Condom Failure: Examining the Objective and Cultural Meanings Expressed in Interviews With African American Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to explore the meaning and context of self-reported “condom failure” among sexually active African American adolescents. Semistructured interviews regarding methods of protection from pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) with 124 youth (ages 14–19 years) were content analyzed. The findings suggested three meanings of condom failure. First, condom failure represents a legitimate and important risk related to sexual activity. Second, it can serve as an excuse repertoire for adolescents who engaged in unprotected sex and later experienced either pregnancy or a STD. Third, it may serve as an explanation for males who deceive their partners into having unprotected sex. The findings are discussed with regard to their implications for HIV or STD prevention and research.     

A More Perfect Commodity: Bottled Water,Global Accumulation,and Local Contestation

Bottled water sits at the intersection of debates regarding the social and environmental effects of the commodification of nature and the ways neoliberal globalization alters the provision of public services. Utilizing Polanyi's concept of fictitious commodities and Harvey's work on accumulation by dispossession, this article traces bottled water's transformation from elite niche item to a product consumed by three fourths of U.S. households. Drawing on ethnographic research with participants in two cases of proposed spring water extraction from rural communities by industry leader Nestlé Waters, we make two principal arguments. First, the case of bottled water necessitates a reevaluation of existing theoretical frameworks regarding water privatization and commodification. Municipal tap water networks pose substantial barriers to capital accumulation, leading one influential scholar to frame water as an “uncooperative commodity.” However, bottled water's characteristics enable it to evade many of these constraints, rendering it a “more perfect commodity” for accumulation. Second, expansion of the market good of bottled water alters the prospects for the largely publicly provided good of tap water. We conclude that the growth of this relatively new commodity represents a more serious threat to the project of universal public drinking water provision than that posed by tap water privatization.     

Disparities Between HIV Testing Levels and the Self-Reported HIV-Negative Status of Sexually Active College Students

The methodological issues of using self-reported human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing history to determine HIV infection status are understudied. This study aimed to assess the disparities between HIV testing history and self-reported HIV status, with a specific objective of estimating the prevalence of self-reported HIV-negative status in sexually active students who had never had an HIV test (inaccurate self-disclosure). Participants were recruited from four Hong Kong universities; 255 students were included in the analysis, with 16.1% of participants being men who have sex with men (MSM). Overall, 81.6% of participants reported they never had been tested for HIV, with inaccurate self-disclosure by 65.9% of participants. Among participants who used condoms inconsistently, only 20.2% had had HIV tests, with inaccurate self-disclosure by 66.7% of subjects. Among MSM students, only 36.6% had had HIV tests, with inaccurate self-disclosure by 61.0% of participants. Among MSM students who used condoms inconsistently, only 35.1% had had HIV tests, with inaccurate self-disclosure by 62.2% of participants. The findings raise concerns about the use of self-reported HIV status in clinical practice and research. The low prevalence of HIV testing found suggests that interventions to promote HIV testing should be continued.     

Racial Segregation and the Black/White Achievement Gap, 1992 to 2009

In this study, we draw on longitudinal, state‐level data to analyze the impact of four distinct forms of school racial segregation on black/white achievement gaps in math and reading. Pooled time‐series analyses with two‐way fixed effects suggest that increases in black–white dissimilarity and black student isolation contribute to black/white achievement gaps, increases in black–white exposure reduce achievement gaps, and increases in exposure of black students to other minority students have no impact. We conclude by discussing the implications of school racial segregation as a source of academic achievement disparities between black and white students in the contemporary United States.     

What did Africa Mean to Frederick Douglass?

Since the eighteenth century, anti-slavery and antiracist activists of African descent across the Atlantic world have sought to establish a connection with Africa. The great American abolitionist Frederick Douglass resisted those trends. Douglass self-identified as a citizen of the USA and rejected all arguments that African-Americans had any racial, national or spiritual connection with African peoples. This article situates the roots of Douglass' position within his long fight against various schemes for colonization and emigration. It concludes that Douglass rejected those plans not only because he believed they distracted from the struggle against slavery in the USA, but also because he was convinced that Anglo-American civilization provided far greater opportunities for individual and collective betterment than relocation to Africa.     

Index

This article discusses some of the reasons why social workers need to add to their understanding of the law and legal procedures, and to develop legal skills. It also explores several specific areas of the law to be studied: function, sources, concepts, procedures, and skills. A teaching approach to this material in an introductory course on law for social workers is then presented. The article concludes with suggestions for additional curriculum offerings.     

A Test of the Family Stress Model Using a Remarriage Sample

ABSTRACT

The family stress model delineates the connections between economic hardship, economic pressure, marital interactions, marital quality, and, finally, marital instability. This study evaluated the family stress model in a sample of 661 remarried couples using structural equation modeling. The model was evaluated both within and between spouses. Consistent with the family stress model, marital instability and quality were influenced by economic hardship and pressure through decreased spousal warmth and increased spousal hostility. Implications for remarriage education and counseling are discussed.     

Psychometrics of a Child Report Measure of Maternal Support following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse

ABSTRACT

The study examined a new child report measure of maternal support following child sexual abuse. One hundred and forty-six mother–child dyads presenting for a forensic evaluation completed assessments including standardized measures of adjustment. Child participants also responded to 32 items considered for inclusion in a new measure, the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report (MSQ-CR). Exploratory factor analysis of the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report resulted in a three factor, 20-item solution: Emotional Support (9 items), Skeptical Preoccupation (5 items), and Protection/Retaliation (6 items). Each factor demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Construct and concurrent validity of the new measure were supported in comparison to other trauma-specific measures. The Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Future research is needed to determine whether the Maternal Support Questionnaire–Child Report provides a more sensitive approximation of maternal support following disclosure of sexual abuse, relative to measures of global parent–child relations and to contextualize discrepancies between mother and child ratings of maternal support.