Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 37 in total

Abstract:
Sort:
  1. To Brexit or not to Brexit: The roles of Islamophobia, conspiracist beliefs, and integrated threat in voting intentions for the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum
    Swami V, Barron D, Weis L, Furnham A
    Br J Psychol, 2018 Feb;109(1):156-179.
    PMID: 28632335 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12252
    We used an identities approach to examine voting intentions in the June 2016 UK referendum on membership of the European Union (EU). In April 2016, 303 British adults (58.7% women, age M = 34.73) indicated their voting intentions for the referendum and completed measures of identification with the national in-group, perceived threat from Muslim immigrants, belief in Islamophobic conspiracy narratives, Islamophobia, general conspiracist beliefs, ambiguity tolerance, and belief in a clash of civilizations. Path and mediation analyses indicated that greater belief in Islamophobic conspiracy theories mediated the link between Islamophobia and intention to vote to leave. Islamophobia and Islamophobic conspiracist beliefs also mediated the effects of perceived threat from Muslims on voting intentions. Other variables acted as antecedents of perceived threat or Islamophobic conspiracy narratives. These findings highlight the role that identity-based cognitions may have played in shaping voting intentions for the UK EU referendum.
  2. The relationship between schizotypal facets and conspiracist beliefs via cognitive processes
    Barron D, Furnham A, Weis L, Morgan KD, Towell T, Swami V
    Psychiatry Res, 2018 01;259:15-20.
    PMID: 29024855 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.10.001
    This study sought to replicate previous work showing relationships between components of schizotypy and conspiracist beliefs, and extend it by examining the mediating role of cognitive processes. An international online sample of 411 women and men (mean age = 35.41 years) completed measures of the schizotypal facets of Odd Beliefs or Magical Thinking and Ideas of Reference, conspiracist beliefs, and cognitive processes related to need for cognition, analytic thinking, and cognitive insight. Path analysis confirmed the associations between both schizotypal facets and conspiracist beliefs in the present sample. Confirmatory evidence was found for the association between analytic thinking and conspiracist beliefs, and results also suggested an association between cognitive insight and conspiracist beliefs. Cognitive insight also mediated the link between Odd Beliefs or Magical Thinking and Ideas of Reference with conspiracist beliefs. However, analytic thinking provided a mediating link to conspiracy ideation for Odd Beliefs or Magical Thinking and not Ideas of Reference. Finally, there was an association between Odd Beliefs or Magical Thinking and need for cognition, but this path did not extend to conspiracist beliefs. These results suggest possible mediating roles for analytic thinking and self-certainty between schizotypy and conspiracist beliefs.
  3. The portrayal of men and women in television advertisements: an updated review of 30 studies published since 2000
    Furnham A, Paltzer S
    Scand J Psychol, 2010 Jun 1;51(3):216-36.
    PMID: 20338017 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00772.x
    In 1999, Furnham and Mak published a review of 14 content-analytic studies of sex roles stereotyping in television commercials. All these studies were based on the McArthur and Resko (1975) content categories. This paper updates that review considering 30 studies in over 20 countries published between 2000 and 2008. Studies were from Australasia, Austria, Bulgaria, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. They examined over 8,000 advertisements. National and cultural differences in gender stereotypes are also considered in the light of this data. The popularity of, and the problems associated with, the research paradigm are considered.
  4. The intuitive eating scale-2: re-evaluating its factor structure using a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling framework
    Swami V, Maïano C, Furnham A, Robinson C
    Eat Weight Disord, 2022 May;27(4):1349-1357.
    PMID: 34292529 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-021-01271-9
    PURPOSE: Previous studies examining the appropriateness of the 4-factor model of intuitive eating scale-2 (IES-2) scores have returned equivocal results, which may reflect methodological limitations in the way IES-2 scores are modelled. Here, we applied a bifactor-exploratory structural equation modelling (B-ESEM) framework to better understand IES-2 multidimensionality.

    METHODS: A total of 603 participants from the United States completed the IES-2, alongside measures of body appreciation, body acceptance from others, and self-esteem. Our analyses compared the fit of various hypothesised models of IES-2 scores.

    RESULTS: Models of IES-2 scores based on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) uniformly showed poor fit. ESEM models showed superior fit to CFA representations and a B-ESEM model showed improved fit over higher-order CFA and B-CFA representations of IES-2 scores. The optimal model was a B-ESEM model that accounted for, through correlated uniqueness (CU), the methodological artefact introduced by negatively-worded IES-2 items. This B-ESEM-CU model was fully invariant across gender and showed adequate construct validity.

    CONCLUSION: The B-ESEM-CU framework appears well-suited to understand the multidimensionality of IES-2 scores. A model of IES-2 scores that yields a reliable latent indicator of global intuitive eating while allowing for simultaneous consideration of additional specific factors will likely provide more accurate accounting of the nature and outcomes of intuitive eating.

    LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.

  5. The beliefs in the inheritance of risk factors for suicide scale (BIRFSS): cross-cultural validation in Estonia, Malaysia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States
    Voracek M, Loibl LM, Swami V, Vintilă M, Kõlves K, Sinniah D, et al.
    Suicide Life Threat Behav, 2008 Dec;38(6):688-98.
    PMID: 19152299 DOI: 10.1521/suli.2008.38.6.688
    The genetics of suicide is increasingly recognized and relevant for mental health literacy, but actual beliefs may lag behind current knowledge. We examined such beliefs in student samples (total N = 686) from Estonia, Malaysia, Romania, the United Kingdom, and the United States with the Beliefs in the Inheritance of Risk Factors for Suicide Scale. Cultural effects were small, those of key demographics nil. Several facets of construct validity were demonstrated. Marked differences in perceived plausibility of evidence about the genetics of suicide according to research design, observed in all samples, may be of general interest for investigating lay theories of abnormal behavior and communicating behavioral and psychiatric genetic research findings.
  6. The attractive female body weight and female body dissatisfaction in 26 countries across 10 world regions: results of the international body project I
    Swami V, Frederick DA, Aavik T, Alcalay L, Allik J, Anderson D, et al.
    Pers Soc Psychol Bull, 2010 Mar;36(3):309-25.
    PMID: 20179313 DOI: 10.1177/0146167209359702
    This study reports results from the first International Body Project (IBP-I), which surveyed 7,434 individuals in 10 major world regions about body weight ideals and body dissatisfaction. Participants completed the female Contour Drawing Figure Rating Scale (CDFRS) and self-reported their exposure to Western and local media. Results indicated there were significant cross-regional differences in the ideal female figure and body dissatisfaction, but effect sizes were small across high-socioeconomic-status (SES) sites. Within cultures, heavier bodies were preferred in low-SES sites compared to high-SES sites in Malaysia and South Africa (ds = 1.94-2.49) but not in Austria. Participant age, body mass index (BMI), and Western media exposure predicted body weight ideals. BMI and Western media exposure predicted body dissatisfaction among women. Our results show that body dissatisfaction and desire for thinness is commonplace in high-SES settings across world regions, highlighting the need for international attention to this problem.
  7. Taking it apart and putting it back together again: Using Item Pool Visualisation to summarise complex data patterns in (positive) body image research
    Swami V, Furnham A, Horne G, Stieger S
    Body Image, 2020 Sep;34:155-166.
    PMID: 32593946 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.05.004
    Issues of construct commonality and distinguishability in body image research are typically addressed using structural equal models, but such methods can sometimes present problems of interpretation when data patterns are complex. One recent-developed tool that could help in summarising complex data patterns is Item Pool Visualisation (IPV), an illustrative method that locates item pools from within the same dataset and illustrates these in the form of single or nested radar charts. Here, we demonstrate the utility of IPV in visualising data patterns vis-à-vis positive body image. Five-hundred-and-one adults from the United Kingdom completed seven widely-used measures of positive body image and data were subjected IPV. Results demonstrated that, of the included measures, the Body Appreciation Scale-2 provided the closest and most precise measurement of a core positive body image construct. The Functionality Appreciation Scale and the Authentic Pride subscale of the Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale tapped more distal aspects. Our results also highlight possible limitations with the use of several other instruments as measures of positive body image. We discuss implications for research aimed at better understanding the nature of positive body image and interpreting complex data patterns in body image research more generally.
  8. Support for weight-related anti-discrimination laws and policies: Modelling the role of attitudes toward poverty alongside weight stigma, causal attributions about weight, and prejudice
    Swami V, Voracek M, Furnham A, Robinson C, Tran US
    Body Image, 2023 Jun;45:391-400.
    PMID: 37116305 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.04.005
    In the present study, we sought to position support for weight-related anti-discrimination laws and policies within a broader political and socioeconomic context. Specifically, we hypothesised that individualistic (rather than structural) anti-poverty attitudes would provide the basis for negative weight-related dispositions. To test this hypothesis, we asked 392 respondents from the United Kingdom to complete measures of support for weight-related anti-discrimination laws and policies, attributions about the causes of being larger-bodied, and weight-related stigma and prejudice. Path analysis with robust maximum likelihood estimation indicated that greater individualistic anti-poverty attitudes were significantly and directly associated with lower support for weight-related anti-discrimination laws and policies. This direct association was also significantly mediated by weight-related stigma and via a serial mediation involving both weight-related stigma and prejudice. Although greater individualistic anti-poverty attitudes were significantly associated with greater personal attributions for being larger-bodied, the latter did not emerge as a significant mediation pathway. The present findings highlight the importance of considering broader political and socioeconomic contextual factors that may provide a basis for the development, maintenance, and manifestation of negative weight-related dispositions.
  9. Sociocultural adjustment among sojourning Malaysian students in Britain: a replication and path analytic extension
    Swami V, Arteche A, Chamorro-Premuzic T, Furnham A
    Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2010 Jan;45(1):57-65.
    PMID: 19337675 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-009-0042-4
    The present study examined the sociocultural adjustment of 249 sojourning Malaysian undergraduates in Britain. One-hundred and ten Malay and 139 Chinese students enrolled in various courses answered a self-report questionnaire that examined various aspects of sociocultural adjustment and socio-demographics. Overall, Malay students reported significantly poorer sociocultural adjustment than Chinese students, as well as more negative outcomes on a range of predictors. Path analysis for the total sample showed that higher family income led to greater sociocultural adjustment, but partially because it led to more contact with host and conationals, better language proficiency, lower perceived cultural differences and less perceived discrimination. Moreover, participants with higher English proficiency were better adapted, but partially because they perceived less cultural differences as well as having more contact with host nationals. Additionally, individuals reporting better sociocultural adjustment also reported better health statuses. The same model was equally useful at predicting sociocultural adjustment for both Malay and Chinese participants. These results are discussed in terms of the role played by income in buffering against the negative aspects of sociocultural adjustment.
  10. Fulltext Self-compassion mediates the relationship between COVID-19-related stress and body image disturbance: Evidence from the United Kingdom under lockdown
    Swami V, Todd J, Robinson C, Furnham A
    Pers Individ Dif, 2021 Dec;183:111130.
    PMID: 34931100 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.111130
    The ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and attendant lockdown mandates may have detrimental effects on body image outcomes, which in turn highlights the importance of identifying protective factors. Here, we examined associations between COVID-19-related stress and body image disturbance, as well as the potential mediating and moderating role of self-compassion. During the third lockdown in the United Kingdom, we asked an online sample of adults (N = 600) to complete measures of COVID-19-related stress, body image disturbance, and self-compassion. Mediation analysis showed that higher COVID-19-related stress was significantly associated with greater body image disturbance, and that this relationship was mediated by self-compassion. In contrast, self-compassion did not significantly moderate the effects of stress on body image disturbance. These results suggest that promoting greater self-compassion may be a viable means of mitigating adverse outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic on body image disturbance.
  11. Public knowledge and beliefs about depression among urban and rural Malays in Malaysia
    Swami V, Loo PW, Furnham A
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2010 Sep;56(5):480-96.
    PMID: 19651692 DOI: 10.1177/0020764008101639
    This study examined knowledge and beliefs about depression among Malaysian Malays varying in socioeconomic status.
  12. Public knowledge and beliefs about depression among urban and rural Chinese in Malaysia
    Loo PW, Furnham A
    Asian J Psychiatr, 2012 Sep;5(3):236-45.
    PMID: 22981052 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2012.02.003
    The study compared knowledge and beliefs about depression among urban and rural Chinese in a Malaysian sample. A total of 409 participants were asked to identify cases of depression varying in intensity from two vignettes and rate their beliefs regarding a list of possible causes and treatments for depression. The urban Chinese were more likely to identify depression as the problem in the vignette. Beliefs about causes of depression were factored into five components, whereas beliefs about treatment for depression factored into four components. The results indicated that the causes most strongly endorsed were stress and pressure, and standard treatments rated the highest as treatments for depression. Overall, depression literacy was moderate for Chinese Malaysians. The results are discussed in relation to Chinese cultural beliefs about depression. Limitations of this preliminary study were acknowledged.
  13. Fulltext Positive self-beliefs mediate the association between body appreciation and positive mental health
    Swami V, Voracek M, Todd J, Furnham A, Horne G, Tran US
    Body Image, 2024 Mar;48:101685.
    PMID: 38382233 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101685
    Previous work has supported direct, positive associations between body appreciation and positive mental health, but has largely neglected to examine possible indirect mechanistic pathways. Here, we propose one relevant mediational pathway, wherein body appreciation is associated with positive mental health via positive self-beliefs (i.e., cognitions that lead individuals to view themselves, their lives, and/or their futures under a positive outlook). To test this hypothesis, we asked an online sample of 496 adults (249 women, 247 men) from the United Kingdom to complete measures of body appreciation, positive self-beliefs, and positive mental health. Participants also completed measures of self-efficacy and resilience, and provided their demographic information. Correlational analysis revealed significant, positive, and strong associations between body appreciation and facets of positive self-beliefs and positive mental health, respectively. Structural equation modelling showed that positive self-beliefs mediated the association between body appreciation and positive mental health after controlling for self-efficacy and resilience. This model was robust across women and men separately, and the mediational effects remained intact in sensitivity and robustness analyses. We discuss ways in which greater body appreciation may help individuals develop and maintain positive self-beliefs, which in turn shape mental health outcomes.
  14. Positive body image: inter-ethnic and rural-urban differences among an indigenous sample from Malaysian Borneo
    Swami V, Kannan K, Furnham A
    Int J Soc Psychiatry, 2012 Nov;58(6):568-76.
    PMID: 21821633 DOI: 10.1177/0020764011415208
    Previous studies examining body image from a cross-cultural perspective have tended to neglect samples from different ethnic groups or along a rural-urban continuum. To overcome this limitation, the present study examined positive body image among rural and urban women from three major indigenous ethnic groups in Sabah, Malaysia.
  15. Perceptions of plagiarisers: The influence of target physical attractiveness, transgression severity, and sex on attributions of guilt and punishment
    Swami V, Arthey E, Furnham A
    Body Image, 2017 Sep;22:144-147.
    PMID: 28777999 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2017.06.009
    The attractiveness-leniency effect (ALE) suggests that physically attractive targets are less likely to be perceived as guilty compared to less attractive targets. Here, we tested the ALE in relation to attributions of students who have committed plagiarism. British adults (N=165) were shown one of eight vignette-photograph pairings varying in target sex (female/male), physical attractiveness (high/low), and transgression severity (serious/minor), and provided attributions of guilt and severity of punishment. Analyses of variance revealed significant interactions between attractiveness and transgression severity for both dependent measures. Attractive targets were perceived as guiltier and deserving of more severe punishments in the serious transgression condition, but there was no significant difference between attractive and less attractive targets in the minor transgression condition. These results are discussed in terms of a reverse attribution bias, in which attractive individuals are judged more negatively when they fail to live up to higher standards of conduct.
  16. Fulltext Nature exposure and positive body image: (Re-)examining the mediating roles of connectedness to nature and trait mindfulness
    Swami V, Barron D, Todd J, Horne G, Furnham A
    Body Image, 2020 Sep;34:201-208.
    PMID: 32604023 DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.06.004
    Previous studies have reported a significant association between nature exposure and positive body image, but understandings of the mechanisms that help to explain this link remain nascent. Here, we considered the extent to which trait mindfulness and connectedness to nature, respectively, mediate the aforementioned relationship both in parallel and serially. An online sample of 398 participants (199 women, 196 men, 3 other; age M = 28.1 years) from the United Kingdom completed measures of self-reported nature exposure, mindful awareness and acceptance, connectedness to nature, and body appreciation. Results indicated that inter-correlations between scores on all measures were significant and positive. Following the elimination of non-significant pathways, path analysis resulted in an adequately-fitting model in which the direct relationship between nature exposure and body appreciation was significant. In addition, connectedness to nature - but not trait mindfulness - significantly mediated the direct relationship. Finally, we also found evidence of a serial mediation, where the association between nature exposure and body appreciation was mediated by mindful awareness followed by connectedness to nature. The implications of these results for scholarly and practitioner understanding of the impact of nature exposure on positive body image are discussed in conclusion.
  17. Mental health literacy: A cross-cultural study from Britain, Hong Kong and Malaysia
    Loo PW, Wong S, Furnham A
    Asia Pac Psychiatry, 2012 Jun;4(2):113-25.
    PMID: 26767355 DOI: 10.1111/j.1758-5872.2012.00198.x
    A cross-cultural study was conducted on the identification of psychiatric problems comparing British, Hong Kong and Malaysian participants.
  18. Mental health literacy of maternal and paternal postnatal (postpartum) depression in British adults
    Swami V, Barron D, Smith L, Furnham A
    J Ment Health, 2019 May 09.
    PMID: 31070064 DOI: 10.1080/09638237.2019.1608932
    BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression affects between 6 and 13% of new parents, but only a small proportion of individuals who meet diagnostic criteria receive optimal treatment. One reason for this is poor mental health literacy of postnatal depression.

    AIMS: Studies have examined mental health literacy of maternal postnatal depression, but there are no similar studies of paternal postnatal depression, which we sought to rectify.

    METHODS: A sample of 406 British adults was presented with vignettes describing cases of either maternal or paternal postnatal depression. Based on the vignettes, participants were asked to report if they thought anything was wrong with the targets and, if so, to describe what they thought was wrong. Participants also rated the targets on a range of attitudinal dimensions.

    RESULTS: Participants were more likely to indicate that something was wrong when the target was female (97.0%) compared to male (75.9%). Of those who believed something was wrong, 90.1% of participants correctly described the female target as experiencing postnatal depression, but only 46.3% did so for the male target. Participants also held more positive attitudes toward the female target than the male target.

    CONCLUSIONS: There is a gender binary in symptom recognition of postnatal depression, which highlights the need for greater awareness of paternal postnatal depression.

  19. Lay perceptions of current and future health, the causes of illness, and the nature of recovery: explaining health and illness in Malaysia
    Swami V, Arteche A, Chamorro-Premuzic T, Maakip I, Stanistreet D, Furnham A
    Br J Health Psychol, 2009 Sep;14(Pt 3):519-40.
    PMID: 18922210 DOI: 10.1348/135910708X370781
    This study examined beliefs about the causes and determinants of health, illness, and recovery in an opportunistic sample from Malaysia. In all, 371 women and 350 men completed the Health and Illness Scale, a 124-item scale that examined beliefs about current and future health, and beliefs about the causes of illness and recovery. Each of the four subscales of the Health Illness Scale were factor analysed to reveal the underlying structure. Results showed the emergence of a number of distinct factors in the case of each subscale, of which environmental, life-style, psychological, religious, and fate-related factors were fairly stable across subscales. Results also showed a number of differences in beliefs between religious groups, and that religiosity and sex were the strongest predictors of beliefs across the four subscales. The results are discussed in terms of the available cross-cultural literature on lay beliefs about health.
  20. General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression. A study with Malaysian medical students
    Swami V, Chamorro-Premuzic T, Sinniah D, Maniam T, Kannan K, Stanistreet D, et al.
    Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2007 Feb;42(2):161-6.
    PMID: 17180631
    OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between life satisfaction, loneliness, general health and depression among 172 medical students in Malaysia.

    METHOD: Participants completed a questionnaire battery, which included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale.

    RESULTS: Life satisfaction was negatively and significantly correlated with suicidal attitudes, loneliness and depression; and positively with health, which was negatively and significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. Self-concept was negatively correlated with loneliness and depression, depression was positively and significantly correlated with loneliness. Mediational analyses showed that the effects of loneliness and life dissatisfaction on depression were fully mediated by health.

    CONCLUSION: Even though less satisfied, and particularly lonelier, individuals are more likely to report higher levels of depression, this is only the case because both higher loneliness and life dissatisfaction are associated with poorer health. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in developing nations.

Related Terms
Filters
Contact Us

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links