Validation of the Voluntary Participation in Online Surveys Scale

A comprehensive understanding of participants' motives to complete web-based surveys has the potential to improve dataquality. In this study we tested the construct validity of a scale developed to measure motivation to participate in webbasedsurveys. We expected that 7 different motivations observed in our previous study will form a 3-factor structure, aspredicted by Self-Determination Theory. This web-based questionnaire study comprised 257 participants completing theVoluntary Participation in Online Studies Scale. Their responses to 21 items underwent a principal component analysisand confi rmatory factor analysis. As we expected, three factors were identifi ed: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivationand amotivation. In line with Self-Determination Theory there are three distinct groups of motives among web-surveysparticipants with amotivation as an understudied motivational state. We discuss the results suggesting which types ofmotivation might lead to higher quality of data with an emphasis on possible negative effects of amotivation

Selected components of geological structures and numerical modelling of slope stability

This paper presents the impact of selected essential aspects of geological structure on the state of slope stability as assessed by changes in the safety factor (SF). The engineering geological slope features that were analysed include: (i) changes in soil cohesion and internal friction angle, (ii) presence of a weak soil layer and its span, (iii) structural discontinuity (i.e. fault), (iv) soil permeability properties and water conditions (i.e. groundwater level, long and heavy rainfall). A certain scheme of slope stability calculations has been proposed for a case involving complex geological conditions. The numerical modelling of a hypothetic slope was performed using the shear strength reduction method based on the finite element method

Mediating role of coping styles in the relationship between anxiety and health behaviors of obese adolescents

Obesity is one of the major health problems in adolescents. Health-detrimental lifestyle (i.e. lack of physical activity, inappropriate nutrition) as well as maladaptive styles of coping with stress are regarded as belonging among determinants of obesity. The aim of the study was to establish factors mediating between anxiety and diet-related health behaviors. Participants in the study were 113 adolescents with obesity whose body weight was over 97th centile. They were examined using a set of self-report questionnaires to measure anxiety, coping styles and health behaviors. Emotion-focused coping and seeking social contacts (social diversion) were found to act as mediators between adolescents’ trait anxiety and their health behaviors. The findings suggest that to enhance obese adolescents’ health-promoting behaviors appropriate conditions should be ensured that would not only enable them to express their emotions, but also promote their socializing with peers

Validation of the Voluntary Participation in Online Surveys Scale

A comprehensive understanding of participants’ motives to complete web-based surveys has the potential to improve data quality. In this study we tested the construct validity of a scale developed to measure motivation to participate in webbased surveys. We expected that 7 different motivations observed in our previous study will form a 3-factor structure, as predicted by Self-Determination Theory. This web-based questionnaire study comprised 257 participants completing the Voluntary Participation in Online Studies Scale. Their responses to 21 items underwent a principal component analysis and confi rmatory factor analysis. As we expected, three factors were identifi ed: intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation and amotivation. In line with Self-Determination Theory there are three distinct groups of motives among web-surveys participants with amotivation as an understudied motivational state. We discuss the results suggesting which types of motivation might lead to higher quality of data with an emphasis on possible negative effects of amotivation

Three new species and one new record of the genus Doryphoribius Pilato, 1969 (Tardigrada : Eutardigrada : Hypsibiidae) from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee, USA)

Three new eutardigrades, Doryphoribius longistipes sp. nov., Doryphoribius minimus sp. nov. and Doryphoribius tergumrudis sp. nov., are described from stream periphyton, rock lichen and cave soil and leaf litter samples collected in the limestone-based Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee, USA. Doryphoribius longistipes sp. nov. differs from other species mainly by the higher ratio of the secondary to the primary claw branches. Doryphoribius minimus sp. nov. differs from D. gibber, D. mariae and D. vietnamensis mainly by its smaller body size and different arrangement of dorsal gibbosities. Doryphoribius tergumrudis sp. nov. differs from D. evelinae by the absence of gibbosities and tubercles on legs I-III, the presence of lunulae and the absence of eyes. Additionally the three new species differ from other congeners by some other morphological and morphometric characters. Another species, Doryphoribius doryphorus Binda and Pilato, 1969, is a new record for Tennessee

Subjective well-being as a mediator for curiosity and depression

Curiosity is a personality trait that is inversely related to depression and positively related to subjective wellbeing. However, the relationship between curiosity and these two outcomes is still unclear which hampers our general understanding of well-being. Based on research within positive psychology that showed character strengths such as curiosity can indirectly decrease depression, we hypothesized that the inverse relationship between curiosity and depression would be mediated by subjective well-being. Two hundred and fifty seven participants, between 18 and 64 years old (M = 24.50, SD = 8.33) completed a web-based survey comprising: The Curiosity and Exploration Inventory - II, Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression and the Steen Happiness Index. We found that well-being mediated the relationship between curiosity and depression. The results indicate that curious individuals tend to report higher levels of subjective well-being which, in turn, is associated with lower levels of depression. Our findings contribute to the understanding of positive results obtained from clinical samples that underwent positive psychotherapy of depression

Resiliency and well-being in chronic diseases – mediating role of empowerment and coping

Maintaining high levels of well-being in the face of a chronic disease requires utilization of many psychosocial resources in the coping process. The efficacy of this process depends on using coping strategies that fit to the specificity of a particular chronic disease. The aim of this study was to show the relationships between well-being and coping strategies, and less studied constructs such as resiliency and personal empowerment among people with diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. The study comprised 100 participants (59 with type I diabetes and 41 with rheumatoid arthritis) who completed a set of questionnaires measuring wellbeing, strategies of coping with stress, resiliency and personal empowerment. As expected, there was a significant indirect effect of resiliency on well-being through mediators such as personal empowerment and disease-specific coping strategies. The results support the significant determinants of well-being among people with chronic diseases. They also indicated a more complex structure of the variables in which resiliency plays a major role for the well-being by the means of coping strategies and personal empowerment

Psychosocial coping resources and health among Germans and Poles

Culture has a substantial impact on mechanism of coping with stress and related health outcomes. We proposed a model emphasizing the mediating role of coping resources and competences in the relationship between controllability of demands in professional/educational life and health in the cross-cultural context. The model is based on the transactional model of stress. 595 participants from East Germany, West Germany and Poland completed: Sense of Coherence Scale SOC-9, Self-Esteem Scale, Social Support Scale, Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, Proactive Coping Inventory, Scale of Demands in Professional Life, Brief Stress Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Mental Health Questionnaire. The results have shown the general cross-cultural validity of the proposed mediational model but also indicated some cultural differences in the determinants of health. Germans had higher self-esteem and social support. Poles had higher selfefficacy and used proactive coping strategies more often. Self-esteem was the strongest predictor of mental health in both nations. We discussed the results within a broad interpretive framework of social transitions

The Undoing Effect of Positive Emotions: A Meta-Analytic Review

The undoing hypothesis proposes that positive emotions serve to undo the sympathetic arousal related to negative emotions and stress. However, a recent qualitative review challenged the undoing effect by presenting conflicting results. To address this issue quantitatively, we conducted a meta-analytic review of 16 studies (N = 1,220; 72 effect sizes) measuring sympathetic recovery during elicited positive emotions and neutral conditions. Findings indicated that in most cases, positive emotions did not speed sympathetic recovery compared to neutral conditions. However, when a composite index of cardiovascular reactivity was used, the undoing effects were evident. Our findings encourage further work to address the conditions under which positive emotions "undo" negative emotions