Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The study examined public perception in Israel of the severity of medical cannabis diversion, its morality, and normativeness. The sample included 380 participants who completed a quantitative questionnaire to respond to four scenarios about diverting medical cannabis to a person with/without a license and with/without a small payment (a 2×2 design). The findings show that although the participants received advance information about the severity of medical cannabis diversion as a drug trafficking offense, they perceived the severity of the offense as moderate, and as an act that is at least moderately moral and normative. The findings are explained based on moral theories. We discuss the implications of the findings in relation to the gap between public attitudes and legal policy.

Journal of Applied Gerontology, Ahead of Print.
Having viable alternative transportation options could help individuals stop driving when appropriate. This study employs the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to understand the barriers and facilitators of alternative transportation among a sample of adults aged 55 and older (N = 32). Using a daily transportation data collection app, MyAmble, the research team asked participants questions structured around environmental, individual, and behavioral factors as outlined in the SCT framework. Responses were analyzed using directed content analysis. Findings suggest a substantial reliance on motor vehicles and it was evident that many participants had never seriously considered what they would do if they could no longer drive. We posit that SCT principles may be applied to help older adults build self-efficacy to transition to driving cessation when needed.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Depression is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF), and is associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes. There is a paucity of data on this subject from the developing countries. The aim was to examine the prevalence and related factors of depressive symptoms among Chinese inpatients with CHF. A cross-sectional study was conducted. PHQ-9 questionnaire was used to assess depressive symptoms. The overall prevalence of depressive symptoms was 7.5%. Low BMI (OR = 4.837, CI = 1.278–18.301, p = 0.02), disease duration 3–5 years (OR = 5.033, CI = 1.248–20.292, p = 0.023) and 5–10 years (OR = 5.848, CI = 1.440–23.744, p = 0.013) were risk factors for depressive symptoms, while being married (OR = 0.304, CI = 0.123–0.753, p = 0.010) was protective factor. We should pay more attention to patients without a spouse, with low BMI and whose disease duration is between 3 and 10 years in Chinese inpatients with CHF.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of early life stress (ELS) in a population with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and to estimate its burden on mental, physical, and digestive health. Ninety-three participants with IBD were asked to anonymously complete questionnaires (Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form, Early Life Event Scale, Perceived Stress Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Ways of Coping Checklist, Gastro-Intestinal Quality of Life Index questionnaire, and ad hoc questions about symptoms). The prevalence of patients with IBD who were exposed to at least one childhood abuse was 53%. Mental health and quality of life were significantly poorer in patients with IBD who were exposed to early abuse than in those who were not. Patients exposed to ELS had also more digestive perturbations and fatigue. These results suggest that early abuse should be considered a component of IBD care.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The care crisis manifests the tensions and profound changes which are taking place in contemporary long-term care systems, leading to new care views and modalities in society. Through 26 interviews conducted with caregivers, family members and elderly people with care needs, this study aims to make visible the transformation in the conceptions of care in the Basque Country. First, the results show the displacement of familiarist ideas and values. Second, we describe the daily management of the social and moral tensions associated with outsourcing and the meaning of care work. Third, the findings indicate the emergence of new perspectives on the modalities of care. The contribution of cognitive polyphasia towards analysing the management and integration of new knowledge associated with care in a specific socio-cultural context is discussed. Finally, we consider the applicability of our findings in terms of relevant solutions for care management and innovation in this field.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
According to the motivated helplessness hypothesis, parental feelings of helplessness regarding vaccinating children against COVID-19 may serve a protective function against vaccine fear and hesitancy. Two correlational studies conducted among Israelis (Study 1) and an international sample (Study 2), examined whether self-reported perceived helplessness in vaccinating children may be related to lower vaccine-fear, and higher perceived vaccine-effectiveness, trust in authorities’ recommendations and willingness to vaccinate. Results indicated parents who felt they had no other choice but to vaccinate their children, exhibited less vaccine-fear, higher vaccine-effectiveness and greater intentions to vaccinate. Additionally, the relationships between vaccine-helplessness, vaccine-effectiveness and willingness to vaccinate were partially mediated by vaccine-fear. In Study 2, vaccine-helplessness was found related to higher trust in authorities’ recommendations, which was partially mediated by vaccine-fear. The implications of these findings for research on the psychological function of helplessness in the parental decision-making process of vaccinating children during a pandemic are discussed.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
Public health and welfare systems request documentation on approaches to diagnose, treat, and manage myalgic encephalomyelitis and assess disability-benefit conditions. Our objective is to document ME patients’ experiences with services/interventions and assess differences between those meeting different diagnostic criteria, importantly the impact of post-exertional malaise. We surveyed 660 fatigue patients in Norway using respondent-driven sampling and applied validated DePaul University algorithms to estimate Canadian and Fukuda criteria proxies. Patients on average perceived most interventions as having low-to-negative health effects. Responses differed significantly between sub-groups for some key interventions. The PEM score was strongly associated with the experience of most interventions. Better designed and targeted interventions are needed to prevent harm to the patient group. The PEM score appears to be a strong determinant and adequate tool for assessing patient tolerance for certain interventions. There is no known treatment for ME, and “do-no-harm” should be a guiding principle in all practice.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
This study aimed to assess the long-term effect of the pandemic on mental health and self-care parameters in patients with diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. After 18 months of pandemic, 118 participants remained in the study (mean age of 56.6 ± 13.4 years, 66.7% were women). We observed no change in the scores for mental health disorders screening. Regarding self-care, patients with type 1 diabetes showed an improvement in the adherence score compared to those found at the beginning of the pandemic (variation + 3.5 (−6.0 to +15.8) points, p = 0.02), and also compared to those with type 2 diabetes. Although the pandemic have negatively affected many people’s mental health, especially in those with chronic diseases, our results show that patients with diabetes may have developed good coping and adaptive strategies to maintain diabetes control and symptom pattern of mental health disorders over the course of the pandemic.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The “Healthcare workers’ wellbeing [Benessere Operatori]” project is an exploratory longitudinal study assessing healthcare workers’ mental health at three different time points over a 14-month period during the COVID-19 pandemic. We collected socio-demographic and work-related information and assessed the perceived social support, coping strategies, and levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, anger, burnout, and PTSD symptoms. In total, 325 Italian healthcare workers (i.e. physicians, nurses, other healthcare workers, and clerks) participated in the first initial survey and either the second or third subsequent survey. Participants reported subclinical levels of psychiatric symptoms that remained mostly unchanged across time, except for an increase in stress, depression, state anger, and emotional exhaustion symptoms. Despite subclinical levels, healthcare workers’ distress can adversely affect the quality of care, patient satisfaction, and medical error rates. Therefore, implementing interventions to improve healthcare workers’ wellbeing is required.

Journal of Health Psychology, Ahead of Print.
The current study assessed cross-lagged relationships between binge drinking, implicit beliefs, and habit in undergraduate university students (N = 105). Students completed self-report survey and implicit measures in lab visits 3 months apart. A structural equation model revealed cross-lagged relations between habit and behavior, and some evidence for a reciprocal relationship between implicit beliefs and habit. Implicit beliefs were related to alcohol behavior across time, but no cross-lagged relationship was observed. Findings provide preliminary support for recent advances in habit theory, suggesting that implicit beliefs and habit may develop in tandem or even share common knowledge structures and schemas.