Experience Of Conflict Research Articles

A Study on Experience in Psychological Conflict in Healing Process of Christian COVID-19 Patients

A Study on Experience in Psychological Conflict in Healing Process of Christian COVID-19 Patients

Family-Work Conflict and Spousal Aggression: A Comparative Analysis Pre- and Peri- COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The main goal of the study was to examine the contribution of the family–work conflict to explaining spousal aggression from a comparative perspective: pre-COVID days versus the peri-COVID-19 pandemic period. The dimensions of aggression included spousal undermining and violent tactics for spousal conflict management as reflected in physical and verbal-emotional violence tactics. The family–work conflict construct included two factors: family interferes with work conflict and work interferes with family conflict. The sample was comprised of 747 Israeli Jewish mothers and fathers of children in early and middle childhood (384 in pre-pandemic days and 363 in the peri-pandemic period). Data were collected via an online link and were analyzed using path analysis. The intensity of work interferes with family conflict, the level of spousal undermining and the use of physical violence tactics were higher during the peri-pandemic period than in pre-pandemic days. The general measure of family work conflict was related to spousal undermining in both periods. Spousal undermining mediates the relation between family–work conflict and violent spousal conflict management tactics in both periods. A highly intensive family–work conflict experience in routine times and in times of crisis, such as a pandemic, may comprise a warning sign that may lead to expressions of spousal aggression In light of the findings, practical recommendations are proposed for reducing spousal aggression stemming from processes in the work–family interface.

Prevalence and Role Stressors as Antecedents to Workplace Bullying in Multinational Corporations Human Resource Shared Service Centers in Malaysia

Workplace bullying has shown a steep rise globally in the last three decades, reporting its pervasiveness among various sectors and industries. It is universally recognized as a significant work stressor causing severe health, well-being, and psychosocial problems for employees, the economy, and society. The claim comes as no surprise with the contemporary debate among organizations, especially MNCs HRSSC, striving to succeed globally and stay competitive through cost savings and increased productivity. However, SSC formation has swayed the HRD professions’ to strategic HR roles to focus on the organization’s profit-making goal, eventually at the expense of employees’ well-being by indirectly condoning workplace bullying. For these reasons, the present study investigates the prevalence of workplace bullying at MNC HRSSC in Malaysia to find out how the Western countries that pioneered the studies reveal the severity of workplace bullying manages organizations in Asian countries that are still at the early stage comparatively of recognizing the phenomenon. The study will examine the prevalence, the experience level of role stressors, namely role ambiguity and role conflict, which are relatable to the MNC HRSSC setup, and their consequent representation as antecedents to workplace bullying. A cross-sectional study was adopted to conduct descriptive and inferential statistical analysis with n=460. The descriptive statistical analysis used IBM SPSS (v24.0) to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying by adopting a two-step cluster analysis and the strict operational definition criterion and the role stressors experiences level. At the same time, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to determine the correlation and influence between the predetermined organizational antecedents (role ambiguity and role conflict) and workplace bullying. Data were collected using a 14-items Role Questionnaire (RQ) and 22-item Negative Act Questionnaires-Revised (22-items NAQ-R). Findings show a high prevalence rate of workplace bullying (66.7%), a high level of role ambiguity (72.6%), and role conflict (70.2%), resulting in a positive & significant relationship with workplace bullying. Thus, these results autonomously conclude that workplace bullying is prevalent among MNC HRSSC with a high level of role ambiguity and role conflict experience, which are significant antecedents based on the General Strain Theory (Agnew, 1992) underpinning theory. Therefore, the study recommends that local HRD professionals and policymakers review employees’ job descriptions to determine one’s role and set KPI accordingly. Global Business Services representing the MNC and the local HRSSC management team must develop and implement robust anti-bullying policies and programs and sustain them in practice to curtail the negative consequences.

Foreign fighter experience and impact

ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between prior conflict experience and the impact of foreign fighters on armed groups. This paper addresses the findings in existing research that describes foreign fighters as both assets and liabilities by disaggregating foreign fighters into first-conflict foreign fighters and veteran foreign fighters. While prior experience determines the potential impact of foreign fighters, I introduce the concept of foreign fighter integration to understand how this experience is utilized or leveraged by armed groups. The theory-building framework helps explain why we see certain groups leverage foreign fighters in ways that shape their repertoires of violence, tactics, or even ideology, while, in other instances, the influence of foreign fighters appears to be limited – with any consequent effects restricted to the small factions into which foreign fighters have been assigned. Using this theoretical framework of experience and integration, I re-examine in the cases Somalia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to demonstrate how and where foreign fighters impact armed groups.

Where is Conflict Research? Western Bias in the Literature on Armed Violence

Abstract Which countries are likely to be subjects of research in the study of armed conflict? Evidence from other fields suggests that research often focuses disproportionately on the West, but it is unclear to what extent this is true in conflict studies. We suggest that a baseline explanation of research focus is each country’s conflict experience, and we present two additional hypotheses: Western bias and research feasibility. Empirically, we count countries in the abstracts of five prominent conflict or security journals, 1990–2015. We also manually count single-country case studies. Western countries, measured by U.N. voting or geographic location, appear more than non-Western countries, even after considering conflict, wealth, and other factors. There is less support for the research feasibility argument, measured by each country’s official languages and democracy. We find French- and Spanish-language countries less likely to appear in the literature. We conclude with a discussion of under-studied countries and offer related suggestions.

Teaching Multiple School Subjects Role Conflict: A Theoretically Informed Conceptual Framework

Emerging research suggests that the stress and complexities of the teaching profession contribute to early exits from the field. Stressors may be increased when individuals are tasked with teaching physical education and another school subject(s) concurrently. More specifically, role conflict in teaching multiple school subjects consists of three subdomains: status conflict, schedule conflict, and energy expenditure. The purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretically informed conceptual model of this type of conflict that better informs the professional lives and careers of teachers. The framework’s three interrelated elements are dynamic and contextually bound and influence the experience of multiple subjects role conflict. These three elements include experiences of role conflict, contextual and individual factors, and an outer limit of individuals’ capacity to manage stressors. Three vignettes are used to illustrate how teachers’ experiences of conflict interact with contextual and individual factors to increase or decrease their capacity for stress.

Gender and the Impact of the Transition to Work from Home

We examine the distinctiveness of female and male employees’ work-family conflict experiences as they transition to working from home (WFH) and how different experiences affect stress and job satisfaction divergently by surveying 264 employees who worked on-site before COVID-19 and were forced to transition to WFH due to the pandemic. Integrating boundary management theory, the COR theory and the job satisfaction literature, we tested gender differences in both WFC (work to family conflict) and FWC (family to work conflict) and the resulting effects on job satisfaction and stress after working from home. We find that both WFC and FWC decrease when employee worked from home, with WFC decreasing more. Besides, the surveyed employees report lower stress and higher job satisfaction when working from home. Female employees experience greater reduction in both WFC and FWC and more improvements in stress and job satisfaction than male employees. The changes in WFC and FWC after working from home have mediation effects on the relationship between gender and the changes in stress and job satisfaction. Our study provides a better understanding and prediction of the impact of working from home by focusing on exogenous transitions to WFH due to the pandemic, moving beyond self-selected samples in previous studies. Besides, our study contributes to the literatures on work-family interface and remote work by addressing the gender gap in the earlier research. Furthermore, our study has implications for organizational policies that alleviate the burden on employees, especially female employees.

Coming together after genocide: How openness to communication about conflict experiences shapes willingness for social integration in post genocide Rwanda.

Coming together after genocide: How openness to communication about conflict experiences shapes willingness for social integration in post genocide Rwanda.

Conflict between a captain and star player: An ethnodrama of interpersonal conflict experiences

Within sports psychology, researchers have explored intrapersonal conflict, and how individuals perceived to be “problematic players” can create conflict in a team environment. We present an exploration of the psychosocial processes of a case of interpersonal conflict that occurred in an elite sports environment. The case centers on Warwickshire cricket club’s successful, treble-winning season in 1994, and focuses on the conflict that occurred throughout that season between club captain, Dermot Reeve and star batsman Brian Lara. The data sources used in this study were the autobiographical accounts of the captain and star player, supplemented by autobiographical accounts from the coach and a third player, and subsequent interviews with seven other players from the team. We first adopt the role of story-analysts, by undertaking a thematic analysis of data and then the role of story-tellers via the development of an ethnodrama, developed to illustrate the conflict between Reeve and Lara. The dialogue within the ethnodrama highlighted some of the determinants of these conflicts and the resulting consequences from multiple perspectives of those involved. Recommendations are offered in terms of interpersonal conflict and the potential use of ethnodrama as a pedagogic resource. Lay summary: Using autobiographies and player interviews, we studied conflict within one of the most successful sports teams in history. The data are presented as an ethnodrama to showcase the complexity of conflict, encourage reader engagement with the results, and promote discourse on varied perspectives on conflict. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE This work provides a novel insight into the conflict between a captain and star player occurring in an elite environment. The ethnodrama allows readers to understand the determinants and consequences of conflict from multiple perspectives. The ethnodrama could be used as a resource to develop shared understanding, create empathy for different perspectives between individuals in conflict, and stimulate discussion as an educational resource in performance domains.

Family Functioning in Humanitarian Contexts: Correlates of the Feminist-Grounded Family Functioning Scale among Men and Women in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

In humanitarian contexts, family functioning may have a positive influence on outcomes of mental health and wellbeing for both children and adults. This study sought to adapt and explore an existing family functioning measure for use in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Cross-sectional data were collected from 394 respondents (196 men and 198 women) in North Kivu, DRC. The Feminist-Grounded Family Functioning Scale was developed through qualitative research and cognitive testing which conceptualized a healthy and functioning family as one without gender and power hierarchies. Generalized linear mixed models stratified by gender assessed the association between family functioning and demographics, conflict experiences, and correlates of interest including gender attitudes, acceptance of harsh discipline, positive parenting, and power sharing. In the final adjusted models, family functioning among women was associated with positive parenting (β = 0.32, p = 0.009) and power sharing (β = 0.24, p < 0.001), but attitudes around gender and harsh discipline did not retain their significant association. Similarly, men’s family functioning was significantly associated with positive parenting (β = 0.41, p = 0.011) and power sharing (β = 0.16, p = 0.014). Results suggest that family functioning is positively associated with behaviors indicative of non-violent and equitable relationships between family members, but that behaviors might be attenuating the influence of attitudes on family functioning, as the significant association between attitudes and family functioning in the univariate models was not retained in the full models accounting for both behaviors and attitudes. Further research is needed to capture the context-specific nuances of family functioning and to understand the influence of gender and power hierarchies for families in conflict settings.

Between Words and Silence

This article tackles the risks of digitization of sensitive collections and the ethical limits of open access. Research into experience of conflicts and violence requires the submerging into a world of local taboos and practices that usually remain within the sphere of cultural intimacy. Similarly, the digitization of sensitive collections can grant an un-curated uncontrolled access to realms which should be handled with ethical awareness and sensitivity. We focus on two case-studies referring to the Podhale, a region in the Tatra Mountains inhabited by local people called Górale. The first one is the archive of Nazi anthropological photography and documentation recently rediscovered at the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA). Its digitization in 2007 marked the start of a research project on WWII anthropology in Podhale, evoking at the same time an ardent and emotional debate among both scholars and the Górale community. The most serious issues referred to the impact of the digitized photographs on the present-day collective memory of the Górale. In fact, till the archive’s discovery and digitization, the episode of Nazi racial research was literally cast out from local history and memory. In this article we will ask how to deal with such materials and conduct research among people, for whom such documentation invokes unwanted and traumatic experiences. The second case-study focuses on contemporary memory conflicts related to the anti-communist guerrilla group “B?yskawica” (Lightning) operating in the aftermath of WWII on the Polish-Slovak border in the Tatra Mountains region. Accused by communist authorities of war-crimes, these partisans were officially rehabilitated only in the aftermath of the Polish Revolution of 1989. Memories about “B?yskawica” are still very vivid in this region evoking conflicting feelings from undisputed glorification to total condemnation. This article will inquire into the ambiguous digital discourses in the social media around such conflicting memories build on digitized resources from the archives of the former secret police (now deposited at the Institute of National Remembrance; INR - Institut Pami?ci Narodowej, IPN ). Both case-studies deal with a similar period, region, type of sources (archives produced in the past by the regime’s institutions of power). Both refer to the memory of experiences of violence, difficult choices, local conflicts, oppressive regimes and practices. We argue that the transition of such sensitive data into the digital realm raises the danger of manipulation by various interest groups, arbitrary defragmentation and reconfiguration. It can enliven and even reinforce old conflicts, generate new ones and even undermine the fragile social and cultural balance within a community.

Bringing science communication skills into the university classroom and back out again: What do palaeoscience educators think?

University-level pedagogy and public science communication both have the same broad goal: to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and understanding from a specialist or expert, to a non-specialist group. Recent research has emphasised the need for there to be a two-way transfer or dialogue of ideas between these fields, but collaboration thus far is rare, particularly at the tertiary education level. Performing science outreach is mostly a voluntary service for academics, and institutions provide little in the way of support, training or recognition. Here I explore the potential for a positive feedback loop between science communication and higher-education pedagogy in the palaeosciences. A synthesis of best practises in science outreach is drawn from the literature and related to pedagogical concepts and findings. The resulting congruences suggest enormous potential for ‘cross-pollination' of ideas between the fields. However, in-depth one-on-one interviews and focus groups with palaeoscience educators, as well as an online survey, indicate that this potential remains largely untapped in the palaeosciences community. While respondents could identify certain skills as being integral to success in science communication, they did not appear to realise that the same skills, when applied in the classroom, could contribute towards key challenges in higher education today, including the stimulation of student engagement and motivation, the accommodation of an increasingly diverse student body, the anticipation of common student misconceptions in science, and the improvement of pedagogical models of delivery. Another emergent theme was that being a good science communicator was “much simpler” than being a good teacher, conflicting with evidence-based pedagogical and outreach research. While many palaeoscientists did express strong commitments to science communication, they had previous experience of time constraints and conflicts with other academic responsibilities. Therefore, both palaeoscientists and their institutions would benefit from viewing science communication as a valuable and formally rewardable activity within the scholarship of sharing knowledge, which also contributes to other aspects of a successful academic career.

A Cross-Sectional, Exploratory Study on the Impact of Night Shift Work on Midwives' Reproductive and Sexual Health.

Background: Shift work is the basis for health care system functioning. The non-standard schedules enforce abrupt changes in the timing of sleep and light-dark exposure. It can contribute to the increased risk of various medical conditions, including reproductive and sexual health issues. The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of shift work with night shifts on midwives’ reproductive and sexual health. Methods: This cross-sectional, exploratory study included 520 midwives. A descriptive questionnaire was distributed in person (414) and online (106) from July 2019 to May 2020. We used the Female Sexual Function Index (PL-FSFI) standardized questionnaire and proprietary research tools (applicable to demographic and social data and reproductive health). All statistical calculations were performed with the IBM SPSS 23 statistical package. Results: Shift work affects midwives’ reproductive and sexual health. Midwives working night shifts are more likely to experience reproductive problems and sexual dysfunctions. The most pronounced differences are observed in the experience of infertility and the number of miscarriages. PL-FSFI results clearly showed the adverse impact of working shifts including night shifts on functioning in various dimensions of sexual health. Conclusion: Shift work negatively affects reproductive and sexual health and causes work-life conflict experience. It is necessary to develop procedures that minimize shift rotation and implement work schedules that allow for recuperation or rest and ensure proper family and social life.

« Les mères peuvent essayer de nouvelles recettes pour leurs familles ». COVID-19 en Malaisie, une fenêtre sur la négociation de la division prescrite du travail domestique lié à l'alimentation

A lockdown was declared in mid-March 2020 to curb the Covid-19 pandemic in Malaysia, a Southeast Asian society undergoing rapid modernization. Based on netnography, this study explores selected daily experiences of five professional women belonging to upper middle classes in Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area, through digital discourses on foodways during the lockdown. It unveils the reconfiguration of the public and private spaces, leading to re-negotiations of the prescribed division of domestic food-related labour in conjunction with the support from family members and community. Testimonies of conflicted experiences are reported by women dealing with ambivalent injunctions and simultaneous implications for the social organisation of meals, specifically commodification and aesthetisation of the food preparation. All in all, the March 2020 Covid-19 lockdown provides a unique lens on the negotiations of prescribed division of domestic food- related work for the professional women in modernizing Malaysia.

The Harmony Pattern through Huma Betang Culture of the Dayak Communities in Central Kalimantan

Indonesia is somewhat affluent with conflict experiences due to differences in various backgrounds. The poorly managed religious, tribal, and cultural heterogeneities have become threats. Accordingly, the harmony amid heterogeneity in Central Kalimantan has become an interesting phenomenon. The harmony has fairly solid foundations, and one of them is the cultural base. This article aims to explore the cultural base that has become the foundation for the creation of harmony and the interaction between the community leaders in building harmony. The method used was qualitative-descriptive using empirical and normative approaches. The data was collected through observations, in-depth interviews, and documentation. They were further analyzed by using Miles and Huberman’s models. This article found that huma betang has become a fairly solid cultural base in preserving community harmony. The interaction between community leaders, religious leaders, and indigenous leaders has become a supporting factor to maintain harmony in Central Kalimantan. This article is still limited to cultural harmony. Therefore, it calls for other perspectives to further enrich and deepen the study.

Implementing genomics in the neonatal period: An assessment of parental decision making and anxiety.

As uptake of rapid genome sequencing (GS) in the neonatal period steadily increases, a clinical genetics service that is optimized to the needs of parents becomes increasingly important. We aimed to investigate factors that influence decision making about rapid GS by parents of infants admitted to neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and explore their experiences of decisional conflict and anxiety during this time. Parents of neonates suspected of having a genetic disorder and offered rapid GS in the NICU completed a questionnaire measuring experience with GS counseling, decisional conflict, and anxiety level. Our results demonstrate that despite a largely positive GS experience (70%; 21/30) among the survey respondents, 50.0% (14/28) experienced moderate to severe anxiety measured using the GAD-7 scale, and 34.6% (9/26) experienced decisional conflict measured using the SURE scale. We also showed that prematurity may be a modifier of anxiety in this group of parents and although not statistically significant, distance lived away from the hospital site could have practical significance. Open-ended responses to survey questions highlighted that feeling overwhelmed, the types of engagements parents had with healthcare providers, and the timing of information provision also influenced parental decision making in this setting. We suggest that the GAD-7 scale for generalized anxiety and SURE scale for decisional conflict could be incorporated by genetic counselors into routine care of parents of neonates who have been offered rapid GS to identify those who may need additional support (resources, information, or psychological). These tools may inform ways that communication between patients and providers can be improved and enhanced and clinical genetics services in the NICU can be optimized. We suggest that integrating genetic counselors into the NICU care team could increase access for this population and ensure delivery of optimized patient education and counseling.

Mindfulness buffers the deleterious effects of workaholism for work-family conflict

RationaleWorkaholism logically corresponds to the experience of work-family conflict (WFC) which is associated with a wide variety of negative employee outcomes. Finding ways to mitigate the occurrence of workaholism and/or lessen its deleterious effects on the work-family interface is practically important. Mindfulness research may hold some promise in this regard. ObjectiveWe explore the potential that mindfulness - through its association with accuracy and salience of present moment experience and disengagement from automatic thoughts and debilitating behavior - may buffer the effects of workaholic tendencies on the experience of WFC. MethodsWe use a two-study design (total n = 1022) to examine the role of dispositional mindfulness and mindfulness practice on the workaholism-WFC relationship. ResultsResults suggest that (1) trait mindfulness buffers the workaholism-WFC relationship (Study 1; n = 307), and that (2) mindfulness practice and mindfulness training similarly buffer this relationship (Study 2; n = 715). ConclusionMindfulness effectively serves as a buffer in the relationship between workaholism and WFC.

Teachers Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Goal Conflicts Affect Teaching Motivation Mediated by Basic Need Satisfaction.

Teaching is a highly demanding profession that requires handling multiple and potentially contradictory goals. Therefore, it is likely that teachers experience conflict between work-related goals on a daily basis. Intraindividual goal conflict may occur when individuals pursue multiple goals drawing on the same limited resources (resource-based goal conflict), or when two or more goals are incompatible in terms of goal attainment strategy or desired end states (inherent goal conflict). Because goal conflict is typically associated with negative effects such as attenuated motivation and wellbeing, teacher goal conflict may jeopardize teaching motivation. This cross-sectional study investigated the effects of in-service teachers’ (N = 302) goal conflicts on their autonomous (intrinsic and identified regulation) and controlled (introjected and extrinsic regulation) teaching motivation and tested the satisfaction of teachers’ basic need for autonomy, competence, and relatedness as mediators. In line with our hypotheses, results from structural equation modeling showed that frequently experiencing resource-based goal conflict leads to a lower satisfaction of the basic need for autonomy, which, however, was unrelated to teaching motivation. In contrast, frequently experiencing inherent goal conflict attenuates the satisfaction of the basic need for competence, which, in turn, positively predicted autonomous teaching motivation and negatively predicted extrinsic regulation. As expected, relatedness was not associated with the experience of goal conflict. The discussion focuses on differential effects of the two types of goal conflict on teaching motivation and on the relevance to expand research on teachers’ intraindividual goal conflicts.

‘They count us among the dead’: ageing women’s experiences of intergenerational conflict in a changing rural economy in sub-Saharan Africa

Rural economies in sub-Saharan Africa are rapidly changing. While these changes are viewed by policymakers as rural development, limited attention has been paid to how this transformation has precipitated intergenerational conflict. This qualitative research examines the consequences of a rapidly changing cash-crop economy on women’s ageing experiences. Based on a purposive sample of 14 participants, I argue that while agrarian rural development has led to strong marketisation practices aimed at accumulating capital and alleviating poverty, it has also contributed to tension between young people and those ageing in rural villages, most especially older women. This tension has created a sense of invisibility among older women, which some described as ‘being counted among the dead’. Through an inductive analysis of participants’ life stories, three overarching themes are discussed to reveal older women’s experiences of intergenerational conflict: marketisation and distorted land relations; labels of disconnect and broken social bonds; and destructive leisure consumerism. With a focus on Uganda, the paper contributes to articulating new dimensions to older women’s experiences of material and non-material deprivation within shared resource bases in transitioning rural economies of sub-Saharan Africa.

A Study on the Psychological Conflict Experience in the Family Disorganization Process of Christian Adolescents

A Study on the Psychological Conflict Experience in the Family Disorganization Process of Christian Adolescents