Experience Of Conflict Research Articles

The role of leadership practices in the relationship between role stressors and exposure to bullying behaviours – a longitudinal moderated mediation design

ABSTRACT Role conflicts and role ambiguity have been identified as important risk factors for exposure to workplace bullying, particularly when combined with inadequate leadership practices. Even though role ambiguity theoretically can be considered a causal precursor to role conflicts, previous research has mainly examined these role stressors as concurrent predictors of workplace bullying. The present study provides a more nuanced analysis by investigating role conflicts as a mediator in the relationship between role ambiguity and exposure to bullying behaviours. Adding to the understanding of the bullying process we also considered the possible moderating roles of laissez-faire and transformational leadership in the role stressor–bullying relationship. Employing a national probability sample of 1,164 Norwegian workers, with three measurements across a 12-month period, the results showed an indirect effect of employees’ role ambiguity on subsequent exposure to bullying behaviours through employees’ experience of role conflicts. Moreover, laissez-faire leadership exacerbated, while transformational leadership attenuated, the indirect relationship between role ambiguity and exposure to bullying behaviours through role conflicts. In summary, the present data shows that when the management of organisations neglects its inherent responsibility to adequately address employees’ experiences of role ambiguity and role conflicts, the risk of exposure to workplace bullying is likely to increase.

Intimate Partner Violence Directed at Men: Experiences of Violence, Help-seeking, and Potential Gender Role Conflict Among Portuguese Men

Recent research has shed light on how men in same-sex and different-sex relationships experience Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and how it may contribute to their Gender Role Conflict (GRC), through which men face a dissonance with their gender roles. However, knowledge on these topics is still lacking. We aim to better understand men’s experiences of violence in their same-sex or different-sex relationships by identifying their dynamics and the specific barriers and facilitators to seeking help. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 adult men (Heterosexual, n = 6; Gay, n = 5; Bisexual, n = 2; Not disclosed, n = 1) who self-identified as having been targets of IPV. The interview protocol considered the literature on IPV and the feedback from stakeholders in victim support services. The results were analyzed following the principles of Content Analysis. Our findings suggest that men are negatively impacted by their abusive relationships, with physical, psychological, sexual, and economic violence having been perpetrated by their same-sex or different-sex partners. Some men reported being further stigmatized in their help-seeking experiences. Gay and bisexual men indicated specific processes that played a significant role in their experiences. Some men revealed discomfort with the identity of “victim”, which may be linked to possible GRC processes. In sum, IPV impacts men in different-sex and same-sex relationships, and our findings provide new insights about how violence and help-seeking are experienced in the Portuguese cultural setting. Future efforts should focus on assessing possible GRC processes in this population and provide adequate information and tailored services to the specific needs of these men.

Factors associated with conflict and styles of conflict management among health professionals

<p><strong>Introduction.</strong> Conflict is a process during which one person consciously and intentionally makes an effort to prevent the other person’s efforts, some kind of blockade that will lead to interruption in achieving the goals and interests of the other person. Conflicts in the healthcare team are common and can lead to reduced productivity in the work of healthcare professionals, which can have a negative impact on the care and treatment of patients. <strong>Methods. </strong>This cross-sectional study involved 100 health professionals, nurses and doctors employed in the primary, secondary and tertiary levels of health care. The research was conducted from March to August 2020. A questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics of respondents, a questionnaire on conflicts of health professionals, and a standardized scale of depression, anxiety and stress with 21 questions (DASS-21) were used to measure the level of subjective depression, anxiety and stress <strong>Results.</strong> Seventy-four health workers (74%) had experience of conflict in the workplace, doctors (95%) significantly more often than nurses (58%) (p=0.001). Forty percent of health workers stated that communication problems were the most common cause of conflict. Seventy-nine respondents (79%) chose cooperation and compromise as a style in conflict resolution. Doctors chose cooperation more often (84%) than nurses (74%) and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.048). Subjects who had experience of conflict had significantly higher average values of anxiety (8.01±2.12) (p=0.026) and stress (10.32±2.91) (p=0.008) compared to subjects who had no experience of conflict (6.13±1.91; 6.12±2.03). <strong>Conclusion.</strong> Doctors were significantly more likely to have conflict situations in the workplace. For conflict resolution doctors were more likely to choose a style of cooperation and compromise than nurses who were more likely to choose a style of conflict avoidance.</p>

Object relations couple therapy for a married Korean man with sexual dysfunction

AbstractThis study uses James Donovan's object relations couple therapy to examine the triangle of focus (conflict style, couple characteristics, and family of origin) and triangle of conflict (anxiety, defence mechanisms, and hidden emotions) of a married Korean man with sexual dysfunction (reduced sexual desire, premature ejaculation, and erectile dysfunction). This qualitative study uses thematic analysis to identify, describe, and analyse a family therapy case study. The aim of this study is to examine the couple's interaction patterns and experiences of conflicts related to the husband's erectile dysfunction. The researchers induced patterns or topics by repeatedly reading and comparing the data. Then, they textualised and analysed the relevant data. To ensure the reliability and validity of the data analysis, the researchers conducted shared coding sessions to review and discuss the initial codes and the generated main themes and subthemes, triangulating the qualitative data. Findings show that a newlywed husband's sexual dysfunction is associated with his emotional resistance towards his wife's unilateral pursuit over their sexual relationship and the negative emotions triggered by their dysfunctional interactions. Further, couple characteristics, conflict style (dysfunctional interactions), and family‐of‐origin factors (transference and patrilocality) influenced their sexual relationship. Therefore, therapists who counsel Korean couples with sexual issues may pay attention to the sociocultural factors, interactional patterns, and psychological factors associated with unresolved issues with their families of origin.

Ethnic cooperation and conflict in Kenya

There is growing evidence that ethnic divisions and conflict experiences affect social capital and economic interactions in both positive and negative ways. We conduct a set of experiments measuring social capital in Kenya between the two largest ethnic groups, the Luo and Kikuyu, who experienced violence in the 2007 and 2008 post-electoral riots. Our findings indicate trust, coordination, altruism, and cooperation between these groups are not affected by priming people on the ethnic identity of their partners or on the salience of election conflict. Our results suggest electoral violence does not necessarily lead to changes in economic behavior between ethnic groups and that cooperative failure across groups may be easily overstated or might have other mechanisms. These findings are consistent with recent evidence suggesting that experience of electoral violence in Kenya does not correlate with laboratory behavior between the Luo and Kikuyu.

Understanding employee work‐life conflict experiences: Self‐leadership responses involving resource management for balancing work, family, and professional development

AbstractThe work–life conflict literature describes how employees manage conflict experiences, but little work has focused on experiences beyond work and family (or work and school) conflict to examine more broadly work, family, and professional development (e.g., when employees enter a graduate degree program). This study uses qualitative data to explore the work–life conflict experiences of employees undergoing professional career development in the form of gaining a graduate degree. We contribute to the literature on employees' work–life conflicts. To explore work–life conflicts, 41 semi‐structured interviews were conducted, and revealed that employees report three types of work–life conflict experiences—energizing, depleting and maintaining. Utilizing the conservation of resources theory, we link work–life conflict experiences with resource management and self‐leadership strategies enacted. We demonstrate that when employees report energizing experiences, they utilize behavioural strategies of self‐goal setting and self‐observation to acquire more resources. When employees report depleting experiences, they utilize constructive thought strategies for the evaluation of dysfunctional beliefs and self‐talk to recover from resource loss. Finally, when employees report maintaining experiences, they utilize natural rewards strategies to protect their stock of resources. The link between self‐leadership strategies and work–life conflicts plays a crucial role in understanding how conflict can be resolved.

Conflict Experience Regulates the Neural Encoding of Cognitive Conflict.

Cognitive control is adaptive in that it rapidly adjusts attention in response to changing contexts and shifting goals. Research provides evidence that cognitive control can rapidly adjust attention to focus on task-relevant information based on prior conflict experience. Neural encoding of goal-related information is critical for goal-directed behaviour; however, the empirical evidence on how conflict experience affects the encoding of cognitive conflict in the brain is rather weak. In the present fMRI study, a Stroop task with different proportions of incongruent trial was used to investigate the neural encoding of cognitive conflict in the environment with changing conflict experience. The results showed that the anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and intraparietal sulcus played a pivotal role in the neural encoding of cognitive conflict. The classification in anterior cingulate cortex was significantly above chance in the high-proportion, moderate-proportion, and low-proportion conflict conditions conducted separately, suggesting that neural encoding of cognitive conflict in this region was not altered based on proportion of conflict. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and intraparietal sulcus showed significant above-chance classification in the moderate-proportion and low-proportion conflict conditions, but not in the high-proportion conflict condition. These findings provide direct evidence that conflict experience modulates the neural encoding of cognitive conflict.

Unpaid domestic work: persistence of gender-based labor division and mental disorders.

Evaluating characteristics of unpaid domestic work and its association with mental disorders, exploring gender differences. We analyzed cross-sectional data from the second wave of an urban population cohort (n = 2,841) aged 15 and older from a medium-sized city in Bahia (BA). The representative population sample was randomly selected in subsequent multiple steps. We interviewed the survey participants at their homes. This study analyzed sociodemographic, occupational, unpaid domestic work and mental illness data, stratified by sex (gender). We investigated the association between the work-family-personal time conflict, the effort-reward imbalance in domestic and family work and the occurrence of common mental disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder and depression. We estimated prevalence, prevalence ratios and their respective 95% confidence intervals. Among the participants, the unpaid domestic activities were performed by 71.3% of men and 95.2% of women, who were responsible for the investigated activities, except for minor repairs. The percentages of paid work were higher among men (68.1% versus 47.2% among women). The distribution of stressors and conflict experiences showed an inverse situation between genders: men depicted the highest high percentage of low work-family-personal time conflict (39.0%), while among women, the highest percentage was of high conflict (40.0%); 45.8% of the men reported low effort-reward imbalance in domestic and family work, while only 28.8% of women reported low imbalance. The investigated mental disorders were more prevalent among women, who showed a significant association between work-family-personal time conflict and common mental disorders, as well as depression; among men, conflict was positively associated with common mental disorders. The effort-reward imbalance, in turn, was strongly related to CMD (Common Mental Disorders), generalized anxiety disorder and depression among women. Amid men, this discrepancy was only associated to depression. Domestic work persists as a mostly feminine assigned activity. The stressful situations of unpaid domestic work and the work-family-personal time conflict were more strongly associated with adverse effects on the female mental health.

Making Room for the Solution: A Critical and Applied Phenomenology of Conflict Space

ABSTRACT This essay discusses the normative significance of the spatial dimension of conflict events. Drawing on qualitative interviews conducted with political actors – politicians, officials, and activists – and on Heidegger’s account of spatiality in Being and Time, I will argue that the experience of conflict space is co-constituted by the respective conflict participants, as well as the location where the conflict unfolds. Location and conflict parties’ (self-)understandings ‘open up’ a space that enables and constrains ways of seeing and acting. Yet, a purely transcendental phenomenology will remain oblivious to the quasi-transcendental, societal structures of power that shape a person’s conflict experience. To illuminate these facets of the phenomenon, phenomenology has to join forces with critical theory. Introducing Garland-Thomson’s feminist distinction of fit/misfit, I will illustrate how power shapes conflict space in manifold ways. The essay thereby fills a gap in the philosophical literature that rarely analyses political conflict as a phenomenon sui generis.

Drivers of 'voluntary' recruitment and challenges for families with adolescents engaged with armed groups: Qualitative insights from Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Globally, armed conflicts have increased threefold since 2010. The number of children voluntarily engaging with armed groups is also rising, despite increasing efforts to prevent this grave human rights violation. However, traditional approaches focusing on the prevention, release, and reintegration of children through forced recruitment do not adequately address the complex and interlinking push and pull factors of voluntary recruitment. This qualitative study sought to deepen understanding of the drivers and consequences of voluntary recruitment from the perspectives of adolescents and their caregivers, as well as to explore how to better support families living in conflict settings. In-depth interviews were conducted with 74 adolescents (44 boys and 30 girls) ages 14 to 20 years and 39 caregivers (18 men and 21 women) ages 32 to 66 years in two distinct conflict settings: North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo and Ouham-Pendé, Central African Republic. Interviews with adolescents utilized a visual narrative technique. The findings examine the unique perspectives of adolescents engaged with armed groups and their caregivers to understand how conflict experiences, economic insecurity, and social insecurity influence adolescent's engagement with armed groups and reintegration with their families. The study found that families living in conflict settings are subject to traumatic experiences and economic hardship that erode protective family relationships, leaving adolescent boys and girls particularly vulnerable to the systemic and overlapping factors that influence them to engage with and return to armed groups. The findings illustrate how these factors can disrupt protective social structures, and inversely how familial support can act as a potential protective factor against recruitment and break the cycle of reengagement. By better understanding the experiences of adolescents enduring recruitment and how to support caregivers of those adolescents, more comprehensive programming models can be developed to adequately prevent voluntary recruitment and promote successful reintegration, enabling children to reach their full potential.

O107 Surgical workforce in conflict: qualitative perspectives from the Middle East and North Africa

Abstract Introduction There is a paucity of data regarding the experiences of the local surgical workforce present during conflicts. Whilst we know that surgical trauma burden increases during conflict, little is known about workforce adaptation to new injury modalities, higher caseloads, and additional system pressures. Qualitative research is an effective methodology for elucidating surgical systems in such settings. Methods Medically qualified personnel performing surgery during a conflict, who had worked in this setting before the onset or escalation of conflict, were identified through a pre-interview questionnaire distributed through the Royal College of Surgeons of England and other targeted networks. A structured guide was used to conduct in-depth interviews and a thematic analysis was undertaken. Results Surgical practitioners (male:female 19:2), of different seniority and representing 9 subspecialties, from 9 Middle Eastern and North African countries were interviewed. There were notable differences in the experiences of practitioners within new conflict settings (Libya, Syria, Egypt and Sudan) compared to those with previous conflict experience, where medical education and training were more likely to be uninterrupted. This necessitated training during active situations, which many practitioners regarded as very fruitful. Junior trainees in new conflict areas often had to ‘act up’ under intense pressure, often without adequate supervision whilst practitioners in previous conflict settings have normalized conflicts and developed cultural coping mechanisms. Conclusion This study contributes to the evidence gap on the surgical workforce in conflict settings and highlights the need for innovative and swift support for entire surgical ecosystems to maximize impact.

Child soldiers in Nepal: re-conceptualizing reintegration and identity

Abstract This article contributes to a critical discussion of practices of child soldier reintegration and scholarship on the topic. Child soldiers' lived experience of reintegration is characterized by an interconnection between their child and adult worlds resulting from their conflict experience, social transition to adulthood and identity. The article provides a primary source of data based on 30 semi-structured interviews with former child soldiers, both boys and girls, from the former Communist Party of Nepal—Maoist. This article makes both practical and theoretical contributions. Firstly, reintegration practices assume that children and adults should be separated based on altogether different needs. However, a child soldiers' reintegration experience is framed by an important social interconnection between their child and adult worlds. Secondly, by theoretically engaging children as both a subject and an agent, this article contributes to a nuanced theorization of identity and agency that defies simplistic categories of victimhood and childhood. Finally, the article advances a new framework called ‘post-conflict identity’ that consists of three interconnected subject positions—victim, participant and political agent—to account for the complex ways that former child soldiers negotiate and respond to different life events and transitions across their conflict and post-conflict lives.

Conflict + Anxiety = Turmoil! Introducing a Measure of Conflict Response Derailers

Experiences of social conflict often trigger anxiety, which is associated with more reactive, extreme, and problematic responses to conflict. However, individuals respond to conflict anxiety in different ways. This article presents the findings from a series of scale development studies that sought to create and test a measure for assessing common behavioral response tendencies in interpersonal conflict. The Conflict Anxiety Response Scale (CARS) is based on a theoretical framework proposed by Morton Deutsch—a pioneering conflict research scholar and clinical practitioner—that outlines a set of tendencies identified as common manifestations of anxiety management in conflict. The present line of research aims to develop a valid and reliable scale to assess respondents on these inclinations and explore their consequences. Ultimately, we seek to offer a practical assessment tool of conflict anxiety responses to enhance self‐awareness, professional development, and well‐being.

An actor-partner model of partner phubbing, mobile phone conflict, and relationship satisfaction between romantic partners in Liberia

Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, this study investigates among Liberian couples whether partner phubbing predicts relationship satisfaction, both directly and indirectly via mobile phone conflict. Moreover, this study examines whether phubbing by men is less likely to lead to conflict than that by women given the differential power relations and income distributions in Liberian romantic couples. Using data from married, cohabiting, and couples living apart ( N = 128) in Liberia, a direct link was found between the phubbing behavior of women and partner’s (men) relationship satisfaction. Moreover, men and women’s phubbing behavior predicted their own and their partner’s experience of mobile phone conflict, which in turn predicted a decrease in relationship satisfaction. Power imbalance between men and women, as well as income disparity, were found to influence some of the relationships between partner phubbing, phone conflict, and relationship satisfaction, but did not give substantial support to the hypotheses that women would elicit more conflict than men in couples characterized by high power imbalance and income inequality. Overall, the study shows the importance of examining interdependence effects in phubbing research and supports that there is meaningful cross-cultural variation that warrants further scrutinizing.

Finding Peace at the Chalice Well, Glastonbury: An Exploration of Folklore, Belief, Landscape, and Sacred Water at a British Holy Well

The intersections of peace and heritage have long been discussed in academia, but these discussions are often focused on the aftermath or the experiences of violence and conflict. There has been less written about heritage sites as places of positive peace, where visitors can connect with more ethereal aspects of inner peace, wellbeing and mindfulness. Many heritage sites allow visitors an opportunity to experience a place of peacefulness that is purposefully free of structural violence or to experience feelings of inner peace through the calm, serene nature of these sites. The Chalice Well is a holy chalybeate 1 well and World Peace Garden set in the heart of Glastonbury, a town well known for its eclectic spirituality and rich layers of history and folklore. This site has been attracting seekers of peace, wellness and the sacred for over three hundred years. This paper explores the intersections of folklore, wellbeing, landscape, sacrality, and the curation of peace at this unique heritage site, from medieval legend and sacred spa waters to more contemporary examinations of peace and sacrality through landscape design and the promotion of spiritual tourism and pilgrimage.

Testing the impact of a skill-targeted social and emotional learning curriculum and its variation by pre- and postmigration conflict experiences: A cluster randomized trial with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.

Testing the impact of a skill-targeted social and emotional learning curriculum and its variation by pre- and postmigration conflict experiences: A cluster randomized trial with Syrian refugee children in Lebanon.

Unspoken teacher conflict: uncovering female novice teachers' conflict experiences in professional learning community

PurposeThe professional development of novice teachers is receiving increased attention. Although conflict is regarded as an essential factor affecting the effectiveness of the school professional learning community, it is often hidden unspokenly. This study uncovers the conflict experiences of female novice teachers in an Asian cultural context and investigates how such experiences influence their professional development and emotions.Design/methodology/approachThe case study approach was adopted. Four participants were selected according to specific criteria, and two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted in five years to identify the conflicting parties, conflict types, coping strategies and resulting impact.FindingsLongitudinal qualitative data have revealed that female novice English language teaching (ELT) teachers mainly reported conflicts with their female colleagues. Goal, task and relationship conflict are the most common types of conflict encountered, while the strategies of avoiding, dominating and obliging are the most popular. This study also discusses the impacts of such conflict experiences.Originality/valueThis study identifies the influence of culture, particularly a culture of high power distance and an emphasis on “precious harmony”, on novice female teachers' conflict coping and offers insights into how conflict can be utilised to enhance novice teachers' professional development in the school professional learning community.

Effect of Metastereotypes and Conflict Experience on Research Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Quality Among University Undergraduates

Effect of Metastereotypes and Conflict Experience on Research Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Quality Among University Undergraduates

Addressing Housing Inequalities in Post-Conflict Belfast A Transformative Justice Approach

Belfast is a deeply divided and fragmented city not just politically, socially, and economically but physically. It is a city shaped by its history, its experiences of violent conflict and its post-conflict transition. A collage of so-called peace walls and interface areas segregate neighbourhoods across the city creating some of the most socially and economically deprived areas where inequalities are significantly exacerbated by the tension and sectarianism that segregation reinforces. Despite the peace process, historical and new inequalities in the provision and allocation of social housing affect many vulnerable individuals and communities resulting in unequal access to adequate housing; overcrowding; housing stress; homelessness; higher waiting lists and longer waiting times. The challenge of navigating housing in a politically and physically divided city has resulted in failed opportunities to shape policies and procedures to address existing, persistent, and new housing inequalities.
 Addressing the legacy of violence and human rights violations is central to building sustainable peace in transitioning societies. If we acknowledge that socio-economic inequalities are not only a consequence of violent conflict but also a root cause, then we must also acknowledge that correcting these inequalities is an essential component of post-conflict policy. Transitional justice often overlooks violations of socio-economic rights and the impact of these on victims and wider society. A growing body of literature suggests transformative justice expands the traditional ‘toolkit’ to include measures, not typically employed in transitional justice, to confront violations of socio-economic rights, address the needs of victims and assist in societal transformation more effectively. Under a transformative justice approach, my research explores how affirmative action and the role of social movements, such as the Right to the City, could be used to address housing inequalities in post-conflict Belfast. In doing so we could look to the future as well as deal with the past.

Women in Wildfire Crises: Exploring Lived Experiences of Conflict through Forum Theatre (Creative Intervention)

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