Use of ecological information in urban planning: Experiences from the Helsinki metropolitan area, Finland

This paper studies the use of ecological research information in urban planning focusing on Finland. Research questions addressed the importance and challenges of incorporating ecological information into the planning process, and ways to promote the use of ecological information. Fifteen key professionals from three representative development approval processes in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area were interviewed. The interviewed planners and ecologists considered ecological information important for identifying and preserving valuable urban nature and biodiversity, diminishing negative environmental impacts of construction and for enabling nature-related experiences and services for urban residents. The identified challenges for the use of the information included insufficiency, fragmented nature and lack of adequacy of information, as well as problems with the interpretation and presentation of information. In order to provide more comprehensive ecological information from urbanizing areas in Finland; there should be more coordinated efforts to produce research information that planners really need, ecologists should be more active in the process in providing ecological insights for plans, a proper and simple biodiversity valuation method should be developed, more research on the function on ecological corridors should be conducted, and biodiversity monitoring of implemented planning projects should be developed.     

Measuring racial disparity in child welfare

Overrepresentation of certain racial/ethnic groups in the foster care system is one of the most troubling and challenging issues in child welfare today. In response, many states have started reporting outcomes by race and ethnicity to identify disproportionately high rates of system contact. The identification of disproportional representation is the first step in developing targeted strategies to address disproportionality--highlighting where resources should be directed and guiding future research. However, present and future efforts to address disproportionality must be accompanied by statistically sound and meaningful methods of measurement. In this article, we argue for the adoption of a relative rate measure of representation--a "Disparity Index"--as the primary instrument for assessing racial disparity in child welfare.     

A creative arts intervention for children with diabetes. Part 1: Development

Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes is one of the most serious and prevalent chronic illnesses in children and adolescents. Creative arts and play group therapy provide children with age-appropriate opportunities to learn about their illnesses and express normative feelings of anxiety, anger, and fear. This article offers practical suggestions for beginning a creative arts skits program. Part 2 (to be published in the December 2008 issue) will use the case study method to demonstrate the benefits of such skits for children with diabetes.     

Correlates of partner abuse in male same-sex relationships

We investigated correlates of partner abuse in male same-sex relationships in a randomly selected community sample (N = 186). We included factors associated with abuse in heterosexual relationships, as well as factors of relevance to gay relationships. We assessed perpetration and receipt of partner abuse to examine whether variables were associated independently with abuse perpetration and/or receipt. Correlates of same-sex partner abuse were largely parallel to established correlates of heterosexual abuse. Income, education, and attachment orientation were associated with bidirectional partner abuse, and family violence and substance use were uniquely associated with victimization. Further, there were factors unique to same-sex partner abuse; HIV status and public outness were associated with bidirectional partner abuse, and internalized homophobia was uniquely associated with abuse perpetration.     

Self-regulation and the etiology of sexual deviance: evaluating causal theory

Recently introduced theories of sex offending, including the self-regulation model and the multimodal self-regulation theory, have implicated self-regulatory deficits as a key variable in the development of sexually inappropriate interests and behaviors. While dysregulation has been considered an important component of a variety of behavioral, emotional, and interpersonal disorders, sexual behaviors have rarely been conceptualized within this context. In this study, we have examined a number of variables linked to self-regulation and dysfunctional outcomes in a sample of 95 sex-offending men. Results of a path analysis demonstrated that self-regulatory deficits were significantly predictive of paraphilic and antisocial behaviors in this group. Implications for our understanding of the etiology of sexual deviance and future research in this area are discussed.     

Transforming normality into pathology: the DSM and the outcomes of stressful social arrangements

The sociology of stress shows how nondisordered people often become distressed in contexts such as chronic subordination; the losses of status, resources, and attachments; or the inability to achieve valued goals. Evolutionary psychology indicates that distress arising in these contexts stems from psychological mechanisms that are responding appropriately to stressful circumstances. A diagnosis of mental disorder, in contrast, indicates that these mechanisms are not functioning as they are designed to function. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, however, has come to treat both the natural results of the stress process and individual pathology as mental disorders. A number of social groups benefit from and promote the conflation of normal emotions with dysfunctions. The result has been to overestimate the number of people who are considered to be disordered, to focus social policy on the supposedly unmet need for treatment, and to enlarge the social space of pathology in the general culture.     

The association between aging inmate housing management models and non-geriatric health services in state correctional institutions

One of the current debates in the literature on aging inmates asks, what is the most efficient housing/health care model for this "special needs" population? State and federal correctional systems place elderly inmates either in specialized segregated housing units away from the general inmate population, consolidate elderly inmates in housing units within the prison, or provide a combination of both models. In general, proponents of the segregated housing model argue that aging inmates will receive specialized medical services in geriatric units. However, proponents of consolidated housing model argue that aging inmates will have the benefit of both geriatric and non-geriatric health services. This paper examines the association between the type of housing management model for aging inmates and the availability of non-geriatric physical and mental health services. Data for the analysis come from the 2000 Bureau of Justice Statistics Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities. The results suggest that institutions offering consolidated geriatric care provide more mental health services and that these effects are independent of the characteristics of prison facility.     

Women's perceptions of power and control in sexual abuse counseling

Fifty women who were sexually abused as children were interviewed regarding their perceptions of helpful and hindering counseling behaviors. The critical incident technique was the methodology used. One major category that emerged from the data was Approach to Power and Control. This category comprised eight subcategories: (1) flexibility with agenda; (2) willingness to offer choices; (3) response to criticism; (4) response to client as an equal or with honor; (5) sexual interest; (6) approach to client's suggestions; (7) expectations regarding forgiveness; and (8) consultation with alter identities. Implications for counseling practice, research, and counselor education are discussed.     

A note on block variables in multiequation models

This paper seeks to further refine the efforts of Coleman (Social Science Research 5, 1–20, 1976) and Igra (Social Science Research 8, 253–264, 1979) to develop summary regressionlike coefficients for causal models involving blocks of conceptually related variables, using Heise's (Sociological Methods and Research 1, 147–173, 1972) strategy of explicitly representing block concepts as unobserved intervening variables in a multiequation model. Such models can be estimated using the maximum-likelihood techniques of Jöreskog and Sörbom (LISREL IV: Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood, International Educational Services, Chicago, 1978). The procedure proposed leads to (a) an unambiguous definition of block variables in terms of their constituent variables; (b) a clear definition of effects of conceptual variables on one another, and on single response variables, and a reduced model formulated in terms of conceptual variables only; and (c) a clear decomposition of correlations between conceptual variables into direct effects, indirect effects, and unanalyzed components. Numerical illustration is provided.