Epidemiology of Partner Abuse Within Military Families

Partner abuse (PA) is a public health problem that affects a significant number of families. Experiencing PA places victims at risk for a variety of negative outcomes, including substance use or abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and, in extreme cases, permanent injury or death. Furthermore, children who are exposed to PA are at risk for problems in the areas of cognitive functioning, self-esteem, psychological and emotional well‐being, interpersonal relationships, and behavior. Most of what is known about PA has accrued through studies of civilian families. In this article, the authors report the results of an in depth review of the epidemiology of PA in each branch of the military. Results revealed that most studies of the military have been conducted with Army families. Rates of nonclinically significant PA are higher in military samples than civilian samples. Men and women connected to the military engage in rates of mild to moderate PA at similar rates. Males in the military engage in more violent PA than do women. These findings are discussed within a prevention and risk/resilience framework. Practical suggestions for clinicians working with military personnel and families and ideas for future research are provided.     

Social Workers' Postgraduate Use of the IFD Interpersonal Communication Model

Interpersonal communication assessment models have become very popular as a means of quickly establishing rapport in many settings across the United States. Despite their popularity and possible utility, there has been minimal research into the impact of these models, especially over time and in educational settings (more than 6 months after the training is over). In the master's of social work (MSW) program at Brigham Young University (BYU), the interpersonal family dynamics (IFD) model is used as a tool to better understand human behavior and strengthen relationships in the social work practice environment. This training is provided to first-year students in the foundation human behavior in the social environment course and to field supervisors in their field training conferences. BYU's MSW program graduates were surveyed to find out their perceptions of the utility of IFD. With a relatively high level of accuracy, the graduates reported IFD was a useful approach to better understanding human behavior in their daily practice. Graduates used the model as much in their personal lives as in their professional lives.     

Misperceptions of the norms for the frequency of alcohol and other drug use on college campuses.

Data from surveys of students representing 100 diverse college campuses were used to investigate the difference between the self-reported frequency of a drug's use and students' perceptions of the frequency of use. Students were asked about the frequency of their own use of 11 drugs (alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, amphetamines, sedatives, hallucinogens, opiates, inhalants, designer drugs, and steroids) and how often they thought "the average student" on their campus used these drugs. Respondents typically misperceived their peer norms (designated as the median of self-reported use) by substantially overestimating how often the average student used each drug, both in campus samples where abstinence or infrequent use were the median of self-reports and in samples where the median of self-reports revealed more frequent use. To the extent that they may promote or reinforce students' actual use, these misperceptions should be considered in designing college drug prevention programs.     

The benefits of embedding experiential learning in the education of planners

Abstract

In a future of complexity, uncertainty and fragmented governance we envision planning graduates who will be better prepared for the real world of planning as a result of an experiential learning (EL) approach in undergraduate tertiary education. In this paper, we present the findings of an Australian research project in which planning educators developed and tested a range of experiential planning principles based on sound pedagogical theory. Embedding EL principles and activities within the planning curriculum provides a structured programme of engagement between theory and practice over the four years of an undergraduate Australian planning programme, including opportunities for work-integrated learning. Students gain experience in negotiated decision-making involving a wide range of interactions with planning practitioners. Students become more adaptable—cognizant of mechanisms influencing change, and recognize the value of lifelong learning founded on critical reflection. We propose that a more systematic approach to integrating experiential learning in tertiary planning education culminating in ‘work integrated learning’ would provide a vehicle for further partnerships with responsive local practitioners and communities. Finally, this paper also argues that applying experiential learning does not compromise the quality of planning education based on greater academic rigour.     

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in a Rural State: Interviews with Adjudicated Female Juveniles

Domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) is defined as the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act” (TVPA, 2000) where the person is a citizen of the U.S. and under age 18 years. The purpose of this study was to gain a more informed understanding of the scope of the problem of DMST for adjudicated juvenile females, to identify factors associated with DMST for this vulnerable population, and enhance our understanding of the pathways in and out of DMST from the victims’ perspective (especially rural vs. urban). Qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 adjudicated juvenile females in a southern, rural state. Results indicate a significant number of adjudicated female youth are engaged in sex trafficking, often to obtain drugs, and that a significant number feel forced to perform sex acts in exchange for drugs and/or for a place to sleep which is also highly correlated with being a victim of sexual abuse. Early intervention for juvenile females who fit the noted vulnerabilities needs to be implemented in time to prevent our youth from being victimized. Suggestions for future research are addressed.     

A Survey of Listening Instruction in the Basic Speech Course

This survey of 498 institutions seeks to learn how institutions teach listening in the basic speech course. Respondents included community colleges and four year colleges, with and without degree programs. The results reveal most schools offer some listening instruction in the basic course, averaging 7% of a semester course (approximately three hours). Less than 50% of this time is devoted to skill development. The dominant methods of instruction are lecture and listening activities. Methods of modeling, role playing and the use of audio/video tapes and listening tests increase, as the emphasis on skill development increases. Typically, those who teach the basic course have had little specific training in listening. However, there is a positive correlation between the training of the senior faculty and junior faculty.     

Practical considerations of physical and emotional sibling violence in foster families: A summary of the current literature

This article draws upon current literature and case examples to enrich the understanding of physical and emotional sibling violence in foster families. A brief overview of physical and emotional sibling violence is presented followed by a discussion of the interventions that address sibling conflict and aggression. The lack of knowledge regarding sibling violence for different kinds of sibling combinations is highlighted. The authors stress the potential for negative interactions among children in foster families and the need to alter approaches to include all sibling combinations.     

A BETTER ADDITIVE CONGRUENTIAL RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR?

Roger L. Burford reported on a new additive congruential random number generator in the April, 1973 issue of Decision Sciences [1]. Burford claimed a number of advantages for the new generator, including a faster generation time than the commonly used multiplicative generators. This note describes an extensive examination of the Burford generator in comparison with the standard multiplicative generators recommended by Control Data Corporation [3] and IBM [2]. The results indicate that the multiplicative generators require much less computer time than the Burford additive generator. Further, the statistical validity of the Burford generator depends upon the initial numbers chosen for use.     

文化变迁、制度演进与改革和发展——制度与文化变迁视角的社会发展机制和改革发展比较分析

文化与制度的相互制约与促进的机制是社会发展的根本动力之一,文化可以影响对制度的选择,而制度反过来又改变或强化人们的文化理念,并最终影响社会发展中的某些关键要素,进一步影响社会和经济发展的模式选择。文化变迁和制度演进的两个显著特点是内敛性和趋同性,初始文化和制度背景对文化变迁和制度演进有显著的内敛作用,而最终所有文化和制度又都朝同一个方向发展,这是为什么富国的制度和文化模式几乎都一样,而穷国则各有各的文化和制度模式的原因;在走向发达的进程中,传统文化假借某些理念对进步的促进作用而整体上复兴。中国当前从以增长为中心的发展到以人为本的科学发展的转变反映了这种文化和制度变迁的进程。     

Reporting Child Sexual Abuse within Religious Settings: Challenges and Future Directions

The sexual abuse of children within religious settings is an issue that has gained increased popular and professional attention over the past two decades. Various reports have highlighted the scale of such abuse, along with shortcomings in reporting practices. In this article, we outline some contemporary research that sought to understand the psychology that underpins variable reporting practices. In line with this research, we set out two conceptual frameworks that have some potential to help to explain such practices: system justification theory and moral foundations theory. Further, we describe how these frameworks could be adopted in research moving forward in order to make sense of the ways in which members of religious groups respond to allegations of child sexual abuse within their institutions. We close the article by arguing that by gaining a deeper understanding of the psychology underlying reporting practices, it may be possible to communicate more effectively about child sexual abuse within religious institutions, and therefore encourage more widespread reporting of allegations before more children are harmed.

‘We outline some contemporary research that sought to understand the psychology that underpins variable reporting practices’

Key Practitioner Messages

• Those most likely to observe or suspect child abuse in religious settings are themselves likely to participate in such settings.
• The challenge for these ‘onlookers’ is to overcome the psychological dynamics that push against the recognition and reporting of child abuse in religious settings.
• These dynamics can be understood via established psychological theories and frameworks.
• Practitioners concerned with improving reporting practice in these contexts can draw on this work to inform training and intervention strategies.