Abstinence and Relapse Rates Following a College Campus-Based Quit & Win Contest

Abstract

Objective: To conduct and evaluate Quit & Win contests at 2 2-year college and 2 4-year university campuses. Participants: During Spring semester, 2006, undergraduates (N = 588) interested in quitting smoking signed up for a Quit & Win 30-day cessation contest for a chance to win a lottery prize. Methods: Participants (N = 588) completed a baseline survey, provided a urine sample to verify smoking status before joining the contest, and completed a follow-up survey at contest end to assess abstinence. Participants reporting continuous 30-day abstinence were surveyed again 2 weeks post contest to assess relapse. Results: Participants smoked an average of 9.8 ± 6.7 cigarettes/day on 26.7 ± 5.7 days/month. Among participants completing a follow-up survey (74%), 72.1% reported abstinence during the entire contest period (Intent-to-Treat Analysis = 53.2%). 55.3% of those abstinent at the end of contest had resumed smoking 2 weeks post contest. Conclusions: Campus Quit & Win contests appear feasible, acceptable, and effective at facilitating short-term abstinence. Further research is needed to identify strategies to prevent postcontest relapse.     

Gambling Revenues as a Public Administration Issue: Electronic Gaming Machines in Victoria

Gambling activities and the revenues derived have been seen as a way to increase economic development in deprived areas. There are also, however, concerns about the effects of gambling in general and electronic gaming machines (EGMs) in particular, on the resources available to the localities in which they are situated. This paper focuses on the factors that determine the extent and spending of community benefit-related EGM-generated resources within Victoria, Australia, focusing in particular on the relationships between EGM activity and socio-economic and social capital indicators, and how this relates to the community benefit resources generated by gaming.     

Stress and Coping in Homeless Children

The possible moderating effects of social support and self-competence on the relationship between stressful life events and behavior problems were examined in 49 homeless children residing in shelters in New York City. The children's mothers were administered measures of their children's stressful life events, social support, and behavior problems; the children themselves were administered measures of their social support and perceived self-competence. There was support for the buffering hypothesis for social support, with the mothers' perceptions of their children's social support moderating a relationship between stressful life events and behavior problems. Social support also was related to self-competence and to behavior problems. The children's perceived self-competence did not function as a moderator. Implications for preventively oriented interventions with homeless children are discussed.     

The Articulation of Theory and Practice: critique and resistance in Aotearoa New Zealand

In his latest book, Understanding Disability: from theory to practice (1996), Michael Oliver (p. 111) notes the 'globalisation' of disability related issues and the absence of any satisfactory comparative studies in disability policy across the globe. This paper can be seen as laying the ground work for such a study by reviewing the theorisation of disability and its practical consequence in the articulation, development and implementation of disability policy in Aotearoa New Zealand. It will describe some current examples of policies for disabled people and provides an analysis of current debates. The paper explores the emancipatory potential of current disability theorising by analysing strategies adopted by disabled people as a response to recent policy developments in the health and disability field in Aotearoa New Zealand.     

Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Graded Care Profile version 2 (GCP2) tool for measuring child neglect

Child neglect is highly prevalent, with extensive effects on children's development and often long‐lasting consequences. It is a complex issue, and the identification and assessment of neglect presents particular difficulties for professionals. The Graded Care Profile (GCP) is a tool that can help practitioners to assess neglect, but the updated version of this tool (GCP2) requires psychometric testing. We sought to test the GCP2 with qualified social work practitioners in the United Kingdom. Interrater reliability was assessed by comparing GCP2 scores between 3 pairs of practitioners following assessments of 30 children. Concurrent validity was assessed by comparing GCP2 scores to scores obtained using 2 other validated measures with 15 children. Professionals were surveyed concerning face validity. There was a substantial level of interrater agreement for 2 domains and a moderate level of agreement for the other 2 domains. There were strong correlations between the GCP2 and the other tools across all domains, and face validity results were positive. In conclusion, although this was a small sample, our findings provide preliminary evidence that the GCP2 has adequate psychometric properties pending further rigorous psychometric testing. It is thus likely to be a useful tool in aiding professionals in the assessment of child neglect.     

Registered nurses' communication about abused children: rules,responsibilities and resistance

This paper provides an ethnomethodological perspective on registered nurses' communication about abused children. During the study, data were gathered in four ways. Nine hundred and ?fty South Australian hospital records of children were examined for nurses' documentation related to child abuse. Eleven paediatric department and emergency department registered nurses then responded to vignettes of suspected child abuse and were subsequently interviewed. Researcher journal entries about contextual issues served as the fourth stage of data collection. Data were analysed using Gar?nkel's documentary method of interpretation. The ?ndings included: nurses' use of codes of communication; denial and acts of resistance; and systematic malpractice. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gendered Cultures and Performance Appraisal: The Experience of Women Academics

This paper examines women academics’ experiences of appraisal within one English university. Adopting the Foucauldian concepts of discourse and disciplinary power, the paper illustrates how appraisal functions as a disciplinary technology within the organization. Semi-structured interviews, carried out on women academics, reveal how the power relations operating in appraisal work to ‘normalize’ the academic role as a highly competitive, productive unit focused on identifiable, quantitative outputs. The case illustrates the difficulties which women face in trying to put forward alternative discourses which accommodate domestic commitments or different career structures. The research concludes that women academics have only gained limited visibility and voice in the gendered academy through opting in to the new competitive and highly gendered macho culture. The possibilities for women in offering alternative discourses have not materialized, emphasizing the difficultues in changing gendered cultures and challenging the ubiquity of male power.     

Revisiting Family of Origin in the Training of Family Therapists

Family of Origin exploration has had a controversial history in family therapy training. This article describes a process that aims to integrate family of origin work with skills development Co‐developed by a training group and their trainer, it builds on the existing approach at the Bouverie Centre in Melbourne. Family of origin work is clearly and practically linked with the enhancement of clinical skills, as argued for in the literature. Informed consent trust and safety are taken seriously, and negotiated within the training group. Trainee and trainer stories are included and the authors discuss the learning that resulted from asking trainees to present their family of origin to the group, including the unpredictable personal ramifications that inevitably occur in such processes.