Protean career processes in young adults: Relationships with perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment

Protean career processes of vocational identity awareness, career adaptability, and career agency have been hypothesized to mediate the relationships between protean career orientation and career-related outcomes. To date, the role of these process mechanisms has not been assessed directly in young adults, and little attention has been paid to educational outcomes, which are important career-related goals for young people on the way to their desired career. To address this gap, we tested this indirect-effects model in a sample of young adult undergraduates (N=396; Mage=20.19, SD=2.99; 72.2% women) and included career-related goals (perceived future employability, educational performance, and commitment) as outcomes. Identity awareness and career adaptability partially explained the relationship between protean career orientation and perceived future employability and completely explained the relationships with educational performance and commitment. Contrary to protean career theory, there were no significant indirect paths via career agency to any of the outcomes

Career Goal Setting and Goal Pursuit in Young Adults: The Role of Financial Distress

Informed by goal-setting/self-regulatory theories, we tested the mediating role of career-related effort (i.e., goal striving) in the relationships between career-related indecision (i.e., goal ambiguity) and career-related stress (i.e., affect) and perceived employability (i.e., career-related attitude) and examined the effect of financial distress as a moderator in these direct and indirect relationships. Using a sample of 202 young adults (Mage 1⁄4 19.8 years, 81.7% female), we found career indecision was related negatively to effort and perceived employability and positively to stress, with effort mediating between indecision and both stress and perceived employability. However, financial distress influenced these relationships. The associations between career indecision and effort and perceived employability were more negative and the associations between career indecision and stress were more positive when financial distress was higher. The study contributes by identifying how financial distress affects the relationships between career indecision, effort, and other career variables. Keywords career goal setting, career self-regulation, career effort, career indecision, career stress, perceived employability, financial distress

Career Goal Setting and Goal Pursuit in Young Adults: The Role of Financial Distress

Informed by goal-setting/self-regulatory theories, we tested the mediating role of career-related effort (i.e., goal striving) in the relationships between career-related indecision (i.e., goal ambiguity) and career-related stress (i.e., affect) and perceived employability (i.e., career-related attitude) and examined the effect of financial distress as a moderator in these direct and indirect relationships. Using a sample of 202 young adults (Mage ¼ 19.8 years, 81.7% female), we found career indecision was related negatively to effort and perceived employability and positively to stress, with effort mediating between indecision and both stress and perceived employability. However, financial distress influenced these relationships. The associations between career indecision and effort and perceived employability were more negative and the associations between career indecision and stress were more positive when financial distress was higher. The study contributes by identifying how financial distress affects the relationships between career indecision, effort, and other career variables

Career Goal Setting and Goal Pursuit in Young Adults: The Role of Financial Distress

Informed by goal-setting/self-regulatory theories, we tested the mediating role of career-related effort (i.e., goal striving) in the relationships between career-related indecision (i.e., goal ambiguity) and career-related stress (i.e., affect) and perceived employability (i.e., career-related attitude) and examined the effect of financial distress as a moderator in these direct and indirect relationships. Using a sample of 202 young adults (Mage ¼ 19.8 years, 81.7% female), we found career indecision was related negatively to effort and perceived employability and positively to stress, with effort mediating between indecision and both stress and perceived employability. However, financial distress influenced these relationships. The associations between career indecision and effort and perceived employability were more negative and the associations between career indecision and stress were more positive when financial distress was higher. The study contributes by identifying how financial distress affects the relationships between career indecision, effort, and other career variable

Students managing work and study role boundaries: a person-centred approach

To cope with demands of working while studying, students must structure the boundaries between these roles (e.g., integrate or segment them) to suit their preferences and circumstances. However, students differ on how well they do this, and we do not yet understand the factors that contribute to managing work and study well. We sought to determine if different student groups existed and if the groups reported different work, study, and wellbeing outcomes. Using latent profile analysis and assessing work-study boundary congruence and flexibility (N = 808; 76% female; MAge 19.6 years), we identified four groups of (a) “balanced” (65.4%; with moderate boundary congruence and flexibility); (b) “high work congruence and flexibility” (17.5%; working arrangements supportive of study role); (c) “low work congruence and flexibility” (9.7%; unsupportive workplace arrangements); and (d) “low study congruence” (7.3%; study arrangements unsupportive of work role). These groups reported different work/study demands, role conflict, study burnout, and perceived employability, with “balanced” and “high work congruence and flexibility” groups scoring more positively and “low work congruence and flexibility” and “low study congruence” groups scoring more negatively. Results supported that different student groups existed, and these will need different supports to manage their multiple role responsibilities

Students managing work and study role boundaries: a person-centred approach

To cope with demands of working while studying, students must structure the boundaries between these roles (e.g., integrate or segment them) to suit their preferences and circumstances. However, students differ on how well they do this, and we do not yet understand the factors that contribute to managing work and study well. We sought to determine if different student groups existed and if the groups reported different work, study, and wellbeing outcomes. Using latent profile analysis and assessing work-study boundary congruence and flexibility (N = 808; 76% female; MAge 19.6 years), we identified four groups of (a) “balanced” (65.4%; with moderate boundary congruence and flexibility); (b) “high work congruence and flexibility” (17.5%; working arrangements supportive of study role); (c) “low work congruence and flexibility” (9.7%; unsupportive workplace arrangements); and (d) “low study congruence” (7.3%; study arrangements unsupportive of work role). These groups reported different work/study demands, role conflict, study burnout, and perceived employability, with “balanced” and “high work congruence and flexibility” groups scoring more positively and “low work congruence and flexibility” and “low study congruence” groups scoring more negatively. Results supported that different student groups existed, and these will need different supports to manage their multiple role responsibilities

Leptin modifies the prosecretory and prokinetic effects of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 on colonic function in Sprague–Dawley rats

Leptin ameliorates the prosecretory and prokinetic effects of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 on rat colon. Leptin also suppresses the neurostimulatory effects of irritable bowel syndrome plasma, which has elevated concentrations of interleukin-6, on enteric neurons. This may indicate a regulatory role for leptin in immune-mediated bowel dysfunction. In addition to its role in regulating energy homeostasis, the adipokine leptin modifies gastrointestinal (GI) function. Indeed, leptin-resistant obese humans and leptin-deficient obese mice exhibit altered GI motility. In the functional GI disorder irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), circulating leptin concentrations are reported to differ from those of healthy control subjects. Additionally, IBS patients display altered cytokine profiles, including elevated circulating concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), which bears structural homology and similarities in intracellular signalling to leptin. This study aimed to investigate interactions between leptin and IL-6 in colonic neurons and their possible contribution to IBS pathophysiology. The functional effects of leptin and IL-6 on colonic contractility and absorptosecretory function were assessed in organ baths and Ussing chambers in Sprague–Dawley rat colon. Calcium imaging and immunohistochemical techniques were used to investigate the neural regulation of GI function by these signalling molecules. Our findings provide a neuromodulatory role for leptin in submucosal neurons, where it inhibited the stimulatory effects of IL-6. Functionally, this translated to suppression of IL-6-evoked potentiation of veratridine-induced secretory currents. Leptin also attenuated IL-6-induced colonic contractions, although it had little direct effect on myenteric neurons. Calcium responses evoked by IBS plasma in both myenteric and submucosal neurons were also suppressed by leptin, possibly through interactions with IL-6, which is elevated in IBS plasma. As leptin has the capacity to ameliorate the neurostimulatory effects of soluble mediators in IBS plasma and modulated IL-6-evoked changes in bowel function, leptin may have a role in immune-mediated bowel dysfunction in IBS patients

The impact of a Student vs Worker identity on work-study conflict and facilitation in university students

Students enrolled at two Australian universities were surveyed about their work and study demands, their control over their job and work schedule, and their levels of work-study conflict and work-study facilitation. While they were completing both university studies and paid employment, their primary identity was either as a student (n = 908) or as a worker (n = 486). Average scores on all measures were significantly different between those whose primary identity was as a student (who works) or a worker (who studies). The demographic variables also showed that those with the student identity worked fewer hours and were considerably younger than those with the worker identity. The four predictor variable significantly predicted work-study conflict and work-study facilitation for both identities. Implications are discussed in terms of the development of their identity

β2-Adrenoceptors on tumor cells play a critical role in stress-enhanced metastasis in a mouse model of breast cancer

© 2016 The Authors Chronic stress accelerates metastasis – the main cause of death in cancer patients – through the activation of β-adrenoceptors (βARs). We have previously shown that β2AR signaling in MDA-MB-231HM breast cancer cells, facilitates invadopodia formation and invasion in vitro. However, in the tumor microenvironment where many stromal cells also express βAR, the role of β2AR signaling in tumor cells in metastasis is unclear. Therefore, to investigate the contribution of β2AR signaling in tumor cells to metastasis in vivo, we used RNA interference to generate MDA-MB-231HM breast cancer cells that are deficient in β2AR. β2AR knockdown in tumor cells reduced the proportion of cells with a mesenchymal-like morphology and, as expected, reduced tumor cell invasion in vitro. Conversely, overexpression of β2AR in low metastatic MCF-7 breast cancer cells induced an invasive phenotype. Importantly, we found that knockdown of β2AR in tumor cells significantly reduced the impact of stress on metastasis in vivo. These findings highlight a crucial role for β2AR tumor cell signaling in the adverse effects of stress on metastasis, and indicate that it may be necessary to block β2AR on tumor cells to fully control metastatic progression

Designing intervention prototypes to improve infant and young child nutrition in Peru: A participatory design study protocol

Introduction: Nutrition during the complementary feeding period (6–23 months) is critical to ensure optimal growth and reduce the risk of diet-related disease across the life course. Strategies to reduce multiple forms of malnutrition (stunting, overweight/obesity and anaemia) in infants and young children (IYC) are a key priority in low-income and middle-income countries, including Peru. This study aims to co-design and develop prototypes for interventions to address the multiple forms of malnutrition in IYC in urban Peru, using a participatory design approach. Methods and analysis: The study will be based within peri-urban communities in two areas of Peru (Lima and Huánuco city). Following the identification of key nutritional challenges for IYC aged 6–23 months through formative research (phase I), we will conduct a series of workshops bringing together healthcare professionals from government health centres and caregivers of IYC aged 6–23 months. Workshops (on idea generation; creating future scenarios; storyboarding and early implementation and feedback) will take place in parallel in the two study areas. Through these workshops, we will engage with community participants to explore, experiment, co-design and iteratively validate new design ideas to address the challenges around IYC complementary feeding from phase I. Workshop outputs and transcripts will be analysed qualitatively using affinity diagramming and thematic analyses. The intervention prototypes will be evaluated qualitatively and piloted with the participating communities. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ethical Review Committee of the Instituto de Investigación Nutricional (IIN) Peru (388-2019/CIEI-IIN), Loughborough University (C19-87) and confirmed by Cardiff University. Findings of the participatory design process will be disseminated through a deliberative workshop in Lima, Peru with national and regional government stakeholders, as well as participants and researchers involved in the design process. Further dissemination will take place through policy briefs, conferences and academic publications