Emotions and the Self: Depression and Identity Change

Emotions hold a central place in sociological understandings of the self, both as a facet of identity management and as an outcome of self‐processes. We extend identity theory and research on emotions by suggesting that emotion may be another source of identity change and examine this using a longitudinal sample of newly married couples, focusing on person identities and depression. We find that individuals' identities change to become consistent with others' views. We also find that the more depressive symptoms that individuals experience, the more negative their identities. The identity meanings that change, however, are different for men and women.     

Spatial heterogeneity in drinking water sources in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area (GAMA), Ghana

Population and Environment - Universal access to safe drinking water is essential to population health and well-being, as recognized in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). To develop targeted...     

Changes in productivity of Spanish university libraries

This paper analyzes productivity growth, technical progress, and efficiency change in a sample of 34 Spanish university libraries between 2003 and 2007. Data envelopment analysis and a Malmquist index are combined with a bootstrap method to provide statistical inference estimators of individual productivity, technical progress, pure efficiency, and scale efficiency scores. To calculate productivity, a three-stage service model has been developed, examining productivity changes in the relationships between the libraries' basic inputs, intermediate outputs, and final outputs. The results indicate a growth in the productivity of the libraries (relationship between basic inputs and intermediate outputs) and in the productivity of the service (relationship between basic inputs and final outputs). The growth in productivity in both relationships is due to technical progress. If the variable representing the use of electronic information resources is removed from the final output, the result is a significant reduction in productivity.     

Evaluating the Emergence of Reverse Intraverbals in Children with Autism

Verbal behavior plays a fundamental role in the development of complex social and communication skills. Many children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder exhibit profound deficiencies in intraverbal repertoires and the development of social relationships. Recent studies that investigated the effects of intraverbal training on the emergence of reverse intraverbals produced mixed results (e.g., Perez-Gonzalez et al., Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis 40:697–701, 2007)). In the current study, a multiple-probe design across four participants with autism was used to evaluate the effects of intraverbal training on the emergence of reverse intraverbals. Intraverbal training consisted of multiple exemplars taught concurrently, bidirectional stimulus-response teaching formats, general case analysis, reinforcement, and a constant prompt delay (CPD) procedure. Participants were trained on intraverbal targets and probes were conducted to assess emergence of untaught reverse intraverbals. Three participants demonstrated the emergence of reverse intraverbals as a result of the intraverbal training procedures. Social validity and maintenance of target responses and emergent reverse intraverbals were assessed.     

Defining Service Coordination: A Social Work Perspective

ABSTRACT

This pilot study explores the meaning of and factors that influence coordination as a first step toward conceptual refinement, theory development, and system interventions. Using data from treatment guidelines archived by the National Guideline Clearinghouse (n= 9) and semistructured interviews with social workers (n= 4), themes related to the definition, indicators, and perceptions of coordination were explored using a grounded theory approach. Data suggest the need for coordination is driven by complex client needs, but the quality of providers’ personal relationships influences coordination. Future research might examine the impact of standardization of roles, referral procedures, and treatment philosophies.     

Supporting older youth: what's policy got to do with it?

The nonschool hours are an underused tool in supporting older youth in their transition to adulthood. Given competing demands on many teens' time and a host of other developmental realities, effective strategies for engaging high schoolers look much different from those of their younger counterparts, and those differences have programmatic and policy implications. Effective youth policies reflect an overarching vision that is about changing lives--a vision that addresses a range of risk and protective factors, simultaneously supports discrete programs and builds coherent pathways to success, and recognizes that children and youth grow up in families and communities. This chapter highlights policy innovations related to teens' involvement in out-of-school-time activities and then looks at three principles that can help ensure that youth policy supports the full range of older youth's unique developmental, social, and economic needs.     

An Economic Analysis of the Gap Between Desired and Actual Fertility: The Case of Spain

Family size is the outcome of sequential decisions influenced both by preferences and by ongoing changes in the environment where a family lives. During the last two decades, the gap between the number of children women prefer and their actual fertility has widened in Spain. The paper uses the 1985 and 1999 Spanish Fertility Surveys to study whether the tightening of the labor market and worsening of economic conditions in Spain during the last 20 years are important determinants of this change. I find that women facing high unemployment rates in their mid-twenties tend to restrict their fertility below their ideal level. Among women in the labor force, the stability of a public sector job lessens the difficulties of balancing employment and family and of achieving preferred fertility. Temporary contracts work in the opposite direction. Findings are robust to the inclusion of controls for within-couple discrepancies in either preferences or religious affiliation.

Creative solutions: Innovative use of the arts in mental health settings

A recent study of occupational stress on the unit (Clare, 2004) highlighted that staff valued the importance of the socialization process in reducing their stress levels. This process incorporates the need for peer support and acceptance, and an understanding of what is expected of them (e.g., roles and responsibilities), supported by a culture of learning, problem solving, and working together. This process is similar to the approach taken by the arts project in nurturing ideas and initiatives in a safe, respectful way. It is apparent that the arts project has been more than just a creative activity; it has had wider implications for both staff and service users in reducing stress. It has: * Enabled staff retention. In fact, there is a waiting list of nurses wishing to work on the unit. * Reduced incidents of damage to property. * Reduced use of p.r.n. medication. * Enhanced the good reputation of the service, which is often commented on by visitors to the unit. The arts project promotes well-being and lifelong learning for the ward community through meaningful engagement in creative activity.