Correlates of Oral Sex and Vaginal Intercourse in Early and Middle Adolescence

This study examined whether a comprehensive set of psychosocial factors was equally predictive of both adolescent vaginal intercourse and oral sex among 1,105 adolescents aged 12–16. Logistic regressions were used to examine the relationships between parental communication, religiosity, bonding to school, heavy drinking, sex expectancies, normative beliefs, and both oral sex and vaginal intercourse. Age, gender, bonding to school, heavy drinking, and negative health expectancies predicted both oral sex and vaginal intercourse. Parental communication was associated with vaginal intercourse but not oral sex. Behavior‐specific normative beliefs were differentially associated with oral and vaginal sex.     

Hard and soft constraints in linear programming

The linear programme and its constraints are split into two parts. The first consists of the traditional structure, the second being akin to goal programming. SOFT constraints are weighted relative to each other and then approximately weighted relative to the HARD constraints. The LP is run four times giving different emphasis to the SOFT and HARD constraints. The manager requesting the LP has then to decide which gives the most appropriate solution.     

Developing a New Approach to Case Management in Youth Mental Health: Strengths Model for Youth Case Management

Strengths Model (SM) case management has been utilized as a community based intervention with adults diagnosed with a mental illness since the 1980s. This paper describes the developmental, familial, and systemic adaptations made to the model so that it can be used with youth with mental illness. The resulting SM for Youth provides an alternative framework for providing case management to youth with mental illness which allows the youth to drive goal development and attainment by identifying and capitalizing on the youth’s strengths and resources. The model has the potential to positively impact youth mental health services by equipping supervisors and case managers with a formal model and tools, helping the case managers to feel more prepared and less stressed in their roles, and by empowering youth to engage in services that are positive and driven by their desires.     

Der Fragebogen Karls des Grossen

A document compiled by Charlemagne in the year 811 can be viewed as a precursor to the structured survey and thus as a part of the very beginnings of empirical social research. Charlemagne intended to use the list, which resembles a discussion guide employed in an intensive interview, to exert moral pressure on the secular and clerical leaders of his realm, who were gathered for a parliamentary assembly. At the same time, however, it is also evident that at least some of the questions were designed to gather information on the mood of the population throughout the empire. These questions were probably passed on to the sovereigns and clerics in the provinces. Another document from the year 811 would seem to indicate that answers to similar lists of questions did in fact arrive at the emperor’s court. Both documents attest to a means of gathering information that could be viewed as the first attempt to conduct at an opinion survey.     

Parenting Practices and Adolescent Sexual Behavior: A Longitudinal Study

The effects of parental attitudes, practices, and television mediation on adolescent sexual behaviors were investigated in a study of adolescent sexuality and media (N = 887). Confirmatory factor analyses supported an eight‐factor parenting model with television mediation factors as constructs distinct from general parenting practices. Logistic regressions indicated that adolescents reporting greater parental disapproval and limits on viewing at Wave 1 were less likely to initiate oral sex between Waves 1 and 2. Adolescents who reported more sexual communication with parents were more likely to initiate oral sex. Results for vaginal intercourse were similar to those for oral sex. Coviewing was a significant negative predictor of initiation of sexual behavior. Parental attitudes and television mediation can delay potentially risky adolescent sexual behaviors.     

The Role of Beliefs in Sexual Behavior of Adolescents: Development and Validation of an Adolescent Sexual Expectancies Scale

This article reports on the development and psychometric properties of the Adolescent Sexual Expectancies Scale (ASEXS). Data were obtained from three annual longitudinal surveys of youth aged 10–17 at the first administration (N=932 at Wave 3). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that 4 correlated factors corresponding to Social Risk, Social Benefit, Health Risk, and Pleasure adequately represented the expectancy items. High alpha coefficients and stability across survey waves indicated good internal and test–retest reliability for these factors. Latent variable autoregressive analyses indicated that Social Risk expectancies predicted changes in sexual behavior over the course of the study. Multigroup analyses established that the measurement and predictive models were equivalent for males and females and across age groups. The ASEXS provides researchers with a useful measure for examining adolescents' expectancy beliefs about the consequences of sexual behavior.     

Economic lot disposition policies for single attribute sampling plans

Traditionally, single sampling plans have provided but two possible lot disposition policies, either to (1) accept or reject and screen, or to (2) accept or reject and scrap. This is particularly true of statistical designs. Economically based plans, however, provide a framework wherein several lot disposition policies may be invoked in accordance with estimated lot quality. This paper illustrates how such designs may be realized.     

Joint strategic planning between health and local authorities

This paper describes an approach to joint consideration of strategic planning problems between Health Authorities and Local Authorities. It is currently being pilot tested in the UK by two Area Health Authorities and their corresponding County Councils. The approach is most effective in planning the provision of health and social services for periods between three and ten years ahead and has been particularly designed for planning the non-acute services. These are the services for which joint planning between the health and social services is most important. Depending on local needs and planning priorities the approach may be used for one or more ‘client groups’ (the Elderly, Mentally Ill, Mentally Handicapped, Physically Handicapped etc.). In the pilot applications the approach is being used in planning for the Elderly client group only. The model now used relies on very simple assumptions, arithmetic calculations, and a heuristic optimisation algorithm, in place of a previous mathematical programming model originally aimed at national planning needs and then adapted to local planning. The revised model has achieved these simplifications, while extending the power of the model to fit local needs, by separating out different parts of the problem corresponding to different stages in the planning process, and developing techniques appropriate to each. In a companion paper² in this issue authors from the participating Authorities put their views on the pilot applications of the approach.     

Understanding the relationship between alcohol and sex: Latino and white college students and problematic sexual experiences while drinking

OBJECTIVES: The authors examined whether the relationship between alcohol expectancies and sexual experiences while drinking differed between Latino and white college students. PARTICIPANTS: The authors considered students if they were white or Latino, unmarried, aged 18-25 years, reported any drinking, and had at least 1 sexual partner in the present school year. METHODS: The investigators collected surveys from a random sample of 13,868 undergraduate students from the 14 California public university campuses. They used tests of group differences and hierarchical multiple regressions. RESULTS: Social-facilitation alcohol expectancies were associated with the total number of different alcohol-related sexual experiences among Latino students. Neither social facilitation nor sexual-enhancement alcohol expectancies were differentially predictive of white or Latino students' frequency of sexual experiences. CONCLUSIONS: Additional research is necessary to determine whether concepts targeted by alcohol prevention programs operate in a differential manner for Latino students.