A Psychology Fulbright Year in China

This article shares a series of personal observations and anecdotes about central issues in college mental health in China based on my Fulbright year there. There are many cultural and structural forces that both support and constrain the growth of the mental health field in China. This article addresses these forces in terms of their impact on college student psychotherapy and the broader mental health of Chinese college students.     

A follow‐up study of one group of achievers and underachievers four years after high school graduation

A four‐year follow‐up study comparing gifted achievers and underachievers examined college attendance, academic performance, involvement in campus activities, type of institution attended, number of declared majors, career direction, and satisfaction with life developments since high school. All achievers attended college, were more sure of career direction, completed more years of college, and were more involved in campus activities than were underachievers, but did not report more satisfaction. Of the 87% underachievers who attended college, 52% had attended for four years and 41% had performed better academically in college than they had in high school. Qualitative analysis of narrative responses concerning adjustment found themes related to developmental, academic, and other concerns.     

Educational tracking and sense of futility: a matter of stigma consciousness?

During the past decade, both qualitative and quantitative research have documented strong feelings of fatalism amongst pupils enrolled in technical and vocational tracks in secondary education. Whereas those feelings have been shown to predict decreased school involvement and school misconduct, relatively little is known about their exact origins. In this paper, we explore to what extent they should be considered a stigma consciousness caused by the demeaning impact of perceived contempt to which pupils from technical and vocational tracks are exposed. Data from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study from Flanders (the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, N: 1967) were used to explore the distribution and consequences of perceived contempt with regard to one’s choice of study. About 20% of the pupils enrolled in technical and vocational education reported that some people looked down on them due to their studies. Moreover, even after taking into account different ability measures and social background characteristics, a strong direct relationship remained between perceived contempt and feelings of futility. In the conclusion, we elaborate on the implications of our findings.     

我国《体育法》的时代烙印与修改完善

研究了我国《体育法》产生的政治、经济和法律的时代背景,详细剖析了《体育法》中存在的三大时代烙印——计划经济的烙印、未与国际接轨的烙印和法制建设起步阶段的烙印,对产生时代烙印的原因进行了透彻的分析,在此基础上提出了对现行《体育法》进行修改与完善的相关建议。     

Epilepsy in school‐aged children: more than just seizures?

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in childhood and can have a significant impact on a child's schooling. Children with epilepsy may have special educational needs due to having learning disability, specific learning difficulties, specific cognitive deficits or having symptoms associated with ASD, ADHD, depression or anxiety. These difficulties are often under‐recognised due to the emphasis placed on the management of seizures. The effects of seizures and side‐effects of anti‐epileptic medications (AEDs) can also influence classroom learning. The significant stigma associated with epilepsy can influence attitudes towards affected children and impact on self‐esteem. Interventions to support children with epilepsy should focus on epilepsy management, learning and behavioural interventions and whole‐school psychosocial interventions. Epilepsy is a spectrum condition and for some children the effects on schooling will be minimal but for others significant supports will be needed. Therefore, an individualised approach within the school environment and close collaboration between teachers, parents and medical professionals are essential in order to meet the children's needs.     

Self-Efficacy and Postpartum Depression Teaching Behaviors of Hospital-Based Perinatal Nurses

Based upon the Self-Efficacy Theory, this study examined the relationship between self-efficacy, self-efficacy-related variables, and postpartum depression teaching behaviors of hospital-based perinatal nurses. Findings revealed that teaching new mothers about postpartum depression is related to a perinatal nurse's self-efficacy in postpartum-depression teaching, self-esteem, and the following self-efficacy-related variables: social persuasion (supervisor's expectations for teaching); mastery (postpartum depression continuing education and teaching experience); and vicarious experience (observing other nurses teach new mothers about postpartum depression). Teaching new mothers about postpartum depression can assist mothers in overcoming barriers to depression treatment. Nurse educators and managers play an important role in encouraging postpartum depression education for perinatal nurses.     

国外残疾污名研究及对我国特殊教育的启示

越来越多的研究者认为,污名是影响弱势群体生活质量的重要因素,对残障人士也不例外。文章收集了国外有关残疾污名方面的大量研究文献,从污名的概念、形成、对残障人士的影响以及消除污名的方式等几个方面进行了综述,并探讨了当前污名研究对国内特殊教育的启示意义。     

Religious disengagement and stigma management by African-American young adults

This study examines religious disengagement among African-American young adults through a communicative lens. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we unpack the tensions between organizational and institutional disengagement in participants’ accounts and trace the relational factors shaping their use of specific stigma management strategies. Participants’ religious disengagement unfolded through encounters with new information that contradicted institutional teachings, ongoing struggles with institutional ideologies they found problematic, localized conflicts with specific church experiences, and family circumstances. Stigma management strategies were chosen to keep the peace within their social circles, protect loved ones from being hurt, care for themselves to ensure their best and most authentic self, defend themselves from perceived attacks and social censure, and come to a mutual understanding with confidants about disengagement. Theoretical implications pertaining to religious membership, organizational vis-à-vis institutional disengagement, and stigma management were discussed, along with practical recommendations to empower congregants to grow spiritually.     

Impact of Brief Counseling on Nonurgent Prior- versus Never-counseled Samples

The purposes of this study were to distinguish prior- versus never-counseled nonurgent University Counseling Center (UCC) clients and to test if brief counseling had a differential impact on these two samples. The prior-counseled sample (n = 100) was more prepared for counseling, had a lower stigma for seeking help, as well as lower social connectedness and life satisfaction versus the never-counseled sample (n = 109). After brief counseling (median of four sessions after triage), the prior-counseled group (n = 33) had significantly higher social connectedness, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, while only social connectedness of the never-counseled group (n = 31) increased.     

Self‐stigma and domains of well‐being in high school youth: Associations with self‐efficacy,self‐esteem,and self‐criticism

Self‐stigma is a phenomenon in which negative public stereotypes about mental illness are internalized and can undermine help‐seeking. Unfortunately, little is known about how self‐stigmatization relates to positive well‐being indicators among youth. A sample of 134 high school students completed established measures of self‐stigma, well‐being, self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, and self‐criticism. Analyses confirmed that self‐stigma was associated with overall well‐being and five well‐being subscales (autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, and self‐acceptance); the strongest associations were with autonomy and positive relations with others. The majority of these associations still held when simultaneously controlling for self‐esteem, self‐efficacy, and self‐criticism. Taken together, findings point to the need for greater awareness of self‐stigma along with an explicit focus on the promotion of protective well‐being in prevention work and interventions designed to alleviate the tendency for young people to internalize stigma. Additionally, findings have theoretical implications for the “why try” model of self‐stigma.