Work and non-work factors as perceived causes of symptoms of psychological strain

Two studies are reported in which the respondents were asked to attribute causes to their experienced symptoms of stress as measured by the General Health Questionnaire. The results show that most respondents can do this, that there are differences in attributions by symptoms, and that the pattern of attributions is similar for two different occupational groups, even though the level of symptomology is higher for nurses than for laboratory workers. It is argued that this simple addition to symptom questionnaires might have useful diagnostic value, but that further research with different populations and other symptoms is desirable.     

Narrating the organizational self: Reframing the role of the news release

Public relations practitioners have long relied on the press release, or news release, as a means of communicating with publics via the media. The news release may also be seen as an autobiographical narrative through which the organization seeks to express and negotiate aspects of its identity. Reconceptualizing news releases as a narrative genre offers a means of studying processes of identity construction as events unfold, rather than relying on post hoc reconstructions that can explain away inconsistencies. Organizational crises offer an excellent opportunity for research, as organizations strive to make sense of complex situations of uncertainty. This study examines the bankruptcy scandal of Italian multinational Parmalat to illustrate how the news release may be configured as a narrative genre that helps to construct organizational identity.     

Relationship among grip strength,functional outcomes,and work performance following hand trauma

This study examined the relationship among the recovery grip strength, functional outcomes, and work performance following occupational therapy intervention for hand trauma. This study had a sample size of 15 participants whose recovery grip strength was measured using a Jamar dynamometer, whose satisfaction with outcomes was measured by the Michigan Hand Outcomes Questionnaire (MHQ), and whose compliance with the home therapy program was measured by a visual analog scale (VAS). A Pearson r correlation demonstrated a significant relationship between recovery grip strength and two MHQ subset scores: overall hand function (r = 0.59, p = 0.019) and activities of daily living (ADL) performance (r = 0.61, p = 0.016). The participants' self-rating of compliance did not predict or influence either recovery grip strength or MHQ scores. A moderate positive correlation approaching significance (r = 0.51, p = 0.052) was found between grip strength and overall MHQ scores. The researchers concluded that a recovery grip strength measure should be used along with functional measures to appropriately assess overall hand function following hand trauma.     

Creating elder-friendly communities: preparations for an aging society

Because many communities where older people live were not designed for their needs, older residents may require support to remain in the least restrictive environment. "Age-prepared communities" utilize community planning and advocacy to foster aging in place. "Elder-friendly communities" are places that actively involve, value, and support older adults, both active and frail, with infrastructure and services that effectively accommodate their changing needs. This paper presents an analysis of the literature and results of a Delphi study identifying the most important characteristics of an elder-friendly community: accessible and affordable transportation, housing, health care, safety, and community involvement opportunities. We also highlight innovative programs and identify how social workers can be instrumental in developing elder-friendly communities.     

Young Adolescents' Patterns of Involvement with Siblings and Friends

We identified different patterns in young adolescents' experiences with their siblings and their friends and investigated the connections between these relationship patterns and both young adolescents' psychosocial functioning and the characteristics of their family and neighbourhood contexts. Participants were 141 families, including mothers, fathers, young adolescents (M = 11.4 years), and their younger siblings (M = 8.3 years). Cluster analysis revealed three groups of young adolescents: (1) high intimacy and involvement with sibling, high intimacy with friend but low involvement with friends ('Differentiated'); (2) high intimacy and involvement with friend but not sibling ('Incongruent'); and (3) low involvement and intimacy with both sibling and friend ('Congruent'). The Congruent pattern was associated with young adolescents' personal characteristics and their parent-adolescent relationship experiences. In contrast, the Incongruent and Differentiated profiles were linked to contextual factors (i.e., family and neighbourhood resources). Findings suggest that individual differences exist in the associations between young adolescents' relationships with siblings and friends.     

The effects of schedules of reinforcement on instruction-following in human subjects with verbal and nonverbal stimuli

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - The experiment reported here represents a partial replication of an experiment by Newman, Buffington, and Hemmes (in press) and analyzes responding in college...     

FOUCAULDIAN HOG FUTURES:

The development of mega-hog farms is a contentious topic throughout the United States that has garnered a lot of attention in the past five years. This article examines the construction of mega-hog farms in light of Michel Foucault's (1977) analysis in Discipline and Punish . I argue that Foucault provides a good starting point but that to understand current forms of agriculture we must extend his framework to include nonhuman animals as active in discipline and resistance. In order to comprehend how swine farming has shifted from the ancien regime to the disciplinary regime, I provide details on the mutual construction of the swine, the farmer, confinement architecture, and legislation.     

The Effects of Internal Career Orientation on Multiple Dimensions of Work-Family Conflict

The relationship of internal career orientations with 3 forms of work-family conflict (time-based, strain-based, and behavior-based) is examined in this study. In addition, work-family conflict is considered bi-directionally, using both work interference with family and family interference with work. A sample of 247 Executive MBAs with multiple demands was used to study this complex relationship. The findings suggest that those with a getting free internal career orientation experienced the greatest levels of strain-based work interference with family and both behavior-based forms of conflict. Furthermore, those that were getting high experienced the most time-based work interference with family conflict.