Gender variance in interreligious sensitivity among Finnish pupils

This paper examines gender variance in the interreligious sensitivity among Finnish children and youth using a non-probability sample of 1000 Finnish lower secondary school pupils representing the age group 12–16. The data were gathered in three geographical locations: the capital city of Helsinki area, and two smaller municipalities in other parts of the country. The pupils’ self-reported attitudes towards interreligious sensitivity were measured using the Interreligious Sensitivity Scale. The results showed significant variation between the genders in the pupils’ interreligious sensitivity. Also geographical variance (city of residence) and pupils’ religious affiliation influenced their interreligious sensitivity.     

The longitudinal association between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement among immigrant and non‐immigrant children in Norway

The aim of this study was to explore the longitudinal relation between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement, as two processes of children and youth development, among children in Norway, and whether having an immigrant background moderated this association. Data collected from 4,458 students in Norway in four waves over three years were analyzed with multi‐group latent growth curve modeling (LGM ). Results showed that internalizing symptoms level remained unchanged over time both for immigrant and non‐immigrant children, while levels of academic achievement increased only for children of immigrants with both parents born outside of Norway. Further analyses supported a reciprocal relation between internalizing symptoms and academic achievement and revealed that the initial level of academic achievement predicted the rate of change in internalizing symptoms over time, but not vice versa. Moreover, immigrant background did not moderate the associations in the model, however, children of immigrants with both parents born abroad initially had lower levels of academic achievement, but showed an increase in academic achievement, compared to their non‐immigrant peers as well as to peers with one native‐born parent after controlling for gender and their grade at the first observation. The implications for policy and practice were discussed.     

Attachment style, ethnicity and help-seeking attitudes among adolescent pupils

The present study set out to explore influences on help-seeking attitudes among adolescents. The roles of attachment style, ethnicity and symptomatology were examined, as previous research (predominantly from outside the UK) has shown they have an influence on help-seeking. A self-report questionnaire survey of help-seeking attitudes was carried out among 112 Asian, black and white UK pupils (age 15 years). Teachers were identified as the most frequently used source of previous professional help. Greater intentions to seek help were associated with being female, having a secure attachment style and having had previous experience of obtaining professional psychological help, but ethnicity and level of emotional and behavioural difficulties did not predict. Results are discussed in terms of implications for enhancing adolescent help-seeking.     

Substance use among urban and rural secondary school pupils in South Africa

This study investigated the prevalence and frequency of substance use among a sample of 209 urban and 191 rural school pupils in South Africa. The three most predominantly used substances were alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis. Urban and rural differences in substances used were found.     

Work-family conflict: experiences and health implications among immigrant Latinos

Work-family conflict research has focused almost exclusively on professional, White adults. The goal of this article was to expand the understanding of culture and industry in shaping experiences and consequences of work-family conflict. Using in-depth interview data (n = 26) and structured survey data (n = 200) from immigrant Latinos employed in the poultry processing industry, the authors evaluated predictions drawn from emerging models emphasizing the influence of cultural characteristics such as collectivism and gender ideology on work-family conflict. Results indicated that immigrant Latinos in poultry processing experienced infrequent work-to-family conflict; both the level and the antecedents of work-to-family conflict differed by gender, with physical demands contributing to greater conflict for women but not men. In addition, there was little evidence that work-family conflict was associated with health in this population. These results demonstrate how traditional models of work-family conflict need to be modified to reflect the needs and circumstances of diverse workers in the new global economy.     

Narratives of effort among Chinese,Hungarian and Chinese immigrant students in Hungary

The present study aimed to reveal the effect of migration processes on the conceptualisation of effort involving two cultures with different approaches towards effort: China with an effort‐promoting mindset and Hungary with an effort‐repressing mindset. In the study, narrative approach was used in cross‐sectional design involving Chinese, Hungarian and Chinese immigrant students living in Hungary. Altogether 139 students—49 Hungarian, 47 Chinese, 43 Chinese immigrants—aged 13–15 years provided narratives on past personal effort. Content analyses were done on 222 narratives. The results showed that the Chinese narratives of effort were characterised by learning and achievement orientation with elaborated effort process. In contrast, the Hungarian narratives were characterised by relationship orientation and emotional coping with a non‐elaborated effort process. The narratives of the Chinese immigrants showed great similarity to those of the Chinese students reflecting academic effort, achievement goals and elaborated process. The findings suggest that the traditional Chinese approach towards effort persists in cultural transition, and academic effort tends to be a primary resource for educational success for the Chinese immigrant students in Hungary.     

Perceived discrimination and psychological adjustment among Russian‐speaking immigrant adolescents in Finland

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and psychological adjustment among immigrant adolescents. The subjects were 170 Russian‐speaking adolescents, all born in the former Soviet Union, aged between 12 and 19 years, who immigrated to Finland between 1987 and 1996. According to the results, self‐esteem served as a major mediator between perceived discrimination and psychological adjustment. The adolescents' experiences of parental support influenced their perceptions of discrimination and enhanced their self‐esteem, especially among the boys. Adherence to traditional values increased experiences of parental support, and also directly enhanced psychological adjustment. In addition, experiences of paternal support were found to be the most important for the boys, whereas experiences of maternal support were important for the girls.     

Daily hassles and distress among college students in relation to immigrant and minority status

The study separated acculturation-specific daily hassles (outgroup and ingroup) and non-specific hassles (general and family) in their contribution to distress (depression and physical symptoms). In contrast to earlier work, generic measures of acculturation-specific hassles were developed, without reference to the respondent's specific ethnic group. University students indicated their ethnic/ cultural origins, their place of birth, and the place of birth of both parents. On this basis, eighty-three females and thirteen males were assigned to the immigrant, minority status group. Fifty females and seven males were assigned to the immigrant, non-minority group, and forty-two females and eleven males to the nonimmigrant/non-minority status group. The immigrant/minority status group reported more outgroup hassles compared to the immigrant/non-minority group. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses, the contribution of general hassles and family hassles to the prediction of depression and physical symptoms depended on the group's immigrant/minority status. In controlling for psychological adjustment, general hassles continued to predict depression only for the immigrant/minority status group. Various aspects of the results and their implications were considered.     

Ethnic identity and preferences among Asian immigrant children in Glasgow: A replicated study

The aim of first study, carried out by an English investigator, was to assess the extent to which Asian immigrant children had moved away from the values of their culture of origin. For this purpose some novel techniques were employed, including an identikit task and one focusing on Scottish versus Asian names. The outcome suggested that the children had been very powerfully influenced by the values of the host community. Since it was suspected that these results might have been in part a function of the ethnic membership of the investigator and/or the specific methods employed, the study was repeated on a comparable sample with an Indian psychologist and using modified test materials. The results of the second study remained unchanged as far as factual aspects were concerned; however, preferences expressed changed significantly in the direction of Asian cultural values. The theoretical and methodological implications of these findings are discussed, and it is argued that studies of this type are likely to have an inherent element of uncertainty which calls for caution in making generalizations.     

Daily hassles and distress among college students in relation to immigrant and minority status

The study separated acculturation-specific daily hassles (outgroup and ingroup) and non-specific hassles (general and family) in their contribution to distress (depression and physical symptoms). In contrast to earlier work, generic measures of acculturation-specific hassles were developed, without reference to the respondent's specific ethnic group. University students indicated their ethnic/ cultural origins, their place of birth, and the place of birth of both parents. On this basis, eighty-three females and thirteen males were assigned to the immigrant, minority status group. Fifty females and seven males were assigned to the immigrant, non-minority group, and forty-two females and eleven males to the nonimmigrant/non-minority status group. The immigrant/minority status group reported more outgroup hassles compared to the immigrant/non-minority group. In hierarchical multiple regression analyses, the contribution of general hassles and family hassles to the prediction of depression and physical symptoms depended on the group's immigrant/minority status. In controlling for psychological adjustment, general hassles continued to predict depression only for the immigrant/minority status group. Various aspects of the results and their implications were considered.     

Belief in common fate and psychological well‐being among Chinese immigrant women

Three studies were conducted to develop and test a construct of Chinese marital commitment in the context of immigration. ‘Belief in common fate’ refers to an unfailing devotion to a Confucian ideal of the marital union as hierarchical without regard for external contingencies or individual needs. Women who did not believe in common fate reported a more positive affect. When women reported the occurrence of a severe life stressor, a strong belief in common fate was associated with psychological distress and negative affect. We discuss the importance of considering contextual factors, such as migration and life adversity, in interpreting the significance of cultural belief systems.     

Prejudice toward immigrant workers among Dutch employees: integrated threat theory revisited

Integrated Threat Theory (ITT) (Stephan & Stephan, 1993 , 1996 ) describes four types of threats as mediators in the relation between antecedent factors (previous intergroup conflict, intergroup contact, status inequalities, in‐group identification, knowledge about the out‐group, and intergroup contact) and prejudice. The four mediating types of threats, which influence prejudice according to ITT are: intergroup anxiety, negative stereotyping, realistic and symbolic threats. In this study, the ITT model was tested using structural equation modeling on data collected in sample of 187 Dutch employees. Two alternative explanatory models are proposed in which, first intergroup anxiety and then negative stereotyping mediate the relation between the other ITT threats and prejudice. The data show a good fit with the model in which negative stereotypes are considered as mediator variable. The implications of these findings for ITT are discussed in the context of recent theoretical developments in the study of stereotypes and prejudice. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parenting and preschool child behaviour among Turkish immigrant,migrant and non-migrant families

When families migrate the new culture and culture of origin may conflict, with possible consequences for parenting and children's development. Turks form one of the largest immigrant groups in Western Europe, and there is also much movement within Turkey. This study compares three groups; Turkish immigrants to the UK (N = 142), migrants within Turkey (N = 229), and Turkish non-migrants (locals, N = 396). The children were 39–71 months old (M = 58 months, SD = 6.5), 392 were boys and 375 were girls. Parents supplied data on family characteristics and parenting, and teachers supplied data on children's behaviour. Using Baumrind's parenting model and allowing for background effects, compared to non-migrants and migrants, the immigrant parents were less permissive and more authoritarian. Children in immigrant families had more externalizing problems, internalizing problems and emotional dysregulation and less social competence than migrant and non-migrant children. Multilevel models and structural equation models both found that these effects upon child behaviour were evident after taking into account demographic factors and were not eliminated by taking into account parenting style differences, and thus suggest that immigration and migration are risk factors for child behaviour. Effects of immigrant and migrant status were partly direct and partly indirect via their effects on parenting.     

Acculturation and adjustment among immigrant Chinese parents: mediating role of parenting efficacy

This study examined parenting efficacy beliefs as a mediator of the association between acculturation and adjustment. The sample consisted of 177 immigrant Chinese mothers and fathers with early adolescent children in Canada. Acculturation was assessed bidimensionally as Canadian and Chinese orientations. A latent psychological adjustment variable was composed of symptoms of depression, feelings of self-esteem, and life satisfaction. Results showed that relations between Canadian orientation and psychological adjustment were partially mediated by parenting efficacy. As expected, the more parents were oriented toward Canadian culture, the more efficacious they felt in their parenting, which in turn was associated with better psychological adjustment. In contrast, mediation of relations between Chinese orientation and psychological adjustment was not supported, as Chinese orientation was not associated with parenting efficacy and was positively associated with psychological adjustment for mothers only. Similar results were found when the meditational model was extended to evaluate parenting practices as an outcome (i.e., warmth, reasoning, and monitoring). That is, parenting efficacy mediated the relation between higher Canadian orientation and more positive parenting practices, whereas Chinese orientation was unrelated to parenting practices. Invariance testing suggested that the models were similar for mothers and fathers. Results support the theory that higher orientation to Canadian culture may advance feelings of parenting efficacy because parents have the cultural knowledge and skills to feel confident parenting in a new intercultural context. Further, they support the expectation that parenting efficacy beliefs, in turn, are important determinants of psychological adjustment and effective parenting for immigrant parents.     

Factors affecting behaviors that address HIV risk among senior secondary school pupils in South Africa.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting HIV risk reduction among senior secondary school pupils in South Africa. The sample included 460 Grade 12, Secondary School pupils whose ages ranged from 16 to 30 years (M = 19.7 yr., SD = 2.5) and who were chosen at random from the total Grade 12 population throughout one region in the Northern Province of South Africa. Measures were of sexual behavior and condom use, knowledge about correct condom use, intention of condom use, behavioral norms, attitudes, normative beliefs, and subjective norms about condoms, HIV/AIDS vulnerability (likelihood to get it) and severity of the illness in the country, and condom use self-efficacy. Bivariate analysis gave positive significant relations among normative beliefs, subjective norms, and attitudes towards condom use as well as HIV/AIDS vulnerability and HIV risk behavior. Regression analysis indicated that for boys, younger age at first vaginal intercourse, less intention for condom use, and HIV/AIDS vulnerability were predictive for HIV/AIDS risk behavior and explained 39% of the variance. It is suggested that these predictors should be included in intervention programs for HIV prevention.