Negotiating independence,choice and autonomy: experiences of parents who coordinate personal assistance on behalf of their adult son or daughter

Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities requires states to provide personal assistance services. This article is based on qualitative research in Iceland, Norway and Sweden, carried out between 2012 and 2013. The overall study focused broadly on the implementation of Article 19. This article, however, reports findings based on a particular group of participants within the larger study: non-disabled parents who coordinate personal assistance schemes for their adult son or daughter. The article examines the various ways in which the parents, the majority of whom were mothers, negotiate principles of independence, choice and autonomy for their adult son or daughter who requires intensive support, including assistance with communicating. The aim is to explore, in the context of the Convention and the principles of the independent living movement, how to acknowledge and conceptualise personal assistance schemes that require another person to manage on behalf of the user.     

The LGBQ Microaggressions on Campus Scale: A Scale Development and Validation Study

Although LGBQ students experience blatant forms of heterosexism on college campuses, subtle manifestations such as sexual orientation microaggressions are more common. Similar to overt heterosexism, sexual orientation microaggressions may threaten LGBQ students’ academic development and psychological wellbeing. Limited research exists in this area, in part due to lack of a psychometrically sound instrument measuring the prevalence of LGBQ microaggressions on college campuses. To address this gap, we created and tested the LGBQ Microaggressions on College Campuses Scale. Two correlated subscales were generated: Interpersonal LGBQ Microaggressions and Environmental LGBQ Microaggressions. The results indicated that the subscales demonstrate strong reliability and validity.     

Using short-term evidence to predict six-month outcomes in clinical trials of signs and symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis

A model is presented to generate a distribution for the probability of an ACR response at six months for a new treatment for rheumatoid arthritis given evidence from a one- or three-month clinical trial. The model is based on published evidence from 11 randomized controlled trials on existing treatments. A hierarchical logistic regression model is used to find the relationship between the proportion of patients achieving ACR20 and ACR50 at one and three months and the proportion at six months. The model is assessed by Bayesian predictive P-values that demonstrate that the model fits the data well. The model can be used to predict the number of patients with an ACR response for proposed six-month clinical trials given data from clinical trials of one or three months duration.     

动物伦理、同情与感情——一个整体性框架

本文有两个目标。第一部分提出了一个用于分析和理解人类与动物关系的整体性框架,用以讨论有关动物福利和伦理的各种论证,重点论述了作为沟通交流中的开放性的自主(自由意志)的观念,以及人类与其他很多动物之间通过同情这一基础性的心理机能所推动的情感的反馈。第二部分将追溯并分析道德视角下动物地位的发展,以及从整个中世纪欧洲人类中心的宗教观下人们对动物的看法到启蒙时期乃至现代各种非人类中心的关于动物的态度。本文也将讨论生态女性主义对于各种形式的支配和歧视(例如种族主义、性别主义、阶级优越论和物种歧视)剖析,生态女性主义认为这些支配和歧视之间存在相互关联和相互强化作用,因为它们在思想意识上都建立在同样的支配逻辑的基础之上。本文还讨论了这些群体(例如黑奴、妇女、工人以及动物)各自获得解放的程度,以及在整体性框架下对近代欧洲有关动物福利和权利保护的立法的解释。这一框架给予了同情和情感的开放性在沟通和道德中的基础地位。     

Spoilers,blocking coalitions,and the core

This paper surveys non-cooperative implementations of the core which tell an intuitive story of coalition formation. Under the core solution concept, if a blocking coalition exists those agents abandon the current allocation without regard for the consequences to players outside the blocking coalition. Yet in certain circumstances, these players have an incentive to prevent formation of any blocking coalition; a game analyzed in Lagunoff (Games Econ Behav 7:54–61, 1994) is vulnerable to such circumstances. To obtain all core allocations and only core allocations, a mechanism must either restrict the actions of non-members of a proposed coalition, or ensure that non-members are unharmed by the departure of the coalition. These requirements illustrate the core’s nonchalance toward agents not in blocking coalitions. The author gives special thanks to Beth Allen and Andy McLennan for their direction, and gratefully acknowledges valuable discussions with Roger Lagunoff, Hugo Sonnenschein, John Ledyard, Myrna Wooders, Nuray Akin, as well as comments from participants at the 2004 Spring Midwest Economic Theory and the Society for Economic Design conferences and from anonymous referees. All errors remain my own. Partial funding came from National Science Foundation grants DMI-0070257 and DMI-0217974.     

Working Together for Better Social Work Education

This article looks at the development of user involvement in social work education at national policy level. It is written by a group of service users who are involved in Shaping Our Lives, the national independent user controlled organisation and network. The article looks at the background of user involvement in social work education and the work that Shaping Our Lives has done in the past. The new social work qualification requires user involvement in all its aspects and stages. The results so far have been patchy. Service users have made it increasingly clear that they want to be more directly involved in developing this policy alongside other stakeholders. They are particularly keen that some of the funding available goes to user controlled organisations to help develop service users' capacity to get involved and to ensure diverse involvement. The article looks at problems there have been in taking this goal forward and a positive initiative that has developed to help make it happen, led by service users, working collaboratively with other stakeholders.     

Irregular migration: policy responses in Africa and Asia

This article reviews population policies designed to curb or respond to irregular migration flows, with particular emphasis on policies adopted by governments in Africa and Asia. An overview of policies on the world level indicates a number of similarities that transcend regional lines and levels of development. Policy decisions are often influenced by the nature and attributes of the undocumented migrant population and by the current social, economic, and political situation in the receiving country. Governments are frequently more tolerant of migrants who possess needed skills or settle in sparsely populated areas that have manpower shortages. Between the 2 policy extremes of amnesty and deportation, several measures have been employed, including stricter border controls, stringent visa requirements, work permit systems, and efforts to ensure that migrants do not violate the conditions of their admission. In many cases, several policy measures are used simultaneously. Ensuring the observance of appropriate measures for the recruitment of migrant workers, their departure from the home country, and placement in employment in the country of immigration is widely regarded as the best way to prevent illegal movements of workers. Temporary worker programs are sometimes advocated to provide legal channels for potential migrants. At the national level, institutions that deal with irregular migrants tend to be limited in their mandate to a law enforcement role. In Africa, most governments have recently strengthened border and documentary controls and attempted to regulate migration through the labor market. In many cases, mass expulsions have been necessary as a result of laissez-faire policies. In Asia, on the other hand, mass deportation has been less common as a result of more stringent security measures and documentary controls. In both countries, policies have been basically reactive in response to rapidly changing political and economic conditions. Needed is an international convention to serve as a guideline for the humanitarian treatment of undocumented workers.     

Methods Used and Topics Addressed in Quantitative Health Research on Gay,Bisexual and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Research on sexual minority men (gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men) was examined with regard to the measures of sexual orientation used, the methods of research, and the main health outcomes under study. A systematic review of English-language quantitative studies was conducted focused on the health of sexual minority men published in 2010 (n = 250). The results provide a snapshot of the literature and revealed that research on sexual minority men overwhelmingly focused on HIV, STIs, and sexual health for which sexual orientation was most commonly defined behaviorally. For topics of mental health or body/fitness outcomes, sexual orientation was most commonly defined by identity. Most study samples were venue-based, and only 8.8% of published papers drew data from population-based samples. The findings suggest that there exists a need for research on sexual minority men’s health beyond STIs and HIV that will examine mental and physical health outcomes beyond sexual risk, uses probability-based samples, and addresses intersectional concerns related to race/ethnicity and age.     

Why do they leave? Factors associated with job termination among personal assistant workers in home care

Recruiting and retaining an adequate number of personal support workers in home care is both challenging and essential to allowing elders to age in place. A mixed-method, longitudinal study examined turnover in a sample of 261 personal support workers in Maine; 70 workers (26.8%) left their employment in the first year of the study. Logistic regression analysis indicated that younger age and lack of health insurance were significant predictors of turnover. Analysis of telephone interviews revealed three overarching themes related to termination: job not worthwhile, personal reasons, and burnout. Implications of study findings for gerontological social workers are outlined.