Suchergebnisse

Being a man has become a more complex issue in Ireland today. To quote Harry Ferguson, 'while men were and are everywhere in Irish society, little attention was given to them as men, as gendered subjects' (2003: 1). Their emergence from (gender) invisibility is taking place in the midst of unprecedented social and economic change in Ireland. It has been suggested that present socio-cultural conditions adversely affect young people in giving rise to a sense of liminality, of living between cultures and identities (Keohane and Chambers, 2003: 48). Yet generalised explanations of change outcomes, and the crisis discourse which surrounds young men in particular, need careful examination. These accounts frequently make assumptions of causal links between change indictors and 'negative' outcome where none exist and rarely highlight socio-economic, age and within-gender variations. We live in a more individualistic and globally defined society than heretofore, but while the 'moral certainties of being' (Haywood and Mac an Ghaill, 2003) are gone, strong belief and value systems are still in evidence (Fahey, Hayes and Sinnott, 2005: 219; Cleary, 2005). Furthermore, change has had much positive impact, as reflected in high levels of satisfaction amongst Irish people (Fahey and Smyth, 2004). With so little evidence of a negative effect on people generally how has societal change become a crisis for men?

Non-disclosure of distress emerged as a key issue in examining pathways to suicidal action for a group of men. Disclosure of difficulties was viewed as un-masculine, as implying weakness and this was associated with feminine or homosexual type behaviour. Constant performative work, including hyper-performances, was required to project an image of strength and to conceal growing levels of distress. When extreme, this challenged their sense of a coherent self-identity. Performances were directed at family, friends and work colleagues and this inhibited others from identifying and responding to the distress.

Background: There are few longitudinal studies of Irish children and, to date, no studies reporting long-term outcome for those with behavioural disorder in childhood. This paper describes psychological and educational outcomes for a group of Irish children initially assessed at age 11 years and re-examined 10 years later. The period during which the research was conducted coincided with a time of increasing wealth in Ireland and the consequent development of psychological and educational services. Aims: To follow up and assess psychological and educational outcomes for a group of young people aged 21 years, half of whom had high levels of behavioural problems at age 11. Method: Data were gathered at two time points for 97 children and their families. Childhood measures included psychological and behavioural functioning, IQ, family background and economic circumstances. Outcome measures assessed in young adulthood included psychological functioning, educational attainment and trouble with the law. Results: Behavioural deviance at age 11 was found to be highly predictive of negative outcomes in early adulthood including a greater likelihood of involvement in criminal activity and less educational success. The likelihood of educational failure increased with the accumulation of risk factors including economic disadvantage and low IQ. Conclusions: These findings, supported in other international studies, underline the importance of behavioural difficulties in childhood for adult outcome, even in an environment of greater service and educational opportunities and access.

Abstract. This paper addresses some of the generalized theories explaining rising suicide rates in Ireland. The conclusion here is that linking suicide patterns to changing beliefs and values is problematic. Church attendance as well as adherence to traditional values remain high in this country compared to European levels, and variations in beliefs and values, especially rural/urban differences, do not fit with general explanations. Moreover, attitudes to value areas fluctuate in that justification for suicide - which showed an upward trend in the 1980s - was reversed in the 1990s, and this may have resulted from increased public focus and debate. Generalized explanations are unlikely to decipher complex phenomena such as suicidal behavior. Religious belief, if protective in relation to suicide, is unlikely to act alone. Social transformations have a differential impact depending on one's socio-economic positioning, which translates ideas of a general male vulnerability to suicide into focused areas of male distress.

Fostering nature connection may promote psychological well-being and enhance proenvironmental attitudes. However, there is limited understanding of what factors influence a person's nature connection. Using survey responses from 1,000 residents of a large Australian city, we describe the relationship between nature connection and nature experiences at different stages in life, that is, past nature experiences that occurred during childhood, and current, everyday nature experiences. Both past childhood nature experiences and duration of current nature experiences significantly predicted nature connection. The positive relationship between duration of current nature experiences and nature connection was not significantly moderated by past childhood nature experiences. Hence, current nature experiences are associated with high levels of nature connection, even among those lacking childhood nature experiences. This research empirically demonstrates the positive relationship between nature connection and nature experiences, and suggests that it may be equally important to promote nature experiences at any life stage if increasing nature connection is the goal.

Research that examines lived experience and how emerging adults seek to create wellbeing in their daily lives through nature is limited. This paper addresses this gap by providing unique insights into how emerging adults perceive and experience nature as a beneficial resource for their wellbeing. Data were collected using photo-elicitation interviews, where 18 emerging adults took photographs that represented their views on and experiences of wellbeing, and during the follow-up interviews discussed the meaning of their photographs. Without a priori mention, 14 participants identified contact with various elements of nature as important resources in supporting their wellbeing. It is the results of these 14 interviews that are discussed in this paper with a focus on (i) the elements of nature which these emerging adults identify as important resources for their wellbeing, (ii) experiences and the perceived pathways between these elements of nature and wellbeing. Thematic analysis revealed four distinct perceived pathways connecting nature to wellbeing, including symbiotic nurturing, building social glue, maintaining a positive outlook, and centreing yourself. Four elements of nature facilitated these pathways: domesticated fauna, domesticated flora, wild fauna and wild surrounding nature. The findings help build understanding of how emerging adults perceive elements of nature as resources for wellbeing and can inform the development of nature-oriented interventions.

Das International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) ist ein länderübergreifendes, fortlaufendes Umfrageprogramm, das jährlich Erhebungen zu Themen durchführt, die für die Sozialwissenschaften wichtig sind. Das Programm begann 1984 mit vier Gründungsmitgliedern - Australien, Deutschland, Großbritannien und den Vereinigten Staaten - und ist inzwischen auf fast 50 Mitgliedsländer aus aller Welt angewachsen. Da die Umfragen auf Replikationen ausgelegt sind, können die Daten sowohl für länder- als auch für zeitübergreifende Vergleiche genutzt werden. Jedes ISSP-Modul konzentriert sich auf ein bestimmtes Thema, das in regelmäßigen Zeitabständen wiederholt wird. Details zur Durchführung der nationalen ISSP-Umfragen entnehmen Sie bitte der Dokumentation. Die vorliegende Studie konzentriert sich auf Fragen zu Familie und dem Wandel von Geschlechterrollen.