Evaluation and communication: using a communication audit to evaluate organizational communication

This article identifies a surprising dearth of studies that explicitly link communication and evaluation at substantive, theoretical, and methodological levels. A three-fold typology of evaluation studies referring to communication is proposed and examples given. The importance of organizational communication in program delivery is stressed and illustrative studies reviewed. It is proposed that organizational communication should be considered in all program evaluations and that this should be approached through communication audit. Communication audits are described with particular reference to established survey questionnaire instruments. Two case studies exemplify the use of such instruments in the evaluation of educational and social programs.     

Equity and sexual satisfaction in recently married couples

This study was designed to determine whether or not equity considerations are important in couples' sexual relations. To answer this question, 53 newlywed couples were interviewed about their sexual relationships. Two main hypotheses were tested: (a) Men and women who feel their relationships are equitable will be more content (less distressed) than people who feel either overbenefited or underbenefited. (b) Men and women who feel equitably treated will have more satisfying sexual relations than those who feel either underbenefited or overbenefited. Some support for both hypotheses was obtained. Specifically, couples in equitable relationships were more content with their relationships and with their lives in general than other couples. In addition, equitably treated men and women were more satisfied with their sexual relationships overall than were other couples. They felt most loving and close after sex and assumed their partner felt that way too. While equitable couples did not say they felt more satisfied immediately after a sexual encounter than did other couples, they believed their partners were unusually satisfied. Reasons why these findings, though providing some support for the equity paradigm, must be interpreted with caution are discussed.     

Parent-Adolescent Ethnic Identity Discrepancies and Adolescent Psychosocial Maladjustment: A Study of Gender Differences

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of parent–adolescent ethnic identity disparities on the psychosocial adjustment of an ethnically diverse sample (n = 174, female = 96) of adolescents (M = 16.05, SD = 1.30). Findings from this investigation suggest gender differences in links between parent and adolescent acculturation disparities and psychosocial maladjustment. Whereas parent–child conflict regarding affiliating with the dominant group was associated with higher levels of depression and social stress for females, this was not the case for males. Implications for social workers providing services to youth and families struggling to acculturate are discussed.     

Considering the practical implementation of constructivist grounded theory in a study of widening participation in Irish higher education

This paper considers the practical implementation of constructivist grounded theory principles in a study of widening participation in Irish higher education. Following a brief introduction to the research study upon which this paper draws, a rationale is provided for the use of grounded theory and the objectivist–constructivist nexus is examined. Grounded theory was regarded as a valuable methodology to employ in the area of social justice-oriented widening participation research; however, objectivist approaches were found to be problematic. This paper identifies key principles informing a constructivist grounded theory research design and subsequently focuses on what these principles might ‘look like’, in practice, through an exploration of three key processes I employed in my grounded theory study. These processes provide examples of how researchers might adapt grounded theory methods, in a constructivist fashion, to better align the methodology with social justice-oriented research.     

Chronic stressors and daily hassles: unique and interactive relationships with psychological distress

Using daily telephone interviews of a U.S. national sample of adults, aged 25-74 (N = 1,031), the present analyses draw from theories of the stress process and recent research to examine how chronic role-related stressors and daily hassles affect psychological distress. Four separate hypotheses are examined. The first explores the association between chronic stressors and daily hassles. The second tests whether daily hassles function as an intervening variable between chronic stressors and psychological distress. The third tests whether a chronic stressor moderates the relationship between daily hassles and psychological distress. The fourth hypothesis tests for cross-domain effects of chronic stressors and daily hassles. Findings indicate that chronic stressors and daily hassles are distinct types of stressors with unique contributions to psychological distress. The study provides support for chronic home stressors functioning as a moderating factor on the relationship between daily hassles and psychological distress both within and across domains.     

Development of a screen for ongoing intimate partner violence

A five-question Ongoing Abuse Screen (OAS) was developed to evaluate ongoing intimate partner violence. Our hypothesis was that the OAS was more accurate and more likely to reflect ongoing intimate partner violence than the AAS when compared to the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA). The survey included the ISA, the OAS, and the AAS. During the busiest emergency department hours, a sampling of 856 patients completed all aspects of the survey tool. Comparisons were made between the two scales and the ISA. The accuracy, positive predictive value, and positive likelihood ratio were 84%, 58%, and 6.0 for the OAS and 59%, 33%, and 2.0 for the AAS. The OAS was more accurate, had a better positive predictive value, and was three times more likely to detect victims of ongoing intimate partner violence than the AAS. Because the OAS was still not accurate enough, we developed a new screen, based on the ISA, titled the Ongoing Violence Assessment Tool (OVAT).     

Critical phases among adoptees and their families: Implications for therapy

A growing body of literature indicates that families with adopted children seek mental health care for the adoptive and other family members more frequently and for different reasons than biologically-bound families. This paper addresses the struggles and corrective strategies for adoptive families at various levels of their development.