As the most prevalent chronic health condition in children under the age of 18, asthma is a disease for which significant health disparities exist. Current literature has established that ethnic minorities, families living in poverty, and families living in urban environments are at higher risk for worse morbidity. In recent years, studies focusing distinctly on Latino families, with emphasis on Puerto Rican families, have emerged. As a singular group, Puerto Rican children have demonstrated the worst outcomes and a significantly greater use of emergency room (ER) services, often related to poor adherence to adequate asthma care regimens. Guided by the biopsychosocial approach, this study sought to examine cultural and family variables and their relationship to pediatric asthma morbidity. Data from a sample of 639 children and their families from the Rhode Island region and Puerto Rico participated in this study. The data derived from the Rhode Island/Puerto Rico Asthma Center (RIPRAC) study and collected between 2002 and 2007. Bivariate analyses investigated correlations among familism and morbidity variables. Group comparisons were conducted between mainland Puerto Ricans living in the Rhode Island region and island Puerto Ricans and between Latino and non-Latino White families living in mainland United States. Confirmatory factor analysis using Mplus software evaluated a measurement model of familism and morbidity, followed by invariance testing in multiple group analyses by asthma severity and ethnicity. Lastly, structural equation modeling investigated a predictive relationship between the latent variables of familism and morbidity and meditational relationships through balanced integration. A secondary analysis for families who endorsed alternate child caregivers investigated a meditational relationship between familism and morbidity through involvement in asthma management by alternate caregivers. Significant correlations and group differences on mediator variables and observed familism variables and morbidity variables were found. Although a significant relationship between familism and morbidity was not found, significant relationships between familism and balanced integration and between balanced integration and morbidity were identified. This study contributes to emerging research on family variables as potential protective factors in pediatric asthma by focusing on familism as a primary concept amongst biological and psychosocial variables.

The aim of the present study was to explore the associations between different types of orientations toward materialism, and to investigate the relationship between materialistic orientations and different self-construal types as suggested by the Balanced Integration and Differentiation (BID) Model (imamoglu, 1998, 2003). The sample was consisted of 335 Middle East Technical University students (168 females, 167 males) with a mean age of 21.34. The questionnaire consisted of eight scales that were used to measure materialism, self-construals, family environment, attachment, and self and family satisfaction. The scales were Material Values Scale (Richins &amp / Dawson, 1992), Aspiration Index (Kasser &amp / Ryan, 1996), the New Materialism Scale which was developed for the current study, Balanced Integration and Differentiation Scale (BIDS, Imamoglu, 1998), Perceived Family Atmosphere Scale (Imamoglu, 2001), Family Satisfaction Index, and Self Satisfaction Index (Imamoglu, 2001) as well as the Relationship Questionnaire (Bartholomew &amp / Horowitz, 1991). Through the analyses on the data from the New Materialism scale, that had acceptable psychometric qualities, four sub-constructs of materialism were found that are extrinsic orientations, acquisitiveness, attachment to possessions, and sharing. Both MANOVA and regression analyses were performed and it was seen that respondents with related-individuated and separated-patterned self-types, proposed by the BID Model to represent the most balanced and unbalanced self-types, respectively, significantly differed from each other in terms of materialism score ratings measured by Material Values Scale and New Materialism scale. The people with the unbalanced type seemed to be more oriented towards materialism compared to the ones with the balanced type. While lower levels of individuation predicted higher levels of materialism for all materialism measures except attachment to possessions, the lower levels of relatedness predicted higher levels of materialism in terms of happiness, the belief that happiness can be gained through possessions, and sharing, the degree of unwillingness to share one&rsquo / s possessions with other people. Considering gender, women are found to be more acquisitive, giving a central importance to possessions and more interested in image as an aspiration. Through the analysis of the relationship patterns using SEM, a model was proposed for the relationships between different types of materialism, self orientations, and gender. Three different types of materialism, i.e. existential materialism, relational materialism, and indulgent materialism, were generated. Low levels of individuation predicted all three types of materialism. Low levels of relatedness predicted only relational materialism, whereas being woman predicted indulgent materialism. Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed in the framework of the BID Model.

The present study aimed 1) to examine possible influences of demographic variables (i.e., age, gender, marital status, sibling number, mother&rsquo / s education, father&rsquo / s education) on the various measures of the study (i.e., schema domains, self-orientations, and well-being measures i.e. depression, positive affect, negative affect, and reassurance-seeking) / 2) to examine the differences of schema domains on self-orientations of Balanced Integration Differentiation Model and also on well-being, and 3) to analyse the differences of four self-construals of Balanced Integration Differentiation Model on schema domains and well-being measures. In order to fulfill these aims 501 people between the ages 18-50 participated in the study. According to the results, having strong characteristics of schema domains were related to low levels of self-orientation dimensions of interpersonal integration orientation and intrapersonal differentiation orientation. Moreover,there was a positive correlation between having strong characteristics of schema domains and high depression, negative affect, and reassurance-seeking, but low positive affect. On the other hand, low level of related individuation self-construal was related to having high characteristics of schema domains. In addition to this,having high level of separated-patterning was positively correlated with having high characteristics of schema domains. In addition, self-construal of relatedindividuation was found to be related to high positive affect and correlated with low levels of depression, negative affect, and reassurance-seeking. Finally, separated-patterning was found to be related to low level of positive affect, while it was found to be correlated with high level of depression, negative affect, and reassurance-seeking. Findings, future directions, and clinical implications were discussed in the discussion section.

Based on the theoretical framework provided by Balanced Integration Differentiation (BID) Model (mamoglu, 1998 / 2003) and Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci and Ryan, 1985), this study aimed to explore possible determinants of Turkish employees&amp / #8217 / subjective (i.e., life satisfaction) and psychological well-being. Previous SDT research demonstrated that autonomus causality orientation and perceived autonomy supportiveness of context predicted need satisfaction at work and in turn, employee well-being (e.g., Baard et al., 2004 / Ilardi et al., 1993). BID Model was tested in a work setting for the first time. Different from SDT research, relational aspects both as a form of self orientation and a contextual characteristic (i.e., perceived relatedness supportiveness) were included in this study, along with individuational orientation and perceived autonomy supportiveness dimension, to explore their possible influence on well-being. Three-hundred-eighty-three employees (154 women and 229 men) from various public and private sector organizations participated in the study. Onehundred- ninety-two of them were from public sector organizations, whereas 191 of them were from private sector organizations. Relational and individuational self orientations directly predicted need satisfaction and psychological well-being, whereas relational orientation directly predicted life satisfaction. Need satisfaction also predicted both types of wellbeing. Furthermore, relational orientation predicted both autonomy and relatedness supportiveness of work context and in turn, predicted need satisfaction and well-being in public sector organizations. Furthermore, individuational orientation predicted autonomy supportiveness and relational orientation predicted relatedness supportiveness and in turn, predicted need satisfaction and well-being in private sector organizations. The findings were discussed in terms of relevant literature.