Moderators of the Relationship Between Physical Activity and Alcohol Consumption in College Students

Abstract

Objective: Among college students, several studies have found a positive relationship between physical activity and alcohol use. The current study tested gender, Greek status, and ethnicity as potential moderators of the physical activity-alcohol use relationship. Participants: Participants were college freshmen (n = 310) endorsing alcohol/drug use. Methods: Students completed questionnaires assessing a number of health behaviors. Results: Results indicated that gender and Greek status were significant moderators of the relationship between physical activity and alcohol consumption. There was a positive relationship between physical activity and alcohol use for men and Greeks, but not for females and non-Greeks. Conclusions: These findings suggest that exercise does not serve as a protective factor for any of the subgroups of college students studied and is positively associated with drinking among college students who are men and/or involved with the Greek system.     

Victimization and suicidality among female college students

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the predictive role of victimization in suicidality among college women. Participants: Female respondents to the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment II (N = 258). Methods: Multivariate logistic regression analyses examined the relationship between victimization and suicidality. Results: Emotional victimization (odds ratio [OR] = 11.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.43, 57.19, p < .01), physical victimization (OR = 6.10, 95% CI = 1.49, 25.08, p < .05), and sexual victimization (OR = 7.53, 95% CI = 2.06, 27.50, p < .01) were all significantly associated with an increased odds of suicidality even after considering the role of depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusions: Victimization is a significant and independent predictor of suicidality among college women. Controlling for relevant psychological health–related variables, college women who reported any of the 3 types of victimization had more than 8 times the odds of suicidality compared with nonvictims.     

Psychosocial experiences of concussed collegiate athletes: The role of emotional support in the recovery process

Abstract

Objective: Understand from whom concussed football players seek and receive emotional support, and whether this support is associated with injury perceptions. Participants: Football players (N?=?26) from three NCAA Division I programs. Methods: With approval from the head athletic trainer, concussed athletes (2017 season) completed short surveys within 4–6?days of diagnosis and when cleared to return. Results: Concussed athletes perceived their injury as a normal consequence of playing football, not serious, and reported little, if any, depression and anxiety. Athletes reported the most support from athletic trainers; the least from coaches and teammates. Emotional support was associated with fewer adverse psychosocial reactions, more sport-injury related growth, and greater intentions to report future concussion symptoms. Conclusion: Results from this pilot study suggest that emotional support during the concussion recovery process should be understood and fostered by university officials charged with the health and well-being of collegiate football players.     

A universal meta bargaining implementation of the Nash solution

This paper follows van Damme (1986) in presenting a meta bargaining approach that justifies the Nash bargaining solution. But in contrast to van Damme's procedure our meta bargaining game is universal in the sense that all bargaining solutions are allowed as strategic choices in the meta bargaining game. Also our result holds true for any number n of players. Received: 31 July 2000/Accepted: 19 March 2001     

Help-seeking behaviors and attitudes of emerging adults: How college students reporting recent suicidal ideation utilize the internet compared to traditional resources

Abstract

Objective: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among emerging adults, yet little is known regarding their online help-seeking. Participants: The National Research Consortium of Counseling Centers in Higher Education's dataset (N=26,292). Methods: Students across the United States were recruited from 73 four-year institutions to participate during the 2010–2011 school year. Results: Observed the effectiveness of online and traditional help-seeking stratified by recent suicidal ideation related to their most distressful period in the past year. Females and younger students endorsed both types of help-seeking, yet those with recent ideation were less likely to disclose any help-seeking. Among those reporting recent ideation, only females reported that traditional supports were more than moderately helpful. Regardless of whether students endorsed ideation, students who were younger, engaged in risky behaviors and identified as females reported that online resources were more than moderately helpful. Conclusions: Online resources could potentially bridge barriers to traditional help-seeking for those reluctant to seek out care, yet traditional resources were reported to be the most effective among this sample.     

Intimate Partnerships and Sexual Health in Gender-Dysphoric Individuals Before the Start of Medical Treatment

ABSTRACT

Objectives: This study focuses on sexual health aspects in partnered gender-dysphoric individuals at the start of medical treatment by examining their partnership constellations, sexual experiences, and reports of psychological problems. Methods: As part of the cross-national European Network for the Investigation of Gender Incongruence Study, 168 adult male-to-females (MFs) and female-to-males (FMs; MF:FM sex ratio = 1:1.2) were surveyed by means of self-administered questionnaires prior to any gender-confirming hormonal and surgical interventions. Results: MFs were often found to have androphilic (female) partners (sexually oriented toward males), noncomplementary with their female gender identity. In contrast, FMs frequently had androphilic (female) partners, complementary with their male gender identity and sexual orientations toward females. Conclusions: In both genders, complementary partnership constellations were associated with more avoidance of sexual experiences and more negative sexual experiences.     

An Internet-Based Self-Help Program for the Treatment of Fear of Public Speaking: A Case Study

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the development of the first totally self-administered online CBT program for the treatment of a specific social phobia (fear of public speaking) called talk to me. The online program includes three parts. The assessment protocol gives the patient information about the problem, including impairment, severity, and the degree of fear and avoidance regarding the main feared situations. The structured treatment protocol ensures that the patient does not skip any steps in the treatment. The treatment protocol is a CBT program that provides exposure to the feared situation using videos of real audiences. Finally, the control protocol assesses treatment efficacy, not only at posttreatment, but also at every intermediate step. In this work we describe talk to Me and its practical application through a case study.     

Use of and Interest in Smoking Cessation Strategies Among Daily and Nondaily College Student Smokers

Abstract

Objective: To examine use of and interest in cessation strategies among nondaily and daily college student smokers. Participants: 800 undergraduate student smokers aged 18 to 25. Methods: The authors examined nondaily versus daily smoking in relation to use of and interest in cessation strategies using an online survey. Results: Nondaily (65.8%) versus daily smokers (34.3%) were more likely to have made a quit attempt (p = .01) but less likely to have used any assistance (p < .001). Nondaily smokers were less interested in pharmacotherapy and traditional behavioral interventions; however, there was no difference in interest in technology-based interventions among nondaily versus daily smokers. Controlling for covariates, there were no significant differences in interest in traditional or technology-based behavioral interventions. Higher motivation, lower confidence, and depressive symptomatology were related to interest in each intervention. Smoking for social reasons was related to interest in technology-based interventions. Conclusions: Different intervention strategies may be appropriate for nondaily and daily smokers.     

Defining the mobile-digital situation within perpetual telecopresence: An exploratory study of the impact of mobile phones on the life-world

ABSTRACT

This study explores the impact of mobile phone use on the structure of the life-world and the process of defining the situation. The findings from data collected from five focus groups (N = 38) and 26 in-depth interviews (N = 28) suggest that, as mobile phones become normalized within personal relationships, people develop a sense of perpetual telecopresence with their significant others (i.e., best friends, romantic partners, close family members). Additionally, since the mobile-digital situation is dislocated, very little empirical information is available for defining the situation; consequently, definitions of the mobile-digital situation are based upon imagined-empirical information relative to the relational identities of the interlocutors. Moreover, cognitive involvement becomes a central dynamic for any definitions of the mobile-digital situation.     

Response to Greene 2001, Redefining Social Work

ABSTRACT

This article is in response to the article titled Redefining Social Work for the New Millennium: Setting a Context, by Dr. Roberta Greene. I have come to view social work as a profession that seeks to enable others not just the poor and undeserved, the opportunity to better understand and navigate any situation that causes them stress or presents some type of barrier to their health and well-being.     

The impact of age,BMI and sex hormone on aging males’ symptoms and the international index of erectile function scores

Objective: To analyze the impact of age, BMI and sex hormone on aging males’ symptoms (AMS) and the 5-item version of the international index of erectile function (IIEF-5) scores in middle-aged and elderly Chinese men.

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Jiashan County. A total of 969 men, aged between 40 and 80 years old, were admitted. Physical examination and the sex hormones were measured, and AMS and IIEF-5 scores were assessed.

Results: The oneway ANOVA analysis indicated older age groups had higher AMS total-scores, somatic and sexual sub-scores, and lower IIEF5 scores (all p?r_pairwise) analyses showed the significant associations between AMS and age or sex hormone (cFT, Bio-T, SHBG, and LH) levels, and similar for IIEF5. However, when age was adjusted, the correlation coefficients (r_partial) weakened, and correlation significance disappeared, except LH (for AMS: r_partial?=?0.096, p?=?.009; for IIEF-5: r_partial?= ?0.140, p?=?.001). Multiple linear regressions confirmed the influence of increased age and LH on the AMS and IIEF5 scores.

Conclusion: CFT, Bio-T and SHBG failed to yield any additional predicting information when age was adjusted. To improve the male reproductive health, future research should pay more attention on aging-related comorbidities and how to improve general wellness.     

Requisite conditions for the formation and viability of a counter‐cultural community

Many scholars have noted that religion is essential for a counter‐culture or utopian community to survive. It has also frequently been maintained that any religion will do, that the content of the religion is inconsequential. This article focuses on the formation and viability of alternative societies and concludes that either harsh circumstances or a particular religious orientation is necessary. Three social conditions and four characteristics of the religious world‐view are specified as being necessary for the formation of an “intentional counter‐culture community.” Each of the predisposing structural factors and each of the characteristics of the world view must be present for the formation and viability of this type of alternative culture. In the “circumstantial counter‐culture community,” religion is much less important; oppressive conditions serve as a functional alternative to the specific religious outlook.     

Reconstructing the Border: Jim Lynch and the Return of the Canada-US Boundary

Abstract

The western portion of the Canada-US border has always been problematic. Since it does not follow any 'natural' divide, such as a river, lake, or mountain range, it tends to be seen as an aberration, a political construct that lacks logic of its own. However, in his 2009 satire Border Songs, the Washington State novelist Jim Lynch reintroduces the Canada-US border as a marker of significant cultural and political difference. Even though he describes the international boundary as a 'nonsensical' line, Lynch suggests that people on the two sides of the border have remarkably different views of the world, notably when it comes to such issues as pot-growing and terrorism.     

Defining Computer Literacy in Human Services

Abstract

Computer literacy in human services is defined as an intersection of both computer and human services abilities. With different levels of ability possible, a matrix is created which can be used to operationally define computer literacy within any area of human service practice. Child protective work is used to demonstrate the utility of this definitional approach. Various issues within computer literacy are also discussed.     

Exploring Epistemologies: Social Work Action as a Reflection of Philosophical Assumptions

Abstract

Using Habermas' (1971) Grand Theory and Schaefer's (1979) notion of Theory as Fiction, two major philosophical assumptions that undergird the literature, practice and teaching of social work are reviewed. Empiricism dominates social work theory and aims at technical control. Existentialism has been an important but marginal voice and attempts to explain subjective meaning. Two newer theoretical positions also are introduced: Critical theory, which considers humanity's ability to reflect on history to be an agent of societal change; and deconstruction, which questions the validity of any structure. The article concludes with a consideration of the implications of using each position as a context for teaching.     

A psychometric analysis of the Ottawa self-injury inventory-f

Objective: This study seeks to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory-Functions (OSI-F) for assessing nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), a condition for further study in the DSM-5. Participants: Participants included 345 students who indicated a history of self-injury in a university counseling center over six semesters from August 2009 to May 2012. Method: Participants completed the OSI-F as a measure on the psychological intake for the university counseling center. Results: Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, independent sample t tests, and correlations were examined and demonstrated adequate reliability and validity. Conclusions: A three-factor solution emerged from the restructured OSI-F relating to Affect Regulation, Exhilaration, and Release. Affect regulation dimensions were predictive of continuing to self-injure and related to depression, anxiety, and overall mental health. Additionally, women were more likely to attribute self-injuring to affect regulation.     

Symmetry extensions of “neutrality”

For n3 candidates, a system voting vector W ⁿ specifies the positional voting method assigned to each of the 2 ⁿ –(n+1) subsets of two or more candidates. While most system voting vectors need not admit any relationships among the election rankings; the ones that do are characterized here. The characterization is based on a particular geometric structure (an algebraic variety) that is described in detail and then used to define a partial ordering among system voting vectors. The impact of the partial ordering is that if W ⁿ ₁ W ⁿ ₂, then W ⁿ ₂ admits more kinds of (single profile) voting paradoxes than W ⁿ ₁. Therefore the partial ordering provides a powerful, computationally feasible way to compare system voting vectors. The basic ideas are illustrated with examples that completely describe the partial ordering for n=3 and n=4 candidates.This reearch was supported in part by NSF Grant IRI-9103180.     

Letters to the editor

The western roots of modern same‐sex relationships

Same‐Sex Desire and Love in GrecoRoman Antiquity and in the Classical Tradition of the West, Edited by Beert C. Verstraete &; Vernon Provencal. New York: Huntington Park Press, 2006, 491 pages. Cloth, $69.95; Paper, $49.95.

Students go to “sex camp” and write back love letters

Sex Camp, By Brian McNaught. Bloomington, IN: Author House, 2005, 446 Pages. Cloth, $31.50; Paper, $21.75; Electronic, $5.95.

Complexity of sexuality: shifting to a focus on sexuality in close relationships

The Handbook of Sexuality in Close Relationships, Edited by John H. Harvey, Amy Wenzel, &; Susan Sprecher. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2004, 668 pages. Cloth, $125.00; Paper $65.00.     

Flourishing,Substance Use,and Engagement in Students Entering College: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the health topics students received information about, how students obtained health-related information, and perceived believability of those sources. Participants and Methods: Students (N = 1202) were surveyed using the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) of the American College Health Association. Results: Nearly half (46%) of the sample reported not receiving any information, whereas only 0.5% received information on all health topics. The Internet was the most common source of health-related information, but, conversely, was perceived as the least believable source. Health center medical staff and university health educators were perceived to be the most believable sources. Conclusions: Future practice at the university setting should focus on delivering health information through believable messengers utilizing the most commonly reported sources of information. This may have implications towards how students shape their health-related social cognitions and subsequent behaviors.