Zur Bedeutung multidimensionaler sozialer Kategorisierungsprozesse für dieVertrauensentwicklung – Ein bislang weitgehend vernachlässigtes Forschungsfeld

Social categories and correlating stereotypes are acquired over the course of socialization. They influence the person perception, the quality of social relations and therefore also the process of trust building in a significant way. Nevertheless in the context of trust research the influence of the complex confounding individual characteristics and multidimensional categorization processes for social co-operations are widely disregarded. Based on the differential theory of trust the current article captures this research gap, illustrates perspectives and theoretical coherences for further research activities in view of the actual debate on intersectionality. Furthermore, possible practical implications will be elucidated for strategies of diversity management.     

Use of Quality-Adjusted Life Year Weights with Dose-Response Models for Public Health Decisions: A Case Study of the Risks and Benefits of Fish Consumption

Risks associated with toxicants in food are often controlled by exposure reduction. When exposure recommendations are developed for foods with both harmful and beneficial qualities, however, they must balance the associated risks and benefits to maximize public health. Although quantitative methods are commonly used to evaluate health risks, such methods have not been generally applied to evaluating the health benefits associated with environmental exposures. A quantitative method for risk-benefit analysis is presented that allows for consideration of diverse health endpoints that differ in their impact (i.e., duration and severity) using dose-response modeling weighted by quality-adjusted life years saved. To demonstrate the usefulness of this method, the risks and benefits of fish consumption are evaluated using a single health risk and health benefit endpoint. Benefits are defined as the decrease in myocardial infarction mortality resulting from fish consumption, and risks are defined as the increase in neurodevelopmental delay (i.e., talking) resulting from prenatal methylmercury exposure. Fish consumption rates are based on information from Washington State. Using the proposed framework, the net health impact of eating fish is estimated in either a whole population or a population consisting of women of childbearing age and their children. It is demonstrated that across a range of fish methylmercury concentrations (0-1 ppm) and intake levels (0-25 g/day), individuals would have to weight the neurodevelopmental effects 6 times more (in the whole population) or 250 times less (among women of child-bearing age and their children) than the myocardial infarction benefits in order to be ambivalent about whether or not to consume fish. These methods can be generalized to evaluate the merits of other public health and risk management programs that involve trade-offs between risks and benefits.     

Stressmanagement und Personalentwicklung

Stress management is a main topic of human resources development. This article discusses therefore characteristics of human resources development by means of stress management and starts by presenting theoretical foundations of stress management, intervention concepts, and evaluation results as well as contexts of intervention and target groups. Demands for interventions in the area of human resources development are then specified. These demands touch neglected target groups like low qualified workers and intervention contexts as well as interventions at the workplace. The further development needs of the intervention process are finally highlighted. The intervention process should systematically consider the motivation for participation and not only the motivation of the employees but also the motivation of the managerial decision-makers. Furthermore the relevance of the analysis and its instruments, the intervention methods, didactics and evaluation methods are pointed-out. A new developed intervention concept for stress and resource management for low qualified workers is presented, in which these demands are seized and used.     

Childhood Autism and Proactive Family Coping: Intergenerational Perspectives

This article considers the value of intergenerational and specifically, grandparental support, in the management of adaptive tasks posed by raising a young child with autism. The tasks addressed range from accessing early intervention to enhancing family social functioning. We note unique social, financial, and health-related stressors faced by families of children with autism. We outline an innovative, stress theory-based framework, the Autism Proactive Intergenerational Adaptation (APIA) Model, which delineates the role of grandparents in contributing to family adaptation to the stresses of raising a child with autism. We focus on proactive family coping strategies in building resilience and ameliorating the adverse impact of stressors on quality of life (QOL) for individual family members and for the family unit. We discuss barriers and facilitators of intergenerational alliances involving grandparental participation and support.     

When do older adults become "disabled"? Social and health antecedents of perceived disability in a panel study of the oldest old

Disability carries negative social meaning, and little is known about when (or if), in the process of health decline, persons identify themselves as "disabled." We examine the social and health criteria that older adults use to subjectively rate their own disability status. Using a panel study of older adults (ages 72+), we estimate ordered probit and growth curve models of perceived disability over time. Total prevalent morbidity, functional limitations, and cognitive impairment are predictors of perceived disability. Cessation of driving and receipt of home health care also influence older adults 'perceptions of their own disability. A dense social network slowed the rate of labeling oneself disabled, while health anxiety accelerated the process over time, independent of health status. When considering perceived disability, the oldest old use multidimensional criteria capturing function, recent changes in health status and social networks, and anxiety about their health.     

Daily Associations Between Drinking and Sex Among College Students: A Longitudinal Measurement Burst Design

Daily links between alcohol use and sexual behaviors were examined in a longitudinal study of college students. Hierarchical linear models predicted sexual behaviors by characteristics of persons (N = 731, Level 3), semesters (N = 4,345, Level 2), and days (N = 56,372, Level 1). On a given day, consuming more drinks and binge drinking were associated with greater odds of kissing, touching, oral sex, and penetrative sex. Consistent with alcohol myopia and expectancy theories, associations between binge drinking and sexual behaviors were stronger for students not in romantic relationships, for students with stronger alcohol–sex expectancies, and for oral and penetrative sex. Findings suggest that within‐day links between alcohol use and sexual behaviors are evident across college, with variations based on individual and relationship factors.     

Sozialpsychologische Beiträge zur Diskussion um die Zukunft der Schulen in Deutschland

At present, there is an intensive debate on the development of the German school system. Main topics concern teaching methods and how to deal with individual differences, but there are also questions about the need to pursue other aims than cognitive learning and how to cooperate with parents. Last but not least, it has become obvious that schools and teachers need support. The article argues that concepts and results of research in social psychology may be important to manage tasks in the current situation. Important topics of future research are pointed out.