Clarifying the concept of the “Social” in risk assessments for human subjects research

International guidelines for the conduct of research with human participants, such as those put forth by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS, 2002), recommend that research review committees account for social risk and benefits to society in their review of proposed research. What do the concepts of the “social” and “society” mean in the context of the review of human participants research? Here we analyze concepts of social and society to define the terms: social harm, social risk, social benefit, and benefits to society. We argue that use of these terms invite more questions than answers and beg for difficult empirical research to determine the nature, likelihood, and magnitude of this category of risk and benefit. Until more research is done and these questions are answered, we advise reviewers to adopt an attitude of provisionalism and caution in their review of specifically “social” risks and benefits and “benefits to society.”     

Sex Differences in the Relationship between Harsh Discipline and Conduct Problems

Research on sex differences in antisocial behaviour may shed light on the causes of childhood antisocial behaviour. Using a longitudinal design, we tested whether there were sex differences in the amount of harsh discipline children received or in the effect of harsh discipline and whether this accounted for sex differences in later conduct problems. Our sample was a representative, longitudinal sample of 13 830 twins born in England and Wales between 1994 and 1996. Results showed that boys experienced more harsh discipline than girls and that the sex difference in harsh discipline accounted for 10 percent to 20 percent of the sex difference in conduct problems. We found no evidence that harsh discipline had a greater effect on boys vs. girls. We also found evidence of a bidirectional relationship between harsh discipline and child conduct problems. These findings were replicated within families, automatically controlling for between‐families confounding factors.     

Barriers to collaboration on behalf of children with challenging behaviours: a large qualitative study of five constituent groups

Inter‐agency collaboration is seen as an effective way to support children and families with multiple and complex needs. Children in out‐of‐home care, especially those exhibiting challenging and disruptive behaviour, often require the services of multiple agencies. Ninety‐two South Australian stakeholders experienced in supporting children in out‐of‐home care were interviewed about their experience of collaborative practice, using the specific example of supporting children with extremely challenging behaviour. Participants were teachers, foster parents, child welfare workers, child mental health professionals and residential care workers. Thematic analysis revealed several tensions inherent in such collaboration. Results are discussed in terms of their unique implications for managing challenging behaviour, and suggestions are made for improving collaborative approaches to behaviour and multi‐agency practice.     

Islamic perspectives in social work education: Implications for teaching and practice

In the field of further education, social work is beginning to be accepted as an academic and vocational discipline in many countries across the world. Indigenous practice has greatly contributed to a plurality of perspectives adding to diversity of social work knowledge and adding new facets to traditional social work values and interventions. The authors predict that the current dearth of academic material on Islamic perspectives in social work will be more fully addressed in the near future. In the meantime, a personal viewpoint of the dilemmas and ambiguity in social work education in the Islamic context of Malaysia is offered.     

Effects of early maternal employment on maternal health and well-being

This study uses data from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study on Early Child Care to examine the effects of maternal employment on maternal mental and overall health, self-reported parenting stress, and parenting quality. These outcomes are measured when children are 6?months old. Among mothers of 6-month-old infants, maternal work hours are positively associated with depressive symptoms and parenting stress and negatively associated with self-rated overall health. However, maternal employment is not associated with quality of parenting at 6?months, based on trained assessors’ observations of maternal sensitivity.     

Playing with Sims as a Space of One's Own

Studies of women's use of popular media have highlighted how these contested genres may be used by women to create a space of their own. Is this also the case when the media text in question is a digital game and the community around it moves online? Investigated via a netnographic approach, this article analyses the articulated experiences of playing The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 in relation to how the players perceive the activity's function in their everyday lives. Seven emic categories are identified and discussed in the inductive analysis, namely “relaxation and dealing with stress,” “playing according to mood,” “managing and taking control,” “experimentation,” “get what one does not have,” “making something one's own,” and “creative outlet.” A central denominator of these seven categories is the notion of a space of one's own in the widest sense of the phrase. In the discussed accounts playing becomes a way not only to escape other obligations for a while but also in various ways to work with the self and its place in everyday life.