Preschoolers' social information processing and early school success: The challenging situations task

As part of a larger longitudinal project on the assessment of preschoolers' social‐emotional development, children's social information processing (SIP) responses to unambiguous hypothetical situations of peer provocation were assessed for 298 four‐year‐olds from Head Start and private childcare settings. Measurement focused on emotions children would feel during these situations, and their behaviour response decisions. Participants most often chose sad and angry emotions, and socially competent and passive behaviours. Relations were found between sad emotion and socially competent behaviour choices, as well as between angry emotion and aggressive behaviour choices. Sad emotion and socially competent behaviour responses contributed to variance in contemporaneous and later school adjustment and kindergarten academic readiness. There was evidence that the contributions of sad emotion responses were mediated by those of socially competent behaviour choices. Results bolstered calls to include emotion in SIP measures, supported predictive validity for this SIP measure in a large representative sample of preschoolers, and pointed to fruitful pathways for future research.     

Hospitalizations for Suicide‐Related Drug Poisonings and Co‐occurring Alcohol Overdoses in Adolescents (Ages 12–17) and Young Adults (Ages 18–24) in the United States, 1999–2008: Results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample

Drug poisoning is the leading method of suicide‐related deaths among females and third among males in the United States. Alcohol can increase the severity of drug poisonings, yet the prevalence of alcohol overdoses in suicide‐related drug poisonings (SRDP) remains unclear. Data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample was examined to determine rates of inpatient hospital stays for SRDP and co‐occurring alcohol overdoses in adolescents (ages 12–17) and young adults (ages 18–24) between 1999 and 2008. Among adolescents, there were 14,615 hospitalizations for drug poisonings in 2008, of which 72% (10,462) were suicide‐related at a cost of $43 million. Rates of SRDP in this age group decreased between 1999 and 2008. The prevalence of co‐occurring alcohol overdoses increased from 5% in 1999 to 7% in 2008. Among young adults, there were 32,471 hospitalizations for drug poisonings in 2008, of which 64% (20,746) were suicide‐related at a cost of $110 million. Rates of SRDP did not change significantly between 1999 and 2008. The prevalence of co‐occurring alcohol overdoses increased from 14% in 1999 to 20% in 2008. Thus, while rates of SRDP decreased for adolescents and remained unchanged for young adults, the prevalence of co‐occurring alcohol overdoses increased for both age groups. Such hospitalizations provide important opportunities to employ intervention techniques to prevent further suicide attempts.     

The Message Design Logics of Responses to HIV Disclosures

This article uses the theory of message design logics to investigate the relative sophistication of responses to disclosure of HIV status. In Study 1, 548 college students imagined a sibling revealing an HIV‐positive diagnosis. Their responses to the HIV disclosures were coded as expressive (n= 174), conventional (n= 298), or rhetorical (n= 66). Type of message produced was associated with gender and HIV aversion. In Study 2, 459 individuals living with HIV rated response messages that were taken verbatim from Study 1. Expressive messages were rated lowest in quality, and rhetorical messages were rated highest. The discussion focuses on the utility of message design logics for understanding responses to HIV disclosures and the implications for message design logics.     

The Moderating Effect of the Negative Impact of Recent Life Events on the Relation between Intrinsic Religiosity and Death Ideation in Older Adults

Researchers tested the hypothesis that the negative impact of recent life events would moderate the relationship between intrinsic religiosity and death ideation in older adults. Participants (n = 272) completed assessments of death ideation, intrinsic religiosity, and negative impact of recent life events. We confirmed the presence of concurrent moderation and found that older adults with greater negative impact of recent life events and high intrinsic religiosity reported greater death ideation. These relatively surprising findings may be due to reduced fear of death in intrinsically religious older adults, an explanation consistent with previous research.     

Teaching the Bible and Film: Pedagogical Promises,Pitfalls, and Proposals

This article begins by recognizing the increasing use of film in Religion, Theology, and Bible courses. It contends that in many Biblical Studies (and Religious Studies and Theology) courses, students are neither taught how to view films properly, nor how to place films into constructive dialogue with biblical texts. The article argues for a specific pedagogical approach to the use of film in which students learn how to view a film closely, in its entirety, on its own terms, and in its own voice. Viewing a film in this manner by attending to its aesthetic integrity is a prerequisite for constructing a fruitful dialogue between films and biblical texts. The essay concludes with three specific examples of what this approach might look like. Two responses follow the essay; Erin Runions of Pomona College considers two additional learning goals we might consider, and Richard Ascough of Queens University at Kingston helpfully distinguishes a range of possible pedagogical goals for introducing film into the Biblical Studies classroom.     

Loneliness and Psychological Distress in Women Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer: Examining the Role of Self-Perceived Burden,Social Support Seeking,and Social Network Diversity

Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings - The aim of the present study was to examine the role of self-perceived burden, social support seeking, and social network diversity in...     

Recognition of context and experience: a civic-based Canadian conception of religious literacy

ABSTRACT

Several conceptions of religious literacy exist globally and are informed by the contextual nuances of the scholars who developed them in the UK, US and Australia. As five Canadian scholar-educators across British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, we analyse the well-known religious literacy conceptions of Jackson, Nesbitt, Dinham, Moore and Crisp through a framework based on the recognition of context and experience. In doing so, we propose a Canadian-specific conception that considers the contextual nuances in these four provinces and relates to Canada as a nation and the individual experiences of each author, and recognises the diversity across Canada. We posit that our conception addresses the social and political dynamics and shifts in Canada, namely the changing demography of religious, spiritual and non-religious individuals and the response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report that calls Canadians and its institutions to respond to the wrong towards First Nations, Metis and Inuit people.