Pathological gamblers in methadone treatment: A comparison between men and women

This article uses data from interviews with 462 individuals enrolled in methadone treatment programs in New York City to compare the gambling and gambling-related drug use and criminal activities of those males (N=72) and females (N=27) found to be pathological gamblers. Both the male and female pathological gamblers were and continue to be actively involved in various forms of gambling. A greater proportion of males had engaged in almost all specific types of gambling, although differences between males and females were not all statistically significant. Males and females were very similar in terms of their patterns of drug and alcohol use and the substances they used when gambling. Males and females shared some reasons but also had separate reasons as to why they used heroin when they gambled. Males especially may participate in a variety of criminal and hustling activities to have the money to be able to gamble or to pay gambling debts. The implications of this research are discussed.This study was supported by grant 1RO3-DA08348, Prevalence of Gambling Problems Among Methadone Patients, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, awarded to National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. Points of view or opinions in this report do not necessarily represent the official opinions or policies of the United States Government, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY, Illinois State University, or Abt Associates. The authors wish to thank Leila Cahill and Michelle Silverman for their assistance with this research.     

Awareness of Gambling-Related Problems, Policies and Educational Programs Among High School and College Administrators

This brief report summarizes a survey of high school and college representatives and their awareness toward gambling-related problems. The Massachusetts Council on Compulsive Gambling developed a survey instrument to review the policies and training programs of 20 high schools and 10 colleges that were located within the catchment areas of Massachusetts Department of Public Health state-sponsored gambling treatment programs. The results revealed that there is an important discrepancy between the prevalence of gambling-related problems among young people and the awareness of these problems among educators. High school and colleges evidence a paucity of existing gambling-related regulations or policies. There is little opportunity for students and educators to learn within the school setting about gambling and its potential hazards. Without sufficient in-service education and training for faculty and staff, there is little likelihood that this group of educators can engage in the early identification or prevention efforts that are so vital to advancing the health and welfare of young people.     

Adolescents’ Evaluations of Political Leaders: The Case of President Donald Trump

The current study explored youths’ views of President Donald Trump using quantitative ratings and open‐ended responses from a diverse sample of 1,432 U.S. adolescents from three geographic regions. Adolescent demographic characteristics (i.e., gender, race, geographic location) were systematically associated with their views about Trump. Open‐ended responses demonstrated substantial variability in youths’ rationales for approving or disapproving of the president. Adolescents' attitudes were informed by knowledge of the president’s leadership attributes, political views and policies, and their own experiences. Findings indicate that adolescents draw upon and synthesize a broad range of information when formulating their political views and coordinate this knowledge with their own opinions and experiences when evaluating political figures.     

Is the Cohabitation–Marriage Gap in Money Pooling Universal?

Numerous studies have shown that cohabitors are less likely to pool their money than married couples. The authors raise the question of whether the marriage–cohabitation gap in money pooling varies according to the level of institutionalization of cohabitation in the society. They compared 2 Canadian regions with very different demographic regimes. The francophone province Québec has the highest proportion of cohabiting couples in the world, whereas the levels of cohabitation are moderate in other Canadian provinces. Moreover, the 2 regions differ in their legal systems (civil code vs. common law) and legal regulation of cohabitation. Using data from the Canadian 2011 General Social Survey (N = 9,852), the authors found that cohabitors in both regions are less likely to pool their money together. Nevertheless, they did not confirm the hypothesis that the marriage–cohabitation gap is smaller in Québec despite the higher levels of institutionalization of cohabitation in this region.     

Contributions of Divergent Peer and Parent Sexual Messages to Asian American College Students' Sexual Behaviors

Receiving more parent sexual communication is generally linked to a later age of first sexual intercourse and less sexual risk taking. However, Asian American youth report minimal parent sexual communication, later sexual initiation, and fewer sexual risks than their counterparts. What contributes to this unexpected pattern of sexual communication and sexual behaviors? To answer this question, we surveyed 312 Asian American college students ages 17 to 22 on their sexual behaviors, parent sexual communication, and peer sexual communication. Assessment of parent and peer sexual communication was completed via a measure in which participants rated the frequency with which they had received each of 22 sexual messages from each source. Young women generally received more messages promoting abstinence, traditional sex roles, and sex within a relational context than their male counterparts. Young men, however, reported greater parent and peer communications that were accepting of casual sex. Exposure to peer messages that were accepting of casual sex was associated with more sexual partners, casual sex encounters, and sexual experience. Being older, being raised outside the United States, being less religious, and being homosexual was each predictive of more sexual experience. Implications regarding the role of culture and gender on sexual socialization are discussed.     

Mechanisms of Adherence in a Harm Reduction Housing Program

Advances in clinical therapies for people living with HIV have greatly increased life expectancies, but the high levels of adherence that are necessary for clinical success are infrequently achieved, especially for chronically homeless substance users. The Open Door is a harm reduction housing program that seeks to improve clinical outcomes for this population. We present findings from qualitative interviews with residents of the program, conducted to explore facilitators of residents’ success in the program, which is ultimately defined as HIV clinical adherence. Two major themes developed. Positive changes captures processes or characteristics that residents reported as having changed as a result of living in the program. Mechanisms of success reflects aspects of the program to which residents attributed their improved adherence. Given that improving adherence in vulnerable populations has both clinical and public health implications, our study suggests future avenues for research and foundations on which to build future interventions.     

Youth leadership program for changing self-image and attitude toward people with disabilities

Society has a negative attitude toward people with intellectual disabilities or psychiatric disabilities. It is well documented that they are subjected to prejudice, stigma, and negative attitudes (Di Giulio, 2003 ; Finger, 1994 ). Professional literature indicates that information about disabilities and encounters with persons with disabilities can change negative attitudes (Carter, Hughes, Copeland, & Breen, 2001 ; Krajewski & Flaherty, 2000 ). This study accompanied 164 9th-grade students from various junior high schools throughout Israel. Half of the students participated in an integration program for changing attitudes toward persons with disabilities, and the other half served as the control group. The research examined the existence and the degree of relationship between participation in the program, changes in attitudes toward people with disabilities, and self-image. The research findings pointed to a positive change in attitudes of the participants of the program in comparison with the control group, resulting mainly from personal contact with people with disabilities. No relationship was found between levels of self-image of the research group and attitudes toward people with disabilities.     

A review of research on violence in same-gender couples: a resource for clinicians

This paper reviews current research that has primarily focused on domestic violence among same-gender couples. Several key issues pertaining to the identification, assessment, and treatment of domestic violence among same-gender couples are examined and outlined to assist clinicians in effectively working with gay and lesbian clients who may be experiencing domestic violence. Resource information is included to help mental health clinicians recognize specific stressors of marginalized individuals as well as assessment and treatment recommendations are made.     

The narrowing sex differential in life expectancy in high-income populations: effects of differences in the age pattern of mortality

Using data from the Human Mortality Database for 29 high-income national populations (1751-2004), we review trends in the sex differential in e(0). The widening of this gap during most of the 1900s was due largely to a slower mortality decline for males than females, which previous studies attributed to behavioural factors (e.g., smoking). More recently, the gap began to narrow in most countries, and researchers tried to explain this reversal with the same factors. However, our decomposition analysis reveals that, for the majority of countries, the recent narrowing is due primarily to sex differences in the age pattern of mortality rather than declining sex ratios in mortality: the same rate of mortality decline produces smaller gains in e(0) for women than for men because women's deaths are less dispersed across age (i.e., survivorship is more rectangular).