Cannabis use has been associated with various psychosis outcomes, including psychotic disorders, the clinical high risk period of psychosis, and subthreshold measures of psychotic symptoms in non-clinical samples, such as attenuated positive psychotic symptoms (APPS). The present study examined whether individual- and contextual-level factors account for the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis. Specifically, we hypothesized that the relationship between cannabis and psychosis would be mediated by social functioning; negative, depression, anxiety, and aggression symptoms; context of cannabis use; and motivations for cannabis use. Nine hundred and forty-five young adults ages 18-35 years (M = 20.1 years, 24.4% male) completed self-report questionnaires: the Prodromal Questionnaire, Marijuana Use Form, Social Functioning Scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait Form-Anxiety Subscale, Social Phobia Scale, Life History of Aggression Scale, Reasons for Use scale, and Drug Use Frequency questionnaire. Psychosis outcomes included a dimensional measure of APPS and a dichotomous measure indicating potential higher/lower risk for psychosis, based on number of distressing symptoms endorsed (i.e., D-APPS status). A multiple mediation framework was used, and significance of mediators was evaluated through estimating the significance of indirect effects using bootstrapped confidence intervals. Increases in negative and aggression symptoms mediated the relationship between higher cannabis use and increases in APPS. Negative and aggression symptoms, context of cannabis use, and using cannabis to cope with unpleasant affect mediated the relationship between cannabis use and high-D-APPS status. Results indicate that individual and contextual-level characteristics may contribute to the relationship between cannabis use and psychosis. / Psychology

Data from 135 parents were used to explore and compare perceptions of process and outcome for court-ordered and voluntary participants in child custody/visitation mediation. Information from the Clients Assessment of Mediation Services (CAMS) is used to analyze six process and four outcome variables for male/female and agreement/no agreement groups. Data were reported on mediated agreements and reasons for termination of mediation prior to reaching agreement. The results of this study indicated voluntary mediation participants, more than court-ordered participants, were 1) emotionally satisfied with the agreement, 2) believed mediators were warm, sensitive, and Sympathetic, and 3) mediation improved their relationship with their (ex) spouse. Voluntary and court-ordered participants were similar on process variables of empowerment, adequacy of information, and mediator impartiality, and outcome variables of satisfaction with custody and adequacy of information about child issues. There were significant differences between court-ordered agreement/no agreement groups on the process variables of sensitive/effective mediator, empowerment, adequacy of information and focus on issues, and outcome variables of satisfaction with agreement, emotional satisfaction, satisfaction with custody and adequacy of information on child issues. / Ph. D.

Conflict resolution strategies in special education are necessary in view of increased disability and civil rights legislation impacting schools. With increase in federal laws and regulations comes an increase in parental expectations and unclear interpretations of "what is right" and "what is legal" regarding meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that escalate and de-escalate parent-school conflict in special education and to understand the special education mediation process from the perspectives of parents, school officials and mediators in Massachusetts. Data were collected through telephone interviews with 44 participants. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Parent participants had experienced special education mediation either during the school year 1995-1996 or 1996-1997. School officials and mediators had experienced multiple special education mediations. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data. Eight categories of factors that escalate parent-school conflict in special education were identified: (a) Discrepant Views of a Child's Needs, (b) Knowledge, (c) Service Delivery, (d) Valuation, (e) Reciprocal Power, (f) Constraints, (g) Communication, and (h) Trust. Participants in each group revealed that the mediation process was of value even though one may not achieve the desired outcome. Strengths of the mediation process were identified in the areas of its ability to provide disclosure, empower participants, provide opportunity for communication, provide suitable outcomes, strengthen relationships and provide a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. Limitations of mediation were reported in it's ability to be misused by participants seeking opportunities for fact-finding and it's lack of ability to be enforced. Results indicated that training in conflict handling strategies is needed by parents and school officials. Results of the study supported using early intervention conflict identification and resolution strategies so that conciliatory attitudes and trust might be preserved in parent-school relationships. / Ed. D.

Because cognitive categories associated with the evaluation of a working relationship are stable at times, yet dynamic under specific conditions, understanding leader-member exchange (LMX) and identifying cognitive correlates associated with exchange quality is perplexing (Foti, Knee & Backert, 2008). The purpose of this study was to investigate how congruence between a leader's and follower's leader and follower prototypes affects the quality of the leader-member exchange relationship as assessed by each partner in the dyadic pair. Leaders and followers in 68 dyadic pairs performed a series of tasks in a laboratory setting. Multiple assessments of liking and trust for each other, as well as LMX quality from their perspective were made. Congruence on leader prototypes significantly predicted follower assessed LMX; followers' liking and trust for leaders fully mediated this relationship. In addition, congruence on follower prototypes significantly predicted leader assessed LMX; leaders' liking for followers fully mediated this relationship. These results emphasize the reciprocal nature of LMX relationships. Practical implications of having high quality LMX include, but are not limited to, higher satisfaction and commitment, less conflict, and higher performance ratings. / Master of Science

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is stressful for both patients and their family caregivers (FCG). As the disease progresses, the patient's memory, functioning status, and behavioral problems get worse, and the needs of the patient that must be addressed by family caregivers increase dramatically. This research examines the impact of the subjective burden with the objective stressors on FCG's depression and to determines which psychosocial resources can be used to either mediate or moderate this relationship. I examine the baseline data that was collected from 670 family caregivers of Alzheimer's patients in the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II clinical trial (REACH II), 2001-2004. The measurements used in the current study are caregivers' background and context factors, objective stressors, subjective burden, psychosocial resources, and symptoms of depression. Three research questions will be investigated in this study: (1) How do the caregivers' background and context factors affect FCGs experiences of objective stressors and subjective burden during the caregiving process? (2) What is the relationship between the objective stressors and subjective burdens, and what impact, if any, do they have on FCGs'depressive symptoms? (3) How do psychosocial resources mediate and or moderate the relationship between the primary stressors and FCGs'depression experiences? / Master of Science / The diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is stressful for both patients and their family caregivers (FCG). In 2018, an estimated 5.7 million Americans have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease (Alzheimer’s Association 2018). As the disease progresses, the patient’s memory, functioning status, and behavioral problems get worse, and the needs of the patient that must be addressed by family caregivers increase dramatically. As Aneshensel, Carol S., Leonard I. Pearlin, Joseph T. Mullan, Steven H. Zarit, and Carol J. Whitlatch (1995) noted in their book Profiles in Caregiving: The Unexpected Career, the role of caregiving is generally an ‘unexpected job’ for FCGs (Aneshensel et al. 1995). Based on Pearlin’s stress process model (SPM), the primary goal of my thesis is to compare the impact of the subjective burden of caregiving with that of objective stressors on FCG’s depression, and to determine whether psychosocial resources can either mediate or moderate this relationship. Objective stressors refer to the AD patient’s memory and behavior problems, his or her cognitive impairment, self-care activities, and functional status. Subjective burden is the FCG’s emotional response to objective stressors. Objective stressors and subjective burden are associated with each other, and they are primary stressors in the SPM. Psychosocial resources include FCG’s religious coping, their positive experiences of caregiving, their social networks and whether they were satisfied with social support that they received from others. The present study is important for two reasons. First, rather than focusing on subjective burden alone, the model examined how objective stressors (i.e. burden) influence mental health through their impact on subjective burden. Second, previous influential studies of the stressors of caregiving either did not include the moderating effects of psychosocial resources (Pearlin et al., 1999), or included a limited number of resources and found that they did not play a significant role in how caregiving stress influences caregivers mental health (Aneshensel et al. 1995). In my thesis, I will explore both of the mediating and moderating effects of four types of psychosocial resources. I examine the baseline data that was collected from 670 family caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients from the Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH) II clinical trial (REACH II), 2001–2004 (Schulz, Burgio, and Stevens 2006). The study participants target on FCGs who are vulnerable to the caregiving stressors. The purpose of the baseline data was to describe the AD patients’ cognitive impairment and behavior problems at the initial stage of the REACH II study, the demands caused by the impairments imposed upon FCGs, the psychosocial resources adopted by FCGs to relieve the caregiving stress, and the consequences of the primary stressors on FCGs’ daily lives. I will explore three research questions in the current study: (1) How do the caregivers’ background and context factors affect FCGs experiences of objective stressors and subjective burden during the caregiving process? (2) What is the relationship between the objective stressors and subjective burdens, and what impact, if any, do they have on FCGs’ depressive symptoms? (3) How do psychosocial resources mediate or moderate the relationship between the primary stressors and FCGs’ depression experiences? The measurements used in the current study are caregivers’ background and context factors, objective stressors, subjective burden, psychosocial resources, and symptoms of depression. Data analysis is primarily based on multiple linear regression. I will also use the post-hoc probing methods to specifically test the significance of the moderating test. There are four key findings in the present study. First, caregivers’ background and context factors have some significant associations with objective stressors and subjective burden, but overall, their impact is minimal. Second, subjective burden has a stronger impact on depressive symptoms than all of the objective stressors do. Third, subjective burden undermines all four psychosocial resources tested in the current study. Fourth, the mediating and moderating effects of psychosocial resources have a negligible impact in the caregiving stress process. Surprisingly, the effect of subjective burden on depressive symptoms among FCGs remained largely unchanged after all psychosocial resources were included in the model as mediators and moderators. In the mediational test, the effects of subjective burden on depression decreased by only 14 percent after all psychosocial resources were taken into account. Likewise, each of these psychosocial resources had only a negligible effect on moderating the impacts of stressors. The study suggests that unless there is a full understanding of the effects of these stressors on caregivers’ well-being, any interventions or preventive actions will be of limited utility. Future research should pay more attention to exploring the relationships between the subjective burden and objective stressors, and examining their different impacts on FCGs’ depression experience. Additionally, the fact that none of the psychosocial resources have a buffering effect in the caregiving process suggests that there is little in the lives of caregivers that mitigates the deleterious effects of caregiving stress on Alzheimer’s caregivers. Policymakers and mental health providers should consider the stress of caregiving, as reflected in both its objective and subjective aspects, as a major risk factor in the lives of those who care for family members with Alzheimer’s disease. Those factors may play a causal role in caregivers’ mental disorders and suicidal ideation.

This dissertation developed an eclectic theory of environmental mediation and submitted it to 31 environmental mediation experts for an assessment of the 63 propositions of the theory. The propositions which represented factors which the mediation experts assessed as important elements contributing to effective mediation were grouped into an ''Essential Model," and the propositions which represented less important elements contributing to effective mediation were grouped into a "Secondary Model." Key dimensions which distinguish the two models were identified. The eclectic theory was developed from the case and theoretical literature, and practitioner comments on the art of environmental mediation. The expert assessment was conducted by submitting an instrument containing 63 propositions to the 31 mediation experts with a request that they rate the importance of each proposition in contributing to effective environmental mediation outcomes. The dissertation presents three alternative general models of mediation, and compares and contrasts the practice of environmental mediation with these models. Recommendations for further research are made, and critical reflections on the state of the art of environmental mediation are presented. / Ph. D.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Conflict is inevitable in school and in life. Many children lack skills necessary to resolve daily conflicts constructively. Without knowledge of positive ways to manage conflicts, violence may result. Limited research suggests that involvement in a peer mediation program may have a positive influence on children. This study assessed effects peer mediation training and mediation experience had on student mediators. The pretest-posttest, control-group, and quasi-experimental study investigated the effects of a year long peer mediation program implemented in a suburban elementary school.

Esta tese objetiva identificar as características do processo de mediação docente online nos fóruns de discussão desenvolvidos em disciplinas, promovidas na modalidade a distância, de um curso de especialização em engenharia. Uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, por meio de um estudo caso, possibilitou comprovar a proposição de que a educação a distância (EaD) dispõe de variadas formas de mediação online para sustentar o processo de aprendizagem dos alunos. Nesse sentido, identificaram-se as ações de mediação docente online nos fóruns de discussão do referido curso, com base no levantamento das funções do professor que nele atua. Para tanto, construiu-se um modelo que representa os processos de ensino e aprendizagem online para, então, identificar as semelhanças e diferenças entre as mediações desenvolvidas no âmbito de cada disciplina. A partir daí, percebeu-se que, nos fóruns de discussão, a mediação docente online apresenta características semelhantes relacionadas, principalmente, aos aspectos do seu contexto. Já as diferenças notadas nesse processo referem-se a cada professor, de forma particularizada, ou seja, a suas características pessoais (competências adquiridas e/ou desenvolvidas, história de vida profissional, etc.). / This thesis aims to identify the characteristics of the online teaching mediation process in the developed discussion forums, through distance learning, in an engineering postgraduate course. A qualitative research through a case study made it possible to prove the proposition that distance education has various forms of online mediation process to support student learning. This way, the actions of teacher mediation in online discussion forums in that course have been identified, based on a survey of functions performed by a teacher working in it. To this end, we constructed a model that represents the processes of online teaching and learning in order to identify the similarities and differences between mediation developed within each discipline. From that, it was noted that in discussion forums, that online teacher mediation presents similar characteristics mainly related to aspects of context. As for the differences noted in this process, they refer more to each teacher, individually, and to their personal characteristics (skills acquired and / or developed, the history of life, etc.).

对于转型期中国的劳动争议，为何国家一边推动以法律规则为本位的劳动监管体系，另一边又不断恢复各种软化法律规则约束力的调解机制？为何从中央到地方再到各部门官僚都偏好于以调解的方式来处置劳动争议？而且，为什么90年代以来大规模的建章立制没有提升准司法的裁决率和司法的判决率，反而使得劳动争议的调解率长期居高不下？国家是如何维持强大的调解能力的？劳资双方又为何愿意接受国家的调解？最后，国家对调解的偏好又会对工人维权行动带来什么样的影响？对于上述问题，本文提出一种“司法化与“政治化并行的双向运动的解释框架。虽然转型期的中国国家在司法机构建设、法律制定、等方面显示出一定的“司法化特征，但是与此同时国家也不断将司法体系“政治化，不仅干预和限制司法权力的行使，也在实际执行过程中软化法律规则的约束力。这种双向运动既根源于革命根据地时期和计划经济时期的制度遗产，也因转型期威权政体内部利益分化而不断强化。这两者也给劳资双方塑造了特殊的政治机会结构，既默许资方规避司法诉讼来压制工人维权，也促使工人高度依赖于国家调解来获得有限的经济赔偿。结果，“调解优先成为劳动争议处置的支配性策略，调解机制逐渐替代了劳动监察、行政裁决和司法判决等直接诉诸国家强制性权力的处置方式。这也是长期以来中国劳动争议调解率居高不下的主要原因。这种双向运动分别在宏观层面和微观层面带来了不同的后果。在宏观层面，“调解优先的策略发挥了分化工人的功能，使得制度化维权渠道中的劳动争议日益个体化和原子化。在微观层面，工人们“准司法化的维权观与国家“去司法化的维稳观之间产生了激烈的张力，形成了“挤出效应，迫使越来越多的维权工人退出法庭并走向街头，采取直接的、对抗性的、激进的、乃至暴力化的抗争行动。 / An expansion of mediation in China’s labor disputes resolution has gathered significant momentum since the middle of the 2000s. This tendency stems from the state’s long-term dependency on politicized mediatory measure to contain labor’s disruptive impulses. And the fragmentation of interests inside the authoritarian regime further marginalizes laws and judicial institutions in resolving grievance. These two factors have together shaped a political opportunity structure as “mediate first for both the labor and capital, and consequently, given a great impetus to the Grand Mediation campaign. By mobilizing grass-roots and non-judicial mediatory agencies to proactively intervene in labor conflict, the Grand Mediation has reinforced the state’s capacity in managing contentious issues without resorting to either heavy handed repression or adversarial litigation. However, regarding the contradiction of the politicized mediation with workers’ judicialized preference, the state’s over-reliance on mediation may impel workers to alienate from institutionalized channel and subsequently deteriorates China’s industrial relation. It is further argued that the prevailing of Grand Mediation may trigger off disruptive and violent labor protests in the long run. All in all, the tendency of “mediate first reveals a dual trajectory as strong politicization and weak judicialization in contemporary China. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / 庄文嘉. / "2013年6月". / "2013 nian 6 yue". / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2013. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 245-264). / Abstract in Chinese and English. / Zhuang Wenjia. / Chapter 第一章 --- 研究设计 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- 研究问题 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- 概念界定 --- p.2 / Chapter 1.3 --- 研究方法 --- p.4 / Chapter 1.4 --- 论文结构 --- p.7 / Chapter 第二章 --- 文献评述 --- p.12 / Chapter 2.1 --- 中国研究中有关劳资关系中国家角色的讨论 --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2 --- 中国研究中有关调解机制的讨论 --- p.18 / Chapter 2.3 --- 比较政治学中有关威权政治司法化的讨论 --- p.28 / Chapter 第三章 --- 制度遗产 --- p.38 / Chapter 3.1 --- 1912-1948年:“调而不停的工潮 --- p.39 / Chapter 3.2 --- 1949-1955年:理想国的改造 --- p.49 / Chapter 3.3 --- 1956-1985年:人民内部矛盾 --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4 --- 1986-1992年:先发制人 --- p.61 / Chapter 3.5 --- 1993-2007年:内忧外患 --- p.69 / Chapter 3.6 --- 2008-2012年:抗争与维稳 --- p.80 / Chapter 3.7 --- 小结 --- p.87 / Chapter 第四章 --- 地方利益结构 --- p.93 / Chapter 4.1 --- 保护地方投资环境和扩大财稅收益 --- p.95 / Chapter 4.2 --- 回应上级维稳压力 --- p.99 / Chapter 4.3 --- 克服行政资源不足和改善治理能力 --- p.103 / Chapter 4.4 --- 应付绩效考核和缓解工作压力 --- p.106 / Chapter 4.5 --- 走向“大调解 --- p.108 / Chapter 4.6 --- 小结 --- p.114 / Chapter 第五章 --- 法律(潜在)使用者的支持程度 --- p.117 / Chapter 5.1 --- 对调解者的强政治信任 --- p.119 / Chapter 5.2 --- 操作化 --- p.125 / Chapter 5.3 --- 经验发现 --- p.135 / Chapter 5.4 --- 小结 --- p.138 / Chapter 第六章 --- 调解何以优先 --- p.142 / Chapter 6.1 --- 不运用法律的法律运用 --- p.142 / Chapter 6.2 --- 操作化、数据与方法 --- p.146 / Chapter 6.3 --- 经验发现 --- p.153 / Chapter 6.4 --- 小结 --- p.161 / Chapter 第七章 --- “调解优先的宏观影响：分化效应和制度内抗争的个体化 --- p.164 / Chapter 7.1 --- 转型期中国的集体性劳动争议 --- p.167 / Chapter 7.2 --- 假设与操作化 --- p.172 / Chapter 7.3 --- 经验发现 --- p.182 / Chapter 7.4 --- 小结 --- p.186 / Chapter 第八章 --- “调解优先的微观影响:挤出效应和制度外抗争的暴力化 --- p.188 / Chapter 8.1 --- “准司法化的维权观和“去司法化的维稳观 --- p.189 / Chapter 8.2 --- 操作化与方法 --- p.196 / Chapter 8.3 --- 经验发现 --- p.201 / Chapter 8.4 --- 小结 --- p.210 / Chapter 第九章 --- 结论：调而不解的劳动争议 --- p.211 / Chapter 9.1 --- 研究发现 --- p.211 / Chapter 9.2 --- 研究贡献 --- p.219 / Chapter 9.3 --- 研究局限性与下一步研究计划 --- p.225 / Chapter 附录1 --- 2012年广州四区外来工抽样调查执行问卷 --- p.228 / Chapter 附录2 --- 2008年至2012年在广东省田野调查中的访谈目录 --- p.243 / 参考文献 --- p.245