Janne Sihvonen

Mental health and neurocognitive performance of adults with Asperger syndrome

The aim of this study was to explore the psychiatric symptoms, the need for psychosocial support and the neurocognitive profile of adults with Asperger syndrome. The sample comprised 20 adults with Asperger syndrome and 25 healthy adults. The psychiatric symptoms were evaluated with the SCL-90 Questionnaire. WAIS-III was used to explore neurocognitive performance. Adults with Asperger syndrome had significantly more psychiatric symptoms in all subscales of the SCL-90. Over half of the adults with Asperger syndrome had received a diagnosis of mild or moderate depression and had undergone outpatient psychiatric treatment. The neurocognitive performance of adults with Asperger syndrome was within normal distribution, but the profile was uneven and showed individual variation. The processing speed was low, but the attention to visual details was strong. The results bring further understanding to the challenges in need of support of this special group. Both psychiatric and neurocognitive factors need to be acknowledged in rehabilitation planning.

Keywords: Asperger syndrome, autism,  mental health, psychosocial support, neurocognitive performance

Pia Pihlajasaari, Taru Feldt, Saija Mauno, Anna-Maija Lämsä & Mari Huhtala

Two year follow-up results for exploring the role of ethical organizational culture in managers’ job turnover

This study investigated the associations between managers’ evaluations on the ethical culture of their organizations and their job turnover intentions in 2009 and between job turnovers in 2011. Altogether 902 managers working in different occupational fields responded to a questionnaire in 2009. Job turnover study (in 2011) included 453 managers, of whom 85 managers had voluntarily changed their job during the follow-up period. The ethical organizational culture was measured with the 58-item Corporate Ethical Virtues Scale (Kaptein, 2008; for the Finnish version, see Huhtala, 2013). Results showed that the higher the evaluations of ethical culture, the less job turnover intentions were reported in 2009.The results of thetwo-year follow-up study showed that the higher the evaluations of the virtues of managers’ and supervisors’ congruency in 2009, the less job turnover was reported two years later. In sum, it is important to promote the ethical organizational culture to enhance the managers’ commitment to their organizations.

Keywords: ethical organizational culture, turnover intentions, job turnover, managers

References:

Huhtala, M. (2013). Virtues that work: Ethical organisational culture as a context for occupational well-being and personal work goals. Väitöskirja. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto. Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research, 479.

Kaptein, M. (2008). Developing and testing a measure for the ethical culture of organizations: The Corporate Ethical Virtues model. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 29, 923–947.

Elina Botha, Marja Kaunonen & Anna Liisa Aho

Peer support groups and their consequences – Parents’ experiences after the death of a child

The purpose of this study was to achieve knowledge of parents’ experiences and consequences of peer support groups after the death of a child. The data was collected from parents who have experienced the death of a child after their participation in four KÄPY – Lapsikuolemaperheet ry (Child Death Association) family weekend camps. The research data consists of 69 parents’ responses. The data was analyzed by inductive content analysis.

Peer support groups were experienced by the parents as a possibility to pause by the loss, as richness of community, equal interaction and being alone among others. Pausing by the loss included a possibility for the parents to grieve, remember and to deal with the loss. The richness of community included a sense of belonging and receiving understanding in the group. Parents experienced an atmosphere of acceptance and also receiving and giving support in the group. Equal interaction contained genuine conversation and sharing together. Being alone among others included unfairness, comparison, feeling left out in conversations and being left alone in the group. The consequences parents experienced in attending a peer support group included coping, adapting and change in processes of mind and body. Coping and adapting included moving forward in life and increased coping of the whole family. The changes in mind and body included increased self-searching, increased fears and anxiety and physical symptoms.

The findings add knowledge of experiences and consequences of peer support groups after traumatic events. The findings can be utilized in supporting grieving parents and organizing peer support groups.

Keywords: peer support group, experience, parents and death of a child