non-Western Settings Research Articles

Adolescent Mental Health Problems and Adult Human Capital: Findings From the South African Birth to Twenty Plus Cohort at 28 Years of Age

PurposeWe investigated associations between adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems and adult human capital in a non-Western setting. Little is known about adolescent mental health problems and adult outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, many of which are characterized by high levels of adversities. MethodsData came from the Birth to Twenty Plus cohort, started in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, in 1990. We estimated associations of internalizing and externalizing problems at the age of 14 years with self-reported educational, employment, welfare receipt, psychosocial (psychological distress, criminality, substance use), interpersonal (social isolation, intimate partner violence, partnership status), and HIV outcomes at the age of 28 years. ResultsAdolescents with high internalizing problems were less likely to have completed secondary school or be formally employed and more likely to report psychological distress. Those with high levels of externalizing problems were more likely to report adulthood criminal activity and substance use. We found significant associations between internalizing and externalizing problems and intimate partner violence. There was no association between adolescent mental health problems and welfare receipt, HIV, social isolation, or partnership status. Men were more likely to report incomplete secondary education, no formal employment, criminality and substance use, social isolation, and no serious relationship, whereas women were more likely to experience psychological distress and be in receipt of welfare. ConclusionsAdolescent mental health problems are associated with long-term negative adult functioning under varying socioeconomic conditions. Interventions to recognize and address youth mental health problems in low- and middle-income countries are needed to avert serious adverse adult and societal consequences.

Exploring the prevalence of personality disorder and the feasibility of using the SAPAS as a screening tool for personality disorder in an emergency department in India.

Personality disorders (PD) lead to frequent emergency department (ED) visits. Existing studies have evaluated high-risk ED populations in Western settings. PD screening tools, such as the Standardized Assessment of Personality - Abbreviated Scale (SAPAS), have thus far only been validated in Western populations. This study aimed to establish the screened prevalence of PD, and to evaluate the performance of the SAPAS as a screening tool within an ED setting in India. The study took place in the ED of a private multi-speciality hospital in Kolkata, India. All attendees were approached during two days per week over three months, except those who were medically unfit to participate. The SAPAS and the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE) were translated into Bengali and then used as screening tools for PD and as the reference standard for PD diagnosis. Out of 120 ED attendees approached, 97 participated (48 men and 49 women), of whom 24% met the criteria for a diagnosis of PD. A cut-off score of 4 on the SAPAS provided the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for detecting PD. The prevalence of PD was similar to Western samples, and the SAPAS showed promise for use in a non-Western setting.

Coping with workplace ostracism through ability-based emotional intelligence

PurposeWith a basis in the conservation of resource (COR) theory, this study examines the relationship between workplace ostracism and job performance while also investigating the mediating role of defensive silence and the moderating role of emotional intelligence.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses a multisource, three-wave data collection technique to gather data from employees and their peers working in Pakistan's service sector organizations. Data are analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (v 3.2.7) to assess the measurement model and the structural model.FindingsThe findings reveal that the perception of workplace ostracism provokes self-avoidance strategy, defensive silence, which attenuates job performance. However, defensive silence's mediating role is mitigated if employees can draw from their emotional intelligence ability, which induces a self-regulation mechanism that curbs workplace ostracism's negative consequences.Practical implicationsThe study demonstrates how employees in collectivist, high-power distance cultural settings may strategically choose silence by exercising emotional intelligence to enhance job performance.Originality/valueThis study is one of the few efforts that examined defensive silence in non-Western cultural settings. This is also the first study that examined emotional intelligence's role in the proposed moderated mediation framework.

Professional identity formation of medical teachers in a non-Western setting

Introduction Understanding and supporting professional identity formation (PIF) among medical teachers has become increasingly important in faculty development programs. In this study, we explored medical teachers’ PIF in Indonesia. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study using focus group discussions (FGDs) at four medical schools in Indonesia. Basic science and clinical teachers from four different schools were selected to participate. Data were transcribed, coded, and analysed to develop themes and subthemes. Results Seventeen FGDs were completed, involving 60 basic science and 59 clinical teachers. Four major themes regarding the formation of medical teachers’ professional identity emerged: an internal dialogue between intrinsic values and external influences, empowerment through early socialization, experiential workplace learning, and envisioning the future. The PIF process was similar for basic science and clinical teachers. Conclusion Our findings suggested that PIF among medical teachers in a non-Western setting is a continuous and dynamic process that is shaped by key socialization factors (e.g. role models, workplace learning, peer support), with significant influences from religious beliefs, family values, and societal recognition. Faculty development programs should consider the dynamic and continuous nature of PIF among medical teachers and encourage clinicians and basic scientists to explore their values and beliefs, realize their goals, and envision their future.

Employee engagement in non-Western contexts: The link between social resources Ubuntu and employee engagement

Underpinned by Social Exchange Theory (SET) this study examines the relationship between social resources and employee engagement using the Ubuntu construct as a mediating variable. Employee engagement conceptualized as a positive work-related mind-set has demonstrated positive association with both supervisor support and colleague support. The study uses data collected from employees in organizations in Botswana (n = 438) to assess the relationship between social resources and employee engagement using Ubuntu as a mediating variable. Using mediation analysis, findings suggest that high levels of Ubuntu enhance the strength of the relationship among supervisor support, colleague support and employee engagement. These findings open significant potential for future studies identifying the cultural peculiarities as well as managerial implications of management concepts such as employee engagement in non-western settings and underlining the importance of the Ubuntu concept in managing staff in a sub-Saharan Africa country.

The Relationship Between Islamic Work Ethic and Public Service Motivation

The purpose of this article is to examine the differences between public and private sector employees’ public service motivation (PSM) levels and also examine the impact of Islamic work ethic (IWE) as a potential antecedent of PSM in a non-Western setting. This quantitative investigation is based on a sample of 419 employees in 13 public and private organizations in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). Independent t test results reveal no statistically significant differences in PSM level between public and private sector employees. The analysis of the data also reveals that PSM is significantly influenced by IWE. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.

Advancing foreign policy analysis by studying leaders from the global South

Abstract Using the concept of ‘context sensitivity’ as organizing theme, this article explores different avenues of advancing foreign policy analysis (FPA) scholarship based on insights from the global South. Since foreign policy decision-makers in the global South operate in (at times very) different political environments than their western counterparts, the applicability of FPA approaches cannot be taken as a given, which is why their context sensitivity (i.e., the extent to which core concepts and indicators contained in those approaches travel to non-western settings) needs to be explored. This article suggests that our understanding of the motives and behaviours of individual decision-makers can be advanced in three distinct ways based on insights from the global South. First, several of the FPA constructs that focus on individual decision makers have seen hardly any applications to non-western cases, which is why the latter contributes to ascertaining the analytical scope of those constructs. Second, taking more fully into account the differences in decision-making environments within which leaders from the global South operate can advance leader-oriented FPA approaches by helping to specify certain theoretical assumptions proposed by them. Finally, the aspiration to analyse leaders from the global South can advance FPA in terms of method by, for instance, developing non-English language coding schemes for profiling leaders based on speech acts that are cognizant of the specificities of individual languages, while at the same time allowing for measurement equivalence across different languages.

Understanding risk discourse through the lens of Vietnamese women

Motivated by a call for risk discourse research in non-Western settings, this study examines how Vietnamese road safety video advertisements are constructed and interpreted. Following a literature review of risk and gender, the study first sets out socio-semiotic multimodal analysis of video advertisements to detail how concepts of risk and gender are constructed. Afterwards, I take an ethnographic-based approach in a series of interviews with professional Vietnamese women to gain insights into these concepts. Findings of the study reveal the expected female roles as wives and mothers in Vietnamese advertising as interpreted by Vietnamese women. The study contributes to an understanding of risk in this Asian setting and opens up the potential for a critical, interpretive approach to risk discourses that are grounded in lived experiences.

Construction of risk in road safety advertising: a multimodal analysis of Vietnamese child helmet awareness advertisements

Abstract The discourses of risk serve to organise the ways in which we understand and respond to potential harms and threats, which have become a major concern in our daily life. However, the discourses of risk have not been extensively investigated using linguistic text-based methods on the multimodal level, nor deeply examined beyond Western contexts. Grounded in the literature of risk and multimodal discourse, the aim of the study is to demonstrate Multimodal Discourse Analysis from a Systemic Functional Linguistics perspective as a potential methodology to investigate how risk discourses are constructed in and through semiotic resources in a non-Western setting. Through a case study of child helmet awareness advertisements in Vietnam, the multimodal analysis reveals a comprehensive picture of risk discourses constructed across various semiotic modes. In this analysis, the discourses of risk are constructed through a negotiation of expert knowledge and traditional values to encourage the audience to take actions and provide helmets for their children. Findings of the study demonstrate the use of Systemic Functional multimodal approach to media and communication to provide evidence for risk discourses in the Vietnamese setting, which are at odds with the current literature and can potentially be extended to other contexts.

Job attraction and career choice motivation in a socialist-market economy: the case of the young Vietnamese workforce

ABSTRACT This paper aims to explain the career choice motivation of young workers in a non-Western setting, Vietnam. After witnessing the greater role of the relatively small but competent bureaucracy in East Asia, many have assumed that ‘pervasive and powerful’ bureaucracy also occupies a similar prestigious position in the rapidly growing Vietnam. For the past decade, however, declining talent acquisition in the public sector indicates that good quality workers are leaving or not choosing public sector jobs. What job motivators and perception on the government jobs affect the younger generation’s career choice in Vietnam? Based on the classic motivation theories and Public Service Motivation (PSM) framework, we surveyed fresh graduates and final year university students (n = 433) and found that there is a positive relationship between public career choice and motivation to serve the public as PSM theory expected. Yet, our data show that traditional job motivators such as materialistic benefits, job security, and stability were more important for the young Vietnamese. From a comparative perspective, this suggests that Vietnamese bureaucracy, regardless of its power and pervasiveness, needs substantial improvement by meeting public workers’ basic sanitation needs and working environment to recruit quality manpower for continuous economic success.

Governmental intervention and entrepreneurs' personal values: qualitative evidence from Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study is to fill a gap in our understanding of the governmental interventions (GIs) and entrepreneurs' personal values in a non-western setting namely, in Saudi Arabia. To that end, a case study was undertaken to better understand how Saudi entrepreneurship perceives their government's engagement with entrepreneurship, and how this may affect their personal values. Using theoretical sampling, nine in-depth interviews were conducted with Saudi entrepreneurs from Jeddah city. Findings revealed that, from the entrepreneurs' perspective, GIs creates complications, threats, and ambiguity for their entrepreneurial business ventures. The study proposed a model that explains the interaction between GIs and entrepreneurs' personal values. Moreover, the study identified two types of connections the entrepreneurs used to solve the problems and obstacles face their entrepreneurial business, namely, networking and wasta (nepotism), these different types of connections are associated with two different groups of personal values. Finally, the study provided an agenda to improve entrepreneurs' personal values and enhance the interaction between governments and entrepreneurs.

Towards decolonising research methods training: the development of a locally responsive online learning course on research methods for mental health in war and conflict for researchers and practitioners in the Gaza Strip.

Concerns exist that online learning directed at non-Western settings to strengthen research capacity imposes Western-centric epistemology, provides unidirectional transfer of knowledge, and neglects local paradigms and expertise. We argue that a plurality of voices, histories and epistemologies are essential to strengthen research capacity. We share our experience developing and teaching an online course for mental health professionals and researchers in the Gaza Strip. Birzeit University and King's College London developed and delivered the course equally, focusing on the intersection between qualitative research methods, mental health and conflict, and addressing local research needs. We incorporated local case studies and expertise, encouraged interaction in English and Arabic, and stimulated critique of Western theories. Seventeen participated, 12 completed the pre-course questionnaire, 15 completed the post-course questionnaire and four undertook semi-structured interviews. Our pre-course survey showed participants most needed coding and qualitative data analysis skills. Post-course findings showed improved qualitative research skills. Most agreed the course was comprehensive and well delivered, with relevant case studies. Three themes were identified: (1) the course was locally contextualised and met students' needs; (2) the course fostered dialogic and multi-directional learning and (3) suggestions for improvements. Several participants wanted some topics in greater depth and further specialised training. A few suggested the course be in Arabic. Fostering multi-directional learning is key for non-Western knowledge, epistemologies, and languages to gain prominence in Western academia. A social transformation would see local researchers and educators engage with and use local methods and paradigms in mental health in war and conflict.

Governmental intervention and entrepreneurs' personal values: qualitative evidence from Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study is to fill a gap in our understanding of the governmental interventions (GIs) and entrepreneurs' personal values in a non-western setting namely, in Saudi Arabia. To that end, a case study was undertaken to better understand how Saudi entrepreneurship perceives their government's engagement with entrepreneurship, and how this may affect their personal values. Using theoretical sampling, nine in-depth interviews were conducted with Saudi entrepreneurs from Jeddah city. Findings revealed that, from the entrepreneurs' perspective, GIs creates complications, threats, and ambiguity for their entrepreneurial business ventures. The study proposed a model that explains the interaction between GIs and entrepreneurs' personal values. Moreover, the study identified two types of connections the entrepreneurs used to solve the problems and obstacles face their entrepreneurial business, namely, networking and wasta (nepotism), these different types of connections are associated with two different groups of personal values. Finally, the study provided an agenda to improve entrepreneurs' personal values and enhance the interaction between governments and entrepreneurs.

Investigating relationships among coping, personal growth, and life satisfaction among individuals with physical disabilities.

Background: It is well-documented that active coping strategies can lead to better positive adjustment and psycho-social outcomes among individuals with disabilities and illnesses. However, little information exists related to exploring how coping is related to health benefits such as personal growth and life satisfaction in an international context. Thus, this study examined how the use of coping strategies is associated with personal growth and life satisfaction among individuals with physical disabilities in non-Western settings. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we employed a nonprobability methodology, purposivesampling, to recruit 351 participants who adults over the age of 18 living with a physicaldisability and currently enrolled in the Korean Disability Association. A hierarchical linearregression analysis was conducted to determine which types of coping strategies predictedpersonal growth and life satisfaction, while controlling for the effects of the demographicvariables (i.e., gender and age).Results: With regard to personal growth, problem-solving coping strategy (β = 0.663, P < 0.001,95% CI [0.51, 0.70]) was the strongest predictor, followed by avoidance coping strategy(β = -0.263, P < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.37, -0.20]). As for life satisfaction, problem-solving copingstrategy (β = 0.268, P < 0.001, 95% CI [0.18, 0.70]) was the strongest predictor, followed bysocial support seeking coping strategy (β = 0.264, P < 0.001, 95% CI [-0.19, 0.10]).Conclusion: Our study suggests that problem-focused and social support coping strategies playimportant roles in improving the personal growth and life satisfaction among Korean individualswith physical disabilities. This study provides implications for health professionals seeking waysto facilitate the personal growth and enhance the life satisfaction of individuals with physicaldisabilities.

Manual-Based Group Intervention for Siblings and Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Cambodia

Siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (ND) are at increased risk of mental health problems. The burden on families of children with ND is exacerbated in low-income countries with limited health services and dependency on informal care systems. Yet, there is little research on family impacts of ND in non-Western settings, and no evidence-based interventions for siblings. We examined initial outcomes and feasibility of a manual-based intervention for siblings and parents of children with ND, called SIBS, delivered in Cambodia. SIBS has promising evidence from an open trial in Norway. We delivered eight groups for 52 siblings (M age = 12.7 years, SD = 2.7; 44.0% female) and 56 caregivers (M age = 43.5 years, SD = 8.5; 61.1% mothers) of 54 children with ND at the only public child mental health clinic in Cambodia. We aimed to improve sibling and parent mental health and family communication. The SIBS intervention comprises three separate sibling/parent group sessions and two joint sibling-parent dialogue sessions. Parent-reported mental health scores for siblings were higher than sibling self-report. Parent mental health problems at baseline were high, with no difference between mothers and fathers. There was significant improvement in parent mental health and parent-rated mental health for siblings from baseline to 4-month post-intervention (effect sizes d = 0.44 to 0.52). There was no change in sibling-reported mental health or family communication. Sibling- and parent-rated user satisfaction was high. We conclude that the SIBS intervention showed promise in Cambodia. However, revision of the communication component is needed.

Parental and peer supports are associated with an active lifestyle of adolescents: evidence from a population-based survey

ObjectivesParental and peer support can foster adolescents' activity behaviours; however, little is known about how such support are linked with adolescents' active lifestyle in non-Western settings. The study aimed to explore associations of parental and peer support with an active lifestyle of adolescents in Malaysia. Study designThis is a cross-sectional study. MethodsWe used data from the 2012 Malaysian Global School-based Student Health Survey, which covered adolescents aged 11–17 years (51% girls). Adolescents were asked about their physical activity, sitting time, and levels of parental and peer support. Participants with ≥60 min of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day and ≤2 h of sitting time per day were categorised as having an ‘active lifestyle’. Binary logistic regression was used to examine the relationships by gender and age group (11–14 and 15–17 years). ResultsOf the participating adolescents (n = 12,081), 15.3% reported to have an active lifestyle (boys: 22.0%; girls: 8.8%). About 31% reported to have higher levels of parental support, whereas 47% reported higher levels of peer support. Higher parental and peer support were significantly associated with an active lifestyle of boys across both age groups. Girls with higher parental support had higher odds of reporting an active lifestyle in both age groups, whereas higher peer support was significantly associated with an active lifestyle among girls aged 11–14 years. ConclusionsThis study uniquely extends the current evidence by examining the associations of parental and peer support with physical activity and sitting time combined. More research is needed to understand how different types of social support can influence adolescents' active lifestyle.

Doi Moi and Vietnamese threat perception of Chinese economic growth

AbstractA growing body of literature has recently emerged establishing that political socialization influences foreign policy preferences of the public. But the empirical domain of this literature has been confined largely to American foreign policy and whether and how this empirical regularity holds in a non-democratic, non-western setting is unknown. Filling this lacuna, this research note studies the Vietnamese public attitudes toward Chinese economic expansion. I argue that Vietnamese citizens who grew up amid Doi Moi (renovation) had a political socialization experience very different from that of the birth cohorts who immediately preceded them. I demonstrate that the traditional ‘socialist brotherhood’ rhetoric that used to moderate otherwise hostile public opinions about China became insignificant through the course of the reform. This abrupt change led to markedly divergent views between the pre- and post-Doi Moi birth groups on China. Using the data from the latest Pew Global Attitude Survey, I demonstrate that Doi Moi increased the Vietnamese public's negative perception of Chinese economic expansion.

Towards Developing Spiritual Higher Education Institutions: A Multiple Mediation Analysis

One of the approaches that can positively contribute to employees’ wellbeing, effectiveness, productivity, and job performance is workplace spirituality. To this end, with the help of social exchange theory, we examine the impact of workplace spirituality on academics’ job performance through the mediation by work engagement, affective commitment, and organizational trust. This research uses a quantitative research design and employs structural equation modelling to analyse the data collected from 207 faculty members representing Palestinian higher education sector. The results supported the indirect relationship between workplace spirituality and job performance through multiple mediation exhibiting the importance of client-orientation in the higher education institutions. This paper provides insights to university managers in creating spiritual workplaces followed by positive employee outcome in terms of engagement, commitment and trust on their organizations. This study advances the literature on workplace spirituality through studying it in a non-western setting.

Back to The Future: Saudi Women Negotiating Gender Inclusion

In this article, we develop an understanding of the practice of inclusion based on employees’ perceptions of the interplay of institutional and organizational norms. Based on data from 56 in-depth interviews with Saudi Arabian working women, we elaborate on these notions of gender inclusion and identity dynamics in a non-Western setting, where women are part of a first generation to enter the workforce. Our core question is how women make their way in organizations with different levels of inclusion policies and practices. Findings show that women use various approaches to negotiate and navigate inclusion in relation to their employers and majority groups and practices, grounded in specific societal and cultural identities based on religion and tribe. Our study makes two main contributions. First, in applying existing frameworks of inclusion across different organization contexts, we provide additional insights into how policies and practices lead to different organizational inclusion orientations and their effect on women relatively new to a workforce. Second, we highlight that current theories of workplace inclusion need to move beyond organizational efforts and focus on ways in which individuals actively negotiate workplace inclusion in context. We find that women’s work identity works as a means by which women challenge or perpetuate exclusion in the face of societal, organizational, and managerial influences.

Explanatory style in youth self-harm: an Indian qualitative study to inform intervention design

BackgroundThere are very few studies that have examined the effectiveness of psychological interventions (PIs) that have been developed and tested in high-income countries to reduce self-harm in low and middle-income...