Game Identity-Based Motivations of Playing World of Warcraft and Their Psychological Outcomes.

Previous studies have found that playing massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs) such as World of Warcraft (WoW) can lead to socializing and enhanced connectedness as well as negative well-being outcomes. Motivations for achievement and socializing play central roles in playing MMOGs. Using data from a survey of 181 WoW players, this study examined the relationship among game identities, motivations for playing WoW, and psychological outcomes. Results from analyses of path models suggested that motivations for achievement and socializing were influenced by game identities. Although these motivations substantially explained the variance in players' sense of WoW community, these factors only explained a small portion of negative psychological well-being. This study attests to the possibility of utilizing identity-based motivations in online game studies to understand psychological outcomes for players.

Reducing Smoking in the US Federal Workforce: 5-Year Health and Economic Impacts From Improved Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: We estimated the reduction in number of hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction and stroke as well as the associated health care costs resulting from reducing the number of smokers in the US federal workforce during a 5-year period. METHODS: We developed a 5-year spreadsheet-based cohort model with parameter values from past literature and analysis of national survey data. We obtained 2015 data on the federal workforce population from the US Office of Personnel Management and data on smoking prevalence among federal workers from the 2013-2015 National Health Interview Survey. We adjusted medical costs and productivity losses for inflation to 2015 US dollars, and we updated future productivity losses for growth. Because of uncertainty about the achievable reduction in smoking prevalence and input values (eg, relative risk for acute myocardial infarction and stroke, medical costs, and absenteeism), we performed a Monte Carlo simulation and sensitivity analysis. RESULTS: We estimated smoking prevalence in the federal workforce to be 13%. A 5 percentage-point reduction in smoking prevalence could result in 1106 fewer hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction (range, 925-1293), 799 fewer hospitalizations for stroke (range, 530-1091), and 493 fewer deaths (range, 494-598) during a 5-year period. Similarly, estimated costs averted would be $59 million (range, $49-$63 million) for medical costs, $332 million (range, $173-$490 million) for absenteeism, and $117 million (range, $93-$142 million) for productivity. CONCLUSION: Reductions in the prevalence of smoking in the federal workforce could substantially reduce the number of hospitalizations for acute myocardial infarction and stroke, lower medical costs, and improve productivity.

In-group and role identity influences on the initiation and maintenance of students' voluntary attendance at peer study sessions for statistics.

BACKGROUND: Although class attendance is linked to academic performance, questions remain about what determines students' decisions to attend or miss class. AIMS: In addition to the constructs of a common decision-making model, the theory of planned behaviour, the present study examined the influence of student role identity and university student (in-group) identification for predicting both the initiation and maintenance of students' attendance at voluntary peer-assisted study sessions in a statistics subject. SAMPLE: University students enrolled in a statistics subject were invited to complete a questionnaire at two time points across the academic semester. A total of 79 university students completed questionnaires at the first data collection point, with 46 students completing the questionnaire at the second data collection point. METHOD: Twice during the semester, students' attitudes, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, student role identity, in-group identification, and intention to attend study sessions were assessed via on-line questionnaires. Objective measures of class attendance records for each half-semester (or 'term') were obtained. RESULTS: Across both terms, students' attitudes predicted their attendance intentions, with intentions predicting class attendance. Earlier in the semester, in addition to perceived behavioural control, both student role identity and in-group identification predicted students' attendance intentions, with only role identity influencing intentions later in the semester. CONCLUSIONS: These findings highlight the possible chronology that different identity influences have in determining students' initial and maintained attendance at voluntary sessions designed to facilitate their learning.

Testing a belief-based intervention encouraging sun-safety among adolescents in a high risk area.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a preliminary test of a theory of planned behavior (TPB) belief-based intervention to increase adolescents' sun-protective behaviors in a high risk area, Queensland, Australia. METHODS: In the period of October-November, 2007 and May-June, 2008, 80 adolescents (14.53 ± 0.69 years) were recruited from two secondary schools (one government and one private) in Queensland after obtaining student, parental, and school informed consent. Adolescents were allocated to either a control or intervention condition based on the class they attended. The intervention comprised three, one hour in-school sessions facilitated by Cancer Council Queensland employees with sessions covering the belief basis of the TPB (i.e., behavioral, normative, and control [barrier and motivator] sun-safe beliefs). Participants completed questionnaires assessing sun-safety beliefs, intentions, and behavior pre- and post-intervention. Repeated Measures Multivariate Analysis of Variance was used to test the effect of the intervention across time on these constructs. RESULTS: Students completing the intervention reported stronger sun-safe normative and motivator beliefs and intentions and the performance of more sun-safe behaviors across time than those in the control condition. CONCLUSION: Strengthening beliefs about the approval of others and motivators for sun protection may encourage sun-safe cognitions and actions among adolescents.

Intentions and willingness to use complementary and alternative medicines: what potential patients believe about CAMs.

This paper explores the intentions and willingness of a sample of Australian consumers (N=356) to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Participants considered using CAMs at least once in the next 2 months and rated the likelihood of certain consequences of CAM use, whether important others would approve, and if barriers would prevent them from using CAMs. People intending to use CAMs (high intenders) were more likely than those low on intention (low intenders) to endorse positive outcomes of CAM use and believe that important others would support their CAM use. High intenders were less likely than low intenders to believe that barriers would prevent use. Low intenders (n=200) were also asked to consider their response to a free CAM trial. Those willing to accept a trial were more likely than those unwilling to believe that CAMs could improve health and less likely to believe that laziness would prevent use. These results identify important beliefs which may influence people's decisions to use CAMs.