Orit Nuttman-Shwartz

Peer Rejection During Adolescence: Psychological Long-Term Effects—A Brief Report

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the psychological long-term effects of social peer rejection (SPR) experienced during adolescence as retrospectively perceived by young adults. A convenient sample of 387 undergraduate university students were administered self-report questionnaires consisting of the following measures: demographic variables, traumatic life events, SPR, PTSD, depression, potency and the belief in the existence of social support. Results indicated that about one-third of the participants reported having experienced SPR during adolescence. They perceived it as their most traumatic event. SPR and the belief in the existence of social support determined the PTSD severity, whereas the SPR, potency, and PTSD determined the level of depression.

Trauma Groups: An Overview

Beginning with a brief review of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder, the authors consider the role of group treatment of trauma. Several models of groups are discussed along with available research regarding efficacy. A discussion of the special dynamics of trauma groups and important considerations for group conducting follows and the issue of vicarious traumatization for the group conductor is addressed. A short discussion regarding the need to integrate traumatized individuals back into society concludes the paper.

Bridging the gap: the creation of continuity by men on the verge of retirement

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to examine the means by which men on the verge of retirement create continuity or bridges between their past and present in their autobiographical narratives. Based on Whitbournes ‘lifespan construct model of adaptation’, 56 Israeli men on the verge of retirement were asked to relate their ‘life stories’ and ‘life scenarios’ (their vision of the future). Their bridging strategies were examined using qualitative structural analyses, focusing on the ‘crossovers’ to the future in the ‘life stories’, and those to the past in their ‘life scenarios’. The findings show three main bridging patterns in the life stories and three in the life scenarios. Each was associated with differences in the ways that the men were coping emotionally with the transition to retirement, and pointed to the different ways by which they used continuity to cope with the anxieties aroused by their impending retirement. After trying to account for the greater frequency of bridging attempts in the ‘scenarios’ than the ‘life stories’, the discussion elaborates on the different bridging strategies and their associated features. The findings suggest that the identification of crossover patterns in life stories and life scenarios may be a useful tool for assessing a persons coping abilities and adjustment to difficult transitions.

Men's Perceptions of Family During the Retirement Transition

This study provides a phenomenological description of pre- and postretirement perceptions of family and their impact on adjustment to retirement. The study is qualitative and employs interviews as a means of collecting life stories and life scenarios of men on the eve of their retirement transition. The findings corroborate that retirement is a family transition. The most important results shed light on retirees’ loneliness and need for support. Supportive preretirement interventions are recommended. In addition, the results showed family perceptions’ contribution to postretirement adjustment. Thus, in order to help the retirees to accept their retirement transition, it suggests that the preretirement intervention should focus on the family as a whole, especially when retirees plan their future.