Trends in the prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence: a cohort analysis

Although recent statistics hint that rates of reported rape and child sexual abuse began to decline in the 1990s, little is known about changes in the characteristics of victimizations over time or about the implications of these changes for policy and services. This investigation uses data from a general population survey to examine sexual assault trends in two ways: by age cohort and by historical era in which a first sexual assault experience occurred. Findings suggest that the lifetime prevalence of sexual assault has not significantly changed across cohorts of women in their 20s to 50s. Characteristics of women's experiences across cohorts may be shifting, however, with early childhood experiences of sexual victimization showing a slight decline, accompanied by increases in assault rates during adolescence. Additionally, although help-seeking among victims has increased, women's perceptions of their community's responsiveness have worsened slightly. Research and intervention implications are discussed.     

An examination of attachment representations among child welfare professionals

Research has documented a relationship between adult attachment representations and client relationships and outcomes for professionals in relationship-based fields (e.g., , , , , ,  and ), but has not examined the child welfare professionals specifically. The current study examined attachment representations of 54 child welfare professionals. The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) was administered to participants prior to attending a professional workshop. Results indicated significant differences between the AAI distribution of child welfare professionals and a non-clinical norm sample (AAI four-way distribution: Goodness of fit χ² = 23.63, p < .01; Bakermans-Kranenburg & van IJzendoorn, 2009). Dismissing classifications were overrepresented and free-autonomous classifications were underrepresented. Results may indicate challenges in the child welfare system that could alter the effectiveness and decision-making processes of child welfare professionals. Further research is needed to evaluate whether these differences are typical for samples of child welfare professionals and if so, the impact it could have on families who are being served. Effective interventions, focused on shifting attachment from insecure to secure, for child welfare professionals also should be explored through further research.     

Exploring racial identities through participatory visual and ethnographic methods: (Re)presenting the identities of ethnic minority youth in Hong Kong

There is increasing research attention to the integration of ethnic minority youth in Hong Kong. Within this attention lies an interest in how these young people make sense of their identities in relation to their schooling experiences. From a qualitative methodological viewpoint, researchers’ positionalities, including their cultural background and scholarly motivations, have implications on the ways in which they (re)present their findings. Using the axes of insider and outsider, we reflect on and compare how we have approached two studies with ethnic minority youth in Hong Kong. We discuss the potential affordances and tensions of cultural insider and outsider roles in our research to highlight the cultural dynamics in our interactions with our participants. As we advance dialogue on how researchers approach their work through their own cultural positionalities, we offer a nuanced account of the complexities surrounding the ‘making’ of ethnic minority young people’s identities in Hong Kong.     

Conservation technology adoption decisions and the theory of planned behavior

This study of water saving technology adoption and technology investment behavior for Florida strawberry farmers represents an application of the Theory of Planned Behavior. It is compared with the Theory of Reasoned Action, and the Theory of Derived Demand. The focus is on perceived control in the decisions, first, to become an adopter of conservation technology, and, second, to invest more capital in the technology. The results lend credence to the Planned Behavior Theory but also support Derived Demand Theory, in that actual financial capability (actual control) is found important. To predict technology adoption we may need to account for both perceived and actual control. Unfettered government control of farmer technology decisions could be counterproductive, suggesting technology policy may need to include a mix of moral suasion and incentives with more modest controls.     

Open Borders: Absurd Chimera or Inevitable Future Policy?

In the current climate of security concerns, the movement of people across borders is becoming increasingly criminalised. Yet there is a parallel political and economic reality in which borders are opening and the movement of people is being liberalised: zones of free movement such as the European Union expand; other bilateral and multilateral agreements include provisions for more fluid cross‐border movement; international trade negotiations seek to facilitate the flow of those providing goods and services; developing countries’ push for greater access for their citizens to the labour markets of the industrialised world; and a new class of “gold collar” professionals moves with increasing ease around the globe. This paper explores the possibilities of universal open borders as a future policy option. The author accepts realpolitik and understands that the free flow of immigrants is currently impossible, but also maintains that open borders are an inevitable long‐term consequence of globalisation, as well as a policy option for addressing North‐South inequalities and a moral touchstone for the global extension of human rights. The paper does not advocate for more migration, but instead explores the paradox that the creation of the conditions that would allow for the opening of borders is likely to reduce the incentives for emigration. The paper explores the policy changes needed to achieve open borders.     

Consequences of Teen Parents' Child‐Care Arrangements for Mothers and Children

Using the nationally representative Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Birth Cohort (2001–2006; N ?7,900), the authors examined child‐care arrangements among teen parents from birth through prekindergarten. Four latent classes of child care arrangements at 9, 24, and 52 months emerged: (a) “parental care,” (b) “center care,” (c) “paid home‐based care,” and (d) “free kin‐based care.” Disadvantaged teen‐parent families were overrepresented in the “parental care” class, which was negatively associated with children's preschool reading, math, and behavior scores and mothers' socioeconomic and fertility outcomes compared with some nonparental care classes. Nonparental care did not predict any negative maternal or child outcomes, and different care arrangements had different benefits for mothers and children. Time spent in nonparental care and improved maternal outcomes contributed to children's increased scores across domains. Child‐care classes predicted maternal outcomes similarly in teen‐parent and nonteen‐parent families, but the “parental care” class predicted some disproportionately negative child outcomes for teen‐parent families.     

How Not to Establish a Subfield: Media Sociology in the United States

US-American sociology has largely failed to examine the transformation of mediated communication of the past 20 years. If sociology is to be conceived as a general social science concerned with analyzing and critically scrutinizing past, present, and future conditions of collective human existence, this failure, and the ignorance it engenders, is detrimental. This ignorance, we argue, may be traced back to the weak self-identity, institutionalization and position of media sociology in the discipline. Our argument here is threefold: 1) There was an opportunity structure for specialization, that is, a venerable research tradition in media sociology since the first half of the twentieth century. This tradition links back to classics in sociology and peaked at a time (1970s and 1980s) when the discipline differentiated institutionally and many new sections emerged in the American Sociological Association. 2) Despite this tradition, media sociology has not become established in sociology in the United States until recently. 3) Lastly, we locate reasons for non-establishment on three distinct but interconnected levels: the history of ideas in media sociology, institutional/disciplinary history, and disciplinary politics.