Management of premature menopause

There has been some confusion among women and health professionals since the publication of the Women's Health Initiative and Million Women studies about the management of premature ovarian failure (POF). Both studies were undertaken in women aged 50 and over, and cannot be extrapolated to their younger counterparts, who would normally be producing their endogenous estrogen, since they have functioning ovaries. Estrogen-based replacement therapy is the main stay of treatment for women with POF and is recommended at least until the average age of natural menopause (52 years in the UK). This view is endorsed by regulatory bodies such as the Committee on Safety of Medicines (now the Commission on Human Medicines) in the UK. No evidence shows that estrogen replacement increases the risk of breast cancer to a level greater than that found in normally menstruating women, and women with POF do not need to start mammographic screening early unless other risk factors are present, such as family history.     

Exploring the Etiology of Perfectionism and Perceptions of Self‐worth in Young Athletes

This study assessed the main and interactive effects of perceived parental expectations and perceived parental criticism on 180 young talented athletes' perfectionistic tendencies and level and reported fluctuation in self‐esteem. A potential quadratic effect of perceived parental expectations on the targeted dependent variables was also tested. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses indicated that perceived parental criticism was the strongest predictor of concerns over mistakes and doubts about actions whereas perceived parental expectations were positively related to personal standards only. Self‐esteem was predicted by high perceived parental expectations and low perceived parental criticism. Children's reported fluctuation in self‐esteem was highest when perceived parental criticism was high and perceived parental expectations were deemed high or low. The results argue against a unidimensional and linear examination of factors relating to the etiology of perfectionism and perceptions of self‐worth.     

Gender Mainstreaming versus Diversity Mainstreaming: Methodology as Emancipatory Politics

This article examines the question of whether and how the intersectional oppression of sexism and racism can be challenged by government policy. It draws on a case study of an Indigenous policy strategy in Australia to argue that, in contrast to concerns expressed by feminist policymakers, gender equality is not inevitably neglected when the target for remedial action is institutional racism. Our study suggests that successful action on Indigenous emancipation necessarily mobilizes a methodology for moving past one‐dimensional category distinctions. Therefore, focusing on the task of translating declared policy goals into action can provide a way out of the impasse over whether ‘diversity’ or ‘gender’ is the better vehicle for mainstreaming equity policy. To develop its case, the article draws conclusions about the politics of methodology from gender mainstreaming debates, intersectionality theory and institutional ethnography, then uses our conclusions to analyze the political and methodological effectiveness of the Indigenous policy strategy.     

Respect‐based Control and Anger as Determinants of Children's Socio‐emotional Development

Shortly after the birth of their infants, teenage working‐class mothers were assessed on attitudes toward the need for deference to family authority (respect‐based control) and anger. Their children's internalizing and externalizing problems and self‐esteem were assessed approximately 12 years later. High respect‐based control was linked to higher levels of externalizing problems in boys, regardless of level of maternal anger. Mothers who were low in anger and high in respect‐based control had children who exhibited higher levels of self‐esteem. Respect‐based control predicted inconsistent rule enforcement, but not lack of warmth or harsh parenting. Arguments are made for distinguishing among various forms of control (e.g., authoritarian, psychological, behavioral, and respect‐based) as well as the affective context in which they are administered in order to achieve an adequate understanding of the socialization process.     

Regranting identity to the outgraced – narratives of persons with learning disabilities: methodological considerations

Good research should be relevant and useful, it may even be enlightening or symbolic, but it can also be emancipatory. Qualitative research can be useful in challenging structures, policies and practices that disempower and marginalize segments of the population. However, could it be that the empowerment of the participant ends where the weakness of the researcher begins? In qualitative studies the researcher seems to have a number of favourite interviews. In a study on the relational and sexual experiences of 46 people with learning disabilities, 12 interviews were withdrawn from the general data on the basis of lack of relevance. It is important to re‐examine why the voice of some people fell out of the in‐depth analysis and whether this was justified. In this article some methodological opportunities and pitfalls to re‐grant identity to these silenced narratives are considered and discussed.     

Pseudolikelihood ratio test with biased observations

This paper explores testing procedures with response-related incomplete data, with particular attention centered to pseudolikelihood ratio tests. We construct pseudolikelihood functions with the biased observations supplemented by auxiliary information, without specifying the association between the primary variables and the auxiliary variables. The asymptotic distributions of the test statistics under the null hypothesis are derived and finite-sample properties of the testing procedures are examined via simulation. The methodology is illustrated with an example involving evaluation of kindergarten readiness skills in children with sickle cell disease.     

Measuring Material Hardship among the US Population of Women with Disabilities Using Latent Class Analysis

We use data from the 2002 wave of the National Survey of America’s Families to develop and validate discrete measures of material hardship that can be used to examine the difficulties that vulnerable populations such as people with disabilities have in making ends meet. Using latent class analysis, we estimate two measurement models: multidimensional and omnibus. The multidimensional model provides separate estimates for food, medical, and housing and utilities hardship. The omnibus model is a single model of 11 hardship indicators. Results show three distinct classes of food hardship, three classes of medical hardship, and two classes of housing/utilities hardship. The omnibus model reveals eight classes. Both the multidimensional and omnibus models are largely invariant between women with disabilities and women without disabilities, indicating that valid comparisons can be made between these populations using these classes of hardship. These classes can be utilized in further research on the hardship of women with disabilities to inform the development of policies targeted to alleviate the specific forms of hardship experienced by disabled women.     

Smoking Risks in Spain: Part III—Determinants of Smoking Behavior

Using original survey data from Spain, this paper assesses the determinants of smoking behavior. This study examines the effect on smoking of the most diverse set of risk measures ever considered: lung cancer, relative lung cancer risks, lung disease, heart disease, relative heart disease risks, lost life expectancy to smokers, and various risk measures for passive smoking. Smoking measures include cigarette smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked, and pipe and cigar smoking. Primary smoking risks have a more consistent negative effect on smoking than perceived passive smoking risks.     

Instant Ticket Purchasing by Ontario Baby Boomers: Increasing Risk for Problem Gamblers

Instant ticket purchase gambling (ITPG) is pervasive in Ontario and has features that mimic slot machine play. Previous researchers have reported that ITPG is one preferred activity for at-risk/problem gamblers. In the general Canadian population, rate of participation in ITPG is second only to lottery ticket gambling. Both are particularly favored by youth and seniors. The next cohort of seniors will be Canada’s baby boomers, one-third of whom live in Ontario. Secondary analysis of Statistics Canada data revealed that adults in this cohort who buy instant gambling tickets (N = 1781) are significantly different from the complete group of their age peers (N = 4266) in number of activities pursued and frequency of involvement. At-risk/problem gambling prevalence was 10.2% amongst Ontario baby boomers who participate in instant ticket gambling, significantly higher than the 6.7% found amongst the total group of baby boom gamblers. For those who reported experiencing one or more of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index indicators for problem gambling (N = 237), 73% were buying instant tickets. Future research should consider cohort effects and explore combinations of preferred gambling activities that may increase risk for problem gambling. Social policy recommendations include the use of all ITPG venues as key locations for promoting awareness of problem gambling treatment services. This work was funded by Ontario Problem Gambling Research Centre.     

Conceptualising youth mobility trajectories: thinking beyond conventional categories

Research has shown that migration impacts youth outcomes, including educational performance and mental and physical health. It is, however, unknown whether differing patterns of mobility affect young people differently. This is because scholarship and policy-making on youth and migration simplify youth mobility by conceptualising youth either as immobile (when they ‘stay behind’ while their parents migrate) or as moving only once (when they follow parents or migrate independently). Between these extremes is the possibly more common phenomenon of youth who engage in sustained mobility patterns prior to, during, and after their first international move. This paper explores how youth mobility can be conceptualised to include the often-complex mobility patterns exhibited by youth in today’s global cities. Through an analysis of detailed mobility data collected using mixed methods among young Ghanaians growing up in and between the Netherlands and Ghana, we propose a typology of their mobility trajectories that highlights the variety of mobility patterns that youth engage in. Such a typology helps move research beyond the ethnic lens and rigid dichotomies between internal and international migration. We argue that the diversity of youth mobilities needs to be taken into account in order to understand how migration affects youth.