessness, negative affect, perceived constraints), decreased loneliness, and increased contact with friends. Sense of control was unrelated to other physical health indicators (diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, overweight/obesity), health behaviors (binge drinking, smoking), and social factors (living with spouse/partner, frequency of contact with children and other family). These findings underscore the importance of sense of control as a potential intervention target for fostering physical-, behavioral-, and psychosocial-health.

Midlife family financial strain, sense of control and pain in later years: An investigation of rural husbands and wives.

Research focussing on individual biopsychosocial processes leading to physical pain as a health condition is rare. The present study investigated sense of control as a mechanism linking early midlife stress to later-life physical pain for husbands and wives in long-term marriages. Using data from 508 rural husbands and wives over 27 years (1991-2017) with respondents in their early middle years (<42 years on average) in 1991 and in their later years (>67 years on average) in 2017, this study utilized a comprehensive analytical model in an structural equation modelling framework. Family financial stress (FFS) trajectories in early middle years were associated with depleted sense of control, which was related to increased physical pain in later years after controlling for concurrent physical illness, family income and age. In cross-lagged analyses FFS influenced physical pain over mid-later years. Physical pain also influenced FFS, suggesting a bi-directional association between FFS and physical pain. Findings elucidate how early midlife FFS influences the progression of physical pain over mid-later years through sense of control. Findings suggest effective intervention and prevention programs should focus on FFS in early years of adulthood as well as the maintenance and development of adults' sense of control.

The association between childhood socioeconomic status and adult health behavior: The role of locus of control.

The socioeconomic environment in childhood is a powerful determinant for health behavior in adulthood, subsequently influencing health outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms are insufficiently understood. This study assesses locus of control (LOC) as a mediator linking childhood socioeconomic status (SES) with health behavior (smoking, regular alcohol consumption, unhealthy diet and low physical activity). Drawing on a representative sample from Germany (SOEP), we investigated these relations using structural equations modelling. Results show that externally oriented LOC explains up to 6% of the relationship between childhood SES and health behavior in adulthood, independently from adult SES. Stratification indicates that these results hold in women but not in men, in younger and middle-aged individuals but not in older ones. Hence, control beliefs play a modest yet significant role in shaping the socioeconomic gradient in health behavior and might have far-reaching consequences on how morbidity and mortality arise and persist across generations.

Enhancing Patient-Provider Breastfeeding Conversations: Breastfeeding Intention and Prenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy among a Sample of Pregnant Women.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate and identify which sociodemographic factors may be associated with breastfeeding intention and breastfeeding self-efficacy among pregnant women. METHODS: Pregnant women at a medical center in Alabama completed a cross-sectional survey. The Prenatal Rating of Efficacy in Preparation to Breastfeed Scale (PREP to BF) was used to assess prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy. A valid 3-item breastfeeding intention scale and the Fetal Health Locus of Control Scale also were used. Nonparametric tests were used to assess differences in breastfeeding intention, locus of control subscales, and PREP to BF scores by history with breastfeeding, planned mode of delivery, and sociodemographic factors. RESULTS: The participants in the final analysis (N = 124) had a mean prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy score of 299.5 (±92.33), with a range of 0 to 390. Significantly lower scores related to intention and PREP to BF were found among Black women (P ≤ 0.05), those with a high school education or less (P ≤ 0.019), single women (P ≤ 0.028), and those who had no breastfeeding experience (P ≤ 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying pregnant women with low breastfeeding self-efficacy and intention and recognizing the effects of social and cultural influences on breastfeeding are vital. Healthcare providers can engage in meaningful dialog to address ways to increase social support, communication, goal-setting skills, and overcoming mental and emotional barriers.

The correlation between children's own health control and their health perceptions and behaviours, and the associated factors

The study was conducted as a correlational descriptive study to determine the correlation between children's own health control and their health perceptions and behaviours, as well as the associated factors. The sample of the study consisted of 963 children in the age group of 7-12 years studying at one primary schools affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. It was determined that age affected health control and health perception and behaviours in children. A positive significant correlation was found between the health locus of control and health perceptions and behaviours of the children. The children had positive health behaviours, and they had high internal control in their own health management. In accordance with these results, children's own health management should be increased to increase their positive perceptions and behaviours.

Exploring the experiences related to postpartum changes: perspectives of mothers and healthcare providers in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Numerous changes occur in different aspects of women's lives in the postpartum period. Women's adjusting with problems and taking advantage of this opportunity can develop their personality. In this regard, accurate knowledge of their experiences and feelings is necessary to help them to benefit from this period. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the experiences related to postpartum changes in women. METHODS: In the present qualitative study, 23 participants, including women of childbearing age who gave birth and healthcare providers (midwives and obstetricians) in Isfahan, Iran were selected using purposive sampling with a maximum variation strategy. Data were collected through in-depth semi structured interviews, field notes, and daily notes, and simultaneously analyzed using the conventional qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: The data analysis results led to the extraction of three main categories including "feeling of decreased female attractiveness" (with two sub-categories of " feeling of decreased beauty" and "feeling of decreased sexual function"), "feeling of insolvency and helplessness" (with two sub-categories of "physical burnout", and "mental preoccupations") and "beginning a new period in life" (with three sub-categories of "changing the meaning of life", "feeling of maturity" and "deepening the communication"). CONCLUSIONS: Findings of this study can provide a good context for designing interventions to improve the women's quality of life by explaining and highlighting their experiences in the postpartum period. In this regard, providing sufficient empathy, social and psychological support from family members (especially husband), performing appropriate educational interventions and also regular assessment of women's psychological state by healthcare providers in postpartum period can reduce their concerns and help to improve their health.

The seemingly 'protective' effect of internalised racism on overall health among 780 Black/African Americans: the serial mediation of stigma consciousness and locus of control.

OBJECTIVE: Internalised racism (IR) is associated with better and worse health outcomes among racial/ethnic minorities. However, the underlying mechanisms associating IR with either positive or negative health outcomes are not well understood.Design & main outcomes measures: To address this gap, this study investigated two pathways that associate increased IR with better self-reported overall health (OH; i.e. dental, mental, physical and vision health) among 780 Black/African American adults (mean age 37.68 years, 57.6% female): (1) via stigma consciousness and (2) via stigma consciousness and locus of control beliefs. RESULTS: Consistent with predictions, stigma consciousness mediated the indirect effect of IR on OH, such that higher IR was associated with lower stigma consciousness, which was associated with better self-reported OH. Confirming predictions, this indirect effect was also carried through locus of control beliefs, such that higher IR was associated with lower stigma consciousness; lower stigma consciousness was also associated with internal locus of control beliefs, which were associated with better self-reported OH. CONCLUSIONS: Although seemingly protective, this adaptive, strategic and short-term response to race-based threat in which group stereotypes are internalised can lead to negative health outcomes over time. These findings have implications for understanding IR and associated health disparities.

Family Socioeconomic Status and Social Media Addiction in Female College Students: The Mediating Role of Impulsiveness and Inhibitory Control.

There is increasing evidence that low family socioeconomic status (SES) not only is a social issue, but also is a precursor to addiction to social media and other technologies. The authors investigated the relationship between family SES, stress, impulsiveness and inhibitory control, and social media addiction among Chinese female college students. The findings revealed that in lower-SES families, increased social media addiction was associated with reduced inhibitory control and increased stress and impulsiveness. A structural equation model was used to examine the mediation model hypothesis, and the results confirmed the mediating role of no-planning impulsiveness and inhibitory control between family educational level and social media addiction among Chinese female college students. These findings demonstrate the importance of reducing impulsiveness and improving inhibitory control for preventing social media addiction in female college students of low SES. Future studies are required to confirm precursors to social media addiction, elucidate causal mechanisms, and support the explanatory model of social media addiction.

Early Physical Abuse and Adult Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Because most physical abuse goes unreported and researchers largely rely on retrospective reports of childhood abuse or prospective samples with substantiated maltreatment, long-term outcomes of physical abuse in US community samples are unknown. We hypothesized that early childhood physical abuse would prospectively predict adult outcomes in education and economic stability, physical health, mental health, substance use, and criminal behavior. METHODS: Researchers in two multisite studies recruited children at kindergarten entry and followed them into adulthood. Parents completed interviews about responses to the child's problem behaviors during the kindergarten interview. Interviewers rated the probability that the child was physically abused in the first 5 years of life. Adult outcomes were measured by using 23 indicators of education and economic stability, physical health, mental health, substance use, and criminal convictions reported by participants and their peers and in school and court records. RESULTS: Controlling for potential confounds, relative to participants who were not physically abused, adults who had been abused were more likely to have received special education services, repeated a grade, be receiving government assistance, score in the clinical range on externalizing or internalizing disorders, and have been convicted of a crime in the past year (3.20, 2.14, 2.00, 2.42, 2.10, and 2.61 times more likely, respectively) and reported levels of physical health that were 0.10 SDs lower. No differences were found in substance use. CONCLUSIONS: Unreported physical abuse in community samples has long-term detrimental effects into adulthood. Pediatricians should talk with parents about using only nonviolent discipline and support early interventions to prevent child abuse.

Relationships Between Job Satisfaction and Job Demand, Job Control, Social Support, and Depression in Iranian Nurses.

BACKGROUND: Nurses often experience a wide variety of stressful situations. Excessive work stress influences the physical and mental health of nurses and decreases their life quality and professional efficacy. In addition, high levels of psychological stress may cause job dissatisfaction and job strain. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to explore the relationship between several work-related risk factors and job satisfaction in Iranian nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 730 nurses from four public hospitals in, respectively, northern, southern, eastern, and western Iran. Variables in the job demand-control-support (JDCS) model were measured using the Job Content Questionnaire, and job satisfaction was measured using the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean score for job satisfaction was 62.94 ± 14.24, which is considered moderate. Nurses with a low level of job satisfaction had significantly higher psychological and physical job demands (p < .05). Significant relationships were found between job satisfaction and several dimensions of the JDCS model, including psychological job demands (ß = -0.11, p < .001), physical job demands (ß = -0.86, p = .004), skill discretion (ß = 0.48, p = .033), decision authority (ß = 0.43, p = .028), and supervisor support (ß = 1.85, p = .004). The sociodemographic and JDCS model variables used in this study explained 42% of the variation in job satisfaction (R2 = .42). CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Enhancing the job satisfaction of nurses is possible by creating a balance between job demands, job control, and social support.

Children's behavioural problems and its associations with socioeconomic position and early parenting environment: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.

AIMS: To investigate behavioural problems throughout childhood and adolescent, and its relationship with socioeconomic position (SEP) and early parenting environment. METHODS: Using data from the Millennium Cohort Study conducted in the UK, behavioural problems of 14 452 children were analysed using a growth curve model. The children were followed from birth to adolescence, and their behavioural problems were measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The SDQ was sub-scaled into externalising and internalising problems. After assessing the general trajectory of children's behavioural problems, variables representing SEP and parenting environments were introduced to the model to analyse the association with children's outcomes. RESULTS: Overall, children's trajectories in externalising problems showed a decreasing trend while internalising problems increased as they aged. Household income and maternal education in early childhood were independently associated with children's behavioural problems, while the association for maternal occupation was significantly weaker. Positive early parenting environments attenuated the association between SEP and children's behavioural problems. Also, with regards to children's behavioural problems, positive parenting explained more variance between children compared to SEP. Favourable parent-child relationship buffered the income gradient in children's behavioural problems during early childhood, and although this buffering effect did not last until adolescence, those who had good parent-child relationships developed better outcomes regardless of their SEP. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study emphasise the importance of a positive early parenting environment for improving and reducing the socioeconomic gap in children's behavioural problems and encourages policies to promote better parenting circumstances.

Demographic, Social, and Economic Factors of Internalizing Problems in Referred and Non-Referred Adolescents.

Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation are common internalizing problems during adolescence. Numerous studies have explored the role of certain demographic, social, and economic factors in their development in referred or non-referred adolescents, but not simultaneously in both groups. In this study, we examined the association between age, gender, parents' educational level, and socioeconomic status (SES) and depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in a referred group (n = 211) and a non-referred (n = 1401) group of adolescents. We also examined the moderating role that these factors play in the relationships between both internalizing problems. The results showed: higher levels of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in the referred group; an increase in both problems during early-to-middle adolescence in the non-referred group; an association between low SES and suicidal ideation in both groups; an association between low father's education level and depressive symptoms in the non-referred group; and no gender differences in either of these two internalizing problems. The moderation analyses showed that age, in referred adolescents, and SES, in non-referred adolescents, moderated the relationship between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation. This study contributes to the identification of groups of vulnerable adolescents that could constitute the target populations of preventive programs.

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Self-Rated Health and Sense of Control for Older Adults Receiving Publicly Funded Home- and Community-Based Services.

Objectives: This study examines racial/ethnic differences in self-rated health (SRH) and sense of control among older adults receiving publicly funded home- and community-based services (HCBS) and tests the mediating role of functional, emotional, and financial stressors. Methods: Data are from 2015 National Core Indicators-Aging and Disability Survey collected from face-to-face interviews with 1936 older adults aged 65 years or older receiving HCBS in Minnesota. Path analysis based on logistic regression was used. Results: Racial/ethnic minority HCBS users had lower SRH and sense of control than white participants, with Asian participants reporting the lowest scores. Whereas functional impairment was a common explanatory factor for the racial/ethnic differences, negative mood and financial strain were mediators for Asian and Hispanic/Latino participants, respectively. Discussion: Racial/ethnic disparities in well-being exist among older HCBS users, with different mediators at play. Customized services are needed to meet diverse needs of older adults of different racial/ethnic groups.