Moderating and mediating effects in causal models

Can China's carbon generalized system of preferences reduce urban residents' carbon emissions? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

The carbon generalized system of preferences (CGSP) is an innovative incentive mechanism implemented by the Chinese government, which has also become an important part of carbon emission reduction at the living end, and it is of great significance to study whether the Pilot Policy can reduce the carbon emissions of residents. This study firstly accounts for the total carbon emissions and per capita carbon emissions of the residents of 284 cities in China, and on this basis, adopts the SCM method to quantitatively study and analyze the overall and local implementation effects of CGSP in China by taking the first batch of CGSP pilots in China as an example, and further applies the mediation effect model to test the pathways of the role of CGSP. The main findings of the study are as follows: (1) During the period of 2010-2020, the total carbon emissions from urban residents' living in China showed a yearly growth trend, from 36,623.98 ×10-2Mt in 2010-85,241.20 ×10-2Mt in 2020, an increase of 8.83%. Total carbon emissions present a structural difference of "electricity consumption > central heating > private transport > gas (oil, natural gas) consumption". (2) Overall, the implementation of the CGSP had a robust positive impact on the overall carbon emission reduction in the pilot cities, with an average annual emission reduction effect value of 36.53 ×10-2Mt. Locally, the annual net policy effect values of Dongguan, Zhongshan, Heyuan, and Guangzhou are 6169.79 ×10-2, 26,600.17 ×10-2, 17,081.34 ×10-2 and 9393.36 ×10-2Mt respectively. (3) CGSP has a good carbon emission reduction effect by suppressing the impact on residents' carbon emissions through enhancing the city's innovation capacity and promoting electricity saving and consumption reduction, while the mediating effect played by the promotion of green and low-carbon travel in the pilot policy is not significant. Finally, based on the research findings, relevant suggestions are targeted.

Contextual Factors that Influence Alcohol Use Behaviors

This study tests a multilevel model of factors that affect adolescents' decisions to use alcohol. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to estimate the variance in alcohol use accounted for by the influences of individual, social, and neighborhood factors. Social factors are significant predictors of alcohol use across several models tested, while selected neighborhood factors were generally not. Results indicate that social and community contexts have important effects on adolescent alcohol use, and that social influences were more significant predictors of alcohol use than neighborhood factors for this sample.

Body image mediates the depressive effects of weight gain in new mothers, particularly for women already obese: evidence from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

Background

Multiple studies show that obesity and depression tend to cluster in women. An “appearance concern” pathway has been proposed as one basic explanation of why higher weights might lead to depression. The transition to motherhood is a life phase in which women’s body image, weight, and depressive risk are in flux, with average weight increasing overall during this period. Examination of how these factors interact from pre- to post-pregnancy provides a means to test how body image plays a key role, as proposed, in causally shaping women’s depressive risk.

Methods

Tracking 39,915 pregnant women in the Norwegian Mother and Child (MoBA) Cohort Study forward 36 months after their deliveries, we test the moderating and mediating effects of body image concerns on the emergence of new mothers’ depressive symptoms by using a binary logistic regression model with a discrete-time event history approach and mediation analysis with bootstrapping.

Results

For women with high pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), weight gain heightens their depressive symptoms over time. Body image concerns mediate the association between weight gain and the development of depressive symptoms regardless of weight status. However, the mediation effect is more evident for women with higher pre-pregnancy BMI. Conversely, better body image is highly protective against the transition to mild or more severe depressive symptoms among new mothers, but only for women who were not classified as obese prior to their pregnancies.

Conclusions

These findings support a role for body image concerns in the etiology of depressive symptoms during the transition to motherhood. The findings suggest body image interventions before or during pregnancy could help reduce risks of depression in the early postpartum period and well beyond.

Sense of mastery as mediator buffering psychological distress among people with diabetes

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between diabetes with or without other comorbid somatic diseases and depression and anxiety, and to explore the mediating role of sense of mastery and social support.

METHODS

Data were obtained from a cross-sectional health survey conducted in Norway (n=6827). People with diabetes alone or with simultaneous comorbid somatic diseases were compared to a group with no known somatic diseases.

RESULTS

Among people with diabetes alone, 16.3% reported having depression and anxiety. Having diabetes was associated with 3 times greater odds for anxiety compared to the control group, and 2 times greater odds for depression. Among individuals with diabetes and comorbid somatic diseases, 17.4% reported depression and 11.6% reported symptoms of anxiety. The odds for both were approximately 2 times greater than in the control group. Sense of mastery, but not social support, protected against depression in both groups and against anxiety in the diabetes with comorbidity group.

CONCLUSIONS

Comorbidity between diabetes and other somatic diseases seems to be related to depression to a larger degree, whereas having diabetes alone relates more to anxiety. This can possibly be explained by the overall burden in the comorbidity group and the related absence of sense of mastery.

Shift work and hypertension: Prevalence and analysis of disease pathways in a German car manufacturing company

BACKGROUND

Hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may share a similar pathophysiology. Despite shift workers' CVD excess risk, studies on shift work and hypertension are inconclusive.

METHODS

Blood pressure and shift status for 25,343 autoworkers were obtained from medical check-ups and company registers. Cross-sectional associations modeling the total effect from shift work (day shifts, shift work without nights, rotating shift work with nights, and night shifts) on hypertension were assessed. By sequential adjustments, the influence of behavioral, psychosocial, and physiological factors on the total effect was examined, with subsequent mediation and moderation analyses.

RESULTS

Adjusted for confounders, shift work without nights (vs. day shifts) was significantly associated with hypertension (OR 1.15, 95%CI 1.02-1.30). The total effect was mediated by BMI, physical inactivity, and sleep disorders. No moderation of the total effect by behaviors was found.

CONCLUSION

The association between shift work and hypertension seems mainly attributable to behavioral mechanisms.

Volunteer age, job satisfaction, and intention to stay

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of Age in the relationships between leader-member exchange dimensions (Affect, Loyalty, Contribution, and Professional Respect) and Job Satisfaction and between Job Satisfaction and Intention to Stay among volunteers in nonprofit sport organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

– A series of moderated hierarchical multiple regression analyses was conducted using the survey responses of 214 volunteers in 22 nonprofit sport organizations.

Findings

– The results indicated that Age moderated the relationship between Professional Respect and Job Satisfaction such that it was stronger for younger volunteers, and Job Satisfaction had a greater positive influence on Intention to Stay for older rather than younger volunteers.

Originality/value

– These findings provide valuable insights into how age may be an important factor influencing volunteers’ job satisfaction and intention to continue to volunteer. Implications for practitioners and future research are also discussed.

Preliminary study of anxiety symptoms, family dysfunction, and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met genotype in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder

Several genetic and environmental factors place youth offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) at high risk for developing mood and anxiety disorders. Recent studies suggest that anxiety symptoms, even at subclinical levels, have been associated with an increased risk for developing BD. The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene has been implicated in the pathophysiology of both BD and anxiety disorders. We aimed to explore whether anxiety in BD offspring was associated with the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism. 64 BD offspring (mean age: 13.73 (S.D. 3.45) M = 30, F = 34) and 51 HC (mean age: 13.68 (S.D. 2.68) M = 23, F = 28) were compared on presence of the met allele and on scores from the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). To assess family function, we used the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES-IV). The Baron & Kenny method was the statistical approach used to examine the moderating effects between variables. BD offspring showed higher levels of overall anxiety than did the HC group. BD offspring with the val/val genotype showed higher levels of anxiety than BD offspring with other genotypes. No significant levels of anxiety or its association with BDNF genotype were found in the HC group. BD offspring group showed significantly more family dysfunction when compared with the HC group and the family dysfunction moderated the association between the BDNF genotype and anxiety symptoms. This study demonstrated the potential interplay of three factors: BD offspring, anxiety symptoms and family dysfunction.

Apolipoprotein B attenuates albuminuria-associated cardiovascular disease in prevention of renal and vascular endstage disease (PREVEND) participants

Whether urinary albumin excretion relates to higher levels of atherogenic apolipoprotein B fractions in the nondiabetic population is uncertain. Such a relationship could explain, in part, the association of elevated urinary albumin excretion with cardiovascular disease risk. We assessed the relationship of urinary albumin excretion with apolipoprotein B fractions and determined whether the association of elevated urinary albumin excretion with incident cardiovascular events is modified by high apolipoprotein B fraction levels. We performed a prospective study on 8286 nondiabetic participants (580 participants with cardiovascular disease; 4.9 years median follow-up time) with fasting lipids, apolipoprotein B, and urinary albumin excretion determined at baseline. With adjustment for sex and age, micro- and macroalbuminuria were associated with increased apolipoprotein B fractions (non-HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B). All four apolipoprotein B fractions modified associations of urinary albumin excretion with incident cardiovascular disease (hazard ratios for interaction terms ranged from 0.89 to 0.94 with 95% confidence intervals ranging from 0.84 to 0.99 and P values ranging from 0.001 to 0.02 by Cox proportional hazards modeling). These interactions remained present after additional adjustment for conventional risk factors, eGFR, cardiovascular history, and lipid-lowering and antihypertensive drug treatments. Such modification was also observed when urinary albumin excretion was stratified into normo-, micro-, and macroalbuminuria. We conclude that there is an association between elevated urinary albumin excretion and apolipoprotein B fraction levels and a negative interaction between these variables in their associations with incident cardiovascular events. Elevated urinary albumin excretion may share common causal pathways with high apolipoprotein B fractions in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

The moderating role of brand reputation and moral obligation

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the influences of theory of planned behavior (TPB) constructs (i.e. attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control (PBC)) on individuals’ volunteer intention for future sporting events, and second, to investigate the moderating effects of brand reputation and moral obligation in the relationships between TPB constructs and volunteer intention.

Design/methodology/approach

– The sample consisted of 107 volunteers at the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Moderated hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized relationships of the model.

Findings

– Subjective norm and PBC were significantly associated with volunteer intention. Brand reputation was found to be a moderator in the relationships between attitude and volunteer intention and between subjective norm and volunteer intention, and moral obligation moderated the relationship between PBC and volunteer intention.

Practical implications

– Sporting events/volunteer managers must understand individuals’ decision-making process with respect to volunteering at sporting events and important insights into new strategies to increase volunteer recruitment, retention, and reliability.

Social implications

– Because sporting event managers face considerable obstacles in recruiting and retaining a volunteer workforce, an enhanced understanding of volunteering may highlight new ways to remove obstacles to being a volunteer to the benefit of individuals and society.

Originality/value

– This paper emphasizes the importance of brand reputation and moral obligation as moderators of the effects of the TPB constructs on volunteer intention in the context of sporting events.

Examining the causal model linking health literacy to health outcomes of asthma patients

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To explore health literacy status in asthma patients and to examine the causal model linking health literacy to health outcome-related factors via mediator and moderator variables.

BACKGROUND

Understanding how low health literacy may influence health outcomes is important.

DESIGN

This is a cross-sectional survey study.

METHODS

A total of 326 asthma patients aged 20 years and older (average: 51 ± 18·3 years) were recruited by purposive sampling from pulmonary medicine outpatient departments at three medical centres and a regional teaching hospital in northern Taiwan. Data were collected via structured questionnaires, including measures of socio-demographic and disease characteristics; medical decision-making; asthma knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy; healthcare experience and health outcome-related factors (metered-dose inhaler/dry-powder inhaler usage proficiency, medical use, self-management behaviour). Three hundred patients who met the inclusion criteria and completed the questionnaire survey were analysed.

RESULTS

Overall, 217 subjects (72·3%) had adequate functional health literacy, 42 (14%) had inadequate functional health literacy, and 41 (13·7%) had marginal functional health literacy. Subjects' average asthma knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy scores were 7·23 ± 2·69, 51·46 ± 6·18 and 58·31 ± 8·10, respectively. Health literacy correlated positively with asthma knowledge (r = 0·605), attitudes (r = 0·192) and medical decision-making (r = 0·413).

CONCLUSIONS

Health literacy is positively associated with proficiency in metered-dose inhaler usage, asthma knowledge, attitudes and medical decision-making, but is not significantly associated with medical care use and self-management behaviour. Health literacy had an indirect effect on self-management behaviour through the mediation effect of asthma attitudes. No moderator was found for the effect of health literacy on health outcome-related factors.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Results of this study may help to develop adequate intervention strategies to improve the health outcomes of asthma patients.

Volunteerism and self-selection bias in human positron emission tomography neuroimaging research

Scientists have known for decades that persons who volunteer for behavioral research may be different from those who decline participation and that characteristics differentiating volunteers from non-volunteers may vary depending on the nature of the research. There is evidence that volunteer self-selection can impact representativeness of samples in studies involving physically or psychologically stressful procedures, such as electric shocks, sensory isolation, or drug effects. However, the degree to which self-selection influences sample characteristics in "stressful" studies involving positron emission tomography (PET) has not been evaluated. Since estimation of population parameters, robustness of findings, and validity of inferred relationships can all be impacted by volunteer bias, it is important to determine if self-selection may act as an unrecognized confound in such studies. In the present investigation, we obtained baseline data on 114 (56M, 58F) subjects who participated in a study involving completion of several self-report questionnaires and behavioral performance tasks. Participants were later given the opportunity to enroll in an [11C]raclopride PET study involving intravenous amphetamine (AMPH) administration. Demographic characteristics, personality traits, and task performance of subjects who consented to the latter study were compared with those who declined participation. Findings showed that the principal personality trait that distinguished the two groups was sensation-seeking; volunteers scored significantly higher on this dimension than non-volunteers. Males were more likely to volunteer than females. However, results of mediation analysis suggested that the relationship between gender and volunteer status was mediated by greater sensation-seeking traits in the males. Implications of these findings are discussed.

An Extended Intervening Process Model

The rapid on-going demographic shifts in workplaces present challenges to Human Resource Development (HRD) scholars and practitioners, creating a significant demand for diversity initiatives that help organizations harvest diversity. To address inconsistencies in diversity research results and limitations of current diversity intervening process theories, the authors propose an extended intervening process model (EIPM) from the perspective of how group processes underlie the linkage between diversity and performance. The model predicts both positive and negative effects of diversity depending on the intervening roles of group processes and moderation effects of research contextual factors. While extending the knowledge by incorporating three group processes simultaneously, this conceptualization can be regarded as the first theoretical framework that explains both positive and negative effects of diversity found in one study. Implications of the present framework for future research are discussed.

The links between religiosity, childhood sexual abuse, and subsequent marijuana use: an empirical inquiry of a sample of female college students

A number of studies indicate that childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has a negative impact on later psychological well-being. It is well documented that experiences of CSA are associated with depression, self-destructiveness, and subsequent substance abuse or alcohol consumption. Compared with women who experienced no such sexual abuse in childhood, women who were victims of sexual abuse in childhood were more likely to be depressed and use drugs or consume alcohol in later life. Analyzing data of 1,569 females derived from the "Longitudinal Study of Violence Against Women," this study examines whether the strain caused by sexual victimization leads to a higher level of subsequent marijuana use and whether religiosity moderates the negative effects of CSA. It was found that CSA was associated with an increased level of marijuana use in high school. However, more proximate sexual victimization (victimization in college) seemed to override the impact of CSA on subsequent marijuana use. Religiosity was found to moderate the effect of CSA on marijuana use in high school. Religiosity was negatively associated with marijuana use in high school as well as the second and fourth collegiate years. Policy implications and promising directions for future research are discussed.

Moderating effect of Islamic religiosity on the relationship between chronic medical conditions and psychological well-being among elderly Malays

BACKGROUND

Research has found that physical health decline in later life is associated with poor psychological well-being. This study aimed to examine the possible moderating effect of Islamic religiosity on the relationship between chronic medical conditions and psychological well-being.

METHODS

The sample for this study consisted of 1415 elderly Malay Muslims. It was obtained from a cross-sectional survey entitled 'Patterns of Social Relationship and Psychological Well-Being among Older Persons in Peninsular Malaysia', which conducted from 2007 to 2009, using a multistage stratified sampling procedure. Data collection was performed through face-to-face interviews. A four-step moderated hierarchical regression analysis using SPSS software for Windows and the 'ModGraph-2' software program was used to test the hypothesis.

RESULTS

Results of bivariate analysis showed, at certain levels of chronic medical conditions, older persons with a high level of religiosity reported significantly higher levels of psychological well-being compared to their counterparts with a low level of religiosity. Four-step moderated hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the negative effect of chronic medical conditions on psychological well-being is reduced by both personal and social religiosity (β = 0.07, P ≤ 0.01), after controlling for selected sociodemographic factors.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, these findings indicate that the depressogenic effect of physical illness is decreased by religiosity in chronically ill elderly people. The implications and limitations of the current study are discussed and recommendations for future research are proposed.

From financial hardship to child difficulties: main and moderating effects of perceived social support

BACKGROUND

There is an unequivocal relationship between socio-economic status and child well-being. The Family Stress Model of economic hardship proposes that this relationship is mediated by financial hardship, parenting stress and parenting behaviours. In this study, the Family Stress Model is tested and analysis is extended to examine main and moderating effects of social support.

METHODS

A survey incorporating well-validated measures of financial hardship, parenting stress, parenting behaviours and child difficulties was sent to 1296 parents who had utilized universal family support services in Alberta, Canada. A total of 923 parents (71%) responded. Hierarchical linear regression was employed to investigate the mediating roles of financial hardship, parenting stress and parenting behaviours, and to investigate main and moderating influences of parental social support.

RESULTS

The study findings generally support the Family Stress Model. The relationship between socio-economic status and child difficulties was mediated by financial hardship and parenting stress. Higher levels of parental social support were associated with lower levels of parenting stress, ineffective parenting and child difficulties. Parental social support was important irrespective of parenting stress levels.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings add to the now critical mass of data showing that parent-child health and well-being is inextricably linked with parental social support. While there is a burgeoning literature on parent training, far less research attention has been given to the development and evaluation of strategies to strengthen parents' social relationships. This is an important direction for future research.

Parental cognitive impairment and child maltreatment in Canada

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of parental cognitive impairment in cases opened for child maltreatment investigation in Canada, and to examine the relationship between parental cognitive impairment and maltreatment investigation outcomes including substantiation, case disposition and court application.

METHODS

The method was secondary analysis of the Canadian Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (CIS-2003) core-data, which is derived from a multi-stage stratified cluster sample of 11,562 child maltreatment investigations.

RESULTS

Parental cognitive impairment was noted in 10.1% of sampled cases that were opened for child maltreatment investigation in 2003, and in 27.3% of sampled cases that resulted in child welfare court application. Neglect was the most common cause of concern. With child and case characteristics held constant, parental cognitive impairment predicted investigation outcomes. The data further suggest that the relationship between parental cognitive impairment and investigation outcomes was partially mediated by perceived parent non-cooperation, mental health issues and low social support.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of children who are living with a parent with cognitive impairment and who are referred for protective services is thought to be increasing. Building systems capacity to support parents with cognitive impairment and promote child wellbeing is therefore essential to containing the human and economic costs of maltreatment and out-of-home care.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

A broad-spectrum approach is needed to support parents with cognitive impairment and their children. Equipping services with the knowledge, skills, and mandate they need to deliver evidence-based parent training is vital. However, strategies are also needed to tackle discrimination, alleviate family poverty, strengthen the social ties of parents with cognitive impairment and in turn, improve the life chances of their children.

Effects on resilience of women family caregivers of adults with serious mental illness: the role of positive cognitions

This study examined the effects of risk and protective factors on resilience in 60 women family members of adults with serious mental illness. Both the risk factors constituting caregiver burden (strain, stigma, client dependence, and family disruption) and protective factors, including eight positive cognitions were found to predict two indicators of resilience: resourcefulness and sense of coherence. The effects of caregiver burden on resourcefulness and sense of coherence were mediated by positive cognitions, lending support to resilience theory and suggesting the need to develop interventions to encourage positive thinking among women caregivers of adults with mental illness.

Relationships between cohesion, collective efficacy and performance in professional basketball teams: an examination of mediating effects

The main aim of this study was to examine mediating effects in the relationships between cohesion, collective efficacy and performance in professional basketball teams. A secondary aim was to examine the correlates of collective efficacy in a professional sport. A total of 154 French and foreign professional players completed French or English versions of questionnaires about cohesion and collective efficacy. Two composite measures of individual performance were used (pre- and post-performance). Individual-level analyses were performed. Regression analyses supported two mediating relationships with collective efficacy as a mediator of the pre-performance - Group integration-task relationship, and Group integration-task as a mediator of the pre-performance - collective efficacy relationship. Statistical analyses indicated that neither Group integration-task nor collective efficacy was a better mediator in the relationship between pre-performance and the other group variables. Results also revealed positive relationships between three dimensions of cohesion (i.e. Individual attractions to the group-task, Group integration-task, Group integration-social) and collective efficacy. These findings suggest that in professional basketball teams, staff members should look after athletes who perform at a lower or below their usual level because their performances might lead them into a downward cohesion - collective efficacy spiral. Staff members should also develop a high quality of group functioning, both on and off the basketball court, given its relationship with collective efficacy.