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We tested a mediation model of the influence of teacher-student relationship quality on student group performance in a higher-education context where a group-oriented learning approach is implemented. Specifically, we posit that the relationship between teacher-student relationship quality at the group level and group performance is mediated by positive affective group well-being and intragroup communication quality. Data were collected from 68 groups of students at four time points. The hypotheses involved in the proposed mediated model were tested by means of multiple regression. We controlled for group size and students’ initial familiarity with the other group members. All the analyses were conducted at the group level by means of the PROCESS macro for SPSS. The results obtained showed that teacher-student relationship quality has an indirect positive influence on group performance, mediated by positive affective group well-being and within-group communication quality. These findings help to understand how and why teacher-student relationship quality is related to student group performance.

Objective The objective of this study was to determine the effect of massage in the craniofacial area in menopausal women after the treatment and one month after its completion, and to measure its influence on quality of life in relation to symptoms of menopause, mental health, and body image perception. Design 50 participants with menopause, aged 45–65 years, participated in a single-blind randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: craniofacial massage group (CMG), who received massage treatment (n = 25), and control group (CG), without treatment (n = 25). Prior to randomization, all participants provided demographic and clinical information. Quality of life, mental health and body image perception were evaluated at three time points: at the beginning of the study, at the end, and one month after finishing the treatment. Results A repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) was used to determine if mean scores in the criteria differed significantly between time points within subjects. The results obtained indicate that the cranial massage techniques had a large, positive between-subjects effect on our three criteria (Wilks Λ = .83, F(3, 44) = 3.04, p. Conclusions The craniofacial massage protocol, applied to the craniofacial sphere, constitutes a complementary and valid therapy-based therapeutic option for clinicians in the treatment of different symptoms that occur in the climacteric period.

The present study investigated the structure of the Spanish version of the Iowa-Netherlands Comparison Orientation Measure (INCOM-E), an 11-item measure that assesses individual differences in social comparison orientation (SCO), i.e., the extent to which people compare themselves with others. Data came from samples from Spain (n = 1,133) and Chile (n = 2,757). Confirmatory Factor Analyses and Mokken Scale Analyses supported in both samples not the assumed two-factor structure, but a single factor structure, consisting of eight items. The resulting eight-item version of the INCOM-E was reliable in both samples, according the Gutmann’s lambda–2 (.82 in Spain and .83 in Chile), and correlated very strongly with the full-length INCOM-E (.93 in Spain and .97 in Chile). In both samples, there were significant sex differences, ps < .001 with small effect sizes, ƞ2 in both samples = .01,but in the Spanish sample women scored higher, and in the Chilean sample men scored higher in SCO. The relationship with age was negative and significant (ps < .001) in both samples, albeit small (r = .22 in Spain and .13 in Chile) Based on the present research, it is advised to use the shortened eight-item version of the INCOM-E in Spanish speaking countries.

The present study examined rival characteristics that may evoke jealousy in the workplace, differences between men and women in this regard, and the relationship between jealousy responses and intrasexual competitiveness and social comparison orientation. Participants were 426 male and female employees. By means of a questionnaire, participants were presented with a jealousy-evoking scenario after which jealousy responses to 24 rival characteristics were assessed. Findings showed that a rival's social communal attributes evoked highest levels of jealousy, and that, compared to men, women reported more jealousy in response to a rival's physical attractiveness. Overall, as individuals had higher scores on intrasexual competitiveness and social comparison orientation, they also experienced more jealousy in response to their rival, regardless of his or her characteristics. These findings suggest that those characteristics that are highly valued in employees may backfire when employees perceive co-workers as rivals.

This experiment with 119 adult females examined the effect of a rival’s attractiveness on jealousy and career advancement expectations in a simulated work setting where individuals had to compete for a job promotion. We hypothesized that an attractive rival would evoke relatively more jealousy and lower career advancement expectations, especially in individuals high in Intrasexual Competitiveness (ISC). In addition, we examined the moderating effects of characteristics attributed to the rival in terms of popularity, professionalism, and unfriendliness. The results showed that, overall, an attractive rival induced more jealousy and lower career advancement expectations than an unattractive rival. Especially among women who attributed unfriendliness to their rival, the attractiveness of the rival induced higher levels of jealousy and lower career advancement expectations. Among women high in ISC, the rival’s attractiveness induced lower career advancement expectations. It is recommended that managers and human resource officials pay particular attention to how physical attractiveness may interfere with female employees’ professional development, and to the important role of emotions in the workplace.

Globalization and interdependencies among nations require a better understanding of the influence of culture on organizational processes. In order to succeed in global business, leaders have to respond to practices that may be different in diverse cultures. This study was conducted within the framework of the leader member exchange approach and from a positive perspective of organizations linking successful businesses and workers&rsquo, well-being. The aim of this study was to examine whether the quality of the relationship with the leader predicts engagement and life satisfaction, and whether resilience moderates this relationship in two different cultural contexts (Spanish and Chinese). The sample was composed of 277 workers (127 Chinese workers corresponding to a vertical-collectivistic culture and 150 Spanish workers representing a horizontal-individualistic culture). To test the hypotheses, a structural equations model (SEM) was conducted using the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation method. Results revealed that leader-member exchange (LMX) positively predicts engagement and life satisfaction and that the moderator role of resilience varies across cultures. Resilience moderated the relationship between LMX and engagement and life satisfaction only in the Spanish sample. In the Chinese sample, resilience only moderated the relation between LMX and life satisfaction. Finally, our study contributes to a better understanding of the relationship between leaders and subordinates operating in a global context.

The primary objective of this study was to explore the mechanisms and conditions whereby Tension-Type Headache (TTH) presenteeism relates to health-related loss of productivity as a result of both reduced physical and mental health. To this end, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to conduct a secondary data analysis of a randomized clinical trial involving 78 Tension-type Headache (TTH) patients. The results showed that TTH presenteeism did not directly relate to health-related loss of productivity, either due to physical, or mental health problems. However, through anxiety-state, TTH presenteeism decreased patients' productivity, as consequence of reduced physical and mental health. Moreover, by increasing the severity of the Tension-Type Headache, TTH presenteeism indirectly decreased patients' productivity as consequence of reduced physical health (but not mental health). Finally, our results show that such indirect effects only occur when the cause of TTH is non-mechanical (e.g., hormonal causes, etc.). Our work provides an integrative model that can inform organizational behaviorists and health professionals (e.g., physiotherapists). Implications for organizational health are discussed.

Envy is a frequent emotion in work contexts where there is strong competition for resources and the leader is the person who manages them. When employees feel envy, they are likely to use counterproductive work behaviors (CWB), but the use of these behaviors may differ depending on the organization&rsquo, s ownership. The goal of this study is to develop and test a model for the moderating role of Leader Member Exchange (LMX) in the relationship between envy and CWB in public and private organizations. The study design was cross-sectional. Data were collected from 225 Spanish employees in public and private organizations and analyzed using Path Analysis techniques. Results showed that envy was positively related to CWB, and that LMX was a significant moderator in the relationship between envy and CWB in public organizations, but not in private ones. However, this relationship is positive with high LMX, but less than in subjects with low LMX. Findings provide empirical support for the hypothesized conceptual model. This study is one of the first to explore LMX as a moderator of the relationship between envy and CWB. Thus, this study adds value to previous social exchange studies on LMX by integrating emotion research into the context of an exchange-based relationship. Our findings lead to several practical implications for creating healthy organizations.

Manipulative techniques have shown promising results for relief of tension-type headache (TTH), however prior studies either lacked a control group, or suffered from poor methodological quality. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of spinal manipulation combined with massage versus massage alone on range of motion of the cervical spine, headache frequency, intensity and disability in patients with TTH.Randomized, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial.University clinic.We enrolled 105 subjects with TTH.Participants were divided into two groups: 1) manipulation and massage; 2) massage only (control). Four treatment sessions were applied over four weeks. The Headache Disability Inventory (HDI) and range of upper cervical and cervical motion were evaluated at baseline, immediately after the intervention and at a follow-up, 8 weeks after completing the intervention.Both groups demonstrated a large (ƒ=1.22) improvement on their HDI scores. Those that received manipulation reported a medium-sized reduction (ƒ=0.33) in headache frequency across all data points (P0.05) compared to the control group. Both groups showed a large within-subject effect for upper cervical extension (ƒ=0.62), a medium-sized effect for cervical extension (ƒ=0.39), and large effects for upper cervical (ƒ=1.00) and cervical (ƒ=0.27) flexion. The addition of manipulation resulted in larger gains of upper cervical flexion range of motion, and this difference remained stable at the follow-up.These findings support the benefit of treating TTH with either massage or massage combined with a manipulative technique. However, the addition of manipulative technique was more effective for increasing range of motion of the upper cervical spine and for reducing the impact of headache.Although massage provided relief of headache in TTH sufferers, when combined with cervical manipulation, there was a stronger effect on range of upper cervical spine motion.

In the present study in secondary schools and hospitals in Uruguay ( N = 187), we examined the relationship between feeling the victim of mobbing and a perceived loss of status. Nearly all forms of mobbing were more prevalent among hospital employees than among school employees. Among hospital employees, 40.4%, and among school employees, 23.9% reported being the victim of mobbing at least once a week. Being the victim of mobbing was, in both hospitals and schools, more prevalent among older employees, and in hospitals, among employees who were more highly educated and who had been employed for a longer time. Men and women did not differ in reporting that one was a victim of mobbing, but men reported more perceived loss of status than women. However, among women, being the victim of mobbing was much more strongly related to experiencing a loss of status than among men. Several explanations for this gender difference and the practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.

This study examines gender differences in the jealousy-evoking nature of rival characteristics in two Spanish-speaking countries (Argentina and Spain). A total of 388 Spanish students and 444 Argentinean students participated in the study. First, the cross-cultural validity of a Dutch scale containing 56 rival characteristics was examined. A factor analysis distinguished four dimensions (i.e., social power and dominance, physical attractiveness, physical dominance, and social-communal attributes). After the analysis, the final scale contained in total 24 items. Results showed that in Argentina and Spain combined, men experienced more jealousy than women when their rival was more physically dominant. In contrast, women experienced more jealousy than men when their rival was more physically attractive, had more social-communal attributes, and had more social power and dominance. In both genders, social-communal attributes was the most jealousy-evoking characteristic, followed by physical attractiveness in women and by social power and dominance in men. In addition, in Argentinean participants but not in Spanish participants, those high in social comparison orientation found the rival characteristics more jealousy evoking.These results provide strong support for the evolutionary hypothesis of gender differences in the rival characteristics that may evoke jealousy. Small size effect differences were found between the two countries and only regarding social-communal attributes.

Desde la Teoría de Acción Planeada (TAP), el objetivo de este trabajo es analizar si la autoeficacia y la percepción de control presentan diferencias predictivas sobre la intención y las conductas preventivas de la enfermedad cardiovascular. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 359 sujetos. Los datos han sido analizados empleando el paquete estadístico EQS 6.1. Los resultados muestran que la autoeficacia influye positiva y significativamente sobre la intención y sobre la conducta, mientras que la percepción de control influye negativa y significativamente sobre la intención de conducta, pero no sobre la conducta preventiva. Este trabajo ha mostrado la conveniencia de distinguir entre autoeficacia y percepción de control en la TAP en la prevención de conductas de salud cardiovascular. From the Theory of Planed Behaviour (TPB), the aim of this study is to analyse the effect of self-efficacy and perceived control on intention and preventive behaviors of cardiovascular disease.To this end,359 participants were evaluated in an empirical study. Data were analysed using the statistical package EQS 6.1. The results indicate that self-efficacy has a positive and significant influence on behaviour intentions and on behaviour, while perception of control has a negative and significant influence on intention but not on behaviour. This work has shown the utility to distinguish between self-efficacy and perceived control in the TPB to prevent cardiovascular diseases.

This study addressed the question whether the affect evoked by social comparisons and individual differences in social comparison orientation (SCO) may predict the development of burnout over a period of one year. The participants were 93 nurses (25 males and 68 females) who filled out a questionnaire twice, with an interval of about one year. Comparisons with others performing better than oneself (upward comparisons) were reported to occur more often, to evoke more positive affect, and to invoke less negative affect than comparisons with others performing worse than oneself (downward comparisons). Those who responded at Time 1 (T1) with more positive affect to upward comparison and with less negative affect to downward comparisons, showed a decrease in burnout at Time 2 (T2). In addition, those who responded with relatively more negative affect to upward comparisons at T1, showed an increase in burnout at T2, but only when they were high in SCO. It is concluded that in this population upward comparisons were more prevalent than, and evoked more favorable responses than, downward comparisons. The most important conclusion is that the affect evoked by social comparisons may predict future changes in burnout.

The present study among 70 people with spinal cord injury examined the prevalence and correlates of identification (seeing others as a potential future) and contrast (seeing others in competitive terms) in social comparison as related to coping and depression. The most prevalent social comparison strategy was downward contrast (a positive response to seeing others who were worse-off), followed by upward identification (a positive response to perceiving better-off others as a potential future), downward identification (a negative response to perceiving worse-off others as a potential future), and upward contrast (a negative response to seeing others who were better-off). Those with less severe lesions reported the highest levels of upward contrast, coping through blaming others, and depression. Downward contrast was particularly related to constructive coping, and upward identification to wishful thinking. The less adaptive social comparison strategies, i.e., upward contrast and downward identification, were quite strongly related to wishful thinking and blaming others. Particularly upward contrast, i.e., feeling bad as response to seeing that others are better-off, was related to depression.

The present research examined comparison targets and comparison dimensions among two Spanish samples of individuals facing serious illnesses and diseases. In Study 1, 90 older patients (mean age 66.36) with various age-related diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, indicated that they compared themselves most often with others with the same disease, next with others with another disease and least with people without health problems. They compared themselves more often on their mental state, symptoms and physical activities than on their social activities. Social comparison orientation (SCO) as an individual difference characteristic was associated with more frequent comparisons with particularly similar targets, and with more frequent comparisons of one's symptoms and physical activities. Neuroticism was correlated only with more comparisons of one's symptoms. Study 2 was conducted in a sample of 70 relatively young patients (mean age 43.97) with spinal cord injury (SCI). Overall, they compared themselves more often with others than the participants in Study I, and they compared themselves to a similar extent with people with SCI as with people with another disease and with people without health problems. While they felt on average better off than people with other diseases and other people with SCI, people with SCI felt on average worse off than people without health problems. They compared themselves more often on physical activities than on any other dimension. Higher levels of stress and uncertainty were associated with more frequent comparisons with people without SCI, and with more frequent comparisons of one's mental state, one's symptoms and one's future perspectives. The discussion focuses on the theoretical relevance of the results for social comparison theory, and on the practical relevance of the findings for interventions.

A longitudinal study was conducted among 93 nurses to determine the role of comparing one's performance with that of one's colleagues in the increase versus decrease of perceived relative deprivation at work over a period of one year. Relative deprivation at T2 had increased particularly among those high in social comparison orientation (Gibbons & Buunk, 1999) who at T1 (1) more frequently engaged in upward comparisons; (2) more frequently derived positive as well as negative feelings from such comparisons; and (3) more frequently derived negative feelings from downward comparison. Moreover, engaging in downward comparison also led to an increase in perceived relative deprivation at T2. This study is one of the few to find evidence for longitudinal effects of social comparison activity, and the first to find that such effects occur only for those high in social comparison orientation. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.

En el presente trabajo se somete a contrastación empírica un modelo causal sobre los antecedentes y las consecuencias del estrés de rol en profesionales sanitarios. La muestra utilizada es de 178 profesionales sanitarios (Médicos y personal de enfermería) que desempeñan su rol en hospitales, clínicas y Centros de Atención Primaria. Para examinar el modelo se ha utilizado el paquete estadístico LISRELL VII. Los resultados obtenidos muestran que la estandarización de objetivos tiene un efecto directo y negativo sobre el conflicto de rol y un efecto directo y positivo sobre la claridad de rol y la satisfacción laboral; el conflicto de rol no tiene ningún efecto directo sobre la satisfacción laboral, mientras que la claridad de rol tiene un efecto directo y positivo sobre la satisfacción laboral y negativos sobre la tensión. Por último la tensión laboral tiene un efecto directo y positivo sobre la propensión al abandono, no siendo significativo el efecto de la satisfacción laboral sobre esta última variable.

From the perspective of reciprocal altruism, we examined the role of reciprocity in the close relationships of people inflicted with a spinal cord injury (SCI) ( n = 70). We focused on the help receiver rather than on the help giver. Participants perceived more reciprocity in relationships with friends than in relationships with the partner and with family members. In these last relationships, perceptions of indebtedness were more prevalent than perceptions of deprivation. However, most negative feelings were evoked by a lack of reciprocity in partner relationships, followed by family relationships, and next by friendships. Moreover, depression was especially associated with a lack of perceived reciprocity in the relationships with family, and somewhat less with a lack of perceived reciprocity in the relationship with the partner. These results underline the importance of reciprocity in relationships, but suggest that reciprocity may be more, rather than less important in partner and family relationships.

ResumenDesde una perspectiva evolucionista, este articulo aborda las diferencias sexuales en las caracteristicas del rival que provocan celos y envidia en el trabajo, y como se relacionan con la competicion intrasexual. La muestra estuvo compuesta por 114 trabajadores de diferentes sectores profesionales. Los rivales provocaron mas celos y envidia en las mujeres que en los hombres cuando eran fisicamente atractivos. En ambos sexos, las habilidades sociales y el poder social y dominancia fueron las caracteristicas del rival que provocaron mas celos y envidia. En las mujeres, los celos provocados por el atractivo fisico del rival se relacionaron con la competicion intrasexual, mientras que en la envidia fue el poder social y dominancia del rival la caracteristica que se relaciono con la competicion intrasexual. En los hombres las caracteristicas del rival no se relacionaron con las diferencias individuales en competicion intrasexual. Este estudio es de los primeros en proveer evidencia sobre las diferencias...

Because male height is associated with attractiveness, dominance, and reproductive success, taller men may be less jealous. And because female height has a curvilinear relationship with health and reproductive success (with average-height females having the advantages), female height may have a curvilinear relationship with jealousy. In Study 1, male height was found to be negatively correlated with self-reported global jealousy, whereas female height was curvilinearly related to jealousy, with average-height women reporting the lowest levels of jealousy. In Study 2, male height was found to be negatively correlated with jealousy in response to socially influential, physically dominant, and physically attractive rivals. Female height was negatively correlated with jealousy in response to physically attractive, physically dominant, and high-social-status rivals; in addition, quadratic effects revealed that approximately average-height women tend to be less jealous of physically attractive rivals but more jealous of rivals with "masculine" characteristics of physical dominance and social status. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This study examined the frequency of social comparisons in a work setting, and the feelings that these comparisons evoked. These processes were related to individual differences in social comparison orientation, and to the perception of a cooperative social climate at work. The participants were 216 physicians from various health centers in the Community of Valencia in Spain. In general, upward comparisons occurred more often, and elicited more positive and less negative affect than downward comparisons. Those high in social comparison orientation reported relatively more upward as well as downward comparisons, more positive affect after downward comparisons, and more negative affect after upward comparisons. Conversely, those who perceived the social climate at work as cooperative reported relatively more downward comparisons, more negative affect after downward comparison, and more positive affect after upward comparison. Among the 87 participants who participated in the longitudinal part of the study, perceived cooperative climate and social comparison orientation were more stable over a period of one year than the frequency of upward and downward comparison and the affective consequences of upward and downward comparison. It is concluded that individuals interpret social comparisons at work in a positive way when they perceive the social climate as cooperative, and in a negative way when they are high in social comparison orientation.