Diane M. Houston

Value priorities in American and British female and male university students.

Abstract Value priorities were analyzed as they relate to nationality (American vs. British) and gender in a study involving 207 university students from the 2 countries. Participants responded anonymously to S. H. Schwartzs Value Survey (1992, 1994), consisting of various individualistic and collectivistic values. American students assigned greater importance to the individualistic values of achievement, hedonism, self-direction, and stimulation than British students did; students from the 2 countries assigned equal importance to the power value type. Compared with men, women from both countries assigned greater value priorities to the collectivistic values of benevolence, universalism, security, and subordination of self to others. Women and men, however, did not differ on the individualistic values, and, in fact, women placed greater importance on achievement than men did. The results for the individualistic values are discussed primarily within the context of major changes in the career and work opportunities afforded women by society in the past 30 years.

The role of planning and workplace support in returning to work after maternity leave

The paper reports a longitudinal study of the post-pregnancy work outcomes for full-time working women who were pregnant with their first baby. Regression analyses revealed that women who did not return to work as intended were differentiated from those who did return to work by the amount of planning they had done in pregnancy, as well as having lower pre-natal income and less anticipated support within the workplace. Almost one third of those who returned to work part-time reported reduced job status. The study shows the importance of workplace planning and support in return to work after maternity leave.

Using humour to promote psychological wellbeing in residential homes for older people

The impact of a structured humorous activity on the psychological wellbeing of older people in residential settings was assessed. Residents who participated in the humorous activity were found to have significantly reduced levels of anxiety, as measured by the General Health Questionnaire, and significantly reduced levels of anxiety and depression, as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, when compared to residents who received no intervention.

Methods for assessing quality of life and well-being in frail older people

The appropriateness, reliability and convergence of differing methods and associated instruments for the assessment of quality of life and well-being in frail older people was examined in 60 ( S 65 years of age) nursing home residents. The feasibility of measuring quality of life and well-being via a variety of instruments was explored through observation (an adaptation of Dementia Care Mapping), structured interview (Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life - Direct Weighting), and proxy questionnaire (Pleasant Events Schedule - Alzheimer Disease; Apparent Emotion Rating Scale). The observational assessment and Pleasant Events Schedule demonstrated good reliability. Significant associations were found between well-being as assessed by observation, and active social interaction and engagement in recreation as assessed by observation, quality of life as assessed by structured interview, and enjoyment of activities as assessed by proxy questionnaire. These findings indicate the importance of social activity in later life, and the potential of different approaches for the appropriate assessment of key aspects of quality of life in frail older people.

The determinants of young women's intentions about education, career development and family life

A questionnaire survey was conducted to investigate the factors that shape high-achieving young womens plans about further education, career development, having a child and combining work and motherhood. A sample of 92 grammar school girls aged 15 to 17 took part in the study. It was found that the education and career plans of these young women were influenced by their anticipated role as a mother and their perception of social pressure to give up work to care for their children. Despite strong intentions to have a career and gain further educational qualifications, the perceived acceptability of combining work with motherhood influenced the certainty with which they formed these plans. It is concluded that if women are to have equal opportunities to work and have careers, these issues should be explicitly addressed at an early stage in their schooling.

Tests of both corollaries of social identity theory's self-esteem hypothesis in real group settings

The present study tests both corollaries of the self-esteem hypothesis from social identity theory derived by Abrams and Hogg (1988). Greek students completed a pre-test collective self-esteem (CSE) measure and then rated Greek students and either American or Turkish students. They then completed a post-test collective self-esteem measure. Inconsistent with Corollary 2, higher prior CSE was associated both with higher in-group ratings and higher out-group ratings, but not with bias. Consistent with Corollary 1, change in CSE was positively associated with bias, positively associated with in-group ratings and negatively associated with out-group ratings. There were no differences due to type of out-group. The findings are consistent with the idea that, for specific comparisons between real groups, individual differences in self-esteem may affect the zone within which bias occurs rather than the amount of bias. However, achieving increases in self-esteem depends on establishing positive distinctiveness for the in-group in the context of a specific intergroup comparison.

Boosting Belligerence: How the July 7, 2005, London Bombings Affected Liberals' Moral Foundations and Prejudice.

Major terrorist events, such as the recent attacks in Ankara, Sinai, and Paris, can have profound effects on a nation’s values, attitudes, and prejudices. Yet psychological evidence testing the impact of such events via data collected immediately before and after an attack is understandably rare. In the present research, we tested the independent and joint effects of threat (the July 7, 2005, London bombings) and political ideology on endorsement of moral foundations and prejudices among two nationally representative samples (combined N = 2,031) about 6 weeks before and 1 month after the London bombings. After the bombings, there was greater endorsement of the in-group foundation, lower endorsement of the fairness-reciprocity foundation, and stronger prejudices toward Muslims and immigrants. The differences in both the endorsement of the foundations and the prejudices were larger among people with a liberal orientation than among those with a conservative orientation. Furthermore, the changes in endorsement of moral foundations among liberals explained their increases in prejudice. The results highlight the value of psychological theory and research for understanding societal changes in attitudes and prejudices after major terrorist events.

Working, Caring and Sharing: Work-Life Dilemmas in Early Motherhood

During the last two decades of the 20th century the work participation of women with preschool children almost doubled from 28 per cent in 1980 to 53 per cent in 1999 (McRae, 2003). This increase now appears to have stabilised, with Labour Force Survey (LFS) figures for 2004 showing that 53 per cent of women with preschool children are in employment (Clegg, 2004). McRae (2003) and Houston and Marks (2002; 2003) demonstrate that this increase in part represents a greater likelihood of returning to work after the first child and that longitudinal analysis of individual women’s employment shows a marked decrease in work, particularly full-time work, during the first child’s early childhood, especially when women have second and subsequent children. McRae’s (2003) longitudinal analysis demonstrated that only 10 per cent of first-time mothers had maintained full-time employment by the time their first child was 11 years old. McRae argues that this suggests that ‘a complete explanation of women’s labour market choices after childbirth, and the outcomes of these choices, depends as much on understanding the constraints that differentially affect women as it does on understanding their preferences.’ (2003: 334–5).

Equality Hypocrisy, Inconsistency, and Prejudice: The Unequal Application of the Universal Human Right to Equality

In Western culture, there appears to be widespread endorsement of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (which stresses equality and freedom). But do people really apply their equality values equally, or are their principles and application systematically discrepant, resulting in equality hypocrisy? The present study, conducted with a representative national sample of adults in the United Kingdom (N = 2,895), provides the first societal test of whether people apply their value of “equality for all” similarly across multiple types of status minority (women, disabled people, people aged over 70, Blacks, Muslims, and gay people). Drawing on theories of intergroup relations and stereotyping we examined, relation to each of these groups, respondents’ judgments of how important it is to satisfy their particular wishes, whether there should be greater or reduced equality of employment opportunities, and feelings of social distance. The data revealed a clear gap between general equality values and responses to these specific measures. Respondents prioritized equality more for “paternalized” groups (targets of benevolent prejudice: women, disabled, over 70) than others (Black people, Muslims, and homosexual people), demonstrating significant inconsistency. Respondents who valued equality more, or who expressed higher internal or external motivation to control prejudice, showed greater consistency in applying equality. However, even respondents who valued equality highly showed significant divergence in their responses to paternalized versus nonpaternalized groups, revealing a degree of hypocrisy. Implications for strategies to promote equality and challenge prejudice are discussed.

Attributional Style, Efficacy, and the Enhancement of Well-Being Among Housebound Older People

This study examines the effects of an intervention that involves the compilation of a book of wartime experiences on a group of housebound older people who live in the community with the support of social services. Using the theoretical framework of the Hopelessness Theory of Depression (Abramson, Metalsky, & Alloy, 1989), we examine the impact of attributional style (Abramson et al., 1989) and efficacy (Bandura, 1977; Houston, 1995) on changes in psychological well-being following the intervention. Prior to the intervention, participants completed a newly constructed Extended Attributional Style Scale for the Elderly and the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979). Following the intervention there was a significant improvement in psychological well-being across the sample-those with depressogenic styles and low efficacy and those with high efficacy and nondepressogenic styles reported most improvement. The findings indicate that a relatively small-scale intervention can have a significant impact on the well-being of older people living alone in the community.