The Suicide Rate in Austrian Prisons: Does it Conform to Sociological Theory?

2001 ◽  
Vol 88 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1222-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lester

The Austrian prison suicide rate for 1950–1995 was shown to be associated in a similar manner to the social indicators of marriage, birth, and divorce rates as the suicide rate of Austrian males in the general population.

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 149-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lester ◽  
Yukio Saito

In a time series study of suicide rates in Japan from 1978–1997, it was found that the social indicators which predict the suicide rates differ for suicides committed for interpersonal, work-related, and health concerns. While measures of domestic social integration predicted the suicide rate for interpersonal reasons, unemployment, and divorce rates predicted the suicide rate for work-related reasons.


Crisis ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 423-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey Couillet ◽  
Jean-Louis Terra ◽  
Nassima Brochard ◽  
Nicolas Chauliac

Abstract. Background: The suicide rate in older people is high. Gatekeeper training is recommended for at-risk populations in the detection and management of suicidal residents in nursing homes. Aims: This study focuses on how caregivers in nursing homes consider suicide in older people from a social perspective, and to what extent these social representations are an obstacle to the prevention of suicide. Method: This study is both observational and qualitative, and is based on semi-directed one-to-one interviews with caregivers. Results: We met with 18 caregivers from three nursing homes in 2015. We show that the social representations of caregivers working in nursing homes are essentially identical to those of the general population and those found in other studies on paramedics. Suicide is seen as an expression of autonomy, a response to the suffering associated with aging and the living conditions imposed on older people in our society, particularly in nursing homes. Limitations: Our study highlights the problems inherent to the position of caregiver, in which we can observe a conflict between professional missions and personal ideology. Conclusion: This study confirms the need to continue training on suicide prevention in nursing homes.


Crisis ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antoon A. Leenaars ◽  
David Lester

Canada's rate of suicide varies from province to province. The classical theory of suicide, which attempts to explain the social suicide rate, stems from Durkheim, who argued that low levels of social integration and regulation are associated with high rates of suicide. The present study explored whether social factors (divorce, marriage, and birth rates) do in fact predict suicide rates over time for each province (period studied: 1950-1990). The results showed a positive association between divorce rates and suicide rates, and a negative association between birth rates and suicide rates. Marriage rates showed no consistent association, an anomaly as compared to research from other nations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ogliari ◽  
Simona Scaini ◽  
Michael J. Kofler ◽  
Valentina Lampis ◽  
Annalisa Zanoni ◽  
...  

Reliable and valid self-report questionnaires could be useful as initial screening instruments for social phobia in both clinical settings and general populations. The present study investigates the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory for Children (SPAI-C) in a sample of 228 children from the Italian general population aged 8 to 11. The children were asked to complete the Italian version of the SPAI-C and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that social phobia can be conceptualized as a unitary construct consisting of five distinct but interrelated symptom clusters named Assertiveness, General Conversation, Physical/Cognitive Symptoms, Avoidance, and Public Performance. Internal consistency of the SPAI-C total scores and two subscales was good; correlations between SPAI-C total scores and SCARED total scores/subscales ranged from moderate to high (Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for social phobia), with the SCARED Social Phobia subscale as the best predictor of SPAI-C total scores. The results indicate that the SPAI-C is a reliable and sensitive instrument suitable for identifying Social Phobia in the young Italian general population.


Author(s):  
Volodymyr Reznik

The article discusses the conceptual foundations of the development of the general sociological theory of J.G.Turner. These foundations are metatheoretical ideas, basic concepts and an analytical scheme. Turner began to develop a general sociological theory with a synthesis of metatheoretical ideas of social forces and social selection. He formulated a synthetic metatheoretical statement: social forces cause selection pressures on individuals and force them to change the patterns of their social organization and create new types of sociocultural formations to survive under these pressures. Turner systematized the basic concepts of his theorizing with the allocation of micro-, meso- and macro-levels of social reality. On this basis, he substantiated a simple conceptual scheme of social dynamics. According to this scheme, the forces of macrosocial dynamics of the population, production, distribution, regulation and reproduction cause social evolution. These forces force individual and corporate actors to structurally adapt their communities in altered circumstances. Such adaptation helps to overcome or avoid the disintegration consequences of these forces. The initial stage of Turner's general theorizing is a kind of audit, modification, modernization and systematization of the conceptual apparatus of sociology. The initial results obtained became the basis for the development of his conception of the dynamics of functional selection in the social world.


Author(s):  
Gulbarshyn Chepurko ◽  
Valerii Pylypenko

The paper examines and compares how the major sociological theories treat axiological issues. Value-driven topics are analysed in view of their relevance to society in times of crisis, when both societal life and the very structure of society undergo dramatic change. Nowadays, social scientists around the world are also witnessing such a change due to the emergence of alternative schools of sociological thought (non-classical, interpretive, postmodern, etc.) and, subsequently, the necessity to revise the paradigms that have been existed in sociology so far. Since the above-mentioned approaches are often used to address value-related issues, building a solid theoretical framework for these studies takes on considerable significance. Furthermore, the paradigm revision has been prompted by technological advances changing all areas of people’s lives, especially social interactions. The global human community, integral in nature, is being formed, and production of human values now matters more than production of things; hence the “expansion” of value-focused perspectives in contemporary sociology. The authors give special attention to collectivities which are higher-order units of the social system. These units are described as well-organised action systems where each individual performs his/her specific role. Just as the role of an individual is distinct from that of the collectivity (because the individual and the collectivity are different as units), so too a distinction is drawn between the value and the norm — because they represent different levels of social relationships. Values are the main connecting element between the society’s cultural system and the social sphere while norms, for the most part, belong to the social system. Values serve primarily to maintain the pattern according to which the society is functioning at a given time; norms are essential to social integration. Apart from being the means of regulating social processes and relationships, norms embody the “principles” that can be applied beyond a particular social system. The authors underline that it is important for Ukrainian sociology to keep abreast of the latest developments in the field of axiology and make good use of those ideas because this is a prerequisite for its successful integration into the global sociological community.


GIS Business ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-206
Author(s):  
SAJITHA M

Food is one of the main requirements of human being. It is flattering for the preservation of wellbeing and nourishment of the body.  The food of a society exposes its custom, prosperity, status, habits as well as it help to develop a culture. Food is one of the most important social indicators of a society. History of food carries a dynamic character in the socio- economic, political, and cultural realm of a society. The food is one of the obligatory components in our daily life. It occupied an obvious atmosphere for the augmentation of healthy life and anticipation against the diseases.  The food also shows a significant character in establishing cultural distinctiveness, and it reflects who we are. Food also reflected as the symbol of individuality, generosity, social status and religious believes etc in a civilized society. Food is not a discriminating aspect. It is the part of a culture, habits, addiction, and identity of a civilization.Food plays a symbolic role in the social activities the world over. It’s a universal sign of hospitality.[1]


2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 152-159
Author(s):  
Vladimir V. Krivosheev

The review reveals the basic conceptions elaborated by one of the major Russian modern sociologists Zh.T. Toshchenko in his new research. The reviewer argues that the book’s author thoroughly examines the various methodological grounds for identifying the essential characteristics of social dynamics. At the same time, the reviewer focuses on the further development of the theory of modern society, proposed by the book’s author. Thus, Zh.T. Toshchenko, who spent many years researching social deformations, formulates an important concept – the concept of a society of trauma as the third modality of social development along with evolution and revolution. The book offers a fundamentally new view of social life, there is a holistic, systematic approach to all its processes and phenomena. The reviewer concludes that the new book of the social theorist Zh.T. Toshchenko is a significant contribution to sociological theory, since it develops ideas about the state and prospects of Russian society, gives accurate assessments of all social processes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 122-135
Author(s):  
Caroline Barros de Sales ◽  
Samara Sayonara Cândida da Silva ◽  
Lutiane Queiroz de Almeida

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar o risco nas comunidades Mazagão 1 e José da Silva Sobral, a partir de indicadores sociais de vulnerabilidade e ambientais de perigo para movimentos de massa. Para isso, buscou-se inicialmente o levantamento bibliográfico, respaldando-se em autores que trabalham com as temáticas de riscos e vulnerabilidade, e foram realizadas atividades de campo, as quais possibilitaram a aplicação dos questionários de vulnerabilidade social e das fichas de exposição a movimentos de massa, além de permitir a realização de registros fotográficos. A partir da sistematização dos dados de vulnerabilidade social e de exposição, permitiu-se estabelecer as características mais presentes nas comunidades, indicando os elementos mais críticos, os quais colaboram para que haja risco de movimentos de massa, apontando então para a necessidade de pesquisas que venham a estudar profundamente a situação, podendo vir a propor medidas mitigadoras diretamente aplicáveis à área de risco.Palavras-chave: Vulnerabilidade; Perigo; Desastre. ABSTRACTThe present work aims to characterize the risk in the communities Mazagão 1 and José da Silva Sobral, considering social indicators of vulnerability and environmental indicators of danger to mass movements. In order to do this, a bibliographical survey was sought, supported by authors working on the themes of risk and vulnerability, and field activities were carried out, which made possible the application of the social vulnerability questionnaires and the exposure sheets to mass movements, besides allowing the realization of photographic records. Systematizing social vulnerability and exposure data, the most present characteristics in the communities were established, indicating the most critical elements, which contribute to the risk of mass movements, pointing to the need for research that will deeply study the situation, and may propose mitigating measures directly applicable to the area of risk.Keywords: Vulnerability; Danger; Disaster. RESUMENEste trabajo tiene como objetivo caracterizar el riesgo en las comunidades Mazagão 1 y José da Silva Sobral, con base en indicadores sociales de vulnerabilidad y peligro ambiental para los movimientos de masas. Para ello, se buscó inicialmente la investigación bibliográfica, apoyada por autores que trabajan con los temas de riesgos y vulnerabilidad, y se llevaron a cabo actividades de campo, que permitieron la aplicación de cuestionarios de vulnerabilidad social y hojas de exposición al movimiento, además de permitir la realización de registros fotográficos. A partir de la sistematización de datos sobre vulnerabilidad social y exposición, fue posible establecer las características más comunes en las comunidades, indicando los elementos más críticos, que contribuyen al riesgo de movimientos masivos, señalando la necesidad de una investigación que Estudie la situación en profundidad y proponga medidas de mitigación directamente aplicables al área de riesgo.Palabras Claves: Vulnerabilidad; Peligro; Desastre.


2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1055-1072 ◽  
Author(s):  
SHANNON MCDERMOTT

ABSTRACTOver the past 50 years, self-neglect among older people has been conceptualised in both social policy and the academy as a social problem which is defined in relation to medical illness and requires professional intervention. Few authors, however, have analysed the concept of self-neglect in relation to critical sociological theory. This is problematic because professional judgements, which provide the impetus for intervention, are inherently influenced by the social and cultural context. The purpose of this article is to use critical theory as a framework for interpreting the findings from a qualitative study which explored judgements in relation to older people in situations of self-neglect made by professionals. Two types of data were collected. There were 125 hours of observations at meetings and home assessments conducted by professionals associated with the Community Options Programme in Sydney, Australia, and 18 professionals who worked with self-neglecting older people in the community gave in-depth qualitative interviews. The findings show that professional judgements of self-neglect focus on risk and capacity, and that these perceptions influence when and how interventions occur. The assumptions upon which professional judgements are based are then further analysed in relation to critical theory.


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