Feasibility and acceptability of using a web-based contraceptive support tool in a university health clinic

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate feasibility of integrating Bedsider.org, a web-based contraceptive decision support tool, at a university health clinic (UHC). Participants: Female students (ages 18–29) seeking contraceptive care at the UHC were enrolled in September 2015 (n?=?46). Methods: Providers recruited eligible patients during reproductive healthcare visits and introduced Bedsider. Surveys were administered immediately following the visit and a follow-up 2–4?weeks later. Electronic health records through 6?weeks post-enrollment were extracted. Results: Most patients had positive views toward Bedsider and appreciated receiving information during their UHC encounters. None were using long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) at enrollment. At follow-up, two patients self-reported IUD use. Among those recently sexually active, use of more effective contraceptive methods increased from 65% to 74%; 11% had initiated or were scheduled to receive a LARC. Conclusion: Bedsider can be feasibly integrated into UHC visits and may support women’s selection of more effective contraceptive methods, including LARCs.     

Treatment Experiences of Child Sexual Offenders in Norway: A Qualitative Study

This article is an attempt at gaining a better understanding of treatment of adults who have committed sexual offenses against children. In this study we aimed to explore what people who have committed sexual offenses against children find useful in therapy. The study was approached using qualitative methodology, and information was collected through semistructured interviews. Four male child sexual offenders were recruited from the Institute of Clinical Sexology and Therapy in Oslo, Norway. The informants were interviewed with a focus on what factors they found useful in therapy. Through an explorative, thematic analysis, five main themes were found. These themes include: “Why I started going to therapy,” “Why did I do it?” “Therapy as life,” “Previous and current relationships with others,” and “I lived in a fantasy world where everything was okay.” Based on this study and other earlier studies and theories it appears that the previously mentioned themes recur as important contributory factors in the treatment of child sexual offenders.     

Examining the efficacy of the GameSense gambling prevention programme among university undergraduate students

This article describes a study assessing the effectiveness of a gambling prevention programme, GameSense, in modifying gambling cognitions and intentions among university undergraduate students of diverse ethnicities (N = 122). Although GameSense is a widely used intervention, the effectiveness in modifying gambling cognitions and behaviours has not yet been demonstrated. In the present study, randomly assigned treatment participants completed the programme and then played a gambling game in which they could win tokens for a desired prize. Control participants played the game but did not receive the prevention programme. At the end of the game, all participants completed measures assessing gambling cognitions, immediate and future gambling intentions, and their desire to continue gambling. Programme participants showed increased knowledge about gambling, increased resistance to gambling fallacies, and fewer immediate and future intentions to continue gambling regardless of how much they won or lost, compared to the no-treatment control group. The present results indicate that the GameSense programme is effective in altering cognitions about gambling and immediate and future intentions to continue gambling. Results are discussed in terms of the modification of gambling cognitions following completion of the intervention programme and the changes in future gambling behaviour as a consequence of those changed cognitions.     

VARIANCE ESTIMATION IN TWO-PHASE SAMPLING

Two‐phase sampling is often used for estimating a population total or mean when the cost per unit of collecting auxiliary variables, x, is much smaller than the cost per unit of measuring a characteristic of interest, y. In the first phase, a large sample s₁ is drawn according to a specific sampling design p(s₁) , and auxiliary data x are observed for the units i∈s₁ . Given the first‐phase sample s₁ , a second‐phase sample s₂ is selected from s₁ according to a specified sampling design {p(s₂∣s₁) } , and (y, x) is observed for the units i∈s₂ . In some cases, the population totals of some components of x may also be known. Two‐phase sampling is used for stratification at the second phase or both phases and for regression estimation. Horvitz–Thompson‐type variance estimators are used for variance estimation. However, the Horvitz–Thompson ( Horvitz & Thompson, J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 1952 ) variance estimator in uni‐phase sampling is known to be highly unstable and may take negative values when the units are selected with unequal probabilities. On the other hand, the Sen–Yates–Grundy variance estimator is relatively stable and non‐negative for several unequal probability sampling designs with fixed sample sizes. In this paper, we extend the Sen–Yates–Grundy ( Sen , J. Ind. Soc. Agric. Statist. 1953; Yates & Grundy , J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B 1953) variance estimator to two‐phase sampling, assuming fixed first‐phase sample size and fixed second‐phase sample size given the first‐phase sample. We apply the new variance estimators to two‐phase sampling designs with stratification at the second phase or both phases. We also develop Sen–Yates–Grundy‐type variance estimators of the two‐phase regression estimators that make use of the first‐phase auxiliary data and known population totals of some of the auxiliary variables.     

Stochastic comparisons and properties of conditional generalized order statistics

Generalized order statistics introduced by Kamps [1995. A concept of generalized order statistics. J. Statist. Plann. Inference 48, 1–23] provides a unified approach to a variety of models concerning ordered random variables. This paper carries out stochastic comparisons of conditional generalized order statistics in terms of the likelihood ratio order and the hazard rate order from two samples, and establishes some stochastic monotonicity properties. The main results strengthen and generalize the corresponding results established recently in the literature. Finally, some applications of the main results are given as well.     

Empirical likelihood confidence intervals under imputation for missing survey data from stratified simple random sampling

Missing observations due to non‐response are commonly encountered in data collected from sample surveys. The focus of this article is on item non‐response which is often handled by filling in (or imputing) missing values using the observed responses (donors). Random imputation (single or fractional) is used within homogeneous imputation classes that are formed on the basis of categorical auxiliary variables observed on all the sampled units. A uniform response rate within classes is assumed, but that rate is allowed to vary across classes. We construct confidence intervals (CIs) for a population parameter that is defined as the solution to a smooth estimating equation with data collected using stratified simple random sampling. The imputation classes are assumed to be formed across strata. Fractional imputation with a fixed number of random draws is used to obtain an imputed estimating function. An empirical likelihood inference method under the fractional imputation is proposed and its asymptotic properties are derived. Two asymptotically correct bootstrap methods are developed for constructing the desired CIs. In a simulation study, the proposed bootstrap methods are shown to outperform traditional bootstrap methods and some non‐bootstrap competitors under various simulation settings. The Canadian Journal of Statistics 47: 281–301; 2019 © 2019 Statistical Society of Canada     

Daily perceptions of relationship quality with leaders: implications for follower well-being

ABSTRACT

We examined how a key relationship at work, an employee’s relationship with their leader, affects employee daily well-being. In a study of 129 employees across a variety of industries, we examined how follower perceptions of their daily leader–member exchange (LMX) quality across a workweek influenced their well-being (n?=?468 observations). Results provided general support for our hypotheses. Specifically, we found that on days when employees perceived a higher quality LMX relationship with their leader, they were more likely to report a sense of belongingness, which was then positively associated with daily reports of vigor and negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. Lagged analyses showed that perceptions of LMX quality were also negatively associated with reports of emotional exhaustion the following workday suggesting that these effects may persist over time. Finally, we found that day-to-day variation in reports of LMX quality attenuated the beneficial effects of LMX on relatedness and vigor supporting our hypothesis that uncertainty related to resource availability may contribute to a threat mindset focused on resource conservation rather than engagement. Implications and future research on leadership and employee well-being are discussed.     

Diaspora and mapping methodologies: tracing transnational digital connections with ‘mattering maps’

There is a methodological tendency in work on diaspora and digital media for quantitative investigations to approach diaspora in static ways that contrast with theories of diaspora as a dynamic cultural formation. On the other hand, qualitative, ethnographic work tends not to engage with digital methods and quantitative data‐driven investigation. In this article, we sketch this methodological and disciplinary disconnect and address it by proposing a model for understanding digitally mediated formations of diaspora that combines digital methods techniques with a sensitivity to ethical and theoretical discussions of migration and diaspora. Drawing on interpretive epistemologies and feminist research ethics, we present a case study analysis of a locally informed, Turkish–Dutch issue. We argue for a method that produces ‘mattering maps’. This involves tracking and visualizing digital traces of an issue across web platforms (Google Search results, Facebook pages, and Instagram posts) and integrating this with an analysis of the face‐to‐face interview responses of a key issue actor.