Prejudice research shows that most psychologists focus on moderate prejudice in superficial settings, rather than extreme prejudice in real-life situations. The present study used an interpretive phenomenological analysis guided by social constructivism on 21 biographies to investigate how the authors voluntarily disaffiliated from their groups and altered their prejudice. The narratives were retrieved from popular and academic book and journal memoirs, digital and print interviews and articles, podcasts and video clips of members of closed faith societies who were socialized to resent outsiders, with their resentments turning into violence. The analysis used Willig's 4 stages: immersion in material, identifying core themes, summary of themes, and the amalgamation of the summary into themes. Results of this study indicate that there seems to be a turning point in which participants perceive the outside world in a different way. This change in perception may occur in members of closed groups through conducting critical analyses, reading source texts, and experiencing altruism from a member of the resented outside groups. Recommendations include that communication between outsiders and group members should reflect subtle, fact-based reasoning and manifest a customized approach to reducing prejudice. The study offers an original approach for understanding socialized violence. Governments and relevant entities could use this research to train invited outsiders of a cult or closed faith society regarding how to decrease the prejudice of closed group members.

Previous researchers have indicated that first responders are in an ever-changing environment, and unfortunately, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among first responders is increasing. This study sought to better understand first responders' perceptions of emergency preparedness protocols and training, as well as the prevalence of PTSD. This study also examined first responders' thoughts, decision making processes, and protective actions information, communications necessary during situations of emergency preparedness for traumatic events, and how PTSD impacted this process. A sample of 16 first responders of various ages was recruited for the purpose of this study. The participants were made up of firefighters, police officers, and emergency medical services. This study drew from protection-motivation theory, the theory of planned behavior, sensemaking theory, and decision making theory. The researcher used a 15-question, semi-structured interview. Interpretive phenomenological analysis was used for qualitative analysis. The following themes emerged: (a) emergency preparedness is perceived as critical; (b) emergency preparedness is perceived as inadequate; (c) first responders are unlikely to seek treatment; (d) the development of psychological disorders is perceived as likely; (e) there can be hesitation or feelings of "freezing" during emergencies; (f) there can be numbness and distraction during emergencies; and (g) first responder training helps to make decision making automatic. Implications, suggestions for future research are discussed, and the need for additional studies in first responder training that consider the location of first-responders as well as the need for first responders' trainings to promote positive social change.

Abstract Sexual autonomy is the right and capacity of each individual to decide and make choices about whom, when, and how they express themselves sexually. Individuals with intellectual disabilities have frequently been marginalized, oppressed, and left out of discussions about sexuality placing them at risk of abuse, unsafe sex practices, and unplanned pregnancies. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the usefulness of person-centered planning techniques in the development of an individual service plan that address the social-sexual needs of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Purposeful sampling was used to select 8 participants for this study. Specific participants were selected because they possessed personal perspectives and experiences regarding person-centered planning techniques. Data collection included semi-structured, open-ended questions with face-to-face interviews and document review. Code development began with systematic organization of narrative data that was thematically analyzed using open-coding. Findings showed the person-centered individual service plan is a tool that can empower and promote social-sexual autonomy for individuals with intellectual disabilities if service and support administrators initiate a conversation about social-sexual activity. Implications for social change include increased advocacy for sexual autonomy, greater social acceptance of relationships, inclusive sexuality programming for individuals with intellectual disabilities and professional development training for service and support administrators.

Health care leaders are challenged with addressing addiction and the treatment of addiction. Many studies have been conducted around addiction treatment; however, no studies have been conducted on Christian-based recovery programs that use the same approach regardless of the addiction. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of participants in a Christian-based recovery program that uses the same approach for all addictions. The social learning theory provided the framework for this study. Data were collected by interviewing participants of the Christian-based recovery program Free Grace Recovery (FGR). Eight participants selected had a variety of reasons for program participation from substance abuse, codependency issues, anger management problems, control issues, and sex addiction. The data were analyzed using MAXQDA software, coded by topic, and arranged into broader categories. Through that process, five central themes emerged from the data: spiritual religious experiences, program experiences, positive experiences with people, skills, acquisition experiences, and acts and services experiences. The implications for social change are that programs like FGR can be beneficial for many addictions, habits, and vices, and the need for program specialization may not be necessary because participants reported similar experiences despite having different addictions or other issues they were addressing. This would make recovery possible for a larger group of people.

Adults with intellectual disability (ID) experience twice the rate of mental health disorders when compared to the general population. Despite increased prevalence of mental health disorders, caregivers supporting adults with ID rarely seek mental health counseling supports, but instead are referred to psychiatric services. There is limited understanding among researchers about the lack of counseling services for adults with ID. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of mental health counselors who have worked with adults with ID in a counseling relationship. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to develop thick and rick experiential detail about counselor experiences providing services for adults with ID. The conceptual framework involved the social constructivist and hermeneutic phenomenological lenses. The 8 participants were recruited using a purposive snowball sampling method and provided data through semi-structured interviews. Data analysis involved coding for themes with the help of NVivo software. Findings indicated counselor perceptions of adults with ID as being stigmatized and marginalized within their communities, which aligned with literature. Adults with ID must be prepared for counseling and there must be appropriate adaptations to support meaningful participation and benefit from counseling interventions. Exposure to adults with ID was a factor in counselors being willing to engage with this population, and questions about counselor education and preparedness were a consistent theme. The social implications of exploring this gap will lead to a better understanding of counselor experiences and can inform the professional body about how to increase access to counseling services for adults with ID.

Using Bandura's social learning theory as a frame, this quantitative survey study examined the relationship between attitudes and beliefs of counselor educators and the importance they placed on taking social justice as well as advocacy action in their personal and professional lives. Two survey instruments, the Social Issues Advocacy Scale and the Social Justice Scale, were given to faculty members of graduate counselor education programs to examine the question of whether a statistically significant relationship exists between faculty attitudes and beliefs regarding the value of social justice and advocacy, and faculty taking action in social justice and advocacy initiatives in their personal and professional lives. The research design was a quantitative survey study using a nonrandom convenience sample. The number of the convenience sample was (N = 78). Thirty-one percent (n = 24) of the respondents identified themselves as male, and 69% (n = 54) identified themselves as female. A Pearson correlation analysis yielded a moderate correlation (r = 0.401, p = 0.00) between faculty attitudes and beliefs regarding the value of social justice and advocacy and faculty taking action in social justice and advocacy initiatives in their personal and professional lives. Thus, counselor educators who expressed stronger attitudes and beliefs about social justice and advocacy tended to be more active in including social justice and advocacy in their personal and professional lives. Results suggest that institutions and faculty must be social justice thought leaders and take action for social justice and advocacy.

There is a high turnover rate among court-appointed special advocates (CASA) in the United States. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the perception of the retention of CASA volunteers. Maslach'€™s burnout theory and Greene'€™s theory of resilience provided the framework for the study. A sample of9 active and 5 inactive CASA volunteers, one CASA volunteer recruiter, 3 program supervisors, and one administrator were interviewed. The data was organized and coded manually to facilitate auto-coding using qualitative data software. All responses to each question were compiled in one place allowing for thematic analysis based on the frequency of terms and concepts occurring during the interviews. According to study findings, lengthy and complicated processes, restrictive laws and regulations, limited outcomes impact for the children, and unrealistic expectations of the CASA volunteers were the main reasons for the high turnover rate. Support and preparedness were crucial in the CASA volunteers'€™ decision to serve longer. The study findings would be available for decision makers to review and revise policies in order to improve the experience and adjust expectations imposed on CASA volunteers via recruitment and training messaging. Increasing CASA volunteers'€™ retention rate would change the trajectory of more children in foster care by improving their chances for achieving positive outcomes.

Expired student visas can contribute to illegal residence in the U.S. and may also be a valuable source of information for Homeland Security. Although the reason for remaining in the U.S. might be for nonthreatening purposes, threatening actions could occur as an individual gets lost in the country. The purpose of this study was to determine how visas were issued, the reasons an individual may remain beyond the approved visa date, and the mechanisms intelligence and law enforcement agencies use to exchange information with each other. This research was based on the new war theory and the Lockwood Analytical Method for Prediction (LAMP) in order to predict results or intentions an individual may have with a student visa overstay. Quantitative nonimmigrant student visa data sets derived from the State Department were used to apply findings for a pair wise comparison. The pairwise comparison of issued visas involved completing a rank order comparison as determined by the LAMP Method. The benefit of this quantitative methods study was to demonstrate the need and reason to share information between the relevant enforcement agencies. The small detail of visas being attributed to terrorist events is minimal; however, there are known events involving visa overstays and terrorist events. The results noted major trends in the number of nonimmigrant student visas, organized by year, which could be directly linked to changes in U.S. international relations with other countries. This quasi-experimental research influences positive social change by utilizing information amongst law enforcement and intelligence agencies in accordance with location of individuals residing in the U.S. on expired student visas.

In studies, grief due to the loss of a child is recognized as a complex process, one whose trajectory is influenced by a variety of factors. One factor, the age of the child at the time of death, may be an important influence in the trajectory of grief. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to explore the experiences of loss for 15 bereaved mothers and fathers whose children suddenly died between the ages of 2 and 12 years. This age range was selected to explore bereavement in parents of young and preteen children because they may feel a greater sense of daily care and responsibility for the safety of their children in comparison to bereaved mothers and fathers of older children or adults. The psychosocial transition theory was used to develop the research questions, which framed the exploration of the experiences and adaptive responses of the parent participants. There were 15 recorded semistructured interviews from which the data were collected. The transcribed data were validated with member checking. Data analysis was completed using open and hierarchical coding to identify meanings and recurrent themes in the participant narratives. Recurrent themes included that grieving was emotional and physical for these parents, and that grief made it difficult for them to do everyday tasks or care for surviving children. Mothers and fathers identified viewing their world as less safe and experienced a reevaluation or complete abandonment of their spiritual beliefs. Implications for positive social change include increasing social awareness in the general public about grief due to child death and challenging unrealistic expectations of grief trajectory. Furthermore, the findings of this study may be used by mental health professionals to create interventions specific to this type of loss.

Domestic violence impacts millions of Americans annually and, in spite of the use of rehabilitative programs, recidivism in domestic violence continues to be more likely than in any other offense. To date, batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have not proven to be consistently impactful in reducing recidivism in cases of domestic violence. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, quantitative study was to examine differences in recidivism for first-time male domestic violence offenders who have participated in a BIP and a more recently developed alternative: victim-offender mediation (VOM). The theories of restorative justice and reintegrative shaming frame this study to determine if offenders take accountability for their actions and face the victim in mediation, there can be a reduction in recidivism. Archival data from records of first-time male, domestic violence offenders, between the ages of 18 and 30, who participated in either a VOM or BIP in a county in the Midwest were examined for recidivism 24-months postintervention, and analyzed with an ANCOVA analysis while controlling for age. The findings revealed no significant difference in recidivism for first-time male offenders 24-months post participation in a BIP or a VOM intervention while controlling for age F (1,109) =.081, p = .777. The findings provide support for the notion that restorative justice interventions may be an additional intervention used in cases of domestic violence deemed appropriate for the intervention. The findings from this study can add to the body of research examining interventions to address the high recidivism in cases of domestic violence, which impacts victims, offenders, and communities.