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artículo
Publicado 2019
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BACKGROUND: Nutrition, diet, and fitness are among the most searched health topics by internet users. Besides that, health-related internet users are diverse in their motivations and individual characteristics. However, little is known about the individual characteristics associated with the usage of nutrition, weight loss, and fitness websites. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the individual factors associated with the usage of nutrition, weight loss, and fitness websites. METHODS: An invitation to an online survey was published on 65 websites and discussion forums. In total, we employed data from 623 participants (aged 13 to 39 years, mean 24.11 [SD 5.26]). The measures included frequency of usage of nutrition, weight loss and fitness websites, excessive exercise, eating disorder symptomatology, internalization of the beauty ideal, weight status, and perceived online soc...
2
artículo
Publicado 2020
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This short note reports the eighteenth-century account of Mademoiselle Lapaneterie, a French woman who started drinking vinegar to lose weight and died one month later. The case, which was first published by Pierre Desault in 1733, has not yet been reported by present-day behavioural scholars. Similar reports about cases in 1776 are also presented, confirming that some women were using vinegar for weight loss. Those cases can be conceived as a lesson from the past for contemporary policies against the deceptive marketing of potentially hazardous weight-loss products.
3
artículo
Publicado 2019
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The aim of this study was to compare the levels of emotional intelligence (EI) of students based on the expected achievement level in competencies. Participants were 313 students (M = 20.20 years old, SD = 2.41; 61% women) of communication sciences from a private university in Lima (Perú) which uses the Competency Based Education Model. The EI was measured with the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The level in achievement of competencies groups students in: “lower level” (participants from the first three academic semesters, 45.7% of the total) and “higher level” (semesters four to tenth). There were found gender differences in EI, and thus comparative analyses were done separately by gender. Among men, there were no differences between groups in EI (lower level vs. higher level). By contrast, women from the lower level scored higher than women from the higher-leve...
4
artículo
Publicado 2019
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The aim of this study was to compare the levels of emotional intelligence (EI) of students based on the expected achievement level in competencies. Participants were 313 students (M = 20.20 years old, SD = 2.41; 61% women) of communication sciences from a private university in Lima (Perú) which uses the Competency Based Education Model. The EI was measured with the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The level in achievement of competencies groups students in: “lower level” (participants from the first three academic semesters, 45.7% of the total) and “higher level” (semesters four to tenth). There were found gender differences in EI, and thus comparative analyses were done separately by gender. Among men, there were no differences between groups in EI (lower level vs. higher level). By contrast, women from the lower level scored higher than women from the higher-leve...
5
artículo
Publicado 2019
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inteligencia emocional (IE) de estudiantes según el nivel de logro esperado de competencias. Participaron 313 estudiantes (M = 20.20 años, D.E. = 2.41; 61% mujeres) de ciencias de la comunicación de una universidad privada de Lima (Perú) que utiliza el Modelo de Educación por Competencias. La IE se midió con la Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). El nivel de logro de competencias agrupa a los estudiantes en: “logro inicial” (participantes de los primeros tres semestres académicos, 45.7% del total) y “logro superior” (cuarto a décimo semestre). Se encontró diferencias de género en IE, por lo que los análisis comparativos se realizaron separados por género. En los hombres no se encontró diferencias de IE entre grupos (logro inicial y logro superior). Por el contrario, las mujeres de logro inicial puntuaron más alto que el grupo de mujeres de logro superior ...
6
artículo
Publicado 2019
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This longitudinal study examined the relationship between Zimbardo time perspectives (TPs) and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE). In total, 1,753 young adults participated in the longitudinal study. For the present study, we selected only participants who were students and provided information on TPs, CDMSE, and sociodemographic characteristics (n = 492, M = 22.97 years, SD = 1.32, 82.9% women). The results of multilevel modeling showed that future orientation and present-hedonistic TPs were positively related to CDMSE, whereas present-fatalistic and past-negative TPs were negatively related to CDMSE. These findings indicate that besides the beneficial effect of widely studied future TP, the negative role of past-negative and present-fatalistic TPs should be considered in connection with the career development of emerging adults.
7
artículo
Publicado 2019
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The aim of this study was to compare the levels of emotional intelligence (EI) of students based on the expected achievement level in competencies. Participants were 313 students (M = 20.20 years old, SD = 2.41; 61% women) of communication sciences from a private university in Lima (Perú) which uses the Competency Based Education Model. The EI was measured with the Wong-Law Emotional Intelligence Scale (WLEIS). The level in achievement of competencies groups students in: “lower level” (participants from the first three academic semesters, 45.7% of the total) and “higher level” (semesters four to tenth). There were found gender differences in EI, and thus comparative analyses were done separately by gender. Among men, there were no differences between groups in EI (lower level vs. higher level). By contrast, women from the lower level scored higher than women from the higher-leve...
8
artículo
Publicado 2022
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Eating disorders are among the most common clinical manifestations in children, and they are frequently connected with maternal psychopathological risk, internalizing/externalizing problems in children, and poor quality of mother–child feeding exchanges. During the COVID-19 lockdown, in person assessment and intervention were impeded due to the indications of maintaining interpersonal distancing and by limits to travel. Therefore, web-based methods were adopted to meet patients’ needs. In this study N = 278 participants completed the SCL-90/R and the CBCL to examine the psychopathological symptoms of mothers and children (age of the children = 24 months); moreover, the dyads were video-recorded during feeding and followed an online video-feedback based intervention. Maternal emotional state, interactive conflict, food refusal in children, and dyadic affective state all improved consi...
9
artículo
Publicado 2022
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Background: Psychometric properties of the Teruel Orthorexia Scale (TOS) have been examined in several languages (Arabic, English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Turkish), but not in French. Purpose: The objective was to examine the psychometric properties of the TOS among a French-Canadian adult sample. Methods: Participants were 296 French-speaking Canadian adults (M = 34.2 years, SD = 11.9, 85.1% women). They completed the TOS alongside with several other measures (e.g., alcoholic consumption, cigarette smoking, disturbed eating attitudes and behaviors, frequency of physical activities, intuitive eating, vegetarian diet, and negative affect). Results: The results supported the a priori two-factor representation (orthorexia nervosa and healthy orthorexia) of the French version of the TOS and provided further support for the superiority of an exploratory structural equation modeling approach,...
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11
artículo
Publicado 2018
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The prevalence of childhood overweight is a major social and public health issue, and primary assessment should focus on early and middle childhood, because weight gain in these phases constitutes a strong predictor of subsequent negative outcomes. Studies on community samples have shown that growth curves may follow linear or non-linear trajectories from early to middle childhood, and can differ based on sex. Overweight children may exhibit a combination of physiological and psychosocial issues, and several studies have demonstrated an association between overweight and internalizing/externalizing behavior. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of longitudinal studies on depressive and aggressive symptoms in children with high BMI. This study adopted a growth curve modeling over three phases to: (1) describe BMI trajectories in two groups of children aged 2±8 (overweight and normal weight) f...
12
artículo
Publicado 2025
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The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present study investigates the expression of positive and negative emotions during the pandemic as a function of gender and across 24 countries (N = 49,637). Strong gender differences emerged across countries, with women reporting more negative emotions (anxious, depressed, nervous, exhausted) and less positive emotions (calm, content, relaxed, energetic) than men. The gender gap in positive emotions was significantly wider in countries higher in individualism and narrower in countries higher in power distance. For instance, differences in emotions were l...
13
artículo
Publicado 2025
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The coronavirus pandemic posed a major challenge to mental health. Existing evidence shows that COVID-19 is related to poor emotional well-being, particularly among women. However, most work on the subject uses single-country samples, limiting the ability to generalize the disparity or explain it as a function of societal variables. The present study investigates the expression of positive and negative emotions during the pandemic as a function of gender and across 24 countries (N = 49,637). Strong gender differences emerged across countries, with women reporting more negative emotions (anxious, depressed, nervous, exhausted) and less positive emotions (calm, content, relaxed, energetic) than men. The gender gap in positive emotions was significantly wider in countries higher in individualism and narrower in countries higher in power distance. For instance, differences in emotions we...
14
artículo
Publicado 2021
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El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.
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artículo
Publicado 2023
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Psychological research on the predictors of conspiracy theorizing—explaining important social and political events or circumstances as secret plots by malevolent groups—has flourished in recent years. However, research has typically examined only a small number of predictors in one, or a small number of, national contexts. Such approaches make it difficult to examine the relative importance of predictors, and risk overlooking some potentially relevant variables altogether. To overcome this limitation, the present study used machine learning to rank-order the importance of 115 individual- and country-level variables in predicting conspiracy theorizing. Data were collected from 56,072 respondents across 28 countries during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Echoing previous findings, important predictors at the individual level included societal discontent, paranoia, and persona...
16
artículo
Publicado 2022
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We examine how social contacts and feelings of solidarity shape experiences of loneliness during the COVID-19 lockdown in early 2020. From the PsyCorona database, we obtained longitudinal data from 23 countries, collected between March and May 2020. The results demonstrated that although online contacts help to reduce feelings of loneliness, people who feel more lonely are less likely to use that strategy. Solidarity played only a small role in shaping feelings of loneliness during lockdown. Thus, it seems we must look beyond the current focus on online contact and solidarity to help people address feelings of loneliness during lockdown. Finally, online contacts did not function as a substitute for face-to-face contacts outside the home—in fact, more frequent online contact in earlier weeks predicted more frequent face-to-face contacts in later weeks. As such, this work provides releva...
17
artículo
Publicado 2021
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During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. conservative politicians and the media downplayed the risk of both contracting COVID-19 and the effectiveness of recommended health behaviors. Health behavior theories suggest perceived vulnerability to a health threat and perceived effectiveness of recommended health-protective behaviors determine motivation to follow recommendations. Accordingly, we predicted that—as a result of politicization of the pandemic—politically conservative Americans would be less likely to enact recommended health-protective behaviors. In two longitudinal studies of U.S. residents, political conservatism was inversely associated with perceived health risk and adoption of health-protective behaviors over time. The effects of political orientation on health-protective behaviors were mediated by perceived risk of infection, perceived severity of infect...
18
artículo
Publicado 2021
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a global health crisis. Consequently, many countries have adopted restrictive measures that caused a substantial change in society. Within this framework, it is reasonable to suppose that a sentiment of societal discontent, defined as generalized concern about the precarious state of society, has arisen. Literature shows that collectively experienced situations can motivate people to help each other. Since societal discontent is conceptualized as a collective phenomenon, we argue that it could influence intention to help others, particularly those who suffer from coronavirus. Thus, in the present study, we aimed (a) to explore the relationship between societal discontent and intention to help at the individual level and (b) to investigate a possible moderating effect of societal discontent at the country level on this relationsh...
19
artículo
Publicado 2021
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This paper examines whether compliance with COVID-19 mitigation measures is motivated by wanting to save lives or save the economy (or both), and which implications this carries to fight the pandemic. National representative samples were collected from 24 countries (N = 25,435). The main predictors were (1) perceived risk to contract coronavirus, (2) perceived risk to suffer economic losses due to coronavirus, and (3) their interaction effect. Individual and country-level variables were added as covariates in multilevel regression models. We examined compliance with various preventive health behaviors and support for strict containment policies. Results show that perceived economic risk consistently predicted mitigation behavior and policy support—and its effects were positive. Perceived health risk had mixed effects. Only two significant interactions between health and economic risk w...
20
artículo
Publicado 2022
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The present paper examines longitudinally how subjective perceptions about COVID-19, one’s community, and the government predict adherence to public health measures to reduce the spread of the virus. Using an international survey (N = 3040), we test how infection risk perception, trust in the governmental response and communications about COVID-19, conspiracy beliefs, social norms on distancing, tightness of culture, and community punishment predict various containment-related attitudes and behavior. Autoregressive analyses indicate that, at the personal level, personal hygiene behavior was predicted by personal infection risk perception. At social level, social distancing behaviors such as abstaining from face-to-face contact were predicted by perceived social norms. Support for behavioral mandates was predicted by confidence in the government and cultural tightness, whereas support f...
