Musculoskeletal disorders and productivity

Conclusion On balance, the evidence supports an association of higher productivity increases with lower MSD rates and greater reductions in MSD rates. Across all industries for which data were available, lower MSD rates were significantly correlated with higher productivity increases. Since both changes in MSDs and in productivity have many varied causes, the effects of efforts specifically intended to reduce MSDs are difficult to isolate from these data. Nevertheless, in two subsets of industries those effects may be more likely to be discernible: industries with the largest reductions in MSD rates would be more likely to have made changes intended to reduce MSDs, and industries with lower productivity growth may reduce the effects of unrelated productivity gains on MSD/ productivity observations. Statistically significant correlations between reductions in MSDs and increases in productivity were found among both of these groups. In addition, among industries with the highest MSD rates in 1992, the extent of implementation of ergonomic controls was significantly correlated with increases in productivity. A special thank you is extended to William Weber, William McCarthy, and Linda Garris of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Office of Safety, Health and Working Conditions, for providing MSD industry data for 1992 and 1998. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the department or agency with which the writers are affiliated. Jens Svenson is currently on detail to the Office of Management and Budget.     

The Impact of Direct Election on Reform Votes in the U.S. Senate*

Objective. This investigation examines the extent to which direct election rendered the U.S. Senate more supportive of Progressive reforms, as indicated through roll‐call outcomes. Methods. Pre‐ and postaggregate support coalitions are compared in a 16‐year period bifurcated by passage of the Seventeenth Amendment (1905–1921), utilizing difference in means and ordinary least squares regression. An alternate test considers the aggregate impact of the rising percentage of states adopting pre‐Amendment direct‐election mechanisms. A difference in means test between Senate and House votes on similar bills is also provided. Results. Neither the Amendment nor the statewide movement toward direct election exerted the conventionally assumed, positive impact on reform support; House and Senate support scores were similar throughout the period. Conclusions. The data suggest a strong pro‐reform tendency in the Senate throughout the timeframe. The probable reason direct election demonstrates so little of the expected impact on outcomes is that the Senate had already begun to move in that direction.     

An assessment of outcomes following parents' participation in a child abuse prevention program

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following participation in the ESPACE parents' workshop. A group of 55 parents who participated in the program, implemented in elementary schools in the Quebec city region, was compared to a group of 217 parents who did not attend the prevention workshop. The results revealed that attending parents suggested more adequate interventions to the vignette depicting a hypothetical situation of sexual abuse compared to nonattending parents. Attending parents are found to be more likely to suggest interventions sustaining the child in her own problem-solving process, seek help from specialized agencies, and attempt to offer emotional support to the victim. Data also reveal that the parents workshop has a positive outcome on knowledge. While the workshop is associated with beneficial outcomes, attendance rates are low. The findings are discussed in the context of identifying means to foster parent involvement in the prevention of child abuse.     

Androgen and psychosexual development: core gender identity, sexual orientation and recalled childhood gender role behavior in women and men with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)

We assessed core gender identity, sexual orientation, and recalled childhood gender role behavior in 16 women and 9 men with CAH and in 15 unaffected female and 10 unaffected male relatives, all between the ages of 18 and 44 years. Women with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) recalled significantly more male-typical play behavior as children than did unaffected women, whereas men with and without CAH did not differ. Women with CAH also reported significantly less satisfaction with the female sex of assignment and less heterosexual interest than did unaffected women. Again, men with CAH did not differ significantly from unaffected men in these respects. Our results for women with CAH are consistent with numerous prior reports indicating that girls with CAH show increased male-typical play behavior. They also support the hypotheses that these women show reduced heterosexual interest and reduced satisfaction with the female sex of assignment. Our results for males are consistent with most prior reports that boys with CAH do not show a general alteration in childhood play behavior. In addition, they provide initial evidence that core gender identity and sexual orientation are unaffected in men with CAH. Finally, among women with CAH, we found that recalled male-typical play in childhood correlated with reduced satisfaction with the female gender and reduced heterosexual interest in adulthood. Although prospective studies are needed, these results suggest that those girls with CAH who show the greatest alterations in childhood play behavior may be the most likely to develop a bisexual or homosexual orientation as adults and to be dissatisfied with the female sex of assignment.     

Do Marriage Preparation Programs Really Work?: A Canadian Experiment*

This paper reports on the development, implementation, and evaluation of an innovative marriage preparation program. The program used a small discussion-group format, had pre- and post-wedding sessions, and emphasized the importance of communication patterns and conflict resolution. It was hypothesized (1) that spouses who took part in such a program would be less likely to engage in destructive conflict with each other than those who had not taken part; and, (2) that spouses who took part in the program would seek assistance in solving either individual or marital problems more readily than those who did not take part. The data supported both hypotheses.     

Does a Brochure About Pathological Gambling Provide New Information?

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate whether a brochure on pathological gambling provides new information and knowledge to the general population. A total of 115 randomly chosen people from shopping malls and municipal parks were randomly distributed to control and experimental groups. Results indicated that the brochure provided new information concerning problem gambling, at risk behaviors, and the availability of specialised help.     

Brief Communications Analysis of a Casino's Self-Exclusion Program

As gambling facilities become more available, the number of pathological gamblers increases. Effective therapeutic and preventive interventions should be developed and systematically evaluated. Self-exclusion programs may be a useful means to facilitate self-control among problem gamblers. This paper describes the characteristics of individuals who decided to bar themselves from a Canadian casino. Two hundred twenty individuals participated in the present study and completed a questionnaire including four sections: (1) socio-demographic data, (2) the South Oaks Gambling Screen, (3) gambling habits, and (4) prior experiences with the self-exclusion program. According to the SOGS, 95% of the participants were classified as severe pathological gamblers on the SOGS (Mean score = 9.87). Furthermore, based on self-reported observation, 30% of the participants completely stopped gambling once enrolled in this program. No one scored within the interval of non-problem gamblers. Suggestions to improve self-exclusion programs are discussed.     

The Benefit Corporation: Corporate Governance and the For‐profit Social Entrepreneur

The adoption by 19 states and the District of Columbia of a new variant of the business corporation form—known as the benefit corporation—presents several issues for legislatures, for entrepreneurs electing to organize as benefit corporations, for existing corporations that are converting to the new form, and for the stakeholders (other than shareholders) who are intended to be considered in benefit corporation governance. The article presents the history and structure of the new business form and a discussion of what has become its predecessor—the constituency statute. The model benefit corporation statute provisions are reviewed, which many states have adopted in toto. The authors address the obstacles that should be overcome by legislatures, businesses, and stakeholders before further legislative adoptions occur, as well as considerations for effective implementation by government, corporations, and stakeholders under existing and proposed variations of the statute.     

Psychological Malpractice and the Anti-Cult Battle—A Response

The operation of some cults and the ‘deprogramming’ of cult members are both held to be suspect. An examination of the broad characteristics, motivations and backgrounds of cult members reveals links with the authoritarian justifications of their ‘rescuers‘.—Ed.     

An Application of Covariance Analysis to Capacity Expansion at an Intermodal Blending Plant

Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) integrates analysis of variance (ANOVA) and regression. The basic advantages of ANCOVA over ANOVA are: (1) generally greater power, and (2) reduction in bias caused by differences between groups that exist before experimental treatments are administered. ANCOVA has numerous possible applications in the evaluation of simulation output, especially where the values of covariates are not known until after the simulation experiment is completed. These covariates are uncontrolled experimental variables that influence the response but are themselves unaffected by the experimental factors. This paper provides an application of multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) to a simulation experiment to determine whether an intermodal transfer and blending facility should add commodity handling and storage capacity. A discrete simulation model of the plant generated cash flows from several proposed capital projects. These cash flows indicated that capacity expansion was a prudent decision. However, when the treatment means for the various combinations of additional capacity were adjusted by MANCOVA for the same levels of operating volume and scheduling performance, the adjusted cash flows produced unacceptable financial returns. In this example, the increased precision of the MANCOVA model suggested that plant management should not invest in additional storage and commodity handling capacity.