Risk sectors for undesirable behaviour and mobbing

The aim of this short note was to get an impression of risk sectors for the prevalence of undesirable behaviour and mobbing in The Netherlands. Data were collected from 1995 to 1999 with the Questionnaire on The Assessment and Experience of Work (Vragenlijst Beleving en Beoordeling van de Arbeid; VBBA; van Veldhoven & Meijman, 1994). The sample consisted of 66,764 employees representing 11 sectors in The Netherlands. Four questions were indicative of the occurrence of undesirable behaviour and mobbing. The main conclusion of this study is that there are large differences in the occurrence of undesirable behaviour between sectors.     

The Socio-Political Recruitment of Identities

A discussion is developed of Lynne Layton's argument regarding the eclipsing of empathic links among individuals and collective identifications within contemporary American culture. In this discussion I raise questions about the rhetorical strategies of this essay, about the analysis of power and of the social climate. I want to engage Layton in a closer consideration of the role of subversion and dissent, the status of developmental processes in a changing culture, the nature and reach of empathy, the role of psychoanalysis as a practice and a theory, and the role of therapeutic process in building opposition and dissent and in creating strong empathic forms of alliance to counter the dominant culture, including the culture of work.     

Differences in panic psychopathology between smokers with and without asthma

Cigarette smoking is more common among individuals with asthma compared to those without, resulting in increased risk of morbidity and mortality. However, there has been little exploration of psychological factors that differ between smokers with and without asthma. Thus, the aim of the current study was to examine differences between smokers with and without asthma in terms of anxiety sensitivity, panic symptoms, lifetime history of panic attacks, and lifetime history of panic disorder. Participants were 115 smokers with asthma (55.3% male, M_age = 38.4 years, SD = 11.9) and 120 smokers without asthma (70.6% male, M_age = 37.0 years, SD = 12.8) who were administered a structured diagnostic interview and completed self-report measures. As hypothesized, after controlling for the effects of cigarettes per day, gender, race, and education, smokers with asthma reported higher levels of anxiety sensitivity and panic symptoms and were at an increased risk for having a lifetime history of panic attacks (OR = 3.01) and panic disorder (OR = 2.96) compared to smokers without asthma. Further, group differences in anxiety sensitivity and panic symptoms remained even after removing participants with a lifetime history of panic attacks or panic disorder. These findings suggest that smokers with asthma are a particularly ‘at-risk’ population for panic psychopathology and likely in need of specialized smoking-related prevention and intervention efforts.     

How positive and negative contact relate to attitudes towards Roma: Comparing majority and high‐status minority perspectives

Intergroup contact scholars have recently called for analyzing the effects of negative intergroup contact. In response to this call, we examined the correlates of positive and negative contact with one of the most stigmatized ethnic minorities, that is, Roma. We conducted a study in Bulgaria considering the point of view of the ethnic Bulgarian majority (n = 516) and of Bulgarian Turks (n = 274), an ethnic minority with higher status compared to Roma. Regression analyses showed that positive contact was associated with reduced prejudice and more support for pro‐Roma policies, while negative contact revealed the opposite pattern. These associations did not differ between ethnic Bulgarians and Bulgarian Turks. Moreover, positive and negative intergroup emotions mediated the relationships between positive and negative contact on the one hand and prejudice and policy support on the other. Our study highlights the importance of emotional processes involved in positive and negative intergroup contact experiences and encourages future research to analyze how absolute versus relative status differences shape the effects of positive and negative contact in complex hierarchical societies.     

Developing an Acceptance-Based Behavioral Treatment for Binge Eating Disorder: Rationale and Challenges

Binge eating disorder (BED), characterized by recurrent eating episodes in which individuals eat an objectively large amount of food within a short time period accompanied by a sense of loss of control, is the most common eating disorder. While existing treatments, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), produce remission in a large percentage of individuals with BED, room for improvement in outcomes remains. Two reasons some patients may continue to experience binge eating after a course of treatment are: (a) Difficulty complying with the prescribed behavioral components of CBT due to the discomfort of implementing such strategies; and (b) a lack of focus in current treatments on strategies for coping with high levels of negative affect that often drive binge eating. To optimize treatment outcomes, it is therefore crucial to provide patients with strategies to overcome these issues. A small but growing body of research suggests that acceptance-based treatment approaches may be effective for the treatment of binge eating. The goal of the current paper is to describe the development of an acceptance-based group treatment for BED, discuss the structure of the manual and the rationale and challenges associated with integrating acceptance-based strategies into a CBT protocol, and to discuss clinical strategies for successfully implementing the intervention.     

Longitudinal consistency of adolescent ethnic identification across varying school ethnic contexts

The present study examined consistency and inconsistency in adolescents' ethnic identification (i.e., self-reported ethnicity) across the 6 middle-school semesters. The sample (N = 1,589, of whom 46% were boys and 54% were girls) included African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Caucasian/White, Latino/Latina, Mexican/Mexican American, and multiethnic students. Latent class analyses yielded 3 key patterns in ethnic identification across the middle-school years: consistent, late consistent, and inconsistent. Ethnic identification remained consistent across fall and spring of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades for only about 60% of the students. Asian/Pacific Islander students were more consistent, and multiethnic students were less consistent than students from other ethnic groups. School ethnic composition was associated with systematic shifts in ethnic identification from the beginning to the end of middle school for those students who initially identified as Latino/Latina, African American, or multiethnic but not for Mexican-origin students. In combination, the results provide insight into the consistency of ethnic identification, the role of context in adolescents' self-representation, and considerations for longitudinal studies that examine ethnic differences.     

The Relationship Between Personality and Peers’ Judgments of the Appropriateness of Accommodations for Individuals With Disabilities1

The purpose of this research was to provide a preliminary evaluation of how the personality characteristics of peers, as defined by the 5‐factor model of personality, explained their judgments of the appropriateness of accommodations given to disabled persons. We hypothesized that both agreeableness and openness to experience would be related positively to judgments of appropriateness and that conscientiousness would be related negatively. We also hypothesized that personality dimensions would interact with disability and accommodation types in determining judgments of appropriateness. We obtained partial support for our hypotheses in that the interactions of Disability × Accommodation × Agreeableness as well as Disability × Accommodation × Openness to Experience were significant, although the personality dimensions themselves did not produce significant results.     

Indicators of quality teaching in intensive behavioral intervention: a survey of parents and professionals

Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI) is being used extensively with children with autism. It is widely accepted that a large quantity of IBI is necessary to maximize children's outcomes, but outcomes remain variable and one reason for this is likely related to the quality of intervention children are receiving. There is little empirical evidence regarding the nature and measurement of quality IBI. This paper presents results of a survey examining the views of parents and professionals about quality IBI and how it should be measured. Parents rated the importance of 11 IBI characteristics and professionals indicated whether these characteristics should be measured objectively or subjectively. All respondents selected three characteristics they thought most important and answered open‐ended questions about: additional quality indicators and IBI programming issues for which empirical evidence is needed. Parental ratings supported the importance of virtually all the suggested characteristics. Professional results emphasized the importance of objective measurement. The most frequently selected indicators of high quality teaching across groups were: creating generalization opportunities, administering reinforcers of the appropriate type, and using effective/appropriate behavior management strategies. There were interesting differences across groups and many valuable suggestions about additional indicators of quality and empirical questions of interest. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.