Precarious Job Makes Me Withdraw? The Role of Job Insecurity and Negative Affect

An expanding “gig” economy has changed the nature of employment; thus, researchers have recently focused on exploring the role of job precariousness in the workplace. However, little research attention has been given to understanding why, how and when job precariousness leads to employees’ negative behavioral outcomes in the service-oriented industry. In the current study, we examined job insecurity as a mediator and employees’ negative affect as a moderator in the relationship between job precariousness and employees’ withdrawal behavior. Using a sample of 472 employees working in Chinese hotels, we found that job precariousness is positively related to employees’ withdrawal behavior by increasing their job insecurity. Moreover, this mediating relationship is conditional on the moderator variable of employees’ negative affect for the path from job insecurity to withdrawal behavior. The importance of these findings for understanding the undesirable behavior outcomes of job precariousness is discussed.

Self- and Informant-Reported Loneliness and Cognitive Function: Evidence From Three HCAP Studies

Loneliness is defined as a distressing feeling that arises from the discrepancy between one’s desired and perceived social relationships. Theorists have posited that loneliness involves affective, cognitive, and behavioral components that can be noticed by close family or friends. Little is known about whether social withdrawal, a behavioral marker of loneliness observed by knowledgeable others, shares similar associations with cognition as self-reported loneliness. The present study examined whether self-reported and informant-rated loneliness are related to cognitive function in older adulthood. Data come from Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol subsample included in three national aging studies from the US (HRS; N = 2,821, Mage = 75.8), England (ELSA; N = 896, Mage = 73.6), and India (LACI-DAD; N = 2,994, Mage = 69.3). Respondents reported on 1-item loneliness and informants rated the respondent’s withdrawal behavior. Regression models were used to analyze the association between both measures of loneliness and cognition, controlling for respondent (age, gender, education, race/ethnicity) and informant (age, gender, education, spouse, known years, frequency of contact) covariates. Meta-analysis showed that both respondent-reported and informant-rated loneliness were independently associated with lower cognitive functioning (memory, speed–attention–executive, visuospatial ability, and fluency) and global cognition (MMSE). The associations between observed withdrawal and cognition did not vary by informant-level characteristics nor the respondent’s cognitive impairment status. The present study indicates that withdrawal behavior observed by informants is associated with cognitive function, supporting psychosocial observations provided by knowledgeable others can be utilized in detecting cognitive function.

“Everything Seems Unreal”: How Adolescents Cope with COVID-19 Quarantine Experience

Adolescents were a particularly vulnerable group at the time of the pandemic. Restrictions applied during quarantine brought a lot of stress and challenges for the youth. The aim of this study was to reveal how adolescents cope with challenges faced during the lockdown due to COVID-19. Twenty four 13–17-year-old adolescents participated in a qualitative study using semi-structured in-depth interviews via Zoom. Findings revealed seven themes related to youth coping behavior during lockdown: 1. withdrawal behavior, 2. focus on particular activities, 3. social support seeking within family and via the internet with friends, 4. expression of overwhelming emotions, 5. protest against quarantine restrictions, 6. attempts to maintain “active oneself”, 7. search for the personal meaning of the lockdown. Understanding the coping behaviors and helping adolescents reflect their mental states in stressful situations could be effective interventions in order to reduce the risk of future psychological problems.

Market discipline in the behavioral finance perspective: a case of Sharia mutual funds in Indonesia

Purpose This study aims to determine antecedents of market discipline. A model was constructed by extending the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explore the cognitive, psychological and social factors that influence the market discipline in the form of withdrawal behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a quantitative approach by surveying 181 Indonesian retail investors in Sharia mutual funds, which were represented by civil servants. The samples were collected using the purposive sampling technique. This study used the partial least square–structural equation model to analyze the data. Findings The results revealed that the Islamic financial literacy, the attitudes toward withdrawal, the subjective norms and the perceived behavioral control had a positive significant effect on the withdrawal intention, whereas financial risk tolerance had an insignificant impact. Then, all the exogenous variables and intention to withdraw had a significant contribution in explaining market discipline. Contrary to the proposed hypothesis, the attitude toward withdrawal had a negative impact on market discipline. The structural model indicated that the TPB could be extended by adding some exogenous variables (i.e. Islamic financial literacy and financial risk tolerance) in determining the intention to withdraw and withdrawal behavior, which indicated the market discipline in Sharia mutual funds. Research limitations/implications This study was limited to individual investors who work as civil servants. This study did not accommodate different demographic factors such as age and gender, which influence fund withdrawal behavior. Practical implications The government must focus on the inclusion of market discipline in Sharia mutual funds’ regulation to encourage the risk management disclosure, specifically that related to Sharia compliance. Originality/value Previous studies applied a traditional finance theory to predict market discipline, but this study contributes to filling the theoretical gap by explaining the market discipline from a behavioral finance perspective that was found in Sharia mutual funds.

Study of Indian IT workers shows reverse monitoring and job crafting improve work engagement, leading to improved performance

Purpose The purpose was to explore the role of work engagement in mediating between the resources of reverse mentoring and job crafting and the potential outcomes of improved performance and work withdrawal behavior Design/methodology/approach The authors investigated the subjects in the Indian IT sector. They administered a survey online to volunteers from 14 software firms. They received 369 completed questionnaires. The majority of respondents were aged between 25 and 34 and 73.7pc were men. Findings Results showed that both reverse monitoring and job crafting increase levels of work engagement, leading to improved performance and less work withdrawal behavior. The study also looked at work engagement as a mediating factor: It partially mediated the relationship between job crafting and both outcomes, fully mediated the relationship between reverse mentoring and withdrawal behavior, and partially mediated the relationship between reverse monitoring and work performance. Originality/value The results have practical implications. Organizations need to take note that reverse monitoring and job crafting could motivate employees to reciprocate in kind with higher levels of work engagement. By fostering opportunities for reverse monitoring, organizations could stimulate learning and connections across management levels and age groups. Meanwhile, job crafting would help employees to focus on their strengths, or areas of interest, making their work more enjoyable and productive.