Personal construct psychology methods for qualitative research

In this paper we discuss the unique influences of ethics assessment procedures on comparative qualitative research. These influences are particularly pronounced when researchers are from different disciplines and in different countries. Focusing on our experience conducting a study on the perceptions of young people regarding HIV/AIDS in two countries (Italy and Canada), we describe the impact of the ethics assessment procedures in our respective countries on recruitment, sampling and comparability of findings. We also raise issues related to differences in ethics assessment processes from a disciplinary perspective. We conclude by suggesting that our theory of technique approach, which focuses on studying how the choices made in research implementation influence the study findings, should be extended to include the impact of ethics assessment procedures.     

ADOLESCENT GENDER IDEOLOGY SOCIALIZATION: DIRECT AND MODERATING EFFECTS OF FATHERS' BELIEFS

Previous research examining the intergenerational transmission of gender ideology focuses generally on the influence of mothers' beliefs. This article extends the understanding of gender ideology construction and transmission in two important ways. Utilizing data from the child sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 206), we examine the construction of adolescent gender ideology via mothers' and fathers' gender beliefs. Further, we consider the interaction between maternal and paternal ideologies as they influence adolescent ideology. Findings suggest that paternal ideology plays a strong role in adolescent ideology formation, both directly and as a moderator of maternal influence.     

Barriers to Environmental Sacrifice: The Interaction of Free Rider Fears with Education,Income, and Ideology

Sacrificing individual material interests for collective benefits involves trust that others will act in good faith. Inherent to situations concerning collective goods is the problem of the free rider that plagues collective action: the individual who maximizes their short-term interests at the cost of the greater good. Prior research in environmental sociology has identified various social structural factors predicting pro-environmental behavior and concern, while research on social dilemmas has explored the role of trust in determining cooperation in situations regarding collective goods. This research draws upon these areas of scholarship to examine the interaction between free rider fears with education, income, and ideology in determining the willingness of Americans to sacrifice individual interest for environmental protection through an analysis of 2010 General Social Survey data. Findings help differentiate the engagement of pro-environmental behavior from general environmental concern, with the fear of free riders particularly impacting the highly educated and ideological liberals.     

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.     

Working Beyond 65: Predictors of Late Retirement for Women and Men MBAs

Comparisons of those who planned to continue working after the age of 65 with those who did not were made for 145 women and 414 men working in managerial fields. All received MBA degrees between the years of 1973 and 1982. About 20% definitely wanted to work after age 65. More positive views of work were predictive of wanting to continue working as was having nontraditional gender-role attitudes. Men who planned to continue working were particularly likely to have a spouse wanting to work past the age of 65. Several other factors appeared to operate differently for women and men.     

Behavioral Self-Monitoring of Safety and Productivity in the Workplace: A Methodological Primer and Quantitative Literature Review

Workplace applications of behavioral self-monitoring (BSM) methods have been studied periodically for over 35 years, yet the literature has never been systematically reviewed. Recent occupational safety interventions including BSM resulted in relatively large behavior changes. Moreover, BSM methods are functional for addressing a broad range of occupational health psychology topics. Studies (n = 24) where workers self-monitored productivity or safety behaviors were reviewed and scored along dimensions relevant to research and practice. For intervention conditions (n = 38), standardized effect sizes ranged from 0.2 to 14.5 (weighted average d = 2.8). The results encourage the use of BSM in workplace interventions, but the literature has insufficiently addressed the isolated and additive effects of BSM, worker involvement and individual differences, assessment applications, and theory testing and development.     

Record keeping practices: Consequences of accounting demands in a public clinic

This observational study explores the tensions and negative consequences of record construction for patients and front-line staff in a public clinic providing services to poor women and children. For emphasis, it is possible to say that the routine of the clinic is record driven, not service driven. More is accomplished in clinic work than producing records; patients certainly do receive needed health care. However, tight regulations filtered through heavy paperwork requirements stifle the effective delivery of comprehensive, flexible services especially needed by disadvantaged families. Clinic staff may be motivated to attend to individual patient concerns, but accounting demands generally circumscribe their work and create barriers for patients. The record has a life of its own as a socially constructed artifact in the process of caregiving in bureaucratic settings, where actual services often respond not to the client, but to the countable, accountable mandates of management.     

Seven types of marriage: empirical typology based on enrich*

Using ENRICH, a computerized marriage assessment tool (Olson, Fournier & Druckman, 1986), data from 8,385 couples was collected across nine dimensions of their marriage. The data was analyzed in two phases-cluster structure seeking and classification phases-by three different clustering methods (inverse factor analysis, hierarchical agglomerative, and k-means cluster analysis). Seven types of marriage were identified: Devitalized couples (40%), Financially focused couples (11%), Conflicted couples (14%), Traditional couples (10%), Balanced couples (8%), Harmonious couples (8%), and Vitalized couples (9%). The multidimensional profiles are described in relation to global measure of marital satisfaction, demographic characteristics, and clinical and research implications.     

A Comprehensive Employment Model for Low-Income Mothers

Recognizing that mothers continue to bear the primary responsibility for household production, comprehensive logit models are developed to predict employment for low-income mothers. The models include a wide array of possible employment impediments, including individual, family environment, and community variables. Lack of family resource management, a variable not previously investigated in employment prediction, is found to be a significant impediment to employment. Under welfare reform, low-income mothers must balance family and work demands under severe resource constraints. Family resource management appears to play a crucial role in this balancing process. In addition, the local unemployment rate is found to be a significant predictor of employment.