Gamblers Anonymous as a Recovery Pathway: A Scoping Review

Given the preponderance of Gamblers Anonymous (GA), there has been relatively little effort to explore the existing evidence base on its effectiveness as a recovery approach for problem gambling. To remedy this gap in the literature we conducted a scoping review of the literature on mutual aid for individuals experiencing problem gambling published between 2002 and 2015. We searched 13 databases and reviewed reference lists and websites of relevant organizations. We reviewed records for eligibility and extracted relevant data from eligible articles. Three reviewers independently assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We identified 17 studies in 25 publications that were eligible for inclusion. Most studies were conducted in the United States, were cross-sectional in design, and involved both male and female adult participants. Results indicate that the evidence for the effectiveness of GA either as a control condition or in conjunction with formal treatment or medication is inconsistent. An emphasis on patience, using the Serenity Prayer as a way to gain acceptance of financial matters and reality, and absolute assertion of identity as a “compulsive gambler” were identified as important aspects of GA’s recovery culture. There is a need for large-scale randomized controlled trials to determine GA’s effectiveness, as well as research exploring the mechanisms through which GA works, barriers to GA as a recovery approach, and the status of women in the fellowship.     

A Twin Study of Objective and Subjective Pubertal Timing and Peer Influence on Risk‐Taking

This study used a behavioral genetic design to test whether three measures of pubertal timing moderated peer influence on risk‐taking in a sample of 248 female adolescent twin pairs (M_age = 16.0, SD = 1.5) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Peer influence was operationalized as the quasi‐causal association between girls' self‐reported risk‐taking and the risk‐taking reported by their friends. Girls with earlier ages at menarche and who perceived themselves as more developed than peers were more susceptible to peer influence on risk‐taking. However, age‐standardized ratings of body changes did not moderate peer influence. This study highlights distinctions between multiple measures of pubertal timing, using an innovative synthesis of genetically informative data and peer nomination data.     

Infant Physiological and Behavioral Responses to a Jealousy Provoking Condition

Recent research has demonstrated a relationship between infants' tonic electroencephalogram (EEG) patterns and approach‐style jealousy responses (Mize & Jones, 2012 ). Although it has been found that adults exhibit approach‐style neural activity during jealousy paradigms (Harmon‐Jones, Peterson, and Harris, 2009 ), parallel research on neural activity during a jealousy paradigm in infants is lacking from the literature base. The purpose of the current research is to examine EEG patterns of 35 infants (Mean age = 8.92 months old) in a social‐rival paradigm designed to elicit jealousy responses. Consistent with past research, infants demonstrated more approach‐style, jealousy‐related behaviors when their mothers attended to a social‐rival than to a nonsocial rival. Additionally, infants demonstrated approach‐style anterior EEG activity during the social‐rival condition, a pattern that is associated with jealousy. The current findings suggest that the physiological underpinnings for the emotions that motivate the protection of important dyadic relationships are in place early in ontogeny. Therefore, jealousy‐type behaviors and physiological responses begin to be observable as early as 9‐months‐old when maternal attention is lost to a social‐rival.     

The analysis of ordinal time-series data via a transition (Markov) model

While standard techniques are available for the analysis of time-series (longitudinal) data, and for ordinal (rating) data, not much is available for the combination of the two, at least in a readily-usable form. However, this data type is common place in the natural and health sciences where repeated ratings are recorded on the same subject. To analyse these data, this paper considers a transition (Markov) model where the rating of a subject at one time depends explicitly on the observed rating at the previous point of time by incorporating the previous rating as a predictor variable. Complications arise with adequate handling of data at the first observation (t=1), as there is no prior observation to use as a predictor. To overcome this, it is postulated the existence of a rating at time t=0; however it is treated as ‘missing data’ and the expectation–maximisation algorithm used to accommodate this. The particular benefits of this method are shown for shorter time series.     

Exploring relational engagement practices in stroke rehabilitation using the Voice Centred Relational Approach

While discussions on patient engagement commonly focus on patient behaviors, a small body of research highlights the patient-practitioner relationship as critical in engagement. Understanding this relationship might be facilitated through a relationally-oriented methodology. The Voice Centred Relational Approach is one such qualitative methodology. Within this paper, we present one turn in a long conversation about this methodology. Drawing on our longitudinal observational study of engagement practices in stroke rehabilitation in New Zealand, we explicate how a theoretical framework can inform how the Voice Centred Relational Approach is enacted in the research process, from entering the field to dissemination. We detail how we adapted the associated analytic techniques (the Listening Guide and i-poems) for use with multiple forms and sources of data. We propose that the underlying relational ontology and relational orientation of this methodology makes it a useful approach in researching relational practice in healthcare.     

An Evaluation of the Effects of Very Difficult Goals

In 1968 the first cohesive theory on goal setting proposed that difficult goals produce higher levels of performance than easy goals and that specific goals produce a higher level of performance than “do your best” goals. While over 40 years of research supports this theory, there has been some discrepancy regarding the use of very difficult goals. This study was designed to examine the effects on performance of different levels of performance improvement goals and two different types of feedback, as feedback is often used in conjunction with goal setting. A group design was used with participants receiving one of two goal levels, and two different types of feedback. While no significant effects were found between the two types of feedback, goal level produced significant results in terms of performance and accuracy.     

Gender and Intergenerational Co-residence in Egypt and Tunisia

This paper compares the levels and determinants of intergenerational co-residence among older women and men in Egypt and Tunisia. Women in both settings have higher odds than do men of living in child-headed households, largely because women more often are widowed and have fewer economic resources. In Tunisia, women have higher odds than do men of living in child-headed households partly because of their poorer health. In Egypt, the odds of living in parent- and child-headed intergenerational households for unmarried compared to married older adults are higher for women than men. Disparate needs and marital histories likely contribute to the different living arrangements of older women and men in these settings.     

The Effects of Scenic Picture Prompts on Variability During the Acquisition of Intraverbal Categorization for Children With Autism

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior - Researchers have demonstrated the efficacy of picture prompts on the acquisition of intraverbals (Coon & Miguel in Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,...     

Precarity,gender and care in the neoliberal academy

This article examines the rise in precarious academic employment in Ireland as an outcome of the higher education restructuring following OECD (Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development), government initiatives and post‐crisis austerity. Presenting the narratives of academic women at different career stages, we claim that a focus on care sheds new light on the debate on precarity. A more complete understanding of precarity should take account not only of the contractual security but also affective relational security in the lives of employees. The intersectionality of paid work and care work lives was a dominant theme in our interviews among academic women. In a globalized academic market, premised on the care‐free masculinized ideals of competitive performance, 24/7 work and geographical mobility, women who opt out of these norms, suffer labour‐led contractual precarity and are over‐represented in part‐time and fixed‐term positions. Women who comply with these organizational commands need to peripheralize their relational lives and experience care‐led affective precarity.