Individual-level Outcomes Research Articles

Building an interdisciplinary framework to advance conceptual and technical aspects of population-environment research focused on women's and children's health.

Great gains have been made in providing researchers geo-spatial data that can be combined with population health data. This development is crucial given concerns over the human health outcomes associated with a changing climate. Merging population and environmental data remains both conceptually and technically challenging because of a large range of temporal and spatial scales. Here we propose a framework that addresses and advances both conceptual and technical aspects of population-environment research. This framework can be useful for considering how any time or space-based environmental occurrence influences population health outcomes and can be used to guide different data aggregation strategies. The primary consideration discussed here is how to properly model the space and time effects of environmental context on individual-level health outcomes, specifically maternal, child and reproductive health outcomes. The influx of geospatial health data and highly detailed environmental data, often at daily scales, provide an opportunity for population-environment researchers to move towards a more theoretically and analytically sound approach for studying environment and health linkages.

The impact of control styles and control modes on individual-level outcomes: a first test of the integrated IS project control theory

ABSTRACT While IS development (ISD) projects are essential for deploying digital technologies in organisations, they are notoriously challenging to control and complete successfully. Prior ISD project control research mostly conceptualises control activities in terms of formal and informal control modes and frequently focuses on performance effects at the project level. We argue that new insight can be gained by moving beyond these conventions to include control enactment as well as individual-level control effects. In this study, we present new findings that could precipitate a change in how researchers think about, and practitioners exercise, control in ISD projects. Specifically, we provide a first test of the recently proposed Integrated IS Project Control Theory by analysing the impacts of control modes (what) and control styles (how) on project team members’ task performance and job satisfaction. Employing data from 171 ISD projects, we find significant support for this theory by confirming the positive impact of an enabling control style on both task performance and job satisfaction, and by demonstrating that control style is more important than control modes in explaining individual-level control effects. Further, the results of a post-hoc analysis suggest complex interaction effects between an enabling control style and formal controls.

Twitter-Characterized Sentiment Towards Racial/Ethnic Minorities and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) Outcomes.

Sentiments towards racial/ethnic minorities may impact cardiovascular disease (CVD) through direct and indirect pathways. In this study, we assessed the association between Twitter-derived sentiments towards racial/ethnic minorities at state-level and individual-level CVD-related outcomes from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Outcomes included hypertension, diabetes, obesity, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), coronary heart disease (CHD), and any CVD from BRFSS 2017 (N = 433,434 to 433,680 across outcomes). A total of 30 million race-related tweets were collected using Twitter Streaming Application Programming Interface (API) from 2015 to 2018. Prevalence of negative and positive sentiment towards racial/ethnic minorities were constructed at thestate level and merged with CVD outcomes. Poisson regression was used, and all the models adjusted for individual-level demographics as well as state-level demographics. Individuals living in states with the highest level of negative sentiment towards racial/ethnic minorities had 11% higher prevalence of hypertension (PR 1.11, 95% CI 1.08, 1.14), 15% higher prevalence of diabetes (PR 1.15, 95% CI 1.08, 1.22), 14% higher prevalence of obesity (PR 1.14, 95% CI 1.10, 1.18), 30% higher prevalence of stroke (PR 1.30, 95% CI 1.16, 1.46), 14% higher prevalence of MI (PR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03, 1.25), 9% higher prevalence of CHD (PR 1.09, 95% CI 1.00, 1.19), and 16% higher prevalence of any CVD outcomes (PR 1.16, 95% CI 1.09, 1.24). Conversely, Twitter-derived positive sentiment towards racial/ethnic minorities was associated with a lower prevalence of CVD outcomes. Programs and policies that promote racially inclusive environments may improve population health.

Forethought and intelligence: How conscientiousness, future planning, and general mental ability predict net worth

This study examined a model in which conscientiousness is related to net worth through its relationship with future planning, and in which general mental ability (GMA) moderates the effects of future planning on net worth. Data for this study were drawn from 1,135 participants in the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States. Results from an analysis of conditional indirect effects suggest that conscientiousness shared a positive, indirect association with net worth through its relationship with future planning that was realized only for individuals higher in GMA. In contrast, conscientiousness had no indirect association with net worth for those low in GMA. This study helps add to the understanding of how noncognitive (personality) and cognitive (ability) traits affect individual-level economic outcomes and offers an explanation for both how and when conscientiousness influences net worth. These findings may be particularly important given efforts to design interventions that help improve individual financial outcomes.

Study protocol of the Healthy High School study: a school-based intervention to improve well-being among high school students in Denmark

BackgroundThe prevalence of low well-being, perceived stress and unhealthy behaviours is high among high school students, but few interventions have addressed these problems. The aim of this paper is to present a study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating the Healthy High School (HHS) intervention programme. The intervention programme is designed to improve well-being (primary outcome) by preventing 1) stress and promoting 2) sleep, 3) sense of community, 4) physical activity (PA) and 5) regular and healthy meals among high school students in Denmark.MethodsThe development of the HHS study was guided by the Intervention Mapping protocol. The intervention comprises four components: 1) a teaching material, 2) a smartphone app, 3) a catalogue focusing on environmental changes, and 4) a peer-led innovation workshop aiming at inspiring students to initiate and participate in various movement activities. The HHS study employs a cluster-randomised controlled trial design. Thirty-one high schools across Denmark were randomly allocated to intervention (16 schools) or control (15 schools) groups. The study included all first-year students (~ 16 years of age) (n = 5976 students). Timeline: Intervention: August 2016 – June 2017. Collection of questionnaire data: Baseline (August 2016), 1st follow-up (May 2017) and 2nd follow-up (April 2018). All students were invited to participate in a monthly sub-study about perceived stress using text messages for data collection (September 2016 – June 2017). PA was objectively assessed among a sub-sample of students using accelerometers (Axivity, AX3) in August 2016 and May 2017. Primary outcome measures: Student well-being measured by the Cantril Ladder and the five item World Health Organisation Well-being Index (individual level outcomes). Secondary outcome measures: Stress (10-item Perceived Stress Scale), sleep (quantity and quality), PA (hours of moderate-to-vigorous PA per week, hours of daily sedentary time and average daily PA), meal habits (daily intake of breakfast, lunch, snacks and water), and strong sense of community in class and at school, respectively (individual level outcomes). The study encompasses process and effect evaluation as well as health economic analyses.Trial registrationISRCTN ISRCTN43284296, 28 April 2017, retrospectively registered.

Economic and Health Costs of Child Marriages in India

Although, child marriages, marrying girls and boys before completion of their 18 years of age, has been recognized as a human right violation, they are still practiced widely affecting 15 million girls per year globally. Economic considerations are fundamental to the prevalence of child marriages as poverty is both a cause and consequence of child marriages. Child marriages can hamper girls’ educational attainment and her chances to participate in labor force. Child brides can have negative general and pregnancy-related health outcomes because of early marriage and early childbearing. The isolation and violence inflicted upon the girls can further have physical and psychological health impacts. Apart, from the individual level outcomes child marriages can have household level and in turn national level impacts too. So, our study has following objectives: (i) To examine the levels and trends of child marriages in India and its states. (ii) To assess the demographic and health costs of child marriages in India. (iii) To study the effects of child marriages on women wages and household economic status. (iv) To measure the impact of child marriages on the economic status of the State. The main data source of the study is IHDS 2 (2011-12). The study used univariate, bivariate and multivariate analysis. Our findings show that current levels of child marriages are significantly high in India with variations across different regions of the country. Our cost estimations revealed that nearly 100 million additional pregnancies occurred for the total ever-married women as on 1st March, 2011, because of child marriages. Also, there were 27 thousand additional neonatal deaths, 55 thousand additional infant deaths and 1.6 lakh child deaths in 2011, due to child marriages. Further, it was found that there are 6.3 million additional underweight women alive as on 1st March, 2011 because of child marriages. Women married below the age of 18 years have less likelihood of completing secondary and higher secondary schooling. Also, the annual wage rates of the child brides were found to be almost half than the women married at 18 years and above and the household economic status of child brides was poorer. child marriages have negative consequences on the macro-level economic status of the country. According to our cost estimates, India incurred loss of nearly 1899 billion INR, which is almost 1.68 percent of total GDP of India.

Relationship between a high-performance work system and employee outcomes: A multilevel analysis

Although research on high-performance work systems (HPWS) is increasing, there are few studies in which the focus is on whether and how firm-level HPWS affect individual-level employee outcomes. Using social identity theory, we examined the relationship between HPWS and employee outcomes, and the role organizational identification plays as a mediator in this relationship. We used a multilevel research design and collected data at the organizational and individual levels from a sample of 485 employees of 32 companies in Guangdong Province, China. We used Amos 17.0 and hierarchical linear modeling 6.08 software to examine our hypotheses and the theoretical model. Results showed that organizational identification fully mediated the relationship between HPWS and employees' job performance as well as that between HPWS and their turnover intention. Our findings provide new insights into the relationship between firm-level human resource management and individual-level employee outcomes, and highlight the importance of considering the implementation of HPWS practices to strengthen employees' identification with the organization and improve their performance.

Leader–Member Exchange in Mediating Interpersonal Justice and Informational Justice Climate toward Counterproductive Work Behavior

This cross-level study (individual level) examines the influence of interpersonal justice climate and informational justice climate (unit level) on counterproductive work behavior (individual level). The study also examines the role of leader–member exchange (individual level) in mediating the influence of these climates on counterproductive work behavior. The study was carried out by distributing a questionnaire to non-civil-servant lecturers in three new state universities in Indonesia. Of the questionnaires distributed, 399 were returned completely filled out and were then processed using hierarchical linear modeling. Hierarchical linear modeling is the appropriate analysis tool for examining cross-level models in which there is variance at both the individual level and the group level, with individual-level outcomes. The hierarchical linear modeling method still considers variance both within and between units and the role of both individuals and units simultaneously. The instruments were tested using confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability tests were carried out by looking at the coefficient of Cronbach’s alpha. The results of the hypothesis test show that while interpersonal and informational justice climates do not have an influence on counterproductive work behavior (H1 and H2 not accepted), they do have a significant influence on leader–member exchange (H3 and H4 accepted), which itself has a positive influence on counterproductive work behavior (H5 accepted). The test results for H6 and H7 show leader–member exchange fully mediates the influence of interpersonal and informational justice climate on counterproductive work behavior. The results of this study encourage further discussion and open opportunities for cross-level research with different variables and objects.

The Application of Community-Based Information from the American Community Survey in a Large Integrated Health Care Organization.

The American Community Survey (ACS) is the largest household survey conducted by the US Census Bureau. We sought to describe the community-level characteristics derived from the ACS among enrollees of Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC), evaluate the associations between ACS estimates and selective individual-level health outcomes, and explore how using different scales of the census geography and the linearity assumption affect the associations. We examined the associations between track-level and block group-level ACS 5-year estimates and 4 individual-level Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) outcome measures (comprehensive diabetes care, postpartum care, antidepressant medication management, and childhood immunization status) using multilevel generalized linear models. Odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were estimated for every 10% increase in ACS measures. 6,357,841 addresses were successfully geocoded to at least the tract level. The community-level demographic, socioeconomic, residential, and other ACS measures varied among KPSC health plan enrollees. A majority of these ACS measures were associated with the selected HEDIS health outcomes. The directions of the effects were consistent across health outcomes; however, the magnitudes of the effect sizes varied. Within each HEDIS health outcome, the relative size of the effects appeared to remain similar. Differences between the census tract- and block group-level estimates were minor, especially for measures related to race/ethnicity, education, income, and occupation. These findings support the use of many ACS measures at neighborhood levels to predict health outcomes. The geographic units might have little effect on the results. The linearity assumption should be made with caution.

Measuring Institutional Effects on Student Activism

Measuring Institutional Effects on Student Activism John Zilvinskis (bio), Demetri L. Morgan (bio), and Brendan Dugan (bio) To best accentuate individual-level outcomes, some quantitative research on political engagement in higher education includes institutional variables only as controls (i.e., Dodson, 2014; Weerts, Cabrera, & Mejías, 2014 ). This leads to a complementary strand of research that seeks to simultaneously understand both individual and institutional factors that contribute to student political engagement (Baker & Blissett, 2018; Doyle & Skinner, 2017). Often researchers use some configuration of Berger and Milem's (2000) structural features of institutions, since these measures help differentiate institutions and may influence student outcomes. Consequently, Niehaus, Campbell, and Inkelas (2014) encouraged researchers to be transparent about design decisions. In particular, a growing chorus of scholars has called for research to account for the role of the institutional context in the emergence of civic and political outcomes such as activism (Cabrera, Matias, & Montoya, 2017; Kezar, 2010). Since students are nested within groups (e.g., classes, programs, or institutions), researchers often invoke multilevel modeling in education scholarship to simultaneously account for individual-level and group-level variation (Ethington, 1997). This method is vulnerable in regard to how theory and statistics complement each other in research design (Smart, 2005). This lack of specificity hinders institutions' ability to respond to dynamic and complex outcomes such as student activism (Morgan & Davis, 2019). Following insights gleaned from a previous study we conducted, and to encourage greater transparency in the quantitative research design of higher education studies, we tested which institution-level variables found within the activism literature can be retained when modeling student activism behavior at multiple levels (Morgan, Zilvinskis, & Dugan, 2019). This allowed us to statistically examine the value that distinct variables provide, while understanding how the significant institutionlevel variables are related to student-level outcomes. Our research questions included: Which institution-level variables found within activism literature can be retained when modeling student activism behavior at multiple levels? How do the retained institution-level variables relate to individual activism behaviors? INSTITUTIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS An institution's racial composition is an important point of reference for a range of educational outcomes (e.g., sense of belonging, graduation, retention; Museus, Nichols, & Lambert, 2008). We also followed Baker and Blissett's (2018) finding that the Pell percentage was a significant predictor of institutional involvement in a type of social media activism [End Page 372] (e.g., the "I, too, am [College]" campaigns). Research from other disciplines corroborates the connection between socioeconomic status and political activities (Pacheco & Plutzer, 2008). FACULTY INTERACTION AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION The impact on educational outcomes of faculty composition (i.e., ratio of nontenure track to full-time faculty) in higher education is still not well understood (Kezar, 2012 ); yet other research very clearly delineates the importance of student–faculty interactions ( Garvey, BrckaLorenz, Latopolski, & Hurtado, 2018). Hence, we include two variables to better understand whether student–faculty ratios and different compositions of faculty connect to the dependent variables. Finally, research on how resource allocations influence student experience suggests it is critical to consider how institutions use resources to support endeavors (e.g., Cantwell, 2016; Gansemer-Topf, Saunders, Schuh, & Shelly, 2004). METHOD Data Sources The 2017 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE; http://nsse.indiana.edu) provided data from 27 institutions for this study. After the divisive 2016 presidential election, more than 7,000 students responded to a supplemental survey on political activism. Of the 4,168 senior respondents, 3,257 (78.1%) who began the survey completed the additional items of interest. Approximately two thirds of the students identified as women (67.5%), and a similar proportion identified as White (70.2%); first-generation students (neither parent has earned a college degree) constituted 41.0% of respondents. Student demographic covariates were based on survey responses, and institutional characteristics were derived from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Indicators were developed for students who identified as Black or African American; identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Queer; and those who chose not to share their sexual orientation. Institutional support for activism is the averaged value of responses from students asked about the degree to which their institution emphasized four types of activism (codebook variables...

Building a sustainable organizational energy evaluation system in the Asia Pacific

In the face of climate change and with the vision for the future of humanity represented by the Sustainability Development Goals, sustainability has become associated with the major and rapid transformation of global systems and the resilience of transformed systems to adapt over time. This dynamic view of transformation has implications for both the design of transformational energy initiatives and their evaluation. As there is an urgent need to evaluate the scale, scope, nature, and sufficiency of transformation toward planetary sustainability, a framework (model) is proposed to determine the most effective energy evaluation capacity building strategies for achieving various individual and group level outcomes, most effective strategies for certain types of participants, and design of different strategies to maximize their impact in a sustainable way. Furthermore, a new energy evaluation organization is identified, which is expected to lead us into this new era.

Did an urban perinatal health programme in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, reduce adverse perinatal outcomes? Register-based retrospective cohort study

ObjectivesTo study the effect of an urban perinatal health programme in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on perinatal outcomes.DesignA retrospective cohort study with difference-in-differences analysis using individual-level perinatal outcome data from the...

Understanding the Broker Role of Clinician-Scientists: A Realist Review on How They Link Research and Practice.

Clinician-scientists are said to be well placed to connect research and practice, but their broker role has been underexplored. This review sought to gain an understanding of the broker role of clinician-scientists. The authors conducted a realist review to describe context-mechanism-outcome (CMO) configurations associated with the broker role of clinician-scientists. CINAHL, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Embase were searched between May and August 2017. Data were analyzed qualitatively; data synthesis focused on assembling CMO configurations. Of an initial 2,241 articles, 9 were included in the final review. Included papers show that clinician-scientists, in their broker role, achieve 2 organizational-level outcomes: an increased volume of clinically relevant, research, and increased evidence application to improve care. They also achieve the individual-level outcome of professional development as a researcher, clinician, and broker. Multidimensional skills and management support are necessary context factors. Mechanisms that contribute to outcomes include balancing economic and scientific interests and performing boundary-crossing activities. Four CMO configurations by which clinician-scientists achieve outcomes in brokering a connection between research and practice were identified. Useful program theories for explaining these are boundary crossing, social network, communities of practice, and diffusion of innovation theory. The mechanisms found may provide insight for interventions aiming to support clinician-scientists in their broker role. The authors expect that if more attention is paid to learning multidimensional skills and management support for the broker role is strengthened, stronger links between research and practice could be forged.

Association of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s Funding With Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Kenya

From 2004 to 2014, the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) invested more than $248 000 000 in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV in Kenya. Concurrently, child mortality in Kenya decreased by half. To identify the extent to which the decrease in child mortality in Kenya is associated with PEPFAR funding for PMTCT of HIV. This population-based survey study conducted in Kenya estimated the association between annual per capita PEPFAR funding for PMTCT (annual PCF) and cumulative per capita PEPFAR funding for PMTCT (cumulative PCF), extracted using 2004-2014 country operational reports as well as individual-level health outcomes, extracted from the 2003, 2008-2009, and 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys and the 2007 and 2012 Kenya AIDS Indicator Surveys. The study included children of female respondents to the 2003, 2008-2009, and 2014 Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys who were born 1 to 60 months (for neonatal mortality) or 12 to 60 months (for infant mortality) before the survey, as well as female respondents who had recently given birth and reported on HIV testing during antenatal care (ANC) during the 2007-2014 surveys. Results were adjusted for year, province, and survey respondent characteristics. Statistical analysis was performed from July 8, 2016, to December 10, 2018. Neonatal mortality was defined as death within the first month of life and infant mortality was defined as death within the first year of life. HIV testing during ANC was defined as receiving counseling on PMTCT, undergoing an HIV test, and receiving test results during ANC. The analysis included 33 181 neonates (16 870 boys), 26 876 infants (13 679 boys), and 20 775 mothers (mean [SD] age, 28.0 [6.7] years). PEPFAR funding was not associated with neonatal mortality. A $0.33 increase in annual PCF, corresponding to the difference between the 75th and 25th (interquartile range) percentiles of funding, was significantly associated with a 16% (95% CI, 4%-27%) reduction in infant mortality after a 1-year lag. A 14% to 16% reduction persisted after 2- and 3-year lags, and comparable reductions were observed for unlagged and 1-year lagged cumulative PCF. An increase of 1 interquartile range in cumulative PCF was associated with a 7% (95% CI, 3%-11%) increase in HIV testing during ANC, which intensified with subsequent lags. Between 2004 and 2014, sustained funding levels of $0.33 annual PCF could have averted 118 039 to 273 924 infant deaths. Evidence from publicly available data suggests that PEPFAR's PMTCT funding was associated with a reduction in infant mortality and an increase in HIV testing during ANC in Kenya. The full outcome of funding may not be realized until several years after allocation.

Outcomes from a single-intervention trial to improve interprofessional practice behaviors at a student-led free clinic

Abstract Background Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is the practice of two or more healthcare professionals working together and learning from one another to improve health outcomes. IPC is important for quality training, typically improving individual and group level outcomes. Students value the opportunity for leadership and teamwork development when IPC is offered in their curriculum. The Indiana University Student Outreach Clinic (IUSOC) is a student run clinic that provides free primary care services to underserved residents residing in Indianapolis, Indiana. The IUSOC partner leaders identified a need to enhance knowledge about partner roles, scope of practice, and professional training with the hopes of improving quality of care through IPC and utilization of clinic resources. Methods A cluster randomized design consisted of education session days and control days. Participants had an equal selection probability. Student partners from ten different disciplines were involved. Two survey instruments were used for data collection: 1) The Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale and 2) The Professional Consciousness Raising Questionnaire. The former measured the attitudes and beliefs that underlie interprofessional socialization, while the latter assessed pre/post student knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of each partner. Results The control arm of the study was composed of 167 student participants and the intervention arm had 170 participants. Participants in the intervention arm had greater scores for “ability to work with others”, “value in working with others”, and “comfort in working with others.” The intervention arm also had significantly increased odds of correctly identifying the roles responsibilities of the nursing, law, dental, and global health disciplines. Conclusions Results of this study demonstrate that administering a short interprofessional education exercise to healthcare professional students leads to improved IPC through increased interprofessional knowledge about other professions and change in beliefs and values toward the value of interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Move-It: A Cluster-Randomised Digital Worksite Exercise Intervention in China: Outcome and Process Evaluation.

We evaluate the outcomes and processes of a video and web-based worksite exercise intervention for sedentary office workers in China, in a 2-arm cluster-randomised wait-list control trial (n = 282: intervention (INT) n = 196 and wait-list control (WLC) n = 86). Eligible clusters were two sites of a major organisation in China randomly allocated to each group (INT: Guangzhou; WLC: Beijing); eligible participants were site employees (n = 690). A theoretically informed digital workplace intervention (Move-It) involving a 10 min Qigong exercise session (video demonstration via website) was delivered twice a day at set break times during the working day for 12 consecutive weeks. Individual-level outcomes were assessed. Participants’ physical activity increased significantly from baseline to post-intervention similarly in both the intervention and the control group. There was a significantly smaller increase in weekday sitting hours in intervention than controls (by 4.66 h/week), and work performance increased only in the control group. Process evaluation (including six focus groups) was conducted using the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation and maintenance) framework. The intervention had wide reach and was successfully marketed to all employees with good uptake. The participatory approach increased perceived organisational support and enhanced adoption. The intervention was implemented broadly as planned. Qigong worksite exercise intervention can be successfully delivered to sedentary office workers in China using video and web-based platforms. It may increase physical activity and does not adversely affect perceived work performance. The study highlights the complexity of conducting health promotion research in real-world organisational settings.

Cross Cultural Adjustment - a Catalyst to Enhance Psychological Well Being and Work Performance of Indian IT Expatriates in USA

Purpose – The present study is an attempt to analyse the impact of cross cultural adjustment on psychological wellbeing and work performance of the Indian IT expatriates working in the United States of America. Design/Methodology/Approach- This study adopts positivist deductive approach it, starts with clear variables which are derived from theory and based on these variables. The data for the study was collected through the structured questionnaire. Design/Methodology/Approach- This study adopts positivist deductive approach it, starts with clear variables which are derived from theory and based on these variables. The data for the study was collected through the structured questionnaire. The sample for the present study was collected from the Indian IT expatriates who are assigned to USA working in the four major IT cluster of USA i.e. California, Washington, New York, & Chicago. A total 634 questionnaires were received indicating a response rate of 52 %. For the current research the questionnaire comprises of 44 items and Likert five poit scale is applied to get the response where formats used for all the measures ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. SPSS 21 and Microsoft excel are the statistical packages regression is the tools used in the present study Findings- A significant relationship was found between cross cultural work adjustment and expatriate psychological wellbeing and work performance. Cross cultural adjustment of the expatriates both to work and general adjustment play an important role in the work performance of the expatriate. A highly adjusted employee performance is better on work than and highly unadjusted employee. When an expatriate is well adjusted to the general environment, the level of psychological wellbeing will be high Originality/value- This study provides insightful findings in understanding the role of expatriate work and general adjustment in the individual level and work outcomes. This study also shows the importance of the demographic variables with impact expatriate adjustment. In spite of the limitations of the research, the study contributed to the international human resources management by exploring the Indian IT expatriates adaptation process in the western context.

The Influence of Parental Support and Community Belonging on Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Substance Use over Time

Background. Despite a growing trend in community-based research, studies investigating the influence of multi-level community factors on individual-level outcomes remain relatively sparse. Objective. The current study aimed to extend this literature by investigating the association between community disadvantage measured at the community level, and adolescents’ substance use over time. Additionally, this study also investigated the influence of parental support and community belonging on this association. Methods. Data were drawn from Waves I and III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health data set. Using a multi-level modeling approach, we tested the association between community disadvantage and substance use during adolescence. Second, to determine if this association held longitudinally, we examined the influence of community disadvantage on substance use over time, into young adulthood. Lastly, we tested the moderating effects of parental support and community belonging on the association between community disadvantage and substance use during adolescence and young adulthood. Results. Findings suggested that individuals experiencing the greatest disadvantage were less likely to engage in substance use in comparison to those experiencing the greatest advantage. Conclusions/Importance. Differential effects of parental support and community belonging on community disadvantage and substance use were also found. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Neighborhood immigrant density and population health among native-born Americans

The healthy immigrant effect—whereby immigrants are on average healthier than the native-born—have been well studied. However, little is known about the relationship between immigration and the health of the native-born. This study fills this important research gap by examining the association between neighborhood immigrant density and several population health measures among native-born Americans. We used data from the Los Angeles County Health Survey to analyze four individual-level health behaviors and outcomes, including regular fast food consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, body mass index, and hypertension. We conducted multilevel logistic regressions to assess the association between neighborhood immigrant density and the four health behaviors and outcomes. The results showed that neighborhood immigrant density was negatively associated with regular fast food consumption (OR = 0.33; 95% CI, 0.18–0.59), BMI (β = −2.16, 95% CI, −3.13 to −1.19), and hypertension (OR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38–0.89), and positively associated with fruit/vegetable consumption (OR = 1.64; 95% CI, 1.01–2.66) among native-born Americans. In conclusion, native-born Americans who lived in a neighborhood with a high density of immigrants had healthier behaviors and better health outcomes compared to those who lived in a neighborhood with a low density of immigrants.

Pay for (Individual) Performance: A Longitudinal Study of Merit Pay Plans and Firm Performance

Prior research on merit pay plans is mainly earmarked by cross-sectional designs focusing on individual-level outcomes. We posit that, collectively, this body of work has not made substantial inroa...