Evaluating the Acceptance of Hemp Food in Australian Adults Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Structural Equation Modelling.

This research presents a mixed methods (qual-QUANT) approach to the evaluation of the intention to consume hemp foods in an Australian sample soon after its legalization, using the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate items developed from semi-structured interviews, with a focus on the TPB factors; attitudes toward hemp food consumption, subjective beliefs, and perceptions of control. Findings support the notion that consumers may be confused about associations between Cannabidiol (CBD) oil, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and hemp food produced from Cannabis sativa. Highly salient negative associations are mediated by the perception of positive aspects of CBD for some consumers, but the value placed on others' acceptance of hemp food is the greatest indicator of intention to consume hemp food products. It is suggested that greater education of consumers might allay fears borne of association of hemp food to either CBD or THC, and any move toward disassociation of hemp food to either entity would have positive repercussions for the hemp food industry. Findings have implications for other novel foods that carry highly salient negative associations for consumers.

The development and validation of the Multidimensional Paternal Perinatal Scale (MPPS).

The limited availability of screening tools for assessing fathers' emotional well-being during the perinatal period warrants the development of a new measure, especially since the existing measurements did not specifically focus on fathers' perinatal experiences. These existing measurements focus on the assessment of clinical symptoms rather than precursors that may negatively impact on perinatal father's well-being. Based on the paternal perinatal conceptual framework, the Multidimensional Paternal Perinatal Scale (MPPS) was developed to identify precursors that contribute to the father's emotional well-being during the perinatal period. This paper examines three steps of measurement development. The first step comprised item development based on the literature and qualitative findings. The second step comprised conducting the qualitative and quantitative judgment analysis of the MPPS content validity. The third step assessed inter-rater reliability. Two versions of the MPPS were developed: the antenatal and postnatal versions. The antenatal version of the MPPS includes 75 items and targets 11 precursors of paternal perinatal emotional well-being, while the postnatal version includes 103 items and targets 13 precursors of poor emotional well-being. The validity analysis showed that both the antenatal and postnatal subscales met content validity requirements. The overall Content Validity Index (CVI) of the antenatal version was equal to .95 for clarity and .99 for relevance, while the postnatal version showed a CVI of .98 for clarity and .93 for relevance. The inter-rater reliability for each of the antenatal and postnatal versions of the MPPS showed an AC2 of .67. The exploratory factor analysis derived a five-factor solution for the ANT-MPPS, and eight-factor solution for POST-MPPS. Both versions of the MPPS showed acceptable internal consistency. Overall, the findings showed adequate indices for content validity and inter-rater reliability of the new Multidimensional Paternal Perinatal Scales. Additionally, the MPPS demonstrated an acceptable construct validity and internal consistency. Results demonstrate that both versions of the scale successfully characterised antecedents of emotional well-being and as such can be used to identify fathers at risk of poor emotional well-being in the antenatal and postnatal environments.

Predicting the intention to use herbal medicines for anxiety symptoms: a model of health behaviour.

Background: Anxiety is a prevalent mental health condition in the Western world. Adults experiencing anxiety have been found to use a range of herbal medicines to manage anxiety symptoms.Aim: This study aimed to test a theoretical model based on the theory of planned behaviour that predicted the intention to use herbal medicines for anxiety symptoms, and to identify individual predictors of intention.Methods: An online survey was conducted with Australian adults who experienced anxiety and used herbal medicines (N = 400). A two-step approach to structural equation modelling was used to test a path model predicting the intention to use herbal medicines.Results: The model was found to be well-fitting. Attitude, subjective norms, control beliefs and severity of anxiety symptoms each significantly positively predicted intention to use herbal medicines for anxiety symptoms explaining 56% of the variance.Conclusions: The results suggest that mental health practitioners and policy makers need to ensure people experiencing anxiety have access to accurate and reliable information about herbal medicines to ensure they can effectively manage anxiety symptoms and safely engage in self-care.

Development of a conceptual framework that identifies factors and challenges impacting perinatal fathers.

BACKGROUND: A father's ability to cope with fatherhood in the perinatal period has received limited attention in the literature. Recent studies have shown that both mothers and fathers are challenged by the demands of parenthood. AIMS: The challenges experienced by fathers during the perinatal period are explored and specific risk factors are identified. The aim of this paper was to develop a framework embedding the identified risk factors into a theoretical model that could be applied in predicting paternal emotional well-being. METHODS: This literature review consulted English peer-reviewed papers as far back as 1990. Databases, including PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, PsycINFO, EBSCO, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses were examined. RESULTS: The results of the literature review depicted a number of factors that could be aggregated into four clusters, including vulnerability factors, precipitating factors, coping style, and socio-cultural factors. LIMITATION: The literature review was limited as it only examined English based peer-reviewed articles. CONCLUSION: The suggested model is based on various theoretical concepts and empirical findings. The application of this model could assist clinicians in the identification of at-risk perinatal fathers and target interventions to specific challenges experienced by perinatal fathers.