Identity as a moderator of guided -self change treatment outcomes with adolescents

Despite recent calls to examine the possible moderating effects of developmental variables on treatment outcomes with adolescents, most research has continued to focus on age as a main developmental variable. Building upon the theoretical notion that identity development is a central task of adolescence, this study investigated whether adolescents' response to an alcohol and other drug (AOD) use reduction intervention, Guided-Self Change (GSC), was influenced by their approach to self-defining questions and situations. While past research has established associations between maladaptive identity development and alcohol and other drug use, very little research attention has been given to the potential relationship that may exist between identity variables and AOD treatment response. Given GCS's promotion of self-reflective, self-exploring, and problem-focused coping skills as a way of addressing AOD problems, it was hypothesized that adolescents with positive identity development (i.e., greater identity coherence and adaptive identity processing styles) would respond more positively to GCS's change producing therapeutic techniques than their counterparts. This hypothesis was tested with an ethnically diverse sample of 134 adolescents between the ages of 14-18 years who were randomly assigned to either a GSC intervention or a comparison control group. Results revealed that identity development was significantly associated with AOD use, such that adolescents with diffused/avoidant styles and high levels of distress over identity-related issues used more alcohol at the baseline assessment than those with more positive identity development. Results also indicated that while identity distress or identity coherence did not moderate GSC treatment outcomes, high scores for a diffused/avoidant style did moderate treatment outcomes and thus proved to be a significant predictor of treatment response. These results indicate that identity development influences adolescents' alcohol use and that while use of certain approaches to self-defining questions does not predict treatment outcomes, high use for negative approaches does moderate intervention-related change. ^

Elevated progesterone in yolk as a moderator of prenatal and postnatal auditory learning in bobwhite quail

Recent studies have established that yolk hormones of maternal origin have significant effects on the physiology and behavior of offspring in birds. Herrington (2012) demonstrated that an elevation of progesterone in yolk elevates emotional reactivity in bobwhite quail neonates. Chicks that hatched from progesterone treated eggs displayed increased latency in tonic immobility and did not emerge as quickly from a covered location into an open field compared to control groups. For the present study, three experimental groups were formed: chicks hatched from eggs with artificially elevated progesterone (P), chicks hatched from an oil-vehicle control group (V), and chicks hatched from a non-manipulated control group (C). Experiment 1 examined levels of progesterone with High Performance Liquid Chromatography/tandem Mass Spectroscopy (HPLC/MS) from prenatal day 1 to prenatal day 17 in bobwhite quail egg yolk. In Experiment 2, bobwhite quail embryos were passively exposed to an individual maternal assembly call for 24 hours prior to hatching. Chicks were then tested individually for their preference between the familiarized call and a novel call at 24 and 48 hours following hatching. For Experiment 3, newly hatched chicks were exposed to an individual maternal assembly call for 24-hrs. Chicks were then tested for their preference for the familiarized call at 24 and 48-hrs after hatch. Results of Experiment 1 showed that yolk progesterone levels were significantly elevated in treated eggs and were present in the egg yolk longer into prenatal development than the two control groups. Results from Experiment 2 indicated that chicks from the P group failed to demonstrate a preference for the familiar bobwhite maternal assembly call at 24 or 48-hrs after hatch following 24-hrs of prenatal exposure. In contrast, chicks from the C and V groups demonstrated a significant preference for the familiarized call. In Experiment 3, chicks from the P group showed an enhanced preference for the familiarized bobwhite maternal call compared to chicks from the C and V groups at 24 and 48-hrs after hatch. The results of these experiments suggest that elevated maternal yolk hormone levels in pre-incubated bobwhite quail eggs can influence auditory perceptual learning in embryos and neonates.^

Rater's personality as a moderator of context effects in performance appraisals

Undergraduates rated scripts describing the performance of different instructors in the following order: two positive or negative scripts followed by an average script; or two average scripts followed by a positive or a negative script. Context effects were assessed by comparing ratings of the target stimulus in the context and in the context-free control conditions. Several individual difference variables were measured as possible moderators of this phenomenon. Results indicated robust contrast effects mediated by beliefs in the variability of human nature in the extreme context conditions. In the positive context condition, high scorers in Variability were not affected by context, whereas medium or low scorers in Variability exhibited contrast effects. In the negative context condition, high scorers in Variability exhibited a more extreme contrast effect than medium or low scorers in Variability. In the average context conditions, contrast was observed only when the target was positive.

The effect of vision congruence on employee empowerment, commitment, satisfaction, and performance

Five models delineating the person-situation fit controversy were developed and tested. Hypotheses were tested to determine the linkages between vision congruence, empowerment, locus of control, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and employee performance. Vision was defined as a mental image of a possible and desirable future state of the organization.^ Data were collected from 213 employees in a major flower import company. Participants were from various organizational levels and ethnic backgrounds. The data collection procedure consisted of three parts. First, a profile analysis instrument was used which was developed employing a Q-sort based technique, to measure the vision congruence between the CEO and each employee. Second, employees completed a survey instrument which included scales measuring empowerment, locus of control, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and social desirability. Third, supervisor performance ratings were gathered from employee files. Data analysis consisted of using Kendall's tau to measure the correlation between CEO's and each employee's vision. Path analyses were conducted using the EQS structural equation program to test five theoretical models for goodness-of-fit. Regression analysis was employed to test whether locus of control acted as a moderator variable.^ The results showed that vision congruence is significantly related to job satisfaction and employee commitment, and perceived empowerment acts as an intervening variable affecting employee outcomes. The study also found that people with an internal locus of control were more likely to feel empowered than were those with external beliefs. Implications of these findings for both researchers and practitioners are discussed and suggestions for future research directions are provided. ^

When is personality a predictor of performance? The moderating role of autonomy

The study described herein examined personality as a predictor of task and contextual performance. The Big Five personality dimensions (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness to Experience, and Conscientiousness) were studied in relation to both task and contextual performance within an organization in the service industry. The situational factor, autonomy, was examined as a potential moderator for the hypothesized personality-contextual performance relationship. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that Conscientiousness was a valid predictor of task performance, Neuroticism was a valid predictor of contextual performance, and Extraversion was a valid predictor of delinquent performance. However, results did not yield support for the moderating role of autonomy on the personality-contextual performance relationship. Nevertheless, job satisfaction did moderate the Openness to Experience-delinquent performance relationship. Practical implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed. ^

Late adolescents in transition: The influence of support on post-transition adjustment

Points of transition, when major life roles undergo change, tend to be associated with an increased need for social support. The transition from adolescence to adulthood is ideal for the examination of the effect of normative stress on the development and functioning of social networks. A questionnaire was designed based on the convoy model to assess the influence of personal and situational characteristics on the utilization of support in the prediction of post-transition adjustment. Data were initially collected for a multi-ethnic sample of 741 sophomores and seniors in high school. Surveys were mailed to participants two years later, and one again the following year. The current study is based on data for 310 participants with complete data for all three time periods. A series of hierarchical regressions were conducted to compare three explanatory models of support: main effect, mediation, and moderation. A main effect model of support on post-transition adjustment was confirmed, a mediator model was not confirmed, and a moderator model was marginally confirmed. Family and friend support was related to significantly lower levels of loneliness, particularly for those with less adaptable temperaments. ^

Differences in treatment and intervention needs of girls arrested for status versus criminal offenses

The purpose of this research was to explore the differences in factors associated with girls' status and criminal arrests. This study used data from six juvenile justice programs in multiple states, which was derived from the Juvenile Assessment and Intervention System (JAIS). The sample of 908 adolescent girls (ages 13-19) was ethnically and racially diverse (41% African American, 32% white, 12% Hispanic, 11% Native American and 4% Other). A structural equation model (SEM) was analyzed which tested the potential effects of adolescent substance use, truancy, suicidal ideation/attempt, self-harm, peer legal trouble, parental criminal history and parental and non-parental abuse on type of offense (status and criminal) and whether any of these relationships varied as a function of race/ethnicity. ^ Complex relationships emerged regarding both status and more serious criminal arrests. One of the most important findings was that distinct and different patterns of factors were associated with status arrests compared to criminal arrests. For example, truancy and parental abuse were directly associated with status offenses, whereas parental criminal history was directly related to criminal arrests. However, both status and criminal arrests shared common associations, including substance use, which signifies that certain variables are influential regarding both non-criminal and more serious crimes. In addition, significant meditating influences were observed which help to explain some underlying mechanisms involved in girls' arrest patterns. Finally, race/ethnicity moderated a key relationship, which has serious implications for treatment. ^ In conclusion, the present study is an important contribution to research regarding girls' delinquency in that it overcomes limitations in the existing literature in four primary areas: (1) it utilizes a large, multi-state, ethnically and racially diverse sample of justice system-involved girls, (2) it examines numerous co-occurring factors influencing delinquency from multiple domains (family, school, peers, etc.) simultaneously, (3) it formally examines race/ethnicity as a moderator of these multivariate relationships, and (4) it looks at status and criminal arrests independently in order to highlight possible differences in the patterning of risk factors associated with each. These findings have important implications for prevention, treatment and interventions with girls involved in the juvenile justice system.^

Use of structural equation modeling to examine the association between breast cancer risk perception and repeat screening mammography among United States women

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in United States women, estimated to be diagnosed in 1 out of 8 women in their lifetime. Screening mammography detects breast cancer in its pre-clinical stages when treatment strategies have the greatest chance of success, and is currently the only population-wide prevention method proven to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. Research has shown that the majority of women are not screened annually, with estimates ranging front 6% - 30% of eligible women receiving all available annual mammograms over a 5-year or greater time frame. Health behavior theorists believe that perception of risk/susceptibility to a disease influences preventive health behavior, in this case, screening mammography The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the association between breast cancer risk perception and repeat screening mammography using a structural equation modeling (SEM) framework. A series of SEM multivariate regressions were conducted using self-reported, nationally representative data from the 2005 National Health Interview Survey. Interaction contrasts were tested to measure the potential moderating effects of variables which have been shown to be predictive of mammography use (physician recommendation, economic barriers, structural barriers, race/ethnicity) on the association between breast cancer risk perception and repeat mammography, while controlling for the covariates of age, income, region, nativity, and educational level. Of the variables tested for moderation, results of the SEM analyses identify physician recommendation as the only moderator of the relationship between risk perception and repeat mammography, thus the potentially most effective point of intervention to increase mammography screening, and decrease the morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. These findings expand the role of the physician from recommendation to one of attenuating the effect of risk perception and increasing repeat screening. The long range application of the research is the use of the SEM methodology to identify specific points of intervention most likely to increase preventive behavior in population-wide research, allowing for the most effective use of intervention funds.^

Ageism in the workplace: Examining the influence of age conceptualization on the advancement opportunities of older workers

This study examined variables that may influence managers' perceptions of the need for and benefits of training and promoting older workers. Age conceptualization, worker gender, tender-mindedness, openness to values, and emotional intelligence were predicted to affect the relationship between worker age and the probability and perceived benefits of training and promoting older workers. Approximately 500 working professionals read one of four training and promotion vignettes and provided training probability ratings, training benefits ratings, promotion probability ratings, and promotion benefits ratings in order to test twenty-four hypotheses. Results provided evidence that both worker age and the way in which age was conceptualized affected the extent to which workers were recommended for training as well as the perceived benefits of training workers. It was also found that worker age and the way in which age was conceptualized affected the extent to which workers were recommended for promotions and the perceived benefits of doing so. Of the individual characteristics studied, openness to values was found to act as a moderator of the relationship between age conceptualization and the extent to which older workers were recommended for a promotion and the relationship between age conceptualization and the perceived benefits of promoting older workers. Findings from this study suggest that organizations that wish to protect older workers from discrimination should make decision-makers aware of the influence of age conceptualizations on the salience of older worker stereotypes. By being cognizant of individual raters' levels of the personality characteristics examined in this study, organizations can create decision-making teams that are not only representative in terms of demographic characteristics (i.e. race, gender, age, etc.) but also diverse in terms of personality composition. Additionally, organizations that wish to decrease discrimination against older workers should take care to create guidelines and procedures for training and promotion decisions that systematically reduce the opportunities for older worker stereotypes to influence outcomes. ^

The impact of friends on newly immigrant children's emotional and behavioral adjustment

Immigration disrupts an individual's support network; however, the stresses of the immigration process increase the need for social support. The presence of social support becomes essential for immigrant children and adolescents to cope with these important transitional circumstances. Friends are both sources of social support and models for behavior. Furthermore, friendship networks are known to have a significant influence on youths' functioning. Literature suggests that peer relations become more important in adolescence and friend support is related to child and adolescent well-being. Thus, friend relationships may be particularly important for immigrant youths who experience disruption in their friendship networks during the process of migration to another country. In addition to friendship networks and support, friend characteristics also need to be taken into consideration as important factors for immigrant youth adjustment. My study involved analyses of the effects of friend support and friend problem behaviors on emotional and behavioral functioning for elementary, middle, and high school age newly immigrant children and adolescents. ^ Immigrant children and adolescents (N = 503) were interviewed at schools by interviewers fluent in participants' languages. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analyses revealed that friend support and friend problem behaviors were related to children's self-esteem and externalizing behaviors. In addition, friend problem behavior alone predicted children's psychological symptoms and depression scores. Furthermore, age/grade was found to be a moderator for the relation between friend problem behavior and immigrant youth behavioral adjustment such that compared to elementary and high school cohorts, middle school youths showed more externalizing behaviors when they had friends performing problem behaviors. ^ Results supported the idea that both friend support and friend behavior are related to newly immigrant youths' emotional and behavioral adjustment. This study informs further research and interventions concerning the development of programs to facilitate immigrant youths' adjustment by revealing friendship factors related to their adaptation.^

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices affecting health behaviors in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command population of Rangers

Malaria is a threat to United States military personnel operating in endemic areas, from which there have been hundreds of cases reported over the past decade. Each of these cases might have been avoided with proper adherence to malaria chemoprophylaxis medications. Military operations may detract from the strict 100% adherence required of these preventive medications. However, the reasons for non-adherence in military populations are not well understood. This behavior was investigated using a cross sectional study design on a convenience sample of U.S. Army Ranger volunteers (n=150) located at three military instillations. Theoretical support was based on components of the Health Belief Model, the Theory of Reasoned Action/Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Social Cognitive Theory. ^ Data on knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as multiple environmental domains was collected using an original yet unvalidated questionnaire. The data was analyzed using bivariate Pearson correlations, binary logistic regression, and moderated logistic regressions employing a 0.05 criterion of statistical significance. Power analyses predicted 96-98% power for this analysis. ^ Multiple significant medium strength Pearson correlation coefficients were identified relative to the two dependent variables Take medications as directed and Intend to take the medications as directed the next time. Binary logistic regression analyses identified multiple variables that may predict behavioral intentions to adhere to these preventive medications, as a proxy for behavioral change. Moderated logistic regression analyses identified Command Support for adherence to these medications as a potential significant moderator that interacts with independent variables within three domains of the survey questionnaire. ^ The findings indicate that there may be potential significant beneficial effects, which may improve this behavior in this population of Rangers through 1) promoting affirmative interpersonal communications that emphasize adherence to these medications, 2) including malaria chemoprophylaxis medications in the mission planning process, and 3) military command support, in the form of including the importance of proper adherence to these medications in the unit safety briefings.^

Role Stress, Emotional Exhaustion, and Job Satisfaction in the Hotel Industry: The Moderating Role of Supervisory Support

The purpose of this study is to investigate supervisory support as a moderator of the effects of role conflict and role ambiguity on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. This study also examines the moderating role of supervisory support on the relationship between emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. Data were collected from a sample of frontline hotel employees in Northern Cyprus. The aforementioned relationships were tested based on hierarchical multiple regression analysis. The results demonstrate that supervisory support mitigates the impact of role conflict on emotional exhaustion and further reveal that supervisory support reduces the effect of emotional exhaustion on job satisfaction. There is no empirical support for the rest of the hypothesized relationships. Implications of the empirical results are discussed, and future research directions are offered.

Perceivers' impressions of self -presentation tactics: The effects of age and gender

Eighty-four young and 84 older men and women participants, read scenarios in which a male or female target uses either a self-enhancement or a self-deprecation tactic to present him/herself in front of either a close friend or a new acquaintance. Then participants i.e., perceivers) rated their impressions of the self-enhancing or self-deprecating target on six scales: likable, self-knowledgeable, honest, depressed, happy, and anxious. Overall, both young and old perceivers gave more favorable ratings to self-enhancing targets than to self-deprecating targets. Both young and old perceivers' impressions did not differ for a target who presented him/herself in front of a friend or in front of an acquaintance. Also, perceivers completed Singelis' (1994) Self-Construal Measurement, which measures both interdependent and independent self-construals. As predicted, older perceivers had a higher level of interdependent self-construal than did young perceivers. Unexpectedly, female perceivers had a higher level of independent self-construal than did male perceivers. Neither the age-related nor gender-related differences in self-construals were associated with any age-related or gender-related differences in perceivers' impressions of the self-enhancing and self-deprecating targets. That is, the moderator effects of self-construals on the relationships between self-presentation tactic conditions and ratings of targets were not-significant. ^

A meta -analysis of empirical research studies on resilience among students at -risk for school failure

Being at-risk is a growing problem in the U.S. because of disturbing societal trends such as unemployment, divorce, substance abuse, child abuse and neglect, and the new threat of terrorist violence. Resilience characterizes individuals who rebound from or adapt to adversities such as these, and academic resilience distinguishes at-risk students who succeed in school despite hardships. ^ The purpose of this research was to perform a meta-analysis to examine the power of resilience and to suggest ways educators might improve academic resilience, which was operationalized by satisfactory test scores and grades. In order to find all studies that were relevant to academic resilience in at-risk kindergarten through 12th-grade students, extensive electronic and hardcopy searches were conducted, and these resulted in a database of 421 articles. Two hundred eighty seven of these were rejected quickly, because they were not empirical research. Upon further examination, another 106 were rejected for not meeting study protocol criteria. Ultimately, 28 studies were coded for study level descriptors and effect size variables. ^ Protective factors for resilience were found to originate in physical, psychological, and behavioral domains on proximal/intraindividual, transitional/intrafamilial, or distal/extrafamilial levels. Effect sizes (ESs) for these were weighted and the means for each level or category were interpreted by commonly accepted benchmarks. Mean effect sizes for proximal (M = .27) and for transitional (M = .15) were small but significant. The mean effect size for the distal level was insignificant. This supported the hypotheses that the proximal level was the source of most protective factors for academic resilience in at-risk students followed by the transitional level. The distal effect size warranted further research particularly in light of the small number of studies (n = 11) contributing effect sizes to that category. A homogeneity test indicated a search for moderators, i.e., study variables affecting outcomes, was justified. “Category” was the largest moderator. Graphs of weighted mean effect sizes in the physical, psychological, and behavioral domains were plotted for each level to better illustrate the findings of the meta-analysis. Suggestions were made for combining resilience development with aspects of positive psychology to promote resilience in the schools. ^

The relationship between job structure, burnout, and coping methods among public school county bus drivers, bus aides, mechanics, and clerical workers

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the structure of jobs and burnout, and to assess to what extent, if any this relationship was moderated by individual coping methods. This study was supported by the Karasek's (1998) Job Demand-Control-Support theory of work stress as well as Maslach and Leiter's (1993) theory of burnout. Coping was examined as a moderator based on the conceptualization of Lazarus and Folkman (1984). ^ Two overall overarching questions framed this study: (a) what is the relationship between job structure, as operationalized by job title, and burnout across different occupations in support services in a large municipal school district? and (b) To what extent do individual differences in coping methods moderate this relationship? ^ This study was a cross-sectional study of county public school bus drivers, bus aides, mechanics, and clerical workers (N = 253) at three bus depot locations within the same district using validated survey instruments for data collection. Hypotheses were tested using simultaneous regression analyses. ^ Findings indicated that there were statistically significant and relevant relationships among the variables of interest; job demands, job control, burnout, and ways of coping. There was a relationship between job title and physical job demands. There was no evidence to support a relationship between job title and psychological demands. Furthermore, there was a relationship between physical demands, emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment; key indicators of burnout. ^ Results showed significant correlations between individual ways of coping as a moderator between job structure, operationalized by job title, and individual employee burnout adding empirical evidence to the occupational stress literature. Based on the findings, there are implications for theory, research, and practice. For theory and research, the findings suggest the importance of incorporating transactional models in the study of occupational stress. In the area of practice, the findings highlight the importance of enriching jobs, increasing job control, and providing individual-level training related to stress reduction.^