PeerJ:Ethical Issueshttps://peerj.com/articles/index.atom?journal=peerj&subject=7500Ethical Issues articles published in PeerJA survey of researchers’ methods sharing practices and prioritieshttps://peerj.com/articles/167312024-01-032024-01-03Marcel LaFlammeJames HarneyIain Hrynaszkiewicz
Missing or inaccessible information about the methods used in scientific research slows the pace of discovery and hampers reproducibility. Yet little is known about how, why, and under what conditions researchers share detailed methods information, or about how such practices vary across social categories like career stage, field, and region. In this exploratory study, we surveyed 997 active researchers about their attitudes and behaviors with respect to methods sharing. The most common approach reported by respondents was private sharing upon request, but a substantial minority (33%) had publicly shared detailed methods information independently of their research findings. The most widely used channels for public sharing were connected to peer-reviewed publications, while the most significant barriers to public sharing were found to be lack of time and lack of awareness about how or where to share. Insofar as respondents were moderately satisfied with their ability to accomplish various goals associated with methods sharing, we conclude that efforts to increase public sharing may wish to focus on enhancing and building awareness of existing solutions—even as future research should seek to understand the needs of methods users and the extent to which they align with prevailing practices of sharing.
Missing or inaccessible information about the methods used in scientific research slows the pace of discovery and hampers reproducibility. Yet little is known about how, why, and under what conditions researchers share detailed methods information, or about how such practices vary across social categories like career stage, field, and region. In this exploratory study, we surveyed 997 active researchers about their attitudes and behaviors with respect to methods sharing. The most common approach reported by respondents was private sharing upon request, but a substantial minority (33%) had publicly shared detailed methods information independently of their research findings. The most widely used channels for public sharing were connected to peer-reviewed publications, while the most significant barriers to public sharing were found to be lack of time and lack of awareness about how or where to share. Insofar as respondents were moderately satisfied with their ability to accomplish various goals associated with methods sharing, we conclude that efforts to increase public sharing may wish to focus on enhancing and building awareness of existing solutions—even as future research should seek to understand the needs of methods users and the extent to which they align with prevailing practices of sharing.Differences in and associations between belief in just deserts and human rights restrictions over a 3-year period in five countries during the COVID-19 pandemichttps://peerj.com/articles/161472023-09-282023-09-28Michio MurakamiKai HiraishiMei YamagataDaisuke NakanishiAndrea OrtolaniNobuhiro MifuneYang LiAsako Miura
Discrimination, which arose during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, is a global public health issue. This study aimed to provide fundamental knowledge in proposing control measures to mitigate discrimination. We focused on two psychological variables: belief in just deserts (BJD, i.e., the belief that the infected individual deserves to be infected), a psychological factor that potentially promotes discrimination and prejudice, and human rights restrictions (HRR; i.e., the degree of individuals’ agreement with government restrictions on citizens’ behavior during emergencies). Differences in these items, as well as their annual trends from 2020 to 2022, were examined in Japan, the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, and China. In addition, the associations between BJD and HRR by country and year and the direction of the associations between them in Japan and Italy were analyzed. Online surveys were conducted annually, with 392–518 participants per country and year. The BJD was higher in Japan and lower in the UK. BJD increased significantly from 2020 to 2021 in all countries, except in China. Meanwhile, HRR was higher in China and lower in Japan. The HRR decreased from 2020 to 2021 in Japan and decreased from 2020 to 2022 in the US, the UK, and Italy. There were significant positive associations between BJD and HRR in Japan and Italy. Cross-lagged panel models revealed positive bidirectional associations between BJD and HRR in Japan and Italy, respectively, indicating that the HRR declined among those with weak BJD and that the BJD increased among those with high HRR. In Japan and Italy, the dissemination of public messages targeting those with a high HRR in the early stages of an infectious disease outbreak could potentially mitigate the adverse impact of the BJD, eventually reducing discrimination, especially when the infection is not attributed to the fault of the infected individuals.
Discrimination, which arose during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak, is a global public health issue. This study aimed to provide fundamental knowledge in proposing control measures to mitigate discrimination. We focused on two psychological variables: belief in just deserts (BJD, i.e., the belief that the infected individual deserves to be infected), a psychological factor that potentially promotes discrimination and prejudice, and human rights restrictions (HRR; i.e., the degree of individuals’ agreement with government restrictions on citizens’ behavior during emergencies). Differences in these items, as well as their annual trends from 2020 to 2022, were examined in Japan, the United States (US), the United Kingdom (UK), Italy, and China. In addition, the associations between BJD and HRR by country and year and the direction of the associations between them in Japan and Italy were analyzed. Online surveys were conducted annually, with 392–518 participants per country and year. The BJD was higher in Japan and lower in the UK. BJD increased significantly from 2020 to 2021 in all countries, except in China. Meanwhile, HRR was higher in China and lower in Japan. The HRR decreased from 2020 to 2021 in Japan and decreased from 2020 to 2022 in the US, the UK, and Italy. There were significant positive associations between BJD and HRR in Japan and Italy. Cross-lagged panel models revealed positive bidirectional associations between BJD and HRR in Japan and Italy, respectively, indicating that the HRR declined among those with weak BJD and that the BJD increased among those with high HRR. In Japan and Italy, the dissemination of public messages targeting those with a high HRR in the early stages of an infectious disease outbreak could potentially mitigate the adverse impact of the BJD, eventually reducing discrimination, especially when the infection is not attributed to the fault of the infected individuals.An observational study on the adherence to study registrations in German interventional and observational studies from various fieldshttps://peerj.com/articles/160152023-09-252023-09-25Christian ThieleGerrit Hirschfeld
Background
The registration of studies, especially in the case of clinical trials, is required by the declaration of Helsinki and the policies of various scientific journals. However, numerous analyses have found considerable discrepancies between published articles and accompanying trial registrations. The aim of this study is to assess such discrepancies for a sample of studies with recruiting locations in Germany. Additionally, the association between the adherence to registrations and possible involvement of Coordinating Centers for Clinical Studies (KKS) as well as Universities of Excellence was tested.
Methods
For a sample of 376 interventional or observational study registrations, we found 115 published articles. Subsequently, we searched for discrepancies in the study design, the key inclusion criteria, the interventions, the blinding, and a primary and a secondary outcome.
Results
We found discrepancies in 26% of all studies, most frequently in the secondary outcomes, where 16.5% of the secondary outcomes per study that were registered in most detail had discrepancies. When running regression models for adherence discrepancies, the only variable that had a statistically significant association with better adherence was registration on ClinicalTrials.gov. The association of potential involvement of a KKS with adherence ratings was positive, too, but statistically insignificant.
Conclusions
In summary, the amount of discrepancies between registrations and published articles remains elevated.
Background
The registration of studies, especially in the case of clinical trials, is required by the declaration of Helsinki and the policies of various scientific journals. However, numerous analyses have found considerable discrepancies between published articles and accompanying trial registrations. The aim of this study is to assess such discrepancies for a sample of studies with recruiting locations in Germany. Additionally, the association between the adherence to registrations and possible involvement of Coordinating Centers for Clinical Studies (KKS) as well as Universities of Excellence was tested.
Methods
For a sample of 376 interventional or observational study registrations, we found 115 published articles. Subsequently, we searched for discrepancies in the study design, the key inclusion criteria, the interventions, the blinding, and a primary and a secondary outcome.
Results
We found discrepancies in 26% of all studies, most frequently in the secondary outcomes, where 16.5% of the secondary outcomes per study that were registered in most detail had discrepancies. When running regression models for adherence discrepancies, the only variable that had a statistically significant association with better adherence was registration on ClinicalTrials.gov. The association of potential involvement of a KKS with adherence ratings was positive, too, but statistically insignificant.
Conclusions
In summary, the amount of discrepancies between registrations and published articles remains elevated.Attitudes of medical students in Khartoum, Sudan towards the doctor-patient relationship: a cross-sectional studyhttps://peerj.com/articles/154342023-07-032023-07-03Aya M. HaibaMarwan M. Haiba
Background/Objectives
The doctor-patient relationship is essential to the delivery of high-quality medical care. A strong doctor-patient relationship that improves patient outcomes and satisfaction depends on effective communication. The purpose of this study was to assess medical students’ attitudes toward the doctor-patient relationship during their clinical years at the University of Khartoum. We also looked at how gender and study year affected patient-centeredness.
Participants/Setting
The study was conducted on medical students in their clinical years from December 2020 to March 2021. Students were selected from years 3 to 6. A total of 353 medical students constituted the study sample.
Design
The cross-sectional study utilized the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) for the measurement of student attitudes towards the doctor-patient relationship. PPOS scores are calculated as a mean score that ranges from 1 (indicating doctor or disease-centered inclinations) to 6 (indicating patient-centered or egalitarian inclinations). Medical students’ demographic data was collected, including their gender, age and study year.
Results
A total of 313 students completed the survey (response rate: 89%). The average total PPOS score and the scores for the caring and sharing subscales for the entire cohort were 4.08 ± 0.53, 4.43 ± 0.58, and 3.72 ± 0.72, respectively. Female gender was significantly associated with more patient-centered attitudes (p < 0.001). When compared to the start of their clinical curriculum, students’ attitudes were significantly more patient-centered by the conclusion of their studies (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
A satisfactory level of patient-centeredness was demonstrated by medical students at the University of Khartoum, and gender had an impact on this quality. Additional consideration should be given to the finding that students’ orientations were more patient-centered in the caring dimension and less so in the sharing one. Once addressed, improvements in that area could create an environment that enhances attitudes among students in the sharing domain, with great potential gains to patients.
Background/Objectives
The doctor-patient relationship is essential to the delivery of high-quality medical care. A strong doctor-patient relationship that improves patient outcomes and satisfaction depends on effective communication. The purpose of this study was to assess medical students’ attitudes toward the doctor-patient relationship during their clinical years at the University of Khartoum. We also looked at how gender and study year affected patient-centeredness.
Participants/Setting
The study was conducted on medical students in their clinical years from December 2020 to March 2021. Students were selected from years 3 to 6. A total of 353 medical students constituted the study sample.
Design
The cross-sectional study utilized the Patient Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) for the measurement of student attitudes towards the doctor-patient relationship. PPOS scores are calculated as a mean score that ranges from 1 (indicating doctor or disease-centered inclinations) to 6 (indicating patient-centered or egalitarian inclinations). Medical students’ demographic data was collected, including their gender, age and study year.
Results
A total of 313 students completed the survey (response rate: 89%). The average total PPOS score and the scores for the caring and sharing subscales for the entire cohort were 4.08 ± 0.53, 4.43 ± 0.58, and 3.72 ± 0.72, respectively. Female gender was significantly associated with more patient-centered attitudes (p < 0.001). When compared to the start of their clinical curriculum, students’ attitudes were significantly more patient-centered by the conclusion of their studies (p < 0.001).
Conclusion
A satisfactory level of patient-centeredness was demonstrated by medical students at the University of Khartoum, and gender had an impact on this quality. Additional consideration should be given to the finding that students’ orientations were more patient-centered in the caring dimension and less so in the sharing one. Once addressed, improvements in that area could create an environment that enhances attitudes among students in the sharing domain, with great potential gains to patients.Dr. Smartphone, can you support my trauma? An informatics analysis study of App Store apps for trauma- and stressor-related disordershttps://peerj.com/articles/153662023-05-092023-05-09Amanda TingCraig McLachlan
Background
Psychological trauma is prevalent in developed countries, with prevalence rates and treatment needs exceeding health system capacity. As telemedicine and out-of-patient care are promoted, there has been an expansion of digital apps to compliment therapeutic stages in psychological trauma. To date there are no reviews that have compared these apps and their clinical utility. This study aims to identify the availability of trauma- and stressor-related mhealth apps, assess their functionality, and review their therapeutic abilities.
Methodology
The authors conducted a systematic search using an iPhone 13 Pro in the Australian IOS App Store to extract trauma- and stressor-related apps that resulted from the search criteria. A cross-adaptation of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and the Comprehensive App Evaluation Model (CAEM) were used as a framework to produce the mTrauma App Evaluation Conceptual Model and Informatics Framework. App content descriptors were analysed based on their general characteristics, usability, therapeutic focus, clinical utility, data integration. Following an applicability in concordance with psychological trauma-informed delivery.
Results
A total of 234 apps resulting from the search strategy were screened, with 81 apps that met the inclusion criteria. The majority of apps were marketed to 4+ to 17+ years of age, categorised as ‘health and fitness’, with the highest target markets observed for adolescents, children, parents, clinicians, and clients. A total of 43 apps (53.1%) contained a trauma-informed specified section, and 37 (45.7%) incorporated a section useful to support trauma-related symptoms. A significant number of apps there was an absence of therapeutic utility (in 32 apps (39.5%)). Most apps were supporting post-traumatic stress disorder-informed, cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. Provision of psychoeducation, courses, guided sessions, trainings, self-reflection/journaling, symptom management and progress tracking were highly present.
Conclusions
Trauma-informed mobile apps are available in the App Store, expanding in its target market reach and usability, with an increase of creative psychotherapies being introduced alongside conventional modalities. However, based on the app descriptors, the scarcity of evidenced-based testimonials and therapeutic applicability remains questionable for clinical validity. Although mhealth tools are marketed as trauma-related, current available apps employ a multifunctional approach to general psychological symptomatology, through to associated comorbid conditions and emphasizes on passive activity. For higher uptake on user engagement, clinical application and validity, trauma-apps require curated specification to fulfil its role as complimentary psychological treatment.
Background
Psychological trauma is prevalent in developed countries, with prevalence rates and treatment needs exceeding health system capacity. As telemedicine and out-of-patient care are promoted, there has been an expansion of digital apps to compliment therapeutic stages in psychological trauma. To date there are no reviews that have compared these apps and their clinical utility. This study aims to identify the availability of trauma- and stressor-related mhealth apps, assess their functionality, and review their therapeutic abilities.
Methodology
The authors conducted a systematic search using an iPhone 13 Pro in the Australian IOS App Store to extract trauma- and stressor-related apps that resulted from the search criteria. A cross-adaptation of the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS) and the Comprehensive App Evaluation Model (CAEM) were used as a framework to produce the mTrauma App Evaluation Conceptual Model and Informatics Framework. App content descriptors were analysed based on their general characteristics, usability, therapeutic focus, clinical utility, data integration. Following an applicability in concordance with psychological trauma-informed delivery.
Results
A total of 234 apps resulting from the search strategy were screened, with 81 apps that met the inclusion criteria. The majority of apps were marketed to 4+ to 17+ years of age, categorised as ‘health and fitness’, with the highest target markets observed for adolescents, children, parents, clinicians, and clients. A total of 43 apps (53.1%) contained a trauma-informed specified section, and 37 (45.7%) incorporated a section useful to support trauma-related symptoms. A significant number of apps there was an absence of therapeutic utility (in 32 apps (39.5%)). Most apps were supporting post-traumatic stress disorder-informed, cognitive behavioural therapy and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. Provision of psychoeducation, courses, guided sessions, trainings, self-reflection/journaling, symptom management and progress tracking were highly present.
Conclusions
Trauma-informed mobile apps are available in the App Store, expanding in its target market reach and usability, with an increase of creative psychotherapies being introduced alongside conventional modalities. However, based on the app descriptors, the scarcity of evidenced-based testimonials and therapeutic applicability remains questionable for clinical validity. Although mhealth tools are marketed as trauma-related, current available apps employ a multifunctional approach to general psychological symptomatology, through to associated comorbid conditions and emphasizes on passive activity. For higher uptake on user engagement, clinical application and validity, trauma-apps require curated specification to fulfil its role as complimentary psychological treatment.Analysing the effectiveness of Twitter as an equitable community communication tool for international conferenceshttps://peerj.com/articles/152702023-05-082023-05-08Niall W. DuncanRussell Shean
Scientific conferences increasingly include online aspects. Some are moving to be entirely virtual whilst others are adopting hybrid models in which there are both in-person and virtual elements. This development of opportunities for people to attend conferences virtually has the potential to both reduce their environmental impact and to make access to them more equitable. An issue with virtual conference participation that has been raised, however, is that there is a reduction in informal communication between attendees. This is an important deficit as informal contacts play a significant role in both knowledge transmission and professional network development. One forum where some informal communication around conferences does occur is Twitter, with participation there being encouraged by some conferences. It is not clear, however, how effective Twitter is as a community communication tool in terms of equitable participation amongst conference attendees. To investigate this, we looked at Twitter usage surrounding four international conferences between 2010 and 2021. It was found that engagement with conference hashtags increased steadily over time, peaking in 2019. Users represented 9% of conference attendees and were primarily located in Europe and North America, communicating primarily in English (97% of tweets). Hub nodes within the interaction network were also primarily located in these regions. East Asia had fewer users than would be expected based on neuroscience publication numbers from that region. What users there were in East Asia were engaged with less than were users in other regions. It was found that the overall interaction network showed a rich-club structure, where users with more connections tend to interact more with others with similar connection numbers. Finally, it was found that users in Europe and North America tend to communicate with other users in their own regions whereas users in the rest of the world direct their interactions out of their region. These results suggest that although conference-related Twitter use has been successful to some degree in opening up access, there are some notable limitations in its usage that may mirror aspects of inequality inherent to in-person conferences. How to build equitable informal communication networks around virtual conferences remains a challenging question that requires further discussion.
Scientific conferences increasingly include online aspects. Some are moving to be entirely virtual whilst others are adopting hybrid models in which there are both in-person and virtual elements. This development of opportunities for people to attend conferences virtually has the potential to both reduce their environmental impact and to make access to them more equitable. An issue with virtual conference participation that has been raised, however, is that there is a reduction in informal communication between attendees. This is an important deficit as informal contacts play a significant role in both knowledge transmission and professional network development. One forum where some informal communication around conferences does occur is Twitter, with participation there being encouraged by some conferences. It is not clear, however, how effective Twitter is as a community communication tool in terms of equitable participation amongst conference attendees. To investigate this, we looked at Twitter usage surrounding four international conferences between 2010 and 2021. It was found that engagement with conference hashtags increased steadily over time, peaking in 2019. Users represented 9% of conference attendees and were primarily located in Europe and North America, communicating primarily in English (97% of tweets). Hub nodes within the interaction network were also primarily located in these regions. East Asia had fewer users than would be expected based on neuroscience publication numbers from that region. What users there were in East Asia were engaged with less than were users in other regions. It was found that the overall interaction network showed a rich-club structure, where users with more connections tend to interact more with others with similar connection numbers. Finally, it was found that users in Europe and North America tend to communicate with other users in their own regions whereas users in the rest of the world direct their interactions out of their region. These results suggest that although conference-related Twitter use has been successful to some degree in opening up access, there are some notable limitations in its usage that may mirror aspects of inequality inherent to in-person conferences. How to build equitable informal communication networks around virtual conferences remains a challenging question that requires further discussion.Overcoming the gender bias in ecology and evolution: is the double-anonymized peer review an effective pathway over time?https://peerj.com/articles/151862023-04-102023-04-10Cibele Cássia-SilvaBarbbara Silva RochaLuisa Fernanda Liévano-LatorreMariane Brom SobreiroLuisa Maria Diele-Viegas
Male researchers dominate scientific production in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, potential mechanisms to avoid this gender imbalance remain poorly explored in STEM, including ecology and evolution areas. In the last decades, changes in the peer-review process towards double-anonymized (DA) have increased among ecology and evolution (EcoEvo) journals. Using comprehensive data on articles from 18 selected EcoEvo journals with an impact factor >1, we tested the effect of the DA peer-review process in female-leading (i.e., first and senior authors) articles. We tested whether the representation of female-leading authors differs between double and single-anonymized (SA) peer-reviewed journals. Also, we tested if the adoption of the DA by previous SA journals has increased the representativeness of female-leading authors over time. We found that publications led by female authors did not differ between DA and SA journals. Moreover, female-leading articles did not increase after changes from SA to DA peer-review. Tackling female underrepresentation in science is a complex task requiring many interventions. Still, our results highlight that adopting the DA peer-review system alone could be insufficient in fostering gender equality in EcoEvo scientific publications. Ecologists and evolutionists understand how diversity is important to ecosystems’ resilience in facing environmental changes. The question remaining is: why is it so difficult to promote and keep this “diversity” in addition to equity and inclusion in the academic environment? We thus argue that all scientists, mentors, and research centers must be engaged in promoting solutions to gender bias by fostering diversity, inclusion, and affirmative measures.
Male researchers dominate scientific production in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, potential mechanisms to avoid this gender imbalance remain poorly explored in STEM, including ecology and evolution areas. In the last decades, changes in the peer-review process towards double-anonymized (DA) have increased among ecology and evolution (EcoEvo) journals. Using comprehensive data on articles from 18 selected EcoEvo journals with an impact factor >1, we tested the effect of the DA peer-review process in female-leading (i.e., first and senior authors) articles. We tested whether the representation of female-leading authors differs between double and single-anonymized (SA) peer-reviewed journals. Also, we tested if the adoption of the DA by previous SA journals has increased the representativeness of female-leading authors over time. We found that publications led by female authors did not differ between DA and SA journals. Moreover, female-leading articles did not increase after changes from SA to DA peer-review. Tackling female underrepresentation in science is a complex task requiring many interventions. Still, our results highlight that adopting the DA peer-review system alone could be insufficient in fostering gender equality in EcoEvo scientific publications. Ecologists and evolutionists understand how diversity is important to ecosystems’ resilience in facing environmental changes. The question remaining is: why is it so difficult to promote and keep this “diversity” in addition to equity and inclusion in the academic environment? We thus argue that all scientists, mentors, and research centers must be engaged in promoting solutions to gender bias by fostering diversity, inclusion, and affirmative measures.Belief in just deserts regarding individuals infected with COVID-19 in Japan and its associations with demographic factors and infection-related and socio-psychological characteristics: a cross-sectional studyhttps://peerj.com/articles/145452022-12-192022-12-19Michio MurakamiKai HiraishiMei YamagataDaisuke NakanishiAsako Miura
Prejudice related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a social issue worldwide. A possible psychological factor that promotes prejudice is the belief in just deserts (BJD) regarding individuals infected with COVID-19 (i.e., the belief that the infected individual deserves to be infected). The BJD is based on the belief in immanent justice. It is reportedly higher in Japan than in other countries. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the BJD among Japanese individuals and clarify its associations with demographic factors or infection-related and socio-psychological characteristics. To this end, we conducted an online questionnaire survey in Japan from August 7–8, 2020, with 1,207 respondents aged 20–69 years. We performed screening to exclude inappropriate responses. We investigated the association between the BJD and demographic factors such as gender and age. We also investigated the association between the BJD and infection-related and socio-psychological characteristics, including risk perception of COVID-19 infection and human rights restrictions (i.e., the degree of agreement with government restrictions on individuals’ behavior during emergencies). Among the surveyed items, human rights restrictions showed a strong association with BJD, followed by risk perception of COVID-19 infection. Men had a slightly higher BJD than women. Our study is significant in that it is the first to investigate the items associated with the BJD, thereby providing foundational information for revising individual perceptions of justice related to COVID-19 and solving prejudice-related issues.
Prejudice related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a social issue worldwide. A possible psychological factor that promotes prejudice is the belief in just deserts (BJD) regarding individuals infected with COVID-19 (i.e., the belief that the infected individual deserves to be infected). The BJD is based on the belief in immanent justice. It is reportedly higher in Japan than in other countries. Therefore, we conducted a cross-sectional study to investigate the BJD among Japanese individuals and clarify its associations with demographic factors or infection-related and socio-psychological characteristics. To this end, we conducted an online questionnaire survey in Japan from August 7–8, 2020, with 1,207 respondents aged 20–69 years. We performed screening to exclude inappropriate responses. We investigated the association between the BJD and demographic factors such as gender and age. We also investigated the association between the BJD and infection-related and socio-psychological characteristics, including risk perception of COVID-19 infection and human rights restrictions (i.e., the degree of agreement with government restrictions on individuals’ behavior during emergencies). Among the surveyed items, human rights restrictions showed a strong association with BJD, followed by risk perception of COVID-19 infection. Men had a slightly higher BJD than women. Our study is significant in that it is the first to investigate the items associated with the BJD, thereby providing foundational information for revising individual perceptions of justice related to COVID-19 and solving prejudice-related issues.The influence of parenting style and coping behavior on nonsuicidal self-injury behavior in different genders based on path analysishttps://peerj.com/articles/145072022-12-092022-12-09Fang ChengChangzhou HuWenwu ZhangHuabing XieLiangliang ShenBeini WangZhenyu HuYucheng WangHaihang Yu
Background
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors—an important factor that profoundly affects the physical and mental health of young people—are induced by complex and diverse factors, while showing significant differences at the gender level. We examined mediating behaviors among parenting styles, students’ coping styles, and endogenous and exogenous influencing variables of adolescents’ NSSI behaviors.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, Secondary school students in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China (n = 2,689; F/M:1532/1157) were surveyed for basic attributes, parenting styles, coping styles, and NSSI behaviors. After the initial screening of the sample data, several external derivatives were screened based on the single factor analysis method. On this basis, the construction of path analysis models under multivariate multiple elicitations was carried out.
Results
The overall prevalence of NSSI was 15.16%, and the incidence of NSSI in boys was lower than that in girls (OR = 0.334, 95% CI [0.235–0.474]). The path analysis model data fit well; the indicators of female and male part are: CFI = 0.913/0.923, GFI = 0.964/0.977, SRMR = 0.055/0.047, RMSEA = 0.097/0.069 with 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.084–0.111]/[0.054–0.084]. For female, when negative coping style and extreme education affect NSSI respectively, the standardized path coefficient values are 0.478 (z = 20.636, P = 0.000 < 0.01) and 0.151 (z = 6.524, P = 0.000 < 0.01) respectively, while for male, the corresponding values become 0.225 (z = 7.057, P < 0.001) and 0.104 (z = 3.262, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
In particular, we investigated the mediating effects of gender-specific NSSI influences and found that NSSI behaviors were strongly associated with environmental variables and individual factors, especially family parenting style and adolescent coping style, which influenced NSSI in a gender-specific manner. The results showed that males were the target of both positive and negative parenting styles, whereas females were more likely to choose negative coping styles directed towards emotions in response to external stimuli, and instead showed a more significant predisposition towards NSSI behaviors. This phenomenon seems to be influenced by multilevel factors such as sociocultural, individual value identity, and physiological structure differences. In the path analysis model with the introduction of mediating effects, the influence of gender differences on NSSI behavior becomes more pronounced under the interaction of multiple factors: women seem to be more significantly influenced by the external derivatives in the internal derivatives than male subjects, and are more likely to trigger NSSI behavior under the interaction of multiple factors. These findings effectively reveal the significant role of different end-influencing factors in NSSI behaviors at the level of gender differences, which can provide effective theoretical support to prevent and treat NSSI behaviors in adolescents.
Background
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) behaviors—an important factor that profoundly affects the physical and mental health of young people—are induced by complex and diverse factors, while showing significant differences at the gender level. We examined mediating behaviors among parenting styles, students’ coping styles, and endogenous and exogenous influencing variables of adolescents’ NSSI behaviors.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, Secondary school students in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China (n = 2,689; F/M:1532/1157) were surveyed for basic attributes, parenting styles, coping styles, and NSSI behaviors. After the initial screening of the sample data, several external derivatives were screened based on the single factor analysis method. On this basis, the construction of path analysis models under multivariate multiple elicitations was carried out.
Results
The overall prevalence of NSSI was 15.16%, and the incidence of NSSI in boys was lower than that in girls (OR = 0.334, 95% CI [0.235–0.474]). The path analysis model data fit well; the indicators of female and male part are: CFI = 0.913/0.923, GFI = 0.964/0.977, SRMR = 0.055/0.047, RMSEA = 0.097/0.069 with 90% confidence interval (CI) [0.084–0.111]/[0.054–0.084]. For female, when negative coping style and extreme education affect NSSI respectively, the standardized path coefficient values are 0.478 (z = 20.636, P = 0.000 < 0.01) and 0.151 (z = 6.524, P = 0.000 < 0.01) respectively, while for male, the corresponding values become 0.225 (z = 7.057, P < 0.001) and 0.104 (z = 3.262, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
In particular, we investigated the mediating effects of gender-specific NSSI influences and found that NSSI behaviors were strongly associated with environmental variables and individual factors, especially family parenting style and adolescent coping style, which influenced NSSI in a gender-specific manner. The results showed that males were the target of both positive and negative parenting styles, whereas females were more likely to choose negative coping styles directed towards emotions in response to external stimuli, and instead showed a more significant predisposition towards NSSI behaviors. This phenomenon seems to be influenced by multilevel factors such as sociocultural, individual value identity, and physiological structure differences. In the path analysis model with the introduction of mediating effects, the influence of gender differences on NSSI behavior becomes more pronounced under the interaction of multiple factors: women seem to be more significantly influenced by the external derivatives in the internal derivatives than male subjects, and are more likely to trigger NSSI behavior under the interaction of multiple factors. These findings effectively reveal the significant role of different end-influencing factors in NSSI behaviors at the level of gender differences, which can provide effective theoretical support to prevent and treat NSSI behaviors in adolescents.Negative psychological aspects of working with experimental animals in scientific researchhttps://peerj.com/articles/110352021-04-202021-04-20Hanna MamzerAgnieszka ZokPiotr BiałasMirosław Andrusiewicz
The aim of the study was to reveal the negative psychological aspects of using animals by scientists and to determine whether the emotional tensions and stress are associated with performing experiments on animals. All 150 participants of the study conduct experiments on animals in their work. Computer-assisted web interviewing, was used to collect the data. Correlation matrices for factorial analysis of main component loads and cluster analysis have been calculated as grouping methods revealed two different categories of researchers, which were mostly distinguished by acceptance and aversion to animal testing and animal welfare. The main findings demonstrated, that there is a group of respondents who feel discomfort when performing experiments on animals. Especially young people involved in animal testing, feel remorse, emotional tension and helplessness.
The aim of the study was to reveal the negative psychological aspects of using animals by scientists and to determine whether the emotional tensions and stress are associated with performing experiments on animals. All 150 participants of the study conduct experiments on animals in their work. Computer-assisted web interviewing, was used to collect the data. Correlation matrices for factorial analysis of main component loads and cluster analysis have been calculated as grouping methods revealed two different categories of researchers, which were mostly distinguished by acceptance and aversion to animal testing and animal welfare. The main findings demonstrated, that there is a group of respondents who feel discomfort when performing experiments on animals. Especially young people involved in animal testing, feel remorse, emotional tension and helplessness.