Trait Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Forgiveness Among Couples

This study sought to understand the link between trait mindfulness, forgiveness, and relationship satisfaction. Previous research established a significant positive relationship between mindfulness and relationship satisfaction, but forgiveness had not been studied in relation to these variables. Two hundred and nineteen couples in committed romantic relationships were included in the sample and completed self‐report measures on trait mindfulness, forgiveness, and relationship satisfaction. Upon conducting an actor–partner interdependence model mediation (APIMeM; Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie, 2006, 37, 27–40) analysis for dyadic data, results indicated significant positive associations for both inter and intrapersonal effects for both men and women. Findings indicated forgiveness is linked to both individual and partner mindfulness and relationship satisfaction, such that a person's ability to be mindful can impact the ability to forgive and therefore increase relationship satisfaction.     

Changing practice cultures in statutory child protection: Practitioners' perspectives

Many child protection systems struggle to implement effective models of frontline practice in the context of high caseloads, increasing costs, and compliance‐focused bureaucratic cultures. This article discusses changes brought about by “Practice First,” a framework for practice introduced to improve the quality and effectiveness of child protection work in New South Wales, Australia. Findings drawn from quantitative and qualitative research with practitioners show that the initiative was effective in changing cultures of practice. It enabled workers to spend more face‐to‐face time with families and build relationships and was perceived to improve the quality of decision‐making. At the same time, the article highlights difficulties in attempting to embed change in practice cultures when broader systemic challenges persist.     

Body art,deviance, and American college students

This research examines the relationship between body art (tattoos and piercings) and deviance. With the increasing mainstream presence of visible tattoos and piercings among entertainers, athletes, and even in corporate boardrooms, we wonder the extent to which long-time enthusiasts and collectors regard the phenomenon as encroachment. We use sub-cultural identity theory to propose that individuals with increasing evidence of body art procurement will also report higher levels of deviant behavior in order to maintain and/or increase social distance from the mainstream. We tested this proposition by surveying 1753 American college students, asking them to report their level of body art acquisition and their history of deviance. Results indicate that respondents with four or more tattoos, seven or more body piercings, or piercings located in their nipples or genitals, were substantively and significantly more likely to report regular marijuana use, occasional use of other illegal drugs, and a history of being arrested for a crime. Less pronounced, but still significant in many cases, was an increased propensity for those with higher incidence of body art to cheat on college work, binge drink, and report having had multiple sex partners in the course of their lifetime.     

What now? Cremation without tradition

Although cremation is an increasingly popular method of body disposal, there is little research on ash disposition, particularly the decisions and negotiations underlying the process. Americans who have recently encountered the cremation of loved ones for the first time have not been studied at all; the present research describes 87 of their cremation experiences. Adults who were actively involved in cremation and ash disposition decisions were interviewed about these processes at every stage, from the decision to cremate through the performance of final rituals for their dead. Results detail family and friends' active negotiations over cremation and ash disposition, the surprises they encountered, and the personally meaningful rituals they created for their loved ones. As in other emerging postdeath rituals, the enactment of individualized rituals for the dead was seen as a positive experience; accordingly, most participants preferred to be cremated and honored through nontraditional rituals themselves.