Serial Indirect Effects Research Articles

Supplemental Material for Serial Indirect Effects From Childhood Maltreatment to Adult Chronic Health Conditions Through Contemporary Family Relationships and Mental Health Problems: Inquiry Into Sleep Disturbances and Stress

Supplemental Material for Serial Indirect Effects From Childhood Maltreatment to Adult Chronic Health Conditions Through Contemporary Family Relationships and Mental Health Problems: Inquiry Into Sleep Disturbances and Stress

Screen use before sleep and emotional problems among adolescents: Preliminary evidence of mediating effect of chronotype and social jetlag

BackgroundScreen use before sleep is shown to be positively related to emotional problems. However, whether this relationship was mediated by circadian phenotypes (i.e., chronotype and social jetlag) remains unclear. MethodsData from two independent adolescent surveys among 2685 and 1368 adolescents, respectively, were used. Adolescents reported screen use before sleep (yes/no and screen time), chronotype, social jetlag, and emotional problems using questionnaires. Serial mediation analyses were performed. ResultsAdolescents who reported screen use before sleep showed later chronotype and greater social jetlag, which was further associated with a higher level of emotional problems. Such relationships held for screen use as a yes/no variable and screen time. The serial indirect effect of chronotype and social jetlag accounted for 6.2%–16.7% of the total effect of screen use before sleep on emotional problems. LimitationsThe use of a cross-sectional design did not allow the establishment of causal links between the variables. All data were self-reported by adolescents, and might be subject to report bias and recall bias. ConclusionsThese findings contributed to the existing literature by examining the mediating effect of chronotype and social jetlag in the relationship between screen use before sleep and emotional problems from a circadian rhythm perspective. Healthy media use habits and interventions targeting circadian characteristics may work towards promoting emotional health in adolescents.

Intolerance-of-uncertainty and anxiety as serial mediators between emotional dysregulation and repetitive patterns in young people with autism

BackgroundPrevious research on anxiety in autism has largely focused on direct relationships. The overlap between symptoms of autism and anxiety and the influence that transdiagnostic variables exert on them make necessary explanatory models that consider all the factors involved in the triggering and maintenance of anxiety and its expression through typical features of autism. MethodThe main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between two transdiagnostic mechanisms (emotional dysregulation (ED) and intolerance of uncertainty (IU)) and repetitive and restricted patterns (RRP) and the role that anxiety has in this relationship. IU and anxiety were configured as serial mediators between ED and two subtypes of restricted patterns: sameness behaviors and sensory over-responsiveness. The sample included 87 children and adolescents on the autism spectrum aged from 6 to 18 years. Variables were assessed using a number of well-known outcome measures. ResultsThe results of our simple mediation model show that the indirect effect of anxiety is higher between transdiagnostic variables and sensory over-responsiveness than between transdiagnostic variables and sameness behaviors. Our model suggests that ED predicts sameness behaviors and sensory over-responsiveness through the serial indirect effect of IU and anxiety. ConclusionsOur findings contribute to clarify the role that anxiety and transdiagnostic mechanisms may play on RRP and may have important implications for the assessment and treatment of anxiety in people with ASD.

Subjective norms and entrepreneurial intention: A moderated-serial mediation model

PURPOSE: This study aims to clarify the effect mechanism of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention. The results of how subjective norms contribute to forming start-up intention are inconsistent and unclear, which is notable in previous research. By integrating the theory of planned behavior and the theory of self-efficacy, we investigate whether entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship serially mediate the relationship between subjective norms and intention to start a business. In addition, this study examines the moderate role of entrepreneurial education on the serial indirect effect of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention via entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship. METHODOLOGY: This study utilized a sample of 958 master’s students in Vietnam to investigate a moderated-serial mediation model of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to check the reliability and validity of the scales. Then, the SPSS PROCESS macro developed by Hayes was employed to test the research model. Specifically, Model 6 was used to examine the serial indirect effect of subjective norms on start-up intention and Model 84 was implemented to investigate the moderate effect of entrepreneurial education. FINDINGS: The results of this study found that entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude significantly mediate subjective norms’ effect on entrepreneurial intention. Especially, the results reveal that the serial mediation effect of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship was significant and entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude toward entrepreneurship played a fully mediating role in the relationship between subjective norms and start-up intention. In addition, this study found that the serial mediation effect of subjective norms on start-up intention via entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude was negatively moderated by entrepreneurial education. IMPLICATIONS: The results of this study further clarify the relationship between subjective norms and entrepreneurial intention and the role of entrepreneurial education, therefore, contributing to narrowing the notable gap between this relationship. Besides, our study provides several implications for governments and policymakers to promote the intention to start a business. The finding of our study indicates that subjective norms are an important factor in promoting entrepreneurial intention. Therefore, policymakers should take some actions to promote entrepreneurial culture, such as strengthening propaganda activities to promote the image of successful entrepreneurs, praising businesses and entrepreneurs who contribute to society, and giving evidence of their contribution to the development of the country. Promoting an entrepreneurial culture may increase peer group pressure on potential entrepreneurs, thus enhancing the intention to start a business. ORIGINALITY AND VALUE: This study expects to contribute to a better understanding of the effect mechanism of subjective norms on entrepreneurial intention and explain the role of entrepreneurial education in this relationship. This study explores the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial attitude in the relationship between subjective norms and the intention to start a business. Additionally, this study demonstrates that entrepreneurial education weakens the serial mediation model of subjective norms on the intention to start a business.

The Role of Mistrust in Sexual Revictimization: An Analysis of Serial Indirect Effects.

A sample of 819 female college students completed measures of childhood sexual abuse (CSA), adult sexual victimization (ASV), mistrust, trauma-related symptoms, and drinking problems. Using a serial indirect effects model, we hypothesized that CSA would be associated with ASV through the indirect effects of mistrust → trauma-related symptoms → drinking problems. The results indicated that this serial indirect effects model was significant. When the order of the first two indirect effects was reversed, the model was not significant. These results highlight the importance of examining potential factors involved in sexual revictimization in tandem rather than in isolation.

What you say matters: Moving beyond gossiping extent to explore the positive effects of gossip truthfulness and gossip interestingness

AbstractWhereas substantial research portrays gossip as a detrimental behavior, other work observes that gossip performs essential social functions, such as distributing valuable information. Collectively, the literature indicates that gossip has the potential to harm and benefit the relationship between the gossip sender and receiver. Our study brings consensus to this conversation by drawing a distinction between how much gossiping occurs—gossiping extent—and characteristics of that gossip—gossip truthfulness and gossip interestingness. Drawing on social exchange theory and cognitive‐motivational‐relational theory, we build a within‐person theoretical model that proposes gossip truthfulness will strengthen the receiver's perception of the social exchange relationship, whereas gossip interestingness will increase the receiver's state happiness. Ultimately, these proximal reactions will increase the receiver's helping behavior toward the sender. We tested our model with a 15‐day experience sampling study (Study 1) and an experiment (Study 2). Results showed that gossip truthfulness had a positive effect on the receiver's perception of the social exchange relationship, leading the receiver to provide more helping behavior to the sender. Gossip interestingness had a positive effect on the receiver's state happiness, leading to increased helping behavior toward the sender. Gossip interestingness also had a serial indirect effect on helping behavior, via increased state happiness that increased receiver social exchange perceptions. In contrast, gossiping extent had a negative indirect effect on helping behavior via decreased receiver happiness, as well as a negative serial indirect effect via decreased receiver happiness and social exchange perceptions. Our model provides employees with insights into how gossip impacts the sender–receiver relationship.

Sexual Victimization and Suicide Ideation: An Atemporal Indirect Effects Model

Introduction Suicide is a major public health concern among young adults. Moreover, college students are at elevated risk for sexual victimization, which is associated with elevated suicide risk. Nonetheless, not all college student survivors of sexual victimization think about suicide. Previous research has used the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS) as a framework for understanding the association between interpersonal violence victimization and suicide ideation The current study aimed to replicate and extend the results of Poindexter et al. AQ1] by testing the serial indirect effects of IPTS constructs in the relationship between sexual victimization and suicide ideation among a sexually-victimized sample of college students. It was expected that depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in that order, would indirectly affect the association between cumulative sexual victimization history and suicide ideation in the past month. Method Data were collected from 796 college students via online survey. After exclusion criteria, 236 college students who reported at least one lifetime experience of sexual victimization were included in analysis. Results Results indicated that the relationship between cumulative sexual victimization and past-month suicide ideation frequency was indirectly affected by depressive symptoms, thwarted belongingness, and perceived burdensomeness, in serial. Discussion Results indicated that the indirect effects model proposed by Poindexter et al. was significant in that more frequent lifetime sexual victimization related to more frequent past-month suicide ideation, and this relationship was strengthened indirectly by depressive symptoms, TB, and PB, in that order. Results underscore the importance of screening survivors of sexual victimization for suicide ideation and associated risk factors, specifically depressive symptoms, TB, and PB.

The relationship between job precariousness and student burnout: a serial indirect effects model

ABSTRACT Much research has examined the association between precarious employment and wellbeing in adults, but little is known about this relationship in working students. Using a sample of 224 (MAge 21 years; 68% female), we assessed self-perceptions of job precariousness across four domains (i.e., job insecurity, remuneration, conditions, flexibility) and tested the relationships between the four domains and student burnout, and whether these relationships could be explained sequentially by higher levels of job and financial strain and sleep disruption. Job insecurity alone related both directly and indirectly to burnout (via job and financial strain and poor sleep quality). Precariousness related to financial strain (insecurity, remuneration), job strain (insecurity, flexibility), and sleep quality (insecurity); financial and job strain related to sleep quality; and sleep quality related to burnout. By decomposing the job precariousness construct, the findings provide an improved understanding of how working in low quality, precarious jobs is related to student wellbeing.

How do individual factors affect career sustainability? An investigation of cascading effects through the career construction model of adaptation

PurposeThough the recent conceptualization of career sustainability, defining its indicators and dimensions prompted an important field of careers research, empirical research is still in its infancy. The current study empirically investigates how proactive personality, career adaptability and proactive career behaviors promote career sustainability based on the career construction model of adaptation.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a two-wave survey design to collect data from 414 full-time working professionals representing different organizations located in India. The authors tested the proposed hypotheses using structural equation modeling in IBM SPSS AMOS.FindingsResults supported a serial indirect effect model with career adaptability and proactive career behaviors carrying the effect of proactive personality on career sustainability.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the emerging sustainable careers literature by unveiling the role of individual factors in career sustainability. Furthermore, the authors investigated these relationships through the complete career construction model of adaptation. By doing so, the current study contributes to careers literature by revealing the linkage between the career construction model of adaptation and career sustainability.

Role congruence and study engagement in mature-age students: a serial indirect effects model

ABSTRACT We examined how mature-aged, non-traditional students (studying part-time, working full-time) managed their multiple roles by testing a serial, indirect effects model, in which student role congruence (i.e., extent to which students structure role boundaries to meet their own and others’ preferences) was related to study engagement, and where work-study conflict/facilitation and exhaustion, in sequence, were underlying mechanisms that explained this relationship. We also untangled congruence between different role boundaries (i.e., work, study, family, leisure) to assess which were more important to facilitate engagement. We found, (N = 211; M = 37 years; 65% women), study engagement was predicted by study (direct and indirect) and leisure congruence (indirect), but not work and family congruence, with these relationships explained by reduced conflict (not facilitation) and, in turn, less exhaustion. The study suggests that how students manage their multiple role boundaries is important as this potentially affects their study engagement.

Indirect effects of video chat on outcomes of receiving support: Uniting theorizing about supportive communication and computer-mediated communication

ABSTRACT This study integrates theorizing about supportive communication and computer-mediated communication to investigate how features of the interactional context, social presence, and evaluations of supportive messages shape recipients’ emotional improvement. Participants (N = 139) reported to the lab with a friend, where they were randomly assigned to experimental conditions that varied the lighting quality of the physical setting and screen size of the device for a video-mediated supportive conversation, which are relevant and impactful features of video chat interactions. Results were consistent with theorizing: Lighting quality exerted a positive serial indirect effect on receivers’ emotional improvement because of its influence on social presence, which in turn influenced evaluations of support. Findings are discussed as they relate to the role of social presence in explaining how contextual features shape video-mediated supportive conversations.

Is Daily Workplace Anxiety Adaptive?A Regulatory Model of Email Activity, Goal Progress, Performance

Despite workplace anxiety being a common experience of daily work life, past research has primarily examined its effects at the between-person level of analysis, documenting detrimental effects of state or trait anxiety. This research considers the experience of day-to-day workplace anxiety, and how employees manage their work performance on days they experience workplace anxiety. Drawing on workplace anxiety and affect-as-information frameworks, we consider an adaptive regulatory process model of daily workplace anxiety, where workplace anxiety initiates work e-mail activity, a self-regulatory behavior underlying an engagement function of workplace anxiety. Work e-mail activity facilitates work goal progress, which enhances performance. Utilizing a multi-level, time-lagged experience sampling field study across 10 workdays (Level 1 N = 809; Level 2 N = 96), we demonstrate support for our theorized model. On days when employees experience workplace anxiety, their performance (in-role and extra-role) is enhanced through behavioral regulatory activity manifested in work e-mail activity, which promotes work goal progress. This serial indirect effect is strengthened for employees with higher (vs. lower) work e-mail centrality. Further, these results hold alongside tests of a maladaptive response to workplace anxiety via non-work e-mail activity that disengages employees from work. This research points to the adaptive function of day-to-day workplace anxiety, suggesting that employees are active, rather than passive, drivers of their experiences of daily workplace anxiety.

All Roads Lead to Rome. Investigating Antecedents and Outcomes of Leader-Follower Identity Conflict

Individuals’ perceptions of leader and follower roles as orthogonal or complimentary have important implications for the self-views as potential leaders and their chances to step up to leadership positions. In the current paper, we introduce the notion of leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement and examine possible antecedents and outcomes. Based on the results of two time-lagged studies (N = 160, and N= 214 nested in 60 teams, respectively), we focus on the role of authoritarian and benevolent leadership as potentially shaping employees’ views of leader and follower roles as conflicting or enhancing and further explore how perceived leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement affect individuals’ leader identity strength and promotability ratings. Our results show authoritarian leadership to increase perceived leader-follower identity conflict whereas benevolent leadership is found to increase leader-follower identity enhancement. We further find leader-follower identity conflict to be negatively related to leader identity strength and manager-rated promotability whereas enhancement had non-significant effects. We also examine two motivational strivings, i.e., status and accomplishment motivation, as potential moderators of the serial relationship between authoritarian and benevolent leadership, identity conflict and enhancement, leader identity strength and promotability. Our results show that the serial indirect effect of authoritarian leadership to promotability via leader-follower identity conflict and leader identity was stronger when status motivation was higher than lower. Our paper casts light on the antecedents and outcomes of leader-follower identity conflict and enhancement and highlights their importance for leadership development processes.

Job crafting to innovative and extra-role behaviors: A serial mediation through fit perceptions and work engagement

Although job crafting enhances work environment fit perceptions and work-related attitudes and behavior, few scholars have examined the relationships between these two constructs in hospitality settings. This study explicates the relationships between both constructs by categorizing job crafting across four subdimensions and three aspects of fit perceptions. Work engagement and two behavioral outcomes for hospitality organizations—innovative and extra-role behaviors—are also considered. A two-wave survey (n = 288) was performed to evaluate the proposed structural model. Results indicated that employees experienced higher fit perceptions with (a) increasing structural/social job resources and challenging job demands and (b) decreasing hindering job demands. Enhanced fit perceptions inspired more intense work engagement along with innovative and extra-role behavior. The job resource and demand domains of job crafting had serial indirect effects on innovative and extra-role behaviors through needs–supplies fit and work engagement. Theoretical and practical implications are summarized in closing.

Proactive responses to job insecurity: why and when job-insecure employees engage in political behaviors

PurposeDrawing upon ego depletion theory, the authors developed a serial mediation model linking job insecurity with employee political behavior in which resource depletion and moral disengagement operated as two sequential mediators. The authors further identified employee moral identity as an important boundary condition that impacts the strength of this serial mediation effect.Design/methodology/approachMultilevel analyses were utilized to test the proposed hypotheses by analyzing a sample included 306 employees nested in 71 groups.FindingsResults revealed that job insecurity induced resource depletion that activated moral disengagement, which in turn instigated political behavior. Furthermore, employee moral identity weakened this serial indirect effect. Specifically, this indirect effect was positive when moral identity was low, whereas did not present when moral identity was high.Originality/valuePrior studies have primarily concentrated on the detrimental effects of job insecurity. However, less study has investigated how individuals proactively cope with job insecurity. The authors contribute to this stream of research by exploring whether and how job insecurity facilitates employee political behavior.

The link between online gaming behaviour and unethical decision-making in emerging adults: the mediating roles of game cheating and moral disengagement

ABSTRACT Despite the substantial attention paid to the effects of game violence and game addiction, insufficient research has been conducted on other moral risks of gaming behaviour. Drawing upon the General Learning Model and the Differential Susceptibility to Media Effects Model, the current study utilised a survey approach to investigate the effect of online gameplay on emerging adults’ real-life unethical decision-making. The mediation analyses showed no direct effect of gaming intensity on unethical decision-making, but revealed two significant indirect effects: the specific indirect effect through game cheating and the serial indirect effect through game cheating and moral disengagement. Both the indirect effects were contingent upon the moderator of peer cheating. Specifically, the relationship between gaming intensity and unethical decision-making was positively significant at low levels of peer cheating and negatively significant at high levels. In addition to contributing to a broader view of the effects of online gameplay, this study also contributes to the literature on divergent gaming behaviours and online ethics.

Social media usage and body image: Examining the mediating roles of internalization of appearance ideals and social comparisons in young women

There is increasing scholarly interest in the effects of social media use on women's body image. Here, we tested the utility of the Tripartite Influence Model – developed for traditional media influences on body image – in explaining the link between intensity of social media use and body image outcomes in young adult women from the United States (N = 579). The study tested a serial indirect mediation effect linking intensity of social media use and body esteem outcomes via internalization and social comparison, as well as a direct effect between intensity of social media use and body esteem measures. The results broadly supported for the applicability of the model. Internalization of appearance ideals and social comparison, respectively, were significant mediators of the relationship between intensity of social media use and body image outcomes. However, the direct link between intensity of social media use and body image was more equivocal. The overall findings suggest possible pathways through which intensity of social media use may influence body image outcomes in young adult women.

Loneliness and Depression in College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Boredom and Repetitive Negative Thinking.

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered increased rates of depression, especially among college students. Due to social distancing guidelines, loneliness has been suspected as a prominent factor in depression during the pandemic. Research is needed to identify possible mechanisms through which loneliness conveys risk for pandemic-era depression. Two potential mechanisms are boredom and repetitive negative thinking (RNT). This study examined cross-sectional associations between depression, loneliness, boredom, and RNT in a sample of college students (N = 199) in April 2020 immediately following campus closure. Results showed a serial indirect effect of loneliness on depression through boredom then RNT. Moreover, specific indirect effects of loneliness on depression were found through boredom and RNT, individually. Though limited by the cross-sectional design, these data align with cognitive-behavioral theory and identify boredom and RNT as possible mechanisms of the association between loneliness and depression in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effects of dual branding rumors on consumers’ national and store brand evaluations

ABSTRACT The current research considers dual branding, where national brand manufacturers produce store brands against which they compete. Although agreements are confidential, rumors about the practice emerge. Thus, the authors examine the influence of dual branding rumor exposure on consumers’ respective national and store brand evaluations. The results support positive (negative) serial indirect effects of rumor exposure on participants’ store (national) brand evaluations through dual branding beliefs and comparative quality perceptions. In addition, smart shopper perceptions amplify the indirect effects of dual branding rumor exposure on store, but not national, brand outcomes.

The effect of parental food neophobia on children's fruit and vegetable consumption: A serial mediation model

Children in the United States do not consume the recommended amounts of healthful foods such as fruits and vegetables. In order to investigate factors associated with children's fruit and vegetable consumption, we used serial mediation models based on a theoretical model proposed by Kaar et al., [Food Quality & Preference, 50, 57–64 (2016)] to assess the indirect effect of parental food neophobia (X) on children's consumption (Y) of fruits and vegetables through two serial mediators, variety of fruits and vegetables offered at home (variety offered; M1) and child food neophobia (M2). This was accomplished with a sample of 148 children between 5 and 10 years of age (Mage = 7.71 years, 44.7% female). We measured parental and child food neophobia and parents' reports of the frequency with which they regularly offered a variety of fruits and vegetables. In addition, children completed a laboratory task in which they were presented with four different fruits and vegetables and were asked to try the foods. Analyses revealed a significant indirect effect of parents' food neophobia on consumption of fruits and vegetables through variety offered (M1) and child food neophobia (M2). There was also a significant serial indirect effect of parent food neophobia on consumption through variety offered and child food neophobia. The results provide further evidence to support the contention that parent and child neophobia and the feeding environment exert a strong influence on children's fruit and vegetable consumption.