Patricia V. Roehling

Using alcohol expectancies to predict adolescent drinking behavior after one year.

An accumulating literature has shown the influence of childhood experiences associated with alcohol use on later drinking practices. Recent studies have suggested that alcohol-related expectancy may serve as an intervening variable to connect these early experiences with the later, proximal decision to drink when opportunities for actual alcohol consumption arise. Those studies, however, have collected expectancy and drinking data concurrently, whereas the present study for the first time reports on the power of expectancies measured in early adolescents (seventh and eighth grades) to predict self-reported drinking onset and drinking behavior measured a full year later. Results show that five of seven expectancy scores readily discriminated between nonproblem drinkers and those subsequently beginning problem drinking and accounted for a large portion of the variance in a continuous quantity/frequency index and a problem drinking index. The strength of these timelagged relations strengthens the case for inferring that expectancies have causal power on drinking behavior and suggests prevention strategies.

The Relationship Between Work-Life Policies and Practices and Employee Loyalty: A Life Course Perspective

Using a representative sample of 3,381 American workers, this study investigates relationships among work/life policies, informal support, and employee loyalty over the life course (defined by age and parental status and age of youngest child). The central thesis is that our understanding of the impact of work/life policies on employee loyalty will be enriched by consideration of the non-work and work contexts that influence employee attitudes and behavior. The relationship between employee child care policies and loyalty varies for women and men at different stages of parenthood. Flexible-time policies have a consistent, positive association with employee loyalty with some variation based on life stage. Informal support (via supervisors and co-workers) has the greatest positive relationship with employee loyalty.

Variations in Negative Work-Family Spillover Among White, Black, and Hispanic American Men and Women Does Ethnicity Matter?

This study uses a nationally representative sample (N = 1,761) to investigate how gender differences in negative work-family spillover vary by ethnicity (Black, White, and Hispanic) and parental status. Consistent with the authors’ hypotheses, Hispanics displayed a greater gender disparity in negative family-to-work spillover and negative work-to-family spillover than Blacks and Whites, even when controlling for gender-role attitudes. The authors also found that the relationship between ethnicity and gender on work-family spillover varied by parental status. The authors propose that the observed gender and ethnicity interactions are because of gender role and acculturation differences in the work experiences of Hispanic, Black, and White women.

Investigating the Validity of Stereotypes About Overweight Employees The Relationship Between Body Weight and Normal Personality Traits

Research indicates that overweight job applicants and employees are stereo-typically viewed as being less conscientiousness, less agreeable, less emotionally stable, and less extraverted than their “normal-weight” counterparts. Together, the two reported studies investigate the validity of those stereotypes by examining the relationship between body weight and four relevant personality traits (conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, extraversion) using three measures of body weight (body mass index [BMI] based on self-reported height and weight, BMI based on clinically assessed height and weight, percentage body fat assessed by bio-impedance technology) in a diverse group of 3,496 adults from the United States. There is substantial convergence between the two studies, with findings tending to refute commonly held stereotypes about the personality traits of overweight employees.

Engaging the Millennial Generation in Class Discussions

Students in the Millennial Generation (late 20s and younger) have been raised in an environment in which individuality is highly valued and information, entertainment, and social interactions are unlimited and at their fingertips. As a result, these students may have different educational expectations and needs than previous generations. Class discussions, if conducted correctly, can be a learning activity that complements the learning styles of this variety seeking, collaborative generation. To understand how to effectively engage Millennial students in active class discussions, we conducted six focus groups with students between the ages of 18 and 21 to explore whether and why they value class discussions and to identify the barriers and the facilitators of active participation in class discussions. The present article summarizes the focus group findings, integrates them with what we know about students in the Millennial Generation, and uses this information to develop suggestions for actively engaging todays students in classroom discussions.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? Work-related travel and marital satisfaction

Using a sample of 961 dual-earner couples, the authors examined the relationship between work-related travel and marital satisfaction, using gender role attitudes and parental status as moderators. For women and men with children, the impact of travel is generally consistent with gender role congruence theory, which posits that marital satisfaction will be highest when gender role attitudes and gender role behaviors are congruent. Generally, when one holds traditional gender role attitudes, marital satisfaction is stable or enhanced when the husband travels, and is lower when the wife travels. Nontraditional parents are generally less happy if either member travels. The results were less predictable among couples without children in the home.

Weight discrimination and the glass ceiling effect among top US CEOs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether overweight and obese individuals are underrepresented among top female and male US executives and whether there is evidence of greater discrimination against overweight and obese female executives than male executives.Design/methodology/approach – Estimates of the frequencies of overweight and obese male Fortune 100 CEOs and female Fortune 1000 CEOs were obtained using publicly available photographs and raters with demonstrated expertise in evaluating body weight. These “experts” then estimated whether the pictured CEOs were normal weight, overweight or obese.Findings – Based upon our expert raters’ judgments, it is estimated that between 5 and 22 per cent of US top female CEOs are overweight and approximately 5 per cent are obese. Compared to the general US population, overweight and obese women are significantly underrepresented in among top female CEOs. Among top male CEOs, it is estimated that between 45 and 61 per cent are overweight and a...

Codependence and Conduct Disorder: Feminine Versus Masculine Coping Responses to Abusive Parenting Practices

This study supported the hypothesis that codependence reflects a stereotypically feminine coping strategy to environmental stressors, while conduct disorder represents an alternate coping response reflecting stereotypically masculine behaviors. High school students (N= 218; 81% Anglo-American, 8% Asian-American, 5% Hispanic-American) completed measures of femininity/masculinity, codependence, conduct disorder, and unhealthy parenting practices. Multiple regression analyses revealed that codependence is related to parental abuse and femininity (R= .50). A marginal relationship between codependence and parental alcoholism was mediated by parental abuse, calling into question the validity of the codependence construct. Conduct disorder was related to parental abuse, masculinity, parental alcoholism, and gender (R= .62). The tendency to label stereotypically feminine coping strategies as pathological, while ignoring a more prevalent and destructive masculine coping strategy is discussed.

The Immigration Debate and Its Relationship to the Ethnic Identity Development and Well-Being of Latino and White Youth.

This study collected data from 422 seventh- and eighth-grade adolescents in 2005 and 391 seventh- and eighth-grade adolescents in 2006 in a medium-sized Midwestern community as part of a larger longitudinal study. The 2006 data collection occurred at the height of the national debate about immigration policy and practice. The fortuitous timing of the data collection allowed the authors to compare the responses of seventh- and eighth-grade Latino adolescents surveyed in 2005 with seventh- and eighth-grade students surveyed in 2006 to examine how the debate related to adolescent ethnic identity development and well-being. Using multiple regression analyses the study found evidence that the debate moved eighth-grade Latino students from the undifferentiated stage of ethnic identity development to the exploration stage. Furthermore, it was found that the debate was related to increased levels of acculturative stress and general stress among first-generation eighth-grade Latino students.

The Benefits, Drawbacks, and Challenges of Using the Flipped Classroom in an Introduction to Psychology Course.

Flipped pedagogy has become a popular approach in education. While preliminary research suggests that the flipped classroom has a positive effect on learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics and quantitative courses, the research on the flipped classroom in a content heavy social science course is minimal and contradictory. We flipped four class topics in an introduction to psychology course, evaluated resulting student attitudes, and compared students’ performance on the flipped units to their performance on traditionally delivered content. We found mixed results for the effectiveness of the flipped classroom that were moderated by student characteristics and experiences with previous online or flipped courses. Students reported an overall preference for traditional classroom delivery but suggested retaining the flipped approach for some class periods.