A Psychosocial View of Mental Illness: An Introduction

Abstract

Bullying presents a significant social distress for students, families and schools. Concerned practitioners and researchers are invested in developing interventions to decrease the frequency and negative impact of bullying. To do so, however, understanding the cast of characters in the bullying drama is critical. This paper reviews selected research on characteristics of bullies, victims and bystanders from a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches. The implications of these characteristics for effective interventions is considered. The role of socio-economic factors is presented, and their relevance for communities and policy makers discussed.     

Overloaded and overlooked: Improving resident advisors' self-care

ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this viewpoint is to discuss the lack of research on resident advisor (RA) self-care and how behavioral interventions can be used in housing programs to educate and improve RA self-care. It is essential for live-in housing staff (both professional and paraprofessional) to learn how to develop appropriate strategies that target problem behaviors to improve self-care. An overview of the RA position, the effects of increased demands (i.e., burnout), and the research on self-care behavioral interventions are discussed. Lastly, the call to use behavioral interventions within housing programs to educate RAs on self-care awareness and improve and monitor their health behaviors to prevent burnout and psychological distress is provided.     

The Intersection of Social Process and Social Structure Theories to Address Juvenile Crime: Toward a Collaborative Intervention Model

Juvenile crime has long been a pervasive social problem and the target of various intervention efforts. These efforts are ultimately orchestrated by the theoretical lens through which juvenile crime is viewed. This article illustrates the utility of examining theoretical perspectives to inform interventions by presenting a critical analysis and proposed synthesis of two major theories in this area; social learning theory and social disorganization theory. Results of this analysis suggest that both be considered and merged in developing potential solutions. Removing professional silos and developing interdisciplinary approaches aimed at improving outcomes for youth, their families, and communities are critical.     

A corporate responsibility? The constitution of fly-in,fly-out mining companies as governance partners in remote,mine-affected localities

In some remote parts of Australia, mining companies have positioned themselves as central actors in governing nearby affected communities by espousing notions of ‘voluntary partnerships for sustainability’ between business, government and community. It is argued in this paper that the nature and extent of mining company interventions in nearby communities constitutes a new problematic for these corporate actors. Drawing on research conducted in two remote areas in Australia, this paper undertakes an analytics of government to ask how mining companies have become leading actors in determining the future of local, mine-affected communities. It is suggested that their interventions arise from two processes: industry priorities for securing a ‘social license to operate’ by making a positive contribution to affected communities; and the restructuring of the state which has created an institutional void in these remote localities. As a result, mining companies are ‘filling the gaps’ in local service delivery through a mode of governing that takes the form of patronage rather than partnership. This raises questions about the future viability of these communities once the mines eventually close, and new challenges of governing for corporate actors.     

The Evolution of Substance Abuse Treatment in Juvenile Justice

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the scope of substance abuse and related problems among juvenile offenders, and describes three models of addressing the problem based on a review of current approaches, ranging from Treatment Alternatives to Street Crimes programs (TASC), to juvenile drug courts, to an integrated treatment network model. The relevant strengths and weaknesses of each in supporting lasting change in substance-abusing juvenile offenders and their families are presented, and a call to action is offered for communities wishing to aim their interventions innovatively and precisely in the direction of substance abuse among their delinquent youth.     

Why the principle of informed self-determination does not help local farmers facing land loss: a case study from oil palm development in East Kalimantan,Indonesia

ABSTRACT

The principle of informed self-determination has been celebrated as a means to prevent involuntary land transfer and the resulting dispossession of affected communities in agricultural investments of developing countries. Based on qualitative field research conducted in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, this paper argues that such optimistic recognition needs reexamination. Drawing on a case study of indigenous Dayak communities that have faced advancement of large-scale oil palm estates since 2007, the paper examines what informs communities’ decisions to release land to estates. The underdevelopment created by government neglect and the lack of future prospects for autonomous development are shown to have contributed to communities’ decisions to release land. After a decade, encroaching palm oil has produced land shortages and depleted forest resources. This study highlights the need for meaningful state interventions to alleviate poverty and create conditions that allows local communities to make meaningful choices during the consultations over land release.     

Understanding the Post‐Industrial Assembly Line: A Critical Appraisal of the Call Centre

As a relatively new form of service sector employment, call centres have been an important issue in the sociology of work for two decades. This article offers a critical review and appraisal of call centre literature, drawing upon an existing typology classifying call centre research in four categories: characteristics and organisational features; choices and strategies of management; the effect of work on employees; and the response of employees to working conditions. The article also explores recent developments that utilise call centres as a tool to investigate emerging social theories and other sociological concepts.     

Sociocultural and epidemiological issues in the assessment of domestic violence

This paper presents alternative models for the integration of multicultural issues in research on domestic violence. Issues are discussed that illustrate ethnic specific strengths, concerns, and weaknesses of ethnic families and communities. These issues need to be incorporated in future research that more thoroughly examines ethnic and cultural issues in violence research. Alternative strategies for future research are also suggested which call for the incorporation of ethnic and cultural issues on an ongoing basis, so that commonalities across studies can emerge and we can begin to understand the cultural context of domestic violence.     

Transnational Linkages and Movement Communities

To conceptualize the emergence and maintenance of transnational movements and linkages among supporters, we identify three types of movement communities: professional communities, grassroots communities and conscience communities, which are differentiated on bases of location, repertoire and networks. We argue that these ‘imagined communities’ are all critical to the construction of transnational social movement identities and campaigns. Based on this approach, research is needed to show how different types of movement communities are activated by campaigns, what parts they play in the mobilization and outcomes of campaigns, and how linkages are created and maintained among these communities.     

WOMEN'S WORK IN THE INFORMATION ECONOMY: The case of telephone call centres

This paper is concerned with the work experiences and career opportunities of women employed in technology-intensive offices known as telephone 'call centres'. Call centres have grown rapidly across Europe in recent years, creating a significant number of new jobs and receiving considerable attention within the media, business and academic communities. However, despite the fact that the majority of call centre jobs have been taken by women, researchers have so far paid little attention to their position in this new 'industry'. The article addresses this research gap. In particular, it is concerned with the question of whether call centre work is offering women new opportunities for skill development and career progression, or whether a more familiar trend is taking place in which women are being drawn into a highly routinized, 'de-skilled' and de-valued area of work. The paper also uses the specific example of call centre work in order to reflect on broader issues about the changing nature of women's work and employment in the so-called 'information economy'.     

Blinking Bird Brains: A Timing Specific Deficit in Auditory Learning in Quail Hatchlings

Contingency perception is critical during infancy, providing the basis for the continuous learning (and re‐learning) of the relation between the developing body, self‐produced actions, and the environment. Nevertheless, relatively few studies have systematically examined the spatiotemporal parameters that optimize learning during development. Here, we present a series of experiments exploring a novel timing‐specific deficit in auditory learning in an animal model, the bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). In this paradigm, chicks vocalize to hear playback of an unfamiliar maternal call and are later tested for their filial preference for that call over a novel maternal call. Rather than a simple, hyperbolic decline in learning with increased delay between chick vocalization and playback, we found a window—450–900 msec after chicks ceased vocalizing—in which chicks appeared to have difficulty learning and forming a preference for the maternal call. This deficit nonetheless occurred only when the spatial location of call playback switched semi‐randomly during training, suggesting an attentional explanation for this deficit. Our findings indicate that optimization of the temporal parameters in operant paradigms with infants can be complex, particularly if tasks requiring the switching of attention between spatial locations. Our findings may thus be instructive for other developmental research with infants employing operant components.     

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Capacity Building Intervention in Empowering Hard-to-Reach Communities

ABSTRACT

This article focuses on hard-to-reach communities with weak histories of engagement and it explores whether facilitated community interventions can empower and develop community resilience. Drawing on data from 6 communities, the article indicates a need for tailored and context-specific support that matches local needs. Implementation of community projects is not linear and the delivery of interventions in hard-to-reach communities is associated with the risk of failure. Developing community resilience among communities that do not engage requires long-term interventions, on-going input, and a collaborative approach to working with communities to support equal and harmonized development.     

Locating Research-Supported Interventions for Child Welfare Practice

Children, youth, and families served by child welfare professionals should be provided with services that are reasonably well-supported by scientific evidence, when such knowledge exists. A number of clearinghouses and databases have been created in recent years that list a wide array of child welfare, mental health, substance abuse, family, and educational services, provide a critical appraisal of the levels of evidence available for each such service, and rates this evidence. Some interventions are said to possess strong evidence of their effectiveness and can be called research supported. Others are poorly researched and some have been shown to actually be harmful. This article describes a summary of these major databases and clearinghouses evaluating programs and practices for potential use in child welfare. Links are provided to assist child welfare professionals in locating these research supported psychosocial interventions.     

Current Status and Future Agenda for the Theory,Research, and Practice of Childhood Career Development

This article reviews the current status and a future agenda for childhood career development theory, research, and practice. The fragmented nature of the current state of the literature is noted, and a call is made for a reexamination and reconsideration of the childhood developmental pathways of life's work. It is suggested that the study of children's work behavior be rooted in life contexts, most notably, families, communities, and schools.     

WEB SITES

Abstract

It would be useful to better understand the personal determinants of successful interventions in the community, especially those interventions already recognized for their efficacy and efficiency, such as elder home care telesurveillance. This is a modality of health care services that transmits, via a call center on a 24/7 basis, the clinical information necessary to follow elders outside medical centers. Community health workers refer elders to this service. A qualitative research design was realized to understand why so much difference in the implementation of this service had arisen in two comparable sites previously judged receptive. The research objectives were as follows: (1) to document the personal determinants associated with telesurveillance adoption by community health workers, in two sites previously judged receptive; and (2) to point out the personal determinants that can explain successful adoption of telesurveillance. According to the Theory of Interpersonal Behavior, the results showed that habits (e.g., community health workers' knowledge of new information technologies) and perceived barriers in clinical practice were fundamental determinants in the adoption of telesurveillance.     

Identifying and developing effective approaches to foster intercultural understanding in schools

This paper provides a systematic review of education literature focused on identifying school-based approaches for developing students’ intercultural understanding. Studies were assessed using selection criteria and then critically appraised for study quality. A key finding from the review is that developing students’ intercultural understanding beyond cultural awareness requires students and teachers to take a critical approach toward cultural diversity, as well as the opportunity for ongoing intercultural and intergroup contact. Studies reported that only building cultural awareness and knowledge is not enough to promote long-term changes in attitudes. There is a need for more rigorously evaluated longitudinal school-based interventions. Finally, studies consistently call for investment in teachers’ professional and personal intercultural capabilities. The paper concludes by calling for school-based interventions that are informed by best practice approaches at a whole school level in order to effectively develop students’ intercultural attitudes and skills.     

Urban Poverty and Neighborhood Effects on Crime: Incorporating Spatial and Network Perspectives

Research on neighborhoods and crime is on a remarkable growth trajectory. In this article, we survey important recent developments in the scholarship on neighborhood effects and the spatial stratification of poverty and urban crime. We advance the case that, in understanding the impact of neighborhoods and poverty on crime, sociological and criminological research would benefit from expanding the analytical focus from residential neighborhoods to the network of neighborhoods that individuals are exposed to during their daily routine activities. This perspective is supported by re‐emerging scholarship on activity spaces and macro‐level research on inter‐neighborhood connections. We highlight work indicating that non‐residential contexts add variation in criminogenic exposure, which in turn influence offending behavior and victimization risk. Also, we draw on recent insights from research on gang violence, social and institutional connections, and spatial mismatch and call for advancements in the scholarship on urban poverty that investigates the salience of inter‐neighborhood connections in evaluating the spatial stratification of criminogenic risk for individuals and communities.     

Project beneficiary participation and behavioural intentions promoting project sustainability: The mediating role of psychological ownership

It is of great importance that development projects (especially those projects that target improving the livelihood of rural communities) continue to deliver their intended benefits over their intended economic life—we call this “project sustainability.” Applying an experimental design, our study reveals that active involvement of project beneficiaries during the needs assessment and planning stages has a significant positive influence on the behavioural intentions of the project beneficiaries toward project sustainability. Our study also finds that psychological ownership plays a mediating role in the relationship between project beneficiary participation and project sustainability. Implications for project sustainability and directions for future research are discussed.     

“What About the Rest of Us?” An Overview of LGBT Poverty Issues and a Call to Action

In this article, I argue that, despite the myth of gay affluence, existing research is conclusive enough to claim that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) adults are overall less financially secure than their heterosexual, cisgendered counterparts. I demonstrate that LGBT poverty is a broad social issue that can no longer be viewed as affecting only specific subpopulations of LGBT communities. I argue that the social work profession and the LGBT movement need to recognize LGBT poverty as a social issue. I then present a call to action for social work practitioners, researchers and LGBT organizations.