How does actual unemployment and the perceived risk of joblessness affect smoking behavior? Gender and intra-family effects

Review of Economics of the Household - Using the 1999–2011 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we examine how actual unemployment and the perceived risk of joblessness, as reflected...     

Was Hercules Happy? Some Answers from a Functional Model of Human Well-being

The article proposes a functional approach as a framework for the analysis of human well-being. The model posits that the adaptive role of hedonic feelings is to regulate stability and homeostasis in human systems, and that these feelings basically are created in states of equilibrium or assimilation. To regulate change and growth, a distinct set of feelings exists, which may be labeled eudaimonic feelings. Eudaimonic feelings are produced to motivate behavior in challenging environments, when a quick return to equilibrium is dysfunctional, or when accommodation of cognitive structures is needed for a stimulus or event to be perceived as meaningful. It was hypothesized that a trait-like concern for evaluation of outcomes in terms of goodness or badness, referred to as hedonic orientation, will moderate the relation between equilibrium/assimilation and hedonic feelings. The model also includes the concept of eudaimonic orientation, reflecting a stable tendency to get involved in challenging activities and to create and strive after demanding goals. It was hypothesized that a eudaimonic, and not a hedonic, orientation moderates hedonic feelings in challenging episodes. Three different studies gave empirical support to the model.     

What does ‘active citizenship’ mean for Erasmus students?

Since ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) was launched there has been a constant debate about the civic significance of this mobility programme. The purpose of this article is to analyse the understanding of active citizenship by Erasmus students. In order to discover Erasmus students’ perceptions, values, beliefs and attitudes regarding the issue under discussion, original data were collected from 174 students who participated in our survey in March 2014. By applying a statistical analysis, the most and the least important criteria for being considered an active citizen have been extracted from the answers of our respondents. In addition, we studied their attitudes towards and knowledge of the European Union (EU). We found that their understanding of ‘active citizenship’ echoes with the definition of the concept provided in the research literature.     

Understanding the Adoption Process of National Security Technology: An Integration of Diffusion of Innovations and Volitional Behavior Theories

After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. government initiated several national security technology adoption programs. The American public, however, has been skeptical about these initiatives and adoption of national security technologies has been mandated, rather than voluntary. We propose and test a voluntary behavioral intention formation model for the adoption of one type of new security technology: portable radiation detectors. Portable radiation detectors are an efficient way of detecting radiological and nuclear threats and could potentially prevent loss of life and damage to individuals’ health. However, their functioning requires that a critical mass of individuals use them on a daily basis. We combine the explanatory advantages of diffusion of innovation with the predictive power of two volitional behavior frameworks: the theory of reasoned action and the health belief model. A large sample survey (N = 1,482) investigated the influence of factors identified in previous diffusion of innovation research on portable radiation detector adoption intention. Results indicated that nonfinancial incentives, as opposed to financial incentives, should be emphasized in persuasive communications aimed at fostering adoption. The research provides a new integration of diffusion of innovation elements with determinants of volitional behavior from persuasion literature, and offers recommendations on effective communication about new security technologies to motivate public adoption and enhance national safety.     

Moral Traditionalism and the Kinds of School‐Based Health Center Services Offered in the United States*

Objective. An earlier article published in this journal reports that morality politics and political economy variables jointly affect the offering of both sexual and contraceptive health services at school‐based health centers (SBHC). Data are reanalyzed cognizant of structural linkages: general health → sexual health → contraceptive services. Methods. To correct for spurious correlations in the earlier article, three ordinary least squares regressions with robust standard errors are estimated. Results. General health services fit a political economy model. Sexual health services are associated with morality politics. The offering of contraceptive services is influenced by the number of sexual health services offered and urbanism, not directly by moral traditionalism and political economy variables. Conclusions. Opponents and advocates of school health services are likely to engage in political strategies that address characteristics of the arenas in which different types of services are offered.     

Elder Abuse in Portugal: Findings From the First National Prevalence Study

In this study, we present findings of the Portuguese national prevalence study, “Aging and Violence,” the purpose of which was to estimate the prevalence of abuse and neglect of older people in family settings over a 12-month period and examine the relationship between abuse and sociodemographic and health characteristics. Through a telephone survey of a representative probability sample (N = 1,123), we evaluated 12 abusive behaviors and demographic data. Overall, 12.3% of older adults experienced elder abuse in family settings. The prevalence rates of specific types were as follows: psychological, 6.3%; financial, 6.3%; physical, 2.3%; neglect, 0.4%; and sexual, 0.2%. Logistic regression was employed to determine the relationship between abuse and covariates. The study suggests that education level, age, and functional status are significantly associated with abuse. Accurate estimates of the prevalence of elder abuse and understanding of victim and perpetrator characteristics are fundamental to designing effective strategies for prevention and intervention.     

Episodic Volunteering in Sport Events: A Seven-Country Analysis

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Given its ubiquitous nature, sport events are one of the most popular venues for episodic volunteering around the world....     

Has immobility been left behind in migration regulatory infrastructures?

The article brings the concept of the immobile left-behind population into the migration infrastructure debates focusing on countries of migrants' origin. Drawing on an analysis of government's migration policy in Kyrgyzstan and interviews with stakeholders in rural areas, the article concludes that the government relies on a traditional sectoral approach and agriculture in this regard and stands separately from mobility contexts. The policy discourse around outgoing migration focuses on mobility but less engages with return migration and the situation with left behind. We show how remittances-dependant country keeps migration policy as a non-active management tool. A starting point for a more holistic policy approach that includes the left-behind population would be facilitating discussion of left-behind needs in regions with active outmigration, including a wide range of stakeholders from migrants, family members, local authorities and migrant organizations. That would require essential changes in how policies are formulated and implemented, including introducing a cross-cutting and multi-level governance approach.     

Well-being in times of task restructuring: The buffering potential of workplace learning

In this paper, we focus on task restructuring as one of the most frequently occurring types of change in our contemporary knowledge society. In spite of its evident prevalence, research on task restructuring and employee well-being has been scarce until now. Based on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory and the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, we argue that task restructuring is negatively related with employee well-being (in terms of emotional exhaustion and vigour). Furthermore, we advance that opportunities for learning through reflection and experimentation, as well as recently acquired KSAOs can serve as buffers in the relationship between task restructuring and well-being. Hierarchical regression analyses and simple slope analyses were conducted in order to test the research hypotheses on a large sample of the Dutch working population (N = 1711). Task restructuring had a positive association with emotional exhaustion and a negative one with vigour. Furthermore, recently acquired KSAOs, as well as opportunities for reflection and experimentation, buffered the relationship between task restructuring and emotional exhaustion. Opportunities for reflection and experimentation moderated the relationship between task restructuring and vigour as well. This study suggests that workplace learning can mitigate the negative relationship between task restructuring and well-being.     

Inference for serological surveys investigating past exposures to infections resulting in long-lasting immunity – an approach using finite mixture models with concomitant information

This paper is concerned with developing a latent class mixture modelling technique which efficiently exploits data from serological surveys aiming to investigate past exposures to infections resulting in long-term or life-lasting immunity. Mixture components featured by antibody assays’ distribution are associated with the serological groups in the population, whilst the probability mixture that an individual belongs to the positive serological group is regarded as an age-dependent prevalence. The latter embeds a mechanistic model which explains the infection process, accounting for heterogeneities, contact patterns in the population and incorporating elements of study design. A Bayesian framework for statistical inference using Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation methods naturally accommodates missing responses in the data and allows straightforward assessement of uncertainties in nonlinear models. The applicability of the method is illustrated by investigating past exposure to varicella zoster virus infection in pre-school children, using data from a large scale UK cohort study which included a cross-sectional serological survey based on oral fluid samples.