Recreation as a component of the community youth development system

In an era of fragmented school systems and budget cuts, many educators and youth leaders seeking to solve the problems that youth face are turning to out-of-school-time programs. In many communities, these programs are seen as essential in the development of youth into fully functioning adults. One such area of the out-of-school-time sector is the provision of recreation services. Recreational services have a vital role in connecting youth to their communities, as well as enabling youth and adult allies to improve challenging conditions. This chapter outlines the historical role that recreation has played in community youth development programs and shows how community youth development has evolved. It then looks at how organizations in three communities--the Youthline Outreach Mentorship program in Minneapolis, a 4-H initiative in Parker City, Texas, and the Hockey Is for Everyone program--have successfully applied the theoretical knowledge. Best practices from these programs illustrate that the role of recreation in community youth development is changing. No longer are recreation programs about providing just "fun and games." Recreation organizations are now placing more value on the development of the community as a whole, in addition to the individual well-being of young people.     

Evidence-based practice with families of chronically ill children: a critical literature review

A chronically ill child is financially, emotionally, and physically demanding on the family system. Although researchers have identified a plethora of risks, stressors, and needs of the families with a chronically ill child, there is a scarceness of evidence-based interventions in the existing literature. The purpose of the authors in this study was to critically analyze current treatment and identify the gaps in the available research. Findings revealed that there is a lack of support for empirically tested interventions that can help parents, siblings, and families of chronically ill children. The issues raised within this literature review bring attention to the need for shifts in research from exploratory to evidence based in order to successfully achieve more effective care.     

Vitamin D and the postmenopausal population

Vitamin D, a hormone critical to the body's maintenance of serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations, is currently the subject of much scientific interest. Low levels of vitamin D have been observed in many populations and epidemiological studies have suggested a link between this biochemical state and a range of diseases, such as cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis. While the consequence of vitamin D deficiency is well documented for bone (rickets and osteomalacia), with mixed findings relating to falls and fractures, a causal link between vitamin D deficiency and these wider health outcomes has not been established. If these relationships were found to be causal, the morbidity and mortality resulting from low levels of vitamin D could be substantial; the current evidence base, however, most robustly supports the assessment of serum 25(OH)-vitamin D in the context of specific symptoms, low bone mineral density or biochemical abnormalities, rather than as an entity to treat in its own right or as the basis for a population-wide screening programme.     

Joint physical custody and neighborhood friendships in middle childhood

Almost half of first marriages end in divorce, which in turn may produce joint physical custody arrangements. Seen by many states to be in the best interest of the child, joint physical custody is increasingly common. Yet much is unknown about its consequences for children. This article considers how joint physical custody arrangements affect children’s neighborhood friendships, an important component of child well-being because of their contributions to social and cognitive development. Thirteen parents and 17 children (aged 5–11) in 10 families, selected via convenience and snowball sampling, participated in semistructured interviews. The findings suggest that joint physical custody arrangements do not imperil children’s neighborhood friendships; indeed, most children and parents interviewed voiced contentment in this area.     

Health Costs of Wealth Gains: Labor Migration and Perceptions of HIV/AIDS Risks in Mozambique

The study employs survey data from rural Mozambique to examine how men's labor migration affects their non-migrating wives' perceptions of HIV/AIDS risks. Using a conceptual framework centered on tradeoffs between economic security and health risks that men's migration entails for their left-behind wives, it compares women married to migrants and those married to non-migrants while also distinguishing between economically successful and unsuccessful migration. The analysis finds that the economic success of men's migration, rather than migration itself, significantly predicts women's worries about getting infected by their husbands or their own extramarital partners, and their husbands' stance on condom use. These findings are situated within a broader context of socio-economic, gender, and marital dynamics and vulnerabilities produced or amplified by male labor migration in sub-Saharan and similar developing settings.     

Deconstructing heterosexism: becoming an LGB affirmative heterosexual couple and family therapist

The purpose of this article is to propose a three-step model to help heterosexual therapists become more aware of the influence of their own heteronormative assumptions, heterosexual privileges, and heterosexual identities on the therapy process. This article also provides definitions of concepts central to the practice of affirmative therapy with lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients and strategies that therapists and clients can use to deconstruct heterosexism in the context of therapy.     

The unsilencing of military wives: wartime deployment experiences and citizen responsibility

One of therapists' contemporary moral imperatives is to support American service members and their families regardless of personal position on the Global War on Terrorism. One way therapists can respond to this imperative is by seeking to understand Army wives' experiences during their husbands' wartime deployments. Therefore, this study utilized a combination of individual interviews with Army wives and a reflecting team of military wives and civilians to explore military wives' experiences. Two main themes were identified: the wives' experience was an emotional roller coaster and they felt silenced--and could be unsilenced--in their interactions with civilians. Therapists working with Army wives should (a) normalize the roller-coaster experience; (b) encourage wives to recognize negative and positive influencers and explore their idiosyncratic coping skills; (c) support positive civilian-military connections; and (d) as a civilian and as a therapist, seek to be a positive civilian connection by proactively showing support.     

Aftershocks of Chile's earthquake for an ongoing, large-scale experimental evaluation

Evaluation designs for social programs are developed assuming minimal or no disruption from external shocks, such as natural disasters. This is because extremely rare shocks may not make it worthwhile to account for them in the design. Among extreme shocks is the 2010 Chile earthquake. Un Buen Comienzo (UBC), an ongoing early childhood program in Chile, was directly affected by the earthquake. This article discusses (a) the factors the UBC team considered for deciding whether to put on hold or continue implementation and data collection for this experimental study; and (b) how the team reached consensus on those decisions. A lesson learned is that the use of an experimental design for UBC insured that the evaluation's internal validity was not compromised by the earthquake's consequences, although cohort comparisons were compromised. Other lessons can be transferred to other contexts where external shocks affect an ongoing experimental or quasi-experimental impact evaluation.