bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post‐traumatic stress disorder, Vietnam veterans and the law: A challenge to effective representation
Authors: Erlinder C. Peter
Published: June 2007

The legal system's increasing awareness of and understanding regarding post‐traumatic stress disorders is presented. PTSD is discussed primarily in the context of litigation involving both violent criminal and nonviolent offenses. Other potential applications of PTSD at trial are reviewed. Post‐conviction strategies involving PTSD are also discussed. A comprehensive review of case law involving PTSD is summarized.
Data integration in legal evaluations: Can clinicians deliver on their premises?
Authors: Faust David
Published: June 2007

Clinicians often claim to base their conclusions on configural analysis and integration of most or all of the data. However, research suggests that subjective beliefs about complex interpretive strategies and their resultant success are largely illusory. Studies show that: (1) access to more data does not necessarily improve judgmental accuracy, (2) clinical judgments, which purportedly depend on configural analyses, can usually be duplicated by simple linear models, (3) individuals often have difficulty deciphering interactions or patterns among just two or three variables, and (4) actuarial methods, even those that simply add variables together, almost always equal or exceed the accuracy of clinicians who purport to integrate large amounts of information. Corrective suggestions are discussed that may help the clinician better manage large data sets.
How and when to correct for juror hindsight bias in mental health malpractice litigation: Some preliminary observations
Authors: Wexler David B. , Schopp Robert F.
Published: June 2007

This article examines the hindsight bias in the context of mental health malpractice litigation, analyzes various legal mechanisms for dealing with the bias, and discusses whether the law should strive for debiasing in all mental health malpractice cases.
The excuses of child molesters
Authors: Pollock Nathan L. , Hashmall Judith M.
Published: June 2007

Clinicians often regard the excuses of child molesters as important indicators of remorse, rehabilitation potential and the likelihood of recidivism. Despite the implications for clinical decision‐making and judicial deliberations, relatively little is known about the content and structure of these explanatory statements.

This study was an attempt to delineate the range of thematic content and logical structure of the excuses of child molesters. Over 250 justificatory statements were examined from the clinical records of 86 child molesters referred for psychiatric assessment. A total of 21 distinct excuses and six thematic categories were identified. An ‘excuse syntax’ was devised to define the structure of the offenders' reasoning about their sexual improprieties. The excuse syntax has the advantage of formalizing clinical judgements about the individual's level of denial and personal responsibility, his degree of defensiveness and the logical consistency of his justifications. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.
Toward an epistemology of “addictive disease”
Authors: Shaffer Howard J.
Published: June 2007

This article examines the social perception of disease. Understanding medical perceptions provides an opportunity to gain insight into factors that influence health care seeking behavior patterns, treatment compliance and social policy. This paper views addictive disease models as metaphorical substitutes for moral turpitude models. This conclusion suggests that it is important for health care providers to carefully and instrumentally apply their language to facilitate patient compliance with treatment protocols, in general, and psychotherapy in particular.
A preliminary inquiry into the effect of potentially biasing information on judges and jurors in civil litigation
Authors: Landsman Stephan , Rakos Richard F.
Published: June 2007

The American system of civil procedure presumes that judges and jurors will respond quite differently to potentially biasing material introduced into adjudicatory proceedings. Judges are assumed to possess a special capacity to control their subjective reactions to such material while jurors are perceived as incapable of such control. This article first reviews these presumptions and the differential treatment accorded judges and jurors by the system. An experiment in which judges and jurors were exposed to potentially biasing material in a civil trial is then described. The results suggest that judges and jurors may be similarly influenced by such exposure, regardless whether the biasing material is ruled admissible or inadmissible. The implications of these preliminary data—that judges may not possess the presumed special capacity to remain immune to bias—are briefly discussed.
Posttraumatic stress disorder among battered women: Analysis of legal implications
Authors: Dutton Mary Ann , Goodman Lisa A.
Published: June 2007

The diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has recently been applied to the psychological experiences of victims of intimate violence, including physical and sexual assault. The use of trauma theory to explain battered women's responses to violence has laid a foundation for expert testimony on PTSD, where relevant, within more general testimony concerning partner violence. This article discusses the relevance of the PTSD diagnosis within the legal context for explaining battered women's responses to violence.
Use of the insanity defense: A survey of attorneys in wyoming
Authors: Blau George L. , McGinley Hugh
Published: June 2007

Attorneys in the State of Wyoming were surveyed to determine their reported use of the insanity defense during the preceding 5 years. They were asked about the success, defined as “benefit to the defendant,” of the insanity defense at various stages that occur before trial. The attorneys reported that the insanity defense is used throughout the various stages preceding trial, with more use and benefit to the defendant being reported than previously suggested. This was particularly true for the earlier stages in the criminal justice process. The attorneys were also asked various attitude questions related to the insanity defense. Defense lawyers were more in from of the insanity defense and expressed attitudes that supported the insanity defense while prosecuting attorneys were relatively more opposed to the insanity defense and expressed attitudes consistent with this view.
A new look at child abuse tragedies
Authors: Reder Peter , Duncan Sylvia , Gray Moira
Published: June 2007

Thirty‐five child abuse inquiry reports, published in Britain between 1973 and 1989, were reviewed and the cases reanalysed using a systemic framework. Problematic interactions were identified within the families, among members of the professional networks and between the families and professionals. These relational aspects of each case interacted and progressively skewed the course of events. The findings have important implications for the practice of child protection, including the assessment of risk and decisions by statutory professionals to employ controlling interventions such as Emergency Protection Orders.
Abuse and deaf children: Some factors to consider
Authors: Ridgeway Sharon M.
Published: June 2007

Deaf children are uniquely disadvantaged in terms of access to information on safety and abuse. This is often due to misunderstood linguistic and cultural needs which relate to the deaf community. Consequently, a greater number of children who are deaf are placed in potentially abusive situations when compared to their non‐deaf peer group. A high percentage of deaf children have also acquired negative self‐concepts. This is often due to external influences such as educational experiences and family communication. Many deaf children believe that abuse is part of their being deaf. The implications of this are that deaf children are at risk of neglect and abuse as well as long‐term damage to their emotional development and self‐esteem. A number of survivors of physical and sexual abuse have been referred to the National Centre for Mental Health and Deafness, Preston. Some of these referrals have been inappropriate and due to a dearth of local resources. Extremely little support is available for deaf people who have been or are being abused. There are few appropriately trained counsellors equipped with the necessary skills in communicating with deaf people and even fewer trained in deaf awareness. A number of risk factors have been identified and are illustrated in this article. Three case studies are described to highlight the issues involved.
Training issues in churches
Authors: Armstrong Helen
Published: June 2007

The national and local frameworks of the Christian churches in the UK provide important resources to families and to young people and children. To promote awareness and effective responses to child abuse, training needs to address organizational issues and individual learning, and should do so at community, regional and national level. In training within churches, the part played by beliefs and values cannot be overlooked. Key concerns are identified and discussed.
Presenting features in adult victims of satanist ritual abuse
Authors: Coleman Joan
Published: June 2007

This paper begins with a brief account of the author's own introduction to the subject of satanist ritual abuse (SRA). This is followed by clinical data concerning five adult victims of SRA, brought up within multi‐generational Satanic cults. Clinical features are described, some of which are common to those seen in victims of other forms of child sexual abuse (CSA). Others appear to be more specific to SRA victims. The pattern of disclosure is described briefly but details of the content are not included. Professional scepticism about SRA is discussed and attention drawn to the similarity of these cases with those reported in the US literature. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of considering the possibility of SRA in patients presenting with these symptoms.
Does poor weight gain identify children in need?
Authors: Edwards Adrian , Halse Paddy , Waterston Tony
Published: June 2007

To determine the socioeconomic variables in children with slow growth (failure to thrive), a case–control study was carried out in two economically deprived areas of Newcastle upon Tyne. Three hundred and six children, aged 12–24 months, registered at two health authority clinics, were studied by reviewing their growth charts. Sixty‐three had poor growth (weight deviating downwards across two major centiles from the maximum centile attained at 4–8 weeks of age). Five children were excluded because of known organic disease. A matched control group of normally growing children was selected from the same clinics. Study children and controls were examined and their parents interviewed on a range of socioeconomic, health and interactional factors. A health visitor assessment and a record of social work contact was obtained. The slowly growing children differed significantly from controls in being lighter and shorter, while their mothers spent less on food, needed more help with the child, had a poorer home environment and expressed greater concern over their child's health. Four different patterns of poor growth were identified by inspection of the charts: early onset (before 6 months but sustained), late onset (after 6 months), temporary and recurrent. The ‘recurrent’ group was associated with parenting difficulties and the ‘late onset’ group with adverse socioeconomic factors. Slow growth patterns in children under 2 years may be used as a screening tool to identify ‘children in need’ and should be sought on a population basis. Those identified can then be assessed further to ascertain the area where underlying difficulties lie, for intervention to follow as appropriate.
Outcome measurement in work with children: Comparing plans in the UK with experience in the US
Authors: Huxley Peter
Published: June 2007

The arguments of the Department of Health working party in their publication Assessing Outcomes in Child Care (1992) are reviewed and the proposals in the report compared with the experience of the Community Infant Project (CIP) in Boulder, Colorado. The suggestion that standardized measures are required for comparability of service outcomes is accepted but the working party's decision to advocate a system of schedules which relies upon workers' subjective ratings and the arguments upon which this is based are questioned. The working party's approach is contrasted to that found in the CIP, where standardized outcome measures are employed. Results from the author's research into the outcome of an untreated control group (for the CIP programme) are presented as one example of the benefits of the use of outcome measurement in work with children. The Government should ensure that UK practice benefits from the different approach and philosophy to be found in the US experience.
Facilitating interviews with children who may have been sexually abused
Authors: Bentovim Arnon , Bentovim Marianne , Vizard Eileen , Wiseman Malcolm
Published: June 2007

The introduction of the Memorandum of Good Practice on interviewing children who have been sexually abused has had an important unifying effect on professional practice. However, because of the traumatic nature of sexual abuse there will be a group of children about whom there are high levels of suspicion and where arrangements need to be made for their future care, protection and treatment. These include children who have learning disabilities or communication problems, have psychiatric disorders associated with abuse, or where there have been considerable delays since allegations were first made. Such children require a second‐stage facilitative assessment interview. These include different forms of questioning, and the use of a wide range of prompting materials including art work, free and structured play context and the use of anatomically correct dolls. These approaches are reviewed and illustrated through case studies.
An investigation of preconditions necessary for the introduction of a campaign to promote breast self‐examination amongst Zimbabwean women
Authors: Pitts Marian , McMaster John , Wilson Paul
Published: June 2007

This study examines elements of the health belief model as predictors of intentions to self‐examine breasts in two samples of women. Undergraduate samples from London and Harare are compared on levels of knowledge of breast cancer and breast self‐examination (BSE), and on scales measuring perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, exposure to information and experience of breast cancer and perceived costs, barriers and benefits of BSE. Analysis of results indicates that an education campaign to promote awareness and the practice of BSE which incorporates factors of the health belief model could increase the number of Zimbabwean women performing this valuable preventive health behaviour.
Adolescent self‐efficacy, self‐esteem and sexual risk‐taking
Authors: Rosenthal Doreen , Moore Susan , Flynn Irene
Published: June 2007

This study investigates the sexual self‐efficacy and sexual self‐esteem of males and females and the relation between sexual risk‐taking and these self‐perceptions. Sexually active 18‐year‐olds were administered measures of sexual self‐efficacy and sexual self‐esteem and were asked about their sexual behaviour. Males had higher levels of self‐esteem and were more confident than females of their ability to assert their sexual needs, but less confident that they could say no to sexual demands. For a substantial minority there were some difficulties in dealing with condoms. Competence in the sexual domain accounted for a significant but small amount of variance in sexual risk‐taking. The predictors of sexual risk‐taking were the same for both sexes but differed according to type of partner. Confidence in the ability to say no was the sole predictor of safer sexual behaviour with a casual sex partner. In addition to this factor, lower levels of risk with a regular partner were predicted by these respondents' lower confidence in the ability to assert their sexual needs, together with lower levels of their own sexual self‐worth. There is need for adolescents to achieve a sense of mastery and self‐worth in the sexual domain, as well as an understanding of the nature of ‘regular’ relationships.
Factors affecting condom use among adolescents
Authors: Richard René , Van Der Pligt Joop
Published: June 2007

A total of 822 adolescents (15‐19 years old) took part in this study. A subsample of this group, consisting of respondents with previous sexual experience (n = 423) is central to the analyses in this article. Previous condom use was related to attitudes, subjective norms, self‐efficacy, anticipated affective reactions and habits. Perception of risk, response‐efficacy and some demographic variables were also included in the analyses. Results indicate the necessity to distinguish between groups, both in terms of monogamy and gender. Self‐efficacy had a strong effect on taking precautionary measures, especially for girls. Attitudes, anticipated affective reactions and habits also played an important role in determining the frequency of condom use. Implications of these findings for our understanding of adolescent sexual behaviour, and for campaigns aiming at the reduction of risky sexual practices, will be discussed.
Homelessness among injecting drug users: Implications for the spread of AIDS
Authors: Klee Hilary
Published: June 2007

Injecting drug users are now the fastest‐growing group of people with AIDS. It is mainly through sharing contaminated injecting equipment that drug users transmit infection. Research is showing that while many are reducing the risk of infection through ceasing to share needles, or sharing with a limited number of people, there are some who disregard the dangers and continue to share. In a project that investigated the HIV‐related risk behaviour of injecting drug users, homelessness was found to be significantly associated with heavy drug use, recent involvement in crime, disorganization in daily life and high levels of sharing. The problems of promoting harm reduction among the homeless are discussed and some recommendations made.
Judging by appearances: Audience understandings of the look of someone with HIV
Authors: Kitzinger Jenny
Published: June 2007

One of the central messages of recent AIDS health education campaigns has been: ‘You cannot tell who is infected with HIV just by looking.’ But is this understood and accepted by the public? Discussions conducted with 52 different groups suggest that although many people recall and understand this message they do not necessarily totally accept it. They still have a mental image of the likely appearance of someone who is HIV antibody positive. This article explores the social and psychological context which encourages such ways of thinking, and highlights the contradictions between different health education messages.
Social comparisons with siblings made by adolescents with a learning difficulty
Authors: Szivos Susan E.
Published: June 2007

Social comparisons and the family environment are important antecedents of self‐esteem. In this study the self‐esteem and perceptions of stigma of 50 adolescents with a mild‐moderate learning difficulty were measured. The self‐esteem and stigma scores were factor‐analysed to produce five factors: Positive self; Social competence; Being different; Anxiety; and Work competence. Social comparisons made by the adolescents between themselves and their siblings were also measured. Most adolescents 'preferred' (chose more often and gave high scores to) older same‐sex siblings while younger opposite‐sex siblings were the least preferred (were chosen less often and derogated). An explanation for these findings is suggested in terms of defensive social comparisons due to the loss of self‐esteem in having a younger sibling ‘overtake’ the adolescent on developmental milestones, and in the tendency for non‐handicapped pre‐pubescent children to derogate the opposite sex during gender identity formation. This explanation is supported by the finding that the adolescents with younger siblings scored higher on the Anxiety factor than those who compared themselves with older siblings. Those with younger same‐sex siblings were the most anxious. There was also a tendency for adolescents with siblings to score lower on one of the factors than adolescents with no sibling. The discussion raises the questions of how to deal with social comparisons within the family and how to talk to the child with mild learning difficulties about his or her handicap.
Police communication programmes aimed at burglary victims: A review of studies and an experimental evaluation
Authors: Winkel Frans Willem
Published: June 2007

The effects and side‐effects of a victim assistance project aimed at victims of burglary are experimentally evaluated. Key features of the programme included the provision of burglary prevention information by police officers during a personal interaction with the victim through a positive and limitative communication strategy. Results suggest that important programme goals (for example, stronger satisfaction with police performance, a more internal risk orientation concerning victimization, stronger preventive intentions) were met. One of the positive effects for which experimental support was found was an improvement in police‐victim relations. As regards side‐effects the programme led neither to response generalization, nor to increased fear of crime outside the home. However, the side‐effects of increased fear in the home did occur in female victims and victims with an external risk‐orientation. The implications for future victim assistance projects in this domain are finally discussed.
Growing up with severe learning difficulties: A longitudinal study of young people and their families
Authors: Quine Lyn , Pahl Jan
Published: June 2007

The paper reports on a longitudinal study of young people with severe learning difficulties. Two types of comparison are made: changes between Time 1 and Time 2, and comparisons with the younger age group in the study. The young adults acquired considerably more self‐help and communication skills between Time 1 and Time 2. They were less likely to require help with self care than the younger age group and their carers were less stressed. Parents' needs for additional service provision fell into three categories: information needs, help with communication and other skills, and practical help. The greatest need was for information. The main concerns of the mothers at Time 1 and Time 2 are documented. The young adults' preparation for leaving school, current day placements at Social Education Centres and employment prospects are discussed. It is concluded that there are few opportunities to move on to less sheltered environments.
Debating drunk driving: The construction of causal explanations in television discussion programmes
Authors: Livingstone Sonia M. , Lunt Peter K. , Slotover Matthew
Published: June 2007

The mass media are an important source of social understandings and representations. The growing genre of audience discussion programmes functions as a public forum for airing opinions on issues of social concern. The genre is structured so as to involve viewers, to validate ordinary experiences and to express opinion. Four programmes on drunk driving were analysed for the causal explanations they offer viewers. The causes, effects and causal interconnections used within each programme were analysed, and networks of the overall representations of drunk driving were constructed. These showed a broad consensus of causes and effects across programmes, but different explanations in terms of locus, stability and controllability. Programmes typically offered lists of important factors, rather than structured arguments, despite the debating framework. There was an emphasis on external, stable, controllable causes in the programmes.
The real and the ideal; gender differences in heterosexual behaviour among Norwegian adolescents
Authors: Traeen Bente , Lewin Bo , Sundet Jon Martin
Published: June 2007

This article focuses on gender differences in early heterosexual behaviour among Norwegian adolescents. The material comprised a random sample of 3000 Norwegian adolescents aged 17–19 years. The response rate was 63%. Data were collected by means of anonymous self‐administered questionnaires. Sixty‐nine per cent of the girls and 59% of the boys had had sexual intercourse. The majority of the adolescents, and a larger percentage of girls than of boys, had their first intercourse within a relationship of mutual commitment. The boys' first coital partners were 0.2 years younger than the boys themselves and the girls' partners were 2.8 years older than were the girls. Boys had had more coital partners than girls but girls had had intercourse more often than boys. Coital frequency was affected more by how long the adolescents had known the partner than by gender as such. In conclusion, boys and girls aged between 17 and 19 years form part of couples at two different stages of development. For this reason, boys and girls accumulate different sexual experiences in the early stage of their sexual careers.
Perceived threat and control as moderators of peace activism: Implications for mobilizing the public in the pursuit of disarmament
Authors: McKenzie‐Mohr Doug , Dyal James A. , McLoughlin John Grant
Published: June 2007

The present study was designed to investigate what variables discriminate individuals who actively work to promote disarmament from individuals who share the same attitudes but remain inactive. It is argued that if a person appraises nuclear war as an unlikely event, then it is not necessary to contemplate what can be done to prevent it. In contrast, if a threat is perceived, several possible coping strategies might be available, one of which is activism. However, activism is viable only if an individual believes that collectively the public can make a difference. Results of two surveys, one conducted with 142 peace activists across Canada and another with a random sample of 33 adults from the cities of Kitchener and Waterloo, Ontario, who are not active in the peace movement, confirm that perceptions of threat and belief in collective control are powerful discriminating variables. The implications of these findings for educating and mobilizing the public in the pursuit of disarmament are discussed.
Consumer evaluation in practice
Authors: Stallard Paul , Davis Brenda , Hudson Julie
Published: June 2007

Users of a community child and adolescent mental health service were surveyed, 3–4 weeks after their last contact, to determine their satisfaction with the service they received. High levels of overall satisfaction were obtained by general ratings, which tended to mask more specific critical comments to open‐ended questions suggesting ways in which the service could be improved. The resulting changes in service provision are identified, the general value of consumer surveys discussed and the need to include open‐ended questions in satisfaction surveys emphasized.
Living alone, marital status, gender and health
Authors: Cramer Duncan
Published: June 2007

Non‐married people have generally been found to be less healthy than the married. It has been suggested that this difference may be brought about by the greater lack of social integration of those living alone. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the health of those living alone with those living with another person in the four non‐married categories of never married, separated, divorced and widowed for women and men separately, initially controlling for age, education and income and subsequently adding five proximate indices of social integration. The person lived with was further categorized as an adult, cohabitee, child aged 4 or under, child aged 5 to 17, adult child, parent, relative or non‐relative. The three indices of health were the 30‐item General Health Questionnaire of psychological distress. a 15‐item checklist of common physical symptoms and alcohol intake. The main differences obtained were that women living alone drank more alcohol than those cohabiting or living with a child aged 4 or under, and that widowers living alone were more psychologically distressed than those living with an adult child, even when social integration was controlled. The results suggested that living alone was not generally associated with poor health and so could not account for the difference between the married and non‐married.
From interrogation to investigative interviewing; strategic trends in police questioning
Authors: Williamson Thomas M.
Published: June 2007

The Court of Appeal has recently released a number of people who were convicted of serious charges because it could no longer rely on confessions obtained during Police questioning. A detailed questionnaire study in 1987 of 80 detectives at four busy inner‐London Police Stations indicated that there had been improvements in the way Police question suspects. This is a result of the combined effects of new legislation, technology, and organizational policies designed to encourage an ethical approach to investigation. The majority of detectives have moved away from questioning purely to obtain a confession, towards questioning that is more of an inquiry—examining and adding to the existing evidence. However, a small number of detectives still indicated a preference for a dominant, confrontational style of interviewing, which stands in marked contrast to the majority emphasis on co‐operative interviewing styles. It appeared from this study that the legislation would succeed in making the questioning of suspects less inherently coercive. Subsequent empirical studies have shown this trend to be continuing. The concept of ‘investigative interviewing’ as an alternative to interrogation has been developed with the assistance of psychologists and is being promoted through a national training programme intended to restore confidence in evidence obtained through Police questioning.
The changing face of police interrogation
Authors: Moston Stephen , Stephenson Geoffrey M.
Published: June 2007

This paper discusses some of the apparent changes in interrogations following the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and the introduction of tape recorders into police stations. These reforms are believed to have had several marked effects on interrogations. For example, the use of persuasive questioning is believed to have declined, as has the number of suspects making admissions. The evidence for these hypotheses is discussed. It is suggested that the apparent fall in confessions can be explained by methodological differences between studies and that the confession rate has in fact remained almost constant. Although there does appear to have been a change in the types of persuasive questioning employed during interrogations, it is difficult to establish whether or not the use of such questioning has declined. There is some evidence that persuasive questioning is now being carried out away from recording equipment.
Confession evidence, psychological vulnerability and expert testimony
Authors: Gudjonsson Gisli H.
Published: June 2007

There have been major changes in English Law with regard to confession evidence, which followed the implementation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) in January 1986. This paper reviews the main legal changes that are relevant to the admissibility and reliability of confessions and their psychological importance within the context of both research and expert testimony.
Measuring the impact of informal caring
Authors: Orbell Sheina , Hopkins Nicholas , Gillies Brenda
Published: June 2007

A factor‐analysis of caregiving impact appraisals amongst a community‐derived sample of informal carers of elderly people revealed two negative (care work strain and relationship dissatisfaction) and two positive (care work satisfaction and care lifestyle satisfaction) scales. Validity was assessed by means of concurrent correlations with levels of assistance with daily living tasks provided by carers and levels of behaviour problems exhibited by elderly dependents. Criterion validity was considered in relation to two important carer outcomes; willingness to care and a standardized measure of strain. Each of the four scales was significantly associated with concurrently assessed willingness to care. Care work strain and relationship dissatisfaction were associated with concurrently measured strain symptomology. Evidence of 6‐month predictive validity was obtained for the care work strain scale.
Variations in job strain across nursing and social work specialties
Authors: Marshall Nancy L. , Barnett Rosalind C.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes and compares the sources of job strain experienced by staff in different nursing and social work specialties, using measures developed to assess job quality in these occupations. Data come from a random sample of 285 women employed as protective (child abuse) social workers, psychiatric social workers, medical social workers and social workers working in social service agencies, in schools, with the elderly or as licensed practical nurses working in hospitals or nursing homes. These occupational specialties vary in their level of overload, decision authority, challenge and helping others. These variations are associated with variations by specialty in worker health. Specifically, protective social workers reported significantly greater job strain and significantly greater psychological distress. School, medical, psychiatric and social service social workers reported the best job conditions and significantly better physical health and lower levels of psychological distress.
Impact of work environment characteristics on work‐related stress and depression in emergency medicine residents: A longitudinal study
Authors: Revicki Dennis A. , Gallery Michael E. , Whitley Theodore W. , Allison E. Jackson
Published: June 2007

This study examined the effect of work environment characteristics on work‐related stress and depression in emergency medicine residents. Data were collected from three cohorts of emergency medicine residents between 1989 and 1991 and followed to 1992. There were 556 first year, 369 second year and 192 third year medical residents in this ongoing study. Each year, residents were administered mail surveys including the Work‐Related Strain Inventory, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and scales assessing task–role clarity and work group support. Regression analyses indicated that work‐related stress and first year depression were significant predictors of depression in the second residency year (r2 = 0.32). and In the third residency year, women and those with high work‐related stress had more depression (r2 = 0.38). Results also showed that residents with low task–role clarity were most likely to report depression, even when work group support was strong. These findings suggest that task and role conflict and work‐related stress contribute to symptoms of depression in emergency medicine residents.
Community psychology and politics
Authors: Smail David
Published: June 2007

If community psychology is to profit from its experience to develop an accurate and consistent theory of the effect on individuals of societal pressures, it will need to review reflexively its own position in relation to politics and empowerment. Despite an inspirational and at times positively grandiose rhetoric, psychologists are in fact in no particularly powerful position to influence the factors which cause personal distress, and should not, through a pretence of therapeutic potency, ‘psychologize’ the notion of ‘empowerment’ and reinforce therapeutic ideals which are in fact destructively normative. Without attempting to appropriate politics, community psychology can, however, offer an essentially scientific analysis of power and distress, which may have therapeutically ‘demystifying’ qualities as well as important political implications for the wider society.
‘community psychology and politics’ by David Smail
Authors: Rappaport Julian
Published: June 2007

Demystification, eschewing roles that disempower others and enhancing accessibility to the tools of knowledge, are consistent with the aims of community and applied social psychology. Although a focus on psychological empowerment can be a distraction from the need for actual power, it can also enhance it. Psychologists who avoid victim blaming and individual causal attribution biases can contribute to the discourse about social change. This requires both a reinterpretation of the known facts, and a reframing of social analysis. Social scientists and professionals are today's theologians and priests. Our power lies in our legitimation as interpreters of social reality. Teaching the psychology of empowerment, participative decision making and informed consent can influence the powerful as well as the powerless.
Unemployment, social support and health complaints: A longitudinal study of stress in East German refugees
Authors: Schwarzer R. , Jerusalem M. , Hahn A.
Published: June 2007

Migrants have to deal with a number of stressors, among them tenacious job search and the constitution of a new social network. Prolonged unemployment and lack of social support can result in impaired health. A sample of 235 East Germans was investigated at three times during two years following their transition to West Berlin in 1989, after the breakdown of the communist system. The majority found a job during this time and succeeded to adapt psychosocially. Those, however, who remained unemployed were worse off in terms of self‐reported health. This stress—health relationship was moderated, however, by social support. Within the group of migrants who suffered from long‐term joblessness, social support exerted a longitudinal buffer effect. At Wave 3, frequent physical symptoms were reported only by migrants who neither held a job nor received support. In a longitudinal causal model, the employment status affected mainly health complaints, but also social support. The relationship between health and support was found to be reciprocal over time.
An evaluation of the short‐term impact of a media‐based substance abuse prevention programme
Authors: Jason Leonard A. , Pokorny Steven B. , Kohner Katherine , Bennetto Loisa
Published: June 2007

A state‐wide substance abuse prevention programme, entitled KidsInTouch, incorporated a multifaceted approach involving: (a) media‐based interventions; and (b) parent training workshops. KidsInTouch was targeted at parents and their children, ages five to 12 years. The media‐based interventions attempted to increase children's and parents' awareness and knowledge about substance abuse and prevention. In addition, the intervention advertised and solicited audience participation in parent training workshops. Parents participating in the parent training workshops, in comparison to the control parents, evidenced significant improvement in both alcohol and other drug knowledge and parenting skills. The implications of using the media and involving children and their parents in substance abuse prevention programmes are discussed.
Psychological distress in the local hillsborough or ‘host’ community following the Hillsborough football stadium diaster
Authors: Wright John C. , Binney Valerie , Kunkler Jane
Published: June 2007

This paper describes levels of psychological distress and accounts of disaster among the local host community following the Hillsborough Football Stadium disaster. Thirty‐two participants were interviewed 4–6 months after the event. Rates of psychological distress symptoms were high in the sample as measured by PTSD (DSM III criteria), Impact of Events Scale (IES) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ‐28). The study also explores the relationships between levels of exposure, levels of distress and participants' accounts of the disaster. Implications for community outreach projects after disasters are discussed.
Coping use versus effectiveness as moderating the stress—strain relationship
Authors: Bar‐Tal Yoram , Spitzer Ada
Published: June 2007

This paper takes another look at coping as a moderator of the stress—strain relationship by assessing the extent of correspondence between subjects' use of various coping behaviours and their perception of their helpfulness (coping effectiveness). The use of four coping strategies and the perception of their helpfulness, as well as the stress and psychological distress of 79 subjects whose spouses were hospitalized, were assessed by questionnaires. The results show that when applying coping effectiveness scores, problem‐focused coping and avoidance coping moderate the stress—strain relationship. Coping use scales revealed that only positiveappraisal coping reduced psychological distress.
Surveying the drug service users' perspective through self‐help groups
Authors: Toumbourou John , Hamilton Margaret , Smith Richard
Published: June 2007

Survey data is presented from a questionnaire designed and distributed through Victorian drug self‐help groups. This survey yielded 203 returns representative of Melbourne metropolitan admissions to drug treatment services on the variables of sex and region. The survey is examined both from the perspective of its methodological potential for providing entry to this hard‐to‐access population and also on the basis of its findings. Questioning of this sample concerning the difficulties they had encountered when seeking help revealed that the most frequently listed difficulties were waiting periods for access to services. Respondents that had previously used particular services were asked how beneficial they had found these services: Respondents most frequently listed self‐help groups, residential and methadone services as beneficial and least frequently listed medical (hospital casualty) and doctor services as beneficial. Stepwise logistical regression revealed six variables significantly predicting selfhelp treatment. Those reporting having sought self‐help groups were predicted by more frequently listed problems with alcohol and ‘over the counter’ drugs, reports of having sought counselling services and more frequently reported difficulties due to a lack of information and admission restrictions when seeking services. Despite a number of methodological weaknesses identifiable in the survey, experience with this project suggested collaboration between researchers and those active in self‐help networks as a useful model for future research into the drug service users perspective. Such collaboration should, however, begin at an earlier phase than occurred in the present study.
Suicide in rural communities
Authors: Gallagher Anthony G. , Sheehy Noel P.
Published: June 2007

The public image of rural areas being characterized by social stability, integration, and supportive interpersonal networks has been challenged with recent evidence showing a large increase in the suicide rate in these areas. Increases have been reported for a number of European countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Scotland, and Ireland. This paper reviews the evidence relating to those groups at risk of suicide. The group at most risk of committing suicide in rural areas is males between the ages of 25 and 60, who are unemployed and live alone, and who have a history of psychological disturbance. These findings are discussed in relation to the psychological implications of socio‐economic changes brought about by changes in the Common Agriculture Policy of the European Community.
Excess disability and malignant social psychology: A case study of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Sabat Steven R.
Published: June 2007

An in‐depth case study was undertaken to assess the effects of what Kitwood has termed ‘malignant social psychology’ on the observed behaviour of an Alzheimer's disease sufferer. Interviews were conducted with the spouse and observations were made in an adult day‐care centre, where staff members were also interviewed. Abilities that the spouse reported to be absent at home were readily observed at the day‐care centre, lending support to Brody's idea of excess disability, i.e. disability not due to disease alone. Furthermore, forms of malignant social psychology existed in the home environment but did not exist in the day‐care centre. Excess disability and its absence coincided with the presence and absence of aspects of malignant social psychology. The sufferer's behaviour was found to be affected not only by the extant neuropathology, but also by social relationships.
Beyond the qualitative paradigm: A framework for introducing diversity within qualitative psychology
Authors: Henwood Karen , Pidgeon Nick
Published: June 2007

The case for qualitative research in psychology is considered. We argue against the idea that qualitative research is merely a matter of technique or method, and question the utility of viewing it as a unitary paradigm. Rather, the links between epistemology, methodology, and method are explored within three theorized strands of qualitative inquiry, making reference to illustrative projects. Each strand is organized around a different approach to the issues of justifying and warranting psychological knowledge: (1) reliability and validity; (2) generativity and grounding; and (3) discourse and reflexivity. These are exemplified in Miles and Huberman's ‘data display’ model, Glaser and Strauss' method of ‘grounded theory’, and in various forms of ‘discourse’ analysis. Reflections upon points of contact between the three strands address two main issues: (1) rendering research publicly accountable; and (2) challenging relativism.
What do you get when you cross a scapegoat with a trojan horse: A special edition?
Authors: Curt Beryl
Published: June 2007

Any short commentary is necessarily going to be partial in the various senses in which that can be understood. Here, partiality will be owned as the concentration upon limited aspects of a multifaceted phenomenon. To find a special edition on ‘Qualitative Social Psychology’ is an event. The focus here will be on two analytic moments of that event: concept and actualization.
Accounting for the fear of schizophrenia
Authors: Levey Susan , Howells Kevin
Published: June 2007

Research over the last three decades has demonstrated that a substantial minority of both professional and lay people have negative and rejecting attitudes towards the mentally ill. We argue that these attitudes may, in part, be a function of a tendency to perceive the mentally ill as somehow inherently dangerous and liable to violence. The evidence for the association between schizophrenia and violence suggests that although people with schizophrenia may be somewhat more likely to act violently than members of the general public, the magnitude of the differential is not sufficient to explain the perceived association. Alternative explanations for the correlation are therefore considered. Specifically, the influences of the media, errors in information processing and the process of stereotyping in accounting for the development of a perceived association between schizophrenia and violence are examined. Finally, the implications for enhancing the acceptance of people with schizophrenia into the community are discussed.
Peer group processes and adolescent health‐related behaviour: More than ‘peer group pressure’?
Authors: Hopkins Nick
Published: June 2007

This paper argues that ‘peer group pressure’ conveys an individualistic and hence inadequate account of the group processes involved in adolescents' adoption of health‐related behaviours such as smoking and drinking. We describe traditional analyses of adolescent peer processes, illustrate how these contain a series of individualistic assumptions about peer interactions/social influence processes, and describe how these structure the analysis of adolescent health‐related behaviour and health education interventions. We highlight the inadequacies of these analyses, outline an alternative and draw out its implications for health education.