Papers by Ma. Regina Hechanova
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2013
This study examined the factors that influence the intent to seek online counseling among oversea... more This study examined the factors that influence the intent to seek online counseling among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). A survey among 365 OFWs revealed that problem severity and technology adoption predict intent to use online counseling. Among the three factors of technology adoption, perceived ease in the use of technology and perceived presence of organization and technological infrastructure to support use predicted intent to use online counseling. Our hypothesis about the presence of interaction between problem severity and facilitating conditions was supported. Among individuals with low problem severity, those who perceive the presence of organization and technological infrastructure to support use have a higher intent to use online counseling. However, at higher levels of problem severity, the effect of facilitating conditions seems to disappear. These findings highlight the crucial role of preventive online mental health services. The study contributes to theory by integrating the stage model of help-seeking behaviors and technology adoption theory in predicting intent to use online counseling. Specifically, that intent to seek online counseling is affected by the existence and perceived gravity of a problem, moderated by technology adoption factors, particularly facilitating conditions. These have implications on the need to educate potential users on the advantages of counseling and ensure that migrant workers have access to technology and that the technology is easy to use.
Personnel Review, 2013
ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ This study sought to explain the high turnover rates in Philippine call center... more ABSTRACT Purpose ‐ This study sought to explain the high turnover rates in Philippine call centers using a cultural lens. Specifically, the study looks at the phenomenon of work-life conflict and its impact on turnover intent. It also examined the moderating role of perceived organization support on the relationship between work-life conflict and turnover intent. Design/methodology/approach ‐ The study utilized a two-phased, mixed-method approach. In the first phase, qualitative data from 30 interviews were obtained to validate the existence of the constructs among Filipino call center agents. In the second phase, 991 surveys were administered to quantitatively test the hypothesized relationships between the study variables. Findings ‐ Results show that work-life conflict predicts intent to leave over and beyond that explained by job satisfaction. Findings also show that organizational support moderates the relationship between work-life conflict and intent to leave. The results also reveal the context-specific sources of work-life conflict: physical and psychological impact of work schedule, social isolation and lack of social support. Research limitations/implications ‐ The study focused on work-life conflict and perceived organizational support. However, there are other variables that may be examined in future research such as personality, family, and organizational variables. Practical implications ‐ Beyond the traditional responses to the issue of work-life conflict, the results suggest the importance of cultural nuanced responses to address work-life conflict. Social implications ‐ Although outsourcing is a boon to the economy of developing countries, policies encouraging call centers need to be coupled with an understanding of the personal and social costs of call center work. Originality/value ‐ This study highlights the importance of considering culture in viewing management practices and their impact on workers' behavior and wellbeing. It calls attention to the unique experience of call centers in developing countries and the importance of developing work-life interventions that are contextualized to local culture.
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2013
This study examined the factors that influence the intent to seek online counseling among oversea... more This study examined the factors that influence the intent to seek online counseling among overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). A survey among 365 OFWs revealed that problem severity and technology adoption predict intent to use online counseling. Among the three factors of technology adoption, perceived ease in the use of technology and perceived presence of organization and technological infrastructure to support use predicted intent to use online counseling. Our hypothesis about the presence of interaction between problem severity and facilitating conditions was supported. Among individuals with low problem severity, those who perceive the presence of organization and technological infrastructure to support use have a higher intent to use online counseling. However, at higher levels of problem severity, the effect of facilitating conditions seems to disappear. These findings highlight the crucial role of preventive online mental health services. The study contributes to theory by integrating the stage model of help-seeking behaviors and technology adoption theory in predicting intent to use online counseling. Specifically, that intent to seek online counseling is affected by the existence and perceived gravity of a problem, moderated by technology adoption factors, particularly facilitating conditions. These have implications on the need to educate potential users on the advantages of counseling and ensure that migrant workers have access to technology and that the technology is easy to use.
This study utilized a sequential mixed method approach in developing a model for team effectivene... more This study utilized a sequential mixed method approach in developing a model for team effectiveness in Philippine organizations. In the first phase, qualitative data was gathered to elicit the factors that were deemed important to creating effective teams. In the second phase, a survey composed of three factors identified in the first phase: team member competencies, quality of relations, and leadership, was administered to 418 employees from 85 Filipino work teams from various sectors and industries. Results revealed that the three significant predictors accounted for 60% of the variance in perceived team effectiveness. The proposed model of input-process-output was partially supported. Results showed that quality of relations partially mediated the relationship of leadership and team member competence on perceived team effectiveness. The study highlights the importance of social relations especially in the Philippine context and underscores the value of understanding team effectiveness from a cultural perspective.
This study expands the Uses and Gratification Theory by examining Internet use and its outcomes a... more This study expands the Uses and Gratification Theory by examining Internet use and its outcomes among Filipino Internet users. It also tests the Social Cognitive Theory by examining the role of both self and external regulation on Internet use outcomes. The study was done in two phases. In the first phase, interviews were conducted to elicit how the Internet is used as well as perceptions of healthy versus problematic Internet use. In the second phase, surveys were administered to 387 respondents from all over the Philippines. Results revealed that purposes or activities using the Internet can be grouped into seven factors, namely basic Internet use, entertainment, expression and interaction, e-commerce, school-related, and technological deviance. Although the last three have been cited in other studies, they have not been included in past taxonomies. Positive outcomes of Internet use are greater productivity and personal enhancement. Negative outcomes can be described in terms of social harm and Internet addiction. Results link specific usage with outcomes. The use of Internet to express oneself and interact predicted both personal enhancement and problematic Internet use. Basic Internet use and entertainment predicted problematic Internet use. External regulation predict personal harm and social harm but not productivity and addiction. Self-regulation is associated with greater productivity and personal enhancement and is negatively related to social harm and addiction. Self-regulated was also a strongest predictor of both positive outcomes suggesting that beyond putting in controls for Internet use, developing users ability to self-regulate are more important in enabling the productive use of the Internet.
This study examined the practices of Philippine organizations in monitoring employee use of the I... more This study examined the practices of Philippine organizations in monitoring employee use of the Internet. Surveys of 112 organizations representing a variety of industries reveal that two-thirds of organizations provide Internet access to all its employees. Although the majority monitor employee Internet use, less than half have an Internet use policy in place. The majority of organizations blocked some online content and applications particularly those related to pornography, gaming and social networking. Most organizations report difficulties as getting virus due to downloaded materials and excessive chatting on the Internet. Results suggest the need for more organizations to articulate their policies on Internet use, educate workers on internet security and formulate mechanisms to ensure the integrity of employee monitoring.
This study investigated the attitudes of 80 graduate students of
Counseling and Clinical Psycholo... more This study investigated the attitudes of 80 graduate students of
Counseling and Clinical Psychology toward face-to-face and online
counseling based on eight distance counseling factors: providing
empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection,
providing a sense of safety and confidentiality, accessibility, availability of counselor/therapist, eliminating social stigma, and anonymity, (Centore & Millaci, 2003). Respondents were Internet savvy and used the Internet an average of 26 hours each week. Results showed that compared to e-mail counseling and chat counseling, face-to-face counseling was rated higher on four of the eight factors: providing empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection, and providing a sense of safety and confidentiality. No differences were found in the ratings for accessibility and availability. Online counseling was rated higher in terms of addressing issues about social stigma and providing anonymity. Their attitude towards online counseling (visà-
vis face-to-face counseling) was generally positive. Majority of the
respondents also indicated openness to conducting online counseling,
although they still consider face-to-face counseling more effective than
online counseling. Implications for the potential of the practice of online counseling in combination with face-to-face counseling are discussed.
This study used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as a lens to
examine disclosure among Filipin... more This study used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) as a lens to
examine disclosure among Filipino gay men, despite the fact that
disclosure of a gay man’s sexual identity is a western construct.
Specifically, it examined the relationship between negative self-identity,
autonomy support, and disclosure to parents and peers of a gay man’s
sexual orientation. Findings indicated that individuals having high
levels of negative self-identity were less likely to disclose to both parents
and peers. Although peer autonomy support predicted disclosure to
peers, parental autonomy support did not predict disclosure to parents.
Practical and research implications are discussed.
This study utilized a mixed method sequential exploratory strategy in investigating the needs of ... more This study utilized a mixed method sequential exploratory strategy in investigating the needs of the Filipino working population and the relationship between these needs and employee engagement. In the first phase, workers were interviewed to determine the needs that motivate them. In the second phase, a survey with 302 workers elicited four types of needs: job-related, career-related, organization-related, and family-related. Among these, family is a novel addition to the extant theories of work motivation in the West. The importance and presence of these four factors were all significantly correlated with employee engagement. Three models were tested to describe the importance and presence of needs as predictors of employee engagement. The best fitting model was the presence of needs as predictors of engagement. Among the needs, it was those related to the job that predicted employee engagement.
This study investigated Internet usage from a generational perspective. A survey was conducted am... more This study investigated Internet usage from a generational perspective. A survey was conducted among 176 Internet users from the four regions in the Philippines. Cluster analysis of age and Internet usage revealed two groups – digital natives and digital immigrants. These groups significantly differed in 16 areas of Internet usage: utilizing search engine, playing games, visiting pornographic sites, listening to the radio, viewing videos or movies, downloading media (music, movies, TV shows), downloading software, participating in online communication/e-groups, using social networking sites (e.g., Friendster, Facebook, etc.), writing and posting online journal (blog), sharing personal files, artwork, photos and videos, creating and maintaining own website, reading website or blogs of others, posting comments on other’s website, contributing information to websites like Wikipedia, and spreading photos or videos of others without their permission. Digital natives scored higher than digital immigrants in all 16 areas.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2006
Despite the massive influx of women into the workforce, women have made only minor gains into top... more Despite the massive influx of women into the workforce, women have made only minor gains into top management positions. Most explanations for this asymmetry have been based on sex differences in socialization and traits. We propose that an evolutionary psychological perspective offers an alternative explanation: sex differences in power are due to differences in the way men and women use influence behaviors in small groups, and these differences were sculpted, in part, by natural selection. This produced sex differences in psychological and physiological mechanisms—principally in the neuroendocrine system—that influence motivations to use influence in groups. We review studies on sex differences in influence in small groups. For each type of influence behavior that we examine—competition, dominance, and coalition formation—we discuss ultimate and proximate causes. We conclude with implications for future research and for public and organizational policy. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 2006
The present study surveyed 954 employees and their supervisors to determine the relationship of e... more The present study surveyed 954 employees and their supervisors to determine the relationship of empowerment with job satisfaction and performance in five different service sectors: hotels, food service, banking, call centers, and airlines. Psychological empowerment was positively correlated with both job satisfaction and performance. Although intrinsic motivation was associated with higher levels of empowerment and job satisfaction, contrary to hypothesis, intrinsic motivation did not moderate the relationship between empowerment and job satisfaction and performance. Men reported greater empowerment than women even when job level and performance were controlled for. Cross-industry analyses indicated differences in empowerment across different types of service sectors with employees in call centers reporting less empowerment compared to employees in hotel, airlines, food establishments, and banks.
adjustment. In addition, better interpersonal skills were associated with greater adjustment to g... more adjustment. In addition, better interpersonal skills were associated with greater adjustment to general environment. Greater cultural novelty was associated with less interactional adjustment. Role conflict, ambiguity, and discretion were also strong predictors of work adjustment. A structural equations model that illustrated causal relationships involving expatriate adjustment and outcomes of job strain, job satisfaction, organisational citizenship, intent to turnover, and job performance generated a good fit with the data.
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Papers by Ma. Regina Hechanova
Counseling and Clinical Psychology toward face-to-face and online
counseling based on eight distance counseling factors: providing
empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection,
providing a sense of safety and confidentiality, accessibility, availability of counselor/therapist, eliminating social stigma, and anonymity, (Centore & Millaci, 2003). Respondents were Internet savvy and used the Internet an average of 26 hours each week. Results showed that compared to e-mail counseling and chat counseling, face-to-face counseling was rated higher on four of the eight factors: providing empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection, and providing a sense of safety and confidentiality. No differences were found in the ratings for accessibility and availability. Online counseling was rated higher in terms of addressing issues about social stigma and providing anonymity. Their attitude towards online counseling (visà-
vis face-to-face counseling) was generally positive. Majority of the
respondents also indicated openness to conducting online counseling,
although they still consider face-to-face counseling more effective than
online counseling. Implications for the potential of the practice of online counseling in combination with face-to-face counseling are discussed.
examine disclosure among Filipino gay men, despite the fact that
disclosure of a gay man’s sexual identity is a western construct.
Specifically, it examined the relationship between negative self-identity,
autonomy support, and disclosure to parents and peers of a gay man’s
sexual orientation. Findings indicated that individuals having high
levels of negative self-identity were less likely to disclose to both parents
and peers. Although peer autonomy support predicted disclosure to
peers, parental autonomy support did not predict disclosure to parents.
Practical and research implications are discussed.
Counseling and Clinical Psychology toward face-to-face and online
counseling based on eight distance counseling factors: providing
empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection,
providing a sense of safety and confidentiality, accessibility, availability of counselor/therapist, eliminating social stigma, and anonymity, (Centore & Millaci, 2003). Respondents were Internet savvy and used the Internet an average of 26 hours each week. Results showed that compared to e-mail counseling and chat counseling, face-to-face counseling was rated higher on four of the eight factors: providing empathy, providing emotional support, providing connection, and providing a sense of safety and confidentiality. No differences were found in the ratings for accessibility and availability. Online counseling was rated higher in terms of addressing issues about social stigma and providing anonymity. Their attitude towards online counseling (visà-
vis face-to-face counseling) was generally positive. Majority of the
respondents also indicated openness to conducting online counseling,
although they still consider face-to-face counseling more effective than
online counseling. Implications for the potential of the practice of online counseling in combination with face-to-face counseling are discussed.
examine disclosure among Filipino gay men, despite the fact that
disclosure of a gay man’s sexual identity is a western construct.
Specifically, it examined the relationship between negative self-identity,
autonomy support, and disclosure to parents and peers of a gay man’s
sexual orientation. Findings indicated that individuals having high
levels of negative self-identity were less likely to disclose to both parents
and peers. Although peer autonomy support predicted disclosure to
peers, parental autonomy support did not predict disclosure to parents.
Practical and research implications are discussed.