Religiosity and Layoffs: Constraint or Resource?

Introduction This chapter considers the importance of research communities in the context of supporting research students. The research process resulting in the publication of new knowledge was described in Chapters 1 and 2. As part of this process, academic researchers may be members of a number of different research communities, including communities based on specific research interests, those that come together around specific activities, e.g. publication of scholarly journals, and online communities. As part of their research development process, doctoral students have the opportunity to join different research communities. This is important because it provides them with access to up-to-date information and ideas, and enables them to network, and it may also have an impact on their future employment. This chapter covers the following topics: introduction to communities, including communities of practice and communities of interest; research communities; information sharing in research communities; professional associations; academic conferences; online networking; and implications for library and information workers. What are communities? A body of people in the same locality; a group of people who have common interests, characteristics or culture. ( Chambers Dictionary , 2002) Membership of one or more research communities, involving either groups of academics and research students, or groups of academics, research students, practitioners and other stakeholders, offers doctoral students an opportunity to come together and share ideas and experiences, tackle professional and work-based problems and issues, and engage with their future professional communities. Research communities are often established to enable like-minded people or individuals with a common interest to work together and share ideas or develop new knowledge within a specific subject. Sometimes communities develop within or across organizations as the result of a particular organizational structure, e.g. a graduate school or postgraduate society or research centre. They may also develop as a result of the need to accelerate research in a particular subject or because of the interests and enthusiasm of a group of individuals who want to work together.

Recent studies have examined academic engagement trajectories, but many focused on the overall academic engagement of adolescents, and few assessed specific engagement dimensions of adolescents with trauma experiences. The current study recruited 342 adolescents who had experienced an earthquake to examine their behavioral and psychological engagement trajectories. Participants were asked to complete self-report questionnaires at 3.5, 4.5, and 5.5 years after the Wenchuan earthquake in China. The results identified two types of behavioral engagement trajectories (high–stable and decreasing), and two types of psychological engagement trajectories (high–stable and increasing). The behavioral engagement trajectories showed strong agreement with the psychological engagement trajectories. We also found that gratitude could prevent behavioral engagement from decreasing over time, and that social support facilitated increase of psychological engagement. The findings suggested that the developmental paths of behavioral and psychological engagement were both heterogeneous among adolescents following an earthquake, and gratitude and social support played different roles in predicting engagement trajectories.

This study employed a narrative inquiry approach to explore the experiences of male kindergarten teachers in early childhood education settings. The purpose was to examine their processes of professional identity formation as male teachers, the challenges they encounter, and their expressed needs for institutional and social support. Participants included five in-service male kindergarten teachers currently working in City P. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, teacher journals, and researcher field notes and were analyzed thematically. Findings revealed three key themes. First, the participants voluntarily chose their teaching profession and, despite experiencing dilemmas inherent in their roles, developed a sense of professional fulfillment and constructed their teacher identities through positive support from colleagues and parents. Second, as they progressed from pre-service training to in-service practice and envisioned their future careers, they overcame various difficulties, discovered personal meaning in being male early childhood educators, and achieved professional growth. Third, the participants expressed a strong need for gender equality in teaching roles, for positive trust and recognition as professionals, and for stability in future employment.

Since the late 1970s, many employees of state-owned enterprises have been laid off, and more and more rural people have migrated to urban areas. Many laid-off and migrant workers have become the urban poor. This paper discusses the general situation of the urban poor in China by examining how many there are, how poor they are, who they are, and what creates their situation. Using data from a January 2007 survey on 1,641 relatively low-income households in Changsha, the paper investigates features of migrant workers and their city counterparts regarding income, employment, social support, housing, most-needed government assistance, and reasons for migration. Based on the empirical findings, the paper gives some policy recommendations.

Depressive disorders are related to social withdrawal and a loss of social contacts. Moreover, a lack of social integration and social support are risk factors for relapse and rehospitalization. Despite the crucial role of social networks for mental health and social support, knowledge about the structure of social networks or how they promote social support in terms of coping with depressive disorders is scarce. The present study aims to analyze social support in people with depressive disorders using ego-centered social network analysis for formal description. Ninety-seven former psychiatric inpatients participated in the study. Network size and density, a small number of conflicts in the relationships of ego to alters, and the multiplexity of social support dimensions were associated with perceived social support—measured via Social Support Questionnaire (F-Soz-U-K-14). Considering relational ratios which correlated with perceived social support, five types of social support networks were differentiated by means of cluster analysis: (1) no social support, (2) professionally supported birth family, (3) the more the merrier, (4) concentrated support, (5) overchallenged nuclear family. More than each relational characteristic on its own, their co-occurring patterns as network types provide the very structures of social support. This underpins the crucial role of structural approaches and networking skills in social work practice. German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00011561. Trial registration date: 10. March 2017.

BackgroundDue to transformations in pension policies, older workers, even those with poor health, are expected to extend their working lives. In this context, favourable working conditions are frequently discussed as...

Chapter 11 - Adolescent Sexuality: Issues for Concern

A two-study approach was used to investigate the relationship between individuals' perceived level of social support and their performance of specific, positive health practices. One sample consisted of 97 adults, age 55 and older, attending activities at a senior citizen's center. The second sample was comprised of adults attending a health fair. Subjects were surveyed using the Lifestyle Questionnaire and the Personal Resources Questionnaire. The primary study hypothesis--that a strong, positive association would be found between the social support and health practices variables--was upheld for both samples. A secondary hypothesis--that married participants would score significantly higher on both the social support and health practices instruments than would their nonmarried counterparts--was supported only among the senior center participants. An additional hypothesis generated for the senior center participants--that participants with a confidant would have significantly higher scores on both the social support and health practices instruments--was upheld.

Social support for digital inclusion of women in South African townships

The impact of religiosity and spirituality (R/S) on mental health and the importance of incorporating R/S in mental health treatment have been previously explored. However, clarification is needed regarding the effects of R/S in the process of recovery from persistent mental disorders (PMDs). This study identifies how different R/S factors correlate with the stages of recovery, while considering individual psychological well-being and perceived social support. Seventy-five individuals who use Madrid's public services for people with PMD completed questionnaires assessing those factors. We found that during the recovery process, R/S correlated with psychological well-being and perceived social support, and that these variables were associated with the five stages of recovery differently. We further identified the importance of gratitude, compassion, inner peace, and connection with life in the recovery process. Overall, our findings highlight the importance of these R/S variables in particular recovery stages for individuals with PMD.

Migration and refugeehood are defining social phenomena that particularly affect vulnerable groups such as the elderly. Older refugees and migrants often encounter multiple challenges, including unfamiliar language, social isolation, loss of cultural identity, and barriers to accessing healthcare. This study examined the role of intergenerationality and social support in the cultural adaptation of elderly refugees and migrants in Greece. Drawing on international and national studies, it highlights the importance of family relationships and community networks in promoting psychological resilience and a sense of belonging. The sample consisted of 100 older adults with refugee or migrant backgrounds (aged 60–84), 53% women and 47% men, with an average stay of five years. The Cultural Adjustment, MSPSS, and WHOQOL-OLD scales were applied, demonstrating high reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.831–0.883). Normality tests showed that cultural adaptation and social support did not follow a normal distribution (p < .01), whereas quality of life was normally distributed (p = .883). Spearman’s correlations indicated no significant relationships between social support and either cultural adaptation (rₛ(98) = –.10, p = .307) or quality of life (rₛ(98) = –.07, p = .480). No differences in cultural adaptation were found between low, moderate, and high social support groups. Multiple regression analysis revealed that quality of life was a strong and significant predictor of cultural adaptation (β = .742, p < .001), while social support was not (β = –.049, p = .472). These findings emphasize the importance of improving living conditions and social participation for elderly refugees and migrants, suggesting that enhancing quality of life is key to successful cultural adaptation and inclusive social work practice.

Although older adults are the fastest growing age-demographic in the United States, mental health research, services, and practitioner interest in gerontology is not matching pace. The frequency and longstanding effects of traumatic childhood events necessitate robust and creative interventions to meet the needs of older adults. Growing support in the field of social work for community-based interventions and supports is a result of evidence posturing the efficacy of these models. Neighborhood-based relationships serve a unique function of socialization and social support in the lives of older adults. The literature thoroughly documents trauma’s influence on interpersonal relationships, but less is known concerning trauma’s influence on relationships with communities. Therefore, this dissertation aimed to illuminate this gap in the literature by exploring the influence of childhood trauma on older adults’ perceptions of community. Using secondary data obtained from wave three of the National Social, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP), this dissertation employed ordered logistic regression to test hypotheses regarding childhood trauma and perceptions of community unsafety, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. Results from these analyses identified the significant effect of witnessed violence in childhood on the perception of unsafety in older adulthood. Furthermore, a number of demographic, social, health, and childhood characteristics were also shown to influence community perceptions across the three dimensions. These findings are discussed in the context of previous literature to recognize implications for social work practice, policy, and education as well as next steps for future studies.

In this cross-sectional study the author examined the impact of perceived social support from close interpersonal relationships (e.g., significant other, family, and friends) on health practices in community samples of women and men. Research volunteers (N = 373; 189 women, 184 men) from the Northern Wisconsin region completed self-report measures of social support, depression, hassles, health practices (i.e., diet, exercise, relations with health professionals, substance abuse, sleep), and demographic information. After controlling statistically for sociodemographic factors, the authors found that depressive symptoms, hassles, and perceived social support contributed significantly to the prediction of healthy diet and adherence to routine medical attention for women, but not for men. The author also observed for relations between perceived close support and (a) exercise and (b) substance abuse among women. Findings suggest that high levels of social support from one's close social network contribute independently to specific health practices for women, but not for men, and point to the importance of both between- and within-gender assessment of health behavior.

Based on the theories of social network, social support, and retirement process, this study analyzes the source and composition of social support for Chinese athletes on the basis of constructing the social support network. Subsequently, we analyze the impact of social support on employment quality of Chinese athletes from different dimensions and further explore the mechanism of social support on the employment quality of athletes from the moderating role of athletes’ self‐employment cognition. The study found that the social support network of athletes showed a clear tendency toward “strong ties,” and the social support they received mainly came from family members, teammates, and sports team managers. These kinds of social support will directly promote the employment quality of athletes after retirement. When athletes have full knowledge of their future employment status, the effect of social support in promoting employment quality will be further expanded.

Social support is important for the successful completion of doctoral studies. The aim of this study was to explore how individual differences in supervisory and research community support are related to doctoral experiences (abandonment intentions, perceived engagement, interest, satisfaction, burnout and stress) and doctoral conditions (phase and work modality). In total, 1313 students from 56 Spanish universities completed a doctoral experience survey. A k-means cluster analysis was used to group the students by the level of social support they received from supervisors and the research community. Two social support profiles, reduced and adequate support were identified. The results indicate that doctoral students with a reduced support profile were less engaged, interested and satisfied with their doctoral studies and more likely to experience burnout and stress and to report drop out intentions than those with an adequate support profile. Furthermore, most students with a reduced support profile were in the first phase of their doctorate and reported mainly working individually. The results reinforce the need, in doctoral programmes, to improve supervisory and research community support, especially for those students beginning their doctoral studies.