( Mediator) The diploma thesis deals with the person mediator who is key and indispensable in the process of mediation. Mediation is currently an increasingly relevant topic as one of the alternative ways of resolving disputes. Its use in practice could help to reduce the number of cases that courts have to deal with. With growing interest in mediation, the mediator's profession is becoming publicly aware. The aim of the thesis was to analyze the mediator role in mediation in the Czech Republic. The thesis is divided into 6 chapters. The first chapter explains the concept of mediation, the status of mediator and the division of mediators into different types that occur in our territory. The mediator must meet the conditions for the exercise of the profession by law. The main one is the successful passing of the exam, which is described in more detail in the second chapter. An important role in mediation is played by fundamental principles such as volunteering, impartiality, and unbiased, confidentiality and informality. Their adherence is crucial to the profession of mediator. The mediator has certain rights and obligations under the law. Major duties include a duty of confidentiality. The content, scope, and limits are described in Chapter 4. The following fifth chapter examines the mediator's...

The diploma thesis presents current ideas and relevant psychological theories in the field of fairness and perceived justice, and in such context, it analyzes the mediation process, especially the process of court-initiated mediation in the Czech Republic as an alternative conflict resolution method. Moreover, the thesis aims to provide information on the attitudes of different public representatives to the court-initiated mediation, with special regard to the perception of fairness and justice of the mediation process and its outcome. The empirical part of the thesis introduces an attitudes research of various public representatives to the court-initiated mediation. The research proved a statistically significant difference in attitudes towards fairness and perceived justice of mediation among observed groups of attorneys, junior attorneys, mediators, judges, mediators with attorney license, and a group of other professions. Among the specific groups, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups of attorneys and mediators, attorneys and mediators with attorney license, and finally between the groups of attorneys and the group of other professions. The research data were collected through the newly developed attitude Questionnaire of Perceived Justice of Mediation (DVSM)....

Research tells us that there is an effect of prayer on well-being. However, little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this relationship. In addition, much of the available data concerning prayer and well-being is based on Christians living in the United States, and our knowledge of how prayer and well-being are functionally interconnected in other faith groups, including Muslims, is sparse. The primary aim of this study was to understand how prayer impacts well-being in individuals of the Muslim faith. Specifically, four potential mediators of the relationship between prayer and well-being were examined; optimism, spirituality, mindfulness, and social support. These mediators were selected based on previous empirical work demonstrating the role these factors have in both religious practices and mental health. Optimism, spirituality, and social support are important mechanisms in the relationship between prayer and well-being in Christian samples, while mindfulness underlies the beneficial effects of contemplative practices on well-being in studies focused on Buddhist practices. In this study it is proposed that as a contemplative practice of the Abrahamic faith, Muslim prayer (salah) relates to well-being through the mediatory roles of optimism, spirituality, social support, and mindfulness. Participants (N=155) were recruited from local mosques, Muslim Student Associations of the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, local halal restaurants, and MuslimLink (an Ottawa-based Muslim newsletter). SurveyMonkey was used to gather information on participants’ prayer habits, and level of trait mindfulness, spirituality, optimism, social support, and subjective well-being. The data were analysed using a parallel multiple mediator model via the Monte Carlo confidence interval to test for the indirect effect of the mediator variables. Optimism and spirituality were both found to be mediators of the relationship between frequency of prayer and subjective well-being. While mindfulness correlated with both frequency of prayer and well-being, it did not mediate the relationship between the two. Social support correlated with frequency of prayer and not well-being and was not a mediator between the two variables. Psychological interventions that incorporate faith-based practices have been found to have greater effectiveness for religious patients. Understanding prayer and how it relates to well-being is important to implementing intervention and prevention strategies that are culturally informed thus better serving the Muslim population needs.

Involvement in physical activity (PA) and exercise behaviour is multifaceted and depends on bidirectional correlations between multiple factors; one avenue to increase the understanding of sustainable exercise behaviours would be to employ a motivational perspective. In this thesis, this was done by placing the primary focus on Self-determination theory (SDT) as a person-centred approach to study the motivational mechanisms believed to impact exercise behaviour based on the SDT process model. Study 1, conducted in a cross-sectional design, included 1,091 members of a web-based exercise service. Based on sophisticated mediation analysis, the results support the hypothesized associations between latent constructs and exercise behaviour in the related steps of the SDT process model. Moreover, moderating effects were discovered, demonstrating that these associations could differ in different subgroups based on gender and age. The results of Study 1 thereby represent a first indication that exercise intervention design might benefit from slightly different approaches when addressing different demographical groups like gender and age. Study 2 was conducted in a two-wave RCT design to test an SDT-informed intervention on 64 voluntary participants. Components of Motivational interviewing (MI), the Relapse prevention model (RPM) and Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) were used as practical application guidelines to deliver the intervention content. Results showed intervention effects on exercise level, exercise intensity and motivation quality as well as mediating effects of the RAI (Relative Autonomy Index; an index of the degree of self-determination), and identified regulation in relation to exercise behaviour. The experimental group also demonstrated significantly lower levels of extrinsic motivation than the control group post-intervention. Besides strong support for applying the basic tenets of SDT in the exercise domain, there are some main findings in this thesis. First of all, self-determined motivation was found to act as a mediating variable in the relationship between psychological need satisfaction and exercise, and these patterns of indirect effects differed across age and gender. This indicates that mechanisms in the SDT process model could vary (qualitatively) depending on subgroup, which carries potential implications for practice. Second, the results of Study 2 also provide evidence that the mediating mechanisms of the process model could be manipulated in an intervention, e.g. by creating need-supportive environments facilitating internalization and subsequent exercise behaviour. Furthermore, both studies demonstrated that identified regulation plays a prominent role in the motivational processes, supporting the significance of promoting internalization in activities like exercise. Finally, this thesis represents prospective value for the utility of employing a polytheoretical approach in exercise intervention design, more specifically regarding the prosperous outlooks in combining SDT with other theories and methods. / Motion och fysisk aktivitet är multifacetterade beteenden som påverkas av komplexa samband mellan en mängd olika faktorer och ett sätt öka förståelsen för mekanismerna bakom hållbara motionsbeteenden är att studera motivationsrelaterade förhållanden och förutsättningar. Denna licentiatavhandling har därför en personcentrerad ansats som baseras på en deskriptiv processmodell som ingår i Självbestämmandeteorin (Self-determination theory; SDT). I Studie 1 genomfördes en tvärsnittsstudie på 1091 medlemmar i en web-baserad motionstjänst och avancerade medieringsanalyser genererade stöd för de hypotetiska relationerna mellan latenta variabler och motionsbeteende i processmodellen. Analyserna visade även modereringseffekter genom att dessa relationer skilde sig åt mellan grupper baserade på kön och ålder. Resultaten representerar därmed en första indikation på att utformandet av motionsinterventioner eventuellt kan gynnas av att anpassas till olika demografiska grupper, t ex baserat på kön och ålder. I Studie 2 genomfördes en intervention på 64 frivilliga deltagare i form av en RCT-design med två mätpunkter. Det SDT-baserade innehållet i interventionen förmedlades med hjälp av praktiska riktlinjer från metoderna Motiverande samtal (MI), Återfallsprevention (RPM) och Kognitiv beteendeterapi (CBT). Resultaten visade interventionseffekter på motionsbeteenden (mängd och intensitet), samt medieringseffekter av RAI (Relative Autonomy Index; ett index på graden av självbestämmande) och identifierad reglering i relation till motionsbeteende. Experimentgruppen uppvisade även lägre nivåer av yttre motivation än kontrollgruppen efter interventionen. Båda studierna är därmed i linje med det växande empiriska stödet för applicering av SDT inom motionsområdet och bidrar på flera sätt till kunskapsutvecklingen om motivationsrelaterade mekanismer. Det främsta bidraget är att självbestämmande motivation visade sig fungera som en medierande variabel i relationen mellan tillfredsställelse av psykologiska basbehov och motionsbeteende och att dessa latenta effekter skilde sig åt utifrån deltagarnas kön och ålder. Detta pekar på att mekanismerna i processmodellen kan variera i olika grupper, vilket skulle kunna påverka eventuella praktiska implikationer för framtida interventionsdesign. Vidare indikerar resultaten i Studie 2 att medieringsmekanismerna i processmodellen är möjliga att manipulera i en intervention, exempelvis genom att skapa stödjande miljöer som främjar internalisering och därigenom efterföljande motionsbeteenden. Båda studierna visar även att identifierad reglering har en viktig funktion i motivationsprocessen, vilket understryker betydelsen av att främja internalisering i aktiviteter som motion. Slutligen finns det argument för värdet av att anta en poly-teoretisk ansats i skapandet av motionsinterventioner, framförallt genom att kombinera SDT med andra teorier och metoder.

Ending civilian victimization has become a primary purpose for third-party intervening actors as the brutal violence i contemporary conflicts increasingly affects the civilian population. To mitigate the violence, third-party actors use conflict management tools such as mediation and peacekeeping. Previous research has excessively examined these tools in isolation from one another, however, their combined effect has been neglected. In seeking to explore further pathways to combat violence against, this study examines the combined effectiveness of peacekeeping and mediation. I argue that peacekeeping and mediation interact, enhancing the violence-reducing effect of the other, which creates a stronger reduction effect on violence against civilians. Using monthly data counting civilian casualties in all African intrastate conflicts between 1993-2007, I find that mediation and peacekeeping have an interactive effect on violence against civilians, which is both reducing and stronger in comparison to the independent effect of these tools. The theoretical implications extend to UN troops and UN police. However, they are not applicable for UN observers and non-UN troops. Additional implications of the findings indicate that mediation should be present as a conflict management tool first after a large size of UN troops or UN police forces are deployed to most effectively reduce the levels of violence against civilians in conflict.

Background: Smartphone addiction can have negative consequences such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and a loss of social connectivity. Understanding smartphone addiction is still in its early stages, but self-regulation and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are two established risk factors. Exploring these risk factors and their impact on individuals’ well-being may help prevent smartphone addiction. Objective: This study aims to (1) explore the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological and social well-being (e.g., friendship validation and caring, and friendship and intimate exchange) among adolescents. (2) Examine whether self-regulation mediates the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being and social well-being. (3) Examine whether attention mediates the relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being and social well-being. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in middle school in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Students (Grade 6-8) completed an online survey that measured smartphone addiction, attention, self-regulation, and psychological and social well-being. A bivariate correlational analysis was used to examine the relationship between smartphone addiction, self-regulation, attention psychological well-being, and social well-being. Multiple mediation analyses were used to perform the mediation between smartphone addiction, attention, self-regulation, and psychological and social well-being. Results: The bivariate correlation showed significant negative associations between smartphone addiction and attention, self-regulation, psychological well-being, and friendship validation and caring. Smartphone addiction did not have a significant relationship with friendship intimate exchange. The mediation analysis showed that attention was a significant mediator between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being (indirect effect= -.102; 95% CI -.142, -.066) and between smartphone addiction and friendship validation and caring (indirect effect= -.056; 95% CI -.093, -.024; direct effect= -.071; 95% CI -.155, .013). Attention did not significantly mediate the relationship between smartphone addiction and the friendship intimate exchange aspect of social well-being (indirect effect= -.005; 95% CI -.026, .016). Self-regulation showed a significant partial mediation between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being (indirect effect= -.016; 95% CI -.034, -.002). Self-regulation did not significantly mediate the relationship between smartphone addiction and friendship validation and caring (indirect effect=-.014; 95% CI -.034, .001) and friendship intimate exchange (indirect effect=-.001; 95% CI -.007, .007). Conclusion: The results indicated that the negative relationship between smartphone addiction and psychological well-being can be partially explained by adolescents’ attention and self-regulation abilities. The negative relationship between smartphone addiction and social well-being (validation and caring) can be partially explained by adolescents’ attention. However, both aspects of social well-being (validation and caring and intimate exchange) were not impacted by self-regulation. This study identified potential mediators that may be used for future interventions to prevent smartphone addiction and promote wellbeing. / Graduate

This article investigates the antecedents and consequences of source credibility within the context of the relatively new but growing phenomenon of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) endorsers. The study results indicate that source credibility is a central determinant of a CEO endorsers’ ability to effect desired outcome states. Results also indicate that the effect of message source credibility on purchase intentions, though strong, is not direct because beliefs about critical product attributes mediate the effect of a message source’s credibility on behavioural intentions. The results of the study also indicate that models of source credibility derived from the celebrity endorser literature do not generalize to the CEO endorser context. Specifically, the attractiveness and expertise of the message source had no significant impact on receivers’ perceptions of credibility.

This study examined the associations among personality, identity style, and fundamentalism. The initial sample included 808 students from 2 state universities (in the upper Midwest and Southeast United States). Of those students, 440 students self-identified as Protestant and were included. Testing mediation effects of identity styles on the relationship between personality and fundamentalism revealed only moderate direct effects between personality and fundamentalism, but 4 distinct patterns of indirect effects supporting the process-oriented model proposed by Duriez and colleagues. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences with other studies, with implications for future research outlined.

Background: Emerging evidence from animals indicates that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the effects of phthalate exposure on male reproductive dysfunctions, which has never been thoroughly explored in humans. Objective: To explore the potential mediating role of oxidative stress in the association of phthalate exposure with semen quality among 1034 Chinese men. Method: Repeated urine samples gathered from the male partners of sub-fertile couples were analyzed for 3 oxidative stress markers [8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), 8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (8-isoPGF2α) and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal-mercapturic acid (HNE-MA)], using a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Multivariate regression models were constructed to evaluate the associations of urinary oxidative stress markers with urinary phthalate metabolites and semen quality. We also explored the potential mediation effects by oxidative stress markers. Results: Significantly positive dose-dependent relationships were observed between each individual phthalate metabolite and all analyzed oxidative stress markers (all p for trend<0.05), except for monoethyl phthalate (MEP) in relation to HNE-MA. Additionally, significantly or suggestively inverse dose-dependent relationships were exhibited between urinary 8-isoPGF2α and sperm concentration (p for trend = 0.05), and between urinary 8-OHdG and percent of normal sperm morphology (p for trend = 0.01). Mediation analysis showed that urinary 8-isoPGF2α suggestively mediated 12% of the inverse association between monobutyl phthalate (MBP) and sperm concentration, and that urinary 8-OHdG suggestively mediated 32% of the inverse association of MEP with percent of normal sperm morphology (both p < 0.10). Conclusions: Although further investigations are required, our results suggest that oxidative stress may play a mediating role in the effects of phthalate exposure on impaired semen quality.

AbstractSyftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap och förståelse om barns användning av populärkultur i förskolan, samt visa vilken betydelse barns kunskaper om populärkultur har i skapandet av barns kamratkulturer. Studien besvarar tre frågeställningar: Hur använder sig barn av populärkultur i förskolan? Vilken betydelse har populärkultur i barns lek? Hur ser relationen mellan barns populärkulturella kunskaper och delaktighet i lek ut? Studien utgår ifrån teorier kring sociokulturell teori, populärkultur, mediering, imitation och representation samt tidigare forskning inom forskningsområdet.Empirin består av semi-strukturerade intervjuer av barn både enskilt och i små grupper i åldern 3 - 5 år. Samt av observationer ute på förskolans gård med barn i åldern 3 - 5 år. Det förekommer likaledes en inomhusobservation på en avdelning med barn i 3 – 5 årsåldern. Resultatet av studien visar att barn har intresse av att använda sig av populärkulturen de tar del av i media, i andra sammanhang då barnen använder sig av populärkulturen bland annat i samband med lek i förskolan. När barnen leker med inslag av populärkultur med varandra, använder sig barnen av olika begrepp såsom mediering och imitation för att få förståelse över populärkulturen de tar del av i media. Barnen byter även erfarenheter med varandra i samtal om populärkultur. I samband med lek och samtal med och om populärkultur skapas nya kamratkulturer på förskolan efter barns intresse och kunskaper av populärkultur. / The purpose of this study is to contribute with knowledge and understanding about children use of popular culture in preeschool. The study will also show the meaning of childrens knowledge of popular culture in their creation of peer culture. The study answers to three questions: How does children use popular culture in preeschool? What is the meaning of popular culture in preeschool ?How does the relation between childrens knowledge of popular culture and participation in play show? The study proceeds from theories about socio culture, popular culture, meditation, imitation, representation and in earlier research within this field. The empiri consists of semi structured interviews with children, both individual and in small groups.The age of the children interviewed are between 3 to 5 years old. The empiri also consists of observations in the school yard and inside the classroom of the children in the same age group.The results of this study shows that children show an interest in using popular culture they see in media, in other contexts then children uses popular culture for example in their play in preeschool. When children plays with element of popular culture with each other, they use concepts like meditation and imitation to understand the popular culture they see in media. Children also exchange experiences with each other when they discuss popular culture. In connection with play and conversation with and about popular culture, children creates new peer culture in preeschool according to their interest and knowledge about popular culture.