Top journal articles by Andrea Greco
Behaviour & Information Technology (BIT), 2019
Recent research has shown that typically law-abiding people perceive the act of illegal downloadi... more Recent research has shown that typically law-abiding people perceive the act of illegal downloading as less unethical than other illegal acts. A major thrust of today’s digital piracy research is indeed to understand how emerging social norms influence consumer perceptions and lead to rationalisations that justify antinormative behaviour despite moral and ethics. We adopt a model comparison approach to evaluate the impact of moral disengagement mechanisms with respect to the most often used constructs referring to the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and of moral obligation on intention to pirate. Comparisons between the tested models clearly indicate that moral disengagement plays a significant role in the prediction of piracy. The results also suggest that the practice of illegal downloading is spreading across genders, and that other than moral disengagement, demographic factors of young age, pirating experience, and pirating ability are strong predictors of illegal downloading. When moral disengagement mechanisms are included in the model, intention to pirate is explained by past piracy behaviour, perceived behavioural control, and subjective norms as well as the moral disengagement mechanism of ‘euphemistic labelling’. Our findings advance the current understanding of digital piracy and support the design of more effective interventions to counteract its further diffusion.
Papers by Andrea Greco
Rassegna di Psicologia, 2011
The European health psychologist, Dec 1, 2014
The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA; Schwarzer, 1992) is one of the most widely used model t... more The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA; Schwarzer, 1992) is one of the most widely used model to investigate the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate whether the personality profile could affect the preintentional stage of the HAPA in a population of young daily smokers (N=287). The questionnaire was composed of the Big Five Adjectives Scale (BFA) and of scales to measure risk perception (RP), action self-efficacy (ASE), outcome expectancies (OE), and intention to change behavior. A cluster analysis was performed to identify personality profiles. Profiles were then set as cluster variable in a mixed model. Nine personality profiles were identified. The final mixed model included random effects for intercept, RP, and ASE. Results indicated that: resilient profiles had the largest positive effects of both RP and ASE on intention, whereas these constructs did not affect the intention to quit smoking for overcontrolled people; undercontrolled profile showed a positive effect of ASE but not of RP. Findings suggest the importance to consider personality traits in the HAPA in order to improve interventions to help people quit smoking.
Psychology in the Schools
Parental monitoring (PM) is a key construct in research on children's well‐being and healthy ... more Parental monitoring (PM) is a key construct in research on children's well‐being and healthy development referring to the attention parents pay to their children's activities and whereabouts. However, existing literature suggests that the psychometric properties of its measurement tools are still perfect. For this study, a revised Italian parental monitoring scale (I‐PM‐R) was developed and validated with data from 835 participants (63% females), aged between 10 and 20 years old. The sample was divided into two sub‐samples. One was used for parallel and exploratory factor analyses, and the other was used for confirmatory factor analysis. A total of eight factors were thus identified. The scale exhibited invariance in relation to children's gender and school success, and associations with demographic variables and school performance. The I‐PM‐R contributes to the need to move toward psychometric quality advances in the measurement of PM.
Key Topics in Perinatal Mental Health, 2022
ecancermedicalscience, 2020
The topic of lactation following cancer diagnosis will become increasingly more current. Although... more The topic of lactation following cancer diagnosis will become increasingly more current. Although oncological research confirms that breastfeeding after cancer might be possible, there is a lack of guidelines and a good recommendation for oncological women. In the absence of specific recommendations, women with past cancer may be at higher risk for psychological distress related to breastfeeding. Research
BACKGROUND Engagement with physical activity (PA) apps was evidenced to be a core precondition fo... more BACKGROUND Engagement with physical activity (PA) apps was evidenced to be a core precondition for effectiveness in digital behavior change interventions. However, little attention has been reserved to understand potential users’ perspective, needs, expectations, and experience so far. OBJECTIVE The aim of the current study is to investigate what and why features are judged to be important for a PA app engagement. METHODS A qualitative focus-group methodology with elements of co-design was adopted. Participants reporting sedentary lifestyle and willingness to improve PA behavior through mobile technology were recruited. 13 participants were included in the focus-group sessions (8 men, 5 woman; mean age 41.9 ± 7.1). Two researchers conducted data analysis independently using the inductive thematic approach. RESULTS Four main themes emerged in relation to the research question and were named: “PA participation motives”, “autonomy and self-regulation”, “need for relatedness”, and “smar...
Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, 2019
The practice of regular physical exercise is a protective factor against noncommunicable diseases... more The practice of regular physical exercise is a protective factor against noncommunicable diseases and premature mortality. In spite of that, large part of the population does not meet physical activity guidelines and many individuals live a sedentary life. Recent technological progresses and the widespread adoption of mobile technology, such as smartphone and wearables, have opened the way to the development of digital behaviour change interventions targeting physical activity promotion. Such interventions would greatly benefit from the inclusion of computational models framed on behaviour change theories and model-based reasoning. However, research on these topics is still at its infancy. The current paper presents a smartphone application and wearable device system called Muoviti! that targets physical activity promotion among adults not meeting the recommended physical activity guidelines. Specifically, we propose a computational model of behaviour change, grounded on the social ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Lifestyle is a complex and often generic concept that has been used and defined in different ways... more Lifestyle is a complex and often generic concept that has been used and defined in different ways in scientific research. Currently, there is no single definition of lifestyle, and various fields of knowledge have developed theories and research variables that are also distant from each other. This paper is a narrative review of the literature and an analysis of the concept of lifestyle and its relationship to health. This contribution aims to shed light on the lifestyle construct in health psychology. In particular, the first part of this manuscript reexamines the main definitions of lifestyle in the psychological and sociological fields through three perspectives: internal, external, and temporal. The main components that characterise lifestyle are highlighted. The second part of this paper explores the main concepts of lifestyle in health, underlining their strengths and weaknesses, and proposes an alternative definition of a healthy lifestyle, which integrates the individual dim...
The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA; Schwarzer, 1992) is one of the most widely used model t... more The Health Action Process Approach (HAPA; Schwarzer, 1992) is one of the most widely used model to investigate the adoption and maintenance of health behaviors. The present study aimed to investigate whether the personality profile could affect the preintentional stage of the HAPA in a population of young daily smokers (N=287). The questionnaire was composed of the Big Five Adjectives Scale (BFA) and of scales to measure risk perception (RP), action self-efficacy (ASE), outcome expectancies (OE), and intention to change behavior. A cluster analysis was performed to identify personality profiles. Profiles were then set as cluster variable in a mixed model. Nine personality profiles were identified. The final mixed model included random effects for intercept, RP, and ASE. Results indicated that: resilient profiles had the largest positive effects of both RP and ASE on intention, whereas these constructs did not affect the intention to quit smoking for overcontrolled people; undercontrolled profile showed a positive effect of ASE but not of RP. Findings suggest the importance to consider personality traits in the HAPA in order to improve interventions to help people quit smoking.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2022
Excessive use of technology has become a worldwide problem due to its high prevalence, fast growt... more Excessive use of technology has become a worldwide problem due to its high prevalence, fast growth rate, and undesirable consequences. However, little is known about underlying psychological mechanisms that maintain excessive use of technology. We investigated the mediating role of self-esteem, novelty seeking, and persistence on the relationship between attachment dimensions and technology addiction among young adults. Data were collected from 727 young adults (females, N = 478; 66.3 percent), aged 23.44 ± 3.02 years. Participants completed self-report measures of secure and insecure attachment dimensions, personality, and temperament characteristics (i.e., self-esteem, novelty seeking, and persistence), technology addiction and frequency of technology use (i.e., own technology use, perceived use by peers and parents). The mediation model was tested through a path analysis. The effects of attachment insecurity on technology addiction were partially mediated by the levels of persistence and self-esteem, whereas the effects of attachment security on technology addiction were fully mediated. The effects remained robust even after controlling for the frequency of technology use. The model was gender and age invariant, suggesting that the mediation worked in a similar way for both men and women and across ages. Findings suggest that attachment dimensions exert not only a direct but also an indirect effect on technology addiction through self-esteem and persistence. Such findings may help to develop psychosocial interventions that are sensitive to young adults' attachment, personality, and temperament characteristics.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2020
AIM To investigate the longitudinal growth trajectories of disease-specific quality of life (QoL)... more AIM To investigate the longitudinal growth trajectories of disease-specific quality of life (QoL) dimensions and their associations over 1 year. DESIGN A longitudinal design. Data were collected between February 2015-May 2017. METHODS Four hundred and fifteen stroke survivors (mean age 70.6 years; 81% ischaemic stroke) were recruited after discharge from rehabilitation hospitals and were followed up every 3 months for 1 year. Changes in Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) dimension scores were evaluated using hierarchical linear models (HLMs) and linear, logarithmic, quadratic, and cubic time slope. RESULTS We observed a significant linear and quadratic increase in most SIS dimensions from the baseline to 12-month follow-up, especially in physical dimensions. The communication dimension was stable over time, while the memory dimension increased only linearly. Higher physical dimension scores were significantly associated with lower age, hypercholesterolaemia, and better physical functioning at baseline, while higher communication was associated with lower age, better physical functioning, and a diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease. Better memory was associated with lower age, married status, better physical functioning, and left-hemisphere stroke. Better participation was associated with lower age and better physical functioning. No significant associations were observed for emotion. CONCLUSIONS This study provides important information about the trajectories of stroke survivors' specific QoL and their associated variables. IMPACT Stroke has a great impact on stroke survivors' QoL. Disease-specific QoL significantly increases from the baseline to 12-month follow-up, especially in physical dimensions. Lower age, hypercholesterolaemia, better physical functioning, and diagnosis of peripheral vascular disease seem to be associated with better QoL. Through the analyses of associated variables, we identified stroke survivors who are more at risk and who need more tailored interventions to improve their physical, psychological, emotional, and social dimensions.
Frontiers in Psychology, 2021
In the past, deception detection research has explored whether there were specific personal chara... more In the past, deception detection research has explored whether there were specific personal characteristics that were related to lying and found that factors such as personality and morality are indeed related to lying. However, past research has usually focused on a variable-centered approach. Yet, a person-centered might be more suitable here as it allows for the study of people in an integrative manner. In this experiment, 673 students completed a questionnaire which included measures of the five factors of personality, the level of moral disengagement, the perceived cognitive load when lying, lying strategies, frequency of lying and the LiES scale, a tool measuring the tendency to tell self-serving, altruistic and vindicative lies. We performed a Latent Profile Analysis to integrate personality, moral disengagement, and perceived cognitive load scores into specific profiles. Then, we related profile membership to lying behavior. We obtained four profiles, and found that extraver...
European Physical Education Review, 2004
The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Group Environment Que... more The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Group Environment Questionnaire (GEQ) adapted to the Greek language. The sample consisted of 586 male and female volleyball players of elite and regional level status. Data were analysed from three time points of a competitive season. For each time point, seven competing first-order and second-order factor structures were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses. The results revealed that the Greek GEQ demonstrated high internal reliability coefficients, good convergent validity and, for most of the competing models, acceptable fit indices. However, very high factor correlations rendered problematic the discriminant validity of the questionnaire. Multisample analyses examining the invariance of the seven models across competitive level and gender revealed that the models were largely invariant. Further psychometric testing is needed to examine whether the Greek GEQ relates to conceptually important personal...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
COVID-19 has changed people’s routines and imposed new ways of living. This study investigated va... more COVID-19 has changed people’s routines and imposed new ways of living. This study investigated variations in lifestyles (namely, physical activity, diet, alcohol consumption, and cigarette smoking) between the prepandemic and the pandemic period in a sample of older adults with hypertension. Moreover, it investigated predictors of adherence to government restrictions during the first lockdown period, evidencing the role of relevant sociodemographic indicators and lifestyle changes. A sample of 105 older Italian adults (M_age = 70 years; SD = 5.83) with hypertension was enrolled from a previous longitudinal study and interviewed on the phone between May and August 2020. Updated information about sociodemographic indicators and lifestyle changes was collected. Adherence to restrictions was explored through several questions regarding compliance with home confinement, facemask use, and the observance of social distancing. Results evidenced that only 33% of the respondents abided by all...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. A physical... more Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. A physically active lifestyle can improve the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of people with CVD. Nevertheless, adherence to a physically active lifestyle is poor. This study examined the longitudinal (pre-event, 6-, 12-, 24-, and 36-month follow-ups) physical activity profiles in 275 patients (mean age = 57.1 years; SD = 7.87; 84% men) after the first acute coronary event. Moreover, it investigated the associations among physical activity, sense of coherence (SOC), and HRQoL. Physical activity profiles were identified through latent class growth analysis, and linear regressions were then performed to explore the association between physical activity, SOC, and HRQoL. After the cardiovascular event, 62% of patients reached adequate physical activity levels and maintained them over time (virtuous profile). The remaining 38% could not implement (23%) or maintain (15%) a healthy behavior. A str...
Uploads
Top journal articles by Andrea Greco
Papers by Andrea Greco