Community Psychology

The model of prevention science advocated by the Institute of Medicine (P. J. Mrazek & R. J. Haggerty, 1994) has not lead to widespread adoption of prevention and promotion programs for four reasons. The model of dissemination of programs to communities fails to consider community and organizational capacity to implement programs, ignores the need for congruence in values between programs and host sites, displays a pro-innovation bias that undervalues indigenous practices, and assumes a simplistic model of how community organizations adopt innovations. To address these faults, researchers should locate, study, and help disseminate successful indigenous programs that fit community capacity and values. In addition, they should build on theoretical models of how locally developed programs work to make existing programs and polices more effective.

A collaborative school-based intervention aimed at modifying relationships among administrators and teachers was implemented in three middle and junior high schools. Across the intervention schools, teachers were active collaborators in identifying problems and then articulating and implementing customized interventions to redress those problems. Analyses of both teacher (N=180) and student (N=2,631) data provide support for positive outcomes. Teachers' perceptions of school climate improved, and longitudinal models suggested that these improvements mediated the impact of treatment on teacher reports of affiliation and academic focus. In addition, the treatment had a positive impact on teachers' perceptions of principal support, which led to improvements in teacher attitudes. Furthermore, students in the intervention schools reported improvements in school climate relative to students in the comparison schools. Taken together, these results suggest that a strategy of encouraging and supporting teacher-led interventions, customized to the needs and circumstances of each particular school, can successfully revitalize school settings, leading to improvements not only in school's climate, but also in the quality of interactions within the settings. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

La ricerca ha voluto applicare il modello ecologico  allo studio di una realtà locale. Lo scopo è stato individuare i fattori che caratterizzano la vita della comunità di immigrati dell’agro aversano. La realtà presa in esame è San Marcellino, piccolo paese della periferia Casertana, terra di criminalità, ingiustizia e immigrazione. È in questo territorio che a trovare la propria dimora è la comunità di musulmani maghrebini, che da anni risiede stabilmente in questi luoghi. Lo studio ha considerato molteplici livelli d’analisi, a partire da quello individuale a quello socio-ambientale, rintracciando i fattori promotori di benessere e all’opposto quelli di rischio. A tal fine, abbiamo utilizzato la Grounded Theory grazie alla quale siamo giunti a costruire teorie di riferimento a partire dalle interviste fornite dai partecipanti. Abbiamo poi considerato il ruolo del potere e della politica nell’informare il benessere di questa comunità, rintracciando i fattori che ci permettono di analizzare questioni solitamente non indagate, come ad esempio, l’inaccessibilità alle infrastrutture, una burocrazia rigida, assenza di tutele legislative. A fungere da supporto sociale è la presenza di associazioni di volontariato, e soprattutto, della moschea locale, luogo d’incontro, supporto e condivisione per eccellenza [Research has wanted to apply the ecological model to the study of a local reality. The aim was to identify the factors that characterize the lives of immigrant communities agro Aversa. The reality is examined San Marcellino, a small town on the outskirts Casertana, land of crime, injustice, and immigration. It is in this area that find their abode is the community of North African Muslims, who has been permanently resident in these places. The study looked at multiple levels of analysis, from the individual to the social environment, tracking factors promoters of welfare and those of the opposite risk. To this end, we used the Grounded Theory through which we have come to build theories of reference starting from interviews given by the participants. We then considered the role of power and politics in informing the welfare of this community, tracking the factors that allow us to analyze issues usually not investigated, for example, the inaccessibility to infrastructure, a rigid bureaucracy, lack of legislative protections . To act as social support is the presence of voluntary associations, and above all, of the local mosque, meeting place, support and sharing for excellence].