Predicting Avoidance of Skin Damage Feedback Among College Students
Laura A Dwyer1, James A Shepperd, Michelle L Stock
1The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA, laura.dwyer@nih.gov.
Summary
Many individuals avoid viewing their personal ultraviolet (UV) skin damage photos, especially those with high perceived sun risk and low coping resources. Interventions are needed to encourage engagement with this skin cancer prevention tool.
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Personal ultraviolet (UV) photography effectively reveals skin damage.
- This visual feedback can influence sun protection attitudes and behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if individuals choose to avoid seeing their UV photographs.
- To identify factors predicting avoidance of UV photo feedback.
Main Methods:
- 257 college students completed questionnaires.
- Participants viewed example UV photographs.
- The option to view a personal UV photograph of their face was provided.
Main Results:
- Over 33% of participants declined to view their UV photograph.
- Higher perceived risk of sun damage and lower coping resources predicted avoidance.
- This avoidance was more pronounced in those with infrequent sun protection behaviors.
Conclusions:
- The benefits of UV photography depend on willingness to view the images.
- Interventions should aim to increase receptivity to viewing personal UV photographs.
- Addressing psychological barriers is crucial for effective skin cancer prevention education.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness
3.8K
Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...
3.8K
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
45.3K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
45.3K
01:30Skin Cancer
6.6K
Skin cancer is a type of cancer that occurs when there is an abnormal growth of skin cells, usually triggered by damage to the DNA within the skin cells. It is primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun or artificial sources like tanning beds. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide, and its incidence continues to rise.
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC): BCC is the most common type of skin cancer, accounting for about 80% of cases. It typically develops in...
6.6K
01:12Hindsight Biases
4.5K
Hindsight bias leads you to believe that the event you just experienced was predictable, even though it really wasn’t. In other words, you knew all along that things would turn out the way they did. Can you relate this to the phrase "Hindsight is 20/20" now?
4.5K
02:16Surveys
17.3K
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
17.3K
01:23Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis
9.0K
The skin plays a crucial role in the synthesis of vitamin D, a vital nutrient for various physiological processes in the body. Vitamin D is unique because it can be synthesized in the skin through a series of chemical reactions triggered by exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation from sunlight.
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
9.0K