This study investigated the relations between altruism, empathy, and spirituality in a sample of 186 university students. Zero-order and partial correlations controlling for age, sex, and social desirability indicated that, although... more
This study investigated the relations between altruism, empathy, and spirituality in a sample of 186 university students. Zero-order and partial correlations controlling for age, sex, and social desirability indicated that, although altruism and empathy are related to each other in a manner consistent with previous research, the association of both of these to spirituality is complex and multidirectional. In particular, empathy was found to be significantly positively related to nonreligious spiritual cognitions, religiousness, and spiritual experiences and negatively associated with existential well-being. Altruism, on the other hand, was most strongly linked to spiritual experiences, followed by spiritual cognitions. Regression analyses revealed that nonreligious spiritual cognitions and spiritual experiences are the most potent predictors of both empathy and altruism, respectively. Based on the findings and literature suggesting that spirituality may have an impact on empathy and...
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PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to examine the how different aspects of the birthing environment were associated with a parturient's states of consciousness, spirituality, and satisfaction with the childbirth experience.DESIGNThe... more
PURPOSEThe purpose of this study was to examine the how different aspects of the birthing environment were associated with a parturient's states of consciousness, spirituality, and satisfaction with the childbirth experience.DESIGNThe study utilized a convergent mixed methods research design involving both quantitative and qualitative components with convenience sampling. In total, 276 Brazilian postpartum women completed a states of consciousness mini-test and the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory—Revised. A small subsample of women who gave birth in different settings were also interviewed. Quantitative data were examined using descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and analysis of variance and covariance. Qualitative interview data were thematically analyzed.MAJOR FINDINGSHome birth and the absence of a physician were associated with a higher occurrence of favorable non-ordinary states and satisfaction with childbirth. Spiritually-inclusive birth preparation was ...
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Using a sample of 296 university students, this study examined the reliability and factorial validity of the Death Transcendence Scale (DTS; Hood & Morris, 1983) using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Reliability analyses found that... more
Using a sample of 296 university students, this study examined the reliability and factorial validity of the Death Transcendence Scale (DTS; Hood & Morris, 1983) using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Reliability analyses found that with the exclusion of one item from the Nature subscale, all five DTS subscales (i.e., Mystical, Religious, Creative, Nature, Biosocial) showed satisfactory reliability. A CFA completed to test the goodness of fit of a correlated five-factor model produced mostly positive support for the test, though there were some indications of poor fit. Initial revisions to the model did not result in substantive improvement of overall fit in a second CFA. In response to the perception of item content manifesting some degree of overlap and redundancy, the authors elected to shorten all subscales by only retaining items with high corrected item-to-subscale total correlations. A CFA of the 15-item test produced notably stronger fit statistics for the overall model b...
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Introduction: Very little is known about the immediate physiological implications of vaping or inhaling second-hand vapor. This study used a quantitative approach to understand the short-term physiological implications of vape use and... more
Introduction: Very little is known about the immediate physiological implications of vaping or inhaling second-hand vapor. This study used a quantitative approach to understand the short-term physiological implications of vape use and exposure to sec-ond-hand vapor for people who do not vape. Material and methods: One hundred and forty-eight people participated in the study, 75 self-identified as non-vapers and 73 self-identified as people who vape. All participants were over the age of 18. Participants used or were exposed to non-flavored e-juice without nicotine in Sorin® vape devices. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, blood oxygenation, blood glucose and pulmonary function tests were assessed. Physiological parameters were assessed prior to vape use or exposure to vapor and again after 20 minutes of vaping. Results: Findings indicated there were no significant changes in most health parameters except blood pressure which was reduced in both groups. Heart rate was also...
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BACKGROUND: Vaping continues to grow as an alternative to smoking and as a recreational activity for people of all ages, including minors. The billion-dollar industry offers users a plethora of flavors, nicotine concentrations, e-juice... more
BACKGROUND: Vaping continues to grow as an alternative to smoking and as a recreational activity for people of all ages, including minors. The billion-dollar industry offers users a plethora of flavors, nicotine concentrations, e-juice combinations, and devices. While some studies suggest vaping is beneficial for certain ailments and as a smoking cessation tool, many studies report concerning health outcomes associated with vape use. Recent FDA regulations have banned certain vaping products following an increase of vaping-related lung injuries reported in 2019. Health care providers need to better understand the physiological effects of vaping-specific products and the impact of secondhand vapor. The specific aims of the present study were to understand the immediate effects on heart rate, breathing frequency, blood pressure, blood sugar, SpO2, pulmonary function, and oral temperature following e-cigarette use and secondhand vapor exposure. METHODS: A total of 149 volunteers participated in this study; 76 subjects vaped mint-flavored e-cigarettes with 5% nicotine for 20 min while seated next to 73 nonvaping subjects who agreed to be exposed to the vapor. Health variables including heart rate, blood pressure, breathing frequency, blood glucose, FVC, SpO2, and oral temperature were obtained prior to vaping or exposure to vapor and again after 20 min. RESULTS: Subjects who vaped had significantly higher heart rate, breathing frequency, and oral temperature, and significantly lower blood oxygenation levels (ie, SpO2) after vaping for 20 min. Nonvaping subjects exposed to vapor had significantly higher oral temperature after 20 min of exposure. Blood sugar and FVC were not significantly affected by vaping or exposure to vapor. CONCLUSIONS: Vaping with mint-flavored e-cigarettes with 5% nicotine for 20 min resulted in significant immediate physiological changes. Exposure to e-cigarette vapor significantly increased oral temperature within the same amount of time.
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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This... more
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This article presents information on standardized paper-and-pencil measures of spiritual and transpersonal constructs that hold promise for use in yoga research. Nine instruments are discussed at length including the Assessment Schedule for Altered States of Consciousness, Ego
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Using a sample of 446 employees from a multi-site religiously affiliated health care system, the study investigated the relationship of spirituality as measured by the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) to a variety of work and... more
Using a sample of 446 employees from a multi-site religiously affiliated health care system, the study investigated the relationship of spirituality as measured by the Expressions of Spirituality Inventory (ESI) to a variety of work and organizational variables including work ethic, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behaviors. Correlational (zero order and partial) and regression analyses revealed that spirituality is significantly related to all work and organizational variables with the ESI dimensions of Existential Well-Being and Religiousness being most consistently related to all work and organizational variables. Despite the statistically significant findings, examination of the magnitude of bivariate, partial, and multiple correlations suggests that the effect size is rather meager (e.g., bivariate r range from .09 to .29; squared multiple correlations in regressions ranged from .02 to .12). The article concludes with a discussion of ...
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is paper is the second part of a two-part literature survey aimed at providing i formation on measures of spiritual and transpersonal constructs. The first part was .c ncerned specifically with reporting on updated research completed with... more
is paper is the second part of a two-part literature survey aimed at providing i formation on measures of spiritual and transpersonal constructs. The first part was .c ncerned specifically with reporting on updated research completed with the 20 easures previously described by MacDonald, LeClair, Holland, Alter, and F iedman (1995). This article, in contrast, provides detailed information on 10 different instruments tapping spirituality and related constructs. Four of these tests w re initially mentioned in MacDonald et al., hut not described. The remaining six asures were obtained through both computerized database (e.g., PsycINFO) s arches completed between 1995and 1999as well as through informal means (e.g., a thors' knowledge of a measure). These 10 measures were selected for detailed disc ssion based on the authors' appraisal of their potential to contribute to new lines o research. Inparticular, we attempted to select some of the more psychometrically sound instruments...
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Aim: Certain individuals are more prone to dental caries than others are. Caries risk may be related in the secretion of certain defensive salivary proteins including secretory IgA (sIgA) and proline-rich acidic protein (PRAP-1). In this... more
Aim: Certain individuals are more prone to dental caries than others are. Caries risk may be related in the secretion of certain defensive salivary proteins including secretory IgA (sIgA) and proline-rich acidic protein (PRAP-1). In this study, we investigated the relationship between PRAP-1 and sIgA leading to the susceptibility of development of dental caries in adults and explored the differences in the levels of sIgA and PRAP-1 between men and women. Materials and Methods: Unstimulated saliva samples were collected from 28 patients with high caries risk and 32 control subjects with low caries risk according to caries management by risk assessment guidelines. sIgA and PRAP-1 levels in clarified saliva samples were measured using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: According to our results, sIgA and PRAP-1 levels did not demonstrate statistically significant differences as a function of caries risk or gender, even when potential confounding variables such as age and nu...
Although he formally departed from the transpersonal psychological community in the 1990s, Ken Wilber was, and continues to be, one of the most important and influential theoreticians in this subdiscipline of psychology. Given his... more
Although he formally departed from the transpersonal psychological community in the 1990s, Ken Wilber was, and continues to be, one of the most important and influential theoreticians in this subdiscipline of psychology. Given his indisputable prominence and substantive contributions to transpersonal psychological thought, both Harris L. Friedman and Douglas A. MacDonald met with Wilber in order to learn about his views of the field and to solicit him for suggestions on what might be done to help move transpersonal psychology forward. On November 16, 2018, Wilber, Friedman, and MacDonald met in Denver, Colorado. The 3-hour conversation that ensued was recorded and transcribed. In this article, we provide salient excerpts from this conversation, including some minor edits (in brackets) made to enhance quality of expression. The gist of Wilber’s recommendations, made early in the conversation, is that transpersonal psychology should “disband or, at the very least, come up with a diffe...
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The examination of cognitive reserve (CR) literature reveals a lack of consensus regarding conceptualization and pervasive problems with its measurement. This study aimed at examining the conceptual nature of CR through the analysis of... more
The examination of cognitive reserve (CR) literature reveals a lack of consensus regarding conceptualization and pervasive problems with its measurement. This study aimed at examining the conceptual nature of CR through the analysis of reflective and formative models using eight proxies commonly employed in the CR literature. We hypothesized that all CR proxies would significantly contribute to a one-factor reflective model and that educational and occupational attainment would produce the strongest loadings on a single CR factor. The sample consisted of 149 participants (82 male/67 female), with 18.1 average years of education and ages of 45-99 years. Participants were assessed for eight proxies of CR (parent socioeconomic status, intellectual functioning, level of education, health literacy, occupational prestige, life leisure activities, physical activities, and spiritual and religious activities). Primary statistical analyses consisted of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to te...
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ABSTRACT Skin cancer is a significant public health challenge with an incidence reaching epidemic proportions. Many health care providers, including nurse practitioners, have expressed a concern that they are not optimally prepared with... more
ABSTRACT Skin cancer is a significant public health challenge with an incidence reaching epidemic proportions. Many health care providers, including nurse practitioners, have expressed a concern that they are not optimally prepared with the current knowledge related to skin cancer prevention and early detection. The Roebuck SCAN (Skin Cancer Assessment of Need) tool was developed to assess the current learning needs and educational preferences of NPs related to skin cancer prevention and detection. The survey tool utilizes the theoretical frameworks of the novice to expert (Patricia Benner) and andragogy (Malcolm Knowles) principles.
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Using a sample of 647 Canadian children in kindergarten to Grade 3 (325 boys, 322 girls), the present study evaluated the perceived effectiveness of Skillstreaming (McGinnis & Goldstein, 2003), a widely known social skills program... more
Using a sample of 647 Canadian children in kindergarten to Grade 3 (325 boys, 322 girls), the present study evaluated the perceived effectiveness of Skillstreaming (McGinnis & Goldstein, 2003), a widely known social skills program implemented to target the development of four skill sets, i.e., listening, following directions, problem-solving, and knowing when to tell. Results indicated significant postprogram improvements in all skills as well as in ratings of overall pro-sociality obtained from both classroom teachers and mental health staff, with medium to large effect sizes obtained from teachers' and mental health professionals' ratings, respectively. Additional analyses yielded significant but weak moderator effects of grade and preprogram prosocial functioning for teacher ratings but no consistent moderator effects for children's sex or school location (i.e., urban versus rural) regardless of rater.
Research Interests: Program Evaluation, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Emotional intelligence, Attention, and 15 moreCurriculum, Problem Solving, Humans, Child, Behavior Therapy, Female, Male, Ontario, Psychological Theory, Interdisciplinary Communication, Social Behavior, Cooperative Behavior, Psychological Reports, Child preschool, and Child behavior disorders
This article presents information on standardized paper-and-pencil measures of spiritual and transpersonal constructs that hold promise for use in yoga research. Nine instruments are discussed at length including the Assessment Schedule... more
This article presents information on standardized paper-and-pencil measures of spiritual and transpersonal constructs that hold promise for use in yoga research. Nine instruments are discussed at length including the Assessment Schedule for Altered States of Consciousness, Ego Grasping Orientation, Expressions of Spirituality Inventory, Hindu Religious Coping Scale, Measures of Hindu Pathways, Self-Expansiveness Level Form, Spiritual Orientation Inventory, Spiritual Transcendence Scale, and the Vedic Personality Inventory. As well, a listing of an additional 14 measures, along with primary citations, is provided. In conclusion, the authors proffer recommendations for the use of psychometric tests and provide a general proposal for programmatic research.
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Emphasis on holism is a distinguishing quality of humanistic psychology and important for any psychological assessment purporting to be humanistic. To be holistic, assessment should encompass the entire range of human functioning,... more
Emphasis on holism is a distinguishing quality of humanistic psychology and important for any psychological assessment purporting to be humanistic. To be holistic, assessment should encompass the entire range of human functioning, including the trans‐personal dimension, and requires methodological pluralism, including use of psychological tests. Resistances to addressing transpersonal issues in humanistic psychological assessment, and to using tests to gather
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... the development and advocacy of transpersonally-oriented theory, research, and practice in the realm of clinical and counseling psychologies. ... In essence, Grof and Grof approach the assessment of spiritual emergence and/or problems... more
... the development and advocacy of transpersonally-oriented theory, research, and practice in the realm of clinical and counseling psychologies. ... In essence, Grof and Grof approach the assessment of spiritual emergence and/or problems through a deductive process (ie, by ...
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Using data obtained from 48 male and 161 female undergraduate students in psychology, correlations between scores on the scales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the facets of the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness domains of... more
Using data obtained from 48 male and 161 female undergraduate students in psychology, correlations between scores on the scales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the facets of the Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Openness domains of the NEO Personality Inventory were low to moderate.
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This study examined the validity of the Self-expansiveness Level Form of Friedman with particular emphasis on the Transpersonal subscale, a measure of transpersonal self-concept, in terms of its basic psychometric properties and its... more
This study examined the validity of the Self-expansiveness Level Form of Friedman with particular emphasis on the Transpersonal subscale, a measure of transpersonal self-concept, in terms of its basic psychometric properties and its relation to the NEO Personality Inventory--Revised. Support for the basic psychometric properties of the scale in terms of reliability, factorial validity, and concurrent validity was obtained; however, support was limited for convergent validity as correlations between scores on the Transpersonal subscale and measures of theoretically related constructs were low. Correlational analyses involving the Self-expansiveness Level Form and NEO Personality Inventory--Revised indicated that Transpersonal scores were not appreciably associated with the NEO Personality Inventory--Revised domains. Moreover, factor analysis of NEO Personality Inventory--Revised facets and Self-expansiveness Level Form items generated a solution in which the two measures contributed to separate factors. Discussion of the implications and limitations of the findings is included.
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Using a sample of 196 undergraduate students, the present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Fitness Assessment, a measure of spiritual fitness designed for use by health and fitness professionals. Examination... more
Using a sample of 196 undergraduate students, the present study investigated the psychometric properties of the Spiritual Fitness Assessment, a measure of spiritual fitness designed for use by health and fitness professionals. Examination of inter-item consistency produced satisfactory alpha coefficients for the total test and its three subscales. Correlations of the SFA with measures of spirituality and spiritual well-being provide support for convergent validity. Significant positive correlations with a measure of self-esteem suggest that the test has satisfactory criterion validity. Correlations with age, sex, and a measure of social desirability indicate that the SFA is significantly, though only moderately, affected by demographic variables and motivated response tendencies. Factor analysis of the SFA items indicate that the test is factorially complex and subscales may need to be refined to better measure their intended constructs. Overall, the results of the study suggest that the test may be useful for evaluations of spiritual fitness. Further research with samples drawn from different populations is needed on the test to better establish its reliability and validity.
Research Interests: Psychometrics, Spirituality, Quality of life, Social Desirability, Students, and 15 moreHumans, Female, Male, Religion and psychology, Interpersonal Relations, Psychometric Properties, Middle Aged, Self Concept, Questionnaires, Adult, Public health systems and services research, Religion Health, Reference Values, Personal Satisfaction, and attitude to health
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Belief in the paranormal is fairly prevalent in the general population. Previous research has shown a link between several personological characteristics and paranormal beliefs. The current study attempted to further investigate this link... more
Belief in the paranormal is fairly prevalent in the general population. Previous research has shown a link between several personological characteristics and paranormal beliefs. The current study attempted to further investigate this link by replicating previous models that have shown a link between childhood trauma, fantasy proneness, and paranormal beliefs. In addition, the study attempted to expand on this model by including other variables such as stigma, resiliency, and coping style. The study used a sample of 198 undergraduate students. A significant correlation between trauma and paranormal beliefs was found. Partial correlations and path analyses revealed that fantasy proneness and avoidant coping style fully mediate the relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs. The results imply that researchers need to take into account how a person responds to trauma via the development of coping strategies to accurately understand any observed relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs.
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Koenig (J Nerv Ment Dis 196:349-355, 2008) and others have asserted that measures of spirituality used to investigate its association with health seem to present a misleading picture of the relationship because of evidence suggesting that... more
Koenig (J Nerv Ment Dis 196:349-355, 2008) and others have asserted that measures of spirituality used to investigate its association with health seem to present a misleading picture of the relationship because of evidence suggesting that spirituality has become conceptually confounded with well-being. To evaluate this claim, the present study used a sample of 247 university students to explore the relation of a multidimensional model of spirituality with several different forms of well-being and the association of both with a two-factor model of social desirability. Correlational and regression analyses revealed that, although there is some evidence of an association, it is generally of low effect size and seems to differ as a function of how spirituality is defined. More importantly, however, there was the finding that existential well-being, a concept often incorporated into definitions of spirituality and a part of the measurement model used in this study, is virtually uncorrelated with explicitly spiritual and religious variables but shows a pattern of association with measures of well-being and social desirability, which suggests that it would be better conceptualized as a form of well-being and not spirituality. The article concludes with a discussion of the meaning of the findings for understanding the spirituality-health literature and suggestions for future research.
Research Interests: Religion, Psychology, Cognitive Science, Psychometrics, Culture, and 15 moreQuality of life, Adolescent, Humans, Existentialism, Personality Assessment Inventory, Female, Male, Loneliness, Defense Mechanisms, Clinical Sciences, Middle Aged, Adult, Reproducibility of Results, Psychological Models, and Personality Inventory
... to further scientific development in the field and (2) aid in bringing some order to the growing body of empirical literature by providing information on studies that have utilized a number of the more promising standardized... more
... to further scientific development in the field and (2) aid in bringing some order to the growing body of empirical literature by providing information on studies that have utilized a number of the more promising standardized instruments of spiritual and transpersonal constructs. ...
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... Kulka, RA, Schlenger, WE, Fairbank, JA, Hough, RL, Jordan, BK, Marmar, CR, & Weiss, DS (1990). Trauma and the Vietnam War Generation. New York: Brunner/Mazel. Shalev, AY, Orr, SP, Peri, T., Schreiber, S. and Pitman, RK, 1992.... more
... Kulka, RA, Schlenger, WE, Fairbank, JA, Hough, RL, Jordan, BK, Marmar, CR, & Weiss, DS (1990). Trauma and the Vietnam War Generation. New York: Brunner/Mazel. Shalev, AY, Orr, SP, Peri, T., Schreiber, S. and Pitman, RK, 1992. Physiologic responses to loud tones in ...