Gender,Racial, and Ethnic Disclosure in NIH K-Award Funded Diabetes and Obesity Clinical Trials∗

In 1993, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) passed The Revitalization Act (Subtitle B) which mandated that all NIH funded clinical trials have “appropriate representation” of minority and women subjects. Our aim was to evaluate the impact of the mandate by examining the reporting and inclusion of minority and female subjects into NIH K-Award funded clinical trials, addressing the minority predominant diagnoses of diabetes and clinical obesity. Using the CRISP search engine and PUBMED, we selected publications published by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) K-grant recipients during 1989–2004, associated with all the diabetes and obesity clinical trials. Studies were stratified into three timeline categories (1989–1993, pre-mandate; 1993–1996, post-mandate, and 1997–present, well past mandate) to evaluate trends in the recruiting of minorities and women before, during, and after the passing of the Revitalization Act. Of the 165 papers, only 37% disclosed race, a number that did not improve over time (p = .15), whereas 92% disclosed gender. Clinical trials that focused on females increased across the 3 timeframes (p < .001) for diabetes studies but not obesity studies. Overall, disclosure of race declined over the 3 timeframes whereas individually, the disclosure of African Americans improved.     

Sexual behaviour in aids‐related research: Reliability and validity of recall and diary measures

In order to assess the reliability and validity of two data collection instruments for measuring sexual practices in homosexual men, we administered a recall data collection instrument to 30 sexually active men, and a diary instrument to a subset of 19 participants. Each instrument covered a period of one month. For the recall instrument, the correlation coefficients between the test‐retest showed a good level of reliability for a number of infrequent sexual practices but was poor for frequent sexual practices. Correlation coefficients were calculated for sexual practices recorded in the first two and the second two weeks for both the recall and the diary. Generally, the level of agreement between the first and second two weeks for sexual practice data recorded in the diary was lower than the recall questionnaire. While the reliability of the recall method was found to be limited to certain sexual practices, it was concluded to be the most reliable and efficient method presently available for the collection of important high‐risk AIDS‐related sexual activities for a one‐month period.     

Evaluation of school‐based AIDS education curricula in San Francisco

Students in 3 middle (n=385) and 3 high schools (n=254) in the San Francisco Unified School District participated in the evaluation of an AIDS education curriculum. Classes within‐schools were designated as either intervention classes or nonintervention classes. Students in intervention classes received 3 class periods of AIDS instruction with a newly developed curriculum. Students in nonintervention classes did not receive any special AIDS instruction. All students completed a pretest and posttest AIDS knowledge and attitude survey. The results indicated that AIDS instruction classes demonstrated a significant knowledge‐advantage, as well as change in attitudes (e.g., reflecting greater tolerance for attending class with students who may have AIDS or HIV infection).     

Strengthening the Professional Selves of Social Workers Through the Lens of Self Psychology

New social workers have been shown to experience higher rates of burnout, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and vocational turnover. It is critical to find ways to support the growth and development of competent and resilient social workers. Yet, due to current contextual issues in the workplace, social workers are often not in environments that are conducive to fostering the growth of strong professional selves. A self psychology lens is used to assess and form the basis for recommendations for agencies/organizations and individuals to strengthen the professional selves of individual social workers and, in turn, the profession itself.     

A Practitioner’s Guide to Sampling in the Age of Evidence-Based Practice: Translation of Research into Practice

Evidence-based practice must include the translation of research into practice, and the social work practitioner is the essential link in that translation. As part of the EBP process, researchers must present findings in a way that is accessible to practitioners and practitioners must view the study as relevant and representative of their clients’ needs. This article provides practitioners with tools to interpret research, specifically the sampling process. Our goal is to support practitioners in bridging the gap between research and practice. We discuss how sampling fits with the translation of research and describe sampling procedures. We conclude with a unique three-step approach for reviewing research that is designed to assist practitioners to translate research into practice.     

论中国和东盟经济发展的文化动力

艺术和文化正日益成为区域竞争的重要工具之一。在中国和东盟经济合作发展过程中要注重发挥文化产业的推动力作用。文化产业的合作,可以从国家层面和地区层面争取主动,鼓励商业和文化共同体紧密互动,加强东盟各国和中国的区域合作与交流。     

“We're in this together”: Attachment insecurities,dyadic coping strategies,and relationship satisfaction in couples involved in medically assisted reproduction

Attachment is an important predictor of relationship satisfaction and attachment insecurities are a risk factor for couples under stress. Drawing from the Vulnerability–Stress–Adaptation model, we investigated whether dyadic coping strategies (DCS) would explain the links between attachment insecurities and relationship satisfaction in 97 couples involved in medically assisted reproduction (MAR). Path analyses revealed that for women and men, attachment insecurities (anxiety, avoidance) were associated with their own lower relationship satisfaction through their lower use of positive DCS. Attachment avoidance was also associated with participants' own lower relationship satisfaction through their own lower use of negative DCS. Men's attachment avoidance was also related to their partner's lower relationship satisfaction via their own and their partner's lower use of positive DCS. The findings suggest that promoting the use of positive DCS may be important to preserve relationship satisfaction in couples involved in MAR.