A case-control study of hopelessness and suicidal behavior in the city of Athens,Greece. The role of the financial crisis

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) in Greek patients with a recent suicide attempt, the predictive ability of BHS especially in terms of age and the possible effect of the financial crisis on hopelessness as it has been identified as a significant suicide risk factor. The study included a total of 510 individuals, citizens of Athens, Greece. Three hundred and forty individuals (170 attempted suicide patients, and 170 -age and gender- matched healthy individuals used as controls) completed BHS before the financial crisis onset (from 2009 to 2010). A sample of 170 healthy individuals also completed the BHS after the financial crisis onset (from 2013 to 2014), when the impact of the austerity measures was being felt by the Greek society. The Greek BHS version demonstrated good psychometric properties and a sufficient degree of internal consistency. Attempted suicide patients (M = 9) presented higher hopelessness than the controls (M = 3). The patients’ age positively correlated with hopelessness (r_s = .35, p < .001), and the ROC curve revealed that the BHS ability to discriminate the individuals with pathological rates of hopelessness from those without, strengthened as age increased. No significant differences were found between the individuals evaluated before (M = 3) and after (M = 3, p > .05) the crisis onset. Nevertheless, regarding the latter group, the women, the younger individuals, the less educated, the unemployed and the participants with low or mediocre self-reported financial status presented increased hopelessness. Our findings suggest that BHS could be a useful instrument especially when screening for suicide risk in people of older age, and that the financial crisis in Greece had a greater impact on subgroups of the population regarding hopelessness.     

Moving Beyond Anger and Depression: The Effects of Anxiety and Envy on Maladaptive Coping

According to general strain theory (GST), life stressors, or strains, lead to different types of negative emotions, some of which increase the likelihood of maladaptive coping. A considerable body of research testing GST focuses on anger and depression as manifestations of negative emotionality. Less research considers other types of negative emotions (e.g., anxiety and envy). The current study addresses this void in the literature through the use of surveys administered to a university-based sample. We also consider whether the effects of negative emotions vary by sex. The implications of our findings for theory, research, and mental health providers are discussed.     

A taxonomy for financial services selling

The financial services industry accounts for almost half of the country’s nonfarm, commercial profit, making the industry a major driver of the economy. Prior to this study, limited information was available to evaluate financial services sales activities, and a taxonomy of sales activities for individuals in the financial services industry had not previously been conducted. Prior empirically developed sales taxonomies did not include service firms and specifically financial services, while focusing on manufacturing and other product sales. Given that taxonomies are a critical step in scientific inquiry, this is a major limitation in the literature hindering the development of a better understanding of this important industry. Using an established methodology and a seminal sales taxonomy, a financial services sales taxonomy was conducted. Results reflect that financial services sales positions differ from those in other industries. Six sets of sales activities (factors) along with six job positions (clusters) were identified.     

The influence of family environment and child temperament on work/family role strain for mothers and fathers

This study examined the additive effect of structural variables, child characteristics, and the family environment on mothers' and fathers' work/family role strain. Differences between mothers and fathers on these variables were also examined. The sample consisted of 36 dualearner families whose children had been in daycare from infancy through 4 years of age. Structural variables included work schedules and time spent with child for mothers only, fathers only, and both parents together with child. Child characteristics included temperament and health. Family environment variables included different components of the family environment (conflict, cohesion, expressiveness, organization, and control) and parenting daily hassles. Results showed that mothers' time with child and caregiving for child were greater than fathers'. Mothers reported more expressiveness in the family and more daily hassles with children than fathers. Mothers' level of role strain was also significantly higher than fathers'. For mothers, role strain was associated with hours away from home, child sociability, family conflict, and daily hassles resulting in an R² of 0.57. Fathers' role strain was associated with family expressiveness, organization, and their wives' daily hassles resulting in an R² of 0.37. Data suggest that mothers' and fathers' role strain may be driven by somewhat different factors. For women, aspects of the family and the child and work hours accounted for a considerable portion of the variance while for men, only aspects of the family environment were associated with their level of role strain. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Financial hardship and well-being: a cross-national comparison among the European self-employed

Based on data from the 2004 and 2010 European Social Survey, this multidisciplinary and cross-national comparative study investigates the relationship between financial hardship and subjective well-being among 9,755 self-employed individuals from 31 European countries. It also aims to identify potential mitigating factors in this relationship on both the individual and the country level. Multilevel regression analyses reveal a strong relationship between financial hardship and impaired well-being, explaining about 36% of variance in well-being between conditions (countries and time periods) and 8% of variance between individuals. In other words, economic conditions matter significantly. Additionally, education and social trust act as important buffering factors for individuals, and the relationship between financial hardship and impaired well-being is somewhat weaker for self-employed persons living in countries with a more supportive social policy in the form of unemployment allowance. Entrepreneurs can hence mitigate the consequences of financial hardship by protecting social resources, and policymakers can be advised to invest in education and social security.     

The mediating effect of leader-member exchange between strengths use and work engagement

This study investigated the mediating effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) (as perceived by subordinates) in the relationship between strengths use and work engagement. Participants numbered 213 employees in a South African financial organisation (females=53.10%, blacks=19.40%). Data on their perceptions of LMX, strengths use and work engagement were collected with the LMX-7, SUDIQ and UWES-17. Structural equation modelling methods with bootstrapping were used to determine the role of LMX in the relationship between strengths use and work engagement. Findings showed that perceived organisational support for strengths use (POSSU) had a positive relationship with both LMX and work engagement, and that LMX had a positive relationship with work engagement. Furthermore, LMX mediated the relationship between POSSU and work engagement, indicating the important role of high quality leader- member exchange in organisations.     

A multidimensional framework for financial–economic decisions

Most financial–economic decisions are made consciously, with a clear and constant drive to ‘good’, ‘better’ or even ‘optimal’ decisions. Nevertheless, many decisions in practice do not earn these qualifications, despite the availability of financial economic theory, decision sciences and ample resources. We plea for the development of a multidimensional framework to support financial economic decision processes. Our aim is to achieve a better integration of available theory and decision technologies. We sketch (a) what the framework should look like, (b) what elements of the framework already exist and which not, and (c) how the MCDA community can co‐operate in its development. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Do we make decisions for other people based on our predictions of their preferences? evidence from financial and medical scenarios involving risk

Abstract

The ways in which the decisions we make for others differ from the ones we make for ourselves has received much attention in the literature, although less is known about their relationship to our predictions of the recipient’s preferences. The latter question is of particular importance given real-world occurrences of surrogate decision-making which require surrogates to consider the recipient’s preferences. We conducted three experiments which explore this relationship in the medical and financial domains. Although there were mean discrepancies between surrogate predictions and choices, we identified a predictive relationship between the two. Moreover, when participants took high risks for themselves, it seems that they were not willing to do so for others, even when they believed that the recipient’s preferences were similar to their own. We discuss these findings relative to current theories and real-world instances of surrogate decision-making.     

The international financial crisis and the north‐south dialogue

The author describes several origins of current international financial problems. Shortcomings of current solutions are analyzed, and solutions which the author thinks are more appropriate are presented.