An Interagency Comparison of Screening-Level Risk Assessment Approaches

Approaches to risk assessment have been shown to vary among regulatory agencies and across jurisdictional boundaries according to the different assumptions and justifications used. Approaches to screening-level risk assessment from six international agencies were applied to an urban case study focusing on benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) exposure and compared in order to provide insight into the differences between agency methods, assumptions, and justifications. Exposure estimates ranged four-fold, with most of the dose stemming from exposure to animal products (8-73%) and plant products (24-88%). Total cancer risk across agencies varied by two orders of magnitude, with exposure to air and plant and animal products contributing most to total cancer risk, while the air contribution showed the greatest variability (1-99%). Variability in cancer risk of 100-fold was attributed to choices of toxicological reference values (TRVs), either based on a combination of epidemiological and animal data, or on animal data. The contribution and importance of the urban exposure pathway for cancer risk varied according to the TRV and, ultimately, according to differences in risk assessment assumptions and guidance. While all agency risk assessment methods are predicated on science, the study results suggest that the largest impact on the differential assessment of risk by international agencies comes from policy and judgment, rather than science.     

More or Less Unequal? Evidence on the Pay of Men and Women from the British Birth Cohort Studies

Gender pay differences are not merely a problem for women returning to work and part‐time employees, but also for those in full‐time, continuous careers. In data from cohort studies, the gender wage gap for full‐time workers in their early thirties fell between 1978 and 2000. This equalization reflects improvements in women’s education and experience rather more than a move towards equal treatment. Indeed, had the typical woman full‐timer in 2000 been paid at men’s rates she would have actually received higher pay than the typical man. Within one cohort, passing from age 33 to 42, gender inequality increased. This was partly due to differences in the qualifications and experience of the women in employment at those points, but unequal treatment also rose among women employed full time at both ages.     

Experiences of Family Therapists Working with Families in a Transitional Homeless Community

The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences and observations of marriage and family therapists (MFTs) conducting an empirically supported parenting program at a transitional homeless community. A diary method was used in recording five MFTs' observations and reactions to implementing the psychoeducational groups. Fifty‐one recordings were collected from three different parenting groups over the course of 20 weeks. Constant comparative method was used to identify themes related to MFTs' experiences of conducting the parenting program. These themes included the needs of at‐risk families, confidentiality, and role ambivalence and boundary ambiguity. We provide recommendations for best practices and an example of therapists' decision‐making process using Kitchener's (1984) model.     

Learning from the Experiences of Ethnic Minorities Accessing HIV Services in Ireland

Since the mid-1990s, Ireland has become a more culturally diversesociety. To ensure equitable, culturally sensitive services,social workers need to consult with and listen to views of serviceusers. This paper reports on findings of two recent studiesby social workers in Ireland with migrants living with HIV.It highlights how many of those newly diagnosed with HIV arefrom sub-Saharan African countries and still in the asylum processand discusses barriers to accessing support and integratinginto Irish society. The paper points out that unless properlysupported, those living with HIV may find it difficult to disclosetheir HIV status and highlights the importance of tackling HIVstigma. It concludes with the need to provide training for healthcare workers to provide culturally appropriate services, andargues against immigration policies which inhibit integration.     

Perceived violence climate: A new construct and its relationship to workplace physical violence and verbal aggression, and their potential consequences

Workplace accidents and violence are both potential sources of employee injuries that have been dealt with in entirely separate literatures. In this study we adapted the concept of safety climate from the accident/injury literature to violence in developing the concept of perceived violence climate. A scale was developed to assess perceived violence climate, including items about management attention, concern, and policies designed to keep employees safe from violence. Data were collected from a sample of 198 nurses from a US Hospital. Perceived violence climate was found to correlate significantly with both physical violence and verbal aggression experienced by the nurses, injury from violence, and perceptions of workplace danger. Furthermore, regression analyses showed that climate explained additional variance in psychological strain and perceptions of danger over experienced violence. These results have implications for interventions aimed at producing a good perceived violence climate in order to reduce the incidence of violence and aggression within an organization.     

Adolescent Generativity: A Longitudinal Study of Two Possible Contexts for Learning Concern for Future Generations

The purpose of the present study was to investigate developmental pathways to Erikson's (1959) construct of generativity, defined as care and concern for the next generation and traditionally viewed as important for midlife adults, in a late adolescent sample. A sample of 198 adolescents was followed three times over a 6‐year period, from ages 17 to 23. Questionnaire measures of generative concern, parenting style, community involvement, and personal adjustment were collected. Adolescents' generative concern was positively related to good adjustment, as has been observed previously among adults. Generative concern at age 23 was predicted by earlier reports of family authoritative parenting, and especially by higher levels of earlier prosocial community involvement among these adolescents. Overall, results suggest that generativity may be a developing element in the domain of prosocial moral concern in later adolescence, and that family and community roots may be important in its establishment.     

The long-term effectiveness of refusal conversion procedures on longitudinal surveys

Summary.  Survey organizations often attempt to 'convert' sample members who refuse to take part in a survey. Persuasive techniques are used in an effort to change the refusers' minds and to agree to an interview. This is done to improve the response rate and, possibly, to reduce non-response bias. However, refusal conversion attempts are expensive and must be justified. Previous studies of the effects of refusal conversion attempts are few and have been restricted to cross-sectional surveys. The criteria for 'success' of a refusal conversion attempt are different in a longitudinal survey, where for many purposes the researcher requires complete data over multiple waves. The paper uses data from the British Household Panel Survey from 1994 to 2003 to assess the long-term effectiveness of refusal conversion procedures in terms of sample sizes, sample composition and data quality.     

Closing in: Stalking in the Context of Intimate Partner Abuse

This article reviews the literature on stalking in the context of intimate partner abuse (IPA). It is now known that stalking is most common among people who know each other, with a high prevalence among current and former intimates. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between stalking and IPA, both physical violence and emotional abuse. This is referred to as stalking in the context of IPA. This type of stalking differs from other types in terms of its nature, prevalence, and effects. In addition, there are differences among intimate partner stalkers as well. Future research needs to focus on this type of stalking and explore theories behind why it is occurring and ways we should be responding to and treating it.