Studying problems, not problematic usage: Do mobile checking habits increase procrastination and decrease well-being?

Most prior research on the effects of mobile and social media on well-being has worked from either the “technology addiction” or “screen time” approach. Yet these frameworks struggle with considerable conceptual and methodological limitations. The present study discusses and tests an established but understudied alternative, the technology habit approach. Instead of conflating mobile usage with problems (i.e., addictive/problematic usage) or ignoring users’ psychological engagement with mobiles (i.e., screen time), this approach investigates how person-level (habit strength) and day-level aspects of mobile habits (perceived interruptions and the urge to check) contribute to a key problem outcome, procrastination, as well as affective well-being and meaningfulness. In a five-day diary study with N = 532 student smartphone users providing N = 2,331 diary entries, mobile checking habit strength, perceived interruptions, and the urge to check together explained small to moderate amounts of procrastination. Procrastination, in turn, was linked to lower affective well-being and meaningfulness. Yet mobile habits showed only very small or no direct associations with affective well-being and meaningfulness. By separating habitual mobile connectivity from problem outcomes and well-being measures, this research demonstrates a promising alternative to the study of digital well-being.

Motivation (Constructs) Made Simpler: Adapting Self-Determination Theory for Community-Based Youth Development Programs

Motivation is a key factor for enhancing psychological engagement among underserved youth. However, the abundance of motivational constructs complicates the translation of theory into practice by community-based youth development programs. This paper simplifies the translation process, presenting an actionable motivation model derived from Ryan and Deci’s (2000) self-determination theory (SDT) and its sub-construct, organismic integration theory (OIT). This model was developed by Youth Enrichment Services (YES), a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that cultivates long-term relationships, academic and professional success, and community engagement among low-income, adolescent students of color. Although intrinsic motivation to learn is more positively associated with psychological engagement than extrinsic motivation, contemporary institutions are built around extrinsic incentives. Therefore, guided by OIT, this model cultivates the gradual internalization of motivational regulation by supporting youth’s psychological needs of relatedness, competences, and autonomy. As a practical application of self-determination theory, this model holds promise for adoption by other youth development programs.

Exploring the Mediating Effect of Psychological Engagement on the Relationship between Child-to-Parent Violence and Violent Video Games

Research into the effects of violent video games on levels of aggression has raised concerns that they may pose a significant social risk, especially among younger people. The objective of this study was to analyze, through structural equation models, the mediating role of psychological engagement in the relationship between the consumption of violent video games and child-to-parent violence (CPV) against the mother and the father. The sample consisted of 916 students from the third and fourth grades of compulsory secondary education, first and second grades of high school, and first cycle of vocational training (483 males and 433 females), of whom a total of 628 were video game players, aged between 13 and 19. The exposure to video games was assessed through an author-elaborated questionnaire, engagement was evaluated with the game engagement questionnaire, and CPV was assessed through the child-to-parent aggression questionnaire. The structural equation models indicated that exposure to violent video games was related to lower rates of CPV against both parents. Conversely, the flow (a sense of being in control, being one with activity, and experiencing distortions in the perception of time) dimension of engagement positively correlated with the level of CPV against the mother, whereas the flow and absorption (total engagement in the current experience) dimensions correlated with CPV against the father. In conclusion, the results confirm the role of violent video game consumption, reducing CPV rates against both parents, a role that is offset to the extent that these violent games provoke engagement in the user.

Employee Ownership

Narrowly defined, Employee Ownership (EO) is a mechanism for employees to have a financial stake in the enterprise. It can take many forms, including Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), worker-owned cooperatives, perpetual trusts, profit sharing, Employee Stock Option Plans, gain sharing, Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPPs), grants of restricted stock units (RSUs) and performance-based equity shares, phantom stock, and mutual companies. As this practice has developed, the term has come to mean both financial and psychological engagement in the enterprise. Contrary to the academic ideal of theory leading to practice, theories regarding EO have been derived often from practice. Early studies that looked at only financial engagement produced mixed results relative to organizational performance. More recent studies that have studied simultaneously the impact of financial and psychological engagement have provided strong evidence that collectively there is a significant impact between them and organizational performance. EO with a high psychological engagement has also been referred to as shared capitalism, shared entrepreneurship, and democratic capitalism. Regardless of the terminology when done well, they have produced positive results for the organization, employee-owners, and society. One reviewer of a book on EO compared it to a Swiss Army knife because the authors claimed that it could increase worker productivity and commitment, reduce income and wealth inequality, and improve firm performance, sustainability, and employment stability. EO in practice is not always capable of perfectly achieving its goals, and many of the practitioners talk about it being a journey. Academics working on understanding EO and how, when, and where it works may be able to help practitioners achieve these results and more by suggesting the conditions and contingencies under which it works or does not work to achieve firm-level, employee-level, and society-level outcomes. Before proceeding, one thing that may distinguish this bibliography from some of the others in this collection is the number of practitioner sources. EO predates the formalization of management as an area of academic interest. Even after the establishment of management as an area of academic interest, EO appears to have developed more from the practice of business than from academic theory. When practitioners do acknowledge academic theory as a source of guidance, they tend to blend multiple theories rather than a single overarching theory of EO.

Latinx Adolescents’ Peer Ethnic Discrimination in After-School Activities and Activity Experiences

Grounded in ecological frameworks, this study examines (a) the extent to which Latinx adolescents’ perceptions of peer ethnic discrimination were associated with their participation in organized after-school activities, activity type, and ethnic composition; (b) different patterns of perceived peer ethnic discrimination; and (c) associations between discrimination patterns with key activity experiences including psychological engagement, perceived peer support, perceived leader support, and positive feelings in the activities. Using a pattern-centered approach, we applied latent profile analysis to analyze the data from 204 Latinx adolescents (53% female, M age = 12.40) in Southwest United States. Latinx adolescents who did not participate in organized after-school activities perceived higher peer ethnic discrimination than Latinx adolescents who participated. Latinx adolescents who were the numerical ethnic majority in activities reported lower discrimination than those who were the numerical minority. Among those who participated, 4 patterns of peer ethnic discrimination Latinx adolescents experienced in activities were identified. These profiles included moderate discrimination (4%), minimal discrimination (21%), no discrimination (64%), and somewhat negative beliefs (11%), which were differentially related to adolescents’ activity outcomes. Adolescents in the no discrimination group reported the most positive activity outcomes and those in the moderate discrimination group reported the most negative activity experiences. Adolescents who experienced little discrimination but felt other peers held negative beliefs about their ethnicity reported significantly lower psychological engagement and peer support than the no discrimination group. These findings highlight the importance of examining adolescents’ varying patterns of perceived ethnic discrimination in activities and provides ways that activity practitioners can optimize organized activity settings for Latinx adolescents.

Psychological engagement drives brand loyalty: evidence from Malaysian ecotourism destinations

Purpose The present study attempts to shed some light on tourists’ destination brand loyalty (DBL) in the Malaysian ecotourism context. More specifically, this study aims to examine the relationships between electronic word of mouth (eWOM), destination brand quality (DBQ), destination brand image (DBI), psychological engagement (PE) and DBL. Design/methodology/approach Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response theory and buyer black box model, this study developed a framework to address tourists’ loyalty towards ecotourism destinations. An online survey was carried out to collect data, which yielded 210 completed usable responses. Structural equation modelling – partial least squares was used to test the study hypotheses. Findings Findings from this study revealed that eWOM and destination product quality affect DBI. Moreover, data support the mediating effect of PE between DBI and DBL. Practical implications This study provides valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers of the tourism industry in creating a DBI, keeping tourists psychologically engaged and retaining their loyalty to the ecotourism destinations. Originality/value This study is amongst the first to examine the effect of eWOM and DBQ on DBI in the ecotourism context. It also examines PE in relation to the DBI, which is a comparatively new area in the literature.

Photo Taking Paradox: Contrasting Effects of Photo Taking on Travel Satisfaction and Revisit Intention

The present research establishes that taking photos has a paradoxical dual effect on travelers’ satisfaction and revisit intention. Across five empirical studies, we show that while taking photographs increases travelers’ satisfaction with an experience, it simultaneously decreases travelers’ intention to revisit the same experience. The increased psychological engagement induced by photo taking is the underlying mechanism behind this dual effect. Specifically, the greater engagement increases satisfaction with an experience, but it also makes it easier for travelers to remember the experience and, therefore, diminishes the perceived utility of revisiting the same experience. Hence, travelers are less likely to go back to a place if they have taken photographs of it during a visit. An intriguing implication arising from these findings is that while allowing photographs can be an effective policy to attract first-time travelers, prohibiting photography is more effective for encouraging revisits.

More is less? The curvilinear impact of coach competency on athlete psychological engagement

We explored the impact of coach professional and emotional-healing competency on athlete psychological engagement. We tested our predictions with a sample of 418 athletes. The results showed there was an inverted U-shaped relationship between coach professional competency and athletes' psychological engagement, and a positive relationship between coach emotional-healing competency and athletes' psychological engagement. We also found that coach emotional-healing competency moderated the inverted U-shaped relationship between coach professional competency and athlete psychological engagement. The findings provide the critical practical implication that coaches should not neglect to foster the competency of emotional healing as they concentrate on the promotion of their professional competency in the process of working with athletes.