Introduction: Since 2018, the development of apprenticeship training has been the focus of public authorities. Preventing training dropouts has become a major objective for those involved in the apprentice sector.. Objective: This contribution presents an action-research that formalizes a prevention scheme for disruptions in apprenticeship contracts by developmental psychology researchers in partnership, with psychologists and stakeholders in the apprenticeship world. Method: The article reviews the findings of research on the phenomenon of contract termination, emphasizing the issues of social recognition during adolescence. It presents the approach that led to the development of the methodology, based on the implementation of discussion groups with apprentices and professional training groups for trainers conducted by a psychologist. Results: The survey conducted among apprentices shows that discussion groups have three psychological functions: the group as support for the construction of a socio-professional identity, a space for self-recognition, and a vehicle for developing a sense of belonging to a valued community. These results suggest a need to change our perspective on the phenomenon of training dropout by revealing the essential role of relationships with others during adolescence. Conclusion: The discussion emphasizes the risks of the instrumentalization of this type of device, the specificity, and the ethical and deontological issues inherent to the position of the psychologist who intervenes in the context of a social request for the prevention of a phenomenon that raises questions due to its human and financial implications.
The generic scale for measuring conspiracy beliefs does not capture the complexity, diversity of content, or level of emotional involvement of conspiracy beliefs associated with concrete objects in the field of public health. The aim of this article was to develop and validate a measure of conspiracy beliefs in public health, inspired by the Generic Conspiracist Beliefs Scale (GCBS, Brotherton et al., 2013). Data were collected via a questionnaire from the general French-speaking population (n = 1630). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses conducted on two independent subsamples reveal a unidimensional structure of the 6-item scale, with satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity indices. In addition, conspiracy beliefs were negatively associated with the perceived effectiveness of preventive measures, confirming the concurrent validity of the scale. The validated scale provided accurate identification of public health issues around which conspiracy theories arise. Knowledge of the intensity of conspiracy beliefs about these issues can help develop specific, explicit, and informative prevention messages about them, which may reduce adherence to conspiracy theories, increase trust in prevention measures, and encourage protective behaviors.
Introduction: This article examines professional practices in the care and support of homeless individuals in France within a neoliberal context. It sheds light on the role of mobile outreach teams, an emerging and rapidly expanding intervention model. The study underscores the importance of fostering reflexivity in professional practices in order to promote socially grounded approaches to support. Objective: To explore the social representations that underpin the practices of mobile outreach teams working with homeless populations, with the aim of deepening the understanding of how social workers perceive both their supportive role and the people they assist. Method: A qualitative study was conducted with professionals from four mobile outreach teams. Semi-structured interviews were used to enable an in-depth analysis of the participants' representations and professional perspectives. Results: Nine key themes were identified as structuring the social representations of support and of the target population among the interviewed professionals. These themes converge around two main findings: the professionals tend to focus on the internal dimensions of homeless individuals, thereby adopting a dispositional representation of homelessness. The helping relationship, along with the dynamics of influence that emerge within it, plays a central role in their practices. Conclusion: The analysis reveals that professional practices are shaped by social representations embedded in a neoliberal ideological framework. This raises critical questions about the capacity of such practices to either mitigate or reproduce social inequalities.
Introduction: One of the objectives in current psychology research is to improve the understanding of the therapeutic process. To that extent, attention has been paid to the significant events, which means, the identified important moments which would constitute the most successful moments of the therapeutic process. Objective: The objective of this study is to improve the understanding of the important moments occurring during therapy, by confronting the perspectives of patients, therapists, and external observers. Method: A semi-structured interview was then conducted to identify a significant event and investigate the reasons for its choice, the thoughts and emotions experienced during the significant event, as well as its meaning for patients, therapists, and observers. The Working Alliance Inventory enabled an evaluation of the level of agreement between patients and therapists. Results: Qualitative data showed an agreement and a sequential match between the identified significant events. Every participant associated the significant event with emotional arousal, a moment of communication and comprehension elements. Patients and observers also pointed out a communication function. Therapists and observers highlighted that the significant event marks a break with the usual course of the therapy session. Conclusion: Patients and therapists expressed both similar and divergent views about the significant events' experience and future contribution, due to their subjectivity. Observers look at the significant events more objectively.
