Graduate employment status and health: a longitudinal analysis of the transition from student

The prevalence of unemployment and underemployment was explored longitudinally in 248 recent graduates (73 males and 175 females) over an 18–24 month transition from final year student to 9–12 months post-graduation. Over this period changes in levels of psychological distress, health behaviours, social support, optimism and achievement motivation were measured. Results show that both unemployment and underemployment have deleterious effects on psychological and physical health, social support, optimism and achievement motivation.

Development and validation of a unifactorial measure of citizenship performance

Citizenship Performance has long been accepted as an important aspect of performance, but there has been little consensus on how best to measure this construct. Previous measures have assessed as many as five sub‐factors, yet recent meta‐analyses have indicated that citizenship is largely unifactorial. At the same time, none of the previously developed unifactorial Citizenship Performance scales have been adequately validated. Consequently, this article reports the development of a unifactorial measure of Citizenship Performance, which was found to have good criterion validity. The unifactorial scale also had superior convergent and divergent validity, and better internal factor structure, than the commonly‐used Job Dedication and Interpersonal Facilitation scales, developed by Van Scotter and Motowidlo (1996).     

In‐group reassurance in a pain setting produces lower levels of physiological arousal: direct support for a self‐categorization analysis of social influence

A large body of research demonstrates a strong social component to people's pain experiences and pain‐related behaviours. We investigate this by examining the impact of social‐influence processes on laboratory‐induced pain responses by manipulating the social‐categorical relationship between the person experiencing pain and another who offers reassurance. We show that physiological arousal associated with laboratory‐induced pain is significantly lower in normal, healthy participants following reassurance about the pain‐inducing activity when that reassurance comes from an in‐group member in contrast to reassurance from an out‐group member and a no reassurance control. These data are consistent with predictions derived from self‐categorization theory, providing convincing empirical support of its analysis of social influence using a non‐reactive measure. These data also represent a clear advance within the pain literature by identifying a possible common process to the social‐psychological component of pain responses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The rainbow bridge: an approach to family systems via Howards End

Bateson's ideas of artistic expression, the continuity of Art and Science and the nature of Mind are used as cues for the exploration of Howards End, E. M. Forster's novel of family life. Illustrations of systemic concepts are given from the text. Particular relevance is suggested for the use of literary examples in family therapy training and in the development of family systems theory.     

Gun attitudes on campus: United and divided by safety needs

All people share a need for safety. Yet people’s pursuit of safety can conflict when it comes to guns, with some people perceiving guns as a means to safety and others perceiving guns as a threat to safety. We examined this conflict on a U.S. college campus that prohibits guns. We distinguished between people (N = 11,390) who (1) own a gun for protection, (2) own a gun exclusively for reasons other than protection (e.g., collecting, sports), and (3) do not own a gun. Protection owners felt less safe on campus and supported allowing guns on campus. They also reported that they and others would feel safer and that gun violence would decrease if they carried a gun on campus. Non-owners and non-protection owners felt the reverse. The findings suggest that protection concerns, rather than gun-ownership per se, account for diverging perceptions and attitudes about guns and gun control.