Comparing Equal-Tail Probability and Unbiased Confidence Intervals for the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient

The conventional confidence interval for the intraclass correlation coefficient assumes equal-tail probabilities. In general, the equal-tail probability interval is biased and other interval procedures should be considered. Unbiased confidence intervals for the intraclass correlation coefficient are readily available. The equal-tail probability and unbiased intervals have exact coverage as they are constructed using the pivotal quantity method. In this article, confidence intervals for the intraclass correlation coefficient are built using balanced and unbalanced one-way random effects models. The expected length of confidence intervals serves as a tool to compare the two procedures. The unbiased confidence interval outperforms the equal-tail probability interval if the intraclass correlation coefficient is small and the equal-tail probability interval outperforms the unbiased interval if the intraclass correlation coefficient is large.     

Forest leaf litter quantity and seedling occurrence along an urban-rural gradient

Leaf litter, by modifying microenvironmental conditions, can alter plant population distributions and is considered to be a major force in structuring many plant communities. Comparative studies of urban, suburban, and rural forests in the New York City (NYC) metropolitan area have identified numerous biotic and abiotic differences among these forests, including several involved in leaf litter decomposition. These differences in decomposition among the forests could result in differences in litter quantity on the forest floor and hence microenvironmental conditions and safe sites for germination of different plant species. We conducted a survey of forest floor leaf litter quantity in forests located along an urban-to-rural land-use gradient originating in urban NYC and extending to rural Connecticut. Mean litter depth, mass, and density increased significantly with increased distance of the forest from NYC.We also surveyed woody seedlings and compared the litter depth in which they naturally occurred to the mean litter depth of the surrounding forest. Seedlings of small-seeded species were much more likely to be located in litter shallower than mean forest litter depth than were seedlings of large-seeded species. Taken together, these results suggest that environmental changes associated with urbanization may have profound effects on long-term patterns of forest regeneration.     

Effectiveness of the Coral Tree Family Service family inpatient unit: a longitudinal study exploring change in family functioning

Child mental health disorders represent a major burden to public health in Australia due to high prevalence rates, the widespread impact across domains, and the potential for difficulties to persist into adolescence and adulthood. Extensive evidence exists for the use of parent management training and cognitive behavioural therapy to treat difficulties experienced by children; however, a proportion of children do not benefit as expected from these treatments. The use of complementary therapeutic approaches and variations to the mode and intensity of existing intervention is warranted; family inpatient units represent a unique example of this. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a well-established Australian inpatient unit that admits the whole family, for children aged 12 years and younger referred with mental health, behavioural, or emotional difficulties. This study's longitudinal within-subject study design utilised routinely collected outcome data from the systemic clinical outcome and routine evaluation, 15 item (SCORE-15)—a valid and reliable measure of family functioning—from a sample of 980 participants attending the Family Residential Program. This study reported significant improvement in family functioning across all outcome variables between baseline and post-intervention, with no variables returning to pre-intervention levels at follow-up. Clinically significant changes in overall family functioning showed that 37% of participant scores moved from the clinical range at baseline to the nonclinical range post-intervention. This study represents the first empirical evaluation of the Family Residential Program, and the reported results provide compelling evidence for the program to effect improvement in family functioning for families with long-standing and severe difficulties. Poor rates of questionnaire completion following intervention frequent the literature base of family inpatient units, with low post-intervention (56%) and follow-up (12%) rates evident in this study. This study uniquely contributes to the growing evidence base of family inpatient units using rigorous evaluation methods.     

The Planets Aligned: Is Child Protection Policy Reform Good Luck or Good Management?

Abstract

Governments across Australia are struggling to address escalating child protection notifications, a marked increase in the number of children in State care, a decrease in the number of foster carers and chronic workforce shortages in child welfare services. This paper explores the reform process that culminated in the proclamation of the Victorian Children, Youth and Families Act, 2005 and represents an aspect of the response in Victoria to these wider issues. It explores the history of the reform from the perspective of key actors from government, non-government sectors and academics who participated in the process. The paper explores the “ingredients of social policy reform” and how the change process was managed in Victoria. It does not seek to evaluate the reform but rather to understand the complex processes through which a propitious moment for reform was both seized and constructed.     

Comment on ‘minority status and family size: A comparison of explanations’ by R. Jiobu and H. Marshall

Demographers traditionally have paid little attention to tests of significance. This neglect presumably carried little risk so long as analyses used full-count census data or vital statistics data (typically with very large numbers) and as long as inter-group differences in demographic variables were larger than they are in many contexts to-day.² For a variety of reasons, this attitude may no longer be justified.     

Conflict Between Work and Family: An Investigation of Four Policy Measures

Welfare states enact a range of policies aimed at reducing work-family conflict. While welfare state policies have been assessed at the macro-level and work-family conflict at the individual-level, few studies have simultaneously addressed these relationships in a cross-national multi-level model. This study addresses this void by assessing the relationship between work-family and family-work conflict and family-friendly policies in 10 countries. Applying a unique multi-level data set that couples country-level policy data with individual-level data (N = 7,895) from the 2002 International Social Survey Programme, the author analyzes the relationship between work-family and family-work conflict and four specific policy measures: family leave, work scheduling, school scheduling, and early childhood education and care. The results demonstrate that mothers and fathers report less family-work and mothers less work-family conflict in countries with more expansive family leave policies. Also, in countries with longer school schedules mothers report less and women without children more work-family conflict.