To date, little research has documented the prevalence of anti-gay behaviours on Canadian university campuses or directly explored heterosexual mens and womens self-reported reasons for holding negative attitudes toward gay men and engaging in anti-gay behaviours. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to: (1) assess the prevalence of anti-gay attitudes and behaviours on a Canadian university campus using the Attitudes Toward Gay Men Scale (ATG) and the Self-Report Behaviour Scale Revised (SBS-R); (2) describe heterosexual mens and womens lived experiences as perpetrators of homonegativity; and (3) explore how heterosexuals find meaning in their homonegativity within personal and social contexts. A mixed-methods approach was used wherein a quantitative questionnaire was administered to 286 university students in the first phase of the study. The majority of the participants scored below the midpoint of the ATG and they most often reported engaging in subtle behaviours directed toward gay men. In the second, qualitative phase of the study, open-ended interviews were conducted with eight individuals (four men and four women) who held negative attitudes toward gay men and had engaged in anti-gay behaviours. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants lived experiences of homonegativity were primarily characterized by their feelings of discomfort upon observing gay men display affection and their perceptions that gay men are feminine. For the most part, participants used their religious beliefs, negative affective reactions toward homosexuality, and their beliefs that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural to understand their homonegativity. Further, the participants indicated that they had only engaged in subtle anti-gay behaviours, such as joke-telling, social distancing, or avoidance. Many of the participants were concerned about being perceived as prejudiced and, consequently, monitored the behaviours they directed toward gay men. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning anti-gay behaviours are also presented.

College students and emerging adults have been found to be at risk for smoking cigarettes, drinking to excess, using illicit drugs, driving dangerously, and engaging in risky sexual and delinquent behaviour. Psychosocial correlates (Sensation Seeking, peer behaviour, parent behaviour, and peer and parent anti-substance use messages) from three domains of influence (personality, parent, and peer) were examined together to provide a greater context for the occurrence of such health-risk behaviours. The strongest predictor(s) of each behaviour were identified to better inform intervention practices. Three groups were compared— 1) those who never tried substances, 2) those who tried substances in the past, and 3) those who continue to use substances at present, in a population of emerging adults. Self-report data was gathered from 203 Collèges d'Enseignement Général Et Professionnel (CEGEP) students in the Montreal region. Measures included: Reckless Behaviour Questionnaire, Reckless Driving Measure, Health Behaviour Survey, Sensation Seeking Scale—Form V, and the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Results revealed that peer behaviour was the most significant predictor of substance use in emerging adults, whereas parent behaviour was only a significant predictor of reckless driving. Sensation Seeking, specifically Disinhibition, was found to predict more global reckless behaviours, including illegal activities, such as stealing or using marijuana (p < .01). Neither peer nor parent anti-substance messages were significantly related to any of the health-risk behaviours measured in this study. It would appear that health-risk behaviours tend to be related to the same underlying factors but to varying degrees. Intervention implications are discussed.

Personer med könsöverskridande beteende är en grupp med större risk för psykisk ohälsa jämfört med resten av befolkningen. Ett professionellt bemötande är en viktig del av behandlingsprocessen och påverkar terapeutiskt utfall. Tidigare forskning visar brister i kontakten mellan vårdpersonal och personer med könsöverskridande beteende. Det saknas dock studier som fokuserar på psykologer och deras arbete med denna klientgrupp. Syftet med föreliggande studie är att undersöka psykologers upplevelse av klienter med könsöverskridande beteende. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med fem psykologer som hade erfarenhet av klienter med könsöverskridande beteende. Resultaten pekar på att könsöverskridande beteende är ett ämne som väcker både intresse och engagemang, men också en viss osäkerhet hos psykologer. Det framkommer att psykologers förförståelse och personliga inställningar spelar en stor roll i arbetet med klientgruppen när utbildningen och tillgången till information i ämnet är begränsad. En icke-patologiserande syn på könsöverskridande beteende dominerar, men även motsatsen förekommer. Ytterligare forskning krävs för att kartlägga på vilket sätt psykologrelaterade faktorer påverkar behandlingen av personer med könsöverskridande beteende. En annan viktig aspekt är hur befintlig kunskap kan implementeras i läroplaner för psykologers grundutbildning och effektivt spridas bland yrkesverksamma. / People with gender-incongruent behaviors have a higher risk for psychiatric problems compared to others. A professional approach is an important part of the treatment process and will influence the therapeutic outcome. Earlier research shows deficits in the contact between care personnel and people with gender-incongruent behaviours. There are no studies focusing on psychologists and their work with this client group. The aim of this study is to research psychologists’ subjective experience of clients with gender-incongruent behaviours. The study uses a qualitative method. The research data was collected with semi-structured interviews with five psychologists that had some experience with clients with gender-incongruent behaviours. The results point to gender-incongruent behaviors being a topic that evokes both interest and commitment, but also some insecurity in psychologists. Psychologists’ preconceptions and personal beliefs play a big role during the work with these clients when education and access to information on the topic is limited. A non-pathologizing outlook on gender-incongruent behaviours dominates, but the opposite also exists. More research is needed to map out in which way psychologist-related factors influence treatment of people with gender-incongruent behaviours. Another important aspect is how existing knowledge can be implemented in psychologists’ basic training and how it can be spread effectively amongst professionals.

The hazards literature has identified many factors as being influential in the decision making process during high risk, short-notice disasters. Risk perception and previous disaster experience are commonly identified as two of the more influential factors in this complex process. However, few studies adequately address the complex role(s) that these factors play in self-protective decision-making during successive high-risk events. In particular, the role of previous disaster experience during subsequent events is still a matter of considerable discussion and inconsistent findings. This thesis examines two events that occurred in August, 2011 in Goderich, Ontario: an F-3 tornado that struck the community on August 21st and a tornado warning that was posted for the region three days later on August 24th. This case study provided the opportunity to examine the roles of risk perception and previous disaster experience in the decision-making process during successive high-risk events. Semi-structured interviews (n=35) and close-ended questionnaires (n=268) were conducted to learn about the ways that individuals obtained and understood risk information, and to explore whether and how such information guided protective behaviors during the two events. The interviews were analyzed using thematic coding to identify response patterns, and the questionnaires were analyzed using IBM SPSS software. It was found that a sizable portion of the sample population took protective actions on August 24th in ways that were inconsistent with their actions on August 21st. Also, a significant portion of respondents chose not to take any form of protective action on August 24th despite having previously experienced the damaging tornado. The findings of this research suggest that the significance of previous disaster experience in the decision-making process is highly variable and context-dependent. A second significant research finding involves the impact of the tornado on the place attachments of Goderich residents. It was found that the disaster had significant impacts, both positive and negative, on participants' sense of place. These findings have implications for both short- and long-term disaster recovery.

To date, little research has documented the prevalence of anti-gay behaviours on Canadian university campuses or directly explored heterosexual mens and womens self-reported reasons for holding negative attitudes toward gay men and engaging in anti-gay behaviours. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to: (1) assess the prevalence of anti-gay attitudes and behaviours on a Canadian university campus using the Attitudes Toward Gay Men Scale (ATG) and the Self-Report Behaviour Scale Revised (SBS-R); (2) describe heterosexual mens and womens lived experiences as perpetrators of homonegativity; and (3) explore how heterosexuals find meaning in their homonegativity within personal and social contexts. A mixed-methods approach was used wherein a quantitative questionnaire was administered to 286 university students in the first phase of the study. The majority of the participants scored below the midpoint of the ATG and they most often reported engaging in subtle behaviours directed toward gay men. In the second, qualitative phase of the study, open-ended interviews were conducted with eight individuals (four men and four women) who held negative attitudes toward gay men and had engaged in anti-gay behaviours. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants lived experiences of homonegativity were primarily characterized by their feelings of discomfort upon observing gay men display affection and their perceptions that gay men are feminine. For the most part, participants used their religious beliefs, negative affective reactions toward homosexuality, and their beliefs that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural to understand their homonegativity. Further, the participants indicated that they had only engaged in subtle anti-gay behaviours, such as joke-telling, social distancing, or avoidance. Many of the participants were concerned about being perceived as prejudiced and, consequently, monitored the behaviours they directed toward gay men. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning anti-gay behaviours are also presented.

There is considerable controversy in the research literature concerning meeting the needs of children and youth with Emotional and Behavioural Disorders (EBD). Collaborative models of service delivery have shown promising results in effectively meeting the needs of students with disabilities. The objective of this study was to examine the association between service providers adherence to the fundamental elements of a collaborative process called Wraparound and measures of students maladaptive behaviours, behavioural strengths, and functional impairment. <p>The current research investigated 23 students who were experiencing impaired functioning in the school, family, and/or community as a result of behavioural difficulties. Twelve of the students were engaged in Wraparound services and 11 were receiving conventional services. Adherence to the elements of Wraparound was determined using the Wraparound Fidelity Index (WFI; Bruns et al., 2005), a structured interview with the students primary caregivers. Maladaptive behaviours, behavioural strengths, and functional impairment were assessed via the students teachers completing the Behaviour Assessment System for Children (BASC; Reynolds & Kamphaus, 1992), Behavioural and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS-2; Epstein, 2004), and the Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS; Hodges, 2005), respectively. Results of this research indicated that, overall, the students who received Wraparound services showed higher fidelity to the elements of Wraparound and more favourable behavioural outcomes than did the students engaged in the conventional model of service delivery. The correlation analysis of the association between adherence to the elements of Wraparound and the student outcome measures showed mixed results. A strong association was observed with statistical significance for the element of Youth and Family Team on all three outcome measures. This indicates the importance of an effective team in producing positive outcomes for the students and their families.

In this research, a model for ethically questionable decision-making is developed by amalgamating several decision-making theories. The variables of interest are the techniques of neutralization, perceived moral intensity, Machiavellianism, unethical intentions, and ethical judgment. Using a sample of 276 U.S. marketing professionals, partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to validate the model. Findings reveal that U.S. marketing professionals rationalize their ethically questionable intentions through their: (1) perception of moral intensity (i.e., minimizing the harms on others, perceiving their self-interest as most salient, and indifference to social consensus), (2) reliance on various neutralization techniques, and; (3) judgment of their ethically questionable intentions as ethical. After controlling for the Machiavellian personality trait, Machiavellianism did not have a profound effect on the decision-making process, which implies that marketers, in general, are capable of the cognitive distortions found in this study. The main contribution to knowledge is the synthesis of the techniques of neutralization and the perceived moral intensity construct. Through this amalgamation, knowledge of the intermediary steps in the decision-making process has emerged. A contribution to knowledge involves testing the relationship between Machiavellianism and unethical intentions through the mediating variable of the techniques of neutralization. Through this investigation, it was found that the Machiavellian personality is inconsequential to the decision-making process. As a contribution to managerial knowledge, it was found that through cognitive distortions, marketers are capable of various illicit behaviours, which have been shown to be costly to not only stakeholders, but also to the profitability and reputations of organisations.

Darbo tikslas – ištirti vartotojų elgseną renkantis sporto ir sveikatingumo centrą Šiauliuose, išanalizuoti vartotojų elgsenos ypatumus. Magistro darbe išnagrinėti įvairių Lietuvos ir užsienio autorių darbai apie vartotojų elgseną, išaiškinta vartotojų elgsenos esmė, išanalizuoti vartotojų elgseną įtakojantys veiksniai, išnagrinėtas vartotojo sprendimo priėmimo procesas, aptarta sporto sistema ir jos struktūra. Atliekant tiriamąjį darbą išanalizuoti vartotojų motyvai, skatinantys rinktis sporto paslaugas ir jas teikiančius sporto klubus, ištirtas vartotojų lojalumas renkantis sporto klubą, išanalizuotos sporto klubų teikiamos paslaugos vartotojų požiūriu. Patvirtinama autoriaus suformuluota mokslinio tyrimo hipotezė, kad vartotojų elgseną priimant sprendimą dėl paslaugų, prekių pasirinkimo, įsigijimo bei naudojimo, siekiant patenkinti poreikius ir norus, apsprendžia vartotojų lytis ir amžius. / The aim of the present thesis is to make a survey of consumers’ behaviours while opting for the Šiauliai Sport & Wellness Centre and to carry out the analysis of the peculiarities characteristic of consumers’ behaviours. The master’s thesis carries out a scrutiny into different Lithuanian and foreign authors’ works on consumers’ behaviours, clarifies the purport of consumers’ behaviours, analyses the factors influencing consumers’ behaviours, provides insight into the process of decision taking by a consumer and discusses the system of sports and its structure. The study provides the analysis of consumers’ motives stimulating their option for sports services and sports clubs offering the mentioned services, examines consumers’ loyalty in choosing a particular sports club and traverses the services rendered by sports clubs from consumers’ point of view. The author’s hypothesis brought forward in the research that consumers’ behaviours towards taking a decision on the option, purchase and use of services and goods for satisfying their demands and wishes are determined by consumers’ sex and age has found its verification.

When multiple predators foraging together have different individual consumption rates than predators foraging in isolation, they exhibit non-independent multiple predator effects on prey. I examined multiple predator effects in a system consisting of invasive green crabs (Carcinus maenas L.), native rock crabs (Cancer irroratus Say) and benthic macrofauna prey. First, I examined multiple predator effects when green crabs and rock crabs forage on soft-shell clams (Mya arenaria L.) in different habitat types (sand, sand with artificial seagrass) and assessed the behavioural mechanisms responsible for the observed predation effects. Independent multiple predator effects on prey were detected for most conspecific and heterospecific pairs in both habitat types. In general, crab foraging behaviours were not affected by the presence of another predator. Interactions between predators did not influence foraging behaviours because encounters were infrequent, short in duration and predominantly non-aggressive. A non-independent multiple predator effect on prey (marginally significant) was observed when green crabs foraged with rock crabs in artificial seagrass. This effect, however, could not be explained by the observed crab behaviours. Second, I investigated multiple predator effects when green crabs and rock crabs forage on a soft-sediment macrofauna community. Because crabs did not have significant predation effects on the community throughout the experiment, I did not evaluate multiple predator effects on prey. It is possible that crab predation was not important in regulating the macrofauna community, in which case multiple predator effects were non-existent. Predation may have been suppressed due to a combination of factors, including interactions between predators, harsh environmental conditions or a sub-optimal prey field. Alternatively, my ability to detect significant predation effects may have been hindered because of prey movement in and out of cages or low statistical power. Overall, results from this thesis demonstrate that multiple predator effects on prey may differ with habitat and highlights the importance of conducting behavioural observations to better understand interactions between predators and the resulting consequences for prey. Multiple predator effects on a soft-sediment community should be re-evaluated to assess the importance of these crab species in regulating benthic macrofauna under natural conditions.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence and burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a concern. While CVD events will occur later in a woman’s life, modifiable risk factors for CVD occur earlier during adult years. While, there is strong evidence linking modifiable risk factors to CVD, the influence of the work environment on CVD risk is poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: The study objectives were to: 1) determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk indicators; 2) determine the relationships between work patterns and lifestyle behaviours in female hospital workers; 3) determine the relationships between work patterns and cardiovascular risk indicators; and 4) determine the relationships between work patterns, lifestyle behaviours and cardiovascular risk while controlling for covariates. METHODS: Participants were female hospital workers (N= 466) from 2 hospital sites in Southeastern Ontario. Cardiovascular risk data were obtained through anthropometric measurements, blood sampling and self-report. Work pattern data were collected through self-report and linked with hospital administrative work data. Lifestyle behaviour data were obtained through self-report using validated questionnaires. Metabolic syndrome was classified in accordance with the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel (NCEP ATP) (III) guidelines. RESULTS: Approximately 1 in 4 female participants had the metabolic syndrome, with elevated waist circumference being the most common CVD risk factor. After adjustments, the multivariate analysis found a few key significant associations between irregular work patterns, specifically extended shifts and CVD risk, specifically elevated systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, consistent with the literature, the bivariate analyses revealed that after 6 or more years of shift work, female workers were more likely to develop the metabolic syndrome (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.12, 3.17) and abdominally obesity (OR = 2.0, 95% CI, 1.31, 3.11). CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study suggest that generally work patterns do not influence the development of unhealthy behaviours and cardiovascular risk factors, although a few key exceptions exist. Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking harmful and protective work pattern characteristics to CVD risk. Given the prevalence of abdominal obesity and overall CVD risk, hospital decision makers need to consider cardiovascular health within healthy workplace initiatives as the healthcare workforce is aging. / Thesis (Master, Nursing) -- Queen's University, 2009-09-24 18:39:03.718