Standard posture,postural mirroring and client-perceived rapport

The relationship between client-perceived rapport (as measured from a standardized client) and physical mirroring and the standard counsellor posture was investigated with interviews performed by 59 post-graduate students in counselling psychology. Videotaped recordings were used to code counsellor posture in the categories of: total postural mirroring, mirroring of the hands and arms, mirroring of the legs, mirroring of the torso, and the frequency of the standard counsellor posture across each minute of the interviews. These minutes were classified as 'high' in rapport or 'low' in rapport as measured by the standardized client. Results indicated that there was significantly more postural mirroring of the torso during high versus low minutes, but that the counsellor standard posture occurred significantly more frequently during low rapport minutes than in high rapport minutes. However, when examined over the entire length of the interviews, these data were able to be understood in terms of counsellor 'flexibility' of response rather than simply whether these postural behaviours were present or not. Implications for counsellor training are discussed.     

Initial Development and Validation of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale–Adolescent Version

The factor structure of a new self-report scale, the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale–Adolescent version, was examined. Reliability and 2-week stability estimates of the domain scores and total score were calculated. Relationships of the domain and total scores with other well-being measures were examined as well as the impact of social desirability responding. Although additional development is necessary, results provided preliminary psychometric support for the MSLSS–A for research purposes.The usefulness of life satisfaction measures vis-à-vis the positive psychology movement (Seligman and Csikzentmihalyi, American Psychologist, 55(1): 5-14, 2000) is highlighted.     

When flexibility helps: Another look at the availability of flexible work arrangements and work-family conflict

Despite the positive press given to flexible work arrangements (FWA), empirical research investigating the link between the availability of these policies and work-family conflict is largely equivocal. The purpose of the present study was to begin to reconcile these mixed results through more precise measurement and the examination of moderators. Using a sample of employed women, we found that FWA relate more highly to work interference with family (WIF) than to family interference with work (FIW) and that temporal flexibility (flextime) has a stronger relationship with WIF than does spatial flexibility (flexplace). Additionally, we found family responsibility significantly moderated these relationships, such that the relationship was stronger for those with greater family responsibility. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Validation of the multiple language versions of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-37 for refugee adolescents

The objective of this study is to provide preliminary psychometric properties of the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-37 (HSCL-37A) for refugee adolescents. The HSCL-37A is a modification of the well-known HSCL-25 and assesses symptoms of internalizing and externalizing problems that have been associated with reactions to trauma. Four independent heterogeneous samples (N=3890) of unaccompanied refugee minors, immigrants, and native Dutch and Belgian adolescents were assessed at school. The confirmative factor analyses, per language version, support the two-factor structure of internalizing and externalizing behavior. The total and subscales show good internal consistency and acceptable test-retest reliability in spite of the heterogeneous sample populations. The construct, content, and criterion validity of the HSCL-37A were also examined and found to be good. The findings of this study suggest that the HSCL-37A is a reliable and valid instrument to be used among culturally diverse refugee adolescents to assess emotional distress and maladaptive behaviors.     

EFFECTS OF VERBAL REPRIMANDS ON TARGETED AND UNTARGETED STEREOTYPY

Results of brief functional analyses indicated that motor and vocal stereotypy persisted in the absence of social consequences for five participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Subsequently, effects of a stimulus control procedure involving contingent reprimands for each participant's higher probability (targeted) stereotypy were evaluated. Results indicated that contingent verbal reprimands (i) decreased the targeted stereotypy for all five participants, (ii) decreased the untargeted stereotypy for two of five participants, and (iii) increased the untargeted stereotypy for one of five participants. Although response suppression was not achieved for any participant, three participants maintained low levels of the target stereotypy with one or two reprimands during 5‐min sessions. Furthermore, two of those participants maintained near‐zero levels of motor and vocal stereotypy during 10‐min sessions. These findings suggest that signaled verbal reprimands may be a practical intervention for reducing stereotypy in some children with ASD. Some limitations of the findings and areas of future research are briefly discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Parent Work Conditions and Adolescent Core Self-Evaluations: Examining the Effects of Work Resource Drain and Parent Gender

Purpose

Using resource drain and social cognitive theory frameworks, this study investigates the process through which parent time and energy resource drain relates to adolescent core self-evaluation. Parent–child interactive and routine activities and parental social support are tested as mediators.

Methodology

Data are reported by mothers, fathers, and adolescent children in 151 middle-class, dual-earner families from the 500 Family Study. Hypotheses are tested using path analysis and moderated mediation.

Findings

Parent work hours negatively relate to adolescent reports of received social support, partially due to decreased time spent engaged in parent–child interactive activities. Fathers’ work hours indirectly relate to adolescent core self-evaluations through parent–child interactive activities and social support from fathers; this indirect relationship was not found for mothers. Exploratory analyses examined differences by parent and child gender. Fathers’ work hours are more likely to detract from parent–child routine activities relative to mothers’ work hours. The relationship between father work hours and parent–child interactive activities is buffered for sons compared to daughters.

Implications

Results help to explain why parent work-related resource drain relates to adolescent core self-evaluations. Parent gender, type of resource drain, and type of activity are identified as potential boundary conditions. Interactive activities and social support are key mediators warranting attention.

Originality/Value

Social cognitive theory is used as a framework for linking parent work-related resource drain and child outcomes. Mechanisms are identified that explain adolescent core self-evaluations development. Use of multisource data helps to mitigate problems with single-source data used in previous studies.

     

Trait mindfulness and work–family balance among working parents: The mediating effects of vitality and sleep quality

The present study investigates the relationship between trait mindfulness and work–family balance among a sample of working parents. Sleep quality and vitality are tested as mediators of this relationship. Results indicate that those with greater mindfulness report greater work–family balance, better sleep quality, and greater vitality. As expected, the relationship between mindfulness and work–family balance was mediated by sleep quality and vitality. Results support the usefulness of further examination of the benefits of mindfulness in the work–family context.     

Changing the System by Changing the Workforce: Employing Consumers to Increase Access, Cultural Diversity, and Engagement

Services to families have traditionally been delivered in a medical model. This presents challenges including workforce shortages, lack of cultural diversity, lack of training in strength-based work, and difficulty in successfully engaging and retaining families in the therapy process. The system of care (SOC) effort has worked to establish formal roles for caregivers in SOC to improve services. This paper provides an example of one community's efforts to change the SOC by expanding the roles available to caregivers in creating systems change. It describes the model developed by Communities of Care (CoC), a SOC in Central Massachusetts, and its evolution over a 10 year period. First person accounts by system partners, caregivers hired into professional roles as well as a family receiving services, demonstrate how hiring caregivers at all levels can change systems and change lives, not only for those being served but for the caregiver/professionals doing the work. It also demonstrates, however, that change at the system level is incremental, takes time, and can be fleeting unless an ongoing effort is made to support and sustain those changes.     

Emotion regulation and peer-rated social functioning: A 4-year longitudinal study

Different emotion regulation strategies have been linked to distinct social outcomes, but only concurrently or in the short-term. The present research employed a 4-year longitudinal design with peer-reported measures of social functioning to examine the long-term social effects of emotion regulation. Individual differences in suppression before entering college predicted weaker social connections (e.g., less close relationships) at the end of college, whereas reappraisal predicted stronger social connections and more favorable sociometric standing (e.g., higher social status). These effects of emotion regulation remained intact even when controlling for baseline social functioning and Big Five personality traits. These findings suggest that individual differences in the use of particular emotion regulation strategies have an enduring impact, shaping the individual’s social environment over time.