Identity and Deprovincialization: Identity Complexity and Inclusiveness Encourage EU-Wide Behavioural Intentions via Reduced Intergroup Concerns and Increased Optimism

This research aimed at identifying social psychological processes contributing to deprovincialising behaviours (Pettigrew, 1997), which support social integration in Europe. We tested whether EU residents’ sense of identity, defined as complex (Linville, 1982; Brewer & Pierce, 2005) and inclusive (Dovidio, Gaertner, & Saguy, 2009), orient them toward EU-wide behaviours by mitigating intergroup concerns toward crime, immigration, and terrorism – and by improving optimism about their future within the EU. European adults ('N' = 28,004; females 54.3%; age 'M' = 50.05, 'SD' = 18.34) residing in one of the 28 EU member states completed the 2014 Eurobarometer survey (Standard EB 81, 2014) and contributed to our key analyses. Mediation analyses confirmed that reduced intergroup concerns and general optimism acted as pathways to pro-Europe integration orientations associated with complex and inclusive identities. This work highlights the promising value of deprovincialization as a concept that imbues both a behavioural and a time dimension

Development of the shift smartphone app to support the emotional well-being of junior physicians : Design of a prototype and results of usability and acceptability testing

Background: Junior physicians report higher levels of psychological distress than senior doctors and report several barriers to seeking professional mental health support, including concerns about confidentiality and career progression. Mobile health (mHealth) apps may be utilized to help overcome these barriers to assist the emotional well-being of this population and encourage help-seeking. Objective: This study describes the development and pilot trial of the Shift mHealth app to provide an unobtrusive avenue for junior physicians to seek information about, and help for, well-being and mental health concerns, which is sensitive to workplace settings. Methods: A 4-phase iterative development process was undertaken to create the content and features of Shift involving junior physicians using the principles of user-centered design. These 4 phases were—needs assessment, on the basis of interviews with 12 junior physicians; prototype development with user experience feedback from 2 junior physicians; evaluation, consisting of a pilot trial with 22 junior physicians to assess the usability and acceptability of the initial prototype; and redesign, including user experience workshops with 51 junior physicians. Results: Qualitative results informed the content and design of Shift to ensure that the app was tailored to junior physicians’ needs. The Shift app prototype contained cognitive behavioral, mindfulness, value-based actions, and psychoeducational modules, as well as a tracking function that visualized patterns of daily variations in mood and health behaviors. Pilot-testing revealed possible issues with the organization of the app content, which were addressed through a thorough restructuring and redesign of Shift with the help of junior physicians across 3 user experience workshops. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of ongoing end user involvement in the creation of a specialized mHealth app for a unique working population experiencing profession-specific stressors and barriers to help-seeking. The development and pilot trial of this novel Shift mHealth app are the first steps in addressing the mental health and support-seeking needs of junior physicians, although further research is required to validate its effectiveness and appropriateness on a larger scale

An exploratory investigation of the reliability and validity of the Independent-Interdependent Problem-Solving Style Scale

The Independent-Interdependent Problem-Solving Scale is based on Cross et al.'s conceptualisation of relational-interdependent self-construal. The IIPSS provides a relatively context-free measure of people's tendencies to solve problems independently or with the help of others. Because previous investigations have not provided extensive evidence for the reliability and validity of the IIPSS, the current research aimed to test the psychometric properties of this novel measure. Investigations of four student samples (combined N = 1157) and one sample comprised of academic researchers (N = 198) generally supported the reliability and validity of the IIPSS. Exploratory factor analysis of IIPSS items yielded a single factor structure. However, confirmatory factor analyses did not demonstrate good model fit for the one factor solution and instead yielded good model fit for two underlying factors. The IIPSS showed adequate test–retest reliability and predicted positive associations with social personality traits. It also showed no significant associations with measures of demand characteristics and social desirability. Future research needs to be undertaken to further assess the factor structure and address shortcomings of the present research such as utilising objective data in addition to self-reports to assess the scale's validity

Understanding the relation between the need and ability to achieve closure: A single paper meta-analysis assessing subscale correlations

The need for closure and the ability to achieve closure are generally thought to be independent from one another. However, previous researchers have found inconsistent relations between these two variables, possibly due to measurement scale modifications that slightly shifted how the underlying constructs were assessed. The present research attempted to address some of these methodological issues with previous research by conducting a single-paper meta-analysis on the correlations between the ability to achieve closure scale and the full need for closure scale and each of its five subscales. Across six university student samples (N = 1983), the full need for closure scale and most of its subscales were significantly negatively correlated with the ability to achieve closure. This finding suggests that the ability to achieve closure affects the costs and benefits of closure and therefore, consistent with lay epistemic theory, the ability to achieve closure predicts individual differences in the need for closure

The Influence of Stigma Perceptions on Employees’ Claims Experiences for Psychological Injuries: Re-Examination of a Cross-Sectional Survey among Australian Police and Emergency Service Personnel

While a large body of research assessed the contribution of mental health stigma on disclosure, treatment seeking, and recovery, limited research exists seeking to identify the relative contribution of stigma beliefs on workers’ compensation claims for psychological injury. Survey data of ambulance, fire and rescue, police, and state emergency service personnel (N = 1855, aged 45–54 years, 66.4% male) was re-examined to assesses the unique and combined associations of self-, personal, and workplace stigma with workers’ compensation claims experiences and recovery. Participants responded to self-report stigma items (predictor variables), perceived stress, fairness, and support perceptions of going through the claims process and its impact on recovery (outcome variables). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the combined stigma dimensions predicted about one fifth of the variance of claims and recovery perceptions. Organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others were the two most important, albeit weak, unique predictors across outcomes. Given the small but consistent influences of organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others, it seems warranted to apply workplace interventions that are looking to establish positive workplace contact and a supportive organisational culture to alleviate negative effects attributable to mental health stigma

Preliminary Investigation of Shift, a Novel Smartphone App to Support Junior Doctors’ Mental Health and Well-being: Examination of Symptom Progression, Usability, and Acceptability After 1 Month of Use

BackgroundShift is a novel smartphone app for providing a digital-first mental health resource to junior doctors. It contains psychoeducational material, cognitive behavioral modules, guided mediations, information on common work stressors, and a section on help-seeking options for psychological problems through workplace and private avenues. ObjectiveThis study aimed to conduct a preliminary investigation of the use and potential effectiveness of Shift on depressive and anxiety symptoms (primary outcomes) and work and social functioning, COVID-19 safety concerns, and help seeking (secondary outcomes). This study also sought feedback on whether Shift was seen as an acceptable tool. MethodsJunior doctors in New South Wales, Australia, were approached through promotional activities from the Ministry of Health, specialist medical colleges, and social media advertisements between June and August 2020. Consenting participants provided web-based baseline data, used the Shift app for 30 days, and were asked to complete a poststudy web-based questionnaire. Outcomes were analyzed under the intention-to-treat principle. ResultsA total of 222 (n=156 female, 70.3%; mean age 29.2, SD 4.61 years) junior doctors provided full baseline data. Of these, 89.2% (198/222) downloaded the app, logged into the app approximately 6 times (mean 5.68, SD 7.51), completed 4 in-app activities (mean 3.77, SD 4.36), and spent a total of 1 hour on in-app activities (mean 52:23, SD 6:00:18) over 30 days. Postintervention and app use data were provided by 24.3% (54/222) of participants. Depressive and anxiety symptoms significantly decreased between the pre- and postassessment points as expected; however, physicians’ COVID-19 safety concerns significantly increased. Work and social functioning, COVID-19 concerns for family and friends, and help seeking did not change significantly. There was no significant relationship between symptom changes and app use (number of log-ins, days between first and last log-in, and total activity time). Most poststudy completers (31/54, 57%) rated Shift highly or very highly. ConclusionsDespite high levels of nonresponse to the poststudy assessment and increases in COVID-19 safety concerns, junior doctors who used the app reported some improvements in depression and anxiety, which warrant further exploration in a robust manner

A Web-Based Public Health Intervention to Reduce Functional Impairment and Depressive Symptoms in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes (The SpringboarD Trial): Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Background: Depressive symptoms are common in people with type 2 diabetes and contribute to adverse health consequences that substantially impact social and vocational function. Despite the existence of effective depression treatments, the majority of people with type 2 diabetes do not access these when needed. Web-based alternatives to more traditional psychotherapies offer a potential solution to reducing the personal and economic burdens of type 2 diabetes. Objective: This paper outlines the protocol for a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of myCompass, a Web-based public health psychotherapy intervention, in people with type 2 diabetes. Fully automated, interactive, and delivered via the Internet without clinician support, myCompass teaches cognitive behavioral therapy-based skills and supports symptom monitoring to improve daily functioning and reduce mild-to-moderate mental health symptoms. Methods: A two-arm RCT will be conducted. People with type 2 diabetes and mild-to-moderately severe depressive symptoms will be recruited from the community and general practice settings. Screening and enrollment is via an open-access website. Participants will be randomized to use either myCompass or an active placebo program for 8 weeks, followed by a 4-week tailing-off period. The placebo program is matched to myCompass on mode of delivery, interactivity, and duration. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline and at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up. The primary study outcome is work and social functioning. Secondary study outcomes include depressive and anxious symptoms, diabetes-related distress, self-care behaviors, and glycemic control. Results: Nationwide recruitment is currently underway with the aim of recruiting 600 people with type 2 diabetes. Recruitment will continue until October 2017. Conclusions: This is the first known trial of a Web-based psychotherapy program that is not diabetes specific for improving social and vocational function in people with type 2 diabetes and mild-to-moderately severe depressive symptoms. With the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and depression, a potentially scalable public health intervention could play a very large role in reducing unmet mental health need and ameliorating the personal and societal impact of illness comorbidit