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Background Violence in the emergency department (ED) is a significant problem and it is increasing. Several studies have shown that violence in the ED is more likely to occur within the first hour of a patient’s presentation. Therefore, it is possible that there are some indicators of violence observable during the initial nurse-patient/relative interaction at triage. Nevertheless the problem remains inadequately investigated as many incidents are not reported and most studies that have investigated this issue are descriptive in nature. Although these studies have provided important preliminary information, they fail to reveal the complexities of the problem, in particular the cultural aspects of violence which are crucial for the ED. Aims The main aims of this study were to explore the cultural aspects of violence in the ED and to determine the possible indicators of violence at triage. Methodology Contemporary ethnography based on interpretive and post-positive paradigms was adopted to frame the methodology of this study. Methods This study was carried out at a major metropolitan ED over three months. The data collection techniques included field observations, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The data analysis framework adopted for this study incorporated Spradley's (1980) and LeCompte and Schensul's (1999) approaches. Findings The study indicated that the cultural meanings of violence were complex and highly subjective with variations among nurses which in turn influenced their responses to violence (e.g. reporting or not reporting an incident). The cultural meanings were sometimes contradictory and confusing as violence could be seen as both a challenge and a threat or predictable and unpredictable. The same type of behaviour from one individual could be perceived as violent but not for another. Many nurses perceived that violence was unpredictable and inevitable but the study demonstrated that there were indicators of violence which could be used to predict and prevent the problem. Factors such as environment, conflicting messages regarding waiting time, and patients' expectations and needs played an important part in violence. Besides, there were immediate warning signs of violence such as the overt verbal (e.g. mumbling or shouting) and covert nonverbal signs (e.g. staring or agitation). This study showed that patients' behaviours for instance being unfriendly, not appreciative, inattentive and uncooperative were better predictors of violence in the ED than their traits or problems alone. However, nurse-patient/relative behaviours and the resulting reciprocal relationship were considered central in determining if violence would occur or be avoided. Nurses' efforts to establish rapport with patients was crucial in minimising violence and needed to occur early. There was usually a ‘turning point’ that provided an opportunity for the nurse to avoid violence. Nurses’ behaviours at the ‘turning point’ strongly influence the outcome. Nurses' awareness of their personal expectations, prejudices and ethnocentrisms were the pivotal points in preventing escalation of violence. Conclusion This study has provided a more comprehensive and sophisticated understanding of the cultural aspects of violence in the ED. While violence is a complex issue with many paradoxes, there are lessons to be learned. The study indicates that effective interpersonal empathetic communication has a significant role in reducing violence in the ED. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1457967 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, 2009

Zugl.: Berlin, Freie Universiẗat, Diss., 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2009. / Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 206 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Berlin, Univ., Diss., 2009

Saarbrücken, Univ., Diplomarb., 1995.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Dallas, 2007. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 74-83)

The current study examined the utility of Self-Trauma Theory for explaining the long-term impact of the experience of childhood physical discipline and/or psychological maltreatment. Specifically, the self-capacities of interpersonal relatedness, identity, and affect regulation were tested as mediators of the impact of child maltreatment on different tension-reducing behaviors in adulthood: substance use, aggression, and suicidality. Hierarchical regression analyses were used to examine data collected from 268 university students who completed the Personality Assessment Inventory, Comprehensive Child Maltreatment Scale, and Inventory of Altered Self-Capacities. Results showed that the self-capacities were each predicted by different combinations of maltreatment variables and that the ability of self-capacities to mediate the long-term impact of child maltreatment is dependent on the tension-reducing behavior under examination. Specifically, identity impairment significantly predicted alcohol use problems and interpersonal conflicts significantly predicted drug use problems. Interpersonal conflicts partially mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and aggression as emotional abuse continued to exert a significant effect on aggression after controlling for self-capacities. Lastly, identity impairment and affect dysregulation fully mediated the relationship between child maltreatment and current suicidality. Theoretical implications are discussed as well as directions for future research. / Dissertation Chair: Donald U. Robertson, Ph.D. Dissertation Committee Members: Lynda M. Federoff, Ph.D., John A. Mills, Ph.D., ABPP

Aggressive behavior in dogs poses public health and animal welfare concerns, however the biological mechanisms regulating dog aggression are not well understood. We investigated the relationships between endogenous plasma oxytocin (OT) and vasopressin (AVP)-neuropeptides that have been linked to affiliative and aggressive behavior in other mammalian species-and aggression in domestic dogs. We first validated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for the measurement of free (unbound) and total (free + bound) OT and AVP in dog plasma. In Experiment 1 we evaluated behavioral and neuroendocrine differences between a population of pet dogs with a history of chronic aggression toward conspecifics and a matched control group. Dogs with a history of aggression exhibited more aggressive behavior during simulated encounters with conspecifics, and had lower free, but higher total plasma AVP than matched controls, but there were no group differences for OT. In Experiment 2 we compared OT and AVP concentrations between pet dogs and a population of assistance dogs that have been bred for affiliative and non-aggressive temperaments, and investigated neuroendocrine predictors of individual differences in social behavior within the assistance dog population. Compared to pet dogs, assistance dogs had higher free and total OT, but there were no differences in either measure for AVP. Within the assistance dog population, dogs who behaved more aggressively toward a threatening stranger had higher total AVP than dogs who did not. Collectively these data suggest that endogenous OT and AVP may play critical roles in shaping dog social behavior, including aspects of both affiliation and aggression.

This thesis studies the Papal Aggression in England, which was the zealous reaction to a papal decree that had created territorial hierarchy for English Roman Catholics. The study seeks answers to the following questions: Why did the pope create the heirarchy? Why did the English people react so vehemently? Why did Lord John Russell write his Durham Letter? Why did the government fail to enforce the Ecclesiastical Titles Act? What light, if any, does this episode shed on the zeitgeist of the Victorian Age?