Is green space in the living environment associated with people's feelings of social safety?

Abstract. The authors investigate whether the percentage of green space in people's living environ- ment affects their feelings of social safety positively or negatively. More specifically they investigate the extent to which this relationship varies between urban and rural areas, between groups in the community that can be identified as more or less vulnerable, and the extent to which different types of green space exert different influences. The study includes 83736 Dutch citizens who were interviewed about their feelings of social safety. The percentage of green space in the living environment of each respondent was calculated, and data analysed by use of a three-level latent variable model, controlled for individual and environmental background characteristics. The analyses suggest that more green space in people's living environment is associated with enhanced feelings of social safetyöexcept in very strongly urban areas, where enclosed green spaces are associated with reduced feelings of social safety. Contrary to the common image of green space as a dangerous hiding place for criminal activity which causes feelings of insecurity, the results suggest that green space generally enhances feelings of social safety. The results also suggest, however, that green space in the most urban areas is a matter of concern with respect to social safety.

Genetic variation in GABRA 2 moderates peer influence on externalizing behavior in adolescents

Background Genetic predisposition and environmental influences are both important factors in the development of problematic behavior leading to substance use in adolescence. Involvement with delinquent peers also strongly predicts adolescent externalizing behavior. Several lines of evidence support a role of GABRA 2 on externalizing behavior related to disinhibition. However, whether this genetic association is influenced by the environment such as peer behavior remains unknown. Methods We examined the moderating role of GABRA 2 genetic variation on the socialization model of delinquent peer affiliation (at ages 12–14 years) on externalizing behavior (at ages 15–17 years) in the Michigan Longitudinal Study ( MLS ) adolescent sample. The sample consisted of 244 adolescents (75 females and 152 with at least one parent with a DSM‐IV lifetime alcohol dependence/abuse diagnosis). Peer delinquent activity reported by the participant and teacher‐reported adolescent externalizing behavior (Teacher Report Form ( TRF ) were assessed. Results No main effect of the GABRA 2 SNP rs279826, which tags a large haplotype, on externalizing behavior was observed. However, there was a statistically reliable GABRA 2  × peer delinquency interaction. The effect of peer delinquent involvement on externalizing scores and the rule breaking subscale is significantly stronger for those with the GG genotype compared to A‐carriers, whereas there was no effect of genotype on externalizing in the absence of peer delinquent involvement. No interaction was observed for the aggression subscale. Conclusion Our results suggest that the genetic effect of GABRA 2 on externalizing behavior, more specifically on rule breaking is, at least in part, due to its effect on susceptibility to environmental exposure (i.e., peer delinquency). Affiliation with delinquent peers predicts externalizing behavior in adolescents. We report the moderating effect of GABRA2 SNP rs279826 on the socializing effect of peer delinquency on externalizing behavior, specifically on rule breaking in a high‐risk sample of adolescents with at least one parent with alcohol use disorder.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109560/1/brb3291.pd

To think or to do: the impact of assessment and locomotion orientation on the Michelangelo phenomenon

This work examines how individual differences in assessment and locomotion shape goal pursuits in ongoing relationships. The Michelangelo phenomenon describes the role that close partners play in affirming versus disaffirming one another's pursuit of the ideal self. Using data from a longitudinal study of ideal goal pursuits among newly committed couples, we examined whether the action orientation that characterizes locomotion creates an optimal environment in which to give and receive affirmation, whereas the evaluative orientation that characterizes assessment creates a suboptimal environment for giving and receiving affirmation. Consistent with hypotheses, locomotion is positively associated with partner affirmation, movement toward the ideal self, and couple wellbeing, whereas parallel associations with assessment are negative. We also explore the behavioral mechanisms that may account for such associations

Success for All in England: Results From the Third Year of a National Evaluation

This article reports the third-year findings of a longitudinal evaluation in England of Success for All (SFA), a comprehensive literacy program. Eighteen SFA schools across England and 18 control schools, matched on prior achievement and demographics, were included in this quasi-experimental study. The results of hierarchical linear modeling analysis reveal a statistically significant positive school-level effect for SFA schools compared with control schools on standardized reading measures of word-level and decoding skills, and there were directionally positive but nonsignificant school-level effects on measures of comprehension and fluency. Practical and policy implications of these findings are discussed, particularly as they relate to recent English government policies encouraging schools to implement research-proven approaches

Motor performance during experimental pain: The influence of exposure to contact sports

Athletes who play contact sports are regularly exposed to pain, yet manage to perform complex tasks without significant decrement. Limited research has suggested that superior pain tolerance in contact athletes may be important in this context and this may be altered via experience of pain. Other psychological variables such as challenge states, pain bothersomeness and coping style may also influence skill execution during pain. Forty experienced contact athletes (>3 years experience), 40 novice contact athletes (<6 months experience) and 40 non-contact athletes performed a motor task both in pain and without pain. During the pain condition, pressure pain was induced and half of each group were given challenge instructions and the other half threat based instructions. Measures of cognitive appraisal, heart rate variability, pain bothersomeness, tolerance and intensity and coping styles were taken. Contact athletes, regardless of experience, performed better during pain compared to the non-contact athletes, this relationship was mediated by pain tolerance and physical bothersomeness. During the threat condition, experience of contact sports moderated performance. Contact athletes were challenged by the pain, regardless of the instructions given, had higher direct coping and found pain less psychologically bothersome. Experienced contact athletes had higher pain tolerance and reported pain as less intense than the other groups. Ahletes who play contact sports may have better coping and adjustment to experimental pain, especially during threatening conditions. Performance during experimental pain is mediated by pain tolerance and physical pain bothersomeness. Athletes with even relatively small amounts of contact sport experience perform better during experimental pain than athletes who play non-contact sports. Experienced contact athletes had higher levels of direct coping and were more challenged and less threatened by pain than non-contact athletes.N/

Within-Household Selection Methods: A Critical Review and Experimental Examination

Probability samples are necessary for making statistical inferences to the general population (Baker et al. 2013). Some countries (e.g. Sweden) have population registers from which to randomly select samples of adults. The U.S. and many other countries, however, do not have population registers. Instead, researchers (i) select a probability sample of households from lists of areas, addresses, or telephone numbers and (ii) select an adult within these sampled households. The process by which individuals are selected from sampled households to obtain a probability-based sample of individuals is called within-household (or within-unit) selection (Gaziano 2005).Within-household selection aims to provide each member of a sampled household with a known, nonzero chance of being selected for the survey (Gaziano 2005; Lavrakas 2008). Thus, it helps to ensure that the sample represents the target population rather than only those most willing and available to participate and, as such, reduces total survey error (TSE). In interviewer-administered surveys, trained interviewers can implement a prespecified within-household selection procedure, making the selection process relatively straightforward. In self-administered surveys, within-household selection is more challenging because households must carry out the selection task themselves. This can lead to errors in the selection process or nonresponse, resulting in too many or too few of certain types of people in the data (e.g. typically too many female, highly educated, older, and white respondents), and may also lead to biased estimates for other items. We expect the smallest biases in estimates for items that do not differ across household members (e.g. political views, household income) and the largest biases for items that do differ across household members (e.g. household division of labor). In this chapter, we review recent literature on within-household selection across survey modes, identify the methodological requirements of studying within-household selection methods experimentally, provide an example of an experiment designed to improve the quality of selecting an adult within a household in mail surveys, and summarize current implications for survey practice regarding within-household selection. We focus on selection of one adult out of all possible adults in a household; screening households for members who have particular characteristics has additional complications (e.g. Tourangeau et al. 2012; Brick et al. 2016; Brick et al. 2011), although designing experimental studies for screening follows the same principles

Blurred Boundaries: Gender and Work-Family Interference in Cross-National Context

Although well theorized at the individual level, previous research has neglected the role of national context in shaping overall levels of nonwork-work and work-nonwork interference. This study fills this gap by examining how a national context of gender empowerment affects the likelihood of experiencing nonwork-work and work-nonwork interference at the individual and national levels. Controlling for individual-level differences in the distribution of job demands and resources, results from our multilevel models indicate that women's empowerment has significant net gender and parenthood effects on nonwork-work interference. By contrast, gender empowerment equally structures work-nonwork interference for these groups. Our results highlight the need to investigate interference bidirectionally and in a multilevel context. © The Author(s) 2013

The Cost-Effectiveness of Improving Diabetes Care in U.S. Federally Qualified Community Health Centers

Objective. To estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness of improving diabetes care with the Health Disparities Collaborative (HDC), a national collaborative quality improvement (QI) program conducted in community health centers (HCs). Data Sources/Study Settings. Data regarding the impact of the Diabetes HDC program came from a serial cross-sectional follow-up study (1998, 2000, 2002) of the program in 17 Midwestern HCs. Data inputs for the simulation model of diabetes came from the latest clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Study Design. We conducted a societal cost-effectiveness analysis, incorporating data from QI program evaluation into a Monte Carlo simulation model of diabetes. Data Collections/Extraction Methods. Data on diabetes care processes and risk factor levels were extracted from medical charts of randomly selected patients. Principal Findings. From 1998 to 2002, multiple processes of care (e.g., glycosylated hemoglobin testing [HbA1C] [71 -\u3e 92 percent] and ACE inhibitor prescribing [33 -\u3e 55 percent]) and risk factor levels (e.g., 1998 mean HbA1C 8.53 percent, mean difference 0.45 percent [95 percent confidence intervals -0.72, -0.17]) improved significantly. With these improvements, the HDC was estimated to reduce the lifetime incidence of blindness (17 -\u3e 15 percent), end-stage renal disease (18 -\u3e 15 percent), and coronary artery disease (28 -\u3e 24 percent). The average improvement in quality-adjusted life year (QALY) was 0.35 and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $33,386/QALY. Conclusions. During the first 4 years of the HDC, multiple improvements in diabetes care were observed. If these improvements are maintained or enhanced over the lifetime of patients, the HDC program will be cost-effective for society based on traditionally accepted thresholds

Work-Unit Absenteeism: Effects of Satisfaction, Commitment, Labor Market Conditions, and Time

Prior research is limited in explaining absenteeism at the unit level and over time. We developed and tested a model of unit-level absenteeism using five waves of data collected over six years from 115 work units in a large state agency. Unit-level job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and local unemployment were modeled as time-varying predictors of absenteeism. Shared satisfaction and commitment interacted in predicting absenteeism but were not related to the rate of change in absenteeism over time. Unit-level satisfaction and commitment were more strongly related to absenteeism when units were located in areas with plentiful job alternatives

Mental Health of Parents and Life Satisfaction of Children: A Within-Family Analysis of Intergenerational Transmission of Well-Being

This paper addresses the extent to which there is an intergenerational transmission of mental health and subjective well-being within families. Specifically it asks whether parents’ own mental distress influences their child’s life satisfaction, and vice versa. Whilst the evidence on daily contagion of stress and strain between members of the same family is substantial, the evidence on the transmission between parental distress and children’s well-being over a longer period of time is sparse. We tested this idea by examining the within-family transmission of mental distress from parent to child’s life satisfaction, and vice versa, using rich longitudinal data on 1,175 British youths. Results show that parental distress at year t-1 is an important determinant of child’s life satisfaction in the current year. This is true for boys and girls, although boys do not appear to be affected by maternal distress levels. The results also indicated that the child’s own life satisfaction is related with their father’s distress levels in the following year, regardless of the gender of the child. Finally, we examined whether the underlying transmission correlation is due to shared social environment, empathic reactions, or transmission via parent-child interaction