Suicide attempts in the absence of depression: Differences between broad cultural groups

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide (WHO, 2021). Depression is a common precursor to suicide and suicidality; however, individuals' experience of depression and the meaning of suicide differs depending on one's cultural background (Colucci, 2013; Goodmann et al., 2021; Kleinman, 2004). The current study explores the relationship between suicide and depression among six broad cultural groups in a large sample (N = 17,015) of adults representing six broad cultural groups (Latin America, South Asia, former Soviet Bloc, Western English-speakers, Chinese, and Arab World). Participants were recruited to a multilingual depression and suicide screening study via Google Ads (Leykin et al., 2012; Gross et al., 2014). As expected, the presence of depression was associated with suicide attempts. However, cultural group moderated this association, with Chinese participants being most likely to report suicide attempts while screening negative for depression. Although depression remains an important predictor of suicidality, it appears that certain cultural groups may be at higher risk even when depression is not present. Clinicians should consider using culturally adapted assessments for depression and suicidality.

Superior medical resources or geographic proximity? The joint effects of regional medical resource disparity, geographic distance, and cultural differences on online medical consultation

Online medical consultation platforms enable patients to seek health advice from physicians across geographic regions. In this study, we analyze patterns of online consultation between patients and physicians. We examine the joint effects of regional medical resource disparity, geographic distance, and cultural differences between patients and physicians on patients' decisions about which physicians they consult online. Using a unique dataset of city-to-city tuples based on 813,684 online consultation records and combining it with region-level data from multiple external sources, we find that while regional medical resource disparity drives patients from medically disadvantaged regions to seek online consultations with physicians from medically advantaged regions, geographic distance and cultural differences tend to constrain these consultations. We also find that cultural differences can amplify the impact of regional medical resource disparity, whereas geographic distance may lessen this effect. Further, we discover that the constraining effect of geographic distance is partly due to the online-to-offline nature of online medical consultations. Moreover, additional analyses suggest that physicians' online reputation and information about physicians' participation on the platform can help alleviate the negative effects of geographic distance and cultural differences. These findings hold significant implications for the allocation of medical resources and the formulation of healthcare policies.

The relationship between personality traits and happiness: the mediating role of emotional regulation

BACKGROUND

Understanding the factors contributing to happiness in the nursing profession is essential, particularly considering the high levels of stress associated with the job. This study aimed to explore the role of emotion regulation in mediating the relationship between personality traits and nurses' happiness.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore the relationship between personality traits and happiness by examining the mediating role of emotion regulation.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 324 Jordanian and 408 Saudi nurses. Data, including the Big Five personality traits, happiness levels, and measures of emotional regulation, were collected through an online survey. The model's fit and explanatory capability were verified by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 3.

RESULTS

In the structural model, agreeableness had a significant effect on happiness, influencing both reappraisal and suppression. Extraversion strongly influences happiness, positively affects reappraisal, and negatively affects suppression. Neuroticism hampers happiness and reappraisal, and has a detrimental effect on suppression. Openness had a positive effect on suppression, whereas consciousness positively affected happiness. Mediation analysis revealed direct effects on happiness, with varying indirect contributions from emotional regulation. Multiple-group analysis revealed no significant differences between Jordan and Saudi Arabia in the association between personality traits and happiness.

CONCLUSION

The findings emphasize the nuanced effects of agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, consciousness, and openness on happiness, mediated by emotional regulation. Implementing specific interventions to improve emotional regulation can increase nurses' happiness regardless of their personality traits. The lack of significant differences between Jordanian and Saudi nurses implies that these relationships are consistent across cultures, offering valuable information for cross-cultural healthcare interventions.

Exploring South Asian women's perspectives and experiences of maternity care services: A qualitative evidence synthesis

BACKGROUND

The United Nations Women and other sources have highlighted the poor maternal and neonatal care experienced by South Asian women, emphasizing the need to understand the cultural factors and specific experiences that influence their health-seeking behavior. This understanding is crucial for achieving health equity and improving health outcomes for women and infants.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to examine and synthesize qualitative evidence on the perspectives and experiences of South Asian women regarding maternity care services in destination countries.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute's approach. Eight databases were searched for studies capturing the qualitative views and experiences of South Asian women - Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL Plus, Global Health, Scopus, PsycInfo, British Nursing Index and the Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts. Qualitative and mixed method studies written in English are included. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the JBI's QARI checklist for qualitative studies and the MMAT checklist for mixed-methods studies.

RESULTS

Fourteen studies, including twelve qualitative and two mixed-methods studies, were identified and found to be of high methodological quality. The overarching theme that emerged was "navigating cross-cultural maternity care experiences." This theme encapsulates the challenges and complexities faced by South Asian women in destination countries, including ethnocultural and religious differences, communication and language barriers, understanding different medical systems, and the impact of migration on their maternity care experiences.

CONCLUSIONS

South Asian migrant women often have expectations that differ from the services provided in destination countries, leading to challenges in their social relationships. Communication and language barriers pose additional obstacles that can be addressed through strategies promoting better communication and culturally sensitive care. To enhance the utilization of maternity healthcare services, it is important to address these factors and provide personalized, culturally sensitive care for South Asian migrant women.

Diversity in the study of aging and lifespan development

In psychology, authors have shined a light on a lack of ethnic/racial and cultural diversity in sampling and scholarship. These issues pertain also to the study of aging and lifespan development. This article presents examples of how diverse sampling, across ethnic/racial groups and cultures, enriches theories of aging and adult development. There remain, however, numerous theoretical insights that are yet to be uncovered by future research that seeks to further diversify this sub-discipline. Good practices and avenues to diversification are considered, including targeted sampling of minority groups in the community, online sampling with use of data screening tools, lifespan-orientated surveys initiated in non-Western countries, and a redress of the balance in the perceived value of research from different regions of the world.

Discriminative Grandparental Investment in China : Evidence from an Undergraduate Questionnaire Study

Many studies in Western societies show a pattern of discriminative grandparental investment as follows: maternal grandmothers (MGMs) > maternal grandfathers (MGFs) > paternal grandmothers (PGMs) > paternal grandfathers (PGFs). This pattern is in line with the expectation from evolutionary reasoning. Yet whether or not this pattern applies in China is in question. The present study was based on a questionnaire survey at a university in Central China (N = 1,195). Results show that (1) when grandparent-grandchild residential distance during grandchildren's childhood is controlled, in the case of grandsons and granddaughters as a whole and granddaughters only, both grandparental caregiving and grandchildren's emotional closeness to grandparents display a rank order of MGM > MGF > PGM > PGF, but in the case of grandsons only, this order is not statistically significant. (2) There are stable relationships between grandparental caregiving/grandchildren's emotional closeness and residential distance/similarity in appearance. (3) The effects of residential distance on either PGFs' or PGMs' caregiving exceed those on either MGFs' or MGMs'. (4) The PGF and PGM prefer grandsons to granddaughters in their caregiving, whereas the MGF and MGM do not have a sex preference, and (5) the fact that the PGF and PGM invest more in grandsons than in granddaughters does not depend on grandsons' duration of living in a rural area. Our results suggest that (1) in general, the Chinese display a pattern of differential grandparental investment predicted by an evolutionary perspective, (2) the evolutionary perspective that combines the two factors of paternal uncertainty and sex-specific reproductive strategies is applicable to grandparental investment in China, and (3) the traditional son-preference culture also plays some role in affecting grandparental investment in China, though the roles of culture and urban-rural cultural difference should not be exaggerated.

The cognitive-linguistic profiles and academic performances of Chinese children with dyslexia across cultures: Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei

This study examined the cognitive-linguistic and literacy-related correlates of dyslexia in three Chinese cities and the English word reading and mathematics performances of Chinese children with dyslexia. Chinese children with/without dyslexia were measured with an equivalent test battery of literacy and mathematics in Beijing, Hong Kong, and Taipei. Univariate analysis results suggested that phonological sensitivity distinguished those with and without dyslexia across all three cities in group comparisons. In Taipei and Hong Kong, morphological awareness, delayed copying, and spelling also distinguished the groups. Logistic regression analyses demonstrated that Chinese character reading, as directly compared to Chinese word reading, also distinguished the groups particularly well. In addition, in Beijing and Hong Kong, children with dyslexia performed significantly less well in English word reading than those without dyslexia. In Hong Kong and Taipei, children with dyslexia also had difficulties in mathematics performance. Findings highlight the fundamental importance of some cognitive-linguistic skills for explaining Chinese dyslexia across cultures, the utility of recognizing the individual Chinese character as a foundational unit of analysis in Chinese across cultures, and the generalizability of the comorbidity of both English as a second language (L2) and mathematics with dyslexia in Chinese children in both Beijing and Hong Kong.

Adolescent mental health in Japan and Russia: The role of body image, bullying victimisation and school environment

This study examined associations between self-reported mental health problems, body image, bullying victimisation and school safety in large adolescent samples in Japan and Russia, considering the effects of gender, culture and their interactions. In both Japan and Russia, girls reported a greater number of mental health problems, less bullying victimisation and much higher body dissatisfaction than boys did. Japanese adolescents rated themselves higher on total difficulties, reported less body dissatisfaction and bullying victimisation, and rated their school safety lower than that of Russian youths. Cross-cultural differences in total difficulties and body image were qualified by gender. Body dissatisfaction, bullying victimisation and school safety all independently contributed to adolescent mental health problems. The protective effect of school safety on total difficulties was larger for girls than for boys; the strength of the association between bullying victimisation and adolescent mental health problems differed across genders and cultures. The findings indicate a need for a cross-cultural approach and provide a strong basis for targeted interventions that seek to improve adolescent mental health.

Item-Based Analysis of Some ADOS-2 Items with Typically Developing Participants Might help Improve Cross-Cultural Validity of ADOS-2

Most internationally recognized instruments for the screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder have been developed in the USA, which calls into question the degree of their cultural adaptation to diverse populations. The aim of this study is to examine the characteristics of social communication in typically developing Croatian-speaking participants (N = 220) using ADOS-2-defined item-level normative values. Croatian subjects showed the expected ("typical") results in the domain of verbal communication, slightly atpical results in nonverbal communication (primarily gesture use), and more significant deviations in pragmatics (offering and asking for information), relative to the expectations of the ADOS-2. As ADOS-2 has become an important component of thorough ASD diagnostic evaluations worldwide, identifying methods for increasing the cross-cultural validity is essential.

An experimental task to measure preschool children's frustration induced by having to wait unexpectedly: The role of sensitivity to delay and culture

The ability to manage frustration induced by having to wait for valued outcomes emerges across childhood and is an important marker of self-regulatory capacity. However, approaches to measure this capacity in preschool children are lacking. In this study, we introduced a new task, the Preschool Delay Frustration Task (P-DeFT), designed specifically to identify children's behavioral and emotional markers of waiting-induced frustration during the imposed wait period and after the release from waiting. We then explored how waiting-induced frustration relates to individual differences in delay sensitivity and whether it differs between two cultural groups thought to have different attitudes toward children's conduct and performance: Hong Kong (HK) and the United Kingdom (UK). A total of 112 preschool children (mean age = 46.22 months) completed the P-DeFT in a quiet laboratory. Each trial had two stages; first, a button press elicited a Go signal; second, this Go signal allowed children to go to a "supermarket" to pick a target toy. On most trials, the Go signal occurred immediately on the first press. On 6 trials, an unexpected/unsignaled 5- or 10-s pre-Go-signal period was imposed. Frustration was indexed by performance (button presses and press duration), behavioral agitation, and negative affect during the pre-Go-signal wait period and the post-Go-signal shopping task. Parents rated their children's delay sensitivity. Waiting-related frustration expressed during both the pre-Go-signal wait period and the post-Go-signal task varied with (a) the length of wait and (b) individual differences in parent-rated delay sensitivity. UK children displayed more negative affect during delay than their HK counterparts, although the relationship between delay sensitivity and frustration was culturally invariant.

Physically Violent Parental Practices: A Cross-Cultural Study in Cameroon, Switzerland, and Togo

Violence against children and adolescents is a widespread problem. However, most studies conducted in this field has been carried out in Western countries and studies are needed in non-Western countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, where rates of child physical violence are high. The present study aimed firstly to document the different forms of physical violence and attitudes toward corporal punishment (CP) across Cameroon, Switzerland, and Togo. The second objective aimed, on the one hand, to understand the influence of cultural context, childhood physical abuse, and parental attitudes on physically violent parental practices in these three different cultural contexts. On the other, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of childhood physical abuse and parental attitudes on the effect of cultural contexts on parental practices. Five hundred and forty-seven parents from Togo, Cameroon, and Switzerland filled out questionnaires concerning violent parental practices (ICAST-P), childhood physical abuse (CTQ-SF), and parental attitudes in favor of CP. Firstly, results highlighted some cultural differences regarding parental attitudes and practices. Secondly, the hierarchical regression showed that physical violence could be partially predicted by the cultural context, childhood abuse, and attitudes in favor of CP. Finally, childhood abuse and parental attitudes mediated the link between the cultural context and parental practices. This study underscores the importance of considering the cultural context when examining parental practices. Moreover, these results provide a better understanding of these types of parental practices in less studied contexts.

Do we all perceive experiences of age discrimination in the same way? Cross-cultural differences in perceived age discrimination and its association with life satisfaction

Age discrimination is pervasive in most societies and bears far-reaching consequences for individuals' psychological well-being. Despite that, studies that examine cross-cultural differences in age discrimination are still lacking. Likewise, whether the detrimental association between age discrimination and psychological well-being varies across contexts remains an open question. In this study, therefore, we examined cross-cultural differences in perceived experiences of age discrimination and their detrimental association with a specific indicator of psychological well-being, which is life satisfaction. The sample was drawn from the Ageing as Future study and comprised 1653 older adults (60-90 years) from the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the USA. Participants self-reported their experiences of age discrimination and their life satisfaction. Findings indicated that participants from Hong Kong and Taiwan reported experiences of perceived age discrimination more often than participants from the Czech Republic, Germany, and the USA. Furthermore, experiences of age discrimination were negatively associated with life satisfaction. Cultural context moderated this relation: We found a smaller detrimental association between perceived experiences of age discrimination and life satisfaction in Eastern cultures, that is, in contexts where such experiences were perceived to be more prevalent. These findings highlight the importance of examining age discrimination across cultures. Experiences of age discrimination are clearly undesirable in that they negatively affect psychological well-being. Our results indicate that a higher self-reported prevalence of perceived age discrimination in the samples studied weakens this negative association. We discuss these findings in terms of adaptation (versus sensitization) in response to discrimination.

Policy stringency and the spread of COVID-19: The moderating role of culture and its implications on first responses

There has been a noticeable variance between countries in the growth rate of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. Researchers attempted to understand this variance from two primary perspectives: the policies implemented to curb the spread of the virus [1] and the cross-country cultural differences [2]. However, little research to date has looked at the joint effects of policy responses and national culture. We argue that the effectiveness of restrictive policies depends on cultural values. Specifically, when policies are non-mandatary, cultural values influence people's voluntary adherence to these policies, and hence, the spread of COVID-19. We analyzed the growth data in daily new cases across 78 countries, focusing on the joint impact of containment policies and cultural values. We found that although policy responses (i.e., containment policies) significantly predicted the spread rate of COVID-19 over time, their effects were moderated by cultural variables as well. Implications for policymaking are discussed.

Sex and national differences in internet addiction in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND

Understanding individual differences in psychology, and how they relate to specific addictions, may allow society to better identify those at most risk and even enact policies to ameliorate them. Internet addiction is a growing health concern, a research focus of which is to understand individual differences and the psychology of those most susceptible to developing it. Western countries are strongly overrepresented in this regard.

METHOD

Here, sex and national differences in internet addiction are measured, using Young's 'Internet Addiction Test,' in two non-Western countries, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. >800 students aged 18 and 35 years (M = 20.65, SD = 1.48) completed a multidimensional internet addiction instrument. The instrument measures traits such as Withdrawal and Social Problems, Time Management and Performance and Reality Substitute.

RESULTS

Analyses revealed that males scored higher than females and Saudis higher than Egyptians on nearly all scales, including the total score. Factor analysis of the 20-item instrument revealed three factors, all exhibiting sex and culture differences.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings add to the body of evidence that males are higher than females in problematic internet use, as they are in addictive behaviors in general. Our findings may also imply that restrictions on male-female interaction, which are more pronounced in Saudi Arabia, may elevate the prevalence of internet addiction. The internet is also easier and cheaper to access in Saudi Arabia than in Egypt.

Cultural differences in humor: A systematic review and critique

Humor is universal but also culturally nuanced. This review (including 31 empirical articles in English) systematically examines cultural differences in humor perception and use. Most notably, North Americans tend to perceive humor more positively, rate themselves as more humorous, and use humor more than East Asians. Moreover, this review highlights complex cultural differences in the use of four humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating). Finally, I discuss limitations of the cross-cultural literature on humor and propose future research directions. Theoretically, more studies should move beyond comparing East Asian and North American cultures, examine the consequences of cultural differences in humor, and track changes in humor perception and use over time. Methodologically, more studies should employ experiments to strengthen causality, recruit larger and more representative samples, and preregister theory-driven hypotheses.

The association between risk perceptions, anxiety, and self-reported changes in tobacco and nicotine product use due to COVID-19 in May-June 2020 in Israel

BACKGROUND

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, reports about a possible protective effect of nicotine on COVID-19 conflicted with messaging by public health organizations about increased risks of COVID-19 due to smoking. The ambiguous information the public received, combined with COVID-19-induced anxiety, may have led to changes in tobacco or other nicotine product use. This study examined changes in use of combustible cigarettes (CCs), nargila (hookah/waterpipe), e-cigarettes, and IQOS and home-smoking behaviors. We also assessed COVID-19 related anxiety and perceptions regarding changes in risk of COVID-19 severity due to smoking.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional data from a population telephone survey that was conducted in Israel in the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) and included 420 adult (age 18+) individuals who reported having ever used CCs (n = 391), nargila (n = 193), and/or electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)/heated tobacco products (e.g., IQOS) (n = 52). Respondents were asked about the effect that COVID-19 had on their nicotine product use (quit/reduced use, no change, increased use). We assessed changes in product use, risk perceptions, and anxiety using adjusted multinomial logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Most respondents did not change their frequency of product use (CCs: 81.0%, nargila: 88.2%, e-cigarettes/IQOS: 96.8%). A small percentage either decreased use (CCs: 7.2%, nargila: 3.2%, e-cigarettes/IQOS:2.4%) or increased use (CCs:11.8%, nargila:8.6%, e-cigarettes/IQOS:+ 0.9%). 55.6% of respondents used a product in the home prior to COVID-19; but during the first lockdown COVID-19 period, a greater percentage increased (12.6%) than decreased (4.0%) their home use. Higher levels of anxiety due to COVID-19 were associated with increased home smoking (aOR = 1.59, 95% CI:1.04-2.42, p = 0.02). Many respondents believed that increased severity of COVID-19 illness was associated with CCs (62.0%) and e-cigarettes/vaping (45.3%), with uncertainty about the association being lower for CCs (20.5%) than for vaping (41.3%).

CONCLUSIONS

While many respondents believed that nicotine product use (particularly CCs and e-cigarettes) was associated with increased risk of COVID-19 disease severity, the majority of users did not change their tobacco/nicotine use. The confusion about the relationship between tobacco use and COVID-19 calls for clear evidence-based messaging from governments. The association between home smoking and increased COVID-19-related stress suggests the need for campaigns and resources to prevent smoking in the home, particularly during times of stress.

The relations between COVID-19 stress, social connectedness, and mental health: a longitudinal investigation comparing Chinese and American college students

College students in the U.S. and China have faced significant challenges during COVID-19. Data were collected from 120 Amerian students (Mage = 19.48, SDage = 1.30) and 119 Chinese students (Mage = 18.61, SDage = 0.91) in November, 2019 and March, 2020 to examine risk and protective factors for mental health (depression, anxiety, life satisfaction) during the pandemic, and potential cultural and gender differences. Results indicated that the frequency and impact of COVID-19-related stressful life events predicted deterioration of mental health over time, while social connectedness before the pandemic buffered the negative impact of COVID-19 stressful life events on life satisfaction. Chinese students reported higher levels of social connectedness and larger impact of COVID-19-related stressful life events, but lower frequency of stressful life events than American students. Stressful life events and social connectedness predicted mental health outcomes similarly for Chinese and American students. Gender differences were identified. Females reported more stressful life events, higher levels of depression, anxiety and less life satisfaction during COVID-19 than males. In addition, the frequency of stressful life events had a stronger impact on depression and anxiety for females compared with males. It is important to implement prevention and intervention programs to promote social connections and wellbeing among college students, especially among female students.

Latent profiles of childhood psychological maltreatment and their links to adult mental health in China and the UK

BACKGROUND

Though links between childhood maltreatment and mental health have been established, little known about how specific types of childhood maltreatment tend to cluster and how the resulting patterns of exposure impact mental health outcomes.

METHOD

The current study used latent profile analyses in Chinese (N = 544) and UK (N = 589) samples to identify childhood psychological maltreatment profiles (i.e., profiles of psychological abuse, psychological neglect, and psychological non-support) in different country contexts, and their associations with a range of mental health (i.e., depression, anxiety, anger, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and hostility), and broader well-being (i.e., self-esteem) outcomes. Unadjusted as well as analyses adjusted for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) were conducted.

RESULTS

Four profiles were identified in both samples, but their nature differed between the Chinese sample ("Psychological Non-support", "Low-Maltreated", "High-Maltreated", and "Severe-Maltreated") and the UK sample ("Low-Maltreated", "Moderate-Maltreated", "High-Maltreated", and "Severe-Maltreated"). Individuals in the "Psychological Non-support" in China and "Low-Maltreated" class in the UK displayed better mental health outcomes-lower levels of depression, anxiety, and aggression, and higher self-esteem. In contrast, individuals in the "Severe-Maltreated" profiles in both the Chinese and UK samples displayed poorer mental health outcomes-higher depression, anxiety, and aggression, and lower self-esteem. Interventions and prevention efforts are needed for individuals categorized in profiles affected by psychological maltreatment.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the importance of using targeted intervention or prevention to prevent psychological maltreatment, as well as improve mental health outcomes in individuals who have experienced psychological maltreatment.

The criteria of Chinese and South Koreans' mate selection: A comparative study of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences in the cross-cultural perspective

Sexual selection has become an important research topic in behavioral ecology, human behavior, and evolution. The study of mate selection preferences across cultures and countries has gradually received increasing attention. The present study was aimed to reveal the differences of long-term and short-term mate selection preferences between young people in Chinese and South Korean. An questionnaire survey method was followed to obtain the aim of the study, and a total of 273 Chinese (M = 22.07, SD = 1.75) and 181 Koreans (M = 21.75, SD = 2.05) unmarried university students were chosen to participate the study. We summarized the important core factors of individual mate preferences and revealed the long-term and short-term mate preferences of young men and women in both countries through quantitative analysis. The results indicated that education played a crucial role in the long-term mate selection for both Chinese males and females. Contrastingly, Koreans valued friendliness and easygoingness in long-term mate value and liveliness in short-term mate value. There were differences found in mate preference by gender between Chinese and Koreans, influenced by cross-cultural factors. These findings strongly supported cultural differences in mate selection and provided practical suggestions for future cross-cultural mate selection research.

Embracing multiple stakeholders' perspectives in defining competent simulation facilitators' characteristics and educational behaviours: a qualitative study from Denmark, Korea, and Australia

Background

Simulation-based learning (SBL), used for achieving various learning goals, is spreading around the world. However, it is still open, to what extend SBL needs to be adapted to local cultures. This study aimed to explore how various stakeholder groups perceive what constitutes a competent simulation facilitator across three different countries.

Methods

We conducted an interview study with learners, facilitators, and facilitator trainers. Semi-structured interviews with 75 participants underwent content analysis. Participants were recruited from Denmark, Korea, and Australia. Interviews focused on characteristics of simulation faculty, as well as educational behaviours. Interviews were audio-recorded, translated to English, transcribed, and content analysed by inductively developing codes using the Nvivo software. In the first coding round, each interview was treated separately. In the analysis round, the individual codes between countries and stakeholder groups were compared to identify similarities and differences.

Results

Our study shows high demands for the simulation facilitator role. A competent simulation facilitator should possess the following characteristics: (1) subject matter expertise, (2) personal approach and traits, (3) self-awareness and reflection, and (4) communication skills. Educational behaviours comprised (1) supporting a safe learning environment, 2) working goal-oriented with the course, (3) engaging before the course with preparation, (4) leading scenarios, and (5) facilitating debriefings. Comparative analysis showed similar wishes towards simulation facilitators from the different stakeholders in different countries, though the same terms might mean different details in the various settings.

Conclusions

These findings offer guidance for learning needs analysis and the establishment of faculty development programmes. The study also shows that the personal characteristics are an important aspect of the facilitator role above and beyond displaying educational behaviours.

Ethics at the Centre of Global and Local Challenges: Thoughts on the Future of Business Ethics

To commemorate 40 years since the founding of the Journal of Business Ethics, the editors in chief of the journal have invited the editors to provide commentaries on the future of business ethics. This essay comprises a selection of commentaries aimed at creating dialogue around the theme Ethics at the centre of global and local challenges. For much of the history of the Journal of Business Ethics, ethics was seen within the academy as a peripheral aspect of business. However, in recent years, the stakes have risen dramatically, with global and local worlds destabilized by financial crisis, climate change, internet technologies and artificial intelligence, and global health crises. The authors of these commentaries address these grand challenges by placing business ethics at their centre. What if all grand challenges were framed as grand ethical challenges? Tanusree Jain, Arno Kourula and Suhaib Riaz posit that an ethical lens allows for a humble response, in which those with greater capacity take greater responsibility but remain inclusive and cognizant of different voices and experiences. Focussing on business ethics in connection to the grand(est) challenge of environmental emergencies, Steffen Böhm introduces the deceptively simple yet radical position that business is nature, and nature is business. His quick but profound side-step from arguments against human-nature dualism to an ontological undoing of the business-nature dichotomy should have all business ethics scholars rethinking their "business and society" assumptions. Also, singularly concerned with the climate emergency, Boudewijn de Bruin posits a scenario where, 40 years from now, our field will be evaluated by its ability to have helped humanity emerge from this emergency. He contends that Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth) v. Royal Dutch Shell illustrates how human rights take centre stage in climate change litigation, and how business ethics enters the courtroom. From a consumer ethics perspective, Deirdre Shaw, Michal Carrington and Louise Hassan argue that ecologically sustainable and socially just marketplace systems demand cultural change, a reconsideration of future interpretations of "consumer society", a challenge to the dominant "growth logic" and stimulation of alternative ways to address our consumption needs. Still concerned with global issues, but turning attention to social inequalities, Nelarine Cornelius links the capability approach (CA) to global and corporate governance, arguing that CA will continue to lie at the foundation of human development policy, and, increasingly, CSR and corporate governance. Continuing debate on the grand challenges associated with justice and equality, Laurence Romani identifies a significant shift in the centrality of business ethics in debates on managing (cultural) differences, positing that dialogue between diversity management and international management can ground future debate in business ethics. Finally, the essay concludes with a commentary by Charlotte Karam and Michelle Greenwood on the possibilities of feminist-inspired theories, methods, and positionality for many spheres of business ethics, not least stakeholder theory, to broaden and deepen its capacity for nuance, responsiveness, and transformation. In the words of our commentators, grand challenges must be addressed urgently, and the Journal of Business Ethics should be at the forefront of tackling them.

Perceptions of the meaning of life among Korean patients with advanced cancer: A mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to explore perceptions of the meaning of life among Korean patients living with advanced cancer.

METHOD

The study employed a mixed-methods design, and 16 participants were included in the analysis. Qualitative data gathered from in-depth interviews were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method. Quantitative survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's ρ correlation.

RESULTS

Participants experienced both the existence of meaning and the will to find meaning in terms of four categories: "interpersonal relationships based on attachment and cohesion" (three themes - family as the core meaning of one's life, supportive and dependent interconnectedness with significant others, and existential responsibility embedded in familism), "therapeutic relationships based on trust" (one theme - communication and trust between the patient and medical staff), "optimism" (two themes - positivity embodied through past experiences and a positive attitude toward the current situation), and "a sense of purpose with advanced cancer" (two themes - the will to survive and expectations for the near future). The meaning in life questionnaire (MLQ) and the purpose in life scale (PIL) showed a significant positive correlation tendency with the functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-spiritual well-being scale (FACIT-Sp). The patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) showed significant negative correlation tendency with both the MLQ-presence of meaning (MLQ-PM) and PIL-Initiative (PIL-I) questionnaires.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS

Finding meaning in life helps advanced cancer patients realize their will to live. It also acts as a coping mechanism that palliates negative experiences in the fight against the disease. In particular, among advanced cancer patients in the Korean culture, the dynamics of relationships with family and medical staff was a key axis that instilled optimism and will to live. These results suggest that considering the meaning of life in advanced cancer patients by reflecting Korean culture in the treatment process improves the quality of care.

Caring for older culturally and linguistically diverse patients with Cancer: Healthcare Providers' perceived barriers to communication

BACKGROUND

Due to various socio-cultural and language related factors, healthcare providers experience barriers when communicating with older culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients with cancer, which can lower the quality of care received by patients and negatively impact healthcare providers. Studies focusing on communication barriers of older CALD patients with cancer and a systematic comparison of those barriers between different healthcare providers have been largely missing.

OBJECTIVES

In order to lay out the healthcare providers' perceived barriers to communication, the present study identified and compared communication barriers among different healthcare providers when caring for older CALD patients with cancer.

METHODS

An online survey was conducted among healthcare providers in the Netherlands who identified as being involved in the care of CALD patients with cancer (N = 191), specifically; GPs (N_GPs = 54), specialists (N_specialists = 29), oncology nurses (N_nurses = 77), and pharmacists (N_pharmacists = 31). Providers assessed twelve pre-specified factors on (i) importance and (ii) frequency of these factors as barriers to communication. A composite score by employing the QUOTE (Quality Of care Through the patients' Eyes) methodology was used to rank, and classify factors as either potential or influential barriers.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Overall, low Dutch language proficiency of older CALD patients with cancer, family interpreters providing inadequate translations, not knowing the extent of patients' informational needs, cultural differences in views about healthcare (i.e., illnesses and treatments) and family members blocking communication were found to be influential communication barriers. Healthcare providers showed several differences in what they perceived to be a potential or an influential barrier: Cultural differences in views about healthcare and patients getting treatment in their home countries were important barriers for GPs, while not knowing the patient's contact person was for pharmacists. Nurses perceived the highest number of influential barriers, while specialists perceived the least. We conclude that specific interventions that address differences in perceived barriers among providers are needed, and we highlight potential interventions that involve digital communication tools, such as the Conversation Starter.

The Interplay Between Trait Resilience and Coping Self-efficacy in Patients with Breast Cancer: An International Study

The role of self-efficacy to cope with breast cancer as a mediator and/or moderator in the relationship of trait resilience to quality of life and psychological symptoms was examined in this study. Data from the BOUNCE Project ( https://www.bounce-project.eu/ ) were used. Women diagnosed with and in treatment for breast cancer (N = 484), from four countries, participated in the study. Trait resilience and coping self-efficacy were assessed at baseline (soon after the beginning of systemic treatment), and outcomes (quality of life, psychological symptoms) 3 months later. Hierarchical regression, mediation, moderation, and conditional (moderated) mediation and moderation analyses were performed to examine the study hypotheses. Coping self-efficacy mediated the impact of trait resilience. In addition, higher levels of resilience in combination with higher levels of coping self-efficacy were associated with better outcomes. Country of origin had no impact on these results. Overall, it seems that coping self-efficacy is a key factor that should be taken into account for research and intervention efforts in cancer.

Social relationship quality, depression and inflammation: A cross-cultural longitudinal study in the United States and Tokyo, Japan

BACKGROUND

Depression is an illness with biological, psychological, and social underpinnings, which may include the interplay of inflammation, psychological traits, stress, social relationships, and cultural background.

AIMS

This work examines the prospective associations between social relationship quality and depressive symptoms, and between social relationship quality and inflammatory outcomes in two distinct cultures.

METHODS

Data were obtained from two longitudinal, prospective cohort studies: Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), and Midlife Development in Japan (MIDJA) between 2004 and 2010. One thousand three hundred and twenty-seven community-based adults were included in analyses, 1,054 from the United States and 273 from Tokyo, Japan. Depressive symptoms (measured by the CES-D Depression Scale) and inflammation (measured by blood sample concentrations of the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein) were the outcomes. Social relationship quality was the predictor. Culture, trait independence and interdependence, and psychosocial stressors were examined as moderators of the link between social relationship quality and depressive symptoms.

RESULTS

Higher social relationship quality was associated with lower depressive symptoms in the United States (β = -6.15, p < .001), but not in Japan (β = -1.25, p = .390). Social relationship quality had no association with inflammation. Psychosocial stressors moderated the link between social relationship quality and depressive symptoms in both the United States (β = -0.39, p = .001) and Tokyo (β = -0.55, p = .001), such that social relationship quality acted as a buffer against depressive symptoms as psychosocial stress increased.

CONCLUSION

Improving the perceived quality of social relationships appears to be a stronger target for depression interventions in the United States than in Tokyo, Japan.

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA): updated norms and psychometric insights into adaptive testing from healthy individuals in Northern Italy

Background

The availability of fine-grained, culture-specific psychometric outcomes can favor the interpretation of scores of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the most frequently used instrument to screen for mild cognitive dysfunctions in both instrumental and non-instrumental domains. This study thus aimed at providing: (i) updated, region-specific norms for the Italian MoCA, by also (ii) comparing them to pre-existing ones with higher geographical coverage; (iii) information on sensitivity and discriminative capability at the item level.

Methods

Five hundred and seventy nine healthy individuals from Northern Italy (208 males, 371 females; age: 63.4 ± 15, 21–96; education: 11.3 ± 4.6, 1–25) were administered the MoCA. Item Response Theory (IRT) was adopted to assess item difficulty and discrimination. Normative values were derived by means of the Equivalent Scores (ESs) method, applied to the MoCA and its sub-scales. Average ESs were also computed. Agreement with previous ESs classification was assessed via Cohen’s k.

Results

Age and education significantly predicted all MoCA measures except for Orientation, which was related to age only. No sex differences were detected when tested along with age and education. Substantial disagreements with previous ESs classifications were detected. Several items proved to be scarcely sensitive, especially the place item from Orientation and the letter detection task. Memory items showed high discriminative capability, along with certain items assessing executive functions and orientation.

Discussion

Item-level information herewith provided for the Italian MoCA can help interpret its scores by Italian practitioners. Italian practitioners should consider an adaptive use of region-specific norms for the MoCA.

For me or for others? The better-than-average effect and negative feelings toward average others during the COVID-19 pandemic

During the first outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many people expressed hatred toward others whom they believed were responsible for the situation. Such increase in negative affect could be resultant of the better-than-average effect (BTAE), which refers to the phenomenon of believing that one is superior to average others. This study investigated the relationship between the BTAE and emotional valence toward others and tested whether the relationship was moderated by allocentric goals (i.e., concerned with the interests of others rather than themselves) and culture. Participants from the U.S. (N = 210) and South Korea (N = 214) were asked about their perceptions on whether they were better than others at preventing the COVID-19 infection, how they felt about others regarding COVID-19, and for whom they were preventing COVID-19. The results indicated that people showing more BTAE in relation to preventing the COVID-19 infection reported more negative emotional valence toward others, but the relationship was moderated by allocentric goals. In particular, the U.S. participants with higher allocentric goals reported less negatively valenced emotions, while the same was not found in Korean participants. The findings suggest the power of allocentric goals in diminishing the BTAE in some cultures, which may possibly explain the negative emotions some people experience when following social distancing rules.

Reconsidering the structure of the questionnaire for eudaimonic well-being using wide age-range Japanese adult sample: An exploratory analysis

Background

An increasing amount of research is now highlighting the importance of approaching issues of happiness through eudaimonic well-being. However, the literature does not conclusively show a full understanding of the construct of eudaimonic well-being, as previous studies primarily focused on younger samples from Western countries and only a few studies have attempted to explore its psychological construct through exploratory approaches. Therefore, we conducted a survey among a wide range of age groups in Japan to capture the psychological construct of eudaimonic well-being, through an exploratory analytic approach using Questionnaire for Eudaimonic Wellbeing (QEWB).

Methods

A total of 1126 Japanese participants (580 females, 546 males) were included for analysis. Participants were divided into three age groups according to their age, including 10s to 20s (18–29 years), 30s to 40s (30–49 years) and 50s to 60s (50–69 years). After narrowing down the total number of factors by exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), we conducted an ESEM and bifactor ESEM with oblique goemin and oblique bi-geomin rotations for choosing and assessing the final model based on the rotated results and its interpretability.

Results

The results of a parallel analysis and goodness-of-fit indices obtained by ESEM indicated that the QEWB consisted of three or more factors. Both a three-to-six factor and bifactor ESEM with oblique goemin rotation showed that three-factor structure for the 30s to 40s and 50s to 60s and four-factor structure for the 10s to 20s should be chosen, respectively. “Deep and Meaningful Engagement,” a factor only relevant to the 10s to 20s may be an expanded version of what original paper called the Intense Involvement in Activities, with more emphasis on the enthusiastic attitude one has towards activities.

Conclusions

The structure of eudaimonic well-being may differ across cultures and ages, thus requiring further investigation in the field.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40359-021-00707-2.

Culture as an effective frame of reference in clinical decision-making: A comparison of Iranian, American, and Canadian psychotherapists

The therapeutic communication between psychotherapist and client is highly dependent on their socio-cultural background. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of culture on decision-making style of psychotherapists in three dimensions of decision-making: expedience vs. realism, individualism vs. collectivism, and long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation. The sample of this study consisted of 144 psychotherapists (40 Iranians educated in Iran, 33 Iranians educated in the west, 36 Americans, and 35 Canadians). Each of the participants were presented with three scenario that involved clinical challenging situations. For each area of decision-making a statement was considered and the psychotherapist was requested to rate them based on importance in his/her clinical decision-making. Findings indicated that the groups differed significantly on all dimensions with few exceptions when American and Canadian psychotherapists were compared. The decision-making style of Iranian psychotherapists was more with expediency, collectivism and long-term orientation, while the decision-making style of American and Canadian psychotherapists was more with realism, individualism, and short-term orientation. According to the results of current study, socio-cultural background of psychotherapists, as a frame of reference, significantly influenced their clinical decision-making style.

To compare, or not to compare? Age moderates the relationship between social comparisons on instagram and identity processes during adolescence and emerging adulthood

INTRODUCTION

Social networking sites such as Instagram have provided young people with unprecedented opportunities for social comparison, and such behaviour can have implications for identity development. Although initial evidence suggests that there may be developmental differences in terms of how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood, all previous research has been conducted in highly individualistic cultural contexts (i.e., the UK and the US).

METHOD

To shed further light on these possible developmental differences and to determine whether results replicate amongst young people from more collectivist cultural contexts, cross-sectional survey data were collected from 1,085 (M age = 18.87, SD = 2.57; Female = 77.8%) adolescents and emerging adults in Romania and Serbia between December 2019 and March 2020. The relationships between social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram and three key identity processes (i.e., commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment) were then examined.

RESULT

Hierarchical multiple regression analyses identified significant age differences in terms of how social comparisons of ability and opinion on Instagram associated with identity commitment and in-depth exploration. Furthermore, possible cultural differences were identified in terms of how social comparisons of opinion on Instagram associated with the identity processes.

CONCLUSION

Overall, results suggest that whilst social comparisons on Instagram can elicit self-focus and prompt further exploration, developmental and cultural factors may influence how such behaviour informs identity development during adolescence and emerging adulthood.

Understanding user responses to the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter from a terror management theory perspective: Cultural differences among the US, UK and India

This study uses a new approach to understand people's varied responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Heightened media coverage and surging death tolls undoubtedly increase individuals' death-related thoughts. Thus, this study draws on terror management theory to analyze the general public's reactions during which mortality is salient. Twitter data were collected from three countries—the US, the UK, and India. Topic modeling analysis using Latent Dirichlet Allocation identified a total of seven themes reflecting two types of defenses: proximal defenses and distal defenses. Proximal defenses included calls for behavioral changes in response to COVID-19. Distal defenses included searching for meaning, political polarization and government incompetence, racial division, and sharing up-to-date information. During a prolonged crisis, anxiety-buffering systems can be undermined and lead to either maladaptive defenses (i.e., psychological distress) or new forms of defenses (i.e., adjusting to the new normal). The analysis highlights cultural differences in defenses across the three countries. Theoretical and practical implications for public health practitioners and social media platform managers are then discussed.

Cultural differences in geographic mobility readiness among business management students in Germany and Spain ahead of graduation

Given the increased internationalization of organizations and economies of scale concentrated in urban centers, graduates are often expected to relocate for their first job. Based on Hofstede’s model and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), we examine the effects of cultural dimensions (individualism-collectivism and uncertainty tolerance) as well as subjective norms (parents’ and peers’ attitudes towards geographic mobility) on readiness for geographic job-related mobility in samples of German and Spanish business management students ahead of graduation from university. The study involved administering a survey questionnaire to 273 third- and fourth-year business management students of two large universities (one in Germany and another in Spain). Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the measures was confirmed, allowing for comparison of scores across the groups. We found that German students had generally a larger geographical mobility, whose readiness was predicted by parents’ and peers’ perceived attitude and uncertainty tolerance. Readiness for geographic mobility was also higher when social or material incentives are offered, yet geographic mobility readiness for career incentives and for social incentives was predicted by vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism, respectively. This study is one of the first to examine geographic mobility readiness among undergraduate management students in the two countries, who by nature of their training are expected to be mobile. The study also shows the differential effects of sub-dimensions of the Hofstede cultural dimensions.

Perceived financial constraints and normative influence: discretionary purchase decisions across cultures

Five studies examine how perceived financial constraints and abundance determine when consumers will engage in solitary or social purchases. When financially constrained, consumers prefer solitary (vs. social) purchases. We also identify self-construal as a moderator of how consumers spend their discretionary income. While independent consumers prefer solitary (vs. social) purchases, interdependent consumers prefer social (vs. solitary) purchases. Interestingly, when consumers have adequate discretionary income, independent as well as interdependent consumers have similar preferences for solitary and social purchases. In addition, for interdependent consumers, communal norms mediate the preference for social purchases. Finally, for independent consumers, making the communal norm salient reverses their preference for solitary purchases, resulting in a preference for social purchases. Our findings suggest how managers can effectively promote different types of purchases under varying financial resource conditions in their global communication strategy.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11747-021-00814-x.

A cross-sectional examination of the simultaneous association of four emotion regulation strategies with abnormal eating behaviours among women in Japan

BACKGROUND

Research has suggested an association between emotion regulation strategies (ERSs) and abnormal eating behaviours/attitudes (AEB), and many studies have examined the association of one particular ERS with AEB. Additionally, different ERSs are reported to be strongly correlated with each other. Therefore, the associations between an individual ERS and AEB, reported previously, may be spurious. The present cross-sectional study aims to examine the simultaneous associations of four ERSs (brooding, reflection, expressive suppression, cognitive reappraisal) with AEB in a sample of women in Japan.

METHODS

The participants comprised 1528 Japanese women (M_age = 40.65 years, SD_age = 10.22 years, range 21-59). They self-reported the frequency at which they use these ERSs, their levels of AEB (i.e. drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms), and the confounding variables (e.g. psychological distress and BMI) online. AEB was measured using the Japanese version of the 91-item Eating Disorder Inventory; brooding and reflection were measured using the Japanese version of the Rumination Response Scale; individual differences in the use of reappraisal and expression suppression was measured using the Japanese version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (J-ERQ); and participants' psychological distress was assessed using the Kessler 6 Japanese version (K6-J).

RESULTS

Correlation analyses revealed that all ERSs were positively correlated with AEB. However, regression analyses revealed inconsistent findings. In the regression model, after controlling for the confounding variables, only brooding indicated a positive association with the drive for thinness. Regarding bulimic symptoms, all ERSs showed a positive association, except reappraisal, which had a weak, negative association.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that brooding is related to the symptom levels of both eating disorders among women, whereas, the other ERSs are related to those of bulimic symptoms only. However, further research is required to clarify the causal relations between AEB and ERSs.

Children's scale errors and object processing: Early evidence for cross-cultural differences

Scale errors are observed when young children make mistakes by attempting to put their bodies into miniature versions of everyday objects. Such errors have been argued to arise from children's insufficient integration of size into their object representations. The current study investigated whether Japanese and UK children's (18-24 months old, N = 80) visual exploration in a categorization task related to their scale error production. UK children who showed greater local processing made more scale errors, whereas Japanese children, who overall showed greater global processing, showed no such relationship. These results raise the possibility that children's suppression of scale errors emerges not from attention to size per se, but from a critical integration of global (i.e., size) and local (i.e., object features) information during object processing, and provide evidence that this mechanism differs cross-culturally.

Parental Attributions in Ethnocultural Minority, Immigrant, and Country of Origin Parents: A Scoping Review and Call for Research

OBJECTIVE

Maladaptive parental attributions for their children's behavior have been linked to poorer parenting skills, heightened child internalizing and externalizing difficulties, and parents' less willingness to engage in treatment. Although most parental attributions research has been focused on White or European-origin parents, attention has recently turned to ethnic and cultural groups that are underrepresented literature. The present scoping review synthesized existing work on parental attributions among ethnocultural minority and immigrant parents in an adopted country and parents residing in their native non-Western country of origin.

METHOD

A systematic search of five databases was conducted for literature published up to and including the last week of December 2020. Title and abstract screening, then full-text screening, identified 18 records for inclusion in the review.

RESULTS

Although descriptive, single-culture studies showed that maladaptive parental attributions were associated with poorer parenting and child outcomes across cultures, studies comparing ethnocultural groups demonstrated differences in parental attributions across groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the rise in and importance of literature on parental attributions, these results point to a limited scope in understanding parental attributions of ethnocultural minority, immigrant, and country of origin parents. Gaps identified in the literature point to promising future research directions, and a call is made for culturally sensitive parental attribution measures.

Digging to the heart of things - An essay on patterns of diagnosis in traditional East Asian medicine: Comparing Chinese and Japanese systems

BACKGROUND

Traditional East Asian Medical (TEAM) practice systems exhibit much variation. Little work has been done to study reasons for this variation. This essay explores cultural and historical explanations for how variety occurs by contrasting the use of two TEAM concepts in diagnosis in Chinese and Japanese systems.

METHODS

Focussing on two important concepts, xin (heart) and shen (spirit), a literature review is performed to contrast how they developed, are understood and used in diagnosis in Chinese Traditional Chinese medicine, TCM, and Japanese Meridian Therapy, MT.

RESULTS

While TCM texts describe many heart-related diagnoses, MT texts do not describe any. While TCM associates 'shen' with the mind and emotions coupled with associated diagnoses, MT does neither. Historical and cultural reasons for these differences are identified.

CONCLUSIONS

In light of these findings, important questions arise about the nature of concepts and diagnoses in TEAM practice systems. They are not objective like biomedical constructs and diagnoses, nor are they clearly articulated and studied yet according to international standards. This suggests a range of research strategies that are needed. There are valid historical and cultural reasons for the differences we see between Japanese and Chinese TEAM systems. In light of these, further research is needed to elaborate and identify critical issues that are important for education, practice and research.

Are need for affect and cognition culture dependent? Implications for global public health campaigns: a cross-sectional study

Background

Cultural differences in affective and cognitive intrinsic motivation could pose challenges for global public health campaigns, which use cognitive or affective goals to evoke desired attitudes and proactive health-promoting actions. This study aimed to identify cross-cultural differences in affective and cognitive intrinsic motivation and discuss the potential value of this information for public health promotion.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey using cross-culturally validated need for affect (NFA) and need for cognition (NFC) scales was carried out among 1166 Chinese participants, and the results were compared with published data from 980 American participants. Additionally, we assessed a highly prevalent symbolic geriatric health condition, hearing loss, in 500 Chinese community-dwelling seniors. The Chinese NFA scale was developed following the translation-back translation procedure, and the psychometric evaluation was performed by applying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), correlation analysis and multigroup invariance test. MANOVA and Hedge’s g statistic were employed to compare the NFA and NFC levels between individuals from different countries and between Chinese seniors with and without hearing loss. The relation of early hearing intervention intention to NFA and NFC was also explored in the Chinese sample.

Results

A basic two-factor model of NFA adequately fit the sample data from Chinese and American cultures. The questionnaire demonstrated reasonable invariance of the factor structure and factor loadings across the groups. Those in the primary Chinese sample had lower NFA and NFC than their American peers. This difference held in the senior sample. Moreover, Chinese seniors with hearing loss had even lower NFA and NFC than those without hearing loss. Their early hearing intervention intention was low but was associated with intrinsic motivation.

Conclusions

The Need for Affect (NFA) construct may be generalized beyond its Western origins. There was a general lack of affective and cognitive intrinsic motivation in Chinese individuals, particularly in seniors with hearing loss, compared with their American peers. These differences point to a potential challenge in framing effective messages for some cultures in the geriatric public health domain. Ideally, recognizing and understanding this challenge will inspire the consideration of novel persuasive strategies for these audiences.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-021-10689-w.

Cross-cultural differences in foreign language learning strategy preferences among Hungarian, Chinese and Mongolian University students

The present study explores English as a foreign language (EFL) learning strategies used in Hungarian, Chinese, and Mongolian university students with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. A total of 519 university students participated in the survey from the three different countries. The Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL), developed by Rebecca Oxford (2003), was administered to explore cross-cultural differences in strategy use in the study. To explain cultural divergences, we employed Hofstede's 6-D model of cultural values. The study identified a number of cross-cultural similarities and differences in strategy use among these three groups. All the subsamples similarly preferred the use of metacognitive learning strategies; however, there were some significant differences among the countries. A significant difference was observed in cognitive language learning strategy usage for the Hungarian subsample compared to the Mongolian subsample. With regard to the affective field, we noticed that the Mongolian and Chinese students employed affective strategies significantly more frequently. The Hungarian students rated the use of affective strategies the lowest by comparison. These differences may be partly linked to the cultural traditions of the participating countries. Our findings also suggest that although students' cultural background is a significant factor, linguistic and educational background and teaching traditions are also crucial.

Factor analysis of depression symptoms across five broad cultural groups

INTRODUCTION

Core symptoms of depression are likely universal, however cultural groups differ in their experience of the condition. The purpose of this study was to examine differences and similarities of depression symptom groupings between broad cultural groups.

METHOD

6,982 adults took part in an online multilingual depression screening study, and completed an 18-item major depression screener. Participants were categorized into five broad cultural groups by language and country of residence: Spanish speakers from Latin America (n = 3,411); English speakers from Southeast Asia (n = 1,265); Russian speakers from the former Soviet bloc (n = 642); English speakers from English-speaking Western countries (n = 999); and Chinese speakers from China (n = 665). Principal components analysis with promax rotation was used.

RESULTS

Both similarities and noteworthy differences in symptom clustering between groups were observed. For instance, though suicide-related items formed a separate cluster for most cultures, for the Latin-American group, worthlessness loaded with suicidality. Changes in appetite and changes in weight tended to load on different factors (except for Chinese and Russian groups). Hypersomnia tended to load with psychomotor agitation, and core depression symptoms tended to load with physical symptoms (except for the Russian group).

LIMITATIONS

Depression was assessed by a self-report measure aligned to DSM-IV.

CONCLUSION

The analysis contributes to a nuanced understanding of depression manifestations of various cultures, which may inform culturally sensitive clinical practice.

The impact of national culture on the increase of COVID-19: A cross-country analysis of European countries

In recent years, countries have been fighting with increasing momentum against outbreaks. This struggle requires the effective implementation of several measures that are required in medical science. However, the cultural characteristics of each society prevent these measures from being applied in the same way globally. One area in which social scientists have not applied much effort is observing the impact of countries' cultural characteristics in the fight against outbreaks. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether cultural differences among countries have an impact on their fight against outbreaks. This study uses the COVID-19 pandemic's total cases and selected European countries' cultural dimension scores as data. Due to the differences in the measurement units of cultural and outbreak variables, a stepwise multiple logarithmic regression analysis is preferred to select the proper regression model. The results have shown that power distance has a significant and negative effect on the increase rate of the total COVID-19 cases per million (IRTCCPM). In addition, the results have demonstrated that both individualism and indulgence have significant and positive effects on IRTCCPM, at the 95 % confidence level. However, the hypotheses concerning the impacts of masculinity, uncertainty avoidance, and long-term orientation on the IRTCCPM are rejected at the α = 0.05 level. In light of the findings of this study, it can be asserted that countries act in harmony with their cultural characteristics in the formal or informal practices of their fight against outbreaks. The contributions of the study can be discussed in academic and practical fields.

Culture moderates the relationship between self-control ability and free will beliefs in childhood

We investigate individual, developmental, and cultural differences in self-control in relation to children's changing belief in "free will" - the possibility of acting against and inhibiting strong desires. In three studies, 4- to 8-year-olds in the U.S., China, Singapore, and Peru (N = 441) answered questions to gauge their belief in free will and completed a series of self-control and inhibitory control tasks. Children across all four cultures showed predictable age-related improvements in self-control, as well as changes in their free will beliefs. Cultural context played a role in the timing of these emerging free will beliefs: Singaporean and Peruvian children's beliefs changed at later ages than Chinese and U.S. children. Critically, culture moderated the link between self-control abilities and free will beliefs: Individual differences in self-control behaviors were linked to individual differences in free will beliefs in U.S. children, but not in children from China, Singapore or Peru. There was also evidence of a causal influence of self-control performance on free will beliefs in our U.S. sample. In Study 2, a randomly assigned group of U.S. 4- and 5-year-olds who failed at two self-control tasks showed reduced belief in free will, but a group of children who completed free will questions first did not show changes to self-control. Together these results suggest that culturally-acquired causal-explanatory frameworks for action, along with observations of one's own abilities, might influence children's emerging understanding of free will.

Challenges and growth opportunities: the landscape of Chinese medical publication professionals in the global context: a questionnaire-based survey

OBJECTIVE

The Chinese healthcare industry has immense potential for innovation and requires competent publication professionals for global reach. Changes in regulatory landscape of China necessitates pharmaceutical industries to collaborate with medical professionals who are capable of keeping up with both changes in regulations and innovative medicine.

METHODS

We initiated an online questionnaire-based survey via WeChat from August 3 to August 14, 2019 which focused on experience level, challenges, career development, and training requirements of survey participants.

RESULTS

A total of 53 medical publication professionals participated in this survey. Contrary to global trends, 77% of participants had <5 years of professional experience in publication, although only 36% of participants had <5 years of experience in healthcare industry. In all, 63% of respondents spent <50% of their time in publication-related activities, contributing to <10 manuscripts per year. Their expertise in manuscripts spanned clinical studies (68%), post-marketing studies (62%), and reviews (38%). Poor research design and data quality, limited medical writing skill, and inefficient communication with authors were major challenges for developing high-quality publications. Awareness of good publication practices guidelines was high (49%) and 15% of respondents were Certified Medical Publication Professionals. Strategic publication planning (72%), industry trends (66%), and best practices (55%) were some of training requirements identified to increase competencies among respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the Chinese medical publication professional industry is at a nascent stage, an attempt is being made to provide opportunities for its publication professionals to develop their competencies to match global standards.

Embodiment: Cultural and gender differences and associations with life satisfaction

Although cultural factors have an important impact on individuals' experiences of living in their bodies, to date no studies have examined cross-cultural or gender differences in individuals' experience of embodiment. This study compared Swedish and Canadian women's experience of embodiment (and other body image related constructs), as well as Swedish men and women's experience of embodiment. Associations between embodiment, body esteem, and life satisfaction in men and women were also examined. Participants were 302 Swedish women, 242 Swedish men, and 216 Canadian women. Results showed that Swedish women had overall more positive experience of embodiment, more positive body esteem, lower thin-ideal internalization and lower levels of disordered eating than Canadian women. In comparison to Swedish men, however, Swedish women had more negative experience of embodiment in some ways, but similar experience of embodiment in other ways. Although associations between embodiment, body esteem, and life satisfaction were strong, embodiment was a better predictor of life satisfaction than body esteem for both men and women. Results are interpreted through the lens of the developmental theory of embodiment and consider cultural differences between Sweden and Canada, as well as Swedish society's both progress and problems in promoting gender equity.

Cultural influences on face scanning are consistent across infancy and adulthood

The emergence of cultural differences in face scanning is thought to be shaped by social experience. However, previous studies mainly investigated eye movements of adults and little is known about early development. The current study recorded eye movements of British and Japanese infants (aged 10 and 16 months) and adults, who were presented with static and dynamic faces on screen. Cultural differences were observed across all age groups, with British participants exhibiting more mouth scanning, and Japanese individuals showing increased central face (nose) scanning for dynamic stimuli. Age-related influences independent of culture were also revealed, with a shift from eye to mouth scanning between 10 and 16 months, while adults distributed their gaze more flexibly. Against our prediction, no age-related increases in cultural differences were observed, suggesting the possibility that cultural differences are largely manifest by 10 months of age. Overall, the findings suggest that individuals adopt visual strategies in line with their cultural background from early in infancy, pointing to the development of a highly adaptive face processing system that is shaped by early sociocultural experience.

The Effect of Cultural Differences in Psychophysiological Stress Response in High Education Context: A Pilot Study

The simulation scenarios are increasingly being used to assess professional competences in health sciences at university level. The objective of this study was to explore the effect of differences in the stress psychophysiological response of Psychology degree students from Spain and Colombia undergoing to clinical practice. Multiple psychophysiological measures were obtained in a sample of 25 Colombian and Spanish Psychology students undergoing to simulation scenario. Differences in the initial level of stress and habituation process as reported by self-reported and psychophysiological measurements as discussed. Differences in stress-related psychological traits are also analyzed and further discussed.

An examination of eating and thinness expectancies as predictors of eating disturbances in females: evidence for cultural differences between European American and Chinese college students

PURPOSE

This study sought to examine the utility of eating expectancy, thinness expectancy, and the interactive role of both, in predicting eating disturbances (viz., bulimic symptoms and drive for thinness) in European American and Chinese female college students.

METHODS

A sample of 237 European American and 221 Chinese female college students completed measures of eating and thinness expectancies and eating disturbances.

RESULTS

Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that thinness expectancy significantly predicted increases in both drive for thinness and bulimic symptoms (with these increases being greater for European Americans), whereas eating expectancy predicted increases in bulimic symptoms only. In addition, for European Americans, a significant interaction for bulimic symptoms was found, revealing a synergistic increase in bulimic symptoms for those with both a high thinness expectancy and a high eating expectancy. For Chinese, a significant interaction for drive for thinness was found, demonstrating that for those with a high thinness expectancy, a higher eating expectancy was actually associated with a lower drive for thinness.

CONCLUSION

The present findings point to the value of examining for the co-presence of both expectancies in predicting eating disturbances while also highlighting cultural variations in the study of eating pathology.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Descriptive cross-sectional study, level V.

The association between Asian patient race/ethnicity and lower satisfaction scores

BACKGROUND

Patient satisfaction is increasingly being used to assess, and financially reward, provider performance. Previous studies suggest that race/ethnicity (R/E) may impact satisfaction, yet few practices adjust for patient R/E. The objective of this study is to examine R/E differences in patient satisfaction ratings and how these differences impact provider rankings.

METHODS

Patient satisfaction survey data linked to electronic health records from two large outpatient centers in northern California - a non-profit organization of community-based clinics (Site A) and an academic medical center (Site B) - was collected and analyzed. Participants consisted of adult patients who received outpatient care at Site A from December 2010 to November 2014 and Site B from March 2013 to August 2014, and completed Press-Ganey Medical Practice Survey questionnaires (N = 216,392 (Site A) and 30,690 (Site B)). Self-reported non-Hispanic white (NHW), Black, Latino, and Asian patients were studied. For six questions each representing a survey subdomain, favorable ratings were defined as top-box ("very good") compared to all other categories ("very poor," "poor," "fair," and "good"). Using multivariable logistic regression with provider random effects, we assessed whether the likelihood of giving favorable ratings differed by patient R/E, adjusting for patient age and sex.

RESULTS

Asian, younger and female patients provided less favorable ratings than other R/E, older and male patients. After adjustment, Asian patients were less likely than NHW patients to provide top-box ratings to the overall assessment question "likelihood of recommending this practice to others" (Site A: Asian predicted probability (PP) 0.680, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.675-0.685 compared to NHW PP 0.820, 95% CI: 0.818-0.822; Site B: Asian PP 0.734, 95% CI: 0.733-0.736 compared to NHW PP 0.859, 95% CI: 0.859-0.859). The effect sizes for Asian R/E were greater than the effect sizes for older age and female sex. An absolute 3% decrease in mean composite score between providers serving different percentages of Asian patients translated to an absolute 40% drop in national ranking.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient satisfaction scores may need to be adjusted for patient R/E, particularly for providers caring for high panel percentages of Asian patients.

Contextualizing the development of social essentialism

Given the critical role that psychological essentialism is theorized to play in the development of stereotyping and prejudice, researchers have increasingly examined the extent to which and when children essentialize different social categories. We review and integrate the types of contextual and cultural variation that have emerged in the literature on social essentialism. We review variability in the development of social essentialism depending on experimental tasks, participant social group membership, language use, psychological salience of category kinds, exposure to diversity, and cultural norms. We also discuss future directions for research that would help to identify the contexts in which social essentialism is less likely to develop in order to inform interventions that could reduce social essentialism and possible negative consequences for intergroup relations.

Exploring subjective constructions of health in China: a Q-methodological investigation

BACKGROUND

With an increasing awareness of people's satisfaction and feeling, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) has become an essential aspect of measuring health. HRQoL is fundamentally a foreign concept introduced to China from the West. While a growing number of studies applied western HRQoL measures, few content validity tests examined the legitimacy of applying Western developed HRQoL measures in a Chinese cultural setting. If there are distinct differences in health conceptualisation between China and the West, it can be argued that those western measures may fail to ask the most appropriate and important questions among a Chinese population in assessing health. As a limited number of studies have investigated Chinese people's understandings of health, this study aimed to explore how health is defined and described in China.

METHODS

A Q-methodological study was conducted to explore subjective constructions of health among Chinese participants. A scoping review of Chinese generic HRQoL measures, supplemented by a series of qualitative interviews conducted in China, produced a list of 42 statements representing aspects of health considered as being important in a Chinese cultural setting. Chinese participants in face-to-face interviews ranked and sorted these statements. Data were analysed to identify clusters of participants who shared a similar perspective, using a by-person factor analysis procedure.

RESULTS

110 Chinese participants with various demographics characteristics completed sorting interviews. Five independent factors emerged: (I) "Physical independence and social interaction skills"; (II) "Physical health"; (III) "Sensations and feelings"; (IV) "Lifestyles"; (V) "Learning and working abilities".

CONCLUSIONS

The Q-study showed that many health statements were rated highly as most important by a diverse range of Chinese participants but were not covered in the commonly used Western HRQoL measure EQ-5D. It then suggests that the EQ-5D descriptive system might need modification to improve its capacity to measure health status in China. The study thus raises a general question as to how appropriate the Western-developed HRQoL measures are when used to assess health in a significantly different cultural setting.