Peer Support Among Consumers of Professional Mental Health Services

ABSTRACT

Peer-support services have become increasingly prevalent in mental health; consumers now deliver many services once provided by professional mental health providers. Recognizing this key asset in mental health consumers' service environment is critical for social workers. This exploratory study examines differences among 311 consumers of professional mental health services, half of whom also used peer-support services. The two groups (peer support compared with non-peer-support) were compared on a number of dimensions related to their utilization of and satisfaction with professional mental health services. Users of peer-support services perceived greater availability of professional services and used more professional services, but found professional services to be less useful than those not participating in peer support. No differences between the two groups were found for overall satisfaction with professional services. Findings related to policy, practice, and research are discussed.     

争创“三型”党组织努力办人民满意的大学——以河南工业大学为例

高校党组织的先进性、纯洁性和办学治校能力,直接影响高等教育事业的兴衰成败.建设学习型、服务型、创新型党组织,是高校内涵发展的必然要求,是大学党组织加强自身建设的必然选择.大学应该坚持以增强办学治校能力、服务经济社会发展、提升党建工作科学化水平为重点,着力打造“三型”党组织,为推动教育事业科学发展,办人民满意的大学作出新的更大贡献.     

Is Early Exposure to Pornography a Risk Factor for Sexual Compulsivity? Findings from an Online Survey among Young Heterosexual Adults

ABSTRACT

The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the relationship between early exposure to pornography and sexual compulsivity among Croatian young adults. Using online survey data on pornography use and sexual behavior among 1,528 heterosexual women and men aged 18–25, we tested a hypothesis that pornography use at the age of 14 is a marker for sexual compulsivity in late adolescence and young adulthood. After satisfactory reliability of a four-item subscale of the Sexual Compulsiveness Scale (Kalichman & Rompa, 1995 Kalichman, S. C. and Rompa, D. 1995. Sexual sensation seeking and sexual compulsivity scales: Reliability, validity, and predicting HIV risk behavior. Journal of Personality Assessment, 65: 586–601. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was confirmed in this sample, construct validity of this composite indicator focused on out of control sexual thoughts and behaviors was assessed. High sexual compulsivity was associated with sexual risk taking, though mainly among women, decreased levels of relationship intimacy and lesser sexual contentment. However, we found no significant association between early exposure to pornography and high sexual compulsivity either among men or women.     

Reported change in preferred sexual activity over the adult years

Fifty‐nine women and 40 men, aged 60 to 85, participated in a study which examined changes in preferred sexual activity from young adulthood to old age. The results indicated that change in preferred sexual activity over time was common and not associated with low psychological well‐being or with unfavorable ratings on satisfaction with sex life, subjective pleasure, incidence of the preferred activity, or interest in sex in old age. However, change in preference was related to physical changes in both sexes and to opportunity factors among women. These findings suggest that sexual experience and psychological well‐being in old age are related more to the type of sexual activity that is preferred than to the occurrence of change per se.     

Work–Family Conflict and Perceived Justice as Mediators of Outcomes of Women's Multiple Workload

Negative impacts of work–family conflicts and the imbalanced division of family work on women's relationship satisfaction and well-being have gained substantial attention from the literature over the last years. The current research adds to the literature by testing the experience of work–family conflicts and perceived justice in the division of family work as possible mediators between women's workloads resulting from the familial and professional tasks and women's relationship satisfaction and well-being. The analysis involves both work-to-family and family-to-work conflicts as well as perceptions of procedural and distributive justice in the division of family work. Structural equation modeling analyses of data were performed with a sample of 1,512 women from dual-earner couples with young children taken from seven European countries. Results support the importance of women's family-to-work conflict and perceptions of justice of childcare and household labor as mediator variables between family workloads, relationship satisfaction, and well-being. Time spent on paid work proved to have an effect on women's well-being, via work-to-family conflict.     

Cohabitors’ Reasons for Living Together,Satisfaction with Sacrifices,and Relationship Quality

The purpose of our study was to identify both negative and positive associations of cohabitation with relationship quality. Using a sample of 280 cohabitors, we examined how reasons for cohabitation (i.e., spending time together, testing the relationship, and convenience) are associated with relationship quality (i.e., commitment, satisfaction, ambivalence, and conflict) as moderated by satisfaction with sacrifices. Results showed that a higher score on spending time together as a reason for cohabitation was linked with greater commitment and satisfaction and lower ambivalence and conflict, even when cohabitors reported lower satisfaction with sacrifices. In contrast, a higher score on testing the relationship as a reason for cohabitation was linked with more ambivalence regardless of the level of satisfaction with sacrifices. Finally, a higher score on convenience as a reason for cohabitation was linked with lower commitment, including when cohabitors reported lower satisfaction with sacrifices. Collectively, our results are important in demonstrating the positive and negative aspects of cohabitation in association with relationship quality and when satisfaction with sacrifices moderates such associations.     

Understanding the Decision to Marry Versus Cohabit: The Role of Interpersonal Dedication and Constraints and the Impact on Life Satisfaction

The current study explored men's and women's reasons for choosing to marry rather than to cohabit using a national data set (n = 786) of adults who were currently married or had been married previously. Using commitment theory participant's open-ended reasons for choosing to marry were coded into categories of either interpersonal dedication or constraint commitment. A variety of demographic, attitudinal, and relationship history variables were then used to predict commitment type. The influence of commitment type during the decision to marry on life satisfaction was also explored. Results indicate that current marital status (being married vs. being divorced or separated) and cohabiting before marriage were the strongest predictors of interpersonal dedication reasons for marriage for both men and women. Level of conventionality and parents' marital status also emerged as significant predictors of constraint commitment. Finally, marrying for reasons related to interpersonal dedication significantly predicted higher life satisfaction for men but not for women.     

Relationships Among Active Engagement in Life Activities and Quality of Life for Assisted-Living Residents

This cross-sectional research explored the relationships between active engagement in life activities (leisure, social, and instrumental activities of daily living) and quality of life for seniors aged 65 and older residing in assisted living facilities. It is increasingly recognized that active participation in diverse physical, cognitive, and social activities can promote older adults’ quality of life, including physical and mental health, but there is limited information about this in the population of residents in assisted living facilities. It is estimated that there are one million older adults residing in assisted living facilities, making assisted living facilities a rapidly growing segment of senior housing. Older adults who relocate to assisted living facilities commonly experience lifestyle changes, often related to their altered physical and social environment, reduced demands regarding household chores and meal preparation, and new opportunities for recreation and socialization. In this study, interviews were conducted with 131 ambulatory residents from assisted living facilities in the New York City metropolitan area using the 55-Item Activity Checklist, SF-36v2, Life Satisfaction Index-Z, and demographic questions. Results found significant low to moderate correlations between retained engagement in life activities (leisure, social, and instrumental activities of daily living) and life satisfaction, and several quality of life domains, including physical functioning, mental health, general health, and vitality. Older adults continued to engage in a greater percentage of everyday life activities they identified as important. This data supports exploration of client-centered activity programs to promote participation of residents in assisted living facilities in diverse activities to both maintain resident functional abilities and manage functional decline.     

Evaluation of Adult Protective Services: Perspectives of Community Professionals

ABSTRACT

Due to challenges associated with client characteristics, funding, and the expectation of poor outcomes, few studies have evaluated the services provided by Adult Protective Services (APS). The article reports community-based professionals' satisfaction with APS when investigating cases of suspected elder abuse. Results from a 12-item quantitative survey indicate respondents were most satisfied with the intake process, followed by assessment, and case management. Satisfaction was higher than expected, though areas for improvement are identified. This survey and its results should serve as a starting point for more extensive evaluation methodologies needed to enhance the delivery of services provided by APS.