Distance,Contact, and Intergenerational Relationships: Grandparents and Adult Grandchildren from an International Perspective

In previous studies of intergenerational relationships, geographic distance has been considered the most obvious factor influencing opportunity for frequency of contact between grandparents and grandchildren. This study presents findings from a survey of 70 international college students in the Unites States regarding perceived grandparental influence and relationship satisfaction with their “closest” grandparent. Results showed that participants' perceived influence of grandparents and relationship satisfaction was maintained despite decreased contact between grandparents and grandchildren. In addition, grandchildren who initiated contact were found to have a significant impact on relationship satisfaction. This study provides an understanding of distance, contact, and intergenerational relationships in an international context.     

One Roof,Three Generations: Grandparental Co-residence and Child Outcomes in China

This study examined the association between grandparental co-residence and child academic and behavioral outcomes using a sample from Shanghai, China (n = 1,763), and was built on two theoretical perspectives: intergenerational solidarity theory and the contextual model of family stress. These models integrate the impact of residential and relational proximity to grandparents on child well-being and underscore the importance of family context. This study also explored the moderating effects of family resources using proxies that prior theoretical and empirical studies have found to be important to such associations: family income, parental education, hukou status, and subjective social status. Results indicated that among families without co-residing grandparents, rural and low-income parents reported their children to have more externalizing behavioral issues than their respective urban and non-low-income counterparts. In addition, children who resided in poorly resourced families (i.e., low family income, low parental education, low subjective social status, or rural hukou status) tended to benefit from living with grandparents compared to their well-resourced counterparts in terms of lower externalizing and internalizing behaviors reported by teachers. These results do not negate the potential beneficial effects of living with grandparents for children in well-resourced environments. Implications for practice and policy, as well as future research directions, are discussed.     

The intergenerational transmission of social dominance: A three‐generation study

This study examined the transmission of social dominance orientation (SDO) from parents and grandparents to children. It was predicted that parents as well as grandparents would pass their social dominance attitudes to children. Children's levels of SDO would thus be the highest when parental and grandparental attitudes are high; the lowest when parental and grandparental attitudes are low; and intermediate when parental and grandparental attitudes are incongruent. These hypotheses were examined in a sample of 93 families including children (in early adulthood), one of their parents, and one of their grandparents. Results yielded support for the predictions. These findings' implications are discussed in terms of their potential to explain previous inconsistent results on the transmission of social attitudes to children. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Apologies,Repentance, and Forgiveness: A Muslim–Christian Comparison

Forgivingness (dispositional forgiveness) was assessed in three different samples: Lebanese Muslims (N = 119), Lebanese Christians (N = 121), and French Christians (N = 151). Two different forgivingness structures were evidenced, one that corresponded to the three-factor Western European model (Lasting Resentment, Sensitivity to Circumstances, and Unconditional Forgiveness), which fit the data from the Christian samples, and one that gave a special status to repentance and apologies, which fit the data from the Lebanese Muslim sample. In this alternative model, the meaning of the Sensitivity to Circumstances factor was reduced to circumstances that did not imply the offender's behavior or the victim's mood, and the meaning of the third factor was that the presence of apologizing behavior from the offender was a necessary condition for the resentment to weaken, for the mood to improve, and for a first step toward forgiveness to be taken. The Lebanese Muslims' unconditional forgiveness score was lower than the corresponding Lebanese Christians' and French Christians' scores. This difference was not attributable to possible differential acquiescence effects.     

Examining the Factor Structure of the Self-Compassion Scale in Four Distinct Populations: Is the Use of a Total Scale Score Justified?

This study examined the factor structure of the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) using a bifactor model, a higher order model, a 6-factor correlated model, a 2-factor correlated model, and a 1-factor model in 4 distinct populations: college undergraduates (N = 222), community adults (N = 1,394), individuals practicing Buddhist meditation (N = 215), and a clinical sample of individuals with a history of recurrent depression (N = 390). The 6-factor correlated model demonstrated the best fit across samples, whereas the 1- and 2-factor models had poor fit. The higher order model also showed relatively poor fit across samples, suggesting it is not representative of the relationship between subscale factors and a general self-compassion factor. The bifactor model, however, had acceptable fit in the student, community, and meditator samples. Although fit was suboptimal in the clinical sample, results suggested an overall self-compassion factor could still be interpreted with some confidence. Moreover, estimates suggested a general self-compassion factor accounted for at least 90% of the reliable variance in SCS scores across samples, and item factor loadings and intercepts were equivalent across samples. Results suggest that a total SCS score can be used as an overall mesure of self-compassion.     

To discover or to create: metaphors and the true self

Three studies examined how endorsement of self‐discovery and self‐creation metaphors influences belief in the true self and its use as meaning source. It was hypothesized that discovery metaphors contribute to belief in the true self and bolster the relationship between true self‐knowledge and meaning. Study 1 supported the hypothesis that discovery is positively associated with belief in the true self among a sample of college students (N = 311). Studies 2 and 3 extended the analysis by showing that the discovery metaphor also facilitates perceptions of meaning and the use of the true self specifically as a source of meaning in a second sample of college students (N = 75) as well as an adult sample of university employees (N = 173). Implications for understanding what enables the true self to infuse life with meaning, as well as an individual differences approach to metaphoric cognition, are discussed.     

Strengths of character,orientations to happiness,and life satisfaction

Why are certain character strengths more associated with life satisfaction than others? A sample of US adults (N?=?12,439) completed online surveys in English measuring character strengths, orientations to happiness (engagement, pleasure, and meaning), and life satisfaction, and a sample of Swiss adults (N?=?445) completed paper-and-pencil versions of the same surveys in German. In both samples, the character strengths most highly linked to life satisfaction included love, hope, curiosity, and zest. Gratitude was among the most robust predictors of life satisfaction in the US sample, whereas perseverance was among the most robust predictors in the Swiss sample. In both samples, the strengths of character most associated with life satisfaction were associated with orientations to pleasure, to engagement, and to meaning, implying that the most fulfilling character strengths are those that make possible a full life.     

The contribution of role satisfaction,meaning in life and work–home conflict to explaining well-being among working grandparents

Background and objectives: The study aimed to examine the relationship of satisfaction with occupied roles as well as the sense of meaning in life and experience of work–home conflict to well-being among working grandparents in Israel.

Design and methods: The research sample consisted of 316 employed grandparents aged 50–80 (153 grandfathers and 163 grandmothers), who were employed in various types of organizations. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. Structural equation modeling was used for data analysis.

Results: The research findings indicate that the sense of meaning in life mediated the relationship between role satisfaction and the two types of work–home conflict. A significant relationship was found between “work interferes with family” conflict and negative affect. Higher personal resources were associated with higher meaning in life. Gender was not related to the experience of work–home conflict or to any of the outcome variables.

Conclusions: The centrality of meaning in life in the model that explains the experience of work–home conflict and its outcomes among working grandparents, derives from its mediating role in the relationship between the experience of role satisfaction and both types of role conflict, as well as from its direct impact on positive and negative affect.     

The distribution of hand preference is discrete: A taxometric examination

The dominant genetic models of human handedness ( Annett, 1985 ; McManus, 1985a ) have contrasting views on its nature. Whereas Annett's model proposes that handedness is distributed continuously (following the distribution of performance asymmetries of the hands), McManus's model proposes that handedness is distributed dichotomously. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of the underlying distribution. The taxonomy of hand preference was analysed by two independent taxometric procedures, ‘mean‐above–mean‐below‐a‐cut’ and ‘maximum‐eigenvalue’, separately in two geographically, demographically, and culturally distinct samples; one of Australian adults (N=787), and the other of Serbian high school students (N=1,224). The analyses revealed a latent categorical structure in both samples, with estimated mean base‐rates of a right‐handed taxon of 0.80 and 0.94 from the two analyses of the adult sample and of 0.79 and 0.93 from the two analyses of the high school sample. Subsequent analyses showed that the initial right‐handed class could be subdivided into consistent and inconsistent right‐handed subclasses in both samples. A supplementary analysis, including a measure of hand proficiency in a subset of the sample of Australian adults (N=596), also revealed a latent categorical structure, showing evidence for a categorical latent structure from a continuous measure of hand performance. We conclude that the distribution of hand preferences in humans is discrete and not continuous.     

隔代照料与中老年人心理健康：家庭亲密度的中介作用

研究旨在考察隔代照料与中老年人心理健康的关系以及家庭亲密度的中介作用。采用流行病调查中心抑郁量表（CES-D）、生活满意度量表（SWLS）和家庭环境量表（FES-CV）亲密度分量表测量中老年人抑郁症状、生活满意度和家庭亲密度。自编隔代照料问卷测量中老年人的隔代照料频率。共计325位45岁及以上有照顾孙辈经验的社区中老年人参加了问卷调查。结果发现：第一,隔代照料强度与中老年人的抑郁症状、生活满意度存在显著负相关;第二,家庭亲密度部分中介了隔代照料与抑郁症状、生活满意度的负向关系。结果表明,隔代照料对中老年人心理健康既有积极作用,也有消极作用,家庭亲密度在一定程度上部分中介了上述关系。     

Cross-cultural Differences in Self-reported Decision-making Style and Confidence

The Melbourne Decision Making Questionnaire (Mann, Burnett, Radford, & Ford, 1997) measures self-reported decision-making coping patterns. The questionnaire was administered to samples of University students in the US (N = 475), Australia (N = 262), New Zealand (N = 260), Japan (N = 359), Hong Kong (N = 281), and Taiwan (N = 414). As predicted, students from the three Western, individualistic cultures (US, Australia, and New Zealand) were more confident of their decision-making ability than students from the three East Asian, group-oriented cultures (Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan). No cross-cultural differences were found in scores on decision vigilance (a careful decision-making style). However, compared with Western students, the Asian students tended to score higher on buck-passing and procrastination (avoidant styles of decision making) as well as hypervigilance (a panicky style of decision making). Japanese students scored lowest on decision self-esteem and highest on procrastination and hypervigilance. It was argued that the conflict model and its attendant coping patterns is relevant for describing and comparing decision making in both Western and Asian cultures.     

Psychological Empowerment,Work Engagement and Turnover Intention: The Role of Leader Relations and Role Clarity in a Financial Institution

This study investigated the relationship between leader-member exchange, role clarity, psychological empowerment, engagement and turnover intention within a financial institution in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey design was used. A convenience sample (N = 278) was taken (males =31%, females =60%; 88% younger than 35 years; 57% with 2–5 years service) from the total population (N = 889). They completed the Leader-Member Exchange Questionnaire (Liden, Wayne, & Stilwell, 1993) Role Conflict and Ambiguity Questionnaire (Rizzo, House, & Lirtzman, 1970), Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire (Spreitzer, 1995), Engagement Questionnaire (May, Gilson, & Harter, 2004) and Intention-to-leave Scale (Sjöberg & Sverke, 2000). A path model was tested with SPSS to determine the relationships of the variables. Furthermore, a theoretical model was tested through the use of structural equation modelling (Arbuckle, 2008). The latent variables included LMX (consisting of two parcels), role clarity (consisting of two parcels), psychological empowerment (consisting of four variables, namely meaning, competence, impact, and self-determination), work engagement (consisting of two parcels), and turnover intention (a manifest variable). Role clarity mediated the relationship between leader-member exchange and psychological empowerment, while psychological empowerment mediated the relationship between role clarity and work engagement as well as turnover intention. Leader-member relations lead to better understanding of roles, while role clarity empowers and engages employees.     

Posttraumatic Growth in Individuals With Chronic Illness: The Role of Social Support and Meaning Making

This study aimed to assess the predictive nature of social support, meaning making (presence of meaning and search for meaning), and demographic factors on perceived posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of adults living with chronic illness (N = 110). Regression analyses indicated that presence of meaning and gender served as the strongest predictors, together accounting for 22% of the variance in PTG. Presence of meaning also moderated the relationship between social support and PTG, supporting the unique contribution of meaning making on PTG.     

A Serbian Version of Modified and Revised Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (SM–ECR–R)

We present details about the validation of the Serbian version of the Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised questionnaire modified to measure attachment in close relationships in general (SM–ECR–R). Its psychometric features were examined with 2 samples of students (N = 719 and N = 91) and 1 group of employed adults (N = 259). The results obtained in the student sample were equivalent to those obtained in validation studies worldwide, whereas in the more heterogeneous sample of employed adults, internal consistency of both avoidance and anxiety was lower and their intercorrelation was higher. Test–retest reliability was satisfactory, and relations with measures of attachment, empathy, and personality structure were meaningful. The results support the SM–ECR–R as a reliable and valid research instrument, but its internal structure and consistency might vary in different samples, depending on age, education, gender, and culture.     

Struggle with ultimate meaning: Nuanced associations with search for meaning,presence of meaning,and mental health

Struggle with ultimate meaning reflects concerns about whether one’s life has a deeper meaning or purpose. We examined whether this construct could be distinguished from presence of meaning in life and search for meaning. In two US samples – a web-based sample (N = 1047) and an undergraduate sample (N = 3978) – confirmatory factor analyses showed that struggle with ultimate meaning loaded on a factor that was distinct from but related to presence (negatively) and search (positively). Moderated regression analyses showed that people with low levels of presence combined with high levels of search for meaning were particularly likely to struggle with ultimate meaning. Additionally, when compared to presence and search, struggle with ultimate meaning related more strongly to depressive symptoms than presence or search. These results suggest that struggle with ultimate meaning represents a distinct component of how people grapple with meaning that has implications for mental health.     

The association between grandparental investment and grandparents' happiness in Finland

There is a lack of studies analyzing the association between grandparental investment and grandparents' happiness. Using nationally representative data from the Generational Transmissions in Finland project (sample n = 2,152 older adults), this study explores (a) whether grandparenthood is associated with self‐evaluated happiness, (b) whether there is an association between grandparental investment (measured by contact frequencies with grandchildren) and a grandparent's self‐perceived happiness, and (c) whether differences in the associations between grandparental investment and happiness vary according to the gender and lineage of a grandparent. Our results show that just being a grandparent is not associated with self‐evaluated happiness among older Finns. However, a positive association was found in the case of maternal grandmothers' investment and happiness.     

Psychosocial correlates of hiv-related sexual behavior in an inner city std clinic

Little is known about the relationship between smoking and meaning in life, although the association of meaninglessness with other addictive behaviours has been widely investigated. The aim of this study is to examine whether a relationship exists between meaning in life and intensity of smoking as measured by cigarettes smoked per day. The study population was 3506 current smokers from the Hungarostudy 2002 Hungarian representative cross-sectional survey. Age, educational level, marital status, subjective financial status, household income, coffee consumption, hazardous alcohol use, general well-being, anxiety, and depressive symptomatology were included in the analyses as covariates. On the bivariate level, life meaning was associated with smoking intensity in the total sample and among women (p < 0.001), while for males, only a tendency was found (p = 0.069). In the multivariate analyses, life meaning proved to be a significant negative predictor of smoking intensity for females (p = 0.005) even after controlling for the covariates, whereas in men, meaning in life completely lost its significance (p = 0.852). In the total sample, both meaning in life (p = 0.005) and its interaction with gender (p = 0.024) related to the dependent variable. Further research is needed to confirm these explorative findings concerning the protective role of life meaning against more intense smoking among women.     

Do Birds of a Feather Flock Together? An Examination of Calling,Congruence, Job Design and Personality as Predictors of Job Satisfaction and Tenure

This study explored whether congruence, calling, job characteristics or personality were better predictors of job satisfaction and tenure. The sample consisted of 1968 employees across four different job roles: sales engineers (N=309), graphic designers (N=383), teachers (N=481) and clergy (N=795). Data was collected as part of a selection and development centre battery. Results found evidence of calling, with clergy reporting significantly higher levels of work satisfaction and tenure, despite the absence of some personality predictors (i.e. conscientiousness) and job characteristics (task identity, feedback). In general personality [particularly conscientiousness (+) and neuroticism (-)] along with job characteristics (variety and autonomy) were the most likely predictors of satisfaction across the different roles. No evidence could be found that congruence predicted work satisfaction or tenure. Results have implications for renewed interest in the role of calling according to its original definition and question the role of congruence in determining best fit especially in the context of vocational assessments.     

Psychometric Synthesis of the Counselor Burnout Inventory

The authors reviewed 12 studies using the Counselor Burnout Inventory, including the results from their original, large‐sample study of school counselors (N = 1,005). Aggregated internal consistency (coefficient alpha) was .90 (N = 1,708), and subscale alphas ranged from .73 to .86 (N = 2,809). Test–retest reliability was .81 (N = 18; k = 1), with subscale test–retest reliability estimates ranging from .72 to .85. Convergent comparisons were robust across 10 instruments. Structural validity indicated a 5‐factor solution and an adequate to good fit of the model to the current study's data.     

Replicability and invariance of dimensions of parental rearing behaviour: Further Dutch experiences with the EMBU

In a recent article, Ross, Clayer and Campbell (1983) argued and showed by means of factor analysis that the number of child-rearing dimensions found previously with the EMBU appears to be dependent on the type of rotation used in factoring. Based on the assumption and empirical evidence that the dimensions found earlier are significantly correlated, Ross et al. (1983) argued that Oblique rotation would appear to give rise to a larger number of distinguishable dimensions than previous analyses (e.g. Arrindell, Emmelkamp, Brilman and Monsma, 1983). We contend that their conclusion was based on an inappropriate analysis of the data with a neglect of relevant psychometric principles. Employing objective techniques of factorial invariance the factors obtained in our previous study were shown here to be congruent across rotational procedures (Oblique vs Varimax). Supporting the stability and factorial and construct validity of the EMBU Rejection, Emotional Warmth, Overprotection and Favouring Subject dimensions, they were shown in further analyses to be: (a) replicable across split samples of phobics (Ns: 421 vs 420); and (b) invariant across distinct populations (phobics, N = 841 vs normals, N = 277).