Suicidal behavior, including ideation and attempts, is a significant public health problem. Due to the complexity of suicidal behavior, it is necessary to consider an array of factors that could serve as risk and protective factors. Previous research has shown that deficits in social problemsolving ability are associated with increased risk for suicidal ideation and attempts; conversely, problem solving strengths are associated with reduced risk. This dissertation project, consisting of 3 individual manuscripts, was designed to explore the relationship between social problemsolving ability and suicidal behavior in low-income primary care patients. Furthermore, additional constructs including health related quality of life, interpersonal needs, neuroticism, and hopelessness were also explored as they related to social problem solving and suicidal behavior. In a sample of 220 primary care patients ages 19-79 (M = 44.08; SD = 12.11), we examined the following: 1) health related quality of life as a mediator of the relationship between social problem solving and suicidal behavior, 2) interpersonal needs as a mediator of the relationship between social problem solving and suicidal behavior, and 3) the potential mediating role of hopelessness on the relation between neuroticism and suicidal behavior and the moderating role of social problem-solving ability on these associations. Participants completed self-report questionnaires including the Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised-Short Form, Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Short-Form 36, Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, NEO-Five Factor Inventory, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Scores were analyzed using bootstrapped mediation and moderated mediation techniques. In Manuscript 1 mediating effects were found for mental health related quality of life. In Manuscript 2 thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness mediated the relationship between social problem solving and suicidal behavior. Finally, in Manuscript 3 there was a significant indirect effect of neuroticism on suicidal behavior through hopelessness, and this indirect effect was moderated by social problem-solving ability. Our findings indicate that social problem-solving ability serves as both a risk and protective factor for suicidal behavior and impacts other variables that influence suicide risk among primary care patients. Interventions that bolster social problem-solving ability may reduce suicide risk in primary care.

The advent of urbanization has paved the way for the emergence of varied social problems amongst which is youth unemployment. The occurrence of youth unemployment varies across countries with its nature and extent been determined by the local context in which it prevails. Youth unemployment in Cameroon is a major problem prevailing in urban areas in the country, based on the high rate of unemployed young people in the country. This study was set to analyze the prevalence of youth unemployment as an urban social problem with the goal of providing a better understanding of its prevalence. The problem was analyzed around the individual and structural perspectives with the aid of the individualization concept and human capital concept. Three themes constituted the central issues that guided the study of the problem; they are; views on causes, its impact, and measures adopted to address it. The premise behind these themes was geared towards outlining governmental as well as public opinion on the causes of the problem, as well as analyzing the measures the government has adopted or set in place in a bid to mitigate the occurrence of unemployment amongst youth.

This study intended to investigate the role of perceived social problem solving, narcissism, self-esteem, and gender in predicting aggressive behaviors of high school students. The sample consisted of 825 participants recruited from five high schools in Ankara. Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), D&#039 / Zurilla and Maydeu-Olivares Social Problem Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R), Ames, Rose, and Anderson Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) were used as the data collection instruments. Standard Multiple Linear Regression Analyses were performed to investigate predictive value of social problem solving (i.e., negative problem orientation, rational problem solving, impulsivity/carelessness style, and avoidance style), narcissism, self-esteem, and gender in understanding high school students&rsquo / aggressive behaviors (i.e., physical aggression, anger, hostility, and verbal aggression). Results of the present study indicated that gender, narcissism, impulsivity/carelessness style, negative problem orientation, and rational problem solving were significantly related to adolescents&rsquo / physical aggressive behaviors. However, self-esteem and avoidance style did not significantly correlate with physical aggression. Moreover, negative problem orientation, narcissism, impulsivity/carelessness style and gender were significantly related to anger / conversely the relationship between anger and self-esteem, rational problem solving, and avoidance style were not significant. Furthermore, although there was a significant correlation between hostility and negative problem orientation, self-esteem, narcissism, and rational problem solving, there was no significant relationship between adolescent hostile behaviors and avoidance style, impulsivity/carelessness style, and gender. Finally, impulsivity/carelessness style, narcissism, rational problem solving, and gender were significantly related to adolescents&rsquo / verbal aggressive behaviors, nevertheless self-esteem, negative problem orientation, and avoidance style did not significantly correlate with verbal aggression. Theoretical and practical implications and recommendations for future research have been presented.

Orientador: Helen Barbosa Raiz Engler / Banca: Wlaumir Doniseti de Souza / Banca: Ubaldo Silveira / Resumo:O presente estudo objetiva suscitar algumas reflexões sobre as condições de vida, de trabalho e as estratégias de sobrevivência das mulheres negras que se encontram na informalidade no município de Franca, com ênfase para o trabalho domiciliar. Partimos de uma análise sobre as profundas alterações ocorridas nas últimas décadas no mundo do trabalho, que modificou as formas de gerir e organizar os processos produtivos em decorrência de novos imperativos da ordem capitalista. Como estratégia de saída das crises, o próprio sistema criou medidas para dar continuidade aos seus ideários, como ocorreu com o processo de reestruturação produtiva. Frente aos novos arranjos do setor produtivo, verificamos o crescimento do desemprego, degradação das condições de trabalho diante do desmonte dos direitos trabalhistas, outrora conquistados, e expansão da informalidade, caracterizada pelo descumprimento da legislação e ausência de proteção social. Nesse horizonte, houve uma intensificação das subcontratações e do trabalho domiciliar, engendrados pela lógica da terceirização. Isso é perceptível no cenário de Franca, município localizado na região nordeste do estado de São Paulo e que tem como pólo econômico a produção do calçado masculino de couro. É nesse locus que se dá a realização da respectiva pesquisa. O trabalho domiciliar, que não corresponde a nenhuma novidade no município de Franca, toma um novo redimensionamento com sua intensificação no contexto da reestruturação produtiva. A indústria calçadista francana passa a adotar a filosofia de redução dos custos da força de trabalho como estratégia para se consolidar no mercado capitalista, redundando em êxitos para o ramo coureiro-calçadista e provocando a transferência de processos produtivos, como a costura manual do calçado, para o ambiente domiciliar, marcado pela precariedade ...(Resumo completo, clicar em acesso eletronico abaixo) / Abstract: The present study objectives to excite some reflections about the conditions of life, work and the strategies of survival of the black women who find in the informality in Franca-SP, with emphasis on the domiciliary work. We started of an analysis on the deep alterations occurred in the last decades in the world of the work, that modified the forms to manage and to organize the productive processes in result of new imperatives of the capitalist order. As strategy of exit of the crises, the system itself created measures to give continuity to its ideas, as it occurred with the process of productive reorganization. In the presence of the new arrangements of the productive sector, we verify the growth of the unemployment, degradation of the work conditions by the dismounting of the labor laws long ago conquered and expansion of the informality, characterized for the non-accomplishment of the legislation and absence of social protection. In this horizon, it had an intensification of the under-agreements and of the domiciliary work, produced for the logic of the outsourcing. This is perceivable in the Franca scene, city located in the northeast region of the state of São Paulo and it has as economic power the production of the leather masculine footwear. The accomplishment of the respective research occurs in this locus. The domiciliary work, which does not correspond to any newness in Franca, takes a new dimension with its intensification in the context of the productive reorganization. The shoe industry of Franca starts to adopt the philosophy of reduction of the costs of the work force as strategy to consolidate itself in the capitalist market, resulting in successes for the leather-shoemarker branch and provoking the transference of productive processes, as the manual sewing of the footwear, to domiciliary surrounding it, marked for the precariousness and invisibly work relationships ...(Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

The aim of this paper is to examine how Swedish newspaper articles portrayed domestic violence during the corona pandemic and to identify the risks of increased domestic violence depicted in the media. The study is based on the qualitative content analysis of 32 newspaper articles published between March 11th and April 15th 2020. Social constructivism theory, intersectional theory and framing theory were used in order to gain a deeper understanding of the results. The victims were in most articles described as women or women and children. The perpetrator of violence was referred to in half of the articles as male and in half just as the perpetrator. The articles were mainly described from a women's aid framework. Three central themes explaining the risks of increased violence were identified; isolation, a strained position for social resources and financial stress and anxiety.

Problem-solving deficits and poor health–related quality of life are associated with suicide risk; yet, little is known about the interrelations between these variables. In 220 primary care patients, we examined the potential mediating role of physical and mental health–related quality of life on the relation between social problem–solving ability and suicidal behavior. Participants completed the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, Social Problem Solving Inventory-Revised, and Short-Form 36 Health Survey. Utilizing bootstrapped mediation, our hypotheses were partially supported; mediating effects were found for mental health–related quality of life on the relation between social problem-solving and suicidal behavior. Physical health–related quality of life was not a significant mediator. Greater social problem–solving ability is associated with better mental health–related quality of life and, in turn, to less suicidal behavior. Interventions promoting social problem–solving ability may increase quality of life and reduce suicide risk in primary care patients.

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In the present study, we examined whether social problem-solving processes would add predictive utility over loneliness in accounting for unique variance in ill-being (viz., depressive symptoms and suicide behavior) and well-being (viz., life satisfaction and positive affect) in a sample of 230 females. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that social problem-solving processes added significant predictive utility in accounting for unique variance in depressive symptoms, life satisfaction, and positive affect. Moreover, negative problem orientation emerged as a significant unique predictor of both ill-being and well-being. In contrast, positive problem orientation emerged as a significant unique predictor of well-being and only one index of ill-being. Some implications of the present findings are discussed.

Recent changes in health care policy, which mandate the monitoring of illness symptoms and improving the satisfaction of medical patients, may shed light on possible points of intervention to improve patient-centered outcomes. Health-related quality of life (HRQL), or one’s appraisal of their mental and physical functioning, is a frequently-used metric relevant to improved health care outcomes. HRQL may be impacted by multiple inter- and intra-personal factors, whether an adaptive (e.g., social problem solving ability) or maladaptive effect (e.g., thwarted interpersonal needs, depression). We examined the association between social problem solving ability and mental and physical HRQL, and the potential mediating roles of thwarted interpersonal needs and depressive symptoms. Participants (N=223) were middle-aged and recruited from a primary care clinic. Our hypotheses that thwarted interpersonal needs and depressive symptoms would sequentially mediate the association between independent scales of social problem solving (negative problem orientation, positive problem orientation, rational problem solving, impulsive/careless style, avoidant style) and HRQL (mental and physical), were largely supported. Our findings highlight the importance of social problem solving ability as a potential point of intervention to improve mood, interpersonal functioning, and mental and physical health in an integrated care setting. Strategies such as Social Problem Solving Therapy might be particularly effective in bolstering social problem solving, with consequent beneficial effects on interpersonal functioning and mood, thereby improving overall health-related quality of life.

Introduction: Despite advances in smoking cessation interventions, the majority of smokers who seek treatment will relapse. To better understand nicotine dependence, and relapse risk factors this study tested for potential relationships between social problem-solving, negative affect, and smoking urges during a baseline smoking cue exposure trial. Methods: aA part of a larger cessation study. 51 male and 50 female physically inactive, sedentary smokers with the intention to quit smoking, and bioverified smoking abstinence (CO < 11ppm) completed demographic questionnaires, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised: Short-Form, and questionnaires related to smoking history and demographic characteristics. In addition, participants completed a baseline 5-minute relaxation session followed by a 5-minute imaginal and in vivo smoking cue exposure trial. Participants completed pre and post cue exposure measures of urge and affect. Analysis: t-tests were used to validate the effect of cue exposure procedures on urge and negative affect. Multivariate linear regression models assessed the strength of possible relationships between social problem-solving, gender, negative affect, and urge to smoke. Results: Smoking urge and negative affect significantly increased from pre to post exposure. Women and men did not differ on any measure of social problem-solving, affect, or smoking urge. In regression models, the social problem-solving composite score was not statistically associated with post-cue exposure urge strength (as measured by the Questionnaire for Smoking Urges-Brief) when controlling for cigarettes per day or level of nicotine dependence. Greater pre-test negative problem orientation was significantly correlated with pre-post increases in negative affect (a predictor of relapse). In models with a gender and negative problem orientation interaction, negative problem orientation became a stronger predictor of negative affect, although the interaction term was non-significant. Impulsive-careless problem-solving styles and negative affect were also found to be significantly associated with post-exposure urge strength. Conclusions: A 5-minute smoking cue exposure trial produced a reliable increase in smoking urge and negative affect among treatment-seeking smokers who were abstinent for at least three hours. Future research of social problem-solving, stress and coping and negative affect within cue reactivity paradigms may provide insights for integrating cue exposure treatments and counseling-based smoking cessation interventions. / Public Health