Fear of people with mental illnesses: the role of personal and impersonal contact and exposure to threat or harm

Vignette and laboratory experiments suggest that negative reactions to people with mental illness are a direct consequence of their symptomatic behavior, but because of their poor external validity, these studies cannot tell us whether widespread negative public reactions to people with mental illness actually result from observation of symptomatic behavior. Focusing on perceived danger, we use a large national survey to test the "behavior hypothesis" in the general population. We reason that, if this hypothesis is correct, contact with people with mental illnesses should be associated with more perceived danger, and exposure to threat or harm should mediate this association. On the contrary, respondents with more personal and impersonal contact perceive people with mental illness to be less dangerous. Exposure to threat is more common among people with more contact, but this exposure explains very little of the variance in perceived danger. These findings do not support the conclusion that public fear of people with mental illness is due to the observation of violent behavior.     

The effect of 6 months training on leg power, balance, and functional mobility of independently living adults over 70 years old

Where strength training has been used in conjunction with functional-task training in older people, not only have there been improvements in leg strength but also improved function has been measured (e.g., Skelton & McLaughlin, 1996). Many studies use participants from care homes rather than community dwellers. We investigated changes in leg power, balance, and functional mobility in community-dwelling sedentary men and women over 70 years of age (n = 6 for training group [TR]; n = 10 for control group [CN]). Progressive training took place over 24 weeks using seated and nonseated exercise. For TR, leg power increased 40%, from 108 +/- 40 to 141 +/- 53 W (p < .01); dynamic balance increased 48%, from 22.3 +/- 7.9 to 33.1 +/- 6.1 cm (p < .01; functional reach); and functional mobility increased 12%, from 7.46 +/- 1.32 to 6.54 +/- 1.41 s (p < .05; timed walk). CN showed no significant change. In conclusion, a community-based exercise program led to large improvements in leg-extensor power, dynamic balance, and functional mobility.     

Getting down to business: defining competencies for entry-level youth workers

In January 2004, the National Collaboration for Youth approved a list of core competencies needed by entry-level youth development workers for effective youth development practice. This chapter provides an overview of these competencies, explaining why and how the list was created, outcomes, and recommendations for next steps.     

Dying in jail: The phenomenon of adolescent suicide in correctional facilities

Adolescent suicide is increasing in the United States and the incidence of suicide gestures and attempts in juvenile correctional facilities is high. The attitudes of correctional staff toward adolescents and toward suicidal behavior may contribute to the increase. Suicide is often the outcome of a progression of problems that have isolated the adolescent from meaningful social relationships. Correctional staff must be aware of the phenomenon of adolescent suicide and be given training to deal with it effectively within the institution. Institutional staff have commonly seen suicide gestures or attempts as acting out behavior rather than a symptom of low self-esteem or inability to cope with institutional placement. This discussion examines the phenomenon of adolescent suicide and the impact the juvenile justice system has on its occurrence. It will also include an examination of interdisciplinary interventive strategies which can be used in an institutional setting.     

Perceived discrimination,traditional practices,and depressive symptoms among American Indians in the upper midwest

American Indian adults are thought to experience significant depressive symptoms at rates several times higher than adults in the general population, yet we know very little about factors associated with depressive symptoms among this under studied group. Many researchers have argued that depressive symptoms are associated with conflicts between American Indian traditional cultural values, practices, and beliefs and those of the majority culture. This report, based on a sample 287 American Indian adults from the upper Midwest, takes into account two measures of cultural effects: perceived discrimination, as one indicator of culture conflict, and traditional practices, as a measure of cultural identification. The results indicate that discrimination is strongly associated with depressive symptoms among American Indian adults and that engaging in traditional practices is negatively related to depressive symptoms. Moreover, interaction effects between perceived discrimination and traditional practices indicate that engaging in traditional practices buffers the negative effects of discrimination among those who regularly participate in them.     

Evaluation of an upper extremity student-role functioning scale using item response theory

Millions of workers suffer from upper extremity (musculoskeletal) disorders. Many of these workers are predisposed to upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders because of early exposure to ergonomic risks as students. Computer usage for four or more hours remains the greatest risk for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders for workers and students alike. Developing preventative methods to reduce student exposure, and thus protect future workers from upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders later in life, requires an appropriate measure for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder prevalence and related limitations for student functioning. Item response theory analysis was used to evaluate and further develop a upper extremity functioning scale for the student role.     

Führung — der unterschätzte Beruf

Leadership — an underestimated profession. From a greenhorn of leadership to a qualified manager The author presents an empirical inquiery, basing on interviews with 10 recently appointed managers. She demontrates, that managers hardly ever are prepared for her job in advance. This may lead to several problems, up to a demotivation of all persons envolved. The author proposes a procedure of personal development with three elements: seminars to impart knowledge, employment of internal mentors and of external coaches.     

An Examination of the Relationship Between Labelling and Stigmatisation with Special Reference to Dyslexia

In this paper it is argued that although labelling can lead to stigmatisation, this is not always the case. Evidence is presented to demonstrate that stigmatisation can take place in the absence of formal labelling or stigmatisation can precede labelling. Most of the evidence presented is from two interview studies one with 27 children and the other with 16 adults. It is suggested that further deconstruction of the labelling process is necessary, and that factors such as whether labels are formal or informal, private or public need to be taken into account. Finally, it is proposed that labelling can be considered at many levels of analysis from the personal to the political and that a coherent framework that integrates these different levels of analysis is needed.     

FAMILY SYSTEMS THERAPY AFTER OPERATIONS DESERT STORM WITH EUROPEAN-THEATER VETERANS

We describe a quasi-experimental trial of time-limited family therapy with veterans and families of veterans who served in Europe, outside the war zone, during Operation Desert Storm (ODS). Family systems therapy was provided both to individuals and conjointly to couples or families during the acute postwar readjustment period. The intervention adapted strategies from structural, strategic, intergenerational, and behavioral family therapies in a brief-treatment protocol for systemic stressor resolution. Veterans given family system therapy were able to resume functional levels of psychosocial adjustment and reduce the risk of long-term (Chronic or delayed) psychosocial impairment. Based on these preliminary findings, controlled evaluation of family systems therapy appears warranted for indi-