Current trends of Internet Addiction Disorder research: a review of 2000–2008 Korean academic journal articles

This article reviewed various Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) studies in Korea. The study showed that the symptoms of IAD have been reported by many Korean scholars, but the current Korean literature shows that IAD has yet to have a universally accepted theoretical framework. Internet addictions have been studied in various disciplines, and a multimodal approach that uses a combination of interactivity between psychotherapies and other intervention skills has been suggested by various authors, but has yet to be formed. A further study is required to explore a structural map based on the interrelations between IAD risk factors and to establish its treatment modalities.     

An Analysis of Health Care Disparities and Subsequent Public Policy Initiatives

Racial and ethnic health disparities are a major clinical, public health, and societal problem in the United States. This article provides a historical analysis of the identification and progression of health disparities between Whites and minorities from 1989 to 2011. Key causes of health disparities are addressed, including the lack of culturally competent care, health insurance, and medical homes. Federal legislation that mandated federal health agencies to implement a plan to eliminate disparities is discussed.     

Using peer‐interviewing methods to explore place‐based disadvantage: dissolving the distance between suits and civilians

Collaborative and participatory research methods reflect ideals to undertake research in consultation and partnership with communities and to advance community empowerment and capacity. They offer ethical and practical approaches for conducting research addressing socioeconomic and health disparities particularly in marginalised or vulnerable communities. Peer‐interviewing is one such participatory strategy employed in studies involving hard‐to‐reach populations. However, while the value of peer‐interviewing for researchers is noted in the methodological literature, there are few discussions that critically examine the benefits and challenges of using peer‐researcher approaches, either for the interviewers themselves or the communities they represent. This study reports the findings from a qualitative study that explored the experiences of peer‐interviewers who were involved in undertaking community surveys of residents in the socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods in which they lived. We discuss the benefits and challenges that participants reported from their involvement.     

‘Innovation should not be Treason’: Domestic Violence Interventions

The deterministic ideology of political correctness which sanctions particular interventions permissible to use in domestic violence situations has not only thwarted creativity in the therapeutic field and ignored the interactional aspects of these complex relationships and the inherent opportunities for positive change, but has placed many women victims in danger unnecessarily. It is time to challenge simplistic models of domestic violence and develop feminist‐sensitive multiple approaches to this serious and complex social problem.     

‘No Coward Soul is Mine’: A Family Systems Analysis of the Bronte Family

The Bronte family produced three major authors of the Victorian period, only one of whom, Charlotte, lived to enjoy her fame. Since the beginning, this family has elicited controversy, myth and speculation. The authors attempt an analysis of the complex dynamics of the Brontes, including its constituent ‘family cultures’, parent‐child alliances, sibling bonds and rivalries, the traumatic effects of three early deaths, and the strong theme of secrecy and ‘protection’ in a family dominated by Branwell Bronte's instability and eventual alcoholism. The authors speculate on how this family might have presented for treatment, and invite readers to consider how they, as family therapists, might have responded.     

Suicidality and Sexual Orientation in Five Continents: Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America

This study examined the relation between suicidality and sexual orientation in an intercontinental sample (Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, and South America). Participants responded to a survey hosted on the Internet Website of an international news organization. Categorical analyses compared homosexual and bisexual respondents' history of suicide attempts and suicide ideations to those of heterosexual respondents, by total sample, males only, and females only. A relation between male sexual orientation and suicide attempts was found for every continent except Europe (odds ratio [OR] 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.3, 6.9). A relation between female sexual orientation and suicide attempts was not found in any continent except North America (OR = 2.1; 95% CI % 1.7, 2.5). These data provide preliminary evidence of intercontinental variation in the relation between suicidality and sexual orientation.     

Emergence of Industries: A Review and Future Directions

This paper reviews the literature on the emergence of industries and the theoretical and methodological approaches employed. The analysis reveals that industry emergence can be depicted as a three‐stage process. In the first, initial stage, a disruption to the existing industrial order triggers the second, the co‐evolutionary stage, which includes four sub‐processes related to developments in technology, markets, activity networks and industry identity. The convergence of these sub‐processes leads to the third stage, a growth stage and the birth of a new industry. While these three stages and the four sub‐processes are well covered in the literature, the authors find that there is a lack of understanding in terms of the transitions between the stages, the interactions and interdependencies between sub‐processes and moderating factors of industry emergence. Future research can bridge these gaps by exploring the different origins and initial conditions of industries, the processes and interactions in the earliest stages of industry emergence, and the role of facilitating and managing industry emergence. This implies a shift in the research focus from the industries that have emerged to the nascent processes of emergence.     

An interactive web-based method of outreach to college students at risk for suicide

OBJECTIVE AND PARTICIPANTS: From 2002 to 2005, the authors tested an interactive, Web-based method to encourage college students at risk for suicide to seek treatment. METHODS: The authors invited students at 2 universities to complete an online questionnaire that screened for depression and other suicide risk factors. Respondents received a personalized assessment and were able to communicate anonymously with a clinical counselor online. At-risk students were urged to attend in-person evaluation and treatment. RESULTS: A total of 1,162 students (8% of those invited) completed the screening questionnaire; 981 (84.4%) were designated as at high or moderate risk. Among this group, 190 (19.4%) attended an in-person evaluation session with the counselor, and 132 (13.5%) entered treatment. Students who engaged in online dialogues with the counselor were 3 times more likely than were those who did not to come for evaluation and enter treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The method has considerable promise for encouraging previously untreated, at-risk college students to get help.