Understanding the Interplay Among Regulatory Self-Efficacy, Moral Disengagement, and Academic Cheating Behaviour During Vocational Education: A Three-Wave Study

The literature has suggested that to understand the diffusion of unethical conduct in the workplace, it is important to investigate the underlying processes sustaining engagement in misbehaviour and to study what occurs during vocational education. Drawing on social-cognitive theory, in this study, we longitudinally examined the role of two opposite dimensions of the self-regulatory moral system, regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement, in influencing academic cheating behaviour. In addition, in line with the theories highlighting the bidirectional relationship between cognitive processes and behaviour, we aimed to also examine the reciprocal influence of behaviour on these dimensions over time. Overall, no previous studies have examined the longitudinal interplay between these variables. The sample included 866 (62.8% female) nursing students who were assessed three times annually from the beginning of their vocational education. The findings from a cross-lagged model confirmed that regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement have opposite influences on cheating behaviour, that regulatory self-efficacy negatively influences not only the engagement in misconduct but also the justification mechanisms that allow the divorce between moral standards and action, and that moral disengagement and cheating behaviour reciprocally support each other over time. Specifically, not only did moral disengagement influence cheating behaviour even when controlling for its prior levels, but also cheating behaviour affected moral disengagement one year later, controlling for its prior levels. These findings suggest that recourse to wrongdoing could gradually lead to further normalising this kind of behaviour and morally desensitising individuals to misconduct

Postpartum behaviour as predictor of weight change from before pregnancy to one year postpartum

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Postpartum weight retention affects many women and increases the risk of becoming overweight. The research objective was to study modifiable factors contributing to weight change at one year postpartum.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this prospective cohort, postpartum behavior, such as physical activity, sedentary behavior, sleep, and intake of total energy, total fat and saturated fatty acids of 118 Dutch women were assessed in 2003/2004 by self-report at 6 weeks, 6 and 12 months postpartum. Mean postpartum scores were computed for the behavioral measures. In linear regression models it was determined which factors were associated with average weight change from before pregnancy to one year postpartum. Furthermore, factors associated with substantial postpartum weight retention (≥ 5 kg) were also studied in logistic regression models.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At one year postpartum, the average weight of participants had increased by 0.9 kg (SD 4.4). Moreover, 20% of the women retained ≥ 5 kg. Women who perceived themselves more physically active than others were almost ten times less likely to retain ≥ 5 kg than women who perceived themselves equally active (OR = 0.11, 95%CI: 0.02 - 0.66). Exceeding the guideline for saturated fatty acid intake (OR = 3.40, 95%CI: 1.04 - 11.11), total gestational weight gain (OR = 1.14/kg, 95%CI: 1.01 - 1.27), and not having completed post high school education (OR = 5.13, 95%CI: 1.66 - 15.90) increased the odds of retaining ≥ 5 kg.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Since one in five women had substantial weight retention postpartum, effective interventions for the prevention of weight retention are much needed. Future studies should evaluate whether interventions focusing on the identified modifiable postpartum factors are successful in reducing weight retention after childbirth.</p

Sports Participation and Juvenile Delinquency: A Meta-Analytic Review

Participation in sports activities is very popular among adolescents, and is frequently encouraged among youth. Many psychosocial health benefits in youth are attributed to sports participation, but to what extent this positive influence holds for juvenile delinquency is still not clear on both the theoretical and empirical level. There is much controversy on whether sports participation should be perceived as a protective or a risk factor for the development of juvenile delinquency. A multilevel meta-analysis of 51 published and unpublished studies, with 48 independent samples containing 431 effect sizes and N = 132,366 adolescents, was conducted to examine the relationship between sports participation and juvenile delinquency and possible moderating factors of this association. The results showed that there is no overall significant association between sports participation and juvenile delinquency, indicating that adolescent athletes are neither more nor less delinquent than non-athletes. Some study, sample and sports characteristics significantly moderated the relationship between sports participation and juvenile delinquency. However, this moderating influence was modest. Implications for theory and practice concerning the use of sports to prevent juvenile delinquency are discussed. Keywords Sports participation Juvenile delinquency Multilevel meta-analysis Revie

Fatores associados à retenção de peso pós-parto em uma coorte de mulheres, 2005-2007 Factors associated with post-partum weight retention in a cohort of women, 2005-2007

OBJETIVO: investigar fatores associados à retenção de peso pós-parto. MÉTODOS: estudo de coorte com 104 gestantes recrutadas em uma Unidade Básica de Saúde no município do Rio de Janeiro, da 8ª a 13ª semana de gestação e acompanhadas até aproximadamente 55 dias pós-parto. As variáveis incluíram informações sócio-demográficas, econômicas, bioquímicas, antropométricas e reprodutivas. A retenção de peso pós-parto (diferença entre o peso pós-parto e o peso pré-gestacional) foi utilizada como variável dependente. RESULTADOS: a média de peso retido foi 3,2 kg ± 3,7 kg. As mulheres com ganho de peso gestacional (GPG) excessivo retiveram 5,0 kg ± 3,9 em comparação a 3,6 kg ± 3,0 em mulheres com GPG adequado e 1,4 kg ± 3,1 para as com GPG insuficiente. O GPG e o Índice de Massa corporal (IMC) pré-gestacional mantiveram associação significativa com a retenção de peso no modelo final. Observou-se que a cada quilo de peso ganho na gestação, quase 50% ficaram retidos no pós-parto (&#946; = 0,494; p<0,001) e a cada 1,0 kg/m² a menos no IMC pré-gestacional correspondeu a uma retenção de aproximadamente 150g (&#946; = -0,149;p<0,05). CONCLUSÃO: o GPG está positivamente e o IMC pré-gestacional inversamente associado à retenção de peso pós-parto. Orientações nutricionais sobre o controle do ganho ponderal podem ajudar a minimizar a incidência de obesidade entre mulheres no pós-parto.<br>OBJECTIVE: to investigate factors associated with post-partum weight retention. METHODS: a cohort study with 104 recruited pregnant women in the 8th to 13th week of gestation was carried out at Basic Health Unit in the municipality of Rio de Janeiro and the women were accompanied until around 55 days post-partum. The variables included socio-demographic, economic, biochemical, anthropometric and reproductive data. Post-partum weight retention (the difference between postpartum andpre-gestational weight) was used as the dependent variable. RESULTS: the mean weight retention was 3.2 kg ± 3.7 kg. Women with excessive gestational weight gain retained 5.0 kg ± 3.9 in comparison to 3.6 kg ± 3.0 in women with adequate gestational weight gain and 1.4 kg ± 3.1 compared to those with inadequate gestational weight gain. The gestational weight gain and pre-gestational body mass index continued to show a significant association with weight retention in the final model. It was found that for every kilogram of weight gain during gestation, almost 50% was retained post-partum (&#946; = 0.494; p<0.001) and every 1.0 kg/m² less in pre-gestational BMI corresponded to a retention of approximately 150g (&#946; = -0.149; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: gestational weight gain is positively associated with post-partum weight retention, while pre-gestational BMI is inversely associated with the dependent variable. Nutritional advice on weight control may help minimize the incidence of obesity in women during post-partum

Understanding Exercise Self-Efficacy and Barriers to Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Postnatal Women

Studies have demonstrated that postnatal women are at high risk for physical inactivity and generally show lower levels of leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) compared to prepregnancy. The overall purpose of the current study was to investigate social cognitive correlates of LTPA among postnatal women during a 6-month period following childbirth. A total of 230 women (mean age = 30.9) provided descriptive data regarding barriers to LTPA and completed measures of LTPA and self-efficacy (exercise and barrier) for at least one of the study data collection periods. A total of 1,520 barriers were content analyzed. Both exercise and barrier self-efficacy were positively associated with subsequent LTPA. Exercise self-efficacy at postnatal week 12 predicted LTPA from postnatal weeks 12 to 18 (β = .40, R 2 = .18) and exercise self-efficacy at postnatal week 24 predicted LTPA during weeks 24–30 (β = .49, R 2 = .30). Barrier self-efficacy at week 18 predicted LTPA from weeks 18 to 24 (β = .33, R 2 = .13). The results of the study identify a number of barriers to LTPA at multiple time points closely following childbirth which may hinder initiation, resumption or maintenance of LTPA. The results also suggest that higher levels of exercise and barrier self-efficacy are prospectively associated with higher levels of LTPA in the early postnatal period. Future interventions should be designed to investigate causal effects of developing participants’ exercise and barrier self-efficacy for promoting and maintaining LTPA during the postnatal period