Toward the development of an adolescent gambling problem severity scale

The development and initial psychometric properties of an adolescent gambling problem severity measure are described. The scale, based on a revision of the South Oaks Gambling Screen (Lesieur & Blume, 1987), was administered to 1,101 older (ages 15 to 18) Minnesota adolescents as part of a state-wide gambling survey. Study results indicated that the scale had moderate internal consistency reliability and was significantly related to alternate measures of problem severity for male subjects. Because the rate and severity of gambling among females was very low, the psychometric adequacy of the scale for females is not known at this time. The implications of study findings to the conceptual understanding of adolescent gambling problem severity as well as study limitations and future research needs, are discussed.Support for the study was provided by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Center for Addiction Studies, University of Minnesota, Duluth. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance from Robert Blum, Linda Harris, Durand Jacobs, J. Laundergan, Alan Mathiason, Brenda Miller, James Schaefer, school officials from the participating high schools, and interviewers who assisted with the telephone survey.     

Toward an interactional approach to sustainable community development

During the 1980s, the concept of sustainable development emerged as a popular solution to the problem of meeting the material needs of a rapidly growing population while minimizing environmental damage. Rather than pitting economic growth against environmental protection, proponents of sustainability focus on development which meets the needs of both present and future generations. This new legitimacy has prompted scholars to broaden the range of issues to which sustainability can be applied. A potentially important development along these lines has been the growing body of literature surrounding the concept of sustainable community development. In this paper, we delineate the central features of the sustainable community, assess obstacles to achieving sustainable communities, and present a conceptual framework for sustainable community development based on an interactional approach to community.     

Toward a new paradigm for youth development

Although practitioners and researchers continue to shape the emerging field of youth development, we have still not found a clear and compelling way to talk about our work to family members, the public, and policymakers. The diet-and-exercise analogy presented here compares features essential for good health with comparable features affecting positive youth development. The effects of the inputs or nutrients of a healthy diet are magnified when the individual makes a commitment to exercise. Likewise, the impact of teaching and developmental supports is magnified when young people become actively engaged in their own learning and development.     

Implantation of an ergonomics administration system in a company: report of an occupational therapist specialist in ergonomics

This article aims to describe step-by-step the implementation of an ergonomics administration system in a company from March 2009 till March 2011 by an occupational therapist specialist in ergonomics based on the OSHAS 18001 guidelines and the Regulatory Norms 17 manual. The process began with the definition of five requisites with bases on the manual of application of the Regulatory Norms 17: survey; materials individual transportation and discharge; workplace furniture; workplace equipments; work environment and organization of the work to be managed with bases on the OSHAS 18001 guidelines. The following steps were established: sensitization of the company high administration, elaboration and institution of an ergonomics politics, development of ergonomics committees, ergonomics analysis of the work with recommendation of ergonomic improvements, implantation of improvements and evaluation or the results. This research experiment suggests the importance not only of a guiding axle but also of a professional qualification and participation of the company on the implementation of an ergonomics management system.     

The quality of life concept in sociology

An interdisciplinary concept, quality of life (QOL) has gained prominence in research in psychology, marketing, and several other disciplines. What is its status in sociology? Arising out of the social indicators“movement,” QOL has gained attention as both objective and subjective measures. Precursors of the concept figured in sociological research in the 1930s on level and plane of living. Now, it is recognized in one sociological encyclopedia, a textbook, and a few sociological monographs, but otherwise has gained little coinage in general sociology. One social problems text has adopted it as an organizing theme. With these modest inroads, the components of QOL, such as inequality, income, crime, the environment, etc., always have been prominent in sociology. When QOL is recognized in theory and when legislatures require its use in evaluation of public programs, the concept will become established in sociological research.     

The supportive community: a new concept for enhancing the quality of life of elderly living in the community

This study examines supportive community programs in Israel, which aim to improve the quality of life of the elderly. These innovative programs pool existing resources to provide a benefits package that includes medical services, an emergency call switchboard, a "neighborhood facilitator," and social activities. Data were collected in 2000-2001 using qualitative and quantitative methods. The program provides specific services to meet needs that otherwise are not adequately addressed. The major contributions of the program reported by the members was increasing their personal security (two-thirds), easing the burden on their children (one-third), and enabling them to remain at home (one-quarter). The supportive community program enriches the variety of services available, thus providing the elderly with the choice of staying within their familiar surroundings of their homes and neighborhoods. This model appears to be both a cost-effective way to facilitate aging in place and a way to meet many of the elderly's essential needs, thereby maintaining their quality of life.     

Institutional transference: a new look at an old concept

In reviewing the early development of institutional transference, the concept was defined as the patient's identifying the treatment relationship with a clinic rather than with an individual therapist and a form of "distancing." More recently, the literature reflects a debate about whether the phenomenon is an outcome of patients' inability to maintain an individual relationship or their adaptation to changing therapists within a clinic over time. In our clinical experience, we have observed that institutional transference is strongly associated with the clinical outcome. In the clinical examples, we demonstrated that being aware of the potential for institutional transference and allowing it to develop can facilitate the development of a more trusting relationship between the patient and clinic staff. Institutional transference can coexist with individual transference and help facilitate rather than hinder the development of a therapeutic relationship. In our experience, the sense of a relationship with the clinic or treatment center is an important aspect of care. Therefore, recognizing institutional transference enables the clinician to pace the development of the relationship with the patient.     

Macroergonomic analysis of an assembly sector of a furniture company

From of Macroergonomic Analysis of Work were diagnosed the main ergonomics demands in a furniture company in the city of Cambé, Paraná. Through this method we could identify the most problematic points of the analyzed environment for posterior solutions of improvement with the objective of increasing the working and psychological quality of the employees, motivating their good performance and satisfaction.     

Evaluation of an employee assistance program at a transportation company

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in terms of selected work performance indicators and treatment outcomes. Three primary data sources were utilized: a questionnaire administered to EAP users, reports from EAP counsellors on treatment diagnoses and outcomes, and employee records on absenteeism and other performance criteria over a five year time period. On the whole, EAP clients reported very favourable outcomes regarding the quality of services and improved well being, and the counsellors reported successful treatment outcomes. However, employee records on performance outcomes indicated that EAP clients had higher rates of problems before, during and after treatment, compared to a matched control group. Additionally, rates of sick days significantly increased from before to after treatment among EAP users.     

Social capital and economic development: Toward a theoretical synthesis and policy framework

Theory and Society -     

The concept of development: Smith and Marx revisited

This paper attempts to provide a framework for understanding and analyzing the social origins of underdevelopment in contemporary third world societies. In critically examining Adam Smith, Karl Marx, the dependency school, and the sociological modernization theories, it shows that the considerable dispute between the two commonly advanced explanations, “conservative” modernization theory and “radical” dependency theory is spurious. It is argued that neither Smith and the modernization theories that draw upon him, nor the dependency school, provide an appropriate framework for analyzing the historical rise of capitalism and examining the obstacles thereto.     

The development of a capacity for concern in antisocial children: Winnicott's concept of human relatedness

Winnicott's refreshing view of clinical practice includes the unique notion that delinquency is a sign of hope. Several of Winnicott's interpersonal concepts fit together to develop this thought: holding environment, capacity for concern, the use of the object, and hate in the counter transference. In this paper these four concepts are described and the case of a ten-year-old antisocial youngster is used to illustrate Winnicott's thinking and tie some of his illusive ideas into a difficult but familiar kind of practice situation. The therapeutic approach used was a mixture of case management and play therapy. What is different however is the way in which the therapist interpreted the youngster's behavior and stimulated his rich fantasy life.     

An Ethnography of an AIDS Hospice: Toward a Theory of Organizational Pastiche

This article describes everyday life at a hospice that provides terminal, residential care to persons with AIDS. Data were gathered over 12 months of participant observation and a series of formal interviews. The hospice is a nonprofit organization that receives most of its financial support from local community churches and agencies. The philosophy of the hospice is common to its genre—that is, care for dying patients should be holistic, personal, and palliative. The hospice staff largely adheres to this philosophy yet also organizes its everyday activities to meet the practical needs of everyone involved. Some of the more interesting staff practices include the use of touch for healing and communicating, and stress management techniques. The essence of everyday life in the hospice, though, is the relationship between the staff member and the resident. The study identifies three types of relationships—caring, pastoral, and intimate. The conclusion focuses on the value of integrating traditional interactionist ethnography and postmodernist social theory for conducting qualitative research on emerging health care phenomena like the AIDS hospice. The concept of organizational pastiche is offered to interpret the distinctive ways health care organizations specializing in HIV/AIDS care must adapt to the unprecedented cultural and biological features of the epidemic.