Animal rights, environment, or health? Effects of argument type and dissonance on the attitudes toward the consumption of animals.

The scientific literature and advocacy organisations highlight three harm-related arguments as paramount reasons for the reduction and cessation of the consumption of animal-derived products (ADP) - violence toward animals, damage to the environment, and human health. However, research on their comparative effects is scarce and there is no clear definition of which type of argument is the most effective in restricting ADP consumption. Based on cognitive dissonance theory, this study aimed to investigate the effects of these types of arguments on meat-eaters' attitudes and beliefs toward the propositions of reducing and ceasing ADP consumption. The study sample comprised 545 Brazilian adults. We adopted an experimental between-subjects design based on the presentation of vignettes. Each participant responded to one of the vignettes (animal rights, environmental, or health arguments) or a control condition. Results showed that greater levels of ADP-related dissonance provoked greater positive attitudes toward the reduction and cessation of ADP consumption. Compared to baseline, the animal rights and environmental messages significantly increased dissonance and positive attitudes toward ADP restriction, but not the health argument. Participants most frequently adopted the dissonance-management strategies of denial of responsibility, denial of harm, and the articulation of beliefs favourable to change. The discussion highlights that the different effects of social influence contexts and argument types depend on their capacity to reveal ADP consumption as morally problematic behaviour. To our knowledge, this is the first study to experimentally compare the effects of animal rights, environmental and health-related arguments in generating ADP-related dissonance and attitude change.

Mitigating the identity and health threat of COVID-19: Perspectives of middle-class South Asians living in the UK.

The recognition and representation of BAME community as 'high risk' of Covid-19 in the UK presents both a health and an identity threat to this ethnic group. This study employed thematic analysis to explore response to these threats as related by a sample of 13 middle class members of the South Asian community. This work advances both health and identity psychological theory by recognising the affinity between expressions of health efficacy and identity. Our findings identify South Asian intragroup stigmatisation and commonalities that have implications for the promotion of health behaviour and health communications for minority groups.

Perceptions of Primary Health Care Professionals towards Alcoholic Patients: an Exploratory Study in a Brazilian Municipality / Percepciones de profesionales de atención primaria en salud sobre pacientes alcohólicos: un estudio exploratorio en una municipalidad brasileña

The objectives of the present research were to explore perceptions of Primary Health Care professionals towards alcoholic patients and to verify possible differences in the perceptions of male and female alcoholism. Participants read and responded to three case vignettes describing a male alcoholic, a female alcoholic and a male diabetic. Data were analyzed with repeated measures MANOVA and univariate F follow-up tests. Results showed that the alcoholic was objectified as an "atypical and difficult" patient towards whom there were negative attitudes and stigma-related socio-cognitive elements. Female alcoholism was possibly perceived as more difficult to explain than male alcoholism. The discussion highlights the importance of social representations and social identities in the continued training of health personnel.

Los objetivos de la presente investigación fueron la exploración de las percepciones de profesionales de atención primaria en salud sobre los pacientes alcohólicos y la verificación de posibles diferencias en las percepciones del alcoholismo masculino y femenino. Los participantes respondieron a tres viñetas que describían un paciente alcohólico, una paciente alcohólica y un paciente diabético. Los datos fueron analizados con MANOVA de medidas repetidas y con test univariados. El alcohólico fue objetivado como paciente "atípico y difícil" asociado a actitudes negativas y a elementos sociocognitivos de estigma. El alcoholismo femenino fue posiblemente percibido como más difícil de explicar que el alcoholismo masculino. La discusión destaca la importancia de las representaciones y identidades sociales para la formación continuada de profesionales de salud.