Behavioral Sciences

Health and social care professionals are important for fostering behaviour change to improve population health. Behaviour change education is varied across university curricula, impacting practitioner preparedness to promote engagement in health behaviours. This study examined health and social care professionals’ perceptions of behaviour change education and training in their university course and the factors influencing their preparedness to engage in behaviour change conversations, guided by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Australian health and social care professionals (N = 153, M_age = 33.4, SD = 10.5) were surveyed on their perceptions of behaviour change training, knowledge, confidence, and six TDF domains. Sixty-one percent of participants reported that communication skills were highly integrated (‘a lot’ to ‘a great deal’) throughout their course, compared to behaviour change techniques (45.8%), behaviour change theories (45.8%), and counselling therapies (39.9%). Mental health/social care professionals differed significantly from primary care and allied health professionals in skills (p < 0.05) and beliefs about capabilities (p < 0.05 primary care only). Findings demonstrated strong professional identity and intentions for behaviour change but lower confidence in their own capability to deliver behaviour change interventions. University curricula should expand behaviour change content beyond current communication skills training, using discipline-specific approaches for improved graduate preparedness.

Over-indebtedness is at an all-time high in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between financial literacy, coping strategies, and consumer financial behaviour. A further aim was to examine gender differences in this context. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, in which participants (n = 2057) responded to questions related to the study variables. The results of the analysis found a significant relationship between financial literacy, problem-focused coping, and direct payment. Alongside this, the results revealed a significant relationship between financial illiteracy, avoidant coping, having consumer loans, and deferred payment strategies. Men were more likely to have consumer loans and to choose credit payment. Women were more likely to choose the Buy-Now-Pay-Later option in comparison to men. The findings of the present study can provide valuable insights on the psychological aspects of consumer financial behaviour. Additionally, it is recommended that financial literacy be continuously investigated as a potential “protective shield,” particularly in relation to psychological well-being, as well as in the context of the need for extended financial education.

Understanding the factors that influence academic engagement and the perception of ethical–practical suitability is essential for improving university training processes in Social Work. In this context, academic satisfaction plays a key role. This study, with a cross-sectional design and a structural equation modelling (SEM) approach, aimed to examine the direct and indirect relationships among academic engagement, ethical–practical suitability, and academic satisfaction in a sample of Social Work students in Chile. A total of 298 Social Work students participated in this study, from 9 public and private universities (23.1% men, 76.9% women), with a mean age of 21.74 years (SD = 3.470). The results, obtained from a structural equation model, confirm that academic satisfaction significantly and partially mediates the relationship between ethical–practical suitability and academic engagement. Likewise, positive direct effects were observed among the three variables. Confirming a partial mediating effect of academic satisfaction in the relationship between professional suitability and academic engagement. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance for designing training strategies aimed at strengthening academic engagement and the perception of professional readiness in higher education.