Serial Multiple Mediation Research Articles

Perfection behind the whistle: Perfectionism and perceived performance in soccer referees

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between self-oriented perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, cognitive appraisals, psychobiosocial experiences, and self-evaluated performance in soccer referees, using the multi-states (MuSt) theory as the theoretical framework. MethodParticipants were 67 soccer referees (57 men and 10 women, Mage = 23.03 years, SD = 2.71) with 3–15 years (M = 7.36, SD = 2.44) of refereeing experience in first-class, promotion, or excellence matches. They completed questionnaires assessing perfectionism, competitive appraisals, and psychobiosocial experiences two days before a game, and self-evaluated their performance one day after the event. ResultsResults revealed significant positive correlations (r > 0.20) between self-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism with challenge appraisals, functional psychobiosocial experiences, and self-evaluated performance. Serial multiple mediation analyses showed positive indirect effects of both self-oriented and socially prescribed perfectionism on self-evaluated performance via challenge appraisals and psychobiosocial experiences (β = 0.023, 95 % CI = 0.000, 0.097, and β = 0.097, 95 % CI = 0.003, 0.253, respectively). ConclusionThe findings suggest that both dimensions of perfectionism may positively influence perceived performance when viewed as a positive challenge and associated with functional experiences. The study advances our understanding of the effects of perfectionism on perceived performance in the context of soccer refereeing. Practical implications for referee training programs are provided.

Polytraumatization, defense mechanisms, PTSD and complex PTSD in Indian adolescents: a mediation model

BackgroundAdolescence is recognized as a particularly susceptible developmental period for experiencing multiple types of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), increasing the vulnerability to higher levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex PTSD symptoms. Some studies found that defense mechanisms play an important role on the association between ACE and psychological symptoms.MethodsWe analyzed the associations between direct and indirect exposure to ACE and PTSD and Complex PTSD (affective dysregulation, negative self-concept and disturbances in relationships) through the mediation role of mature defense mechanisms: mature, neurotic, and immature defense mechanisms in Indian adolescents. A sample of 411 Indian adolescents (M = 14.2 years old; S.D. = 0.5) completed validated self-report questionnaires. Serial multiple mediation models were tested by conducting a structural equation modelling employing Preacher and Hayes’ procedures (2008).ResultsImmature and neurotic defense mechanisms mediated the association between direct exposure to ACE with PTSD symptoms. Immature defense mechanisms were mediators of the relationship between direct exposure to ACE and Complex PTSD symptoms clusters.ConclusionsMaladaptive defense mechanisms can disturb the process of self-regulation and emotion regulation capabilities in coping with traumatic experiences, leading to higher PTSD and Complex PTSD symptoms severity.

Self-efficacy and well-being in the association between caregiver burden and sleep quality among caregivers of elderly patients having multiple chronic conditions in rural China: a serial multiple mediation analysis.

Caregivers of elderly patients with multiple chronic conditions have heavy caregiver burden and poor sleep quality, which has an important impact on both caregivers and patients. This study aimed to examine among rural caregivers of elderly patients who have multiple chronic conditions in China, whether self-efficacy and well-being mediate the link between caregiver burden and sleep quality. The study recruited 325 caregivers of elderly patients having multiple chronic conditions in rural China. Several measures including the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and Index of Well-Being (IWB) were utilized to collect data. Structural equation modeling was employed to study the relationships among caregiver burden, sleep quality, self-efficacy, as well as well-being. Significant correlations were found between the measured variables (each p < 0.01). Self-efficacy and well-being acted as mediators in the link between caregiver burden and sleep quality, accounting for 10.94% and 15.63% of the total effect, respectively. In addition, self-efficacy and well-being had a serial multiple mediating effect in the association between caregiver burden and sleep quality, with this mediating pathway, explaining 9.93% of the total effect. Caregivers of elderly patients having multiple chronic conditions in rural China experienced poor sleep quality due to the caregiver burden. Self-efficacy and well-being had serial mediating roles on the relationship between caregiver burden and sleep quality. Effective interventions should be developed to improve self-efficacy and well-being of caregivers, reduce their caregiver burden and, eventually, improve their sleep quality.

The ambient air quality standards, green innovation, and urban air quality: evidence from China

As China’s economy transitions, environmental issues have become a major concern. This study examines the impact of Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS) on urban air quality using panel data from 284 cities in China from 2006 to 2019. The study utilizes DID (Difference-in-Difference) models to analyze the regulatory effects of AAQS and its spatial spillover. Additionally, the serial multiple mediation models are constructed to investigate the role of green innovation. The findings reveal that the AAQS positively affects urban air quality, albeit with a notable “hysteresis effect.” Local implementation of AAQS worsens air quality in neighboring cities within a distance of 400 km, but beyond 400 km, the effect is reversed. Heterogeneity analysis shows that AAQS improves air quality in central cities, large-sized and medium-sized cities, cities with weak environmental governance, and resource-based cities. Mechanism tests suggest that AAQS may enhance urban air quality by promoting green innovation and optimizing industrial structure. Especially, either the energy-use effect or industrial-structure effect triggered by green innovation can contribute to the improvement of urban air quality.

SNS 환경에서 지각된 기업의 윤리적 정보의 속성이 SNS 참여 의도에 미치는 영향: 브랜드 동일시와 자기표현 욕구의 다중직렬매개효과

SNS 환경에서 지각된 기업의 윤리적 정보의 속성이 SNS 참여 의도에 미치는 영향: 브랜드 동일시와 자기표현 욕구의 다중직렬매개효과

Cumulative trauma and perceived community resilience: A serial mediation model.

Communities affected by cumulative trauma can experience negative psychological reactions but also posttraumatic growth and community resilience, which promote adaptation and preparation for future traumatic events.This study aims to investigate the mechanisms that mediate the relationship between traumatic events and perceived community resilience.Participants were 118 Italian adults who experienced cumulative trauma and were recruited to complete an online survey. A serial multiple mediation model was estimated to assess whether the impact of the Morandi bridge collapse and posttraumatic growth mediated the relationship between the psychological impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and perceived community resilience.The impact of the collapsed bridge and posttraumatic growth in serial partially mediated the relationship between the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and perceived community resilience.The impact of cumulative trauma can be considered through an ecological perspective that considers the consequences of these events in relation to community resilience.

The role of self-efficacy and self-care agency as mediating factors in the link between health literacy and health-promoting lifestyle among older adults post covid 19 era: A multiple mediator model

Health-promoting lifestyle is poor in older adults during COVID-19 pandemic. Elucidate the underlying mechanisms between health literacy and health-promoting lifestyle is important. Therefore, we investigated the mediating effect of self-efficacy and self-care agency in relation between health literacy and health-promoting lifestyle among older adults post covid 19 era. A cross-sectional descriptive survey on 200 older adults with the mean age of 68.3 were recruited from Lecai urban community in China, through convenience sampling. Information was assessed using Health literacy Assessment Scale for Infectious Diseases of Chinese Residents, the General Self Efficacy Scale, Chinese version of the Elderly Self-care Ability Scale, and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile-Chinese Elderly. A serial multiple mediation modeling was tested using the PROCESS macro for SPSS to validate the pathways. Results indicated that positive correlations were found between health literacy, self-efficacy, self-care agency and health-promoting lifestyle in older adults. Meanwhile, health literacy was linked to enhanced health-promoting lifestyle through two pathways: (1) self-efficacy; (2) chain combination of self-efficacy and self-care agency. Self-efficacy and self-care agency mediated the relationship between health literacy and health-promoting lifestyle in older adults. Therefore, attention to improving self-efficacy, self-care agency and health literacy should be considered crucial for improving health-promoting lifestyle.

Sequential link in depression, sleep and cognition: Longitudinal evidence from a serial multiple mediation analysis of older adults in China

BackgroundA growing body of literature examines the link between depression, sleep and cognition, but little is known regarding the extent to which this relationship holds among older adults over time. ObjectiveThis study examines how sleep duration mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and cognitive performance, by utilizing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) estimation. MethodsThis study utilizes the 2013–18 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) dataset, of which 3557 participants over the age of 50 satisfied inclusion criteria. Depressive symptoms and cognitive performance are measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD) and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE); sleep duration is assessed using the adapted Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). A serial multiple mediation model was built to assess how depressive symptoms in 2013 and in 2018 are related, in addition to assessing their links with sleep duration and cognitive performance. FindingsResults indicate that early depression positively predicts depression progression (std.β = 0.564, 95 % Confidence Interval: 0.534, 0.594), but negatively predicts sleep duration (std.β = −0.081, 95 % CI: −0.128, −0.034) and cognitive performance (std.β = −0.118, 95 % CI: −0.165, −0.072). The sequential indirect effect of early depression operating via depression progression and sleep duration is evaluated to be −0.083 (95 % CI: −0.110, −0.056), representing as much as 41.29 % of the total effect. ConclusionsEarly depressive symptoms are directly associated with increased depressive symptoms and shortened sleep, which are identified as key channels through which early depression is linked with worsened cognition. Clinical implicationsMany older adults may underestimate the adverse costs of early depression, since its net effects on cognition could be channeled indirectly and discretely via depression progression and sleep, which is worth highlighting in health guidelines and clinical recommendations.

Can decision intelligence help organizations retain employees? Serial multiple mediation of job characteristics and meaningful work

Can decision intelligence help organizations retain employees? Serial multiple mediation of job characteristics and meaningful work

Serial mediation roles of empowerment and self-care activities connecting health literacy, quality of life, and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes.

Health literacy, empowerment, and self-care activities are likely the crucial concepts affecting the quality of life and glycemic control in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, evidence demonstrating the mechanisms underlying these concepts is scarce. The aim of this study was to test the serial mediation roles of empowerment and self-care activities on the relationships between health literacy and quality of life and between health literacy and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in people with T2D. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 319 people with T2D in Guangzhou, China, from July 2019 to January 2020. Data were collected using the Health Literacy Scale, the Diabetes Empowerment Scale-Short Form, the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities Measure, and the Adjusted Diabetes-Specific Quality of Life Scale. RStudio 4.2.1 was used for serial mediation analysis. The dimension of communicative health literacy accounted for the most total variance (β = 0.810, p < .001) in the construct of health literacy. The serial multiple mediation of empowerment and self-care activities in the associations between health literacy and quality of life (β = -.046, p = .019) and between health literacy and HbA1c (β = -.045, p = .005) were statistically significant. This study emphasized the vital role of communicative health literacy when improving health literacy in people with T2D. Diabetes care and education specialists could implement empowerment approaches and flexible self-care strategies to improve the quality of life and glycemic control in people with T2D. Enhancing health literacy was suggested as a favorable strategy for promoting empowerment and self-care activities in people with T2D.

Does a diagnosis of depression influence observer ratings of pain severity? The mediating role of causal attributions of pain and pain genuineness.

Researchers have been increasingly investigating observer and patient characteristics that may influence the assessment of pain in others. While rates of psychiatric conditions are high in chronic pain populations, surprisingly little attention has been given to if (and why) a comorbid psychiatric diagnosis may influence the estimation of pain in others. Using an experimental vignette paradigm, the current study examined whether a diagnostic label of major depressive disorder (MDD) would impact observer pain estimates of a woman with chronic pain, and whether causal attributions of pain and pain genuineness might help explain these effects. Participants (n = 188) were given a vignette describing a female patient with chronic pain (who either had MDD or no mental health concerns), viewed a brief video clip of the patient, and then were asked to provide a variety of ratings about the woman's pain. Results of a serial multiple mediation analysis revealed that participants in the MDD condition made greater psychological attributions for the woman's pain, which was associated with lower perceptions of pain genuineness, which was then associated with lower estimates of pain intensity. These findings suggest that a diagnosis of depression may indirectly influence observer estimates of another person's pain by heightening psychological attributions of pain, and making their pain seem less genuine. Further research is needed to elucidate the complex processes underlying pain estimation, including patient and observer characteristics, biases, and heuristics, in order to improve quality of care for those living with persistent pain.'

Applying a modified technology acceptance model to explain higher education students’ usage of ChatGPT: A serial multiple mediation model with knowledge sharing as a moderator

Generative artificial intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, has taken the world by storm, especially in the education sector, because of its capacity to produce responses that are contextually relevant and appear to imitate human language. This has increased concerns from both scholars and practitioners regarding the potential impacts of ChatGPT on students' learning. However, research on higher education students' adoption of ChatGPT is still scant. Drawing on the modified technology acceptance model (TAM) and a sample of 1389 higher education students recruited in 11 universities in Vietnam with a stratified random sampling approach, the findings of this study indicated that effort expectancy not only directly affected students' actual usage of ChatGPT, but also serially indirectly increased their actual use of ChatGPT through performance expectancy and intentions to use ChatGPT. Additionally, knowledge sharing was found to significantly increase higher education students’ transformation from having the intention to use ChatGPT to actual users of ChatGPT. The theoretical and managerial implications of this are discussed in this paper in order to gain benefits and manage the potential threats from this new technology.

Serial multiple mediation of career adaptability and self-perceived employability in the relationship between career competencies and job search self-efficacy

PurposeThis study aims to explore the relationships between career competencies and job search self-efficacy via the serial multiple mediation effect of career adaptability and self-perceived employability within multiple theoretical frameworks.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopts a cross-sectional design to collect data at a specific point in time and employs self-report questionnaires to collect data from participants. In total, 302 students from the “management and organization department” in a vocational school of a public university completed the survey forms. To test the hypothesized model, a serial multiple mediation analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) via SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures).FindingsThe results indicated that career competencies, career adaptability, job search self-efficacy and self-perceived employability all had significant and positive relationships. Additionally, the relationship between career competencies and job search self-efficacy was serially mediated by career adaptability and self-perceived employability as anticipated.Practical implicationsConsidering the growing importance of the subject of how universities might better prepare their graduates for the job market, the study's findings have important policy implications. University students should also be provided with career management resources, specifically adaptation resources, to help them navigate their individual characteristics and transfer more successfully into the existing job market. This is the cause of the need for constant planning, adaptation, assessment and evaluation of career competencies in current labor markets.Originality/valueThe study contributes to international career development and vocational education research by filling a gap in the literature by demonstrating that job search self-efficacy, which is a predictor of job search behavior, can be promoted by career competencies, career adaptability and self-perceived employability. These findings are particularly significant because they highlight the importance of career-related knowledge, skills and abilities in engaging university students seeking employment in a developing country with a highly competitive labor market.

초등학교 6학년의 사회경제적 지위 인식과 미래에 대한 인식과의 관계에서 전반적인 행복감과 삶의 만족도의 직렬다중매개효과

Objectives The aim of this paper is to investigate the serial multiple mediation of overall happiness and life satisfaction in the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and perception of the future in 6th grade elementary school students.&#x0D; Methods This study used data from 13th (2020) Panel Study on Korean Children(PSKC) and total of 1,357 students who responded to 13th PSKC are examined by measures of subjective socioeconomic statue, future expectation, overall happiness, and life satisfaction. Path analysis is conducted to test the serial multiple meditation of overall happiness and life satisfaction.&#x0D; Results Firstly, there are positive correlations among subjective socioeconomic status, future expectation, overall happiness, and life satisfaction. Second, overall happiness and life satisfaction may serially mediate the association between subjective socioeconomic status and future expectation. Last but not least, overall happiness have the greatest meditation impact between subjective socioeconomic status and future expectation while testing differences among effects of meditation.&#x0D; Conclusions A student’s subjective socioeconomic status was positively associated with overall happiness, then with life satisfaction, which in turn positively contributed to future expectation. Especially, identification of and interventions for overall happiness may support a 6th grade student who think his/her socioeconomic status low to have high future expectation.

The interplay between self-talk and body posture on physical performance: Analyzing a moderated serial multiple mediation model

Prior research has shown that non-verbal behavior (e.g., overt head movements) can moderate the effects of positive and negative self-talk on physical performance. In the current studies, we aimed to extend existing research on self-talk by examining a different non-verbal behavior (i.e., body posture), as well as specifying some conditions under which body posture can interact with self-talk on physical performance from the Self-Validation Theory perspective. Most importantly, we proposed and tested a moderated serial multiple mediation model. In Studies 1 and 2, self-talk (i.e., positive vs. negative) and body posture (i.e., upright vs. slumped) were manipulated between participants. In Study 1, soccer players performed slalom and dribbling tests. In Study 2, athletes performed a push-up test. We hypothesized and found that positive (vs. negative) self-talk influenced physical performance to a greater extent for participants in the upright posture (i.e., validating) condition than for participants in the slumped posture (i.e., invalidating) condition. Furthermore, Study 3 was designed to analyze a moderated serial multiple mediation model. In this third study, self-talk was positive, body posture was manipulated, and the meaning of body posture was measured as a moderator. Results supported the proposed model, identifying the perceived validity of self-statements (i.e., the self-validation mechanism) and self-efficacy as serial mediators. That is, the meaning (i.e., validity-invalidity) moderated the effects of body posture on athletes’ physical performance in a pull-up test, through the indirect effects of the perceived validity of self-statements and self-efficacy. Implications for self-talk research and application are discussed.

Pain and health-related quality of life in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A multiple mediator analysis.

The objective was to investigate the serial mediating effects of daily activities, patient health communication, and disease-specific worry in the relationship between pain intensity and overall generic health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in pediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy from the patient perspective. Pain Intensity Item, Daily Activities Scale, Communication Scale and Worry Scale from Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Module and PedsQL 4.0 Generic Core Scales were completed by 110 pediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy ages 8-17. A serial multiple mediator model analysis was conducted to test the hypothesized sequential mediating effects of daily activities, patient health communication, disease-specific worry as intervening variables in the association between the pain intensity predictor variable and overall generic HRQOL. Pain predictive effects on overall generic HRQOL were serially mediated by daily activities, patient health communication, and disease-specific worry. In a predictive analytics model utilizing hierarchical multiple regression analysis with age demographic covariate, patient-reported pain intensity, daily activities, patient health communication, and disease-specific worry accounted for 47% of the variance in overall generic HRQOL (P<0.001), representing a large effect size. Pain intensity, daily activities, patient health communication, and disease-specific worry explain in part the mechanism of pain predictive effects on overall generic HRQOL in pediatric patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Identifying the mediators of pain intensity on overall generic HRQOL from the patient perspective may inform targeted clinical interventions and future patient-centered clinical research to improve overall daily functioning.

Chinese Visceral Adiposity Index and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese: Dose-Response Correlation and the Effect Mediated by Sleep Time and Life Satisfaction

Depression is a common psychosomatic disorder in clinical practice and may soon become the largest disease burden globally. Studies have focused on the association between obesity and depression but presented controversial results. This study is aimed at exploring the dose-response correlation between Chinese visceral adiposity index (CVAI) and depressive symptoms and the mediating effect of sleep time and life satisfaction in this relationship. We include 4149 individuals aged ≥45 years from wave 2011 and wave 2015 of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), using restricted cubic spline (RCS) to examine possible nonlinear correlation and serial multiple mediation model to examine the mediating effect of sleep time and life satisfaction. Results indicate that there is a significant negative linear correlation between CVAI and depressive symptoms, and each IQR increment in CVAI is associated with 11% lower risk of depressive symptoms. About 50.00% (indirect effect/total effect) of the significant association between CVAI and depressive symptoms is mediated by sleep time and life satisfaction, with life satisfaction playing a relatively major role. Properly visceral adiposity may be protective against depressive symptoms. It could be feasible to alleviate the depressive symptoms in people with too low visceral adiposity by improving their life satisfaction.

Anxiety and Insomnia Mediate the Association of Fear of Infection and Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Nurses Deployed to a COVID-19 Epicenter in China.

This study aimed to test the mediating role of anxiety and insomnia in the association between fear of infection and fatigue. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted on the nurses deployed to Heihe. A serial multiple mediation model was established to determine the role of anxiety and insomnia in the association between fear of infection and fatigue. Over half (53.0%) of the study participants reported experiencing fear of infection despite stringent personal protection measures. The scores of anxiety (11.87±5.19), insomnia (16.33±5.95), and fatigue (45.94±12.93) were moderately correlated, with a Pearson correlation coefficient ranging from 0.501 to 0.579. Anxiety, either alone or in combination with insomnia, mediated the association between fear of infection and fatigue. The findings suggest that anxiety and insomnia play a mediating role in the relationship between fear of infection and fatigue. These results emphasize the importance of implementing targeted mental health interventions and work arrangements to address the well-being of healthcare professionals.

Parental Attachment, Self-Esteem, Social Problem-Solving, Intimate Partner Violence Victimization in Emerging Adulthood

Emerging adults can experience conflicts with their dating partner, leading to intimate partner violence (IPV). In order to understand the vulnerability factors involved in IPV victimization, the current study explored a serial multiple mediation model to determine the links between parental attachment (to the father and mother), self-esteem, and social problem solving (SPS) on the three forms of IPV (psychological, physical and sexual). Based on an online survey, 756 emerging adults (84.8% women, mean age = 23.52) completed self-report questionnaires related to parental attachment, self-esteem, SPS (avoidance and impulsive/carelessness style), and IPV during the past year. The study design was cross-sectional and data were analyzed through partial least structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings did not support serial multiple mediation model, as the indirect effects of the two specific mediation models were not significant. However, the total indirect effects were significant, indicating a cascade effect chain of events between the variables; insecure parental attachment was related to lower self-esteem, which was associated with poor SPS skills (especially impulsive/carelessness style), which in turn was associated with both psychological and physical violence victimization. The implications of the findings for promoting the life skills of emerging adults, such as problem solving or self-esteem, to enable them to handle their relationship conflicts are discussed.

"To be, or not be… satisfied in NPOs": a serial multiple mediation and clustering analysis of paid staff and volunteers' profiles.

Non-profit organizations (NPOs) are a complex working context whose main characteristic resides in the dichotomy between paid staff and volunteers. Despite its benefits for goal achievement, this circumstance can be also a challenge, for both groups' interaction, for their comprehension of their own role and to HR management. The aim of this study was to explore factors that may contribute to promote job satisfaction among NPOs' members. Combining two different data analyses, serial multiple mediation analyses and cluster analyses, first we analyze whether there are differences between paid staff and volunteers in perceived intrapersonal conflict and performance and its effect on job satisfaction, and second, we analyze whether there is an additional profiles distribution that reflects more adequately the reality of NPOs, despite the formal roles that coexist in these organizations (paid staff and volunteers). Results confirm that paid staff and volunteers differ on their perceived job satisfaction level, with volunteers being more satisfied. This relationship is serially mediated by role conflict, role ambiguity, and performance. Another characteristic of the NPOs is that the dichotomy between paid staff and volunteers does not capture well the reality of the labor relations between members of both groups and the organization. To explore this phenomenon, we perform a cluster analysis based on paid staff and volunteers' perceptions. Cluster analyses demonstrate the existence of three rather homogenous profiles. Additionally, practical implications for HR management in NPOs and future research lines to understand this organizational context dynamics are also discussed.