Social Work Practice with Polygamous Families

Data are based on student files of 25 Bedouin-Arab children born to senior mothers of polygamous families, and interviews with the children's teachers and mothers. Mothers complained of somatic symptoms, economic problems, poor relations with the husband, and competition and jealousy between the co-wives and among the co-wives' children. Children had a variety of behavioural problems, and below average academic achievement. Social work practice should recognize the cultural and personal significance of polygamy to family members; appreciate the significance of polygamy to children's functioning; select children as a target system for intervention; and reinforce the Islamic value base for interventions.     

The Dyadic Adjustment Scale: A Reliability Generalization Meta‐Analysis

We conducted a reliability generalization meta‐analysis to examine the internal consistency of Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS; Spanier, 1976 ) scores across 91 published studies with 128 samples and 25,035 participants. The DAS was found to produce total and Dyadic cohesion, Consensus, and Satisfaction scores of acceptable internal consistency, although lower than those originally reported by Spanier (1976) . Reliability estimates of these scores did not differ by the sexual orientation, gender, marital status, or ethnicity of the sample. The Affective Expression subscale was found to produce scores with poor Cronbach’s alpha across studies. Reliability estimates of Affective Expression scores were highly influenced by sample characteristics. The implications of these results are discussed as they relate to the use of the DAS in research.     

The ubiquitous angle

Summary.  Previously we used the geometry of n -dimensional space to derive the paired samples t -test and its p -value. In the present paper we describe the 'ubiquitous' application of these results to single degree of freedom linear model hypothesis tests. As examples, we derive the p - and t -values for the independent samples t -test, for testing a contrast in an analysis of variance and for testing the slope in a simple linear regression analysis. An angle θ in n -dimensional space is again pivotal in the development of the ideas. The relationships between p , t , θ , F and the correlation coefficient are also described by using a 'statistical triangle'.     

Value of a Life: What Difference Does It Make?1

A comparison of the costs and benefits of 57 lifesaving programs reveals striking disparities across agencies and programs in cost/life saved and even greater disparities in cost/life-year saved. Within a broad range the monetary value assigned to the benefits of averting a death usually does not alter the policy implications of the analyses. The findings suggest that despite the substantial disagreements and uncertainties in the theory and practice of valuing lives, careful quantitative analysis can be helpful in setting health, safety, and environmental priorities.     

A MODEL FOR COLLABORATIVE TEAM PROCESSING IN BRIEF SYSTEMIC FAMILY THERAPY*

While there has been considerable growth in recent years in the use of collaborative teamwork in Systemic Family Therapy, there has been a dearth of literature concerning the process of team functioning. Based upon a careful analysis of actual teamwork, a model for conducting more efficient and effective team conferences has been developed. The ensuing discussion examines the risks in working in teams and proposes ways to counteract these. Further avenues of research are suggested.     

Considerations on Research in Family Therapy: An Interview with Rudolf Moos

Rudolf Moos, Professor of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine and Research Career Scientist at the Palo Alto Veterans Administration Medical Centre, is not well known to Australian and New Zealand therapy circles, yet his research into instruments applicable to research into the family and its dynamics is prolific, his personal energy, integrity and dedication are admirable and his persistence at researching the very difficult areas of social environments is unequalled. This interview was recorded at the Social Ecology Laboratory at Veteran's Administration Medical Centre at Palo Alto, where he is Director of the Laboratory.