The social and economic impacts of immigration detention facilities: a South Australian case study

The negative attitudes fostered by political rhetoric against asylum seekers create significant problems when asylum seekers are housed within communities. Much of the community's opposition focuses on the perceived economic and social impacts of large numbers of asylum seekers. However, we currently lack research on the local economic and social impacts of asylum seekers. As a contribution to this evidence base our paper outlines a South Australian case study of the impact of a low security immigration detention facility on the local economy, health services and social cohesion. Our impact assessment found that community concerns were not borne out. There were increases in employment and local expenditure, no reduction in health care services or access, and tensions between residents subsided, as did initially strong reactions against the asylum seekers themselves. The minimal impacts were due to the government and community interventions such as seeking local contracts and providing onsite health services. This case study is used to provide some guidelines for other communities to effectively target the fears that matter most to the community – either through disseminating information that reduces fears and myths, or through planning and interventions that minimise negative impacts and enhance positive benefits. In this way, the arrival of asylum seekers can potentially become one that benefits all community members.     

An Academic Course That Teaches Heterosexual Students to be Allies to LGBT Communities: A Qualitative Analysis

A theory of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) ally identity development integrated the following theories—multicultural counseling theory (MCT), self-concept formation theory (SCFT), and social identity theory (SIT)—to design a course to train heterosexual students to be allies to LGBT communities. Students participated in interviews and activities with LGBT persons, presented seminars on LGBT topics, and wrote papers about these experiences. An analysis of their reactions suggested that initially, students perceived themselves as lacking credibility to be allies. After interacting with LGBT communities, students gained the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they needed to be confident in supporting and advocating for LGBT persons.     

Do the DSM-5 diagnostic revisions affect the psychometric properties of the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen?

Several significant changes in the diagnostic criteria for gambling disorder occurred with the newest revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The changes aim to simplify and streamline the diagnosis without compromising its validity. Yet many of the tools used to screen and diagnose the disorder are based upon the prior fourth edition of the DSM, and it is unclear how they perform with the revised diagnostic criteria. The aim of this study is to examine the psychometric properties of a common pathological gambling screen, the Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen (BBGS; Gebauer, LaBrie, & Shaffer, 2010), in the context of DSM-5 criteria within a help-seeking sample. Gamblers calling a helpline (N = 2750) completed a semi-structured interview assessing DSM-IV past-year pathological gambling criteria with a trained clinician. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and differences by sex were examined. The BBGS had high sensitivity as well as positive and negative predictive values. In light of the revisions made to the diagnostic criteria in DSM-5, the BBGS remains a psychometrically supported instrument for gambling disorder.     

Serials Workflow Adaptation and the New ILS : A Case for Continuous Process Improvement

This article examines serials workflow adaptation at Notre Dame University Libraries in the context of migration from the NOTIS LMS to the Aleph 500 ILS. In addition to detailing three specific workflows—check-in, claiming, and binding—in NOTIS versus Aleph 500, the authors discuss the workflow adaptation process in general. Emphasis is placed not only on the pragmatic side of the process but also on its psychological aspects. The last section of the article outlines several suggestions for how to deal with expectations for workflow that simply do not match a new system's functionality. Serials Review 2002; 28:298–315.     

'I have got my life back': users' experience of direct payments

After years of activism by disabled people's organizations, the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 made Direct Payment (DP) schemes a reality. Proponents of DP argue that it allows greater freedom and control for those people using it, but as these programmes only came into effect in 1997, few studies have tried to substantiate these claims. This paper reports on a two-year evaluation of two DP schemes in Wales. Using primarily users' feedback the paper focuses on the effects of DP and difficulties encountered, as well as why people chose—or did not choose—DP in the first place. User responses indicate a broad range of beneficial outcomes, including improved self-esteem, increased control over lives, deeper and more lasting relationships, and new interpersonal, vocational and lifestyle opportunities, as a result of the greater flexibility and freedom of choice enabled by DP. Family carers expressed similar satisfaction with DP schemes, also citing greater freedoms as a result of increased flexibility. While some potential users expressed concern over the administration of a DP scheme, users found that, with support from a user driven Independent Living Scheme, the administrative burden was manageable, and that ultimately the DP scheme was a welcome approach to support.     

Determinants of 1980 to 1990 Net Migration in Texas Counties: The Role of Sustenance Specialization and Dominance in International Ecosystems

Abstract Patterns of 1980–1990 migration differ markedly from those of the 1970s but they have received little conceptual or empirical analysis because of limited data and because their diversity has resisted theoretical generalization. An expanded human ecological perspective incorporating international dimensions is hypothesized to explain differentials in migration during the 1980s. Counties with key functions which operate in international ecosystems in which the United States is dominant are hypothesized to control more resources and to have the highest net inmigration. Hypotheses are tested using regression analyses of 1980–1990 net migration for Texas' 254 counties. The results generally confirm that key functional activities were related to migration but less so in nonmetropolitan areas. Implications for rural development and for further research are discussed.