How Does Social Class Affect Need for Structure during the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Moderated Mediating Model Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic is profoundly affecting the minds and behaviors of people worldwide. This study investigated the differences in the need for structure among people from different social classes and the psychological mechanisms underlying this need, as well as the moderating effect of the threat posed by the pandemic. Using data collected from non-student adults in China, we found that the lower an individual’s social class, the lower their need for structure, and this effect was based on the mediating role of perceived control. However, the mediating effect was moderated by pandemic threat, and the above relationship existed only when this threat was low. When the level of pandemic threat was higher, neither the effect of social class nor of perceived control on the need for structure were significant. Specifically, in higher-threat situations, the need for structure among individuals from higher social classes and who had a higher sense of control increased significantly, meaning the mediating effect was no longer significant. This finding showed that under the threat of a pandemic, individuals who have a lower need for structure will still pursue and prefer structure and order. The theoretical and practical implications of the research are also discussed.

Uncertainty and Perceived Control as Predictors of Communicative Participation and Mental Health in Adults Who Stutter

Purpose: This study examined the role of uncertainty and perceived control in predicting the communicative participation and mental health of adults who stutter. Method: Two hundred sixty-nine adults who stutter completed measures of uncertainty about stuttering, perceived control of stuttering, communicative participation, and global mental health. In addition, participants self-reported on a variety of demographic and speech-related measures. Correlational analyses and hierarchical regression were performed to determine associations between variables of interest. Results: Uncertainty accounted for significant variance in communicative participation and global mental health after statistically controlling for the effects of demographic and speech-related variables. Perceived control accounted for significant variance in communicative participation over and above what was accounted for by demographic variables, speech-related variables, and uncertainty. Conclusions: The findings suggest that uncertainty about stuttering and perceived control of stuttering should be accounted for during assessment and intervention with adults who stutter. Interventions that specifically target uncertainty and perceived control may be useful in improving therapeutic outcomes for individuals who stutter.

Health-related fake news during the COVID-19 pandemic: perceived trust and information search

PurposeHealth-related online fake news (HOFN) has become a major social problem. HOFN can lead to the spread of ineffective and even harmful remedies. The study aims to understand Internet users' responses to HOFN during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic using the protective action decision model (PADM).Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected pandemic severity data (regional number of confirmed cases) from government websites of the USA and China (Studies 1 and 2), search behavior from Google and Baidu search engines (Studies 1 and 2) and data regarding trust in two online fake news stories from two national surveys (Studies 2 and 3). All data were analyzed using a multi-level linear model.FindingsThe research detected negative time-lagged relationships between pandemic severity and regional HOFN search behavior by three actual fake news stories from the USA and China (Study 1). Importantly, trust in HOFN served as a mediator in the time-lagged relationship between pandemic severity and search behavior (Study 2). Additionally, the relationship between pandemic severity and trust in HOFN varied according to individuals' perceived control (Study 3).Originality/valueThe authors' results underscore the important role of PADM in understanding Internet users' trust in and search for HOFN. When people trust HOFN, they may seek more information to implement further protective actions. Importantly, it appears that trust in HOFN varies with environmental cues (regional pandemic severity) and with individuals' perceived control, providing insight into developing coping strategies during a pandemic.

A Path Analysis to Identify Factors Influencing the Provision of Water in Addition to Breast Milk by Mothers of Infants under Six Months of Age in Conakry and Kindia Regions, Republic of Guinea

Water provision to infants under six months of age (IU6M) can hamper exclusive breastfeeding (EBF). Understanding factors and their relationships influencing this practice is needed to tailor EBF promotion programs. Using a validated questionnaire, this study aims to identify pathways in which individual factors and the environment interact to affect the provision of water in addition to breast milk among 300 mothers of IU6M. Our finding shows that 75% of mothers intended to provide water in addition to breast milk to their IU6M and that about 60% reported doing it. Results of the final path show that the subjective norm/SN (β = 0.432, p < 0.001), the attitude (β = 0.349, p < 0.001), and to a lesser extent the perceived control/PC (β = 0.141, p = 0.005) predict the intention of mothers to provide water in addition to breast milk to their IU6M. The environment scores predict the attitude (β = 0.210, p = 0.001) and the SN (β = 0.284, p < 0.001). Having the mother practicing early breastfeeding initiation at birth positively predicted the PC score (β = 0.157, p = 0.017) and predicted an increasing score of SN (β = 0.221, p = 0.003). Even though predicting the final behavior is complex, this research provides directions to nutrition education programs to tailor their content to the context and be more efficient in reducing the proportion of women providing water to their IU6M, hence contributing to the improvement of EBF.

The Impact of Perceived Interactivity and Intrinsic Value on Users’ Continuance Intention in Using Mobile Augmented Reality Virtual Shoe-Try-On Function

In response to the rapid growth of mobile Internet, online retailers have created better shopping experiences through new technologies. These shopping experiences are the product of the new interaction methods created by new technologies and the intrinsic value of these technologies. To achieve a better understanding of how new technologies improve consumers’ intention to use them continuously, this study established a theoretical model of how consumers’ perceived interactivity affects intrinsic value, which then affects attitudes, and ultimately contributes to the theoretical model. Within the perceived interactivity construct, there is perceived control, personalization and responsiveness, and as part of the intrinsic value construct there is playfulness and aesthetics. The results demonstrate that intrinsic value and perceived interactivity play important roles in predicting consumers’ attitudes and continuance intention to use new technologies applied to mobile e-commerce, but do not include perceived control in perceived interactivity. To highlight the results of this study, relevant enterprises or practitioners may use the findings to design or improve the features of existing mobile apps to provide better services and experiences to consumers based on their internal perceptions.

The theory of planned behaviour in exploring dietary diversity practices among mothers in informal settlements in Kenya

One of the leading causes of malnutrition, which contributes to morbidity and mortality in children, is lack of dietary diversity. Despite remarkable improvement in exclusive breastfeeding in Kenya, there are still poor dietary diversity practices among children aged 6-24 months. Limited studies have applied the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to examine the factors that influence dietary diversity practices in informal settlements in Kenya. The objective of this qualitative study was to explore behavioral, normative, control beliefs, intention, and dietary diversity practices, based on the TPB. The study sites were Kibera in Nairobi, Manyatta A in Kisumu, and Kaptembwo in Nakuru. Participants were 64 mothers of children aged 6-24 months selected using purposive sampling. Nine focus groups, each comprising of 5-10 mothers were conducted and the data analyzed using thematic analysis. Using a focus group guide, based on the TPB, mothers described salient beliefs regarding their attitude, subjective norms and perceived control of dietary diversity. Analysis of the data showed that some mothers had intended to introduce solid foods at six months. However, barriers such as mother not feeding well, baby’s hunger, perceived insufficient breast milk production, and return to work led to earlier introduction of foods. Most mothers indicated their intention to give a variety of foods to their children but were hindered by barriers such as poverty/inadequate money, non-availability of food at home, and inadequate knowledge about complementary feeding. Friends, health professionals, fathers, neighbours and friends were cited as most salient referents that influenced the dietary diversity practices. The most frequently provided starchy foods were chappatis, mandazis, potatoes, rice, weetabix, porridge, and ugali. In conclusion, the results indicate that mothers had positive attitude towards dietary diversity. The ‘significant others’ who mostly influenced dietary diversity practices were health professionals, fathers, and friends. Future interventions need to target mothers' perceived child-feeding responsibilities, influence subjective norms, and increase parents' perceived control over child feeding.

Self-Regulation in High-Level Ice Hockey Players: An Application of the MuSt Theory

The purpose of the study was to examine the validity of core action elements and feeling states in ice hockey players in the prediction of performance. A second aim of the study was to explore the effectiveness of a 30-day program targeting action and emotion regulation. Participants were male ice hockey players drawn from two teams competing at the highest level of the junior Finnish ice hockey league. They were assigned to a self-regulation (n = 24) and a control (n = 19) group. The self-regulation program focused on the recreation of optimal execution of core action elements and functional feeling states. Separate repeated measures MANOVAs indicated significant differences in ratings of perceived control and execution accuracy ratings of self-selected visual and behavioral components of the action (critical for optimal performance) and psychobiosocial (feeling) states across recalled best and worst games. Results support the use of both action- and emotion-centered strategies for performance enhancement. Future research including psychophysiological markers is warranted.

They Are Just Light Bulbs, Right? The Personality Antecedents of Household Energy-Saving Behavioral Intentions among Young Millennials and Gen Z

Small individual behaviors such as household energy-saving behaviors may have major environmental impacts. Individuals may combat global warming by replacing traditional light bulbs with more energy-efficient light bulbs such as LED bulbs, which save electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Guided by the integrative model of behavioral prediction, the current study explored the effects of five individual personality differences (i.e., consideration of future consequences, environmental value orientation, individualism and collectivism, regulatory focus, and self-monitoring) on young Millennials’ and Gen Z’s attitudes, perceived norms, perceived control, and intention to switch light bulbs. The results of a survey indicated that environmental value orientation, individualism and collectivism, regulatory focus, and self-monitoring all significantly predicted attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived control, which predicted behavioral intention. The findings suggested the complex psychological nuance of environmental protection behaviors, even among the “greenest” generations. Implications and directions for future studies were discussed.