The Role for Occupational Therapists in Community Mobility Training for People With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Symptoms and behaviors of Autism Spectrum Disorders can challenge community mobility, thus hindering independence and participation in occupation. Community mobility, also called travel training, helps people make journeys safely using public transportation, enabling engagement in activities/services otherwise unavailable. Yet, few articles have been written about this topic for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The purpose of the authors in this article is to: (1) explain the need for travel training with people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders; (2) describe specific travel training assessments; (3) review literature on travel training programs; and (4) define a role for occupational therapy in travel training with individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders.     

The dark side of technologies: Technostress among users of information and communication technologies

This paper tests the structure and the predictors of two psychological experiences of technostress associated with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), i.e., technostrain (users report feelings of anxiety, fatigue, scepticism and inefficacy beliefs related to the use of technologies) and technoaddiction (users feel bad due to an excessive and compulsive use of these technologies). The study included a sample of 1072 ICT users (N = 675 nonintensive ICT users and N = 397 intensive ICT users). Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analyses among non‐intensive and intensive ICT users showed, as expected, the four‐factor structure of technostrain in both samples. Secondly, and also as expected, confirmatory factorial analyses revealed that technostress experiences are characterized not only by technostrain but also by an excessive and compulsive use of ICT. Moreover, multiple analyses of variance showed significant differences between non‐intensive and intensive ICT users (1) in the dimensions of technostress and (2) in specific job demands and job/personal resources. Finally, linear multiple regression analyses revealed that technostrain is positively predicted by work overload, role ambiguity, emotional overload, mobbing and obstacles hindering ICT use, as well as by lack of autonomy, transformational leadership, social support, ICT use facilitators and mental competences. Work overload, role ambiguity and mobbing, as well as the lack of emotional competences, positively predict technoaddiction. Theoretical and practical implications, in addition to future research, are discussed.     

Faith and Mental Health in an Oncology Population

This study compares faith attitudes versus behaviors for their relationship to mental health in current cancer patients and survivors. This cross-sectional survey of ambulatory patients included Hodge’s intrinsic religious motivation scale, Benson & Spilka’s concept of God scale, frequency of prayer, and the mental health subscale of the MOS SF-36. One hundred and fifty-eighty patients, mostly women with breast cancer, completed questionnaires (92% return). Mental health was positively related to a concept of a loving God (P < .001) and negatively related to the concept of a stern God (P < .002). Mental health was unrelated to goal of treatment (cure vs. chemotherapy/palliation), frequency of prayer, intrinsic faith motivation, or physical pain. Viewing God as loving was strongly related to better mental health, even in the presence of a poor prognosis or pain.     

Studying radical organizational innovation through grounded theory

The main aim of this article is to study the social processes occurring during the implementation of radical organizational innovation. Our aim is to understand the nature of the development of radical innovation by identifying the social processes, that are taking place. The perspective for the analysis stems from “grounded theory” as a generative and inductive analytical strategy (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). An in-depth case study was thoroughly analysed. A total of 14 indepth interviews were conducted with key informants selected according to “theoretical sampling” criteria. The systematic use of the “constant comparative method” allowed us to differentiate grounded theories leading to a “conceptual saturation” of the categories generated from the empirical data. Results show the emergence of two basic processes, “learning” and “adaptation”, during the development of radical innovation. A “grounded” theory concerning the development of radical innovation is proposed, emphasizing the organization's selfregulating capacity for learning and adapting. Our results describe innovation as an adaptable response that causes disorder in terms of “a creative tension in the system”. Finally, the methodological implications of grounded theory are discussed with regard to the study of radical innovation. The requisites and limitations observed in using grounded theory are outlined.     

Direct and Indirect Effects of Caregiver Social Support on Adolescent Psychological Outcomes in Two South African AIDS-Affected Communities

Caregiver social support has been shown to be protective for caregiver mental health, parenting and child psychosocial outcomes. This is the first known analysis to quantitatively investigate the relationship between caregiver social support and adolescent psychosocial outcomes in HIV‐endemic, resource–scarce Southern African communities. A cross‐sectional household survey was conducted over 2009–2010 with 2,477 South African adolescents aged 10–17 and their adult caregivers (18 years or older) in one urban and one rural community in South Africa’s KwaZulu‐Natal province. Adolescent adjustment was assessed using adult caregiver reports of the Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ), which measures peer problems, hyperactivity, conduct problems, emotional symptoms and child prosocial behavior. Hierarchical linear regressions and multiple mediation analyses, using bootstrapping procedures, were conducted to assess for: (a) direct effects of more caregiver social support on better adolescent psychosocial wellbeing; and (b) indirect effects mediated by better parenting and caregiver mental health. Direct associations (p < .001), and indirect associations mediated through better parenting, were found for all adolescent outcomes. Findings reinforce the importance of social support components within parenting interventions but also point to scope for positive intervention on adolescent psychosocial wellbeing through the broader family social network.     

Patterns of engagement: the relationship between efficacy beliefs and task engagement at the individual versus collective level

This study examines the relationship between efficacy beliefs and task engagement in and over time, at both the individual and collective levels. We conducted latent growth curve analyses using data from 372 university students (individual level) who were assigned to one of 79 e‐work groups (collective level). The participants carried out three collaborative tasks in a laboratory setting. Results reveal, at both levels, that the level of task engagement of participants and groups with high initial levels of efficacy beliefs remained stable, whereas the level of task engagement of participants and groups with low initial levels of efficacy beliefs decreased significantly over time. Moreover, the relationships linking the parallel constructs were functionally equivalent across levels. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed from the perspective of Bandura's social cognitive theory.     

Development and Validation of the Parental Assistance with Child Emotion Regulation (PACER) Questionnaire

Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology - Caregivers play a central role in promoting emotion regulation throughout infancy, childhood, and adolescence. However, there are no existing...     

Taking Racism to Heart: Race-Related Stressors and Cardiovascular Reactivity for Multiracial People

Multiracial people experience an accumulation of racial stress for both their minority and their multiracial identities, yet no research has examined the physiological impact of this stress. This within-groups experimental study examined whether two race-related stressors—identity invalidation and discrimination from family—affect cardiovascular reactivity for Black/White multiracial adults (N = 60). The authors found a Condition × Phase interaction effect indicating that discrimination from family affected blood pressure. Invalidation had no effect on blood pressure. Las personas multirraciales experimentan una acumulación de estrés racial tanto a causa de su identidad multirracial como de su identidad como minoría, pero no hay investigaciones que hayan examinado el impacto psicológico de este estrés. Este estudio experimental dentro de grupos examinó si dos factores causantes de estrés relacionados con la raza (la invalidación de la identidad y la discriminación por parte de la familia) afectan a la reactividad cardiovascular de personas adultas multirraciales blancas/negras (N = 60). Los autores hallaron un efecto de interacción Condición × Fase que indica que la discriminación por parte de la familia tuvo un efecto sobre la presión sanguínea. La invalidación no tuvo efecto sobre la presión sanguínea.