A Longitudinal Study of Parental Anti-Substance-Use Socialization for Early Adolescents’ Substance Use Behaviors

The present study examines the role of communication in shaping norms and behaviors with significant personal and societal consequences. Based on primary socialization theory and the general theory of family communication, parental anti-substance-use socialization processes were hypothesized to influence early adolescents’ substance use norms and behaviors. Using longitudinal data (N =1,059), the results revealed that parent-adolescent prevention communication about substance use in the media and parental anti-substance-use injunctive norms were positively associated with early adolescents’ personal anti-substance-use norms, which, in turn, led to decreases in recent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. It was also found that family expressiveness and structural traditionalism positively related to the hypothesized association between parental socialization processes and early adolescents’ norms and behaviors

Ireland Informed: A Characterization of Science Reporting in the Irish Media.

Science and scientific advancement has the capacity to be an exciting topic for the Irish news consumer. Public understanding of science and scientific advancement is important for informed policy making, legislating and funding. The purpose of this dissertation was to develop an understanding of the current landscape of science reporting in the Irish media and to assess if an adequate level of science coverage was achieved. The design of this research was both quantitative and qualitative, building on the research paradigm of Suleski and Ibaraki (2010). I identified and analysed the reporting of science news over a one-month period in 2018, across two television news shows, namely RTÉ News: Six One and TV3: 3News at 5.30, one tabloid and one broadsheet newspaper, namely the Irish Sun and the Irish Independent newspaper and two radio news shows, namely RTÉ Radio One: Morning Ireland and Today FM: The Last Word. Using a set of defined guidelines, 82 examples of science news reporting were identified during the study period and a content analysis was performed. It was found that 0.03% of science research published in peer reviewed journals reached the Irish media audience and there was an average of 1.7% science news coverage in Irish news content. The medical sciences received the most news coverage with an emphasis on cancer science. There was a focus on local relevance in the science news reports studied and although a tenancy toward negative news stories was anticipated, this was not observed. It was established that the level of science news coverage in the Irish media did not correspond to the appetite of the Irish news consumer and can therefore be deemed inadequate

The Identification of Recidivism Indicators in Intellectually Disabled Violent Individuals

The Assessment of Risk and Manageability in Intellectually Disabled IndividuaLs who Offend (ARMIDILO) was developed to address the need for assessment tests specifically designed for intellectually disabled (ID) individuals who offend. This is the first study focusing on the application of the ARMIDILO by using comparative current risk assessment tests to evaluate the ARMIDILO as an effective risk assessment tool. In this research 16 ID people who have recorded sexual and or violent behaviour offences were evaluated using the Violent Offender Risk Assessment Scale (VORAS), Static-99 and ARMIDILO risk assessment tests. The ARMIDILO, VORAS and Static-99 assessments were completed using individual history files kept within the Regional Forensic Psychiatric Service. The VORAS and Static-99 were adapted to incorporate reported, but not charged or otherwise litigated offences and convictions. The adapted tests were then compared against the ARMIDILO as a risk assessment tool. Analysis of the ARMIDILO showed strong validity in assessing ID people who offend. The main strength of the ARMIDILO is in identifying the risk needs of the ID person who offends and may be an effective management test when used in assessing individual needs and program implementation. Risk assessment through the ARMIDILO showed similar results to Static-99 but compared only moderately with the VORAS in measuring the risk of re-offending. Future research with a larger population may further validate the reliability of the ARMIDILO as an assessment tool. Adaptation of the current score sheet for use by non-clinical and correctional staff may prove cost effective

O jornalismo na saúde : uma visão transcontinental

Dissertação de mestrado em Ciências da Comunicação (área de especialização em Informação e Jornalismo)Este trabalho propõe uma reflexão sobre a mediatização da saúde. Buscamos fundamentá-lo em três frentes: o enquadramento teórico, a análise de 1049 artigos de saúde publicados no intervalo de seis meses nos jornais “Público” (português) e “Correio Popular” (brasileiro) e uma observação participativa na redação deste último, durante três meses. Com a análise da tipologia das fontes e das temáticas abrangidas pelo jornalismo no campo da saúde, procuramos oferecer uma visão transcontinental da notícia e por meio dela responder à seguinte questão: há muitos ou um único jornalismo de saúde, consoante o país, as particularidades editoriais e a questão econômica de cada meio de comunicação? O resultado sugere, relativamente aos temas, uma standartização dos jornais, apesar das linhas editoriais divergentes entre eles. Com relação às fontes de informação, numa primeira abordagem, encontramos um aparente diferenciação entre ambos, evidenciando, por um lado, características elitistas no jornal português e, por outro lado, as tendências populares do veículo brasileiro. Mas, numa análise mais profunda, verificamos uma igualdade no recurso às fontes oficiais, especializadas institucionais e aos meios de comunicação como definidores primários da notícia.This work intends to reflect upon the mediatisation of health. We will try to base it in three main lines: a theoretical framing, the analysis of 1049 health articles published within a six months period in the newspaper “Público” (Portuguese) and “Correio Popular” (Brazilian), and a three months participatory research in the editorial office of the latter. By analysing the sources’ typology and the themes comprised by journalism in the field of health, we intend to offer a transcontinental view of news and through that answer the following question: are there many types of health journalism or just one that varies from country to country, has specific editorial characteristics/particularities, and takes into account the economic factor of each media? As to the themes, results suggest newspaper standardization despite the divergent editorial lines between them. As to the information sources, in the first approach we found an apparent differentiation, establishing, on one hand, elitist characteristics in the Portuguese newspaper and, on the other hand, popular characteristics in the Brazilian newspaper. However, in a deeper analysis we ascertained an equal status when it comes to the use of official sources, specialists and in setting the media as the definers of the news

Alcohol and the News: an investigation of Australian news media reports about alcohol policies, expert priorities and audience understandings

Background Alcohol is associated with a significant societal burden of harm and news media coverage of the issue can affect how different audiences think about potential policy solutions and who is responsible for responding. This thesis investigates relationships between news coverage of alcohol, expert policy advocacy, and audience responses to policy proposals. Method Five analyses were used, including three content and framing analyses: (i) five years of television news reports about alcohol; (ii) newspaper and television coverage of the 2008-09 ‘alcopops tax’; (iii) newspaper coverage of alcohol advertising restrictions; and two qualitative analyses focused on alcohol pricing and alcohol advertising restrictions: (iv) in-depth interviews with 21 alcohol policy experts, and (v) eight focus groups discussions with young people, parents of young people, and Australian adults. Results Alcohol is covered extensively by Australian television and newspapers, with emphases on harms to health. The ‘alcopops tax’ generated significant news coverage, yet evidence of its effectiveness was relegated to the background, while coverage of alcohol advertising restrictions was relatively limited. Alcohol experts appeared frequently in news coverage and agreed that alcohol’s price and promotion are policy priorities, with some important differences concerning policy implementation. Audience members expressed concern about alcohol’s harms and supported alcohol policies in principle, but remained unconvinced that existing policies have the capacity to effectively deal with the ‘alcohol problem’. Conclusion News media advocacy has effectively established that alcohol poses problems. Future media advocacy would benefit from resolving policy differences in order to successfully convince the public of the need for introducing new proposals

Effective measurement: Improving the measurement of science communication effectiveness

Robustly measuring the effectiveness of science communication and using the evidence to inform practice should be viewed as a basic necessity to enable science communication to live up to its potential. However, key challenges in the science communication field contribute to a lack of quality evidence. First, impact evaluation is generally neglected. Second, there is a general lack of evaluation quality and rigour due to a lack of practitioner training and expertise to design, execute and analyse evaluations. Third, evaluation methodologies are highly diverse, producing varied, incomparable findings. Fourth, analysis methodologies are dominated by ‘traditional’ content and statistical analysis that may limit evaluation insights. Could standardising aspects of science communication evaluation help produce a body of quality, comparable evidence? Could less ‘traditional’ analytical approaches reveal different insights on science communication impacts? This thesis robustly measures the impacts of science communication activities in two studies. In parallel, by applying equivalent measures and analytical approaches in a comparable way to different types of science communication activities and audiences, the thesis examines the potential of standardised evaluation tools and analytical innovation. The two studies of this thesis employ the same pre and post survey instrument to different samples (audiences and activity types) and apply both traditional (statistical analysis of scores and qualitative content analysis) and less traditional analysis (computerised quantitative textual analysis) to the qualitative survey data. While the quantitative analysis of scores detected no pre-post change, the qualitative content analysis and computerised quantitative textual analysis in both studies provide insights into what and how (respectively) participants think about science. The findings from the two studies not only contribute quality empirical evidence of the impacts of various science communication activities, but they also demonstrate and assess the relative merits and practical implications of standardised evaluation tools and various analytical approaches for science communication