Family crisis intervention in war contexts: a case study of a traumatised Palestinian family

The aim of this study was to analyse the phases of an innovative in vivo exposure intervention in which all family members were present at the scene of a traumatic incident. Clinical practice has borne out the efficacy of family intervention and its benefits for traumatised individuals and family groups. The intervention discussed here was conducted with a Palestinian family that had suffered trauma in a missile attack during the Israeli–Lebanese war of summer 2006. Narrative and meaning-reconstruction methods were combined with cognitive-behavioural techniques. The study highlights the limitations of the intervention as well as suggesting future directions for integrated models of crisis intervention; development of an evidence-based model is recommended.     

角色压力、工作家庭冲突和心理抑郁的中美比较--社会支持的调节作用

在中国和北美两个样本中,探讨了工作家庭冲突模型的共性和差异。首先使用多组验证性因子分析找到适用于中美样本的模型,然后采用结构方程模型和多层次回归进行假设检验。结果显示,中美员工感知到的工作-家庭(家庭-工作)冲突在工作(家庭)角色压力和心理抑郁的关系中都起中介作用。此外,情境的差异导致中美员工在工作支持和家庭支持的调节作用上有不同的表现,即中国员工感受到的工作(家庭)支持对角色压力和冲突间关系的调节作用不显著,在北美样本中,工作支持负向调节工作角色压力到工作-家庭冲突的关系,而工作支持和家庭支持正向调节家庭角色压力到家庭-工作冲突的关系。本文的发现能够帮助管理者意识到情境因素的重要作用,从而制定更为有效的管理决策。     

关于患者家属在复苏现场的思考

医疗水平不断地发展和进步使越来越多的疾病可以在医院得到救治。但有研究显示,在医院接受心肺复苏（CPR）的患者中,只有很小的部分能被救治成功。由于CPR的成功率低,在CPR时是否允许有患者的家人陪伴在其身边逐渐成了医患双方共同关注的问题。家人的陪伴,或许能让患者抢救或死亡的过程变得更人性化,同时成为增加医患双方相互理解的渠道。但是这个过程的实施仍然面临许多问题,要让其成为常规制度,还有很长的路要走。     

Work stress and employee well‐being: The critical role of Zhong‐Yong

In the pursuit of well‐being at work, work stress is always an inescapable challenge. However, existing research shows that the relationships between work stress and employee outcomes are inconsistent, which indicates that the concept of work stress needs further investigation. Moreover, Zhong‐Yong serves as a cognitive strategy to coping with stress as well as being a pivotal life wisdom and practical rationality. Using a questionnaire survey, this study explores the relationship between work stress, employee well‐being, and Zhong‐Yong beliefs. The work stress was classified into challenge‐ and hindrance‐related stress while emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction were used as well‐being indicators. Using a sample of 394 employees from private enterprises in Taiwan as subjects, the results show that (1) hindrance‐related stress is destructive to employee well‐being; (2) challenge‐related stress is positively associated with emotional exhaustion but has no significant relation with job satisfaction; (3) Zhong‐Yong beliefs mitigate the harm from hindrance‐related stress on employee well‐being; and (4) Zhong‐Yong beliefs weaken the negative effects of challenge‐related stress on emotional exhaustion, and transform challenge‐related stress into eustress for job satisfaction.     

The development and dissemination of Council of Europe policy on education about religions and non-religious convictions

This article, written from an insider perspective, and in a personal capacity (the author has been involved with the Council of Europe’s work on religion and education since its inception in 2002), gives an account of the developing interest in the study of religions (and latterly non-religious convictions) in publicly funded schools by the Council of Europe, one of several international institutions to have focused on the place of religions and beliefs in public education in recent years. Particular attention is given to the 2008 Recommendation from the Committee of Ministers (the Foreign Ministers of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe) on teaching about religions and non-religious convictions in schools, and to current work on its dissemination. In 2011, the Council of Europe and the European Wergeland Centre set up a joint committee to produce a document (Policy and Practice for Teaching about Religions and Non-Religious Worldviews in Intercultural Education) to assist policymakers, schools and teacher trainers in implementing the Recommendation, adapted to different contexts across Europe. The present author has written the text on behalf of the joint committee. Signposts was published by Council of Europe Publishing in September 2014 (Jackson, R. 2014. Signposts: Policy and practice for teaching about religions and non-religious worldviews in intercultural education. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing.). The article details the Council of Europe’s approach, includes an explanation of the process of consultation with various stakeholders, and summarises key issues to be addressed in the document. The general approach covered enables member states to increase competence of students to engage in the field of religions and beliefs, in ways that potentially contribute to various aspects of their personal and social development. It is hoped that the document will stimulate and contribute to constructive discussion, policymaking, teacher training, classroom practice and community links in different parts of Europe, and perhaps beyond.     

You,me, and meaning: an integrative review of connections between relationships and meaning in life

Social relationships are seen to be vital to human functioning, both in terms of psychological functioning and physical health. Relationships are a cornerstone of well-being. For instance, having positive relationships has been linked to greater happiness, life satisfaction and physical health outcomes. Meaning in life, or the perception that one's life is significant and has a purpose, is another prominent cornerstone of well-being. As such, social relationships and meaning in life should have reciprocal associations. In this paper, cross-cultural theory and empirical research will be reviewed to explore the role of family, romantic and friendship relationships in supporting meaning in life. Further, we will discuss the implications of the current research and propose new directions for future research.     

Intergenerational transmission of maternal and paternal parenting beliefs: The moderating role of interaction quality

The finding that values, attitudes, and behaviour can be transmitted across generations is long standing. However, the role of fathers in this process has been underinvestigated. Furthermore, many researchers have not tested moderation effects. We extended the literature by investigating maternal and paternal transmission of harsh parenting beliefs to their children 23 years later. Furthermore, we examined the moderating role of interaction quality and included gender and socioeconomic status as control variables. Our data were collected in a unique longitudinal study of 128 families across 23 years. We found high positive associations between the harsh parenting beliefs of parents and their adult children, but only the mother–child transmissions were moderated by interaction quality. Mothers pass on low levels as well as high levels of harsh parenting beliefs to their children if their interaction quality is poor. These findings highlight the importance of investigating intergenerational transmission in both mother–child and father–child dyads.     

家庭收入与生活满意感的动态关系检验:基于某省21县市2004～2010年的面板研究

本研究通过对2004年至2010年21县市的面板研究验证在县市水平上家庭收入与生活满意感的动态关系。多元多层增长模型的检验结果表明,在县市水平上平均家庭收入与平均生活满意感有显著正相关,初始家庭收入与生活满意感的增长速度呈现负相关,家庭收入增长速度与生活满意感增长速度呈现负相关。最后指出在中国经济持续高速发展的背景下,该研究对提升民众整体幸福感的启示意义。     

Workaholism and work–family spillover in a cross-occupational sample

This study examined the relationship between three components of workaholism (work involvement, drive, enjoyment of work) and work–family spillover. A cross-occupational sample consisting of 661 Norwegian employees from six different organizations responded to a Web-based questionnaire measuring workaholism and work–family spillover. A short and revised version of the WorkBAT showed that work involvement was positively related to both positive family-to-work spillover and to negative work-to-family spillover. Drive was positively related to both negative work-to-family and negative family-to-work spillover, and negatively related to positive work-to-family spillover. Enjoyment of work was positively associated with positive work-to-family and positive family-to-work spillover. Workaholism is clearly related to spillover. The findings imply that interventions for workers scoring high on work involvement and drive should be emphasized as these dimensions were associated with negative spillover. More research on this area is warranted.     

Male leaders with paternity leaves: effects of work norms on effectiveness evaluations

ABSTRACT

With the growing relevance of work–family balance and gender equality at work, researchers have extensively recognized the importance of men’s greater home involvement. Yet, little is known about how people evaluate men and particularly male leaders with involved fathering behaviours, such as taking a long paternity leave. Using a social normative perspective, we explore whether cultural standards providing social approval for work–life balance influence competence evaluations of male leaders who request a paternity leave. Results from three experimental and field studies suggest that perceptions of a supportive work-family culture favour more positive evaluations of male leaders with a paternity leave. Associations were stronger for people with leadership aspirations and roles. Several main effects emerged too: male leaders taking a leave beyond the standard (from 2 weeks to 3 months) received more negative evaluations than male leaders with a shorter, statutory leave (from 2 days to 2 weeks), and employees’ sexism predicted negative evaluations. Also, slightly lower status was attributed to male compared to female leaders who requested a leave. Findings are discussed in terms of how male managers’ domestic behaviour should be further reinforced with organizational discourses and practices.