BCC Professor and UMass Amherst Grad Student Study 'Social Resilience'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) Professor of Psychology Wayne Klug and University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate student David Wasielewski Study 'Social Resilience as a factor in healing for trauma patients.
 
Wasielewski, who recently completed a master's degree in public policy and administration, was a BCC student when he initiated the idea for a study investigating this topic. 
 
After surviving a stroke sixteen years ago, he became a patient in the rehabilitation unit at Berkshire Medical Center (BMC). There, he was struck by the difference between patients who appeared eager to heal and others who seemed lost in depression. He wondered if resilience might be a factor in motivation, with less resilient patients inclined toward depression.
 
In order to test this theory, he and Klug partnered with BMC to design a study that explored whether patients' self-reported resilience scores would predict motivation ratings given to them by therapists. Together, they recently presented their findings at the New England Psychological Association (NEPA) Annual Conference. 
 
The NEPA conference brings together those interested in psychological science and the teaching of psychology to focus on empirical research, as well as best practices and innovations in teaching.
 
Fifty-four adult trauma patients in the study, including 25 inpatients and 29 outpatients, responded to a 33- item resilience scale. The scale provides scores for six components of resilience, comprising three "personal" components (perception of self, perception of future and structured style) and three "social" components (social competence, family cohesion and social resources).
 
Results indicate that "socially competent" inpatients display greater motivation to heal and suggest the same may be true for outpatients who find support from social resources in the community. These two closely related concepts, which together can be called "social resilience," stand in contrast to the scale's "personal" components, which show no significant connection with motivation in the study.
 
"The finding is interesting as it suggests that healing may be more of a social process than a personal one," Klug said, noting that the study undermines the concept of "rugged individualism" as the crucial factor in recovery. Instead, it highlights the role of social factors such as enjoying the company of others and forming supportive friendships.   
 
Klug and Wasielewski's study may lead to future related research, including an examination of how the differences in patients' social contexts—in the hospital or at home—account for differing results between inpatients and outpatients. "We also wonder if rehabilitation hospitals might develop therapeutic interventions aimed at boosting all patients' social resilience," Klug said.
 
The study is part of a 20-year program in which Klug has partnered with students to examine questions important to them, and to present reports of their findings. For example, "Reproducing Inequality" identified students' high school "track"—and not socio-economic status alone—as predicting life outcomes, and "Cognitive Dissonance in Iraq War Veterans" found that American soldiers who had killed Iraqis disparaged not their victims but American civilians. Several of these studies have been presented at regional or national conferences, and some have been published

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Stop & Shop Boosts BCC Food Pantry by $7,500

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Posing with the 'big check' Wednesday are BCC program coordinator Meghan Donnelly, in pink, and Stop & Shop's Shannon Karafian, holding the check. To Karafian's right are SGA's Ash Smith and David Castegnaro.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Stop & Shop boosted Berkshire Community College's food pantry by $7,500, providing students with nutritional stability while focusing on education.

Late last year, Stop & Shop donated $7,500 in gift cards to BCC for its Campus Cupboard, making it the 50th college partner of the grocery's School Food Pantry Program. This stocked the on-campus pantry with food and toiletry items available for any student or staff member in need.

"The dedication that we have seen from the staff here, not just in preparing for today's event, but their commitment all year round to supporting the students here has been just truly a sight to see," said Shannon Karafian, the grocer's School Food Pantry program manager, noting "We know there's a need."

BCC's essential needs coordinator Meghan Donnelly said the donation, made in November, has tremendously impacted the college community and will be instrumental in assuring the pantry shelves have a variety of stock.

"We were thrilled to have the money," explaining that the grocery chain took care of the Wednesday's events marking the donation, including a cooking lesson and goodie bags.

"… They have just been absolutely wonderful with supporting us, and we're super, super grateful for their collaboration."

Donnelly is glad to see "quite a bit of growth" in the panty this year and noted the students' kindness and consideration around it. She often hears them worry that someone else might need it more.

"We really want to kind of eliminate that, eliminate the stigma with using this, because students are working so hard and are putting in a lot of hours, a lot of various roles that they're playing," she said.

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