Emotion and coping in young victims of peer-agression

Peer-aggression and peer-victimization have been the subject of considerable research interest over the past quarter century. There has been a focus on perpetrators of violence and aggression, based upon the belief that clarification of group and individual processes underpinning aggression will lead to effective intervention and prevention strategies. However, while it is unrealistic to hope that we can completely eradicate aggression, only by clarifying why children and young people respond in certain ways when confronted by peer-aggression can we effectively and efficiently help them to help themselves. In this way, young people can be taught resilience and practical coping skills which will help them to deal with peer-aggression when it occurs, and they can also be helped to more effectively manage emotional reactions when involved in ongoing peer-victimization. Transactional coping theory (Lazarus, 1999) provides an excellent framework for clarifying the important pathways leading to individual differences in emotional reactions and the use of coping strategies by children and young people. In the present chapter, we review the research with victims of peer-aggression which has touched on these questions, and follow this with review of relevant studies from the stress and coping literature which shed light on the relationships between appraisals, emotions and coping strategies. We also report results from a study of our own examining these variables in a sample of children and adolescents experiencing peer-aggression, and draw conclusions for theory and practice based upon these

Perceptions and correlates of peer-victimization and bullying

The experiences of peer-victimization and bullying are often treated empirically as though they are conceptually indistinct. Both involve repeated aggression,but definitions of bullying additionally emphasize the importance of aggressor intent and imbalance of power between the aggressor and the victim (Olweus, 1978; Whitney & Smith, 1993). The present study aimed to examine the extent to which peer-victimization and bullying are empirically similar. The sample comprised 1,429 pupils (50.2% male) aged between 8 and 13 years attending mainstream Scottish schools. Self-report questionnaire assessing peer-victimization and bullying, copingstrategy use (WCCL: Hunter, 2000), situational appraisal and depressive symptomatology (Birleson, 1981). Almost one-third (30.7%) of pupils reported experiencing peer-victimization, and of these 38.1% (11.7% of whole sample) were categorized as victims of bullying. Victims of bullying perceived higher levels of threat and lower levels of perceived control. They also reported using more Wishful Thinking and Social Support coping strategies, but did not differ on Problem Focused coping. Bullied pupils also reported higher levels of depressive symptomatology. Peer-victimization and bullying appear to be qualitatively different experiences for children and adolescents, with bullying being the more serious phenomenon

Hostile attributions bias and perceived self-efficacy of adolescent bullies, victims, bully-victims, and those uninvolved in bullying

Presentation focuses on hostile attributions bias and perceived self-efficacy of adolescent bullies, victims, bully-victims, and those uninvolved in bullying

Federal theory and the formation of the Australian Constitution

Questions which this thesis has sought to address concern the origins of the Australian federal system. What were the sources which influenced the framers of the Australian Constitution? How did those sources explain the operation of federal government? What was the design and intended function of the constituent features of the Australian federal arrangement? In their understanding of federalism the framers of the Australian Constitution were profoundly influenced by the work of James Bryce. His monumental study The American Commonwealth was based on a theory of federalism which had originated with the classic account of federal government- The Federalist. The states' rights tradition was also influential in the thinking of the framers. From these sources the Australians derived a theory of federal government which they sought to implement in the design of the Australian Constitution. The empowerment of a new Commonwealth was considered necessary for national interests, but with the safeguard of providing for the protection of the powers and privileges of the states. The framers placed much emphasis on the role that the Senate could play in defending the states against the potential power which the large states could exert through the Commonwealth. This, combined with a division of powers between the Commonwealth and the states, the review function of the High Court, and a strict amendment provision, were considered necessary to sufficiently protect the rights of the states. The first three chapters of the thesis deal with the influential sources of federal ideas: The Federalist, Bryce's American Commonwealth and the states' rights tradition. The remaining four chapters are concerned with the key features of the Australian federal system: The Senate, the division of powers, the High Court, and the arrangements for ratification and amendment of the Constitution

Appraisal, emotion and coping in victims of peer-aggression and victimization

Presentation focusing on appraisal, emotion and coping in victims of peer-aggression and victimization

A longitudinal investigation of threat as a mediator of the effect of peer-victimisation upon depressive symptoms

Models of stress and coping propose that cognitive appraisals can mediate the relationship between stressor and adjustment (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Threat is already known to be associated with levels of peer-victimisation (Hunter et al., 2007), and reflects interpretation of a situation as negative and potentially catastrophic. Such cognitions overlap with depressogenic attributional styles (Abramson et al., 1978), but are situation specific. Hence, we sought to evaluate whether the effects of changes in levels of peer-victimisation upon depressive symptomatology were mediated via changes in threat appraisal. Here, 349 pupils (47.9% male), aged eight to 10 years at Time 1, completed measures of peer-victimisation, threat appraisal, and depressive symptomatology on two occasions (18 months apart). Residual change scores were calculated for change in levels of victimisation and threat appraisal. Mediational analyses (controlling for gender, age, and depressive symptoms at T1) indicated that the effect of peer-victimisation on depressive symptomatology was partially mediated by change in threat appraisals. This represented a significant indirect path, with 43% of the effect of peer-victimisation upon depressive symptomatology mediated via threat appraisals. These results highlight the importance of tackling perceptions that children hold regarding their peer-victimisation and its potential social and psychological consequences for them

A Preliminary Study on the Efficacy of a Community-Based Physical Activity Intervention on Physical Function-Related Risk Factors for Falls among Breast Cancer Survivors

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a 6-week community-based physical activity (PA) intervention on physical function-related risk factors for falls among 56 breast cancer survivors (BCS) who had completed treatments. Design This was a single-group longitudinal study. The multimodal PA intervention included aerobic, strengthening and balance components. Physical function outcomes based on the 4-meter walk, chair stand, one-leg stance, tandem walk, and dynamic muscular endurance tests were assessed at 6-week pre-intervention (T1), baseline (T2), and post-intervention (T3). T1-T2 and T2-T3 were the control and intervention periods, respectively. Results All outcomes, except the tandem walk test, significantly improved after the intervention period (p 0.05). Based on the falls risk criterion in the one-leg stance test, the proportion at risk for falls was significantly lower after the intervention period (p = 0.04), but not after the control period. Conclusions A community-based multimodal PA intervention for BCS may be efficacious in improving physical function-related risk factors for falls, and lowering the proportion of BCS at risk for falls based on specific physical function-related falls criteria. Further larger trials are needed to confirm these preliminary findings

Functional polymorphisms in the P2X7 receptor gene are associated with stress fracture injury

Context: Military recruits and elite athletes are susceptible to stress fracture injuries. Genetic predisposition has been postulated to have a role in their development. The P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) gene, a key regulator of bone remodelling, is a genetic candidate that may contribute to stress fracture predisposition. Objective: To evaluate the putative contribution of P2X7R to stress fracture injury in two separate cohorts, military personnel and elite athletes. Methods: In 210 Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) military conscripts, stress fracture injury was diagnosed (n=43) based on symptoms and a positive bone scan. In a separate cohort of 518 elite athletes, self-reported medical imaging scan-certified stress fracture injuries were recorded (n=125). Non-stress fracture controls were identified from these cohorts who had a normal bone scan or no history or symptoms of stress fracture injury. Study participants were genotyped for functional SNPs within the P2X7R gene using proprietary fluorescence-based competitive allele-specific PCR assay. Pearson Chi-square (χ2) tests, corrected for multiple comparisons, were used to assess associations in genotype frequencies. Results: The variant allele of P2X7R SNP rs3751143 (Glu496Ala- loss of function) was associated with stress fracture injury, while the variant allele of rs1718119 (Ala348Thr- gain of function) was associated with a reduced occurrence of stress fracture injury in military conscripts (P<0.05). The association of the variant allele of rs3751143 with stress fractures was replicated in elite athletes (P<0.05), whereas the variant allele of rs1718119 was also associated with reduced multiple stress fracture cases in elite athletes (P<0.05). Conclusions: The association between independent P2X7R polymorphisms with stress fracture prevalence supports the role of a genetic predisposition in the development of stress fracture injury