Publications with Fulltext
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14288/6
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Publication Open Access Youth with chronic health problems: how do they fare in main-stream mentoring programs?(BioMed Central, 2018) Lipman, Ellen L.; Dewit, David; DuBois, David L.; Larose, Simon; Department of Psychology; Gürel, Gizem Erdem; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 222027Background: Youth with chronic physical health problems often experience social and emotional problems. We investigate the relationship between participation in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada community-based mentoring programs (BBBS) and youth social and mood outcomes by youth health status. Methods: Youth newly enrolled in BBBS were classified by health status (one or more chronic physical health problems without activity limitation, n = 191; one or more chronic physical health problems with activity limitation, n = 94; no chronic health problem or activity limitation, n = 536) and mentoring status (yes/no) at 18 month follow-up. Youth outcomes measured at follow-up were social anxiety, depressed mood, and peer self-esteem. Results: Youth with chronic health problems and activity limitation were more likely to live with two biological parents, use mental health or social services, and have parents who reported difficulties with depressed mood, social anxiety, family functioning and neighbourhood problems. At 18 month follow-up, mentored youth in this health status group experienced fewer symptoms of social anxiety and higher peer self-esteem compared to non-mentored youth. Mentored youth with chronic health problems without activity limitation andmentored youth with no health problems or limitations did not show significant improvements in social anxiety and peer self-esteem. Regardless of their health status, mentored youth reported fewer symptoms of depressed mood than non-mentored youth. Conclusions: Youth with chronic health problems, particularly those with activity limitation as well, demonstrate a capacity to experience social and mood benefits associated with mentoring.Publication Open Access Pathways towards scaling up roblem management plus in Turkey: a theory of change workshop(BioMed Central, 2020) Fuhr, D.C.; Uygun, E.; McGrath, M.; İlkkurşun, Z.; Kaykha, S.; Sondorp, E.; Sijbrandij, M.; Ventevogel, P.; Cuijpers, P.; Roberts, B.; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271Background: a considerable evidence base has been produced in recent years highlighting the effectiveness of brief scalable psychological interventions for people living in communities exposed to adversity. However, practical guidance on how to scale up these interventions to wider populations does not exist. In this paper we report on the use of Theory of Change (ToC) to plan the scale up of the World Health Organization's flagship low intensity psychological intervention "Problem Management Plus" (PM+) for Syrian refugees in Turkey. Methods: we conducted a one-day ToC workshop in Istanbul. ToC is a participatory planning process used in the development, implementation and evaluation of projects. It is similar to driver diagrams or logic models in that it offers a tool to visually present the components needed to reach a desired long-term outcome or impact. The overall aim of ToC is to understand the change process of a complex intervention and to map out causal pathways through which an intervention or strategy has an effect. Results: twenty-four stakeholders (including governmental officials, mental health providers, officials from international/national non-governmental organisations, conflict and health researchers) participated in the ToC workshop. A ToC map was produced identifying three key elements of scaling up (the resource team; the innovation and the health system; and the user organisation) which are represented in three distinct causal pathways. Context-specific barriers related to the health system and the political environment were identified, and possible strategies for overcoming these challenges were suggested. Conclusion: ToC is a valuable methodology to develop an integrated framework for scaling up. The results highlight that the scaling up of PM+ for Syrian refugees in Turkey needs careful planning and investment from different stakeholders at the national level. Our paper provides a theoretical foundation of the scaling up of PM+, and exemplifies for the first time the use of ToC in planning the scaling up of an evidence-based psychological intervention in global mental health.Publication Open Access Mentoring relationship closures in big brothers big sisters community mentoring programs: patterns and associated risk factors(Wiley, 2016) DeWit, David J.; DuBois, David; Larose, Simon; Lipman, Ellen L.; Department of Psychology; Gürel, Gizem Erdem; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 222027Previous research suggests that early mentoring relationship (MR) closures may have harmful consequences for the health and well-being of youth participating in community-based mentoring programs. However, knowledge of the factors that lead some MRs to close early has been slow to emerge. This study examined patterns and correlates of early versus on-time MR closures among 569 youth participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters community mentoring programs. Thirty-four percent of youth experienced an early MR closure prior to the end of the program's 12month period of commitment. The probability of closure was highest at 12months into the MR. Early closures were positively associated with youth gender (girls), behavioral difficulties, and match determination difficulties. Early and on-time closures were associated with youth extrinsic motives for joining the program. Early MR closures were negatively associated with youth perceptions of parent emotional support, parent social support, high quality MR, weekly contact in MR, and parent support of the MR. Implications for programming are discussed.Publication Open Access The impact of a brief RNR-based training on Turkish juvenile probation officers' punitive and rehabilitative attitudes and recidivism risk perceptions(Wiley, 2020) Ruiter, Corine; Department of Psychology; Ersayan, Ayşe Esra; Teaching Faculty; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 178452; 222027The present quasi-experimental study examined the impact of a brief training program based on the risk–need–responsivity (RNR) model on Turkish juvenile probation officers' (JPOs) punitive and rehabilitative attitudes toward justice-involved youth and recidivism risk perceptions. Fifty-nine JPOs were recruited through three probation offices in Istanbul, Turkey. Thirty-six JPOs, who received a 1-day training in the RNR model of offending behavior, were compared to JPOs in a wait-list control condition (n = 23). Participants in both conditions completed surveys at baseline and 1-week posttraining. Mixed-factorial analysis of variances revealed a significantly higher decrease in JPOs' punitive attitudes from pre- to posttest, in the training condition compared to the control group, with a medium effect size. Rehabilitative attitudes decreased in both conditions, while recidivism risk perceptions did not change from pre- to posttest in either condition. Future research could expand on these promising results using a more intensive training program and a randomized-controlled design in a larger sample of JPOs.Publication Open Access Problems after flight: understanding and comparing Syrians’ perspectives in the Middle East and Europe(BioMed Central, 2021) Drescher, A.; Kiselev, N.; Akhtar, A.; Bryant, R. A.; von Känel, R.; Miller, K. E.; Pfaltz, M. C.; Schick, M.; Schnyder, U.; Sijbrandij, M.; Spaaij, J.; Morina, N.; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; İlkkurşun, Zeynep; Faculty Member; Master Student; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271; N/ABackground: Syrian refugees and asylum seekers (SRAs) face multiple stressors after flight, which may vary due to different geographic, economic, cultural and socio-political contexts in the host countries. Past research has recognised the importance of participants’ own perspectives. The aims of this multi-country study were to identify and compare self-reported problems of SRAs between various settings. Methods: a semi-structured client-generated outcome measurement was used to collect data among adult SRAs in Jordan (N = 61), Turkey (N = 46) and Switzerland (N = 57) between September 2018 and November 2019. Answers were analysed following thematic analysis. Results: over half of the participants reported practical problems with an emphasis on camp-related problems (Jordan), finances (Turkey), employment (Jordan and Switzerland) and government regulations (Switzerland), followed by psychological, and social issues. Conclusion: this study highlights the impact of local contextual factors on wellbeing. The findings emphasise that planning preventative procedures and mental health care services for SRAs need to consider local challenges affecting the population in specific countries.Publication Open Access Mentoring relationships, positive development, youth emotional and behavioral problems: investigation of mediational model(Springer, 2016) DuBois, David; Larose, Simon; DeWit, David J.; Lipman, Ellen L.; Department of Psychology; Gürel, Gizem Erdem; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 222027Mentoring programs show promise for preventing emotional and behavioral problems among at-risk youth, but little is known about processes that may be most critical to achieving this end. This study explored indicators of positive youth development (PYD; competence, confidence, connection, care and compassion, character) as mediators of associations of mentoring support with youth emotional and behavioral problems. The sample included 501 youth participating in a study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in Canada (mean = 11.16 years old; 52% girls, and 44% White). Measures were youth self-report, with the exception of the use of both youth and parent report measures of emotional and behavioral problems. Results of structural equation modeling analyses were consistent with PYD mediating the association between mentoring support and emotional and behavioral problems, regardless of informant. The association between mentor support and PYD, however, was limited to youth in active mentoring relationships.Publication Open Access The role of program-supported mentoring relationships in promoting youth mental health, behavioral and developmental outcomes(Springer, 2016) DeWit, David J.; DuBois, David; Larose, Simon; Lipman, Ellen L.; Department of Psychology; Gürel, Gizem Erdem; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 222027This study examined the relationship between youth mentoring status and behavioral, developmental, and emotional outcomes for 859 youths aged 6-17 participating in a national survey of Big Brothers Big Sisters community mentoring relationships (MRs). Youth self-reported behaviors and mental health occurred at the baseline assessment (before being paired to a mentor) and at 18 months follow-up. Youth mentoring status was categorized as follows: (1) continuous MR less than 12 months (n = 131); (2) continuous MR 12 or more months (n = 253); (3) dissolved MR less than 12 months (n = 110); (4) dissolved MR 12 or more months (n = 70); 5) MR with a second mentor (re-matched; n = 83); and (6); never mentored (n = 212). Structural equation model results at 18 months revealed that mentored youths, especially those in MR lasting 12 or more months (continuous or dissolved), reported significantly fewer behavioral problems and fewer symptoms of depression and social anxiety than did non-mentored youths. They also reported stronger coping skills and emotional support from parents. Mentored girls and boys in long-term relationships experienced positive outcomes. Re-matched girls displayed better outcomes than did never-mentored girls while there was some evidence of harmful outcomes for re-matched boys. Threats to internal validity are examined including the possibility of pre-existing baseline differences between mentored and non-mentored youths. Implications for mentoring programs are discussed.Publication Open Access The role of coping strategies in post-traumatic growth among Syrian refugees: a structural equation model(Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 2021) Acar, İbrahim H.; Alhiraki, Omar A.; Fahham, Ola; Erim, Yeşim; Department of Psychology; Acartürk, Ceren; Acar, Büşra; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; Graduate School of Social Sciences and Humanities; 39271; N/AThe Syrian conflict has led to a mass migration of Syrians to other countries and exposed them to many possible traumatic events and stressors in their country of origin and in the resettlement process. The possibility of positive psychological effects of adverse life events is less documented among Syrian refugees. Thus, the current study aimed to develop preliminary evidence for the identifying factors: traumatic experiences, post-migration stressors and coping strategies that are associated with post-traumatic growth (PTG) of Syrian refugees residing in Turkey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used in the current study to assess the associations among these factors. Data were obtained from Syrian refugees residing in the governorates of Hatay and Mardin. A total of 528 Syrians, aged between 18–77 years (M = 35.60, SD = 11.65) participated in this cross-sectional study. Results from the SEM indicated that past traumatic experiences and post-migration stressors were indirectly related to PTG. The results from the current study provide support for that the association between refugees’ traumatic experiences, post-migration stressors and PTG appear to be explained through the presence of coping strategies which could be addressed in the psychotherapies and psychosocial interventions for refugees to promote positive psychological change. Future studies should address the effects of post-migration stressors on PTG in detail.Publication Open Access The link between attitudes toward probationers and job burnout in Turkish probation officers(Wiley, 2021) Çankaya, Banu; Broers, Nick J.; Ruiter, Corine; Department of Psychology; Ersayan, Ayşe Esra; Teaching Faculty; Faculty Member; Department of Psychology; College of Social Sciences and Humanities; 178452; 222027The goal of the current study was to investigate individual-level factors associated with job burnout among probation officers (POs) and, specifically, to examine if attitudes toward probationers were linked with job burnout in the context of the recently established probation system in Turkey. Participants (N = 115) were recruited from a probation office in Istanbul. Job burnout was assessed via three components: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and professional accomplishment. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that more favorable attitudes toward probationers were related to a lower sense of depersonalization and higher experience of professional accomplishment. However, POs' attitudes toward probationers were not associated with emotional exhaustion. Our findings are discussed in light of the present empirical literature on the contextual factors influential in job burnout. Practical implications for burnout prevention point to the potential effectiveness of working on attitudes among POs toward the people they supervise.