Changes in negative attributions during couple therapy for abusive behavior: relations to changes in satisfaction and behavior

This study examined effects of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (n = 25 couples) and a variety of systems-oriented couple therapy models (n = 30 couples) in reducing negative attributions and degrees to which decreases in negative attributions were associated with improvements in other aspects of relationship functioning. Couples seeking treatment at a university clinic and experiencing psychological and/or mild-to-moderate physical abuse completed 10 weekly sessions. Attributions, relationship satisfaction, psychological abuse, communication, and negotiation were assessed before and after treatment. Women and men in both treatments exhibited decreased negative attributions, which moderated increases in satisfaction and decreases in negative communication, as well as increases in positive communication for men. The findings reinforce the importance of modifying negative attributions when intervening to reduce abuse.     

A comparative gradient approach as a tool for understanding and managing urban ecosystems

To meet the grand challenges of the urban century??such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and persistent poverty??urban and ecological theory must contribute to integrated frameworks that treat social and ecological dynamics as interdependent. A socio-ecological framework that encapsulates theory from the social and ecological sciences will improve understanding of metropolitan dynamics and generate science for improved, sustainable management of urban ecosystems. To date, most urban ecological research has focused on single cities. A comparative approach that uses gradients within and between cities is a useful tool for building urban ecological theory. We offer five hypotheses that are testable using a comparative, gradient approach: (i) the current size, configuration, and function of larger metropolitan ecosystems predicts the potential trajectory of smaller urban areas; (ii) timing of growth explains the greatest variance in urban ecosystem structure and function; (iii) form and function of urban ecosystems are converging over time; (iv) urban ecosystems become more segregated and fragmented as populations increase; and (v) larger cities are more innovative than smaller cities in managing urban ecosystems.     

Research on Women in Policing: A Look at the Past,Present and Future

There are more women employed by police agencies today than ever before. Their role and workplace experiences have changed significantly from the time that they were first employed as police matrons in the late 1800s‐early 1900s. This article covers the history of women in policing. It provides an overview of past and contemporary research focused on female police officers. A trend found in the contemporary research reveals that there are many similarities among male and female police officers. This trend is interesting as policing has traditionally been a male dominated profession in the United States.     

The credibility of shock advocacy: Animal rights attack messages

This study examined the impact of a graphic animal rights campaign launched by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against alleged abuses on a corporate farm. It considered the impact of the campaign upon the credibility of the target of the campaign as well as the producer of the campaign. Results indicated that PETA's attack message against abuses at corporate pig farms was effective in eroding the credibility of the corporate food-industry raising animals for consumption. At the same time, PETA's credibility rose overall after participants viewed the PETA attack message.     

Disturbing the AcademicConferenceMachine: Post‐qualitative re‐turnings

Author 1:

They say they want to disturb the AcademicConferenceMachine.

Author 34:

What is an AcademicConferenceMachine?

Author 2:

Please do not go in that direction. Ask, for example, what does an AcademicConferenceMachine do?

Author 51:

Ok, so what does it do?

Author 6:

AcademicConferenceMachines are becoming so regulated and standardized that they might lose the possibility to produce different knowledge and to produce knowledge differently.

Author 227:

Do you think they succeeded?

Author 9999:

I do not know.

     

Frequency of job stressors,difficulty unwinding after work,and sleep problems among urban transit operators

Poor sleep quality is associated with numerous physical and mental health problems. The purpose of this study is to analyze the occupational and demographic factors associated with sleep problems among a sample of urban transit operators. The sample consists of 676 workers (44% female, 67% African American) at a Northern California public transit agency who participated in a cross-sectional worksite tobacco survey. Approximately 27% of the sample reported that they often had trouble going to sleep or staying asleep in the past 12?months. Results of multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that frequency of job stressors (e.g., equipment problems, road or traffic problems, poor access to bathrooms) and amount of time needed to unwind and relax after work were significantly associated with often experiencing insomnia symptoms (odds ratio [OR]?=?1.76 and 2.44, respectively). Younger workers, females, and nicotine-dependent smokers were more likely to report often experiencing sleep problems than older workers, males, and nonsmokers. Employment length and work shift were not associated with the outcome. The findings indicate that transit operators experience elevated prevalence of past-year sleep problems, and occupational factors play a role in their occurrence. Future research should explore if policies that help reduce frequency of job stressors can mitigate poor sleep quality among this occupational group.     

Intersecting Contexts: Understanding Rural Utah Veterans’ Experiences with Accessing VA Health Care

Since the passage of the Rural Veterans Care Act of 2006 research has focused on health care provider issues with less attention given to individual and contextual factors that contribute to the remaining service gap. Adopting the health care user's viewpoint, we focus on two questions: How do health care users perceive access to health care, and which contextual factors are relevant to explaining the failure of recent efforts to increase access by rural veterans? We collected detailed data through focus groups and individual interviews involving veterans and knowledgeable community members in four rural areas of Utah. Framing the analysis of interview data using the sociospatial approach reveals key dimensions of several contexts that affect rural veterans’ access to health care: the historical period of military service that influences attitudes toward use of Veterans Administration health care and access to specialists, regulations of regionally and locally organized insurance coverage that affects access to and coordination of health care, and local social aspects of rural communities that inform use of specific health care sources. These dimensions provide new insights into the conditions that contribute to variations in the vulnerability of rural Utah veterans.