Book Review: The Ethics of Giving and Receiving: Am I My Foolish Brother's Keeper?. By William F. May and A. Lewis Soens Jr. (eds.). Southern Methodist University Press,Dallas, 2000

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations -     

A Review of: “Dattilio,Frank M. (2010). Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with Couples and Families: A Comprehensive Guide for Clinicians.”

This conceptual study focuses on health disparities among African Americans in the Arkansas Delta. The author uses an ecosocial perspective to explore several social and individual-level influences upon patients' perceptions of health care quality, including health beliefs and life experiences of discrimination that can lead to not accessing health care systems. The study findings identify community-based strengths that can inform the development of strategies and programs to reduce rural health disparities. The discussion includes the potential implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for progress in health care quality and health equality, especially for rural racial/ethnic minorities.     

A Review of: “Sex and Ethics: Essays on Sexuality,Virtue, and the Good Life. Edited by Raja Halwani.”

Early family backgrounds of gay fathers compared to a matched sample of gay nonfathers were investigated, with particular emphasis on parent‐son relationships. It was hypothesized that, contrary to predictions based on Freudian theory, there would be no difference in homosexual fathers' and nonfathers' perceptions of their early family life and relationships with their mothers and fathers. Questionnaires from 30 gay fathers and 30 gay nonfathers derived from a larger nationwide study of 285 homosexual men from Dignity chapters in the Northeastern, Midwestern, Southern, Southwestern, and Western United States were analyzed using analysis of variance. No difference was found between the gay fathers' and gay nonfathers' perceptions of their parents' acceptance of them. Both groups perceived their mothers to be significantly more accepting than .their fathers. Both groups also reported growing up in intact homes where heterosexual relationships were modeled for them, pleasant memories existed, and marital discord was not commonplace. These results support the growing body of research which questions the Freudian‐based concept of a causal relationship between early familial relationship patterns and sexual orientation.     

A Review of: “Online Social Support: The Interplay of Social Networks and Computer-mediated Communication By A. Bambina.”

Abstract

ENVISIONING INFORMATION, Edward R. Tufte, Graphics Press. Box 430, Cheshire, CT 06410, 128 pages. Cloth bound. $48.00 postpaid from publisher. Reviewed by Michael G. Petree Topeka.     

A Review of: “Information and Communication Technologies for Active Ageing: Opportunities and Challenges for the European Union”

This article discusses conceptual, methodological, and ethical challenges of using e-mail to study families and offers strategies to address them. Specifically, the unique nature of issues related to sampling and data collection are addressed. Suggested adjustments and strategies include the use of insiders' consultation, securing opportunities for all family members to voice their views, creating paths for expressing content typically conveyed nonverbally, letting respondents control the pace and shape of the dialogue, creating a virtual shared reality and informing participants about measures to protect their privacy. Directions for future research are offered.