Do Marginalized Youth Experience Strengths in Strengths-Based Interventions? Unpacking Program Acceptability through Two Interventions for Sexual and Gender Minority Youth

ABSTRACT

Strengths-based interventions have potential to improve the wellbeing of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY). This study examined the youth program acceptability of two strengths-based programs tailored for SGMY: ASSET (group counseling), and strengths first (SF) (care coordination). A mixed-methods approach was applied to secondary data extracted from client files (n = 247). Most participants were aged 15–18 (89%). Gender identities included woman (66%), man (30%), and transgender (<1%). Sexual orientations included bisexual (32%), lesbian (26%), gay (23%), and queer/pansexual (14%). Most participants identified as White, Hispanic (47%), Black, Non-Hispanic (17%), and Hispanic, No other race (19%). Program acceptability was measured using the 11-item Youth Acceptability and Strengths Scale. Quantitative analyses indicate program acceptability was high for SGMY participants and did not significantly differ across program type, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnoracial identity. There were no differences between strengths enhancement or client satisfaction between intervention types. Compared to group counseling, care coordination significantly increased problem-solving skills. Qualitative analysis identified that strengths-based interventions provided: (a) social support; (b) community; (c) confidence; and (d) positive mentors. Findings demonstrate the acceptability of strengths-based programming for SGMY. Strategies are provided to incorporate intervention program acceptability, yet future research is needed to explore youth acceptability.     

Exploiting stigma

This paper proposes a two-fold addition to the growing body of literature associated with the analysis of stigma. First, we expand the role of exchange theory in the analysis, which allows closer attention to the motivation of actors, a more careful examination of the negotiated value of stigma, and an increased awareness of the ways in which stigmas affect all parties in the interaction (both marked and unmarked individuals) by altering outcomes. Second, we explore the use of stigma exploitation in the exchange process. Seven strategies are identified and discussed: eliciting special consideration, evoking selected aspects of a stereotype, avoiding a more serious stigma, avoiding interaction, using submissive manipulation, avoiding membership, and gaining membership.     

Spatial Price Competition: A Semiparametric Approach

We investigate the nature of price competition among firms that produce differentiated products and compete in markets that are limited in extent. We propose an instrumental variables series estimator for the matrix of cross price response coefficients, demonstrate that our estimator is consistent, and derive its asymptotic distribution. Our semiparametric approach allows us to discriminate among models of global competition, in which all products compete with all others, and local competition, in which products compete only with their neighbors. We apply our semiparametric estimator to data from U.S. wholesale gasoline markets and find that, in this market, competition is highly localized.     

Parenthood,Gender and Work‐Family Time in the United States,Australia, Italy,France, and Denmark

Research has associated parenthood with greater daily time commitments for fathers and mothers than for childless men and women, and with deeper gendered division of labor in households. How do these outcomes vary across countries with different average employment hours, family and social policies, and cultural attitudes to family care provision? Using nationally representative time‐use data from the United States, Australia, Italy, France, and Denmark (N = 5,337), we compare the paid and unpaid work of childless partnered adults and parents of young children in each country. Couples were matched (except for the United States). We found parents have higher, less gender‐equal workloads than nonparents in all five countries, but overall time commitments and the difference by parenthood status were most pronounced in the United States and Australia.     

Ethical and legal considerations regarding disputed authorship with the use of shared data

Little guidance is currently available for handling disputes between research mentors and students when working with shared data. This article analyzes how the ethical guidelines from the American Psychological Association (APA), the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), and the American Educational Research Association (AERA) can inform common disputes in this area. Additional insights about the nature of the research relationship are derived from contract and copyright law. Practice guidelines are proposed to safeguard student and faculty welfare in research collaboration, and recommendations are provided to help prevent and resolve disputes between students and faculty.     

A case study comparing a randomized withdrawal trial and a double-blind long-term trial for assessing the long-term efficacy of an antidepressant

Assessing long-term efficacy in psychiatric drugs involves a number of complex questions, and the priaority of these questions is different for different disorders and for different stakeholders. Therefore, it is essential that we not adopt a one-method-fits-all approach, but rather adapt the specific details of the designs and analysis of data from long-term trials to individual disease states. Randomized withdrawal (RW) designs, even though addressing a specific question of particular interest, face some difficult methodological and ethical challenges. A less common alternative design, termed the double-blind long-term efficacy (DBLE) design, is logistically similar to traditional responder extension designs. However, use of an analytic approach that includes all randomized patients rather than only the selected subset that continued beyond acute treatment avoids the major criticism of the extender design. The present paper illustrates the attributes of the RW and DBLE designs by analyzing data from trials adopting these designs. The RW and DBLE designs address different questions, and are thus not directly comparable. Potential benefits of the DBLE design include: (1) the parsimonious use of patients and the resultant reduced exposure to placebo as each patient can contribute to multiple developmental objectives; (2) the results are generalizable to actual clinical practice as the design matches treatment guidelines; and, (3) results of safety assessments are meaningful as they involve all randomized patients. Our case study suggests that the DBLE design can provide definitive answers to important questions and may be a useful design for assessing long-term treatment effects.     

‘Environment’ Submissions in the UK's Research Excellence Framework 2014

There has been much debate about university research assessment exercises. In the UK, a major element of the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF2014) has been the research environment. Here we analyse 98 REF2014 ‘environment’ submissions in Business and Management Studies. We explore whether there are distinctive language‐related differences between submissions of high and low ranked universities and conclude that submission writers have a strong incentive to exaggerate strengths and conceal problems. In addition, innate biases such as the ‘halo’ and ‘velcro’ effects may distract the attention of assessors from a submission's strengths and weaknesses, since they are likely to influence their pre‐existing impressions. We propose several changes to improve how environment is evaluated. We also argue that the research environment would be more likely to be enhanced if the number of outputs submitted in future was an average of two and a maximum of four per academic, rather than the maximum of five currently being considered.     

Shares of Housework Between Mothers,Fathers and Young People: Routine and Non-routine Housework,Doing Housework for Oneself and Others

This study applies wavelet coherency analysis to examine the relationship between the U.S. per capita real GDP and six income inequality measures over the period 1917 to 2012. Wavelet analysis allows the simultaneous examination of correlation and causality between the two series in both the time and frequency domains. Our findings provide robust evidence of positive correlation between the growth and inequality across frequencies. Yet, directions of causality vary across frequencies and evolve with time. Evidence that inequality leads per capita real GDP at both high- and low-frequencies exists for the Top 1 and 10% measures of inequality with little evidence that real GDP per capita leads inequality. In the time-domain, the time-varying nature of long-run causalities implies structural changes in the two series. These findings provide a more thorough picture of the relationship between the U.S. per capita real GDP and inequality measures over time and frequency, suggesting important implications for policy makers.     

Australian Queer Science Fiction Fans

Science fiction (sf) does more than provide a fleeting moment of entertainment; it has many personal and social functions. In addition to offering audiences “romantic escapism” (Gerrold, 1996, pp. 5–6), sf also enables the “postulation of an alternative reality from which to contemplate this one” (Gerrold, 1996, pp. 5–6); as such, it is especially important “for groups which have had limited stakes in the status quo” (Jenkins, 1995, p. 242). To date, no research has been undertaken on the relationship between Australian queers and sf fandom. This article reports the findings of an online survey and explores the psycho-social features of Australian queer sf fans and why they like the genre. While the characteristics of this sample mirror those of Australian queers generally, they also have slightly higher rates of mental illness and are far more likely to state they have “no religion.” Furthermore, while enjoying the “sciency” (P10, bisexual woman) aspects of sf, Australian queers also like the “poignant metaphors for our own civilization” (P45, asexual man)