Stigma of mental and physical illness and the use of mobile technology

Research has shown the stigma attached to mental disabilities, yet little research has directly compared the experiences of people with physical disabilities and those with mental disabilities. Not only are both conditions likely perceived as stigmatizing, but the pervasive use of mobile technology may be one means by which people with disabilities can manage and understand their disability. Four hundred and eighty-seven individuals with physical and/or psychological disabilities completed a survey examining whether they would be willing to use mobile technology to manage their disability and how stigmatizing they perceived their disability to be. Willingness to use mobile technology was related to the age of the sample as well as the type of disability. Individuals with psychological disabilities were more likely to use certain forms of mobile technology relative to those with physical disabilities. Observed differences between physical and psychological disabilities are discussed in terms of the symbolic interaction stigma model.     

Can we Build on Social Movement Theories to Develop and Improve Community‐Based Participatory Research? A Framework Synthesis Review

A long‐standing challenge in community‐based participatory research (CBPR) has been to anchor practice and evaluation in a relevant and comprehensive theoretical framework of community change. This study describes the development of a multidimensional conceptual framework that builds on social movement theories to identify key components of CBPR processes. Framework synthesis was used as a general literature search and analysis strategy. An initial conceptual framework was developed from the theoretical literature on social movement. A literature search performed to identify illustrative CBPR projects yielded 635 potentially relevant documents, from which eight projects (corresponding to 58 publications) were retained after record and full‐text screening. Framework synthesis was used to code and organize data from these projects, ultimately providing a refined framework. The final conceptual framework maps key concepts of CBPR mobilization processes, such as the pivotal role of the partnership; resources and opportunities as necessary components feeding the partnership's development; the importance of framing processes; and a tight alignment between the cause (partnership's goal), the collective action strategy, and the system changes targeted. The revised framework provides a context‐specific model to generate a new, innovative understanding of CBPR mobilization processes, drawing on existing theoretical foundations.     

Personality Homogeneity in Organizations and Occupations: Considering Similarity Sources

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to investigate organizational and occupational homogeneity, compare homogeneity at different levels of composition, and uncover a mechanism for homogeneity.

Design/Methodology/Approach

Data were obtained from an archival data base of current employees (N = 23,933) in 40 organizations, 19 major job groupings, 42 minor job groupings, and 115 detailed job titles.

Findings

Support for homogeneity within organizations and occupations was found, regardless of the granularity with which occupation were defined. Homogeneity estimates were smaller than prior estimates in the literature based on smaller, less diverse samples. Occupational homogeneity was significantly greater than homogeneity at the organizational level for neuroticism and extraversion. As a potential mechanism, we demonstrated that occupational interest could predict personality at the occupational level.

Implications

Investigating homogeneity effects with a large, representative sample and simultaneously considering occupation and organization helps to advance our theoretical understanding of the Attraction–Selection–Attrition process. This study provides evidence of relative homogeneity effects and mechanisms. Such knowledge could help inform the selection, training, and socialization tactics employed by practitioners.

Originality/Value

Little is currently known about how within-occupation homogeneity in personality relates to within-organization homogeneity, or the influence of vocational interests on such homogeneity. We provide a methodological update to decompose and compare organizational and occupational influence on personality homogeneity. We also assess homogeneity at three levels of occupational granularity, and delineate a mechanism for personality to become homogeneous at the occupation level.

     

Metamemory following childhood brain injury: A consequence of executive impairment

In this study, we investigated the influence of children’s level of executive functioning on two types of metamemory knowledge following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). For this purpose, 22 children (aged 7 to 14 years) who had sustained a moderate to severe TBI and 44 typically developing children were recruited. The children with TBI were divided into two groups according to the severity of their executive impairment. Injury severity was determined by the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission or by the duration of unconsciousness. All children were then tested on both their knowledge of general memory functioning and their level of memory self-awareness, respectively assessed using the total number of correct responses on an adapted version of a metamemory interview and a self-other discrepancy score on a questionnaire evaluating everyday memory abilities. Data analyses revealed that participants with TBI who suffered impaired executive functions demonstrated less general metamemory knowledge, and underestimated the frequency of their memory problems, compared with children with TBI who had preserved executive functions and with control participants. Considering the well-established effect of metamemory knowledge on people’s spontaneous implementation of strategies, the interest and the importance of these findings on both theoretical and clinical grounds are discussed.     

Malleability of implicit associations across development

The prevalence of implicit intergroup bias in adults underscores the importance of knowing when during development such biases are most amenable to change. Although research suggests that implicit intergroup bias undergoes little change across development, no studies have directly examined whether developmental differences exist in the capacity for novel implicit associations to form or change. The present study examined this issue among children ages 5–12. Results from over 800 children provided evidence that novel implicit associations formed quickly, regardless of child age, association type (evaluative or non‐evaluative) or the target of the association (social or non‐social). Moreover, the magnitude of these changes was comparable across conditions. Coupled with similar findings among adults, these data underscore the importance of first impressions in shaping implicit intergroup bias and provide further evidence that the acquisition of implicit associations is governed by a domain‐general mechanism that may be fully in place by age 5.     

Measuring dimensions of social climate among South African higher education students

We investigated the structure of social climate among university students to characterise the relative importance of personal and interpersonal factors. Participants were 266 students from a school of education of a large South African university (females = 66.5%; black = 53.0%, white = 25.9%; coloured = 7.5%, Asian/Indian = 6.0%; mean age = 28.71 years, SD = 10.51 years). The students completed the Experience of Social Climate Questionnaire (ESCQ). Exploratory principal component factor analysis of the data yielded a three component structure of social climate comprising of (i) Constructive interpersonal relationships, (ii) Unloving towards self, and (iii) Aggression perceptions of self. Relationships and aggression appear to define social climate in a higher education student population.     

Comparative prevalence of isolated sleep paralysis in Kuwaiti, Sudanese, and American college students

A questionnaire measuring the incidence of isolated sleep paralysis was administered to 527 Kuwaiti, 762 Sudanese, and 649 American college students in what was the first study assessing the prevalence of isolated sleep paralysis in two Middle Eastern countries. Using the item "unable to move," 28.8% of Kuwaiti, 29.9% of Sudanese, and 24.5% of American participants reported experiencing the disorder at least once. When a second item, "pressure to the chest," was also used, the respective percentages were 19.2%, 20.7%, and 11.4%. With both criteria, the Kuwaiti and Sudanese had a significantly greater prevalence than did the American students. The Kuwaiti and Sudanese students did not differ significantly from each other in the percentage who reported the symptoms.