Integrating Behavioral Aspects into Community Preparedness and Response Systems

Summary

This article examines the role of psychosocial and behavioral dimensions of terrorism that influence community preparedness and homeland defense efforts. Public health interventions will fail if people do not follow the recommendations. A broader public health model is applied to help identify the interactions between risk and safety appraisals, social factors, and behavioral response to uncertain and stressful situations. Community preparedness would benefit by linking disparate programmatic and advocacy initiatives that already exist. It stands to reason that improving the cohesiveness of existing systems of social organization would strengthen community resilience and serve as effective countermeasures for terrorism.     

The Manager-Salesperson Relationship: an Exploratory Examination of the Vertical-Dyad Linkage Model

Abstract

The Vertical-Dyad-Linkage Model (VDL) is offered as a tool to explore the infrastructure of a sales team. Building on the philosophy found in most sales management literature that salespersons are to be managed as individuals, VDL theory allows an exploration of the underlying social organization that is present in all sales forces. Thus, the style that a manager uses with a particular salesperson will vary depending on the exchange relationship established (cadres, hired hands). The objectives of the paper are to explore the general tenets of VDL theory, to assimilate the theory in sales management, to provide implications for sales managers and salespeople, and to discuss the important implications for sales management research.     

The Family Peace Project

Summary

Intimate partner violence-assault by a spouse, ex-spouse, intimate friend or ex-friend-is the most common cause of injury for women and a serious public health problem. As a result, the American Medical Association has recognized physicians' ethical obligation to diagnose and treat partner violence, and called for new models of training. In this article, we review literature on the health care system's response to domestic violence. We then describe the Family Peace Project, a community oriented model for training health care professionals to identify, treat and prevent partner violence in primary health care settings. This training program provides knowledge, clinical skills and a sense of professional empowerment. Unique features of this program include: involvement of community mentors (survivors of family violence) as program faculty; training in specific clinical skills and protocols for screening, assessment and intervention; a hands-on assessment of community resources; coinmunity service; and, creation of an award winning web site to promote dissemination of the training program.     

Preventing Intimate Partner Violence: Towards a Framework for Supporting Effective Community Mobilisation

Community mobilisation is a promising new strategy for preventing intimate partner violence (IPV) against women in low‐income settings. However, little is known about the contextual factors (e.g. socio‐economic, cultural, historical and political conditions) that enable the effective mobilisation of communities for IPV prevention. This paper draws from the theoretical work of Campbell and Cornish (2010) on the relationship between context and community action in addressing HIV/AIDS to propose a framework for situating community mobilisation for IPV prevention in its surrounding symbolic, material and relational contexts. The framework is refined using empirical data from a case study of a gender‐based violence (GBV) prevention intervention in Rwanda, including interviews with members of government‐mandated GBV Committees and focus group discussions with members of two village communities (n = 35). A thematic analysis identifies various contextual factors needed to support community mobilisation for IPV prevention, including: broad symbolic understandings of what constitutes IPV; capacity to economically support women who choose to leave violent relationships; mechanisms for addressing the silence that often surrounds IPV; support from policy and government authorities; and opportunities to effectively challenge inequitable policy and legal frameworks. This framework is useful for policy‐makers and programme planners interested in IPV prevention in and by communities. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Parentification Inventory: Development,Validation, and Cross-Validation

Abstract

This study hypothesized that subjects who strongly endorse unrealistic beliefs about intimate relationships would score higher on a measure of exposure to popular romantic media than subjects who do not. The relationship between exposure to media and satisfaction with one's current intimate relationship was also explored. Results for the 109 adult subjects support the hypothesis (r=.18, p<.05). There was also a trend for married women who were more exposed to the popular romantic media to be less satisfied with their current intimate relationships (r=? .26, p<.10). These results would seem to have significant psychological and social implications.     

Public Health Communication Theory and Strategies for Interpersonal Violence Prevention

ABSTRACT

The article reviews experience and lessons learned from public health communication to identify promising strategies for interventions seeking to promote interpersonal violence prevention. A public health perspective highlights multiple levels of analysis in tandem with concomitant communication theory invoking social, institutional, community, and individual change processes. Points of emphasis include a long-term perspective for social change and the importance of achieving high levels of exposure to communication efforts. Alternative communication strategies such as social mobilization, the use of local media, and media advocacy may foster incremental legal reform and service provision, as well as transformed social expectations and norms.     

“Till Death Us Do Part”: Issues of Fidelity in End of Life Care

SUMMARY

This paper was born of the experience of caring for a loved one at the end of life. The sense of being torn between accepting one's lot and wishing for something “other” is at the heart of the concept described as “intimate fidelity.” Intimate fidelity is discussed as part of a multi-layered concept of fidelity, embracing aspects of the professional caring relationship, and which builds into a value that shapes the fabric of the community.

Academic literature fails to address this understanding of fidelity, so with some creativity, we turned to popular literature—novels and biographies—to find rich understandings of the concept of fidelity. Then following a traditional system of thematic analysis, three aspects of the concept of fidelity are presented, in the context of caring for loved ones, professional caring, and caring in the community.     

What We Know—and Don't Know—About Preventing Child Maltreatment

Abstract

Although child maltreatment is routinely acknowledged as a serious social problem, it remains widespread, raising questions about how prevention efforts can be improved. Following a review of theory and research relevant to prevention programming, the two dominant models of child abuse prevention-child empowerment and parent education-are examined, emphasizing both those factors that appear to contribute to program success (e.g., early intervention, sufficient time commitments, cultural sensitivity) and weaknesses in current efforts (e.g., poor implementation). Although underutilized, broader social and system-level reforms, including social policy and media initiatives, hold promise for prevention. Ways in which to leverage these tools are explored. Additional research is urged to explore assumptions on which programs are based, as well as to conduct more rigorous evaluation of current programs. The article concludes that a sustained commitment to prevention efforts aimed at child abuse and neglect is required.     

Richard Wagner and the Birth of The Birth of Tragedy 1

Abstract

Nietzsche writes that the ‘real task’ of The Birth of Tragedy is to ‘solve the puzzle of Wagner’s relation to Greek tragedy’. The ‘puzzle’, I suggest, is the intermingling in his art and writings of earlier socialist optimism with later Schopenhauerian pessimism. According to the former the function of the ‘rebirth of Greek tragedy’ in the ‘collective artwork’ is to ‘collect’, and so create, community. According to the second the function of the artwork is to intimate a realm ‘beyond’ this world of pain and death. The audacity of The Birth is that it attempts to show that Wagner can have his cake and eat it: the ‘Dionysian’, musical, element provides a ‘metaphysical comfort’, while the ‘Apollonian’, verbal, element draws a ‘veil of oblivion’ over the metaphysical, thereby allowing the artwork to solidify community. Contrary to the standard Anglophone view, this perspective on The Birth shows that Nietzsche’s intimate association with Wagner during the period of its creation lies at the heart of its philosophical content.     

Towards an Ecological Understanding of Resilience in Trauma Survivors

Abstract

The ecological perspective of community psychology offers needed understanding of diverse sources and expressions of resilience among trauma survivors. Investigations by community psychologists into the nature of wellness-enhancing interventions and empowering social change can inform trauma-focused interventions at individual, community, and societal levels. Here, works by selected community psychologists are reviewed. The ecological view of trauma, recovery, and resilience guiding work at the Victims of Violence (VOV) Program, the range and reach of VOV's clinical and community interventions, and elements of its trauma recovery and resiliency research project illustrate the implications and relevance of these works. Five premises of an ecological understanding of resilience in trauma survivors are discussed.     

Faith Organizations and Ethnically Diverse Elders: A Community Action Model

SUMMARY

In this article we argue that faith organizations should become involved in developing social service programs for older adults in the community. In the current political climate, the government is providing fewer social service programs, and future prospects for services are bleak. The literature provides evidence that religion and faith-based organizations are important in the lives of Americans, particularly the current cohort of ethnically diverse elders. Our earlier Korean church study found that Korean older people benefit from church-based services and church-involved, older Koreans had higher rates of well-being. Churches remain untapped resources and we believe they should be extensively involved in provision of community programs. We offer a twelve-step model for the development of community programs under the auspices of faith organizations: The Faith-Based Community Action Model (FBCAM).     

Constructing a Tree for Community Leaders: Contexts and Processes in Collaborative Inquiry

This paper presents collaborative research between a university-based team and a grass roots community organization on the south side of Chicago. The purpose of the work is to document the nature of community leadership as expressed by members of the host organization. Using a semistructured interview, 77 community members nominated by the host organization were asked about various aspects of their community work. Qualitative analyses of interview text generated a set of 56 codes concerning different aspects of community leadership as reported by grassroots leaders. These codes were subsequently grouped together into five conceptually linked dimensions of community leadership. A leadership tree that simultaneously analyzes and visually displays each of these five dimensions of community leadership was created. Implications of the methodology used to create the leadership tree are discussed for the salience of qualitative methods in community research.     

The Crosstown Initiative: Art,Community, and Placemaking in Memphis

This case study examines an arts organization at the center of an urban neighborhood revitalization effort and its contributions to creative placemaking and inclusive community building. The study documents innovative arts practices and explores their meaning for a local context, an understudied city in the Mid‐South region of the United States. It builds on the research team’s ongoing work as teachers, students, and scholars in partnership with the arts organization. It includes systematic participant observation, interviews with stakeholders, and a review of historical and contemporary media coverage. We found that the organization and its practices provided a rich context for exploring an expanded sense of community including bridging social capital and place‐based frameworks. Analysis suggests that the organization’s intentional arts based practices bring multiple understandings of community and art into meaningful dialogue through the generation of creative and social friction. These practices illustrate one context‐specific strategy addressing the tensions in a community–diversity dialectic (Townley et al. in Am J Commun Psychol 47:69–85, 2011 ).     

Exploring the Role of Social Support in Promoting Community Integration: An Integrated Literature Review

Community integration has emerged as a priority area among mental health advocates, policy makers, and researchers (Townley, Miller, & Kloos, 2013; Ware, Hopper, Tugenberg, Dickey, & Fisher, 2007). Past research suggests that social support influences community integration for individuals with serious mental illnesses (Davidson, Haglund, Stayner, Rakfeldt, Chinman, & Tebes, 2001; Davidson, Stayner, Nickou, Styron, Rowe, & Chinman, 2001; Wong & Solomon, 2002), but there has not yet been a systematic review on this topic. Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to explore the influence of social support on community integration through a review of the existing literature. An extensive literature search was conducted, resulting in 32 articles that met the search criteria. These articles were organized into three categories: defining community integration, supportive relationships, and mental health services. The search results are analyzed according to the types of support being provided. Article strengths, limitations, implications, and future directions are also addressed. Overall, the findings of this review suggest that social support, which may be provided by a variety of individuals and services, plays an important role in promoting community integration for individuals with serious mental illnesses. Therefore, as community mental health research and practice continues to promote community integration for individuals with serious mental illnesses, the mental health field should emphasize the importance of social support as a key factor influencing community integration.     

Future Directions in Intimate Partner Violence Prevention Research

ABSTRACT

During the past 20 years, research on dynamics of intimate partner violence, risk factors, and treatment of intimate partner violence has flourished. However, research on the prevention of intimate partner violence is in its infancy. The current volume was developed in order to examine the state of the art in preventing intimate partner violence. To that end, this article offers a synthesis of recommendations for future research made by the authors in this volume and participants in the symposium on the prevention of intimate partner violence sponsored by the Department of Defense. A goal in compiling these recommendations is to foster more and better research into preventing intimate partner violence.     

Wholistic Theology as a Conceptual Foundation for Services for the Oldest Old

SUMMARY

Social service agencies are focusing more and more on the “old-old.” Some organizations have secular missions that address multiple domains (i.e., physiological, economic, social, etc.). Other agencies, developed by the religious community, designate spirituality as a domain to be addressed in serving the “old-old.” This paper examines interfaces between secular social service organizations and those persons (whether staff, board or religious leaders) who attempt to provide a wholistic perspective for service provision to the “old-old.”     

Subjective Social Standing and Conflict Tactics Among Young Kenyan Men

Efforts to reduce intimate partner violence in sub‐Saharan Africa generally approach the issue through the lens of women's empowerment. These efforts include foci on women's relative power in the relationship, educational background, and earning potential. The social status of men has largely been ignored, reducing the potential to involve them in efforts to demote intimate partner violence. In this study we consider whether a man's perceived social status predicts conflict tactics, and whether these tactics are mediated by loneliness and collective self‐esteem from a community‐based sample in semi‐rural Kenya (n = 263). We find that men who reported lower perceived social status also reported significantly more frequent violent conflicts with their intimate partners. This association was significantly, and completely, mediated by lower collective self‐esteem and higher loneliness. There was no direct association between subjective social status and negotiation‐based conflict tactics, although there was an indirect association. Men with higher perceived social status reported higher collective self‐esteem, and men with higher collective self‐esteem reported more negotiation‐based conflict tactics. These findings inform efforts to reduce intimate partner violence by involving men, showing potential to reduce violence by building self‐esteem among men—particularly those with lower perceived social status.     

Oppression and empowerment: perceptions of violence among urban youth

Youth violence in the United States has emerged as a major concern for communities, policymakers and community researchers. This paper reports on the efforts of a child mental health clinic to build a community consensus around addressing violence that affects youth and all members of the community. We describe and give case examples regarding our approach to acquiring the perspectives of the community, particularly that of youth, discuss key themes and implications that emerged from our work, and offer preliminary recommendations for designing a youth violence prevention initiative in a disenfranchised community. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.