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

Prosocial and antisocial children's perceptions of peers' motives for prosocial behaviours

This study investigated whether peer-nominated prosocial and antisocial children have different perceptions of the motives underlying peers' prosocial actions. Eighty-seven children, aged 10-12 years old, completed peer-nomination measures of social behaviour. On the basis of numbers of social nominations received, a subsample of 51 children (32 who were peer-nominated as 'prosocial', and 18 who were peer-nominated as 'antisocial') then recorded their perceptions of peers' motives for prosocial behaviours. Expressed motives were categorized predominantly into three categories, coinciding with Turiel's (1978) 'moral', 'conventional', and 'personal domains'. Results indicate that children's social reputation is associated with the extent to which they perceive peers' prosocial motives as 'personal' or 'moral', with more prosocial children attributing moral motives, and more antisocial children attributing personal motives. Although traditionally Turiel's domain theory has been used to understand 'antisocial' children's behaviour, the current findings suggest that 'prosocial' children's behaviour may also be related to domains of judgment

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

The Reevaluation of Dwight Eisenhower and Bernard Law Montgomery

Dwight Eisenhower and Bernard Montgomery were the two generals that coordinated and implemented the military strategy to invade North Africa to Europe. The two generals combined the militaries of Great Britain and the United States to defeat the Axis powers of Germany and Italy. By May 1945, the Allied forces had succeeded in finishing the war in Europe. Historians soon began to look at the two men and evaluated their ability to work together. This thesis provides a study of the reasons why the two generals were different. The study also evaluates how the two generals were able to work together. Eisenhower and Montgomery argued many times but they were able to come to an agreement and work out their differences. The military strategy was to defeat Hitler and free Europe

Shrapnel-Induced Mandibular Hypomobility

Mandibular hypomobility can develop from direct injury to, or as a result of disorders affecting, the supporting structures of the temporomandibular joint. This can be subdivided into intra-articular and extraarticular processes. Ankylosis is commonly associated with trauma (31% to 98%), followed by infections (10% to 49%) and systemic disease (10%). Temporomandibular joint ankylosis is an intra-articular process characterized by fibrous, fibro-osseous, or osseous obliteration of the joint space. Pseudoankylosis involves extracapsular causes of restricted jaw motion that include, but are not limited to, coronoid-zygomatic fusion, coronoid hypertrophy, and muscular fibrosis. Shrapnel injuries can be as devastating as high-velocity gunshot wounds, with functional and esthetic consequences, depending on the velocity, size, shape, and jagged edges of the fragments. Traumatic life support measures are paramount during the immediate postinjury setting. The airway and hemodynamic status must be maintained, because the oxygen-carrying capacity is essential for wound healing and the prevention of infection. A secure airway controlled with an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy needs early consideration because bleeding and edema can result in airway compromise. The securing of the airway should be followed by a comprehensive examination of the patient to reveal additional injuries

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

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

Peripheral reductive capacity is associated with cognitive performance and survival in Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is believed to be an early event and a key factor in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis and progression. In spite of an intensive search for surrogate markers to monitor changes related to oxidative stress in the brain, there is as yet no consensus about which markers to use in clinical studies. The measurement of peripheral anti-oxidants is an alternative way of evaluating the involvement of oxidative stress in the course of the disease. Given the complexity of peripheral anti-oxidant defence, variations in the levels of individual anti-oxidant species may not fully reflect the overall capacity to fight oxidant conditions. We therefore chose to evaluate the total reductive capacity (herein defined as anti-oxidant capacity, AOC) in serum from control subjects and AD patients in order to study the association between peripheral anti-oxidant defence, cognitive impairment and patient survival. METHODS: We measured the levels of AOC in serum samples from 26 cognitively normal controls and 25 AD patients (12 post-mortem confirmed) who completed the Cambridge Cognitive Assessment. Cognitive decline was assessed in a subgroup of 19 patients who underwent a second cognitive assessment 2 years after the initial visit. RESULTS: Serum AOC levels were lower in AD patients than in controls and were correlated with their cognitive test scores, although AOC levels were unrelated to cognitive decline assessed two years later. On the other hand, AOC levels were predictive of the length of patients' survival, with higher levels giving longer survival. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that peripheral anti-oxidant defences are depleted in AD patients. The results suggest that serum AOC is a good index of the general health status and prognosis of patients but does not necessarily reflect the extent to which vulnerable neuronal populations are protected from oxidant processes. Further studies are required to establish whether peripheral AOC measurements may be useful in identifying asymptomatic individuals or those with early symptoms at high risk of developing significant cognitive impairment or dementia