Identity and Self-Presentation in the House/Ball Culture: A Primer for Social Workers

Members of the house/ball subculture, a segment of the population of young men and transgendered people of color who have sex with men in the United States, are examined in relationship to self-identity and presentation. To enhance cultural awareness and understanding for helping professionals, historical backdrop, categories of identity, theoretical applications, and insight concerning the social network and fluidity of self within the house/ball community are described and examined. Case illustrations demonstrate the importance of cultural competence concerning this marginalized population, especially when considering HIV prevention and care, health disparities, violence, and poverty.     

Social Trust and E-Commerce: Experimental Evidence for the Effects of Social Trust on Individuals' Economic Behavior

In this study, an experimental design embedded in a nationalsurvey is used to examine the impact of social trust on participationin e-commerce. To what extent does generalized trust in peopleinfluence economic behavior, particularly in newly establishedrealms such as the Internet? Although some previous work hasposited a role for social trust in encouraging both e-commerceand economic development more generally, evidence has been basedon cross-sectional associations and, primarily, at the aggregatelevel of entire countries. While these relationships have beensuggestive, studies have yet to confirm a causal role for socialtrust in influencing e-commerce. Would increasing levels ofsocial trust actually encourage greater e-commerce participation?This study combines the representativeness of a national surveywith the internal validity of an experimental design to answerthis question.     

Correcting misconceptions about the development of social work in China: a response to Cunfu Jia

In this brief debate article we respond to Cunfu Jia's criticism of our article ‘Defining the Profession?’ (International Journal of Social Work 16: 382–389). We address the issue of ‘evidence’ and the issue of the applicability to China of the global definition of social work. We suggest that although debate articles by their very nature risk generating false dichotomies, they provide an important and welcome opportunity to explore commonality and difference and to develop our knowledge and thinking as a result of an international exchange of views.     

Nonparametric Estimation of Duration Dependence in Militarized Interstate Disputes

A militarized interstate dispute (MID) involves military conflict between states with diplomatic ties and exists because two or more states have failed to resolve their differences through diplomatic channels. Jones et al. (1996) characterize an MID as the threat, display or use of military force short of war. They analyze over 2000 disputes spanning two centuries across the globe and conclude that disputes tend to be persistent once established. In this paper, I find that the passage of time can be a favorable factor in dispute resolution, and thus historical mechanisms for dispute resolution favor ending, not extending, militarized disputes. I emphasize the use of non-parametric procedures first to estimate the hazard function and then to estimate the benefits of negotiated settlements.     

Group work in mindfulness-based interventions with youth: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Almost all mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are delivered in group format. Given the benefits of group work for children/youth, the authors wondered how researchers studying MBIs discussed and analyzed the group-work component of the MBI. The authors conducted a scoping study with the aims of analyzing relevant research regardless of design to explore the range of research activity, to summarize findings, and to identify gaps in knowledge. Our research questions asked, (1) How is group work described and discussed in the research literature that explores MBIs with children and youth? (2) When group work is discussed, what factors are the focus of discussion? and (3) Is group work considered an important aspect in the delivery of MBIs? Ultimately, the authors identified 94 articles that met their inclusion criteria. The researchers that discussed group work identified rationales for the group delivery, benefits of group work, the need for a cohesive and safe environment for learning, the relevant role of the group facilitator, cultural implications, and challenges associated with group delivery. Engagement of youth in an MBI and the importance of the group process were identified as main issues. The authors concluded that all of the factors contributing to change as a result of having participated in an MBI need to be better understood, and that group work should be given more attention in the delivery and study of MBIs. Thus, the facilitation of an MBI can be better understood as can the mechanisms of change.     

A mixed‐method examination of ego‐resiliency,adjustment problems,and academic engagement in children of Latino migrant farmworkers

Children from Latino migrant farmworker (LMFW) families are one of the most educationally disenfranchised and marginalized populations of students in the United States. These children face similar disadvantages to other low‐income immigrant families, but often experience unique contextual stressors due to high mobility that places them at high risk for mental health problems, risk‐taking behaviors, and poor academic engagement. Despite these high vulnerabilities few researchers have focused their efforts on LMFW children specifically, or addressed resilience factors in particular. Ego‐resiliency is an enduring psychological construct reflecting how individuals overcome day‐to‐day challenges. We used a convergent mixed method cross‐sectional design to examine the effects of LMFW children's (N = 66, ages 6–18, Mage = 12.79) depressive and conduct problems on their academic efficacy/mastery, and whether ego‐resiliency counteracted these relations. Ego‐resiliency was negatively associated with depression and conduct problems, and positively related to academic efficacy/mastery. Conduct problems were negatively related to academic efficacy/mastery, but depression was not. Ego‐resiliency also moderated the relation of depression to academic efficacy/mastery. Qualitative results provided a deeper explanation of contributing factors to LMFW children's adjustment, how adjustment problems affected their academic success, and the coping mechanisms and resilience factors used by LMFW children to overcome difficult experiences.     

Predictors of Mental Health Diagnoses Among Youth in Psychiatric Residential Care: A Retrospective Case Record Analysis

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal - In this study the relation between familial risk factors and maltreatment types and mental health diagnoses among youth in residential care were examined....