Jérôme Blondé

The present study examined longitudinal associations between smoking‐related self‐discontinuity (i.e. the perception that quitting smoking has disrupted the stability of one's self‐concept over time), smoker and ex‐smoker identity, and smoking relapse. We tested a mediation model in which increases in self‐discontinuity were expected to increase relapse risk through concurrent and prospective increases in smoker identity and decreases in ex‐smoker identity. The model was evaluated in a four‐wave longitudinal study conducted over 1 year among former smokers who had quit within the previous 5 years. Multilevel analyses isolated within‐person associations between self‐discontinuity, identity, and relapse over time while controlling for time‐invariant between‐person differences related to smoking history. Results showed that within‐person increases in self‐discontinuity were indirectly associated with a higher likelihood of relapse at the subsequent wave through their concurrent association with smoker identity, but not ex‐smoker identity. Moreover, no indirect effects emerged when changes in both smoker and ex‐smoker identities were modeled prospectively. Sensitivity analyses provided no evidence for reverse indirect pathways from identity to relapse via self‐discontinuity. However, within‐person increases in both smoker and ex‐smoker identities predicted subsequent increases in self‐discontinuity, suggesting that identity fluctuations may precede feelings of self‐discontinuity rather than the reverse.

This longitudinal study examines the impact of sex-based and sexual orientation-based victimization on training discontinuity among students in the Swiss Vocational Education and Training (VET) system. Drawing on a representative cohort of 1370 first-year apprentices enrolled in six vocational training centers in the canton of Geneva, data were collected across three waves (2020–2023). Experienced violence was measured at three time points, and training discontinuity was defined as absence from class registers in the subsequent academic year (T + 1). Logistic regression models were estimated on 15 multiply imputed datasets to address missing data. Results indicate that experiencing sexual orientation-based violence at the beginning of the apprenticeship (T1) significantly increases the likelihood of training discontinuity at T2, even after controlling for assigned sex, the sex-typing of training fields, and concealment of sexual orientation. In contrast, sex-based violence was not significantly associated with training discontinuity in the following year, and sexual orientation-based violence measured at T2 was not significantly associated with training discontinuity at T3. These findings suggest that early experiences of sexual orientation-based victimization may disrupt persistence in VET. They underscore the importance of developing inclusive prevention and support strategies aimed at protecting apprentices from sexual orientation-based victimization, with the goal of reducing training discontinuity.

Une communication menaçante est une stratégie persuasive se caractérisant par l’exposition à une menace (i.e., une conséquence négative causée par l’adoption d’un comportement risqué) en vue d’inciter à l’application d’une recommandation (i.e., une action permettant la protection face à la menace). Si de nombreux travaux ont été réalisés afin de comprendre les effets de la menace sur la persuasion, peu d’entre eux se sont néanmoins intéressés au format de présentation de la menace et à l’influence qu’il exerce dans une communication menaçante. La présente thèse vise à pallier cette lacune et évalue l’effet de la vividité de la menace (i.e., le degré avec lequel une menace est claire et concrète). Notre programme de recherche se décline en huit expérimentations : quatre expérimentations testent l’effet de la vividité sur la persuasion (i.e., élaboration, attitude, intention), quatre autres testent l’effet de la vividité sur l’attention (i.e., évitement, vigilance). Nos principaux résultats montrent qu’une communication menaçante produit un impact différencié selon la vividité de la menace. Si la vividité est forte, la menace est en mesure d’améliorer l’acceptation du message via l’expression d’une plus grande vigilance attentionnelle sur la recommandation. A l’inverse, si la vividité est faible, la menace ne produit aucun impact, aussi forte soit-elle. Ainsi, l’influence d’une communication menaçante est-elle dépendante du format de présentation de la menace. Les implications théoriques et pratiques auxquelles conduisent ces résultats, ainsi que des perspectives de recherches, seront finalement discutées.

Extensive research has shown that resistance to behaviour change is often driven by the management of self‐related threats, traditionally conceptualized as threats to self‐esteem. The present research offers a novel perspective by examining behaviour change as a threat to self‐continuity (i.e., the perceived stability of one's self‐image over time). Specifically, we tested the hypothesis that perceived self‐discontinuity undermines motivation to change and self‐reported behaviour change by reinforcing prior self‐identities and inhibiting the formation of new ones. This hypothesis was tested across four studies on smoking behaviour, using well‐powered samples of regular smokers ( N _Total = 1936). Studies 1 and 2 provided correlational and longitudinal support for the hypothesized indirect effect. Studies 3 and 4 used experimental manipulations to enhance perceived self‐continuity, which increased ex‐smoker identity and, in turn, engagement in cessation behaviours. These findings highlight that resistance to change is not only rooted in the need to maintain a positive self‐image but also in the motivation to maintain a stable sense of self.

This study investigates the prevalence of experiences of sex-based and sexual orientation-based violence—including physical, verbal, psychological (i.e., negative rumors and lies), and online violence—among vocational education and training (VET) students in Switzerland ( N = 1,261). Data were collected over 3 years (from 2020 to 2023) from both female and male students, and nonheterosexual and heterosexual students, across various VET fields of study (categorized as male-dominated, female-dominated, and sex-balanced). Furthermore, we gathered information on the contexts and perpetrators of experiences of violence. Analyses were conducted using Chi-square tests and odd ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results revealed that female and nonheterosexual students were significantly more likely to experience all forms of violence compared to their male and heterosexual counterparts. By the end of their training, 24.8% of female students and 22.7% of nonheterosexual students reported having experienced verbal violence related to their sex or sexual orientation in the previous year, compared to 9% of male students and 3.1% of heterosexual students. Notably, sex-based violence against female students was most prevalent in male-dominated fields. In contrast, nonheterosexual students faced heightened risks of sexual orientation-based violence in both male-dominated and sex-balanced fields. These findings provide a precise view of the prevalence of sex-based and sexual orientation-based violence experienced by VET students within the Swiss context. They underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to mitigate violence.

A substantial body of research has documented significant variations across fields of study in the prevalence of discrimination experiences among women. In the present research, we investigated the role of normative climates in fields of study by focusing on the shared endorsement of hegemonic masculinity on the experiences and anticipations of gender discrimination among female and male students. We recruited a large sample of students attending upper-secondary vocational schools (N = 1,298), segmented into various fields of study (k = 35). We assessed students’ endorsement of hegemonic masculinity (whose effects were estimated at the field level), along with perceived and anticipated gender discrimination (estimated at the individual level). Multi-level structural equation modelling revealed cross-level interactions consistent with our hypotheses. Female students, particularly in fields of study scoring high in hegemonic masculinity, perceived and anticipated more gender discrimination than their male counterparts. These gender differences were either weaker or absent in fields with a climate low in hegemonic masculinity. These findings highlight the importance of addressing the role of normative climates occurring in local educational contexts to adequately determine the experiences of female and male students.

L’analyse de données quantitatives et qualitatives récoltées auprès d’un large échantillon d’apprenti·e·x·s genevois·e·x·s en première année de formation professionnelle duale, nous a permis de démontrer que les élèves hétérosexuel·le·x·s qui ont une expression de genre non conforme aux normes de genre sont plus à risque d’arrêter leur apprentissage et que ces mêmes élèves peuvent être victimes de discriminations hétérosexistes durant leur parcours de formation du fait de leur expression de genre.

Le but de notre étude est d’analyser le rôle que peut jouer le vécu de discriminations homophobes par rapport aux intentions d’arrêt d’une formation professionnelle en cours. Cette étude a été menée par questionnaire standardisé auprès de 867 élèves en deuxième année d’apprentissage dans six centres de formation professionnelle du canton de Genève. Les apprenti·es ont été interrogé·es à propos des discriminations homophobes directes vécues, ainsi que des discriminations indirectes (dissimulation de l’orientation sexuelle et perception du climat homophobe). Les résultats d’analyses de médiation montrent que les élèves non hétérosexuel·les ont plus l’intention d’arrêter leur formation en cours que les autres élèves, et que ce lien est expliqué par le fait qu’ils et elles rapportent plus de discriminations homophobes directes et indirectes. Ces résultats mettent en lumière l’importance de prendre en compte les discriminations homophobes dans les réflexions visant à diminuer les risques de décrochage. Ils suggèrent notamment que, pour prévenir ces risques, en parallèle à d’autres mesures déjà en place ou en discussion, il serait utile de renforcer les politiques œuvrant en faveur d’un climat scolaire inclusif et sécurisant.

The effectiveness of mutual help groups (MHGs) in promoting addiction recovery has been widely acknowledged. However, the psychological mechanisms underlying the impact of MHGs remain somewhat uncertain. Drawing on a social identity perspective, this study investigated a sequential mediation model in which social support is posited as a driving factor that enhances abstinence maintenance through group identification, recovery identity, and self‐efficacy. A sample of 820 smokers, participating in a 6‐month collective smoking cessation programme which included access to an online help group, completed measures of social support, group identification, smoker/ex‐smoker identity, and self‐efficacy at the programme's outset. Smoking abstinence was assessed 6 and 9 months later. The findings supported the proposed model, indicating that social support was positively associated with MHG identification, which, in turn, was related to a stronger recovery identity. Subsequently, recovery identity was associated with increased self‐efficacy, and indirectly, with smoking abstinence at both measurement times. Additional analyses testing alternative mediation models further supported the validity of the proposed model. These findings suggest that social identity factors play significant roles in accounting for the effectiveness of MHGs for addiction recovery.