A family of bivariate distributions with non-elliptical contours

In this paper, a family of copulas with two parameters is proposed and its dependence analysis is performed. The corresponding family of bivariate distributions with specified marginals is constructed. For normal marginals, the new distributions are non-elliptical and can be applied in data analysis. They provide various alternative hypotheses for testing normality. Finally, an example is given.     

Effect of dimensionality on discrimination

Discrimination problems in a high-dimensional setting is considered. New results are concerned with the role of the dimensionality in the performance of the discrimination procedure. Assuming that data consist of a block structure two different asymptotic approaches are presented. These approaches are characterized by different types of relations between the dimensionality and the size of the training samples. Asymptotic expressions for the error probabilities are obtained and a consistent approximation of the discriminant function is proposed. Throughout the paper the importance of the dimensionality in the asymptotic analysis is stressed.     

Developing visibility for aging in social work: the first NGSWC

In March 2001, the Council on Social Work Education's (CSWE) Strengthening Aging and Gerontology Education for Social Work (SAGE-SW) project published an action agenda for social work and aging (CSWE/SAGE-SW, 2001). CSWE SAGE-SW, funded by the John A. Hartford Foundation from 1998 to 2004, had several charges in the first phase of funding, including the gathering of data through a thorough review of literature, focus groups, surveys and a variety of activities to garner expert input. This agenda, often referred to as the Blueprint, identified a number of serious issues regarding the lack of attention, preparation, leadership and interest in aging within the social work profession. It also provided some recommended actions to address these issues and help set the stage for the creation of the National Gerontological Social Work Conference. What were the issues at hand and why might a National Gerontological Social Work Conference (NGSWC) address some of these issues?     

Developing a manualized couples treatment for domestic violence: overcoming challenges

This paper describes challenges faced in a four-year project to develop a manualized couples treatment program for domestic violence. The couples treatment program is an add-on to a male batterer program where the male partner has perpetrated mild-to-moderate violence, yet both partners want to remain together. The project involved the cooperation of a variety of community agencies and referrals from key domestic violence programs. While some anticipated challenges did not materialize over the course of the project, unanticipated challenges did. Qualitative data collected from therapists and clients throughout the project was used to refine the treatment approach.     

Intimate partner violence among married male U.S. Army soldiers: ethnicity as a factor in self-reported perpetration and victimization

Correlates of self-reported intimate partner violence (IPV) were examined among 488 married male U.S. Army soldiers. Study results were examined within the framework of Johnson's (1995) typology, which proposes that there are two main types of IPV, common couple violence and intimate terrorism. We predicted that poor marital adjustment would be associated with minor violence, hypothesized to be indicative of common couple violence. We also predicted that psychological and behavioral characteristics associated with perpetrators of IPV would be more strongly correlated with severe inflicted aggression--a pattern hypothesized to be indicative of intimate terrorism. The results, based on a multivariate analysis of covariance, generally supported our hypotheses. Furthermore, the higher levels of IPV reported by Black respondents in this study were associated with the pattern hypothesized to be characteristic of common couple violence.     

Negotiated time-out: a de-escalation tool for couples

Many state domestic violence intervention standards mandate that treatment for offenders should be separate from any treatment offered to victims. In this article we advocate that in cases of low-level violence, when couples choose to remain together, certain aspects of treatment should be offered conjointly. Specifically, our feedback from victims and offenders suggests that one tool generally taught to offenders-time-out--is often ineffective and can be used abusively when partners are not taught the tool concurrently. We describe the negotiated time-out procedure that we developed and use feedback from our clients to illustrate its usefulness.     

Treating intimate partner violence within intact couple relationships: outcomes of multi-couple versus individual couple therapy

An experimental design was used to determine outcomes of a domestic violence-focused treatment program for couples that choose to stay together after mild-to-moderate violence has occurred. Forty-two couples were randomly assigned to either individual couple or multi-couple group treatment. Nine couples served as the comparison group. Male violence recidivism rates 6 months after treatment were significantly lower for the multi-couple group (25%) than for the comparison group (66%). In contrast, men in the individual couple condition were not significantly less likely to recidivate (43%) than those in the comparison group. In addition, marital satisfaction increased significantly, and both marital aggression and acceptance of wife battering decreased significantly among individuals who participated in multi-couple group therapy, but not among those who participated in individual couple therapy or the comparison group.     

A Dyadic Perspective on Childhood Maltreatment for Women With Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: Associations With Pain and Sexual and Psychosocial Functioning

Childhood maltreatment is robustly associated with adult-onset vulvodynia, a common form of female genito-pelvic pain/penetration disorder. However, little is known about the impact of childhood maltreatment on current sexual, psychological, and relationship adaptation for couples with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). This study examined the associations between childhood maltreatment and sexual and psychosocial functioning and pain in women with PVD, the most common subtype of vulvodynia, and their partners. A total of 49 couples (M_age women = 27.80, SD = 6.05; M_age men = 30.04; SD = 6.48) with PVD completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), as well as measures of sexual functioning, couple satisfaction, and anxiety. Women also reported on their pain during intercourse. Analyses were guided by the actor–partner interdependence model. Women’s higher reports of childhood maltreatment were associated with their lower sexual functioning and higher anxiety. Partners’ higher reports of childhood maltreatment were associated with their lower sexual functioning, lower couple satisfaction, and higher anxiety, as well as women’s lower couple satisfaction and higher anxiety. Both women’s and partners’ higher reports of childhood maltreatment were associated with higher affective pain for women. Findings suggest childhood maltreatment experienced by women with PVD and their partners should be considered as part of treatment planning.     

Geographies in the American DeafWorld as institutional constructions of the deaf body in space: the sensescape model

Space is a site where culture and body meet. It is a physical text of cultural constructions of the body that articulate personal, social and material functions and arrangements. The American DeafWorld consists of spaces where deaf and hard of hearing people are found. The geographies in the DeafWorld are the sites where different institutions create and imprint their ideologies, practices and properties pertaining to their sensory notions of the deaf body onto brick-and-mortar spaces in the DeafWorld. Sensescape is proffered as a theoretical model to describe DeafWorld institutional geographies.