A FAMILY-OF-ORIGIN SCALE*

While family-of-origin interventions are widely used, the theoretical assumptions upon which these techniques are based are largely without empirical validation. This paper reports on the development of a family-of-origin scale that may be used in such research as well as employed as an adjunct to therapy. The resultant scale attempts to measure self-perceived levels of health in one's family of origin. Presented are data pertaining to the scale's validity, reliability, and normative sample.     

Marital Role Ideals and Perception of Marital Role Behavior in Distressed and Non Distressed Couples

Eighty non-patient couples, 50 couples seeking sex therapy, and 50 couples seeking marital therapy, were asked to report on whom they felt should and who actually does assume responsibility in eight major marital role areas. When the degree of individual “role strain”, that is, the discrepancy between role ideals and role behavior was examined, the marital therapy patients were found to be experiencing the most role strain. Husband-wife discrepancies with respect to who does have the various role assignments were found to be higher in the marital therapy couples. These data are interpreted in terms of their implications for diagnosis and treatment of sexually and maritally distressed couples.     

An analysis of the distribution system of a brewery

The distribution system of a Danish brewery located in Jutland is evaluated. The performance of the present system and alternative proposals is examined using simulation. One of the main conclusions is that large savings can be achieved by merely administrative changes. The suggested changes have not yet been implemented in spite of the well documented economic advantages. Implementation in this case is not just a matter of economics but largely concerns the relations between the brewery and depot owners.     

"Circumcision", culture,and health-care provision in Tower Hamlets,London

Tower Hamlets (London, England) has a sizable Somali community whose members maintain close links with their families in Africa. The London Black Women's Health Action Project (LBWAP) was established in Tower Hamlets, in 1982, to address the health needs of Somali women, especially those related to female circumcision. The major focus in the UK has been on protecting girls from undergoing this practice, with little attention to the needs of women who have already been circumcised. Of 200 Somali women interviewed by LBWAP, 61% had been infibulated in their native country by people with no medical training. Among the long-term health consequences were dysmenorrhea, recurrent urinary problems, urethral damage, and painful intercourse. Although deinfibulation can be obtained, both health care professionals and circumcised women tend to be unaware of this service. LBWAP has proposed a study to assess the expressed health care needs of circumcised Somali women and match these desires with actual health care provision. To raise the consciousness of British health care professionals, parallels between female circumcision and the indiscriminate, unnecessary use of episiotomy are being made.     

The National Practitioner Data Bank: the first 18 months

In response to a need for information on the quality of professional practice and a perceived threat to the preservation of the peer review process, as well as to concern about the cost to society of incompetent physicians, Congress passed the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986. The Act established a legal basis for protecting peer review and quality assurance activities. It also established a national reporting system, the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), which is intended to ensure that appropriate information is available to be used in the peer review process.     

Developments and prospects for population statistics in countries of the former Soviet Union

"This paper examines recent developments and prospects for population statistics in the former Soviet Union, whose dissolution provides both opportunities and problems. It is important for scholars to be aware of past limitations of Soviet data, since the formation of independent states has neither removed bureaucratic impediments to the production of high-quality data, nor has it led to a population more ready to answer questions fully. Temporarily at least, there is a decrease in the amount and comparability of available information, and in some instances, in its quality. We begin with an overview of the system used to gather population statistics in the former Soviet Union and its inherent problems. We then discuss the challenges faced by the newly independent countries and the changes they need to make to achieve global comparability, including a shift toward the use of standard international definitions and away from political restrictions on data availability."     

Beliefs About Cues to Deception: Mindless Stereotypes or Untapped Wisdom?

In this longitudinal study, senders told truths and lies to same-sex friends (judges) at both one month and six months into the relationship. Judges guessed whether the stories were truths or lies, and described the cues they used to make their decisions. These cues were coded into categories according to the nature of the cue (verbal, visual, or paralinguistic). Judges mentioned more verbal cues when the story was truthful than when it was fabricated, and mentioned more visual nonverbal cues when it was fabricated than when it was truthful. Therefore, perceivers' stated beliefs about cues discriminated the truths from the lies, although their explicit judgments of deceptiveness did not. Perceivers who mentioned visual or verbal cues more often were not more accurate at detecting deception (explicitly), but those who mentioned paralinguistic cues more often were more accurate.     

Global Research Integrity in Relation to the United States' Research-Integrity Infrastructure

Recent global attention to research integrity has led to international meetings and the development of international policies and guidelines. The United States's infrastructure for fostering research integrity (policy, instruction, oversight) has usefully supported these international initiatives. The United States cannot and should not, however, expect other national and global systems to match exactly its approach to research integrity.