The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of social support in helping adolescent Māori mothers cope with pregnancy, birth and motherhood, with a particular emphasis on its role in enabling them to continue at school. The aim of this research is to understand and make sense of these experiences and to perhaps identify gaps within an individual's social network. The analysis and methodology of the research was underpinned by a community psychology framework. Nine interviews were conducted with young Māori women who had become pregnant and continued with their pregnancy, all before the age of 20. The in depth interviews included questions focusing on the young women learning of pregnancy, the pregnancy, birth, caring for their child and their experiences with education and future plans. Negative experiences were usually those which involved unsupportive people. Positive interactions were those where support, of all types, was offered and useful to my participants and their children. Education was highlighted as the most effective way of providing a better life for adolescent mothers and their children. The research highlights the importance of social support and the continuation of education. Combining the efforts of positive social networks and social support services can improve the lives of adolescent Māori mothers and their children.

<p>The treatment that women get from health care staff can influence the experience of the abortion and how women manage to coping the experience emotionally. The aim of this study was to illuminate women’s experiences in connection with an abortion. The findings show that the women’s social situation led them to the decision of abortion. When the women had the pregnancy confirmed many felt unreality. Several women experienced the situation as a crisis. After the abortion most of the women experienced relief, but also guilt towards the abortion. Some knew that they had made the right decision, while others felt regret. Most of the women experienced that the nursing staff treated them well, but some women experienced that the staff was negative, insensitive and ignoring. Most of the women was satisfied with the total support from significant others. To make a satisfying nursing care possible for each woman who seeks abortion, more research is needed about women’s experiences of nursing staff’s treatment.</p>

This study documented the creation and initial validation of the Perceived Adolescent Social Support: Cystic Fibrosis (PASS-CF) inventory. The inventory was developed from semi-structured interviews of adolescents with cystic fibrosis (CF) and measured both supportive and non-supportive behaviors provided to adolescents by their family and friends. This study reports the findings from these interviews, results of the pilot testing of the measure, exploratory analyses of the utility of individual items, and the relationships between supportive and non-supportive behaviors and important clinical outcomes, such as treatment adherence, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and other health outcomes. In particular, the study compared two measurement models suggested by popular definitions of social support. The "perceived support" model emphasized adolescents' cognitive appraisals of the support provided to them by family and friends, and the functional support model emphasized the utility of specific behaviors in managing CF. Results provided support for both models and provided insights into important next steps in the study of social support in adolescents with CF.

Identity and power are important components of any relationship, especially one as intimate as the connection between marital partners. Social support is expected and elicited within these relationships, however most social support researchers have not incorporated sociological theoretical orientations that would provide insight into the structural components of the relationship and their impact. Using ideas derived from Identity Control Theory and Power Dependence Theory this research investigates the impact of these powerful social factors. Specifically, I hypothesize that marital partners who are similar in their identities will be better able to offer social support in conversations in which those identities are salient. I also hypothesize that partners who are similar in structural power will offer more support than those who are dissimilar.

For parents, the birth of their first child sparks rapid change for each partner and for their romantic relationship. With the stress of the transition to parenthood, many couples experience declining marital satisfaction. However, previous studies have reported wide variation in the magnitude and time course of this decline. The present study sought to determine the trajectory of marital satisfaction across the first 2 years of parenthood. The study also examined the role of anxious and avoidant attachment, as well as relationship dynamics that prevent or augment declines in satisfaction for anxious and avoidant individuals. Data were collected from couples in five assessment waves: 6 weeks before the birth of the first child, and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months postbirth. Both partners completed self-report measures of attachment orientations and relevant situational stressors. It was hypothesized that, for insecurely attached partners, declines in marital satisfaction would be associated with the inability to pursue attachment-related goals. Thus, satisfaction should decline when: 1) anxious individuals are unable to increase proximity to their partners; and 2) avoidant individuals are unable to increase distance from their partners. Growth curve models examined changes in satisfaction over time, moderated by gender, attachment orientation (anxiety or avoidance), and situational stressors. Results yielded three key findings, which largely supported the hypotheses. First, for highly anxious individuals, satisfaction was lower or declined when they perceived their partners as less supportive and more negative toward them, and when they felt their babies interfered more in their romantic relationship. Second, for highly avoidant individuals, satisfaction was lower or declined when they felt their babies interfered more in leisure activities, and when they perceived more work-family conflict and more demands from their families. Third, an interesting pattern of gender differences emerged, such that satisfaction often declined more steeply in insecure men than women. Exploratory analyses revealed additional moderators of the attachment-satisfaction relationship. These are discussed as they relate to the goals of insecurely attached individuals. Findings suggest that attachment insecurities predict dissatisfaction in new parents primarily when situational stressors block the pursuit of secondary attachment goals.

The treatment that women get from health care staff can influence the experience of the abortion and how women manage to coping the experience emotionally. The aim of this study was to illuminate women’s experiences in connection with an abortion. The findings show that the women’s social situation led them to the decision of abortion. When the women had the pregnancy confirmed many felt unreality. Several women experienced the situation as a crisis. After the abortion most of the women experienced relief, but also guilt towards the abortion. Some knew that they had made the right decision, while others felt regret. Most of the women experienced that the nursing staff treated them well, but some women experienced that the staff was negative, insensitive and ignoring. Most of the women was satisfied with the total support from significant others. To make a satisfying nursing care possible for each woman who seeks abortion, more research is needed about women’s experiences of nursing staff’s treatment.

Tidigare forskning har visat att kvinnor uppsöker professionell hjälp oftare än män, detta sägs bero på att kvinnor har lättare att erkänna sig själva som svaga. Syftet var att undersöka om det fanns någon skillnad i hur män och kvinnor bedömde en kollegas arbetsrelaterade stress samt om kollegans kön påverkade bedömningen. Ett urval på 108 yrkesarbetande män och kvinnor från två sektorer valdes ut, deltagarna läste tre vinjetter om en stressad man eller kvinna vars hälsa gradvis försämras på grund av ökad arbetsbelastning. En flervägs mixed ANOVA gjordes med bedömningen av målpersonens arbetsbörda, ohälsa och hjälpbehov som beroendevariabler. Resultaten visade att män uppfattade en kvinnlig kollegas ohälsa och hjälpbehov som större än en manlig kollegas. Kvinnor gjorde ingen skillnad på manliga eller kvinnliga kollegor. Män och kvinnor uppfattade det motsatta könets arbetsbörda som större än det egna. Kvinnliga eller manliga kollegor kan vara avgörande för när individen blir erbjuden hjälp.

Although there is a growing body of research in the area of adolescent pregnancy and parenting, relatively little research has addressed the psychological effects of pregnancy on the adolescent. A descriptive correlational study was utilized to examine levels of depressive symptomatology, self-esteem, perceived social support from family and friends, and the relationship among these variables in the pregnant adolescent. A second purpose of the study was to describe characteristics of the pregnant adolescent (age, race or ethnicity and educational level). The theoretical framework for this study was derived from The Conceptual Model of Support During Adolescent Pregnancy. Participants for the study were recruited from two school programs for pregnant adolescents, a physicians office, and a clinic. A convenience sample of 90 single pregnant teens between the ages of 13 to 18 participated in the study. The teens completed a demographic form and four questionnaires: the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Perceived Social Support from Family Scale, and the Perceived Social Support from Friends Scale. Demographic data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was computed to determine the significance between the depression scores and each of the demographic variables. The relationship between the adolescent's total depression score and self-esteem, perceived family support, and perceived peer support were determined by computing Pearson product-moment correlations. Regression analyses were conducted to determine the best linear model to explain the variance in the total depression scores and the combination of the independent variables (self-esteem, perceived social support from family, and perceived social support from friends) in the pregnant adolescent. Thirteen (14%) of the adolescents exceeded the cutoff score of 77. The regression analysis of the RADS-2 score on the predictor variables (self-esteem, perceived support from family, and perceived support from friends) accounts for 56.9% of variance in depression of adolescents during pregnancy. The adolescents in this study who experienced increased self-esteem and perceived support from family and friends had decreased scores on the RADS-2 scale. Increased self-esteem or feelings of self-worth was the most significant variable in this study as a predictor of depressive symptomatology.

Revenue Management (RM) is an important tool for matching supply and demand by segmenting customers into different segments based on their willingness-to-pay and allocating scarce capacity to the different segments in a way that maximizes firm revenues. The benefits of RM are well accepted in the hospitality industry, and the technical aspects of RM form a rich analytical research stream. However, the research is missing a holistic examination of important elements of effective RM. The literature shows that market segmentation, pricing, forecasting, capacity allocation, IT use, organizational focus, aligned incentives, organizational structure, and education and training contribute to effective RM. We group these elements into two concepts: RM technical capability and RM social support capability and propose that these nine elements positively impact RM performance. We develop scales to measure our constructs and collect responses in the hotel industry. Our survey yields interesting results. In line with expectations, we find evidence that forecasting and organizational focus positively impact RM performance. On the other hand, the results show evidence that improved organizational structure negatively impacts RM performance. We provide a few explanations for this non-intuitive result and proposals for future research.

The present study explored the prevalence and patterns of nonparental social support and investigated the effect of such support for 363 ethnically diverse elementary and middle school students. Using a prospective design, the study examined the effect of the availability of significant nonparental adult support as well as the effect of learning and affective support on students' academic achievement (reading and math) and academic outcomes (academic competence beliefs, classroom engagement, and school belonging), controlling for the baseline levels of functioning, cognitive ability, and demographic variables. The main and interactive effects of sex, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status were also examined. Furthermore, the study investigated the moderating effect of middle school transition on the relationship between the support variables and outcomes. A large majority of young adolescents in the current study reported having a significant nonparental adult or natural mentor. There was no racial or ethnic difference in the availability of natural mentors. A sex difference was found, with more female students reporting having such an adult. Extended family members were most frequently nominated as natural mentors by all students, but there was a statistically significant ethnic difference with more Hispanic and African American youths nominating extended family members than Caucasian students. Furthermore, 35% of natural adult mentors named by youth were employed in helping professions, more than in any other employment category, and nearly half of these adults were teachers. The availability of natural mentors had statistically significant and positive effects on female students' math achievement and both male and female students' reading achievement. The provision of learning and affective support from these adults exhibited additive effects on students' teacher-reported classroom engagement and interactive effects on student-reported academic competence beliefs and school belonging. These findings were often qualified by sex and in some instances ethnicity. Furthermore, there was some support for the moderating effect of middle school transition; however, the effect was in a negative direction for students who had recently transitioned to middle school. Study limitations and implications for formal mentoring programs, extracurricular activities, teacher training and educational policy are also discussed.