Professional paradoxes : context for development of beginning teacher identity and knowledges

It is anticipated that the current workforce of teachers in Victoria, Australia will retire within the next 5-15 years. The paradox for teachers at the career entry point is that while they are expected to quickly assume responsibility for education in this state, beginning teachers are reporting dissatisfaction with teaching and describing it as an ‘unprofessional’ profession. Drawing from recently commissioned research for the Victorian Institute of Teaching, a study of sixty beginning teachers and a micro study of the ‘internship’ experience of teacher educators, this paper explores the consequences of what counts as professional knowledge. By problematising identity issues for beginning teachers it is hoped that greater understanding of the complexities of their realities is revealed. The aspirations for the (re) generation of a profession are entangled in discordant displacement of meanings of what it is to become a teacher. What do ‘othering’ and power(less) positions of beginning teachers mean for the immediate future of the profession? What then are the implications for school contexts, colleague support and pre-service teacher education?

Problems of psychological and sociocultural adaptation among Russian speaking immigrants in New Zealand

The problems immigrants experience during the process of their psychological and sociocultural adaptation to the host culture have far-reaching effects in terms of mental health, employment and lost benefits for the whole society. General models of the acculturation process (Ward 1996) and acculturation strategies (Berry 2001) provide a basis for the analysis of those problems. The current study employed a qualitative, case-oriented design, based on the grounded theory method to analyse interviews with six Russian-speaking immigrants in New Zealand. The purpose of the study was to investigate, from a psychological perspective, the problems in adaptation as a result of migration and resettlement, and the factors that influence this process. Two distinct patterns were revealed, linked to acculturation strategies of integration and separation. All the participants experienced high levels of psychological distress in the initial stage of their resettlement, but those who later chose the integration strategy of acculturation were more successful and satisfied with their adaptation than those who chose the strategy of separation. Factors contributing to the process of adaptation were migration motivation, proportion of perceived gains and losses, and cultural identity. This study has implications for social policies in the areas of employment, education and mental health.

Psychological and interpersonal dimensions of sexual function and dysfunction

Introduction. There are limited outcome data on the etiology and efficacy of psychological interventions for male and female sexual dysfunction as well as the role of innovative combined treatment paradigms.
Aim. This study aimed to highlight the salient psychological and interpersonal issues contributing to sexual health and dysfunction, to offer an etiological model for understanding the evolution and maintenance of sexual symptoms, and to offer recommendations for clinical management and research.
Methods. This study reviewed the current literature on the psychological and interpersonal issues contributing to male and female sexual dysfunction.
Main Outcome Measure. This study provides expert opinion based on a comprehensive review of the medical and psychological literature, widespread internal committee discussion, public presentation, and debate.
Results. Medical and psychological therapies for sexual dysfunctions should address the intricate biopsychosocial influences of the patient, the partner, and the couple. The biopsychosocial model provides an integrated paradigm for understanding and treating sexual dysfunction.
Conclusions. There is need for collaboration between healthcare practitioners from different disciplines in the evaluation, treatment, and education issues surrounding sexual dysfunction. In many cases, neither psychotherapy alone nor medical intervention alone is sufficient for the lasting resolution of sexual problems. The assessment of male, female, and couples’ sexual dysfunction should ideally include inquiry about predisposing, precipitating, maintaining, and contextual factors. Research is needed to identify efficacious combined and/or integrated treatments for sexual dysfunction.

Coping strategies and social support as predictors and mediators of eating disorder carer burden and psychological distress

Purpose Caring for someone with an eating disorder is associated with a high level of burden and psychological distress. While models for the prediction of carer burden have previously been investigated, these have typically neglected the role of coping strategies and social support. Thus, the current study will examine predictors of both carer burden and carer psychological distress in eating disorder carers. Further, the mediating roles of coping strategies and social support will be investigated.
Methods Fifty-six carers completed a self-report questionnaire assessing burden, psychological distress, needs, expressed emotion, coping strategies and social support.
Results Use of maladaptive coping strategies was a unique predictor of both burden and psychological distress. Further, maladaptive coping was a consistent mediator on the outcome of carer burden. Social support, however, did not significantly predict, or mediate, carer burden.
Conclusions Interventions focusing on teaching appropriate coping strategies would benefit carers.

Reducing psychological distress and obesity in Australian farmers by promoting physical activity

Background: Studies have confirmed that the rate of mental illness is no higher in rural Australians than that of urban Australians. However, the rate of poor mental health outcomes, and in particular suicide, is significantly raised in rural populations. This is thought to be due to lack of early diagnosis, health service access, the distance-decay effect, poor physical health determinants and access to firearms. Research conducted by the National Centre for Farmer Health between 2004 and 2009 reveals that there is a correlation between obesity and psychological distress among the farming community where suicide rates are recognised as high. Chronic stress overstimulates the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis that is associated with abdominal obesity. Increasing physical activity may block negative thoughts, increase social contact, positively influence brain chemistry and improve both physical and mental health. This paper describes the design of the Farming Fit study that aims to identify the effect of physical activity on psychological distress, obesity and health behaviours such as diet patterns and smoking in farm men and women.
Methods/Design: For this quasi-experimental (convenience sample) control-intervention study, overweight (Body Mass Index ≥25 kg/m2) farm men and women will be recruited from Sustainable Farm Families™ (SFF) programs held across Victoria, Australia. Baseline demographic data, health data, depression anxiety stress scale (DASS) scores, dietary information, physical activity data, anthropometric data, blood pressure and biochemical analysis of plasma and salivary cortisol levels will be collected. The intervention group will receive an exercise program and regular phone coaching in order to increase their physical activity. Analysis will evaluate the impact of the intervention by longitudinal data (baseline and post intervention) comparison of intervention and control groups.
Discussion: This study is designed to examine the effect of physical activity on psychological health and other comorbidities such as obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, hypertension and dyslipidaemia within a high-risk cohort. The outcomes of this research will be relevant to further research and service delivery programs, in particular those tailored to rural communities.

Social convoys, coping and psychological adjustment among offenders

An investigation of how adult attachment relationships may influence reintegration outcomes among offenders. Offenders attachment to romantic partners and parents were shown to influence the configuration of social networks, whilst attachment to parents and friends were shown to influence coping behaviours and psychological adjustment in the reintegration context.

A psychological contract perspective to the link between non-profit organizations' management practices and volunteer sustainability

This study applies the concept of the psychological contract to the relationship between management practices and volunteers. Formalization of the voluntary sector is impacting on volunteers’ experiences and may breach the psychological contract from the volunteers’ perspective. This mixed method study interviewed 67 volunteers and volunteer coordinators/administrators, and collected mail survey information from 152 volunteer organizations. The transactional management practices of keeping formal records and not paying volunteers out of pocket expenses are negatively associated with volunteer recruitment and retention. Alternatively, publicly recognizing volunteers through a volunteer newsletter supports volunteers’ relational expectations and is positively linked to adequate volunteer numbers. Our findings have important implications for the human resource development practices of non-profit organizations in dealing with their volunteers: they suggest that the relational expectations of volunteers are an important aspect of the psychological contract, which could be used by organizations as a framework for developing management practices that fit the volunteer ethos of trust and networks.

The psychological contract in apprenticeships and traineeships : differing perceptions

As with any contract of employment, the mutual expectations of the employer and the apprentice/trainee are very important. Apprenticeships and traineeships have greater expectations than other employment contracts of employment because of the training component of the contract. This paper reports on some of the findings of a major NCVER-funded national project examining mutual expectations in apprenticeships and traineeships through the concept of the psychological contract. The paper focuses on the differences between employers and apprentices/trainees, in the expectations each party has of the other and in the extent to which the expectations are perceived to have been met.

Elements of psychological maturity and its influence on antisocial and criminal behavior

Insights from developmental psychology provide a useful perspective from which to understand why young people might engage in higher levels of antisocial behavior than adults. They can also be useful in term of highlighting which aspects of development result in young people making less mature judgments. Yet despite this extensive body of knowledge, there is no psychological or legal definition of maturity that can be applied to legal decision making. Within a criminal context, investigations of adolescent immaturity have emphasized cognitive factors, influenced by the informed consent model which places a premium on factors such as “knowledge” and “competence”, with an emphasis on cognitive functioning (e.g., thinking, reasoning, and understanding). This approach has been criticized for failing to adequately illustrate differences between adolescent and adult decision making. This paper reviews the notion of psychological maturity and comments on the importance of a broader assessment that includes psychosocial factors in the face of a growing trend in many jurisdictions to transfer juvenile offenders to the adult jurisdiction based on the severity of crime committed rather than their level of culpability.

The importance of the psychological contract for effective learning in apprenticeships

This paper looks at apprenticeship learning and training from a new standpoint – the psychological contract. The notion of the psychological contract is commonly used in the human resource management field to understand the nature of employment relationships. It has not previously been applied to apprenticeships in any systematic manner. This paper reports on a research project that applied a preexisting instrument to apprentices and employers and also included qualitative case studies in nine companies.

Impact of positively- versus negatively-worded items on the factor structure of three psychological measures: W-BQ22, W-BQ12 & SF-36

Background: The 22-item Well-being Questionnaire (W-BQ22) (Bradley, 1994) includes Anxiety, Depression, Energy and Positive Well-being subscales. However, the constructs of anxiety and depression could not be easily distinguished from each other. Consequently, the W-BQ12 was designed to include just three subscales, Negative Well-being (including only negatively-worded anxiety and depression items), Energy (2 positively- and 2 negativelyworded items) and Positive Well-being (all positively-worded items). The SF-36 (Ware & Sherbourne, 1983), a widely used health status measure, includes a 4-item vitality subscale (2 positively- and 2 negatively-worded items) and a 5-item mental health scale (2 positively worded and 3 negatively-worded items).

Method: Factor structures of W-BQ22, W-BQ12 and SF-36 were compared using data from 789 outpatients with diabetes.

Results: W-BQ22 factor analysis showed negatively-worded anxiety and depression items loading together, while positively-worded depression items loaded with positive well-being items and separately from positively-worded anxiety items. W-BQ12 loaded as intended on 3 factors, with negatively-worded anxiety and depression items loading together on one factor: negative well-being. The four energy items (2 positively- and 2 negatively-worded) loaded together (factor 3) and the four positive well-being items loaded together (factor 1). Unforced factor analysis of the SF-36 produced 5 factors and split the mental health and vitality items into two components, which could only be defined in terms of positive and negative wording. A forced 8-factor solution produced similar results, with the mental health and vitality items being split into two components according to their positive or negative wording. A forced 2-factor solution brought mental health/vitality items together, separate from physical health items.

Conclusion: The previously unrecognised influence of positive and negative wording on factor structure is clearly shown here to be of importance in conceptualising and designing measures of psychological well-being to be used with people with diabetes and may be of relevance for other populations.