Children cooperate more with in-group members than with out-group members in an iterated face-to-face Prisoner's Dilemma Game

Adults are more likely to cooperate with in-group members than with out-group members in the context of social dilemmas, situations in which self-interest is in conflict with collective interest. This bias has the potential to profoundly shape human cooperation, and therefore it is important to understand when it emerges in development. Here we asked whether 6- to 9-year-old children (N = 146) preferentially cooperate with in-group members in the context of a well-studied social dilemma, the iterated Prisoner's Dilemma Game. We assigned children to minimal groups and paired them with unfamiliar same-age and same-gender peers. Consistent with our predictions, children were more likely to cooperate with in-group members than with out-group members in this minimal group context. This finding adds to the current literature on group bias in children's prosocial behavior by showing that it affects decision making in a context that calls on strategic cooperation. In addition, our analyses revealed an effect of gender, with girls more likely to cooperate than boys regardless of the group membership of their partner. Exploring this gender effect further, we found an interaction between gender and age across condition, with older girls showing less sensitivity to the group membership of their partner than younger girls and with older boys showing more sensitivity to the group membership of the partner than younger boys. Our findings suggest that risky cooperation in the face of social dilemmas is shaped by group bias during childhood, highlighting the potentially deeply rooted ties between cooperation and parochialism in humans.

Updating the identity-based model of belief: From false belief to the spread of misinformation

The spread of misinformation threatens democratic societies, hampering informed decision-making. Partisan identity biases perceptions of reality, promoting false beliefs. The Identity-based Model of Political Belief explains how social identity shapes information processing and contributes to misinformation. According to this model, social identity goals can override accuracy goals, leading to belief alignment with party members rather than facts. We propose an extended version of this model that incorporates the role of informational context in misinformation belief and sharing. Partisanship involves cognitive and motivational aspects that shape party members' beliefs and actions. This includes whether they seek further evidence, where they seek that evidence, and which sources they trust. Understanding the interplay between social identity and accuracy is crucial in addressing misinformation.

Comedy, consensus, and conflict framework: Comedy as a norm violation can build consensus or escalate conflict in negotiations

In this work, we propose that humor violates norms that can build consensus or escalate conflict in negotiations. Drawing on social identity theory, we propose that humor commits norm violations that are more likely to be perceived as benign among ingroup observers in negotiations, but perceived as offensive to outgroup observers in negotiations. We introduce the Comedy, Consensus, and Conflict Framework to shed light on the interpersonal effect of humor on negotiations. When humor is expressed to an ingroup observer, relative to neutral communication, humor is more likely to violate weak norms that govern social group membership resulting in the violation as being perceived as benign, which promotes cooperative behaviors in negotiations such as concessions and collaborative problem-solving. By contrast, when humor is expressed to an outgroup observer, relative to neutral communication, humor is more likely to violate strong norms that define social group membership resulting in the violation as being interpreted as offensive, which triggers competitive behaviors in negotiations such as aggressive offers and hardened positions. Furthermore, we suggest that humor not only generates appraisals of social identity threats, but also affective responses that influence negotiation behavior. Finally, we expand our theoretical model about humor to consider key relational factors that influence norm strength, which motivates whether negotiators appraise norm violations as offensive or benign.

Measuring leadership in sport: Development and validation of the Identity Leadership Inventory - Youth (ILI-Y)

The social identity approach to leadership posits that leaders' effectiveness depends on their ability to represent, advance, create, and embed a shared sense of social identity among their followers. Although significant progress has been made in investigating the benefits of identity leadership in adult sports, research in youth sports is still in its infancy. One reason is the lack of a youth-centric inventory that adequately measures identity leadership in this population. To bridge this gap, we developed and validated a long (16 items) and short (5 items) version of the Identity Leadership Inventory for Youth Sport (ILI-Y or ILI-Y-Short-Form) through five studies conducted in three phases of research. Data were primarily collected in football in the United Kingdom, involving a total of 1096 participants. Results of Phase I of this study provided little to no evidence that the ILI - originally developed for adults - was understandable (Study 1) and had factor validity and internal consistency (Study 2) in a sample of youth athletes. Therefore, in Phase II, the ILI was revised, leading to the development of the ILI-Y, which was understandable for youth athletes (Study 3). Results from Phase II (Study 4) also indicated that the ILI-Y exhibited a unidimensional factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed in Phase III (Study 5). This last phase offered additional evidence for the discriminant, criterion, and incremental validity of the ILI-Y and its short form, along with their measurement invariance across genders and age groups, and internal consistency. This study provides sports psychology researchers and practitioners with a valid measure to assess identity leadership in youth sports.

Team players and helpers - describing professional identity among finnish physicians in a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Every physician has a unique professional identity. However, little is known about the diversity of identities among physicians. This study aimed to quantitatively assess the professional identity of physicians in Finland using descriptions of professional identity.

METHODS

This study was part of a larger cross-sectional Finnish Physician 2018 Study. The target population consisted of all Finnish physicians under the age of 70 (N = 24,827) in 2018. The sample was drawn from physicians born on even numbered days (N = 11,336) using the Finnish Medical Association register. A total of 5,187 (46%) physicians responded. Professional identity was examined by 27 given characterisations using a five-point Likert scale. Multivariate logistic regression was used in assessing how place of work, graduation year and gender were associated with identity descriptions.

RESULTS

The descriptions which most physicians identified with were "member of a working group/team" (82%), "helper" (82%), and "health expert" (79%); the majority reported these as describing them very or quite well. Identity descriptions such as "prescriber of medications" (68% vs. 45%), "prioritiser" (57% vs. 35%) and "someone issuing certificates" (52% vs. 32%) were more popular among junior than senior physicians. The biggest differences between the genders were found in the descriptions "provider of comfort" (62% vs. 40%) and "someone engaged in social work" (45% vs. 25%), with which women identified more frequently than men.

CONCLUSIONS

Strong identification as a member of a team is an important finding in the increasingly multiprofessional world of health care. Importantly, most physicians shared several core professional identity descriptions (i.e., helper, health expert) that reflect the traditional image of an exemplary doctor.

Social identity and health-related behavior: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This paper examined the relationship between social identity and health-related behavior, exploring whether social identities are associated with multiple health-related behaviors or only specific ones, and whether this association varies on the type of social identity, the type of social identity measures or the expected relationship between identity and behavior. In a systematic review and meta-analysis we assessed whether the pattern of findings can be explained by the social identity approach. An extensive literature search was conducted in several databases including EBSCO-host and PubMed, using elaborate search terms related to social identity and health-related behavior. This resulted in 10728 potential articles, with 115 articles (with 248 effect sizes from 133 independent samples, N = 112.112) included in the meta-analysis. We found a small but positive overall association between social identification and health-related behavior, which was present for actual behavior, as well as for intention and attitudes. This association was stronger for health-related social identities, positive health-related behaviors, when the expected relationship was positive and when indirect social identity measures were used. However, not all findings could be explained by the social identity approach, indicating a need for further research to better understand the relationship between social identity and health-related behavior, in order to more effectively incorporate social identity into health interventions.

Acting as a Mental Health Expert by Experience and Its Impact on Social Identity

This study was conducted to examine the construction of social identity among mental health experts by experience working in Finnish municipal mental healthcare services. The construction of social identity is approached as an ongoing lifelong process that is significantly affected by lived experiences with mental health problems and recovery from them. The research data consist of focus group discussions, and the analysis is based on a thematic design that is initially material-driven. As a result, four categories are formed to describe the effect of acting as an expert by experience on social identity and the importance of the issue. Experts by experience have to consider profound questions about their identity and future in their new life situation. The individual meanings of acting as an expert by experience are considered particularly important. The support provided by group members builds confidence in one's chances of success and thereby supports the development of social identity. Social identities of experts by experience are partially built in encounters with professionals representing the mental health care system. This creates opportunities for new roles for those who act as experts by experience.

[Discrimination, stigma and identity: A literature review]

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to update the scientific knowledge concerning the relationship between discrimination, stigma and self-concept.

METHODS

A review was conducted and allowed to include 15 peer-reviewed articles for qualitative analysis, consisting of 13 unique samples (n=2830; Mage=37.6). The search was conducted on Pubmed and PsychInfo following this research protocol: "de stigmatization" ([Title/Abstract] or "destigmatization" [Title/Abstract] or "self-stigma" [Title/Abstract] or "Perceived stigma" [Title/Abstract] or "anticipated discrimination" [Title/Abstract] or "experienced discrimination" [Title/Abstract]) and (identi*[Title] or "self-concept" [Title]). The search resulted in 43 articles, plus three articles identified from other sources. Thirty-one articles were excluded because they did not align with the aim of the review.

RESULTS

Among the 15 articles included, there were 11 quantitative studies, two qualitative studies, one literature review and one theoretical article. The stigma was related to a mental disorder (n=8), a physiological or ethnic difference (n=5) or sexual orientation and gender identity (n=2). Among the 11 quantitative studies based on unique samples, all included both males and females (n=2616; Mage=36.7; 61.1% of women). Four studies established a significant impact of perceived stigma on social identity. This impact was negative when there was at least one other parallel social identity perceived favorably by the individual, and positive otherwise. In two studies, this impact was moderated by the importance of the stigmatized social identity in the self-concept. In one study, social identity was correlated to psychological distress. The sign, positive or negative, of this correlation depended on self-stigma. When self-stigma was high (i.e., self-concept is strongly perceived through the prism of negative stereotypes associated with the social identity), then social identity was positively associated with psychological distress. Otherwise, the sign of this association was negative. In one study, four distinct variables were predictors of suicidal ideation: experienced discrimination, perceived stigma, anticipated discrimination and self-stigma. Experienced discrimination predicted suicidal ideation through anticipatory discrimination and self-stigma; and perceived stigma predicted suicidal ideation through anticipated discrimination. Self-stigma and anticipatory discrimination predicted suicidal ideation at the same level.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest that a key variable to address in order to reduce the negative consequences of discrimination and stigmatization is self-stigma, i.e., the fact of conceiving the self-concept through the filter of the negative stereotypes associated with the characteristic perceived as discriminated. The altered self-concept should therefore be a main transnosographic diagnostic and therapeutic target. An easy-to-use proxy to detect the altered self-concept is the propensity to feel the emotion of shame, which is correlated to self-stigma.

A qualitative examination of social identity and stigma among adolescents recovering from alcohol or drug use

Introduction

Alcohol and other drug (AOD) use disorders are stigmatized conditions, but little is known about youth's experience of this stigma, which may threaten their developing social identity and recovery process. This study investigates youth's perceptions of AOD use-related stigma in the context of their social identity.

Methods

This study uses data from 12 youth (ages 17-19) who were in recovery from problematic AOD use. Participants completed a Social Identity Mapping in Addiction Recovery (SIM-AR) exercise, in which they created a visual map of their social groups, and semi-structured interview, in which participants were asked about their experience creating their SIM-AR and reflections on their social network. SIM-AR data were descriptively analyzed, and interviews were thematically analyzed for instances of stigma.

Results

Using stigmatizing terminology, participants expressed some stigmatizing attitudes towards themselves and others in their network who used substances and perceived both positive and negative reactions from those who knew about their disorder. Findings suggest that youth may experience some internalized stigma and perceive stigma from others in their social networks, which may be a barrier to the development of a healthy social identity and engagement in recovery supports.

Conclusions

These findings should be considered when seeking to engage youth in treatment and recovery programming. Despite the small sample, the findings suggest the importance of considering how stigma may influence adolescents' treatment and recovery experience in the context of their social environment.

Increasing meat-free meal selections: The role of social identity salience and identity-related meal names

Avoiding meat overconsumption is good for the environment and people's health. Changing meal names represents a simple, cost-effective way of increasing meat-free meal selection in restaurants. In the past, however, this approach has shown limited effectiveness. The activation of different social identities may explain inconsistencies in prior findings and offer a powerful leverage point for influencing meal choices. We recruited participants (N = 899) who identified as "meat-eaters" for an online experiment in which they were asked to select a meal from a menu that included meat-free and meat-based burgers. We manipulated (1) social identity salience (meat-eater identity; sustainable identity; personal identity) and (2) the meal names on the menu (vegetarian name; sustainable name; neutral name). Our findings show that activating a sustainable identity significantly increases the odds of selecting a meat-free burger (22%) compared to alternative identity conditions (meat-eater identity 12%, personal identity 12%). Sustainable meal names outperform vegetarian but not neutral meal names (sustainable name 20%, vegetarian name 12%, neutral name 15%). When participants who previously selected a meat-based burger (N = 760) were limited to meat-free menu options, satisfaction and enjoyment ratings dropped steeply. This drop was significantly stronger in the meat-eater identity condition. Accounting for identity salience can lead to more targeted, improved interventions that increase meat-free meal selections by accounting for people's different social identities and the social context in which food consumption tends to occur.

React, reframe and engage. Establishing a receiver mindset for more effective safety negotiations

PURPOSE

The response of the receiver to a voiced patient safety concern is frequently cited as a barrier to health professionals speaking up. The authors describe a novel Receiver Mindset Framework (RMF) to help health professionals understand the importance of their response when spoken up to.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

The framework draws on the broader receiver-focussed literature and integrates innovative findings from a series of empirical studies. These studies examined different receiver behaviour within vignettes, retrospective descriptions of real interactions and behaviour in a simulated interaction.

FINDINGS

The authors' findings indicated that speaking up is an intergroup interaction where social identities, context and speaker stance intersect, directly influencing both perceptions of and responses to the message. The authors' studies demonstrated that when spoken up to, health professionals poorly manage their emotions and ineffectively clarify the speaker's concerns. Currently, targeted training for receivers is overwhelmingly absent from speaking-up programmes. The receiver mindset framework provides an evidence-based, healthcare specific, receiver-focussed framework to inform programmes.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Grounded in communication accommodation theory (CAT), the resulting framework shifts speaking up training from being only speaker skill focussed, to training that recognises speaking up as a mutual negotiation between the healthcare speaker and receiver. This framework provides healthcare professionals with a novel approach to use in response to speaking up that enhances their ability to listen, understand and engage in point-of-care negotiations to ensure the physical and psychological safety of patients and staff.

Exploring the Impact of Education Strategies on Individuals' Attitude Towards Telemental Health Service: Findings from a Survey Experiment Study

While COVID-19 has caused significant mental health consequences, telemental health services have the potential to mitigate this problem. But due to the sensitive nature of mental health issues, such services are seriously underutilized. Based on an integrated variance-process theoretical framework, this study examines the impact of applying different education strategies on individuals' attitude toward telemental health and subsequently their intention to adopt telemental health. Two different education videos on telemental health (peer- or professional-narrated) were developed based on social identity theory. A survey experiment study was conducted at a major historically black university, with 282 student participants randomly assigned to the two education videos. Individual perceptions of the telemental health service (usefulness, ease of use, subjective norms, relative advantage, trust, and stigma) and their attitude and usage intention data were collected. The results show that ease of use, subjective norms, trust, relative advantage, and stigma significantly influence individuals' attitude toward telemental health in the peer-narrated video group. Only trust and relative advantage were found to be significant factors toward attitude in the professional-narrated video group. This study highlights the importance of designing education strategies and builds a theoretical foundation for understanding the nuanced differences in individuals' responsiveness to different educational materials.

Social group connections support mental health following wildfire

PURPOSE

As environmental disasters become more common and severe due to climate change, there is a growing need for strategies to bolster recovery that are proactive, cost-effective, and which mobilise community resources.

AIMS

We propose that building social group connections is a particularly promising strategy for supporting mental health in communities affected by environmental disasters.

METHODS

We tested the social identity model of identity change in a disaster context among 627 people substantially affected by the 2019-2020 Australian fires.

RESULTS

We found high levels of post-traumatic stress, strongly related to severity of disaster exposure, but also evidence of psychological resilience. Distress and resilience were weakly positively correlated. Having stronger social group connections pre-disaster was associated with less distress and more resilience 12-18 months after the disaster, via three pathways: greater social identification with the disaster-affected community, greater continuity of social group ties, and greater formation of new social group ties. New group ties were a mixed blessing, positively predicting both resilience and distress.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that investment in social resources is key to supporting mental health outcomes, not just reactively in the aftermath of disasters, but also proactively in communities most at risk.

Identity leadership and cohesion in elite sport: The mediating role of intra-team communication

One perspective on leadership that has recently gained increased attention in sport is identity leadership; however, research on elite sport teams is still in its infancy. Thus, the main purpose of this research is to investigate identity leadership in elite team sports in relation to task cohesion, and subsequently to explore the mediating role of the intra-team communication dimensions of acceptance and distinctiveness. A cross-sectional design was employed and 441 elite athletes from division 1 and division 2 in handball and ice hockey participated in the present study. Structural equation modeling was used to assess relationships between identity leadership and task cohesion, and the mediating role of acceptance and distinctiveness. Results revealed that identity leadership positively predicted task cohesion, and that this relationship was mediated by intra-team communication acceptance. In conclusion, findings in the present study expand our understanding of performance-related benefits of identity leadership in elite sport.

Perceptions of environmental problems and solutions in Florida across sectors: A survey of key stakeholders and the public

We build on environmental attitude research to provide a foundation for considering policies making economic and environmental trade-offs. We conducted a large online survey of Florida public attitudes (n = 829), a state grappling with trade-offs between economic development and environmental quality. Findings provide the first baseline understanding of Floridian perceptions of relationships between key economic drivers and the environment. Environmental problems were generally considered important and pro-environmental policy options are highly supported. The environment was considered more important to Florida's culture and future than key industries, with only tourism considered more important to the economy. Development was considered least important. Individual differences, including gender, political party, and industry affiliation, predicted policy support and attitudes toward trade-offs. Modeled together, attitudes toward government involvement and the importance of the environment to Florida predicted additional variance in policy support. Results highlight the intersection of social identities and ideological attitudes in shaping environmental policy attitudes.

Enhancing students' online collaborative PBL learning performance in the context of coauthoring-based technologies: A case of wiki technologies

Understandability and completeness are essential in modern collaborative digital platforms and their learning systems. These platforms have shaken up the traditional education setting, particularly in leveraging the coauthoring approach in problem-solving and streamlining the learning behavior of cowriting or corevising. Such a learning context has attracted considerable interest from various stakeholders; however, it needs to be explored further as an independent topic. Based on social capital and social identity theories, we explore how online collaborative problem-based learning (PBL) effectiveness, relational quality, and social identity influence students' perceived PBL performance during learning activities. Based on the core elements of online coauthoring processes (i.e., platform, cocreation, and problem-solving), this study employs a holistic view of the coauthor to discuss the effects of understandability and completeness. This study also highlights the mediating impact of trust on students' social identity. Based on the responses of 240 students, the results support the proposed hypotheses using partial least squares analysis. The study's implications suggest guidelines to educators on how to enhance students' perceived PBL performance by using wiki technologies.

The effects of secondary stressors, social identity, and social support on perceived stress and resilience: Findings from the COVID-19 pandemic

Primary stressors are direct outcomes of extreme events (e.g., viruses, floodwater) whereas secondary stressors stem from pre-disaster life circumstances and societal arrangements (e.g., illness, problematic pre-disaster policies) or from inefficient responses to the extreme event. Secondary stressors can cause significant long-term damage to people affected but are also tractable and amenable to change. In this study we explored the association between secondary stressors, social identity processes, social support, and perceived stress and resilience. Pre-registered analyses of data from the COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey Round II (N = 14,600; 43 countries) show that secondary stressors are positively associated with perceived stress and negatively associated with resilience, even when controlling for the effects of primary stressors. Being a woman or having lower socioeconomic status (SES) is associated with higher exposure to secondary stressors, higher perceived stress, and lower resilience. Importantly, social identification is positively associated with expected support and with increased resilience and lower perceived stress. However, neither gender, SES, or social identification moderated the relationship between secondary stressors and perceived stress and resilience. In conclusion, systemic reforms and the availability of social support are paramount to reducing the effects of secondary stressors.

To Zoom or not: Diverging responses to privacy and security risks

During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent lock-down, digital platforms like Zoom became essential for remote work. Yet at the same time, substantial security and privacy risks made the headlines. Using the lenses of Naturalistic Decision-making and the Theory of Multilevel Information Privacy, we find diverging responses to well-documented security risks of Zoom use in educational environments. We identify-three distinct response patterns, which we name the 'Agnostic', the 'Pragmatic' and the 'Sceptic', and show how the interplay of the salient social identity, personal privacy norms, and the privacy calculus guides the dynamic of privacy decision-making in light of experiential feedback, and the developing public discourse about security risks. We provide empirical evidence for multilevel decision-making and highlight the contextual and social nature of privacy decision-making about platform mode of use for remote work.

Modeling Adolescent Social Inclusion to Improve School Completion

Enhancing social inclusion in young people could increase engagement in education, yet few longitudinal studies have examined this relationship. This study aimed to identify whether social inclusion in an Australian adolescent sample predicted high school completion three years later. Using state-representative data from the International Youth Development Study, two waves of the youngest cohort (51.6% female and 94.6% Australian born) during mid-adolescence (n = 825, M_age = 15.99, SD = 0.39) and post-secondary school (n = 809, M_age = 19.03, SD = 0.44) were analyzed. Factor analysis identified a 4-factor structure that represented an overarching social inclusion construct: (1) Citizenship, (2) Connectedness to Community, (3) Connectedness to Family, and (4) Connectedness to and Participation in School. Multivariate regression analyses indicated higher social inclusion levels in mid-adolescence predicted an increased likelihood of high school completion three years later. The implementation of strategies that incorporate the enhancement of social inclusion may improve educational outcomes for young people.

Therapists who foster social identification build stronger therapeutic working alliance and have better client outcomes

BACKGROUND

For decades we have known that therapeutic working alliance is a key contributor to client engagement and positive outcomes in therapy. However, we have made little progress in narrowing down its determinants, which is critical in supporting trainees to optimize such alliance. We make a case for the value of incorporating social psychological frameworks into models of alliance and explore the role of social identity processes in the development of therapeutic alliance.

METHOD

Across two studies, over 500 psychotherapy clients completed validated measures of alliance, social identification with their therapist, positive therapy outcomes, and a range of client and therapist characteristics.

FINDINGS

Social identification strongly predicted alliance in both samples, whereas client and therapist characteristics showed few such associations. Alliance mediated the relationship between social identification and positive therapy outcomes. In addition, we found evidence that (a) personal control is a key psychological resource in therapy that arises from social identification, and (b) therapists who engage in identity leadership (i.e., who represent and build a social identity that they share with clients) are more likely to foster social identification and its downstream benefits.

INTERPRETATION

These data show that social identity processes are key to the emergence of working alliance. We conclude with a discussion of how recent social identity and identity leadership interventions might be adapted to train therapists in relevant identity-building skills.

"I am not a junkie": Social categorization and differentiation among people who use drugs

BACKGROUND

Substance use stigma is a form of group-based exclusion, and delineating pathways from stigma to poor health requires a deeper understanding of the social dynamics of people who use drugs (PWUD). Outside of recovery, scant research has examined the role of social identity in addiction. Framed by Social Identity Theory/Self-Categorization Theory, this qualitative study investigated strategies of within-group categorization and differentiation among PWUD and the roles these social categories may play in shaping intragroup attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors.

METHODS

Data come from the Rural Opioid Initiative, a multi-site study of the overdose epidemic in rural United States. We conducted in-depth interviews with people who reported using opioids or injecting any drug (n=355) living in 65 counties across 10 states. Interviews focused on participants' biographical histories, past and current drug use, risk behaviors, and experiences with healthcare providers and law enforcement. Social categories and dimensions along which categories were evaluated were inductively identified using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

We identified seven social categories that were commonly appraised by participants along eight evaluative dimensions. Categories included drug of choice, route of administration, method of attainment, gender, age, genesis of use, and recovery approach. Categories were evaluated by participants based on ascribed characteristics of morality, destructiveness, aversiveness, control, functionality, victimhood, recklessness, and determination. Participants performed nuanced identity work during interviews, including reifying social categories, defining 'addict' prototypicality, reflexively comparing self to other, and disidentifying from the PWUD supra-category.

CONCLUSION

We identify several facets of identity, both behavioral and demographic, along which people who use drugs perceive salient social boundaries. Beyond an addiction-recovery binary, identity is shaped by multiple aspects of the social self in substance use. Patterns of categorization and differentiation revealed negative intragroup attitudes, including stigma, that may hinder solidary-building and collective action in this marginalized group.

The group mechanism in treatment: group identification and cohesion contributes to reducing chronic lower back pain by increasing personal control

PURPOSE

There is increasing recognition of the contribution that group processes, particularly identification and cohesion, make to outcomes of group delivered health treatments. This study examined the role that these particular group processes play in the treatment of lower back pain, and a theorised mechanism of personal control through which group treatment might enhance outcomes.

METHODS

Participants (N = 85) elected to either receive NeuroHAB^®, a defined functional movement therapy of 8 weeks duration, or continue with treatment-as-usual (TAU). Pain intensity and disability were assessed at baseline (T1) and post-intervention or 8 weeks later (T2), as well as at a 1-month follow-up (T3). Only the NeuroHAB^® participants additionally completed weekly questionnaires that measured treatment group identification, cohesion, and personal control.

RESULTS

NeuroHAB^® was significantly more effective than TAU in reducing pain intensity and disability at T2 and T3. Furthermore, among NeuroHAB^® recipients, stronger treatment group identification and cohesion early in the program predicted better pain outcomes over time, and this relationship was fully mediated by perceptions of personal control.

CONCLUSION

These data provide further support for the role of group identification and cohesion as a contributing mechanism of change in group-based treatments and extend this to the domain of pain management.Implications for RehabilitationA focus on defined functional movement therapy, as offered by the NeuroHAB^® group program, was found to improve pain outcomes in patients with lower back pain.A key ingredient in the NeuroHAB^® rehabilitation program was its group delivery.Group delivery supported treatment group identification and cohesion which, through enhancing the perception of personal control, reduced pain intensity and disability.

Obvious benefits but hidden costs: A critical exploration of the impact of adopting the "master narrative" in Alcoholics Anonymous

INTRODUCTION

New members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) typically acquire a distinct "alcoholic" identity, including AA-specific understandings of their "alcoholism" and what it means to be in recovery. Although much qualitative research on AA has presented the experiences of members who have embraced this identity and have been wholly praising of AA, other theorists have been strongly critical of the organization, often arguing that it emulates a cult. To contribute towards reconciling these competing bodies of research, the current study aimed to critically explore the impact of adopting AA's master narrative.

METHODS

The study involved 19 prospective, in-depth semi-structured interviews with six AA members recruited from meetings across Sydney, Australia. Data were analyzed thematically using a master narrative theoretical framework.

RESULTS

The study identified three core components of AA's master narrative: (1) Powerlessness over alcohol ("alcoholics" are powerless over alcohol); (2) Internalized pathologization ("alcoholics" are mentally and emotionally sick, above and beyond their problems with alcohol); and (3) AA as the only solution for wellness (involvement in AA is the necessary requirement for "alcoholics" to become and remain well). Although most participants emphasized the positive experiences from internalizing the AA narrative, our analysis also revealed potentially negative ramifications of this narrative on their self-conceptions and worldviews that were seemingly unrecognized by participants themselves.

CONCLUSIONS

The master narrative framework facilitated a critical and balanced exploration of AA members' experiences. Although AA's master narrative is valuable for members, it could also carry costs that need to be mitigated by resources both inside and outside of AA.

The influence of trust and social identity in farmers' intentions to report suspected emergency disease outbreaks

This study examines the influence of trust on farmers' intentions to report suspected disease on their farm. Disease reporting is essential to detect and respond to disease early, thereby minimising its impacts on agriculture businesses, the economy, and the environment. Trust has been identified as an important factor influencing farmers' disease reporting intentions but has not been quantitatively investigated. We use an established model of trust-the Integrative Model of Organisational Trust (IMOT)-to conceptualise how trust influences disease reporting intentions. We also examine how social identity is related to trust and disease reporting. Australian plant, livestock, and aquaculture farmers (N = 41) completed an online questionnaire developed from existing validated measures and we also developed two new measures for disease reporting intentions. Trust in government positively and significantly predicted farmer intentions to report suspected disease outbreaks, explaining 26% of the variance. For every one-unit increase in trust, disease reporting intentions increased by over four times. Results also support the role of shared values and group membership as aspects of social identity that influence trust and disease reporting. These results highlight the importance of government decision-makers developing and maintaining trust with farmers to support early detection and response to emergency disease outbreaks.

Introspective Projection: Prototypical Representations of Policing in the Service of Rule of Law

Mass protests that have taken place over the past decade in various Western democracies have called into question the role of police in society, as officers have employed measures to contain rallies protesting for or against various issues. A number of these protests have resorted to violent means, resisting the police or protesting directly against their role and methods. The present study sought to investigate the prototypical representations of the police that lay citizens use to forge or desist identification with police officers. Social identification enables citizens to consider the police as ingroup members, facilitating respect for their authority. Conversely, identifying the police as outgroup precipitates resistance. The study involved 41 in-depth interviews carried out with citizens of Malta between May and June 2020. Thematic Networks Analysis revealed various points of consensus as well as a number of controversial themes. In particular, respondents demonstrated sceptical attitudes regarding policing on the beat for fear of overfamiliarity, rooted in introspective attributions projected at the police as merely human. Moreover, respondents expressed support for technological innovations that overcome natural psychological tendencies. The findings of this study suggest that seeking increasing trust in the police may be a red herring for policymakers. Rather, efforts should be directed at developing inter-objective systems, (e.g. body-cams), that overcome individual psychological propensities.

The Liver King Lie: Misrepresentation, justification, and public health implications

It is well-established that performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) are effective in increasing muscle mass and strength. PIEDs are unique in that, while harm may result from use, there is little evidence of widespread individual or social harm comparable with other illicit substances. However, given the rapid growth of the online health and fitness industry, the digital consumption of hardcore fitness content represents a space ripe for indirect harms. A poignant example of this trend among the digital health and fitness community is the contestation around 'fake natty' users, who falsely claim to not use PIEDs. The non-disclosure of use has the potential to give individuals who are not enhanced the false impression that they too can achieve a bodily ideal which is similar, potentially resulting in psychological distress and risky behaviours. In this commentary, we discuss this harmful phenomenon using the case study of the fitness influencer Brian Johnson, more commonly known as Liver King. Employing a psycho-criminological lens, we use Social Identity Theories to understand the 'Primal' identity, before unpacking Johnson's disavowal of his PIED consumption through Sykes and Matza's (1957) techniques of neutralization. We conclude with an overview of the harms surrounding fake natural influencers and cognitive dissonance, before attempting to map a path towards emic harm reduction in collaboration with the digital fitness community.

Psychological Pathways Through Which Social Norms and Social Identity Influence Eating Behavior: Testing a Conceptual Model

BACKGROUND

Although interventions frequently promote healthy eating, failing to consider psychosocial factors, such as social norms, may limit the effectiveness of these efforts. Perceived social norms are a well-documented determinant of eating behavior; however, there is limited understanding of the processes through which, and for whom, this relationship emerges. Using identity-based motivation as a theoretical framework, we present a conceptual model identifying one route through which descriptive social norms-beliefs about how others behave-predict eating behavior, and test whether this process varies across social identities (e.g., self-perceived weight status).

METHOD

Structured telephone interviews were conducted for a national sample of non-diabetic adults who identified as non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, or Mexican American (n = 990).

RESULTS

Multigroup SEM analysis comparing individuals who self-identified as overweight (versus "about the right weight" and underweight) demonstrated that perceiving descriptive social norms that people do not eat healthy foods predicted greater perceived barriers to eating healthy foods. Perceived barriers, in turn, predicted stronger beliefs that body weight is uncontrollable, and this relationship was stronger for participants who self-identified as overweight (relative to participants who did not identify as overweight). These beliefs subsequently predicted greater self-reported consumption of unhealthy foods (e.g., sweets), but did not predict consumption of fruits or vegetables.

CONCLUSIONS

This study extends our understanding of a psychosocial process that predicts consumption of unhealthy foods and underscores the importance of social identities for shaping responses to perceived norms.

Further evidence that system justification amongst the disadvantaged is positively related to superordinate group identification

Members of disadvantaged groups sometimes support societal systems that enable the very inequalities that disadvantaged them. Is it possible to explain this puzzling system-justifying orientation in terms of rational group-interested motives, without recourse to a separate system motive? The social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA) claims that it is. SIMSA proposes that the system justification shown by a disadvantaged group (e.g., African American women) can sometimes support identity needs that are tied to a more inclusive (superordinate) in-group (e.g., Americans). There is already some supportive evidence for this proposition, but it is not yet clear whether: (1) such trends are visible in a wider range of disadvantaged contexts, and (2) this explanation also applies to those who are strongly invested in their subgroup (e.g., feminists). In two waves of a large nationally representative survey from 21 to 23 European states (N_total = 84,572) and two controlled experiments (N_total = 290 women), we found that: (a) system justification was positively associated with superordinate ingroup identification across multiple cases of disadvantage (Studies 1-3), (b) system justification increased when this inclusive identity was made more salient (Studies 2 & 3), and (c) system justification was visible even amongst feminists when they activated their superordinate (Italian) identity (Study 3).

Increased social identification is linked with lower depressive and anxiety symptoms among ethnic minorities and migrants: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Evidence suggests that social identities, which provide purpose and a sense of belonging to the social world, promote resilience against psychological strain and protect well-being. This is especially important in ethnic minorities, who experience exclusion and discrimination from the majority group, and in migrant populations where adverse experiences, such as prejudice, disconnection from previous identities and issues of integration into the host country, negatively impact well-being. Drawing from the social identity theory, a meta-analysis was conducted examining the influence of group memberships and sense of belonging on ethnic minority and migrant mental health (depression and anxiety). The final search on three databases (i.e., PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science) was conducted on August 9th, 2022, identifying 3236 citations before removing any duplicates within and between databases. Across the 74 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis, increased social identification (ethnic, national and other types of identification) was associated with low psychological symptoms. We found that social identification is protective against common psychological disorders but with small effect sizes for depression (r = - 0.09, CI = [- 0.12; - 0.06]) and anxiety (r = - 0.08, CI [- 0.12; - 0.03]). Results are discussed with regard to the role that social context plays on ethnic minority and migrant mental health and the importance of facilitating migrant integration with the host society after displacement.

The influence of professional identity on how the receiver receives and responds to a speaking up message: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Research focused on understanding what enables or hinders health professionals to speak up about a safety concern has been to date predominately atheoretical and speaker focused. However, the role the receiver of the message plays in these often-difficult encounters is highly influential. To date, speaking up programs have created conversational mnemonics that technically should respectfully engage the receiver, yet speaking up remains challenging. This paper utilises Communication Accommodation Theory to explore the impact the communication behaviour and speaker characteristics has on the receiver of a speaking up message, and if these impacts differ between receiver groups (clinical disciplines).

METHOD

Clinicians (N = 208) from varying disciplines responded to two hypothetical speaking up vignettes, where participants were the receivers of speaking up messages. Analysis of variance was used to explore any potential differences between receiver groups.

RESULTS

Findings indicated that the level of perceived accommodation and group membership, whether defined by speaker discipline or seniority, collectively influenced how the receiver of a speaking up message evaluated the interaction, which influenced their anticipated response to the speaker.

CONCLUSIONS

The receiver's perceptions and evaluations of the message, their own professional identity and the presence of others, influenced receivers' anticipated responses. This has direct implications on healthcare speaking up training and provision of care, as the varying clinical disciplines received and responded to the same messages differently.

Fear, Fanaticism, and Fragile Identities

In this article, I provide a philosophical analysis of the nature and role of perceived identity threats in the genesis and maintenance of fanaticism. First, I offer a preliminary definition of fanaticism as the social identity-defining devotion to a sacred value that demands universal recognition and is complemented by a hostile antagonism toward people who dissent from one's group's values. The fanatic's hostility toward dissent thereby takes the threefold form of outgroup hostility, ingroup hostility, and self-hostility. Second, I provide a detailed analysis of the fears of fanaticism, arguing that each of the three aforementioned forms of hostile antagonism corresponds to one form of fear or anxiety: the fanatic's fear of the outgroup, renegade members of the ingroup, and problematic aspects of themselves. In each of these three forms of fear, the fanatic experiences both their sacred values and their individual and social identity as being threatened. Finally, I turn to a fourth form of fear or anxiety connected to fanaticism, namely the fanatic's anxiety of and flight from the existential condition of uncertainty itself, which, at least in some cases, ground the fanatic's fearfulness.

Perceived Group Identity Alters Task-Unrelated Thought and Attentional Divergence During Conversations

Task-unrelated thought (TUT) occurs frequently in our daily lives and across a range of tasks, but we know little about how this phenomenon arises during and influences the way we communicate. Conversations also provide a novel opportunity to assess the alignment (or divergence) in TUT during dyadic interactions. We conducted a study to determine: (a) the frequency of TUT during conversation as well as how partners align/diverge in their rates of TUT, (b) the subjective and behavioral correlates of TUT and TUT divergence during conversation, and (c) if perceived social group identity impacts TUT and TUT divergence during conversation. We used a minimal groups induction procedure to assign participants (N = 126) to either an ingroup, outgroup, or control condition. We then asked them to converse with one another via a computer-mediated text chat application for 10 min while self-reporting TUTs. On average, participants reported TUT about once every 2 min; however, this rate was lower for participants in the ingroup condition, compared to the control condition. Conversational pairs in the ingroup condition were also aligned more in their rates of TUT compared to the outgroup condition. Finally, we discuss subjective and behavioral correlates of TUT and TUT divergence in conversations, such as valence, turn-taking ratios, and topic shifts.

Promoting Diverse Youth's Career Development through Informal Science Learning: The Role of Inclusivity and Belonging

Little research has examined the associations between perceived inclusivity within informal science learning sites, youth program belonging and perceptions of program career preparation. This study explored relations between these factors at three timepoints (T1 = start of program, T2 = 3 months and T3 = 12 months after start). Participants were a diverse sample of 209 adolescents participating in STEM youth programs within informal science learning sites situated in the United States and United Kingdom (70% females: M _age = 15.27, SD _age = 1.60), with 53.1% British and 64.1% non-White. Path analysis revealed that only perceptions of inclusivity for own social identity group (i.e., gender, ethnicity) at T1 were associated with T2 STEM youth program belonging. There was a significant indirect effect of T1 perceptions of inclusivity for one's own social identity groups on T3 perceptions of program career preparation via T2 program belonging. This study highlights that, over time, perceptions of inclusivity around youth's own social identity groups (i.e., gender and ethnicity/culture) are related to a sense of youth program belonging, which in turn is later associated with perceptions of program career preparation.

A Longitudinal Examination of Young People’s Gambling Behaviours and Participation in Team Sports

This paper develops and expands upon social identity theory as an explanation for gambling among youth engaged in team sport. Analysing longitudinal data for over 4500 20-year-olds from the Growing Up in Ireland study, reveals that online gambling increased from 2.6 to 9.3% between 17 and 20 years in the cohort, with the increase driven by males. A statistically significant positive association is uncovered between playing team sports and regularly gambling, as well as online gambling behaviour, independent of socio-demographic and other risk factors for males but not for females. The findings provide support for a dose-response like effect for males, where a longer period of participation in team sports is associated with a higher likelihood of engaging in gambling behaviour compared to shorter periods. Implications of the findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Group memberships and post-traumatic growth: How we connect determines how we recover

This paper examines key processes from the social identity model of traumatic identity change in the context of the aftermath of a natural disaster. It focuses on the roles of (i) group membership gain, (ii) group membership continuity, (iii) social identity revitalisation, and (iv) the severity of natural disaster exposure on post-traumatic growth (PTG) and post-traumatic stress (PTS). PARTICIPANTS: (N = 410, M_age = 53.24 years) comprised adult survivors of the Australian 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, recruited to complete an online survey via geo-targeted Facebook advertisements. RESULTS: showed that group membership gain was positively correlated with PTG, whilst group membership continuity negatively correlated with PTS, highlighting the different roles played by group gain and continuity in post-trauma recovery. Preliminary evidence for the validity of a new author-developed social identity revitalisation measure was found, which mediated some relationships between group gain and continuity and PTG and PTS. Lastly, the extent that participants were affected by the fires moderated the relationship between group gain and PTS. Specifically, for those most affected, group gain was correlated with lower reported PTS, whilst for those less affected, group gain was correlated with higher reported PTS. We discuss implications for theory and draw attention to the concept of revitalisation, which shows promise as a potentially critical contributor to post-trauma recovery.

#Fighteverycrisis: A psychological perspective on motivators of the support of mitigation measures in the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic

Both crises, the climate crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic need collective mitigation support. In the context of COVID-19, the support of mitigation strategies has found its way to the forefront of debates. Our aim was to contribute empirical evidence to this debate by investigating mitigation behaviors across both crises and discussing similarities and differences. To this end, we drew on the Norm Activation Model and the concept of Social Identity to understand individuals' support of mitigation strategies in the climate crisis and their support of governmental strategies to mitigate the spread of the virus. Data were gathered within a Germany-wide survey (N = 3092) carried out in June and July 2020. Three predictors significantly explained the support of mitigation strategies in both crises: (1) The awareness that the entire society is affected by the pandemic emerged as the strongest predictor for support of COVID-19 mitigation strategies, whereas (2) social identification with others making efforts to mitigate the climate crisis was the strongest predictor for support of climate crisis mitigation strategies. (3) Efficacy expectations that together with others one can make a substantial contribution to mitigate the respective crisis predicted support of mitigation strategies in the COVID-19 pandemic and the climate crisis to similar proportions. The results point to the need for targeting the communication of mitigation strategies in a pandemic on raising awareness for the collective nature of the problem whereas strengthening efficacy expectations and feelings of belonging, e.g. through participation processes, could generally strengthen the support of mitigation strategies in both crises.

Multi-level gains of fat activism and their impact on sustained activism for fat justice

Previous research has indicated that outcomes of collective action can occur at the individual, group, and societal levels. Taken together, we argue that multi-level outcomes can influence sustained involvement in social movements. We aimed to examine the multi-level outcomes of fat activism across two studies. In our first study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with fat activists (N = 20) to learn what they believe are the multi-level outcomes of fat activism. At the individual level, activists reported greater health, well-being, and self-esteem; at the group level, they reported a sense of community and increased clothing options; and at the societal level, they reported change in toxic cultures around dieting. By building on the findings of Study 1, Study 2 (N = 464) aimed to understand how fat individuals' past collective action participation may predict their future collective action participation through individual-, group-, and societal-level gains. Results indicate that greater collective action participation in the past predicts greater willingness to engage in collective action through the pathway of higher beliefs in individual and societal gains of fat activism, but not through group-level gains, even after we control for identification with fat and fat activist identities. We discuss these findings in relation to the importance of multi-level outcomes in collective action and sustained involvement in social movements.

'Us versus them': A social identity perspective of internal medicine trainees

INTRODUCTION

Silos and group boundaries in the clinical workplace can result in interprofessional conflict which can be a source of anxiety for doctors in training. The social identity perspective (SIP) incorporates theories of social identity and self-categorisation, and may provide a useful lens to understand the socialisation and identity development of doctors. This study aimed to determine if and how the SIP may provide insight into intergroup relations as experienced by internal medicine (IM) trainees in Scotland.

METHODS

Interprofessional communication workshops hosted as part of an IM boot camp between August 2020 and March 2021 were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Subsequent individual interviews with consenting trainees further explored social identity and intergroup relations. Data analysis employed template analysis and deductive independent coding with the SIP informing the initial coding template and new codes added inductively.

RESULTS

Seventeen workshops, involving 100 trainees, and ten subsequent individual interviews were included. Trainees related to the social identity of an IM doctor and to stereotypes within the workplace. They described intergroup tensions resulting from a perception of differing priorities. They experienced outgroup derogation and the impact of role modelling those in their social group during their identity development.

DISCUSSION

The SIP provides a useful lens to understand the social phenomena at play for IM trainees. It confirms the expectation of conflict between specialties and negative perceptions of outgroups. There is a need to consider the hidden curriculum of socialisation in the workplace during training and the influence of the learning environment on identity development.

Lived experience with sickle cell disease: Predictors of altruistic participation in clinical research

Researchers have found that research altruism motivates research participation, but little is known about what aspects of lived experience motivate this socially focused altruistic participation when participation emerges at the intersection of illness, identity, and injustice. This study examines adults living with sickle cell disease (n = 235) in the United States enrolled in the INSIGHTS clinical research study to investigate what aspects of the sickle cell disease lived experience, understood here as pain and illness perception, are associated with reporting subsidiary and primary altruistic motivations for participating in clinical research. Results from two binary logistic regressions indicate that pain frequency is positively associated with greater odds of reporting subsidiary altruistic motivations, and pain frequency and pain severity are positively associated with greater odds of citing primary altruistic motivations. Conversely, pain interference and illness perception are associated with lower odds of reporting primary altruistic motivations. These results reveal that for this racialized population, participation, although overwhelmingly altruistic, is rooted in an experience of persistent pain. Researchers must disentangle measures of lived experience in order to better understand what factors underlie and prevent participation.

Findings From a Community Survey of Individuals Who Engage in Pup Play

This study presents findings from a community survey on pup play. Pup play is a kink activity and a form of role play that is growing in popularity internationally, and gaining increasing attention in sexology, yet prior research on pup play has almost entirely employed qualitative methods and primarily involved gay and bisexual men. Using survey data of 733 pup play participants primarily from the US, but also internationally, this study reports on the demographics of participants, how they engage in pup play, its social and sexual elements, and how it relates to social identity and mental health. Unique pup names and identifying with breeds of dogs were used to foster a sense of individuality within pup play, while the majority of participants owned and wore gear when engaging in pup play. We also found significant associations between being younger and identifying as a pup. Most participants reported that pup play improved their mental health. Binary logistic regression analyses indicated that having a mental health diagnosis was associated with identifying with a more social style of pup play and self-reporting the mental health benefits of pup play. We find that the conceptualization of pup play in the existing literature to be accurate to this international sample and highlight areas where further research is needed, alongside limitations of the study.

Challenging oppression: A social identity model of stigma resistance in higher-weight individuals

Many higher-weight individuals have internalised societal weight stigma, devaluing themselves because of their weight. Rejecting and challenging societal devaluation is generally associated with superior outcomes compared with stigma internalisation or inaction; however, stigma resistance has not been studied in higher-weight individuals, despite ubiquitous weight stigma in daily life. Applying a social identity framework, we utilised decision tree analysis to explore predictors of responses to weight stigma in 931 self-classified higher-weight individuals. While ingroup identification with the group 'Fat' was the major predictor of stigma resistance (versus internalisation), perceived illegitimacy of societal weight stigma defined a subgroup of resisters even in the absence of group identity. Interventions focusing on the illegitimacy of unequal social status and treatment may be effective at reducing internalisation and fostering resistance in a population with characteristically low ingroup identity.

South Asian women in the United Kingdom: The role of skin colour dissatisfaction in acculturation experiences and body dissatisfaction

South Asian women living in Western cultures may experience skin colour dissatisfaction, as fair skin is an important South Asian appearance ideal, whilst visible ethnic differences in their skin colour may lead to appearance-related ethnic teasing from members from the mainstream culture. This study investigates whether appearance-related ethnic teasing is indirectly associated with body dissatisfaction via skin colour dissatisfaction and explores the relationship between appearance-related ethnic teasing, cultural identification and skin colour dissatisfaction amongst first-generation South Asian women living in the United Kingdom. South Asian women (N = 98; 18-55 years, M = 24.60) completed an online questionnaire that measured appearance-related ethnic teasing, skin colour dissatisfaction, cultural identification, and body dissatisfaction. Appearance-related ethnic teasing was indirectly linked with greater body dissatisfaction via greater skin colour dissatisfaction. Appearance-related ethnic teasing was linked with stronger British identification, a greater sense of having an integrated identity and greater skin colour dissatisfaction. South Asian identification was associated with greater skin colour dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that skin colour dissatisfaction is an important link between appearance-related ethnic teasing and acculturating South Asian women's body image.

The moderating effect of social resources on the link between study-related stressors and depressive symptoms among medical students in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany - a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Previous research has demonstrated the negative effects of study-related stressors on the mental health of medical students. It has been found that social resources such as social identity, dual identity and social support help buffer negative mental health outcomes. Notably, social status has been found to weaken the connection between stress and depressive symptoms. Based on these findings, the present study investigates how social resources (i.e., social identity, social support, dual identity and status) mitigate the impact of study-related stressors on the mental health of medical students who carry an inordinate stress burden.

METHODS

The data collection was based on a questionnaire (online and paper-pencil) which was distributed to medical students in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The sample (224 participants) consisted of 77.2% female and 22.8% male medical students (36.2% human medicine students (HMS) and 63.8% dental medicine students (DMS)). The questionnaire included graphical scales and standardized questionnaires. We investigated demographic data, study-related stressors (i.e. academic performance, clinical practice, faculty relations) and depressive symptoms as outcomes, and social identity, social support, dual identity and status as moderators. The analyses were performed using SPSS 25 for Windows.

RESULTS

We found significant positive associations between study-related stressors and depressive symptoms. While dual identity as well as social support by fellow students emerged as buffers in these associations, the other social resources did not. As regards status, it was found to work as a buffer only in HMS, who typically enjoy a significantly higher status than dental medical students.

CONCLUSION

It is only social resources such as support from fellow students and dual identity, but not other resource types, that can be effective buffers against depressive symptoms associated with study-related stressors. These findings can be used to promote students' identities in relation to both fellow students and the faculty, or the university as a whole, enabling students to better cope with stress and, thus, suffer less from depressive symptoms. Furthermore, the HMS, who ascribe a relatively high status to themselves, can use their status as a buffering factor in stressful situations, in which little can be done from the outside.

How vegans and vegetarians negotiate eating-related social norm conflicts in their social networks

This qualitative study, framed by social identity theory, examines how self-identified vegans and vegetarians negotiate diet-related social norm conflicts within their social networks. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews with 18- to 58-year-old vegans and vegetarians who represented five nationalities were analysed inductively through thematic analysis. According to the results, social norm conflicts occurred in contexts where tense family relations or boundaries between in-group and out-group were salient. The results also show that in order to manage norm conflict situations, the interviewees used strategies towards the dominant social norms, such as adapting, challenging, and weakening. In particular, adapting to the dominant social norms was used in relationships that were not close, whereas challenging and weakening were used within close relationships. The interviewees had developed practical solutions to resolve social norm conflicts, such as eating what was served, actively providing information, or acting as an example to others. The results enhance understanding of the challenges entailed by practising vegan or vegetarian diet in an omnivorous society.

A controlled evaluation of the effect of social prescribing programs on loneliness for adults in Queensland, Australia (protocol)

BACKGROUND

In social prescribing, link workers support individuals whose persistent health problems are exacerbated by loneliness by connecting them to community-based social activities. This approach is well established in the UK and is gaining attention in Australia. However, a major limitation of research to date has been a lack of theoretically informed and rigorous evaluations of social prescribing. We will address these points in this study, applying a social identity framework to examine the effects of group-based social prescribing (SP) activity compared to primary care treatment as usual (TAU).

METHODS

Ninety participants experiencing loneliness recruited from primary care services and community centres across five sites in Southeast Queensland will be assigned to one of two conditions (SP, TAU) and assessed at two timepoints (baseline, + 8 weeks). Individuals will be aged 18 years and over, have sufficient English language skills to provide consent, and at the time of recruitment they will not be experiencing acute symptoms or social issues that require urgent intervention. Primary outcomes are loneliness, mental well-being, and health service use (total number of GP, hospital, and allied health visits in the past 3 months). Secondary outcomes will assess social group processes, including number of important social groups, new group identification, multiple identity compatibility, and group-based support and emotion regulation.

DISCUSSION

This study will provide comprehensive data about the extent to which, and how, social prescribing to community-based group activities may help people to feel less lonely, more socially integrated, and healthy over the first 8 weeks. If effective, this social identity-informed model of social prescribing can be disseminated in communities across Australia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ANZCTR, Registered 8 June 2022 - Retrospectively registered, https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12622000801718.aspx.

Humour Against Binge Drinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cartoon-Based Anti-Alcohol Health Campaign Targeting Women-Who-Have-Sex-With-Women

This study focuses on the role of humour in health and well-being of women-who-have-sex-with-women (WSW) during COVID-19. This group has been shown to be vulnerable to alcohol abuse, especially as self-medication coping with social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the potential usefulness of WSW-inclusive (i.e., depicting a female-female romantic couple) versus hetero-normative (i.e., depicting a male-female romantic couple) humorous cartoons in an anti-alcohol health campaign against excessive drinking among WSW. One-hundred-and-twenty-seven self-categorized WSW of diverse genders (woman, non-binary) and sexual orientations (e.g., lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, heterosexual) participated in a 2 × 2 factorial between-participants design. Data were collected during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Netherlands. Humorous cartoons explicitly referring to lockdown measures systematically varied the humour subject (punchline about excessive drinking versus staying sober) and the couple (male-female, female-female) that were depicted. Although the (very brief) health message did not influence binge drinking determinants, the humorous health campaign depicting a female-female couple was perceived as more inclusive and evoked more amusement and less anger than when the cartoons depicted a male-female couple. High WSW identifiers were less amused about the health campaign text (but not the cartoons), less likely to share campaign materials offline (but not online), and had more positive binge drinking attitudes but lower binge drinking intentions than low identifiers. Implications are discussed.

Advancing a social identity perspective on interoperability in the emergency services: Evidence from the Pandemic Multi-Agency Response Teams during the UK COVID-19 response

Previous research shows there are persistent challenges with multi-agency response centring on problems of communication and coordination. The Social Identity Approach provides an important psychological framework for analysing relations within and between groups which can be used to understand why challenges in multi-agency response occur, and what can be done to prevent them re-occurring in the future. To explore this issue, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 responders from the Police, and Fire and Rescue Services who were involved in Pandemic Multi-Agency Response Teams (PMART) during the initial months of the COVID-19. These teams responded to suspected COVID-19 deaths in the community. Interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. Results show that responders appeared to share the pre-existing superordinate identity of all being members of the blue-light service. This identity was made salient as a result of responders experiencing positive contact with each other. Responders also shared the situational superordinate identity of PMART which was both created, and then made salient, through positive contact with each other, as well as responders sharing difficult experiences. At the same time though, structural factors such as inequalities in building access and different shift patterns increased the salience of sub-group identities in ways that created conflict between these identities, as well as operational challenges for joint working. This research advances our understanding of multi-agency working from a social identity perspective by providing evidence of a shared social identity at an operational level of emergency response. Practical implications of this research are discussed.

Perceived legitimacy of weight-based discrimination: Consequences for group identity, collective action, body satisfaction, and self-esteem

The present research applied the social identity approach to examine how the perceived legitimacy of weight-based discrimination among ingroup members influences their experience of their higher-weight identity and their well-being, and the conditions under which this occurs. Specifically, we investigated whether portraying weight-based discrimination as legitimate, as opposed to illegitimate, influenced higher-weight individuals' group identification, intentions to engage in collective action on behalf of their group, and their body satisfaction and self-esteem. The moderating role of group boundary permeability and the mediating role of group identification were also examined. North American adults with a self-reported BMI of or above 30 (N = 327) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: weight-based discrimination that was portrayed as legitimate or illegitimate by other ingroup members. Results revealed that portraying weight-based discrimination as being perceived as legitimate (versus illegitimate) among ingroup members significantly reduced group identification, but only among those who perceived their group's boundaries to be more permeable. For this particular group, reduced identification predicted, in turn, lower collective action intentions, body satisfaction, and self-esteem. This study highlights the damaging effect of legitimized discrimination for ingroup identification and the downstream consequences for collective action and well-being.

"You get to understand we are all human beings": Community solidarity initiatives as spaces of recognition, resistance, and change

In Ireland the Direct Provision system segregates and excludes displaced people from the host community, and informal community solidarity initiatives (CSIs) were established nationwide to address this issue. We examined experiences of intergroup contact in CSIs and related contexts to identify how solidarity is produced, and for whom, through photovoice workshops (Study 1: n = 13) with displaced participants of two CSIs, and interviews (Study 2: n = 5) with resident/national stakeholders of four CSIs. In Study 1, we identified three themes: "Orienting to future and collective identities in Direct Provision," "Negotiating intersectional identities in public settings," and "Recognition of valued collective identities in the CSI." In Study 2, we identified two themes: "Negotiating privileged identities and power asymmetries," and "Facilitating change through social connections." CSIs offered temporary respite from the oppression and discrimination displaced people experienced in other contexts and enabled them to resist dehumanizing representations through expression and recognition of valued identities. Connections within and across groups fostered relational solidarity, shifted intergroup norms, and opened opportunities for displaced people to access resources. Accordingly, our findings have implications for public policy, community research, and action to create just and equitable conditions for displaced people in receiving countries.

Fat embodiment for resistance and healing from weight stigma

Western culture is a decidedly anti-fat culture. Thus fat people are subjected to weight stigma and confront discrimination in virtually every facet of their lives. As a result, fat people often develop a self-concept that includes the stigmatized social identity. Weight stigma is also a traumatic experience that disrupts fat people's embodiment by diminishing feelings of attunement to and appreciation for their bodies. Therefore, healing from the trauma of weight stigma may involve developing a more positive fat identity through a process of fat embodiment. Fat embodiment may improve fat people's well-being by bolstering the integrity of the self, supporting efforts to resist public stigma and heal internalized stigma. In our analysis of embodied approaches to resistance and healing, we draw on social and clinical psychology and the works of public fat scholars and activists. We describe methods of fat embodiment like embracing bodily needs, engaging with fat-positive perspectives, connecting with fat community, and embracing desire and sensual pleasure. Ultimately, we conclude that transforming a negative fat identity into a positive identity through fat embodiment can support the pursuit of justice for fat bodies, connect fat people to their bodily needs and sensations, and support increased self-care and bodily fulfillment.