Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T01:13:11.331Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assessment of the theory of planned behaviour in predicting potential intention and behaviour of positive thinking among a school-based sample of Iranian adolescents: a path analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 May 2020

Leila Ghahremani
Affiliation:
Department of Health Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Mohammad Hossein Kaveh
Affiliation:
Department of Health Promotion, School of Health, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
Hadi Tehrani
Affiliation:
Health Education & Health Promotion, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Arezoo Orooji
Affiliation:
Student Research Committee, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Faculty of Health sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Alireza Jafari*
Affiliation:
Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences, Gonabad, Iran
*
*Corresponding author: Email: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the predictive power of the theory of planned behaviour in predicting the intention and behaviour of positive thinking in school students. A cross-sectional study was performed on 367 high school male students in Iran. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity and reliability had been confirmed before. Descriptive and inferential analysis (univariate and multiple logistic regression models, Pearson correlation) was performed using SPSS software V.20. AMOS version 22 was used to perform the path analysis. According to the results, the construct of attitude was the most important construct in predicting positive thinking intention. Finally, the theory of planned behaviour constructs could predict 36% of intention variance and 20% of behaviour variance of positive thinking. Since the construct of attitude is one of the most powerful constructs in predicting student positive thinking intention in male teens, it is recommended that more attention be paid to this construct in educational programs to improve the mental health of male high school students. The results of this study can help psychologists and counsellors, families, and teachers improve students’ mental health.

Type
Articles
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ajzen, I., Joyce, N., Sheikh, S., & Cote, N.G. (2011). Knowledge and the prediction of behavior: The role of information accuracy in the theory of planned behavior. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 33, 101117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Albert, D., Chein, J., & Steinberg, L. (2013). Peer influences on adolescent decision making. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 114120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Andrykowski, M.A., & Burris, J.L. (2010). Use of formal and informal mental health resources by cancer survivors: Differences between rural and nonrural survivors and a preliminary test of the theory of planned behavior. Psycho‐Oncology, 19, 11481155.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bagana, E., Raciu, A., & Lupu, L. (2011). Self esteem, optimism and exams’ anxiety among high school students. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 13311338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bekhet, A.K., & Garnier-Villarreal, M. (2017). The Positive Thinking Skills Scale: A screening measure for early identification of depressive thoughts. Applied Nursing Research, 38, 58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bentler, P. (2006). EQS 6 Structural equations program manual (6th ed.). Encino, CA: Multivariate Software.Google Scholar
Bohon, L.M., Cotter, K.A., Kravitz, R.L., Cello, P.C. Jr, & Fernandez y Garcia, E. (2016). The theory of planned behavior as it predicts potential intention to seek mental health services for depression among college students. Journal of American College Health, 64, 593603.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chang, Y., Wang, P.C., Li, H.H., & Liu, Y.C. (2011). Relations among depression, self‐efficacy and optimism in a sample of nurses in Taiwan. Journal of Nursing Management, 19, 769776.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conversano, C., Rotondo, A., Lensi, E., Della Vista, O., Arpone, F., & Reda, M.A. (2010). Optimism and its impact on mental and physical well-being. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 6, 2529.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
De Leeuw, A., Valois, P., Ajzen, I., & Schmidt, P. (2015). Using the theory of planned behavior to identify key beliefs underlying pro-environmental behavior in high-school students: Implications for educational interventions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 128138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dehghankar, L., Panahi, R., Kekefallah, L., Hosseini, N., & Hasannia, E. (2019). The study of health literacy and its related factors among female students at high schools in Qazvin. Journal of Health Literacy, 4, 1826.Google Scholar
Dumitrache, C.G., Windle, G., & Herrera, R.R. (2015). Do social resources explain the relationship between optimism and life satisfaction in community-dwelling older people? Testing a multiple mediation model. Journal of Happiness Studies, 16, 633654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ghahremani, L., Nazari, M., Changizi, M., & Kaveh, M.H. (2019). High-risk behaviors and demographic features: A cross-sectional study among Iranian adolescents. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2018-0212 Google ScholarPubMed
Ghasemi, S., Nazari, M., Vafaei, H., & Fararouei, M. (2017). The impact of educational intervention based on the theory of planned behavior in choosing delivery mode in primigravida pregnant women. International Journal of Women’s Health and Reproduction Sciences, 5, 4754.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Glanz, K., Rimer, B.K., & Viswanath, K. (2015). Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Görgens-Ekermans, G., & Steyn, R. (2016). Optimism, self-efficacy and meaningfulness: A structural model of subjective well-being at work. Management Dynamics: Journal of the Southern African Institute for Management Scientists, 25, 3451.Google Scholar
Grezo, M., & Sarmany-Schuller, I. (2015). Coping with economic hardship: A broader look on the role of dispositional optimism. Journal of Psychology, 2, 614.Google Scholar
Hamedi Nasab, S., Asgari, A., & Ayati, M. (2015). The relation between academic optimism and motivation of academic advancement with respect of mediating role of academic efficacy of the second grade students. International Journal of Social Sciences and Education, 5, 22234934.Google Scholar
Henry, J.W., & Stone, R.W. (1994). A structural equation model of end-user satisfaction with a computer-based medical information system. Information Resources Management Journal, 7, 2133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jafari, B.A., Ghahremani, L., Keshavarzi, S., & Kaveh, M.H. (2016). Validity and reliability of optimism questionnaire among adolescents based on theory of planned behavior. Journal of Research & Health, 6, 230237.Google Scholar
Jewell, N.P. (2003). Statistics for epidemiology (1th ed.). Boca Raton, Florida: Chapman and Hall/CRC.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Karademas, E.C., Kafetsios, K., & Sideridis, G.D. (2007). Optimism, self‐efficacy and information processing of threat‐and well‐being‐related stimuli. Stress and Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, 23, 285294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liau, A.K., Barriga, A.Q., & Gibbs, J.C. (1998). Relations between self‐serving cognitive distortions and overt vs. covert antisocial behavior in adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 24, 335346.3.0.CO;2-G>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Luger, T., Cotter, K.A., & Sherman, A.M. (2009). It’s all in how you view it: Pessimism, social relations, and life satisfaction in older adults with osteoarthritis. Aging & Mental Health, 13, 635647.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mavioğlu, R.N., Boomsma, D.I., & Bartels, M. (2015). Causes of individual differences in adolescent optimism: a study in Dutch twins and their siblings. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 24, 13811388.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLaughlin, K.A. (2016). Future directions in childhood adversity and youth psychopathology. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 45, 361382.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moradi, S., Rashidi, A., & Golmohammadian, M. (2017). The effectiveness of positive thinking skills on academic procrastination of high school female students Kermanshah City. Interdisciplinary Journal of Virtual Learning in Medical Sciences, 8, e11784.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, G.C., Tollit, M.M., Romaniuk, H., Spence, S.H., Sheffield, J., & Sawyer, M.G. (2011). A prospective study of the effects of optimism on adolescent health risks. Pediatrics, 127, 308316.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Piko, B.F., Luszczynska, A., & Fitzpatrick, K.M. (2013). Social inequalities in adolescent depression: The role of parental social support and optimism. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 59, 474481.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Prokopcáková, A. (2015). Personal need for structure, anxiety, self-efficacy and optimism. Studia Psychologica, 57, 147162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rashidi Kochi, F., Najafi, M., & Mohammadyfar, M.A. (2016). The role of positive psychological capital and the family function in prediction of happiness in high school students. Positive Psychology, 2, 7995.Google Scholar
Rask, C.U., Munkholm, A., Clemmensen, L., Rimvall, M.K., Ornbol, E., Jeppesen, P., & Skovgaard, A.M. (2016). Health anxiety in preadolescence: Associated health problems, healthcare expenditure, and continuity in childhood. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 44, 823832.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rozanski, A., Bavishi, C., Kubzansky, L.D., & Cohen, R. (2019). Association of optimism with cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open, 2, e1912200e1912200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sayers, J. (2001). The World Health Report 2001 — Mental health: New understanding, new hope. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 79, 10851085.Google Scholar
Schomerus, G., Matschinger, H., & Angermeyer, M. (2009). Attitudes that determine willingness to seek psychiatric help for depression: A representative population survey applying the theory of planned behaviour. Psychological Medicine, 39, 18551865.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaheen, H., & Jahan, M. (2014). The role of optimism in experience of student stress and suicidal ideation. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19, 2334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, M. (2016). Theoretical foundations of health education and health promotion (3th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.Google Scholar
Smith, J.P., Tran, G.Q., & Thompson, R.D. (2008). Can the theory of planned behavior help explain men’s psychological help-seeking? Evidence for a mediation effect and clinical implications. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 9, 179192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Souri, H., & Hasanirad, T. (2011). Relationship between resilience, optimism and psychological well-being in students of medicine. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 15411544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tomé, G., Matos, M., Simões, C., Diniz, J.A., & Camacho, I. (2012). How can peer group influence the behavior of adolescents: Explanatory model. Global Journal of Health Science, 4, 2635.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, T.-H., Chang, C.-C., Chen, C.-Y., Wang, J.-D., & Lin, C.-Y. (2015). Further psychometric evaluation of the Self-Stigma Scale-Short: Measurement invariance across mental illness and gender. PLoS One, 10, e0117592.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Xie, X., Wang, X., Zhao, F., Lei, L., Niu, G., & Wang, P. (2018). Online real-self presentation and depression among Chinese teens: Mediating role of social support and moderating role of dispositional optimism. Child Indicators Research, 11, 15311544.CrossRefGoogle Scholar