SPORTS FAN BINGE DRINKING: AN EXAMINATION USING LOW SELF-CONTROL AND PEER ASSOCIATION

Research has shown a connection between being a college sports fan and binge drinking; however, no research uses criminological theories when examining this connection. The purpose of the present study is to examine the ability of self-control and differential association theories to determine whether the relationship between college sports fans and binge drinking is individual or group situated. Using self-report data from (n = 693) college students from four southern universities, the results show that the connection between being a college sports fan and binge drinking can be accounted for by both low self-control and differential association. These results are discussed and policy implications are presented.     

All in the Family

Abstract

This study of sore throats in a college population revealed predominately mild physical abnormalities and a low incidence of group A beta hemolytic streptococci. A concern is raised about the criterion for the interpretation of the bacitracin disc test.

In the endemic or usual circumstance, the generally healthy adult complaining of sore throat while living in a good environment and having no major physical findings has an acute rheumatic fever risk approaching zero. The risk of an adverse reaction to penicillin would appear to be greater. The physician must consider the host, the environment, and the epidemiologic factors that may affect the rheumatogenicity of the organism.

In light of these ambiguities, the practicing physician should reevaluate the medical ritual of throat culturing.     

The Deinstitutionalization of Children in Bulgaria – The Role of the EU

In this article, the role of the EU as a key factor for the development of the deinstitutionalization of children is explored. A series of hypotheses concerning EU funding, policies and politics are addressed with regards to how the EU as a whole has affected the deinstitutionalization of children. The article explains the presence of association between instigation of public interest and civil mobilization and the launch of a nationwide reform – in particular how advocacy both at national and EU level led to the adoption of a national reform strategy in Bulgaria. Further, the association between the availability of an innovative approach to spending the EU funds and the decision generally to reform the system for institutional care for children is presented. The article explains the difference that €107.6 million will make for Bulgaria's abandoned children if the European structural funds are realized with their full potential. On the other hand, it reveals the challenges that the process is facing. A great deal of non‐governmental organization (NGO) experience concerning EU involvement in the process has been generalized and construed in order to achieve the best possible understanding of the whole process, the key players and the fundamental issues.     

Caring for Children From the Same Culture: Challenges for Foster Parents

Foster parents licensed in a central Canadian province were contacted by telephone and invited to participate in a survey that included the question “What are the challenges of fostering a child with the same values, beliefs, and traditions as you?” Participants sorted all responses to the question into concepts that were analyzed using multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis in accordance with the concept mapping method. The final concept map included five clusters that were labeled rebuild confidence, different expectations, resistance, restore connections, and acceptance. Results were compared to the literature. Similarities and differences are presented.     

Part II: Differences between Sexually Victimized and Nonsexually Victimized Male Adolescent Sexual Abusers and Delinquent Youth: Further Group Comparisons of Developmental Antecedents and Behavioral Challenges

In order to determine the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals, we conducted a meta-analysis that compiled the results of 65 articles across 9 countries. The results revealed no significant difference in the prevalence of child sexual abuse between homosexual and bisexual people for both sexes. The prevalence of child sexual abuse among female sexual minorities was significantly higher than that among male sexual minorities. The lowest prevalence was found in South America, followed by Asia. The definition of child sexual abuse, dimension used to measure sexual orientation, year of data collection, and the mean age of participants at the time of assessment influenced the estimated prevalence of child sexual abuse. We conclude that many variables influence the reported prevalence of child sexual abuse among sexual minorities.     

Differences between Sexually Victimized and Nonsexually Victimized Male Adolescent Sexual Abusers: Developmental Antecedents and Behavioral Comparisons

This study compares sexually victimized and nonsexually victimized male adolescent sexual abusers on a number of variables. Self-report measures were administered to 325 male sexually abusive youth (average age 16) in six residential facilities in the Midwest, 55% of whom reported sexual victimization. The results indicate that the sexually victimized sexual abusers have more severe developmental antecedents (trauma, family characteristics, early exposure to pornography and personality) and recent behavioral difficulties (characteristics of sexual aggression, sexual arousal, use of pornography, and nonsexual criminal behavior) than the nonsexually victimized group. Results are contrasted with recent typological research, which found no relationship between sexual victimization and subtype membership. Treatment, research, and theoretical implications are discussed.     

Strategies Used by Gay and Bisexual Young Men to Cope With Heterosexism

ABSTRACT

Although the pervasiveness of heterosexism in the lives of gay and bisexual youth is well established, little is known about the strategies these youth use to cope with stigma and discrimination based on their sexual minority status. In this qualitative study, the authors present findings and implications for clinical practice based on interviews with 43 gay and bisexual young men. Respondents’ coping strategies are discussed in relation to current theory and research on coping with stigma, as well as the emerging field of emotion regulation. The narratives from the current study suggest that the emotion regulation paradigm is well suited to understanding the functions of strategies for coping with heterosexism and similar types of stigma.     

Cultures of Melancholia in Late Capitalism—A Reflection Response to Discussion by Jeanne Wolff Bernstein

Our reply to Jeanne Wolff Bernstein claims that she is an ideal reader for the type of analysis we offered: because she is familiar with the European literary tradition, because she so obviously harbors a sense of the interface of literature and psychoanalysis, and—not least—because she herself has so meticulously studied the nuanced details of our diagnosis. We concur, furthermore, with the melancholia diagnosis she attributes to us and understand why our analysis led her—almost by association—to remember the models of earlier theorists of melancholy and depression. However, we caution that these three are merely a few among many models and that they should not, in any case, be considered definitive (as if models could ever be ultimate arbiters in an enterprise such as the posthumous analysis of a historical figure). Finally, in our reply we petition for a more historical approach than the one found in Bernstein's response or in the writings of the three thinkers whose approach has influenced her thinking.     

Gender-Specific Barriers to Self-Sufficiency Among Former Supplemental Security Income Drug Addiction and Alcoholism Beneficiaries: Implications for Welfare-To-Work Programs and Services

ABSTRACT

This study examines barriers to economic self-sufficiency among a panel of 219 former Supplemental Security Income (SSI) drug addiction and alcoholism (DA&A) recipients following elimination of DA&A as an eligibility category for SSI disability benefits. Study participants were comprehensively surveyed at six measurement points following the policy change. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine full-sample and gender-specific barriers to economic self-sufficiency. Results indicate that access to transportation, age, and time are the strongest predictors of achieving self-sufficiency for both men and women leaving the welfare system. Gender-specific barriers are also identified. Future research needs to assess the generalizability of these results to other public assistance recipients.