Effects of a Mindfulness-based Intervention on Adolescents’ Depression and Self-concept: The Moderating Role of Age

Journal of Child and Family Studies - During adolescence, there are important changes in both depressive symptoms and self-concept; thus, the present study aimed to examine the effects of a...     

The Influence of Close Ties on Depression: Does Network Religiosity Matter?

Despite a growing body of the literature on how features of social networks influence well-being, we know little of how the religiosity of social networks matter. This study addresses three types of religious social network ties and their association with mental health: same (non)-religious ties, religious discussion ties, and ties offering prayers on an individual's behalf. Using ego-centric network data from the 2006 Portraits of American Life Study (N = 2,223), multivariate regression results suggest that a greater number of ties that discuss religion and pray for the respondent are detrimental to the mental health of those of a low religious salience. Taken together, this study demonstrates that religious dimensions of social networks exact an important influence on mental health and highlights the importance of identifying specific features of religion among core network ties.     

Gut or Game? The Influence of Moral Intuitions on Decisions in Video Games

Recent theorizing on the role of morality in media entertainment suggests morality serves as a guiding force in audience reactions to content. Using moral foundations theory as a base, research has found significant associations between moral salience and audience preferences for and responses to film and television varying in their presentations of morality. Our study extends this work by testing the same relationship in video games. Because a distinguishing factor between video games and traditional media is interactivity, our study focuses on how moral salience predicts decisions made in a video game. We find that increased moral salience led to a decreased probability of moral violations, while decreased moral salience led to an observed random (50%) distribution of violations. This finding was largely stable across different morality subcultures (German, United States) and age groups (adolescents and elderly), with deviations from this pattern explained by theory. We interpret this as evidence for a gut or game explanation of decision making in video games. When users encounter virtual scenarios that prime their moral sensitivities, they rely on their moral intuitions; otherwise, they make satisficing decisions not as an indication of moral corruption but merely as a continuation of the virtual experience.     

Does Education Influence Ethical Decisions? An International Study

This study examined whether having attended a public, private or religious affiliated grade and/or high school influenced a college student’s ethical decision making process. We also examined whether having taken an ethics course in college influences a student’s ethical decision making process. Our sample included 508 accounting students (237 men and 271 women) from Albania, Ecuador, Ireland and the United States. Our analyses indicated no differences in ethical decision making that associated with either grade-or-high-school education. While our data showed no difference in the reported attitudes between students from Ecuador and the United States after controlling for social desirability response bias, we found significant differences between the attitudes students from the United States and students from both Albania and Ireland. While gender was also significant for six of our seven scenarios, social desirability response bias was significant in all of our scenarios.     

The Influence of Race and Income on Community Mothers’ Acceptance of Child Management Methods

The consideration of diverse family factors on parents’ acceptance of behavioral parent training (BPT) components aids in the development and delivery of culturally sensitive parenting programs. Perceptions of acceptability are particularly important to investigate among low-income and racial-minority families, as they are less likely to engage in nonadapted BPT programs. Therefore, the current study examines the synergistic effects of race and income on mothers’ acceptance of five common child management methods relevant to BPT. The relationship between mothers’ acceptability ratings and self-reported parenting practices was also explored. Participants were 106 White and Black mothers from different income levels who completed measures related to the acceptability of response cost, positive reinforcement, time-out, spanking, and medication. The results indicated that mothers from varying backgrounds differed in their acceptance of child management methods, particularly with regard to corporal punishment. Additionally, a relationship was found between parents’ acceptability ratings and their self-reported parenting behavior. The findings support the consideration of parents’ perceptions of child discipline methods when recommending and delivering BPT programs to diverse parents.     

The Effects of Education on Americans’ Religious Practices,Beliefs, and Affiliations

I challenge the scholarly contention that increases in education uniformly lead to declines in religious participation, belief, and affiliation. I argue that education influences strategies of action, and these strategies of action are relevant to some religious beliefs and activities but not others. Analysis of survey data shows that (1) education negatively affects exclusivist religious viewpoints and biblical literalism but not belief in God or the afterlife; (2) education positively affects religious participation, devotional activities, and emphasizing the importance of religion in daily life; (3) education positively affects switching religious affiliations, particularly to a mainline Protestant denomination, but not disaffiliation; (4) education is positively associated with questioning the role of religion in secular society but not with support for curbing the public opinions of religious leaders; and (5) the effects of education on religious beliefs and participation vary across religious traditions. Education does influence Americans’ religious beliefs and activities, but the effects of education on religion are complex.     

The Influence of Relational Knowledge and Executive Function on Preschoolers’ Repeating Pattern Knowledge

Children’s knowledge of repeating patterns (e.g., ABBABB) is a central component of early mathematics, but the developmental mechanisms underlying this knowledge are currently unknown. We sought clarity on the importance of relational knowledge and executive function (EF) to preschoolers’ understanding of repeating patterns. One hundred twenty-four children aged 4 to 5 years old were administered a relational knowledge task, 3 EF tasks (working memory, inhibition, set shifting), and a repeating pattern assessment before and after a brief pattern intervention. Relational knowledge, working memory, and set shifting predicted preschoolers’ initial pattern knowledge. Working memory also predicted improvements in pattern knowledge after instruction. The findings indicated that greater EF ability was beneficial to preschoolers’ repeating pattern knowledge and that working-memory capacity played a particularly important role in learning about patterns. Implications are discussed in terms of the benefits of relational knowledge and EF for preschoolers’ development of patterning and mathematics skills.     

“Leaven in the Loaf”: The Wabash Center and Theological Education

Abstract. Assessing the impact of Wabash Center programs on theological education, this article focuses on the vocation of the theological educator, particularly on the impact of theological teaching on faith and on the institutions, values, and practices that shape living. Five contributions of the Wabash Center are highlighted: (1) guiding seminary faculty in the practices of teaching, (2) enhancing the teaching preparation of doctoral students for theological education, (3) linking effective teaching to the development of seminary curricula, (4) enlarging the literature on teaching in theological education, and (5) nurturing the vocation of seminary educators.     

The Influence of Mothers’ Emotional Expressivity and Class Grouping on Chinese Preschoolers’ Emotional Regulation Strategies

Emotional regulation within the context of social situations refers to an individual’s ability to respond to emotions in socially acceptable ways in order to adapt quickly and to maintain good interpersonal relationships. Emotional regulation is a psychological characteristic at the core of social stability. The preschool period is a stage in which children’s emotional regulation develops rapidly. Because homes and preschools are the two main places where preschoolers grow and spend their time, their mothers and peers play key roles in their social interactions. Therefore, the present study explored how the emotional regulation strategies of preschool children in China are affected by children’s class grouping and their mothers’ emotional expressivity. The participants were 182 preschoolers (ages 3–5) who were recruited for this study. The Emotional Regulation Strategy Questionnaire and the Self-Expressiveness in the Family Questionnaire were used to explore preschoolers’ emotional regulation strategies and their mothers’ emotional expressivity, respectively. The study results are as follows. (1) As they develop, preschool children use more positive emotional regulation strategies and fewer negative emotional regulation strategies. (2) Children in mixed-age classes use fewer passive reaction strategies than children in same-age classes do. For replacement activity strategies, only 4-year-old children in mixed-age classes score higher than children in same-age classes. (3) Mothers’ tendencies toward positive emotional expression can positively predict their children’s use of positive emotional regulation strategies, and their displays of negative emotions can positively predict their children’s use of negative emotional regulation strategies.     

Leading God’s People: Perceptions of Influence Among African–American Pastors

Journal of Religion and Health - Religious leaders, particularly African–American pastors, are believed to play a key role in addressing health disparities. Despite the role...     

As I See It: A Study of African American Pastors’ Views on Health and Health Education in the Black Church

The Black Church is the only institution that has consistently served the interest of African Americans, and there is no other institution in the African American community that rivals its influence (Camara, 2004). The spiritual well-fare, social support, health, and well-being of its people have been one of its main goals. With health disparities of African Americans still at an alarming rate, the Black Church has used informal education as a means to impart knowledge on health, as well as other non-religious and religious topics. One of the avenues least researched within the Black Church is the pastor’s perception of its educational role in health and wellness and its efforts to reduce health discrimination and health disparities between African American and European Americans in the U.S. Since social justice appears as a theme and concern in the traditions of many churches, it is only appropriate that, among other things, the Black Church should address the issue of health education and interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore African American pastors’ perceptions of the role of the Black Church in providing health care, health education, and wellness opportunities to African Americans. Many pastors reported their church provided some form of health education and/or health screenings. Their perceptions about the important issues facing their congregants versus African Americans in general were quite similar.     

Genetic Testing Likelihood: The Impact of Abortion Views and Quality of Life Information on Women’s Decisions

Little is known about factors predicting the likelihood of choosing genetic testing in college aged women versus older women, including knowledge of quality of life (QOL) associated with a disorder. Using vignettes with female college students (Experiment 1: n = 257, mean age = 19.70 yrs) and female faculty/staff/alumni (Experiment 2: n _nulliparous = 83, mean age = 30.20 yrs; n _mothers = 53, mean age = 33.77 yrs), we examined the contribution of multiple factors to predicting genetic testing likelihood for cystic fibrosis. We investigated malleable situational factors (style of genetic risk presentation and providing QOL information including physical and social aspects) and stable dispositional factors (abortion views). Parity (i.e., prior births) was more influential in women’s genetic testing likelihood than was age. Greater acceptability of abortion for oneself and self-assessed knowledge following QOL information were predictors of higher testing likelihood for college students. Greater acceptability of abortion for another person was a predictor for nulliparous women. Abortion views moderated the effect of predictors for nulliparous women and mothers. Findings encourage genetic counselors to utilize QOL information to promote informed decision making through genetic testing.     

The Influence of Perceived Product Risk on Consumers’ e-Tailer Shopping Preference

Increasingly, retailers are combining Internet and store based operations to become “multi-channel” as they attempt to attract and retain customers. This study investigates how the type and level of perceived product risk (specifically economic and psychosocial risk) influence patronage preference for shopping from three types of e-tailers. The e-tailer formats studied are: pure play e-tailers (e.g., Overstock.com), value-oriented store based e-tailers (e.g., Wal-Mart.com), and prestigious store based e-tailers (e.g., Bloomingdales.com). The hypotheses, based upon prior research in the area of perceived product risk, show that type and level of risk do matter. Further, e-tailers linked with prestigious stores have an advantage over both other e-tailer types. Results also show an interaction between perceived product risk and the e-tail format. Based on samples from the Northeast and Southeast USA, the results are found to be similar in these diverse regions, improving the generalizability of the findings.     

The secular and the sacred: reflections on Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age

Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age represents a remarkable achievement. Taylor insists in a reasoned way that the sacred continues to have an important and legitimate role, and challenges assumptions, whether based on Weberian or Durkheimian understandings of religion in society, that faith no longer has a place. In doing this, he distinguishes among different aspects of the secularisation thesis. In this article I assert that there is a coherence to Taylor’s body of work, including A Secular Age, and I trace certain themes, such as a concern with notions of the self, that run through his work. I also identify in Taylor’s argument links to the thought of thinkers like Blondel, Gilson, Maritain and Marcel, and to the notion of an apologetics of hope.     

Influences of Biological and Adoptive Mothers’ Depression and Antisocial Behavior on Adoptees’ Early Behavior Trajectories

Research clearly demonstrates that parents pass risk for depression and antisocial behavior on to their children. However, most research confounds genetic and environmental mechanisms by studying genetically related individuals. Furthermore, most studies focus on either depression or antisocial behavior in parents or children, despite evidence of co-occurrence and shared etiology, and few consider the early origins of these problems in childhood. We estimated the influence of biological and adoptive mothers’ depression and antisocial behavior on growth in child externalizing and internalizing behaviors across early childhood using data from a prospective adoption study. Participants were 346 matched triads of physically healthy children (196 boys; 150 girls), biological mothers (BM), and adoptive mothers (AM). Latent growth curve models were estimated using AM reports of child internalizing and externalizing behaviors at ages 18, 27, and 54 months. Predictors of intercept (18 months) but not slope were identified. BM lifetime histories of major depressive disorder predicted child externalizing behaviors and BM antisocial behavior predicted child internalizing behavior. AM depressive symptoms and antisocial behavior were associated with both child outcomes. AM paths, but not BM paths were partially replicated using adopted fathers’ reports of child outcomes. BM obstetric complications, prenatal depressive symptoms, and postnatal adoptive family contact with BM did not account for BM paths. This adoption study distinguished risks conferred by biological mothers’ depression and antisocial behavior to children’s behaviors from those associated with adoptive mothers’ related symptoms. Future studies should examine gene-environment interplay to explain the emergence of serious problem trajectories in later childhood.     

Influence of Peers’ Types of Trust on Trust Repair: The Role of Apologies

This study aims to answer the question how previous trust experiences contextualize trust repair efforts. The concepts of calculus-based and relational trust are utilized to show the influence of the kind of trust on trust repair tactics, specifically apologies. We focus on a neglected referent of trust, that is trust between peers, and elucidate apology and its complements that might be effective between peers. We propose that the effectiveness of apologies and its specific complements depend not only on trust breach but also on the type of trust prior to a breach. Specifically, we claim that when apology is complemented with compensation or external attributions, these tactics repair trust more effectively in calculus-based trust. But, when apology is complemented with empathy, acknowledgment of violated norms, and extensive involvement, these tactics can effectively repair trust in relational trust. The paper aims to contribute to our understanding of apologies and the effectiveness of it under different conditions.     

The Influence of Leader’s Spiritual Values of Servant Leadership on Employee Motivational Autonomy and Eudaemonic Well-Being

This research examined the role of leader’s spiritual values in terms of the “servant leadership” in the process of promoting employee’s autonomous motivation and eudaemonic well-being. Sample consists of 265 Chinese supervisor-subordinate dyads recruited from a variety of industries in Taiwan. Spiritual values perceived by the subordinates, as well as the discrepancy between leader-subordinate perceptions, but not the leader’s self-perceptions of spiritual values, were found to contribute significantly beyond transactional leadership in predicting subordinate motivational autonomy and eudaemonic well-being, and subordinate autonomous motivations fully mediates the relationship between spiritual values and eudaemonic well-being.     

The Effects of a Cooperative Physical Education Program on Students’ Social Skills

The present study examined the effect of a cooperative physical education program on students’ social skills and attitudes toward group work. Four sixth grade classes were assigned either in an experimental (n = 57) or in a control group (n = 57). The experimental classes received a cooperative learning program. Students completed self- and peer forms of the Multisource Assessment of Children's Social Competence (Junttila, Voeten, Kaukiainen, & Vauras, 2006 Junttila, N., Voeten, M., Kaukiainen, A. and Vauras, M. 2006. Multisource assessment of children‘s social competence. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66: 876–895.  [Google Scholar]) and the Feelings Toward Group Work scales (Cantwell & Andrews, 2002 Cantwell, R. H. and Andrews, B. 2002. Cognitive and psychological factors underlying secondary school students’ feelings towards group work. Educational Psychology, 22: 75–91. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) before and after the program. Results showed gains of the experimental classes on social skills and on preferences for group work.