What Lies Beneath: Trauma Events,PTSD, and Alcohol Misuse in Driving Under the Influence Program Clients

The prevention and reduction of alcohol misuse is one of the Grand Challenges of Social Work. Addressing client needs beyond alcohol misuse can improve client outcomes. Driving under the influence program clients (N = 1,248) were screened for trauma events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results found that males more often reported having been assaulted with a weapon or that they caused injury to someone else. Females more often reported sexual assault and other unwanted sexual experience. About 26% overall screened positive for PTSD. Social workers need to be alert to various types of trauma and help clients identify the connection between trauma and alcohol misuse.     

Heart disease risk perception in college men and women

The authors sought to assess the perception of risks for coronary heart disease (CHD) in college men and women. They surveyed 470 undergraduates from 2 major 4-year institutions who completed a questionnaire that measured perceived risks for heart disease. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents rated their risks as lower or much lower than those of their peers, indicating a clear optimistic bias. The research also revealed that the students who exercised regularly rated their risk of coronary disease lower than those who did not do so. In addition, women perceived a number of risk markers to be more potent or causative factors than men did. A significant number of participants did not comprehend commonly understood causal relationships associated with heart disease risk. The findings in this preliminary investigation suggest that college men and women do not accurately perceive their risks for developing heart disease.     

Gray Markets and Supply Chain Incentives

“Gray markets” are unauthorized channels that distribute a branded product without the manufacturer's permission. Since gray markets are not officially sanctioned by the manufacturer, their existence is assumed to hurt the manufacturer. Yet manufacturers sometimes tolerate or even encourage gray market activities. We investigate the incentives of a manufacturer and its authorized retailer to engage in (or tolerate) gray markets. The firms need to consider the trade‐off between the positive effects of a gray market (price discrimination and cost savings) and the negative effects (cannibalization of sales and a loss in consumer valuation). Generally, gray markets can be categorized into two types: (i) a “local gray market,” where a retailer diverts products to unauthorized sellers operating in the same region as the retailer; and, (ii) “bootlegging,” where the retailer diverts products to unauthorized sellers in another market where the manufacturer sells through a direct channel. We characterize the equilibrium in each type of gray market and identify conditions under which the retailer will divert products to the gray market. Incentive problems are more complicated when the retailer bootlegs and, in this case, we show that conflicting incentives may lead to the emergence of a gray market where both the manufacturer's and retailer's profits decrease.     

The Impact of Subjective Work Control, Job Strain and Work?CFamily Conflict on Fertility Intentions: a European Comparison

The link between employment and fertility is often only examined by focussing on women's labour market status or the impact of part- versus full-time employment. This study introduces a new explanation by extending research to examine how women's subjective perceptions of control or autonomy over work, job strain and work-family conflict influence fertility intentions. National-level measures of childcare enrolment under the age of three and the occurrence of part-time work are also included to examine their relation to fertility intentions and their interplay with perceptions of work. Using data from 23 countries from the 2004/5 European Social Survey (ESS), multilevel logistic regression models of fertility intentions are estimated separately for women without children and women with one child. Women with higher levels of work control are significantly more likely to intend to have a second child. Higher levels of job strain (time pressure) significantly lower fertility intentions for mothers in contexts where childcare availability is low. The prevalence of part-time work amongst the female work force significantly predicts the intention to become a mother but has different effects for women who work part-time themselves compared with full-time employees.     

The importance of type, amount, and timing of internet use for understanding psychological distress

Objective. Few social scientists have examined how Internet usage, including using the Internet for health purposes, may affect mental health. This study assesses whether the type or amount of online health activities and the timing of Internet use are associated with psychological distress.Methods. We use data from the National Cancer Institute's 2005 Health Information National Trends Survey.Results. When we compare Internet users to non-Internet users, using the Internet and using the Internet for health purposes are negatively associated with distress. However, among Internet users, the number of online health activities is positively associated with distress. Greater distress is also associated with using the Internet on weekdays and looking online for information on sun protection.Conclusions. Internet usage is not necessarily positively associated with psychological distress. The effects depend on the type, amount, and timing of Internet usage.     

The Maximally Exposed Individual—Comparison of Maximum Likelihood Estimation of High Quantiles to an Extreme Value Estimate

The dose to human and nonhuman individuals inflicted by anthropogenic radiation is an important issue in international and domestic policy. The current paradigm for nonhuman populations asserts that if the dose to the maximally exposed individuals in a population is below a certain criterion (e.g., <10 mGy d(-1)) then the population is adequately protected. Currently, there is no consensus in the regulatory community as to the best statistical approach. Statistics, currently considered, include the maximum likelihood estimator for the 95th percentile of the sample mean and the sample maximum. Recently, the investigators have proposed the use of the maximum likelihood estimate of a very high quantile as an estimate of dose to the maximally exposed individual. In this study, we compare all of the above-mentioned statistics to an estimate based on extreme value theory. To determine and compare the bias and variance of these statistics, we use Monte Carlo simulation techniques, in a procedure similar to a parametric bootstrap. Our results show that a statistic based on extreme value theory has the least bias of those considered here, but requires reliable estimates of the population size. We recommend establishing the criterion based on what would be considered acceptable if only a small percentage of the population exceeded the limit, and hence recommend using the maximum likelihood estimator of a high quantile in the case that reliable estimates of the population size are not available.     

Shaping Judicial Law in the Post-World War II Period: When Is Labor's Legal Mobilization Successful?1

We examine the circumstances in which labor is successful in the federal appellate courts when it has filed unfair labor practice charges against employers. We specifically focus on legal disputes concerning union organizing. Few studies have examined the role of class dynamics in shaping judicial law, even when labor law is studied. We find evidence that two strategies used by class actors influence judicial lawmaking. The greater the degree to which workers mobilize the law, the more likely they are to win union organizing cases in the federal courts. However, the greater the degree to which employers are organizationally mobilized, the less likely it is that judicial outcomes will favor labor. We also find that legal precedent matters in judicial decision making. We conclude that class dynamics are important in judicial lawmaking. However, we also conclude that, to a degree, judicial decisions also remain autonomous from class dynamics.     

An Exploratory Analysis of Seven Child Welfare Workers who Confused SIDS with Child Maltreatment Fatalities: A Brief Research Report

Abstract

Previous research shows that child welfare workers (CWWs) have low levels of knowledge of risk factors for child maltreatment fatalities. Further, these gaps in knowledge leave CWWs with misconceptions about causes of deaths and the characteristics of the perpetrators. This brief research report focuses on CWWs’ gaps in knowledge with regard to CMFs and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and explores the socio-demographic characteristics of seven workers who confused fatal child maltreatment and SIDS. These workers were experienced professionals—who were in their middle-age, mid-career, and well-educated—and had been trained in how to recognize risk factors for CMFs. Implications for training and collaboration with other professionals are discussed, as well as the need for research to evaluate training efficacy.     

The Effect of Mandatory Furloughs on Self-Determination,Financial Strain,and Decision to Leave the California State University System in Social Work Faculty

In uncertain economic times, universities have taken steps to address financial problems by including the use of business models. In 2009, the California State University (CSU) system implemented furloughs of a 10% pay reduction and 18 days removed from the academic calendar. Faculty in 16 CSU schools of social work participated in a Web-based survey (N?=?118) regarding the effect of the furlough along with their intent to leave the CSU system. Results found that minority faculty reported higher financial strain. The regression of significant variables on intent to leave found that feelings acknowledgment and financial strain predicted 36% of the variance. Loss of CSU social work faculty is likely to affect the quality of education. Implications for retention are discussed.