The Impact of Resources on Women's Strategies for Coping With Work–Home Conflict: Does Sociocultural Context Matter?

The study examined differences in the impact of resources on strategies for coping with work–home conflict (WHC) among Jewish (n = 59) and Muslim Arab (n = 87) women from dual-earner families in Israel. A distinction was made between three main types of coping strategies: taking initiative, help seeking (active strategies), and redefinition (a passive strategy). The explanatory variables were personal resources (hardiness, gender-role ideology, and income advantage) and environmental resources (support from the husband, egalitarian division of labor, and flexibility in the workplace). The research variables correlated mainly with the strategy of help seeking among the Jewish women and with the strategy of redefinition among the Arab women.     

Explaining Satisfaction with Volunteering in Emergencies: Comparison Between Organized and Spontaneous Volunteers in Operation Protective Edge

The study aimed to identify factors that explain general satisfaction with volunteering among volunteers in Operation Protective Edge, in Israel, through a comparison between organized volunteers affiliated with volunteer organizations and spontaneous volunteers who arrived at the scene independently. Based on the social exchange theory as the theoretical framework, the contribution of several variables to explaining general satisfaction with volunteering was examined: satisfaction with the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of volunteering, personal sacrifice in volunteering, and motives for volunteering (social solidarity, personal empowerment, and escape from reality). The findings revealed that among organized volunteers, satisfaction with the intrinsic and extrinsic rewards of volunteering mediated between motives for volunteering and general satisfaction with volunteering. Among spontaneous volunteers, the motives of social solidarity and personal empowerment as well as satisfaction with intrinsic and extrinsic rewards were the main variables that explained general satisfaction with volunteering. In contradistinction, the main variables that explained general satisfaction with volunteering among organized volunteers were the motive of personal empowerment and satisfaction with the extrinsic rewards of volunteering.     

Grief in the initial adjustment process to the continuing care retirement community

This paper examined the transition to continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) within the framework of anticipatory and disenfranchised grief. Qualitative interviews with 29 residents and 19 adult children were conducted. Three major thematic categories emerged from the data. The first theme reflected ambivalence, dialectics or uncertainty about the CCRC as manifested by the various names assigned to it by respondents. The second theme reflected the acknowledgement of present and anticipatory losses and grief in response to the move. The final theme reflected respondents' disenfranchisement of their grief and loss and their view of the transition in a positive light. In their early adjustment period, residents and adult children are ambivalent about the transition, but often refrain from acknowledging their losses openly because of the image of the CCRC as a status symbol. Open acknowledgement of losses associated with the transition might be beneficial.     

The effects of mindfulness on mother–child relationships and maternal well-being during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Israel

Research indicates associations of mindfulness with better relationships and well-being because it promotes decentering and relationship-related capacities. This study examined the effects of mindfulness on mothers' relationships with their children and well-being in a challenging time – the first COVID-19 lockdown. We hypothesized that mothers' relationships and well-being would deteriorate during the lockdown, but a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) would mitigate this process because of its effect on mothers' mindfulness and decentering. We surveyed 109 mothers caring for their children (mean age 8.61) during the first lockdown in Israel. First, they completed online questionnaires assessing their interpersonal mindfulness, decentering, relationships with their children and well-being (including positive and negative affect and life satisfaction). Then, they were randomly assigned to a group: MBI, relaxing music intervention or no intervention. Participants completed the questionnaires again after 2 weeks of daily interventions. Unexpectedly, mothers in all groups improved their relationships with their children and well-being (their satisfaction with life increased and negative affect decreased) with no significant group differences. Furthermore, the increase in relationship quality was associated with increases in mindfulness and decentering. The findings suggest that crises initially perceived as a threat to mother–child relationships may also present a beneficial opportunity in certain circumstances.     

Associations between backache and stress among undergraduate students

Abstract

Objective: Low back pain (LBP) is a very common symptom. It occurs in all age groups from children to the elderly population. Globally, years lived with disability caused by LBP increased by 54% between 1990 and 2015. Our objective was to investigate measures that associate with LBP in students. Participants: A structured, anonymous, self-report questionnaire was distributed in two study years, 2009 and 2015. Participants included 1,026 students, 57.7% of them female, with a mean age of 27.2 (SD?=?6.4). Methods: The questionnaire included validated questions on various subjects related to health status and health behaviors. Results: The associated factors of undergraduate students experiencing backaches are higher if they engage in smoking (AOR?=?2.15; p<.01), report study-based stress (AOR?=?2.39; p<.01), and show depressive symptoms (AOR?=?2.69; p<.000). Conclusions: Smoking, stress, and depression are strong measures associated with backache in undergraduate students, significantly more than BMI, physical activity, or sedentary behaviors.     

Explaining fathers' involvement in childcare: an ecological approach

The study was conducted among a sample of 113 Israeli fathers, and aimed to examine the variables that explain paternal involvement in care of children between the ages of one and six. Based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological approach, the study examined the contribution of variables representing three ecological systems of the fathers: the ontogenic system – the fathers' background variables, and their childhood experiences with paternal involvement; the microsystem – children’s characteristics (age and temperament); and mothers' characteristics (education, hours of work outside of the home, and fathers' assessments of maternal gatekeeping); and the macrosystem – type of community of residence (rural or urban). Maternal gatekeeping most significantly explained paternal involvement in most of the domains of childcare that were examined. Fathers living in urban communities who assessed their wives' maternal gatekeeping as high tended to be more involved in the domain of physical care than their counterparts living in rural communities. The child’s temperament explained paternal involvement in the domains of showing love and playing with the children, whereas the fathers' childhood experiences with paternal involvement were related to their involvement in the domain of physical care. The implications of the findings for families and communities are discussed.     

Aggressive behaviour in at‐risk children: contribution of subjective well‐being and family cohesion

We examined the contributors to aggressive behaviour in 111 at‐risk Israeli children aged 9–13 years who attended day centres over several years to prevent removal from their homes. This non‐normative transition to a day centre represents a difficult period of change for these children, which often manifests in aggressive behaviours, at least in the short term. To elucidate predictors of aggressive behaviour, we investigated a familial variable (family cohesion) and a personal variable (subjective well‐being [SWB]) that were previously shown to correlate with various aspects of children's aggression. Children's self‐reports underscored the importance of SWB for their aggressive behaviour. SWB's cognitive component – life satisfaction – correlated significantly with all four measures of aggressive behaviour (physical violence, verbal violence, anger and hostility). SWB's emotional component – negative affect – correlated significantly with all but verbal violence. Interestingly, SWB was found to mediate the hostility dimension of aggression (as well as family cohesion). Other significant findings revealed that family cohesion correlated positively with SWB (life satisfaction and positive affect) and correlated negatively with aggression (physical violence, verbal violence, anger and hostility). Various explanations were discussed alongside implications for day care staff's individual and family interventions.     

“Draw me everything that happened to you”: Exploring children's drawings of sexual abuse

The aim of the current paper is to explore the ways in which drawings facilitate children's narratives in investigative interviews regarding alleged sexual abuse. Although children often lack appropriate words or the ability to pinpoint the effects they experience, some children find drawing to be a natural, accessible language they can use for emotional expression. The use of three case studies and an analysis of children's narratives before, during and after drawing facilitated an assessment of the way in which drawing aided children's retrieval process. The discussion presents the contribution of using drawings when interviewing children about experiences of trauma.     

Anticipated dependence: A determinant in an integrative model of power relations among elderly couples

The study proposes an integrative, multivariate model for analysis of conjugal power relations among elderly married couples, from the perspective of the husband. The conceptual framework of the model is based on the well-known Resource Theory. However, in addition to the resources examined in other studies (e.g., economic and social resources), this model considers the husband's anticipated dependence on his wife as a potential factor that may explain conjugal power relations. The integrative model was tested on 211 elderly husbands in Israel. It was found that the primary variables explaining conjugal power relations in late adulthood are psychological-expressive in nature. Instrumental-economic resources were not found to have any explanatory power in the late stage of life. Traditional attitudes of the husband regarding the capacity of women to fulfill roles outside of the home correlated positively with his perceived power in the marital relationship. The findings indicate that the Resource Theory may be expanded and that anticipated dependence can be incorporated as a potential resource affecting current power relations among elderly couples.     

A Typology of Source of Information About the Continuing Care Retirement Community and Older Adults’ Living Arrangement

Abstract

A continuing care retirement community (CCRC) represents a residential alternative for older adults. It offers a variety of social and health care services to meet older adults’ needs and preferences. Using the theory of innovation as a theoretical basis, the overall goal of the study was to use the source of information about the CCRC as a potential predictor of the decision to move. In total, 76 older adults responded to a question about the source of information on the CCRC. Of these, 40 were CCRC residents and 36 were community dwellers, who expressed an interest in the CCRC but decided to remain in their community. Based on their responses, respondents were classified into one of five clusters (e.g., spouse, friends, children, nonhuman sources, mixed human and nonhuman sources). Those classified into the spouse or adult children as sources of information were more likely to live in a CCRC. Results show that information about the CCRC should be conveyed to additional members in the family, such as adult children, as they often take a major role in the decision to relocated. The findings have implications for administrators as they clearly point to potential sources of greater influence on older adults’ decision to relocate.