Full Scale Field Test on a Slope Progressive Failure

In order to obtain the mechanical behaviour parameters of the red structured clays from the Danube- Black Sea Canal and to estimate the behavior of the slopes cut in such clays, an experimental programme was carried out. A checked failure was provoked for a slope dug in red fissured clays. The paper presents the results of the field investigations and the laboratory test regarding the, characteristics of the structured clays, as well as the in situ measurements during the experimental programme. The results of these measurements are compared with those obtained by numerical symulation using a computer program

Parenting Culture(s): Ideal-Parent Beliefs Across 37 Countries

What is it to be “an ideal parent”? Does the answer differ across countries and social classes? To answer these questions in a way that minimizes bias and ethnocentrism, we used open-ended questions to explore ideal-parent beliefs among 8,357 mothers and 3,517 fathers from 37 countries. Leximancer Semantic Network Analysis was utilized to first determine parenting culture zones (i.e., countries with shared ideal-parent beliefs) and then extract the predominant themes and concepts in each culture zone. The results yielded specific types of ideal-parent beliefs in five parenting culture zones: being “responsible and children/family-focused” for Asian parents, being “responsible and proper demeanor-focused” for African parents, and being “loving and responsible” for Hispanic-Italian parents. Although the most important themes and concepts were the same in the final two zones—being “loving and patient,” there were subtle differences: English-speaking, European Union, and Russian parents emphasized “being caring,” while French-speaking parents valued “listening” or being “present.” Ideal-parent beliefs also differed by education levels within culture zones, but no general pattern was discerned across culture zones. These findings suggest that the country in which parents were born cannot fully explain their differences in ideal-parent beliefs and that differences arising from social class or education level cannot be dismissed. Future research should consider how these differences affect the validity of the measurements in question and how they can be incorporated into parenting intervention research within and across cultures

Parental Burnout Around the Globe: a 42-Country Study

High levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to parental burnout, a condition that has severe consequences for both parents and children. It is not yet clear, however, whether parental burnout varies by culture, and if so, why it might do so. In this study, we examined the prevalence of parental burnout in 42 countries (17,409 parents; 71% mothers; M_{age} = 39.20) and showed that the prevalence of parental burnout varies dramatically across countries. Analyses of cultural values revealed that individualistic cultures, in particular, displayed a noticeably higher prevalence and mean level of parental burnout. Indeed, individualism plays a larger role in parental burnout than either economic inequalities across countries, or any other individual and family characteristic examined so far, including the number and age of children and the number of hours spent with them. These results suggest that cultural values in Western countries may put parents under heightened levels of stress

Evaluating the participation of marginalized populations in undeclared work in the Baltic Sea countries

To evaluate the ‘marginalization thesis’ which asserts that marginalized populations are more likely to participate in undeclared work, we analyse a 2013 Eurobarometer survey of eight Baltic Sea countries, namely four Western countries (Denmark, Finland, Germany and Sweden) and four post-Soviet countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland). Finding that across both the western and post-Soviet Baltic Sea countries, some marginalized populations (e.g., those having difficulties paying household bills, younger people) are significantly more likely to participate in undeclared work, and others are not (e.g., women, those with a high level of tax morality), a more nuanced and variegated understanding of the marginalization thesis is developed that is valid across both western and post-Soviet Baltic Sea countries. The paper concludes by discussing the theoretical and policy implications

Anxious attachment and Facebook addiction: the mediating role of need to belong, self-esteem, and Facebook use to meet romantic partners

Although the beneficial aspects of web platforms such as Facebook are recognized, excessive social media use can lead to problematic or addictive behavior among a minority of users. Because anxious attachment has usually been analyzed in the relation to Internet addiction, social media addiction, and Facebook intensity use, the main aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between anxious attachment and Facebook addiction. A multiple-mediation model was proposed including a four-path mediating effect via need to belong (NTB), self-esteem, and Facebook use to meet romantic partners. Data were collected from a sample of 530 university students (39.6% males, Mage = 21.3 years, SD = 2.1). Path analysis was performed based on the maximum likelihood estimation with resampling method. The direct and indirect effects in the four-path mediation model were tested by user-defined estimands and bias-corrected bootstrap method. The findings provided evidence for the association between anxious attachment, Facebook addiction, low self-esteem, high NTB, and Facebook use to meet romantic partners. Path analysis showed excellent fit between theoretical model and sample data. Anxious attachment had an indirect effect on Facebook addiction via high NTB, low self-esteem, and Facebook use to meet romantic partners. The novel findings deepen the understanding the mediating mechanisms of the relationship between anxious attachment and Facebook addiction and will help contribute to the development of effective prevention and treatment to enable more responsible and healthy Facebook use

Social media addiction profiles and their antecedents using latent profile analysis: the contribution of social anxiety, gender, and age

The prevalence of social media addiction has increased with the intensive use of technologically-mediated communication in everyday life. Most studies on social media addiction are based on the variable-centered approach with very few taking a person-centered approach. Since only one previous study has investigated the profiles of social media addiction based on a psychopathological model, it is important to bring a complementary view by exploring psychosocial traits associated with the different levels of maladaptive social media use, as well as antecedents of these profiles in terms of sociodemographic variables. To fill this gap, the present study explored social media addiction profiles based on a psychosocial model. The profile indicators were social media addiction, need to belong, anxious attachment, and social media intensity use (SMIU). Data were collected from 705 participants (61% females, age range 18–54 years, Mage = 30.2 years). Latent profile analysis (LPA) showed three distinct profiles: ‘low risk of addiction’ (61.3%), ‘moderate risk of addiction’ (29.6%), and ‘high risk of addiction’ (9.1%). Social anxiety, gender, and age were antecedents of the profiles. These results based on mixture modeling approach are meaningful to the field, bringing a complementary view to the previous findings obtained in a psychopathological framework. The findings could aid practitioners in the development of targeting at-risk social media users, namely social anxious young adult females with an unmet need to belong and anxious attachment, and designing programs to help them to develop rewarding social relationships and healthy social media use