Loss and restoration in later life: an examination of dual process model of coping with bereavement

The Dual Process Model (DPM) of Coping with Bereavement identified two oscillating coping processes, loss and restoration (Stroebe & Schut, 1999). The utility of the model is investigated in two studies. In the first, we carried out secondary analyses on a large-scale qualitative study that we had conducted previously. In the second, we conducted a small-scale study specifically examining the DPM. In the first study we re-examined the interviews for Loss- (LO) and Restoration-Oriented (RO) Coping and examined whether these were associated with psychological adjustment. The results showed that those adjusting well reported the stressors New Roles/Identities/ Relationships and Intrusion of Grief significantly more. Those adjusting less well reported the stressors Denial/Avoidance of Restoration Changes and Distraction/Avoidance of Grief significantly more. In the second study, we asked participants about four RO stressors of the DPM: Attending to Life Changes; New Roles/Identities/Relationships; Distraction from Grief; and New Activities. These data showed that not all participants experienced all aspects of RO Coping. In particular, participants had diverse views about the utility of Distraction from Grief as a coping mechanism. The article concludes by discussing the challenges of testing the DPM empirically.     

Citizenship and Governance in the Asian Region: Insights from The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study

Large scale assessment of student performance is a regular feature of the international education landscape. The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is a recent attempt with a focus on citizenship knowledge and skills. Student political trust data from ICCS is reported here and a mixture Rasch model is used to identify the heterogeneity in this data. The results indicate the complexity of within country and cross-country estimates of measures of political trust. The problem of relying on a single scale score to represent this complexity is underscored and the implications for citizenship education are discussed.     

ADHD,depression, and substance abuse risk among beginning college students

Abstract

Objective: This study examined differences in substance use, depression, and academic functioning among ADHD and non-ADHD college students. Participants: Included 1,748 students (ages 18–25; women 68.4%; Caucasian 71.3%) with and without history of ADHD. Methods: We assessed the relationship of ADHD to substance use variables, controlling for depressive symptoms and examined relationships with GPA. Results: ADHD students were more likely to have engaged in frequent alcohol use, binge drinking, regular marijuana use and to have used other drugs in the last year. They reported higher depression symptoms than non-ADHD students, although substance abuse risk remained high even when controlling for depressive symptoms. ADHD students had lower overall GPA than those without ADHD. However, this difference was no longer significant when controlling for depression and marijuana use. Conclusions: College campuses should consider programing aimed at identifying ADHD students at risk for developing substance abuse problems and emotional difficulties.     

False Alarms and Missed Events: The Impact and Origins of Perceived Inaccuracy in Tornado Warning Systems

Theory and conventional wisdom suggest that errors undermine the credibility of tornado warning systems and thus decrease the probability that individuals will comply (i.e., engage in protective action) when future warnings are issued. Unfortunately, empirical research on the influence of warning system accuracy on public responses to tornado warnings is incomplete and inconclusive. This study adds to existing research by analyzing two sets of relationships. First, we assess the relationship between perceptions of accuracy, credibility, and warning response. Using data collected via a large regional survey, we find that trust in the National Weather Service (NWS; the agency responsible for issuing tornado warnings) increases the likelihood that an individual will opt for protective action when responding to a hypothetical warning. More importantly, we find that subjective perceptions of warning system accuracy are, as theory suggests, systematically related to trust in the NWS and (by extension) stated responses to future warnings. The second half of the study matches survey data against NWS warning and event archives to investigate a critical follow‐up question—Why do some people perceive that their warning system is accurate, whereas others perceive that their system is error prone? We find that subjective perceptions are—in part—a function of objective experience, knowledge, and demographic characteristics. When considered in tandem, these findings support the proposition that errors influence perceptions about the accuracy of warning systems, which in turn impact the credibility that people assign to information provided by systems and, ultimately, public decisions about how to respond when warnings are issued.     

U.K. Foot and Mouth Disease: A Systemic Risk Assessment of Existing Controls

This article details a systemic analysis of the controls in place and possible interventions available to further reduce the risk of a foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak in the United Kingdom. Using a research‐based network analysis tool, we identify vulnerabilities within the multibarrier control system and their corresponding critical control points (CCPs). CCPs represent opportunities for active intervention that produce the greatest improvement to United Kingdom's resilience to future FMD outbreaks. Using an adapted ‘features, events, and processes’ (FEPs) methodology and network analysis, our results suggest that movements of animals and goods associated with legal activities significantly influence the system's behavior due to their higher frequency and ability to combine and create scenarios of exposure similar in origin to the U.K. FMD outbreaks of 1967/8 and 2001. The systemic risk assessment highlights areas outside of disease control that are relevant to disease spread. Further, it proves to be a powerful tool for demonstrating the need for implementing disease controls that have not previously been part of the system.     

Crisis communications preparedness among U.S. organizations: Activities and assessments by public relations practitioners

A survey of U.S. public relations practitioners (n = 126) found that three-quarters of their employer organizations had a written crisis communications plan and that organizations, as a whole, were reasonably prepared to engage in crisis communications. Preparedness was measured based on the presence of a crisis plan as well as indices related to tactics, training, the maintenance of contact lists, and media monitoring. Preparedness was found to be positively correlated to organization size, the level of autonomy, and delegation of authority within the organization, and the process orientation of the organization, but not organization type nor involvement in international versus domestic-only operations. Practitioners from organizations with plans had lower assessments of their relationships with publics, but greater confidence in their ability to respond.     

SOCIALLY EMBEDDED IDENTITIES: Theories, Typologies, and Processes of Racial Identity among Black/White Biracials

Current research on racial identity construction among biracial people derives primarily from small convenience samples and assumes that individuals with one black and one white parent have only two options for racial identity: "black" or "biracial." Rockquemore's (1999) taxonomy of racial identity options is used as a framework to synthesize existing research and to generate hypotheses that are explored using survey data from a sample of 177 biracial respondents. The findings support a multidimensional view of racial identity by illustrating that biracial people make various identity choices, albeit "choices" that are differentially available due to an individual's structural iocation.     

Are Students Failing School or Are Schools Failing Students? Class Cutting in High School

In many urban public high schools today, students navigate their day by selectively cutting class leading to course failure and dropping out. Collaborative, qualitative research conducted with urban high school students indicates that cutting results from disengagement and alienation that students label "boredom." Focus group data ( N = 160 in 8 groups) indicate that class cutting has not only an individual component that schools address, but also a systemic, conflictual component that schools do not address. These unaddressed, intransigent conflicts can foster moral exclusion and structural violence. These data suggest that rather than relying on standard punitive approaches, schools can respond to class cutting more effectively by taking students' concerns seriously, working collaboratively with students, and engaging in institutional self-scrutiny.