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Objectives: Based on the Monitor and Acceptance Theory (MAT), mindfulness interventions influence psychological wellbeing in two ways: (a) monitoring increases emotional responses (intensifies both positive and negative affect), while (b) acceptance must interact with monitoring to attenuate negative emotions and enhance positive emotions. Yet, cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence supporting these two tenets are inconsistent. Using multilevel structural equation modelling, this study evaluated these tenets by examining the independent mediating effects of monitoring and acceptance on affective and interpersonal outcomes across time. Method: One hundred six individuals with no prior meditation experience were randomly assigned into a 14-day "Monitoring-Only" brief meditation, 14-day "Monitoring + Acceptance" brief meditation, or no-treatment control group. Multilevel mediation models were conducted to test if changes in monitoring or acceptance across the intervention period (Day 8—Day 21) fully mediated improvements in affect and social connectedness during the same period, while controlling for baseline outcomes (Day 1—Day 7). These models were repeated for follow-up variables (Day 22—Day 28) to examine the same longitudinal relationships. Results: During both the intervention and follow-up periods, Monitoring and Acceptance skills independently mediated the improvements in positive affect and social connectedness. Monitoring skills mediated reductions in negative affect only at high levels of Acceptance, while Acceptance skills mediated reductions in negative affect only at moderate to high levels of Monitoring. Conclusion: The present study suggests revision to the existing MAT tenets. In line with MAT predictions, both Monitoring and Acceptance skills interact to reduce negative emotions. However, contrary to MAT predictions, Monitoring skills did not exacerbate negative affect, and Acceptance skills independently improved emotional and interpersonal outcomes. Preregistration: This study is not preregistered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The era of information and communication technology (ICT) has popularized adolescents' digital reading activities in their daily lives. Most prior studies focused on identifying significant factors that foster digital reading performance. Although educational quality is of great concern, it is crucial to consider the issue of educational equity in the digital world. Our study aims to unfold the mediating roles of ICT-related psychological needs between economic, social, and cultural status (ESCS) and digital reading performance. A multilevel mediation analysis was adopted for 36,490 students from six high-performing Asian regions participating in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The results indicated that perceived ICT autonomy significantly mediated the relationship in most Asian regions, while perceived ICT competence yielded mixed roles. Interestingly, the suppression effects were detected between ESCS, ICT in social interaction, and digital reading. Our research findings offer fresh insights into narrowing the digital divide in the online reading environment for adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This study investigated daily motivation regulation as a multilevel mediator of undergraduate students' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and academic functioning. Undergraduate students (N = 124) completed measures on motivation, motivation regulation, and study time for 10 consecutive days leading up to a statistics exam. Bayesian multilevel mediation models were used to examine motivation regulation as a mediator between motivation and daily study time at the within-person level and exam performance at the between-person level. Within-person findings revealed motivation regulation mediated the relation between both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and study time although the indirect effect was substantially stronger for extrinsic motivation. Between-person findings did not support mediation between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and exam performance. Specifically, none of the motivation or motivation regulation factors predicted students' exam performance. It appears that motivation regulation typically stems from extrinsic motivation and is more closely associated with process-oriented rather than product-oriented academic functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Mindfulness, understood as present‐centered thinking, has positive effects on cognition. Cognitive abilities fluctuate on a daily basis in older adulthood. Awareness of age‐related change (AARC) focuses on an individual's perception of life changes as a result of growing older and includes dimensions of both gains and losses. AARC losses are negative age‐related changes that are attributed to growing older, and have been linked to fluctuations in cognition. Utilizing Holas and Jankowski's cognitive model of mindfulness as a framework, we investigated the potential mediation effect of AARC losses as a type of perceived change in internal experiences. We used multilevel models to analyze daily diary data from 116 older adults (aged 60–90, M = 64.71, SD = 4.98). Participants provided baseline information on Day 1 and then completed parallel versions of inductive reasoning tests each day along with reports of daily mindfulness and AARC on Days 2–9. In line with the cognitive model of mindfulness, within‐person increases in daily mindfulness were associated with increases in inductive reasoning performance. Our results also extend the cognitive model of mindfulness because we found through multilevel mediation that increases in mindfulness were associated with decreases in AARC losses, which were then associated with increases in inductive reasoning performance. AARC losses significantly mediated the within‐person relationship between mindfulness and cognition. Efforts aimed at reducing perceived AARC losses might assist older adults in taking full advantage of the positive benefits of mindfulness on their daily cognitive abilities.

Objectives Appraisal and interpretation of personal experiences resulting from interaction with situational contexts might play an important role in shaping subjective age at the within-person level, but it is unclear how this process unfolds. We propose that older adults evaluate situational contexts and reflect on their general psychological resources when determining their subjective age, and tested this proposal with volition of daily activities as a proxy for appraisal of situational contexts and control beliefs as a proxy for psychological resources. We hypothesize that appraising daily activities one engaged in as obligatory would deplete one's perceived control and concomitantly make one feel older. Methods Older adults (n  = 116) ranging in age from 60 to 90 (M  = 64.84) completed a 9-day daily diary study online, resulting in 743 total days. Participants reported their sociodemographic characteristics on Day 1 and major daily activities, volition of every reported activity, felt age, and control beliefs on Days 2–9. Results On days when older adults felt that activities they engaged in were of their own volition, they also felt more in control. A lower-level mediation result suggested that within-person control beliefs mediated the relationship between volition of daily activities and subjective age. Discussion Our findings suggest that older adults evaluate situational contexts and reflect on their control beliefs as a general psychological resource when determining their subjective age. These findings show the important role psychological resources play in determining subjective age from a within-person perspective and extended the within-person process proposed in previous theoretical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A variety of inferential tests are available for single and multilevel mediation but most come with notable limitations that balance tradeoffs between power and Type I error. We extend the partial posterior p value method (p3 method) to test multilevel mediation. This contemporary resampling‐based composite approach is specifically suited for complex null hypotheses. We develop the p3 method and investigate its performance within the context of two‐level cluster‐randomized multilevel mediation studies. Similar to its performance in single‐level studies, we found that the p3 method performed well relative to other mediation tests suggesting it provides a judicious balance between Type I error rate and power. While bias‐corrected bootstrapping achieved the best overall performance, the p3 method serves as an alternative tool for researchers investigating multilevel mediation that is especially useful when conducting a priori power analyses. To encourage utilization, we provide R code for implementing the p3 method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various theoretical accounts suggest that within-person effects relating to everyday experiences (assessed, e.g., via experience sampling studies or daily diary studies) are a central element for understanding between-person differences in future outcomes. In this regard, it is often assumed that the within-person effect of a time-varying predictor X on a time-varying mediator M contributes to the long-term development in an outcome variable Y. In the present work, we demonstrate that traditional multilevel mediation approaches fall short in capturing the proposed mechanism, however. We suggest that a model in which between-person differences in the strength of within-person effects predict the outcome Y mediated via mean levels in M more adequately aligns with the presumed theoretical account that within-person effects shape between-person differences. Using simulated data, we show that the central parameters of this multilevel structural equation model can be recovered well in most of the investigated scenarios. Our approach has important implications for whether or not to control for mean levels in models with within-person effects as predictors. We illustrate the model using empirical data targeting the question if the within-person association of occurrence of daily stressors (X) with daily experiences of negative affect (M) longitudinally predicts between-person differences in change in depressive symptoms (Y). Implications for other multilevel designs and intervention studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multilevel methods allow researchers to investigate relationships that expand across levels (e.g., individuals, teams, and organizations). The popularity of these methods for studying organizational phenomena has increased in recent decades. Methodologists have examined how these methods work under different conditions, providing an empirical base for making sound decisions when using these methods. In this article, we provide recommendations, tools, resources, and a checklist that can be useful for scholars involved in conducting or assessing multilevel studies. The focus of our article is on two-level designs, in which Level-1 entities are neatly nested within Level-2 entities, and top-down effects are estimated. However, some of our recommendations are also applicable to more complex multilevel designs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The age of information and communication technology (ICT) has witnessed the prevalence of computer-based reading. Previous studies yielded mixed results concerning the relationship between ICT perceived competence, ICT use and digital reading performance, and the underlying mechanism was rarely explored. This study aimed to explore the relationship between ICT perceived competence and adolescents' digital reading performance and the potential mediating roles of three types of ICT use. Multilevel mediation analyses were conducted for 199,646 15-year-old students from 29 OECD countries/regions in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2018, in which digital reading performance was assessed by multistage adaptive computer-based testing. The results revealed that a) ICT perceived competence and digital reading performance were positively correlated; b) ICT use significantly mediated the relationship; c) students with higher-level ICT perceived competence tended to use ICT for leisure at home more frequently, which led to better digital reading performance; d) the suppression effects were revealed, indicating the need to consider the interrelationship between ICT perceived competence and ICT use. These findings provided new evidence for the self-determination theory and the ICT engagement model, suggesting that appropriate ICT use driven by high-level ICT perceived competence might help improve adolescents' digital reading performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the antecedents and consequences of organization‐level inclusion climate. A national sample of human resource decision‐makers from 100 organizations described their firms' formal diversity management programs; 3,229 employees reported their perceptions of, and reactions to, their employers' diversity management. Multilevel analyses demonstrate that identity‐conscious programs (programs that target specific identity groups) generate an inclusion climate. Moreover, the analyses provide evidence of multilevel mediation: In organizations with an inclusion climate, individual employees perceive the organization as fulfilling its diversity management obligations and respond with higher levels of affective commitment. This study represents an important step toward understanding how a shared perception of organizational inclusiveness develops and how inclusion climate facilitates the achievement of diversity management objectives. The findings also shed light on the important role of identity‐conscious programs in promoting organizational commitment within a diverse workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective. This study aimed to confirm the multidimensionality of benefit finding (BF), or silver linings within the cancer experience, assess the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM) on those dimensions, and test the mediating role of perceived stress management skills targeted by CBSM. Methods. This secondary analysis used data from 240 women with stage 0-III breast cancer who completed measures of BF (Benefit Finding Scale) and perceived stress management skills (PSMS) at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months post-randomization into CBSM or a psycho-education condition. We tested a six-factor BF model using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and assessed CBSM-related changes in BF and PSMS using Hierarchical Linear Models. We included significantly affected BF dimensions in mediation models. Results. A six-factor model of BF had good fit [χ2(212) = 391.5, p < .001; CFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06; SRMR = 0.04]. CBSM positively affected changes in personal growth (β = 0.06, p = .01), social relations (β = 0.05, p = .05), and worldview (β = 0.05, p = .02) BF. Perceived relaxation skill increases significantly mediated changes in personal growth (β = 0.03, p = .04) and social relations (β = 0.03, p = .04). Conclusion. Some aspects of perceived stress management skills appear to account for specific BF dimensions and should be considered in future efforts to develop interventions to modulate BF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As classrooms have become increasingly digitized, information and communication technology (ICT) has been frequently used by teachers. On that basis, whether teachers' ICT use could provide students with more and sustainable opportunities to learn (OTL) has aroused more attention in the relevant research field. However, there has been scarce evidence for teacher-related factors that elucidate the correlation between the ICT use of teachers and providing OTL in secondary education. Given this inefficiency of evidence, this study aimed to investigate the above correlation and explore the mediation effects of teachers' self-efficacy and teachers' flexible strategy use to solve individualized challenges (i.e., adaptive instruction). The data of 10,796 teachers in 389 secondary schools were analyzed using R based on a multilevel mediation model. As indicated by the results of this study, teachers achieved higher self-efficacy and adaptive instruction levels when ICT was used more frequently in reading classrooms, which would further enhance the provision of OTL for students. In addition, experienced teachers were better at facilitating adaptive instruction and self-efficacy using ICT. The above results could lay a solid foundation for future empirical studies to incorporate ICT in reading course design. Furthermore, it is imperative to carry out teacher training programs to improve teachers' beliefs and practices in providing OTL for better sustainable education in ICT education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods. This secondary analysis used data from 240 women with stage 0-III breast cancer who completed measures of BF (Benefit Finding Scale) and perceived stress management skills (PSMS) at baseline, 6-months, and 12-months post-randomization into CBSM or a psycho-education condition. We tested a six-factor BF model using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and assessed CBSM-related changes in BF and PSMS using Hierarchical Linear Models. We included significantly affected BF dimensions in mediation models., Results. A six-factor model of BF had good fit [χ 2 (212) = 391.5, p < .001; CFI = 0.94; RMSEA = 0.06; SRMR = 0.04]. CBSM positively affected changes in personal growth ( β  = 0.06, p = .01), social relations ( β = 0.05, p = .05), and worldview ( β  = 0.05, p = .02) BF. Perceived relaxation skill increases significantly mediated changes in personal growth ( β  = 0.03, p = .04) and social relations ( β  = 0.03, p = .04)., Conclusion. Some aspects of perceived stress management skills appear to account for specific BF dimensions and should be considered in future efforts to develop interventions to modulate BF.

Memory lapses are a type of daily challenge that are common to most people and are associated with negative mood outcomes. How daily challenges are associated and linked to broad domains, like life satisfaction and well-being, has been underexamined. Life satisfaction is often assessed from a macro-level that emphasizes average differences over longer timeframes, yet daily experiences (i.e., micro-level) may accumulate to shape these characteristics. In the current study, we examined if daily memory lapses (e.g., difficulties with word-finding or forgetting a meeting) were associated with life satisfaction, and whether this relationship was mediated by the associated changes in positive and negative affect due to daily memory lapses. In a coordinated analysis of two datasets (N = 561, ages 25–93 years), we used multilevel structural equation modeling to assess how daily memory lapses may influence the broader outcome of global life satisfaction. The pattern of results was similar across datasets: memory lapses were associated with reduced positive affect and increased negative affect. Further, the daily affect associated with daily memory lapses significantly mediated the relationship between lapses and life satisfaction, while the direct relationship between memory lapses and life satisfaction was non-significant. This study provides support for the role of daily challenges, specifically memory lapses, influencing broader constructs such as psychological well-being by identifying the key factor of affective responses. Future work should identify other salient daily challenges, as well as explore if reducing the affective response to challenges through targeted interventions would mitigate impacts on distal functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cluster memberships associated with the mediation effect are often changed due to the temporal distance between the cause-and-effect variables in longitudinal data. Nevertheless, current practices in multilevel mediation analysis mostly assume a purely hierarchical data structure. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to examine the consequence of ignoring the changes in cluster memberships in multilevel mediation analysis. Results show that the proposed method, Cross-Classified Multilevel Mediation Model (CC-M3), outperforms the conventional multilevel model with substantially smaller relative biases in parameter estimates (about 50% less) and a more consistent and higher coverage rate. Findings of this simulation study inform the empirical researchers that the changes in cluster-membership needs to be appropriately taken into consideration in mediation analysis. We demonstrate the use of CC-M3 in the applied example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizational research has a rich tradition of multilevel investigations anchored in a long-standing recognition that conclusions obtained at the individual level of analysis cannot be expected to generalize at other levels. Doubly latent multilevel methods, which provide the way to combine multilevel analyses and structural equation models into a single analytic framework, enrich this tradition. Yet, some critical technical considerations have yet to be systematically integrated in applied research. This article aims to introduce organizational researchers to the estimation of doubly latent multilevel models while taking into account: (a) The need to systematically assess the multilevel measurement structure of the constructs included in the study; (b) the various types of measurement errors that can be controlled for (rather than simply estimated) as part of these models; (c) the importance of relying on a clear understanding of contextual versus climate constructs given their role in centering decisions. These issues are illustrated by an investigation of the multilevel relations between psychological empowerment, psychological health, and turnover intentions among a large sample (N = 5875 employees nested within 49 work units) of Canadian Defence employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether the significant intervention effects of the Communities That Care (CTC) prevention system on youth problem behaviors observed in a panel of eighth-grade students (Hawkins et al. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 163:789-798 2009) were mediated by community-level prevention system constructs posited in the CTC theory of change. Potential prevention system constructs included the community's degree of (a) adoption of a science-based approach to prevention, (b) collaboration on prevention activities, (c) support for prevention, and (d) norms against adolescent drug use as reported by key community leaders in 24 communities. Higher levels of community adoption of a science-based approach to prevention and support for prevention in 2004 predicted significantly lower levels of youth problem behaviors in 2007, and higher levels of community norms against adolescent drug use predicted lower levels of youth drug use in 2007. Effects of the CTC intervention on youth problem behaviors by the end of eighth grade were mediated fully by community adoption of a science-based approach to prevention. No other significant mediated effects were found. Results support CTC's theory of change that encourages communities to adopt a science-based approach to prevention as a primary mechanism for improving youth outcomes.

Background: This study explored whether Be a Mom, a brief and unguided cognitive behavioral web-based intervention, was effective in promoting psychological processes (self-compassion, psychological flexibility, emotion regulation) among low-risk postpartum women. Effects of Be a Mom in psychological processes compared with a control group were examined at post-intervention and at 4-months follow-up. Additionally, this work explored whether changes in psychological processes mediated improvements in positive mental health at postintervention.Methods: In total, 367 postpartum women presenting low risk for postpartum depression were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 191) or to a waiting-list control group (n = 176).Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group reported significantly greater baseline to postintervention increases in self-compassion. No significant effects were found at the 4-month follow-up. Multilevel mediation showed that self-compassion improvements significantly mediated improvements in positive mental health among the intervention group. No significant results were found for psychological flexibility or emotion regulation.Conclusions: This study suggests that Be a Mom has the potential to cultivate self-compassion among low-risk postpartum women and that this may be a key mechanism for promoting positive mental health in this context.Clinical Trial Registration:www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT04055974.

Background: This study explored whether Be a Mom, a brief and unguided cognitive behavioral web-based intervention, was effective in promoting psychological processes (self-compassion, psychological flexibility, emotion regulation) among low-risk postpartum women. Effects of Be a Mom in psychological processes compared with a control group were examined at post-intervention and at 4-months follow-up. Additionally, this work explored whether changes in psychological processes mediated improvements in positive mental health at postintervention. Methods: In total, 367 postpartum women presenting low risk for postpartum depression were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 191) or to a waiting-list control group (n = 176). Results: Compared with the control group, the intervention group reported significantly greater baseline to postintervention increases in self-compassion. No significant effects were found at the 4-month follow-up. Multilevel mediation showed that self-compassion improvements significantly mediated improvements in positive mental health among the intervention group. No significant results were found for psychological flexibility or emotion regulation. Conclusions: This study suggests that Be a Mom has the potential to cultivate self-compassion among low-risk postpartum women and that this may be a key mechanism for promoting positive mental health in this context. Clinical Trial Registration: www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifier: NCT04055974. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing immigration is a challenge at the political, economic, and social levels. Clarifying the social psychological antecedents behind the onset of negative attitudes towards immigrants might help overcome this challenge. The present study investigates the relationships between people's experience of social exclusion, feelings of generalized interpersonal trust, and anti-immigrant attitudes across 23 European countries. We used data from the European Social Survey 8 (2016), employing a representative sample of the European population. A 1–1–1 multilevel mediation model showed that: (a) the higher the experience of social exclusion, the lower the generalized trust towards others; (b) the experience of social exclusion related positively and directly with anti-immigration attitudes; and (c) generalized interpersonal trust mediated the relationship between experienced social exclusion and anti-immigrant attitudes so that the experience of being socially excluded reduced feelings of generalized interpersonal trust that, in turn, promoted hostile attitudes towards immigrants. Taken together, these results create a platform for future research on the emergence of negative attitudes towards immigrants and factors that might facilitate the development of a climate of integration and acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mediation analysis is an important tool for understanding the processes through which interventions affect health outcomes over time. Typically the temporal intervals between X, M, and Y are fixed by design, and little focus is given to the temporal dynamics of the processes.Purpose: In this article, we aim to highlight the importance of considering the timing of the causal effects of a between-person intervention X, on M and Y, resulting in a deeper understanding of mediation.Methods: We provide a framework for examining the impact of a between-person intervention X on M and Y over time when M and Y are measured repeatedly. Five conceptual and analytic steps involve visualizing the effects of the intervention on Y, M, the relationship of M and Y, and the mediating process over time and selecting an appropriate analytic model.Results: We demonstrate how these steps can be applied to two empirical examples of health behavior change interventions. We show that the patterns of longitudinal mediation can be fit with versions of longitudinal multilevel structural equation models that represent how the magnitude of direct and indirect effects vary over time.Conclusions: We urge researchers and methodologists to pay more attention to temporal dynamics in the causal analysis of interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overlooked in the extensive literature on self‐control theory are propositions with respect to street gangs. In Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) perspective, gangs are loose confederations of youth with low self‐control and their criminological relevance is attributable to "politics and romance" rather than to rigorous empirical research. Prior research is limited by the use of cross‐sectional data, which takes on added importance in light of recent findings on self‐control instability. Using six waves of panel data from a large sample of youth, we test three propositions: gang membership is endogenous to self‐control (selection), self‐control is unrelated to gang membership (stability), and self‐control confounds the well‐established link between gang membership and delinquency (spuriousness). The main findings from stabilized inverse propensity‐weighted multilevel structural equation models are that 1) self‐control is one, but not the only, source of selection into gangs; 2) levels of self‐control worsen during active periods of gang membership; and 3) gang membership maintains a direct association with delinquency, as well as an indirect association operating through self‐control. The empirical evidence does not support reinterpreting gangs in self‐control perspective, instead pointing to the continued relevance of the group context to criminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overlooked in the extensive literature on self‐control theory are propositions with respect to street gangs. In Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) perspective, gangs are loose confederations of youth with low self‐control and their criminological relevance is attributable to "politics and romance" rather than to rigorous empirical research. Prior research is limited by the use of cross‐sectional data, which takes on added importance in light of recent findings on self‐control instability. Using six waves of panel data from a large sample of youth, we test three propositions: gang membership is endogenous to self‐control (selection), self‐control is unrelated to gang membership (stability), and self‐control confounds the well‐established link between gang membership and delinquency (spuriousness). The main findings from stabilized inverse propensity‐weighted multilevel structural equation models are that 1) self‐control is one, but not the only, source of selection into gangs; 2) levels of self‐control worsen during active periods of gang membership; and 3) gang membership maintains a direct association with delinquency, as well as an indirect association operating through self‐control. The empirical evidence does not support reinterpreting gangs in self‐control perspective, instead pointing to the continued relevance of the group context to criminology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional observed variable multilevel models for evaluating indirect effects are limited by their inability to quantify measurement and sampling error. They are further restricted by being unable to fully separate within- and between-level effects without bias. Doubly latent models reduce these biases by decomposing the observed within-level indicators into within- and between-level latent components. This decomposition simultaneously controls for both measurement error at each level, and sampling error in the aggregation of individual values that serve as indicators of higher-level constructs. We illustrate the usefulness of this approach in investigating the mediating role of aggressive attitudes in associations between reports of school climate and prevalence of teasing and bullying. Teacher perceived justness and support in schools were both found to be indirectly associated with the prevalence of teasing and bullying through aggressive attitudes, and teacher perceived support was found to be directly associated with teasing and bullying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Feelings of satisfaction fluctuate across time and situations, and focusing on within‐person experiences opens up the door to a better understanding of the daily lives of university students. Aims: Our overarching goal was to situate academic satisfaction not only as a relatively enduring characteristic but also as a transient state that fluctuates across days in the lives of student. In the present study, we explored how optimism and pessimism related to inter‐individual differences in academic satisfaction. We also investigated the association between coping and academic satisfaction at both the between‐ and within‐person levels. Sample: A sample of 235 undergraduate students (Mage = 19.14) participated in this study. Method: Students completed baseline measures of optimism and pessimism. They were then asked to complete daily‐diary measures of academic coping strategies and academic satisfaction during six consecutive days. Results: At the between‐person level, results from multilevel mediation analyses demonstrated that optimism was associated with greater academic satisfaction and that task‐oriented coping was a significant mediator of this association. At the within‐person level, our analyses revealed that the daily satisfaction of students varies according to the coping strategies used on those specific days. Almost half of the variance in academic satisfaction can be attributable to daily fluctuations. Conclusions: This source of within‐person variance is non‐negligible and supports the need to also conceive academic satisfaction as a question of when. These findings illustrate the importance of considering the role of personality and daily coping to better conceptualize and understand academic satisfaction of university students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether, and the extent to which, the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program predicted positive development of children’s emotional, behavioral, and social adjustment through changes in the child–teacher relationship. Using data from a longitudinal quasi-experimental intervention trial with a matched control condition, including 1,085 children (49.7% girls, meanage = 4.22 years; SDage = 0.88 years), the potential associations were tested by means of multilevel path modeling. The mediation model demonstrated that (1) children in the intervention condition achieved more favorable changes in the child–teacher relationship than the control condition; (2) changes in the child–teacher relationship were associated with changes in the target outcomes; and (3) the intervention effects were mediated via changes in the child–teacher relationship.

Relapse rates following a depressive episode are high, with limited treatments available aimed at reducing such risk. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a cognitive-behavioral approach that has gained increased empirical support in treatment of depression, and thus represents an alternative in relapse prevention. Psychological flexibility (PF) plays an important role in mental health according to the model on which ACT is based. This study aimed to investigate the role of PF and its subprocesses in reducing residual symptoms of depression and in improving positive mental health following an 8-week group-based ACT treatment. Adult participants (75.7% female) with a history of depression, but currently exhibiting residual symptoms (N = 106) completed measures before and after intervention, and at 6 and 12-month follow-up. A growth curve model showed that positive mental health increased over 12-months. Multilevel mediation modeling revealed that PF significantly mediated these changes as well as the reduction of depressive symptoms, and that processes of acceptance, cognitive defusion, values and committed action, in turn, mediated increased PF.

This study examined whether, and the extent to which, the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program predicted positive development of children's emotional, behavioral, and social adjustment through changes in the child–teacher relationship. Using data from a longitudinal quasi-experimental intervention trial with a matched control condition, including 1,085 children (49.7% girls, meanage = 4.22 years; SDage = 0.88 years), the potential associations were tested by means of multilevel path modeling. The mediation model demonstrated that (1) children in the intervention condition achieved more favorable changes in the child–teacher relationship than the control condition; (2) changes in the child–teacher relationship were associated with changes in the target outcomes; and (3) the intervention effects were mediated via changes in the child–teacher relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compared six common methods in estimating the 2-1-1 (level-2 independent, level-1 mediator, level-1 dependent) multilevel mediation model with a random slope. They were the Bayesian with informative priors, the Bayesian with non-informative priors, the Monte-Carlo, the distribution of the product, the bias-corrected, and the bias-uncorrected parametric percentile residual bootstrap. The Bayesian method with informative priors was superior in relative mean square error (RMSE), power, interval width, and interval imbalance. The prior variance and prior mean were also varied and examined. Decreasing the prior variance increased the power, reduced RMSE and interval width when the prior mean was the true value, but decreasing the prior variance reduced the power when the prior mean was set incorrectly. The influence of misspecification of prior information of the b coefficient on multilevel mediation analysis was greater than that on coefficient a. An illustrate example with the Bayesian multilevel mediation was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to sexual objectification is an everyday experience for many women, yet little is known about its emotional consequences. Fredrickson and Roberts’ (1997) objectification theory proposed a within-person process, wherein exposure to sexual objectification causes women to adopt a third-person perspective on their bodies, labeled self-objectification, which has harmful downstream consequences for their emotional well-being. However, previous studies have only tested this model at the between-person level, making them unreliable sources of inference about the proposed intraindividual psychological consequences of objectification. Here, we report the results of Bayesian multilevel structural equation models that simultaneously tested Fredrickson and Roberts’ (1997) predictions both within and between persons, using data from 3 ecological momentary assessment (EMA) studies of women’s (N = 268) experiences of sexual objectification in daily life. Our findings support the predicted within-person indirect effect of exposure to sexual objectification on increases in negative and self-conscious emotions via self-objectification. However, lagged analyses suggest that the within-person indirect emotional consequences of exposure to sexual objectification may be relatively fleeting. Our findings advance research on sexual objectification by providing the first comprehensive test of the within-person process proposed by Fredrickson and Roberts’ (1997) objectification theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since introduced by Professor McLeod and the Wisconsin School at the turn of the century, a large body of research has employed the communication mediation model. Yet, most of these studies rely on cross-sectional and individual-level survey data collected in the United States. This paper seeks to address these shortcomings by testing a specification of the model—the citizen communication mediation model—across cultures. Relying on panel survey data from 19 countries, this study advances a multilevel citizen communication mediation model. Our findings indicate that discussion remains a strong mediating predictor of political participation across countries and political contexts, though the relationship is moderated by macro-level repressive democratic expressive norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With the unprecedented migration in China, migrant children' wellbeing becomes a great social problem. There is an emerging literature on the educational inequality of migrant children, but most studies focus on either the institutional barriers or the individual factors. This article argues for a holistic perspective, studying the mechanisms of hukou system and social capital through which children's migration affects their education. Based on the China Education Panel Survey and the random-intercept mediation model, the article shows that the educational outcome of migrant children is significantly worse than urban peers. Most of the negative effects are attributed to the hukou –related school quality and others are mediated by social capital within the family and the community. Surprisingly, the results show that the child–father interactions have a negative effect on children's education. The practical and policy implications for migrant children's wellbeing are discussed. Highlights • Migrant children are still facing educational inequality in urban China. • Children' migration disrupts their social capital, resulting in their educational problems. • The school quality has great influences on children's educational outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors provide a systematic evaluation of the emerging multilevel paradigm in human resource management (HRM) research focusing, in particular, on multilevel mediation analyses of the HRM-outcomes relationship. They first distinguish different types of multilevel models and then identify a number of best practice theoretical and methodological criteria for the conduct of multilevel research derived from the literature. These criteria are used to analyze and evaluate all multilevel mediation studies ( N = 46) of the HRM-outcomes relationship published in 11 core management and HRM journals in the 2000 to 2016 period. The results suggest that progress in the application of the multilevel paradigm has been slow and uneven and that the new paradigm has not as yet taken firm root in the field of HRM. On the basis of this evaluation, the authors identify key areas for improvement in the application of the multilevel approach to the analysis of the HRM-outcomes relationship. In the process, they highlight important ways in which the further development of a multilevel perspective can enhance both strategic and employee-centered HRM research by contributing to a fuller substantive understanding of the processes and mechanisms through which HRM systems affect outcomes of interest at different levels of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The link between relationship violence and aspects of neighborhood concentrated disadvantage (e.g., percent of unemployed adults, percent of families below poverty level), has been established. However, the literature examining neighborhood social processes, including informal social control and social cohesion, in relation to adolescent dating violence has shown mixed results with a limited theoretical foundation and methodology. Using a social disorganization theoretical framework, this study examined the mediating role of these neighborhood social processes in the relation between concentrated disadvantage and adolescent dating violence within an urban context. Participants included 605 adult residents in 30 census tracts and 203 adolescents from neighborhoods on the West and South sides of Chicago. Neighborhood‐level concentrated disadvantage was measured via Census data, adult residents reported on neighborhood social processes, and youth reported on dating violence. Informal social control was negatively associated with dating violence, and social cohesion was positively associated with dating violence. A multilevel mediation model showed that concentrated disadvantage was related to higher levels of dating violence via lower levels of informal social control. These results extend social disorganization theory to dating violence within an urban context, while also highlighting the important role of neighborhood processes on relationship violence. Implications for research and intervention programming are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: We developed and tested an integrative model centering on the significance of trust as a basis for managers’ decisions about allowing versus prohibiting their employees to telework. We examined the importance of trust in relation to several other factors managers may consider in making telework decisions including coordination and communication, equity, and a desire to accommodate employees.Design/Methodology/Approach: Study 1 was a policy capturing investigation of 71 respondents intended to document the relative importance and interactions among trust and these other theoretically based factors. Study 2 was a test of the full theoretical model based on the responses of 85 managers who reported on these considerations for the 191 employees about whom they make telework decisions.Findings: Results from the two studies were largely consistent. Managers’ assessments of employees’ conscientiousness and trustworthiness were paramount in predicting telework allowance, with the other theoretically based considerations generally failing to attenuate the importance of those personal assessments.Implications: Organizations wishing to increase the use of telework (e.g., by implementing manager telework training) must directly address managers’ mistrust as a factor underlying this resistance. Job-related and technological changes may not dampen the effects of mistrust.Originality: To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive and theoretically grounded assessment of the various considerations factoring into managers’ telework decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research has demonstrated that employee and leader mindfulness play a significant role for well-being at work. Yet, we lack a sufficient understanding of how leader mindfulness translates into subordinates’ well-being. In this paper, we argue that transformational leadership serves as a mediating mechanism of the relationship between leader mindfulness and subordinates' well-being (i.e., positive and negative affect, job satisfaction, psychosomatic complaints, and emotional exhaustion) at work. Findings are reported from a cross-sectional multi-source study with 65 leaders and 153 employees from different industries. Multilevel mediation analyses showed that leader mindfulness was positively related to subordinates’ positive affect as well as job satisfaction and negatively related to subordinates’ psychosomatic complaints via transformational leadership. This study adds to the literature on mindfulness at work in underlining the importance of leader mindfulness for subordinates’ well-being introducing transformational leadership as a mediating variable. We discuss the importance of reconciling research on mindfulness and leadership, and of promoting mindfulness in organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Student perceptions of their classroom interactions play an important role in understanding how students learn. This paper tests whether student perceptions of the quality of classroom interactions explained the association between observed instructional practices and two outcomes: mathematics achievement and effort. The sample included 2986 students in 176 middle school math classrooms and 3269 students in 322 elementary school math classrooms from the Measures of Effective Teaching dataset. Observations measured emotional support, instructional support, and classroom management, and students were surveyed on their perceptions of the quality of classroom interactions and their effort. Multilevel structural equation models showed: (1) classroom rated higher on classroom organization (controlling for other dimensions) were associated with higher student achievement, and (2) observations of emotional support were associated with student perceptions of the quality of classroom interactions. Findings suggest that students' subjective experiences of classroom interactions influence their learning and behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]