The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations

The Effect of Abusive Supervision on Employee Creativity: The Mediating Role of Negative Affect and Moderating Role of Interpersonal Harmony

This study investigates the relationship between abusive supervision and employee creativity by shedding light on the mediating role of negative affect and the moderating role of interpersonal harmony. Based on affective events theory, it was hypothesized that abusive supervision impacts employees' negative affect and their creativity. Data from a questionnaire survey of 398 Chinese employee-supervisor dyads were collected and analyzed. The results support our hypotheses, address unexplored theoretical predictions, and suggest that organizations should deal with the factors undermining employees' emotions to improve their creativity.

Antipsychotic Drug-Induced Increases in Peripheral Catecholamines are Associated With Glucose Intolerance

The second-generation antipsychotic drugs are widely used in the field of psychiatry, for an expanding number of different conditions. While their clinical efficacy remains indispensable, many of the drugs can cause severe metabolic side-effects, resulting in an increased risk of developing cardiometabolic disorders. The physiological basis of these side-effects remains an ongoing area of investigation. In the present study, we examined the potential role of peripheral catecholamines in antipsychotic-induced glucose intolerance. Adult female rats were acutely treated with either the first-generation antipsychotic drug haloperidol (0.1, 0.5 or 1 mg/kg) or the second-generation drugs risperidone (0.25, 1.0 or 2.5 mg/kg), olanzapine (1.5, 7.5 or 15 mg/kg) or clozapine (2, 10 or 20 mg/kg) or vehicle. Fasting glucose levels were measured and then animals were subjected to the intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. Levels of peripheral norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine were concurrently measured in the same animals 75, 105 and 135 min after drug treatment. All antipsychotics caused glucose intolerance, with strongest effects by clozapine > olanzapine > risperidone > haloperidol. Plasma catecholamines were also increased by drug treatment, with greatest effects for norepinephrine and epinephrine caused by clozapine > risperidone > olanzapine > haloperidol. Importantly, there were strong and statistically significant associations between norepinephrine/epinephrine levels and glucose intolerance for all drugs. These findings confirm that increases in peripheral catecholamines co-occur in animals that exhibit antipsychotic-induced glucose intolerance, and these effects are strongly associated with each other, providing further evidence for elevated catecholamines as a substrate for antipsychotic metabolic side-effects.

The Joint Effects of Hubris, Growth Aspirations, and Entrepreneurial Phases for Innovative Behavior

Innovation is often seen as essential for ventures to succeed. High business failure rates in entrepreneurship, however, suggest that innovations are frequently driven by entrepreneurs blinded by overconfidence. Thus, anticipating when and why entrepreneurs will be motivated to innovate is fundamental for entrepreneurial success. Using a large sample obtained from population surveys conducted in 77 countries, this study analyzes the variables that are significantly associated with innovative behaviors. The research tests a model proposing that the joint effects of hubris, growth aspirations, and an entrepreneur's level of entrepreneurial experience have a crucial impact on innovative endeavors. It finds that hubris is significantly related to entrepreneurs' growth aspirations and that ambition, in turn, is positively related to innovative behaviors. In addition, the study finds that both relationships are moderated by the level of entrepreneurial experience. These findings highlight the need to wise up amateur entrepreneurs before they embark on innovative endeavors.

The Effect of Problematic Social Media Use on Happiness among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Lifestyle Habits

Background: Although the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and happiness has been already explored, less is known about the mechanisms that translate PSMU into lower happiness through lifestyle habits. Therefore, the current study focuses on the association between PSMU and happiness, exploring a mediating effect of lifestyle habits (e.g., difficulties in getting to sleep and frequency of physical activity) among Italian adolescents. Methods: A total of 58,976 Italian adolescents (mean age = 13.6, SD = 1.63; age range = 10.5−16.5; 49.4% females) were included. The pattern of relationships specified by the theoretical model was examined through path analysis. Results: Difficulties in getting to sleep (β = −0.037, p < 0.001) and frequency of physical activity (β = −0.012, p < 0.001) were mediators in the relationship between PSMU and happiness. Multi-group analyses across gender and age groups (11, 13, and 15 years old) showed that the chain mediating effect of the frequency of physical activity on the difficulties in getting to sleep was not significant for females but significant for males and for all of the three age groups. Overall, females and older ages were sensitive to the whole model. Conclusion: Along with difficulties in getting to sleep and the frequency of physical activity, lifestyle habits may contribute to the association between PSMU and happiness. We also recommend that future studies focus on PSMU in females and older adolescents, as they show more general sleep problems and reduced physical activity.

Exploring Perceived and Objective Measures of the Neighborhood Environment and Associations with Physical Activity among Adults: A Review and a Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Model

There is an urgent need to understand factors that promote physical activities (PA) because it is one of the modifiable risk factors for global mortality. None of the previous reviews considered both perceived and objective characteristics of the same environment. The first aim was to review the literature on studies investigating the relationship between PA behavior of adults and perceived and objective physical environment measures. The second aim was to verify the potential mediational role of the perceived measure in the relationship between the objective measure of the environment and PA using meta-analytic SEM. Only 15 studies reported a relationship between PA and both environmental measures. One of the most studied characteristics of the physical environment is the accessibility to recreational/PA facilities. Both objective and subjective measures of accessibility to PA facilities are associated with PA. Meta-SEM results suggest a significant effect of the objective accessibility to facilities on PA behavior (β = 0.15) and on the perceived measure (β = 0.10), but the indirect effect was not significant. No significant effect was found for the perceived measure on PA, suggesting that individuals' level of awareness about their environments may have played a role. This prompts a need to create awareness campaigns.

Policy Announcement, Investor Attention, and Stock Volatility: Evidence From the New Energy Vehicle Industry

New energy vehicle (NEV) policies have greatly promoted the growth of the NEV industry in China, while also attracting a lot of investor attention. Using Chinese NEV concept stocks and related industrial policies, including purchase tax incentives (PTI) and promotion and application (P&A) policies, issued from 2011 to 2020 as the research setting, this paper adopts a panel data model to examine the impact of policy announcement on the volatility of NEV concept stocks, as well as the mediating role of investor attention in transmitting the impact. We find that NEV P&A policies have a significant and positive impact on NEV concept stock volatility, while PTI policies do not have a significant impact. Moreover, investor attention plays a partial mediating role in transmitting the impact of P&A policies on NEV stock market by increasing the stock volatility risk. Furthermore, there is heterogeneous effect of equity ownership in the relationship between policy announcement and investor attention on the volatility of NEV concept stocks; non-state-owned firms are more sensitive to the NEV P&A policies than state-owned firms. By analyzing the relationship between policy announcement and concept stock volatility, this paper enriches the research on NEV concept stocks and provides policy implications for the NEV industry.

Development of cool and hot theory of mind and cool and hot inhibitory control abilities from 3.5 to 6.5 years of age

Attributing affectively neutral mental states such as thoughts (i.e., cool theory of mind, cool ToM) to others appears to be rooted in different processes than the ones involved in attributing affectively charged mental states such as emotions (i.e., hot ToM) to others. However, no study has investigated the developmental pattern of hot and cool ToM abilities using a similar task and the relative contribution of cool and hot inhibitory control (IC) to cool and hot ToM development. To do so, we tested 112 children aged 3.5 to 6.5 years on a cool and a hot version of a ToM task and on a cool and hot version of an IC task. We found that hot ToM abilities developed more rapidly than cool ToM. Importantly, we found that hot IC abilities mediated the relation between age and hot ToM abilities. Taken together, our results suggest that the ability to attribute emotions to others develops more rapidly than the ability to attribute thoughts and that the growing efficiency of hot ToM with age is specifically rooted in the growing efficiency of hot IC abilities.

Corporate social responsibility towards education and corporation performance in the UAE: the mediating role of corporation reputation

Purpose

This study aims to identify and understand the motivators of corporate social responsibility (CSR) toward education and its impact on a corporation's performance and reputation. This study examines the perceptions of CSR practice in education among the top 595 corporation representatives in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), their motivation for it and its impact on corporation reputation and performance.

Design/methodology/approach

Quantitative research based on self-administered questionnaire responses from 595 respondents was conducted using a series of regression analyses.

Findings

The results of this study show reciprocity and involvement to be the most prominent motivators for UAE corporations to engage in CSR toward education, whereas altruism was not found to be a motivator. Additionally, the study found a positive relationship between CSR toward education and corporation performance, with partial mediation by corporation reputation.

Practical implications

The findings of this study provide guidance for UAE policymakers to understand the appropriate motivators to encourage corporations to engage in CSR activities. They help potential recipient educational institutions to strategically develop fundraising programs by factoring in what motivates corporations to donate to education. Additionally, they enlighten corporations on how CSR toward education enhances their corporation reputation and performance.

Originality/value

This is a pioneering study in the field of CSR toward education in the UAE. It provides crucial insights into what motivates UAE-based corporations to engage in CSR toward education and how it impacts their reputation and performance. It also explores the benefits corporations reap by specifically focusing their CSR initiatives and investments toward education.

Caspase-1 variant influencing CSF tau and FDG PET levels in non-demented elders from the ADNI cohort

BACKGROUND

Genetic variations in the inflammatory Caspase-1 gene have been shown associated with cognitive function in elderly individuals and in predisposition to Alzheimer's disease (AD), but its detailed mechanism before the typical AD onset was still unclear. Our current study evaluated the impact of Caspase-1 common variant rs554344 on the pathological processes of brain amyloidosis, tauopathy, and neurodegeneration.

METHODS

Data used in our study were obtained from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort. We examined the relationship between Caspase-1 rs554344 allele carrier status with AD-related cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), PET, and MRI measures at baseline by using a multiple linear regression model. We also analyzed the longitudinal effects of this variant on the change rates of CSF biomarkers and imaging data using a mixed effect model.

RESULTS

We found that Caspase-1 variant was significantly associated with FDG PET levels and CSF t-tau levels at baseline in total non-demented elderly group, and especially in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subgroup. In addition, this variant was also detected associated with CSF p-tau levels in MCI subgroup. The mediation analysis showed that CSF p-tau partially mediated the association between Caspase-1 variant and CSF t-tau levels, accounting for 80% of the total effect.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated a potential role of Caspase-1 variant in influencing cognitive function might through changing tau related-neurodegeneration process.

Assessing the effectiveness of a community health advisor plus screen to save educational intervention on stool-based testing adherence in an African American safety net clinic population: study protocol for a randomized pragmatic trial

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most deadly cancer affecting US adults and is also one of the most treatable cancers when detected at an earlier clinical stage of disease through screening. CRC health disparities experienced by African Americans are due in part to the later stage of diagnosis, suggesting the importance of improving African Americans’ CRC screening participation. The national Screen to Save (S2S) initiative employs a community health educator to deliver CRC screening education which can be tailored for specific populations, and such approaches have increased CRC screening rates in disadvantaged and racial/ethnic minority populations.

Methods/design

In this trial emphasizing stool-based CRC screening, focus groups informed the development of an adapted S2S video and brochure tailored for African Americans and identified preferred motivational text messages for a multicomponent community health advisor (CHA) intervention. A CHA hired from the community was trained to deliver a 6-week CRC educational intervention consisting of an initial face-to-face meeting followed by 5 weeks of calls and texts. Interested eligible persons are enrolled primarily through recruitment by two partnering community health centers (CHCs) and secondarily through various outreach channels and, after consenting and completing a baseline survey, are randomly assigned to one of two study arms. The CHCs are blinded to study arm assignment. Intervention arm participants receive the brochure and CHA intervention while participants assigned to the control group receive only the brochure. All participants receive a stool-based CRC screening test from their health center, and the primary outcome is the completion of the screening test at 12 months. Secondary objectives are to estimate the effect of the intervention on mediating factors, explore the effect of moderating factors, and perform a cost-effectiveness analysis of the CHA intervention.

Discussion

The TUNE-UP study will enhance understanding about CRC screening in African Americans obtaining primary health care through CHCs and is one of the very few studies to examine a CHA intervention in this context. A better understanding of the mechanisms by which the intervention affects patient beliefs and behaviors will help focus future research while the exploratory cost-effectiveness analysis will inform CHCs’ decision-making about implementing a CHA program to increase screening and reduce cancer health disparities.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT04304001. Registered on March 11, 2020.

Neuroticism as Mediator and Moderator Between War Atrocities and Psychopathology in Syrian Refugee Children and Adolescents

Background

Despite the extensive research on war atrocities and risk factors for psychopathology, there is a paucity of research on the potential mediating and moderating effect of neuroticism in refugee children and adolescents.

Objective

This study aimed to analyze whether neuroticism mediated and/or moderated the relationship between war atrocities and different types of psychopathology in Syrian refugee children and adolescents who resettled in Lebanon and Jordan.

Participants and Setting

Participants were 1,000 Syrian refugee children and adolescents of both sexes.

Methods

Questionnaires were administered in an interview format with children at school by two trained psychologists. Descriptive statistics and inter-correlations among variables were used Then the mediator and moderator effect of neuroticism in the relationship between war atrocities and posttraumatic stress, emotion regulation and behavioral and emotional disorders were examined.

Results

A partial mediating effect of neuroticism on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), emotion dysregulation, and emotional and behavioral disorders was revealed. Findings also indicated full moderating effects of neuroticism on PTSD as well as partial moderating effects on emotion dysregulation, and emotional and behavioral.

Conclusions

Findings contribute to the neuroticism literature by showing that high-N children develop more problems that are psychopathological and have more severe affective reactions to war atrocities in post- resettlement contexts. Early interventions aimed to reduce neuroticism might contribute to a better prognosis in refugee children at high-risk for psychological disorders.

Local Demand, Quality of Place, and Urban Tourism Competitiveness

Most studies on tourism destination competitiveness examined the direct relationships of destination attributes and destination competitiveness. Few studies explored the intervening mechanisms between destination attributes and competitiveness. This study selected cities above the "alpha" level in the Globalization and World Cities Research Network rankings as samples to examine the relationship between local demand and urban tourism competitiveness mediated by the quality of place. Results showed that the relationship between urban wealth and tourist arrivals was completely mediated by the quality of place, while the mediating effect was not significant in the relationship between urban wealth and per capita tourism spending, though per capita tourism spending was directly and positively associated with urban wealth. In other words, richer cities had a higher quality of place, and a higher quality of place attracted more tourists but did not increase tourism per capita spending. Furthermore, the study found that there were two opposite influence paths of city size on urban tourism competitiveness. Although urban tourism competitiveness was directly and positively affected by population, the population had a significant negative effect on urban tourism competitiveness mediated by the quality of place. Through the quality of place, we can be aware of the indirect negative effect suppressed by the direct positive effect. This study revealed that the quality of place helped to better understand the competitiveness of urban tourism.

A mediation analysis of the role of girl child marriage in the relationship between proximity to conflict and past-year intimate partner violence in post-conflict Sri Lanka

Background

Studies from many contexts indicate that proximity to conflict is associated with increased likelihood of intimate partner violence (IPV), and girl child marriage is associated with both proximity to conflict and increased IPV. In this study, we consider whether girl child marriage acts as a mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and IPV in the context of Sri Lanka, which sustained long-term conflict until 2009.

Methods

We analyzed responses of currently partnered women between ages 18 and 49 in the 2016 Sri Lankan Demographic and Health Survey (N = 13,691). Using logistic regression analyses, we measured associations between proximity to conflict (residence in districts which were central, proximal, or distal to the regions where the war occurred) and the outcomes of IPV and girl child marriage, and secondarily assessed girl child marriage as a possible mediator of the association between proximity to conflict and past year IPV.

Results

Women residing in districts central to conflict, as compared to districts distal to conflict, had increased odds of past year sexual, physical, and emotional IPV, with the odds of sexual IPV increasing the most (adjusted odds ratio/aOR 4.19, 95% confidence interval/CI 2.08–8.41). Residing in districts proximal to conflict compared to those distal to conflict was associated with lower odds of past year physical and emotional IPV, with the greatest decrease in emotional IPV (aOR 0.31, CI 0.18–0.54). Girl child marriage was more likely in districts central to conflict as opposed to those distal to conflict (aOR 1.89, CI 1.22–2.93), and partially mediated the relationship between centrality to conflict and IPV.

Conclusions

Our findings demonstrate that residing in districts central to conflict compared to those distal to conflict is associated with greater odds of IPV and girl child marriage in post-conflict Sri Lanka, with girl child marriage partially mediating the association between centrality to conflict and IPV. Residence in districts proximal to conflict appears protective against IPV. Future research should investigate what factors are responsible for decreased IPV in districts proximal to violence, and whether these factors can be reproduced to mitigate the increased prevalence of IPV in districts central to conflict.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13031-022-00436-2.

Moderation effect of mammography screening among women with multiple chronic conditions

Comorbidity substantially affects breast cancer risk and prognosis. However, women with chronic conditions are less likely to participate in mammography screening. Few studies have examined potential benefits of mammography in women with chronic conditions. This study investigated the moderation effects of mammography screening on early stage breast cancer and all-cause mortality among women aged 50–69 years with chronic conditions in Taiwan. We used a matched cohort design with four nationwide population databases, and an exact matching approach to match groups with different chronic conditions. Women population aged 50–69 years in 2010 in Taiwan were studied. A generic Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) measure was used to identify chronic illness burden. The sample sizes of each paired matched group with CCI scores of 0, 1, 2, or 3+ were 170,979 using a 1-to-1 exact matching. Conditional logistic regressions with interaction terms were used to test moderation effect, and adjusted predicted probabilities and marginal effects to quantify average and incremental chronic conditions associated with outcome measures. Statistical analyses were conducted in 2020–2021. Women with more chronic conditions were less likely to participate in mammography screening or to receive early breast cancer diagnoses, but were at greater risk of mortality. However, mammography participation increased the likelihood of early breast cancer diagnosis (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.36–1.60) and decreased risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.53, 95% CI 0.51–0.55). The interaction terms of CCI and mammography participation indicated significantly increased benefits of early breast cancer diagnosis and decreased risk of all-cause mortality as chronic illness increased. Mammography participation significantly moderated the link between comorbidity and outcome measures among women with chronic conditions. Hence, it is important for public health policy to promote mammography participation for women with multiple chronic conditions.

Accuracy and Timeliness of Knowledge Dissemination on COVID-19 Among People in Rural and Remote Regions of China at the Early Stage of Outbreak

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spread throughout China in January 2020. To contain the virus outbreak, the Chinese government took extraordinary measures in terms of public policy, wherein accurate and timely dissemination of information plays a crucial role. Despite all of the efforts toward studying this health emergency, little is known about the effectiveness of public policies that support health communication during such a crisis to disseminate knowledge for self-protection. Particularly, we focus on the accuracy and timeliness of knowledge dissemination on COVID-19 among people in remote regions—a topic largely omitted in existing research. In February 2020, at the early-stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, a questionnaire survey was carried out. In total, 8,520 participants from seven less economically developed provinces situated in the borderlands of China with large ethnic minority groups responded. We analyzed the data through poisson regression and logistic regression analyses. We found that (1) people in remote regions of China obtained accurate information on COVID-19. Further, they were able to take appropriate measures to protect themselves. (2) Result from both descriptive analysis and multivariable regression analysis revealed that there is no large difference in the accuracy of information among groups. (3) Older, less educated, and rural respondents received information with a significant delay, whereas highly educated, younger, urban residents and those who obtained information through online media were more likely to have received the news of the outbreak sooner and to be up to date on the information. This research provides evidence that disadvantage people in remote regions obtained accurate and essential information required to act in an appropriate manner in responses to the COVID-19 outbreak. However, they obtained knowledge on COVID-19 at a slower pace than other people; thus, further improvement in the timely dissemination of information among disadvantage people in remote regions is warranted.

Disordered eating in college women: associations with the mother-daughter relationship and family weight-related conversations

PURPOSE

Extensive work in the field has found multiple risk factors of disordered eating among women; however, there is limited research regarding the associations of maternal influence and family weight-related conversations during childhood with eating disorder psychopathology later in adulthood. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore how the mother-daughter relationship and family weight-related conversations may influence the development of disordered eating in college-aged women.

METHODS

A diverse sample of 551 college-aged women completed an online survey with instruments that assessed disordered eating risk (dependent variable) with the following independent variables: aspects of the mother-daughter relationship (maternal regard and responsibility) and family weight-related conversations (emphasis on maternal weight, appearance weight control, and parent weight talk). Mediation analysis was performed using hierarchical regression analyses to examine the influence of maternal factors in combination with family weight-related conversations with disordered eating risk.

RESULTS

Using hierarchical regression analyses, aspects of the mother-daughter relationship were significantly associated with risk of disordered eating. However, this significant relationship was diminished in the presence of family weight-related conversations. Furthermore, a test of the mediation suggests that family weight-related conversations may act as a pathway for influencing perceived maternal factors in the development of disordered eating.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings illustrate the important role mothers may have in shaping their daughters eating attitudes and behaviors. Future disordered eating prevention programs and interventions may consider developing strategies in educating parents on conversations regarding weight.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Descriptive cross-sectional study, Level V.

Exploring the Mechanism of Pathological Gaming in Adolescents: Focused on the Mediation Paths and Latent Group Comparison

Pathological gaming among adolescents has been reported to hamper the achievement of a balanced life and to threaten the development of social competencies. Despite the increasing social concerns on the adolescent users, however, the mechanism of gaming behavior of adolescents has not been sufficiently examined. This study explored the mechanism of pathological gaming among adolescents from 3-year longitudinal data of 778 Korean adolescent gamers, by analyzing the effects of negative affects (i.e., anxiety, loneliness, and academic stress) on the degree of pathological gaming through the mediation variables (i.e., aggression and self-control) based on the stimulus-organism-response (S-O-R) framework. Latent class analysis (LCA) was used to uncover potential risk groups, and through partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis, the mediation pathways to pathological gaming were compared between the risk group and the non-risk group. The results highlighted the key role of academic stress on the degree of pathological gaming. In the entire group, academic stress primarily increased pathological gaming through self-control. The mediation path of self-control was the most influential result in the risk group. Aggression was the key mediator between loneliness and pathological gaming in the non-risk group. The theoretical and practical implications of the results were discussed.

Voice Contributes to Creativity via Leaders’ Endorsement Especially When Proposed by Extraverted High Performance Employees

Purpose

Drawing on social judgement theory and the self-determination theory, this study aims to test the moderating roles of employees’ extraversion and task performance in the effects of employees’ voice on leaders’ endorsement, as well as the mediating role of leaders’ voice endorsement in the relationship between employees’ voice and creativity, and more importantly, the moderated mediation model.

Methods

A total of 250 employees and their direct leaders participated in the two-wave multi-source survey. To examine the hypotheses, we conducted the hierarchical regression and bootstrapping analyses on the basis of Hayes PROCESS Model.

Results

Findings revealed that both extraversion and task performance serve as moderators in the effects of employees’ voice on leaders’ voice endorsement. Leaders’ voice endorsement significantly mediates the relationship between employees’ voice and creativity. More importantly, the results indicated that the indirect effect of leaders’ voice endorsement on the association of employees’ voice and creativity is significantly positive only when the employees are extraverted high performers, that is, there is a significant moderated mediation.

Conclusion

The present study extends the current literature by exploring the moderated mediation mechanism between employees’ voice, extraversion, task performance, leaders’ voice endorsement, and employees’ creativity. Our findings recommend leaders to be aware of the mediating role of their endorsement of employees’ voice and the moderating roles of employees’ extraversion and performance in linking employees’ voice to their creativity.

The Mediating Effect of Creativity on the Relationship Between Mathematic Achievement and Programming Self-Efficacy

Purpose: This study aimed to explore the relationship between mathematic achievement and programming self-efficacy, and adopt a mediation model to verify the mediating role of creativity on the relationship between mathematic achievement and programming self-efficacy. Methods: A total of 950 upper-secondary school students were surveyed using their math test scores, the Kirton Adaption-Innovation and the Programmed Self-Efficacy Scale. SPSS-26 was used for descriptive statistical analysis and correlation analysis of related variables. The PROCESS plugin was used to test the mediating effect of creativity. Results: (1) Mathematic achievement has a positive effect on programming self-efficacy, mathematic achievement is positively related to creativity, and creativity also has a positive influence on programming self-efficacy. (2) Creativity has a mediating effect on the relationship between mathematic achievement and programming self-efficacy. Conclusion: The results revealed that mathematic achievement affected programming self-efficacy directly and also indirectly through creativity. This provided certain ideas for the development of programming education for teenagers. Since students' mathematics learning and creativity are related to programming learning, it is necessary to pay attention to the integration of the disciplines of programming education and mathematics. Further, the cultivation of innovative thinking is also critical to facilitate programming learning.

Bringing Us Closer Together: The Influence of National Identity and Political Orientation on COVID-19-Related Behavioral Intentions

A growing body of work has highlighted the importance of political beliefs and attitudes in predicting endorsement and engagement in prosocial behavior. Individuals with right-wing political orientation are less likely to behave prosocially than their left-wing counterparts due to high levels of Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). Here, we aimed to extend prior work by testing how political values relate to COVID-19 discretionary behavioral intentions (i.e., prosocial and non-mandatory behaviors aimed at controlling the spread of the pandemic). Furthermore, we tested whether identification with the national group would influence the relationship between RWA and prosocial behavior. A cross-sectional study conducted on 350 Italian participants showed that right-wing political orientation had a negative effect on COVID-19 discretionary behavioral intentions via RWA. Furthermore, a moderated mediation model revealed that this effect was only significant for participants who are lowly identified with the national group. The results suggest that highlighting group belongingness might effectively motivate more conservative individuals to engage in prosocial behavior.

Institutional quality and resource-based economic sustainability: the mediation effects of resource governance

The discovery of extractive resources is associated with multiple opportunities and unbridled optimism on achieving socio-economic development for many countries. However, the question how the host governments meet expectations of indigenous people by ensuring an ideal resource-based economic sustainability (RES) has been receiving less research attention. Using the global panel dataset of 80 resource-endowed economies from 2010 to 2017, we postulate and empirically examine the mediating effect of the resource governance (RESOGV) on the relationship between institutional quality (IQ) and RES. The ANOVA and post hoc ANOVA results revealed significant disparities in terms of IQ, RESOGV, and RES among countries with different levels of economic development, regions, and sector (mining or petroleum). Moreover, the fixed effects (FE) and ordinary least square (OLS) results confirmed that IQ marginally influenced RES. However, the influence was more pronounced when it was partially (but complementarily) mediated by the RESOGV. The paper, therefore, stresses the importance of host governments in improving the quality of their institutions. This will ultimately help enhancing their RESOGV capabilities for attaining economic, social and environmental sustainability.

Self-Worth as a Mediator and Moderator Between Teacher-Student Relationships and Student Engagement in Rural Schools

This study examined how self-worth of students mediated and moderated their perceived positive teacher-student relationships and student engagement among middle-school students from rural China. Eighth graders (N = 838) completed surveys measuring their perceived relationships with teachers, their self-worth, and engagement. Statistical analyses revealed significant correlations among all three variables, with the strongest being between teacher-student relationships and student engagement. The structural equation modeling indicated that self-worth partially mediated the effect of teacher-student relationships on student engagement; however, positive teacher-student relationships were a stronger predictor. Multigroup analyses identified self-worth as a moderator, whereby students with lower self-worth were more reliant on positive teacher-student relationships to enhance their engagement. This study provides insights into how self-worth of students and their perceived positive teacher-student relationships influence their academic engagement in disadvantaged rural areas of China.

The mediation of perceived risk's impact on destination image and travel intention: An empirical study of Chengdu, China during COVID-19

Perceived risk clearly impacts travel behavior, including destination selection and satisfaction, but it is unclear how or why its effect is only significant in certain cases. This is because existing studies have undervalued the mediating factors of risk aversion, government initiatives, and media influence as well as the multiple forms or dimensions of risk that can mask its direct effect. This study constructs a structural equation model of perceived risk’s impact on destination image and travel intention for a more nuanced model of the perceived risk mechanism in tourism, based on 413 e-questionnaires regarding travel to Chengdu, China during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the Bootstrap method to analyze suppressing effect. It finds that while perceived risk has a significant negative impact on destination image and travel intention, this is complexly mediated so as to appear insignificant. Furthermore, different mediating factors and dimensions of perceived risk operate differently according to their varied combinations in actual circumstances. This study is significant because it provides a theoretical interpretation of tourism risk, elucidates the mechanisms or paths by which perceived risk affects travel intention, and expands a framework for research on destination image and travel intention into the realms of psychology, political, and communication science. It additionally encourages people to pay greater attention to the negative impact of crises and focuses on the important role of internal and external responses in crisis management, which can help improve the effectiveness of crisis management and promote the sustainable development of the tourism industry.

Global Self-Esteem and Stress Intensity in a Group of Polish Nurses-A Mediatory Role of a Sense of Coherence

(1) Owing to their resistance resources, nurses can reduce the effects of stress, increase their commitment to work and improve their functioning in the face of challenges in the workplace. The aim of this study was to determine the mediatory role of a general sense of coherence and a sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness correlated with global self-esteem and the perceived stress intensity in a group of Polish nurses aged 45–55 years. (2) The research using the diagnostic survey method was conducted on a group of 176 nurses (M = 49.1; SD = 3.1) working in seven hospitals located in Olsztyn (Poland). The following were used for data collection: Perceived Stress Scale - PSS-10, Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale and Antonovsky’s Sense of Coherence (SOC-29) Questionnaire. (3) According to 21.02% of the nurses, their stress level at the workplace was low, 44.89% reported it was medium and 34.09% reported it was high. The self-esteem of nearly half of the nurses included in the study (48.30%) was at a medium level, 31.82% felt it was high and 19.89% felt it was low. The mediation analysis showed that a general sense of coherence and a sense of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness have a mediator status in a correlation between global self-esteem and stress intensity. However, their mediatory role is partial. It is desirable for safe work environment promotion programmes to reinforce nurses’ personal resources, which can be helpful in coping with stressors.

Emotional Suppression and Psychological Well-Being in Marriage: The Role of Regulatory Focus and Spousal Behavior

Emotional suppression has been considered a critical factor in determining one's mental health and psychological well-being in intimate relationships such as marriage. The present study aimed to delineate the nuanced association between emotional suppression and psychological well-being in marriage by considering two critical factors: (a) individual differences in motivational orientation and (b) the perceived level of a partner's emotional suppression. A set of two online survey studies were conducted on a large sample of married participants. The participants were asked to indicate (a) their own level of emotional suppression, (b) the perceived level of their spouse's emotional suppression, (c) relationship motivation, and (d) satisfaction with marital life. The results consistently indicated that for prevention-focused individuals being emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but only for those who perceived their spouses as also emotionally suppressive. Conversely, for promotion-focused individuals, being less emotionally suppressive was associated with greater marital satisfaction, but again, only for those who perceived their spouses as also being less emotionally suppressive. These findings provide insights into research on emotion regulation and self-regulatory strategies in influencing psychological well-being and mental health in an intimate relationship.

Towards Examining the Link Between Workplace Spirituality and Workforce Agility: Exploring Higher Educational Institutions

Purpose

Spiritual inherited employees quickly shift to new changes that occur very quickly in our daily lives in different ways. We are inspired by the dynamic changes in our daily lives due to the Covid 19 situation, an urgent need to specify the shift from the traditional approach to the agile approach during a pandemic. This study aimed to figure out the effect of workplace spirituality on workforce agility; further, this study underpinning spillover theory to examine the role of job involvement as a mediator.

Methods

This study investigates a sample of 236 teaching and administrative staff working in public sector institutes located in Peshawar, Pakistan. For data analysis, we used SPSS v. 25, and for model fitness, we used AMOS version 22. Furthermore, we used Process Hayes (Model 4) to test the theoretical model and research hypothesis for mediation.

Results

This unique study offers a paradigm in which spirituality in the workplace substantially influences the agility of teaching and administrative professionals by positively mediating the effects of job involvement.

Discussion

An in-depth examination of the literature showed that no prior research had studied the connection between WPS, job involvement, and workforce agility. Furthermore, there is very little research regarding WPS and its connection with other components in the Covid 19 scenario. The current study was a modest attempt to address this gap in the literature. This research has succeeded in making substantial additions to management literature.

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Neuropsychiatric Symptoms Mediated the Relationship Between Odor Identification and Cognition in Alzheimer's Disease Spectrum: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Background: Odor identification dysfunction is an early predictor of the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), but neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), which are common in AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), are also associated with odor identification dysfunction. Whether NPS affect the specificity of using odor identification dysfunction to predict cognitive decline in AD and MCI remains unclear.

Methods: Patients (233 with MCI and 45 with AD) and 45 healthy controls (HCs) underwent assessments of odor identification (Sniffin' Sticks), NPS (Neuropsychiatric Inventory-12), and cognitive function (global cognition, memory, language, executive function, visual-spatial skill, and attention). Structural equation modeling (SEM) with bootstrapping estimation was conducted to explore the relationships between odor identification, NPS, and cognition.

Results: Patients with NPS showed significantly worse performance in odor identification and cognition than patients without NPS and HCs. The SEM showed odor identification to be positively associated with cognition, and cognition had special indirect effects on odor identification through affective and psychosis symptoms (two factors extracted from Neuropsychiatric Inventory-12). Additionally, affective and psychosis symptoms partially mediated the effect of cognition on odor identification.

Conclusion: Neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with odor identification dysfunction in patients with AD and MCI. Studies exploring the relationship between odor identification dysfunction and cognitive decline in patients with AD and MCI should include an assessment of affective and psychosis symptoms, and adjust their confounding effects.

Aging-Related Changes in Cortical Sources of Sleep Oscillatory Neural Activity Following Motor Learning Reflect Contributions of Cortical Thickness and Pre-sleep Functional Activity

Oscillatory neural activity during sleep, such as that in the delta and sigma bands, is important for motor learning consolidation. This activity is reduced with typical aging, and this reduction may contribute to aging-related declines in motor learning consolidation. Evidence suggests that brain regions involved in motor learning contribute to oscillatory neural activity during subsequent sleep. However, aging-related differences in regional contributions to sleep oscillatory activity following motor learning are unclear. To characterize these differences, we estimated the cortical sources of consolidation-related oscillatory activity using individual anatomical information in young and older adults during non-rapid eye movement sleep after motor learning and analyzed them in light of cortical thickness and pre-sleep functional brain activation. High-density electroencephalogram was recorded from young and older adults during a midday nap, following completion of a functional magnetic resonance imaged serial reaction time task as part of a larger experimental protocol. Sleep delta activity was reduced with age in a left-weighted motor cortical network, including premotor cortex, primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area, and pre-supplementary motor area, as well as non-motor regions in parietal, temporal, occipital, and cingulate cortices. Sleep theta activity was reduced with age in a similar left-weighted motor network, and in non-motor prefrontal and middle cingulate regions. Sleep sigma activity was reduced with age in left primary motor cortex, in a non-motor right-weighted prefrontal-temporal network, and in cingulate regions. Cortical thinning mediated aging-related sigma reductions in lateral orbitofrontal cortex and frontal pole, and partially mediated delta reductions in parahippocampal, fusiform, and lingual gyri. Putamen, caudate, and inferior parietal cortex activation prior to sleep predicted frontal and motor cortical contributions to sleep delta and theta activity in an age-moderated fashion, reflecting negative relationships in young adults and positive or absent relationships in older adults. Overall, these results support the local sleep hypothesis that brain regions active during learning contribute to consolidation-related neural activity during subsequent sleep and demonstrate that sleep oscillatory activity in these regions is reduced with aging.

The mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases among daycare center teachers in South Korea

Purpose

This study investigated the practices of preventing infectious diseases by daycare center teachers. The focus was on the mediating effects of self-efficacy in the relationship between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases.

Methods

This study used a descriptive correlational design. The participants were 164 daycare center teachers. Hierarchical regression was used to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression. The mediation effect was analyzed using an SPSS Macro program, PROCESS.

Results

Significant relationships were found between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases (β=.19, p<.001), self-efficacy and practices of preventing infectious diseases (β=.59, p<.001), and communication skills and self-efficacy (β=.27, p<.001). Self-efficacy had a significant mediating effect (β=.17, 95% confidence interval=0.07-0.29) on practices of preventing infectious diseases.

Conclusion

In order to improve practices of preventing infectious diseases among daycare teachers, it is necessary to develop and apply interventions and methods that can increase effective communication skills and self-efficacy.

Satisfaction of Basic Psychological Needs and Adherence to Responsible Gambling Practices: The Mediating Role of Flourishing

Responsible gambling (RG) is a practical approach to contain potential gambling-associated harms to an acceptable level. However, few studies have proposed a theoretical framework to account for significant individual differences in RG adherence, which hinders an effective RG promotion in public. To address this missing link, the current study aims to identify psychological need factors associated with adherence to RG practices. We applied the self-determination theory (SDT) to explore the association between the satisfaction of basic psychological needs (i.e., relatedness, competency, and autonomy) and RG adherence in a probability Chinese community adult sample (N = 1002; 55.7% women and M _age = 44.28 years), acquired from a telephone survey conducted in the 2018 fall with a two-stage cluster random sampling method. We found that the three types of basic needs satisfaction were significantly and positively related to RG adherence via a full mediation of flourishing. The findings provide practical insights to understanding individual differences in RG adherence and designing corresponding SDT-based interventions for gambling communities globally.

Job Insecurity and Employees' Taking Charge Behaviors: Testing a Moderated Mediation Model

Given the rapid changes in current technologies, business models, and work environments, organizations and managers increasingly rely on their employees' proactive behaviors, such as taking charge, to gain competitive advantages. Taking charge involves a range of risky and future-oriented behaviors, and it requires employees to work hard to achieve them in the future. For employees with high job-insecurity, their job continuity in the future is threatened. Thus, they may not be willing to take risks to do additional work that is "future-oriented". To our knowledge, the effect of job insecurity on employees' taking charge has rarely been studied. As a result, the purpose of our study is to investigate whether, how, and when job insecurity will influence taking charge. Drawing on the conservation of resources theory and proactive motivation model, we develop a theoretical model. Moreover, we employed a multi-wave and multi-source survey to test our predictions. Based on the data from 194 full-time employees paired with their direct supervisors, the results provided consistent support for the proposed hypotheses. Specifically, the results indicate that job insecurity prohibits employees' taking charge behaviors through deteriorating their work engagement. Furthermore, employees' perception of interactional justice moderates the negative influence of job insecurity on their work engagement and, consequently, their taking charge behaviors. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Aftershock: CEO Great Famine Experience and Stock Price Crash Risk

This study examines the effect of CEOs’ early-life traumatic experience on firm-specific stock price crash risk. Drawing on the idea of natural experiments, we take the Great Famine in China as an external traumatic event which cannot be selected or controlled by human. The analysis points out that compensation psychology and irrational defense psychology after the trauma of Great Famine are important factors that cause CEOs to hoard bad news. Based on a large sample of Chinese companies from 2007 to 2017, we find evidence that CEOs who experienced the Great Famine during early-life tend to hoard bad news, which result in higher stock price crash risk. The more severe and prolonged the Great Famine that the CEOs experienced, the greater the effect of this traumatic experience. CEOs decision-making power enhances the adverse effect of CEOs’ early-life traumatic experiences on crash risk. Findings of this study contributes to the literature by providing a new explanation for the stock price crash risk, which is of great significance for the sustained and healthy development of capital markets.

The Impact of Green Credit on the Green Innovation Level of Heavy-Polluting Enterprises-Evidence from China

This article uses the "Green Credit Guidelines" promulgated in 2012 as an example to construct a quasi-natural experiment and uses the double difference method to test the impact of the implementation of the "Green Credit Guidelines" on the green innovation activities of heavy-polluting enterprises. The study found that, in comparison to non-heavy polluting enterprises, the implementation of green credit policies inhibited the green innovation of all heavy-polluting enterprises. In the analysis of heterogeneity, this restraint effect did not differ significantly due to the nature of property rights and the company's size. The mechanism test showed that green credit policy limits the efficiency of business investment and increases the cost of financing business debt. Eliminating corporate credit financing, particularly long-term borrowing, negatively impacts the green innovation behavior of listed companies.

Exploring how authoritarian leadership affects commitment: the mediating roles of trust in the school principal and silence

Purpose

This study aims to explore the relationship between authoritarian leadership and commitment and the mediating roles of silence and trust in school principals.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employed a cross-sectional design to illustrate the relationships among authoritarian leadership, trust in the principal, silence and affective commitment using path analysis evidence provided by 409 K–12 teachers.

Findings

The findings revealed that authoritarian leadership indirectly affected teacher commitment through trust in the principal and acquiescent silence. Furthermore, trust in the principal played a partial mediating role between authoritarian leadership and defensive silence. Authoritarian leadership behaviours decreased teachers' affective commitment by decreasing trust in the principal and increasing organisational silence.

Originality/value

Although leadership and culture have been studied intensively in recent years, authoritarian leadership, which is more commonly seen in Eastern societies, has been less studied in school contexts in the Middle East and Asia. Thus, this study contributes to the literature by examining the factors that might influence affective commitment in schools in an urban setting: authoritarian leadership, silence and trust in school principals.

The Associations Between the Anorexic Readiness Syndrome, Familism, and Body Image Among Physically Active Girls

Introduction: Anorexic Readiness Syndrome (ARS) is a construct of prophylactic importance, useful in the selection of people showing a tendency to use restrictive diets and increased concentration on the body. The aim of the research was to verify the significance of the type of physical activity, body perception and familism for the development of ARS. Material and Method: The research was carried out in the first half of 2021on a sample of 163 girls. It consisted of: (1) physically inactive girls (n = 48), (2) physically active girls in disciplines other than aesthetic (n = 69), (3) girls engaged in aesthetic physical activity (n = 46). The study used: Anorexic Readiness Syndrome Questionnaire (ARS-12), Familism Scale (FS) and Body Image Avoidance Questionnaire (BIAQ). Results: The highest average ARS score was recorded in the group of girls engaged in aesthetic activity. A significant difference in the severity of ARS occurs between people who do not engage in activity and those who practice aesthetic activity. The severity of ARS rises as the difference between real and ideal body weight increases. People active in aesthetic disciplines who obtained a high score on the Respect scale (FS subscale) have a lower ARS score than those physically active in other disciplines who obtained low scores on the Respect scale. The higher the score on the Material success and achievement scale (FS), the greater the ARS intensity in all subgroups. What is much more important in shaping ARS is the perception of your body. The focus on eating and body weight and Clothing and appearance (BIAQ subscales) are relevant to the ARS and moderate the relationship between Material success (FS subscale) and anorexic readiness. Conclusions: People engaging in aesthetic physical activity are more likely to suffer from ARS. The family can certainly prevent a child from developing anorexic readiness by shaping a sense of community and family identity, a clear division of roles, limiting the importance of materialism and competition in raising children. The prevention of ARS and eating disorders should also focus on strengthening the realistic assessment of body parameters and their acceptance, as well as promoting strategies for healthy weight control.

Quality Perceptions and Choice of Public Health Facilities: A Mediation Effect Analysis of Outpatient Experience in Rural China

PURPOSE

Outpatients have choices of providers in the hierarchical health service delivery system of China. Understanding how quality perceptions and outpatient experience affect the choice of health facility would help inform decisions about priorities for action aimed at guiding the use of primary care. This study examines how quality perceptions of outpatient service affect the facility level choice in rural China.

METHODS

Household surveys were conducted in 2011, 2012 and 2015 in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China. We selected 968 respondents as the study sample, who had at least two outpatient visits to the public health facilities during each survey period. Prior quality perceptions of the outpatient service at the village clinics, township centers, and county hospitals were reported on an 8-item Quality Indicator questionnaire. Experienced quality perception from the first outpatient visit was also reported. The outcome of interest was outpatients' facility level choices. We used regression and mediation analysis to explore whether and how outpatient experience at a specific health facility would mediate the relationship between prior quality perceptions and the facility level choice.

RESULTS

Overall, the quality perception was positively and significantly associated with outpatients' staying at the same or lower levels of care (β=0.265, P=0.007). This effect was fully mediated by experienced quality perception (z=2.985, P=0.003). The indirect effect was significant for three particular dimensions, including quality perceptions of the environment (β=0.075, P=0.025), doctor-patient communication (β=0.065, P=0.022), and physician ability (β=0.062, P=0.021).

CONCLUSION

Outpatient quality perceptions-especially positive perceptions regarding environment, doctor-patient communication, and physician ability-could contribute to minimizing upward referral via improvement in outpatient experience. Policymakers and health care providers may need to therefore optimize outpatient experience as they push to develop a more locally responsive primary care system.

Association between migration paths and mental health of new-generation migrants in China: The mediating effect of social integration

BACKGROUND

The new-generation migrants born in 1980 and later are large and vulnerable internal migrants in China. Migration paths and social integration are important factors to explain for their mental health. However, they faced difficulties in social integration varying from migration paths. We aimed to explore the mediating role of social integration between migration paths and the mental health of new-generation migrants.

METHODS

The migration paths included urban-to-urban, urban-to-rural, rural-to-urban and rural-to-rural. Mental health was assessed by the Kessler Screening Scale for Psychological Distress (K6) and the Perceived Stress Scales (PSS-4). Social integration was measured by economic integration, life integration, maintenance of the local culture, acceptance of the host culture and psychological integration. Multiple linear regressions with bootstrapping were used to examine the mediating effect.

RESULTS

A total of 9,830 new-generation migrants were included in this study. The mean age was 26.92 (SD = 4.47) years and the proportion of rural-to-urban migrants was 63.7%. Compared with the new generation of rural-to-rural migrants, rural-to-urban migrants had higher psychological distress (β = 0.305, 95% CI: 0.152-0.458) and perceived stress (β = 0.328, 95% CI: 0.199-0.456). The bootstrapping test found that two dimensions ("life integration" and "acceptance of the host culture") of social integration as a mediator weakened the negative effect of the rural-to-urban migration path on the mental health of new-generation migrants.

CONCLUSION

Rural-to-urban migrants had poorer mental health, and the association was mediated by their poorer social integration. The migration policies developed to enhance social integration could effectively improve the mental health of new-generation migrants.

The mediator role of stigma in the association of mindfulness and social engagement among breast cancer survivors in China

PURPOSE

This study aims to explore the association between mindfulness and social engagement among Chinese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) and the mediator role of stigma in the relation of mindfulness and social engagement.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 937 BCSs from March to April 2021 in Shanghai, China. Data were collected using the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, the Stigma Scale for Chronic Illness 8-item version, and the index of social engagement. Descriptive statistics, independent-sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, and regression analyses were used to explore the role of stigma in the association of mindfulness and social engagement among Chinese BCSs.

RESULTS

Social engagement levels differed significantly by participant's BMI, education level, employment status, personal monthly income, monthly per capita household income. Mindfulness was positively correlated with social engagement, and stigma was negatively correlated with mindfulness and social engagement among Chinese BCSs. Stigma plays a complete mediating role in the relationship between mindfulness and social engagement in BCSs.

CONCLUSION

In the practice of individual mindfulness intervention on social engagement of BCSs, health care providers should identify and eliminate the constraints, which restrain the reduction of stigma level while individual mindfulness is being enhanced.

Association of prenatal modifiable risk factors with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder outcomes at age 10 and 15 in an extremely low gestational age cohort

Background

The increased risk of developing attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in extremely preterm infants is well-documented. Better understanding of perinatal risk factors, particularly those that are modifiable, can inform prevention efforts.

Methods

We examined data from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborns (ELGAN) Study. Participants were screened for ADHD at age 10 with the Child Symptom Inventory-4 (N = 734) and assessed at age 15 with a structured diagnostic interview (MINI-KID) to evaluate for the diagnosis of ADHD (N = 575). We studied associations of pre-pregnancy maternal body mass index (BMI), pregestational and/or gestational diabetes, maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP), and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) with 10-year and 15-year ADHD outcomes. Relative risks were calculated using Poisson regression models with robust error variance, adjusted for maternal age, maternal educational status, use of food stamps, public insurance status, marital status at birth, and family history of ADHD. We defined ADHD as a positive screen on the CSI-4 at age 10 and/or meeting DSM-5 criteria at age 15 on the MINI-KID. We evaluated the robustness of the associations to broadening or restricting the definition of ADHD. We limited the analysis to individuals with IQ ≥ 70 to decrease confounding by cognitive functioning. We evaluated interactions between maternal BMI and diabetes status. We assessed for mediation of risk increase by alterations in inflammatory or neurotrophic protein levels in the first week of life.

Results

Elevated maternal BMI and maternal diabetes were each associated with a 55-65% increase in risk of ADHD, with evidence of both additive and multiplicative interactions between the two exposures. MSDP and HDP were not associated with the risk of ADHD outcomes. There was some evidence for association of ADHD outcomes with high levels of inflammatory proteins or moderate levels of neurotrophic proteins, but there was no evidence that these mediated the risk associated with maternal BMI or diabetes.

Conclusion

Contrary to previous population-based studies, MSDP and HDP did not predict ADHD outcomes in this extremely preterm cohort, but elevated maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal diabetes, and perinatal inflammatory markers were associated with increased risk of ADHD at age 10 and/or 15, with positive interaction between pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal diabetes.

Energy cost of walking in obese survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort

Purpose

Adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have impaired adaptive physical function and poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Obesity may contribute to these impairments by increasing the physiological cost of walking. Due to treatment exposures during ALL therapy, survivors' cost of walking may be more impacted by obesity than the general population. Therefore, we examined associations between obesity, persistent motor neuropathy, and energy cost of walking; and examined associations between energy cost of walking, adaptive physical function, and HRQoL, in adult survivors of childhood ALL vs. community controls.

Methods

Obesity was measured via body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. The physiological cost index (PCI) was calculated from the six-minute walk test. Adaptive physical functioning was measured using two tests: the timed up and go (TUG) test and the physical performance test. Persistent motor neuropathy was measured using the modified total neuropathy score; HRQoL was measured using the Short-Form-36 questionnaire. The associations between obesity and PCI were evaluated using multivariable linear regressions in adult survivors of childhood ALL (n = 1,166) and community controls (n = 491). Then, the associations between PCI, adaptive physical functioning and peripheral neuropathy were examined using multivariable linear regressions. Finally, to determine the association between obesity, and neuropathy on PCI, while accounting for potential lifestyle and treatment confounders, a three model, sequential linear regression was used.

Results

Obese individuals (BMI > 40 kg/m² and excess body fat percentage [males: >25%; females: >33%]) had higher PCI compared to those with normal BMI and body fat percentage (0.56 ± 0.01 vs. 0.49 ± 0.009 beats/meter p < .01; and 0.51 ± 0.007 vs. 0.48 ± .0006 beats/meter p < .01, respectively). Treatment exposures did not attenuate this association. Increased PCI was associated with longer TUG time in survivors, but not community controls (6.14 ± 0.02 s vs. 5.19 ± 0.03 s, p < .01). Survivors with PCI impairment >95th percentile of community controls had lower HRQoL compared to un-impaired ALL survivors: 46.9 ± 0.56 vs. 50.4 ± 1.08, respectively (p < .01).

Conclusion

Obesity was associated with increased PCI. Survivors with high PCI had disproportionately worse adaptive physical function and HRQoL compared to controls. Survivors with increased energy costs of walking may benefit from weight loss interventions.

The relationship between living arrangements and depression among older adults in Shandong, China: The mediating role of social support

BACKGROUND

Living arrangements and social support have an impact on depression among older adults. However, the underlying mechanism between those variables remains unknown. This study aims to investigate the mediating role of social support in the relationship between living arrangements and depression among older adults.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Multi-stage stratified sampling method was used to select 3,859 older adults from Taian City, Shandong Province, China, for cross-sectional investigation. Living arrangements were measured by a question. Social support and depression were measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support and Patient Health Questionnaire-9. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between living arrangements and depression and the possible influence of social support on the relationship between living arrangements and depression.

RESULTS

Statistics showed that 15.08% of older adults lived alone. After controlling for covariates, living arrangements (ß = 0.45, t = 2.87, P < 0.01) and social support (ß =-0.08, t =-16.93, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with depression. The linear regression model showed that social support mediated the relationship between living arrangements and depression, and the mediating effect accounted for 18.20% of the total effect.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that living arrangements played an essential role in indirectly predicting depression in older adults through social support. This provided evidence for how to reduce depression in older adults.

The Relationship Between CEO Duality and Business Firms' Performance: The Moderating Role of Firm Size and Corporate Social Responsibility

This study focuses on exploring the relationship between chief executive officer (CEO) duality and firm performance. We focus on how the size and corporate social responsibility (CSR) of firms moderate this relationship. In terms of size, business organizations are of two types: small and large firms. This study uses datasets of listed Chinese business firms included in the China Stock Market and Accounting Research database. It employs a generalized method of moment's technique to explore the connection between CEO duality and the performance of Chinese business firms through double mediation effects. Our empirical analysis showed that CEO duality has a significant negative relationship with firm performance. We also explored the moderating effects of firm size (small and large) and CSR practices on the relationship between CEO duality and improved performance of Chinese firms. Large firms and CSR practices showed significant and positive moderating effects on the relationship between CEO duality and firm performance. Conversely, with CEO duality, small firms showed a negative moderating influence on firm performance. This inclusive model provides valuable insights into how the dual role of the CEO of a firm affected the performance of Chinese firms through the moderating role of CSR practices and firm size for better business performance. The study offers empirical and theoretical contributions to the corporate governance literature. This research framework might help researchers in designing robust strategies to evaluate the effects on firm performance. Researchers may gain helpful insights using this methodology.

The Positive Impact of Having Served as a Danwei Leader on Post-retirement Life Satisfaction: Experiences in China

Relevance deprivation syndrome refers to feelings of incompetence among retired people caused by them leaving their high status or influential jobs. The question then arises: do people in positions of power, like Danwei leaders in China, have a lower life satisfaction post-retirement compared to other groups? This study investigated the influence of serving as a Danwei leader before retirement on retirees' life satisfaction, as well as differences in this influence and the channels through which they are affected. Based on the data of 5,873 respondents of the 2018 China Longitudinal Aging Social Survey, ordinary least-squares, ordered logistic regression, and propensity score matching models were used to investigate the influence, differences, and influential mechanisms of serving as a Danwei leader before retirement on retirees' life satisfaction. We found that Danwei leaders experience a significantly positive impact on their life satisfaction post-retirement. Second, the positive impact of having served in this role on peoples' post-retirement life satisfaction is related to the resulting higher income, social status, and better living habits. In contrast to the perspective of relevance deprivation syndrome, in China, having been a Danwei leader before retirement has a significantly positive impact on peoples' life satisfaction post-retirement, with there being a significant difference observed among different types of retired Danwei leaders.

Working Memory and Language Contribution to Verbal Learning and Memory in Drug-Resistant Unilateral Focal Temporal Lobe Epilepsy

We aimed to investigate the working memory (WM) and language separate contributions to verbal learning and memory in patients with unilateral drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (drTLE); additionally, we explored the mediating role of WM on the relationship between the number of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and short-term verbal memory. We retrospectively enrolled 70 patients with left (LTLE; n = 44) and right (RTLE; n = 26) drTLE. About 40 similar (age and education) healthy controls were used to determine impairments of groups at WM, language (naming and verbal fluency), and verbal learning and memory (five trials list-learning, story memory-immediate recall). To disentangle the effect of learning from the short-term memory, we separately analyzed performances at the first trial, last trial, and delayed-recall list-learning measures, in addition to the total learning capacity (the sum of the five trials). Correlation and regression analyses were used to assess the contribution of potential predictors while controlling for main clinical and demographic variables, and ascertain the mediating role of WM. All patients were impaired at WM and story memory, whereas only LTLE showed language and verbal learning deficits. In RTLE, language was the unique predictor for the most verbal learning performances, whereas WM predicted the results at story memory. In LTLE, WM was the sole predictor for short-term verbal learning (list-learning capacity; trial 1) and mediated the interaction between AED number and the performance at these measures, whereas language predicted the delayed-recall. Finally, WM confounded the performance at short-term memory in both groups, although at different measures. WM is impaired in drTLE and contributes to verbal memory and learning deficits in addition to language, mediating the relationship between AED number and short-term verbal memory in LTLE. Clinicians should consider this overlap when interpreting poor performance at verbal learning and memory in drTLE.

Influence of Perceived Stress and Stress Coping Adequacy on Multiple Health-Related Lifestyle Behaviors

Stress is a primary target of national health promotion efforts such as Healthy Japan in the 21st century (HJ21). However, little is known about how the combination of perceived stress and coping adequacy influence health-related lifestyle behaviors in line with national health promotion. This study assessed the association between combined perceived stress and coping adequacy and multiple health-related lifestyle behaviors in HJ21 practices. This cross-sectional survey that included specialists in health management comprehensively assessed multiple health-related lifestyle behaviors in accordance with HJ21. Total health-related lifestyle behavior scores were calculated and perceived stress and coping adequacy were recorded and categorized into four groups with group 1 to 4 being high to none, and highly adequate to not at all, respectively. The average total lifestyle behavior scores (standard deviation [SD]) were 35.1 (3.5), 33.7 (3.6), 31.8 (3.8), and 30.5 (4.9) for groups 1 to 4 of coping adequacy (p < 0.001). Further, individuals who had higher stress coping adequacy had better multiple health-related lifestyle behaviors after adjusting for demographic factors and perceived stress in the linear trend among the groups. Stress coping skills might be an essential target for stress reduction, ultimately leading to health promotion for disease prevention and longevity.

Association of CAI Vulnerability and Sexual Minority Victimization Distress Among Adolescent Men Who Have Sex With Men

Adolescent men who have sex with men (AMSM) are at high HIV risk. Condomless anal intercourse (CAI) increases HIV risk and has been associated with interpersonal power imbalances, such as asymmetries in decision-making authority, social status, and emotional dependence, between male sexual partners. AMSM experience high levels of psychological and physical victimization due to their sexual minority status. Sexual minority victimization (SMV) is similarly associated with low interpersonal power and may relate to the extent to which AMSM are vulnerable to partner influences to engage in CAI. This online survey study of AMSM 14-17 years (N = 143) tested the hypothesis that experiences and attitudes reflecting vulnerability to partner CAI influence (CAI Vulnerability) and distress in response to experienced sexual minority victimization (SMV Distress) would be positively associated with participant and partner condom non-use during anal sex (CAI frequency). Approximately 35% reported they or their partner(s) had never or rarely used a condom. Positive correlations were found among partners' CAI frequency during sex with the participant, CAI Vulnerability, and SMV Distress. Multiple regression indicated CAI Vulnerability significantly accounted for the relation between SMV Distress and partner's CAI frequency. Findings suggest that distress in response to SMV may be associated with a diminished sense of interpersonal control resulting in CAI Vulnerability and subsequent more frequent instances of partner CAI. HIV prevention strategies designed to increase condom use among AMSM have the potential to benefit from procedures aimed at increasing interpersonal sexual assertiveness and decreasing distress associated with sexual minority victimization.

High-Dimensional Mediation Analysis Based on Additive Hazards Model for Survival Data

Mediation analysis has been extensively used to identify potential pathways between exposure and outcome. However, the analytical methods of high-dimensional mediation analysis for survival data are still yet to be promoted, especially for non-Cox model approaches. We propose a procedure including "two-step" variable selection and indirect effect estimation for the additive hazards model with high-dimensional mediators. We first apply sure independence screening and smoothly clipped absolute deviation regularization to select mediators. Then we use the Sobel test and the BH method for indirect effect hypothesis testing. Simulation results demonstrate its good performance with a higher true-positive rate and accuracy, as well as a lower false-positive rate. We apply the proposed procedure to analyze DNA methylation markers mediating smoking and survival time of lung cancer patients in a TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) cohort study. The real data application identifies four mediate CpGs, three of which are newly found.

Instructor facilitation mediates students' negative perceptions of active learning instruction

Studies have demonstrated students' resistance to active learning, despite evidence illustrating that their learning is improved relative to students in lectures. Specifically, while active learning and group work are effective at engaging students in their learning process, studies report that students' perceptions of active learning approaches are not always positive. What remains underexplored is whether students' perceptions of active learning improve with effective instructor facilitation and whether there exists differential perceptions between racially minoritized students and represented students. Here, we estimate students' perceptions of effective instructor facilitation as the mediator in the relationship between active learning and perceptions of learning and perceived utility for class activities (task value). Then, we examine differences by racial identification. We collected classroom observation data to empirically categorize courses as active learning or lecture-based and surveyed 4,257 college students across 25 STEM classrooms at a research-intensive university. We first examined the relationship between active learning on student perceptions and found a negative relationship between active learning and perceptions of learning and task value for both racially minoritized students and represented students. Next, we assessed whether students' perceptions of instructor effectiveness in facilitating group activities mediate these negative relationships. We found that, on average, students of all races were more likely to positively perceive instructor facilitation in active learning classes relative to lectures. In turn, the positive perceptions of instructor facilitation partially suppressed the negative relationship between active learning and perceptions of learning and task value. These results demonstrate that effective instructor facilitation can influence both students' self-assessment of learning and perceived utility of the learning activities, and underscores the importance of developing pedagogical competence among college instructors.