Quality of life of older people in Israel: a comparison between older people living at home who are members of a ‘supportive community’ and nursing home residents

The supportive community is a program that was developed in Israel for older people who live at home. The program provides its members with a service package that includes medical and social services, emergency call-button, cultural activities, and a ‘community parent’ who is responsible for the members. Using quantitative method, this study compared the level of quality of life between 55 older people living in their homes who are members of a supportive community (average age = 74.7) and 60 elderly people living in nursing homes (average age = 75.8). As expected, results indicate that quality of life among the older people living at their homes who are members of a supportive community was higher than among the older people living in a nursing home. In addition, the quality of life of married, educated, functionally independent older people in good health and with a good economic situation was higher. Predictor variables of quality of life were: the place of residence, health status, and age. In light of increased life expectancy and the growing need to care for the older population, the practical application of the study focused on a recommendation for the social services to continue the support community development program.     

“Put me in,Coach”: A pilot evaluation of executive coaching in the nonprofit sector

The use of executive coaching within the nonprofit sector has received increased attention over the past decade as a mechanism to build capacity and address issues of burnout and turnover among executives. This article presents the results of an evaluation of a pilot six‐month executive coaching program that was implemented in 2005 in an urban metropolitan area. The evaluation collected data through surveys and semistructured interviews with nine executive directors and five coaches who participated in the pilot and analyzed the data to assess the effectiveness of the delivery and usefulness of the experience. The coaching experience was rated as very helpful and supportive of the development of executive directors as nonprofit leaders.     

Effects of sociodemographic factors,stage of illness,and perceived stigma on the identification of a support person among women with HIV infection

Addressing the lack of research on the social distribution of social support and research on the social experience of women with HIV infection, this article examines how sociodemographic factors, stage of illness, and perceived stigma affected the identification of a supportive social relationship among HIV‐infected women. Data were collected from women with HIV disease living in the state of Georgia. Logistic regression analysis indicates that after taking account of other factors, marital status, rural‐urban residency, stage of illness, and stigmatization were significant predictors of whether the women identified a support person. Single status and rural residency had negative effects on the outcome. Those who were at the advanced stage of illness were less likely than those at the asymptomatic stage to identify a supportive relationship. Contrary to our expectation, stigmatization had positive effects on the outcome. Implications and limitations of the analysis are discussed, followed by directions for future research.     

Life goals and gender differences among chronically homeless individuals entering permanent supportive housing

This research seeks to understand goals and the gender differences in goals among men and women who are transitioning into permanent supportive housing. Men and women experience homelessness differently. Data collected for this study come from a longitudinal investigation of HIV risk behavior and social networks among women and men transitioning from homelessness to permanent supportive housing. As part of this study, 421 baseline interviews were conducted in English with homeless adults scheduled to move into permanent supportive housing; participants were recruited between September 2014 and October 2015. This paper uses goals data from the 418 male-or female-identified respondents in this study. Results identified goal differences in education and general health between men and women that should be taken into account when service providers, policy makers, and advocates are addressing the needs of homeless women.     

Family Social Networks and Recovery From Severe Mental Illness of Clubhouse Members

This study examined the contribution of family social network variables to recovery among Clubhouse members. A random sample of 118 members from one Clubhouse was recruited for this cross-sectional study. Among all respondents, greater overall family support and better relationship quality with the most supportive network member were correlated with greater levels of recovery. Clubhouse members perceived higher quantity and quality of support and more criticalness from their most supportive network members, principally family members, compared to the rest of their family members. Longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between family support and recovery.     

Testing the Linkages Among the Organization–Public Relationship and Attitude and Behavioral Intentions

Abstract

This research tested a model that posits the linkages among perceptions of the organization–public relationships, attitudes, and behavioral intentions toward an organization among members of a key public. Among the 6 relationship indexes proposed by Hon and J. E. Grunig (1999), perceptions of satisfaction and control mutuality were the best predictors of a positive attitude toward the organization. In this study we also found that positive attitude was a precursor to supportive behavioral intentions toward the organization.     

Altersstruktur und Karrierewege der Professorinnen und Professoren in der deutschen Soziologie

The personnel structure on the professorial level is relevant under aspects of both labor-market research and sociology of knowledge. On the basis of a current internet-based data collection of age and career characteristics of the present professors at departments of sociology at German universities, the paper describes cohort composition, qualification process and regional mobility of academic sociologists. Individual-level data allows for the analysis of simple correlations as well as cohort analyses. Age distribution is clearly unequal, even among young East German faculty members. The analysis of characteristics of the different qualification stages shows that this period is rather extended and how hard it is to enter a tenured position. Mobility is higher during the qualification period then after obtaining full professorship. There is a great homogeneity among professors of sociology with respect to age, sex, native country and qualification process. The results suggest that a more foresighted personnel policy and promotion of young sociologists seems necessary and that future studies on the dynamics of research, the development of themes and on scientific productivity in the field are needed.     

Virginity Definitions and Meaning Among the LGBT Community

The literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) virginity is almost nonexistent. Thus this exploratory study was completed to understand virginity in the LGBT community. The research questions asked members of two LGBT student groups to define virginity, discuss its meaning, and share experiences. Data were collected from two focus groups and six individual follow-up interviews and were analyzed. Results indicate that there is a range of virginity definitions, there is little discussion of the topic, and that “coming out” is a more important rite of passage than virginity among these LGBT community members. Future research needs are discussed.     

Voices of former foster youth: Supportive relationships in the transition to adulthood

As the adolescent development literature has recognized the importance of social supports in the transition to adulthood, child welfare research, policies, and programs have turned their attention to the relational needs of youth emancipating from the foster care system. This study builds on the extant literature on social support among transitioning foster care youth; it goes beyond the sole identification of relational networks, to explore how youth actually utilize their network members, and the overall quality of their support system. This study collects data from twenty qualitative interviews with foster youth, ages 18–21. We analyze the data using consensual qualitative research methods in order to develop core themes around shared youth experiences. We found that while foster youth did identify a wide network of both formal and informal supports during their transition to adulthood, there were “holes” in the form of support, especially appraisal and instrumental support, provided by informal network members. Additionally, an unrealistic perception of supportive and permanent relationships may be contributing to poor outcomes in emerging adulthood. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Assessing research impact: Australian Research Council criteria and the case of Family Wellbeing research

Researchers worldwide are increasingly reporting the societal impact of their research as part of national research productivity assessments. However, the challenges they encounter in developing their impact case studies against specified government assessment criteria and how pitfalls can be mitigated are not reported. This paper examines the key steps taken to develop an Aboriginal Family Wellbeing (FWB) empowerment research impact case study in the context of an Australian Research Council (ARC) pilot research impact assessment exercise and the challenges involved in applying the ARC criteria. The requirement that researchers demonstrate how their institutions support them to conduct impactful research has the potential to create supportive environments for researchers to be more responsive to the needs of users outside academia. However, the 15-year reference period for the associated research underpinning the reported impact and the focus on researcher’s current institutional affiliation constitute potential constraints to demonstrating the true impact of research. For researchers working with Indigenous people, relationships that build over long periods of time, irrespective of university affiliation, are critical to conducting impactful research. A more open-ended time-frame, with no institutional restrictions for the ‘associated research’ provides the best opportunity to demonstrate the true benefits of research not only for Indigenous people but for Australian society more broadly.     

The Student Watershed Research Project (SWRP): collecting watershed data for use by resource management agencies

From 1992 to 1994, Saturday Academy and the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology instituted the pilot phase of a long-term monitoring program called the Student Watershed Research Project (SWRP). The SWRP program was developed to create and maintain collaboration among eighth through twelfth grade teachers and students, scientists, businesses, governmental agencies, and community members which would couple environmental education with the collection of high quality, reproducible watershed health data.The original authors of this paper set out to evaluate the impacts of the SWRP program in terms of changes in educational attitudes of participants and collection of accurate data. Findings demonstrate that assuring accuracy of student collected data was challenging, that teachers and students benefited greatly from a hands-on research approach to science education, and that such an approach would be difficult without the support of a program like SWRP.The SWRP program is entering its seventh year in the Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington metropolitan areas with approximately half of the pilot phase participants still involved. A Quality Assurance Project Plan has been developed to assure data accuracy. Evaluation student science education attitudes documents improved results on a yearly basis.     

School as haven: Transforming school environments into welcoming learning communities

This study investigated school factors that impact attendance. Interviews and focus groups with over 60 key stakeholders from five Maryland counties were conducted. Respondents indicated that despite individual, family, and community factors that contribute to non-attendance, students will attend a school that is intentional about creating a welcoming climate that is supportive and academically stimulating. Attendance can be improved when schools evaluated policies that may unintentionally deter student attendance, when students feel heard by school personnel, and when students are given opportunities to establish supportive relationships with caring adults in and out of the classroom.     

Working environmental conditions as experienced by women working despite pain

OBJECTIVE: This study looked at female hospital cleaners and home help personnel who continued working despite problems or pain in their musculoskeletal system and where there was a risk of increase in sickness absence. The aim was to determine whether supportive intervention for these personnel at the workplace had an effect on the way that they experienced the physical and psychosocial aspects of their working environments. METHODS: The design was prospective with non-rando-mised intervention and reference groups. A selection of 55 questions about physical and psychosocial working environment from a national survey were used. Comparisons were made between intervention and reference groups and with data on a selection of the Swedish population of people in these professions. RESULTS: The results showed that in the hospital cleaners' intervention group the introduction of new cleaning materials and new cleaning methods seemed to contribute to a reduction in workload during the intervention period, which in turn gave them a better chance of taking rest breaks during working time. In the home helps' intervention group the results showed that the group had had a reduction both in workload and in more responsible tasks, and at the same time the psychosomatic stress reactions reduced after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that effects on the working environmental conditions as experienced could be obtained by a general multi-component support program at the workplace, but the number of variables influenced by the program was very small. The relatively limited effects may be explained by the fact that the impact of a support program depends on how well the remedial measures fulfil the need for such measures either at the workplace, in a work group or among the individual people at the workplace. This emphasises the importance of designing effective analysis tools for judging what remedial measures are needed before the measures themselves are tried out.     

The employment service and vacancy durations

In the literature, there are few examples of studies analyzing the impact of labor market programs on vacancies. This article presents the results of a study of the impact of personnel increase at Swedish employment offices on vacancy durations. The evaluation method in the study is quasi-experimental. The main results of the study are as follows: (a) The increase of employment office staff members reduced their vacancy durations by approximately 2 days, and the probability that a vacancy is cancelled from the register is 1.17 times higher for the program offices; and (b) this effect is too small for the increase of staff members to represent a socially efficient use of resources and for a positive outcome in a public finance context.     

Exploring How National Politics Influences the Outcome of Intergroup Contact among Muslim Minority Members

This article adds to the existing research in intergroup contact among ethnic minority members by hypothesizing that national political debate has the capacity to enhance the positive outcomes of cross‐group interaction. Analyses show that the capacity of intergroup contact to reduce prejudice toward majority members is disproportionately stronger among Muslims than among non‐Muslim minority members. Specifically, at the time of data collection, the two categories—Muslims and majority members—were highly salient in the public debate, whereas the non‐Muslim minority member category was not primed as a contrast to the majority culture. The political debate most likely stimulated Muslims to generalize their positive contact experiences to the entire majority group. The analysis contributes to the theoretical refinement of the so‐called categorization model by focusing on politically induced reactions among contacted ethnic minority members toward majority members. The analysis utilizes a tailor‐made national sample (fielded during the Mohammad Cartoon Crisis in 2006) among ethnic minority members in Denmark (N  = 3,272).     

When Work and Family Merge: Understanding Intragroup Conflict Experiences in Family Farm Businesses

Family farms represent a huge portion of agriculture in the United States today. These family farms may struggle to balance both family relationships and business concerns, which can cause conflict among members. Some of this conflict may be derived from the independent, self-reliant nature of family farmers. These characteristics may influence how family farm members are able to deal with conflict, and how they choose to communicate during conflict interactions. This project used intragroup conflict theory and family communication patterns to explore the impact of everyday conflict on job satisfaction, communication satisfaction, and profitability in family farm businesses. Survey data were collected from family farm members (N = 204). The results of structural equation modeling showed conversation and conformity orientation significantly predicted relational, process, and status conflict in the model, yet only status conflict significantly predicted communication satisfaction. These findings suggested family farm members struggle with communication, which influences status conflict experiences and communication satisfaction.     

Individual Listening Values Moderate the Impact of Verbal Person Centeredness on Helper Evaluations: A Test of the Dual-Process Theory of Supportive Message Outcomes

This study is part of a larger program of research concerned with how people evaluate supportive behavior. Past work conducted in our lab found that helper evaluations of supportive listening vary as a function of specific listener behaviors, but the effects of these behaviors were small in magnitude. In this article, we explore one explanation for these small effects, namely, that the impact of listening behaviors on helper evaluations varies as a function of individual communication values. We draw from the dual-process theory of supportive message outcomes to propose that communication values operate to influence individual processing of supportive behavior. Using data from 383 participants asked to watch and evaluate a five-minute recorded comforting conversation, results provide support for the theory. People who place more value on listening as well as theoretically connected communication skills appear more responsive to the presence (or absence) of person-centered behavior.     

Against the odds: the impact of woman abuse on maternal response to disclosure of child sexual abuse

Although the co-occurrence of woman abuse and child sexual abuse is high little research exists exploring the impact of woman abuse on maternal response to child sexual abuse (CSA). Findings from two qualitative studies indicate the form of woman abuse to have differential impact on maternal response. Mothers who were abused in non-physical ways, psychological, or emotional, displayed more ambivalent, less supportive responses. Mothers who were physically abused by their partners more often acted supportively to their children and displayed less ambivalence about separating from the perpetrator. Some survivors reported non-disclosure as children because of their fear of the perpetrator due to the woman abuse they were exposed to while being sexually abused. Practice and research implications are discussed.     

Determinants of work-family balance satisfaction during the pandemic: Insights from Québec

The first wave of the COVID pandemic was the most challenging for employed parents, and more specifically for women. In Québec, research has shown a deterioration in the psychological health of parents in the early weeks of the pandemic. In this research, we investigate how Québec parents who remained employed during the lockdown in 2020 perceived their work-family balance in the stressful context of new earning and caregiving constraints, drawing on survey data collected in May 2020. Our approach integrates insights from psychological, managerial and sociological literatures. We find that most parents who remained employed found their work-family balance “easy” in the first months of the pandemic, but women felt less satisfied with their work-family balance than men as well as those whose employers were less understanding and supportive, and those whose workloads increased. The implications of these results are discussed in the light of previous studies on work-family intersections, to show that gender continues to matter when family members are faced with extraordinary circumstances such as the closing of childcare and schools, even in the egalitarian context of Québec, where fathers are perceived as legitimate caregivers.     

Caregiver Needs Following Disclosure of Child Sexual Abuse

Caregiver support is vital in improving outcomes for child sexual abuse victims; however, the disclosure can significantly affect caregivers, thus impacting their ability to meet their children’s needs. To maximize the support from caregivers, their own needs following disclosure need to be met. This study investigated the impact of child sexual abuse disclosure and associated needs as identified by caregivers. Sixty needs assessment forms were collected from families who accessed a parenting support pilot program run in New Zealand. These forms were completed by nonoffending caregivers during an assessment session with their counselor and consisted of both open-ended and Likert scale questions focusing on both the needs of the child and the family. Caregivers identified a range of impacts of the disclosure on their children, themselves, and other families members and the related support that may be needed. In particular, caregivers identified that they needed support with child behavior management and with their own coping. The findings suggest that interventions with caregivers following disclosure of child sexual abuse may be a valuable adjunct to therapy provided directly to the child.