How the mere desire for certainty can lead to a preference for men in authority (particularly among political liberals)

AbstractWomen are harmed by stereotypes about their fit for positions of authority and changing these stereotypes is not a simple task. As stereotypes have strong epistemic properties, individuals with a high need for cognitive closure (NCC; i.e., the desire for epistemic certainty) can be more likely to accept these stereotypes and, consequently, to prefer men in positions of authority. Consistent with the reactive liberal hypothesis, this effect could be actually more visible among individuals with both a high NCC and left‐wing political orientations. We supported these hypotheses in a series of three studies. In Study 1 (N = 217), we found that manipulated NCC predicted preference for men in authority through stereotypes of women as not being fit for authority in a measurement‐of‐mediation design. In Study 2 (N = 151), we supported this effect in a mediation‐as‐process design. In Study 3 (N = 391), we found the indirect NCC effect on preference for men in authority was more visible among political liberals. A major implication of this work is that ways of changing the effect of these stereotypes should take into account the NCC, but particularly among individuals with left‐wing beliefs

The Moral Foundations of Desired Cultural Tightness

People vary on their desire for strict norms, and the moral underpinnings of these differences have yet to be explored. The current research examined whether and how moral beliefs held by individuals would affect the extent to which they want their country to be tight (i.e., having strict social norms) or loose (i.e., having more permissive social norms). In particular, the effects of the "binding" and "individualizing" foundations, which are moral beliefs focused on the importance of groups and individuals, respectively, were examined. We hypothesized that the binding foundations could predict people's desire for cultural tightness. We also hypothesized that the perception that one's society is threatened may drive this effect. Three studies were conducted using both cross-sectional (Studies 1 and 3) and two-wave (Study 2) designs. Demographic variables and participants' political orientation effects were controlled. In Study 1, only the binding foundations significantly predicted higher desired tightness. In Study 2, binding foundations predicted desired tightness measured at follow-up. In Study 3, the positive effect of perceived threat on desired tightness via the binding foundations was confirmed. From additional within-paper analyses we also have some evidence of significant relationships, albeit unstable across studies, between desired tightness and individualizing foundations

Emotion Regulation in Rescue Workers: Differential Relationship With Perceived Work-Related Stress and Stress-Related Symptoms

Rescue workers are exposed to enduring emotional distress, as they are confronted with (potentially) traumatic mission events and chronic work-related stress. Thus, regulating negative emotions seems to be crucial to withstand the work-related strain. This cross-sectional study investigated the influence of six emotion regulation strategies (i.e., rumination, suppression, avoidance, reappraisal, acceptance, and problem solving) on perceived work-related stress and stress-related depressive, post-traumatic, and somatic symptoms in a representative sample of 102 German rescue workers. Multiple regression analyses identified rumination and suppression to be associated with more work-related stress and stress-related symptoms. Acceptance was linked to fewer symptoms and, rather unexpectedly, avoidance was linked to less work-related stress. No effects were observed for reappraisal and problem solving. Our findings confirm the dysfunctional role of rumination and suppression for the mental and physical health of high-risk populations and advance the debate on the context-specific efficacy of emotion regulation strategies

Pemanfaatan Media Promosi Kesehatan untuk Mengurangi Stigma Negatif terhadap Penyintas Covid-19

Abstrak COVID-19 adalah penyakit menular yang disebabkan oleh coronavirus yang baru ditemukan pada tahun 2019 di Wuhan, Tiongkok. COVID-19 kini menjadi sebuah pandemi yang mengancam seluruh dunia. Tidak sedikit masyarakat yang menciptakan stigma terkait penyakit ini, sehingga para penyintas Covid-19 biasanya ditakuti dan sangat dijauhi oleh masyarakat yang belum benar-benar memahami tentang penyakit ini. Tujuan PkM ini adalah untuk mengurangi stigma negatif terhadap para penyintas Covid-19 dengan memanfaatkan media promosi kesehatan berupa video, poster, dan stiker yang dipasang pada empat gereja yang tersebar di Kota Kupang, yaitu GMIT Pohonitas Manulai II, GMIT Kota Kupang, GMIT Paulus, dan GMIT Ararat. Kegiatan ini dilaksanakan dengan pembuatan, pemasangan, penayangan, dan penyebarluasan media promosi kesehatan tersebut. Media visual dan audio visual tersebut dipasang dan ditayangkan pada lokasi target, yaitu empat tempat ibadah (gereja) yaitu GMIT Pohonitas Manulai II, GMIT Kota Kupang, GMIT Paulus, dan GMIT Ararat. Kegiatan ini dapat dijalankan dengan baik, namun mengalami kendala karena kegiatan dilaksanakan pada saat keadaan pandemi Covid-19 di Kota Kupang mencapai PPKM level empat, sehingga tempat-tempat kebaktian ditutup untuk sementara waktu. Untuk itu kegiatan dapat dilakukan ketika tempat kebaktian kembali dibuka. Berdasarkan hasil observasi, dengan respon positif gereja menerima semua media promosi kesehatan yang diberikan.   Kata kunci: Covid-19, stigma negatif, penyintas, promosi kesehatan, media.     Abstract   COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new coronavirus that was discovered in 2019 in Wuhan, China. COVID-19 is now a pandemic that threatens the whole world. Not a few people have created a stigma related to this disease, so Covid-19 survivors are usually feared and very shunned by people who don't understand this disease. This acitivity aimed to reduce the negative stigma towards Covid-19 survivors by utilizing health promotion media i.e. videos, posters, and stickers for four churches in Kupang City, i.e. GMIT Pohonitas Manulai II, GMIT Kota Kupang, GMIT Paulus, and GMIT Ararat. This activity is carried out by creating, setting, broadcasting, and disseminating the health promotion media. The visual and audiovisual media were posted and broadcast at the target locations (four churches). This activity can be carried out well but has encountered problems because the activity was carried out when the Covid-19 pandemic in Kupang City reached PPKM level four, so the church were temporarily closed. For this reason, activities can be carried out when the church is re-opened. Based on the results of observations, with a positive response, the church accepted all the health promotion media provided. &nbsp

Comparative Study of Digital Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Giant, Standard, and Miniature Schnauzers

In schnauzers, a breed predisposition to squamous cell carcinoma of the digit (dSCC) is well known. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and macroscopic findings of dSCCs in giant (GSs), standard (SSs), and miniature schnauzers (MSs). Methods: Pathology reports of 478 dSCCs from 417 schnauzers (227 GSs, 174 SSs, and 16 MSs) were retrospectively evaluated. Results: The MSs were older than the SSs and GSs (p ≤ 0.01). The male GSs were predisposed to dSCC (p < 0.05). In the GSs, the nodular dSCCs were larger than in the MSs (p ≤ 0.05) and SSs (p ≤ 0.001). The digital SCCs were mostly diagnosed at the forelimbs, especially at digits 1, 2, and 5. At the hindlimbs, the affected toes differed between the GSs and SSs. Multiple dSCCs were more common in SSs than in GSs (p = 0.003). If dSCC was the cause of death, the survival time was shorter than in dogs dying from other diseases (p = 0.004). Metastases occurred in 20% of the cases and led to a significantly shorter survival time in both the GSs and SSs (p < 0.001). Conclusions: The results showed various differences in the dSCC depending on the size variant of the schnauzer

Stigmatization Is Associated With Increased PTSD Risk After Traumatic Stress and Diminished Likelihood of Spontaneous Remission–A Study With East-African Conflict Survivors

Studies in conflict population have repeatedly documented that the number of traumatic event types experienced (trauma load) increases the risk to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a dose-dependent manner. Misconceptions about survivors' experiences and actions during the war, as well as mental health symptoms frequently lead to stigmatization by their own families and the community, which might render them even more vulnerable for PTSD development and prevent successful recovery. We therefore investigated whether stigmatization affects trauma-related psychopathology beyond the well-known effect of trauma load. The study sample comprised N = 1131 survivors of the rebel war led by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) in Northern Uganda, including a large proportion of formerly abducted individuals and child soldiers. We investigated how the experience of stigmatization affects PTSD risk and the likelihood of spontaneous remission, taking trauma load into account. Further, the association of stigmatization with treatment outcome was determined in a subsample of N = 284 individuals with PTSD who received trauma-focused psychotherapy. More than one third of the total sample, and almost two-thirds of the therapy subsample, reported experiences of stigmatization. The main reasons for stigmatization were related to an association with a rebel group (e.g., being called a rebel), followed by mental health problems/PTSD symptoms and HIV/AIDS. Stigmatization was strongly associated with a higher prevalence of lifetime and current PTSD, a diminished probability of spontaneous remission and higher PTSD symptoms before and after trauma-focused psychotherapy, beyond the effect of trauma load. In sum, our results support the assumption that stigmatization aggravates trauma-related psychopathology and impede symptom improvement. In post-conflict regions, community and family interventions which aim at reducing stigmatization and discrimination might therefore complement individual psychotherapy in order to allow survivors to recover and reintegrate into society

Prenatal methylmercury exposure and DNA methylation in seven-year-old children in the Seychelles Child Development Study

Background Methylmercury (MeHg) is present in fish and is a neurotoxicant at sufficiently high levels. One potential mechanism of MeHg toxicity early in life is epigenetic dysregulation that may affect long-term neurodevelopment. Altered DNA methylation of nervous system-related genes has been associated with adult mental health outcomes. Objective To assess associations between prenatal MeHg exposure and DNA methylation (at the cytosine of CG dinucleotides, CpGs) in three nervous system-related genes, encoding brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), glutamate receptor subunit NR2B (GRIN2B), and the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), in children who were exposed to MeHg in utero. Methods We tested 406 seven-year-old Seychellois children participating in the Seychelles Child Development Study (Nutrition Cohort 2), who were prenatally exposed to MeHg from maternal fish consumption. Total mercury in maternal hair (prenatal MeHg exposure measure) collected during pregnancy was measured using atomic absorption spectroscopy. Methylation in DNA from the children’s saliva was measured by pyrosequencing. To assess associations between prenatal MeHg exposure and CpG methylation at seven years of age, we used multivariable linear regression models adjusted for covariates. Results We identified associations with prenatal MeHg exposure for DNA methylation of one GRIN2B CpG and two NR3C1 CpGs out of 12 total CpG sites. Higher prenatal MeHg was associated with higher methylation for each CpG site. For example, NR3C1 CpG3 had an expected increase of 0.03-fold for each additional 1 ppm of prenatal MeHg (B = 0.030, 95% CI 0.001, 0.059; p = 0.047). Several CpG sites associated with MeHg are located in transcription factor binding sites and the observed methylation changes are predicted to lead to lower gene expression. Conclusions In a population of people who consume large amounts of fish, we showed that higher prenatal MeHg exposure was associated with differential DNA methylation at seven years of age at specific CpG sites that may influence neurodevelopment and mental health

Examining adolescents’ well-being: How do the orientations to happiness relate to their leisure time activities?

Three ways of achieving happiness—life of pleasure, life of engagement, and life of meaning (Seligman, 2002)—have been examined among adult samples. However, very few studies have investigated these orientations to happiness in non-adult populations. Numerous studies have found that different ways of spending leisure time affect the psychological well-being of adolescents. Bringing these two perspectives together, the aim of the present study is to identify the extent to which orientations to happiness are related to well-being and choice of leisure time activities in a sample of adolescents from eight European countries

Concern with COVID-19 Pandemic Threat and Attitudes Towards Immigrants:The Mediating Effect of the Desire for Tightness

Tightening social norms is thought to be adaptive for dealing with collective threat yet it may have negative consequences for increasing prejudice. The present research investigated the role of desire for cultural tightness, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, in increasing negative attitudes towards immigrants. We used participant-level data from 41 countries (N = 55,015) collected as part of the PsyCorona project, a cross-national longitudinal study on responses to COVID-19. Our predictions were tested through multilevel and SEM models, treating participants as nested within countries. Results showed that people's concern with COVID-19 threat was related to greater desire for tightness which, in turn, was linked to more negative attitudes towards immigrants. These findings were followed up with a longitudinal model (N = 2,349) which also showed that people's heightened concern with COVID-19 in an earlier stage of the pandemic was associated with an increase in their desire for tightness and negative attitudes towards immigrants later in time. Our findings offer insight into the trade-offs that tightening social norms under collective threat has for human groups