Background: While military settings may increase psychological distress, soldiers frequently avoid seeking professional help. This study aimed to examine barriers and facilitators associated with intentions to seek help and actually seeking help from a mental health officer (MHO) and how these differ among soldiers who had sought help in the past and those who had not. Method: This cross-sectional study included 263 combat and noncombat soldiers. The Health Belief Model and the Help-Seeking Model were the theoretical framework used to map the potential variables associated with soldiers' decision to seek help. Results: Stigma and administrative barriers were found to be significant barriers to both the intention to seek help and actually consulting an MHO. These findings were more definitive among combat soldiers. The belief in the effectiveness of mental health treatment was positively associated with the intention to seek help. Positive associations were found between well-being, perceived seriousness of one's condition, and belief in the effectiveness of mental health care and intention to seek MHO help. Distress and self-concealment were positively associated with actual consultation with an MHO. Public stigma about seeking help was associated with both the intention to seek mental health assistance and actually consulting an MHO. Conclusion: Military commanders should make an effort to make soldiers feel safe to seek mental health assistance by creating a supportive organizational atmosphere to reduce the stigma associated with mental health care.

Background: Parents’ promotion of autonomous decision-making (PADM) is essential for adolescents with disabilities and constitutes the basis for maturation of self-determination (SD). SD develops based on adolescents’ capacities and the opportunities offered to them at home and at school, to make personal decisions regarding their life. Aim: Examine the associations between the PADM and SD of adolescents with disabilities from their own perspective and that of their parents. Method: Sixty-nine adolescents with disabilities and one of their parents completed a self-report questionnaire including PADM and SD scales. Outcomes: The findings showed associations between parents’ and adolescents’ reports of PADM, and opportunities for SD at home. PADM was associated with capacities for SD among adolescents. Gender differences were also apparent, with both adolescent girls and their parents reporting higher ratings of SD than adolescent boys. Conclusions: Parents who promote autonomous decision-making among their adolescent children with disabilities start a virtuous circle by offering greater opportunities for SD within the home. In turn, these adolescents rate their SD as higher, and communicate this perspective to their parents. Consequently, their parents offer them more opportunities for autonomous decision-making at home, thus enhancing their SD.

מחקר זה התמקד בחוויות, חסמים והזדמנויות בהשתלבותם של בוגרים עם לקויות למידה מורכבות בגיל העבודה במסגרות תעסוקה. המחקר ניסה להתחקות אחר ממדים שונים של חסמים שחווים אנשים עם לקויות למידה מורכבות, ובכללם כאלה הנוגעים לחסמים אישיים, חסמים סביבתיים ומשפחתיים, חסמים הנובעים מיחס המעסיק וסביבת העבודה וכאלה הנובעים ממדיניות מקומית וארצית. לצד אלה ביקש המחקר ללמוד על גורמים הנתפסים כחוויות חיוביות של משתתפי המחקר במקומות עבודתם (מתוך המאמר)

Background: Following the convention on the rights of persons with disabilities (CRPD), various countries have recently amended their legal capacity laws with the aim of restricting the use of guardianship and increasing the use of other, less restrictive practices, mainly supported decision making. As social workers have a key role in carrying out these reforms, this study examines how Israeli social workers make legal capacity-related decisions. Method: Semi-structured interviews with 27 Israeli social workers. Results: Thematic analysis identified three factors driving social workers' recommendations regarding guardianship and supported decision-making: the person's diagnosis and functioning level, and the presence of a supportive family. A fourth factor, the person's preferences, played a complex and more limited role. Conclusions: Many changes have yet to be made to fully apply the support paradigm in Israel, since social workers still tend to base their recommendations on factors not fully aligned with the CRPD.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken to contain it have had a disproportionate impact on families with young children, especially with disabilities. This study examined factors associated with burden and growth among parents of young children in Israel, while comparing parents of children with and without disabilities. We hypothesized that the association between family functioning, informal social support, and perceived adequacy of educational services and burden and growth would be moderated by disabilities. An online questionnaire was completed by 675 parents of young children, 95 of them with disability. The moderating effect of disability on burden and growth was examined using PROCESS. Compared to parents of children without disabilities, greater burden was found among parents of children with disabilities, but levels of growth were similar. External support was lacking for both parent groups. Educational services were perceived as severely inadequate. Lower perceived adequate educational services were associated with greater burden. On the other hand, higher levels of family functioning (i.e., family cohesion and adaptability) and greater adequacy of educational services were associated with growth. The results show that while burden was greater for parents of children with disabilities, growth during the COVID-19 period was possible for parents of both groups. The findings also pointed to the importance of the family system for sustaining the wellbeing of its members in lockdown situations. Put together, the findings highlight the importance of planning for such national and global emergencies.

We examined social workers' recommendations regarding the possible appointment of a guardian, a supported decision maker (SDM), or neither for persons with disabilities. Social workers (N = 328) were presented with four vignettes that contained factors potentially relevant to guardianship and SDM judgments. They expressed higher support of SDM and maintaining the status quo (without a guardian or SDM) and lower support for guardianship. Social workers were more likely to recommend guardianship when the person depicted in the vignette was labeled as having an intellectual disability, needed support in decision-making, lacked familial support, and agreed to guardianship. They were more inclined to support the status quo for individuals with mental illness, when there was little need for decision-making support, when the family was supportive, and when the individual refused guardianship. Social workers who had not heard of the SDM reform, and those with positive attitudes toward guardianship, supported guardianship. Findings are discussed in light of the status and functional approaches to guardianship and the relational notion of autonomy. As part of the SDM reform, decision-making capacity should not be assessed based on diagnosis or on independent decision-making, but rather on the ability to make decisions when receiving appropriate support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).