Can social support make adolescents gritty? The moderating roles of age and gender

The Relationship of Rejection Sensitivity to Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence: The Indirect Effect of Perceived Social Acceptance by Peers

Rejection sensitivity (RS), the tendency to expect, perceive and overreact to rejection from others, has been linked to children's and adolescents' increased vulnerability to depressive symptoms, negatively affecting their perceptions of the quality of their relationship with their peers. The aim of this study is to examine (a) the indirect effect of perceived peer social acceptance in the relationship between RS and depressive symptoms in a sample of Greek adolescents, (b) the differential effect of the different components of rejection sensitivity (angry and anxious RS) on the model, and (c) possible gender differences. The sample of the study consists of 295 adolescents (139 boys, 156 girls, Mage = 14.20, SD = 1.60) residing in the greater Heraklion Prefecture area. Data collection was carried out using self-report questionnaires that measured demographic characteristics, self-perceptions about their peer relationships (self-perception profile for adolescents/SPPA), susceptibility to rejection (children's rejection sensitivity questionnaire/CRSQ), and depressive symptoms (children's depression inventory/CDI). Results showed that (a) RS was positively related to depressive symptoms and negatively related to adolescents' perceptions of their relationships, (b) relationship perceptions were negatively related to depressive symptoms, and gender differences were also found, (c) perceived social acceptance by peers was found to have an indirect effect in the relationship between RS and depressive symptoms, with girls showing a greater effect, and (d) differences were observed in the mediating model between the components of RS, with the mediating effect of perceptions being higher in the model with anxious RS, which appears to confirm previous theoretical postulations. The results of this study highlight the importance of adolescents' perceptions of their peer relationships in the occurrence of depressive symptoms during this developmental period, especially in youths with anxious rejection sensitivity.

How the availability and adequacy of social support affect the general mental health of Swedish police officers

Police work is stressful. A protective function against work stress and harm to mental health is social support, either within or outside work. This cross-sectional study analyzes the associations of quantitative (availability) and qualitative (adequacy) aspects of social support with general mental health among Swedish police officers. A total of 728 officers responded to a national survey. Bivariate analyses (t-test and chi square) identified continuous and categorical variables (respectively) statistically significantly associated with sex and social support. Pearson correlation coefficient was provided to indicate the associations between general mental health and different types of social support. Sex-stratified logistic regression modeling calculated crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and assessed the relationships between different types of social support, sociodemographic variables and general mental health. The findings show that low adequacy of attachment is associated with poorer mental health among female officers, although female officers also reported higher availability of both social interaction and attachment compared to male officers. We found an association between low work-related social support and poorer mental health among single male police officers. Moreover, police officers who worked shifts, were younger, had less work experience, and/or had no children reported higher availability of attachment, whereas older police officers reported higher adequacy of social interaction compared to younger police officers. Variation in the quantity and quality of close social relationships seems to be important to mental health. Police organizations need to be aware of this in their efforts to make the work environment more supportive. Social support might create an environment where officers feel more comfortable discussing their mental health concerns and seeking assistance.

Role of Augmented Reality in Changing Consumer Behavior and Decision Making: Case of Pakistan

Marketers and advertisers ignore new technology and diverse marketing tactics when attempting to increase product exposure, customer engagement, customer behavior and buying intention in fashion accessory marketplaces in developing countries. This research sought to discover how the Augmented Reality (AR) experience influenced consumer behavior, buying intention and pleasure when purchasing a fashion item in developing countries. This study employs positivist ideas to investigate the connections between various factors, believing that reality is unwavering, stable, and static. Experiential marketing following stimulus exposure will gather cross-sectional data. The undertaken study has developed proper experimental design (within group) from business innovation models, for instance, uses and gratification and user experience models. User experience is disclosed by its four defining characteristics: hedonic quality (identification and simulation), aesthetic quality, and pragmatic quality. After encountering an enhanced user experience, users have a more favorable attitude about purchasing; in contrast, pleasure from using the application directly impacts buying intention. It was also shown that knowledge of AR apps impacts user experience and attitude. The novelty of this research is multifarious, for instance, the smart lab was used as a marketing technology to explore a virtual mirror of the Ray-Ban products. Secondly, the augmented reality experiential marketing activities have been developed by the developers as bearing in mind the four different aspects of the user experience—haptic, hedonic, aesthetic, and pragmatic. It should be functional, simple to learn and use, symmetrical, pleasant, and appealing, while fulfilling the unconscious emotional elements of a customer’s purchase. The research is the first known study in Pakistan to evaluate the influence of augmented reality on consumer proficiency and its consequent effects on attitude and satisfaction for fashion accessory brands. The research also advances the notion that application familiarity is the most important moderator between attitude and an augmented reality-enriched user experience, contradicting the prior studies, which focus on gender and age. This research has important theoretical implications for future researchers, who may wish to replicate the proposed final model in developed and developing countries’ fashion brands. This research also has imperative managerial implications for brand managers and marketing managers, who could include the recommendations of this study in their marketing strategies.