A phenomenological inquiry into the influence of crucible experiences on the leadership development of Black women in higher education senior leadership

Supported by the Crucibles of Leadership theory, this article explores how adverse experiences influence the leadership development of Black women in higher education senior leadership. I use phenomenology to explore how these leaders’ adverse lived experiences manifested as transformative crucible experiences with resilience, thus promoting leadership development. Black people have been continuously subject to adversity, while Black women have overcome the compounded adversities resulting from their intersectional identities. Reported lived adversities included physical, sexual, and verbal assault and abuse, adverse childhood experiences such as growing up in poverty, being raised by single parents, being subject to bullying, losing loved ones, discrimination, and health issues. Black women are resilient, and education has proven to be a lifeline regarding adversity, thus promoting leadership capabilities. They use adversity as fuel to overcome adverse crucible experiences, thus developing the necessary skills to prepare them for leadership. The results further reveal that Black women in higher education senior leadership experienced significant adverse experiences that manifested as crucible experiences by overcoming adversity. The findings reveal an association between their ability to develop the necessary leadership skills to advance their career and their lived adverse experiences.

The relative influence of spectator dysfunctional behavior on spectator enjoyment in Major League Baseball

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceived enjoyment that is derived from spectators observing other spectators’ dysfunctional behavior during a game.Design/methodology/approachUsing four forms (i.e. fighting, verbal assault, disrupting play and throwing missiles) of spectators dysfunctional behavior (SDB), two experiments (N = 252 for Study 1 and N = 92 for Study 2) were conducted in which video clips corresponding to the four types of SDB were used as experimental stimuli.FindingsThe findings indicate that participants enjoyed viewing spectators running onto the field of play significantly more than the other forms of SDB (i.e. fighting, verbal assaults and throwing missiles). The results also show no significant difference between how much spectators enjoyed the actions of fighting, verbal assault and throwing missiles.Originality/valueThe novelty of this study include the usage of a multidimensional approach to the concept of SDB and testing for a positive outcome pertaining to SDB that has largely, if not fully, been examined using negative inputs and outputs.

Substance use disorders and violent behaviour in patients with severe mental disorders: A prospective, multicentre study

Objective: The relationship between alcohol and substance use and the risk of violence exhibited by patients with mental disorders is under-researched. This prospective cohort study aims to compare patients with severe mental disorders and with different substance use behaviors in terms of sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, hostility, impulsivity and aggressive behaviors. Furthermore, this study aims to assess differences in violent behaviors during a 1-year monitoring follow-up. Methods: A total of 378 participants with severe mental disorders from Italian residential facilities and from four Departments of Mental Health (244 outpatients and 134 residential patients) were enrolled. Participants were categorized as Persons with Current Substance Use, Persons with Former Substance Use and Persons with Non-Substance Use. All these patients underwent a complex multidimensional assessment, including the lifetime and current substance use; a subsample of outpatients was also assessed with a laboratory substance assay including the testing for specific substances. We assessed the differences among these three groups in hostility, impulsivity and aggressive behaviors. Results: The results of the close 1-year monitoring show a significantly higher risk of violence for patients with severe mental disorders Persons with Current Substance Use compared to Persons with Former Substance Use and Persons with Non-Substance Use. Persons with Current Substance Use showed significantly higher scores for irritability, negativism and verbal assault compared to Persons with Non-Substance Use. Persons with Former Substance Use showed significantly higher scores for lifetime history of aggressive behaviors compared with patients with Persons with Non-Substance Use. Conclusion: These findings suggest that patients with comorbid mental illness and substance use disorders should be referred for specific interventions to reduce aggressive behavior and ensure patient well-being and community safety.

Validation of the Assault (Violence) Response Scale: An Update

Background and PurposeThe Assault (Violence) Response Questionnaire has been used widely in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa since the 1980s. The purpose is to update the ARQ.MethodSpecifically the ARQ-R has been expanded to include verbal assault and withholding information, more extensively tested for reliability and validity, and shortened.ResultsThe scale was reduced from 88 to 33 items and yet had the same high reliability and validity as did the larger scale.ConclusionsThe reduction in size makes it much less time consuming to complete, making it an instrument that very busy nurses can more easily use. The ARQ-R can be used for nurses measuring assault in both hospital and community settings.

Hate Speech in Readers’ Comments and the challenge of Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis

Hate speech is among the most significant communication issues that preoccupy the agenda of relevant governmental agencies and media analysts in contemporary Nigeria. It is an unfortunate phenomenon that manifests in the public sphere, and is fast threatening the fragile democracy which the country is struggling to consolidate. Against this backdrop, this study investigates the nature of readers’ comments on online news sites in the country, their place within the context of hate speech rhetoric, and their implication on democratic consolidation in the country. Hinged on the Social Responsibility Theory, the study employs two research methods- Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and content analysis to investigate the manifestation of hate speech in online readers’ comments. Population of the study comprises 2,530 comments, generated from ten stories on prominent online news platforms in the country. From these, a sample of 250 comments (10% of the population) has been selected systematically for closer examination. Findings reveal that, although quantitatively, positive comments dominate the study population (comprising 60% while negative comments account for the remaining 40%), qualitatively, the trend of discussion is disturbing, as commentators employ the use of hate language, verbal assault, name calling, insults and derogatory words to describe subjects. To this end, the study concludes that readers need to exhibit a high sense of responsibility in the course of interaction on the online comments platforms. Where such responsibility is not self-enforced by commentators, news platforms should remove comments that contain venomous hate language in the interest of national unity, democracy and development.

Assaulted and Unheard: Violence Against Healthcare Staff

Healthcare workers regularly face the risk of violent physical, sexual, and verbal assault from their patients. To explore this phenomenon, a collaborative descriptive qualitative study was undertaken by university-affiliated researchers and a union council representing registered practical nurses, personal support workers, and other healthcare staff in Ontario, Canada. A total of fifty-four healthcare workers from diverse communities were consulted about their experiences and ideas. They described violence-related physical, psychological, interpersonal, and financial effects. They put forward such ideas for prevention strategies as increased staffing, enhanced security, personal alarms, building design changes, “zero tolerance” policies, simplified reporting, using the criminal justice system, better training, and flagging. They reported such barriers to eliminating risks as the normalization of violence; underreporting; lack of respect from patients, visitors, higher status professionals, and supervisors; poor communication; and the threat of reprisal for speaking publicly. Inadequate postincident psychological and financial support compounded their distress.

CHILDREN’S VIEWS ON, AND EXPERIENCES OF, PHYSICAL AND VERBAL ABUSE IN SCHOOLS: TWO CASE STUDIES OF PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN HARARE, ZIMBABWE

 In Zimbabwe, changes to regulations on corporal punishment have led to claims by teachers, parents and others that the only effective weapon that was there to maintain discipline in schools has been removed. This study aimed at finding out views and experiences of primary school children on the use of corporal punishment and verbal assault as means of maintaining discipline in schools. It set out from the view that physical punishment and verbal assault by school authorities are forms of child abuse and a violation of children’s rights. A case study approach was used in two primary schools, one from a low-income location (high-density residential area) and another from a high-income location (low-density residential area), both in Harare. The study established that in spite of the existence of legal instruments, children are physically and verbally abused in various ways. While children are aware of their rights, they, however, find it difficult to report and in some cases do not even know where and to whom to report to. The study makes a number of recommendations directed towards authorities both in and outside the school system responsible for the discipline of children.

Assessing whether psychiatric trainees feel safe in the workplace

Aims and methodPrevious studies have shown that 17 to 60% of psychiatric trainees have been physically or verbally assaulted. To measure the frequency of assaults and the trainees' reactions, we conducted a retrospective self-reported survey of attendees at MRCPsych teaching courses in south London and at an annual meeting of psychiatric trainees.ResultsOverall, 64% of the questionnaires distributed were returned completed. Of the trainees who responded, 41% had been physically assaulted at least once and 89% had been verbally assaulted. As a result of the assault, 34% of trainees were subsequently more risk aware and 11% were now hesitant to assess patients with a history of violence. There was no association between the level of training or attendance at a breakaway training course and having been subject to physical assault.Clinical implicationsOur study showed unacceptable levels of physical and verbal assault on psychiatric trainees and an important effect of those incidents on clinical practice.