Positive psychological capital (PsyCap), a second-order construct formed from optimism, hope, resilience, and self-efficacy, has predicted the performance and psychological well-being of a variety of full-time workers, and mediators of the relationships between PsyCap and performance and psychological well-being have rarely been examined. Using self-determination theory, broaden-and-build theory, and the conceptual framework of positive psychology, this study was an exploration of (a) the relationships among PsyCap, (b) basic psychological need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy, competence, relatedness), and (c) psychological well-being and performance using a sample of 103 working actors and stunt people. A serial mediation model was proposed whereby PsyCap predicted performance through need satisfaction and psychological well-being. Statistically significant bivariate correlations were found among PsyCap, autonomy, competence, relatedness, psychological well-being, and performance. Multiple regression analyses yielded indirect effects tested for statistical significance using bias-corrected bootstrapping. Results showed a total indirect effect of PsyCap on psychological well-being through need satisfaction and a specific indirect effect of PsyCap on psychological well-being through relatedness. Results showed no total indirect effect for PsyCap on performance through need satisfaction but did show a specific indirect effect of PsyCap on performance through relatedness. No statistically significant indirect effects of autonomy, competence, and relatedness on performance through psychological well-being were found. Theoretical and practical implications for future researchers, independent workers, and organizations supporting independent workers are discussed.

Retention of registered nurses (RNs) is essential to the sustainability of quality health care services. More than 55% of hospitals in the United States have not translated retention initiatives into a formal retention strategy. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between training programs, new hire onboarding processes, frozen positions, and nurse retention. The self-determination theory was the theoretical framework for this study. Secondary data were collected from the 2016 Texas Hospital Nurse Staffing Survey. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results of the multiple linear regression were statistically significant, with F(3, 251) = .602, p > .001, R2 = .007. Although the model is significant, length of residency/internship/fellowship, length of new employee training, and total number of direct resident care RN positions frozen does not add significant predictive value to turnover. The results of the multiple linear regression produced correlation of the independent variables with the dependent variable of nurse turnover. Length of residency/internship/fellowship was positively correlated with RN turnover rate at .025, length of new employee training was negatively correlated at .072, and total number of direct resident care RN positions frozen was negatively correlated at .012. The findings of this study might influence positive social change by providing insights into length and content of programs and the effect of understaffing on retention of RNs. An increase in retention of RNs might contribute to improved hospital reputation, financial capability, and organizational balance leading to a positive effect on the economy, sustainability, and quality of life of the surrounding community.

The emergence of astrocasting on the Internet offered an opportunity to study the creation of a Social Media site, and determine the influence of the participants’ perception of this leisure activity and their motivation for it. The Night Skies Network was examined under a Social Media theoretical framework. The motivation for astrocasting was studied using the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation, and its perception as a leisure activity using the Serious Leisure Perspective. The methodology used included a focus group that provided a qualitative perspective, and an on-line questionnaire using the Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure and the Leisure Motivation Scale for quantitative data. The results showed that the Night Skies Network did meet the requirements for a Social Media site, that the participants considered astrocasting as a serious leisure activity, and that they were intrinsically motivated towards it, with a strong emphasis on the Intrinsic Motivation to Know.

The emergence of astrocasting on the Internet offered an opportunity to study the creation of a Social Media site, and determine the influence of the participants’ perception of this leisure activity and their motivation for it. The Night Skies Network was examined under a Social Media theoretical framework. The motivation for astrocasting was studied using the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation, and its perception as a leisure activity using the Serious Leisure Perspective. The methodology used included a focus group that provided a qualitative perspective, and an on-line questionnaire using the Serious Leisure Inventory and Measure and the Leisure Motivation Scale for quantitative data. The results showed that the Night Skies Network did meet the requirements for a Social Media site, that the participants considered astrocasting as a serious leisure activity, and that they were intrinsically motivated towards it, with a strong emphasis on the Intrinsic Motivation to Know.

Studies in Sweden have shown that about 80% of all youth in Sweden have participated in organized sport during their upbringing but at the age of 20 only 50% of these continue. There have been several attempts to understand why youth stop participating in sports but few aimed to understand why they continue. The objective of this study was to examine if there is a difference in motivation between youth (in the ages of 16-20 years) who participate in recreational and elite sports. The study was carried out as a quantitative survey where both recreational (n=35) and elite athletes (n=33) particpated. The study used a Sport Motivation Scale questionnaire translated into Swedish. The results showed three significant differences between the two grouops; amotivation, intrinsic motivation to learn and intrinsic motivation to experience. The study could conclude that intrinsic motivation and a feeling joy is the most important motivational factor for both groups to participate in sports.

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a client-centered, directive approach for behavior change. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a theory of human motivation and self-determined growth. Both of these social-cognitive theories aim to explain motivation and health behavior change and have generated a lot of research on how to increase human motivation. However, MI lacks a definite theory on mechanisms of behavior change and SDT offers a theory of motivation based on extensive research on human interactions. This paper aims to critically look at facilitators of client motivation for behavior change in-session from a social-cognitive perspective on one hand, and neural correlates related to client behavior change on the other hand. MI and SDT somewhat similarly explain what most importantly determines client motivation for change in-session. However, SDT mainly focus on psychological needs such as fostering client autonomy, and MI focus on the therapeutic alliance and on generating client change talk in-session. Efforts to bridge the two methods aim at generating a clearer definition of motivation in MI, and a better framework of practice in SDT. Studies on neural correlates of behavior change support and challenge elements of both approaches, indicating the importance of autonomy and relatedness for motivating positive behavior change.

Bemanningsbranschen växer och allt fler personer blir anställda via bemanningsföretag. Bemanningsföretagens viktigaste uppgift är att öka flexibiliteten på arbetsmarknaden. De gör det lättare för företagen att snabbt anpassa arbetsstyrkan till efterfrågan. Samtidigt finns problem och risker med att hyra in personal. Flertalet studier kring dessa problem tangerar ämnena motivation och/eller inhyrda medarbetare, men forskningen är begränsad vad gäller inhyrda medarbetares motivation. Under antagandet att graden av motivation, generellt sett, är lägre hos inhyrda medarbetare än hos anställda medarbetare, syftar denna studie till att undersöka vilka motivationsrelaterade skillnader som finns mellan anställda och inhyrda medarbetare på ett bank- och försäkringsbolag; Företaget. Med hänsyn till att ämnet är relativt outforskat genomförs en explorativ fallstudie genom kvalitativa semi-strukturerade intervjuer med sex medarbetare på Företaget. Studien kan liknas vid en pilotstudie, som kan ligga till grund för framtida, mer omfattande forskning. Studien inleds med en deduktiv ansats och tar teoretiskt avstamp från fem olika motivationsteorier: Expectancy Theory och Equity Theory, är att hänföra till Intrinsic Motivation (inre motivation), medan Goal-Setting Theory och Job Design representerar teorier om Extrinsic Motivation (yttre motivation). Slutligen används Self-Determination Theory som är ett hybridperspektiv som fördelar tyngdpunkten jämnt mellan Intrinsic Motivation och Extrinsic Motivation. Därefter övergår studien till en mera induktiv ansats där respondenternas uttalanden i intervjuerna, tillsammans med teorierna, ligger till grund för en kategorisering i sju motivationsfaktorer: Mål, Lön, Uppskattning – utvecklingsmöjligheter och andra belöningar, Samhörighet, Självständighet och eget ansvar, Meningsfullhet samt Omväxling. Skillnaderna i motivation mellan anställda och inhyrda medarbetare på Företaget analyseras därefter med utgångspunkt från dessa sju kategorier. De motivationsrelaterade skillnader som framkommer genom studien är framför allt följande: Inhyrda medarbetare motiveras av karriärutvecklingsmöjligheter i större utsträckning än anställda, Mål är viktigare bland inhyrda än bland anställda medarbetare. Lön är en viktigare motivationsfaktor för inhyrda medarbetare, dock endast på lång sikt. Bland övriga motivationsfaktorer märks inte lika tydliga skillnader. Med anledning av studien föreslås att framtida forskning i ämnet bör ske i form av mera omfattande studier, gärna av kvantitativ karaktär. Forskningen bör omfatta fler respondenter, på fler företag, ur en större variation av yrkesgrupper, med en högre grad av anonymitet för respondenterna

Adolescence is characterized as the transition period from childhood to adulthood and healthy adjustment invokes internal and external resources. The individual resources consist of the regulatory abilities, which are influenced by emotional family context. Emotional family context includes factors such as parenting, attachment quality to parents, and the level of marital conflict between parents. However, these three research areas have relatively remained separate from each other and the period of adolescence is mostly neglected in longitudinal research. In order to partially fill in this gap, both cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between proximal family contextual factors, regulatory abilities and psychosocial adjustment of the adolescents were examined by collecting data from first and second grade students of two high schools (N = 426), their teachers (N = 353), and parents (N = 187 for mothers, N = 175 for fathers). In line with the propositions of the Attachment (Bowlby, 1969 / 1973) and Self-Determination Theories (SDT / Deci &amp / Ryan, 1985), and the frameworks within marital conflict literature (Davies &amp / Cummings, 1994 / Grych &amp / Fincham, 1990), it was anticipated that parental warmth, behavioral control, and secure attachment to both parents would influence regulatory capacities of the adolescents positively, and healthy regulation processes would be related to successful psychosocial adjustment of the adolescents. On the other hand, parental rejection, comparing adolescents with others, psychological control, and marital conflict would predict low levels of regulatory abilities, and in turn, they would be associated with poor psychosocial adjustment. Similarly, the longitudinal effects of marital conflict on parenting and the effects of attachment quality to parents on regulatory development of the adolescents were also examined. Participants completed multiple measures of the major variables in the study. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses were used to test the proposed mediated models. The findings of the study mostly supported the direct effects of emotional family context on regulatory abilities of the adolescents, their problem behaviors, and the quality of the relationships with their peers. The results were generally consistent with the previous research in the Western cultures. Positive emotional family context variables were related with the healthy development, whereas negative ones were related with poor developmental outcomes. The results of covariance analyses also showed that attachment strength to parents and the quality of peer relationships were related with healthy regulatory processes of the adolescents. The longitudinal SEM analyses showed that externalization problems of the adolescents, which were associated with the marital conflict between parents, predicted higher levels of negative parenting in the long run. Additionally, secure attachment to parents predicted high levels of positive and low levels of negative parenting, all of which were associated with adolescents&rsquo / high levels of positive regulatory capacities. This study contributed to the understanding of the effects of emotional family context on adolescent optimal development through time and showed that for a healthy adjustment, high-quality close relationships both with the family and the peers were required.

The aim of this dissertation was (1) to examine the work choice motivation for accepting the contingent employment in relation to various outcomes (job satisfaction, job involvement, and psychological contract) and the effect on work performance (obedience, and work expectation), and (2) to test whether workers¡¦ interaction may assist in explaining difference between the various outcome and the effect on work performance. The results of this study challenged earlier assumptions on the importance of volition in temporary work research. Analyses were based on a sample of 415 contingent workers from various organizations and types of the contingent employment. The most striking findings were that work choice motivation did not consistently associate with favorable outcomes and the effect on work performance, and that the relationship between work choice motivations related to work performance outcomes were non-significant. By way of contrast, self-fulfilling motive has positively effects on job satisfaction and job involvement, work-life balance motive and self-constrain motive have positive effect on psychological contract, and work control motive has negative effect on job involvement, and psychological contract. Also, this dissertation established that workers¡¦ interaction may have potential to improve the variations on predictions. The result showed that task-related interaction between standard and contingent workers has positive effect on job satisfaction, job involvement, work expectation, and obedience. Moreover, the non-task related interaction has negative effect on obedience. The interaction effects of work choice motivation and workers¡¦ interaction on job attitudes and work performance were also examined in this study. The result shows that the interaction between work-life balance motive and non-task related interaction has positive effect on psychological contract. Moreover, the interaction effect of self-constrain motive and non-task related interaction also has positive effect on psychological contract. The implications were also discussed in this study.

Background: The relation between work motivation and well-being are relatively well theoretically entrenched, but few studies have been conducted on nurses within psychiatry. Objective: The aim of the present study was to examine the differences in intrinsic work motivation (autonomy, competence, relatedness), mental health and burnout between young (≤40 years) and older (>40 years) nurses employed in psychiatry. Method: The study was an observational study with a cross-sectional design and group comparisons, conducted as a survey. The sample constituted of 60 employed nurses. Chi2 analysis, ANOVA, t-test and linear regression analyses were conducted in SPSS (22,0). Result: Nurses had a relatively high intrinsic work motivation. Autonomy (M = 4,73) was estimated significantly lowest. Moreover, autonomy was estimated significantly higher in the younger (M = 5,02, SD = 0,77) than in the older (M = 4,55, SD = 0,81) group. There was a significant relationship between competence and mental well-being in both groups and a significant relationship between competence and burnout in the older group. Conclusion: The study showed that there were differences in how older and younger nurses reported motivation. Thus, in order to improve mental health among nurses it is necessary to focus on competence development in the work.