When God is your only friend: Religious beliefs compensate for purpose in life in the socially disconnected

an article by Todd Chan,  Nicholas M. Michalak and Oscar Ybarra (University of Michigan, USA) published in Journal of Personality Volume 87 Issue 3 (June 2019)

Abstract

Objective

Social relationships supply purpose to life. How can socially disconnected people, who show lower levels of purpose, compensate for purpose in life?

We propose that religious beliefs can compensate for the purpose in life that social relationships would otherwise provide, through providing

1. greater purpose to turn to and 
2. divine figures that can substitute for social relationships.

Method

In three studies, we analyze three nationally representative and longitudinal data sets (N = 19,775) using moderated regression and cross‐lagged panel analyses.

Results

Consistent with our hypotheses, religious beliefs were of minimal influence on purpose in life for socially connected individuals, who already held higher levels of purpose than socially disconnected individuals.

However, for socially disconnected individuals, being highly religious predicted higher levels of purpose in life.

Conclusions

Results suggest that although people primarily derive purpose from social relationships, socially disconnected individuals may leverage their religious beliefs for purpose and social comfort until they can reconnect.

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Vicarious Experiences of Unemployment Scale Development: Relationships to Mental Health and Help-Seeking Among Undergraduate Students

an article by Rachel S. Nitzarim and Mindi N. Thompson (University of Wisconsin–Madison, WI, USA) published in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 27 Issue 2 (May 2019)

Abstract

Vicarious experiences of unemployment (VUE), or having a primary caretaker such as a parent or legal guardian who is unemployed, have been demonstrated to impact adolescent and young adult physical and mental health, career decision-making, and educational development.

This study describes the development of a new measure, the VUE Scale designed to tap the nature of stigma and struggle associated with an experience of vicarious unemployment (VU).

Following results from pilot testing, 395 undergraduate students participated in the study.

Results demonstrated preliminary support for the psychometric properties of the VUE. Consistent with hypotheses, results also indicated that more substantive experiences of VU related significantly and positively to heightened levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress, as well as to lower levels of self-esteem and social support.

We also explored the relationship between VUE and help-seeking intentions and attitudes. These exploratory findings suggested that more impactful VU experiences relate to less positive formal help-seeking attitudes and intentions.

Limitations and future directions for practice and research are described.

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Teenage Mothers and Social Isolation: The Role of Friendship as Protection against Relational Exclusion

an article by Kyla Ellis-Sloan (University of Brighton, UK) and Amy Tamplin published in Social Policy and Society Volume 18 Issue 2 (April 2019)

Abstract

This article explores links made between teenage mothers and isolation: in particular, the notion of ‘relational exclusion’ (Kidger, 2004). Political conceptualisations of social exclusion often ignore this aspect and instead focus on the economic dynamics of exclusion.

As a consequence, policies aimed at addressing the exclusion of teenage parents often focus on education and employment as solutions. This article argues that friendships are overlooked as a source of potential support.

It therefore builds on work that has observed teenage mothers’ isolation and loneliness to examine how a teenage pregnancy affects a young woman's friendship networks. It then goes on to expand understanding of how new friendships are formed and the types of support they provide.

The article concludes by proposing that social policy has a role in facilitating friendship support through investment, integrating group support with one-to-one methods and tackling stigma.

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The influence of social support on health and wellbeing among women with and without children

an article by Melissa Graham (La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia) published in Journal of Social Inclusion Volume 9 Number 2 (2018)

Abstract

Social support is a significant determinant of health and well-being with poorer social support leading to poorer health outcomes.

Despite this, little is known about the impact of social support on health and well-being among women without children or how this compares to women with children. Drawing on data from 683 women, who participated in both Waves 1 (1997) and 4 (2006) of the Negotiating the Life Course study, aged 28 to 66 years (at Wave 4), regression models were used to examine the relationship between health and well-being and social support by motherhood status (mother or childless).

Dissatisfaction with the number of close friends was associated with poorer general health (rho = -0.23, p < 0.001). Women without children reported poorer general health than mothers even after controlling for potentially confounding variables (Exp(B) = 1.11, 95% CI 1.01 – 1.22).

Not mothering has implications for women’s health. Further investigation of the type, role and quality of social support within kin and non-kin relationships is required to better understand the role of social support on health and if this differs between women with and without children.

Full text (PDF 12pp)

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The role of social support, being present and self-kindness in university student well-being

an article by Helen M. Stallman and Belinda Chiera (University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia) and Jeneva L. Ohan (The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia) published in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 46 Issue 4 (2018)

Abstract

Poor well-being in university students is a serious concern. Using self-kindness – an attitude of understanding and benevolence in times of adversity or failure – may be key to enabling students to maintain well-being despite the pressures inherent to their student role.

This study aimed to test a theoretically guided model of how self-kindness, along with the ability to be in the present moment and the experience of receiving social support, contribute to well-being in university students. Participants were 6,195 university students who completed a web-based survey.

Structural equation modelling analyses confirmed our hypotheses, showing that:

1. receiving social support is important to the capacity for self-kindness both directly and indirectly through the ability to ‘be present’; and
2. the relationship between social support and well-being is partially mediated by the practices of self-kindness and being present.

Overall, the model explained 39% of the variance in student well-being. These findings have implications for our understanding of well-being in university students, as well as the importance of considering self-kindness, on its own, as a target for intervention.

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Stop doing things to residents of poor neighbourhoods without asking what they need

a blog post by Bert Provan (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) for The Political Quarterly blog


Image by Markus Spiske

These days, few organisations can escape the clamour to assess the ‘Social Return on Investment’, or SROI, of proposed new projects. But how often are local people actually asked what they need from local investment, and how realistic are the aims of delivery?

The burden of delivery

The interest in social return is driven at international, national, and local levels, with OECD noting that “[s]ocial impact investment has become increasingly relevant in today’s economic setting as social challenges have mounted while public funds in many countries are under pressure”. This report emerged from the G8 Social Impact Investment Forum in June 2013, which also led to the setting up of a range of international task forces and groups.

Despite this globalised scope and interest, the responsibility of many assessments of social impact fall on small, local, community organisations. Public or charitable funding for small community based organisations may depend on a commitment to deliver benefits to local residents or the local environment – outcomes such as better health, job training, relief from overburdening debt, and responsive support for victims of domestic violence. Larger public and semi-public bodies, like Housing Associations, are also expected to deliver additional social value. All may also be required to monitor and ‘monetise’ their outcomes.

However, the mechanisms for doing this can be both challenging and challenged. Challenging because of the time and effort that may be needed to reliably track social outcomes. Challenged because of concerns about spurious quantification, scepticism about causal links claimed between positive outcomes and specific local action, and the sometimes incomplete or imprecise evidence and assumptions used.

Continue reading

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Effects of social support and personality on emotional disclosure on Facebook and in real life

an article by Iryna Pentina (University of Toledo, Ohio, USA) and Lixuan Zhang (Weber State University,Ogden, Utah, USA) published in Behaviour & Information Technology Volume 36 Issue 5 (2017)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the roles of personality and social support in affecting the extent of emotional disclosure in social media (SM) and compares them to those in face-to-face encounters.

Specifically, we consider the effects of the Big Five personality traits and perceptions of social support from friends, significant others, and family on the extent of sharing positive and negative emotions on Facebook (FB) vs. real life (RL).

The data are collected via an online survey of a broad demographic range of FB users. Our findings suggest that certain personality traits (extroversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness), as well as perceived social support from friends, are significantly related to the disclosure of positive emotions on FB.

We also report and discuss the differences between drivers of emotional disclosure in SM and RL, as well as offer suggestions for future research.

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Creating the Boiler Room Environment: The Job Demand-Control-Support Model as an Explanation for Workplace Bullying

Alan K. Goodboy, Matthew M. Martin, Jennifer M. Knight and Zachary Long (West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA) published in Communication Research Volume 42 Issue 2 (March 2017)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explain workplace bullying as a symptom of high-strain employment. The Job Demand-Control-Support (JDCS) model of work design was used to frame this study and examine workplace bullying antecedents and consequences.

Full-time American employees (N = 314) working in various organizations completed a questionnaire about their bullying experiences, working environments, and occupational outcomes. Results revealed that workplace bullying was correlated with expected negative outcomes at work (i.e., job dissatisfaction, job stress, anxiety).

In line with JDCS model predictions, employees who worked at organizations characterized by high psychological demands, low control, and low supervisor social support (i.e., an additive model) reported more workplace bullying (supporting an iso-strain hypothesis).

Results of a moderated moderation analysis revealed a significant three-way interaction between demands, control, and support (supporting a buffering hypothesis); under workplace conditions characterized by low supervisor social support, employee control over how work was completed buffered the negative effect of job demands on workplace bullying.

Supervisors, then, should consider how promoting employee autonomy and communicating social support to employees might nullify workplace conditions that encourage bullying, especially when work is particularly demanding.

Full text (PDF)

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Work–Family Role Conflict and Well-Being Among Women and Men

an article by Liat Kulik and Sagit Shilo-Levin (Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel) and Gabriel Liberman (Data-Graph Research & Statistical Consulting, Holon, Israel published in Journal of Career Assessment Volume 24 Issue 4 (November 2016)

Abstract

The main goal of the present study was to examine gender differences in the variables that explain the experience of role conflict and well-being among Jewish working mothers versus working fathers in Israel (n = 611).

The unique contribution of the study lies in its integrative approach to examining the experience of two types of role conflict: work interferes with family (WIF) and family interferes with work (FIW). The explanatory variables included sense of overload, perceived social support, and gender role ideology.

The findings revealed that for women, both FIW and WIF conflict correlated negatively with well-being, whereas for men, a negative correlation with well-being was found only in the case of FIW conflict.

Contrary to expectations, social support contributed more to mitigating negative affect among men than among women. On the whole, the findings highlight the changes that men have experienced in the work–family system.

Full text (PDF)

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A social net? Internet and social media use during unemployment

an article by Miriam Feuls (Berlin University of the Arts, Germany), Christian Fieseler (BI Norwegian Business School, Norway) and Anne Suphan (University of St. Gallen, Switzerland) published in Work, Employment & Society Volume 28 Number 4 (August 2014)

Abstract

Many people who are unemployed tend to experience forms of psychological and social losses, including a weakened time structure, diminished social contacts, an absence of collective purpose, falling status, and inactivity.

This article focuses on the experience of diminished social contacts and addresses whether social media help the unemployed maintain their relationships.

Based on qualitative interviews with unemployed individuals, the article identifies various types of social support networks and their impact on individual experiences of inclusion and exclusion. Although the unemployed use social media to cultivate their social support networks, the opportunity to establish new contacts, both private and professional, is underutilized.

Thus, social network differentiation between the unemployed and employed persists online in social media.

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‘I am not alone’: Understanding public support for the welfare state

an article by Klarita Gërxhani (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Ferry Koster (Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Amsterdam and University of Leiden) published in International Sociology Volume 27 Number 6 (November 2012)

Abstract

This article explores to what extent and how individuals’ welfare state attitudes relate to their subjective assessment of the available social support.

Using various sociological and socio-psychological theories the authors first provide a theoretical analysis of the micro–macro links between perceived social support (micro), social trust in support availability (macro) and public attitudes towards welfare states (micro).

An empirical test based on a large cross-country dataset of 31,122 respondents in 25 European countries shows that the more welfare is provided by the state, the less of it is desired in countries where individuals have the general belief that they can rely on each other for support. Importantly, only when considered jointly, do welfare state provision and social trust in support availability become essential in explaining welfare state attitudes.

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Small charities close due to Work Programme contracts

via Cobweb Information

Several charities and social enterprises have closed as a result of their contracts with the government’s Work Programme, a BBC investigation has revealed. The welfare-to-work scheme only makes payments to subcontractors once long-term unemployed people have been placed in work for an extended period of time, often up to two years.

The BBC reported that at least four organisations recently collapsed, citing their Work Programme contract as the primary cause. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said the payment-by-results model is “right and fair”, and organisations should not negotiate deals they cannot afford.

Read more on this story on the BBC news site

Hazel’s comment:

OK. Let me do some reading between the lines since I have experience of being “on the other side” and set up an entirely fictional scenario.

ADSET (why not use my own trading name?) is a small social enterprise based in Kettering that wants to do something to help the long-term unemployed in the area (believe you me, there are lots of them and many of them really do want to have some gainful employment).

There’s this government scheme that will pay to have people supported into employment.

Oooo, I can do that. ADSET has the expertise and the premises and can find partners to help.

We are close to signing up to the scheme but ...

Hang on a moment, I don't get paid until Miranda has been in her job TWO YEARS.
Excuse the language but ffs this is a girl/woman who didn't even stay in school for two years and you expect me to wait to get paid for my supporting her over that long a period at the end.

Count me out.

No-one is going to take on the Mirandas of this world unless there is at least enough money coming in on a regular basis to cover the cost of supporting this person. perhaps with a bonus payment at the end but not waiting for the whole amount.

ADSET, like most of the small social enterprises, lives on a day-to-day basis often supported by personal money.

OK, rant over.

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The influence of emotional labour and emotional work on the occupational health and wellbeing of South Australian hospital nurses

an article by Sandra L. Pisaniello, Helen R. Winefield and Paul H. Delfabbro (School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Australia) published in Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 80 Issue 3 (June 2012)

Abstract

Nursing is an emotionally complex occupation, requiring performance of both emotional labour (for the benefit of the organisation and professional role) and emotional work (for the benefit of the nurse-patient relationship).

According to the Conservation of Resources Theory, such processes can have a significant effect on psychological well-being and occupational stress, although little is known about the factors that moderate their effects.

This exploratory study investigated the relationship between emotional labour and emotional work on psychological wellbeing and occupational stress in 239 nurses sampled from a South Australian hospital. The multi-component questionnaire study focused on the emotional labour elements of emotion expression and suppression, as well as surface acting and deep acting, and examined the companionship, help, and regulation elements of emotional work.

In a multivariate model, emotional work was found to be less strongly predictive of negative psychological outcomes than was emotional labour, but was more strongly predictive of positive outcomes. Social support may moderate or be an antecedent to the performance of emotional labour and emotional work.

The findings support the Conservation of Resources Theory with emotional work, rather than emotional labour, enabling the uptake of resources and leading to positive occupational health and well-being. 

Highlights

• Emotional labour and emotional work distinctly influence nurse health and well-being.
• Emotional work contributed less variance in negative outcomes than emotional labour.
• Emotional work contributed more variance in positive outcomes than emotional labour.
• Emotional work enables the uptake of resources, leading to positive consequences.
• Social support moderated and directly influenced emotional labour and work.

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Social support reciprocity and occupational self-efficacy beliefs during mothers’ organizational re-entry

an article by Dalit Jaeckel and Ulrich Orth (University of Basel, Switzerland), Christine P. Seiger (University of Zurich, Switzerland) and Bettina S. Wiese (University of Basel, University of Zurich and RWTH Aachen University, Germany) published in Journal of Vocational Behavior Volume 80 Issue 2 (April 2012)

Abstract

The present study assesses the effects of a lack of social support reciprocity at work on employees’ occupational self-efficacy beliefs.

We assume that the self-efficacy effects of received support and support reciprocity depend on the specific work context (e.g., phase in the process of organizational socialization). 297 women who returned to work after maternity leave participated at three measurement points (five weeks, eleven weeks, six months after re-entry).

We measured self-reported received and provided support as well as occupational self-efficacy beliefs.

Women who received a high amount but provided only little support at work (over-benefiting) reported lowered self-efficacy beliefs. As expected, this effect was not found at the beginning of re-entry, but only later, when over-benefiting began to be negatively related to recipients’ self-efficacy beliefs.

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Predictors of “New Economy” Career Orientation in an Australian Sample of Late Adolescents

an artilce by Peter Creed, Jennifer Macpherson and Michelle Hood (School of Psychology, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, QLD, Australia)

Abstract

The authors surveyed 207 late adolescents on measures of:

• new economy career orientation (protean and boundaryless career orientation), 
• career adaptability (planning, self-exploration, environmental exploration, decision making, and self-regulation), 
• disposition (proactive disposition), and 
• environmental support (social support)

and hypothesized that
(a) new economy career orientation would be associated with career adaptability, disposition, and environmental support and
(b) career adaptability would mediate the relationship between disposition and career orientation and between environmental support and career orientation.

The main predictor of new economy career orientation was self-regulation, which also mediated between proactive disposition and career orientation. Planning predicted one aspect of boundaryless career (mobility preference), while social support predicted a second (boundaryless mind-set).

Overall, the results suggest that adolescents with higher self-regulatory skills, social support, a tendency to not overplan, and a disposition to be proactive, will be more positive toward changing work environments.

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