Intergenerational Continuities and Their Influences on Children's Social Development

The purpose of this article is to provide a comprehensive review of the recent efforts by psychologists to explore intergenerational continuities and their influences on children's social development. A primary criterion for inclusion in the review was use of three generations of subjects represented in the research, although two generation studies were included to supplement or expand upon the conclusions drawn from three generation studies. The following domains of research were reviewed: (1) literature regarding the repetition of child abuse across generations, (2) research examining the intergenerational continuity of attachment status, (3) investigations of the continuity of parenting and childrearing behavior parents experienced with their own parents, (4) research examining intergenerational continuities in parenting involving non-human primates, and (5) investigations of intergenerational continuities in both peer and sibling relationships. Across all literatures reviewed, evidence was found for intergenerational continuity with gender of parent affecting results. Two primary mechanisms for transmission appear to be cognitive schemas of relationships and modeling. A paradigm is proposed describing possible means of intergenerational transmission of influence on the social development of children.     

Mexican and Swedish Managers' Perceptions of the Impact of EIS on Organizational Intelligence,Decision Making,and Structure*

Although information technologies in business organizations around the world may be very similar, the meanings conveyed through the technologies may be dependent on managerial values and national culture. Cultural differences need to be understood before information technology developed for organizations in one country can be effectively implemented in organizations in another country. Drawing on survey responses from managers using Executive Information Systems (EIS) across many organizations in Mexico, Sweden, and the United States, the current study examined whether cultural differences influence perceptions of the relationship between Executive Information Systems' use and various outcomes related to decision-making behaviors and processes. The study found significant differences, predicted by cultural factors, in the impact of EIS use on senior management decision making. The findings confirm the notion that IT is used by executives to reinforce the decision-making behaviors valued in their culture.     

Experiences of Informal Caregivers of Older Adults Transitioned From Nursing Homes to the Community Through the Money Follows the Person Demonstration

This study examined experiences of 156 informal caregivers of older adults who transitioned to the community through the Connecticut Money Follows the Person (MFP) Rebalancing Demonstration after prolonged nursing home stays. Caregiver burden, positive aspects of caregiving, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and comparative subjective stress were examined in relation to caregiver demographics and care receiver characteristics with a cross-sectional survey. Caregivers reported low burden, depressive symptoms, and anxiety, and fairly high levels of positive aspects of caregiving and satisfaction with community services. Most caregivers were less stressed compared to the time the care recipient was in, or before they entered, a nursing home. Live-in caregivers experienced more positive aspects of caregiving, but adult children reported higher burden than other caregivers. Unmet service needs also increased caregiver burden. Programs like MFP are a viable option with broadly positive outcomes from a caregiver’s perspective. Enthusiasm for increasing access to community care is growing for older adults who otherwise would reside in nursing homes for extended periods. Identifying unmet service needs and needs for targeted functional support could further enhance caregiver experiences and contribute to the successful transition of older adults to the community.     

How do we ensure that everyone graduates? An integrated prevention and tiered intervention model for schools and districts

Schools with large numbers of students falling off the graduation path need comprehensive reforms that create a solid foundation of high-quality instruction and positive behavioral supports for all students. They also need data-driven response systems that provide targeted and intensive interventions for students who need additional academic and social supports. This article offers a systematic plan for dropout prevention at the district and school levels that integrates research-based recommendations into a coherent, three-tiered model. The model provides a way to coordinate all types of interventions and replace the patchwork of fragmented programs that often allows students to fall through the cracks.     

Practitioner research for the professionalization of human resources practice: empirical data from the Netherlands

Despite the growing interest in and literature regarding practitioner research in human resources (HR), not much is known about the factors that play a role in the actual practice by HR practitioners. This article describes an explorative study to gain empirical insight into the use and quality of practitioner research in HR practice. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 Dutch HR practitioners from diverse backgrounds, posing questions about (1) their definitions of practitioner research, (2) the characteristics of the research they perform, (3) the quality and usability of the research projects in which they have taken part, and (4) the forces that drive or hinder practitioner research. We constructed theory-based coding schemes to analyse the data. To assess the quality and usability of the research performed by participants, we constructed a quality framework. Our findings show that all participants were more or less involved in HR-related practitioner research, but the quality and usability of that research could be improved. We report several causes and influencing factors. Our findings complement previous research on evidence-based HR and other practitioner research approaches and provide new insights. Based on our findings, we discuss implications for further research and practice.     

Associations between Family Communication Patterns, Sibling Closeness, and Adoptive Status

Previous research has demonstrated the protective effect of family and sibling closeness on child adjustment, but fewer studies have investigated how closeness is promoted within families. Guided by Family Communication Patterns Theory, we tested the association between family communication and sibling emotional and behavioral closeness, and whether adoptive status moderated this relationship. Participating families included 616 adoptive and non-adoptive families with two adolescent children. Hypotheses were tested using structural equation modeling. Sibling closeness was highest in families that emphasized both conversation and conformity and lowest in families that emphasized only conversation or neither conversation nor conformity. Emotional and behavioral closeness were differentially associated with adoption status, sibling age, and sibling gender. Few moderating effects of adoption status were found. Post hoc analyses showed moderating effects of sibling gender composition.