The alms of the current study were, firstly, to examme factors predicting nurses' perception of risk of HIV contagion at work; and secondly to investigate nurses' compliance with universal precautions, and the reasons for their compliance and noncompliance. The research was carried out in three phases. Phase I of the research used the Yates and Stone (1992) model of risk as a theoretical framework with which to examine perceived risk and also investigated reasons for non-compliance. The results suggested that perceived risk was related to fear of contagion and knowledge of non-transmission modes. Additionally four factors were produced from the investigation of reasons for non-compliance. Phase 2 utilised a qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews designed to yield salient beliefs and issues relating to: risk perception and fear of contagion; knowledge of HIV; precautionary compliance; and the use of social comparisons when evaluating risk. The third phase of the research project was designed to combine the results of the first two phases of research with established theory in order to investigate the two main aims of the study. The Yates and Stone model of risk was again used. The Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1986) was used as a framework with which to examine compliance with universal precautions, and the False Consensus Effect (Ross, House and Green, 1977) was also used to examine behaviours and beliefs relating to both risk perception and precaution use. As with phase 1 this phase was questionnaire based. The relationships between descriptor and outcome variables were examined through the use of univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistical techniques. Overall it was found that fear of contagion, knowledge of HIV, previous exposure to HIV, and perceived behavioural control were all significant predictors of perceived risk of HIV contagion, results which support the Yates and Stone conceptualisation of risk. Four factors relating to precaution non-use were found and the Theory of Planned Behaviour was found to predict and explain precaution non-use accurately for 71 % of participants. Relationships amongst the variables were investigated in detail and the results were discussed in tenns of both theoretical and practical outcomes.

Owing to the ever increasing prevalence of software piracy and the alarming rise in costs to global economies, this research evaluated the Theory of Planned Behaviour and looked to determine if there are any relationships between the constructs under the model and intentions to carry out a specific behaviour, namely the copying of unauthorised computer software. The theory suggests that should attitudes and social norms favour the pirating of software and should the individual have the necessary perceived behavioural control and selfefficacy then they will be more likely to have intention to commit a certain act. A quantitative study looking at 225 individuals from organisations in the fields of manufacturing, finance and information technology was carried out to evaluate the theory’s claims. Correlations and linear regressions were run to analyse the data and it emerged that attitudes were the major predictor of intentions to pirate software accounting for up to 55% of the variance. Despite the perceived behavioural control variable there was significant support for the predictive value of the different constructs under the Theory of Planned Behaviour as well as the construct of self-efficacy.

No description available.

No description available.

Despite the widely documented physical, psychological, and social benefits of participation in physical activity (Sallis, Prochaska, & Taylor, 2000; U.S Department of Health & Human Services, 2000), less than half of young Saudi adolescents are involved in non-school organised sport (General Presidency for Youth Welfare, 2007; Al-Hazzaa, 2004). Thus, examination of social and psychological determinants of participation in leisure time physical activity is important. This PhD examined these determinants within Saudi adolescents. A mixed methods approach was adopted to identify and test the important social and psychological determinants of participation in leisure-time physical activity. Phase one of the research was qualitative in nature. The purpose of this phase was to illustrate how an elicitation method can be used to identify salient behavioural (termed consequences), normative (termed referents), and control (termed circumstances) beliefs about physical activity as perceived by adolescents. These findings, along with theoretical propositions and evidence from previous studies, contributed to the development of a model of the social and psychological determinants of participation in leisure-time physical activity. They also contributed to the development of ways to measure important concepts in the model. Phase two was quantitative in nature and used multiple regression analysis to test the relationships among the key variables of interest. In part one of this phase, self-report questionnaires measured the respondents’ intention to participate in leisure time physical activity (dependent variable); it also measured their attitude toward physical activity behaviour, as well as subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, descriptive norms, self-efficacy, self-identity, and past behaviour (independent variables). The results revealed that attitudes, subjective norms, perceptions of behavioural control predicted physical activity intentions in a Saudi Arabian context. Moreover, descriptive norms, self-efficacy, and past behaviour contributed to the prediction of intentions, while self-identity did not. The results also pointed to some gender differences: while Saudi females considered attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control and self-efficacy during intention formation, Saudi males considered attitude, subjective norms, perceived behaviour control, self-efficacy, and past behaviour only during intention formation. In terms of the salient beliefs, being active, maintaining fitness and controlling weight predicted attitudes; friends, mother, and brother predicted subjective norms; and availability of place, availability of time, and bad weather predicted perceived behavioural control. The results also pointed to some gender differences. While Saudi females considered being active, maintaining fitness, controlling weight, friends, family, father, mother, and brother, availability of place, availability of time, and bad weather, Saudi males considered being active, friends, family, father, brother, availability of place, availability of time and bad weather. In part two of this phase, five weeks after completing the main questionnaire, participants completed a follow-up questionnaire that assessed self-reported physical activity during the previous five weeks. Results revealed that intention, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and past behaviour, but not attitude, descriptive norms, or self-identity predicted physical activity. Results also pointed out important gender differences. That is, while Saudi males appeared to consider intention, perceived behavioural control, and past behaviour when predicting exercising behaviour, this was not the case for Saudi females who considered intention, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and past behaviour only. Overall, the findings of this thesis offer partial support for the capacity of the theory of planned behaviour to predict participants’ physical activity intention and behaviour. The standard TPB variables, self-efficacy and past behaviour predicted intention, while, subjective norms, self-efficacy and past behaviour predicted behaviour. In general, findings also point out important gender differences. That is, while Saudi males appear to consider the standard TPB variables, self-efficacy, and past behaviour when predicting intention, and perceived behavioural control and past behaviour when predicting physical activity behaviour, this is not the case for Saudi females. In contrast, Saudi females consider attitude, subjective norms, and self-efficacy when predicting intention, and self-efficacy and past behaviour when predicting physical activity behaviour. Implications of these findings are that in order to alter physical activity patterns, factors influencing adolescents’ intention and behaviour to participate in physical activity must be addressed. Specially, effective interventions should target cognitive, social, environmental and psychological factors aimed at promoting physical activity among adolescents.

The aim of this research study is to assess the ability of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TpB) to explain people’s intentions to interact interracially on a social level. It aims to understand the influence of students’ attitudes, perceptions of social norms and efficacy on these intentions. A questionnaire survey was administered to 226 students (37% White, 31% Black African, 27% Asian and 4% Coloured). The questionnaire was based on the standard format of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991). The TpB model explained 35% of the variability in intention, providing support for its predictive power. The attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control components of the model had good predictive ability demonstrating the usefulness of the model as a means to explain and predict intention to mix interracially. The results indicated that attitudes to mixing was the most powerful predictor of intention to mix inter-racially followed by perceived ability to effect this behaviour. Perception of social norms, while also statistically significant, was the least important factor. The findings suggest that the major obstacles to inter-racial interaction are intergroup attitudes and perceived inability to make such contacts.

<p>Vårdrelaterade infektioner är en av de vanligaste förekommande komplikationerna inom svensk sjukvård. Den drastiska ökningen av multiresistenta bakterier ökar sannolikheten för att insjukna i en multiresistent vårdrelaterad infektion och aktualiserar därmed problemet med den bristande följsamheten till handhygien. För att lyckas med att minska vårdrelaterade infektioner krävs en optimal följsamhet till handhygien, då handhygien anses vara det i särklass effektivaste sättet att förhindra smittspridning. Forskning pekar dock i motsatt riktning och visar en genomsnittlig följsamhet på 40 procent. En litteraturstudie utfördes med syfte att utifrån the Theory of Planned Behaviour belysa de faktorer som påverkar vårdpersonalens följsamhet till handhygien. Resultatet visar att kunskap påverkar vårdpersonalens föreställningar om, och ökar de positiva attityderna till handhygien. Vårdkulturen påverkar vårdpersonalens subjektiva normer vilket har både positiv och negativ inverkan på följsamheten. Tid och fysiska omgivningsfaktorer är betydelsefulla för personalens uppfattning om sin egen förmåga att utföra handhygien. Ingen av dessa påverkansfaktorer kan dock ensam stå som en förklaring till det handhygieniska beteendet eller ensam utgöra en åtgärd för att optimera följsamheten. Mer kvalitativ forskning är önskvärd inom området för att identifiera nya faktorer som påverkar följsamheten och ökar förståelsen för vårdpersonalens handhygieniska beteende.</p>

Vårdrelaterade infektioner är en av de vanligaste förekommande komplikationerna inom svensk sjukvård. Den drastiska ökningen av multiresistenta bakterier ökar sannolikheten för att insjukna i en multiresistent vårdrelaterad infektion och aktualiserar därmed problemet med den bristande följsamheten till handhygien. För att lyckas med att minska vårdrelaterade infektioner krävs en optimal följsamhet till handhygien, då handhygien anses vara det i särklass effektivaste sättet att förhindra smittspridning. Forskning pekar dock i motsatt riktning och visar en genomsnittlig följsamhet på 40 procent. En litteraturstudie utfördes med syfte att utifrån the Theory of Planned Behaviour belysa de faktorer som påverkar vårdpersonalens följsamhet till handhygien. Resultatet visar att kunskap påverkar vårdpersonalens föreställningar om, och ökar de positiva attityderna till handhygien. Vårdkulturen påverkar vårdpersonalens subjektiva normer vilket har både positiv och negativ inverkan på följsamheten. Tid och fysiska omgivningsfaktorer är betydelsefulla för personalens uppfattning om sin egen förmåga att utföra handhygien. Ingen av dessa påverkansfaktorer kan dock ensam stå som en förklaring till det handhygieniska beteendet eller ensam utgöra en åtgärd för att optimera följsamheten. Mer kvalitativ forskning är önskvärd inom området för att identifiera nya faktorer som påverkar följsamheten och ökar förståelsen för vårdpersonalens handhygieniska beteende.

Adolescents intentions to behave in both reactive and instrumental aggression were assessed using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985). Along with examining the TPB, perceptions of self-efficacy (A. Bandura, 1982) towards both types of aggression were also assessed. Self-report questionnaires were administered to 162 grade 10 to 12 students in two independent school districts. Using Path Analysis, the TPB was shown to significantly explain both instrumental and reactive aggression. In the context of reactive aggression, attitudes were found to have the greatest influence on intentions to behave aggressively. As for instrumental aggression, self-efficacy was found to have the greatest influence on intentions. Overall, the results of this study provide support for using the TPB to explain adolescent aggression. In addition, this study further demonstrates the value of distinguishing between reactive and instrumental functions of aggression.

Adolescents intentions to behave in both reactive and instrumental aggression were assessed using the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985). Along with examining the TPB, perceptions of self-efficacy (A. Bandura, 1982) towards both types of aggression were also assessed. Self-report questionnaires were administered to 162 grade 10 to 12 students in two independent school districts. Using Path Analysis, the TPB was shown to significantly explain both instrumental and reactive aggression. In the context of reactive aggression, attitudes were found to have the greatest influence on intentions to behave aggressively. As for instrumental aggression, self-efficacy was found to have the greatest influence on intentions. Overall, the results of this study provide support for using the TPB to explain adolescent aggression. In addition, this study further demonstrates the value of distinguishing between reactive and instrumental functions of aggression.