The Deployment of Partnerships by the Voluntary Sector to Address Service Needs in Rural and Small Town Canada

Service restructuring trends since the 1980s have resulted in the downsizing or closure of many services in rural and small town Canada. In response, voluntary groups have been filling some of the emerging service gaps. Services, however, often are directed at complex problems that demand information, support, or assistance from a range of sources and institutions. For voluntary groups, this underscores a need to partner with other groups, organizations, or service providers. At the same time, voluntary organizations are increasingly encouraged to develop partnerships with public or private partners in order to qualify for government funding. This study tracks 29 voluntary organizations in four rural and small town places across Canada to explore the development and maintenance of partnerships (both local and non-local), as well as the types of networks, resources, and expertise for which partnerships were used. The findings indicate that while voluntary organizations feel that local partnerships are more important, partnerships with groups outside of these places are equally developed. Partnerships were used to expand networks, obtain expertise, and access a range of resources to assist in daily operations and delivery of services. The increase in partnerships with groups outside of these communities, particularly with non-local service providers, will have important implications for voluntary organizations and policy makers.

The effect of ergonomic intervention on neck/shoulder and low back pain

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of two types of ergonomic intervention on pain and pain-related disability in the neck/shoulder and low back regions. A cohort of 492 subjects of various occupations with non-specific neck/shoulder or low back pain was followed over a five to six year period. The study subjects were classified into four intervention groups: no ergonomic intervention, educational worksite intervention, workplace intervention, and combined workplace and educational worksite intervention. The group with no ergonomic intervention was used as the reference group. The changes in pain intensity and pain-related disability from baseline to follow-up in each of the three groups with intervention were compared to the changes in the reference group. During the follow-up, 39% of the subjects had received ergonomic intervention. The average change in pain intensity and pain-related disability was smaller in the educational worksite intervention group than in the reference group. The average reduction of pain intensity and pain-related disability did not differ between the two other intervention groups and the reference group. Thus, for subjects still at work, ergonomic intervention seemed to be ineffective for reducing neck/shoulder and low back pain and pain-related disability.     

Period prevalence and types of psychosocial risk factors in pregnant women in an urban Swedish community

During a three-year period a total population of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Linköping, Sweden was screened for being at psychosocial risk. The prevalence of different psychosocial risk factors was compared with the corresponding prevalence in women referred to and accepting or declining to take part in a specialised training programme at a parent–baby clinic. In general, the present study showed that there was a constant proportion of about 4–5% of pregnant women with psychosocial risk factors. Psychiatric problems and social problems of relevance for pregnancies/parenthood were about equally frequent (i.e. 44 and 45%), while drug-addiction problems were at 11%. Only one in three women with risk factors were eventually referred to the parent–baby clinic, and every second woman referred finally took part in the programme. With the knowledge that an early intervention in families with psychosocial risk factors may alleviate some adverse or disadvantageous developments in children, it is a challenge to identify and to motivate these women to enrol in various support and training programmes. There are still too few pregnant women at risk who are ready to accept the further support that they may need, and the rationale for their reluctance must be better known.     

Can Early Intervention Have an Impact on Future Life? A Study of Life Events,Social Interaction,and Child Behavior Among Mothers at Psychosocial Risk and Their Children Eight Years After Interaction Treatment

Forty-six mothers at psychosocial risk who had undergone interaction treatment when their children were babies were studied with respect to experienced negative life events, social network, and behavior problems in children. One reference group comprising 45 nontreated mothers at psychosocial risk and one comprising 56 mothers without psychosocial problems was used. Children in the study group had experienced more life events than the children of nonrisk mothers but fewer than the children of untreated psychosocial risk mothers. They had a poorer social network than nonrisk mothers, and the children had fewer acting-out behavior than the children of nontreated risk mothers.     

Reducing Prejudice Within Community-Based Organizations

ABSTRACT

Efforts to help community-based organizations (CBOs) develop interventions that reduce prejudice within the workplace and during service provision can be informed by social psychological prejudice reduction techniques, which tend to be successful in controlled laboratory settings but have limitations that inhibit utility in applied settings. Alternatively, the use of diversity training to reduce prejudice has increased within the for-profit sector, but is rarely applied to CBOs. This article discusses the overlap between the basic and applied literatures, and how community practitioners can use the information gained from both to support CBOs who encounter challenges with diversity.     

Do male and female gamblers have the same burden of adversity over their life course?

The objective of this research is to investigate gender difference and the burden of adversity during the life course of people who develop gambling problems. A sample of 86 adult participants met the criteria for at-risk problem gambling over the last 5 years. Data were obtained from informants during semi-structured face-to-face interviews, using SCID I and II, SOGS, Module K and a recount of life trajectories methodology. The results showed a high level of adversity throughout the life trajectories of the men and women studied. The results indicated that the major load of mental health disorders, the presence of anxiety disorders and co-morbid mental health disorders are more significant among women. Results also indicated a significant presence of violence in the lives of both men and women during early childhood and adolescence. During adulthood, women are more likely to be victims of intimate partner or marital violence whereas men tended to cumulate difficulties in social fields and especially in their professional lives. This significant burden of adversity creates a number of difficulties which makes it complicated to isolate gambling activities. Clinicians might have difficulty detecting female gamblers during consultation, especially when they present with co-morbid mental health disorders and violence issues.     

Gambling over the life course and treatment-seeking

The purpose of this study is to investigate change in gambling behaviours over the life course, and, correspondingly, the treatment-seeking behaviours of 86 people who met the criteria for at-risk (participants endorsing two to four items on the South Oaks Gambling Screen [SOGS]) and problem gamblers (participants endorsing five or more items on the SOGS) over the last five years. Data were obtained from informants during semi-structured interviews using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV axis I and axis II disorders (SCID I and II), SOGS and treatment-seeking interviews. The results showed three groups of gambling behaviours over the life course. A first group started gambling early on and continued participating in recreational gambling until its participants were between 40 and 50 years of age, during which time they became problem gamblers. A second group transitioned from recreational gambling to problem gambling over a short period of time; its participants were aged between 40 and 50. Lastly, a third group which was exposed to gambling later on in life, mostly after retirement, developed gambling problems quickly. Psychopathology was prevalent in all groups, given that 98% suffered from a mental health problem during their life, and 62% within the last six months. Participants who made use of the services available mostly turned to medical and specialized mental services for brief periods, usually when in crisis. In terms of problem gambling, the results argue in favour of maintaining dedication toward treatment, especially in the presence of co-morbidity.     

Contraceptive Method Choice Among Young Adults: Influence of Individual and Relationship Factors

Because decisions related to contraceptive behavior are often made by young adults in the context of specific relationships, the relational context likely influences use of contraceptives. Data presented here are from in-person structured interviews with 536 Black, Hispanic, and White young adults from East Los Angeles, California. We collected partner-specific relational and contraceptive data on all sexual partnerships for each individual, on four occasions, over one year. Using three-level multinomial logistic regression models, we examined individual and relationship factors predictive of contraceptive use. Results indicated that both individual and relationship factors predicted contraceptive use, but factors varied by method. Participants reporting greater perceived partner exclusivity and relationship commitment were more likely to use hormonal/long-acting methods only or a less effective method/no method versus condoms only. Those with greater participation in sexual decision making were more likely to use any method over a less effective method/no method and were more likely to use condoms only or dual methods versus a hormonal/long-acting method only. In addition, for women only, those who reported greater relationship commitment were more likely to use hormonal/long-acting methods or a less effective method/no method versus a dual method. In summary, interactive relationship qualities and dynamics (commitment and sexual decision making) significantly predicted contraceptive use.