Multiple-informant Approach Research Articles

Contributions of Multilevel Family Factors to Emotional and Behavioral Problems among Children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder in China.

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is one of the most prevalent childhood mental health disorders and is extremely affected by family factors. However, limited studies have addressed the issue from the perspective of family systems. The current study examines the associations between multilevel family factors (i.e., family cohesion/ adaptability at system level, mother-child and father-child attachment at a dyadic level, and child self-esteem at an individual level) and emotional and behavioral problems among children with ODD in China. The participants were 256 Chinese children with ODD and their parents and class master teachers. A multiple-informant approach and structural equation model were used. The results revealed that system level factors (family cohesion/adaptability) were associated with child emotional and behavior problems indirectly through factors at the dyadic level (mother-child attachment) and the individual level (child self-esteem) in sequence. Mother-child, but not father-child, attachment, mediated the linkage between family cohesion/adaptability and the emotional problems of children with ODD. Moreover, child self-esteem mediated the association between mother-child attachment and child emotional and behavioral problems. The findings of the present study underscored that multilevel family factors are uniquely related to emotional and behavioral problems in children with ODD.

People-Nearby Applications Use and Local Community Experiences: Disentangling Their Interplay through a Multilevel, Multiple Informant Approach

ABSTRACT This study investigates individual- and community-level factors that affect how people use People-Nearby Applications (PNAs) to meet people in their local communities. We pose that individuals’ local social needs stimulate PNAs use, but that this relationship is contingent upon their neighborhood characteristics. A multiple informant methodology was used. 314 Italian and Dutch PNAs users answered an online questionnaire about their local social needs (bridging social capital, loneliness, sense of community) and their neighborhood social and environmental characteristics. Results show that community-related PNAs use facilitates users to meet their social needs when their local community offers opportunities for social interaction. When the neighborhood offers social places, the relationship between PNAS use and loneliness increases, indicating that in such cases people are willing to use PNAS to counter their loneliness. Furthermore, when neighbors are already more supportive, the relationship between sense of community and PNAS use becomes more negative, which may mean PNAS use cannot further add to a sense of community if the neighborhood already provides this; conversely, the one between bridging social capital and PNAS use becomes more positive. In sum, results show that PNAS use is related to local community experiences, albeit contingent upon the specific neighborhood characteristics.

The selective effect of lockdown experience on citizens' perspectives: A multilevel, multiple informant approach to personal and community resilience during COVID-19 pandemic.

In the face of the first wave of COVID‐19 contagion, citizens all over the world experienced concerns for their safety and health, as well as prolonged lockdowns – which brought about limitations but also unforeseen opportunities for personal growth. Broad variability in these psychological responses to such unprecedented experiences emerged. This study addresses this variability by investigating the role of personal and community resilience. Personal resilience, collective resilience, community disaster management ability, provided information by local authorities, and citizens' focus on COVID‐19‐related personal concerns and lockdown‐related opportunities for personal growth were detected through an online questionnaire. Multilevel modelling was run with data from 3,745 Italian citizens. The potential of personal resilience as a driver for individuals to overcome adverse situations with positive outcomes was confirmed. Differently, the components of community resilience showed more complex paths, highlighting the need to pay more attention to its role in the face of far‐reaching adverse events which hardly test individuals' as well as communities' adaptability and agency skills. The complexities linked to the multi‐component and system‐specific nature of resilience, as well as potential paths towards making the most out of citizens' and communities' ones, emerge. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Early-life exposure to tobacco and childhood adiposity: Identifying windows of susceptibility.

Early-life exposure to tobacco is associated with obesity, but the most susceptible developmental periods are unknown. To explore windows of susceptibility in a cohort of 568 mother-child pairs. We measured seven measures of tobacco exposure (five self-reported and two biomarkers) spanning from pre-conception to age 5 years. Mothers self-reported active smoking (pre-conception, 17 weeks, and delivery) and household smokers (5 and 18 months postnatally). Cotinine was measured in maternal urine (27 weeks) and child urine (5 years). Adiposity (fat mass percentage) was measured at birth and 5 years via air displacement plethysmography. Using a multiple informant approach, we tested whether adiposity (5 years) and changes in adiposity (from birth to 5 years) differed by the seven measures of tobacco exposure. The associations may depend on timing. For example, only pre-conception (β=3.1%; 95% CI: 1.0-5.1) and late gestation (β=4.0%; 95% CI: 0.4-7.6) exposures influenced adiposity accretion from birth to 5 years (p for interaction=0.01). Early infancy exposure was also associated with 1.7% higher adiposity at 5 years (95% CI: 0.1-3.2). Mid-pregnancy and early childhood exposures did not influence adiposity. Pre-conception, late gestation, and early infancy exposures to tobacco may have the greatest impact on childhood adiposity.

In the eye of the beholder: Using a multiple-informant approach to examine the mediating effect of cognitive functioning on emotional and behavioral problems in children with an active epilepsy

PurposeChildhood epilepsy is often associated with cognitive impairments and psychosocial problems. However, it is not clear which factors mediate symptom severity and child’s resilience. Emotional and behavioral problems have been associated with various home and school environments, suggesting that information collected may vary depending on both context and informant. In this study we examined the mediating effect of child’s cognitive functions on the association between child and epilepsy-related factors and psychosocial problems. Additionally, the differences in psychosocial problems reported by various informants (parents, teachers) in different school settings were explored. MethodsParticipants were 155 children with epilepsy (50 % girls), age range 5–18 years who completed a brief neuropsychological battery. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and teachers completed the corresponding Teacher’s Rating Form (TRF), to assess a child’s emotional and behavior problems. ResultsThe cognitive profile of the sample was within average to low-average range. Parents and teachers both reported high levels of emotional and behavioral problems, and teachers reported relatively higher levels of symptoms. A mediation effect of cognition on the association between child and epilepsy-related factors (i.e., number of antiseizure medications and illness duration) and child’s emotional and behavioral problems was evident only for teachers’ reports. ConclusionsThe results emphasize that the complex interactions between epilepsy, cognition and psychosocial outcomes are perceived differently in diverse contexts by different informants.The incongruities in informants’ perceptions regarding the role of cognition in child’s psychological state should be acknowledged and incorporated when planning effective educational and rehabilitation interventions for children with epilepsy.

Maternal Parenting Mediate the Relationship between Maternal Psychopathic Traits and Child Callous-Unemotional Traits: A Longitudinal Multiple Mediation Model

The current study aimed to examine the mediation role of parenting styles (i.e., authoritative and authoritarian) in the relationship between maternal psychopathic traits and child callous-unemotional (CU) traits. A longitudinal research design was adopted using a sample of 486 Chinese mothers and child dyads in which children were between the ages of 8 and 11 years. The data was collected at three time points: mother-reported maternal psychopathy traits at Time One (T1), and parenting at Time 2 (T2), and at Time 3 (T3). Both the mother and the child reported on the child’s CU traits. The structural equation modeling (SEM) results revealed that the relation between maternal psychopathic traits and mother-reported child CU traits was fully mediated by maternal authoritarian and authoritative parenting, however, the mediation of maternal authoritarian was on the edge of significance and authoritative parenting was not significant with the child-reported outcome. These findings indicate that maternal psychopathic traits influence child CU traits through authoritarian parenting styles, while the mediation of authoritative parenting styles on child CU traits exists only in mother-reported measures. The different findings in cross-informant results between mother and child provide implications for future interventions in that the multiple informant approach is effective in comprehensively assessing child CU traits.

A Multi-Informant Study: Mother–Child Relationship and Children with Learning Disability

ABSTRACT The current study aimed to assess the influence of learning disability (LD) symptoms on mother–child relationships using a multiple-informant approach. Children with LD aged between 7 and 14 (N = 90), their mothers, and teachers participated in the study. Mothers completed a sociodemographic information form, the Parent–Child Relationship Scale, and the Specific Learning Disability Symptom Check List (Mother Form); teachers completed the Specific Learning Disability Symptom Check List (Teacher Form); and children completed the Two-Field Map to assess their perceptions of closeness to their mothers. Pearson correlation, t-test, and path analyses were conducted. Overall, LD symptoms predicted mother–child positivity, negativity, and children’s perceived closeness to their mothers. Results indicated both agreement and disagreement between mother–teacher and mother–child dyads. The current study assessed differential perspectives in evaluating LD and mother–child relationships to guide researchers in order to develop more comprehensive interventions.

A Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression model of multiple informant family health histories

BackgroundFamily health history (FHH) inherently involves collecting proxy reports of health statuses of related family members. Traditionally, such information has been collected from a single informant. More recently, research has suggested that a multiple informant approach to collecting FHH results in improved individual risk assessments. Likewise, recent work has emphasized the importance of incorporating health-related behaviors into FHH-based risk calculations. Integrating both multiple accounts of FHH with behavioral information on family members represents a significant methodological challenge as such FHH data is hierarchical in nature and arises from potentially error-prone processes.MethodsIn this paper, we introduce a statistical model that addresses these challenges using informative priors for background variation in disease prevalence and the effect of other, potentially correlated, variables while accounting for the nested structure of these data. Our empirical example is drawn from previously published data on families with a history of diabetes.ResultsThe results of the comparative model assessment suggest that simply accounting for the structured nature of multiple informant FHH data improves classification accuracy over the baseline and that incorporating family member health-related behavioral information into the model is preferred over alternative specifications.ConclusionsThe proposed modelling framework is a flexible solution to integrate multiple informant FHH for risk prediction purposes.

Insights into emotional contagion and its effects at the hotel front desk

PurposeThis paper aims to draw attention to the need for a nuanced view of the emotional contagion framework. It proposes and empirically tests a refined model of emotional contagion and its effects in the hotel sector by focusing on the front-desk service encounter interactions.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from three separate groups of paired informants: receptionists, hotel customers and interaction observers. The sample included 573 full customer service interactions in 47 hotels in Catalonia. The model was tested with structural equation modelling.FindingsEmotional contagion has specific mechanisms at the hotel front-desk. No relationship was found between receptionists’ inner mood and their outwardly displayed emotions. Yet, receptionists’ displayed emotions enhance customer mood, and, largely, customer satisfaction. Ultimately, this affects customer behavioural intentions. It was also discovered that guests are able to clearly distinguish between their satisfaction with the specific service encounter at the front desk and the overall satisfaction with the hotel stay. The positive effects of employees’ displayed emotions are of particular importance in lower-star hotels and are less important at the high end. Perceived training opportunities have a positive effect on customer satisfaction and improve the employee-displayed emotion.Research limitations/implicationsResearchers should examine employee outcomes that are more stable than mood, but may enhance or be related to the effective display of emotions at the front desk, such as employee satisfaction and commitment. In general, emotions and behaviours of employees and consumers should be further examined in other services across the hospitality industry, in different cultural contexts and in terms of their impact on company performance. Researchers should heed the precise type of mechanism that takes place in each service context.Practical implicationsThe hotel management should focus their efforts on ensuring positive emotional performance, regardless of employees’ inner mood. Managers should carefully interpret differentiated results according to whether they have been drawn from overall satisfaction or customer service interaction surveys. The training provision is of particular importance in lower-star hotels, where customer outcomes depend more on employee-displayed emotion.Originality/valueThis study empirically corroborates that customer outcomes of front-desk services are linked to receptionists’ displayed emotions, and not to employees’ feelings. Onsite data collection, multiple-informant approach, paired dyads and structural equation modelling hold a great potential for study designs that seek insights into interpersonal phenomena in hospitality services research.

Bidirectional Associations Between Teacher–Child Relationship Quality and Chinese American Immigrant Children’s Behavior Problems

The goal of the study was to test the bidirectional associations between teacher–child relationship quality and behavior problems in an elementary school age sample of Chinese American immigrant children. A socioeconomically diverse sample (N = 258) of first- and second-generation Chinese American children (M ages = 7.4 and 9.2 years at Wave 1 and Wave 2, respectively; 48% girls) was recruited from schools and communities and followed for 1 to 2 years. Two waves of data on dimensions of teacher–child relationship quality (i.e., warmth, closeness, and conflict) and children’s externalizing and internalizing problems were collected through parents’, teachers’, and children’s report. Path analyses were conducted to test the bidirectional associations between teacher–child relationship quality and behavior problems, controlling for prior levels, child demographic characteristics, and teacher ethnicity. Transactional associations between teacher–child relationship quality and children’s behavior problems were found for externalizing problems. That is, teacher-rated externalizing problems negatively predicted child-rated closeness, and teacher-rated conflict positively predicted parent-rated externalizing problems. On the other hand, teacher–child relationship quality did not predict subsequent internalizing problems. However, parent-rated internalizing problems negatively predicted teacher-rated warmth, and teacher-rated internalizing problems negatively predicted teacher-rated conflict. Using a multiple informant approach and a diverse sample of Chinese American immigrant children, this study extends our knowledge of the reciprocal associations between teacher–child relationship quality and children’s behavior problems. Based on the results of this study, the authors provide recommendations for educators and future research with this understudied population.

Divergent Perspectives: Exploring a Multiple Informant Approach to Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration

The present research adopts a multiple informant approach to identify victims and perpetrators of cyberbullying. Similar approaches have been successfully applied in the field of traditional bullying, and they are highly relevant for studying cyberbullying as well. Three informants can provide key perspectives on cyberbullying incidents: victims, perpetrators, and bystanders. To collect data on these actors, all eighth-grade students in 11 secondary schools were invited to participate in a survey. In total 1458 respondents completed peer-nomination questions on cyberbullying involvement. The results indicated that the prevalence of cyberbullying varied depending on the type of informants that was consulted. In addition, limited overlap was observed between the reports of different informants, resulting in different profiles of victims and perpetrators, depending on the informants that identified them. In sum, different informants tended to have divergent views on cyberbullying, which has important implications. It warrants accurate reporting and critical reflection on the sources of data in cyberbullying research. Moreover, it demonstrates the need to study a more diverse set of informants to advance the understanding of cyberbullying and to enhance prevention efforts.

Caregiving networks-using a network approach to identify missed opportunities.

This study demonstrates the added value to caregiving research by using a multi-informant social network approach within the context of Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. Sixty-six informants from 24 families enumerated caregiving network members in 2012. Comparisons were made between networks based on a single informant versus multiple informants in terms of network composition and caregiving roles, core-periphery structure, and identification of "missed opportunities" in recruitment. On average, each informant beyond the index enumerated 6.2 new members, resulting in about 10 new members per family network when the multiple-informant approach is used. Compared with index informants' networks, multi-informant networks showed an 85% increase in identification of direct care providers (1.71 compared with 3.42) and a 48% increase in identification of those involved in care decision making (3.33 compared with 4.92). Informants from the same network generally showed agreement in reported participation in caregiving activities. However, the reports of non-participation in these roles were less consistent among the informants. Resulting structure indicated a core caregiving network (M = 6.12 members), with semi-peripheral and peripheral members (M = 5.19 and M = 14.83 members, respectively). Results suggest that an iterative, targeted sampling approach with at least three informants allows for a more comprehensive assessment of caregiving processes. Applying this approach in future research will greatly enhance our knowledge and better inform future interventions to facilitate family adaptation.

Mechanisms and processes of relational and physical victimization, depressive symptoms, and children's relational-interdependent self-construals: implications for peer relationships and psychopathology.

This short-term longitudinal study examined the associations between relational and physical victimization and depressive symptoms, and the moderating role of school-aged children's relational-interdependent self-construals in these associations. The participants were 387 children (51.8% boys) who were in the fifth grade (M = 10.48 years, SD = 0.55) in Taiwan and followed at two time points (a 6-month interval) during a calendar year. A multiple-informant approach was used where forms of peer victimization, depressive symptoms, and relational-interdependent self-construals were assessed via peer nominations, teacher reports, and child reports, respectively. All measures had favorable psychometric properties. The results of a multigroup cross-lagged model demonstrated that relational victimization (not physical victimization) was positively predictive of subsequent depressive symptoms, and the effect was evidenced for highly interdependent children only. The opposite link was also significant, such that depressive symptoms predicted subsequent relational victimization (not physical victimization) for children who exhibited low and high levels of relational-interdependent self-construals. In contrast, physical victimization predated a lower level of depressive symptoms for highly interdependent children. These effects were unaffected by the gender of the child. The findings, especially the interactive effects of relational victimization (as a contextual factor) and relational-interdependent self-construals (as an individual vulnerability) on depressive symptoms, are discussed from a developmental psychopathology perspective.

Using a multiple-informant approach in SCM research

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to review the current state of survey-based SCM research that employs a multiple-informant perspective. Recommendations on how to rigorously conduct such research are developed, strengths and limitations discussed, and opportunities for advancing the discipline through this approach identified.Design/methodology/approach– A systematic literature review (SLR) of 1,048 articles published in five leading SCM journals within a seven-year time frame is conducted.Findings– The review shows that multiple-informant studies are still largely under-represented. Yet this approach more accurately depicts the multi-faceted nature of SCM. Specific requirements of this approach need to be considered throughout the research process, from unit of analysis, sampling frame, and data collection to analytic strategy.Research limitations/implications– Taking into account the often complex, dynamic actor networks in which SCM phenomena are embedded may provide new insights, especially when controversial results have been found. This approach may also enrich the understanding of phenomena that have previously been examined only from a monadic perspective.Originality/value– The paper examines the low incidence of multiple-informant survey research in SCM, discusses how its application can advance the field, and provides guidance on how to effectively apply this approach to more fully understand complex SCM phenomena. It further shows that studies using multiple informants yield novel theoretical insights and valuable recommendations for decision makers on how to use the interfaces between different actors across functional and organizational borders.

A randomized controlled trial evaluating a parenting program designed specifically for grandparents

Grandparents providing regular child care to grandchildren contribute to the nurturing environment in which children are raised. This study evaluated the efficacy of a behavioral family intervention designed specifically for grandparents, Grandparent Triple P. Fifty-four grandparents (M = 60.89) and 48 parents (M = 34.52) participated in the evaluation. Grandparents predominantly provided between 12 and 20 h of care per week (64.81%), to a grandchild (62% male) aged between 2 and 9 years (M = 4.42). Families were randomly assigned to one of two conditions (intervention or grandparent care-as-usual) and were assessed using a multiple informant approach at three time points (preintervention, postintervention, and six-month follow-up). Relative to the grandparent care-as-usual group, significant short-term improvements were found in the intervention group on grandparent-reported child behavior problems; parenting confidence; grandparent depression, anxiety, stress; and improved relationship with the parent. Parents also reported significant reductions in child behavior problems, despite not participating in the program. Short-term effects were predominantly maintained at six-month follow-up.

Interactive contributions of self-regulation deficits and social motivation to psychopathology: unraveling divergent pathways to aggressive behavior and depressive symptoms.

Poor self-regulation has been implicated as a significant risk factor for the development of multiple forms of psychopathology. This research examined the proposition that self-regulation deficits differentially predict aggressive behavior and depressive symptoms, depending on children's social approach versus avoidance motivation. A prospective, multiple-informant approach was used to test this hypothesis in 419 children (M age = 8.92, SD = 0.36). Parents rated children's inhibitory control. Children completed measures of social approach-avoidance motivation and depressive symptoms. Teachers rated children's aggressive behavior. As anticipated, poor inhibitory control predicted aggressive behavior in boys with high but not low approach motivation and low but not high avoidance motivation, whereas poor inhibitory control predicted depressive symptoms in girls with high but not low avoidance motivation. This research supports several complementary theoretical models of psychopathology and provides insight into the differential contributions of poor self-regulation to maladaptive developmental outcomes. The findings suggest the need for targeted intervention programs that consider heterogeneity among children with self-regulatory deficits.

Perceived Intrafamilial Connectedness and Autonomy in Families With and Without an Anxious Family Member: A Multiple Informant Approach

Perceived intrafamilial “emotional connectedness” and “autonomy” were investigated within families with and without an anxious family member using a multiple informant approach. The sample consisted of 32 mothers with a current anxiety disorder and 56 controls, their partners, and their anxious and nonanxious teenage children. No differences were found with respect to the perceived family relationships of family members with versus without anxious mothers. However, compared with nonanxious adolescents, anxious adolescents perceived less autonomy in relation to both parents. Mothers of anxious adolescents also perceived their children to be less autonomous toward them and their partners, than mothers of nonanxious adolescents. In contrast with “autonomy,” “emotional connectedness” was not reported to be different between families with and without an anxious adolescent. Agreement among family members and the importance of perceived individual autonomy in the development of anxiety are discussed.

Conveying Effective Message Content When Launching New Industrial Products

This paper seeks to uncover the specific message content that facilitates the diffusion of industrial innovations. Diffusion theory specifies that innovation adoption is only likely to occur when a potential customer has positive perceptions of the new product's attributes. Hence, it seems intuitive that firms should use these attributes as message content when launching a new industrial product. But the question of which message content is actually used by firms, and how this impacts new product performance has not been addressed in the literature. Referring to this gap, the authors propose a model of three message content types: usability information, technical information, and financial information. Each of these information types is designed to mitigate a set of perceived risks that consumers may experience in the decision to adopt a new industrial product. Level of product innovativeness is considered as well, given its likely differential impact on the effectiveness of the specific message content used. The model is tested with 112 new industrial products using a multiple informant approach. Generally, the findings support the suggestion that using innovation attributes as message content can be effective when launching a new industrial product, but they behave differently from one another and differently in the moderated context. While usability information and financial information were found to be effective in impacting performance, technical information was found to be counter‐effective. Concerning the moderating influence of product innovativeness, results indicate that usability information is of specific importance when launching a highly innovative product. Financial details, however, become less important.

Statistical Methods to Study Timing of Vulnerability with Sparsely Sampled Data on Environmental Toxicants

Statistical Methods to Study Timing of Vulnerability with Sparsely Sampled Data on Environmental Toxicants

Managing Diffusion Barriers When Launching New Products

In recent years there has been a growing interest in the link between new product launch activities and market success. So far, most empirical research has focused on launch activities that target customer adoption barriers. However, with such a focus the influence of other stakeholders on innovation diffusion is not taken into account. A review of diffusion research and stakeholder theory serves as a basis for discussing the influence of different stakeholder groups such as customers, dealers, suppliers, and competitors on innovation diffusion. Essentially, it is expected that addressing multiple diffusion barriers during new product launch will have a positive impact on market success. The new concept for launch activities addressing multiple diffusion barriers is tested with data on new product launches in industrial markets using a multiple-informant approach. The results lend support to the notion that a successful launch requires activities addressing diffusion barriers related to different stakeholder groups. Specifically, barriers related to customers, suppliers, and stakeholders of the further firm environment need to be lowered during market launch. For the group of competitors, a balanced launch approach including measures to both lowering and erecting entry and diffusion barriers will increase the market success of new products. The subsequent investigation of the influence of technological turbulence, market turbulence, and product complexity on the performance relationships shows that under high uncertainty managing multiple-diffusion barriers is of higher relevance than in more unambiguous, clear-cut contexts. Thus, the results demonstrate that a careful management of diffusion barriers related to multiple stakeholders is a relevant task when launching a new product. The paper concludes with implications for management practice and avenues for future academic research.