Mediation Hypothesis Research Articles

Exploring the impact of peer victimization on self-esteem in adolescents with type 1 diabetes: the power of psychological resilience

Type 1 diabetes is common in children and adolescents. The disease causes psychosocial mismatches and makes adolescents more vulnerable to peer victimization. This study aims to determine the relationship between peer victimization and self-esteem in adolescents with type 1 diabetes and to evaluate the impact of psychological resilience in this relationship. The sample consisted of 222 adolescents with type 1 diabetes in Turkey. The research data were collected via Personal Information Form, Peer Victimization Scale, Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale-Short Form, and Adolescent Psychological Resilience Scale. Data were collected by face-to-face interviews with children. The relationships among the study variables were examined using Pearson correlation analysis, and SPSS Macro was utilized to construct the regression model and test the mediation hypotheses. Peer victimization correlated negatively with resilience (r = − 0.668, p < 0.01) and self-esteem (r = − 0.635, p < 0.01), while resilience correlated positively with self-esteem (r = 0.571, p < 0.01). Mediation analysis confirmed that peer victimization lowers self-esteem both directly and indirectly through resilience (indirect effect: − 0.012, BootLLCI = 0.019, BootULCI = − 0.005), emphasizing its protective role. Conclusion: Resilience plays an important role in reducing the negative effects of peer bullying on self-esteem in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Adolescents with high resilience are better able to maintain their self-esteem even if they are bullied. However, as academic pressure and educational level increase, self-esteem may decrease more. The results underscore the necessity of interventions aimed at reducing the negative effects of peer victimization, promoting self-esteem, and enhancing psychological resilience to improve overall well-being.What is Known:• Type 1 diabetes causes not only physical but also psychosocial problems in children and can expose young people to bullying behaviors.What is New:• Psychological resilience reduces the negative effects of peer bullying. While the coping skills of adolescents exposed to bullying were weakened, those with high psychological resilience maintained their self-esteem better. Peer bullying directly and indirectly affects self-esteem negatively. Although psychological resilience mitigates some of this negative effect, self-esteem decreases significantly in adolescents exposed to bullying. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)• While age positively affects self-esteem and psychological resilience, educational level may negatively affect self-esteem. It has been observed that adolescents under academic pressure or in older age groups have more difficulty in maintaining their self-esteem.What is significant for clinical practice?• Diabetes management should also be addressed from a psychosocial perspective, and negative experiences (such as bullying) experienced by children should be identified and overcome by using coping mechanisms.

From financial self-efficacy to financial behaviors: the role of financial advice seeking and stress

PurposePrevious research has demonstrated that financial self-efficacy (FSE) plays a significant role in shaping desirable financial behaviors. However, this relationship might be strengthened or weakened in the presence of financial stress and financial advice seeking during pandemics or similar unexpected events. This research aims to examine the relationship between FSE and financial behaviors under economic uncertainties.Design/methodology/approachThe data used in the study was collected between November 17, 2021 and December 15, 2021, and related to economic, demographic, health and psychological attributes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research employs a theoretical framework integrating the financial help-seeking theory with the stress and coping theory to explore these relationships. A moderated mediation model was used to analyze the relationship between financial behavior and FSE. The technique of structural equation modeling (SEM) using the R-Lavaan package was applied to analyze the moderated mediation framework and hypotheses of this study.FindingsFinancial advice seeking plays different roles in the relationship between FSE and financial behaviors in the presence or absence of financial stress. Consumers are more likely to seek external financial advice to engage in positive financial behaviors when experiencing financial stress. Consumers with higher levels of FSE engaged in more positive financial behaviors. Consumers who have sought financial advice in the past or are actively seeking financial advice are more likely to engage in positive financial behaviors.Originality/valueThis study introduces and justifies a moderated mediation framework to investigate the relationship between FSE and financial behaviors during financial crises. This study has confirmed the relationship between FSE and financial behaviors while considering the roles of financial advice seeking and financial stress during a pandemic. The findings have practical implications for consumers, financial service providers and policymakers in preparing for unexpected financial shocks and enhancing financial resilience.

Tactile and interpersonal sound symbolic associations in patients with multiple somatic symptoms

Patients with functional somatic symptoms (FSS) have distorted exteroception and interoception. It is unclear whether they also process and associate sounds and tactile/interpersonal factors differently. This study investigates the differences in how patients with multiple somatic symptoms (SS-high) and those without functional somatic disorders (SS-low) associate features of Mandarin rimes with tactile and interpersonal properties. Two groups of participants listened to rime chains consisting of two identical Mandarin rimes. They rated sound stimuli on five-point scales for smooth-rough, light-heavy, polite-rude, and friendly-hostile. Linear mixed-effects models and representational similarity analyses showed that both groups relied on duration and F0 for all four dimensions, and on alveolar nasal rimes and ΔF1 for the smooth-rough dimension. Beyond commonalities, the study also found that the two groups of participants weighed F1–F3 and nasality differently when associating rimes with tactile and interpersonal dimensions. Mediation analyses revealed differing mechanisms for sound symbolism between the groups. In the SS-high group, the smooth-rough dimension mediated the association between duration and the polite-rude dimension, which aligned with the Transitivity Proposal. In the SS-low group, the relationship between duration and smoothness was mediated by politeness, supporting the Emotion Mediation Hypothesis. This study highlights the importance of considering both tactile and interpersonal dimensions in sound symbolism research, especially in clinical populations with FSS.

High-dimensional mediation analysis for longitudinal mediators and survival outcomes.

Mediation analysis with high-dimensional mediators is crucial for identifying epigenetic pathways linking environmental exposures to health outcomes. However, high-dimensional mediation analysis methods for longitudinal mediators and a survival outcome remain underdeveloped. This study fills that gap by introducing a method that captures mediation effects over time using multivariate, longitudinally measured time-varying mediators. Our approach uses a longitudinal mixed effects model to examine the relationship between the exposure and the mediating process. We connect the mediating process to the survival outcome using a Cox proportional hazards model with time-varying mediators. To handle high-dimensional data, we first employ a mediation-based sure independence screening method for dimension reduction. A Lasso inference procedure is further utilized to identify significant time-varying mediators. We adopt a joint significance test to accurately control the family wise error rate in testing high-dimensional mediation hypotheses. Simulation studies and an analysis of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults Study demonstrate the utility and validity of our method.

The mediating role of job autonomy in the relationships between self-leadership and job satisfaction: A study on public healthcare workers

This study investigates the relationship between self-leadership of healthcare workers and job satisfaction. The mediating role of perceived job autonomy in this relationship is also examined. Research data were obtained from healthcare workers (medical doctors, nurses, midwives, healthcare technicians, janitors, and other healthcare staff) in health institutions operating in the public sector. The survey method and convenience sampling technique were used in data collection. The mediating role of perceived autonomy in the relationship between self-leadership and job satisfaction was determined using the SPSS Process Macro program, and its mediating role in the relationship between self-leadership strategies and job satisfaction was determined through the AMOS program. As a result of the analyses carried out, it was concluded that perceived autonomy mediates the relationship between self-leadership and job satisfaction. Looking at the results of the analyses made based on sub-dimensions, it was found that none of the sub-dimensions predicted autonomy in a meaningful way. It was determined that only the dimension of natural reward strategies predicted job satisfaction positively and significantly. In the revised model, the mediation hypotheses were not included, and only the direct links from natural rewards to job autonomy significantly predicted participants’ satisfaction with their jobs.

The Influence of Internal Employer Branding and Leadership Styles in Increasing Employee Engagement: The Mediating Effect on Employee Experience

The hospitality industry, particularly 5-star hotels at the pinnacle of this sector, heavily relies on exceptional service quality standards to uphold the brand reputation, customer satisfaction, and overall Customer Experience (CX). Achieving these high standards largely depends on Employee Engagement (EE), as well as employee satisfaction and retention, given that employees serve as the hotel's frontline brand ambassadors. However, the industry—including the 5-star Hotel X in Bali—faces a higher employee turnover rate than other sectors. One of the ways that Hotel X fosters employee engagement (EE) is by implementing internal employer branding (IEB) initiatives. This study aims to measure the effect of Internal Employer Branding (IEB) and Leadership Style (LS) —a key factor influencing employee turnover—on Employee Engagement (EE), with Employee Experience (EX) acting as a mediating variable. The research employs Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) analysis using a saturated sample of 252 respondents. Hypothesis testing results indicated that 4 out of 5 direct effect hypotheses positively affect their latent variables, and 1 of 2 specific indirect effect (mediation) hypotheses directly impact Employee Engagement (EE). The findings suggest that Employee Experience (EX) substantially mediates internal employer branding (IEB) and Employee Engagement (EE). However, Leadership Style (LS) proved to be more effective in directly enhancing Employee Engagement (EE) than through Employee Experience (EX).

Empowering leadership and occupational burnout: the moderated mediation model

BackgroundThis study examines the impact of empowering leadership on occupational burnout through the mediating role of workaholism and the moderating effect of psychological hardiness in the relationship between empowering leadership and occupational burnout. The present study employs empowerment and hardiness theory. Further, the moderated mediation hypothesis was also investigated.MethodsSurvey responses from 212 permanent employees (nurses) in the healthcare industry were gathered using the temporal separation (two time-lags with one month between the first and second lags) to test the proposed hypotheses. Different statistical analysis techniques, confirmatory factor analysis, discriminant and convergent validity and PROCES-macro were used.ResultsThe current study findings shows that empowering leadership significantly reduces occupational burnout. Furthermore, the results of the study confirm that workaholism plays a crucial role as a mediator between empowering leadership and occupational burnout in the workplace. Additionally, the findings shows that empowering leadership burdens nurses by making them work excessively, which causes occupational burnout in the workplace. Furthermore, psychological hardiness is a significant moderator in the relationship between workaholism and occupational burnout. Finally, the moderated mediation model results showed that nurses with high psychological hardiness adjust and manage well with intense workloads, i.e., workaholism, when emboldened through their leaders which leads to reduction in occupational burnout.Conclusion/ImplicationsThe findings emphasize the potential advantages and hazards of empowering leadership in the nursing profession and the management of healthcare. This study builds on earlier research by empirically investigating how workaholism and psychological hardiness influence the relationship between empowering leadership and occupational burnout in the nursing profession of Pakistan.

Hopelessness mediates the relationship between self-perceptions of aging and negative affect: within-person results from the health and retirement study

ABSTRACT Backgrounds and Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of self-perceptions of aging on positive and negative affect and to examine whether this association is mediated by sense of hopelessness. It was hypothesized that increases in positive self-perceptions of aging would be associated with decreases in hopelessness over time, which in turn would be associated with higher future levels of affective well-being. Methods The study used longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study collected in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 (N ≈ 11,500, average age ≈ 62). The random-intercept cross-lagged panel model was used for analyzing the data. The mediation was tested at the temporal within-person level. Results The mediation hypothesis was supported for negative affect but not for positive affect. The results showed that higher-than-typical levels of positive perceptions of aging were associated with lower-than-typical levels of hopelessness, which in turn was related to lower-than-typical future levels of negative affect. Conclusion Hopelessness mediates the longitudinal relationship between self-perceptions of aging and negative affect. The findings emphasize the significance of considering hope in interventions designed to address negative affect and subjective beliefs about aging.

Unraveling the impact of values, perceptions and personality on job satisfaction

PurposeThis paper aims to examine stimulation value as a predictor of job satisfaction in employees working in a rigid, bureaucratic setting. It also examines the role of perceptions of politics, political will and Machiavellianism as mediators and moderators.Design/methodology/approachPLS SEM was used to test mediation and moderated mediation hypothesis.FindingsWhile stimulation value had a negative relationship with job satisfaction, and the moderation and mediation hypotheses are supported, the moderated mediation hypothesis found limited support.Research limitations/implicationsThis study opens up avenues to explore specific personal values and their impact on various work-related outcomes. It also establishes the importance of personality and perceptions in determining how employees experience their workplace.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, the present study is the first to have specified the personal value and explored its relationship with employee personalities, attitudes and perceptions.

Unpacking the relationship between autism, sport participation, and adolescent health: A causal mediation analysis.

Unpacking the relationship between autism, sport participation, and adolescent health: A causal mediation analysis.

Why Do Happy People Exercise More? The Role of Beliefs in the Psychosocial Benefits of Exercise

Recent studies indicate a robust relationship between subjective well-being (SWB) and exercise behavior. Past research has successfully uncovered various mechanisms through which exercise boosts SWB. However, little is known about how SWB influences exercise. The present research proposes that SWB affects individuals’ beliefs about exercise benefits, which in turn impact their exercise behavior. In particular, we hypothesize that happier individuals believe in both the psychosocial benefits (i.e., benefiting one’s emotional, cognitive, and social health) and physical benefits of exercise more than less happy individuals, with a larger gap in psychosocial benefits (Hypothesis 1). Furthermore, we hypothesize that beliefs about psychosocial (vs. physical) benefits play a more significant mediating role in the relationship between happiness and exercise (Hypothesis 2). We tested the hypotheses across three studies involving 997 participants from the United States and South Korea. Studies 1 and 2 developed and validated a scale to measure both the psychosocial and physical benefits of exercise. Study 3 tested and confirmed the mediation hypothesis. The findings suggest that happier individuals exercise more, primarily because they perceive psychosocial benefits more. We discuss the implications, limitations, and potential avenues for future research.

Attachment in Young Adults With Chronic Pain: The Mediating Role of Cognitive Appraisals in the Relationship Between Attachment Security, Pain Coping and Functioning.

Attachment styles can influence how individuals perceive and cope with chronic pain. This study examined the relationships between attachment security, pain coping and functioning in young adults with chronic pain, focusing on the mediating role of cognitive appraisals. This cross-sectional study included 206 young adults attending university aged 17-29 with chronic pain (Mage = 19.24, SD = 2.03) and 346 without pain (Mage = 19.11, SD = 1.79). Participants completed measures assessing pain characteristics, attachment security, pain coping strategies, physical and social functioning and cognitive appraisals relating to bodily and social threat bias and pain catastrophising. SPSS PROCESS macro was used to test mediational hypotheses. Young adults with chronic pain had greater insecure attachment than controls (Mann-Whitney U = 41639.50, p < 0.001). Insecure attachment was significantly associated with poorer solution-focused coping and social functioning (r = -0.330 and - 0.355 respectively), and increased emotion-focused avoidance (r = 0.317). Social threat bias partially mediated the effects of attachment security on emotion-focused avoidance and social functioning. Pain catastrophising partially mediated the effects of attachment security on solution-focused coping and social functioning, and fully mediated its effects on emotion-focused avoidance. An indirect effect of attachment security on reframing and distraction was found via social threat and pain catastrophising. Insecure attachment is heightened in young adults with chronic pain and may contribute to poorer pain coping and social functioning through cognitive appraisals, specifically social threat and pain catastrophising. These may be useful targets for intervention.

Does the mycorrhizal mediation hypothesis capture biogeographical patterns in plant-soil feedback? the case of conspecific negative density dependencies

Does the mycorrhizal mediation hypothesis capture biogeographical patterns in plant-soil feedback? the case of conspecific negative density dependencies

Relationship Between Perceived Social Support and Physical Frailty Among Older Patients with Coronary Artery Disease: A Dual Mediation Model.

Background: Physical frailty is common among older patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and is influenced by perceived social support, health literacy, and a sedentary lifestyle. This study examined the dual mediating roles of health literacy and a sedentary lifestyle in the relationship between perceived social support and physical frailty in older patients with CAD. Methods: This cross-sectional study included data collected from 182 older patients with CAD at a general hospital in Korea between June 2022 and January 2023. Participants completed self-reported questionnaires measuring the main variables and demographic information. Clinical data were obtained from electronic medical records. Results: The mediation hypothesis was tested using a dual mediation model with the PROCESS macro (Model 6) and 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence intervals. Perceived social support indirectly influenced physical frailty through three pathways: health literacy alone, sedentary lifestyle alone, and a sequential process in which health literacy influenced sedentary lifestyle and ultimately physical frailty. Conclusions: This study identified a strong mediating effect of health literacy and a sedentary lifestyle on the relationship between perceived social support and physical frailty. A built environment of perceived social support among older patients with CAD improves health literacy, modifies sedentary lifestyles, and helps prevent physical frailty. Thus, healthcare professionals should evaluate the perceived social support, health literacy, and sedentary lifestyle of older patients when developing physical frailty prevention programs.

Abusive Supervision and Employees' Deviant Behaviors

ABSTRACTMost research on leadership has traditionally emphasized the positive aspects, assuming that leaders are inherently good and act in a way that benefits their organization and employees. However, leaders can sometimes misuse their power, leading to detrimental effects on their organization and employees, regardless of their intentions. Consequently, a new research trend has emerged, focusing on the negative aspects of leadership and destructive behaviors. One primary destructive leadership behavior is abusive supervision, characterized by supervisors exhibiting hostile verbal and nonverbal behaviors toward their employees (excluding physical contact). We developed a process model linking abusive supervision to employees' deviant behavior. The model tested direct, mediation, and moderation hypotheses. Regression analysis results supported the proposed hypotheses, revealing that abusive supervision has a significant direct effect on deviant behavior directed at both the organization and the supervisor. Furthermore, perceived organizational support mediates the impact of abusive supervision on deviant behavior directed at the organization, and trust in the supervisor mediates the relationship between abusive supervision and deviant behavior directed at the supervisor. Lastly, the supervisor's organizational embodiment moderates the relationship between abusive supervision and deviant behavior directed at the organization. The implications of the results are discussed. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future studies are discussed as well.

The role of perceived parental overprotection in women's restrained eating behavior: A moderated mediation model of alexithymia, perfectionism, and asceticism.

The role of perceived parental overprotection in women's restrained eating behavior: A moderated mediation model of alexithymia, perfectionism, and asceticism.

The poetry of senses: exploring semantic mediation in timbre-aroma correspondences.

Cross-modal correspondences between audition and olfaction have received relatively less attention compared to other modality pairs. This study expands on previous work regarding timbre-aroma correspondences by examining the semantic mediation hypothesis, according to which cross-modal correspondences may be partly explained by the existence of common semantic qualities. In a behavioral experiment, 26 musically trained participants rated 26 complex synthetic tones and 12 aromatic stimuli across two separate blocks using a common set of semantic scales. The analysis of semantic variables identified a largely consistent organization for both modalities, condensing into three prominent clusters: [bright, fresh, sweet], [sharp, metallic], and [full, rich, warm]. Furthermore, distances between stimuli derived from semantic ratings and optimized through a genetic algorithm exhibited a strong correlation with previously estimated ground-truth distances of direct cross-modal associations. Additionally, the stimulus configuration within the semantic space generated through Multidimensional Scaling analysis exhibited notable commonalities with the organization of stimuli derived from direct timbre-aroma correspondences. Overall, this study provides compelling evidence that semantic mediation plays a significant role in shaping cross-modal correspondences between auditory and olfactory stimuli, paving the way for further exploration of the underlying semantic dimensions that connect these two modalities.

The Politics of Ethics: Can Honesty Cross Over Political Polarization?

This research demonstrates how confirmation and disconfirmation biases manifest based on individuals’ political affiliations when processing a self-disclosure message in the context of a political crisis. An experiment presented a crisis message in which a politician voluntarily revealed his campaign finance violations. The results revealed that confirmation bias and disconfirmation bias significantly influenced the information processing of participants based on their political affiliations. Democrat participants were significantly more open to and forgiving of the crisis message when it featured a Democrat politician. In contrast, Republican participants showed a strong tendency to be more critical and less forgiving under the same conditions. However, this pattern reversed when a Republican politician was shown in the crisis message. The research also tested moderated mediation hypotheses: the interaction effects between study participants’ political affiliations and politicians’ parties were mediated by perceived attitude toward the politician and crisis responsibility, leading to ethical perceptions about the politician. The study contributes to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying political polarization and the ways in which the biases of confirmation and disconfirmation influence individuals’ processing of political messages.

A dual cognitive pathway model of leadership influence on creativity

AbstractDrawing on a dual cognitive pathway model of creativity, we propose that transformational leadership and directive‐achieving leadership induce employees' cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence, respectively. These two cognitive processes differentially mediate the leadership–creativity relationship. Study 1 provides support for the mediation hypotheses, based on a sample of 189 Chinese and 138 Anglo‐Australian employee–peer dyads in a retail setting. Study 2, with a sample of 244 employees and their leaders from 66 research‐and‐development project teams, also tests the moderating effects of project stage. The findings show that transformational leadership has a stronger positive effect on cognitive flexibility in the early stage of a project, while directive‐achieving leadership has a stronger positive effect on cognitive persistence in the later stage. Cognitive flexibility and cognitive persistence, in turn, are associated with individual creativity. This research provides important implications for how and when different leadership approaches promote creativity.

Team Affective Climate Toward Disability as a Facilitator of Job Inclusion of Employees With Disabilities: Examining Mediational Paths

ABSTRACTThe integration of employees with disabilities in the workplace is a critical issue for organizations aiming to foster inclusivity and diversity. The purpose of this study was to examine how team affective climate toward disability influences the job inclusion of employees with disabilities. Three indicators of job inclusion were considered: job satisfaction, affective commitment, and the desire to stay in the organization. We examined three mediating mechanisms. First, the mediating role of team‐shared stigma. Second, the mediating role of the quality of within‐team relationships. Third, a mixed meditational path, where team affective climate→team‐shared stigma→relationships quality→job inclusion. The sample was composed of 258 employees from 66 teams included in 15 organizations. Each team included an employee with disabilities. We used PROCESS to test our mediation hypotheses. Our results indicated that the indirect effect of the teams' affective climate toward disability in job inclusion followed a causal chain through the teams' shared stigma and the quality of within‐team relationships. Implications for theory, research, and practice based on our findings are discussed.