Hostile/Helpless maternal representations in pregnancy and later child removal: A pilot study

This article presents the results of a small pilot study examining links between Hostile/Helpless (HH) representations of caregiving in pregnancy and later child removal by child protective services. The sample was drawn from a replication study of the Minding the Baby^® attachment‐based home‐visiting intervention conducted in the United Kingdom, serving young first‐time mothers in under resourced communities. The HH classification system (Lyons‐Ruth et al.) was adapted for use with the Pregnancy Interview (PI) (Slade); 26 PIs were assessed (coders blinded) in a sample that included 13 mothers whose infants were removed from custody due to anticipated or documented maltreatment within 2 years of childbirth, and 13 mothers who did not have their infants removed. Mothers whose infants were removed from their custody had significantly higher HH scores than mothers of infants who were not removed from their care (F(1, 24) = 14.500, p < .001), and the relation between overall HH classification and infant removal status was also significant (χ²(1, N = 26) = 12.462, p < .001). Results suggest that prenatal maternal caregiving representations may predict postnatal relationship disruptions, and indicate the need for larger studies further testing this prenatal approach to maltreatment risk assessment in at‐risk populations.     

COVID-19 Interconnectedness: Health Inequity,the Climate Crisis,and Collective Trauma

The COVID-19 pandemic brings to the forefront the complex interconnected dilemmas of globalization, health equity, economic security, environmental justice, and collective trauma, severely impacting the marginalized and people of color in the United States. This lack of access to and the quality of healthcare, affordable housing, and lack of financial resources also continue to have a more significant impact on documented and undocumented immigrants. This paper aims at examining these critical issues and developing a framework for family therapists to address these challenges by focusing on four interrelated dimensions: cultural values, social determinants of health, collective trauma, and the ethical and moral responsibility of family therapists. Given the fact that family therapists may unwittingly function as the best ally of an economic and political system that perpetuates institutionalized racism and class discrimination, we need to utilize a set of principles, values, and practices that are not just palliative or after the fact but bring forth into the psychotherapeutic and policy work a politics of care. Therefore, a strong call to promote and advocate for the broader continuum of health and critical thinking preparing professionals to meet the challenges of health equity, as well as economic and environmental justice, is needed. The issues discussed in this paper are specific to the United States despite their relevance to family therapy as a field. We are mindful not to generalize the United States' reality to the rest of the world, recognizing that issues discussed in this paper could potentially contribute to international discourse.     

Development and initial reliability and validity of a new measure of distorted maternal representations: The Mother–Infant Relationship Scale

Distorted maternal representations (DMRs)—mother's ideas, understanding, and feelings about the infant—shape early interaction and the emerging relationship. Distorted interactions reportedly affect infant attachment and socioemotional development and may be associated with maternal early adversity and trauma. Limited measures are available that could be used as screening tools of DMRs. The aims of this study were to (a) describe the development of the Mother–Infant Relationship Scale (MIRS) and (b) to evaluate its psychometric properties. The development and validation of the MIRS closely followed standard guidelines for the development of psychometric tests. Psychometric properties were examined across two samples: 78 adult psychiatric patients with features of borderline personality and 86 individuals from a nonclinical sample (N = 164). The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = .91) for the clinical sample and adequate internal consistency (.78) for the nonclinical sample, excellent test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .81), and good concurrent validity with an observational (Pearson's correlation coefficients = −.35 to −.54) and a representational measure (.53). Factor analysis revealed three components: DMRs specific to (a) maternal hostility/rejection of the infant, (b) issues about parenting/attachment, and (c) anxiety/helplessness about infant care. Findings suggest that the MIRS is a reliable and valid screening tool of DMRs. Potential uses in clinical and research settings are discussed.     

What is the role of Pôle Emploi? Crossed representations among job seekers and careers advisers: Between requests for help and types of support provision

IntroductionSince 2008, Pôle Emploi (PE), the French government agency responsible for handling unemployment matters and unemployment benefits, has undergone a major restructuring, influencing the work of careers advisers (CA) and the support and follow-up services provided to job seekers (JS). This study examines the representations of PE and support among both CAs and JSs.ObjectivesThe aim of the study is to contribute to a reflection on CA training.MethodIn the first study, 84 CAs and 125 JSs responded to a questionnaire using a word association task (WAT). In the second study, interviews were conducted with 22 CAs and 19 JSs. The data were analyzed based on a lexicometric analysis supplemented by discourse analysis.ResultsThe core of advisers’ representation was found to include support and JS autonomy with the aim of helping JSs to return to work, while JSs’ representations appear to be centered around employment – specifically, appropriate job offers. In addition, when CAs referred to support, they tended to locate JSs in an asymmetrical relationship in which CAs lead the interaction while JSs remain passive.ConclusionThe gap between the two sets of representations, together with the position implicitly adopted by CAs, has significant implications for the provision of support. This point is the subject of the discussion.     

Validation of the Internet and Social Networking Experiences Questionnaire in Spanish adolescents

The aim of this paper is to validate the Internet Related Experiences Questionnaire (IREQ) with a sample of 525 participants from Compulsory Secondary Education, considering the possible addiction to the internet from both interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions. Besides, associations between CERI scores and several variables such as sex, age as well as selfesteem were analyzed. Results show a good fit of the questionnaire through a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), where the interpersonal factor explains a higher percentage of the variance at the expense of the intrapersonal factor. Statistically significant differences between IREQ scores and age and a lineal positive association between self-esteem and possible interpersonal addiction to the internet were found. The possibility of these results to be affected by the social use of the Internet and the generalization in young people's lives is discussed. Moreover, the need of designing and implementing prevention programs for a healthy use of the internet is discussed.     

Le paradigme de Jellison et Green : de la clairvoyance à la réactivité normative

This article questions congruence between the contents of the definition of the concept of normative perspicacity and Jellison and Green's paradigm to obtain its measurement. It centres the discussion on the capacity of the subjects to answer the changes of instructions and restores it in the study of complex mechanisms governing the relations of the individuals with the social standards.     

Théorie du noyau central et transformation des cultures organisationnelles à l'occasion d'une fusion

Mergers are characterized by a regrouping of organizations, which do not have the same cultures. The question of the future of these different cultures therefore arises. An observational study was conducted based on the theory of the Central Core, selected to examine the organisational cultures. It consisted of comparing the initial cultures of two firms selected to merge and that of a group made up of employees of the two organizations and who worked together for six months. We observed a transformation of the central core of these employees' social representations. This preliminary study showed the relevance of the use of the theory of the Central Core in the study of cultural changes.     

Modification des représentations sociales des métiers d’infirmier et d’animateur socioculturel chez des étudiants grâce à une action de santé publique menée en interdisciplinarité

Health care and social care professionals are increasingly encouraged to exchange views and to define prevention actions, in order to respond to the needs of the users in a targeted and personalized way. The objective of this study is to analyze the impact of interdisciplinary work between a group of nursing students and a group of third-year degree students in social intervention, on their respective representations concerning their future profession. One hundred and twenty-nine nursing students and 41 third-year degree students in social intervention responded twice to a specific questionnaire, built up from the skills listed in the respective competency framework of the two groups of students. The results indicate that after designing and carrying out a public health action with specific audiences (children, teenagers, students, people in precarious situations, people with disabilities), the two groups of students experience a meaningful change in the social representation of each other's profession: it moves from a role of care or animation technician to a more complex vision of the two professions, more in connection with the competency frameworks. It is therefore for the initial training to prepare them early for interdisciplinary work, so that they become professionals capable of responding appropriately to the specific needs of users.     

Identidad nacional e identidades regionales en el Chile de hoy ¿complementariedad o conflicto?

Resumen

El presente trabajo se propone estudiar la relación entre los procesos de identificación grupal y discriminación intergrupal, a través del estudio de un caso idiosincrático, como es la relación entre la identidad nacional y las identidades regionales en Chile, desde la perspectiva de la Teoría de la Identidad Social. Vara ello aplicó un cuestionario a una muestra de 918 estudiantes universitarios de cuatro regiones del país, seleccionados por medio de un muestreo probabilístico. Los resultados indican que la identidad nacional y la regional son las identidades territoriales más importantes para los participantes y que ambas configurarían identidades inclusivas, ya que quienes presentan mayores niveles de identidad regional, tienden a ser también quienes presentan los niveles más altos de identificación con Chile. Además, se ha encontrado que ambas identidades tendrían significados idénticos o complementarios, de acuerdo al modelo de valores personales de Schwartz.