Estimation and testing in generalized partial linear models—A comparative study

A particular semiparametric model of interest is the generalized partial linear model (GPLM) which extends the generalized linear model (GLM) by a nonparametric component.The paper reviews different estimation procedures based on kernel methods as well as test procedures on the correct specification of this model (vs. a parametric generalized linear model). Simulations and an application to a data set on East–West German migration illustrate similarities and dissimilarities of the estimators and test statistics.     

Occupational therapy students' contribution towards enabling potential in a semi-rural community

Occupational therapy students at the University of Pretoria engage in a 7-week service learning fieldwork in their fourth year. This fieldwork takes place in a semi-rural community. The article reports on a successful project where the students enabled adult learners with disabilities to improve their engagement in meaningful activities and trained the learners in selected prevocational skills. The students included a teacher from the center and she was given the opportunity to expand her skills in teaching as well. The ZOPP model of community project planning was used and proved to be a useful tool for students who have limited time for planning, implementation and evaluation of a project.     

Effective working relationships between audit committees and internal audit—the cornerstone of corporate governance in local authorities, a Welsh perspective

This research looks at the working relationship between audit committees and the internal audit function within Welsh local government. The focus is primarily on the working relationship from the perspective of the head of internal audit, also known as the Chief Audit Executive or Chief Internal Auditor [Head of internal audit will be used synonymously with that of Chief Audit Executive and Chief Internal Auditor]. Is it a marriage of convenience or a working relationship where the two can capitalise on what they both bring to the corporate governance arena? Reluctance by local government in Wales to embrace the merits of audit committees in the late 1990s means that local government is playing catch up with other public sector organisations. This in turn affects the recognition of the benefits of an effective audit committee capable of working with the internal audit function to promote sound corporate governance. Published guidelines by the UK public sector accountancy body in 2005 on the implementation of audit committees within local government made those organisations yet to establish an audit committee to rethink the situation, and were encouraged by the seemingly positive benefits of audit committees. Wales was no exception, and the 22 local authorities considered embracing the concept of audit committees. Consequently, this placed the internal audit function and head of internal audit under the spotlight in terms of the expectations of the audit committee members. Audit committees roles and responsibilities mean that they should assist councils and officers to ensure they undertake their responsibilities with probity and effectiveness, especially in respect of financial control. It is imperative that committee chairs and internal audit can function as a working team in order to be effective. Audit Committees have a role to assess the performance of the internal audit function, appoint heads of internal audit, support and promote the audit function within the organisation. It is therefore important that the heads of internal audit have confidence and respect for the audit committee and its chair in terms of the skill and knowledge it has of the audit role in relation to the financial and non-financial aspects of the organisation. Laura Spira (2003) comments on how very little research has been undertaken in relation to the audit committee activities, within the private sector, consequently very little is known about what they actually do, let alone how effective they are in undertaking their role. In a similar vein, the same is true of the public sector audit committee activities, especially when they have tended to adopt the private sector audit committee as a blue print to their own audit committee development.     

Coexisting principles and logics of elder care: Help to self‐help and consumer‐oriented service?

Healthy and active ageing has become an ideal in Western societies. In the Nordic countries, this ideal has been supported through a policy of help to self‐help in elder care since the 1980s. However, reforms inspired by New Public Management (NPM) have introduced a new policy principle of consumer‐oriented service that stresses the wishes and priorities of older people. We have studied how these two principles are applied by care workers in Denmark. Is one principle or logic replacing the other, or do they coexist? Do they create tensions between professional knowledge and the autonomy of older people? Using neo‐institutional theory and feminist care theory, we analysed the articulation of the two policy principles in interviews and their logics in observations in four local authorities. We conclude that help to self‐help is the dominant principle, that it is deeply entrenched in the identity of the professional care worker and that it coexists with consumer‐oriented service and without major tensions in the logics identified in their practices.     

Psychometric Evaluation of the Affect Regulation Checklist: Clinical and Community Samples,Parent-Reports and Youth Self-Reports

The Affect Regulation Checklist (ARC) was designed to capture affect dysregulation, suppression, and reflection. Importantly, affect dysregulation has been established as a transdiagnostic mechanism underpinning many forms of psychopathology. We tested the ARC psychometric properties across clinical and community samples and through both parent-report and youth self-report information. Clinical sample: Participants included parents (n = 814; M_age = 43.86) and their child (n = 608; M_age = 13.98). Community sample: Participants included independent samples of parents (n = 578; M_age = 45.12) and youth (n = 809; M_age = 15.67). Exploratory structural equation modeling supported a three-factor structure across samples and informants. Dysregulation was positively associated with all forms of psychopathology. In general, suppression was positively associated with many forms of psychopathology, and reflection was negatively associated with externalizing problems and positively associated with internalizing problems.     

Mental Health Mobile Apps’ Instruction: Technology Adoption Theories Applied in a Mixed Methods Study of Counseling Faculty

This objective of this research was to determine factors influencing counselor educators’ behavioral intentions to teach counseling students about mental health mobile applications (MHMAs), factors influencing values of MHMAs as therapeutic tools, and to what extent counselor education programs are contributing to future counselors’ technological competence with regard to evaluating and integrating MHMAs. The conceptual basis was a theory triangulation approach using theories of technology use and acceptance and diffusion of innovations. Nine quantitative, two qualitative, and two mixed methods research questions served to guide the study. Participants were 132 faculty members from 99 university counseling programs. Participants completed an initial survey, an evaluation of an evidence-based mental health mobile application (app), and a postmeasure. Hierarchical multiple regression, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), independent samples t-tests, and paired samples t-tests were used to analyze quantitative data. Results indicated that unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) variables along with anxiety/apprehension and ethical concerns are related to behavioral intentions to teach students about MHMAs. Semistructured video interviews were conducted and analyzed in the qualitative phase to add depth and explain quantitative findings. This study has implications for graduate counselor education programs and related accrediting agencies.     

The Effects of Suicide on the Private Practitioner: A Professional and Personal Perspective

A patient's suicide has a profound effect on the therapist and psychotherapy with a chronically suicidal patient is particularly troubling. Guilt over one's failure to recognize the warning signs, fear of one's incompetence or irresponsibility, shame that one has failed, and fear of being blamed by the patient's loved ones and by colleagues are feelings that frequently surface and that can result in isolating a practitioner from the very sources of peer support that are necessary in order to resolve the trauma. This article explores the effects of suicide on the private practitioner. It discusses how burnout and vicarious traumatization impact upon the therapist who treats the chronically suicidal patient. Two clinical examples illustrate the impact of working with imminent suicide and the aftermath of a patient's death from a personal perspective. Recommendations are made to help private practitioners maintain equilibrium when working with these overwhelming case situations.