A Conceptual Examination of Distrusting Beliefs in Older Adults about the Internet

Older adults are adopting the Internet in increasing numbers today. At the same time they are also experiencing uncertainties about their safety and information privacy on this medium. Several media reports have shown a rising number of incidents involving older Internet user, that indicate lack of awareness of Internet-related security and privacy issues. This conceptual paper provides a framework to help understand the reasons why older adults might distrust the commercial websites in general. Based on established theoretical frameworks about trust, distrust and aging-based technology adoption challenges, we develop several postulates to explain distrusting beliefs that can result in precautious Internet behavior. Implications of this framework will be found in building educational programs and interventions for the population over the age of 55

Understanding Trust in Contemporary Australia Using Latent Class Analysis

In 2019, an online survey of 2,015 Australian residents examined the extent of trust of various groups and institutions. A Latent Class Analysis (LCA) of the results generated a typology of trust in Australia. The LCA uncovered four classes based on levels of trust as well as associated demographic profiles and attitudes. The four groups were: those that are very distrusting (15%); those that are largely unsure about how much they can trust various groups and institutions (17%); those that are somewhat trusting (42%); and those that are largely trusting (26%). The largely trusting group was differentiated by their holistic trust in institutions and trust in other Australians (no matter their background). Discomfort with cultural difference was a defining characteristic of the very distrusting class. Examination of these four groups helps understand concerns of Australians and enable the development of strategies to address institutional and interpersonal distrust

Predictors of lifestyle behaviors, trust of health care provider, and utilization of health services among adolescents living in a rural area.

Background: Adolescents have elevated morbidity and mortality rates associated with risk-taking behaviors, but utilize health services at low levels. There is little evidence concerning health behavior, trust of health care provider, or utilization of health services among adolescents living in rural areas. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine individual characteristic variables and determine the extent to which these variables influence lifestyle behaviors, trust of health care provider (HCP), and utilization of health services among adolescents attending public high school in rural Indiana. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional, quantitative design. Instruments used in this study were the Wake Forest Interpersonal Trust in Physician scale, Adolescent Lifestyle Questionnaire, the Stanford Health Care Utilization Questionnaire, and an investigator-developed individual characteristic survey. Hierarchical multiple regression evaluated individual characteristic variables as predicting lifestyle behaviors and trust of HCP, while negative binomial regression predicted number of HCP visits and number of emergency room visits in the past 12 months. Results: Correlations, analysis of variance, and Kruskal-Wallis tests evaluated relationships between variables. Trust of HCP was predicted by usual source of care, health insurance, lifestyle behavior, and transportation difficulty. Lifestyle behavior was predicted by self-rated health, age, trust of HCP, and sex. Predictors of number of HCP visits were sex, household income, self-rated health, self-perceived need, health insurance, and number of ER visits, while household income and number of HCP visits predicted number of ER visits. Conclusion: This study adds to the evidence regarding health services utilization and lifestyle behavior, while providing an initial reliable quantitative measurement of trust of HCPs among American adolescents living in a rural area. Results of this study demonstrate the importance of having a HCP as a usual source of care and the need for school-based health services in rural areas. Future research should test the Wake Forest Trust in Physician scale among diverse adolescent samples, measure intention to seek health services beliefs, and evaluate informal sources of health information among rural adolescents. Additionally, research should evaluate the risk for or existence of chronic health conditions using biological markers among adolescents living in a rural area, along with behavior interventions to prevent or self-manage identified chronic health conditions. With approximately 22% of American adolescents living in rural areas and therefore at risk for poor outcomes, it is imperative that the research community place greater attention on the health of rural dwelling adolescents

The Role of Emotions and Individual Differences in the Trust Repair Process

Organizational trust and trust repair are topics that have primarily been considered from a cognitive perspective. Although a number of scholars have called for further investigation into the role of emotions and individual differences in these processes, little empirical research has been conducted. A reason for this may concern how trust is usually measured in the organizational literature, through measures relating to the trustworthiness characteristics of others. This thesis argues against such a “perceived trustworthiness paradigm” (Möllering, 2013a) and empirically tests the approach conceptualised by Dietz and Den Hartog (2006) which asserts that that trust is a process consisting of attitudinal and behavioural processes comprising of belief, decision, and action. It primarily investigates the influence of emotion and emotion-related individual differences in repairing trust, and whether they are integral to the proposed process model. Three studies are conducted to investigate these questions. Studies 1 (N = 82) and 2 (N = 253) are experiments carried out to determine to what extent change in affect influenced participants’ change in perceptions of a coach company from post-violation (a coach crash) to post-trust repair effort (CEO’s response), and their willingness to trust in it. Study 3 (N = 135) is a cross-sectional survey of Volkswagen vehicle owners in the aftermath of the 2015 Emissions Scandal undertaken to measure the trust process in its entirety with people actively involved in a trust violation. Results indicate that negative emotions are influential predictors of trust repair effects and relate strongly to distrusting acts. Individual difference effects were generally not found, but the proposed process model of trust was supported, with willingness to trust mediating the relationship between perceptions of trustworthiness and distrusting acts. Emotions appeared to become more influential as the trust process developed, and findings imply that purely cognitive models are not sufficient to fully understand the nature of trust and its repair

Older Adults’ Deployment of ‘Distrust’

Older adults frequently deploy the concept of distrust when discussing digital technologies, and it is tempting to assume that distrust is largely responsible for the reduced uptake by older adults witnessed in the latest surveys of technology use. To help understand the impact of distrust on adoption behavior, we conducted focus groups with older adults exploring how, in what circumstances, and to what effect older adults articulate distrust in digital technologies. Our findings indicate that distrust is not especially relevant to older adults’ practical decision making around technology (non-)use. The older adults in our study used the language of distrust to open up discussions around digital technologies to larger issues related to values. This suggests that looking to distrust as a predictor of non-use (e.g. in Technology Acceptance Model studies) may be uniquely unhelpful in the case of older adults, as it narrows the discussion of technology acceptance and trust to interactional issues, when their use of distrust pertains to much wider concerns. Likewise, technology adoption should not be viewed as indicative of trust or an endorsement of technology acceptability. Older adults using-while-distrusting offers important insights into how to design truly acceptable digital technologies

The Lived Experience of the Covid-19 Pandemic among Mandate-Resistant Adults in Washington State

This study examined the lived experience of self-identified, mandate-resistant adults in Washington state. This study explored participants’ experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, from a retrospective framework by uncovering challenges, silver linings, decision-making, and self-reported mental health. Remote interviews were conducted with nine participants. Participants were between 23–31 years old, mostly male, and over half identified as Black. Through semi structured interviews, data was collected and analyzed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Participants described their experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlighted significant changes in the way they lived their lives. Most notably, participants described ways in which they defied COVID-19 mandates and the losses they faced, along with adjustment, coping, isolation, moving forward, questioning, and distress. Due to their stance regarding the pandemic, participants often felt alienated and distrusting. This resulted in decreases in mental health. As the pandemic waned, participants noted having a greater appreciation for in-person interactions, valuing close relationships, and investing themselves in more travel. Participants experienced great losses during the pandemic but emerged with a more defined sense of self. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu)

Qualitative meta-analysis of propensity to trust measurement

In a rapidly changing and dynamic world, individuals’ propensity to trust is likely to become an increasingly important facet for understanding human behaviour, yet its measurement has mostly been unexplored. We undertake the first systematic qualitative survey of propensity to trust scales using qualitative meta-analysis methodology to review the literature (1966–2018) and identify 26 measures and their applications in 179 studies. Using content analysis, we thematically organise these scales into six thematic areas and discuss the emerging implications. We find that while most of these scales reflect propensity to trust in terms of a positive belief in human nature, other themes include general trust, role expectations, institutional trust, cautiousness and other personality attributes. We reveal significant methodological concerns regarding several scales and argue for more considered selection of scales for use in research. We examine the case for multidimensionality in measures of propensity to trust used within organisational research. Rather than treating a lack of generalisability of findings in existing organisational studies as purely a problem of measurement design, we instead outline an agenda for further conceptual and empirical study

Women and Thyroid Disease: Treatment Experiences and the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Thyroid disease, a chronic illness, affects nearly 200 million people worldwide and is more common among women than in men. Numerous factors make diagnosing and treating thyroid disease in women challenging. The standard blood test for diagnosing thyroid disease and determining treatment effectiveness is inconsistent in its accuracy. Many women with thyroid disease are misdiagnosed or struggle with symptoms even once receiving treatment. Although thyroid disease is highly prevalent among women and the doctor-patient relationship is known to influence treatment outcomes, there is a gap in the literature regarding the treatment experiences of women with thyroid disease and the doctor-patient relationship. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore female thyroid patients\u27 experiences of treatment and the doctor-patient relationship. Sixteen female thyroid patients, ages 18 and older and members of an international online support group, were individually interviewed via online chat. Data interpretation was guided by social constructionism and feminist theory and was accomplished via Moustakas\u27s analytic method. Themes related to the doctor-patient relationship were identified, including the culture of the medical profession, diagnostic bias, and gender differences in communication. Emergent themes included patient education level, patient self-advocacy behaviors, and the use of natural thyroid medication. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by enhancing doctors\u27 understanding of thyroid disease in women and the influence of the doctor-patient relationship in determining positive treatment outcomes, thus equipping doctors with enriched knowledge for providing their female thyroid patients with the highest quality of care