Life Skills,Mathematical Reasoning and Critical Thinking: A Curriculum for the Prevention of Problem Gambling

Previous studies have shown that youth are two to three times more likely than adults to report gambling related problems. This paper reports on the development and pilot evaluation of a school-based problem gambling prevention curriculum. The prevention program focused on problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring skills, coping skills, and knowledge of the nature of random events. The results of a controlled experiment evaluating the students learning from the program are reported. We found significant improvement in the students' knowledge of random events, knowledge of problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring, and knowledge of coping skills. The results suggest that knowledge based material on random events, problem gambling awareness and self-monitoring skills, and coping skills can be taught. Future development of the curriculum will focus on content to expand the students' coping skill options.     

Cortisol Rise Following Awakening Among Problem Gamblers: Dissociation from Comorbid Symptoms of Depression and Impulsivity

Gambling pathology has been associated with elevated levels of distress, depression and impulsivity. The present investigation assessed whether these behavioral features would be evident among problem gamblers as they are among pathological gamblers. As well, given that gambling has been associated with increased life stress, as an objective index of ongoing distress, elevations of morning cortisol levels were assessed in problem and pathological gamblers relative to recreational gamblers, and their relations to depressive symptoms and impulsivity were assessed. Recreational, problem, and pathological gamblers (N = 140) completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11, and provided saliva samples at awakening, 30 min, 3.5 h, and 5.5 h afterward. Consistent with the view that problem and pathological gambling are associated with elevated life stressors, the rise of morning cortisol from awakening to 30 min following awakening was greater than in recreational gamblers. Heightened impulsivity was evident among both problem and pathological gamblers, whereas depressive symptoms were only evident among pathological gamblers. In neither instance were these psychological indices related to the morning cortisol rise. Indeed, increased depressive symptoms were not evident among problem gamblers, despite the fact that elevated morning cortisol levels were evident. The elevated morning cortisol rise may be secondary to gambling problems or distress related to gambling problems. Furthermore, the sustained morning cortisol elevations may be indicative of allostatic overload, and could potentially be a harbinger for potential health risks among problematic gamblers.     

Social Desirability Effects and Support for a Female American President

Public opinion polls show consistently that a substantial portionof the American public would vote for a qualified female presidentialcandidate. Because of the controversial nature of such questions,however, the responses may suffer from social desirability effects.In other words, respondents may be purposely giving false answersas not to violate societal norms. Using an unobtrusive measurecalled the "list experiment," we find that public opinion pollsare indeed exaggerating support for a female president. Roughly26 percent of the public is "angry or upset" about the prospectof a female president. Moreover, this level of dissatisfactionis constant across several demographic groups. Received for publication June 5, 2006. Revision received September 11, 2006. Accepted for publication October 25, 2006.     

Agenda-building in the corporate sphere: Analyzing influence in the 2008 Yahoo!-Icahn proxy contest

This study further extends agenda-building theory into the corporate sphere. This investigation tested for agenda-building relationships between the issues emphasized in corporate candidate-controlled information subsidies and financial news media coverage during the 2008 Yahoo! Inc.-Carl Icahn proxy contest for control of Yahoo!’s board of directors. Solid support was found for issue agenda-building associations. Cross-lagged correlation analyses revealed that both Yahoo!’s and Icahn's information subsidies enjoyed some success in shaping media coverage during the proxy fight. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.     

Hoarding Cases Involving Older Adults: The Transition From a Private Matter to the Public Sector

Hoarding interventions with older adults require significant resources from multiple public agencies, yet recidivism occurs frequently. To improve services through better coordination, some communities have formed multiagency hoarding teams (MAHT), which include aging services. MAHTs requested this mixed methods study to understand the progression of cases through the public sector. Quantitative data collected on 52 cases involving adults ages 60+ identified steps in this process. Qualitative data collected from MAHT members were the basis for case studies illustrating the progression of cases through the public sector. Findings have implications for social workers involved in local service coordination, training, and policy.     

The political mobilization of corporate directors: socio‐economic correlates of affiliation to European pressure groups

Business has played a central role in the debate over Britain's place in the European Union. This paper examines the socio‐economic characteristics of directors of Britain's largest corporations who affiliated either to Business for Sterling or Britain in Europe. It reports associations between directors' social backgrounds and their probabilities of affiliation. Elite university education, club membership, wealth and multiple directorships were all associated with higher propensities to affiliate. The associations are consistent with the idea that directors' social resources allow them to overcome collective action problems as well as supplying them with the motivations to affiliate. They also indicated that directors form a privileged group in that they have a number of very powerful actors who can take unilateral political actions.     

Sexual Abuse by Men Who Work with Children

There is a dearth of knowledge about those who sexually abuse children while working in organizations. Here, we adopt a case study approach to examine this problem. We focus on eight adult males who had been imprisoned for abusing a total of 35 children while working in educational and voluntary settings. We provide a detailed account of abusers' characteristics, their strategies, how victims were selected, how trust was secured, and how victims' silence was ensured. Finally, we reflect on the extent to which our work might contribute toward the prevention of this form of abuse.