Characteristics of Sexually Abused Children and Their Nonoffending Mothers Followed by Child Welfare Services: The Role of a Maternal History of Child Sexual Abuse

Considering the importance of mother’s support in the adaptation of a sexually abused child, it is relevant to determine if the mothers and children involved in an intergenerational cycle of child sexual victimization differ from dyads in which only the child has been abused. The purpose of this study was to compare mother–child dyads with sexually abused children according to whether the mother had herself been victim of child sexual abuse. The sample included 87 dyads with sexually abused children aged 3–18 years old and their mothers (44 reporting maternal and child abuse), followed by social welfare services of the province of Quebec (Canada). The two groups of mothers were compared on their past family abuse experiences and past family relations, their mental health history, their current psychological distress, their parenting behaviors, and their current levels of family functioning. Children were compared on their adaptation. Multivariate analyses indicated that mothers reporting child sexual abuse were more likely to report more other maltreatments in their childhood and greater prevalence of lifetime history of alcohol abuse disorders, dysthymia, and panic disorder compared with mothers who had not experienced CSA. Compared to children whose mothers had not experienced CSA, those whose mothers had experienced CSA showed higher rates of problems behaviors and were more likely to report having been sexually abused by a trusted person. These results highlight the specific clinical needs for the assessment and treatment for sexually abused children whose mothers experienced child sexual abuse.     

LAG Length Selection and the Construction of Unit Root Tests with Good Size and Power

It is widely known that when there are errors with a moving‐average root close to −1, a high order augmented autoregression is necessary for unit root tests to have good size, but that information criteria such as the AIC and the BIC tend to select a truncation lag (k) that is very small. We consider a class of Modified Information Criteria (MIC) with a penalty factor that is sample dependent. It takes into account the fact that the bias in the sum of the autoregressive coefficients is highly dependent on k and adapts to the type of deterministic components present. We use a local asymptotic framework in which the moving‐average root is local to −1 to document how the MIC performs better in selecting appropriate values of k. In Monte‐Carlo experiments, the MIC is found to yield huge size improvements to the DF^GLS and the feasible point optimal P_T test developed in Elliott, Rothenberg, and Stock (1996). We also extend the M tests developed in Perron and Ng (1996) to allow for GLS detrending of the data. The MIC along with GLS detrended data yield a set of tests with desirable size and power properties.     

A multilevel perspective of the identity transition to motherhood

This study examines the identity transition of women when they become mothers and return to work. Twenty‐two first‐time mothers were interviewed at two points in time: just after giving birth and on re‐entry into employment after maternity leave. The findings suggest that this transition is influenced by multiple factors on different levels which include individual factors, such as partner support and career aspirations, organizational factors such as family‐friendly work practices and role models, and societal factors such as social norms and attitudes towards the maternal body. The findings highlight the importance of context by stressing the interrelated nature of factors on the micro‐, meso‐ and macro‐level in order to better understand the identity transition to motherhood.     

WHERE ARE THE ECONOMISTS WHO PUBLISH? PUBLICATION CONCENTRATION AND RANKINGS IN EUROPE BASED ON CUMULATIVE PUBLICATIONS

We measure the past production of research articles by current members of European economics institutions. All EconLit journals are used, weighted to reflect differences in quality. Both a long (1971–2000) and a short (1996–2000) time period are considered. We also provide production indices that take into account the authors' career length. The total output of each research center is measured as well as its production per member. The focus is on 600 centers from eighteen European countries (EU 14, Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey). European centers are compared to the top sixty U.S. economics departments. Statistics regarding the concentration of article production across researchers, institutions, and countries are provided, as well as on publication habits. (JEL: A14, L11, R32)     

RESEARCH NOTEStylistic variations in the social network of a 10‐year‐old child: Pragmatic adjustments or automatic alignment?1

Although stylistic variation within social networks has been described in adults, this topic remains under‐researched in children. One question that remains unanswered is the extent to which stylistic variation is the result of automatic alignment or of intentional, pragmatically motivated adjustment. We present an in‐depth sociolinguistic case study of a 10‐year‐old boy, his family and four friends selected according to their place of birth and the duration of their relationship with the boy. Statistical analyses of sociolinguistic variables of French suggest that the child's use of these variants is influenced by pragmatic motivations but not by automatic alignment. La variation stylistique est bien décrite chez l’adulte. Toutefois, sa forme, ses mécanismes et ses fonctions ontogénétiques doivent être davantage étudiés chez l’enfant. Une question concerne notamment le degré auquel cette variation résulte d’un alignement automatique sur les usages de l’interlocuteur ou d’un ajustement intentionnel, fondé sur des motivations pragmatiques. Nous présentons une étude de cas approfondie d’un garçon de dix ans enregistré avec sa famille et quatre amis sélectionnés selon leur lieu de naissance et la durée de la relation amicale qui les lie à l’enfant cible. L’analyse statistique de variables sociolinguistiques du français suggère que cet enfant est capable d’ajustements subtils en fonction de l’identité des interlocuteurs. Plutôt que d’être sous‐tendus par un alignement mimétique sur les usages d’autrui, ces ajustements semblent fondés sur des motivations pragmatiques et identitaires.     

The Impact of Dietary Changes Among the Inuit of Nunavik (Canada): A Socioeconomic Assessment of Possible Public Health Recommendations Dealing with Food Contamination

Inuit populations meet a large portion of their food needs by eating country food in which pollutants are concentrated. Despite the fact that they contain pollutants, the consumption of country food has many health, social, economic, and cultural benefits. A risk determination process was set up in order to help regional health authorities of Nunavik to deal with this particular issue. Based on Nunavik health authorities' objectives to encourage the region's inhabitants to change their dietary habits, and on both the risks and the benefits of eating country food, several management options were developed. The options aimed at reducing exposure to contaminants by either substituting certain foods with others that have a lower contaminant content or by store-bought foods. This article aims at assessing the potential economic impact of these risk management options before being implemented. Relevant economic data (aggregate income and monetary outlays for the purchase of food and equipment required for food production by households) were collected and identified to serve as a backdrop for the various replacement scenarios. Results show that household budgets, and the regional economy, are not significantly affected by the replacement of contaminated foods with the purchase of store-bought meat, and even less so if the solution involves replacing contaminated foods with other types of game hunted in the region. When financial support is provided by the state, the households can even gain some monetary benefits. Results show that public health authorities' recommended changes to dietary habits among the Inuit of Nunavik would not necessarily involve economic constraints for Inuit households.     

The lottery player in Cameroon: An exploratory study

We report on an ongoing survey of attitudes toward gambling in the two main cities of Cameroon, Douala and Yaounde. From the data it appears that lottery playing in Cameroon is an answer to the economic crisis that has plagued the country for some years. The results are similar to the ones obtained in previous Canadian, American and other studies in various countries.We thank Alain Njoh Soppo and Martin Tiako, students at the business school of the University of Douala (ESSEC) who collected the data for their Mémoire de fin d'études. We also thank our research assistant, Alain Tremblay, for his help and CIDA, ESSEC and Loto-Québec for their financial help. All remaining errors are solely our own.