Culturally Relevant Psychotherapy for Perinatal Depression in Low-Income Ob/Gyn Patients

To minimize barriers to care, ameliorate antenatal depression, and prevent postpartum depression in low-income women, we propose that a culturally relevant version of brief interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-B) may be an effective approach. IPT-B is a modified form of Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), an efficacious treatment for depression that we have altered to address the needs of women who have difficulty adhering to longer courses of psychotherapy. Culturally relevant additions to IPT-B include (1) a pre-treatment engagement strategy consisting of an ethnographic interview accompanied by psychoeducation to engage women in treatment; (2) convenient delivery of IPT-B in a public care Ob/Gyn clinic where the women receive prenatal services; (3) flexible scheduling of treatment sessions at the clinic or on the phone; and 4) facilitation of access to social services.     

Intensive Family Preservation Services: The Perceptions of Client Families

This qualitative study seeks to understand the correlation between intensive family preservation services and family functioning in those families who have participated in services. The focus is on the perceptions of client families with respect to the impact of services on family functioning including communication, family dynamics, and parenting skills. The discussion centers on the responses of client families to a narrowly constructed survey instrument designed to capture their perceptions with respect to the services provided by case workers.     

Lay discourses of the rural and stated and revealed preferences for rural living. Some evidence of the existence of a rural idyll in the Netherlands

Dutch rural areas have changed into a post-modern countryside and have become marketable commodities. The demand for rural space and rural amenities has increased, with concomitant tensions on the rural housing market, tensions which are enhanced by the restrictive spatial policy in Dutch rural areas. The demand for rural residential environments appears to be large. This paper reports the results of our research into the preferences of urban households for living in a rural residential environment. These preferences will be linked with images and representations of the countryside. It is assumed that individual images of the countryside (whether idyllic or not) affect residential preferences and these preferences have, in turn, their effect on migration behaviour. Empirical evidence suggests that perceptions, preferences and behaviour pertaining to rural residential environments are indeed interrelated. The Dutch countryside commands a very positive image and the demand for residential environments with rural characteristics is considerable. Consequently, a rural idyll can be identified in The Netherlands.     

Caring for day care: a pilot project

Day care in Israel is not always of high quality, and the current forecast for upgrading the standards of the existing centers is bleak, due to economic and social factors that do not place high priority on quality infant care in group settings. The agency attempted, therefore, to develop a low-cost, efficient method of early intervention, wherein skilled social workers were hired, given special training, and worked alongside the caregivers of day care centers to help children and parents defined as at risk. This article describes the observations that were made and the interventions that were chosen.     

The Road to Gang Membership: Characteristics of Male Gang and Nongang Members from Ages 10 to 14

This study examined the stability of belonging to a gang in early adolescence, the behaviour profiles, family characteristics, and friendships of nongang and gang members. The subjects in the present study were originally part of a larger sample of boys. One hundred and forty‐two boys who had a complete data set at ages 11, 12, 13, and 14 were selected for the present study. Loglinear analyses indicated that gang membership was stable from ages 13 to 14, but not at earlier ages. Boys were divided into three groups: stable gang members (children who belonged to a gang at ages 13 and 14); unstable gang members (children who belonged to a gang at either age 13 or 14) and nongang members. Repeated analyses of variance indicated that stable gang members had significantly higher scores than nongang members on teacher ratings of fighting behaviour, hyperactivity, inattention and oppositional behaviour, and self‐reported delinquent activities (drug and alcohol use, stealing and vandalism). Peers rated gang members as more aggressive than nongang members. The results are discussed from a developmental perspective.