Working from a communication theory paradigm and from previous literature, the purpose of this study was to empirically examine significant receiver correlates which predict adoption behavior of Sigma Nu Fraternity on three campuses. Drawing from past research, the present study utilized a unique combination of social and communication variables as predictors of fraternity membership. A stepwise multiple discriminant analysis using five factors derived from the thirteen independent variables yielded a highly significant three factor discriminant function (p < .001) which explained 46.65 percent of the common variance in adoption/non-adoption behavior of Sigma Nu. The significant factors were labeled peer group behavior, parental economic support, and social attitudes. Based on intuitive interpretation features of the data, the researcher suspects that adopters are more socially oriented, have a wider variety o: friends, are less dependent on parental economic support, and exhibit higher scores on measures such as self-esteem, liberalism, conservatism, and the need for identification with groups.

This study furthers Alzheimer’s family literature regarding the impact of caregiver attachment, readiness to provide care, and caregiver quality of life. A sample of 33 participants caring for a parent with Alzheimer’s disease in the state of Kentucky was recruited to complete a questionnaire for the study. The questionnaire consisted of an online survey about participants’ experiences and attachments growing up with their parents, their experiences becoming caregivers to their parents with Alzheimer’s disease, and participants’ current perspectives of their own quality of life. Positive perspectives in regards to quality of life among caregivers seem to be a predictor of both stronger readiness to care and stronger attachments. These finding inform therapists about the importance of recognizing a caregiver’s presenting problems of burden and their significance to attachment and readiness to provide such care. This recognition may impact therapy to strengthen a caregiver’s positive adaption, thus it may also decrease burden.

The United States is experiencing a severe shortage of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) paramedics. The job outlook for paramedics (EMT-P) for the years 2012-2022 is predicted to increase by 23%-33%, which is much faster than the 4% average increase of other first-response professions. The average tenure of paramedics is less than 4 years. There is a significant gap in the literature concerning paramedic personality traits and tenure. The primary objective of the current study is to provide empirical data on the personality traits possessed by long-term paramedics (5+ years), and compare them to those with shorter tenure (< 5 years). Using Allport's Trait Theory, I predicted that personality would affect paramedic longevity. The 6 personality traits tested were warmth, reasoning, emotional stability, liveliness, social boldness and openness to change. A socio-demographic questionnaire, determined the length of their EMS career, while the 16PF® Assessment, tested their personality traits. Using t tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and a set of regression analyses, data were examined to determine if length of career and personality traits predicted paramedic tenure. The research sample consisted of long term paramedics and former paramedics. The results showed that of the 6 personality traits, only warmth was a significant predictor of paramedic tenure. A logistic regression showed for every additional point in warmth, the odds of leaving EMS prior to 5 years increased by a factor of 2.77. This study provides support for positive social change by helping EMS to learn how to increase recruitment and tenure. It also helps by advising EMS agencies to attend to the mental and emotional health of their paramedics by being aware of the level of their warmth personality trait.

Despite decades of preventive education and services for intimate partner violence, such violence continues. Studies have shown mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of current treatment options and prevention remains paramount. If victims seek therapy, the focus is typically on a single diagnosis, such as depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, rather than cause-and-effect. Emotional intelligence in abusers of intimate partner violence has been tested and studied. There is literature on victims, but they are rare, regional, and examined only female participants resulting in conflicting findings. There is a gap in research in the review of the nuances of emotional intelligence in participants of both genders. The present quantitative study explored the branches of emotional intelligence differences in intimate partner violence victim-survivor participants (N = 180) using the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test. The 4 branches explored were perception, use, understanding, and management of emotions. Using linear regressions, any differences in emotional intelligence in partner violence victim-survivors were compared to the normative population by gender, length of time a victim was abused, and the types of abuses experienced. Both genders resulted in finding lower levels of the understanding branch when compared to the normative population. Male levels were higher in use, perception, and understanding than females. The length of time in an abusive relationship and types of abuse experienced showed no significance. Testing victim-survivors' emotional intelligence levels could effect social change with personal data focusing on enhancing skills in introspection, healthier emotional responses, and help to dissuade a victim from returning to their abusive relationship.

Research has shown that managerial leaders have a higher motivational need for power than those in other positions. A leader's personality traits have been shown to affect organizational performance. Leaders who score high in dark traits (undesirable personality attributes shown to predict career derailment across organizations, levels, and positions) could also be more likely to use company resources for personal gain. There is a paucity of research examining the correlation between managerial dark traits and the need for power. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between managers' dark trait scores as measured by the Hogan Development Survey (HDS), and their motivational need for power as measured by the Hogan Motives, Values, and Preference Inventory (MVPI). The effect of Ambition as measured by the Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) was used as a mediating variable upon dark traits scores and the need for power. The dependent variable in this study was the need for power, and the independent variables were the 11 personality traits measured by the HDS. Participants were managers and executives provided by Hogan Assessments database (N = 500). Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant correlation between the dark traits of those who move against others and their need for power. Ambition had a small effect in mediating the dark trait scores and the need for power. If selection committees could use the HDS and remove candidates with high scores in dark traits that move against others, they could remove many who could be likely to abuse the executive position through a strong need for power. Potentially destructive leaders could be avoided, leadership career derailment could be averted, and even corporate criminal activity might be prevented.

ABSTRACT When depressive illness has its onset during adolescence it can exert a profound negative influence upon the individual and their daily functioning. Early identification of young people at risk of, or already experiencing, depressive symptoms is critical to enabling targeted intervention from clinicians, including occupational therapists. Early identification, however, is hampered by an incomplete understanding of how the disorder manifests in the daily lives of adolescents. The mental health determinants and sequelae of engagement in everyday activities represent core concerns of occupational therapists. As part of therapy with adolescents in Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS), occupational therapists endeavour to improve health by assessing time use, and engaging in interventions which explicitly target involvement in daily activity. Notwithstanding current practice, evidence for a link between actual time use and depressive symptom severity is scant. Background and Research Aims In this thesis the time use of adolescents is explored and related to depressive symptom severity in a series of three cross sectional studies. In keeping with ecologically- and occupation-focussed theoretical models of health and adolescent development (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006; Poulsen & Ziviani, 2004; World Health Organization, 2002), a novel approach to the study of time use has been taken. The studies quantify the amount of time that adolescents are exposed to the various conditions inherent in activities and their ecological settings. In conceptualising time use as ‘exposure’, attention is drawn specifically to common affordances of activities. In this thesis these are described as ‘underlying dimensions’ of time use. Key underlying dimensions of interest include (a) ‘physical exertion’ in daily time use, (b) time spent with different social partners, and (c) time engaged in structured activities. The studies make use of cumulative estimates of time use by summing each episode of exposure to the underlying dimensions of time use, across the out-of-school hours. This research was conducted with the aims of (a) aiding early identification of adolescents who are vulnerable to depressive illness, (b) examining the evidence for the assessment of time use in CYMHS, (c) identifying aspects of adolescent time use which are appropriate targets for occupational therapists’ intervention, and (d) directing future research into the effectiveness of time use-focussed interventions offered by occupational therapists to adolescents who are vulnerable to depressive illness. Methodology and Study Findings All the studies involve secondary analysis of interview and time diary data collected from a nationally representative sample of approximately 730 adolescents (13-18 years) participating in the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement II. Data were gathered in 2002/2003 by the Institute of Social Research at the University of Michigan in America. Studies 1 and 2 employ ordinal logistic regression analyses to separately explore two of the underlying dimensions of time use, namely the physical exertion in daily activity, and the time spent engaged in activity alone or with key social partners (including parents, siblings and friends). These studies indicate that time devoted to physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity does not predict depressive symptom severity, breadth of participation in sporting extracurricular activity may be protective against depressive illness for males. For both genders, factors related to the positive or negative aspects of social relationships (such as adolescents’ ratings of how close they felt to parents, and the extent of risky behaviour among friends) appear to be stronger predictors of depressive symptomatology than the actual amount of time engaged in activity with others. Study 3 is informed conceptually and methodologically by the findings of Studies 1 and 2, and uses structural equation modeling, to examine a complex multivariate model of time use and depressive symptoms. This model incorporates a large range of factors which are theorized to influence the qualitative experience of spending time in a given context (e.g., adolescents’ perceptions of friend acceptance, which may influence the psychological impact of a prolonged encounter with friends). Study 3 reveals that the quantity of time over the course of a weekday or weekend day that adolescents are exposed to different types of activity (e.g., structured extracurricular activity, shared activity with parents) has no direct association with depressive symptom severity. However, an indirect path is identified, whereby the amount of time devoted to joint activity with parents is linked with depressive symptom severity via adolescent perceptions of parent acceptance. Conclusions and Recommendations The studies of this thesis have shown that the conceptualisation and quantification of time use as cumulative exposure to some specific underlying dimensions of engagement, are of little direct assistance in identifying young people who are vulnerable to depressive illness, however, this information may inform a range of clinical practices for occupational therapists working in CYMHS. Information on time use is therefore worth gathering in such services, particularly when it provides insights into social contact. It has been clearly and consistently identified that time use and its links with depression cannot be fully appreciated without considering the nature of adolescents’ relationships with their social partners in time use. Findings indicate that when time spent engaged in joint activity with parents is scant, or when poor relationships with parents are reported, adolescents at risk of depression are likely to benefit from therapy which is directed towards enhancing the quantity and quality of parent-adolescent interactions. The significance of this research lies in the generation of evidence to support further research into time use and its implications for mental health. Greater support for the specialist role of occupational therapists in addressing time use concerns will be gained through future studies which explore the immediate affective experience of spending time in activity, the personal and environmental contextual factors which mediate these experiences, and the implications of such experiences for mental health. Further to the insights gained regarding time use and depressive illness, the thesis presents an approach to research (i.e., a secondary analysis) and research methodologies which may be used by occupational therapists to answer complex questions regarding occupational engagement across the lifespan. Keywords: Adolescence, Depression, Internalizing Disorder, Time Use, Time Diary, Physical Activity, Social Contexts, Structured Extracurricular Activity, Organised Activity, Structural Equation Modeling. Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC): 111714 Mental Health 100%.

<h1>Abstract</h1><p>Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka vilken betydelse kuratorn har för den psykosociala hälsan. Vi har för det här ändamålet gjort tio stycken kvalitativa intervjuer med kuratorer inom skola, ungdomsmottagning, samt barn- ungdoms- och vuxenpsykiatrin. Vi har utgått från en hermeneutisk ansats. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån Aaron Antonovskys, Thomas J. Scheffs, samt Moria von Wrights teorier. Vårt resultat visar att kuratorn har en betydelse för den psykosociala hälsan hos eleven/patienten inom ramen för deras nätverk. Det var dock ibland svårt för kuratorn att precisera exakt vad som leder till förändringarna eftersom de ser sig som en del av helheten. Resultatet visar vidare att kuratorerna med olika metoder kan öka begripligheten och meningsfullheten hos eleverna/patienterna, för att de ska få en bättre känsla av sammanhang, och därmed lättare att hantera sin vardag. Inom psykiatrin fokuseras det mycket på ett patogent synsätt medan skolan och ungdomsmottagningen mer använder ett salutogent synsätt. Den punktuella positionen visar sig vara viktig i utredningsfasen av eleverna/patienterna men kuratorerna själva lyfter även fram vikten av en relationell position. Kuratorerna kan genom samtal uppmärksamma de sociala banden, lyfta fram dess betydelse för att eleverna/patienterna ska kunna bevara dem. Det här genom att eleverna/patienterna på ett bättre sätt kan hantera sina skam- och stolthetskänslor.</p> / <h1>Abstract</h1><p>The aim of our study is to investigate witch role the counselor has for the psychosocial health. For this purpose we have made ten qualitative interviews with counselors at schools, in one youth center, and at a child-youth and adult psychiatry. Vi har utgått från en hermeneutisk ansats.We have used a hermeneutic approach. Resultatet analyserades utifrån Aaron Antonovsky, Thomas J. Scheff, samt Moria von Wright.We`ve based our result in Aaron Antonovsky´s, Thomas J. Scheff´s, and Moria von Wright´s theories.Vårt resultat visade att kuratorn har en betydelse för den psykosociala hälsan hos eleven/patienten inom ramen för deras nätverk. Our result showes that the counselor has got an impact in the psychosocial health of the student / patient within their network. Det var dock ibland svårt för kuratorn att precisera exakt vad som ledde till förändringarna eftersom de såg sig som en del av helheten. However, it was sometimes difficult for the counselor to clarify exactly what leeds to the changes as they see themselves as one part of the whole. The Result further showes that the counselor using different methods could increase the comprehensible and meaningfulness to the students/patients, so that they could get a better sense of context, and thus easier to manage their everyday. In psychiatry the approach is pathogenic and at schools and the youth clinic it is salutogenic. The punctate location prove to be important in the investigation phase of the students / patients, but the counselors themselves even highlight the importance of a relational position. Kuratorerna kunde genom samtal uppmärksamma de sociala banden, lyfta fram dess betydelse för att eleven/klienten skulle kunna bevara de sociala banden genom att de på ett bättre sätt kunde hantera sina skam- och stolthetskänslor.Counselors can, through conversations, rise attention to the social ties, highlighting its importance so that the students / patients is able to maintain them. This is made through that the students/patients, in a better way, is able to deal with their shame and feelings of pride.<strong></strong></p>

Research on vocational behavior has made progress in identifying broad personality traits associated with career indecision; however, important questions remain unanswered about the temporal stability of relationships between broad personality traits and Career Decidedness (CD), and about the role of narrow personality traits as predictors of CD, both of which were addressed in this longitudinal field study. A total of 2,046 undergraduate students completed an online personality inventory and CD questionnaire. A sub-group (N=267) responded to a follow-up questionnaire seven months later. Results indicated, as hypothesized, that CD correlated positively with the broad (Big Five) personality traits, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness. However, CD did not correlate as expected with the broad trait, extraversion, and correlated significantly and inversely with the broad trait, neuroticism, only for low-achievement students. Results showed that the narrow traits of optimism and work drive correlated significantly and positively with CD, and that these narrow traits accounted for more variance in CD (11.2%) than broad traits (.5%). CD correlated positively with chronological age, as predicted. However, Career Decidedness only increased through the first three of four years of college, and contrary to predictions, showed a non-significant decline in the senior year. In an unexpected finding based only on the sub-group who completed the second set of questionnaires, the relationship of personality and CD strengthened over the 7-month span of this study, yet instability within CD warrants caution. Results suggest questions for future research and implications for practice in vocational psychology.

Post-Soviet Azerbaijan is often portrayed as a very secular country. Thus the mobilization of mosque communities in the late 1990s and their conflictual relationship with the authorities came as a surprise. The main aim of the dissertation is to shed light on this mobilization, focusing on the Sunni Abu Bakr and the Shi’ite Juma mosque communities in Baku. On the premise that Islamic mobilization may be interpreted as a “social movement”, internal, contextual and interactional aspects of mobilization have been studied. The analysis is chiefly based on interviews conducted in Baku in 2004/2005 with Imams, worshippers, religious and secular authorities. The study finds that young people looking for new approaches to religion have been drawn to these communities, where they encounter an independent, educated, conscientious clergy and, indeed, a “new” religion. This “sovereign” Islam does not go down well with authorities who fear politicization of religion. The Soviet heritage has provided them with a view of religion as something that should not be publicly displayed and with the institutions to control religion. Another key feature whose impact on state policy towards religious organizations cannot be underestimated is the fear of imported radicalism. A look at Islamic mobilization in North Caucasus, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan reveals many similarities, yet one momentous difference is the harsher repression in these contexts, which decreases the chances of a non-radical mobilization. The thesis concludes that the role of the state in mobilization processes in non-democratic contexts is crucial but counterintuitive, as the regimes’ efforts to stop the mobilization of movements actually leads to its intensification. In Azerbaijan, official pressure brings community members closer together and strengthens their resolve, rather than putting an end to mobilization. It also puts a spotlight on these communities which lights up the way for others in search of something new.

Abstract Syftet med vår studie är att undersöka vilken betydelse kuratorn har för den psykosociala hälsan. Vi har för det här ändamålet gjort tio stycken kvalitativa intervjuer med kuratorer inom skola, ungdomsmottagning, samt barn- ungdoms- och vuxenpsykiatrin. Vi har utgått från en hermeneutisk ansats. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån Aaron Antonovskys, Thomas J. Scheffs, samt Moria von Wrights teorier. Vårt resultat visar att kuratorn har en betydelse för den psykosociala hälsan hos eleven/patienten inom ramen för deras nätverk. Det var dock ibland svårt för kuratorn att precisera exakt vad som leder till förändringarna eftersom de ser sig som en del av helheten. Resultatet visar vidare att kuratorerna med olika metoder kan öka begripligheten och meningsfullheten hos eleverna/patienterna, för att de ska få en bättre känsla av sammanhang, och därmed lättare att hantera sin vardag. Inom psykiatrin fokuseras det mycket på ett patogent synsätt medan skolan och ungdomsmottagningen mer använder ett salutogent synsätt. Den punktuella positionen visar sig vara viktig i utredningsfasen av eleverna/patienterna men kuratorerna själva lyfter även fram vikten av en relationell position. Kuratorerna kan genom samtal uppmärksamma de sociala banden, lyfta fram dess betydelse för att eleverna/patienterna ska kunna bevara dem. Det här genom att eleverna/patienterna på ett bättre sätt kan hantera sina skam- och stolthetskänslor. / Abstract The aim of our study is to investigate witch role the counselor has for the psychosocial health. For this purpose we have made ten qualitative interviews with counselors at schools, in one youth center, and at a child-youth and adult psychiatry. Vi har utgått från en hermeneutisk ansats.We have used a hermeneutic approach. Resultatet analyserades utifrån Aaron Antonovsky, Thomas J. Scheff, samt Moria von Wright.We`ve based our result in Aaron Antonovsky´s, Thomas J. Scheff´s, and Moria von Wright´s theories.Vårt resultat visade att kuratorn har en betydelse för den psykosociala hälsan hos eleven/patienten inom ramen för deras nätverk. Our result showes that the counselor has got an impact in the psychosocial health of the student / patient within their network. Det var dock ibland svårt för kuratorn att precisera exakt vad som ledde till förändringarna eftersom de såg sig som en del av helheten. However, it was sometimes difficult for the counselor to clarify exactly what leeds to the changes as they see themselves as one part of the whole. The Result further showes that the counselor using different methods could increase the comprehensible and meaningfulness to the students/patients, so that they could get a better sense of context, and thus easier to manage their everyday. In psychiatry the approach is pathogenic and at schools and the youth clinic it is salutogenic. The punctate location prove to be important in the investigation phase of the students / patients, but the counselors themselves even highlight the importance of a relational position. Kuratorerna kunde genom samtal uppmärksamma de sociala banden, lyfta fram dess betydelse för att eleven/klienten skulle kunna bevara de sociala banden genom att de på ett bättre sätt kunde hantera sina skam- och stolthetskänslor.Counselors can, through conversations, rise attention to the social ties, highlighting its importance so that the students / patients is able to maintain them. This is made through that the students/patients, in a better way, is able to deal with their shame and feelings of pride.