Rolefulness and hardiness during high school: A longitudinal cross-lagged panel analysis

Maddi S.R.

Schmidt S., Roesler U., Kusserow T., Rau R.

Health-related research on role stress in the workplace focuses mainly on the occurrence of depression and anxiety. Reviews for the latter are available. This meta-analysis relates role ambiguity/role conflict to depression. The initial literature search, part of a more comprehensive search, yielded about 50,000 results. Studies have been published in multiple languages. Thirty-three studies comprising 19,926 research subjects were statistically aggregated. Different meta-analytical approaches were used. The results show a moderate but significant positive relationship for both variables (role ambiguity: r = .279; role conflict: r = .318). Further, the distinctness of the role stressors was supported by meta-analytical computations. Moderators were tested and identified. We conclude that role ambiguity and role conflict overlap to some extent, but they should be categorized as distinct concepts for workplace research. Providing clearly defined roles and job objectives can be seen as one factor that can co...

Farb A.F., Matjasko J.L.

► We review the last 5 years of literature extracurricular activity participation. ► We examine the links between participation and adolescent developmental outcomes. ► We focus on recent advances in participation measurement, mediators and moderators. ► Use of longitudinal data and sophisticated participation measures has increased. ► These new studies demonstrate a more complicated picture of participation and development. Updating a previous systematic review of the literature, this review summarizes the literature over the last 5 years on the relationship between school-based extracurricular activity participation and academic achievement, substance use, sexual activity, psychological adjustment, and delinquency. The review also considers mediators and moderators of these relationships. This review also discusses recent advances in activity research including participation measurement (intensity, breadth, and duration), person-centered approaches, and an exploration of the overscheduling hypothesis. The review reveals a mixed picture of the relationship between activity participation and these adolescent developmental outcomes. A call for continued exploration into measurement issues, analysis approaches, outcome measures, and causal models of activities and adolescent functioning is made.

Schaefer D.R., Simpkins S.D., Vest A.E., Price C.D.

Extracurricular activities are settings that are theorized to help adolescents maintain existing friendships and develop new friendships. The overarching goal of the current investigation was to examine whether coparticipating in school-based extracurricular activities supported adolescents' school-based friendships. We used social network methods and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine whether dyadic friendship ties were more likely to exist among activity coparticipants while controlling for alternative friendship processes, namely dyadic homophily (e.g., demographic and behavioral similarities) and network-level processes (e.g., triadic closure). Results provide strong evidence that activities were associated with current friendships and promoted the formation of new friendships. These associations varied based on school level (i.e., middle vs. high school) and activity type (i.e., sports, academic, arts). Results of this study provide new insight into the complex relations between activities and friendship that can inform theories of their developmental outcomes.

Maddi S.R., Brow M., Khoshaba D.M., Vaitkus M.

Both hardiness and religiousness share spirituality, in the sense of searching for meaning in one’s life, and have been shown to have a buffering effect on stresses that maintains and enhances performance, morale, and health. This study investigates how hardiness and religiousness compare in their relationship to depression, anger, and the coping and social support mechanisms whereby they may have these relationships. Participants were military and governmental personnel who completed accepted measures of hardiness, religiousness, and other variables on a volunteer basis. Correlational and multiple regression analyses showed that, by comparison with religiousness, hardiness has the larger and more comprehensive negative relationship with depression and anger, and positive relationship with coping and social support. The conceptual and empirical implications of these findings are discussed.

Kobasa S.C., Maddi S.R., Kahn S.

Maddi S.R., Harvey R.H., Khoshaba D.M., Lu J.L., Persico M., Brow M.

Previous research has established hardiness as a dispositional factor in preserving and enhancing performance and health despite stressful circumstances. The present four studies continue this construct-validational process by (a) introducing a shortened version of the hardiness measure and (b) testing hypotheses concerning the relationship between hardiness and repressive coping, right-wing authoritarianism, innovative behavior, and billable hours (a measure of consulting effectiveness). Results of these studies suggest the adequate reliability and validity of the Personal Views Survey III-R, which is the shortened, 18-item measure of hardiness. Further, results support the hypothesis that the relationship of hardiness is negative with repressive coping and right-wing authoritarianism and positive with innovative behavior and billable hours. Hardiness also appears unrelated to socially desirable responding.

Maddi S.R., Hightower M.

Hull J.G., Van Treuren R.R., Virnelli S.

Mahoney J.L., Cairns B.D., Farmer T.W.

This longitudinal study investigated consistent participation in extracurricular activities as a contributor to long-term educational success. Participants were 695 boys and girls who were interviewed annually to the end of high school and again at age 20. Family economic status, interpersonal competence, and educational aspirations during adolescence were used to assess educational status at young adulthood. Consistent extracurricular activity participation across adolescence on the educational attainment process was examined. Consistent extracurricular activity participation was associated with high educational status at young adulthood including college attendance. Educational status was, in turn, linked to reciprocal positive changes between extracurricular activity participation and interpersonal competence, and to educational aspirations across adolescence. Findings were most apparent for students with below-average interpersonal competence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Hansen D.M., Larson R.W., Dworkin J.B.

This research inventoried adolescents' reports on different developmental and negative experiences in organized youth activities, including extracurricular and community-based activities. High school students' experiences were assessed using a newly developed instrument, the Youth Experiences Survey (YES). These youth reported higher rates of learning experiences in youth activities than in 2 other major contexts of their lives. Youth activities were associated with experiences related to initiative, identity exploration and reflection, emotional learning, developing teamwork skills, and forming ties with community members. The findings also suggest that different youth activities offer distinct patterns of learning experiences. Service, faith-based, community, and vocational activities were reported to be frequent contexts for experiences related to identity, prosocial norms, and links to adults. Sports were a frequent context for those related to identity work and emotional development.

Tubre T.C., Collins J.M.

We conducted a meta-analysis of correlations between role ambiguity and job performance and role conflict and job performance. Previous meta-analyses of these role constructs and performance relationships (e.g., Jackson & Schuler, 1985) were limited by small sample sizes and sparse reporting of reliability estimates in primary studies. The present study used a comprehensive database with a larger sample size and a distribution of interrater reliabilities to extend the previous findings. We also tested moderator hypotheses proposed but not conducted by Jackson and Schuler. Results revealed a negative relationship (r52.21) between role ambiguity and job performance with moderating influences due to job type and rating source. A negligible relationship (r52.07) was observed for role conflict and job performance, a finding consistent across job types and rating sources. Conclusions were that role ambiguity ought not to be dismissed as an unimportant variable in the job performance domain.

Lambert C., Lambert V.A.

This study examined the relationships of role stress and psychological hardiness and identified predictors of role stress in nurse educators overall and in those either involved or not involved in faculty practice. In addition, the study examined differences in psychological hardiness and role stress between nurse educators either involved or not involved in faculty practice. Data were obtained through three mailed self-report questionnaires from 871 nurse educators employed full-time in a National League for Nursing (NLN)-accredited school of nursing with both undergraduate and graduate programs. The findings revealed significant negative correlations between role stress and psychological hardiness and between components of role stress and components of psychological hardiness. Predictors of role stress were identified. No significant difference was found in role stress or in psychological hardiness between nurse educators involved and those not involved in faculty practice.

Kobasa S.C.

Personality was found significantly to mitigate the illness-provoking effects of stressful life events. Two groups of executives had comparably high degrees of stress over a 3-year interval, as measured by the Holmes and Rahe Schedule of Recent Life Events. One group (n = 86) suffered high stress without falling ill, while the other (n = 75) reported becoming sick after their encounter with stressful life events. Illness was measured by the Wyler, Masuda, and Holmes Seriousness of Illness Survey. Discriminant function analysis supported the prediction that high stress/low illness executives show, by comparison with high stress/high illness executives, more control, commitment, and interest in change as a challenge.

Rizzo J.R., House R.J., Lirtzman S.I.

The literature indicates that dysfunctional individual and organizational consequences result from the existence of role conflict and role ambiguity in complex organizations. Yet, systematic measurement and empirical testing of these role constructs is lacking. This study describes the development and testing of questionnaire measures of role conflict and ambiguity. Analyses of responses of managers show these two constructs to be factorially identifiable and independent. Derived measures of role conflict and ambiguity tend to correlate in two samples in expected directions with measures of organizational and managerial practices and leader behavior, and with member satisfaction, anxiety, and propensity to leave the organization.

Suzuki M., Kato D., Sakai M., Asai K.

Using longitudinal data, this study examined the relationship between rolefulness, proactivity, and school maladjustment and how these factors interrelate over time among high school students in Japan. The results indicated that a proactive personality mediates satisfaction with social roles and decreases school maladjustment. Additionally, social rolefulness mediates proactivity and reduces maladjustment symptoms. These findings suggest that students who actively seek roles in their school environment and derive satisfaction from them are less likely to experience maladjustments. Moreover, positive role experiences may foster proactive traits and reduce school maladjustment. This study examined the impact of school maladjustment and emphasized the importance of rolefulness and having a proactive personality as protective factors against students’ school maladjustment. Further qualitative and longitudinal studies across diverse contexts are recommended to deepen the understanding and develop effective interventions to reduce maladjustment and suicide among youth.