Education in the Responsible Conduct of Research in Psychology: Methods and Scope

In this mixed-method study of education in the responsible conduct of research (RCR) in psychology, phase one survey respondents (n?=?141) reported that faculty and students were familiar with RCR standards and procedures to educate them were believed to be adequate. However, educational methods varied widely. In phase two, seven survey respondents completed in-depth interviews assessing RCR training and education and research review procedures. Educational methods through which RCR content was presented included the following ones: traditional (lectures), technical (web-based), and experiential (internships), but RCR was often minimally considered in the formal curriculum. Our results suggest that psychology training programs might benefit from more formal consideration of RCR education and training in the curriculum.     

Enhancing Social Support for Migrant Families: A Case Study of Community Services in a Shanghai Urban Village and Implications for Intervention

Recent years have witnessed the growing emphasis of the Chinese central government to develop community services as a method of building communities and strengthening social solidarity. With the increased involvement of multi‐generation households in China's internal rural‐to‐urban migration, however, little is known about what community services are available for migrant families. Nor do we know much about how such services can enhance social support for migrants, which is crucial for their psychological well‐being in managing the ongoing challenges that arise from migration and further integration into cities. This article presents a case study conducted in Shanghai where social services are emerging in a few urban villages. We begin with a brief background on China's rural‐to‐urban migration and the emergence of urban villages, followed by a discussion of community services and social support for Chinese migrant families. We then document existing services in an urban village to explore how they can influence migrant families' social support. Drawing on the perspective of service providers, we highlight the effects social work interventions can have on improving social support for migrant families. Finally, we propose an intervention framework based on multi‐dimensions of social support, emphasizing an integration of formal and informal social support through community services for migrant populations.     

Children living with their grandparents: resilience and wellbeing

Downie JM, Hay DA, Horner BJ, Wichmann H, Hislop AL. Children living with their grandparents: resilience and wellbeing
Int J Soc Welfare 2010: 19: 8–22 © 2009 Curtin University of Technology, Journal compilation © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd and the International Journal of Social Welfare. A non‐comparative design and mixed‐methods approach was used to examine the resilience and wellbeing of 20 children in the full‐time care of their grandparents. A self‐report measure of self‐concept and emotional wellbeing, and a semi‐structured interview were used to explore the personal experiences and impact of children living with their grandparents. Scores derived from the self‐report measure indicated that the children's self‐worth and emotional health were within the range expected of children of comparative age and sex. Qualitative data, however, suggested a complex emotional environment and a continuum of responses. Analysis revealed three themes that captured broad issues around Emotional health, Material factors, Current issues and Past experiences and Coping strategies. The results of the study reveal the ongoing concerns associated with the children's family circumstances, as well as the notable adaptation and resilience of the children in managing their life experiences.     

Finding a routine that works: A mixed methods study of foster parents

Although it is well established that daily routines are important for family well‐being, very little research has been done on how foster parents establish and integrate new foster children into family routines. We used a mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional design, focused on qualitative results to explore how foster parents utilize routines. Twenty‐three foster parents were recruited from a private child welfare agency in a large city in the United States. Surveys were administered to obtain demographic information, overall home atmosphere, and the importance and prevalence of different routines, including mealtimes and sleep schedules. Nine foster parents received a semistructured interview with open‐ended questions. Foster parents reported that routines such as bedtimes, mealtimes, chores, and homework were essential to family well‐being. Because both parents and children had to adjust to living together in an intimate family environment, it was important to establish routines quickly. Foster parents modified routines depending on their child's needs. Along with typical family routines, foster parents reported additional tasks, such as visits with biological parents, meetings with caseworkers, and trainings that affected their family schedule. Results imply that training foster care workers and foster parents about routines can engender stability and emotional belonging for children.     

Disabled People and the Politics of Difference

Whilst the Disabled People's Movement has necessarily evolved from a consciousness of disability as central to its participants' identities, and a critique of disablism as endemic to institutional discrimination, academics and activists in various civil rights movements are increasingly perturbed by the personal and political dangers generated by an adherence to 'identity politics' simpliciter. The actual complexities of social life-in particular, the multiple dimensions of identities and the matrices of interlocking discriminationshave propelled us towards a politics of difference. Since a shift of premises and even paradigms is the prerequisite of such a politics, it will inevitably encounter resistance from some sections of our respective movements. This article addresses some aspects of this emerging politics of difference with reference to the self-organised groups in UNISON, the UK's public sector trade union, where the disabled members' group co-exists with groups for women, black people and lesbians and gay men, so that the politics of identity is always already entwined with the politics of difference. Three main themes are pursued-the attempts to transform occasional inter-group collaborations into sustainable inter-group coalitions; the mobilisation of differences across groups in the service of enhancing democracy within groups; and the struggles to accommodate to a burgeoning intra-group diversity.     

Gender, household labor, and scholarly productivity among university professors

In the present paper, we use data collected from 673 faculty members at one research university to describe the division of household labor among academics and explore the relationship between household labor and scholarly productivity. The analyses demonstrate that domestic labor is distributed along relatively traditional lines among academics, reflecting the continued traditionalism found in the general population regarding house-hold labor and child care. Women college-professors shoulder considerably more house-hold labor than do their male colleagues—particularly when they are married and when there are children in the home. We hypothesized that the gender discrepancies in house-hold labor we found would translate into differences in scholarly productivity; however, this was the case only among tenure-track faculty with children in the home. This work was completed while the authors were supported by a grant from the National Institute on Aging (RO1 AG18869-01, Jill Suitor and Karl Pillemer, Principal Investigators). The data collection was funded by the Louisiana State University Commission on the Status of Women.     

Mothers' Differentiation and Depressive Symptoms Among Adult Children

Parents' differentiation has been linked to negative psychological and behavioral outcomes in children, adolescents, and young adults. This line of research, however, has not been extended to families in later life. In this article, we use data from 671 mother‐child dyads in 275 families in the greater Boston area to explore whether mothers' differentiation among their children is related to psychological well‐being among offspring. We examined actual and perceived maternal differentiation in the domains of closeness, expectations for care, and conflict. We hypothesized that depressive symptoms would be higher when mothers differentiated among their children and when adult children perceived differentiation. Although the specific patterns varied somewhat by mothers' and children's reports, the findings indicated that, across all 3 domains, maternal differentiation was related to higher depression scores.     

School counsellors' perceptions of mandatory reporter training and mandatory reporting experiences

The purpose of this study was to examine child abuse reporting by a national sample of school counsellors in the United States. The qualitative results from a large mixed methods study incorporating both quantitative and qualitative strands are presented. Participants were asked to comment on past child abuse training, noting the areas of training they found most beneficial and areas where they desired additional training. Participants were also afforded the opportunity to make any general comments regarding their perceptions of the current mandatory reporting legislation and their experiences of reporting child abuse. Results showed that while many school counsellors felt past training on mandatory reporting legislation and identifying types of abuse was helpful, they identified a need for additional training in identifying emotional and sexual abuse, and supervisory neglect (i.e. lack of supervision by a parent or caretaker producing potential injury or harm to the child). They also desired more training regarding working with children and families affected by child abuse. Four themes emerged from the open question. The first theme illuminated concerns regarding the effectiveness of the mandatory reporting process while the second theme was equally negative, with counsellors sharing many frustrations about their working relationship with child protection services. Additional themes related to their reporting experiences and specific challenges embedded in the school context, such as dealing with parents following a report, difficulty getting adolescent reports investigated and working with school personnel to ensure that reporting responsibilities were understood and followed. Copyright. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.