School-Related Social Support and Adolescents’ School-Related Subjective Well-Being: The Mediating Role of Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction at School

Grounded in Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT; Deci and Ryan in Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum, New York, 1985; Psychol Inq 11(4):227–268. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01, 2000; Ryan and Deci in Am Psychol 55(1):68–78. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68, 2000), the present study mainly aimed to (1) test a theoretically-based model proposing that the satisfaction of three basic psychological needs at school mediates the relationship between school-related social support (i.e., teacher support and classmate support) and school-related subjective well-being and (2) explore the invariance of the model across gender and age groups. A total of 1476 Chinese adolescents (males = 712; early adolescents = 676; Mage = 15.40) completed a multi-measure questionnaire tapping the targeted variables. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypotheses. Results indicated that school-related social support (i.e., teacher support and classmate support) related statistically significantly to adolescents’ school-related subjective well-being. Furthermore, a multiple-mediators analysis indicated that autonomy, competence and relatedness needs satisfaction at school partially mediated the relation between teacher support and school-related subjective well-being, and fully mediated the relation between classmate support and school-related subjective well-being. Lastly, the results supported partial invariance of the model with respect to gender and age groups. Limitations of the study are considered and applied considerations to improve adolescents’ school-related subjective well-being are discussed.     

Towards a Theory of Medium Term Life Satisfaction: Similar Results for Australia,Britain and Germany

We analyse the Life Satisfaction trajectories of respondents in three long-running, national panel surveys: the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia Survey (HILDA), the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) and the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Previous research has shown that substantial minorities of respondents in all three countries recorded long term changes in LS (Fujita and Diener in J Personal Soc Psychol 88:158–64, 2005; Headey in Soc Indic Res 76:312–317, 2006; Headey et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci 107:17922–7926, 2010; Headey et al. Soc Indic Res 112:725–48, 2013). In a recent SIR paper based on the German data (Headey and Muffels in Soc Indic Res, 2015. doi: 10.1007/s11205-015-1146-8), we showed graphs of LS trajectories which suggested—and subsequent statistical analysis confirmed—that respondents typically spend multiple consecutive years above and, in other periods, below their own long term mean level of LS. Here we extend the analysis to Australia and Britain, showing that results replicate in two more Western countries. It appears that most people go through relatively happy periods of life, and relatively unhappy periods. The evidence runs counter to set-point theory which views adult LS as stable, except for short term fluctuations due to life events. In the second half of the paper we try to contribute to a theory of medium term life satisfaction. We estimate structural equation models with two-way causation between LS and variables usually treated as causes of LS, including health, social support, frequency of social activities, and satisfaction with one’s work, partner and family life. In all three countries we find that there are positive feedback loops between these variables and LS, which partly account for extended periods of high or low LS. The two-way causation models are based on a modified concept of ‘Granger-causation’ (Granger in Econometrica 37(3):424–38, 1969). The main intuition behind Granger-causation is that if x can be shown to be statistically significantly related to y in a model which includes multiple lags of y, then it can be inferred that x is one cause of y.     

Psychological Antecedents of Heterosexuals' Pro-gay Activism Behavior

Previous research on heterosexuals' attitudes toward gays is characterized by a focus on negative attitudes and minimal use of behavioral dependent variables. In an attempt to rectify this situation, the present study explored the psychological antecedents of heterosexuals' pro-gay activism behavior in an undergraduate sample using the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1991 Ajzen, I. 1991. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50: 179–211. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Findings suggest that intentions predict activism behavior (in the form of signing an online petition supporting the construction of a new lesbian, gay, and bisexual resource center on their campus). In addition, attitudes toward the possible outcomes of the behavior, attitudes toward the behavior itself, and self-identity were found to predict intentions. Directions for future research on pro-gay activism are discussed.     

Minority Stress in Same-Sex Male Relationships: When Does It Impact Relationship Satisfaction?

The minority stress model (Meyer, 2003 Meyer, I. H. 2003. Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129: 674–697. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) has been proposed to explain higher rates of psychopathology in lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. However, studies of minority stress have rarely taken into account the interface between minority stress and same-sex relationship processes. In the current study, 142 gay men in romantic relationships completed an online survey assessing minority stress constructs, relationship features, and relationship satisfaction. Minority stress was not directly related to relationship satisfaction, while commitment, trust, and support from one's partner were related to relationship satisfaction. Significant moderation effects emerged between discrimination and trust and between internalized heterosexism and commitment, indicating that trust was related to satisfaction for those who had experienced frequent discrimination, while commitment was related to satisfaction for those low in internalized heterosexism.     

“Life Without Line Dancing and the Other Activities Would be Too Dreadful to Imagine”: An Increase in Social Activity for Older Women

ABSTRACT

The literature on aging is replete with the positive effects of physical exercise on the well-being of older adults. Some Glass, T. A., de Leon, C. M., Marottoli, R. A. and Berkman, L. F. 1999. Population based study of social and productive activities as predictors of survival among elderly Americans. British Medical Journal, 319: 478–483. [Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] suggest, however, that the potential impact of social activities has not received adequate attention, and others Lennartsson, C. and Silverstein, M. 2001. Does engagement with life enhance survival of elderly people in Sweden? The role of social and leisure activities. The Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 56B(6): S335–S342. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] note the importance of distinguishing between the physical and nonphysical impact of these activities. This study investigated whether line dancing, a physical activity, led to an increase in social activity. Thirty women over the age of 60 were interviewed to discover how line dancing affected them. Content analysis of the interviews helped identify various themes indicating that line dancing enabled these women to expand their repertoire of social activity, leading to positive reinforcements such as further community involvement, charitable work, inclusion in national sports events, self-expression, and personal development. The impact of line dancing plainly goes beyond the perceived physical benefits.     

Flexible Queers,Serious Bodies: Transgender Inclusion in Queer Spaces

Queer spaces are significant for understanding transgender inclusion as “queer spaces were places where individuals were expected to be attentive to or aware of alternative possibilities for being, including non-normative formulations of bodies, genders, desires and practices” (Nash, 2011 Nash, C. J. 2011. Trans experiences in lesbian and queer space. Canadian Geographer/Le Géographe Canadien, 55: 192–207. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], p. 203). Indeed, in this interview study of members of a queer leather group called the Club, members described a flexible “sexual landscape” that easily includes transgender members. However, these same queer spaces have been criticized for the way they regulate queer bodies and organize queer subjectivities. In this study, queer members of the Club also contrasted playful queer flexibility with serious transgender bodies. This article argues that, although there is a reiterative relation between transgender inclusion and queer spaces, the idealization of flexibility within queer spaces can also serve to marginalize and regulate transgender bodies.     

Automobility in Manchester Fiction

Abstract

This article contributes to recent debates concerning automobility and ‘mobile, embodied practices’ (Cresswell & Merriman, 2011 Cresswell, T. and Merriman, P., eds. 2011. Geographies of Mobilities: Practices, Spaces, Subjects, Farnham: Ashgate.  [Google Scholar]) by considering how various ‘driving events’ entail modes of perception that are of interest from an ontological perspective; that is, how drivers and passengers see the world through the windows of a moving car and how the driving ‘sensorium’ (Gilroy, 2001 Gilroy, P. 2001. “Driving while black”. In Car Cultures, Edited by: Miller, D. 81–104. Oxford: Berg.  [Google Scholar]; Sheller, 2004 Sheller, M. 2004. Automotive emotions: Feeling the car. Theory, Culture & Society, 21(4–5): 221–242. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) may be associated with emotional states (such as ‘escape’, ‘frustration’, ‘nostalgia’) that arguably characterize the everyday life of late modernity. In addition, the discussion speculates on what this altered perception means for how we see and conceptualize the contemporary urban landscape, concurring with Doel (1996 Doel, M. 1996. A hundred thousand lines of flight: A machinic introduction to the nomad thought and scrumpled geography of Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 14(4): 421–439. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) that such space has effectively become a ‘scrumpled geography’ that can no longer be accounted for in traditional cartographical terms. These reflections are explored through close readings of a selection of literary texts (principally, crime fiction novels) emanating from Greater Manchester (England) and thus the article also contributes to recent work (both cultural and sociological) on the re-imagining of this particular urban landscape in recent times (Haslam, 2000 Haslam, D. 2000. Manchester, England: The Story of a Pop Cult City, London: Fourth Estate.  [Google Scholar]; Pearce et al., forthcoming Pearce, L., Crawshaw, R. and Fowler, C. forthcoming. Postcolonial Manchester: Writing, Migration, Place, Manchester: Manchester University Press.  [Google Scholar]).     

Lost in Transnational Space? Migrant Farm Workers in Rural Districts

Abstract

In recent decades, theories of transnationalism have emerged as key perspectives for analysis of international migration. Drawing on Glorius and Friedrich’s (2006 Glorius, B. and Friedrich, K. 2006. Transnational social spaces of Polish migrants in Leipzig. Migracijske i enticke teme, 22(1–2): 163–180.  [Google Scholar]) model of transnationalism, the paper analyses the case of migrant farm labour in rural Norway and demonstrates how the social context of migrants’ work influences their building of various kinds of social-capital resources which are crucial for development of transnational space. The paper argues that circularity of migration is not sufficient to instigate full-fledged transculturation and hybrid identity-formation processes. In conclusion, the paper recommends that transnational theory should pay greater attention to the social contexts of migration and observe the limits of the theory’s application.     

Patterns of Career and Identity Interference for Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults

Researchers have hypothesized about the potentially competing demands of sexual identity development and career development (e.g., Chen, Stracuzzi, & Ruckdeschel, 2004 Chen, E. C., Stracuzzi, T. I. and Ruckdeschel, D. E. 2004. “Affirmative counseling with gay men”. In Counseling diverse populations, Edited by: Atkinson, D. R. and Hackett, G. 388–411. Boston: McGraw Hill.  [Google Scholar]; Fassinger, 1996 Fassinger, R. E. 1996. Notes from the margins: Integrating lesbian experience into the vocational psychology of women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 48: 160–175. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]; Morrow, 1997 Morrow, S. L. 1997. Career development of lesbian and gay youth: Effects of sexual orientation, coming out, and homophobia. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services, 7: 1–15. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]; Schmidt, 2004 Schmidt, C. K. 2004. The effects of simultaneous developmental processes: The prediction of career development outcomes for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth, Kansas City: Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri.  [Google Scholar]). In the present study, we explored these hypotheses focusing specifically on career decision making. Using cluster analysis, we identified three groups of lesbian, gay, and bisexual young adults who differed in terms of the conflict experienced between sexual identity and career development: career conflict group (n?=?11), sexual identity conflict group (n?=?45), and those who experienced low levels of conflict between the two domains (n?=?71). Differences were found between the clusters in levels of career decision making supports, career decision making barriers, and career decision making self-efficacy. Results tentatively suggest the importance of considering within-group differences when using Social Cognitive Career Theory to understand the career decision making of this population.     

Work-Life Conflict and Social Inequality in Western Europe

Recent debates on time-use suggest that there is an inverse relationship between time poverty and income poverty (Aguiar and Hurst in Q J Econ C(3):969–1006, 2007), with Hammermesh and Lee (Rev Econ Stat 89(2):374–383, 2007) suggesting much time poverty is ‘yuppie kvetch’ or ‘complaining’. Gershuny (Soc Res Int Q Soc Sci 72(2):287–314, 2005) argues that busyness is the ‘badge of honour’: being busy is now a positive, privileged position and it is high status people who work long hours and feel busy. Is this also true of work-life conflict? This paper explores the relationship between work-life tension and social inequality, as measured by social class, drawing on evidence from the European Social Survey. To what extent is work-life conflict a problem of the (comparatively) rich and privileged professional/managerial classes, and is this true across European countries? The countries selected offer a range of institutional and policy configurations to maximise variation. Using regression modelling of an index of subjective work-life conflict, we find that in all the countries under study, work-life conflict is higher among professionals than non-professionals. Part of this is explained by the fact that professionals work longer hours and experience more work pressure than other social classes, though the effect remains even after accounting for these factors. While levels of work-life conflict vary across the countries studied, country variation in class differences is modest. We consider other explanations of why professionals report higher work-life conflict and the implications of our findings for debates on social inequality.     

An Exploration of the Experience of Lesbians with Chronic Illness

An exploration of the challenges facing lesbians with chronic conditions and their coping strategies was investigated by examining the experiences of participants who were clients of a volunteer organization serving chronically ill lesbians. This article reports the results associated with those challenges, with its ultimate goal being and to assess the effectiveness of current services. Using the participant observation method, as employed by O'Toole (2000 O'Toole, C. J. 2000. The view from below: Developing a knowledge base about an unknown population. Sexuality and Disability, 18(3): 207–224. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), the analysis was based on multiple data sources and 10 years experience within the volunteer organization, including 3 years in direct client support. A qualitative method served as the primary focus for the study. The quantitative method preceded the qualitative method and provided limited supporting data. The total number of participants included all past and current clients, but the number participating in each data source varied. Qualitative sources included archival structured interviews (n = 69), taped interviews (n = 5-6), and extensive comments written in response to the quantitative surveys (n = 14). The quantitative measures (n = 14) included the researcher-developed Chronic Conditions Challenges Checklist (C4) and the Short Form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire ([SF-MPQ]; Melzack, 1998 Melzack, R. 1998. “The short-form McGill pain questionnaire”. In The compendium of quality of life instruments, Edited by: Salek, S. 2J:3–2J:3C. New York: Wiley. (Compiler) [Google Scholar] ). A content analysis of all data sources found a number of challenges that met the criteria of being identified in at least two data sources and across multiple participants. Challenges included those related to the disease process (i.e., pain, fatigue, and decreases in mobility) to impacts of the condition (financial security, ability to participate, support from family of origin and independence, loneliness, and issues related to mental health). Challenges were discussed in terms of those that are similar to and different from other women suffering from chronic illness, as well as their relevance to related literature.     

Inclusiveness as Construction of Open Identity: How Social Relationships Affect Attitudes Towards Immigrants in European Societies

Studies of individual and group-level sources of prejudice have contributed to today’s greater understanding of the emergence of prejudice and discriminatory attitudes towards immigrants. Yet, scholars have claimed that future research should investigate institutional and socio-political macro-level factors affecting individuals’ attitudes towards outsiders (Ceobanu and Escandell in Ann Rev Sociol 36:309–328, 2010). To contribute to filling this knowledge gap, this article goes across levels of analysis and theories to provide insights about group-level sources influencing attitudes towards immigrants. These sources are taken into account as both institutional and social factors involved in processes of national identity constructions. To this purpose, this work combines Blumer’s perspective (Pac Sociol Rev 1:3–7, 1958) with both the distinction Weber (Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft. Tübingen, Mohr, 1922) made between open and closed social relationships and some other theoretical contributions that emerged in the field. The findings of a multilevel analysis confirm that, whereby inclusive socio-political factors are involved in the processes of countries’ identity constructions, individuals show more positive attitudes towards immigrants. In addition, in inclusive countries, a society’s high regard for its own traditions and customs influences individual members to appreciate other cultures and show positive dispositions towards outsiders.     

High Levels of Same-Sex Experiences in the Netherlands: Prevalences of Same-Sex Experiences in Historical and International Perspective

Some authors suggest that the public stance toward homosexuality can influence the prevalence of same-sex experiences (e.g., Butler, 2005 Butler, A. C. 2005. Gender differences in the prevalence of same-sex partnering: 1988–2002. Social Forces,, 84(1): 421–449. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Since the Dutch stance toward homosexuality has become more positive during the last decades, it was hypothesized that the current Dutch prevalences of same-sex experiences are higher than in other times and countries. This hypothesis was investigated using the data of a recent Dutch population study, and comparing these results to those from previous and international studies. The current Dutch figures were indeed higher than recent figures from other countries. Among women, the recent figures were also higher than those found in previous Dutch studies. The prevalence of same-sex experiences among Dutch males stayed the same. These results and the methodological aspects of the study are discussed.     

The Balanced Worth: A Procedure to Evaluate Performance in Terms of Ordered Attributes

There are many problems in the social sciences that refer to the evaluation of the relative performance of some populations when their members’ achievements are described by a distribution of outcomes over a set of ordered categories. A new method for the evaluation of this type of problems is presented here. That method, called balanced worth, offers a cardinal, complete and transitive evaluation that is based on the likelihood of getting better results. The evaluation of each society is based on the probability of obtaining better results with respect to the others. The balanced worth is a refinement of “the worth” (Herrero and Villar in PLoS ONE 8(12):e84784, 2013.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084784) that overcomes its excessive sensitivity to the differences, due to the presence of ties. We also discuss how this method can be applied for the case of heterogeneous populations and show how it can be applied in different contexts. An empirical example, regarding life satisfaction in Spain is used to illustrate the working of this method.     

Mobile Phones as Network Capital: Facilitating Connections

Mobile phones enable interaction at times and in places where it was previously impossible, facilitating social networks. This paper identifies and explores the ways in which mobile phones increase the social support afforded by a network, improving access to contacts and promoting the development and maintenance of personal relationships. Mobile phones are ‘network capital’ (Larsen et al., 2006a Larsen, J., Axhausen, K. W. and Urry, J. 2006a. Geographies of social networks: meetings, travel and communications. Mobilities, 1(9): 261–283. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) because they expedite the availability of social support in a network. The exploratory research involved 32 UK mobile phone users, and combined several different qualitative research techniques: communication diaries; text message analysis; and interviews. The paper concludes that mobile phones increase access to networks and facilitate the development and maintenance of network ties; this highlights the catalytic role of communication technology in social networks.     

Application and Testing the Reliability and Validity of a Modified Version of Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale in China

The present study was the first attempt to test the reliability and validity of Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (ATLG; Herek, 1988 Herek, G. M. 1988. Heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: Correlatesand gender differences. The Journal of Sex Research, 25(4): 451–477. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in the Chinese population. Participants (n = 2,391 for the field trials and n = 200 for test–retest reliability) were asked to complete the translated, slightly modified version of the ATLG. The resulting ATLG has a two-dimensional factor structure as well as good validity and reliability in the Chinese culture. ATLG scores followed distinct patterns according sex and level of education that were consistent with previous studies in other populations. The significance of these findings in Chinese culture is discussed.     

Local Settlement or Global Metropolis? Imagining Québec as a Glocal City on the 400th Anniversary of its Founding

Abstract

Situated within the Critical Discourse Analysis paradigm, this transdisciplinary study looks at the two official websites promoting the 400th founding anniversary of Québec City in 2008, in order to uncover how the Société du 400^e de Québec and the Canadian government represent Québec’s identity and how they respectively relate it to a regional and a federal entity. Focusing on the semiotic strategies that both protagonists propose in order to construct Québec’s identity, it is demonstrated that different conceptions of region, nation, and State – which have given rise to many a predicament throughout Canada’s history – are at the heart of these diverging local and global constructions of one single city. Whilst the Société du 400^e attributes a crucial historical role to the city when it describes Québec as ‘the cradle of French civilisation in the Americas’, the federal government simply salutes its status as the ‘oldest of Canadian cities’. Drawing on social theories (Smith, 1991 Smith, A. 1991. National identity, Reno: University of Nevada Press.  [Google Scholar]; Anderson, 2006 Anderson, B. 2006. Imagined Communities. Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism, 2nd revised ed., New York: Verso.  [Google Scholar]) and sociohistoric context, the analysis which follows seeks to contribute from a linguistic point of view to the grand debate on identity that persists throughout Canada.     

Social Indicators Movement and Human Agency: Comment on Land and Michalos

This paper offers a critical comment on Land and Michalos (Soc Indic Res, 2017) and suggests a relay perspective to see the past achievements and future directions in the social indicators movement. In accordance with Land and Michalos, it suggests bringing the issue of human agency to the foreground, and offers an example using an index of the mother’s wellbeing for global comparison.     

Bridge Over the River Crime: Mobility and the Policing of Organised Crime

Abstract

This paper examines the significant disparity between the mobility of organised crime and the mobility of law enforcement through the use of Kaufmann’s (2002 Kaufmann, V. 2002. Re-thinking mobility. Contemporary sociology. Aldershot: Ashgate. [Google Scholar]) three categories of motility: access, skills and appropriation. It argues that the differential mobility of organised crime and law enforcement can be accounted for by the differential insertion of these groups of actors into ‘the practice and politics of market liberalisation and the practice and politics of market criminalisation’, and suggests that it is possible to view each of these as inhabiting ‘different modernities’. It concludes that whilst mobility systems are critical to understanding the movement of these groups of actors, these systems are themselves embedded within different institutional structures that shape the opportunities to be mobile, in particular economic and political structures.     

A reply to Avery and Hakkert

Udry et al., ¹ J. Richard Udry, Charles Teddlie and C. M. Suchindran, ‘The Random Variation in Rates Based on Total Enumeration of Events’, Population Studies, d33, 2, (1979), pp. 353-364. while analysing the variations in observed birth rates, found that the usual binomial model variance underestimates the actual variance of birth rates. Avery and Hakkert's ² Avery, R. C. and Hakkert, R., Comment on ‘The Random Variation in Rates Based on Total Enumeration of Events’ by Udry, Teddlie and Suchindran. analysis offers some help in interpreting these results. Also, it clarifies one possible explanation given by Udry et al., regarding the heterogeneous populations. However, we show below that the narrow approach taken by Avery and Hakkert is difficult to apply to general situations and perhaps leads them to make a number of inappropriate statements.