The social relations of bereavement in the Caribbean

The objectives of this article are to discuss the various types of behaviors associated with grief and bereavement, and to examine the relationships, consequences, and outcomes of bereavement practices among the various religious and ethnic groups in the English-speaking Caribbean Islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, and Barbados. The rituals associated with death and grief differs across cultures and is greatly influenced by religious beliefs and traditions. How these rituals are played out depend on the culture of origin and level of acculturation of the various groups into mainstream society. In the Caribbean region, expressions of grief represent religious and cultural traditions that may have a significant impact on social relations, particularly in multi-ethnic and multicultural societies. In the English-speaking Caribbean Islands of Jamaica, Trinidad, Grenada, and Barbados, mourning follows the patterns of traditional religious practices which have remained consistent over time. While families and friends may offer social support before and after burial or cremation, the social aspects of bereavement may also have implications for inter-group relations. Insights into bereavement practices and what it holds for ethnic and religious groups in contemporary Caribbean are presented.     

Using the Ecological Model to understand influences on college student vaping

ABSTRACT

Objective The Ecological Model was used to examine the social and environmental influences of the college environment on e-cigarette use (vaping) among college students. Participants: Undergraduate college student e-cigarette users (vapers) across three large college campuses in the southwest US from Jan 2015- Aug 2016. Methods: Thirty-three interviews were conducted. Transcribed interviews were coded then analyzed for themes. Results: College student vapers report multiple levels of influence on their vaping beyond personal beliefs and peer influences, including parents, explicit campus and community messaging, community member requests, and respect for others. College student vapers also describe constant associations with smokers in allowable public places to vape. Conclusions: Parents, community members, campus policy, and the physical environment all influence where and when college students vape. Health communication messages to prevent college student vaping should incorporate alternative messages that are important to college students, such as respect for others and social image.     

Applying Relational Models to the Graduation of Disability Schedules

Age-specific rates of particular disability types are important for planning purposes and are a valuable input to estimates and projections of populations with different disabilities. However, survey estimates of schedules of disability rates display evidence of sampling variability and sub-national disability schedules are often unavailable for reasons of disclosure protection. This paper develops and evaluates a method to smooth sampling variability in national schedules of disability using a technique that has applicability to sub-national estimation of age-specific disability rates. Relational models are used to adjust the limiting long-term illness schedule for England (Census 2001) to represent different disability schedules (Health Survey for England 2000/2001) smoothing sampling fluctuations. For hearing disability a simple Brass relational model involving two parameters provides a good fit. For other disability types a modified version of the Ewbank relational model with three parameters is required. This paper illustrates that relational models can accurately capture the relationship between age-specific rates of limiting long-term illness and various disability types.     

Teaching Note—Educating Public Health Social Work Professionals: Results From an MSW/MPH Program Outcomes Study

Dual-degree programs in public health and social work continue to proliferate, yet there has been little research on master’s of social work (MSW)/master’s of public health (MPH) graduates. The purpose of this study was to describe and better understand the self-reported professional experiences, identities, roles, and outcomes associated with 1 group of graduates from an established MSW/MPH program. A 57-question electronic survey was administered to 214 alumni in 2010; the response rate was 71.4% (n = 153). Findings provide a snapshot of public health social work alumni experiences, including diverse employment opportunities, high career satisfaction, and a strong sense of reported public health and social work integration in the workplace.     

From Rags to Riches: Jewish Oligarchs in Russia

SELECTIVE REMINISCENCES

KHRUSHCHEV REMEMBERS. THE LAST TESTAMENT, translated and edited by Strobe Talbott. London, André Deutsch; New York, Little Brown, 1974. xxxi, 602 pp. Illus. Appendix. £4.95; $12.95.

HISTORY OF ZIONISM IN RUSSIA

HA‐TENUAH HA‐TSIYONIT BE‐RUSYA (The Zionist Movement in Russia), by Yitshak Maor. Jerusalem, Ha‐Histadrut ha‐Tsiyonit, 1974. 597 pp.

A CONTRIBUTION TO JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY

STUDIES IN JEWISH DEMOGRAPHY: SURVEY FOR 1969–1971, edited by U. O. Schmelz, P. Glickson and S. J. Gould (Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; and Institute of Jewish Affairs, London), 1975. 375 pp. N.p.

ANTI‐ZIONISM AND ANTISEMITISM

SOVIET ANTI‐SEMITISM: THE PARIS TRIAL, ed. and with an Introduction by Emanuel Litvinoff, London, Wildwood House, 1974. 120 pp. £3.00.

POLZUCHAYA KONTRREVOLYUTSIYA (Creeping Counterrevolution), by Vladimir Begun, Minsk, Izdatelstvo “Belarus”, 1974. 191 pp. 28 kop.

AN UNSATISFACTORY STUDY

THE SOVIET TREATMENT OF JEWS, by Harry G. Shaffer. New York, Washington, London, Praeger, 1974. 231 pp. £6.50.

FASCISM AND ANTISEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN

THE SHADOW OF THE SWASTIKA. THE RISE OF FASCISM AND ANTI‐SEMITISM IN THE DANUBE BASIN, 1936–1939, by Bela Vago. Farnborough, Saxon House, D. C. Heath, for the Institute of Jewish Affairs, London, 1975. 431 pp. Docs. Maps. Index of Names. Subject Index. Appendix. £6.50.

THE JEWS OF HUNGARY

EVKONYV 1973/74 (Yearbook 1973/74), ed. by Sándor Scheiber. Budapest, Magyar Izraeliták Országos Képviselete, 1974. 382 pp. Illus. 40 Ft.

A PICTURE OF POLISH SOCIETY BETWEEN THE WARS

SPOLECZENSTWO DRUGIEJ RZECZYPOSPOLITEJ 1918–1939 (The Society of Interwar Poland 1918–1939), by Janusz Zarnowski. Warsaw, PWN (State Scientific Publishers), 1973. 435 pp. 40 zl.     

The Gambling Environment and Gambler Behaviour: Evidence from Richmond-Tweed,Australia

As opportunities to gamble proliferated rapidly during the 1990s, accessibility to gambling facilities has been cited as a factor driving increased gambling consumption. However, research examining this relationship is limited. Most assessments have tended to be at a broad regional rather than a local level. Furthermore, explanations for why greater access encourages increased gambling activity have been inadequate. Using the framework of time-geography, this paper outlines new empirical evidence to assist in clarifying relationships between the accessibility to and consumption of gambling. Data on gambling behaviour were obtained from 1,018 persons in seven residential centres of the Richmond-Tweed region of NSW, Australia and compared to local provision of gambling facilities. In this study, availability of gambling opportunities—measured here by electronic gaming machines (EGMs) per capita—is often reflected in differences in gambling activity by the local population. It is concluded that accessibility to EGM facilities at a particularly local level is an important factor driving their use.     

Marital Quality,Context, and Interaction: A Comparison of Those Currently Receiving Government Assistance with Those Who Are Not

In this study the marital quality of respondents who were currently receiving government assistance was compared with those who were not. Contextual variables (e.g., gender, age, age at first marriage, religiosity, education, etc.) and interactional variables (i.e., escalating negativity, criticism, negative interpretation, withdrawal) were measured as potential correlates with marital quality. Results indicated that those who received government assistance differed significantly from those who did not on all six indicators of marital quality that were measured and on 8 of 11 contextual variables measured. Findings from this study will help policymakers, therapists, and other helping professionals gain an increased awareness of the needs of these two distinct populations and how to target educational programs to best address those needs.     

Canada's national vital statistics index

Study of population trends and social change in Canada will be facilitated through the development of a system of record linkage which has recently been introduced. It provides a means whereby all the vital records about particular individuals may be brought together through a single master index. The social usefulness of this instrument is only now beginning to be realized.     

Disclosure of Unknown Harms in Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research

Unknown harms are by their nature difficult to communicate. While magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has known risks (e.g., metal projectiles, dislodgement of medical implants), this imaging modality also has potential unknown long-term negative health effects associated with its static magnetic fields. We carried out a research ethics board (REB) file review of previously approved MRI research studies and found that unknown risks were either left undisclosed or were inadequately disclosed to research participants and REBs. This article outlines issues raised by our REB file review and suggests steps that should be taken in order to satisfactorily communicate information about potential unknown harms of MRI.     

Adolescent Career Development in Urban‐Residing Aboriginal Families in Canada

The purpose of this study was to understand how urban‐residing Aboriginal adolescent–parent dyads (n = 11) jointly constructed and acted on goals and strategies with their social supports (n = 17) to facilitate the adolescents' career development. A modified protocol following the qualitative action‐project method was used. A discrete joint project was identified for each family. These joint projects can be clustered into 3 joint career development projects: (a) navigating toward a safe future, (b) negotiating school continuance, and (c) intergenerational continuity through tradition of care. A 4th project emerging from the data was family survival. Family survival projects supplanted participants' efforts to engage in career development projects.