Let Them Eat Prozac: The Unhealthy Relationship Between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Depression by David Healy

This article examines the activities of Jane Addams and the Progressive party campaign for President of the United States in 1912. Using primary and secondary data, the article addresses the many decisions and challenges faced by Addams and supporters of Progressive party candidate, Theodore Roosevelt. In particular, I focus on the ways in which issues associated with race, class, and gender shaped the election and Addams' experience within it and the ways in which, despite their apparent differences, Addams was able to support and actively campaign for Roosevelt. Moreover, I examine the struggles of Progressives to define themselves outside the parameters of Socialism in 1912 and the role by played by red-baiting in that effort. In sum, this article seeks to develop a deeper understanding of Addams, the settlement-house movement, and Progressivism and to elevate in importance the 1912 election for President in that larger history.     

“Once in a Blue Moon … Anything is Possible”

Each of the articles in this volume highlights concerns and issues related to cultural diversity and community development. Together they provide significant guidance for further work in theory construction and curriculum development, and offer direction for effective practice and research. Leadership development, self-help, and empowerment practice approaches are presented for work in communities of color and neo-gemeinschaft communities. Effective methods and strategies for working with diverse populations in changing social and economic times are provided for community practitioners and faculty.     

Environmental Correlates of Cognition and Behavior in Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

ABSTRACT

The physical, cognitive, and behavioral correlates of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) have been well-researched. However, there is minimal investigation of the non-biological correlates of cognition and behavior in this population. The association between foster care placement history and cognitive and behavioral functioning was explored using archival data from 136 children with FASD. Significant cognitive and behavioral abnormalities were found in the overall sample. Children with one foster care placement performed significantly better on measures of verbal intelligence, mathematics achievement, and impulse control and endorsed fewer symptoms of internalizing disorders compared to children who were never removed from their biological home. Children with multiple foster home placements generally fell between the other two groups on assessment measures. It may be important to consider placement history of children with FASD when attempting to understand their cognitive and behavioral abnormalities.     

Understanding Urban Adolescent Mothers' Visions of the Future in Terms of Possible Selves

ABSTRACT

As part of a larger study of factors influencing the educational and occupational achievement of adolescent mothers, this study explored the phenomenology of pregnant and parenting teens' aspirations and expectations using the construct, “possible selves.” Focus group discussions, autobiographical projects, and self-report surveys revealed that African American pregnant and parenting youth develop self-representations related to future achievement in the context of interactions with neighborhoods, health care systems, and adult support figures. Results related to teens' “ideal selves,” “feared selves,” and “who they might become” are presented.     

Appropriateness of the Helpline as a Mode of Service Delivery in Minority Communities: The Case of the Arab Population in Israel

ABSTRACT

In 1996, a project providing a helpline to the Arab-speaking population was established in five different locations in Israel. This article explores the potential fit of the helpline, whose stated goals are to provide psychological support and referral information, as an appropriate mode of service delivery among the Arab population living in Israel, in light of the fact that it constitutes an ethnic and sociopolitical minority with specific cultural norms and values. Such an investigation can make a contribution on both practical and theoretical levels and be another step toward a more culturally sensitive discourse in the helping professions.     

The Status of Freud's Legacy on Emotional Processing: Contemporary Revisions

ABSTRACT

This article evaluates, in light of current empirical data, several of the assumptions contributed to our field by Freud about how emotions operate. The idea that expression of emotions dissipates these emotions is evaluated. The idea that bottling up emotion results is ill health is reviewed. The idea that pain of trauma and loss needs to be confronted is examined. Additionally, the assumption that traumatic events invariably result in distress is discussed. It is argued that empirical findings reject the Freudian model of emotion as energy that must be discharged. Empirical findings also support the view that revisiting painful emotion can be helpful when the result is to find a new perspective on painful events. Thus, empirical literature rejects Freudian rationale for confronting prior trauma and loss, while offering new perspectives for how to handle distress resulting from trauma and loss.     

Predictors of Academic Achievement for Latino Middle Schoolers

The aim of this study was to examine specific child, home, and school factors that predict academic achievement for Latino middle school students. The sample for this study (N = 173) was drawn from seven public schools located in three school districts in the northeastern United States. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were used to predict academic achievement from a combination of predictor variables: gender, parent educational attainment, parent employment status, acculturation, parent involvement in school, and school identification. Findings indicate that school identification and parent involvement in school are protective factors that promote Latino middle grade students' academic achievement. These findings suggest that collaborative partnerships between school social workers, teachers, and Latino students and their parents are an important strategy that can optimize connections to school that result in academic achievement.