The Gender Paradox in Suicide

In most Western countries females have higher rates of suicidal ideation and behavior than males, yet mortality from suicide is typically lower for females than for males. This article explores the gender paradox of suicidal behavior, examines its validity, and critically examines some of the explanations, concluding that the gender paradox of suicidal behavior is a real phenomenon and not a mere artifact of data collection. At the same time, the gender paradox in suicide is a more culture-bound phenomenon than has been traditionally assumed; cultural expectations about gender and suicidal behavior strongly determine its existence. Evidence from the United States and Canada suggests that the gender gap may be more prominent in communities where different suicidal behaviors are expected of females and males. These divergent expectations may affect the scenarios chosen by females and males, once suicide becomes a possibility, as well as the interpretations of those who are charged with determining whether a particular behavior is suicidal (e.g., coroners). The realization that cultural influences play an important role in the gender paradox of suicidal behaviors holds important implications for research and for public policy.     

Predicting children's media use in the USA: Differences in cross‐sectional and longitudinal analysis

The purpose of this paper is to examine the predictors of children's media use in the USA, comparing cross‐sectional and longitudinal analyses. Data come from Waves 1 and 2 of the Child Development Supplement (CDS‐I; CDS‐II), a nationally representative sample of American children aged 0–12 in 1997 and 5–18 in 2002. Twenty‐four hour time use diaries are used to assess children's time spent with media (television, video games, computers, and reading). Predictors examined include socio‐demographics, neighbourhood quality, family factors, and other media use. Ordinary least square (OLS) multiple regressions were performed by three age groups (preschoolers, early school age, and preadolescence). The findings suggest that neighbourhood quality, parental limits and family conflict are significant predictors of children's media use within time or over time, but the significance depends on the type of media and child's developmental stage. In addition, children's television viewing and reading habits are formed early in life and reinforced over time. This study is among the first to provide empirical evidence for the effect of early contextual factors on the life course of children's media use from a developmental perspective.     

The Opinions of GP's Patients About Suicide,Assisted Suicide,Euthanasia, and Suicide Prevention: An Italian Survey

A survey about opinions on end‐of‐life issues of a population represented by 1,171 people in the waiting room of general practitioners' surgeries was conducted in a province of northern Italy. Most subjects did not consider suicide as a reasonable option even in cases of a serious and incurable disease. Moreover, subjects did not consider euthanasia as a possible option either; however, they did express an opposite attitude when considering euthanasia in a third‐person perspective. People with a personal history of suicidal behavior appear to present as a different population, overall expressing more open attitudes.     

An Experimental Field Study on the Effects of Coaching: The Mediating Role of Psychological Capital

Coaching is a developmental intervention implemented in organisations to improve individual attitudes and behaviours. Few studies, however, have tested these assumptions and explained the mechanisms involved. We propose psychological capital (PsyCap), a set of positive individual resources, as a possible mediator. We investigated whether coaching framed in goal setting and conservation of resources theories is effective in improving PsyCap and, through this, individual attitudes and performance, and whether its effects maintain over time. We conducted an experiment with 56 employees in a marketing company, who were either randomly assigned to a coaching intervention or a wait-list control group. Measures of interest were collected before the programme started (T1), and after the programme, which lasted 4 months (T2). A follow-up measure for the experimental group was collected after a further 4 months (T3). ANOVAs showed coaching was associated with increases in PsyCap, job attitudes, and one dimension of job performance. The mediating role of PsyCap was supported for job attitudes. The effects on PsyCap and job attitudes lasted over time, as revealed by within-subjects repeated measures analyses. This study fills a gap in our knowledge of the explanatory processes of coaching effectiveness by building on solid research design features.