Routine comprehensive inquiry for abuse: A justifiable clinical assessment procedure?

Routine inquiry regarding histories of sexual and physical abuse among psychiatric patients is not yet a commonly accepted practice for most mental health practitioners. While there is greater awareness regarding such trauma, the prevalence of abusive experiences in this patient population has not received adequate documentation in the literature. This study was conducted to determine the relevance of systematic inquiry for abuse. It examined the nature and magnitude of victimization in psychiatric in-patients. Findings revealed that approximately one-half of all patients experienced abuse while one-quarter encountered severe abuse. Victimization of males was substantiated at higher levels than previously documented. This research supports the position that systematic and extensive inquiry for all forms of abuse is a sound clinical assessment procedure.     

On the misinterpretation of certain obsolete multivariate models

The prudent reader who does not understand something in a research report should inquire of the researcher concerning the precise nature of the problem. Had Professor Kuz contacted me, Professor Latif (then working half-way across town from him), or some third party knowledgable in the field in this regard, he would have been spared the embarrassment of committing more mistakes than I can hope to identify in this short space. I would have been spared the time and trouble to locate and correct them. The Review would have been spared the unhappy task of keeping some worthy contribution unpublished while choosing to publish Professor Kuz' comments.     

Do female candidates ‘lose votes’?: the experience of female candidates in the 1979 and 1980 Canadian general elections

Dans quelle mesure la sous-représentation des femmes au Parlement du Canada est-elle attribuable à la “perte de votes”? II est évident que lorsque les femmes se présentent à la députation sur un pied d‘égalité avec les hommes en ce qui concerne un rival titulaire, la compétitivité du siège disputé, et le parti politique, les femmes n'obtiennent pas moins de votes que les hommes. Les femmes sont également plus aptes àêtre choisies pour disputer des sièges à des titulaires ou des sièges que le parti a peu ou pas de chance de gagner. II est done peu probable que l’échec relatif des femmes aux élections fédérates soit directement relié aux sentiments des électeurs. II apparait plutôt que le succès limité des femmes dans la politique fédérale au Canada est dû aux difficultés qu'elles ont à se faire nommer pour disputer des sièges qu'elles auraient une assez bonne chance de gagner. This paper explores the extent to which the under-representation of women in the House of Commons in Canada can be attributed to female candidates “losing votes.” The evidence suggests that, when male and female candidates are equated in terms of running against an incumbent, competitiveness of the contested seat, and political party, the women do not receive fewer votes than the men. At the same time, women were more likely than men to be nominated to contest seats against incumbents or seats which their party had little or no chance of winning. It does not seem, then, that the relative failure of women in federal elections can be traced directly to voters' sentiments. Rather, it appears as if the limited success of women in federal politics in Canada largely originates in their difficulties in securing nominations to contest seats which they have some reasonable prospect of winning.     

Mirroring and autonomy: The dual tasks of mothers

Theexperience of being a mother, of being the developmental partner for the pre-oedipal child, is complex and demanding. A woman must learn to balance her own needs and identity as a person with the child's need for appropriate merging and distancing. The child's own developmental push requires a constant shifting in the mother's balance between herself and the child. This article explores some of the factors involved in the mother's experience of her dual task, and some of the ways in which the mother's development as a person is reciprocally related to her child's developmental demands.She is in private practice and also a research consultant. Ms. Walter is in private practice and a consultant, Family Service of Montgomery County.