Synthesizing the effects of mental simulation on behavior change: Systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Timing theory integrated nursing combined behavior change integrated theory of nursing on primiparous influence

BACKGROUND

The comprehension and utilization of timing theory and behavior change can offer a more extensive and individualized provision of support and treatment alternatives for primipara. This has the potential to enhance the psychological well-being and overall quality of life for primipara, while also furnishing healthcare providers with efficacious interventions to tackle the psychological and physiological obstacles encountered during the stages of pregnancy and postpartum.

AIM

To explore the effect of timing theory combined with behavior change on self-efficacy, negative emotions and quality of life in patients with primipara.

METHODS

A total of 80 primipara cases were selected and admitted to our hospital between August 2020 and May 2022. These cases were divided into two groups, namely the observation group and the control group, with 40 cases in each group. The nursing interventions differed between the two groups, with the control group receiving routine nursing and the observation group receiving integrated nursing based on the timing theory and behavior change. The study aimed to compare the pre- and post-nursing scores of Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), breast milk knowledge, self-efficacy, and SF-36 quality of life in both groups.

RESULTS

After nursing, the CPSS, EPDS, and SAS scores of the two groups was significantly lower than that before nursing, and the CPSS, EPDS, and SAS scores of the observation group was significantly lower than that of the control group (P = 0.002, P = 0.011, and P = 0.001 respectively). After nursing, the breastfeeding knowledge mastery, self-efficacy, and SF-36 quality of life scores was significantly higher than that before nursing, and the breastfeeding knowledge mastery (P = 0.013), self-efficacy (P = 0.008), and SF-36 quality of life (P = 0.011) scores of the observation group was significantly higher than that of the control group.

CONCLUSION

The integration of timing theory and behavior change integrated theory has been found to be an effective approach in alleviating negative mood and stress experienced by primipara individuals, while also enhancing their self-efficacy and overall quality of life. This study focuses on the key concepts of timing theory, behavior change, primipara individuals, negative mood, and quality of life.

The theory of planned behavior and alcohol protective behavioral strategies: a prospective study examining the role of habit and gender invariance

OBJECTIVES

Alcohol Protective Behavioral Strategies (PBS) have consistently shown to be effective in reducing alcohol use and its associated consequences. We aimed to examine the explanatory value of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) for using five PBS, studying the role of habit, and its potential variation across genders.

METHODS

Targeted sampling was used to recruit 339 young adults in the community (women = 50.7%; mean age = 2.21[SD = 2.21]), who completed baseline and 2-month follow-up questionnaires.

RESULTS

The explained variance of the TPB ranged from 58-68% for intention to use PBS, and 18-50% for behavior. The inclusion of habit produced increases of 17-26% in explained variance in intention, while explained variance in behavior remained similar. Habit was the strongest predictor of intention to use PBS, followed by attitude. Except for one behavior (drinking slowly), habits did not moderate the intention-behavior relationship, and the explanatory value of the TPB did not differ across genders.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings support the utility of the TPB as an explanatory model of alcohol PBS, along with the need to include habits within the framework of dual-process models. Interventions aimed at promoting alcohol PBS could be optimized by targeting attitudes towards PBS and habits.

Individual differences in the frequency of voluntary & involuntary episodic memories, future thoughts, and counterfactual thoughts

Voluntary and involuntary mental time travel can take the form of episodic memory, episodic future thinking, and episodic counterfactual thinking. This study uses an individual-differences approach to understand why people engage in these forms of mental time travel. The individual-differences variables include trait-level personality, boredom proneness, depression, anxiety, stress, emotion regulation, mindfulness, mind-wandering, positive and negative affect, rumination, optimism, thinking styles, and time perspective. Across two studies, our results indicate that individual differences underlie these forms of mental time travel. The most unique, episodic counterfactual thinking, was alone positively correlated with negative emotionality and negatively correlated with optimism. We also observe differences as a function of voluntariness and discuss these findings in relation to the cognitively demanding nature of constructing future and counterfactual thoughts. We discuss the importance of distinguishing voluntary from involuntary thinking and assessing episodic counterfactual thinking in relation to episodic memory and episodic future thinking.

The role of cognitive estimation in understanding the mental states of others

Previous studies have emphasized the critical role of the prefrontal cortex in cognitive estimation and theory of mind, however, none of them has questioned the possible role of cognitive estimation processes in understanding the mental states of others. In this study, we compared 30 patients with focal prefrontal cortex damage and 30 control subjects matched by gender, age, and education level on their performances on a cognitive estimation task and two tasks assessing theory of mind: the "Faux-Pas" task and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes task. The results showed that patients were significantly impaired compared with control subjects on both abilities of cognitive estimation and theory of mind. Moreover, regression analyses showed that performance on theory of mind was predicted by the scores on cognitive estimation. Finally, using voxel-based lesion analysis, we identified a partially common bilaterally distributed prefrontal network involved in both these domains centred within the ventral and dorsomedial areas with extension to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Repeated simulation increases belief in the future occurrence of uncertain events

The feeling that an imagined event will or will not occur in the future - referred to as belief in future occurrence - plays a key role in guiding our decisions and actions. Recent research suggests that this belief may increase with repeated simulation of future events, but the boundary conditions for this effect remain unclear. Considering the key role of autobiographical knowledge in shaping belief in occurrence, we suggest that the effect of repeated simulation only occurs when prior autobiographical knowledge does not clearly support or contradict the occurrence of the imagined event. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the repetition effect for events that were either plausible or implausible due to their coherence or incoherence with autobiographical knowledge (Experiment 1), and for events that initially appeared uncertain because they were not clearly supported or contradicted by autobiographical knowledge (Experiment 2). We found that all types of events became more detailed and took less time to construct after repeated simulation, but belief in their future occurrence increased only for uncertain events; repetition did not influence belief for events already believed or considered implausible. These findings show that the effect of repeated simulation on belief in future occurrence depends on the consistency of imagined events with autobiographical knowledge.

Very small effects of an imagery-based randomised trial to promote adherence to wearing face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic and identification of future intervention targets

OBJECTIVE

Mental imagery interventions are a cost-effective way of promoting health behaviour change. We tested a mental imagery intervention designed to promote adherence to wearing face coverings during the COVID-19 pandemic.Design: A four-arm randomised controlled trial to explore potential mechanisms of action. Main outcome measures: Measures of behaviour (frequency of self-reported face covering adherence), theory of planned behaviour constructs (i.e. intention, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control), personality traits, imagery ability and barrier self-efficacy were measured at baseline (T1). Behaviour was also assessed at four-week follow-up (T2).Results: Of 297 participants, a majority always wore face coverings (N = 216, 73% overall sample). Logistic regression analyses revealed no intervention effects on changes in adherence to wearing face coverings, though T1 wearing of face coverings and being male predicted T2 behaviour. Subgroup analysis of participants self-reporting 'suboptimal T1 adherence, revealed that T2 non-adherence was predicted by being a non-student and by subjective norms and lower T1 intention to wear face coverings.Conclusion: Imagery-based interventions to increase face covering wearing adherence may exert significant public health effects but only when conducted on a very large scale. Our findings suggest that interventions should target men and disrupt habitual past behaviour.

Effects of mental simulation of future waterpipe tobacco smoking on attitudes, perceived harms and intended use among young adults

The desire to engage in waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) may occur when smokers and nonsmokers conjure positive mental simulations of WTS. However, effects of these simulations on desire to smoke waterpipe tobacco and potential mediators are unexplored. This research addressed these effects among young adult waterpipe tobacco smokers and nonsmokers. Two online studies were conducted with adults ages 18-30. In Study 1, 200 smokers, 190 susceptible nonsmokers, and 182 nonsusceptible nonsmokers were randomized to mentally simulate or not WTS in the future. In Study 2, 234 smokers and 241 susceptible nonsmokers were randomized to four arms: no simulation or simulations that varied valence of experience (positive, negative or no valence provided). Main outcomes were immediate desire to smoke waterpipe tobacco, cognitive and affective attitudes, and perceived harms. In Study 1, mental simulations increased the desire to smoke waterpipe tobacco among smokers. In Study 2, asking participants to simulate WTS positively or with no valence instruction increased desire to smoke relative to negative valence instruction or no simulation. Negative simulations reduced perceived probability of smoking within a month compared to positive simulations. Effects on desire to engage in WTS were mediated by cognitive and affective attitudes among susceptible nonsmokers and by cognitive attitudes among smokers. These findings suggest that exploring when and how often mental simulations about WTS are evoked and their potency for promoting prevention and cessation of WTS merit further attention.