Academic success in adolescence: Relationships among verbal IQ,social support and emotional intelligence

The objective of this study was to examine, by gender, whether emotional intelligence (EI), peer social support, and/or family social support partially mediated the influence of verbal IQ on Grade 10 grade point average (GPA) for 192 students (96 male, 96 female). For male students, EI and peer social support predicted GPA and EI mediated the association between verbal IQ and GPA. For female students, EI, peer social support, and family support predicted GPA but did not mediate the association between verbal IQ and GPA. This study further examined whether subscales of EI (intrapersonal, interpersonal, adaptability, and stress management abilities), peer social support and family social support (emotional, socialising, practical, financial, and advice) added to the prediction of GPA after verbal IQ, gender, and socioeconomic status were controlled. Adaptability, stress management and practical family social support each added to the explanation of variability. None of the peer social support subscales predicted additional variance in GPA.     

Religiosity and Conversion Therapy is Associated with Psychosocial Health Problems among Sexual Minority Men (SMM) in Nigeria

Journal of Religion and Health - We investigated the associations between social marginalization, psychosocial health, and religiosity among sexual minority men (SMM) in Nigeria...     

Implementing innovative flexible work practices in Nigerian local firms: Implications for management of change in less‐developed countries

There is an increasing interest in Africa as a potential sourcing location and a target for foreign direct investment (FDI). However, because of the uniqueness of the African context, there is a need to investigate whether management theories that have worked effectively in organizations in developed countries may be applicable within the African context. In this study, using a multiple case study approach, we investigated change implications and the effectiveness of implementing flexible work practices in local firms in Nigeria. Our results revealed that employees in local firms in Nigeria were compliant with the introduction of the practices, despite their negative perceptions about the potential impact of implementing the change and the ‘management of change’ process. Our study revealed that social, cultural, and religious factors, along with the value systems of the Nigerian context played a major role in influencing employees’ reaction to the successful implementation of the flexible work practices. The implications of the study for theory and practice within the broader African context are discussed.     

Comparison of outcomes across low-intensity psychological interventions for depression and anxiety within a stepped-care setting: A naturalistic cohort study using propensity score modelling

Low-intensity interventions for common mental disorders (CMD) address issues such as clinician shortages and barriers to accessing care. However, there is a lack of research into their comparative effectiveness in routine care. We aimed to compare treatment effects of three such interventions, utilizing four years' worth of routine clinical data. Users completing a course of guided self-help bibliotherapy (GSH), internet-delivered cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT) or psychoeducational group therapy (PGT) from a stepped-care service within the NHS in England were included. Propensity score models (stratification and weighting) were used to control for allocation bias and determine average treatment effect (ATE) between the interventions. 21,215 users comprised the study sample (GSH = 12,896, iCBT = 6862, PGT = 1457). Adherence-to-treatment rates were higher in iCBT. All interventions showed significant improvements in depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and functioning (WSAS) scores, with largest effect sizes for iCBT. Both propensity score models showed a significant ATE in favour of iCBT versus GSH and PGT, and in favour of GSH versus PGT. Discernible differences in effectiveness were seen for iCBT in comparison with GSH and PGT. Given variance in delivery mode and human resources between different low-intensity interventions, building on these findings would be valuable for future service provision and policy decision making.     

Ecology of Adolescence in India

The kaleidoscopic images of Indian adolescents are colored by variations and inequities in region, gender, caste, and social class. The contrast between the privileged and the under privileged makes them appear as belonging to different worlds marked by the “freedoms” of the ‘haves’ and the “unfreedoms” of the have-nots. What offers hope is the significant improvement seen in literacy during the past decade. Although we are far off the mark in universalization of primary education and the enforcement of the right to education, there is reason for optimism due to significant improvements in literacy over the past decade. Adolescent health and nutrition continue to remain grave concerns. Poor reproductive health, especially of young women at risk of early marriage and pregnancy, contributes to the cycle of poor nutrition, health and poor well-being. Enlightened policies offer hope while poor implementations of programs for adolescent welfare cause for despair. The nation stands at the crossroads of economic development with a large expanding pool of adolescent population who can become contributing members of the society in the coming decades. Investment in their education and health can pay rich dividends even as the failure to do so will bring with it a high social cost. The current paper addresses these issues in the light of available empirical data. (An earlier version of the present paper based on data from the Census of India (2001) was published in Saraswathi, T. S. (2012) Ecology of Adolescence (pp188–210) in M. Kapur, H.M. Koot &M. Lamb (Eds.) Developmental Psychology and Education. New Delhi: Manek Publications Pvt. Ltd for ICSSR, NOW and ESRC. The present paper has used updated statistics from the Census of India (2001) and other statistical data wherever possible.).     

Relationships among Leisure,Social Self-Image,Peer Pressure and At-Risk Behaviours of Adolescents in Nigeria

This study investigated the relationships among leisure, social self image, peer pressure and at-risk behaviours of adolescents in Nigeria. It also examined the moderating roles of gender, age, and locale and school type on measured relationships. A total of 1,141 adolescents with a mean age of 16 participated in the study. The results revealed significant relationships among leisure, social self-image, peer pressure and involvement in at-risk behaviours. Leisure was found to be greatest predictor of at-risk behaviours. The variable of gender stood out as a significant moderator of the relationships between leisure, social self-image, peer pressure and at-risk behaviours, while school type moderated only the relationship between leisure and at-risk behaviours.