Shy but Getting By? An Examination of the Complex Links Among Shyness,Coping, and Socioemotional Functioning in Childhood

The purpose of the current study was to test a conceptual model of the mediated and moderated associations among shyness, coping strategies, and socioemotional functioning in middle childhood. Participants were 358 children (177 boys) aged 9–13 years (M = 10.16 years, SD =.95). Children completed self‐report assessments of shyness, coping style in response to a social stressor, internalizing problems, and peer difficulties. Among the results, shyness was positively associated with internalizing symptoms and negatively related to perceptions of peer difficulties. However, both of these associations were partially mediated by internalizing coping styles. Moreover, problem‐solving coping moderated these mediated pathways: among children who reported higher levels of problem‐solving coping, the associations between internalizing coping and outcomes were attenuated. Several gender differences also emerged, suggesting that problem‐solving coping may be particularly useful for shy boys. Results are discussed in terms of the complex but potentially critical role of coping in shy children's socioemotional functioning.     

Policing “Domestic Disturbances” in Small Towns and Rural Communities: Implications for Officer and Victim Safety

Drawing on Canadian police data on homicide involving domestic dispute calls from 1960 to the present (n = 20), as well as on in‐depth interviews with police officers (n = 33) working in rural and remote communities, the authors reexamine the argument that police attendance at domestic disturbance calls can pose a special threat to officer safety. Although some scholarship suggests that purported risks have been overstated, the authors argue that location may be a critical factor in reducing or heightening not only risks to officers, but also to victims. Although intended as an exploratory work, situated within the context of cultural support for domestic violence in rural communities, the authors raise both interesting policy implications, as well as potential avenues for future research. En partant de données de la police canadienne sur les homicides impliquant des disputes familiales de 1960 à nos jours (n = 20), ainsi que sur des entrevues en profondeur avec des agents policiers (n = 33) travaillant dans des régions rurales et des communautés éloignées, les auteurs ré‐examinent l'argument voulant que les interventions policières lors d'appels liés à des problèmes domestiques posent un risque spécial pour les agents policiers. Même si certains spécialistes suggèrent que ces risques sont exagérés, les auteurs affirment que le lieu pourrait être un facteur important par rapport au niveau de risque pour les agents policiers, ainsi que les victimes. Même s'il s'agit d'une recherche exploratoire, se situant dans le contexte du soutient culturel de la violence domestique dans les communautés rurales, les auteurs s'intéressent à la fois aux implications en termes de gestion et aux directions possibles en termes de recherches futures.     

College students with congenital heart disease: A critical time for transition

As medical and surgical advances improve, more young adults with congenital heart disease (CHD) are attending college. This case study illustrates some of the issues that these young adults may face as they attend college and discusses the role that college health practitioners can play in easing that transition. Participants: A case of a male with CHD presenting to the college health clinic with a new onset headache. Methods: The authors discuss some of the unique challenges that college health practitioners may face when caring for students with CHD. In addition, they make recommendations on how best to care for these patients and how best to coordinate care with CHD students other care providers. Results: This student with a history of coarctation of the aorta presented with new onset headaches and was found to have high blood pressure. He was diagnosed with recurrent coarctation, underwent percutaneous treatment with stenting and quickly resumed classes. Conclusions: As more students with CHD enter college, college health providers will need to understand some of the health risks that CHD students face. In addition, understanding some of the optimal ways to coordinate care with CHD providers can ease the transition that CHD students face as they enter college.     

Transformations in social work: From help towards social inclusion to the management of exclusion

The debate about the forms of increasing social exclusion in the developed western industrialized nations is the starting-point of this paper. This is followed by a discussion of the possible and likely consequences of social exclusion for social work theory and practice. It is suggested that on the social-theoretical basis of Luhmanns Systems Theory, social work can be investigated as the practice of averting exclusion, facilitating inclusion, and the management of exclusion in functionally differentiated societies. Against this background it is argued that social work as a form of secondary protection, both theoretically and practically, has to be related to the modes of inclusion and exclusion of social systems and organizations. In order to provide a theoretical clarification of the social tasks and opportunities of social work it is therefore necessary to conduct a precise analysis of the structures, forms, and processes of social inclusion and exclusion. At present it seems likely that, because of general societal developments, the increasing extent of exclusion and the intensification of exclusionary effects will lead to a situation in which social work will be restricted to the function of the management of exclusion.     

A comparative analysis of public sector restructuring in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean

We examine public sector restructuring in North America and selected Commonwealth Caribbean nations. Although all the countries studied experienced significant restruc-turing in response to public debt pressures, there were major differences across coun-tries in the magnitude, pace, form, and the manner in which restructuring decisions were made. These differences reflect the state of economic development and institu-tional characteristics, e.g., the role of the state and the industrial relations system. In developing countries, international lending institutions played a major role in trans-forming the role of the state. In developed countries, the inherent stability of the eco-nomic systems and institutional pressures led to a gradualist approach to restructuring.     

Förderung sozialer Ressourcen — eine gemeindepsychologische Perspektive

The subject of ?resources‘ has become a much discussed topic, even a buzzword, in the fields of counselling and psychotherapy in recent years. A problem-oriented approach is called for with equal perspectives which emphasize the positive sides of a person in terms of strengths and empowerment. Community psychology expands on this view of counselling and therapeutic work by focussing on context-related resources and how they balance with the individual potential of a person. Special attention has been placed on social resources which have been formed through the social network. In recent years, there have been a number of tested methods supporting networking. They indicate a suitable, resource-oriented approach complementing clinical psychological counselling.     

Exploring Rotation Placements for Social Work: A Focus on Student and Supervisor Experiences

Increasing demand for social work placements in a climate of decreasing availability has intensified the search for capacity-building models of field education. Rotation placements may be part of the solution, yet little is currently known about how rotations affect the experience of field education in the context of block placements. A study of 128 Master of Social Work (MSW) students and 92 supervisors provided insights into the experience of rotation placements in five Australian hospitals. The study adopted a mixed-methods design using online surveys followed by postplacement interviews over 3 years. The findings show that experiences were mixed. However, there were also some common themes that help inform what might work, for whom, and under what circumstances.