Pilgrimage to wellness: an exploratory report of rural African American clergy perceptions of church health promotion capacity

Churches serve vital roles in African American communities, where disease burden is disproportionately greater and healthcare access is more limited. Although church leadership often must approve programs and activities conducted within churches, little is known about their perception of churches as health promotion organizations, or the impact of church-based health promotion on their own health. This exploratory study assessed perceptions of church capacity to promote health among 27 rural, African American clergy leaders and report the relationship between their own health and that of their congregation. Results indicate a perceived need to increase the capacity of their churches to promote health. Most common were conducting health programs, displaying health information, kitchen committee working with the health ministry, partnerships outside of the church, and funding. Findings lay the foundation for the development of future studies of key factors associated with organizational change and health promotion in these rural church settings.     

Chapter 11: Social Climate Correlates of Effectiveness in Alliance for the Mentally Ill Groups

SUMMARY

To examine how various social climate characteristics predict group effectiveness (i.e., overall strength, and benefits and satisfaction members experience) in Alliance for the Mentally Ill (AMI) mutual help groups, information on the group climate and effectiveness of all 22 AMI affiliates in Indiana was gathered using two independent procedures: (1) rank-and-file members from each affiliate (N = 221) provided demographic information and completed Maton's (1988) 43-item measure of social climate (including perceived benefits and satisfaction), and (2) affiliate leaders supplied information on the human and material resources available to their groups plus an overall assessment of the group's current strength. From both member and leader perspectives, social climate experiences of members were strong predictors of AMI group effectiveness, while material resources and member demographics were not. Support Received, Leadership, and Order/organization were especially important, while extramural contact among members was consistently unrelated to group effectiveness. Efforts to initiate and/or increase the effectiveness of AMI groups should focus on the leadership, internal structure, support activities, and role opportunities provided to members.     

Subjective well-being among Episcopal priests: predictors and comparisons to non-clinical norms

Few studies of the clergy have examined emotional well-being using normed measures. This study examined subjective well-being among 1,581 non-retired Episcopal priests. Subjective well-being was measured with the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (Watson, Clark, & Tellegen, 1988) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985). Predictors of subjective well-being were measured with the Dispositional Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) and scales of personal practices, social support, congregational dynamics, fit, and economic satisfaction. Participants reported more positive affect (Hedges's g = 1.19), more negative affect (Hedges's g = 0.61) and more satisfaction with life (Hedges's g = 0.73) than nonclinical norms. Hope agency was the strongest predictor for positive affect and satisfaction with life; stress was the strongest predictor for negative affect and partially mediated the effect of congregational dynamics and fit on this outcome. Results suggest that prevention programs must focus on all aspects of subjective well-being and consider the direct effects of different levels of the ecosystem to be effective.     

论乡村基层组织心理契约的重构

乡村基层组织的组织效能不仅来自于"以制度为中心"的刚性化管理,更来自于以"心理契约"为基础的柔性化管理。改革开放30多年来,乡村基层组织心理契约发生了巨大变化。构建符合组织管理需要的新型心理契约应完善组织内部沟通机制,提高组织和成员的互信水平;强化组织目标管理,形成组织与成员的共同愿景;培育和谐的组织文化理念,增强成员认同感;建立合理的职业发展规划体系,促进成员自我发展。     

Collaborative Teaching: School Implementation and Connections With Outcomes Among Students With Disabilities

Collaborative teaching is a widely used method of including and supporting students with disabilities to provide all students equal access to education. Yet, there is a dearth of research on its implementation and outcomes, and the few existing studies are limited to academic and testing outcomes. This study assesses the degree to which schools are implementing co-teaching practices and the relation between co-teaching and student psychosocial outcomes using a mixed method design. Data from 12 schools, which included 16 school leaders and staff, 13 teachers, and 56 students with disabilities, were examined. Schools achieved 0–75% of the co-teaching best-practices criteria, with the majority achieving 25%–50% of the criteria. Higher levels of teacher-reported co-teaching were related to higher levels of student-reported school belonging, school satisfaction, and self-efficacy for new experiences. The benefits and challenges of co-teaching, as well as implications for intervention and research are addressed.     

EFFECTS OF A SUPPORT GROUP ON THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF CESAREAN CHILDBIRTH

Childbirth by cesarean, especially when unexpected, can be a source of acute emotional distress, stemming from unmet expectations for childbirth and the experience of major surgery, among other factors. Some women experience negative feelings months or years after the birth. A difficult cesarean birth experience has potential negative effects on a woman's relationship with her spouse or infant. Cesarean support groups play an important role in the prevention of emotional distress by facilitating the resolution of the birth experiences and allowing women to plan and prepare for more positive birth experiences in the future.     

Stress,Coping, and Black Mental Health:

Despite the fact that blacks are disproportionately exposed to social conditions considered to be antecedents of psychiatric disorder, epidemiologic studies have not conclusively demonstrated that blacks exhibit higher rates of mental illness than whites. The present paper employed a research approach which considered not only rates of psychological distress, but also the stressors that blacks face and thc various coping strategies used to adapt to those stressors. The data were obtained from the National Survey of Black Americans, the first study of a national probability sample of the adult black population. The information on mental health and coping was collected within the context of a single stressful personal problem. The analysis indicates that prayer was an extremely important coping response used by blacks especially among those making less than $10,000, above the age of 55 and women. The informal social network was used quite extensively as a means of coping with problems. This was true for all sociodemographic groups studied. The young (18-34) were less likely than those age 35 and above to seek professional help, while women were more likely than men to seek formal assistance. Income was not related to professional help seeking. With respect to the use of specific professional help sources, hospital emergency rooms, private physicians and ministers were used most frequently. The implications of these findings for research on black mental health and primary prevention are discussed.     

大陆青年学生在台湾的社会交往现状分析——基于大陆“交换生”群体的实证调查

青年学生逐步成为两岸交流的主要力量,本文通过实证调查发现,大陆“交换生”群体在台交流期间,形成了不同于以往的社会交往网络,“交换生”面对新的环境,开始接触台湾青年群体,使用当地的沟通工具,参与当地社会活动,这充分体现出大陆青年在台具有较强的“在地”适应性.但是,研究也发现,“交换生”群体在交流中呈现出相对封闭的交往网络,由于交流环境的限制,心理的群体认同与融合也有待进一步构建.因此,有必要推动建立两岸青年交流的持续化交往机制.     

Natural Mentoring Relationships as a Protective Factor for Victims of Bullying

School bullying is associated with a host of unfavorable psychosocial outcomes, even as victims enter college. Thus, the identification of modifiable protective factors remains an important goal of psychological research in the context of resilience theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the moderating effect of natural mentoring relationships (NMRs) on the association between peer victimization and college adjustment. Participants were 239 undergraduate students from a rural Midwestern university. Results indicated that higher levels of past peer victimization were associated with higher levels of depression and interpersonal problems. The presence of NMRs moderated the relationship between past peer victimization and interpersonal problems. Though further study is necessary, NMRs among school-aged students who experience bullying may be beneficial.     

谣言传播的个体心理模型及其运演规则——G.W.奥尔波特、L.波斯特曼《谣言心理学》述评

弗洛伊德将人类思想和行为的动力归因于潜意识的冲动,而奥尔波特则侧重研究处于意识体验中的健康个人的行动倾向,这也昭示其理论的人本主义性质,即个体具有一个“内在的自我”,它是一种稳定的心理结构,具有理性、能动性、选择性,不受环境或生理等其它因素的控制。文本试图构建人类群体中谣言传播的个体心理模型,揭示谣言传播的心理实质及其运行规律:一则模糊不清但含有语义要素的信息经过X轴向前运行,该段信息在被个体接收后,在自我意识层面以模糊性和重要性两个维度,进行一系列的转化并形成谣言信息。具体而言,信息模糊性是在个体意识层面感知、记忆和评述过程中产生,根据格式塔心理学的完整性原则,人们会对模糊的信息进行加工,使之更加具有合理性,合乎现实逻辑和自我需求,并使得信息的模糊性变成确定性。信息重要性是指Y轴动力系统中,在个体精神层面动机与需求的力的牵引下,信息被个体按照自己的情感愿望加工;在潜意识本我层面,信息被个体自我按照快乐原则投射到意识之中,使得信息对个体而言变得更为“重要”。以上过程,谣言生产的总体原则符合简化、强化和同化的歪曲模式。一方面,歪曲模式发生在自我对本我和超我的平衡点上(小我),内含潜意识向意识呈现、自我向超我及环境超越两大动力结构,推动“模糊性”向“确定性”转变;另一方面,歪曲模式同时发生在精神层(大我),行为动机和情感需求形成“重要性”驱动力。     

Developmental Disabilities in Children Involved with Child Welfare: Correlates of Referrals for Service Provision

Using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW), this study explores the characteristics of child welfare involvement for children (N = 639; aged 3–17.5 years) with at least one developmental disability. In addition, a central focus of this exploration was to examine respective differences in how caregivers and caseworkers initiated referrals for services for children with disabilities. The sample was divided into three exclusive groups based on type of developmental disability: learning disability (weighted percentage 70.3%); Mental Retardation (now referred to as Intellectual Disability), Downs Syndrome, or; developmental delay (weighted percentage 1.8%); and presence of multiple types of disabilities, including autism (weighted percentage 27.9%). Results from the logistic regression analyses indicate children in this population who are placed in out-of-home care receive more referrals than those residing in-home with biological caregivers; older children and children with multiple disabilities are also more apt to obtain referrals to formal assessments. On the other hand, children who were considered in the “other” race category (includes children who identify as: multi-racial; Asian; Pacific Islander; Native American) were significantly less likely to be referred for a formal assessment. Regarding the association between specific maltreatment type and assessment referrals, children with reports of emotional maltreatment had significantly higher odds of being referred for formal assessments.     

近10年国内婚外恋研究的回顾与思考

本文主要就近10年国内有关婚外恋问题的研究进行了梳理、分析和评价。现有研究主要涉及婚外恋的概念、引发因素和对策探讨,农民工、女性、同性恋者、研究生等不同人群婚外恋和网络婚外恋的具体分析和实证研究,婚外恋观念的代际比较,婚外恋中的"第三者"研究等方面。通过对现有相关研究的梳理,本文分析和评价了国内相关研究现状及存在的主要问题,提出了自己的思考和建议。     

寄养儿童的生理心理变化及原因分析--云南安宁市草铺农村家庭寄养儿童调查报告

寄养儿童与生活在正常家庭的孩子有着非常大的环境和身心发展差异。进入寄养家庭的儿童在一年的寄养生活后 ,其生理、心理、生活及社会适应能力等会发生较大的变化 ,其中在生活技能、排泄习惯、语言表达力、性格特征、社会交往能力等方面会相对成熟起来。昆明市儿童福利院农村家庭寄养儿童的尝试性做法 ,为孤残儿童的特殊培养找到了一条新路。     

What Have We Learned from Columbine

Abstract

This study first examined a model of the predictors and mediators of both suicidal ideation and violent ideation, particularly since both types of ideation were highly correlated (r = .55) among our young adolescent participants. The variables in the model were those identified in media accounts of the histories of the 10 high-profile school shooting cases, and that have also been included in our earlier model of the predictors of suicidal ideation, which we expanded to include violent ideation. Perceptions of competence or adequacy and social support from peers and parents predicted two mediators in the model, an adjustment/depression composite (self-esteem, hope to hopelessness, and affect, along a continuum from cheerful to depressed) and anger-induced physical aggression. These variables, in turn, predicted both suicidal and violent ideation. Secondly, we examined adolescents' reactions to vignettes that described harassing events, at the hands of peers and teachers simulating the type of audience-observed ridicule experienced by the school shooters. We were particularly interested in the emotional reaction of humiliation, an effect that has received surprisingly little attention in the emotion literature. Humiliation was related to other emotions such as anger and depression, consistent with the co-occurrence of internalizing and externalizing symptoms demonstrated in the overall model. Next we compared those who reported that they would respond violently to the events in vignettes compared to those reporting nonviolent reactions. Examining the variables in the general model, those who reported violent ideation reported markedly lower perceptions of adequacy, lower levels of social support, lower self-esteem, greater hopelessness, depressed affect, and anger-induced aggression. The violent ideators also reported higher levels of both homicidal and suicidal ideation. Discussion focused on the fact that thoughts of violence toward others as well as toward the self have similar psychosocial origins that should be considered in prevention and intervention efforts.     

The 16th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party: formal institutions and factional groups

What was the political landscape of China as a result of the 16th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)? The answer is two‐fold. In terms of formal institutions, provincial units emerged as the most powerful institution in Chinese politics. Their power index, as measured by the representation in the Central Committee, was the highest by a large margin. Although their combined power index ranked second, central institutions were fragmented between central party and central government institutions. The military ranked third. Corporate leaders began to assume independent identities in Chinese politics, but their power was still negligible at this stage. In terms of informal factional groups, the Chinese Communist Youth League (CCYL) Group was the most powerful by a large margin. The Qinghua Clique ranked second. The Shanghai Gang and the Princelings were third and fourth, respectively. The same ranking order also holds in group cohesion indexes. The CCYL Group stood out as the most cohesive because its group cohesion index for inner circle members alone was much larger than those of the other three factional groups combined. The Qinghua Clique came second, and the Shanghai Gang third. The Princelings was hardly a factional group because its group cohesion index was extremely low. These factional groups, nevertheless, were not mutually exclusive. There were significant overlaps among them, especially between the Qinghua Clique and the Shanghai Gang, between the Princelings and the Qinghua Clique, and between the CCYL Group and the Qinghua Clique.     

Democrats within the Chinese Communist Party since 1989

The focus of this article is the discourse of democracy among a group of senior retired officials and academics within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1989. The post-totalitarian regime prevents them from forming a formal faction, but does not stop them from establishing a visible network and effectively arguing for the case of democratization. They want nothing less than Western style democracy as a system involving effective competition between political parties for positions of power through regular and fair elections, in which all members of the population enjoy the freedom of expression and the freedom to form and join political groups or associations. They publish chiefly on the Internet, but also through printing media home and abroad, including some high profile journals under their control or influence in China. By taking advantage of their profound thinking, rich experience and particularly their seniority within the communist hierarchy, democrats within the CCP are making increasing impacts on democratization in China, effectively keeping the debate on China's democratic future alive in the state media and among the CCP leadership. The response of the top CCP leadership to the proposals by their democrat colleagues is not entirely negative, especially on reaching a consensus of accepting democracy and human rights as universal values. The process of the conversion of Chinese communists to liberals is well under way, and sufficient intellectual resources have been accumulated for a democratic transition or a historical breakthrough of democratization in China.     

The urban context: a place to eliminate health disparities and build organizational capacity

This study seeks to examine the process of building the capacity to address health disparities in several urban African American neighborhoods. An inter-organizational network consisting of a research university, community members, community organizations, media partners, and foundations was formed to develop a community-based intervention designed to provide health promotion and disease prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes and hypertension. In-depth qualitative interviews (n = 18) with foundation executives and project directors, civic organization leadership, community leaders, county epidemiologist, and university partners were conducted. Our study contextualizes a process to build a public health partnership using cultural, community, organizational, and societal factors necessary to address health disparities. Results showed 5 important factors to build organizational capacity: leadership, institutional commitment, trust, credibility, and inter-organizational networks. These factors reflected other important organizational and community capacity indicators such as: community context, organizational policies, practices and structures, and the establishment of new commitments and partnerships important to comprehensively address urban health disparities. Understanding these factors to address African American health disparities will provide lessons learned for health educators, researchers, practitioners, foundations, and communities interested in building and sustaining capacity efforts through the design, implementation, and maintenance of a community-based health promotion intervention.     

清代滇黔地区的内地商人与市场网络体系的形成

随着交通条件的改善,滇黔内部各地之间、滇黔地区与内地及周边国家的经济联系日益加强,打破了滇黔地区的封闭状态,使滇黔地区与缅甸、老挝、泰国等周边国家及湖南、湖北、四川、广东、广西等省区连为一体,内地商人纷纷进入滇黔地区从事商业贸易活动。滇黔地区形成的城乡市场网络可分为区域中心市场、中等商业城镇和农村市场三大层次,构成了一个比较完整、复杂多变的滇黔地区的市场网络体系。     

Triple jeopardy for HIV: substance using Severely Mentally Ill Adults

Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) adults have disproportionately high HIV seroprevalence rates. Abuse of alcohol and other substances (AOD) and lifetime exposure to trauma by others are particularly potent risk factors, which, in combination with psychiatric disabilities, create triple jeopardy for HIV infection. This study examined the predictive utility of demographic characteristics; history of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; extent of drug and alcohol abuse; knowledge about HIV/AIDS; sexual self-efficacy; and condom attitudes toward explaining the variance in a composite of HIV high-risk behavior among 188 SMI women and 158 SMI men. History of sexual abuse, engaging in sexual activities while high on substances, and lower cannabis use were the most significant predictors of HIV sexual risk behaviors. Given the triple jeopardy for HIV risk in this population, a triple barreled approach that simultaneously addresses multiple health risks within an integrated treatment setting is warranted.     

台资企业网络形态分析--以汕头市纺织业台资企业为例

本文选择汕头市纺织业台资企业为对象，开展实地凋查，分析台资企业网络形态，探讨台资企业与当地企业的互动关系。研究结果表明，汕头市台资企业网络密度低，开放性明显，与本地企业形成了简单的分工格局，经济交易比较频繁。我们将上述研究发现与东莞、苏州等地台资企业的调查结果进行比较，探讨各地台资企业网络之间的差异及其原因，指出大陆地区台资企业网络的封闭性与开放性并没有绝对的优劣之分，必须结合其他影响因素进行综合分析。