Les apprentissages du changement dans l'entreprise polonaise. Entre continuité et rupture

Two major currents of theory have striven to explain the driving force behind the post-Communist transformation in central Europe since 1989. Based on the absolute rationality of actors, the so-called standard approach implies radical public policies that mark a break with the legacy from the preceding period. However it has turned out to be unable to account for the permanence of certain elements from the past. The “path-dependence” approach tries to understand institutional continuities as a reworking of accumulated experiences. However it has not managed to explain phenomena signaling a radical break in behavior patterns. This analysis of a technological change in a Polish firm combines the two dimensions of rupture and continuity by distinguishing between the introduction of change and forms of adaptation and learning by various categories of actors.     

Vaginal douching among university women in the southeastern United States

OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed the knowledge, beliefs about, and practices of vaginal douching among women attending 2 universities in the southeastern United States. PARTICIPANTS: There were 416 participants in this study; 46.9% were black and 44.5% were white. METHODS: The authors administered a 30-item questionnaire to women enrolled in health-related and social science courses at 2 southeastern universities. RESULTS: Approximately 38% of participants reported vaginal douching, mostly for hygienic reasons (70.7%). Most women first learned about douching from their mother. Douching was more common and more frequent among black women (48%) than among white women (27%). Age of first douche correlated positively with age of first sexual intercourse and age of first period. CONCLUSION: Women who had been informed not to douche by a healthcare professional were less likely to have douched within the past 6 months than were women who were not given this information. Misconceptions about douching are common and should be addressed by healthcare professionals.     

Effects of government policies on the work of home care personnel and their occupational health and safety

The health sector in Québec (Canada) is dealing with profound macro-economic and macro-organizational changes. This article is interested in the impact of these changes on the work of home health aides (HHAs) and home care nurses and their occupational health and safety (OHS). The study was carried out in the home care services (HCS) of four local community service centres (CLSC) with different organizational characteristics. It is based on an analysis by triangulation of 66 individual and group interviews, 22 observed workdays and 35 observed multidisciplinary or professional meetings, as well as on administrative documents. HHAs are experiencing an erosion of their job because the relational and affective aspects of their work are disappearing. This may be due to an increase in their physical workload, leading to an increase in musculoskeletal problems and, to a lesser extent, in psychological health problems. Nurses are seeing an increase in the volume of invisible work that they have to do, which also has the effect of decreasing the relational aspects of their activity. The increasingly numerous psychological health problems are the consequence of this change in their profession. This study also shows that managers' decisions at the local level can reduce or increase the work constraints of HHAs and nurses. Examples of good practices for HHAs are the stabilization of clienteles and the possibility of organizing their itinerary, while for nurses, it is in how clientele follow-up tools are implemented. This article discusses the effects of government policies and decisions on the work and OHS of home care personnel. To address this subject, we use a specific analysis of the workload of home health aides (HHAs) and nurses. We will show the relationships between managers' organizational choices to respond to governmental constraints and the resulting work changes. We will also look at their consequences on occupational health and safety (OHS) and on the work of different personnel.     

Mild Intellectual Disability Associated with a Progeny of Father-Daughter Incest: Genetic and Environmental Considerations

We report the case of a 34-year-old female resulting from a father-daughter sexual abuse and presenting a phenotype of mild intellectual disability with minor dysmorphic features. Karyotyping showed a normal 46, XX constitution. Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) revealed a heterozygote 320kb 6p22.3 microdeletion in the proband, encompassing only one known gene, and therefore unlikely to be the cause of the phenotype. However, the role of other genetic factors, such as a recessive condition, could not be ruled out as a putative cause for the phenotype. On the other hand, the role played by a heavily detrimental familial situation on the development and outcome, and possibly leading or contributing to a mild intellectual disability, should be taken into account.     

Materials relating to east European Jewish history and culture in the archives of the former Soviet Union

YOM KIPPLTR AND AFTER

YOM KIPPUR AND AFTER. THE SOVIET UNION AND THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS, by Galia Golan. London, Cambridge University Press, 1977. ix + 350 pp. Index. £9.00

LITERARY PORTRAITS OF A BYGONE AGE

OCHERKI I PORTRETY. STAT'I O EVREYSKIKH PISATELYAKH (Essays and Portraits. Articles on Yiddish Writers), by G. Remenik. Moscow, Sovetsky pisatel, 1975. 422 pp.

MARXISM AND RELIGION: THE STRUGGLE FOR MAN'S SOUL

MARXISM AND RELIGION IN EASTERN EUROPE. Papers presented at the Banff International Slavic Conference, September 4–7, 1974, ed. by R. T. de George and J. P. Scanlan. Dordrecht — Holland; Boston — USA, Reidel, 1976. xvi + 181 pp. Index. (Sovietica 36.) Dfl. 70.00, US $27.00.

ANTIRELIGIOUS PROPAGANDA IN THE SOVIET UNION. A STUDY OF MASS PERSUASION, by David E. Powell. Cambridge, Mass.; London, England, MIT Press, 1975. xi + 206 pp. Illus. Appendices. Bibl. Index. £13.75.

EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE WARSAW GHETTO

LUDZIE Z DZIELNICY ZAMKNIETEJ. ZYDZI W WARSZAWIE W OKRESIE HITLEROWSKIEJ OKUPACJI, PAZDZIERNIK 1939‐MARZEC 1943 (People in the Quarter. Jews in Warsaw During the Nazi Occupation, October 1939‐March 1943?), by Ruta Sakowska. Warsaw, PWN for the Jewish Historical Institute in Poland, 1975. 399 pp. Illus.

A SLANTED HISTORY OF POLISH COMMUNISM

THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF POLAND (Second Edition), by M. K. Dziewanowski. London, 1976. 419 pp. Index. £10.50.     

Migration of Professional Social Workers: Reflections on Challenges and Strategies for Education

International migration of social workers has had, in recent years, a substantial influence on the political agenda of different countries in the world, and is fraught with challenges. In some countries, recruitment of internationally qualified social workers has even become an important strategy to meet staffing demands and to fill shortages in the social work profession. This paper aims to promote debate on the key role of social work educators in assisting social work students and practitioners to practise within both a national and an international context, by reflecting on specific practice examples from Canada, England and South Africa. We explore challenges, as well as possible strategies for adaptation in new contexts, such as the facilitation of additional training, globally comparable social work programmes, and the development of a stronger professional identity, based on integrated social work values. We conclude that by enabling a stronger professional identity through the development of professional virtues, social workers will be empowered to become more confident practitioners and internationally more adaptable.     

Effect of Seminar on Compassion on student self-compassion,mindfulness and well-being: A randomized controlled trial

ABSTRACT

Objective: Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to have psychological benefits in college students. We explored the effects of an academic Seminar on Compassion on student psychological health. Participants: Forty-one participants (14 male, 27 female, mean age 19.8 ± 1.4 years) were assessed pre- and post- spring semesters 2013 and 2014. Methods: Students were randomized to the Seminar on Compassion or a wait-list control group. Participants completed self-report measures on anxiety, depression, perceived stress, self-compassion, compassion and mindfulness. Salivary alpha-amylase was also assessed. Results: At baseline, self-compassion and mindfulness were negatively correlated with depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. There were significant changes between the intervention and control group from Time 1 to Time 2 in mindfulness, self-compassion, compassion, and salivary alpha-amylase; however, there were no significant changes in depression, anxiety, and perceived stress. Conclusions: The course was effective in increasing mindfulness, self-compassion and compassion, and decreasing a salivary marker of stress.     

Factors Affecting Choice and Satisfaction: Social Work in Turkey

ABSTRACT

The study examines the relationship between professional choices and employment expectations of social worker trainees in the country of Turkey. Professional choices are examined according to gender and the relationship between employment expectations and satisfaction. This study examined responses with a comparative relational scanning model with a sample of 692 social service (social worker) trainees studying at four different universities in Turkey. Students were surveyed and answered 25 open- and closed-ended questions identifying aspects related to their career choice. Study findings reveal that gender, university entrance scores, and employability were high among the career selection factors. Additional factors identified included family-related factors, personality traits, and compatibility. Examination of the findings is discussed, and recommendations for further research are made.     

IASWG Standards for Social Work Practice with Groups: The Case of Quebec Practices

The International Association for Social Work with Groups (IASWG) proposes Standards of social group work that are intended to act as minimum standards that can be applied internationally. The aim of this article is to examine group work practices in Quebec in the light of IASWG Standards. To address this question, secondary analysis of existing data from a study undertaken in Quebec is presented. Results indicate that group work practices in Quebec tend to be rather structured (e.g., selection criteria, norms). The discussion shows that the IASWG Standards are useful for critically examining Quebec practices but also provides information that could contribute to the improvement of these Standards.     

Rehabilitation Programs for Elderly Women Inpatients with Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

This study aims to describe rehabilitation and resocialization methods we believe to be appropriate for application to female patients with schizophrenia, in a psychiatric unit with a predominantly older population. We briefly describe the unit and the interventions used as an example of the proposed rehabilitation and resocialization methods applied. The article provides an overview to guide accurate intervention, particularly in inpatient women, in different types of cognitive impairment under the broad category of schizophrenia. Our clinical approach includes a token economy approach, cognitive remediation therapy, and social skills training. The token economy intervention is particularly directed to patients that present with a high mental deterioration and/or debility. Cognitive remediation training is applicable to subjects with both cognitive and social dysfunction, but that do not possess signs of an organic cerebral illness or of substance abuse. Social skills training can be the third step to resocialization, training verbal and nonverbal communication competencies.