Multiple imputation in practice—a case study using a complex German establishment survey

Multiple imputation is widely accepted as the method of choice to address item nonresponse in surveys. Nowadays most statistical software packages include features to multiply impute missing values in a dataset. Nevertheless, the application to real data imposes many implementation problems. To define useful imputation models for a dataset that consists of categorical and possibly skewed continuous variables, contains skip patterns and all sorts of logical constraints is a challenging task. Besides, in most applications little attention is paid to the evaluation of the underlying assumptions behind the imputation models.     

Is an e-mental health programme a viable way to reach affected others of disordered gamblers? A feasibility study focusing on access and retention

Although affected family members (AFMs) of disordered gamblers suffer from highly stressful living conditions and are in need of specialized help, access to and knowledge of professional support is limited. To improve this situation, an e-mental health programme called EfA with one information module and five consecutive training modules was developed. The study investigated (1) promotion of and referral to EfA, (2) duration of visits and conversion rate, and (3) participants’ characteristics and retention in EfA. In 9 months, 6357 visits were counted. Most visitors arrived at the website via direct access. Those using search terms most commonly used phrases that were used in promotional materials. Per month, 16.1 new potential participants registered. The final sample consisted of 126 participants, most of them female, with high daily Internet usage and low use of prior professional support or self-help. More than one-third finished all modules. This is the first time that data on an e-mental health programme for this clientele was collected in Germany. Findings imply the importance of promoting such a programme in order to reach a clientele that has not had prior help and also show that it is a viable way to reach AFMs.     

Anticipating acceptance of emerging technologies using twitter: the case of self-driving cars

In an early stage of developing emerging technologies, there is often great uncertainty regarding their future success. Companies can reduce this uncertainty by listening to the voice of customers as the customer eventually decides to accept an emerging technology or not. We show that risk and benefit perceptions are central determinants of acceptance of emerging technologies. We present an analysis of risk and benefit perception of self-driving cars from March 2015 until October 2016. In this period, we analyzed 1,963,905 tweets using supervised machine learning for text classification. Furthermore, we developed two new metrics, risk rate (RR) and benefit rate (BR), which allow analyzing risk and benefit perceptions on social media quantitatively. With our results, we provide impetus for further research on acceptance of self-driving cars and a methodological contribution to acceptance of emerging technologies research. Furthermore, we identify crucial issues in the public perception of self-driving cars and provide guidance for the management of emerging technologies to increase the likelihood of their acceptance.     

Are There Early Risk Markers for Pedophilia? A Nationwide Case-Control Study of Child Sexual Exploitation Material Offenders

Although prior research suggests associations between parental characteristics and later sexual offending in offspring, possible links between early pregnancy-related factors and sexual offending remain unclear. Early risk markers unique to sexual offending, however, may be more prominent among sexual offenders with atypical sexual interests, such as individuals involved with child sexual exploitation material (CSEM; also referred to as child pornography). We examined the prospective association between parental and pregnancy-related risk markers and a behavioral indicator of pedophilic interest, CSEM offending. All 655 men born in Sweden and convicted of CSEM offending between 1988 to 2009 were matched 1:5 on sex, birth year, and county of birth in Sweden to 3,928 controls without sexual or nonsexual violent convictions. Paternal age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.1, 1.7]), parental education (AOR = 0.8, 95% CI [0.6, 0.9]), parental violent criminality (AOR = 2.9, 95% CI [2.2, 3.8]), number of older brothers (AOR = 0.8, 95% CI [0.6, 0.9] per brother), and congenital malformations (AOR = 1.7, 95% CI [1.2, 2.4]) all independently predicted CSEM convictions. This large-scale, nationwide study suggests parental risk markers for CSEM offending. We did not, however, find convincing evidence for pregnancy-related risk markers, with the exception of congenital malformations and having fewer older brothers.     

Short‐Term‐Effectiveness of a Relationship Education Program for Distressed Military Couples,in the Context of Foreign Assignments for the German Armed Forces. Preliminary Findings From a Randomized Controlled Study

This study examines the short‐term effectiveness of a relationship education program designed for military couples. Distressed couples were randomly placed in either a wait‐list control group or an intervention group. We conducted training sessions before a 3‐month foreign assignment, and refresher courses approximately 6‐week post‐assignment. We analyzed the dyadic data of 32 couples, using hierarchical linear modeling in a two‐level model. Reduction in unresolved conflicts was found in the intervention group, with large pre–post effects for both partners. Relationship satisfaction scores were improved, with moderate‐to‐large effects only for soldiers, rather than their partners. Post‐follow‐up effect sizes suggested further improvement in the intervention group. Future research should examine the long‐term effectiveness of this treatment.     

Mental preparation during pregnancy in women with substance addiction: a qualitative interview‐study

The interplay between pregnancy and addiction is usually studied quantitatively, and the focus is often on the adverse effects of intrauterine substance exposure. This study explores the perspective of the mothers‐to‐be by examining the subjective experience of pregnancy in substance‐addicted women. Fourteen women in family treatment for substance use disorder participated in eight focus groups. The data were analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings show that recognition of pregnancy was distorted and delayed, and strong feelings of ambivalence and guilt persisted throughout pregnancy, along with hope for change. Addiction and an intense preoccupation with external expectations are seen as a threat to intrauterine attachment and mental preparation for the caregiving role. Interventions must take into account the specific ways in which addiction influences the psychological processes of pregnancy; specifically, providing adequate social support and security should be considered.     

Designing brands and managing organizational politics: A qualitative case study of employer brand creation

This study explores intra-organizational processes and structures within the creation of an employer brand. Drawing on a practice perspective that analytically differentiates between practitioners, praxis, and practices, we present a qualitative case study of an employer branding project in a large industrial company. Our theorized account of the case demonstrates the managerial complexities and dynamics of employer brand creation. Based on a detailed content analysis, we identify three distinct sets of activities of employer brand creation: (1) defining and demarcating employer branding, (2) developing and maintaining cooperation within employer brand creation, and (3) confirming and contesting management ideas and structures beyond employer branding. Our study contributes to employer branding research by highlighting how employer brand creation is entangled within strategic, functional design of an employer brand and managing organizational power relations and differing interests. Furthermore, this study particularly emphasizes the emerging character of employer branding and the impact of an established social infrastructure within employer brand creation.     

The Bias of Structures: How Multidivisional Organizations Work in the Public Sector

This paper discusses the unexploited possibilities that organization theory offers for explaining the policy output of public-sector organizations. Although political scientists frequently argue that organization matters, exactly how it matters remains unresolved. To investigate this issue, the concept of the multidivisional organization (M-form) is applied to the public sector. Three dimensions of the M-form are identified for closer inspection: 1) the structure-strategy relationship, 2) the managerial or leadership dimension, and 3) the external-relations dimension. Several empirical examples are used to demonstrate that the M-form exerts an independent impact on policy output. While the M-form allows a single organization to perform multiple functions, it also works against crosscutting policies and is inclined toward clientelism and capture. The use of the M-form concept is beneficial for political science analyses in that it requires paying greater attention to the “internal life” of governmental and public-sector organizations.