Gender Differences in Attachment Anxiety and Avoidance and Their Association with Psychotherapy Use-Examining Students from a German University.
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SUBMITTER: Weber R
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9312160 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:The search for predictors of intercultural competence (ICC) development is one of the important challenges of modern psychology in connection with globalization in all the spheres of modern life, including university education. The purpose of the present research is to show that the ethno-national attitudes (ENA), which Khukhlaev et al. consider as an individual's predisposition to assess the nationality/ethnicity can determine the severity of ICC features in male and female university students. The sample includes 219 (75% female) first-third year Russian university students. ICC was measured with the author's modification of the intercultural sensitivity scale (ISS) by Khuhlaev and Chibisova. ISS is based on the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, (DMIS) by Bennett and includes 4 subscales: Minimization, Absolutization, Ambivalence, Acceptance. ENA (Nationalistic, Patriotic, Neutral, Negativistic) were determined with the "Scale of ethno-national attitudes" by Khukhlaev, Kuznetsov, and Tkachenko. Descriptive statistics methods, Wilcoxon W-test, and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis in the R software environment, version 3.5.2. The findings of our research showed that Nationalistic and Patriotic ENA are the strongest predictors of studied ICC scales and have an opposite negative impact on Acceptance and Absolutization in both male and female students. This fact should be taken into account in the context of ICC developments.
| S-EPMC7071438 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Math anxiety is widely considered a potential barrier to success in STEM. Current thinking holds that math anxiety is directly linked to avoidance of and underperformance in STEM domains. However, past evidence supporting these claims is limited in important ways. Perhaps most crucially, it is possible that math anxiety predicts STEM outcomes merely as a proxy for poor math skills. Here, we tested the link between math anxiety and subsequent STEM outcomes by measuring math anxiety, math ability, and several covariates in 183 first-semester university students. We then tracked students' STEM avoidance and achievement through four years at university via official academic transcripts. Results showed that math anxiety predicted both a reduction in how many STEM courses students took and, separately (i.e., controlling for one another), lower STEM grades. Crucially, these associations held after controlling for math ability (and other covariates). That math anxiety predicts math-related academic achievement independently of Math Ability suggests that, contrary to current thinking, math anxiety's effects on academic performance likely operate via mechanisms other than negatively affecting math ability. Beyond this, we show evidence that math anxiety can account for associations between math ability and STEM outcomes, suggesting that past links between math ability and real-world outcomes may, in fact, be at least partially explainable by attitudes toward math. These findings provide clear impetus for developing and testing interventions that target math anxiety specifically and suggest that focusing on math ability without additional attention to math anxiety may fail to optimally boost STEM outcomes.
| S-EPMC8203776 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionMales have a higher prevalence of waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) than females in most Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) countries, with a smaller gender gap than that of cigarette smoking. The objective of this study was to determine gender differences among university students with respect to WTS initiation, smoking behavior, tobacco flavors, and expenditure on WTS, in four EMR countries.MethodsA cross-sectional online survey was conducted based on convenient samples of ever waterpipe smokers among university students in four EMR countries (Egypt, Jordan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, and the United Arab Emirates) in 2016. The total samples included 2470 participants. Study participants were invited through flyers, university portals, emails and Facebook, followed by emails with links to the internet survey.ResultsFemales (80.4%) were more likely than males (66.4%, p<0.001) to be in the younger age group (18-22 years) and they were less likely to be current waterpipe smokers (females, 60.0%; males 69.5%, p<0.001). Two-thirds of students across both genders smoked their first waterpipe at the age of 15-19 years, with more females starting with family members. Over one-third of males and 14.9% of the females usually smoked ≥10 heads (p<0.001). About half (46.6%) of females smoked for less than half an hour compared to 30.5% of males (p<0.001). Only 1% of females smoked non-flavored tobacco compared to 11% of males (p<0.001). There was a significant (p=0.05) positive correlation (r=0.808) with respect to tobacco flavor usually smoked between males and females with apple/double apple being the most popular.ConclusionsThere were gender differences in WTS in several aspects. The study has implications for educational establishments, tobacco control and women civil society groups, as well as policymakers.
| S-EPMC7720794 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:This study aims to identify gender differences in specialty preference and career choice among Syrian medical students. METHOD:A cross-sectional study comprising currently enrolled second, fourth and sixth year medical students at Aleppo University was conducted. Demographics, specialty preferences and factors influencing this decision were collected and analyzed. RESULTS:A total of 561 students (44% males, 56% females) responded to our survey (87% response rate). Surgical specialties (40%) and internal medicine (16%) comprised the two most common specialties chosen by males. In contrast, the majority of females preferred other specialties (17%), internal medicine (16%) and surgical specialties (15%). The most common factor affecting the choice of a specialty by both genders (74% females and 71% males) was 'A specialty that I like and find interesting'. Work/life balance and anticipated income were the second most common influencing factors by females (62%), males (67%), respectively. The majority of both genders supported the idea that medical students should be able to pursue any medical specialty they want, regardless of their gender. However, females more often believed that they had decreased opportunities for professional advancement based on their gender compared to males (33% vs. 4% respectively, p?<?0.001). CONCLUSIONS:We illustrated significant gender differences in specialty preferences and factors influencing this decision. While the majority of participants agreed that medical students should be able to pursue any medical specialty they desire regardless of gender, more women believed they had decreased opportunities for professional advancement based on gender. Policy makers should advocate for a culture of gender equity and develop educational programs to insure gender balance of physicians into different specialties.
| S-EPMC7275529 | biostudies-literature
Project description:After more than four decades of research and almost 100 attachment studies, the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of attachment still remain unclear. To better understand the mechanisms moderating the associations of attachment orientations from one generation to the next, this empirical study examined the roles of 1) shared and non-shared environmental factors that characterize critical events in adulthood such as career choice, income and child care; 2) gender differences in attachment between parents (Generation 1, G1) and their adult offspring (Generation 2, G2) and their possible interactions. A sample of 321 families with G2 adults aged 18 and over and two G1 parents up to the age of 81 took part in this study. Both generations completed the Experiences in Close Relationships attachment measure as well as a comprehensive detailed measure of current core characteristics in adulthood (e.g. employment status, income, whether they had children) and demographic variables (gender, age). The findings suggest that the associations between the attachment orientations of G1 and the attachment orientations of G2 were moderated by G2's income, their G1 paternal income and employment status, whether G2 had children (G3) of their own, and their family status after controlling for the age of G2, and the age of both paternal and maternal G1. When the associations for both paternal and maternal G1attachment orientation with both their male and female G2 was analyzed separately, this accounted for 35% of the variance of males' G2 attachment orientation. The discussion focuses on the contribution of these findings to attachment theory and draws clinical conclusions.
| S-EPMC7371162 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVE:Previous research has shown that women have an advantage on verbal episodic memory and processing speed tasks, while men show an advantage on spatial ability measures. Previous work has also found differences in cognition across age. The current study examines gender differences in neurocognitive functioning across adulthood, whether age moderates this effect, and whether these differences remain consistent with practice across multiple testing sessions. METHOD:Data from the Virginia Cognitive Aging Project were used, which included participants between the ages of 18 and 99 years (N = 5125). Participants completed measures assessing five cognitive domains: episodic memory, processing speed, reasoning, spatial visualization, and vocabulary. RESULTS:Results showed that gender was significantly related to memory, speed, and spatial visualization, but not to vocabulary or reasoning. Results of invariance analyses across men and women provided evidence of configural and metric invariance, along with partial scalar invariance. Additionally, there was little evidence that age or practice influenced the gender effect on neurocognition. CONCLUSIONS:Consistent with the previous research, these results suggest that there is a female advantage in episodic memory and processing speed, and a male advantage in spatial visualization. Gender was shown to influence cognition similarly across adulthood. Furthermore, the influence of gender remained the same across three sessions, which is consistent with the previous work that has shown that training does not differentially impact performance on spatial ability measures for females compared to males.
| S-EPMC7331091 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Gender is an important social determinant, that influences healthcare. The lack of awareness on how gender influences health might lead to gender bias and can contribute to substandard patient care. Our objectives were to assess gender sensitivity and the presence of gender stereotypes among swiss medical students. METHODS:A validated scale (N-GAMS - Nijmegen Gender Awareness in Medicine Scale), with 3 subscores assessing gender sensitivity (GS) and gender stereotypes toward patients (GRIP) and doctors (GRID) (ranging from 1 to 5), was translated into French and was distributed to all medical students registered at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland in April-May 2017. Reliability of the three subscales was assessed calculating the alpha Cronbach coefficient. Mean subscales were calculated for male and female students and compared using two sample t-tests. A linear model was built with each subscale as a dependent variable and students' sex and age as covariables. RESULTS:In total, 396 students answered the N-GAMS questionnaire, their mean age was 22?years old, 62.6% of them were women. GS and GRID sub-scores were not significantly different between female and male students (GS 3.62 for women, 3.70 for men, p =?0.27, GRID 2.10 for women, 2.13 for men, p =?0.76). A statistically significant difference was found in the GRIP subscale, with a mean score of 1.83 for women and 2.07 for men (p <?0.001), which suggests a more gender stereotyped opinion toward patients among male students. A trend was observed with age, gender sensibility increased (p?<?0.001) and stereotypes decreased (GRIP p =?0.04, GRID p =?0.02) with students getting older. CONCLUSION:Medical students' gender sensitivity seems to improve throughout the medical curriculum, and women students have less stereotypes towards patients than men do. The implementation of a gender-sensitive teaching in the medical curriculum could improve students' knowledge, limit gender bias and improve patients' care.
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Project description:Both anxiety sensitivity (AS) and experiential avoidance (EA) have been linked to social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, previous studies did not consider their joint variance and the heterogeneity of SAD. In this mixed methods cross-sectional survey, we examined 121 online participants (age range: 16-70 years) who self-reported as socially anxious. We compared AS and EA levels in individuals with a primary fear of noticeable anxiety symptoms vs. behaving ineptly. AS and EA were highly prevalent across the sample. Surprisingly, the noticeable symptoms subtype showed slightly lower AS and EA levels than the inept behavior subtype. The noticeable symptoms subtype scored notably lower on social anxiety measures (mean = 69.8) than the inept behavior subtype (mean = 89.3). EA was uniquely associated with social anxiety in both subtypes, while AS was uniquely associated with social anxiety only in the inept behavior subtype. The joint variance explained substantially more of the noticeable symptoms subtype's social anxiety (32.5%) compared to the inept behavior subtype's (9.4%). Qualitative themes aligned with these findings, indicating a self-reinforcing dynamic between high AS, high EA, and social anxiety symptoms. Potential clinical implications are discussed. Future research should examine causality in the AS-EA-SAD dynamic, considering the heterogeneity of SAD.
| S-EPMC10503767 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Gender differences in mate selection criteria across cultures are common. In various cross-cultural research, these gender differences are explained by different socio-cultural theories. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate gender differences in mate selection criteria in Bangladeshi culture and to explain these differences by the social homogamy theory. An unstructured interview method was followed to obtain the aim of the study. A total of 120 unmarried Bangladeshi university students were chosen to participate the study whose age were ranging from 21 to 24 years (M = 22.45, SD = 1.75). The participants were selected by a convenient sampling method from four universities in Bangladesh. They were equally divided in terms of gender and university. A total of twelve mate selection criteria were found in the study, in which each student averagely responded 7.23 criteria. The highest and lowest number of responses were observed in education (n = 108) and residential status (n = 33) criterion, respectively. The top-ranked criterion considered by male and female students was physical attractiveness and education respectively. Gender difference in mate selection preferences was found to be significant in the study. Though, gender difference was significant in age, education, financial status, physical appearance, physical attractiveness, and profession criterion; however, the gender difference was not significant in character, in-law family's education, in-law family's social approval, religion, region, and residential status. Mate selection criteria considered by Bangladeshi students are explained by the social homogamy theory. The study would help Bangladeshi people to be aware of their mate selection in their own Bangladeshi culture.
| S-EPMC8246383 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This article aims to interrelate dimensions of the well-being validation instruments proposed by Watson, Clark and Tellegen (PANAS) with generalized anxiety dimensions proposed by Spitzer et al. (GAD-7) and state-trait anxiety inventories proposed by Biaggio and Natalício (IDATE), using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), in the case of individual university students in southern Brazil and the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. We conducted a behavioral study, characterized as exploratory-descriptive, by applying a questionnaire survey to collect data though face-to face interviews to a group of 460 university students from June to August 2019. A non-probabilistic sampling method for convenience was used, justified by the heterogeneous incidence of the participants. Our results support most of the proposed hypotheses. Only one hypothesis was rejected, i.e., that the Positive Affection Scale (WBS) is not related to the State Anxiety Inventory (IAE)-when a person is feeling in full activity, this situation does not affect the momentary state, characterized by tension, apprehension and by increased activity in the autonomic nervous system. In terms of the subjective well-being of students, 14.13% were found to have a low rating. 86.74% were found to have generalized anxiety; 75% had trait anxiety, and 80.22% had state anxiety. Our results indicate the need for preventive measures to minimize anxiety and help maintain necessary levels of well-being during this phase of academic development and when forging a professional career. It is expected that new studies will contribute to the advancement of such themes, particularly with university students.
| S-EPMC7312407 | biostudies-literature