What workers want: a global perspective

This study examined the trajectory and pattern of naturally occurring change in perceived walking impairment over a 30-month period in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Two hundred and sixty-nine persons with RRMS completed the 12-item Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale (MSWS-12) every 6months over a 30-month period. Data were analyzed using latent growth curve modeling and latent class growth curve modeling. Latent growth curve modeling demonstrated that a linear trajectory adequately described the group-level pattern of change in MSWS-12 scores over time. Latent class growth curve modeling supported a three-class model for describing the heterogeneity of changes in MSWS-12 scores over time. Walking impairment does change over time in RRMS, and this can be described by three patterns of change trajectories that differed based on initial status of walking impairment.

PurposeDuring the Covid-19 outbreak, universities around the globe were closed or went online due to lockdowns implemented to curb the pandemic's spread. This study aims to examine the changes in Malaysian academics' job and life satisfaction during a testing four-month period, from the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown until two months after it ended. It also assesses the impact of affective states and age group on these two constructs.Design/methodology/approachIn this longitudinal study, the authors collected data from 220 academics in Malaysia at three time points in 2020, namely the beginning of the lockdown (April), the end of the lockdown (June) and two months after the lockdown (August). The authors applied multivariate latent growth curve (LGC) modeling to study changes in job satisfaction and life satisfaction. In addition, we added age group, as a time-invariant covariate, as well as positive and negative affect, as two time-varying covariates, to our LGC model. The authors estimated the LGC model using the EQS 6.4 statistical package.FindingsThe results show that both job and life satisfaction were stable over time, although their means were below the average. Positive affect was a significant predictor of both types of satisfaction, and age group was a significant predictor of job satisfaction.Practical implicationsThe main implication the authors draw from this study is connected to job and life satisfaction's mean values being below average. In line with the affective events theory (AET), the authors recommend paying particular attention to work environment features, such as providing sufficient infrastructure for employees working from home and keeping social relations intact. Especially young academics should receive sufficient support.Originality/valueThe study is one of a limited number that examined longitudinal effects during the Covid-19 pandemic in the domains of human resource management and organizational behavior. Hence, this study expands our knowledge of employees' affect and attitudes during an unprecedented global health crisis, particularly in the under-researched area of the Malaysian higher education sector.

Latent growth curve (LGC) models, implemented through structural equation modeling, are widely used to analyze developmental and learning trajectories. Model selection in LGC often relies on goodness-of-fit indices (e.g., χ², Akaike information criterion, and root-mean-square error of approximation), but these metrics fail to assess the temporal constancy, or stability of parameters, an important aspect when forecasting longitudinal data. Addressing this gap, we propose a novel parameter constancy test (PCT) tailored for LGC models. This test evaluates internal constancy, identifies potential breakpoints, helps determine the minimal number of measurement waves needed for reliable modeling, and is also useful for comparing different explanatory models of the analyzed data. To validate this approach, we applied PCT to real-world data, comparing the widely used quadratic function model with the negative exponential model and other nonlinear functions. The results reveal that the negative exponential model, unlike the quadratic function, consistently exhibits parameter constancy even with fewer sampling waves, making it particularly suitable for longitudinal analysis. Additionally, PCT highlights how inappropriate model selection or instability may lead to misinterpretations, particularly in evaluating interventions or extrapolating beyond observed time frames. Our findings emphasize the dual importance of statistical fit and parameter constancy in selecting LGC models. By integrating PCT into standard practice, researchers can better ensure model consistency, optimize resource allocation, and avoid erroneous conclusions in developmental and learning studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved).

Aim: Young adulthood is a period when individuals experiment health risk substances such as illicit substance and tobacco use that may predispose them to sexually transmitted diseases. Minority young adults living in HIV prevalent urban communities are notably more likely to engage in these behaviors. In the United States, minority young adults over-represented with HIV infection. To resolve this problem, the United States Congress has invested over $100million in grants. In the United States, few studies have examined illicit substance and tobacco use among this vulnerable population. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a comprehensive HIV prevention program (CIHPP) on illicit substance and tobacco use among minority young adults living in a high prevalence of HIV infection urban community. Methods: The data of illicit substance and tobacco use was collected using a survey of a random sample of minority young adults who participated in the CIHPP. for12-months. Change in illicit substance and tobacco use during 24 months of minority young adults' participation in CIHPP was recorded. The data was analyzed using the latent growth curve (LGC) model within the framework of the structural equation modeling procedure. The evaluation included the change in the intercept and slope of the Mean, Variance, covariance, and predictor variable in three waves for 24months. Result: The average score for illegal substance use of 5.411 decreased significantly over the 24months. Young adults exhibited a low rate of increase in their illicit use substance over the 24months. This finding indicates that the CIHPP was effective in decreasing the substance use of young adults under study. There were significant inter individual differences in the original score of illicit substance use between the young adults at the beginning of the implementation of the CIHPP and its change over time, as the as the minority young adult progressed from the beginning of the CIHPP intervention through the 24 months. Using gender as a predictor of change showed no difference between male and female young adults. For tobacco use, the average score for tobacco (16.631) decreased significantly over the three 24months. There was no meaningful difference between minority young adult males and minority young adult females in illicit substances use at the beginning of CIHPP. However, during CIHPP intervention, minority young adult’s males had an increase in the rate of change in tobacco use than minority young adult females. The mean estimate for tobacco use indicates that the average score for tobacco use increased significantly over the three 12-months periods. The covariance between the intercept and slope factor for tobacco use was statistically significant. Minority young adult males exhibited a higher rate of tobacco use than their female counterparts over the 24 months. This finding suggests that the Comprehensive, integrated HIV prevention program was not effective in decreasing the tobacco use of the minority young adults studied, The variance estimate related 2 Annals of Immunology & Immunotherapy Mongkuo MY, et al. Latent Growth Curve Model Evaluation of Illicit Substance and Tobacco Use among Young Adults in Cumberland County, North Carolina. Ann Immunol Immunother 2020, 2(2): 000124. Copyright© Mongkuo MY, et al. to the intercept and slope for tobacco use is statistically significant (p=.001) suggesting that there were vast inter-individual differences both at the beginning of CIHPP and the rate of change of tobacco use between the minority young adults at the beginning of the implementation of the CIHPP and its rate of change over time, as the young adult progressed from the beginning of the CIHPP intervention through the 24months. Such evidence provides sturdy support for further investigation of variability or heterogeneity related to the growth trajectory. Specifically, the incorporation of time-invariant of change into the model can explain the young adults' tobacco use variability. This incorporation involves testing the latent growth curve model with the demographic or static variable as a time-invariant predictor of change. This study incorporated gender in the LGC model as a predictor of change. The prediction module with gender as predictor found that there was no meaningful difference in illicit substance and tobacco use between minority young adult males and females.

PurposeFew studies have explored the association between sleep quality and depressive symptoms in perinatal women from the second trimester to the postpartum period. This study aims to explore this relationship using a longitudinal design.Patients and MethodsParticipants were enrolled at 15 gestational weeks. Demographic information was collected. Perinatal depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Sleep quality was measured employing the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) at five timepoints from enrollment to three months postpartum. Overall, 1416 women completed the questionnaires at least thrice. A Latent Growth Curve (LGC) model was performed to identify the relationship between the trajectories of perinatal depressive symptoms and sleep quality.ResultsOf the participants, 23.7% screened positive at least once on the EPDS. The perinatal depressive symptoms trajectory, fitted by the LGC model, decreased at early pregnancy and increased from 15 gestational weeks to three months postpartum. The intercept of sleep trajectory positively affected the intercept of perinatal depressive symptoms’ trajectory; the slope of sleep trajectory positively affected both the slope and the quadratic coefficient of perinatal depressive symptoms’ trajectory.ConclusionThe trajectory of perinatal depressive symptoms increased from 15 gestational weeks to three months postpartum following a quadratic trend. Poor sleep quality was associated with depression symptoms beginning at the onset of pregnancy. Moreover, rapidly declining sleep quality could be a significant risk factor for perinatal depression (PND). These findings call for greater attention to perinatal women who report poor and persistently deteriorating sleep quality. Additional sleep-quality evaluations, depression assessments, and referrals to mental health care providers may benefit these women and support PND prevention, screening, and early diagnosis.

Beyond the individualised organisation: The role of HRM in the (non)emergence of organisational and leadership practices for impact

SITUATIONAL AND INTERACTIONIST LEADERSHIP THEORIES

Human Resource management (HRM) seems to be as old as mankind’s history. It can be argued that HRM existed right from the time of Adam and Eve. Although the history of HRM has mostly been studied as a present modern history, its annals are highlighted since eighteenth century. The historical perspective falls short to present the Central Asian perspective vis- a-vis Russian, Chinese and Islamic world’s view. Management researchers have failed to analyze the religious beliefs’ and cultural impact in the growth of HRM. For many years, there has been a misleading view that the HRM has been seen and interpreted as a Western concept, then re-introduced into other parts of the world. Class hierarchy is the major obstacle to the goal of social justice and it continues to be a major obstacle to social progress even today. Indian society is based on caste system in which Brahmins are at the top most position whereas Dalits are at the least position of the society. With the advent of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in India the HRM is revolutionized forever. It can be said that although many studies have been conducted in India on HRM issues, it is still in the transient stage. This study is descriptive and narrative, and depicts the HRM practices and evolution in China, Russia, U.K., America, and India, focusing on historic connotations of the HRM and its impact on the employees’ psyche. This study also seeks to highlight the realities, myths and divide of Western and Eastern/Asian HRM styles. This paper suggests the need to focus on the potential for comparison in cross-cultural dialogue in HRM particularly in the age-old civilizations, where HRM had not been given its due importance, rather under-estimated.

PurposeThis study aims to identify specific human resource management (HRM) practices to overcome destructive deviance among public sector employees. Further, this study aims to rank the identified HRM practices in the order of their impact on destructive deviance.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the technique of both inductive and quantitative content analyses to identify specific HRM practices and rank them in the order of their impact on destructive deviance. Data was collected from 30 executives employed in Indian public sector via unstructured interviews. Also, Krippendorff’s alpha reliability estimate was calculated to establish the reliability of the content analysis, which was 0.80.FindingsThis study identified ten HRM practices (human resource planning, job design, training and development, reward system, employment security, career advancement opportunities, performance management, employee participation, monitoring and control, work–life balance) in overcoming destructive deviance among public sector employees. Furthermore, based on their frequency distribution, the HRM practices were classified into three categories, i.e. most significant, significant and least significant.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the categorization of HRM practices into three categories, this study implies that to discourage employees from exhibiting deviant behaviour, organizations should focus on the implementation of most significant HRM practices followed by significant and least significant practices. HRM practices that function as a coherent and synergistic system act as a win-win strategy benefitting both employees and the organization.Originality/valueIn spite of the rising research interest in the deviant behaviour in the literature, still there is a dearth of research pertaining to the association between HRM practices and destructive deviance. Moreover, there is no consensus among researchers concerning the specific HRM practices that should be incorporated in the overall construct. Guided by these gaps in the literature, this study identifies ten HRM practices to overcome destructive deviance among public sector employees using qualitative analysis.

This article aims to analyze human resource (HR) management strategies in enhancing the performance of insurance companies and how effective HR management contributes to achieving corporate goals. The research utilizes a qualitative approach, collecting data through in-depth interviews and document analysis related to HR management in insurance companies. The findings show that effective HR management practices, such as employee training, proper performance evaluations, and motivation through reward systems, play a crucial role in improving the performance of insurance companies. Additionally, adaptation to technology and change management were found to be key factors in achieving more efficient and sustainable corporate objectives.

Distress related to psychotic symptoms in individuals at high risk of psychosis

A substantial body of literature addresses the motivation of technical professionals in large corporations. Included are considerations of the motivation of subgroups, such as contrasting the motivation of scientists and engineers. Notably absent, however, is an in‐depth, multiple‐perspective consideration of both the motivation and demotivation of the small number of individuals in nearly every corporation who contribute significantly and disproportionately to the growth and profitability of the corporation. These exceptional, high‐performing technologists, whom we refer to as technical visionaries (TVs), are the drivers of breakthrough, radical innovation. Through 64 in‐depth interviews with TVs, their direct technical managers (TMs) and their human resource managers (HRMs), this research explores the similarities and differences in perception between these three groups concerning TV motivation and demotivation. TMs predominantly apply informal, personalized, and relational management motivating techniques. HRMs predominantly perceive value in the formalized, standard corporate structures and reward systems that serve the ‘typical employee’ for motivating TVs. By comparing the perspectives of TVs, TMs, and HRMs, we observe that the TMs are in strong alignment with TV perspectives on motivation and demotivation, while the HRMs are not in alignment with TV perspectives. Interestingly, both TMs and HRMs emphasize techniques most readily available to them. Most notable relative to demotivating TVs, the HRMs are least able to articulate an understanding consistent with that of the TVs. Based on these and other observations, we offer recommendations for those who manage these critical and unique technical visionaries.

Evolution of industrial relations and human resource management in Italy in the last decade is analysed through qualitative case studies, quantitative surveys and a combination of qualitative/quantitative data originating from network researches. In the 1980s, complementary industrial relations/human resource management in Italy were based on the trade-off between employment security, work flexibility and industrial adjustment. In the 1990s this complementarity is under pressure from a second restructuring process (and privatization) of Italian enterprises. The last surveys underline that the basic features of industrial relations were not altered, but the data confirm the critical importance of the relationship between industrial relations and human resource management and also the fragility of this balance.

Ordinal scales can be used in latent growth curve modeling in three ways: mean, weighted mean scores, and factors measured by scale items. Sum and mean scores are commonly used in growth curve modeling in spite of certain discouragement. It was unclear how much bias these practices could produce in terms of the change rates and patterns. This study compared three methods with Monte Carlo Simulations under different number of response categories of the items, in terms of five key parameters of growth curve modeling. The hypothetical population models were derived from real empirical data to generate datasets of binary, trichotomous, five- and seven-point scales with sample size of 300. Latent growth curve modeling of mean, weighted mean, and factors measured by the ordinal scales were respectively fit to these datasets. Results indicated that modeling the factors that are measured with ordinal scales yield the fewest biases. Biases of modeling the means and weighted of the scales were under one decimal point in the change rates, whereas biases in the variances and covariance of the intercept and slope factors were large. In conclusion, it is inadvisable to use means or weighted means of ordinal scales for latent growth curve modeling. It produces the best results modeling the factors that are measured with the ordinal scales.

In human resource management, leadership is essential, especially in industrial sectors that experience rapid changes and many challenges during a crisis period. Using a literature review method, this study investigates leadership ideas and practices that are useful for improving the efficiency of organizational operations during a crisis. This study examines transformational leadership, situational leadership, and adaptive leadership, all of which have been proven to be successful in human resource management during a crisis. This study conducts a thorough analysis of the existing literature. The study shows that leaders who are adaptable and provide clear direction have the ability to increase employee flexibility, loyalty, and productivity. This allows them to maintain organizational efficiency in difficult situations. The study also shows how important open communication and collaboration methods are to increase employee trust and support organizational resilience. These results add to the literature on leadership and crisis management theoretically and offer practical implications for leaders in industrial sectors who are trying to maintain organizational stability and efficiency during difficult times. To gain an understanding of broader contextual implementation, further research is needed to investigate the application of these leadership strategies across industries.