Determinants of COVID-19 Vaccination Readiness

The topic of the COVID-19 vaccination is widely present, and, since many countries struggle with vaccine hesitancy, the aim of this study was to examine determinants of vaccination readiness. The study involved 1,769 participants (76.3% females, 23% males, and 0.7% other) age range from 18 to 77 years. Participants completed online questionnaires related to demographic characteristics, personality traits (neuroticism and consciousness), vaccination readiness scale, and two scenarios related to social relations in the context of attitudes towards vaccination. The results showed that demographic characteristics were significant predictors of vaccination readiness, where women, the elderly, the more educated, those with higher socioeconomic status, and those who were not ill from COVID-19 had higher vaccination readiness. Contrary to expectations, persons high in neuroticism and low in conscientiousness had higher vaccination readiness. Vaccine-acceptant individuals, when compared to vaccine-resistant and vaccine-hesitant individuals, had higher vaccination readiness. Regarding the scenario in which the close person has similar or dissimilar attitudes towards vaccination, the obtained results showed that the manipulation with similar/dissimilar attitude has led to the attribution of different characteristics to close persons. A close person with similar attitudes was assessed more positively than a close person with different attitudes. The results of this study support the fact that individual factors are important for vaccination readiness and that differences in attitudes toward vaccination can affect close social relations, which has not been investigated so far in the context of COVID-19 vaccination

GUEST EDITORS\u27 NOTE

The thematic issue of Psychological Topics is devoted to contemporary themes and trends in social psychology and covers research and theoretical contributions to a wide variety of important topics in the field. As the field of social psychology is very broad, so are the topics in this issue. The themes in this issue also show the characteristics of the times in which we live. Out of a total of 10 papers in the Special Issue, three explore the COVID-19 topic. The positive consequences of COVID-19, groups more exposed to the negative consequences of COVID-19, what contributes to greater vaccination readiness and how attitudes towards vaccination affect close relationships were addressed. The importance of the relationship, this time between yoga instructor and student, was emphasized by the authors who studied the effects of yoga on well-being. Well-being was the focus of another paper. It explores the short-term and long-term effects of news exposure on well-being. Readers of the Special Issue can read about the attention that psychologists pay to monitoring the state of human rights. Three papers focus on replications and extensions of key studies, but in different areas: self-handicapping, impression formation, and Turing decision. It has also been shown that the experience of acting and guided immersion is important for the empathy. The papers explored the topics through experiments, correlation studies, qualitative reviews, but also through triangulation studies linking quantitative and qualitative approaches. The authors come from Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, the Netherlands, Sweden, the UK, and Japan. We hope that this issue will allow readers a valuable insight into the current research in social psychology. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the authors who contributed to this thematic issue, and to the reviewers. Also, we would like to thank Editor-in-Chief for the opportunity to present the field of social psychology in this Special Issue, and the entire Editorial Board for their help in the technical preparation of the paper

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE COERCION THEORY TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG PERSONS

Ovim radom se pruža kratak pregled osnovnih pojmova i istraživačkih tehnika koji su se koristili u empirijskoj provjeri teorije prisile i značaja te teorije u istraživanju antisocijalnog ponašanja mladih. Teorija prisile pripada socijalno interakcijskim pristupima i u istraživanjima koja polaze od nje naglasak je na utjecajima roditeljskog ponašanja (roditeljski nadzor, discipliniranje) i ponašanja vršnjaka (trening devijantnosti). Pri tome se posebno ukazuje na razlike između mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Istraživanja su uglavnom longitudinalnog tipa, na uzorcima iz rizične populacije te se zasnivaju na direktnim opažanjima, procjenama bliskih osoba i samoprocjenama. U radu se prikazuje razvoj teorije od postavki, prema prvim spoznajama, k intervencijama koje su posljedično dovele do usavršavanja teorije. Također, uspoređuju se najpoznatija objašnjenja razlikovanja mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Teorija prisile ukazuje na važnost obiteljskih osobina, osobito roditeljskog ponašanja za rano javljanje, te na potkrepljivanje devijantnog ponašanja od strane vršnjaka kao osnovu za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja, dok neuropsihološki model muške delinkvencije ukazuje na važnost slabijeg kognitivnog funkcioniranja, hiperaktivnosti i impulzivnosti za rano javljanje, te potrebe mladih da se identificiraju i uklope u grupu vršnjaka za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja.This paper provides a brief overview of the basic concept and research techniques that have been used in the empirical testing of the coercion theory and the significance of that theory in the research of antisocial behaviour of young persons. The coercion theory belongs to social interactive approaches and the researches that take it as a starting point emphasise the influence of parental behaviour (parental control, disciplining) and peer behaviour (deviance training). The differences between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are particularly pointed out. The research is mainly of a longitudinal type, on the samples from the population at risk, and it is based on direct observation, assessments of close persons and self-assessments. The paper presents the development of the theory from the postulates, the first cognitions towards the interventions that consequently led to the enhancement of the theory. Also, the most famous explanations of the differentiation between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are compared. The coercion theory emphasises the importance of the family traits, especially the importance of the parental behaviour for early appearance, and the substantiation of the deviant behaviour by the peers as a model for the late appearance, while the neuropsychological model of the male delinquency points out to the importance of poorer cognitive functioning, hyperactivity and impulsiveness for the early appearance, and the needs of young people to identify and fit into the peer group for the late appearance of the delinquent behaviour

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE COERCION THEORY TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG PERSONS

Ovim radom se pruža kratak pregled osnovnih pojmova i istraživačkih tehnika koji su se koristili u empirijskoj provjeri teorije prisile i značaja te teorije u istraživanju antisocijalnog ponašanja mladih. Teorija prisile pripada socijalno interakcijskim pristupima i u istraživanjima koja polaze od nje naglasak je na utjecajima roditeljskog ponašanja (roditeljski nadzor, discipliniranje) i ponašanja vršnjaka (trening devijantnosti). Pri tome se posebno ukazuje na razlike između mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Istraživanja su uglavnom longitudinalnog tipa, na uzorcima iz rizične populacije te se zasnivaju na direktnim opažanjima, procjenama bliskih osoba i samoprocjenama. U radu se prikazuje razvoj teorije od postavki, prema prvim spoznajama, k intervencijama koje su posljedično dovele do usavršavanja teorije. Također, uspoređuju se najpoznatija objašnjenja razlikovanja mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Teorija prisile ukazuje na važnost obiteljskih osobina, osobito roditeljskog ponašanja za rano javljanje, te na potkrepljivanje devijantnog ponašanja od strane vršnjaka kao osnovu za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja, dok neuropsihološki model muške delinkvencije ukazuje na važnost slabijeg kognitivnog funkcioniranja, hiperaktivnosti i impulzivnosti za rano javljanje, te potrebe mladih da se identificiraju i uklope u grupu vršnjaka za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja.This paper provides a brief overview of the basic concept and research techniques that have been used in the empirical testing of the coercion theory and the significance of that theory in the research of antisocial behaviour of young persons. The coercion theory belongs to social interactive approaches and the researches that take it as a starting point emphasise the influence of parental behaviour (parental control, disciplining) and peer behaviour (deviance training). The differences between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are particularly pointed out. The research is mainly of a longitudinal type, on the samples from the population at risk, and it is based on direct observation, assessments of close persons and self-assessments. The paper presents the development of the theory from the postulates, the first cognitions towards the interventions that consequently led to the enhancement of the theory. Also, the most famous explanations of the differentiation between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are compared. The coercion theory emphasises the importance of the family traits, especially the importance of the parental behaviour for early appearance, and the substantiation of the deviant behaviour by the peers as a model for the late appearance, while the neuropsychological model of the male delinquency points out to the importance of poorer cognitive functioning, hyperactivity and impulsiveness for the early appearance, and the needs of young people to identify and fit into the peer group for the late appearance of the delinquent behaviour

THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE COERCION THEORY TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE DELINQUENT BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG PERSONS

Ovim radom se pruža kratak pregled osnovnih pojmova i istraživačkih tehnika koji su se koristili u empirijskoj provjeri teorije prisile i značaja te teorije u istraživanju antisocijalnog ponašanja mladih. Teorija prisile pripada socijalno interakcijskim pristupima i u istraživanjima koja polaze od nje naglasak je na utjecajima roditeljskog ponašanja (roditeljski nadzor, discipliniranje) i ponašanja vršnjaka (trening devijantnosti). Pri tome se posebno ukazuje na razlike između mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Istraživanja su uglavnom longitudinalnog tipa, na uzorcima iz rizične populacije te se zasnivaju na direktnim opažanjima, procjenama bliskih osoba i samoprocjenama. U radu se prikazuje razvoj teorije od postavki, prema prvim spoznajama, k intervencijama koje su posljedično dovele do usavršavanja teorije. Također, uspoređuju se najpoznatija objašnjenja razlikovanja mladih s ranim i kasnim javljanjem delinkventnog ponašanja. Teorija prisile ukazuje na važnost obiteljskih osobina, osobito roditeljskog ponašanja za rano javljanje, te na potkrepljivanje devijantnog ponašanja od strane vršnjaka kao osnovu za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja, dok neuropsihološki model muške delinkvencije ukazuje na važnost slabijeg kognitivnog funkcioniranja, hiperaktivnosti i impulzivnosti za rano javljanje, te potrebe mladih da se identificiraju i uklope u grupu vršnjaka za kasno javljanje delinkventnog ponašanja.This paper provides a brief overview of the basic concept and research techniques that have been used in the empirical testing of the coercion theory and the significance of that theory in the research of antisocial behaviour of young persons. The coercion theory belongs to social interactive approaches and the researches that take it as a starting point emphasise the influence of parental behaviour (parental control, disciplining) and peer behaviour (deviance training). The differences between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are particularly pointed out. The research is mainly of a longitudinal type, on the samples from the population at risk, and it is based on direct observation, assessments of close persons and self-assessments. The paper presents the development of the theory from the postulates, the first cognitions towards the interventions that consequently led to the enhancement of the theory. Also, the most famous explanations of the differentiation between young persons with early and late appearance of delinquent behaviour are compared. The coercion theory emphasises the importance of the family traits, especially the importance of the parental behaviour for early appearance, and the substantiation of the deviant behaviour by the peers as a model for the late appearance, while the neuropsychological model of the male delinquency points out to the importance of poorer cognitive functioning, hyperactivity and impulsiveness for the early appearance, and the needs of young people to identify and fit into the peer group for the late appearance of the delinquent behaviour

Doprinos percepcije roditeljskog ponašanja, rizičnosti braće/sestara i vršnjaka te internaliziranih problema društveno neprihvatljivom ponašanju mladića

Jedan je od najznačajnijih prediktora daljnjeg razvoja rizičnog i društveno neprihvatljivog ponašanja dob njegova prvog javljanja, a koristi se kao temelj poznate taksonomije koja razlikuje mlade s kasnim i ranim javljanjem takva ponašanja. Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio provjeriti doprinose različitih činitelja rizika za pojavu neprihvatljivog ponašanja u skupinama mladih kod kojih je ono različito izraženo i u funkciji dobi prvoga javljanja toga ponašanja. Činitelji su rizika definirani u obiteljskim odnosima (rizičnost braće i sestara), roditeljskog ponašanja, obilježja ponašanja i doživljavanja samoga maloljetnika, obilježja vršnjačke skupine (percepcija rizičnosti vršnjaka i vršnjačkog utjecaja) te kao školski (ne)uspjeh. Istraživanje je provedeno sa 661 mladićem, učenicima završnih razreda srednjih škola u Osijeku i Zagrebu. Podijeljeni su u tri skupine: skupinu s niskom razinom društveno neprihvatljivog ponašanja (N=227), skupinu s kasnim (N=231) i skupinu s ranim javljanjem (N=203) neprihvatljivog ponašanja. Analize su pokazale da odabrani prediktori najbolje objašnjavaju društveno neprihvatljivo ponašanje u mladića kod kojih se ono rano pojavilo. Pokazali su se značajni doprinosi obilježja ponašanja i doživljavanja, osobito subskale problema mišljenja, kao i značajni doprinosi vršnjačkoga utjecaja i rizičnosti vršnjaka. Suprotno ranijim istraživanjima doživljaj roditeljskoga ponašanja slabo doprinosi objašnjenju društveno neprihvatljivog ponašanja

CORRELATES OF PROBLEMATIC GAMING – IS THERE SUPPORT FOR PRONENESS TO RISKY BEHAVIOUR?

Background: This paper explores problematic Internet gaming in the context of other forms of risky behaviour. The basic premise is that children and adolescents at risk will display different types of risky behaviour in various settings. Subjects and methods: Children and adolescents (N=1150) were surveyed about (cyber)violence, problematic gaming (habits, motives and symptoms), self-disclosure via Facebook and self-esteem. Results: Regular gamers were more violent both face-to-face and via the Internet, and were more prone to problematic gaming than occasional gamers. Those who played games for more than five hours per day (9% of respondents) were classified as potentially problematic gamers. They experienced and committed more violence both face-to-face and via the Internet, were more involved in self-disclosure and had more problematic gaming symptoms than those who played for less than five hours a day, but these groups did not differ in self-esteem. Participants could choose from a list of eight different motives for their gaming; those motivated by peer communication, a sense of control, relaxation, conformism, self-efficacy and to distract from problems reported more symptoms of problematic gaming than those not motivated by these factors. Gender, age, self-esteem, self-disclosure and committing violence contributed to explaining the variance in problematic gaming, accounting for about 26% of its variance. Boys, lower self-esteem, more self-disclosure and committing both types of violence more regularly were connected with reporting more symptoms of problematic gaming. The results will be discussed in the context of a general proneness to risky behaviour. Conclusion: Committing violence against peers (both traditional and cyber) predicts significantly problematic gaming. This supports the premise that children and adolescents at risk are prone to exhibiting different forms of risky behaviour in different settings

The connection between the socio-economic status and the body mass index of retired women from Osijek-Baranja County

Cilj rada bio je utvrditi prehrambene navike, te indeks tjelesne mase (ITM) žena umirovljenica s područja Osječko-baranjske županije i otkriti postoji li povezanost između njihova socio-ekonomskog statusa i promatranih parametara. U razdoblju od rujna do prosinca 2009. godine na području Osječkobaranjske županije provedeno je presječno istraživanje tijekom kojega je mjerenjima i vaganjem pomoću računalnog analizatora sastava tijela Tanita TBF 300 bilo obuhvaćeno 88 umirovljenica, prosječne dobi 66,8 ± 6,6 godina (raspon 52-79 godina). U sklopu provedenih mjerenja svakoj je ispitanici određen ITM. Anonimnim anketnim upitnikom dobiveni su podaci o dobi, rebivalištu, prosječnim mjesečnim primanjima kućanstva, te prehrambenim navikama svake pojedine ispitanice. Kriterij za utvrđivanje socio-ekonomskog statusa bila su prosječna mjesečna primanja kućanstva, temeljem kojih su sve ispitanice bile podijeljene u skupinu nižeg, te višeg socio-ekonomskog statusa. Prehrambene navike povezane s povećanim ITM u promatranoj populaciji bile su svakodnevno konzumiranje slatkiša, kuhanje na masti, te značajna potrošnja kruha. U skupini ispitanica nižeg socio-ekonomskog statusa bilo je više njih s povećanom tjelesnom težinom i debljinom, te su u njoj bile češće zastupljene sve gore navedene prehrambene navike povezane s povećanim ITM. Veća učestalost prekomjerne težine među populacijom nižeg socio-ekonomskoga statusa potvrđuje kako i u Hrvatskoj postoji trend povezanosti siromaštva i učestalije pojave debljine, zbog čega preventivne akcije za sprečavanje debljine svakako treba usmjeriti na ciljane, posebno vulnerabilne podskupine stanovništva, među ostalim i na starije osobe, te osobe nižeg socio-ekonomskoga statusa.The aim of this study was to investigate dietary habits and to determine the body mass index (BMI) of retired women from Osijek-Baranja County and to reveal whether there is a connection between their socio-economic status (SES) and the observed variables. This cross-sectional study was carried out between September and December 2009 in Osijek-Baranja County. The study included measuring and weighing with the computer analyzer of body composition Tanita TBF 300 and the survey of dietary habits with the use of an anonymous questionnaire. The study included 88 retired women, mean age 66.8 ± 6.6 years (range 52-79 years). The BMI was determined for each study subject. The basic demographic data such as age, place of residence, average monthly income of the subject household and data on dietary habits of each individual subject were collected by the use of an anonymous questionnaire. The criterion used to establish SES was the average monthly income of the subject household, and, based on this, all subjects were divided into two groups: the group of subjects with lower SES (lower SES group) and the group of subjects with higher SES (higher SES group). Dietary habits connected with the higher BMI values within the study population were daily consumption of sweets, usage of animal fat during preparation of meals and significant bread consumption. In the lower SES group there were more overweight or obese subjects than in the higher SES group. In the lower SES group all the aboveThe aim of this study was to investigate dietary habits and to determine the body mass index (BMI) of retired women from Osijek-Baranja County and to reveal whether there is a connection between their socio-economic status (SES) and the observed variables. This cross-sectional study was carried out between September and December 2009 in Osijek-Baranja County. The study included measuring and weighing with the computer analyzer of body composition Tanita TBF 300 and the survey of dietary habits with the use of an anonymous questionnaire. The study included 88 retired women, mean age 66.8 ± 6.6 years (range 52-79 years). The BMI was determined for each study subject. The basic demographic data such as age, place of residence, average monthly income of the subject household and data on dietary habits of each individual subject were collected by the use of an anonymous questionnaire. The criterion used to establish SES was the average monthly income of the subject household, and, based on this, all subjects were divided into two groups: the group of subjects with lower SES (lower SES group) and the group of subjects with higher SES (higher SES group). Dietary habits connected with the higher BMI values within the study population were daily consumption of sweets, usage of animal fat during preparation of meals and significant bread consumption. In the lower SES group there were more overweight or obese subjects than in the higher SES group. In the lower SES group all the abovementioned dietary habits connected with the increased BMI were more frequently represented than in the higher SES group. Increased frequency of obesity among the population of lower SES confirms that in Croatia there is also a connection between poverty and the frequent onset of obesity that points to the need of directing preventive actions for obesity prevention which is why preventative action to prevent obesity should definitely focus on the target, especially the vulnerable population subgroups such as among others elderly people and people with lower socioeconomic status