Profiles of Loneliness and Ostracism During Adolescence: Consequences, Antecedents, and Protective Factors.

This longitudinal study (N = 1078, 46% boys; 54% girls) examined profiles of loneliness and ostracism during adolescence and their consequences and antecedents. Longitudinal latent profiles analyses identified four distinct profiles: (1) High emotional loneliness (25%), High and increasing social loneliness (15%), High peer exclusion and high social impact (9%) and No peer problems (51%). Subsequent internalizing problems were typical for the High and increasing social loneliness profile and externalizing problems for the High emotional loneliness and High peer exclusion and high social impact profiles. Furthermore, effortful control, prosocial skills, and relationship quality with parents and teachers were highest in the No peer problems profile, whereas the High and increasing social loneliness profile had the lowest self-esteem and was characterized by low surgency/extraversion, high affiliativeness, and high negative affectivity.

Political polarization: a curse of knowledge?

Purpose: Could the curse of knowledge influence how antagonized we are towards political outgroups? Do we assume others know what we know but still disagree with us? This research investigates how the curse of knowledge may affect us politically, i.e., be a cause of political polarization. Background: Research on the curse of knowledge has shown that even when people are incentivized to act as if others do not know what they know, they are still influenced by the knowledge they have. Methods: This study consists of five studies consisting of both experimental and non-experimental and within- and between-subjects survey designs. Each study collected samples of 152-1,048. Results: Partisans on both sides overestimate the extent to which stories from their news sources were familiar to contrapartisans. Introducing novel, unknown facts to support their political opinion made participants rate political outgroup members more negatively. In an experimental design, there was no difference in judging an opponent who did not know the same issue-relevant facts and someone who did know the same facts. However, when asked to compare those who know to those who do not, participants judged those who do not know more favorably, and their ratings of all issue-opponents were closer to those issue-opponents who shared the same knowledge. In a debiasing experiment, those who received an epistemological treatment judged someone who disagreed more favorably. Conclusion: This research provides evidence that the curse of knowledge may be a contributing cause of affective political polarization.

Uptake of and Motivational Responses to Mental Health-Promoting Practices: Comparing Relaxation and Mindfulness Interventions.

Background: Comparative analyses of alternative interventions within the same trial enable acceptability and fidelity of each to be investigated more critically. In addition, whereas so far studies have focused on efficacy evaluations, more understanding is needed on motivational factors influencing the uptake of mental health-promoting practices rather than solely their effects. Purpose: This study investigates whether the motivational responses to a mindfulness intervention are different from a relaxation intervention. We compare social cognitions outlined by the reasoned action approach and their roles in practice uptake, self-reported reasons for non-practice, and experienced benefits. Methods: In a cluster-randomized trial (ISRCTN18642659; N = 3134), 12-15-year-old participants were given a 9-week intervention and followed up to 52 weeks. Main statistical analyses included t-tests, mixed ANOVAs, path models, and chi-square tests. Results: Social cognitions in the mindfulness arm were slightly more positive immediately post-intervention, but recipients mostly responded similarly to the two interventions in the longer term. While attitudes, norms, intention, and self-efficacy were relatively high post-intervention, most of them slightly decreased by 26 weeks. Main reasons for non-practice in both arms included not finding the exercises helpful, no felt need, boringness of exercises and forgetting. The most common benefits experienced by practicing respondents were stress management and concentration ability. Better sleep was a more frequently reported benefit in the relaxation arm, but no other major differences emerged. Conclusion: This study offers an example of comparing motivational responses to experimental and active control arm interventions, a potentially helpful approach in improving intervention adherence.

Latent profile analysis as a method for process evaluations: Discovering response subgroups in a mindfulness intervention.

RATIONALE: Clustering techniques have been used within intervention studies to locate any distinct subgroups among intervention participants. One way in which they have not yet been utilized, but for which there is potential benefit, is in finding different motivational and behavioral response types to a newly introduced behavior. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to use latent profile analyses (the same as latent class analyses except with continuous indicator variables) to identify 1) types, or classes, in terms of social cognitive responses to a mindfulness intervention, using The Reasoned Action Approach constructs, and 2) longitudinal/change trajectory classes of the target behavior (i.e., mindfulness practice). METHODS: The data derived from a school-based mindfulness intervention (N = 1646) among 12-15 year-olds, conducted in southern Finland from 2014 to 2016. We explored associations between the identified classes and with gender, linguocultural group, and mental health and practice outcomes. RESULTS: Analyses indicated a solution of five latent classes for both social cognition post-intervention-Uncertain but Positive (40.2%), Acceptable but No (18.8%), Indifferent (16.8), Inclined (15.5%), Disinclined (8.6%)-and practice trajectories-Stable Low (52.1%), Decreased from Seldom (25.8%), Decreased from Sometimes (10.7%), Increased from Zero (6.8%), Increased from Seldom (4.6%). The strongest differentiating theoretical construct among the social cognitive classes was a descriptive norm. The classes were characterized by some associations between each other (e.g., "Acceptable but No" and "Stable Low") and with linguocultural groups (e.g., "Inclined" and small language minorities) and mental health (e.g., "Disinclined" and externalization and depressive symptoms), but no specific associations were found by gender. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows how more person-centered analyses can be utilized in process evaluations, which predominantly only make use of variable-centered analyses. This knowledge could suggest ways to tailor universal interventions for subgroups with different receipt profiles and thereby improve intervention acceptability and engagement.

The compendium of self-enactable techniques to change and self-manage motivation and behaviour v.1.0.

Behaviour change techniques describe the content of behaviour change interventions, but do not adequately account for the actions that people must themselves undertake to successfully change or self-manage motivation or behaviour. This paper describes the development of a compendium of self-enactable techniques, combining behaviour- and motivation-regulation techniques across six existing classifications of behaviour change techniques and three scoping reviews. The compendium includes 123 techniques, each of which is labelled, defined and presented with instructive examples to facilitate self-enactment. Qualitative feedback was gathered from intervention developers and the general public to improve the utility, congruence and ease of self-enactability of the techniques. This integrative index of self-enactable techniques can assist intervention developers in selecting appropriate self-directed techniques to help people self-manage their motivation and behaviour. Future research with this compendium can expand on the number of behaviours covered by the instructive examples and link techniques with their potential impacts on factors that influence behaviours.

How can interventions increase motivation for physical activity? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Motivation is a proximal determinant of behaviour, and increasing motivation is central to most health behaviour change interventions. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to identify features of physical activity interventions associated with favourable changes in three prominent motivational constructs: intention, stage of change and autonomous motivation. A systematic literature search identified 89 intervention studies (k = 200; N = 19,212) which assessed changes in these motivational constructs for physical activity. Intervention descriptions were coded for potential moderators, including behaviour change techniques (BCTs), modes of delivery and theory use. Random effects comparative subgroup analyses identified 18 BCTs and 10 modes of delivery independently associated with changes in at least one motivational outcome (effect sizes ranged from d = 0.12 to d = 0.74). Interventions delivered face-to-face or in gym settings, or which included the BCTs 'behavioural goal setting', 'self-monitoring (behaviour)' or 'behavioural practice/rehearsal', or which combined self-monitoring (behaviour) with any other BCT derived from control theory, were all associated with beneficial changes in multiple motivational constructs (effect sizes ranged from d = 0.12 to d = 0.46). Meta-regression analyses indicated that increases in intention and stage of change, but not autonomous motivation, were significantly related to increases in physical activity. The intervention characteristics associated with changes in motivation seemed to form clusters related to behavioural experience and self-regulation, which have previously been linked to changes in physical activity behaviour. These BCTs and modes of delivery merit further systematic study, and can be used as a foundation for improving interventions targeting increases in motivation for physical activity.