Negotiating narratives surrounding children's mental health diagnoses: Children and their contribution to the discourse

Despite increasing numbers of children diagnosed with mental health disorders, there is limited research on how children come to understand these diagnoses in childhood. This study examines the retrospective accounts of emerging adults who were diagnosed with mental health disorders in childhood to better understand how they made sense of their diagnoses over time. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 emerging adults (ages 18 to 22) who were diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and/or bipolar disorder in childhood. Interviews elicited participants' experiences learning about their diagnoses and suggestions for how diagnoses should best be explained to children. Findings demonstrate that participants actively sought and obtained information about their diagnoses over time. They negotiated narratives from several sources, including parents, teachers, mental health professionals, peers, siblings, the media, reading materials, and the Internet. Many of those who embraced medical accounts of their diagnoses did so as they obtained in-depth medical information over time. Meanwhile, those whose parents were open and communicative without using medical narratives suggest it is possible to share information with children without utilizing the terminology of “disorder.” Participants emphasize the importance of being open with children and providing them assurances, explaining that their problems are legitimate, common, and “not their fault.” Implications for social work practice are discussed.     

The Present and Future of MFT Doctoral Education in Research-Focused Universities

Doctoral education is greatly impacted by context, and the large majority of marital and family therapy (MFT) doctoral programs are PhD programs in research-focused universities. I believe their primary mission is to equip students to become scientist–practitioners and do original research that will advance the science of the discipline, whereas the mission of the typical master’s program is to produce strong practitioners who are research informed. It is the emphasis on the scientific method, not the content specialty area, that should be the hallmark of PhD programs in research-focused contexts. I describe metrics for success that include not only research productivity but also the development of a supportive, open, flexible, and generous program culture. The research mission of these programs has been only modestly helped by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education process and the programs are largely not doing the programmatic intervention research that the field needs. As the universities that house these programs are also “raising the bar,” the long-term viability of the programs themselves will likely hinge on success in this arena.     

On the asymptotic efficiency of moment and maximum likelihood estimators in the three-parameter inverse gaussian distribution

The asymptotic distribution of estimators generated by the methods of moments and maximum likelihood are considered. Simple formulae are provided which enable comparisons of asymptotic relative efficiency to be effected.     

Courtship abuse and aggression: Contextual aspects

On the basis of previously unreported findings from Laner and Thompson's (1982) study of courtship violence, hypotheses derived from the literature on marriage, family, and spousal violence have been tested and compared with findings of two other recently published studies (Cate et al., 1982; Makepeace, 1981). Contextual aspects studied involve (1) alcohol and drug use in conjunction with violent premarital encounters; (2) the perceived mutuality/unilaterality of abusive and aggressive events; (3) the private/public aspect of courtship violence and perceptions of intervention attempts by witnesses; and (4) perceived causes of courtship violence. Findings indicate that spousal violence and violence at intimate, committed levels of courtship share a common explanatory framework. Suggestions for further research are offered.     

Ridge regression: A multivariate analysis of criminal activity

The objective of the paper is to apply the statistical procedure of ridge regression to a multivariate model of criminal activity. The explanatory variables are of an economic, apprehension, and seasonal nature. The Time Shared Reactive On Line Laboratory (TROLL) computer package was used in estimating all regression coefficients and other pertinent statistics. The economic variables, which included per capita personal income, hours worked, and plant closing dummy variable, were found to be statistically related to criminal activity. In addition, police expenditures as well as the three seasonal dummy variables were statistically associated with the dependent variable. A comparison is made between the results obtained from the ordinary least squares procedure and the ridge regression approach.     

Marriage Caretaking and Territorial Justice in an Australian State

Australian Marriage Guidance Councils are rarely considered avant garde. Yet contemporary emphasis on the importance of citizen participation in social service delivery programmes¹ unexpectedly shows them in the vanguard of the new art of mobilizing participatory community services. For more than a quarter of a century now they have been operating as expert guides and counsellors in the difficult territory of marital therapy, mainly using staffs of part-time counsellors drawn from the general community. The magnitude of this feat of maintaining the participatory character of this community service in a potentially rich field for professional exploitation goes largely unacknowledged. It has been pointed out that the professional, “because of his status, commitment and knowledge”,² is in most cases successful in converting citizen participation programmes into the service of his own professional interest. This has always been one of the most intractable problems of any participatory scheme. So far the Marriage Guidance Councils have stayed right on top of this problem.     

A comparison of widowhood and well-being among older Greek and British-Australian migrant women

The impact of widowhood on well-being has been well-documented, but to date has not focused extensively on the experience of older migrants who have aged in a foreign land. This study aimed to examine the well-being of older migrant widows from two groups in South Australia: British-born (n = 61) and Greek-born (n = 60) Australian migrants, who had been widowed, on average, 13 years. All participants completed a self-report questionnaire in their preferred language. Three indicators of current well-being (self-rated health, depression and loneliness) as well as variables expected to differ cross-culturally, and potentially influence well-being (mourning rituals; continuing bonds to one's spouse; religiosity; social support) were measured. Greek-born widows displayed higher levels of mourning rituals, continuing bonds and religiosity than the British. Both groups perceived similarly high levels of familial social support. Greek widows also reported worse self-rated health, and increased symptoms of depression and loneliness compared to the British. This paper suggests that the detrimental impact of widowhood on well-being may be greater for non-English speaking migrants who are ageing outside of their country of origin, and who, despite residing in an English-speaking host country for several decades, have retained the linguistic, cultural and religious practices and traditions of their home country.     

Hogging the road

This essay examines how aesthetic, corporate and cultural formations have radically altered. motorcycling and its image over the past two decades as a means to highlight more general changes in cultural politics, citizenship and governing through culture. The essay begins with the Guggenheim's The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit, treated. as a means for shaping and governing thought and conduct about and on motorcycles. The essay then addresses numerous articulations between aesthetic criteria and economic practices that have benefited. corporate and professional entities at the expense of long-time motorcyclists. Lastly, the essay formulates genealogical criteria for assessing attempts to represent culture in the hopes of more actively engaging in struggles over not just representation, but the activation of modes of thought, conduct and citizenship.     

Achievement in a Relational Context: Preferences and Influences in Female Adolescents

Friends' influence on achievement‐related choices in female adolescents was investigated using the Thematic Apperception Test (H. Murray, 1943), in the context of self‐in‐relation theory (J. V. Jordon, A. G. Kaplan, J. B. Miller, I. P. Stiver, & J. L. Surrey, 1991). Two hypotheses were tested: (1) Achievement‐related stimuli will elicit stories with more unfavorable and conflicted outcomes than will affiliation stimuli; (2) Thematic representation of achievement will be more homogeneous in more highly cohesive peer groups. A multivariate analysis of variance with repeated measures yielded significant results for Hypothesis 1. Thematic analysis of stories supported Hypothesis 2, showing peer group influence on achievement strivings in female adolescents.