Gender or Occupational Status: What Counts More for Well-Being at Work?

The aim of this study is to provide cross-cultural empirical support that endorses the scientific nature of Quality of Life (QoL), which a review of definitions reveals as a nomothetic and multidimensional concept (personal and environmental circumstances), made up of a set of subjective and objective indicators. Although this is commonly accepted, many instruments and authors reduce it to subjective and personal conditions. Bearing in mind the aim described, multi-group Structural Equation Modelling analysis was applied to two representative samples made up of 1217 participants aged over 60 from Mexico and Spain, recruited both at random (through the random route procedure), who completed the CUBRECAVI (Brief Questionnaire of Quality of Life). In this model two third-order latent variables are considered for QoL: personal and external factors, both made up of objective and subjective indicators. As predicted, the results permit us to state that the structural model is invariant across the two countries—that is, although the QoL construct has the same structure in the two countries, the importance of the indicators (factor loadings) and the relationships between them are not equivalent.     

Indigenous persons with disability in remote Australia: research methodology and Indigenous community control

Abstract

Decolonisation aims to deconstruct the hegemonic traditional Western academic practices and values that oppress Indigenous peoples. Decolonising research methodologies is a relatively new practice in disability research in colonised nations. This paper details the Indigenous community-controlled research methodology that underpinned a disability research project with the Anangu and Yarnangu of Central Australia, ‘Walykumunu Nyinaratjaku: To Live a Good Life’. The project aimed to identify and explore how to support Indigenous people with a disability in the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Lands to live a good life. The research was structured on a decolonising methodology to situate the control and governance of the research with the Indigenous peoples. Our experience could assist other disability researchers working with Indigenous peoples in remote communities.     

The School-Based Family: Teachers as Parental Figures for Orphans and Vulnerable Children in Ugandan Schools

The purpose of this study was to examine the possible formation of surrogate families within Ugandan schools, especially among orphans who lack positive development opportunities typically provided by parents. This qualitative study sample of 66 Ugandan secondary school students were selected from eight schools in the Mukono district of Uganda. Findings suggest a potentially widespread family formation pattern between students and their teachers. More than 75% of students interviewed self-identified their teacher as family. Some teachers were able to offer orphans and vulnerable children positive developmental assets and were, therefore, identified as family.     

Baby with the Bathwater? Examining the Relationship between Video Game Use and Relationship Outcomes and the Moderating Effects of Attachment Behaviors among Married Casual Gamers

We examined whether time together as a problem mediates the link between frequency of video game use and relational outcomes (relationship quality, relational aggression, physical aggression) among 431 married couples. We also examined the moderating effect of couple attachment behaviors on the association between time together as a problem and outcomes. There was no support for a direct or indirect relationship between gaming and outcomes; however, time together as a problem was consistently related to outcomes. Additionally, husband's and wife's attachment behaviors moderated the association between women's reports of time together as a problem and men's relational aggression. Clinical implications are discussed.     

“Opening the door”: developing and pilot testing an adult protective services worker engagement training in New York city

About 10% of Americans over the age of 60 experience elder abuse (EA), but EA is frequently under detected. As the primary responders for alleged EA cases, Adult Protective Service (APS) caseworkers are ideally positioned to improve detection and intervention. The Opening the Door (OTD) training was developed in a multidisciplinary setting and designed in collaboration with APS workers to enhance their engagement skills in potential EA cases and thus maximize the possibility of disclosure. Rooted in a relational approach and utilizing adult learning theory, it is divided into three main topics: Preparing for Engagement, Engagement Practice, and Processing Engagement. The eight-hour training was piloted with three groups of urban APS caseworkers with a wide range of work experience. Pre- and post-tests and case reflections indicate a positive impact on caseworkers' sense of self-efficacy, while focus groups indicate the necessity for ongoing provision of trainings and development of additional supports for APS caseworkers. Future work could further explore the efficacy of the training and expand its reach.     

Outcomes of a model care coordination program for adults with mental illness under guardianship/conservatorship

Adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, who are under guardianship/conservatorship, may experience health care, social, financial, and housing concerns, which can be addressed by care coordination programs. In such programs, providers assist with communication across service sectors, assistance with monitoring of psychiatric care, and support with practical needs. Such programs are understudied in the context of guardianship/conservatorship. Through a review of electronic records for 217 consumers who were enrolled in a model program continuously for 3 years or more, we examined trends before and after enrollment in a model care coordination program for adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses under guardianship/conservatorship. We sought to describe the number of days and rates of hospitalization, emergency room visits, and arrests before and after receiving program services. Comparing utilization among consumers three years pre- to three years post-enrollment, we identified statistically significant reductions in hospitalizations and imprisonment, but no change in state hospitalizations. We also saw some (non-significant) reduction in emergency room visits. Findings provide preliminary evidence of effectiveness of the model program; future efforts could expand its reach to more adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses.     

‘I Was Attracted to Him Because of His Money’: Changing Forms of Polygyny in Contemporary Papua New Guinea

Substantial economic transition in Papua New Guinea (PNG) is giving rise to increased wealth, rapid social change and changing cultural practices. Polygyny practices in PNG have come under increasing domestic attention in recent years, especially as pertains to reinforcing patriarchy and exacerbating gender inequality. Based on qualitative research with women, we identify a new ‘emerging polygyny’ that is located in women’s and girls’ choices, decisions, experiences and actions, and which contrasts with other research documenting polygyny from men’s perspectives. Narratives from female participants described young women and girls who actively seek polygynous relationships with men who have disposable income and other assets, with the aim of gaining access to economic wealth as co-wives. In the context of public and legal debate about the status of polygyny in PNG, these findings illustrate the need for a more balanced discussion about polygynous relationships, located within an understanding of women’s lived experiences.     

Why engage?

Foundations, consultants, and nonprofit managers have become interested in learning more about how to create effective strategies and interventions to strengthen nonprofit management and organizational capacity. In this article, we examine the extent to which organizational theory can explain the motivation to engage in different types of capacity‐building efforts. Using data gathered from focus groups and interviews with nonprofit executives, foundation executives, and capacity‐building professionals, we illustrate that while different organizational theories can explain the incentive to engage in capacity building, no single theory can truly capture the complexity of the decision‐making process. We show how a multitheoretical approach not only allows us to explain the evolution of capacity‐building efforts over time, but also helps us to identify and explain the problems that can be created by misinterpreting the incentive to engage in building individual and institutional capacity.     

Requests, Blocking Moves, and Rational (Inter)action in Survey Introductions

We draw on conversation analytic methods and research to explicate the interactional phenomenon of requesting in general and the specific case of requesting participation in survey interviews. Recent work on survey participation has given much attention to leverage-saliency theory, but has not engaged how the key concepts of this theory are exhibited in the actual unfolding interaction of interviewers and potential respondents. We do so using digitally recorded and transcribed calls to recruit participation in the 2004 Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. We describe how potential respondents present interactional environments that are relatively discouraging or encouraging, and how, in response, interviewers may be relatively cautious or presumptive in their requesting actions. We consider how the ability of interviewers to tailor their behavior to their interactional environment can affect whether the introduction reaches the point at which a request to participate is made, the form that this request takes, and the sample person's response. Our analysis contributes to understanding how we might use insights from the analysis of interaction to increase cooperation with requests to participate in surveys.