Sexual Communication and Seroadaptation Practices in HIV-Negative Midlife and Older Men Who Have Sex With Men

Advances in treatments have increased the longevity of people with HIV. The high prevalence of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) creates a greater risk for exposure that increases with age. Seroadaptation, which includes serosorting (sexual behavior and condom use based on knowing the serostatus of self and partners) and strategic sexual positioning (choosing receptive versus insertive anal sex), is sometimes used as an HIV risk-reduction strategy. This study examined seroadaptation, sexual communication, and HIV-risk behaviors in 420 sexually active HIV-negative MSM aged 40–81 years in South Florida via anonymous pen-and-paper questionnaire. Recreational drug use and serosorting (i.e., not using condoms if the partner said he was HIV-negative) were associated with higher risk for unprotected receptive anal intercourse. Younger age, greater number of partners, and serosorting were associated with higher risk for unprotected insertive anal intercourse. Understanding these behaviors in this group might help guide HIV-prevention efforts. Future research may examine the role of HIV-prevention medication (PrEP) in influencing sexual behavior in midlife and older MSM.     

Economic empowerment or cash‐dependency for orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya: Evidence from an alternative to cash‐only models

Orphan and vulnerable children (OVC) often have worse educational, developmental, nutritional, and behavioral outcomes than non‐OVC. Much of these disparities come from reduced household earnings due to the loss of parental income. The present study used conditional process analysis to evaluate income and savings among OVC households, using cross‐sectional data from 1,060 OVC in a 3‐year Kenyan empowerment program that combined elements of cash transfer, psychosocial support, and small business entrepreneurship. Higher monthly earnings were significantly associated with program participation in a graded fashion. Approximately one‐third of the association was mediated by material inputs, indicating that a substantial portion may be explained by other unobserved program elements. Eighty‐five percent of increased rates of saving money in the past year were mediated by improved monthly income, cash transferred and improved food consumption. Data analysis highlights the need for multisectoral approaches and the need for more research to understand how to improve household economic stability among OVC. Key Practitioner Message: ? Orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) are at risk of greater poverty, leading to multiple developmental and health challenges; ? Current policy in Kenya to offset costs of caring for OVC utilizes monthly cash transfers to households providing care for OVC; ? The present study found that increases in monthly income in an OVC multisectoral empowerment program were largely due to factors beyond the material inputs.     

Overlooked and Invisible: Everyday Experiences of Microaggressions for LGBTQ Adolescents

ABSTRACT

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adolescents face a number of challenges in their lives related to heterosexism and cissexism. Drawing on the microaggressions framework, we conducted two focus groups with LGBTQ adolescents (n = 11; ages 14–18, six trans/genderfluid, one person of color) to (1) explore the type and nature of microaggressions experienced by LGBTQ adolescents; (2) assess the relevance of existing LGBTQ microaggression taxonomies for this group; and (3) understand the impact of microaggressions on LGBTQ adolescents. Participants’ experiences of microaggressions reflected complex forms of discrimination emerging from the intersections of sexual and gender identity.     

Autism spectrum disorder and the science of social work: A grand challenge for social work research

The social work profession has not yet taken a leadership role in addressing the myriad of challenges that individuals on the autism spectrum encounter across the lifespan. In this essay, we argue that social workers are well equipped to engage in research and practice aimed at promoting full and meaningful inclusion in society, as well as social and economic justice, for individuals on the autism spectrum. We highlight short- and long-term goals that provide the social work profession with a framework to engage in research, practice, education, and advocacy aimed at supporting individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.     

A small-scale response of urban bat activity to tree cover

Urban Ecosystems - Bats in urban areas depend on trees, and bat activity increases with tree cover. To effectively manage bat habitat in cities, it is important to know the distance to which tree...     

Employment services for persons with serious mental illness in northeastern Ontario: The case for partnerships

Objective: To better understand why employment success is low, a case study was conducted to examine the influence of place on access to employment for persons with serious mental illness (SMI) residing in two northeastern Ontario communities (Rebeiro, in progress). Methods: Community-based participatory research methods were used to engage persons who experience SMI, decision-makers and providers in the research. Forty-six interviews were conducted, complemented by primary and secondary quantitative data sources.Results: While most consumers consider employment to be a key element of their recovery, employment rates for persons with SMI remain limited in northeastern Ontario, Canada. The findings of this case study reveal the importance of collaborative partnerships to fostering better employment outcomes in northeastern Ontario. Conclusion: The challenges of collaboration due to rural and northern tensions, as well as various jurisdictional and funding tensions existing at the level of community support the case for partnerships in the provision of employment services in northern and rural places.     

Examining gender differences in the relationship between dating violence victimization and anger in college students

It has been well established that dating violence victimization is associated with various mental health problems. Relatively, little is known about similarities and differences between mental health correlates of dating violence victimization for males and females. We examined the associations between physical and psychological victimization experiences and measures of anger in a sample of 200 male and female undergraduates. Results suggest that men's victimization was more strongly associated with different forms of anger than women's victimization.     

Which factors explain the decline in infant and child mortality in Matlab,Bangladesh?

Infant and child mortality rates have decreased substantially in Matlab, Bangladesh, as they have in many developing areas. We use data from the Matlab Demographic Surveillance System on nearly 94,000 singleton live births that occurred between 1987 and 2002 to investigate the extent to which the change in mortality over this period can be explained by changes in reproductive patterns and socio-economic characteristics. We estimate Cox proportional hazards models for four subperiods of infancy and childhood. Changes over time in reproductive patterns (maternal age, parity, and pregnancy spacing) and in the socio-economic characteristics we consider (e.g. maternal education, SES) explain between 10 and 40% of the decline in mortality rates. Changes in maternal education explain the largest portion of the reduction in infant and child mortality over time that we are able to explain, followed by reductions in the incidence of short interpregnancy intervals. In the other direction, decreases in fertility over time led to increases in the proportion of births that were first births, putting upward pressure on mortality.

Friends First? The Peer Network Origins of Adolescent Dating

The proximity of dating partners in peer friendship networks has important implications for the diffusion of health‐risk behaviors and adolescent social development. We derive two competing hypotheses for the friendship–romance association. The first predicts that daters are proximally positioned in friendship networks prior to dating and that opposite‐gender friends are likely to transition to dating. The second predicts that dating typically crosses group boundaries and opposite‐gender friends are unlikely to later date. We test these hypotheses with longitudinal friendship data for 626 ninth‐grade PROSPER heterosexual dating couples. Results primarily support the second hypothesis: Romantic partners are unlikely to be friends in the previous year or share the same cohesive subgroup, and opposite‐gender friends are unlikely to transition to dating.