Daily and season-long fantasy sports participation and gambling-related problems among a sample of college students at three universities

Traditionally, fantasy sports have been played in season-long leagues, but recently daily fantasy sports (DFS) have emerged, allowing participants to play fantasy contests over shorter periods of time. Although participating in fantasy sports contests with entry fees or deposits could be considered a form of gambling, very few studies have examined associations between fantasy sport participation and gambling-related problems. Using a 2016 sample of college students (N = 941) at three institutions, this study examined associations between fantasy sports participation (season-long and DFS) and (1) gambling, (2) gambling frequency, and (3) endorsing DSM-5 gambling disorder (GD) criteria. The study found that engagement with fantasy sports and paying to play increased the likelihood of gambling and more frequent gambling. Respondents who paid an entry fee/deposit to play fantasy sports gambled more frequently than those who did not, and respondents who participated in DFS endorsed more DSM-5 GD criteria than those who did not. Because of the association found between DFS play and gambling-related problems in some participants, the study suggests that mental health professionals who treat clients with gambling problems be cognizant of DFS and that some clients might be experiencing problems with DFS.     

Challenges and Strategies of Sexual Minority Youth Research in Southwest Virginia

A research team that works on scholarship related to sexual minority issues has been conducting research and recruiting participants since the fall of 2012. In the years since the team was formed, there has been a variety of challenges with recruitment, approval for research through the Institutional Review Board, gaining access to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) community, and general mistrust of researchers. Using concepts from feminist-informed qualitative research methodology—including reflexivity, positionality, and engaging in research with individuals from marginalized communities—we present reflections on some of the methodological challenges the research team has encountered while trying to conduct LGBQ research in southwest Virginia. This article encompasses the viewpoints of multiple members of the research team, including those who are faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students with identities across the sexual orientation spectrum.     

Will boys’ mental health fare worse under a hotter climate in Australia?

A hotter climate is increasingly found to have negative effects on human health, yet the possible impact on children’s mental health is less understood. Our study explored this potential relationship using a national survey of children aged 6–11 across Australia, during the period 2008–2014 (n?=?14,096). It was hypothesised that the negative effects of hotter weather on children’s mental health can occur both directly (e.g. through heat impacts influencing hyperactivity and restlessness) and indirectly (e.g. through reduced participation in organised physical activities). Mediation analysis controlled for a range of other locational, gender, socio-economic and demographic influences. Results indicate that an increase in annual average daily maximum temperature worsened childhood mental health due to a direct and indirect effect through reduced participation in organised physical activities, as measured by the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) total score, but the result is only significant for boys (albeit the magnitude of the effect was small). More specifically, temperature differences are driven through the SDQ mental health sub-scales of hyperactivity and peer problems. Gender disparities are also observed in terms of other environmental or locational influences having a significant impact on boys’ mental health, with no significant impact found for girls. Girls’ mental health is more likely influenced by family and individual socio-economic characteristics. There is also evidence of an increased impact of higher temperature on children’s mental health in poorer households, suggesting the need for more targeted children’s mental health policies.     

Social Monogamy in Nonhuman Primates: Phylogeny,Phenotype, and Physiology

Monogamy as a social system has been both a scientific puzzle and a sociocultural issue for decades. In this review, we examine social monogamy from a comparative perspective with a focus on primates, our closest genetic relatives. We break down monogamy into component elements, including pair-bonding and partner preference, mate guarding or jealousy, social attachment, and biparental care. Our survey of primates shows that not all features are present in species classified as socially monogamous, in the same way that human monogamous relationships may not include all elements—a perspective we refer to as “monogamy à la carte.” Our review includes a survey of the neurobiological correlates of social monogamy in primates, exploring unique or common pathways for the elemental components of monogamy. This compilation reveals that the components of monogamy are modulated by a suite of androgenic steroids, glucocorticoid hormones, the nonapeptide hormones oxytocin and vasopressin, and other neurotransmitter systems (e.g., dopamine and opioids). We propose that efforts to understand the biological underpinnings of complex human and animal sociosexual relationships will be well served by exploring individual phenotypic traits, as opposed to pursuing these questions with the assumption that monogamy is a unitary trait or a species-specific characteristic.     

When,If, and How: Young Women Contend With Orgasmic Absence

While cultural ideas about “healthy” and “fulfilling” sexuality often include orgasm, many young women do not experience orgasm during partnered sex. The current study examined how women described this absence of orgasm in their sexual experiences with male partners. We examined interviews (N = 17) with women ages 18 to 28 and focused on their ideas about orgasm and their explanations concerning when and why they do not orgasm. We explored three themes that illustrate the strategies young women use to contend with orgasmic absence: (1) What’s the big deal?; (2) It’s just biology; and (3) Not now, but someday. We found that young women’s explanations allowed them to reduce feelings of abnormality and enabled them to distance themselves from sexual expectations regarding the perceived value of orgasm. In analyzing the complicated gender and sexual dynamics surrounding orgasm, we turned to Fahs’ (2014) work on sexual freedom and the importance of articulating freedom from sexual obligations as a key intervention in critical sexuality research. In our discussion, we examine the implications of our findings for critical researchers looking to better understand the role of sexual norms in how young women imagine and discuss the role of pleasure in their own sexual lives.     

When Home Is Still Unsafe: From Family Reunification to Foster Care Reentry

Reuniting children with their families is the preferred outcome of foster care, yet many children reunited with their families reenter foster care. This study examined how parental substance abuse and mental health problems, and the time allotted for reunification, are associated with reentry risk. We used a complete cohort of children who entered the Texas foster care system in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to identify the risk of foster care reentry within 5 years of reunification using selection‐adjusted multilevel survival analysis. Approximately 16% of reunified children reentered care within 5 years. Substance abuse and mental health problems predicted higher rates of reentry. Reunification after 12 months was associated with increased reentry risk overall, but not among children commonly exempted from federal permanency timelines. Permanency guidelines that restrict the length of time to achieve reunification may have the unintended consequence of pushing reunification before maltreatment risks have been resolved.     

Market Transition,Social Stratification,and Health Disparities in China: Longitudinal Analysis 1991 to 2006

Although a large body of literature has documented that China’s market transition from state socialism led to substantial changes in the social stratification order, little is known about the transition’s implications for health disparities. Integrating the fundamental cause perspective with market transition theory, this article examines the changing association of education and cadre status with self-rated health during the market transition, 1991 through 2006. Analyzing multiple waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey data (N = 28,227), ordinal logistic mixed effects regression reveals the emerging and increasing role of education in shaping health disparities, while the role of cadre status stayed constant over time. Bringing a health outcome into market transition theory and institutional contexts to fundamental cause theory expands both theories and provides insights into the implication of market transition for health disparities.     

Female Veterans: Navigating Two Identities

Female veterans differ from their male veteran counterparts in terms of ratio of men to women, minority status, economic status, and age. In 2014, female veterans totaled over 2 million; roughly 10% of the veteran population. In addition to balancing personal and professional responsibilities, many female veterans also have to adjust to and cope with the physical and/or mental health conditions they experience post-deployment. The extent to which female veterans succeed in transitioning back to civilian life post-deployment may be determined by biological, psychological, and social factors within their home and community. Circumstances that can support or hinder female veterans’ reintegration process include: (a) availability of gender-specific Veterans Affairs policies and services; (b) access to education and employment; (c) supports specific to mental health and/or military sexual trauma; and (d) social stigmas associated with being a female veteran. Along with other healthcare professionals, social workers have an obligation to promote social justice, and to empower underprivileged populations, including female veterans, whose needs may differ from male veterans and require specific expertise and knowledge.