Mexican-American families: A psychoeducational approach for addressing chemical dependency and codependency

Chemical dependency and codependency are often referred to as family problems, and the ways in which families frame these problems may be influenced by their ethnic and cultural background. Increased efforts are being made to help families understand the problems that arise from alcohol and other drug abuse by utilizing approaches that take into consideration their unique cultural aspects. This article reviews some of the ways in which Mexican-American families, in particular, may view chemical dependency and codependency. More importantly, it describes the cultural adaptation of a psychoeducational program to help. Mexican-American parents, primarily mothers whose children are drug involved or who are considered to be at risk for drug use, better address these problems.     

Aggression: A characteristic of physically abused latency-age children

Aggression is a primary characteristic of physically abused children noted in the literature. The development of aggression in the normal child is traced and viewed in relation to the maltreated child. Some special dynamics of the abuse situation are identified and the affects on the perception of the abused child are suggested. Examples of abused children's aggressive behaviors in treatment groups are cited to illustrate both the overt and covert rage and anger which is present. Selected social work interventions utilized with these children are described.     

He Said,She Said: Gender Differences in Mother – Adolescent Conversations about Sexuality

This study examined gender differences in self‐reported and observed conversations about sexual issues. Fifty mother –adolescent dyads reported on their conversations about sexual issues and participated in videotaped conversations about dating and sexuality in a laboratory setting. Gender differences (more mother – daughter than mother –son) were found in the extent of sexual communication based on adolescents’ reports, but no gender differences were found based on mothers’ reports, or on observations of conversations. Aspects of laboratory interactions, however, did distinguish mother– daughter and mother – son dyads, and related to self‐report measures. Girls’ reported sexuality communication frequency related to behavior in the laboratory setting. During mother – son conversations, one person usually took on the role of questioner, whereas the other did not. In contrast, there was evidence for mutuality of positive emotions for mother – daughter dyads, but not for mother – son dyads.     

New strategies in union organizing

The AFL-CIO has called for new and more effective approaches in organizing. This paper reviews the classical organizing model and then identifies four strategic approaches to organizing that have been developed or re-emphasized in recent years including the corporate power strategy, the collective bargaining strategy, community acceptance and integration strategy, and the coordinated/pooled resource strategy. Factors affecting the use and success of these strategies are discussed. It is concluded that while some have promise, their limited use and mixed outcomes will probably minimize their significance in union organizing during the 1980’s.     

Brief Psychiatric Treatment and Symptom Improvement in University Students

Abstract

A total of 242 university students seen in an outpatient mental health clinic were evaluated for symptom changes during treatment using both a self-report inventory and chart notations. Specific clusters of major presenting and major improving symptoms, based on combined frequency and severity measures, were obtained for each of the largest diagnostic groups. Self-rated improvement on major symptoms ranged from 81.8 to 88.4% for patients with anxiety neurosis, depressive neurosis, and adjustment reaction, while personality disorder patients reported 54.5% improvement. Chart-based overall improvement rates were uniformly lower (36.4 to 77.3%) than corresponding self-report figures for each diagnostic group. The extent to which chart-rated overall improvement correlated with self-rated improvement on specific symptoms was analyzed.     

The relationship between New Zealand's climate,energy, and the economy to 2025

Abstract

This study looks at the effect of current climate variability and projected future climate change to 2025 on New Zealand's energy industry (mainly electricity supply and demand) and at the wider economic implications of these effects. Electricity demand is modulated by climate largely through temperature, while electricity supply is modulated largely through rainfall and inflows to the major hydroelectricity‐generating lakes in the South Island. Six climate scenarios are examined with an energy model to determine the change in the demand for energy and the change in the composition of energy supply, especially with regard to the mix of electricity generation. The output from this model is then used as an input to a multi‐industry general equilibrium model of the New Zealand economy.

The modelling demonstrates that while the expected effects of projected climate change on the energy industry over the next two decades are reasonably significant, the flow‐on effects from the energy to the wider economy are negligible, albeit slightly favourable. Modelling of the effects of climate variability, which includes unusually cold years, unusually warm years, and variable precipitation, however, shows that unexpected adverse events do have a measurable economic impact, particularly if wage rates are inflexible. Export industries are particularly disadvantaged by higher energy costs, implying a need for adequate reserve generation capacity. Just how much reserve capacity is optimal is a topic for further research.

Climate change scenarios to 2050 and 2100 show much greater climatic effects than are expected over the next 20 years. These have not been modelled as the types and costs of electricity generation technologies that might become available beyond 20 years are extremely uncertain.     

UNDERSTANDING ENVIRONMENTALISM IN A RED,AGRICULTURAL STATE: THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL PARTY IDENTIFICATION AND PLACE OF RESIDENCE

The red state-blue state characterization of American society geographically categorizes the U.S. into Republican and Democrat states, with the assumption that the gulf between the states is broad and deep in many issues and policies. Given this presumed division, this research examines three dimensions of environmentalism to determine if political party identification is indeed a useful predictor of environmentalism when taking into consideration a person's place of residence and several other social demographic influences. Data come from a 2003 phone survey of 606 residents in Nebraska. Nebraska provides a good test of how much political party identification matters in understanding environmentalism when the population is generally conservative, with traditional ties to extractive commodity production. The findings show that political party identification is significant in understanding environmentalism and that place of residence does not affect environmentalism. However, while the findings reveal that political party identification is an important predictor of environmentalism, both Republicans and Democrats show a relatively strong support for the environment.     

Demands of Maternal Chronic Illness and Children’s Educational Functioning: An Exploratory Study

The study explored the associations between characteristics (e.g., type of illness, years of illness, time spent on managing illness related activities, and the extent of physical impairment) of maternal chronic illness, household income, demands of illness experienced by the patients and their families, and their children’s academic achievement. One hundred and fifty mothers who were diagnosed with chronic physical illness (e.g., diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, etc.) participated in this study by completing a questionnaire asking their medical condition, experienced demands imposed by their illness, as well as their children’s grades in school. The results indicated that years of illness, extent of physical impairment, time spent on managing illness related activities, and household income were significantly associated with the demands imposed by the mothers’ physical illness. Household income was found to be the most robust predictor of children’s grades in the sample of chronically ill mothers. Implications and limitations of the present study will be discussed.     

Alcohol,Child Maltreatment,and Parenting Stress in the Lives of Birth Mothers

ABSTRACT

This exploratory study examines the potential relationship between parenting stress, child maltreatment, and alcoholism in a pilot data set. Twenty-four participants (six African-American, six European-American, six Mexican-American, and six Native-American) completed four questionnaires (Parenting Stress Index, Conflict Tactics Scale Parent-Child, Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, Chemical Dependency Assessment Profile [PSI, CTSPC, MAST, and CDAP]). Through principle component analyses and multiple regression analyses, it was suggested that self-perceived parenting strength or competence directly affect a parent's tactics to deal with parent-child conflicts. Results indicated that self-confidence as a competent parent was related to the frequency of using verbal degrading and physical punishment. Parents who reported that the child's temperament bothers them a lot were more likely to physically abuse the child. Though all the participants could be categorized as alcoholic by the MAST, parents' alcoholic abuse did not appear to elevate the severity of child maltreatment, as measured by the CTSPC.