The moderating effect of power distance on employee responses to psychological contract breach

Understanding how employees’ cultural values are related to their responses to promises broken by their organizations (i.e., psychological contract breach) is important given today’s global workplace. Although past research has found that psychological contract breach is positively associated with employee exit, voice and neglect and negatively associated with loyalty, we know little about the role that cultural values play in this process. We explore the role that power distance orientation—an employee’s acceptance of power differentials in society—plays in employee responses to breach. We argue that employees with high power distance orientations will be more likely to respond passively to breach (loyalty and neglect), whereas employees with low power distance orientations will be more likely to exhibit active responses to psychological contract breach (exit and voice). We tested our notions using a sample of 265 employees from different cultures across two points in time. Employees with high power distance orientations were less likely to respond to psychological contract breach with exit and voice than employees with low power distance orientations. However, power distance orientation did not significantly moderate the relationships between psychological contract breach and neglect or loyalty, respectively. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of our findings.     

Psychological contract breach,affective commitment to organization and supervisor,and newcomer adjustment: A three-wave moderated mediation model

This study examines the relationship of psychological contract breach to newcomer adjustment outcomes using affective commitments to organizations and supervisors as mediators and also looks at the moderating role of affective commitment to supervisors. Drawing from data collected at three points in time among a sample of newcomers (N = 224), we found that Time 2 affective organizational commitment mediated a positive relationship between Time 1 psychological contract breach and Time 3 turnover intention and emotional exhaustion. Moreover, affective commitment to supervisors interacted with organizational commitment such that the latter was more negatively related to Time 3 outcomes at low levels of commitment to supervisors. Similarly, the indirect relationships of psychological contract breach to Time 3 outcomes were stronger and negative at low levels of commitment to supervisors. Affective commitment's role in the psychological contract breach-outcome relationships during the entry period is discussed.     

The effects of stress on dna repair capacity

Abstract

Research has shown that lymphocytes of high-distress patients have reduced DNA repair relative to that of low-distress patients and healthy controls. Furthermore, deficits in repair are associated with an increased risk of cancer. Using and academic stress model, we hypothesized that students would exhibit lower levels of Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER) during a stressful exam period when compared to a lower stress period. Participants were 19 healthy graduate level students. NER was measured in lymphocytes using the unscheduled DNA synthesis (UDS) assay with slide autoradiography. Contrary to prediction, mean values for NER significantly increased during the higher stress period relative to the lower stress period controlling for background differences in repair. Furthermore, lymphocytes had significantly increased repair of endogenous damage during the higher stress period. Stress appears to directly increase DNA repair. Additionally, stress may increase DNA repair indirectly by increasing damage to DNA.     

Military police investigator perspectives of a new self-reflective approach to strengthening resilience: A qualitative study

In this study, we explored participants’ experiences of a unique form of resilience training. The aims of this study were to obtain rich information about the participants’ experience of the resilience intervention based on adaptive self-reflection, their ability to report the private stress experience and coping efforts when faced with a stressor, their perceptions of training applicability to other contexts, and whether the training was able to encourage the reappraisal of stressors as growth opportunities. A qualitative design was employed with a sample of 21 investigator trainees from the Australian Defence Force School of Policing. Following implementation of the program, trainees provided written responses to seven open ended questions and participated in one focus group designed to embellish understanding of the survey answers. The analysis identified both strengths and limitations in the way respondents were able to recall and report on their private stress experience and coping efforts and several domains where the resilience training seemed to have its effects. Moreover, the respondents reported increased confidence in their ability to manage stressors in the future, recognition of stress in others and the potential to assist them, and a changed view of stress as an opportunity for personal development. Based on these findings, potential improvements in the training materials are recommended. Moreover, the findings suggest coping and emotion regulatory self-reflection may encourage the application of useful strategies and reinforce personal resilient capacities and coping self-efficacy.     

Using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS‐21) across cultures

The DASS‐21 is a well‐established instrument for measuring depression, anxiety, and stress with good reliability and validity reported from Hispanic American, British, and Australian adults. However, the lack of appropriate validation among Asian populations continues to pose concerns over the use of DASS‐21 in Asian samples. Cultural variation may influence the individual's experience and emotional expression. Thus, when researchers and practitioners employ Western‐based assessments with Asian populations by directly translating them without an appropriate validation, the process can be challenging. We conducted a series of rigorous statistical tests and minimized any potential confounds from the demographic information. Following factor analyses, we performed multigroup analysis across six nations to demonstrate consistency of our findings. The advantages of this revised DASS‐18 stress scale are twofold. First, it possesses fewer items, which results in a cleaner factorial structure. Second, it has a smaller interfactor correlation. With these justifications, the revised DASS‐18 stress scale is potentially more suitable for Asian populations. Nonetheless, given limitations, findings should be considered preliminary.     

Engagement With Self‐Practice/Self‐Reflection as a Professional Development Activity: The Role of Therapist Beliefs

A number of research studies support self‐practice/self‐reflection (SP/SR) as an experiential learning process that facilitates the acquisition of therapeutic skill in a number of cognitive‐behavioural therapy (CBT) competencies and as showing potential as a valuable professional development activity. Engaging therapists to participate in SP/SR programmes is sometimes difficult, and when they are offered the option to participate in SP/SR programmes as part of professional development, relatively few volunteer. This study investigates the role of therapist beliefs about SP/SR as a potential obstacle to engagement. An online survey was developed to assess the strength of 14 commonly held therapist beliefs concerning the consequences of participating voluntarily in a SP/SR programme. Participants were a combined sample of 44 Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners and high‐intensity CBT therapists employed by an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies service in the United Kingdom. Few negative beliefs about SP/SR emerged. The majority of respondents believed SP/SR programmes were relevant to their work situation, but perceived “lack of time” as a significant barrier to participation. Three factors are considered in relation to introducing SP/SR as a workforce professional development activity: (a) The importance of managing therapist perceptions regarding time; (b) SP/SR as a mechanism to increase self‐care and reduce burnout; and (c) The need to focus mental health services' attention on the potential of SP/SR programmes to increase staff morale and improve service delivery.     

The mystery of “should”: Procrastination,delay, and reactance in academic settings

The study explores the effect of trait reactance on procrastination and delay in students of two study programmes differing in the structuring of academic tasks and the role they play in course assessment. Both subsamples (n = 97 and 139) completed measures of trait reactance, chronic academic procrastination, self-reported task procrastination and actual task delay. The data were analyzed using path analysis and SEM. As hypothesized, psychological reactance positively predicted procrastination, especially the ‘chronic delay’ component underlying all three procrastination-related measures. However, some of the effect of reactance on this delay-dependent component of procrastination was apparently suppressed by what might have been a subjective (delay-independent) component of self-reported task procrastination. Furthermore, reactance was significantly related to delay only when good performance on the task was of relatively high importance. Apart from providing evidence for a possible link between reactance and procrastination, the results also demonstrate that it is important to distinguish between the experiential and objective (temporal) components of procrastination, as the two might be represented by completely different nomological networks.     

Do perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching relate to physical education students' motivational experiences through unique pathways? Distinguishing between the bright and dark side of motivation

ObjectivesGrounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examined the mediating role of students' experiences of need satisfaction and need frustration in associations between perceived teaching style and students' motivation and oppositional defiance in the context of physical education. Specifically, we tested an integrated model including both a ‘bright’ path from perceived autonomy-supportive teaching through need satisfaction toward autonomous motivation and a ‘dark’ pathway from perceived controlling teaching through need frustration toward controlled motivation, amotivation, and oppositional defiance.DesignCross-sectional study.MethodsTo investigate the proposed paths structural equation modeling was used in a sample of 499 secondary school students (44% boys, M_age = 15.77 ± 1.16).ResultsWe found that perceived autonomy-supportive and controlling teaching, as well as need satisfaction and need frustration, constitute different constructs relating distinctively to motivational outcomes. Consistent with the notion of a bright and dark path, perceived autonomy support was related primarily to autonomous motivation, with need satisfaction mediating this association, whereas perceived controlling teaching was related primarily to controlled motivation and amotivation, through need frustration. Perceived controlling teaching also displayed a direct and unique relationship with oppositional defiance.ConclusionsTo more accurately capture the detrimental effects of controlling teaching, this teaching dimension along with its consequences in terms of need frustration and motivational outcomes needs to be studied in its own right. It is also discussed that effective teacher training may raise awareness among teachers about the motivational risks associated with controlling practices.     

Quelle validité pour une mesure de la satisfaction au travail en un seul item ?

Single-item measures of job satisfaction have several advantages. However, there still exist debates on their use. In this article, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this type of measurement, and present an empirical study to compare the results of the assessment of job satisfaction with measures which, in theory, should be linked with it (perceived stress, psychological distress, satisfaction with life). The results tend to highlight the validity of the single-item measures of job satisfaction. Indeed, on the one hand, the observed correlations between the single-item measure and the global or multifactorial job satisfaction measures are satisfactory (from .65 to .85). On the other hand, correlations with other relevant measures in occupational health are all significant (P < .01) and between .239 and .529. We present, then, some results highlighting the influence of some job characteristics on job satisfaction for the sample interviewed. Finally, we discuss the application of a single-item measure, emphasizing the benefits of it and especially the idea that this evaluation offers a consideration of the subjective perception of job satisfaction.