Under What Conditions do Lesbians Disclose Their Sexual Orientation to Primary Healthcare Providers? A Review of the Literature

Under what conditions do lesbians disclose their sexual orientation to primary healthcare providers? A review of the literature was undertaken to answer this question and to provide insight into the ways healthcare professionals can play an active role assisting their lesbian patients in “coming out.” Thirty empirical studies met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Collectively, these separate studies have found that a myriad of internal (patient attributes) and external (healthcare context, patient–provider relationship) factors influence disclosure. The discussion highlights the critical role of healthcare professionals in supporting disclosure.     

Effects of artificial night lighting on endangered ocelots (Leopardus paradalis) and nocturnal prey along the United States-Mexico border: A literature review and hypotheses of potential impacts

Artificial night lighting is one of the least studied outcomes of urbanization. While the effects of night lighting on mammals and their habitats seem obvious, they remain difficult to quantify. By reviewing laboratory and field studies conducted on mammals since 1943, this paper summarizes the most salient effects of artificial night lighting on activity patterns and behavior. These studies assist us in generating hypotheses regarding the effects of lights, erected across the militarized U.S.-Mexico border, on the endangered Ocelot and its nocturnal prey. We predict that activity patterns for Ocelots and their nocturnal prey would be altered under artificial night lighting conditions. Specifically, evening activity levels would either be reduced or redirected towards areas with dense vegetation. In addition, Ocelot foraging success would likely be altered as a result of turning night into day. Recommendations are made for Ocelot recovery and future research on surrogate species.     

Sacrificing sacrifice

This is a review essay on Jesse Goldhammer, The Headless Republic: Sacrificial Violence in Modern French Thought. Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2005; and Dennis King Keenan, The Question of Sacrifice. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2005.     

Corporate political strategy: A framework for understanding nonprofit strategy

Nonprofit organizations operate in environments characterized by institutional demands for legitimacy. The authors argue that, given this environment, corporate political strategy is critical to a nonprofit's ability to achieve its goals, gain access to resources, and achieve a sustainable advantage. The authors develop this thesis by providing a conceptual argument that corporate political strategy is critical given the institutional nature of the environment, the conflicting demands of multiple stakeholders, and the role of the funder; and by providing contextual evidence of the role of corporate political strategy in nonprofit strategy.     

Marital Harmony and Conflict: Links to Infants' Emotional Regulation and Cardiac Vagal Tone

This study is an investigation of linkages between marital quality (conflict and harmony) and infants' emotional and physiological regulation: It was hypothesized that infants exposed to greater levels of marital conflict would demonstrate lower levels of emotional and physiological regulation. Fifty‐six low‐risk infants and their mothers attended a laboratory session when infants were 6 months of age. A baseline EKG was gathered to assess infants' cardiac vagal tone and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Behavior Rating Scales were administered. Mothers also completed Braiker and Kelley's (1979) marital quality questionnaire. Consistent with past research with preschoolers, marital conflict was found to be linked to lower levels of emotion regulation in infants. However, unlike past research (Gottman & Katz, 1989), results indicated that marital conflict was associated with lower levels of cardiac vagal tone in infants as opposed to higher levels of vagal tone among preschoolers. These findings are explained in terms of a possible developmental alteration in the link between marital conflict and vagal tone from early infancy to later childhood. Findings also have important implications for understanding the potential impact of the early marital relational context for infants emerging regulatory abilities.     

Does the Amount of Time Mothers Spend With Children or Adolescents Matter?

Although intensive mothering ideology underscores the irreplaceable nature of mothers' time for children's optimal development, empirical testing of this assumption is scant. Using time diary and survey data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Child Development Supplement, the authors examined how the amount of time mothers spent with children ages 3–11 (N = 1,605) and adolescents 12–18 (N = 778) related to offspring behavioral, emotional, and academic outcomes and adolescent risky behavior. Both time mothers spent engaged with and accessible to offspring were assessed. In childhood and adolescence, the amount of maternal time did not matter for offspring behaviors, emotions, or academics, whereas social status factors were important. For adolescents, more engaged maternal time was related to fewer delinquent behaviors, and engaged time with parents together was related to better outcomes. Overall, the amount of mothers' time mattered in nuanced ways, and, unexpectedly, only in adolescence.     

Predicting Change in Marital Satisfaction Throughout Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy

Emotionally focused couple therapy (EFT) is an empirically validated approach to couple therapy that uses attachment theory to understand the needs and emotions of romantic partners. EFT is recognized as one of the most effective approaches to couple therapy, but to guide therapists in their use of EFT, a theoretically based model to predict change is needed. This study tested such a model by recruiting 32 couples, and 14 therapists who provided approximately 21 sessions of EFT. Couples completed self‐report measures of marital satisfaction, attachment security, relationship trust, and emotional control at pre‐ and posttherapy and after each therapy session. Results of hierarchical linear modeling suggested that individuals higher on self‐report attachment anxiety and higher levels of emotional control had greater change in marital satisfaction across EFT sessions. Assessing attachment security at the start of therapy will inform therapists of the emotion regulating strategies used by couples and may help couples achieve positive outcomes from EFT.     

Unforeseen Implications of Regulation to Authenticity in Clinical Practice

The authors, both long-time LCSWs, utilize an existential framework and postmodern lens to explore the implications of increased professional regulation in clinical practice. Specifically emphasized, are the themes of litigation-fear and the threat of license revocation that are prevalent in the field of clinical social work at this time. The authors argue that this “climate of fear” can lead to a slippery slope for a profession that has long valued the individual’s right (both client’s and practitioner’s) to self-determination, authenticity, and creativity and call for an increased conversation among practitioners about the desired role of regulation in the profession with the overall goal of protecting a true understanding of ethics in social work.     

The Effects of a Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing Procedure on the Unprompted Vocalizations of a Young Child Diagnosed with Autism

The current study evaluated the effects of a stimulus-stimulus pairing procedure intended to increase spontaneous vocalizations of a young child diagnosed with autism. A multiple-baseline design across two target phonemes was used to evaluate the effects of the pairing procedure on the frequency of phonemes uttered by the participant. Data were collected during presession, postsession, and follow-up periods across three conditions: Baseline, Control, and Pairing. During the Pairing conditions, a target phoneme was repeatedly vocalized by the experimenter and was systematically paired with preferred stimuli. Results from postsession observations following the pairing condition evidenced no increase in the target sounds. Practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed.