The perceived fairness of financial arrangements following divorce and repartnering have significant ramifications for social policy and family well-being, yet relatively little is known about public opinion regarding the extent of stepparents' financial responsibility towards stepchildren's living costs. This study investigated perceptions of stepfathers' obligation to financially support stepchildren using quantitative and qualitative methods, and built on previous research by including contextual variables to explore the processes underpinning judgements of kinship responsibilities using a distributive justice framework. Data from a community sample in Western Australia (N = 200) showed a large amount of variability in responses, however most participants believed stepfathers should contribute financially to some extent. Significant reductions in perceived obligations were associated with both cohabiting relationship status and maternal employment, but not with the presence of prior child support commitments by the stepfather. This study highlights the heterogeneity and complexity of attitudes around this issue and associated social policies.

Australia is working towards a National Open Disclosure Standard in which all adverse incidents are disclosed to patients in all health-care facilities in the country. Among the many good reasons for this approach, one that has not attracted attention is the possibility that disclosure of an adverse incident may moderate its impact on the recovery and general health of patients. In this article, we discuss this perspective with reference to relevant psychological and physiological literature. In the absence of existing research that pursues this specific hypothesis on disclosure and health effects, we called on the extensive evidence that analogous traumatic events can lead to a prolonged state of negative affect and hyperarousal that are deleterious to recovery and health. This state is called 'unforgiveness' by some psychologists. Research suggests that unforgiveness can be alleviated if people who feel aggrieved forgive those they blame for the harm. Forgiving is a complex process, but there is evidence that it is promoted by an apologetic response that incorporates expressions of responsibility, regret and intended action. With the exception of responsibility, these components are part of open disclosure as envisaged in the Standard. We conclude that there is preliminary support from the psychological and physiological literature for further investigation of the hypothesis that disclosure can moderate the recovery and health of patients after an adverse incident, provided that the disclosure incorporates an admission of responsibility.

It is possible that the physical and mental health of crime victims might be improved by forgiving those who have offended against them. To date, no research has been undertaken to examine the processes that influence victims' forgiveness. The goal of this project was to examine the forgiveness process in primary and secondary victims of violent and sexual crimes. In Study 1, qualitative data were collected by interviewing 21 people who had been affected by sexual or other violent crime. Data analysis identified five themes that were common to both primary and secondary victims, namely benefit of forgiveness, self-forgiveness, perspective taking, offender behaviour, and time. An empowerment theme was unique to primary victims, and a principal victim theme was unique to secondary victims. To further explore these qualitative findings, a quantitative survey of 60 primary and secondary victims was conducted. Results confirmed that primary victims are pragmatic forgivers who are internally focused and forgive because that will benefit their healing. Conversely, secondary victims did not think forgiveness benefited, or would impact on, their own or the primary victim's recovery process. Neither group saw forgiveness as a moral issue, nor thought that forgiveness should influence whether an offender should face court.

Personal fable aspects of adolescent cognitive egocentrism reflected in individuals\u27 beliefs of omnipotence, invulnerability, and uniqueness, were examined in relation to cigarette smoking and stage of change status. A component of the Trans-Theoretical Model (TTM) of behaviour change, the stages of change maintain that current smokers consist of two groups – those who prefer to disregard the disincentives of smoking (pre-contemplators) and those who recognise these disincentives (contemplators). A Stages of Change Scale and the New Personal Fable Scale (NPFS) were administered to 249 university students aged 17 to 25 (M = 19.09 years, SD = 2.00). Pre-contemplative smokers had higher scores on the omnipotence subscale of the NPFS than contemplative smokers, suggesting that this personal fable could obstruct forward stage of change movement. Ex-smokers also had higher scores on the omnipotence and invulnerability subscales of the NPFS than individuals who have never smoked. Together, the findings suggest personal fable ideation is a salient smoking cessation variable and current conceptualisations of this construct need to be re-examined. Further, these results might explain the ineffectiveness of interventions underpinned by the TTM among adolescents. To extend the findings, prospective research is recommended

No abstract

In this article, we present a mixed method study that we undertook as part of a programme of research to explore the utility of the multidimensional theory of apology developed by Slocum et al. in explaining the function of apologies in family group conferences, healing circles, juvenile justice conferencing and victim offender mediation [Slocum, D., Allan, A., \u26 Allan, M.M. (2011). An emerging theory of apology. Australian Journal of Psychology, 62(2), 83-92]. Slocum et al. theorize that an acceptable apology consists of at least one of three components, each of which has a focus continuum that ranges from an exclusive self focus to a self-other focus. The results of Experiment One were counterintuitive in that participants rated the offender significantly more sorrowful and perceived the offender to be significantly more focused on the needs of victims in the self-focused condition than in the self-other-focused condition. The analysis of the qualitative data, however, indicated that participants perceived the formulation of the self-other apology as demeaning and not age appropriate, and this may have influenced the quantitative findings. When the vignette was changed in Experiment Two to address these limitations, the self-other apology was significantly more likely to be rated as sincere and acceptable than the self-focused apology. The association between apology focus and forgiveness, however, was not significant. An investigation of the qualitative data suggests that this may be because some people forgive for their own sake and not that of the offender. Together the results of the study indicate that the multidimensional theory can be useful to guide both research and practice in respect of juvenile justice

Home education is a legal educational option in Australia that continues to rise in popularity. This paper summarises the demographics and influences upon the decision to home educate of 385 home education families from Australia, representing 676 children who were home educated at the time of questionnaire completion. The research suggests female caregivers with higher levels of educational achievement than the general population predominantly coordinate home education. Some families eschewed mainstream education for philosophical reasons whilst others home educated due to perceived necessity. However, characteristic of both groups was the belief that the current education system was unable to provide a learning environment that would meet the educational and psychosocial needs of their children. This was not specific to a particular population of students but included those who were gifted children, or those who had a mental health or neurodevelopmental disorder such as autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit /hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, intellectual disability and/or impairment in vision and hearing. This has clear implications for policy and resourcing, including in-service teacher training. It also raises questions in relation to the provision of funding for families who home educate their children.

who were involved in the planning of the research project and Ms Nicole Macdonald and Mr Daniel White for their research assistance.