Not myself and the connected self: cases of youth depression and recovery in Malaysia

This study aims to explore the subjective experience of depressed young people in Malaysia. Twelve participants aged 20–24, who were diagnosed as suffering from depression but who had recovered, were interviewed. An adapted grounded theory approach guided our data collection and data analysis process. Two themes emerged which revealed the importance of the connectedness of individuals within their social environment. Coping with cultural norms and with rejection were found to be the most stressful precursors to depression. Depression is described as an alienating and involuntary experience. The recovery process requires a pivotal moment which enables reconnection with others. Implication of study will be discussed against the backdrop of the Malaysian context.     

The Diffusion of Youth-Led Participatory Research in Urban Schools: The Role of the Prevention Support System in Implementation and Sustainability

This article discusses the dissemination of a process of youth-led participatory research in urban secondary schools within the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation (ISF) developed in collaboration with the CDC and its university partners (Wandersman et al. American Journal of Community Psychology, 41(3-4) 2008). The focus here is on the development of the Prevention Support System with respect to general and innovation-specific capacity building. The specific process under study involves youth-led needs assessment and research to inform the planning of prevention programs and policies to address students' health and developmental needs. The article first briefly describes the youth-led research process, its potential benefits, and a case example in two urban secondary schools. It then describes challenges and responses in providing support for the diffusion of this model in 6 secondary schools. The settings are urban public schools with a majority of students of color from diverse ethnic groups: Asian-American, Latino, and African-American. This project constitutes a collaborative partnership with a university school of public health and community-based organizations (CBOs) to build capacity for long-term, sustainable implementation of this innovative process within the local school system. The perspectives of the university-based researcher and the CBO partners on the development and effectiveness of the Prevention Support System are presented.     

状态与特质之分：来自社会创造性的证据

以整群取样的方式选取650名小学儿童,采用社会创造性故事情境问卷、小学儿童社会创造性倾向问卷,分别测量了儿童在问题情境中的社会创造性和日常生活中的社会创造性,同时采用小五人格学生问卷中的开放性分量表、Rosenberg(1965)编制的自尊量表以及互联网使用偏好问卷中的(网络交往)信息交流偏好分量表,考察了儿童问题情境中的社会创造性与日常生活中的社会创造性的特点和性质。结果表明:(1)二者的发展趋势有所不同,儿童在问题情境中的创造性得分总体上呈现“倒Z形”的发展趋势,而日常生活中的创造性倾向总体上呈现“U形”发展趋势;(2)两种社会创造性与经验开放性、自尊及网络交往(信息交流)偏好呈现不同的相关,日常生活中的社会创造性与经验开放性、自尊及网络交往偏好均具有极其显著的正相关,问题情境中的社会创造性与经验开放性、自尊之间也具有显著正相关,但相关系数较低,而且与网络交往偏好无显著相关;(3)经验开放性、自尊和网络交往偏好均可以显著地预测日常生活中的社会创造性,而难以预测问题情境中的社会创造性。这表明,社会创造性可能存在状态与特质之分。     

A Note on Neat Reducts

SC, CA, QA and QEA denote the class of Pinter’s substitution algebras, Tarski’s cylindric algebras, Halmos’ quasi-polyadic and quasi-polyadic equality algebras, respectively. Let . and . We show that the class of n dimensional neat reducts of algebras in K _m is not elementary. This solves a problem in [2]. Also our result generalizes results proved in [1] and [2]. Presented by Robert Goldblatt     

Beliefs underlying modal choice in school trips: A case study in Brazil

Various factors can influence the choice of transportation mode such as the urban layout, land use and occupation patterns, and the services offer. In recent years, however, research studies have investigated the influence of psychological aspects on personal decision-making associated to modal choice, thereby contributing towards the elaboration of more sustainable public policies. This study investigates the beliefs that are subjacent to modal choices regarding school commute trips, based on the opinions of students attending a senior high school institution in Brasilia, Brazil. Using procedures suggested by the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) a set of beliefs was obtained by means of a focus group activity and used to support the elaboration of a School Trips Modal Choice Scale (STMCS). The scale was subjected to Principal Components Analysis to verify the consistency of factors related to the beliefs and the direct measurements of the TPB constructs. Following that Generalized Linear Models (GLM) were elaborated using the Quasi-likelihood estimation method to investigate the correlation between the beliefs obtained and the said constructs. In addition to identifying the principal beliefs related to the modal choice, the results showed that different TPB constructs can be correlated with the same belief and so attributing specific beliefs to each construct based on an initial intuitive classification can actually be an impediment to understanding them. Those findings regarding the beliefs identified as subjacent to each construct are specific for the school community that was studied. However the question of some beliefs significantly affecting more than one construct is a more generalizable and corroborates what has previously been verified in other contexts where TPB has been applied.     

Group CBT for Externalizing Disorders in Urban Schools: Effect of Training Strategy on Treatment Fidelity and Child Outcomes

Public schools are an ideal setting for the delivery of mental health services to children. Unfortunately, services provided in schools, and more so in urban schools, have been found to lead to little or no significant clinical improvements. Studies with urban school children seldom report on the effects of clinician training on treatment fidelity and child outcomes. This study examines the differential effects of two levels of school-based counselor training: training workshop with basic consultation (C) vs. training workshop plus enhanced consultation (C +) on treatment fidelity and child outcomes. Fourteen school staff members (counselors) were randomly assigned to C or C +. Counselors implemented a group cognitive behavioral therapy protocol (Coping Power Program, CPP) for children with or at risk for externalizing behavior disorders. Independent coders coded each CPP session for content and process fidelity. Changes in outcomes from pre to post were assessed via a parent psychiatric interview and interviewer-rated severity of illness and global impairment. Counselors in C + delivered CPP with significantly higher levels of content and process fidelity compared to counselors in C. Both C and C + resulted in significant improvement in interviewer-rated impairment; the conditions did not differ from each other with regard to impairment. Groups did not differ with regard to pre- to- posttreatment changes in diagnostic severity level. School-based behavioral health staff in urban schools are able to implement interventions with fidelity and clinical effectiveness when provided with ongoing consultation. Enhanced consultation resulted in higher fidelity. Enhanced consultation did not result in better student outcomes compared to basic consultation. Implications for resource allocation decisions with staff training in EBP are discussed.     

‘The teachers put effort into teaching us about life,and what’s right and what’s wrong’: values and moral education in publicly-managed schools in Ireland

In light of cultural and demographic changes in the Republic of Ireland, there is an important and urgent need for research on the articulation of values education in Irish publicly-managed schools. This article reports the findings from a research project on the moral, religious and spiritual values and traditions of staff and students in publicly-managed schools. Data was collected from 18 second-level schools throughout the country, using a mixed methods approach involving the named values of participants’ school, as well as the policies and practices employed within the schools to support these named values. Findings show that both teachers and students identify positive values such as respect and well-being, equality and inclusion, and describe values education in practice. However, some differences emerging in the findings highlight the vacuum left by the lack of sectoral guidance. The implications of this vacuum are discussed, as it provides an opportunity for dialogue and consensus-building on values, and also for schools to develop their own context-relevant set of values.     

毅力与学业成绩的关系：有意走神和自发走神的不同中介作用

以3372名5年级小学生为研究对象,采用毅力量表、有意走神和自发走神量表以及学业成绩测验,考察毅力（兴趣一致性和坚持努力）对学业成绩的影响,并检验有意走神和自发走神的中介作用。结果发现：（1）兴趣一致性和坚持努力均显著正向预测学业成绩;（2）有意走神、自发走神在兴趣一致性和坚持努力与学业成绩之间均起显著的中介作用,但两者的中介作用模式存在差异。有意走神在兴趣一致性和坚持努力与学业成绩间的中介作用不同：兴趣一致性负向影响有意走神,有意走神正向影响学业成绩,坚持努力正向影响有意走神,有意走神正向影响学业成绩;而自发走神在兴趣一致性和坚持努力对学业成绩预测的中介作用相同,即兴趣一致性和坚持努力均负向影响自发走神,自发走神负向影响学业成绩。     

学校组织健康与学生心理健康的相关性研究

探讨初中组织健康与学生心理健康的相关,结果表明,学校组织健康状况与学生心理健康水平相关十分显著,学校组织越健康,学生心理健康水平越高,置身于健康学校组织里和不健康学校组织里的学生,其心理健康水平差异显著;回归分析进一步表明,学校组织健康因子与学生心理健康因子有较好的回归关系,特别是校长倡导、关心体贴和校长影响力这三个组织健康因子与学生心理健康各因子回归显著。