Teachers\u27 Reaction to Gangs and School Violence and the Mediating Effects of Security Measures on Intentions to Leave Teaching

The increase in youth gangs since the late 1980s and the related violence that has erupted in the schools has fueled the public\u27s fear of these gangs. With the strong and proven correlation between the presence of gangs and guns and drugs in schools, this fear seems justified. The increase in violence on school campuses has created an environment of fear, which in turn has added to teacher stress, burnout, and attrition. In response, schools have teamed with law enforcement personnel to build and maintain safe schools and to provide for a safe teaching environment. The purpose of this study was to examine K-12 teacher characteristics, school characteristics, and teachers\u27 reactions to violence while also examining the possible mediating effects school security measures have on individual teacher intention to leave the teaching profession. A quantitative, non-experimental, exploratory, and explanatory online survey research design was used to examine the relationships among the variables for public elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Three research questions were answered and three hypotheses were tested. Four of the 100 largest school districts in the United States agreed to participate in the study. A total of 332 responses was obtained with 297 (89.5%) of them being complete. The majority of the respondents felt low levels of intrusion, low to moderate levels of avoidance tendencies, moderate levels of relief, and high levels of safety and trust. These findings may be due to the high level of security measures on respondents\u27 campuses. Also, respondents with gang experience had a higher intention to leave and higher feelings of intrusion, avoidance, and relief as well as lower feelings of safety and trust than those with no gang experience. Finally, respondents with four to nine years of teaching experience, those who reported a gang presence on their campus, and those in suburban middle schools reported the greatest intention to leave teaching when compared to their counterparts. The findings in the study indicated that when teachers have greater feelings of safety and trust, they may be less likely to leave the teaching profession and when teachers trust their students and feel safe in their presence, they are less likely to experience avoidance tendencies. In addition, security on a school\u27s campus may lower teacher intention to leave as the security measures on a campus mediate the relationship between teachers\u27 feelings of safety and their intention to leave

Rethinking the care-market relationship in care provider organisations

Care provider organisations are under pressure from funding bodies and regulatory procedures to narrowly construct care in ways that preclude its relational, emotional and social characteristics. This process of subjecting care to a managerialist-market logic, however, creates tensions between the organisation and its key stakeholders: care recipients, care-workers and unpaid carers. These tensions are significant and are likely to place organisations under pressure to develop a more holistic approach to care. In addressing this issue, this paper draws upon the concept of bounded emotionality to argue that it is feasible for organisations to be both instrumental and caring, and thereby be responsive to the needs of all of their stakeholders. The paper concludes by discussing some of the practical implications of organisations adopting a framework of bounded emotionality, and suggesting some directions for future research

Le rôle de l’émotion exprimée dans le cours de la schizophrénie

Au cours d'une décennie consacrée à d'abondantes recherches sur le cerveau, une avenue s'est, entre autre, ouverte pour démontrer l'importance de prendre en ligne de compte les facteurs psychosociaux dans le cours de la schizophrénie. Le but de cet article est de décrire brièvement le concept « d'émotion exprimée » qui s'est souvent révélé utile comme facteur de prévisibilité de la rechute dans différents types de maladies mentales graves. Nous y décrirons également un programme de recherches entrepris au Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Douglas dans le but d'approfondir notre compréhension du lien entre la famille et le cours de la schizophrénie. Certains résultats seront également présentés pour souligner la complexité du rôle de la dynamique familiale dans la maladie mentale.In a decade dedicated to the brain, one particular line of research has been demonstrating the value of considering psychosocial factors in the course of schizophrenia. The purpose of this article is to briefly describe the concept of "expressed emotion" which has been shown repeatedly to predict relapse in a variety of severe mental disorders. We will, as well, describe a research program undertaken at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre which has been developed to deepen our understanding of the association between the family and outcome in schizophrenia. Selected results will be presented that highlight the complexity of the family process in mental illness

Collapse of 2000 Commonwealth Avenue: Punching Shear Case Study

On January 25, 1971, two thirds of a 16-story apartment building collapsed while under construction at 2000 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Four workers died after a failure on the roof instigated a progressive collapse all the way to the basement, where the men were found. Fortunately, the collapse occurred slowly enough for most of the other workers to run to safety. An investigation, conducted by a commission assembled by the Mayor of Boston, painted a picture of a troubled project, with considerable confusion about responsibility for structural safety. The surviving workers’ descriptions of the failure provide a textbook definition of punching shear. Low concrete strength due to inadequate protection against cold weather contributed to low punching shear strength of the flat slab. Inspection, quality control, planning, and supervision were for all practical purposes absent from the project. This paper investigates the numerous causes and lessons learned of this structural failure. Two similar cases are also reviewed

Collapse of 2000 Commonwealth Avenue: Punching Shear Case Study

On January 25, 1971, two thirds of a 16-story apartment building collapsed while under construction at 2000 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. Four workers died after a failure on the roof instigated a progressive collapse all the way to the basement, where the men were found. Fortunately, the collapse occurred slowly enough for most of the other workers to run to safety. An investigation, conducted by a commission assembled by the Mayor of Boston, painted a picture of a troubled project, with considerable confusion about responsibility for structural safety. The surviving workers’ descriptions of the failure provide a textbook definition of punching shear. Low concrete strength due to inadequate protection against cold weather contributed to low punching shear strength of the flat slab. Inspection, quality control, planning, and supervision were for all practical purposes absent from the project. This paper investigates the numerous causes and lessons learned of this structural failure. Two similar cases are also reviewed

Structural Barriers to Receiving Health Care Services for Female Sex Workers in Russia

Female sex workers in Russia have been particularly vulnerable to recent social, political, and economic changes. In this article, we describe the facilitators and barriers for sex workers receiving health care services in St. Petersburg, Russia. We conducted observations at medical institutions and nongovernmental organizations and in-depth interviews with 29 female sex workers. We identified the following barriers: poverty, not having documents, lack of anonymity in testing, and the official registration system. We identified the following facilitators: intervention by family members, social connections within the health care system, and referral services from a nongovernmental organization. Our findings indicate a need for reassessing policies and designing programs that better facilitate the use of health care services for the most vulnerable populations. This should include the expansion of support systems and outreach services designed to help female sex workers navigate the health care system

The Significance of Indigenous Knowledge in Social Work Responses to Collective Recovery: A Rwandan Case Study

This paper reports a portion of findings of a large research project that sought to understand social helping and healing practices that have arisen in the post-genocide contexts that could inform social work education and practice in Rwanda. A team of Canadian and Rwandan researchers used a community-based and collaborative practice to invite local partners to share their knowledge through 4 different annual workshops. The findings indicated that the locus of helping in Rwanda is focused on community or collective practices, such gutababarana “mutual rescue,” umuganda “community work,” and ibimina “tontines.” These practices are supported by the Rwandan government policies that encourage the revitalization of traditional ways of solving socio-economic problems and rebuilding social relations. Yet, the study noted a disconnect between learned theories and local practices and locally produced materials as social work becomes professionalized in Rwanda. Implications for social work education and practice in post-colonial post-conflict societies are discussed

The Significance of Indigenous Knowledge in Social Work Responses to Collective Recovery: A Rwandan Case Study

This paper reports a portion of findings of a large research project that sought to understand social helping and healing practices that have arisen in the post-genocide contexts that could inform social work education and practice in Rwanda. A team of Canadian and Rwandan researchers used a community-based and collaborative practice to invite local partners to share their knowledge through 4 different annual workshops. The findings indicated that the locus of helping in Rwanda is focused on community or collective practices, such gutababarana “mutual rescue,” umuganda “community work,” and ibimina “tontines.” These practices are supported by the Rwandan government policies that encourage the revitalization of traditional ways of solving socio-economic problems and rebuilding social relations. Yet, the study noted a disconnect between learned theories and local practices and locally produced materials as social work becomes professionalized in Rwanda. Implications for social work education and practice in post-colonial post-conflict societies are discussed

Addressing Intimate Partner Violence Among Female Clients Accessing HIV Testing and Counseling Services: Pilot Testing Tools in Rakai, Uganda.

The World Health Organization recommends that HIV counseling and testing (HCT) programs implement strategies to address how intimate partner violence (IPV) influences women's ability to protect themselves from and seek care and treatment for HIV infection. We discuss the process used to adapt a screening and brief intervention (SBI) for female clients of HCT services in Rakai, Uganda-a setting with high prevalence of both HIV and IPV. By outlining our collaborative process for adapting and implementing the SBI in Rakai and training counselors for its use, we hope other HCT programs will consider replicating the approach in their settings