RJAP

Abstract: A Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis (ROC Analysis) was conducted to assess the efficiency of six validity scales included in the Personality Clinical Form (PCF) to detect responses distortion. Undergraduate students were randomly assigned to simulate malingering, simulate defensiveness or complete PCF under standard instructions (no faking). Fake-good participants scored significantly higher than standard participants on all underreporting scales. The difference observed was even higher when the comparison was made between the fake-good and the fake-bad participants. Likewise, a reverse trend was observed for the overreporting scales. Participants in the fake-bad condition scored the highest, and the participants in the fake-good condition scored the lowest on all overreporting scales. Large effect sizes were found in most cases. The responses resulted from the malingering condition were also compared with those obtained from psychiatric inpatients. The responses resulted from the defensiveness group were also compared with responses obtained from employees in a high-stake assessment condition. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) provided an index of discriminative power. The validity scales discriminate better between the normal and the fake conditions than between malingerers and psychiatric inpatients, but most AUC values were within good or excellent range. Cut-off scores and their corresponding sensitivity and specificity were presented for each validity scale based on this explorative endeavour.

Keywords: sensitivity, specificity, personality assessment, personality disorders, malingering, PCF.

Address of correspondence: florin.sava@e-uvt.ro

Abstract: The study investigated the predictive roles of career self-efficacy, work-life balance and selected demographic factors on the quality of sex life and marital satisfaction among dual-career couples in Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, and assessed if there are significant differences between men and women. The study used a cross-sectional research design and 1056 dual-career men and women ( age = 43.98, σ = 9.48, ♀ = 37.0%) participated in the study. A self-administered paper and pencil questionnaire was used to collect data from samples that were conveniently drawn from the study area. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Results showed significant differences in structural weights, structural covariances, and structural residuals in the model outputs for both men and women careerists. The study concluded that career self-efficacy and work-life balance differentially predict the quality of sex life and marital satisfaction for both men and women in a dual-career family, and that age and job tenure are not significant predictors of quality of sex life and marital satisfaction among dual-career couples.

Keywords: Age, job tenure, career self-efficacy, quality of sex life, marital satisfaction, work-life balance, dual-career couples.

Address of correspondence: gbenga.olasupo@oauife.edu.ng

Abstract: Donation behavior is essential for non-profit organizations, especially during a health crisis, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The present study explored a series of associated factors of donor behavior, such as age, gender, income, education, and cause-related factors, in a sample of Romanian adults (N= 168, age range 20-78 years old, 77% females). Our analyses suggested that the fundraising cause's emotional value, along with the fundraiser's public and personal implications, were the most relevant motivational factors for the donor’s behavior. Age, income, and educational level were significantly associated with self-reported donation activity. In essence, younger participants with lower incomes and educational levels reported donating more money to NGOs, mostly to education-related causes. Finally, in a prospective donation task for one of the current COVID-19 related Non-Governmental Organizations’ campaigns, results suggested that a) the higher the income, the lower the probability of donating, and b) the fundraising type of cause was significantly associated with prospective donation behavior. People who usually donated more to medical causes were the most likely to engage in altruistic behavior for coronavirus pandemicrelated issues. We discuss these preliminary results within the current coronavirus crisis and potential implications for both the non-profit and governmental sectors.

Keywords: fundraising, donation behavior, prospective altruism, COVID-19.

Address of correspondence: psihologamaftei@gmail.com.

Abstract: Background: Smoking during pregnancy is a well-known risk factor for both the mother and the baby. mHealth offers novel ways to implement smoking-cessation interventions with broader reach and the potential to be more successful. Methods: We conducted twelve semi-structured interviews in November-December 2017 with women who just gave birth and quit smoking before or during pregnancy. A thematic analysis was conducted to explore women’s views on the two components. Results: Most women found the text messages easy to understand and virtually all women rated their content as relevant for preventing smoking relapse. Also, they expressed interest in using the proposed relapse prevention app and, in general, appreciated the app positively. Some women, however, felt that the smoking relapse decision is highly personal and cannot be influenced by text messages or other types of assistance programs. Conclusions: Stay Quit Together is, to our knowledge, the first postpartum tobacco smoking relapse prevention program combining an app and text messages. This study suggests that Stay Quit Together would be accepted and used postpartum by women who spontaneously quit smoking during or before pregnancy.

Keywords: postpartum, smoking cessation, Romania, middle-income countries, mHealth.

Address of correspondence: andreea.hostina@publichealth.ro

Abstract: The aims of this research were (1) to develop a valid and reliable instrument for measuring an antiimmigrant attitude toward the Middle East refugees, (2) to test whether ethnic minority political exclusionism and national attachment and self-sacrifice will associate with the anti-immigrant attitude, and (3) whether the Right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and Social dominance orientation (SDO) will associate with a hostile attitude toward the Middle East refugees. Confirmatory factor analysis of a 9-item self-report instrument for measuring the anti-immigrant attitude toward the Middle East refugees yielded a single factor underpinned by the components of the triangular theory of hate: passion (fear), the negation of intimacy (repulsion), and commitment (devaluation). Two structural models for prediction the anti-immigrant attitude toward the Middle East refugees were developed. Ethnic minority political exclusionism and national attachment and self-sacrifice were significant predictors of the anti-immigrant attitude. RWA and SDO were also significant predictors of the anti-immigrant attitude. Thus, it appears that a 9-item scale to measure an antiimmigrant attitude toward the Middle East refugees is a valid and reliable self-report instrument.

Keywords: immigrants, refugees, Middle East, attitudes, hate theory.

Address of correspondence: zlatko.sram@appliedsocresearch.com

Abstract: Previous studies showed that people are more willing to express prejudiced attitudes towards others when their past behavior has established their credentials as non-prejudiced persons. We examined this moral licensing effect in organizational contexts on a sample of 318 elementary school teachers. First, participants were given the opportunity to disagree with a set of discriminatory sentences. Next, all participants were required to express their attitudes towards hiring a disabled person for a specific job within the educational working environment in a hypothetical scenario. We also investigated the associations of participants' decisions with other personal characteristics such as gender, age, and previous contact with persons with disabilities. We found that participants in the moral licensing condition expressed a stronger endorsement of the discriminatory decisional alternative. Results are discussed concerning the educational context regarding the inclusion of people with physical or mental disabilities within the academic working environment.

Keywords: moral licensing, disability, inclusion, academic environment, employers.

Address of correspondence: psihologamaftei@gmail.com

Abstract: Studies have shown that corruption may adversely affect the functionality of the law and institutions; and may frustrate socio-economic development. Most developing countries focus the fight against corruption on the deterrence perspective, which emphasizes the promptness and severity of punishment as a way of preventing and discouraging corrupt behaviors. Punishment may not adequately deter corruption, especially when employees are less satisfied with life or feel unjustly treated and may, therefore, engage in corruption as a justice-restoring act. This study, therefore, adopted a justice-focused approach to investigate the extent to which perception of organizational injustice and life satisfaction correlated with corrupt tendencies in public sector employees. The participants were 285 public sector employees (188 males; 97 females), whose ages averaged 39.09 years (SD = 8.40) with a range of 20 to 58 years. They were selected across large sections of two public sector organizations in Nigeria. Results of the 3-step hierarchical regression showed that perception of organizational injustice was significantly related with increased level of corrupt tendencies. As the participants’ level of life satisfaction increased, their tendencies of engaging in corruption reduced. Results of the mediation tests showed that, despite an increased perception of organizational injustice, life satisfaction was significantly related with low tendencies of engaging in corruption among employees. In order to reduce corrupt tendencies, organizations should efficiently handle perceived wrongdoing among employees and institute programmes that promote employees’ happiness and well-being.

Keywords: injustice, life satisfaction, corruption, public sector, Nigeria.

Address of correspondence: bolanle.ogungbamila@aaua.edu.ng

Abstract: In the context of adult labor migration in Europe, Romania is one of the leading work force sending countries, with 93 648 left behind children according to the ANPDCA (2017). The purpose of this empirical study is to investigate the perceived difficulties and outcomes of young adults with a left behind background. The sample size was 193 adults (83% F, mean age 24.93 years). The subjects were tested online with psychological measures assessing anxiety, depression, clarity of Self-Concept, generalized self-efficacy and school difficulties. The study found that contextual factors such as one or both parents left to work abroad, the duration of the separation, the age of separation may partly explain the inter-individual variations in the perceived psychological consequences related to labor migrant parents. The practical importance for educational actors of the results of this study resides in offering information on how to approach students whose parents left the country. Also the findings can inspire the optimization of the support policies for these children.

Keywords: migration, left behind, anxiety, depression, self-concept.

Address of correspondence: laura.tripa83@e-uvt.ro