Using emotion in risk communication: The Anger Activism Model

Risk communication scholars, as well as public relations scholars and practitioners, are interested in the factors that strengthen the link between people's attitudes and their behavioral intentions. The focus of this paper is to present the Anger Activism Model. Levels of anger and efficacy can be used to formulate four distinct groups; and, these groups will predict differences in behaviors. Distinct predictions can be made about each group. The activist group feels strong anger, and strong perceptions of efficacy; they are marked by very positive attitudes regarding the topic and a willingness to engage in higher commitment behaviors. The empowered group will experience low levels of anger, and strong perceptions of efficacy. These people feel that something can be done to “fix” the issue, but they do not perceive the issue to be large. Angry audiences are distinguished by strong feelings of anger, and weak feelings of efficacy. Although the angry group have positive attitudes about the topic, they will be unlikely to intend to engage in behaviors given that they do not feel that the behaviors will facilitate change. Finally, the disinterested group is marked by weak feelings of anger and weak perceptions of efficacy. They are distinguished by having positive attitudes about the topic, but, these attitudes will not translate into behaviors. Data supporting this model is presented.     

Fordern und f?rdern

The group manager, who has close contact with his employees, is especially adequate to support these according to their interests and abilities. In this study we identified 12 leadership behaviors that enhance employees?? competencies and career advancement by analyzing 36 interviews with (potential) managers from companies operating in the fields of science and technology. These behaviors contain both ways of supporting through direct contact (feedback, training measures, promotion, trust, instrumental and informational support, management by objectives, emotional support and appraisal, recognizing potential, role model behavior) as well as ways of supporting by providing a competence and career enhancing job design (delegation of challenging tasks, job control, person-job-fit). The outcome shows that that job design is a key factor. In addition, the company??s role turned out to be another major factor influencing the employee??s professional progress. Practical recommendations for enhancing employee??s motivation and empowerment are given. These can also be the base for future related additional research.     

Balancing Justice and Welfare Needs in Family Group Conferences for Children with Harmful Sexual Behavior: The HSB-FGC Framework

In England and Wales, family group conferences (FGCs) are most often found either in the field of youth justice or in the field of child protection, and consequently often have priorities in line with either one of the two systems. On the one hand, FGCs are a restorative justice tool to address offending behavior and hold young perpetrators to account, while giving victims the possibility of contributing to the justice process. On the other hand, FGCs address safeguarding concerns and are used to plan for child safety and protection. In cases where a young person has sexually harmed another young person, that is, has perpetrated harmful sexual behavior (HSB), all young people involved will have both justice and welfare needs. FGCs are emerging as promising mechanisms in such cases, not only because of their ability to deal with both sets of needs for both young people but also because of their potential to address more holistic needs. However, HSB cases are often complex and sensitive, and are not without risk. Drawing on their experiences in research and practice, the authors explore how the holistic needs of both the harmed and harming individual can be balanced within a risk managed HSB-FGC framework.     

How to support families of children with disabilities? An exploratory study of social support services

Support services to families of children with disabilities have previously been documented. While the effectiveness and consequences of some support strategies have been defined, their comparison remains problematic primarily because of the diversified existing definitions. The present study aimed to elaborate and validate a typology to describe different types of support that can be offered to families of children with disabilities. A review of literature highlighted a variety of support services and allowed a categorical grouping. Content analysis ensured that each category was defined distinctively. Afterwards, a panel of experts and representatives of organizations from seven developed countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Sweden and Switzerland) validated the typology. A database of services offered in these countries was created. The resulting typology was divided into four categories related to the family needs: support, respite, child minding and emergency support. Each type of support can be illustrated within organizations in the database. As such, social workers can use the defined typology to identify the needs of families of children with disabilities and suggest alternatives when services are not available. Overall, the described typology should facilitate discussion between stakeholders and families by providing a common communication system.     

Suicide prevention and community-level indictors

This study sought to develop a set of easily obtainable, relevant measures of a community's condition that could be used to guide its suicide prevention efforts. Existing data were gathered across 159 Georgia counties for nine potential social indicators (rates of net migration, divorce, unemployment, violent crimes reported, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs [DUI] crashes, high school dropouts, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families [TANF], percentage of population aged 65 or older, and percentage of population who are white males) that had been chosen by the communities. Data on the social indicators from 1995 through 1999 were averaged and analyzed to determine their correlation with aggregated 5-year county suicide rates. Results of multivariate modeling procedures showed number of DUI crashes and percentage of the population aged 65 or older to be significant correlates of the suicide rate, controlling for other potential indicators. These preliminary data may provide a useful model of a county's 5-year suicide rate among counties reporting 20 or more suicides. Research with additional indicators and in other states will help determine the generalizability of these findings to other communities.     

The Settlement Experiences Of Refugees From The Former Yugoslavia

In the 1990s many mixed marriage refugees from what was Yugoslavia settled in Perth, Australia. A mixed marriage is one where the parties have different ethnicities. Using multiple‐case, conversational interviews, the experiences of 12 of these refugees were explored. The processes of acculturation and adaptation, the development of social support networks and community, and their ethnic identity and ethnicity, were discussed and analysed within both the sociopolitical context of the conflict in what was Yugoslavia, and their subsequent migration. The initial settlement programmes and supports to the refugees and provided by Australia's government and community groups were also analysed. The results illustrated the diversity of experiences of the participants as well as shared experiences resulting from their being in a mixed marriage. In summary, the results suggest that settlement is stressful for the refugees, that community‐based settlement programmes provide more positive settlement experiences than government programmes, and that people in mixed marriages experience particular stresses related to the political context in the former Yugoslavia, including a history of alienation and persecution. Theoretically the results indicate that the participants are moving towards an acculturation outcome of biculturalism. The complex nature of their ethnic identity and ethnicity is also discussed.