Impact Evaluation of a Cognitive Behavioral Group Therapy Model in Brazilian Sexually Abused Girls

This study evaluated the impact of a cognitive behavioral group therapy model in Brazilian girls who had experienced sexual abuse. The effect of the waiting period before treatment and the enduring effectiveness of the treatment after six and 12 months were also evaluated. Forty-nine female sexual abuse victims between the ages of 9 and 16 completed instruments measuring depression, anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder before, during, and after the group therapy. The group therapy had a positive impact on their psychological functioning, significantly reducing symptoms of anxiety, stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The therapeutic effects lasted six to 12 months after the treatment ended. The model proved effective for treating young female victims of sexual abuse.     

Developing Entrepreneurship in Social Work Through International Education. Reflections on a European Intensive Programme

This paper addresses the issue of introducing training on entrepreneurial skills in social work education and illustrates the opportunities offered for doing so by international courses. It presents a critical reflection on the concept of entrepreneurship in social work based on the case of a European Intensive Programme within the Erasmus scheme. It explores the potential of using active experiential learning methods in an international environment and of creating a situation where participants are confronted with ‘real world’ problems so that they can develop entrepreneurial skills. The paper argues that experiences of this kind provide new stimuli and contribute substantially to developing an entrepreneurial mentality, by which is meant innovative and proactive attitudes as well as skills to develop the resources with which to face social problems in an adverse context.     

A Class of Multidimensional Latent Class IRT Models for Ordinal Polytomous Item Responses

We propose a class of multidimensional Item Response Theory models for polytomously-scored items with ordinal response categories. This class extends an existing class of multidimensional models for dichotomously-scored items in which the latent abilities are represented by a random vector assumed to have a discrete distribution, with support points corresponding to different latent classes in the population. In the proposed approach, we allow for different parameterizations for the conditional distribution of the response variables given the latent traits, which depend on the type of link function and the constraints imposed on the item parameters. Moreover, we suggest a strategy for model selection that is based on a series of steps consisting of selecting specific features, such as the dimension of the model (number of latent traits), the number of latent classes, and the specific parameterization. In order to illustrate the proposed approach, we analyze a dataset from a study on anxiety and depression on a sample of oncological patients.     

Some simulations and applications of forecasting long-memory time-series models

In this paper, we show some results of forecasting based on the ARFIMA(p,d,q) and ARIMA(p,d,q) models. We show, by simulation, that the technique of forecasting of the ARIMA(p,d,q) model can also be used when d is fractional, i.e., for the ARFIMA(p,d,q) model. We also conduct a simulation study to compare the two estimators of d obtained through regression methods. They are used in the hypothesis test to decide whether or not the series has long memory property and are compared on the basis of their k-step ahead forecast errors. The properties of long-memory models are also investigated using an actual set of data.     

Elderly-technology interaction: accessibility and acceptability of technological devices promoting motor and cognitive training

As the world population is ageing, studies on the socio-economic and health consequences are proliferating. Little has been done on the effectiveness and impact elderly may benefit from the use of technology in their everyday life. The pilot study, implemented within a funded project aimed at identifying sustainable actions to promote Seniors' quality of life, intended to investigate this kind of interaction in terms of accessibility and acceptability that senior citizen experience with technological devices promoting motor and cognitive training. In the hypothesis, interfaces and technological artifacts, that still take in little account the seniors' physical characteristics (e.g. physiological limitations in sight, hearing, movement) and cognitive processes (selective memory often driven by practical needs), can cause elderly to mistrust technology. Study participants were twenty over seventy-year-old people, who were observed and interviewed in context in a two-hour training session regarding the technological devices user experience. The results are presented with scenario-based techniques that help represent typologies of users in different use situations. Findings confirm the hypothesis, highlighting that elderly may accept technological artifacts when they perceive them as bringing benefits in terms of well-being and health.     

Effects of long-acting testosterone undecanoate on bone mineral density in middle-aged men with late-onset hypogonadism and metabolic syndrome: results from a 36 months controlled study

We evaluated the effects of long-term testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) on the bone mineral density (BMD) in obese patients with metabolic syndrome (MS) and late-onset hypogonadism (LOH). Sixty men (mean age 57 ± 10) with low serum testosterone (T < 320 ng/dL) and MS regardless the presence of osteoporosis were enrolled. Forty men received intramuscular T-undecanoate (TU) four times/year for 36 months and 20 age-matched hypogonadal men with MS in whom T treatment was contraindicated were used as controls. Hormonal, biochemical markers, vertebral and femoral BMD by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry were measured. At baseline, overall patients had mild osteopenia (lumbar BMD= 0.891 ± 0.097 g/cm(2); femoral BMD= 0.847 ± 0.117 g/cm(2)). TU induced a significant improvement of bone mass after 36 months (lumbar BMD=1.053 ± 0.145 g/cm(2); p < 0.002; femoral BMD=0.989 ± 0.109; p < 0.003 g/cm(2)) with a 5%/year increase and a significant reduction in hs-CRP without changes in body mass index. A direct relationship between serum T and BMD increments at the lumbar (r(2)?= 0.66, p < 0.0001) and femoral (r(2)?=0.52, p < 0.0001) sites was demonstrated. Study adherence was 50% without serious side effects. Long-term TRT in middle-aged men with LOH and MS determines a significant increase in both vertebral and femoral BMD related to increased serum T levels, probably independently from estradiol modifications.     

Explaining Gender Inequalities That Follow Couple Migration

By exploiting the unique social and economic differences between East and West Germany, the authors investigated how macro‐level opportunities interact with couple‐level decision making to explain gender differences in the determinants and economic outcomes of household migration. By incorporating regional socioeconomic conditions into household bargaining theory, 4 hypotheses for each region were derived. The hypotheses were tested using cross‐classified multilevel regressions and the German Socio‐Economic Panel (1992–2012) combined with regional economic indicators. First, gender‐specific determinants of couples' West–West (i.e., within West Germany) and East‐to‐West migration were analyzed; second, subsequent economic consequences were investigated by comparing couples with singles. The results confirm that gender differences in macro‐conditions can impose decision logics that seemingly contradict the initial power relation within couples. Despite more traditional gender arrangements in West Germany, well‐educated partnered women earn significant absolute and relative income gains from migration; their egalitarian East German counterparts suffer significant losses compared with single women and East German men.     

Dropout of Hospital Volunteers in Italy

Voluntary work in Charities is a constantly growing reality: in particular, in the last few years, voluntary work in hospitals has become of great importance, marking a substantial increase of commitment in social issues. However, at the same time, volunteering Charities have been plagued by the increase of the phenomenon of dropout, that is, volunteers abandoning the Charitable Association they’re working in, often after a relatively short period of activity. In this study, we attempted to verify if and how active and dropped out volunteers perceive their own activity as a source of anxiety and stress. Our data show that both active and dropped out volunteers show high levels of burnout; in fact, dropped out volunteers show higher levels of burnout, especially of emotional exhaustion, in comparison with active volunteers. Subsequently, we identified the factors potentially assuming the role of mediators or moderators in the direct relation involving the status of voluntary work activity and the levels of anxiety and burnout. Our study demonstrates that coping strategies and the relationship established with hospital workers can be considered good moderators.