Peer Behaviors and Co-occurring Disorders Among Adolescents

The complexity of co-occurring substance use disorders and mental health problems among adolescents challenges both researchers and practitioners. The purpose of this study was to further disentangle those relationships and examine the role that peers who engage in deviant activities plays in that relationship. A subset of variables from a larger study of adolescents referred for substance use assessment was analyzed in this study. The results suggest that as the severity of substance use and mental health problems increases so does the number of peers who engage in deviant activities; peers partially mediates the relationship between those two variables. Implications for social work practice and other professionals are discussed.     

Married-Couple Families With Step,Adopted, and Biological Children

National estimates of the numbers of families with step, adopted, and biological children have not previously been developed. In this work, parent types for children in married-couple families were indirectly identified by using marriage and birth dates. Families were then classified by the types of children present. A large majority (79 percent) had only biological children; however, a significant minority (16 percent) had at least one stepchild and 4 percent had at least one adopted child. This analysis provides national estimates of the numbers and characteristics of married-couple families with step, adopted, and biological children.     

Development and Application of a Probabilistic Risk–Benefit Assessment Model for Infant Feeding Integrating Microbiological,Nutritional, and Chemical Components

A probabilistic and interdisciplinary risk–benefit assessment (RBA) model integrating microbiological, nutritional, and chemical components was developed for infant milk, with the objective of predicting the health impact of different scenarios of consumption. Infant feeding is a particular concern of interest in RBA as breast milk and powder infant formula have both been associated with risks and benefits related to chemicals, bacteria, and nutrients, hence the model considers these three facets. Cronobacter sakazakii, dioxin‐like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl‐PCB), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were three risk/benefit factors selected as key issues in microbiology, chemistry, and nutrition, respectively. The present model was probabilistic with variability and uncertainty separated using a second‐order Monte Carlo simulation process. In this study, advantages and limitations of undertaking probabilistic and interdisciplinary RBA are discussed. In particular, the probabilistic technique was found to be powerful in dealing with missing data and to translate assumptions into quantitative inputs while taking uncertainty into account. In addition, separation of variability and uncertainty strengthened the interpretation of the model outputs by enabling better consideration and distinction of natural heterogeneity from lack of knowledge. Interdisciplinary RBA is necessary to give more structured conclusions and avoid contradictory messages to policymakers and also to consumers, leading to more decisive food recommendations. This assessment provides a conceptual development of the RBA methodology and is a robust basis on which to build upon.     

Food insecurity,financial priority,and nutrition literacy of university students at a mid-size private university

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of the study was to examine food insecurity in a mid-sized private Catholic university, taking into consideration students’ financial prioritization and nutrition literacy. Participants: Participants included 560 university undergraduate and graduate students in the fall of 2017. Methods: Measures assessed food insecurity, nutrition literacy, and financial prioritization. The USDA 6-question food insecurity screener and the New Vital Signs Food Label Instruments were utilized to measure food security and nutrition literacy. To measure financial priority, participants ranked nine items from highest to lowest priority. Results: Out of 560 university students, 35.8% of students were characterized as food insecure. Students who prioritized spending money on alcohol or tuition had higher odds of experiencing food insecurity. Conclusion: Prevalence of food insecurity may be as prevalent in private universities as in public universities. This warrants exploration to identify contributing factors and long-term solutions.     

Using role plays in teaching and assessing family therapy skills

This report describes the adaptation of the microteaching model for the teaching of family therapy skills, and a method of assessing students' skill mastery by viewing videotaped role plays prepared as a formal assignment. Criteria for skills and instructions for making the tape are given. Problems encountered by a class of 14 students as they carried out the novel assignment included high anxiety and lapses into inauthentic behaviour on the part of the role play family members.

Assessments based on the prerecorded role plays were judged reliable, as the staff members' marks agreed highly and the students' ratings of an increase in confidence also correlated significantly with their marks. The relationship between role play scores and marks on a more traditional essay assignment suggested three types of students: those whose pair of grades were equal in being very high or very low, inexperienced students who worked hard to prepare for the taping and gained most from making them, but still scored lower on the role plays than on the essays, and students with prior role playing experience who performed better than they wrote.

Nine of the 14 students regarded the role play assignment as a better learning experience, 1 regarded the essay as more educational, and 4 valued the assignments equally. This, plus the general increase in confidence to use family therapy skills as a result of preparing the role plays, indicated the potential of the videotaped role play as an educational as well as an assessment device.     

Book Reviews

Abstract

Ideologies of Caring: Rethinking Community and Collectivism, by Gillian Dalley. Houndmills: Mac-Millan Education, 1988. $ 18.50. 165 pp., Paper. Reviewed By Brij Mohan

Bridges of Respect: Creating Support for Lesbian and Gay Youth, by Katherine Whitlock. American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia, PA, 1988. $7.50. 97 pp. Reviewed By Ski Hunter

Courage and Love, by Gisela Konopka. Burgess Printing Company: Edina, Minnesota. 1988. $11.95. 337 pp. Reviewed By Ruth R. Middleman

Social Work Day to Day: The Experience of Generalist Social Work Practice, by Carolyn Cressy Wells. Longman: New York, 1989 2nd Ed. 205 pp. Reviewed By Elbert Siegel

Learning Through Field Instruction: A Guide for Teachers and Students, by Martha L. Urbanowski and Margaret M. Dwyer. Family Service America: Milwaukee, WI, 1988. $15.95. 180pp. Reviewed By Miriam S. Raskin

Dependency and Poverty: Old Problems in a New World, by June Axinn and Mark J. Stern. Lexington Books: Massachusetts, 1988. 178 pp. Reviewed By Frank R. Baskind