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International audience

Despite the accumulation of data pointing to climate change and its anthropogenic nature, a part of the population remains skeptical. In the present study, we explored how unwarranted beliefs (e.g., beliefs in paranormal, conspiracy theories) together with beliefs in science predict climate change skepticism. We targeted, in parallel, people’s need for uniqueness, for which recent data suggest an important association with endorsement of conspiracy theories. In a survey conducted with French participants (final N = 477), we observed that endorsement of paranormal beliefs and conspiracy beliefs independently predicts climate change skepticism, beyond and above belief in science, while need for uniqueness was not a predictor. Further analyses showed that conspiracist beliefs partially mediate the relationship between belief in science and climate change skepticism. We discuss these results and the importance for scholars to gain further insights into people’s beliefs and cognition to better grasp the phenomenon.

National audience

Many risk factors for PTSD have been identified in flood victims. Yet, some have been under-explored, like cognitive coping, which has been identified as a risk factor for PTSD for other traumatic events. Moreover, while flooding can affect places that are important to individuals (e.g. their home and neighbourhood), the role of sense of place in PTSD has been neglected. The objective of this research is to investigate the potential role of under-explored individual and situational risk factors in PTSD in flood victims. To this end, the following variables were measured in 79 French flood victims: sense of place (with sense of place scale), cognitive coping (with CERQ), and PTSD (with PCL-5). Results showed that the more individuals use inappropriate cognitive emotional regulation strategies, the more attached they are to their home and city, and the higher their PTSD scores. These results can help to target vulnerable people and improve care.

National audience; Notre recherche s’intéresse aux représentations sociales associées aux situations sanitaires exceptionnelles chez les personnels hospitaliers. Ces situations tendent à augmenter en raison des changements environnementaux. L’hôpital en tant que premier refuge lors de ces situations, doit se préparer. Or la gestion de crise concernant les risques collectifs ne peut négliger l’importance des représentations sociales associées à ces risques. En effet, pratiques et représentations sociales sont intrinsèquement liées. De plus, un objet est considéré comme risqué parce qu’il est représenté comme tel. Enfin, à l’instar de l’opposition profane-expert, gestion technocratique et démocratique sont mis en opposition dans la gestion de crise (Ernst-Vintila, Delouvée, & Rouquette, 2010). Cette étude exploratoire propose d’explorer le contenu représentationnel associé aux situations sanitaires exceptionnelles chez le personnel hospitalier ainsi que leur perception de ce risque.

Objective:The aim of this study was to measure the perception of readiness to manage a sanitary crisis for hospital workers and to study the factors related to this perception.Methods:This study was a cross-sectional study; 408 French hospital workers responded to an online questionnaire. The variables studied concerned the perceived personal preparedness, the perception of colleagues’ and hospital’s preparedness, perception of the situation, and preparatory behavioral acts. Correlations, partial correlations, and multiple linear regressions were applied.Results:Based on Pearson’s correlations, the higher the participants’ sense of personal efficacy and control over their behavior, the more ready they feel (rp= 0.77*** and rp= 0.55***). The more participants perceive their colleagues as ready and their hospital as prepared, the more ready they feel (rp= 0.52*** and rp= 0.46***). Based on Pearson’s partial correlations, upon controlling the effect of preparedness perception, declared preparedness is not significantly correlated with personal readiness perception (rp= 0.01).Conclusion:The perception of personal readiness does not depend only on actual preparedness but also on individual and collective variables. Technically, these results confirm the value of relying on psychosocial variables during training. It would be interesting to propose empowerment in training courses. It also seems necessary to demonstrate crisis management efficacy at different levels: institutional, collective, and individual.

International audience; Skills, commitment, and motivation of hospital workers are essential to cope with sanitary crisis (Barasa et al., 2018) such as COVID-19 pandemic. However, most research on the preparation of hospital workers for sanitary crisis shows a mismatch between their level of preparedness and their perceived preparedness and the estimated needs to manage these situations (Gowing et al., 2017; Labrague et al., 2018). In this context, it is crucial to understand how these individuals perceived their readiness to manage these situations and not only their preparedness level. Social psychology can provide clues for understanding the readiness perception (Mishra & Mazumdar, 2015). This study aims to explore hospital workers readiness perception to manage a sanitary crisis upcoming (COVID19 pandemic) and determinants of this perception. 408 French hospital workers respond to an online survey containing 11 items about COVID-19. Variables studied concern perception of personal preparedness, colleagues preparedness, and institutional preparedness. Results show that hospital workers have a relatively low readiness perception to manage COVID-19 before it came out. This study proposed a model explaining personal readiness perception to manage COVID-19, most important variables are: Colleague hospital service’s (β=.37***), personal preparation perception (β=.29***), perception of hospital human resources sufficient (β=.22**), perceived capacity for professional action (β=.097***), and perception of personal skills as sufficient ( β=.11**). These results show that personal preparedness is not enough to feel ready, there is other essential variables. This study shows that the perception of personal readiness is a complex process which deserves a psycho-social study combining individual and collective variables. For practice, these results suggest that the preparation must therefore be based on the collective and not only on the individual.

International audience

Le congrès s'est tenu en ligne; National audience; Context. The risk of a sanitary crisis with many victims is emphasized by current examples, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To reduce the impact of these crises, an organizational response with protocols at hospital is essential to manage sanitary crises (Barbarin-Costes, 2017). Nevertheless, effectiveness depends on how the protocols are implemented by professionals (Combalbert, 2012; Conseil National pour la Science, 2008) . For both organizations and professionals, preparation is essential to optimize sanitary crisis management. As preparation is a planned behaviour, the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) can be helpful in understanding sanitary crisis preparedness behaviour (Daellenbach et al., 2018) . In the present research, we did the survey just before the sanitary crisis, and then we measured the behavioural intention, and not the actual behavior itself. According to TPB, a behavioural intention is influenced by the attitude towards the behavior, the subjective norms, and the individual’s perceived behavioral control (Ajzen, 1991). Previous studies have shown that, in the general population, TPB variables do influence behavioural intention and preparedness behaviours (Ejeta et al., 2015; Paton et al., 2005) .Method. 408 French hospital workers answered to an online survey released from 14 to 20 March 2020. Subjective norms (societal and peer norm), behavioural control, attitude (affective, value, difficulty) and behavioural intention were studied. These items are Likert-type scale, with statements followed by response scales ranging from 0 (strongly disagree) to 10 (strongly agree).Results. We use multiple linear regression. The proposed model explains significantly more variability than a model without predictors F=16,099; p

International audience; Cette étude s’intéresse à la manière dont les agriculteurs et les étudiants en lycée agricole représentent les pesticides. Comment ils perçoivent cet objet, comment ils le pensent et comment ils l’utilisent en fonction de leur lieu d’habitation (Paca/Languedoc-Roussillon, Bretagne et Martinique) et leur type d’implication (étudiants vs agriculteurs). Pour ce faire, une enquête qualitative (entretiens semi-directifs) a été menée auprès de 77 personnes vivant dans l’une des trois régions ; et analysée à l’aide d’un logiciel d’analyse de données textuelles (Iramuteq). Les résultats soulignent une représentation sociale des pesticides qui s’organise autour de la notion de risque sanitaire concernant les agriculteurs ainsi que les risques environnementaux liés à l’utilisation des pesticides.

Floods, which are frequent in France, can trigger a range of psychiatric problems. The most common is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although personality traits and cognitive emotion regulation strategies have already been shown to play a role in PTSD, the influence of these two dimensions and their interactions has seldom been explored among flood victims. We therefore set out to fill this lacuna, by PTSD symptoms, personality traits and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in 67 adults whose homes had been flooded. Results showed that the more participants used catastrophizing and rumination strategies, and the less they used putting into perspective and positive reappraisal strategies, the higher their PTSD symptom scores. High levels of neuroticism and catastrophizing were major risk factors for PTSD. Results also showed that putting into perspective moderated the influence of neuroticism as a risk factor. In conclusion, we recommend that flood victims showing signs of PTSD, especially those with elevated neuroticism, be offered therapeutic interventions designed foster the development of adaptive emotion regulation strategies such as putting into perspective and positive reappraisal.

International audience

International audience; Coping cognitif, attachement au lieu, soutien social et trouble de stress post-traumatique lors d'une inondation

One of the six major climate changes is related to the spread of some species outside of their native habitat: this is called biological invasions (Vitousek et al., 1997). These invasions concern both plants and animals. This issue is characterized by a scientific uncertainty that leads to various conclusions and, in fact, differentiated management choices. In this context of scientific uncertainty, perceptions are widely heterogeneous. Thus, individuals concerned about the problem will react more according to their perception of the proliferation and the representation that they have of the invasive species than according to the reality as it is described and measured by the biologists. The objective of this chapter is to illustrate this process from two examples: the proliferation of jellyfish in the Mediterranean zone and the colonization of the knotweeds (Fallopia) in the fluvial corridors of the Gard and the Rhone.

Pesticides were initially developed as solutions to fight against the problems caused by pests and diseases. As a consequence, agricultural productivity and the area of cultivated land were largely improved. Yet the use of such substances was rapidly found to be a threat to the environment and indirectly to human health, and so in the past few decades, progress in the development of new pesticides has focused on more-targeted and less-toxic substances. The mode of agriculture has also evolved in more recent times, with an increasing tendency to move from conventional agriculture using phytosanitary products to organic agriculture without chemical agents. This article describes a study conducted with local farmers to understand their representation of pesticides and the reasons behind their conversion to organic agriculture or not.

International audience

International audience; Pesticides and their use in agriculture are important social issues. We conducted research to study the construction of this sensitive social object through the lens of social representations (study of the structural organisation of the social representations of pesticides) and their anchoring in three contexts that differ in terms of farming practices (Martinique, Brittany and Southern France). Our research was composed of two phases: hierarchical associations (n = 213) and a context independence test questionnaire (n = 124), conducted among farmers from the three study sites. The results indicate three representational fields that reflect salient issues in each agricultural territory. These illustrate the heuristic nature of social representations in the analysis of agricultural practices and pesticide use among French farmers.

International audience

International audience; L'existence d'un changement de climat fait consensus au sein de la communauté scientifique. Elle implique à la fois une gestion politique internationale et une prise de conscience à tous les niveaux sociaux et institutionnels. Malgré l'importance de cette thématique, le niveau de connaissance et de compréhension du phénomène reste partiel et très inégal selon les contextes géoclimatiques et socioculturels.Cette étude s'intéresse à des populations contrastées afin de recueillir leurs connaissances et représentations du changement climatique : en France et au Groenland, des agriculteurs et gestionnaires de l'eau ont été interrogés à l'aide d'entretiens semi-directifs. Pour l'ensemble des enquêtés, il ressort que le changement climatique et ses conséquences sont perçus (réchauffement, sécheresse, etc...)A l'évidence, des différences apparaissent dans la perception des modifications climatiques locales selon les contextes géoclimatiques.Mais globalement, pour les interviewés, la gestion du phénomène reste problématique et notamment en termes de projection dans l'avenir.

International audience; When exposed to flood risk, society must answer two fundamental questions: What is the acceptable level of risk and what degree of protection is desired? These questions lead us swiftly on to examining the actors involved (who is responsible for protecting what?) and on to the measures requiring implementation and the information pertaining to them (what information is most effective, which channel should be prioritized?). In order to move forward on these issues, we must move away from a risk-centric perspective and toward a more anthropocentric approach.

International audience

International audience

This introduction to the special issue traces the history of psychosocial concerns related to Antarctic exploration, from the heroic age of early explorers through the International Geophysical Year (IGY) of 1957 to 1958 to recent and current systematic research projects. The introduction discusses the organization and topics of international psychological investigations in polar stations and summarizes the articles that follow. Living in Antarctica imposes some unusual restrictions as well as opportunities, and it requires psychological adaptation to extreme environmental circumstances. The thrust of previous scientific and popular literature has been to focus on the negative effects of the situation and ignore the positive ones; however, ongoing studies are bringing about a more balanced view. Having an accurate understanding is important not only intrinsically and for appropriate application in the Antarctic itself but also in analogous extreme and unusual environments. These include extended space flight and space habitation, such as the projected voyage to Mars.

An adequate risk management requires taking into account all the categories of stakeholders, including the exposed populations. Nowadays, one difficulty is to involve these populations and consequently to understand their reactions face to the eventuality of a disaster's occurrence. Several issues must be addressed: how is the representation of risk built up ? How do people develop adaptive strategies towards risk ? And above all, how is it possible to ensure an increase in behaviours suited for prevention and protection ? After drawing up a report on the research in this area, we will discuss the limitations of a persuasive communication, in order to better understand the interest of a binding communication for the management of natural hazards; Une gestion adéquate des risques suppose de tenir compte de l'ensemble des acteurs concernés et notamment des populations exposées. On se trouve aujourd'hui devant la difficulté d'impliquer ces populations et par conséquent de comprendre leurs réactions face à l'éventualité de la survenue d'une catastrophe. Plusieurs questions doivent alors être abordées : comment se construit la représentation du risque ? Comment se mettent en place les stratégies d'adaptation face au risque ? Mais surtout, comment faire en sorte d'augmenter les comportements adaptés de prévention et de protection ? Après avoir dressé un état des recherches dans ce domaine, on évoquera les limites d'une communication persuasive afin de mieux comprendre l'intérêt d'une communication engageante dans le domaine pour la gestion des risques naturels