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BackgroundTo track and reduce the spread of COVID-19, apps have been developed to identify contact with individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 and warn those who are at risk of having contracted the virus. However, the effectiveness of these apps depends highly on their uptake by the general population. ObjectiveThe present study investigated factors influencing app use intention, based on the health belief model. In addition, associations with respondents’ level of news consumption and their health condition were investigated. MethodsA survey was administered in Flanders, Belgium, to 1500 respondents, aged 18 to 64 years. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate relationships across the model’s constructs. ResultsIn total, 48.70% (n=730) of respondents indicated that they intend to use a COVID-19 tracing app. The most important predictor was the perceived benefits of the app, followed by self-efficacy and perceived barriers. Perceived severity and perceived susceptibility were not related to app uptake intention. Moreover, cues to action (ie, individuals’ exposure to [digital] media content) were positively associated with app use intention. As the respondents’ age increased, their perceived benefits and self-efficacy for app usage decreased. ConclusionsInitiatives to stimulate the uptake of contact tracing apps should enhance perceived benefits and self-efficacy. A perceived barrier for some potential users is privacy concerns. Therefore, when developing and launching an app, clarification on how individuals’ privacy will be protected is needed. To sustain perceived benefits in the long run, supplementary options could be integrated to inform and assist users.

This study focuses on the use of systematic social observations (SSO) to measure crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and disorder. To improve knowledge about measurement issues in small area research, SSO is conducted by means of three different methods: in-situ, photographs, and Google Street View (GSV) imagery. By evaluating the methodological quality of the observation methods, the results of our study suggest that virtual SSO approaches have considerable promise for the reliable assessment of physical properties of small areas. We discuss challenges and provide avenues for future research to encourage the evolution of a more reliable approach to measure the physical environment.

BackgroundSeveral studies have focused on family stress processes, examining the association between various sources of stress and the mental health and well-being of parents and adolescents. The majority of these studies take the individual as the unit of analysis. Multi-actor panel data make it possible to examine the dynamics of the family context over time and the differentiating effects of individual roles within the same family. Accurate information about family processes allows practitioners to provide support that enhances family resilience and minimizes the risk of mental health problems. ObjectiveOur study contributes to the research on family stress processes by focusing on families with different income levels, and by collecting panel data from mothers, fathers, and adolescents within the same family. MethodsThe relationship between mothers, fathers, and children (RMFC) study is an ongoing Flemish multi-actor panel study that aims to enhance our understanding of family processes that protect the mental health and well-being of two-parent families with a target adolescent between 11 and 17 years old. Mothers, fathers, and children provide information about various aspects of family life, including finances, sources of stress, health, mental health, parenting, and coping strategies. Measures have been chosen whenever possible that have sound conceptual underpinnings and robust psychometric properties. The study posed two challenges. First, economically disadvantaged families are difficult to reach. Second, the collection of multi-actor data is often plagued by high nonresponse. To ensure that the families were targeted as successfully as possible, the study employed a purposive nonprobability sampling method. ResultsThe RMFC study is one of the largest triadic panel studies of its kind. The first wave of quantitative data collection was conducted between February 2012 and January 2013. A total of 2566 individuals of 880 families participated in our study. The second wave of data collection will be undertaken 6-12 months later. ConclusionsThe strength of the RMFC study is its multi-actor panel approach of data collection among families with different income levels. Strategies that were followed to address the empirical issues involved with the sampling design are discussed, together with theoretical and practical implications.

Research on stimulant misuse among students has been rising. These medicines are generally prescribed to treat ADHD, but they are also used by students to enhance their academic performance. To date, qualitative research on the topic is limited, specifically in understanding the "process" of misuse, i.e. the motivations embedded in a particular academic and social context driving students' decision to use. The aim of this research was to develop subtypes by disentangling patterns in the process of stimulant misuse. We conducted a focus group (n = 5) and semi-structured interviews (n = 28) with Flemish university students who had misused stimulants during their academic career. We employed abductive analysis principles, in which we build on Conrad's medicalization and enhancement theory and Cox and Klinger's motivational model of alcohol use. Two dimensions were key in differentiating theoretically meaningful subtypes: (1) perception of academic need and (2) frequency of use. The "normalization subtype" indicates having concentration problems and structurally uses stimulants to deal with these problems; the "rescue subtype" is able to study without stimulants, but occasionally uses them to cope with academic demands and/or personal stressors; the "experimental subtype" does not have an academic need to use stimulants, but temporarily uses them out of curiosity; the "performance subtype" does not need the medication, but perceives it as a convenient tool to structurally facilitate academic life, e.g. to shorten the study process. Our study shows a nuanced story of students' stimulant misuse and helps inform the development of tailored preventive measures.

First-year university students encounter considerable academic stress, possibly resulting in mental health problems. Although studies have illustrated the academic and health benefits of sense of belonging, few studies have focused on its role in the relationship between academic stress and mental health complaints. The current study used structural equation modeling to examine this role among first-year students (N = 363) at two Flemish universities. Sense of belonging was considered to consist of perceptions of social match and personal interaction. Personal interaction partially mediated the relationship between academic stress and anxiety-related complaints. For depression-related complaints, a full mediation was found. Policy initiatives were formulated, aimed at encouraging students to learn and work together, which may promote a smooth transition to the university environment.

The current study explores the role of individual and environmental determinants on students' fear of crime. Based on a large-scale survey among students of a Belgian university (n = 1,463), the relationship between perceived social and physical disorder and the three dimensions of fear of crime (perceived risk of victimization, feelings of anxiety, avoidance behaviour) is examined. Support was found for a relationship between perceived social and physical disorder and perceived risk of victimization. Moreover, a relationship was found between students' perception of social disorder and anxiety and students' perception of physical disorder and avoidance behaviour. Based on the results, this study suggests that preventing or reducing visible signs of disorder on campus should inevitably be included in the university's security policy. This research offers universities more insight in the determinants of students' fear of crime and potential measures to increase their (perception of) safety.

Little is known about parents' motivations to engage in Internet mediation nor about how parents may influence each other's Internet mediation practices. The present study uses triadic data, with reports from the mother, the father, and the adolescent child from the same family (N = 357). Structural equation modeling (SEM) is applied for testing the relationship between parents' concerns over Internet risks, parents' engagement in mediation practices, and the adolescent's engagement in risk behavior on social network sites (SNSs). Parents' risk perception was not related to mediation practices, but the mother's risk perception had a positive effect on the father's engagement in parental mediation. Parental mediation predicted less online contact with strangers by the adolescent. The results show that both parents contribute individually to their adolescent child's safe Internet use, which stresses the importance of involving both parents in parental mediation research.

As romantic relationships in young adulthood (18–25 years) are frequently characterized by experimentation and risk-taking, this could make young adults particularly vulnerable to experience sexual harassment by a dating or committed partner. This study examines young adults' victimization and perpetration experiences of online and in-person sexual harassment with their dating or committed partner, and explores the role of the Dark Triad personality traits. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 458 young adults, 371 of whom were in a romantic relationship (M age = 20.80, SD age = 1.51, 25.6% men). Our findings revealed that all measured sexual harassment experiences were significantly more prevalent among young adults in dating relationships compared to those in committed relationships. Furthermore, in both relationship types, all online and in-person experiences of sexual harassment were significantly linked, indicating that these harmful experiences occur across contexts. Additionally, all victimization and perpetration experiences were significantly linked in both relationship types, meaning that some young adults were both victims and perpetrators of these behaviors. Lastly, we found that sexual harassment was linked to narcissism in dating relationships, but to Machiavellianism in committed relationships, indicating that different strategies may explain these behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cyber dating abuse (CDA) concerns the use of digital technology to control, monitor, and hurt one's intimate partner. CDA can have profound detrimental outcomes, such as mental health problems. As such, it is important to identify intrapersonal factors that may explain these behaviors. Previous research suggests that one such factor is the personality cluster of Dark Triad traits (DTT), comprising Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy. Additionally, DTT and CDA perpetration have both been linked to poor self-control ability, but these relationships have not yet been tested together in one model. As such, the present study examines if individuals' poor self-control ability mediates the relationship between the DTT and CDA perpetration. To test these associations, we conducted a survey study among a representative sample of Belgian adults (n = 1,144; M age = 47.66 years; 51.3% female). Findings from correlation analyses revealed that all three DTT were individually associated with CDA perpetration, such that higher scores on these traits corresponded with more CDA perpetration. Additionally, pathway analyses from structural equation modeling revealed that individuals' poor self-control ability fully explained the relationship between Machiavellianism and narcissism and CDA perpetration, and partially explained the relationship between psychopathy and CDA perpetration. As our findings suggest that self-control plays an instrumental role in explaining why individuals control and monitor their partner via digital technology, prevention and intervention efforts should seek ways to improve individuals' self-control ability in situations that may trigger such harmful interpersonal behaviors, particularly among individuals who exhibit Dark Triad personality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]