The Myth of the Need for Diversity Among Subjects in Theory-Testing Research: Comments on "Racial Inequality in Psychological Research" by Roberts et al. (2020).

Roberts and colleagues focus on two aspects of racial inequality in psychological research, namely an alleged underrepresentation of racial minorities and the effects attributed to this state of affairs. My comment focuses only on one aspect, namely the assumed consequences of the lack of diversity in subject populations. Representativeness of samples is essential in survey research or applied research that examines whether a particular intervention will work for a particular population. Representativeness or diversity is not necessary in theory-testing research, where we attempt to establish laws of causality. Because theories typically apply to all of humanity, all members of humanity (even American undergraduates) are suitable for assessing the validity of theoretical hypotheses. Admittedly, the assumption that a theory applies to all of humanity is also a hypothesis that can be tested. However, to test it, we need theoretical hypotheses about specific moderating variables. Supporting a theory with a racially diverse sample does not make conclusions more valid than support from a nondiverse sample. In fact, cause-effect conclusions based on a diverse sample might not be valid for any member of that sample.

The absorption-addiction model of celebrity worship: in search of a broader theoretical foundation.

BACKGROUND: A large body of evidence suggests that some people have a strong, obsessive attachment to a favorite celebrity. The absorption-addiction model attempts to account for this extreme attachment, sometimes labeled "celebrity worship." According to the model, a small portion of celebrity admirers ("celebrity worshipers") become absorbed in the personal lives of celebrities to compensate for perceived personal or social deficiencies. The purpose of this study is to examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to broader psychological theories that include non-celebrity contexts. Specifically, we examine how the absorption-addiction model relates to three theories: empty-self theory, extremism theory, and the dualistic model of passion. METHODS: Participants (N = 399; 77.94% women, Mage = 19.91 years, SD = 3.24) completed an online questionnaire measuring attraction to favorite celebrities. Constructs representing the three broader theories were compared to a measure of attraction to one's favorite celebrity. RESULTS: Sense of emptiness, obsessive passion, and extremism were positively associated with celebrity attraction. The strongest association was found with extremism, though the effect was moderate. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that extremism theory is the best fit of the three broader theories explaining celebrity worship, although its contribution to understanding celebrity worship is modest.

Driving employee organizational citizenship behaviour through CSR: An empirical study in the context of luxury hotels.

In the recent years, there has been a rising interest among luxury brands to be environmentally responsible and promote employee discretionary behaviour. However, the underlying mechanisms that explain why, when, and how employees demonstrate discretionary environmental attitudes and behaviour in luxury contexts are not well-known. To accelerate this discourse; the current study examines the impact of environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment. Drawing insights from social cognitive theory, this study empirically validates a conceptual model through the data collected from 406 employees of luxury hotels and analysed using structural equation modelling. The results confirm the significant effect of environmental CSR on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment. The results also reveal that employee environmental commitment and green work engagement partially mediate the proposed relationship. Moreover, contrary to expectations, gender did not moderate the influence of environmental CSR on employee environmental commitment and employee green work engagement, whereas the relationship between environmental CSR and organizational citizenship behaviour towards environment was stronger for males than females. We argue that creative environmental CSR assignments in luxury hotel chains help employees develop engagement, identification, and commitment with the environmental strategy of the hotels towards solving grave environmental problems that modern societies are grappling with.

"There is no expiration date": a qualitative analysis using the Social Cognitive Theory to identify factors influencing physical activity among adults living with advanced cancer.

PURPOSE: To identify cognitive, behavioral, environmental, and other factors that influence physical activity in adults with advanced cancer using qualitative, semi-structured interviews. METHODS: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with adults living with stage IV breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer; or multiple myeloma recruited from the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. We used the Social Cognitive Theory to design the interview guide and a reflexive thematic approach for analysis. RESULTS: Participants were 62 years old on average and currently receiving treatment. Despite reporting numerous barriers to physical activity, most participants discussed engaging in some physical activity. Participants reported difficulties coping with changes in physical functioning especially due to fatigue, weakness, neuropathy, and pain. While cold weather was seen as a deterrent for activity, access to sidewalks was a commonly reported feature of neighborhood conduciveness for physical activity. Regardless of current activity levels, adults with advanced cancer were interested in engaging in activities to meet their goals of gaining strength and maintaining independence. Having a conversation with a provider from their cancer care team about physical activity was seen as encouraging for pursuing some activity. CONCLUSIONS: Adults living with advanced cancer are interested in pursuing activity to gain strength and maintain independence despite reported barriers to physical activity. To ensure patients are encouraged to be active, accessible resources, targeted referrals, and interventions designed to address their goals are critical next steps. RELEVANCE: Integrating conversations about physical activity into oncology care for adults living with advanced cancer is an important next step to encourage patients to remain active and help them improve strength and maintain quality of life and independence.

Who likely experiences reactance to quitting messages: How individual cultural identification moderates the effect of controlling language on psychological reactance.

OBJECTIVE: Psychological reactance can undermine the persuasiveness of smoking campaigns, but this effect may vary as a function of culture. Previous research has been conducted at the national level or examined the influence of one cultural variable. This study investigated whether the boomerang effect of controlling language varied across countries and whether individualism and power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance. METHODS: A total of 400 Chinese and 441 American smokers were randomly assigned to either high or low controlling language. RESULTS: High controlling language elicited psychological reactance, which caused negative attitudes and eventually reduced intentions to quit smoking in both countries. Moreover, the effect of controlling language on reactance was stronger among low power distance Americans, Chinese of high individualism and high power distance as well as of low individualism and low power distance. CONCLUSION: The boomerang effect of controlling language held across cultures. Power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance as well as the moderation effect of individualism on this relationship. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Practitioners should be cautious to evoke reactance especially when targeting at the three groups mentioned above.

Interpersonal relationships and suicidal ideation among Chinese youths: A network analysis.

BACKGROUND: Suicidal ideation is a noteworthy health problem that requires further study in the field of interpersonal relationships. The main scope of relationships include family, teachers, peers, and the Internet. However, few studies have considered the effects of interpersonal interactions. Based on the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, this study explores the relation between different interpersonal relationships and suicidal ideation. METHODS: A network analysis approach was used to test the relationships. Cross-sectional data (N = 1694; 52.1 % boys; Mage = 11.86 years, SD = 1.59) were collected from primary and secondary students in October-November 2022. Participants completed a survey including demographic part and questionnaires: Positive and Negative Suicide Ideation Inventory (PANSI), Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES II), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) and Facebook Intensity Scale (FIS). RESULTS: All variables showed a significant correlation in this inferred network. Family, teacher-student, and peer relationships are protective against suicidal ideation. The closeness of the teacher-student relationship showed the highest strength centrality. However, online interpersonal relationship is a risk factor for suicide. Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness are proximal factors of suicidal ideation that influenced all interpersonal relationships. LIMITATIONS: The network analysis as a data-driven and exploratory method may be limited to provide exact cause and effect relationship. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that teacher-student connections may be more important than other relationships of young people. Improper peer and online interpersonal relationship could be risky for suicide. Further studies are needed to examine the role of these relationships elaborately.

Parent Intention to Participate in an Online Intervention to Enhance Health Behavior Change Among Youth Treated with Psychotropic Medication Who are Overweight or Obese: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Youth with mental health disorders (MHD), particularly those who take psychotropic medications, are at increased risk of being overweight or obese (OW/OB) when compared to typical youth. Parents are important resources for interventions addressing OW/OB. However, parents of youth with MHD may face challenges that require interventions designed to address their needs. Prior to investing research funding in the development of interventions for this group, research is needed to understand factors associated with parents' decisions to enroll in these programs. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) provided a framework for examining parents' salient beliefs, direct attitudes, and intention to enroll in a hypothetical online healthy lifestyle intervention for their youth (ages 11-17) with OW/OB and treated with psychotropic medication. Parents who were enrolled in the study (n = 84) completed demographic questionnaires and a TPB questionnaire which was constructed for this study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the direct attitude (i.e., attitude toward the behavior, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control) questions generally supported the three-factor model (i.e., RMSEA = .07, 90% CI .03-.11, p = .18; CFI = .96, SRMR = .06). Results from a multiple regression analysis demonstrated that direct attitudes predicted parent intention to participate in an online healthy lifestyle intervention for this sample of youth accounting for 84% of variance. In this preliminary study, the TPB appears to be a promising framework for understanding direct attitudes associated with parent intentions toward intervention participation in this population of youth. Interventions for parents of youth with OW/OB who are prescribed psychotropic medication should consider addressing these direct attitudes to improve intention.

Behaviors and influencing factors of Chinese oncology nurses towards hospice care: a cross-sectional study based on social cognitive theory in 2022.

BACKGROUND: Although there is growing demand for hospice care in China due to its aging population and increasing cancer rates, the sector remains slow to expand. Oncology nurses are the primary providers of hospice care, but little is known about their behaviors towards hospice care and related factors. METHODS: This cross-sectional study conveniently sampled 933 oncology nurses from six grade A tertiary hospitals in Hubei Province between January to March 2022. The questionnaire was composed of seven parts: general information (including sociodemographic and work-related information), hospice care behaviors, hospice care knowledge, hospice care attitudes, hospice care self-efficacy, hospice care outcome expectancy, and hospice care environment. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, independent sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, multiple linear regression, random forest regression, and BP neural network model analysis. RESULTS: A total of 852 questionnaires were valid. The mean score of hospice care behaviors was 50.47 ± 10.56, with a mean item score of 3.61 ± 0.75. The three highest scoring behaviors were "pain assessment of patients (4.21 ± 0.91)", "satisfying the physical and mental needs of dying patients (4.04 ± 0.92)", and "creating good relationships between the medical staff and family members (4.02 ± 0.87)". The two lowest-scoring behaviors were "proactively recommending medical institutions for hospice care to terminally ill patients and their families (2.55 ± 1.10)" and "proactively talking to patients and families about death-related topics for patients who are critically ill and cannot be reversed (2.87 ± 1.03)." Multiple linear regression, random forest regression, and BP neural network models all showed that the frequency of sharing hospice care experiences with colleagues, hospice care attitudes, hospice care self-efficacy, and hospice care environments were positively associated with hospice care behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of hospice care behaviors among Chinese oncology nurses is generally at a moderate to high level. The results provide a basis for promoting hospice care behaviors among oncology nurses in order to improve the quality of life for terminally ill cancer patients.

Applying the theory of behavioral choice to plant-based dietary intentions.

Improving understanding of the intention to choose plant-based food is an important element of climate change mitigation. A cross-sectional survey of 454 North American adults was used to predict their dietary-change intentions from the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and the more-recently proposed theory of behavioral choice (TBC). The TPB accounted for 65 percent of the variance in intentions and the TBC accounted for a significantly greater (80 percent) proportion of variance. The strongest predictors of intention were the TBC's sense of obligation, attitude-values-affect (AVA), and habit, and the TBP's social norms. Five interactions also contributed in small but significant ways toward the accounting of the participants' food-choice intentions. Policy implications are discussed.

Younger and Older Adults' Health Lies to Close Others.

OBJECTIVES: Lying is a common social behavior; however, there is limited research on lying about health and if this differs into later life. This study sought to explore age differences in the frequency of and motivations behind telling health-related lies and if lying differs within romantic and parent/child relationships. METHODS: Younger (N = 158) and older adults (N = 149) reported how often they told general health-related lies, how often they lied about health to their romantic partner and parent or adult child, and why they told health lies. RESULTS: Compared with older adults, younger adults lied more frequently to conceal sickness and pain as well as to feign sickness. Younger adults also told more health lies to their parent than their romantic partner, but older adults lied to their adult child and partner at similar rates. Younger adults reported lying more about their health because they felt ashamed or embarrassed and they worried about what others would think of them compared with older adults. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that health-related honesty may increase in later life and that younger and older adults differ in why they tell health lies. Implications for psychological theory on lying about one's health and health interventions are discussed.

When Night Falls Fast: Sleep and Suicidal Behavior Among Adolescents and Young Adults.

Sleep disturbances have been linked to suicidal ideation and behaviors in adolescents. Specifically, insomnia and nightmares are associated with current suicide risk and predict future ideation. Associations between hypersomnia, sleep apnea, and suicide remain inconclusive. Potential biological mechanisms underlying these relationships include executive functioning deficits and hyperarousal. Related psychological factors may include thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, and negative appraisals. Assessing suicide risk in patients with sleep disturbances, and vice versa, is needed. Therapeutic interventions such as cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and imagery rehearsal treatment, as well as pharmacologic treatments, show promise in treating sleep disorders and suicidal behavior.

Applying the Affective Events Theory to Explore the Effect of Daily Micro-Interruptions on Mental Health: The Mediating Role of Affect and the Moderating Role of Pets at Work.

This study relied on the affective events theory and the social exchange theory to develop a framework that explains how situational factors (daily micro-interruptions) enhance affective reactions (negative affect) and, in turn, impair health conditions (mental health) at work. We further delineate theoretical arguments to propose the pet-human's health effect by demonstrating that pets are boundary conditions that attenuate this relation, and as such are protective conditions for employees' mental health. We conducted a 5-day diary study with two groups of participants, one with participants who owned pets (N = 82 x 5 = 410), and the other who did not own pets (N = 87 x 5 = 435). The multilevel results showed an indirect effect of daily micro-interruptions on individuals' mental health through negative affect, with a daily backdrop of poorer mental health for those who did not own a pet (compared to those who owned a pet). These results evidence the benefits of owning a pet for individuals' mental health, even at work, and as such provide recommendations for teleworking practices. Moreover, this study resorts to an innovative and robust data collection method to demonstrate the pet-human' health effect. This study expands knowledge on the role of pets in working daily routines and shows that pets may be a personal resource for individuals while working.

Exploring the factors affecting elementary mathematics teachers' innovative behavior: an integration of social cognitive theory.

Teacher innovative behavior is one of the vital factors, affecting student engagement, addresses diverse needs, promotes critical thinking, fosters lifelong learning, and contributes to educational research and development. By encouraging and supporting teacher innovation, we may can ensure that education remains relevant, effective, and impactful in preparing students for the future. Teacher innovative behavior is also needed to improve the mathematics skills of elementary school students, and it is important to determine the predictors that significantly affecting Teacher innovative behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a model that predicted possible factors affecting mathematics teachers' innovative behavior based on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Data were collected from 132 elementary school teachers in China to verify the model, and the analysis was conducted using a structural equation modelling approach. Theoretically, 10 of the 15 hypotheses were found to be significant. The results showed that facilitating conditions and self-efficacy significantly affect mathematics teachers' innovative behavior. Meanwhile, Technological, Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) knowledge, Social Influences, Rewards, Work engagement and anxiety did not show any effect. The contribution developed a model and provided new knowledge about the factors affecting elementary school teachers' innovative behavior. Practically, this could be used to improve teachers' innovative behavior.

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Interpersonal Hopelessness Scale Among Individuals With Elevated Suicide Risk.

The interpersonal theory of suicide hypothesizes that suicide ideation (SI) emerges specifically in the context of hopelessness about the immutability of thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB; i.e., interpersonal hopelessness). The psychometrics of the Interpersonal Hopelessness Scale (IHS), which could be used to test this hypothesis directly, have not been rigorously evaluated. Participants (U.S. adults reporting past-year SI) completed online self-report assessments at Waves 1 (W1; N = 595) and 2 (W2; N = 215), 1 week apart. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a two-factor structure, IHS-TB and IHS-PB. Correlations indicated strong concurrent validity. Hurdle negative binomial regressions indicated that W1 IHS-TB and IHS-PB scores were associated with SI presence and severity at both waves, but this was inconsistent when adjusting for other W1 variables. IHS-TB and IHS-PB demonstrated excellent internal consistency and moderate to good test-retest reliability. The IHS could improve theory testing and suicide risk assessment and management.

Social-Ecological Resilience of Indigenous Adolescents in the United States and Canada: A Situation-Specific Nursing Theory.

For the past decade, resilience research with American Indian/Alaska Native and First Nations/Métis/Inuit adolescents has improved our understanding of how adolescents overcome mental health challenges. A new situation-specific theory is presented to guide nurses in applying the evidence to their practice with Indigenous adolescents in the United States and Canada. The social-ecological resilience of indigenous adolescents (SERIA) theory was derived from integrating ( a ) existing social-ecological frameworks by Bronfenbrenner, Ungar, and Burnette and Figley, ( b ) findings from a systematic review of 78 studies about resilience factors for mental health of Indigenous adolescents, ( c ) clinical experience, and ( d ) Indigenous knowledge.

Negative Urgency, (Lack of) Premeditation, and Sensation Seeking: Indirect Relationships with Suicidal Ideation through Thwarted Interpersonal Needs.

OBJECTIVE: Differences in how impulsivity is conceptualized, along with a myopic focus on impulsivity's relationship with historical suicidal behaviors, have resulted in limited implications made from prior research regarding impulsivity and suicidal thoughts and behaviors. The current study investigated the indirect effect facets of impulsivity may have on suicidal ideation, specifically, through thwarted interpersonal needs. METHODS: Participants were N = 424 undergraduate students who completed a cross-sectional survey. Participants completed the Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, Sensation Seeking, Impulsive Behavior Scale (UPPS), the Adult Suicide Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ), and the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ). Parallel mediation models were run to examine the relation between facets of impulsivity, perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness, and suicidal ideation. RESULTS: Thwarted belonginess and perceived burdensomeness significantly accounted for the variance in the relation between negative urgency and suicidal ideation. Neither thwarted belongingness nor perceived burdensomeness significantly explained variance in the relation between (lack of) premeditation and suicidal ideation. Conversely, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belonginess significantly explained the inverse relation between sensation seeking and suicidal ideation (i.e., greater sensation seeking was related to lower perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness and in turn lower suicidal ideation). CONCLUSION: Negative urgency, in particular, is related to suicidal ideation through thwarted interpersonal needs. Future research should continue to differentiate between various types of impulsivity and its relationship with both suicidal ideation and behaviors utilizing both cross-sectional and ambulatory assessments of these constructs.HIGHLIGHTSNegative urgency is related to suicidal ideation.Negative urgency is related to thwarted interpersonal needs.Thwarted interpersonal needs partially explain the relation between negative urgency and suicidal ideation.

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms, perceived burdensomeness, and thwarted belongingness: Associations and implications among US veterans.

OBJECTIVE: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is among the most debilitating psychiatric disorders worldwide, but has gone relatively unnoticed within the US veteran population. Simultaneously, suicide rates continue to remain high within this population despite the high volume of veterans who receive psychiatric care. With recent research demonstrating OCD's unique relationship with suicidality, it is imperative to explore this association and factors that may explain this association within veterans. METHODS: The present study investigated OCD symptoms and their relationship with two known risk factors of suicide, perceived burdensomeness (PB) and thwarted belongingness (TB), in two samples of veterans. RESULTS: In the first study (N = 100), OCD symptoms were found to be uniquely related to both PB and TB even after covarying for demographics, trauma exposure, and probable depression. In the second study (N = 99), these relationships were replicated longitudinally. OCD symptoms at baseline were found to be indirectly related to suicidal ideation severity at a 1-month follow-up via PB and TB at post-treatment. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the importance of assessing and addressing OCD symptoms within veterans due to the unique relationship these symptoms have with suicidal constructs. A deeper understanding of the impact of OCD within the veteran population will inform future prevention and intervention efforts.

Integrating perceived physical environments and the theory of planned behaviors when explaining adherence to 24-hour movement guidelines in Chinese adolescents.

PURPOSES: Most adolescents worldwide do not meet 24-h movement guidelines, which recommend specific level of physical activity, sedentary behavior, and sleep for optimal health. Nevertheless, there remains a lack of understanding regarding how social cognitive and physical environmental factors influence adolescents' compliance with these guidelines. This prospective study aimed to examine the associations between perceived physical environments, constructs of the theory of planned behavior (TPB), habit strength, and adherence to 24-h movement guidelines in Chinese adolescents over a three-month period. METHODS: A total of 629 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.59 years, SD = 0.64) completed a set of questionnaires comprising perceived physical environmental characteristics, constructs of the TPB, habit strength, and 24-h movement behaviors at baseline and 3 months later. Data analysis was conducted using variance-based structural equation modeling. RESULTS: Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control had a direct effect on intention and intention had a direct effect on number of the guidelines being met. Habit strength was a significant predictor of adherence to the guidelines, although its moderating effect on the intention-behavior relationship was not significant. Perceived neighborhood facility accessibility, school facility availability, and home physical activity equipment had significant indirect effects on intention through attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control. However, constructs of the TPB did not serve as mediators in the relationship between perceived physical environments and the number of guidelines being met. CONCLUSION: This study offers preliminary evidence supporting the integration of perceived physical environments and the TPB in predicting adolescents' adherence to 24-h movement guidelines. Future research should consider using experimental study designs with rigorous measures of 24-h movement behaviors to establish causal relationships.

Understanding the Design of Fear Appeals by Applying the Extended Parallel Process Model: A Qualitative Analysis of COVID-19 Public Service Announcements.

PURPOSE: Identify how early COVID-19 public health messages incorporated in the tenets of the extended parallel process model (EPPM). SETTING: YouTube videos developed by governmental departments, medical institutions, news organizations, and non-profit organizations in the United States were aggregated. METHOD: This qualitative study conducted a keyword search to identify public service announcements (PSAs). The sample was further refined after searching PSAs that contained fear appeals. A thematic analysis was performed by using the constant comparative method. SAMPLE: A total of forty-three videos was included in the final analysis. RESULT: Two themes emerged regarding messages aimed at arousing the perceived severity of threat. These themes include emphasizing the consequences of being infected and utilizing personal narratives. Perceived susceptibility of threat was aroused by emphasizing that some groups have higher risks than others. Two themes emerged around arousing perceived response efficacy: (1) the authority of professionals; and (2) altruism and personal responsibility. One way was identified to arouse perceived self-efficacy, which is informing the protective measures. CONCLUSION: Multiple strategies were used in PSAs about COVID-19 to arouse fear during the early stages of the pandemic. The utilization of self-efficacy was oversimplified, by not providing details about the rationale for the recommended behavior.