Predisposition to seek mental health care among Black males transitioning from foster care

This study examined the predisposition to seek mental health care in the future for personal and mental health problems among Black males transitioning from the foster care system (n=74). Results of simultaneous multiple regression analysis showed that custody status, diagnosis of a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder, and emotional control contributed significantly to the prediction of Black male's predisposition to seek mental health care. Specifically, Black males who were still in foster care were more predisposed to seek mental health care, whereas those diagnosed with a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder and who adhered more to the norm of emotional control were less predisposed to seek mental health care. Implications for mental health service delivery are discussed.     

DISCOUNTING,COGNITION, AND FINANCIAL AWARENESS: NEW EVIDENCE FROM A CHANGE IN THE MILITARY RETIREMENT SYSTEM

The choice given military personnel between an immediate cash payment of $30,000 or a more generous retirement pension permits us to estimate individuals' personal discount rates (PDRs). The resulting PDRs, about 7% for enlisted personnel and 2%–4.3% for officers, are precise and are correlated with a variety of other financial behaviors. The PDR is negatively related to educational attainment and the Armed Forces Qualification Test, but cognition seems to operate through channels other than being better informed; better‐informed individuals were not always measured to be more patient. (JEL D91, D14)     

Measuring Adherence to Alternative vs. Conventional Agricultural Paradigms: A Proposed Scale*

Abstract Current debates and conflicts in agriculture appear to reflect the competing perspectives of two increasingly distinct camps of agricultural stakeholders: proponents of “alternative agriculture” and proponents of “conventional agriculture.” Several analysts have argued that members of these two camps hold fundamentally divergent paradigms of agriculture, and thus, literally see the world quite differently. The purpose of this paper is to describe an instrument—the Alternative-Conventional Agriculture Paradigm Scale (or ACAP Scale)—developed to measure the basic beliefs and values assumed to constitute the two competing perspectives in agriculture. Items designed to tap all of the major dimensions identified in the alternative-conventional agriculture debate were included in surveys of known groups of alternative and conventional agriculturalists, as well as in a statewide survey of farmers. The items discriminate significantly between the three samples (with the statewide farmer sample taking the intermediate position), suggesting their validity as measures of the elements of the competing agricultural paradigms. The items also exhibit a high degree of internal consistency, indicating the appropriateness of combining them into a single instrument to measure adherence to alternative versus conventional agriculture. As expected, the known groups provide more consistent responses than do the statewide sample of farmers, presumably reflecting the greater ideological coherence of social movement and interest group members. However, the alternative agriculturalists are far more consistent than are the conventional agriculturalists, and potential explanations for this finding are drawn from recent work on social movements.     

Families who foster children with HIV: A pilot study

This is a study to examine the characteristics of families providing foster care for children with HIV. The paper discussed the special problems of children with AIDS. In addition HIV foster families were compared with other foster families to determine if there were any differences. Implications for recruiting foster families for children with HIV are discussed.     

Interspecific Scaling of Toxicity Data

This paper reexamines the scaling approaches used in cancer risk assessment and proposes a more precise body weight scaling factor. Two approaches are conventionally used in scaling exposure and dose from experimental animals to man: body weight scaling (used by FDA) and surface area scaling (BW0.67--used by EPA). This paper reanalyzes the Freireich et al. (1966) study of the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of 14 anticancer agents in mice, rats, dogs, monkeys, and humans, the dataset most commonly cited as justification for surface area extrapolation. This examination was augmented with an analysis of a similar dataset by Schein et al. (1970) of the MTD of 13 additional chemotherapy agents. The reanalysis shows that BW0.75 is a more appropriate scaling factor for the 27 direct-acting compounds in this dataset.     

Asking Only “Did You Use a Condom?” Underestimates the Prevalence of Unprotected Sex Among Perinatally HIV Infected and Perinatally Exposed But Uninfected Youth

Among young adults who use condoms, incomplete condom use (putting a condom on after beginning or taking a condom off before finishing sex) and condom failure (condom breaking or slipping off during sex) are common. Therefore, sexual behavior surveys that ask only if a condom was used are likely to underestimate the actual prevalence of unprotected sex. This study examined data from 135 sexually active perinatally HIV-infected (PHIV+) youth and perinatally exposed but uninfected (PHIV?) youth, ages 13 to 24. Participants were asked whether they used a condom on their first and their most recent occasion of vaginal sex. Youth who reported using a condom were asked a follow-up question about whether there was any time during that occasion when sex was not protected by a condom. This follow-up question identified additional participants— almost double the proportions who initially said they did not use a condom—who had unprotected sex. Incomplete condom use was similar among PHIV+ and PHIV?youth, boys and girls, Latinos and African Americans, and younger and older youth. These findings illustrate the importance of asking specifically about whether any unprotected behavior occurred from start to finish of sex to achieve more valid estimates of sexual risk behavior.     

The Spatial Distribution of Poverty and the Long Reach of the Industrial Makeup of Places: New Evidence on Spatial and Temporal Regimes

A wealth of research identifies industrial structure as a central correlate of place‐level poverty and suggests that changes in and the clustering of industry contribute to the spatial clustering of poverty over time. However, few studies have investigated the spatial and temporal dimensions simultaneously, and none have effectively examined spatiotemporal interactions. Consequently, a core tenet of theory on poverty in place has not been adequately examined. To address this limitation, we explicitly test hypotheses about systematic variation in the poverty‐industry relationship over time and across space using a new method to quantify dynamic associations by simultaneously accounting for spatial and temporal autocorrelation and relationship heterogeneity. The Upper Midwest is our study site given dramatic regional changes in dominant industries (i.e., manufacturing, services, and agriculture) and poverty during the past several decades. We find that the specific character of the poverty‐industry relationship systematically varies along both the temporal and spatial dimensions: Industry is more protective in certain periods than in others according to sector trends, and is more protective in certain places than others conditional on sector dependence. Our approach yields a more precise and reliable understanding of the effect of the long reach of local industrial structure on the spatial clustering of poverty.