Teaching Family Therapy: Ten Key Questions for Understanding the Family as Patient

This paper presents ten questions for understanding family functioning as a format for teaching one important aspect of family therapy. These self-asked questions are then illustrated with a large, overly-close family.     

Adult Education for Increased Agricultural Productivity in Post-War Nigeria

Historically a poor, unindustrialized country, Nigeria since the civil war faces many problems of reconstruction and development, including the necessity of attaining a more stable economy, a high contribution of agriculture to the Gross Domestic Product, and the encouragement of literacy and more innovative approaches among the farmers. It is hoped that a work-oriented functional literacy programme, based upon scientific farming and farm management principles, will effect attitude changes and thus enhance the likelihood of innovation, skill and the contribution of increased agricultural productivity to the national economy.     

Optimum designs in complete two-way layouts

In the usual two-way layout of ANOVA (interactions are admitted) let nij ? 1 be the number of observations for the factor-level combination(i, j). For testing the hypothesis that all main effects of the first factor vanish numbers $\text{n}{}^1\text{ij}$ are given such that the power function of the F-test is uniformly maximized (U-optimality), if one considers only designs (nij) for which the row-sums ni are prescribed. Furthermore, in the (larger) set of all designs for which the total number of observations is given, all D-optimum designs are constructed.     

Evaluating vehicle inspection/maintenance programs using on-road emissions data. The Atlanta Reference Method

On-road remote sensing data is an increasingly popular source of evaluation information for vehicle inspection/maintenance (I/M) programs. This article conducts one such remote sensing data evaluation for the Atlanta, Georgia, I/M program. The reference method involves comparing emissions differences in I/M and non-I/M fleet vehicles with those predicted by a regulatory computer model. Assuming that on-road emissions differences represent observed effectiveness and model-predicted emissions differences represent effectiveness goals, the Atlanta enhanced I/M program appears to be achieving 83% of its targeted emissions reductions. The method compares favorably with other remote sensing evaluation methods in its ability to be applied over time and its relatively small sample size requirement. The chief limitation to the approach is its reliance on a representative non-I/M fleet, which may differ in characteristics for which controls are difficult to locate. Such potential confounding factors include discrepancies in maintenance trends, socioeconomic conditions, and vehicle quality.     

Drinking and other risk taking behaviors of enlisted male soldiers in the US Army

High-risk drinking is among the top three prevention priorities of the Department of Defense. Research suggests that enlisted male soldiers are particularly at risk for unhealthy drinking behaviors. 292,023 enlisted male soldiers who responded to a Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) survey between 1990 and 1998 were dichotomized into high and low-risk drinking groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that high-risk drinkers wore seatbelts less frequently, were more likely to drive > 15 mph over the speed limit, and to smoke more than 20 cigarettes/day. This high-risk group was predominately young (< 25), Caucasian, high school educated or less, and most likely employed as infantrymen or craftsworkers. The two highest risk occupational groups (infantrymen and craftsworkers) differ from each other, and from other Army occupations. Intervention programs should include safe driving habits and smoking cessation, as well as high-risk drinking, and should be tailored to the specific needs of the group at highest risk.     

A model of group treatment to facilitate recovery from chemical dependence

In this article, a model of group treatment is proposed that incorporates four different group approaches (i.e., experiential, physiological-cognitive-behavioral, mutual support, advocacy) sequentially to achieve recovery outcomes among people coping with chemical dependence. The model identifies two strategies (i.e., reflection and restoration, action and support) as overarching frameworks guiding the use of these four treatment approaches. The first strategy of reflection and restoration incorporates experiential and physiological-cognitive-behavioral group approaches to promote precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, and tentative action among group members. The second strategy of action and support uses mutual support and advocacy approaches to help group members achieve and maintain treatment gains, learn from setbacks, and adopt new personal and social roles.     

Childhood sexual abuse, dissociation, and adult self-destructive behavior

Female college students reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse (N=175) and not reporting a history of childhood sexual abuse (N=260) were compared on indices of six self-destructive behaviors, including drug use, alcohol abuse, binge eating, self-mutilation, risky sex, and suicidality. The samples were also compared on two measures of dissociation, the Trauma Symptom Checklist dissociation subscale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. The CSA group had significantly higher mean scores on all the indices of self-destructive behavior except self-mutilation (where the mean difference approached significance), and on both measures of dissociation. One or both dissociation measures were related significantly to each index of self-destructive behavior except binge eating. Multiple regression mediation analyses provided support for the hypothesis that dissociation mediates the relationships between CSA and both drug use and alcohol abuse. Dissociation also explained significant variability when added to the regressions of risky sex and suicidality on CSA.