‘It’s so scary how common this is now:’ frames in media coverage of the opioid epidemic by Ohio newspapers and themes in Facebook user reactions

ABSTRACT

Deaths from opioid overdose in the US have increased five-fold since 1999. Ohio ranks second among states in drug overdose deaths, with more than 39 deaths for every 100,000 people. In light of this, opioid addiction and related issues have garnered substantial media attention. However, few studies have examined the content and framing of opioid-related media coverage or explored ways that audiences react to coverage of the crisis within their communities. This study attempts to fill this gap through an analysis of opioid-related posts and comments on the public-facing Facebook pages of 42 Ohio newspapers between 2013 and 2017 (N?=?397). Content analysis was used to identify frames in posted newspaper content and themes in comments. Four frames were identified in posted stories: (1) Awareness of the Opioid Epidemic and Affected Populations (34.0% of all posted content; n?=?135); (2) Programs, Policies, and Interventions (29.5%; n?=?117); (3) Crime, Punishment, Legal Cases, and Law Enforcement (28.2%; n?=?112); and (4) Narratives of Addiction and the Long Road to Recovery (8.3%; n?=?33). Analyses of Facebook user comments on posted newspaper content revealed five themes: Emotion and Support, Choice and Responsibility, Disease and Treatment, Worthiness, and Attention and Action. Findings indicate both the intensive and diverse efforts of newspapers to cover the epidemic as well as the varied reactions of community members to opioid use and addiction.     

What Happens on Islands,doesn’t Stay on Islands: Patterns of Synchronicity in Mosquito Nuisance and Host-Seeking Activity between a Mangrove Island and Adjacent Coastal Development

Urban Ecosystems - Coastal development is expanding globally in response to mass human migration, yet urban planning guidelines often overlook the problems that human encroachment on or near...     

Demographic,Behavioural and Normative Risk Factors for Gambling Problems Amongst Sports Bettors

Sports betting is growing exponentially, is heavily marketed and successfully targets young adult males. Associated gambling problems are increasing. Therefore, understanding risk factors for problem gambling amongst sports bettors is an increasingly important area of research to inform the appropriate design and targeting of public health and treatment interventions. This study aimed to identify demographic, behavioural and normative risk factors for gambling problems amongst sports bettors. An online survey of 639 Australian sports bettors using online, telephone and retail betting channels was conducted. Results indicated that vulnerable sports bettors for higher risk gambling are those who are young, male, single, educated, and employed full-time or a full-time student. Risk of problem gambling was also found to increase with greater frequency and expenditure on sports betting, greater diversity of gambling involvement, and with more impulsive responses to betting opportunities, including in-play live action betting. Normative influences from media advertising and from significant others were also associated with greater problem gambling risk. The results of this study can inform a suite of intervention, protection and treatment initiatives targeted especially at young male adults and adolescents that can help to limit the harm from this gambling form.     

Gay‐Straight Alliances,Inclusive Policy,and School Climate: LGBTQ Youths’ Experiences of Social Support and Bullying

Gay‐Straight Alliances (GSA) and school policies focused on support for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning youth may reduce bias‐based bullying and enhance social supports in schools. Using multivariate regression, we tested the relationship between youth reports of the presence of GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies, independently and mutually, with experiences bullying and perceived support (n = 1,061). Youth reported higher classmate support in the presence of GSAs and higher teacher support in the presence of LGBTQ‐focused policies; the presence of both GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies was associated with less bullying and higher perceived classmate and teacher support. The findings indicate that GSAs and LGBTQ‐focused policies are distinctly and mutually important for fostering safer and more supportive school climates for youth.     

Protective Responses to Household Risk: A Case Study of Radon Mitigation

This study analyzes the effectiveness of a mass-media radon information and testing campaign conducted in the Washington, D.C. area in the winter of 1988. Although an impressive number of test kits (approximately 100,000) were sold, the ultimate mitigation rates resulting from the campaign were extremely low. Analyses show that low mitigation rates cannot be explained by postulating that people's responses to radon are insensitive to the level of objective risk. They may instead be due to characteristics of the protective response required to reduce radon risk. Radon may be thought of as one of a family of household risks which have risk response profiles that make them particularly difficult for people to manage and remediate. Traditional information campaigns for such risks are likely to be ineffective; instead, they may require regulatory strategies or programs which provide active guidance and assistance.     

‘First,get to know them’: a relational view of organizational socialization

An important episode in workplace learning is the socialization of newly hired people into the organization. Typically, the literature conceptualizes the socialization of new employees as a learning process whereby the newcomer is responsible for learning to fit into the organization. This perspective seems to underestimate the social influences of co-workers and managers. Research and theorizing on social exchange and interpersonal relationships identify the quality of relationships between members of a group as a fundamental factor moderating the quality and outcomes of other interactions related to learning and work. This paper presents the findings of a recent study of organizational socialization experienced by new engineers recently hired into a large, global manufacturing company based in the US. Results of this qualitative case study explore and explain the socialization process from a relational perspective providing compelling evidence that relationship building is a primary driver of the socialization process in organizations.     

Parent Perspectives on Intensive Intervention for Child Maltreatment

Multi-level intervention, based on an ecological perspective, has been promoted at the preferred model of providing parenting support to high-risk families. However, parent views regarding such interventions have not been determined. Focus groups consisting of 24 parents who had recently completed an intensive parenting program yielded results supporting multi-level interventions but highlighting processes rather than content within such programs as well as the reciprocal effect of particular level interventions. Processes identified at intervention levels included Affirming Parent Self-Worth, Non-Directive Instruction, Promoting Social Connections, and Empowering Communication. Increased understanding of and attending to processes in intensive intervention with high-risk families is indicated.     

Leadership within Australian voluntary sport organization boards

This article applies leader‐member exchange theory to the study of dyadic relationships between leaders (board chairs and paid executives) and members (volunteer board members) within the boards of Australian voluntary sport organizations. The article specifically examines leader‐member exchanges within a sample of six Queensland State sport organizations and their relationship with board performance. It was found that leadership within voluntary sport organization boards emanates from either board chairs or executives and that when the individuals fulfilling these roles are able to develop a mature working relationship, the board's ability to perform is enhanced. These findings extend our understanding of the importance of leadership roles held by volunteers and paid professionals for the achievement of organizational outcomes.     

What Disability Civil Rights Cannot Do: employment and political economy

The Americans with Disabilities Act is both a liberal civil rights bill and a labour economics bill meant to increase the employment of disabled persons. It identifies the source of unemployment in discriminatory attitudes of employers and physical barriers in the work environment, and promotes inclusion through the establishment of regulations that are intended to create 'equal opportunity' in the labour market. Such liberal reforms primarily focus on 'irrational' discriminatory attitudes. Operating within an individualist framework, civil rights have not given sufficient attention to structural barriers, which 'rational' business practices, the economic system and class power relationships erect. This paper will both micro- and macro-economic realities of US capitalism, which directly impede disabled peoples' employment and perpetuate a disabling society. The failure of rights legislation to increase disabled people's employment exposes the contradictions of promoting equal opportunity in a class-based (unequal) society.     

Fractional Factorial Designs for the Detection of Interactions between Design and Noise Factors

In industrial experiments on both design (control) factors and noise factors aimed at improving the quality of manufactured products, designs are needed which afford independent estimation of all design×noise interactions in as few runs as possible, while allowing aliasing between those factorial effects of less interest. An algorithm for generating orthogonal fractional factorial designs of this type is described for factors at two levels. The generated designs are appropriate for experimenting on individual factors or for experimentation involving group screening of factors.