Predictors of Externalizing Behavior Problems in Early Elementary-Aged Children: The Role of Family and Home Environments

As children enter elementary school they display behavioral orientations that reveal potential developmental trajectories. Developmental transitions offer unique opportunities for examining developmental pathways and the factors that influence emerging pathways. The primary goal of this investigation was to examine characteristics of family and home contexts in predicting externalizing behavior problems among children transitioning into elementary school. Dimensions of the family and home environments of maltreated and nonmaltreated children (N = 177) were examined and used to predict externalizing behavior problems. Maltreatment was assessed using case file information, characteristics of the family and home environment were rated by interviewers, and externalizing behavior was assessed by mother's ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist. Relative to nonmaltreated children, the family environments of physically abused children were characterized by higher levels of negative social interactions. Also, in comparison to nonmaltreated children, the home environments of children who experienced neglect were characterized as less organized and clean. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that physical abuse was the strongest predictor of externalizing behavior. After controlling for the contribution of physical abuse, mother's negative behavior toward the focal child, aggression between siblings, and the lack of an organized and clean home were each predictive of externalizing behavior.     

Role of Peer Support on Intragroup Marginalization for Latino Undergraduates

The authors examined 83 Latino undergraduates to determine whether perceived social support of friends mediates the role of intragroup marginalization on acculturative stress and college adjustment. A mediation effect was found for college adjustment but not for acculturative stress. Results highlight the importance of friends for college adjustment. Los autores examinaron 83 estudiantes universitarios Latinos para determinar si el apoyo social percibido de amigos media el papel de la marginalización de intragrupo sobre el estrés de aculturación y el ajuste a la universidad. Se encontró un efecto de mediación para el ajuste a la universidad pero no para el estrés de aculturación. Los resultados subrayan la importancia de los amigos para el ajuste a la universidad.     

Motivational Effects of the Perceived Image of Non‐governmental Organisations

The motivational effect of the perceived image of non‐governmental organisations (NGOs) was analysed in two studies. Results from the first study, comprising two samples (N = 314 and N = 220), point to three dimensions of the perceived image of NGOs (solidarity, misleading and instrumentality). These dimensions have different effects on intention to collaborate and to recommend others to collaborate. In the second study, with a sample of N = 485, confirmatory analysis confirmed the three‐factor solution as appropriate. The misleading image emerged as a source of reactance to NGO campaigns. Results suggest the importance of promoting the image of solidarity as a motivational strategy. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Sleep Disturbances: The Role of Perceived Stress as a Mediator

The main objective of the current study was to analyze the mediating role of perceived stress on the relationship between childhood trauma and sleep disturbances among the adult population. The sample of this cross-sectional study was composed of 987 Portuguese adults with sleep disturbances, who completed a self-administered questionnaire about childhood trauma, sleep disturbances, and perceived stress. The results of analyses found that in the model that included the variables childhood trauma and perceived stress, both variables were predictors of sleep disturbances; however, perceived stress was the strongest predictor. Regarding the model with the subtypes of maltreatment, only Emotional Abuse predicted sleep problems. Results of the Path Analysis model showed that perceived stress partly mediates the effect of childhood trauma on adult sleep disturbances. This study has clinical implications, supporting the importance of taking into account childhood trauma and perceived stress during the assessment and intervention of sleep disturbances.     

Is service climate strength beneficial or detrimental for service quality delivery?

This study examines whether climate strength has a direct, moderating, or curvilinear effect in the relationship between service climate and customer service quality perceptions. To this end, we carried out cross-sectional and lagged empirical studies in the Spanish hospitality sector. Our cross-sectional results confirmed that high climate strength in managerial practices fosters a positive impact of managerial practices on customer service quality evaluations. However, other results related to customer orientation of services question the idea that service climate strength is always a precursor of service quality. High climate strength in customer orientation enhanced the negative relationship between customer orientation and functional service quality in a cross-sectional study, and between customer orientation and relational service quality in a lagged study. In addition, an examination of curvilinear effects of climate strength revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between climate strength in customer orientation and relational service quality over time. The article concludes with a discussion of these results.     

Drug Therapy of Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Review of Current Evidence

This review considers the role of drug therapy in the treatment of post-stroke aphasia, the evidence for efficacy of different agents, and the theory-based explanations of drug-related benefits for aphasia rehabilitation. Pharmacological interventions modulating stroke-induced disruption of diverse neurotransmitters may improve language and communication deficits in aphasic patients through facilitation of brain plasticity and long-term potentiation. However, benefits are not evident for all compounds and refinement in clinical trial designs is required. Some pharmacological trials have failed because drug treatment was not combined with speech-language therapy, while other trials combining drugs with intensive model-driven therapies also failed probably because of short-trial duration, inadequate sample selection, or lack of drug action. Preliminary data reveals that combining neuroscience-based intensive aphasia techniques (constraint-induced aphasia therapy) and drugs acting on cholinergic and glutamatergic neurotransmitter systems are associated with better outcomes than other strategies and long-term maintenance of benefits. Although further studies are needed, current state of the evidence suggests that drug therapy may play a key role in the treatment of post-stroke aphasia.     

The classification of Spanish adolescents based on substance consumption patterns and the analysis of the relationships within their social developmental contexts

This research is part of the 2006 edition of the Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. The data presented were composed of a sample of 15942 Spanish adolescents ranging from 13 to 18 years of age. The instruments used included a variety of questions related to substance consumption among adolescents, their bio-psycho-social adjustment and developmental contexts, all of which are part of the HBSC study instrument bank. Through classification analysis, as well as significance and effect size tests, we obtained relevant information about the current epidemiology of substance consumption among Spanish adolescents. These results are representative of the Spanish adolescent population which allows the typical risk profile attributed to young people to be clarified. A gradual adjustment can be seen in terms of substance consumption levels in youth and that same level in their friends. Likewise, the analysis of the developmental context (family, friends and school) provides important information when it comes to preventing substance consumption, thus showing the advantages that coherence and connection have between the different environments where youth live, grow up and develop.     

Consumers' perceptions of the dimensions of brand personality

Brand personality (human‐like characteristics of a brand) has been a popular topic in the marketing literature for over 50 years. However, there is a lack of consumer‐focused studies investigating what factors shape perceptions of brand personality. To address this gap, the purpose of the current study is to understand how consumers form their perceptions of the different dimensions of brand personality identified in Aaker's scale (sincerity, excitement, competence, sophistication and ruggedness), and what product or brand characteristics influence these perceptions. Sixty‐six interviews were conducted with graduate students, who were asked to discuss which brands reflected the specific dimensions of brand personality in Aaker's scale. As a result, we identify the kinds of brands consumers perceive as typical for each personality dimension, discover their common characteristics and explain the reasons why some brands are strongly associated with a particular dimension and some are not. Our findings indicate that specific brand personality dimensions are associated with particular product categories. However, brands mentioned as strong on respective personality dimensions share commonalities beyond just a product category. For instance, sincere brands share family‐related associations and high morals, exciting brands offer consumers the opportunity to experience exciting feelings and are related to special ‘exciting’ occasions, competent brands are mostly associated with expertise and quality, sophisticated brands are usually of feminine nature, whereas rugged brands are of masculine nature. Moreover, we find that brands which consumers perceive as lacking on a particular personality dimension also share common attributes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.