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Moral thinking and communication are critical competencies for confronting social dilemmas in a challenging world. We examined these moral competencies in 70 college students and graduates from Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants were assessed through semi-structured written interviews, Facebook group discussions, and a questionnaire. In this paper, we describe the similarities and differences across cultural groupings in (1) the social issues of greatest importance to the participants; (2) the factors influencing their approaches to thinking about social issues and communicating with others; and (3) the characteristics of their moral functioning in terms of moral awareness, moral judgment, moral discourse, and moral decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homelessness is growing internationally, and resources to guide occupational therapy practice in this area are needed. To identify competencies needed for occupational therapists to support individuals during and following homelessness. We conducted a three-round Delphi study with occupational therapy practitioners and researchers with expertise in homelessness. Of 35 potential participants, n = 16 participated in Round I, n = 20 participated in Round II, and n = 18 participated in Round III. Participants included occupational therapists and researchers in Canada, United States, Brazil, UK, Ireland and New Zealand. Consensus was achieved on a total of 93 competencies in 10 categories after 15 were eliminated in Rounds II and III. The categories with the greatest number of competencies included occupational knowledge (n = 18), followed by psychosocial competencies (n = 16). This study represents the first to identify the competencies needed for occupational therapists working in the area of homelessness. Practitioners and educators are encouraged to view the identified competencies as a guide for the professional development of occupational therapists in this context. Stakeholders consulted for this study were able to communicate in English and situated in middle to high-income countries. As such, the competencies identified in this study only apply to these sociocultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stuttering is a fluency disorder that is multidimensional because it involves more than speech difficulties. People who stutter can use the Internet to find out more about their condition and connect with other people in the same position, yet in Croatia, there are not nearly as many online sources on stuttering or as many possibilities to connect with other people who stutter as in the USA or Great Britain. If one does not speak English well, a lot of information about stuttering will simply be denied to them, especially to those who have never received speech therapy. The present study, the first of its kind in Croatia, was conducted in order to understand how often and for what reasons people who stutter search for Internet resources related to their condition. The study also assessed whether Internet use depended on age, experience with speech-language therapy, self-reported satisfaction with such therapy, and self-assessed severity of stuttering. An online questionnaire integrating the 9-Point Stuttering Severity Scale was developed for this study and administered to 51 individuals aged 18 years and older in Croatia. All collected data and findings on the internet searches come from the questionnaire. Age did not significantly affect the frequency or purpose of Internet searches. Individuals who were not attending speech therapy were more likely to search online sources about stuttering than those who received it before. People who rated their stuttering as severe were more likely to search online sources for stuttering than those who rated their condition as mild. These results suggest that there is a need for more useful, high-quality online content and materials in Croatian for people who stutter. Such resources would offer people who stutter a new world of support, mutual understanding, shared experiences and knowledge, and ways for them to help themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the impact of the perceptions of antisocial behaviour on the use of the social media platform Twitter. We extend the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) with the Perception of Antisocial Behaviour as a risk factor, and two supporting constructs: Strategic Self-Presentation and Protective Self-Presentation. We call this extended model Technology Acceptance and Use under Risk (TAUR). We investigate two groups via an online questionnaire, contrasting Anglophone countries (the UK, USA, and Canada, 200 responses), with Saudi Arabia (540 responses). In both cases the data shows that the Perception of Antisocial Behaviour impacts Twitter use, but not directly, rather it negatively impacts the influence of other factors such as Behavioural Intention – it also shows that this affects Anglophones more than Saudis. This indicates that future work should differentiate between different cultural groups, and different solutions may be needed to assuage users' fears in different parts of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent changes to clinical psychology training and supervision in Australia have been driven by a deliberate endeavour by regulatory authorities and professional bodies to align education and training with competency-based models of training, a development that is apparent internationally across health disciplines. A critical question is: how do reforms in Clinical Psychology training standards match international benchmarks for competency-based pedagogies? Objective: To outline key principles of competency-based pedagogies and to critically examine whether Australia's new standards and guidelines for accreditation of coursework, practicum requirements, and supervision are consistent with competency principles, and match similar guidelines proposed in the U.K. and the U.S.A. Method: Following a critical analysis of the extant literature, the authors highlight progress achieved, discuss major gaps and challenges, and examine the extent to which current accreditation changes constitute a reliable blueprint for the development of a competent psychology workforce for the country. Results and Conclusions: The current review indicates that in an overall sense, practitioner training in Australia is tracking well in comparison to international developments. Specifically, the decreased emphasis on the regulation of inputs (e.g., nature and type of coursework and practicum) is pedagogically sound and has the potential to promote training innovation and efficiencies. However, a revision of the current competency framework is required to underpin future progress. Also, the lack of reliable and valid competence instruments in combination with less than rigorous adherence to systematic, timely, and ecologically valid assessments constitute a major challenge and a serious threat to ensuring safe and competent psychology practice. What is already known about this topic: (1) Competency-based education and clinical training play important coordinated roles in ensuring the competence of clinical psychologists, consistent with the accreditation standards and registration requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia. (2) The Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC, 2019) have recently published new accreditation standards for psychology programs that are based on competency principles. (3) The shift to the new paradigm is both exciting and challenging. It is exciting because it provides opportunities for innovation; it is challenging because it demands systemic change. What this topic adds: (1) The current paper compares and contrasts current standards and guidelines for accreditation in Australia with their counterparts in the U.K. and the U.S.A. (2) Although significant progress has been made in Australia, additional implementation efforts should be taken to establish a comprehensive and authoritative competency framework, incorporating empirically-supported means of assessment. Such a framework should be fit-for-purpose providing a grid that maps shared and unique aspects of competencies across registration levels and specialised endorsements. (3) The progressive relaxing of input criteria has the potential to seriously compromise the commitment to safe and competent psychological practice if training institutions do not adopt a re-designed system of ecologically valid assessments both during training and at the point of entry to the profession. (4) The need to ensure competence is maintained throughout a psychologist's career will remain a major challenge, given the ongoing and rapid advance of science. A commitment to the competency-based approach provides the necessary scaffolding for ongoing professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study used parent-report data to explore cross-cultural similarities and differences in tic severity and reactions to tics across 223 children with Tourette's disorder (TD) from the United States, United Kingdom, and Netherlands/Norway. Psychometric properties of the TARS-PR and PTQ were also examined and results indicated that both measures may be suitable for assessing tic severity and the consequences of tics in these countries. No differences in parent-reported tic severity were found. However, parents of children with TD from the United Kingdom reported significantly more reactions to their child's tics than parents from the United States and Netherlands/Norway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]