ORCID Profile
0000-0002-7771-1631
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Psychology | Social and Community Psychology | Industrial and Organisational Psychology | Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology | Discourse and Pragmatics
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Behaviour and Health | Social Structure and Health | Health Related to Ageing | Allied Health Therapies (excl. Mental Health Services) | Expanding Knowledge in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences |
Related Links
Publications
To what extent are conspiracy theorists concerned for self versus others? A COVID‐19 test case
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-2021
DOI: 10.1002/EJSP.2737
Abstract: We examined whether people who are prone to believe COVID‐19 conspiracy theories are characterised by an especially strong concern for others or an especially strong concern for the self, and whether these orientations are associated with willingness to take a COVID‐19 vaccine. We surveyed 4,245 participants from eight nations three months later we re‐contacted 1,262 participants from three nations. Belief in COVID‐19 conspiracy theories was related to greater concerns about one's own safety, and lower concerns about the safety of close others. Furthermore, conspiracist ideation at Wave 1 predicted reluctance to take a COVID‐19 vaccine at Wave 2, mediated through relative concern for self versus others. In sum, people who are high in conspiracy beliefs have relatively higher concern for the self relative to others, with troubling implications for public health.
Group life shapes the psychology and biology of health: The case for a sociopsychobio model
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 30-07-2019
DOI: 10.1111/SPC3.12490
Cracks before the crisis: Polarization prior to COVID‐19 predicts increased collective angst and economic pessimism
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1002/EJSP.2845
Abstract: We examine how polarization within societies is associated with reduced confidence in national responses to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) crisis. We surveyed 4,731 participants across nine countries at Wave 1 (France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States), and then, at Wave 2 (3 months later), we recontacted 840 participants from two countries (the United Kingdom and the United States). We found that perceived polarization in the years preceding COVID‐19 predicted an enhanced perception that a country's COVID response was anomic (i.e., disorganized, chaotic), which in turn predicted greater collective angst and economic pessimism. Moreover, polarization measured at Wave 1 continued to predict perceptions that the COVID‐19 response was anomic at Wave 2, and, in turn, enhanced collective angst, pessimism, and the perception that dramatic political change was required to recover from COVID‐19. Our findings highlight how polarization may be associated with reduced confidence in leaders and governments at times of crisis, and how this predicts future‐focused anxiety and pessimism.
Uncertainty in transition: The influence of group cohesion on learning
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 24-02-2017
Social Identity Mapping Online
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 09-10-2019
Abstract: Social identities play an important role in many aspects of life, not least in those pertaining to health and well-being. Decades of research shows that these relationships are driven by a range of social identity processes, including identification with groups, social support received from groups, and multiple group memberships. However, to date, researchers have not had access to methods that simultaneously capture these social identity processes. To fill this void, this paper introduces an online Social Identity Mapping (oSIM) tool designed to assess the multidimensional and connected nature of social identities. Four studies (total N = 721) featuring community, student, new parent, and retiree s les, test the reliability and validity of oSIM. Results indicate that the tool is easy to use, engaging, has good internal consistency as well as convergent and discriminant validity, and predicts relevant outcomes across a range of contexts. Furthermore, using meta-analytic findings, the tool is able to index a higher-order social identity construct, here introduced as a supergroup. This new concept provides holistic information about groups (reflecting an integrated index of several social identity processes) that are predictive of well-being outcomes, as well as outcomes related to successful adjustment to challenging life events. We discuss how the tool can be used to tackle key debates in the literature and contribute to theory by affording researchers the opportunity to capture the nuanced and contextual nature of social identity in action.
GROUPS 4 HEALTH reduces loneliness and social anxiety in adults with psychological distress: Findings from a randomized controlled trial
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 09-2019
DOI: 10.1037/CCP0000427
Abstract: Loneliness is a key public health issue for which various interventions have been trialed. However, few directly target the core feature of loneliness-lack of belonging. This is the focus of Groups 4 Health (G4H), a recently developed intervention that targets the development and maintenance of social group memberships to support health. To investigate the efficacy of this intervention, a randomized controlled trial was conducted with participants (N = 120) assigned to G4H or treatment-as-usual (TAU) by computer software. Assessment of primary (loneliness) and secondary (depression, social anxiety, general practitioner visits, multiple group membership) outcomes was conducted at baseline and 2-month follow-up using mixed-model repeated-measures analyses. G4H produced a greater reduction in loneliness (d = -1.04) and social anxiety (d = -0.46) than TAU (d = -0.33 and d = 0.03, respectively). G4H was also associated with fewer general practitioner visits at follow-up (d = -0.33) and a stronger sense of belonging to multiple groups (d = 0.52) relative to TAU (d = 0.30 and d = 0.33, respectively). Depression declined significantly in both G4H (d = -0.63) and TAU (d = -0.34), but follow-up analyses showed this was greater in G4H among those not receiving adjunct psychopharmacological treatment and whose symptoms were milder. Findings suggest that G4H can be a useful way to treat loneliness and highlight the importance of attending to group memberships when tackling this important social challenge. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
A picture is worth a thousand words: Social identity mapping as a way of visualizing and assessing social group connections
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Date: 18-07-2023
Social identity makes group-based social connection possible: Implications for loneliness and mental health
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.COPSYC.2021.07.013
Abstract: This review argues that a distinctly positive form of social connection is made possible by the social identities that people derive from psychologically meaningful group memberships. These connections have important implications for mental health by virtue of their distinct capacity to furnish people with a sense of collective meaning, purpose, support, and efficacy. This analysis suggests that loneliness and its toxic effects arise in part from the challenges of achieving this distinct form of social connection in contemporary society. However, it also suggests that a good way to tackle loneliness and support mental health is by building, restoring, and sustaining social identities through meaningful group-based connections. We conclude by reflecting on the success of interventions that do precisely this - most notably Groups 4 Health.
Identity Leadership in a Crisis: A 5R Framework for Learning from Responses to COVID‐19
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1111/SIPR.12075
I was a firefighter.pdf
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 29-08-2021
Abstract: Retirement can be a challenging transition for many of the working population. Research using the Social Identity Model of Identity Change (SIMIC) has documented the important health and well-being benefits of belonging to multiple groups when coping with this challenge. The present research focused on two aspects of the model that have been relatively unexplored in this body of work notably, the impact on health of loss of meaningful identities central to self, and the role of group compatibility in the transition. The centrality of the firefighter identity to the self-concept makes this an ideal population with which to explore issues of loss of meaning and (in)compatibility through retirement. Thematic analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews with retired firefighters elucidated how the firefighter identity shapes the experience of retirement: 1) the centrality and intensity of the firefighter role resulted in a profound sense of loss of meaning in life among retired firefighters and 2) the demanding role hindered firefighters from engaging with other social groups, which many saw as incompatible, and left them socially isolated in retirement. Results also showed that some firefighters engaged in meaning replacement and social scaffolding to navigate these challenges. The findings are discussed in relation to developing SIMIC and providing recommendations to adequately support these and other emergency service occupations in their transition to retirement.
Cognition in context: Social inclusion attenuates the psychological boundary between self and other
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 11-2017
Rethinking the nature of the person at the heart of the biopsychosocial model: Exploring social changeways not just personal pathways
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 03-2021
An online paradigm for exploring the self-reference effect
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 04-05-2017
Innovations in social psychology: Social identity mapping online
Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA)
Date: 02-2020
DOI: 10.1037/PSPA0000174
Abstract: Social identities play an important role in many aspects of life, not least in those pertaining to health and well-being. Decades of research shows that these relationships are driven by a range of social identity processes, including identification with groups, social support received from groups, and multiple group memberships. However, to date, researchers have not had access to methods that simultaneously capture these social identity processes. To fill this void, this article introduces an online Social Identity Mapping (oSIM) tool designed to assess the multidimensional and connected nature of social identities. Four studies (total
Sharper Minds 2021 Pilot Report
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 03-01-2022
Abstract: Sharper Minds is a stepped care package designed by the researchers in collaboration with students and UQ Health Care providers to increase awareness and use of mental health prevention strategies among first year university students. The package was 'soft launched' in 2021, and this report presents findings from the pilot evaluation. The pilot adopted a non-randomised controlled design with 266 students (33% international students). Of these, 157 were in the INTERVENTION condition (students who participated in any aspect of the Sharper Minds package: app tracker or one of the short courses) and 109 were in the CONTROL condition (students who completed pre and post surveys only). Results showed a significantly greater benefit to students in the Intervention v Control on pre to post changes in % screening positive for mental health problems, and scores on measures of depression, wellbeing, and loneliness. Students in both conditions improved across semester on measures of anxiety, somatic symptoms, number of academic stressors and number of COVID-19 related stressors. The pilot also provided practical training for 15 Masters in Psychology students and 2 Masters in Dietetics students and research thesis projects for 1 Masters in Clinical Psychology student 21 Psychology Honours students and 5 Exercise Physiology Honours students.
GROUPS 2 CONNECT: An online activity to maintain social connection and well‐being during COVID‐19
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 27-12-2021
DOI: 10.1111/APHW.12330
Abstract: COVID‐19 has had significant negative consequences for well‐being. As well as the primary effects of the virus itself, secondary effects have resulted from the social isolation caused by the lockdowns imposed to slow the spread of the virus. Recognising the toxic effects of isolation, researchers, practitioners and policy‐makers are conscious of the need to mitigate the negative effects of social distancing. Drawing on insights from a large body of research on the Social Identity Approach to Health, we devised an online activity— GROUPS 2 CONNECT (G2C)—aimed at helping people to maintain social connectedness when face‐to‐face interaction was not possible. Across four studies ( N = 1021), we found that after completing the G2C activity, participants reported an increase in perceived quality of social connection, perceived ability to stay connected and well‐being, with results showing that for two of the three longitudinal studies these uplifts were stable over time, and for all studies, the uplifts remained consistently higher for those who reported completing their social connection goals. These findings provide initial evidence of the value of G2C as a tool to support social connection, thereby reducing the risk of social isolation.
Construction at Work: Multiple Identities Scaffold Professional Identity Development in Academia
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 26-03-2019
Sharper Minds 2022 Report.
Publisher: Center for Open Science
Date: 14-02-2023
Abstract: This report describes a pilot non-randomised controlled evaluation of the full Sharper Minds package in 2022. In total, 365 undergraduate students from across the university opted in to one of three conditions: Control (n=112) 1 Intervention (used the weekly tracker or completed a short course, n=158), or 2 Interventions (weekly tracker plus a short course, n=95). Results showed that on average, students who used the weekly tracker and completed one of the online courses experienced significant improvements in mental health symptoms and loneliness. Furthermore, using the app tracker or completing one of the online courses protected students from a reduction in academic motivation experienced in the control group. These benefits occurred even though participants’ number of academic and general stressors remained consistent across the semester. A preliminary economic analysis revealed a net benefit of $305 per participant. These findings demonstrated the helpfulness of the Sharper Minds model for improving mental health in undergraduate university students.
“Let's get physical” — or social: The role of physical activity versus social group memberships in predicting depression and anxiety over time
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2022
DOI: 10.1016/J.JAD.2022.03.027
Abstract: Physical activity is often promoted as a way to prevent and combat anxiety and depression in adolescents. However, very little research has sought to establish whether the benefits of exercise arise from the excercise itself or from the social context in which it takes place. We explore the hypothesis that it is not physical activity on its own, but rather adolescents' engagement in group life (as part of a sports group or otherwise), that accounts for positive mental health effects associated with physical activity. We conducted a longitudinal study that tracked 558 high-school boys and found that anxiety and depression over time was not predicted by (a) T1 physical fitness as determined by 7 speed and agility tests, or (b) engaging in multiple sports as co-curricular activies at T1. In contrast, multiple group memberships - irrespective of the activity - predicted reduced depression and anxiety over time, particularly when these were groups that adolescents identified with and experienced as compatible with each other. Limitations relate to (a) physical fitness only being measured at T1, (b) the absence of a measure of frequency and duration of physical activity, and (c) the homogeneity of the s le. We conclude that group memberships and the social identities that adolescents derive from these groups (including, but not restricted to, those involving sport) function as a psychological resource to reduce anxiety and depression over time.
Related Organisations
No related organisations have been discovered for Sarah Vivienne Bentley.
Related Funding Activities
Linkage Projects - Grant ID: LP200200762
Start Date: 03-2022
End Date: 03-2025
Amount: $355,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityAustralian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL110100199
Start Date: 06-2012
End Date: 06-2019
Amount: $2,529,601.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity