Latent Moderated Structural Equations Research Articles

Perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing: The role of organizational identity and psychological entitlement.

Employees' perception of being overqualified is a critical factor in influencing their knowledge sharing behavior. However previous studies have not examined the internal mechanism by which perceived overqualification affects knowledge sharing. Drawing on social exchange theory, the present study aimed to explore the relationship between perceived overqualification and knowledge sharing and to examine the mediating effect of organizational identity and the moderating role of psychological entitlement. Participants were 284 full-time employees from different companies in China. They answered self-report questionnaires that assessed perceived overqualification, knowledge sharing, organizational identity, and psychological entitlement. Path analyses were conducted, and the latent moderated structural equations were used to judge the significance of the mediation and moderation. The results revealed that overqualified employees were less willing to share knowledge, and the mediating role of organizational identity was significant. Further, the presence of high psychological entitlement would diminish the beneficial effect of organizational identity on employee knowledge sharing. The findings of the study enrich and expand our knowledge on the relationship between overqualification and knowledge sharing and have theoretical and practical implications for promoting constructive behavior among overqualified employees.

Balancing act: Exploring the interplay of production pressure and innovation/flexibility climates on employee well‐being

This study explored the separate and joint effects of innovation/flexibility and pressure to produce climates on employee exhaustion, and ultimately, turnover intentions. Survey data collected from 335 full‐time employees across various sectors in Türkiye were analysed using a latent moderated structural equations approach. The findings revealed that, while innovation climates were inversely related to exhaustion and turnover intentions, production pressure climate had the opposite effect, which provided support for the job demands‐resources (JD‐R) model. Importantly, the study uncovered a significant interactive effect, indicating that the positive impact of production pressure on exhaustion was amplified under increased innovation demands. This finding provided support for the conservation of resources (COR) theory, suggesting that heavy and conflicting job demands depleted employees' psychological resources by impeding the deployment of defensive strategies. The findings contribute to innovation research by revealing that individual‐level competing demands of balancing exploration and exploitation through contextual ambidexterity may pose challenges to employees' psychological well‐being.

Estimating power in complex nonlinear structural equation modeling including moderation effects: The powerNLSEM R-package

The model-implied simulation-based power estimation (MSPE) approach is a new general method for power estimation (Irmer et al., 2024). MSPE was developed especially for power estimation of non-linear structural equation models (SEM), but it also can be applied to linear SEM and manifest models using the R package powerNLSEM. After first providing some information about MSPE and the new adaptive algorithm that automatically selects sample sizes for the best prediction of power using simulation, a tutorial on how to conduct the MSPE for quadratic and interaction SEM (QISEM) using the powerNLSEM package is provided. Power estimation is demonstrated for four methods, latent moderated structural equations (LMS), the unconstrained product indicator (UPI), a simple factor score regression (FSR), and a scale regression (SR) approach to QISEM. In two simulation studies, we highlight the performance of the MSPE for all four methods applied to two QISEM with varying complexity and reliability. Further, we justify the settings of the newly developed adaptive search algorithm via performance evaluations using simulation. Overall, the MSPE using the adaptive approach performs well in terms of bias and Type I error rates.

Investigating Latent Interaction Effects in Multiple-Group Analysis in the Structural Equation Modeling Framework

This study aims to address a gap in the social and behavioral sciences literature concerning interaction effects between latent factors in multiple-group analysis. By comparing two approaches for estimating latent interactions within multiple-group analysis frameworks using simulation studies and empirical data, we assess their relative merits. Our simulation study results demonstrated the superiority of the Latent Moderated Structural Equations (LMS) approach over the Unconstrained Product Indicator (UPI) method in power and providing more accurate estimates of differences in latent interactions between groups. Utilizing multiple-group analysis on real-world data, we evaluated its efficacy in identifying latent interaction differences between groups. Empirical data analysis did not reveal discrepancies between LMS and UPI in terms of detecting differences in latent interactions between boys and girls, although they indicated varying sizes of differences in interaction effects. The study concludes with recommendations for examining differences in latent interactions and suggests avenues for future research. Our findings aim to deepen the understanding of intricate relationships among variables, group differences, and the moderating effects of latent variables, ultimately facilitating the development of more accurate theoretical models.

Teachers’ engagement in online professional development—The interplay of online professional development quality and teacher motivation

Effective online teacher professional development (OPD) is crucial to support teachers. The effectiveness of OPD depends on teachers’ engagement. According to offer-use models, teachers’ engagement in OPD relates to the OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn. However, whereas OPD activities have increased in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, findings on the importance of OPD quality and teachers’ motivation to learn for teachers’ engagement in OPD are scarce. We analyzed data from N = 593 teachers participating in 61 OPD courses. The predictive power of perceived OPD quality (i.e., clarity and structure, practical relevance, cognitive activation, and collaboration) and teachers’ motivation to learn for their behavioral, affective, and cognitive engagement during OPD were examined using structural equation modeling. We used latent moderated structural equations to gain insights into the interaction effects between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation. Our findings indicate that OPD quality positively predicted teachers’ OPD engagement. When controlling for OPD quality, teachers’ motivation to learn also predicted teachers’ behavioral and cognitive engagement but not their affective engagement. The findings on the interactions between OPD quality and teachers’ motivation demonstrated that for the different facets of teachers’ OPD engagement, different OPD quality characteristics could compensate for low teacher motivation to learn. For instance, for behavioral engagement, opportunities for collaboration can compensate for low motivation. Implications for practice (e.g., ensuring high-quality OPD) and future directions in research (e.g., conducting longitudinal studies) in the field of OPD are discussed.

Perceived Social Mobility and Smartphone Dependence in University Students: The Roles of Hope and Family Socioeconomic Status.

Drawing upon the cognitive-behavioral model of pathological Internet use (PIU) and tunnel effect, this study aimed to construct a moderated mediation model from the perspective of social ecology. Specifically, the model investigated the relationship between perceived social mobility and smartphone dependence, with a focus on the mediating role of hope and the moderating effect of family socioeconomic status (SES) underlying this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 718 Chinese university students (Mage = 19.19, 70.2% female) from Beijing, Henan, and Tianjin, who anonymously filled out the Perceptions of Socioeconomic Mobility Scale, Mobile Phone Addiction Index Scale, Openness to the Future Scale, and family socioeconomic status questionnaire. Preliminary data analysis was executed using SPSS 22.0, and the moderated mediation effect was tested using the latent moderated structural equations approach in Mplus 8.3. The results showed that (a) less perceived social mobility was linked with greater smartphone dependence; (b) hope mediated the aforementioned relationship; and (c) family SES moderated the first-stage path of the indirect effect through hope. For university students with low (rather than high) family SES, their level of hope increased with the improvement of perceived social mobility, and in turn, that of smartphone dependence decreased. These findings suggest that positive perceptions of upward social class mobility and hopeful attitudes toward future opportunities and personal development among disadvantaged university students may alleviate their reliance on smartphones. Researchers and policymakers should pay attention to the role of individuals' perceptions of the macro environment in motivating specific risky behaviors among university students. Future interventions are essential to mitigate pessimistic environmental perceptions and foster a sense of hope among university students.

The role of frailty in the relationships between social relationships and health outcomes: a longitudinal study

BackgroundSocially isolated older adults incur increased risks of adverse health outcomes, though the strength of this association is unclear. We examined whether changes in physical frailty moderated the associations between changes in social relationships and changes in health outcomes among older adults.MethodsThis longitudinal study is based on three waves of the FRéLE study among 1643 Canadian community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and older over 2 years. We performed latent growth curve modelling (LGMs) to assess changes with the assumption of missing not at random, adjusting for time-invariant covariates. We used the latent moderated structural equations (LMS) to test the interactions in LGMs. Social relationships were measured by social participation, social networks, and social support from different social ties. Frailty was assessed using the five components of the phenotype of frailty.ResultsThe results revealed that changes in frailty moderated changes in social participation (β = 3.229, 95% CI: 2.212, 4.245), social contact with friends (β = 4.980, 95% CI: 3.285, 6.675), and social support from friends (β = 2.406, 95% CI: 1.894, 2.917), children (β = 2.957, 95% CI: 1.932, 3.982), partner (β = 4.170, 95% CI: 3.036, 5.305) and extended family (β = 6.619, 95% CI: 2.309, 10.923) with changes in cognitive function and depressive symptoms, but not with chronic diseases. These results highlight the beneficial role of social relationships in declining depressive symptoms and improving cognitive health among older adults experiencing increases in frailty.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that changes in social support have a protective and compensatory role in decreasing depressive symptoms and enhancing cognitive health among older adults with increasing frailty. Public health policy and strategies should consider the impact of social support on multiple health outcomes among older adults with increasing frailty. Further experimental studies and interventions are warranted to extend findings on the relationships between social relationships and health outcomes, targeting frail older adults. Future studies may also consider other health-related risk factors that may impact the associations between social relationships and health outcomes among older adults.

The influence of enjoyment, boredom, and burnout on EFL achievement: Based on latent moderated structural equation modeling.

In recent years, the boom in the field of positive psychology in second language acquisition research has seen an increasing number of scholars focusing on the individual well-being of second language learners alongside their learning effectiveness. Despite this growing interest, there is a need to further investigate the specific emotional factors influencing academic achievement in foreign language learning. This study investigates the impact of three emotions-enjoyment, boredom, and burnout-on academic achievement, and the moderating role of academic buoyancy. Data were collected from 563 college English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) students from China's mainland using latent moderated structural equation modeling with Mplus. The results of the latent bivariate correlation analysis showed significant correlations between EFL learning emotions, academic buoyancy, and test performance. In the latent moderated structural equations model, enjoyment and burnout predicted test performance. Moreover, academic buoyancy moderated the relationships between enjoyment and test performance, and between burnout and test performance. EFL test performance was highest when enjoyment and buoyancy were both high, or when burnout and buoyancy were both low. These findings highlight the importance of fostering positive emotions and resilience in language learners to enhance their academic performance, offering valuable insights for educators and policymakers aiming to improve foreign language education.

The Effect of Livestreaming Esports Media on Viewer Satisfaction, Flow Experience, and Media Loyalty

Electronic sports (esports) have become one of the fastest-growing forms of new media. As a result, esports livestreaming media is a necessary medium for connecting viewers and esports livestreams. Drawing on the media richness theory, the purpose of the current study was to explore how livestreaming media attributes and viewers’ individual characteristics (esports involvement) influence the viewer’s experience (satisfaction and flow experience) and media loyalty. The results of a latent moderated structural equations (LMS) modeling analysis using a total of 568 viewers revealed that informativeness and convenience significantly influenced viewer satisfaction and flow experience, which in turn influenced media loyalty. Interestingly, interactivity was found to be a more important attribute for viewer satisfaction and flow experience among highly involved viewers while informativeness was an important attribute for less involved viewers. Furthermore, viewer satisfaction is pivotal in establishing media loyalty for less involved viewers, while flow experience is key for highly involved viewers. The findings of this research have theoretical implications for the literature on esports media and media consumption experiences and offer managers effective strategies for developing esports media loyalty.

The Effect of Esports Content Attributes on Viewing Flow and Well-Being: A Focus on the Moderating Effect of Esports Involvement

Despite being recognized as a global entertainment phenomenon, the nature of esports has been a subject of ongoing debate due to its content attributes and the controversial impact it has on individuals’ physical and mental well-being. We contend that the fundamental source of contention lies within the inherent content attributes of esports. Drawing on uses and gratification theory (UG) and cognitive appraisal theory, the purpose of the current study was to explore how esports content attributes and viewers’ individual characteristics (esports involvement) influence the viewer’s experience (flow experience) and well-being (happiness and vitality). The results of a latent moderated structural equations (LMS) modeling analysis using a total of 539 viewers revealed that entertainment, reliability, and diversity significantly influenced flow experience, which in turn influenced viewers’ happiness and vitality. Esports involvement was found to have moderating effects on the relationship between reliability and usefulness attributes and flow experience. The findings of this research provide important contributions to the literature and have implications for sport marketing managers.

Adolescents’ meaning in life as a resilience factor between bullying victimization and life satisfaction

Meaning in life (MIL) was examined as a resilience factor buffering and compensating for the negative relationship between bullying victimization and life satisfaction using a nationally representative sample of U.S adolescents from the 2018 round of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Using the latent moderated structural equations (LMS) approach, results indicated that the interaction effect of bullying victimization and MIL on life satisfaction was significant with an adequate model fit, suggesting adolescents’ MIL as a buffer against low life satisfaction associated with bullying victimization. MIL was also significantly related to life satisfaction, accounting for bullying victimization, suggesting that adolescents’ MIL compensates for the relationship between bullying victimization and low life satisfaction. Findings suggest the importance of promoting MIL to protect adolescents’ life satisfaction against bullying victimization. Limitations of this study and future research directions are discussed.

Intolerance of uncertainty and anxiety among college students during the re-emergence of COVID-19: Mediation effects of cognitive emotion regulation and moderation effects of family function

ObjectiveIn June 2021, the COVID-19 spread again in the community, and residents had to face the impact of the outbreak again after 276 days, none of the local cases in Guangdong Province, China. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and anxiety in college students in non-epidemic area during the periods of re-emergence of COVID-19. MethodsA survey was conducted among 86,767 college students in Guangdong Province, China from 10 to 18 June 2021, information on the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), General Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) and Family APGAR Index were collected. Five moderation and mediation models were analyzed using latent moderated structural equations. ResultsThe results showed that IU was positively related to anxiety (r = 0.42, p < 0.000). After controlling for age and gender, latent moderated structural equations indicated that catastrophizing mediated the relationship between IU and anxiety, and family function acted as a moderator in this relationship. Further analyses indicated that IU directly affected anxiety and had indirect effects on anxiety by catastrophizing. This relationship was weaker among college students who reported lower family function. ConclusionThis study provides practical implications for designing intervention strategies to reduce anxiety in college students when the epidemic re-emerges.

Attitudes toward Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage: The Roles of Parental Attitudes, Traditional Gender Role Values, and Filial Piety.

Past studies have suggested that people's attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriages are influenced by their parents' attitudes toward homosexuality. The current study intends to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of these associations by proposing a moderated mediation model incorporating traditional gender role values as a mediator and filial piety as a moderator. One hundred and fifteen adults (33.9% male and 66.1% female) aged from 18 to 36 years (M = 21.47, SD = 3.78) from Hong Kong completed an online questionnaire. The results of the latent moderated structural equations model showed that filial piety significantly moderated the indirect effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and attitudes toward same-sex marriage via traditional gender role values. The indirect effects were only significant when filial piety was high or medium but not when filial piety was low. These findings unpack the mechanisms underlying the effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage and provide the boundary condition for the indirect effects of negative parental attitudes toward homosexuality on attitudes toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage through traditional gender role values.

The relationship between being envied and coworker exchange: The moderating roles of narcissism and the need for affiliation.

Workplace envy is a common, yet easily overlooked, phenomenon in the workplace, and it has an important impact on an organization. However, the majority of studies have focused on this topic from the perspective of the envier, and research from the perspective of the envied target is insufficient. Building on social information processing theory, this study investigated the effects of being envied on coworker exchange and examined the influence of individual factors on this relationship. A two-wave field survey was adopted for data collection, and 288 employees from six companies in the south of China were included. A longitudinal cross-lagged panel analysis and the Latent Moderated Structural Equations (LMS) approach were performed using Mplus 8.3. The findings show that being envied has a negative effect on coworker exchange and that this negative relationship is stronger when narcissism is higher or the need for affiliation is lower. This study contributes to the literature on workplace envy by providing new insights and theoretical perspectives. Future research should focus on both people who envy and people who are envied, supervisor-subordinate envy, and the relationship between narcissism and being envied.

Can Resilience Buffer the Effects of Loneliness on Mental Distress Among Working-Age Adults in the United States During the COVID-19 Pandemic? A Latent Moderated Structural Modeling Analysis.

The profound health consequences of loneliness are well-established. However, less is known about the protective factors which may alleviate the effects of loneliness on mental health especially among working-age adults amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We draw on the social ecology of resilience and examine whether resilience factors can buffer the effects of loneliness on mental distress. Data came from the National Well-being Survey-a national study of a demographically representative sample of U.S. working-age adults (N = 4014). We used (a) structural equation models with latent variables to examine the main effects of loneliness, psychological resilience, and perceived social support on mental distress, and (b) latent moderated structural equations to estimate the latent interaction effects. Results revealed that (a) loneliness was positively associated with mental distress and psychological resilience was negatively related to mental distress, and (b) psychological resilience and perceived social support moderated the strength of the relationship between loneliness and mental distress. Our study highlights the importance of psychological resilience and perceived social support as two protective factors in the relationship between loneliness and mental distress. Given that loneliness significantly predicts worse mental and physical health and higher mortality, identifying protective factors that might disrupt these connections is vital. As such, public health efforts to strengthen and expand familial and community social support networks and foster psychological resilience are urgently needed to support mental health among working-age adults during additional waves of the pandemic or future similar stressors.

Investigating the Associations of ADHD Symptoms, Impulsivity, Physical Exercise, and Problematic Pornography Use in a Chinese Sample.

Investigating the relationship between attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and impulsivity will benefit our understanding of the concept of problematic pornography use (PPU), and revealing predisposing and malleable moderators of PPU will be beneficial for its prevention and intervention. The current study not only aimed to observe these relationships, but also explored the potential moderating role of physical exercise in the general population. A total of 600 Chinese adults (Mage = 32.31, SDage = 12.40, 39.8% women) were recruited and completed an online survey. The results showed that participants with regular exercise scored lower than those without exercise on ADHD, impulsivity, and PPU (all ps < 0.001). Using latent moderated structural equations (LMS), the findings revealed that the relationship between ADHD symptoms and PPU was mediated by impulsivity, and physical exercise moderated this relationship (B = -0.14, p = 0.048). Specifically, when individuals' physical exercise was higher than 0.84 standard deviations above the mean, the positive predictive effect of impulsivity on PPU was not significant. These findings indicate the important role of impulsivity in the relationship between ADHD and PPU, and physical exercise could be a meaningful component of interventions among individuals experiencing PPU.

Investigating the nonlinear and conditional effects of trust—The new role of institutional contexts in online repurchase

AbstractTrust is paramount to developing and maintaining long‐term relationships in all stages of the customer lifecycle, including the repurchase stage. This research goes beyond the simple finding documented in the extant trust literature that the effect of trust will diminish. It sheds light on the role of institutional contexts and develops a nuanced understanding of the boundary conditions under which trust operates in the repurchase stage, where knowledge‐based trust becomes more predominant. Drawing on a different theoretical tenet, prospect theory, we find that customers exhibit distinctively different transaction intentions in the two perceptual conditions of high and low trust in institutional contexts. Specifically, the nonlinear relationship between trust and repeat online transaction intention is inverted U‐shaped curvilinear when trust in institutional contexts is high, but is U‐shaped when trust in institutional contexts is low. With data collected from both e‐commerce and mobile banking contexts using two different measures of institutional contexts, we employed a new and advanced latent moderated structural (LMS) equations approach for analysis and provided robust results. Our findings largely confirm the hypotheses and offer theoretical, methodological, and practical implications.

Accommodating a Latent XM Interaction in Statistical Mediation Analysis

Statistical mediation analysis is used in the social sciences and public health to uncover potential mechanisms, known as mediators, by which a treatment led to a change in an outcome. Recently, the estimation of the treatment-by-mediator interaction (i.e., the XM interaction) has been shown to play a pivotal role in understanding the equivalence between the traditional mediation effects in linear models and the causal mediation effects in the potential outcomes framework. However, there is limited guidance on how to estimate the XM interaction when the mediator is latent. In this article, we discuss eight methods to accommodate latent XM interactions in statistical mediation analysis, which fall in two categories: using structural models (e.g., latent moderated structural equations, Bayesian mediation, unconstrained product indicator method, multiple-group models) or scoring the mediator prior to estimating the XM interaction (e.g., summed scores and factor scores, with and without attenuation correction). Simulation results suggest that finite-sample bias is low, type 1 error rates and coverage of percentile bootstrap confidence intervals and Bayesian credible intervals are close to the nominal values, and statistical power is similar across approaches. The methods are demonstrated with an applied example, syntax is provided for their implementation, and general considerations are discussed.

Parental Care and Family Support as Moderators on Overlapping College Student Bullying and Cyberbullying Victimization during the Covid-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Purpose The study examined whether parental care and family support moderate the association between school bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization among college students by applying the social anthropological approach and social control theory Method Data were collected for 261 college students (57.9% female) aged between 18 to 24 or older from a university in the Midwest region of the United States. A latent moderated structural equations approach was utilized Results The data revealed that bullying victimization was positively associated with cyberbullying victimization. Moreover, parental care was a significant moderator between bullying victimization and cyberbullying victimization Discussion These findings have implications of preventing victims of bullying becoming victims of cyberbullying. Parental involvement especially needs to be emphasized for college students’ cyberbullying prevention and intervention programs.

The Role of Intelligence and Self-Concept for Teachers' Competence.

Research on intelligence and competence has developed widely independent of each other. The present paper aims at relating these traditions and at integrating the dominant models to fill gaps in the respective theories. We test the structural models derived from this integration in a series of confirmatory factor analyses and a latent moderated structural equations approach using teachers as an example. The data reveal that both fluid intelligence (gf) and domain-specific knowledge affect teachers’ ability to solve the domain-specific items. Teachers’ academic self-concept related to mathematics explains individual differences beyond gf. An interaction effect between gf and self-concept exists for teachers’ pedagogical content and general pedagogical knowledge, but not for their mathematics knowledge. This finding indicates that a positive self-concept cannot compensate for a lack of gf, but it supports the acquisition of domain-specific knowledge in case of high gf, probably because it facilitates overcoming challenges.