W. Andrew Harrell

PERCEIVED RISK OF OCCUPATIONAL INJURY: CONTROL OVER PACE OF WORK AND BLUE-COLLAR VERSUS WHITE-COLLAR WORK

Factors influencing the perception of risk of work-related accidental injury were investigated for 244 full-time employed men and women. Autonomy and freedom in ones work were the strongest predictors of perceived risk, with those respondents exercising the greatest control over their work perceiving the least risk of accidental injury. Two other dimensions of control over work—task repetitiveness and speed of pace—had weaker effects. Respondents using primarily blue collar kinds of equipment felt more at risk than those using white collar equipment or no equipment. This result is interpreted in terms of the impact of ‘sudden harm’ on perceptions. Present working conditions, represented by the number of hazards identified in the workplace, predicted perceived risk more strongly than previous accident history.

Factors Influencing Pedestrian Cautiousness in Crossing Streets

Abstract In an observational study of the perception of risks and cautionary behaviors displayed by 571 pedestrians waiting to cross signal-controlled intersections in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, cautiousness was measured by distance stood from the curb and whether a pedestrian checked for traffic before crossing. Female and older pedestrians were more perceptive of risks and were more cautious. Greater caution was demonstrated when outside temperatures were warm rather than cold, when traffic volumes were low, when crosswalks were icy rather than dry, and when pedestrian volumes were low. The impact of pedestrian volumes was interpreted in terms of a diffusion of responsibility and the concept of safety in numbers. Width of crosswalk and time of day did not significantly affect cautiousness.

Homosexuality as a Risk Factor for Eating Disorder Symptomatology in Men

Sexual orientation, body shame, body mass index (BMI), weight discrepancy and age were investigated as risks for eating disorder symptomatology in gay and heterosexual men (N = 230). Higher body shame (the dominant predictor) was associated with higher eating disorder symptomatology. Body shame appeared to be an expression of muscularity. BMI was the next strongest predictor, with heavier men reporting greater weight discrepancy, and in turn, eating disorder symptomatology. Overall, gay men were at greater risk for eating disorder symptomatology than heterosexual men, and a thin-muscular body ideal applies to younger rather than older gay men. These findings have important implications for intervention, prevention and promotion of mens health.

Physical Attractiveness, Self-Disclosure, and Helping Behavior

Summary A field experiment was carried out in which female confederates asked 216 male Ss for directions to a health services building. Half of the Ss received self-disclosure information—i.e., the confederates (C) name—while half received no self-disclosure. In addition, the Cs were either physically attractive or unattractive. It was found that more time was spent giving instructions to attractive Cs than to unattractive Cs. While the main effect for self-disclosure was not significant, there was a significant interaction with attractiveness. The greatest amount of help was given to attractive Cs who self-disclosed. The least amount of help was received by the unattractive Cs who disclosed their name.

Verbal Aggressiveness in Spectators at Professional Hockey Games: The Effects of Tolerance of Violence and Amount of Exposure to Hockey

Cross sections of male spectators (N = 391) at 14 professional hockey games were interviewed prior to the game and after the first and second periods. Subjects who were tolerant of violence in hockey showed signifi-cantly higher levels of irritability on the Buss-Durkee inventory of verbal aggressiveness than did subjects who were intolerant of violence. Subjects tolerant of violence were also angrier over the prospect of their favorite team losing. Over the course of the game, subjects who were both tolerant of violence and frequently exposed to hockey showed a significant increase in verbal hostility on the Buss-Durkee inventory. Subjects who were fre-quently exposed to hockey but who were intolerant of violence showed a reduction in hostility. This differential effect is explained in terms of the motives these two groups of spectators may have for attending hockey games.

Dangerous activities by children in grocery carts: is adult supervision important?

Systematic observations of 231 children (infancy to 5 years) and the 231 adults accompanying them were made in 29 supermarkets in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The objective of the study was to describe the influence of two indices of adult supervision in supermarkets on childrens activities in shopping carts. Adult supervision was measured by whether the adult ever lost sight of the child and whether the adult was 10 feet or more from the child at any time during a shopping trip. 23% of the children stood on the ends or sides of carts; 49% climbed or tried to climb out of carts. Adults lost sight of a child, whether in or outside the cart, a mean of 3.3 times and were 10 feet away 2.7 times during an average shopping trip. Logistic regression showed that a child rather than an adult pushing a shopping cart through the store was the strongest factor related to standing on ends or sides of carts. Pushing by a child was more likely to occur when adult monitoring was low and when children were older. Climbing out was predicted by the number of times an adult was > 10 feet away, older children, and a child being in the cart basket as opposed to outside the cart or in the child safety seat.

The Impact of Cost on Student Helping Behavior

Abstract The conditions under which Canadian students would help their peers and the extent of that help were investigated. Four variables—relationship, amount of contact, method of grading, and examination material—were manipulated to create hypothetical high-cost and low-cost situations. The results indicate that the respondents were most likely to help when the other students were friends, when there was frequent contact, and when the test was not graded on a curve (absence of competition).

Safety of children in grocery stores: the impact of cartseat use in shopping carts and parental monitoring

Two hundred thirty-six preschool children who were accompanied by an adult were observed in 29 grocery stores. Observational techniques were used to record their likelihood of handling potentially hazardous products while shopping. Twenty-four percent of children handled such products one or more times. More than half of the subjects were confined in grocery cartseats while shopping. This confinement was observed to be the greatest deterrent to handling hazards, regardless of the childs age or the quality of parental supervision. More than 80% of adults left their children unattended on at least one occasion. Adult supervision became critical in preventing contact with hazards if children were not confined in cartseats, with the odds of handling hazards increasing where supervision was relaxed. Loglinear analysis showed that a childs age was also a major factor in predicting handling of hazards, with children older than 3 years more likely to handle hazards than those 3 years or younger. There was also a tendency for adult females to confine older girls more than boys in cartseats.

The impact of spirituality on eating disorder symptomatology in ethnically diverse Canadian women.

Background: There is currently a gap in our knowledge of how eating disorder symptomatology is impacted by spirituality and religiosity. To date, studies examining the role of ethnicity in women’s self-reported levels of eating disorder symptomatology have neglected the roles of spirituality and religiosity. Aims: This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating ethnicity, spirituality, religiosity, body shame, body mass index (BMI) and age in relation to eating disorder symptomatology in women. Methods: A representative non-clinical sample of ethnically diverse Canadian women (N = 591) was surveyed. Results: Younger women, particularly those with higher body shame, BMI and lower spirituality, reported more eating disorder symptomatology. Hispanic and Asian women had higher body shame and lower BMI compared to white women. Spirituality was more strongly related to eating disorder symptomatology than religiosity. Conclusions: This is the first study identifying interactive relationships between ethnicity, spirituality, body shame, BMI and age on eating disorder symptomatology in women. Particularly significant is that higher spirituality was related to a lower level of eating disorder symptomatology. These findings have important implications for treatment and women’s physical and psychological health and wellness.

Perception of risk and curb standing at street corners by older pedestrians

The distances stood from passing traffic of 696 pedestrians waiting to cross signal-controlled intersections were observed. Previous research on elderly pedestrians suggested that the elderly are less perceptive of dangers in the traffic environment because of diminished cognitive abilities. In fact, observations established that older pedestrians were the safest age group, standing the farthest away from traffic. This was especially the case for the most at-risk group, older women. In addition, older pedestrians were the most able to discern greater risks of accidental injury under nighttime crossing conditions and to take appropriate safety precautions.