How parents perceive and feel about participation in community activities: The comparison between parents of preschoolers with and without autism spectrum disorders

The present study compared how parents of preschoolers with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) perceived and felt about participation in community activities. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 380 Hong Kong parents of preschoolers with ASD and 214 Hong Kong parents of preschoolers without ASD. The two groups were not different in their willingness and frequency of participation in community activities. However, the psychological processes underneath their willingness were very different. Among the parents of preschoolers with ASD, their willingness was associated with how they perceived the difficulty and importance of the participation and what emotions they experienced during the activities. This pattern of association was not evident among the parents of preschoolers without ASD. Copyright © The Author(s), 2010.published_or_final_versio

Understanding challenging behaviour in people with severe and profound intellectual disability: a stress-attachment model

Background. Advances in our knowledge of attachment, stress and coping may foster new explanations for the development of challenging behaviour in people with intellectual disability (ID). Method. Research on stress and coping among people with ID was reviewed initially, and then studies on the security of the attachment relationships of people with ID with their caregivers were analysed. Results. There is evidence that people with ID are more vulnerable to stress and use less effective coping strategies. Furthermore, the body of studies on attachment indicates that people with ID are at risk for developing insecure, especially disorganized attachment. There is evidence from other populations that the combination of stress, and insecure or disorganized attachment may put people at risk for developing behaviour problems. Conclusion. A stress-attachment model of the development of challenging behaviour among people with ID shows promise as an explanatory frame-work. The uncovering of these developmental mechanisms may be particularly useful for the prevention of behavioural problems

Attachment style, assertive communication, and safer-sex behavior

This research tested the proposition that the effect of attachment security on safer-sex practice may be mediated by communication patterns. One hundred eighty-five undergraduate students completed questionnaire measures of attachment, assertiveness, and attitudes to communication about AIDS. Eight weeks later, they reported on their practice of safer sex in the period since the first testing session. Hierarchical regressions showed that at Step 1, anxiety about relationships (a measure of insecure attachment) was associated with less safer-sex practice, for all outcome measures. Attitudes to communication about AIDS added to the prediction of general reports of safer-sex practice: in line with the mediational model, anxiety about relationships became unimportant as a predictor when communication variables were included. Communication variables failed to add to the prediction of safer sex on the most recent encounter, and both anxiety about relationships and attitudes to communication about AIDS predicted condom use. Some gender differences in patterns of prediction were noted. The results are discussed in terms of attachment style and its links with the negotiation of sexual practice and relationship issues

Involving Citizen Scientists in Biodiversity Observation

The involvement of non-professionals in scientific research and environmental monitoring, termed Citizen Science (CS), has now become a mainstream approach for collecting data on earth processes, ecosystems and biodiversity. This chapter examines how CS might contribute to ongoing efforts in biodiversity monitoring, enhancing observation and recording of key species and systems in a standardised manner, thereby supporting data relevant to the Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), as well as reaching key constituencies who would benefit Biodiversity Observation Networks (BONs). The design of successful monitoring or observation networks that rely on citizen observers requires a careful balancing of the two primary user groups, namely data users and data contributors (i.e., citizen scientists). To this end, this chapter identifies examples of successful CS programs as well as considering practical issues such as the reliability of the data, participant recruitment and motivation, and the use of emerging technologies

The lifestress inventory

[Intoduction]: The Lifestress Inventory can be used to measure general anxiety, negative interpersonal interactions, and lack of skills and coping behaviours. This scale is suitable for administration to a wide range of people, including the mildly intellectually handicapped. Administration instructions are given after the listing of test items. Note the special instructions for administration to people with a mild intellectual handicap. Supporting references appear at the end of the documen

Ready, set, go! using the 'community-readiness' method to engage social networks for sustainable natural resource management in the Queensland Murray Darling Basin

The notion of ‘social capital’ has been the subject of considerable academic and general discussion since the concept was revived by Coleman, Putnam and others in the 1980s. The extent and efficacy of social networks are, it is argued, a crucial aspect of social capital. For the purpose of this study, it is the networks comprising natural resource management (NRM) systems that are the focus of attention. Research, using a methodology derived from the ‘community-readiness model’, has sought to examine the extent to which members of NRM groups engage in, and make use of, formal and informal social networks in the Queensland Murray Darling Basin region. The ‘community readiness model’ is based on the premise that processes of an organisation are partly determined by its stage of development, or readiness, for accepting and implementing change. This ‘readiness’ is thought to be a major factor in determining whether or not an initiative is sufficiently supported and effectively implemented by an organisation, and whether organisations within a community are adequately developed to enable effective cooperation, mutual support and engagement. In the context of the study undertaken, networks are primarily formed for the purpose of enhancing natural resource management. However, research indicates that they also serve a range of unintended ‘informal’ purposes that increase the level of ‘social capital’ within communities. This paper argues that the use of the community readiness model to examine social networks and social capital is an effective means of facilitating engagement and fostering beneficial change within communities

A preliminary study of perceived stress in adults with intellectual disabilities according to self-report and informant ratings

Background. Stress is a major risk factor for mental health problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities, but few studies on stress have been conducted that take both the perspective of the person with the disability and the caregiver into account. The present study evaluated an informant version of the Lifestress Inventory, and compared it to the self-report version. Method. Seventy pairs of individuals with intellectual disability and their caregivers completed the Lifestress Inventory, the Inventory of Negative Social Interactions and the Birleson Depression Scale. Results. Informant and self-report ratings on the Lifestress Inventory were internally reliable, showed modest agreement with each other and correlated with the negative Social Interactions and Depression measures. The most troublesome stressors reported by informants and self-reports differed, however, and families tended to agree more with self-reports than staff informants. Conclusions. The informant version of the Lifestress Inventory is a suitable parallel instrument but not a replacement for self reports

Stress and the families of young people with intellectual disabilities

This study examines stress in the parents of adolescents and young adults with an intellectual disability and compares it with stress reported by parents with offspring without an intellectual disability. An initial qualitative pilot study lead the authors to Baine et al's Stress Scale. The Baine et al scale is relatively new and addresses aspects of stress not previously investigated among the parents of people with an intellectual disability, namely, stress from the difficult relationship with health professionals and service providers and negative community attitudes to people with an intellectual disability. Because of the relevance to nurses, particular interest is paid to stress from the relationship parents have with health professionals and service providers. The study found significantly greater stress in the parents of young people with an intellectual disability in all aspects of stress examined, including stress from the individual with the disability, internal family stress, stress from the financial strain of having a family member with a disability, stress from community attitudes and stress perceived from the relationship with health professionals and service providers. These findings are distressing in the light of government and service agency policies of community care and independent living. This paper makes recommendations relevant to nurses and identifies difficulties for parents of young people with an intellectual disability in the implementation of current government policy