Personality,Gender, and Family History in the Prediction of College Gambling

The present study examined the degree to which gambling behaviors and gambling-relevant cognitive distortions could be predicted by personality factors, gender, and familial history of substance use and gambling problems in a large sample of college students (N = 581). Results indicate that parental gambling problems and, especially for males, a propensity to experience negative emotions predicted time spent gambling and gambling problems. Negative emotionality, along with parental substance use problems, impulsivity, and being male predicted gambling-related cognitive distortions. The differing pattern for impulsivity with respect to behaviors and beliefs might be explained by the low accessibility of gambling venues for the student population. We compare the present findings with past studies examining gambling behaviors in adult populations.     

Confidence Intervals for Diffusion Index Forecasts and Inference for Factor‐Augmented Regressions

We consider the situation when there is a large number of series, N, each with T observations, and each series has some predictive ability for some variable of interest. A methodology of growing interest is first to estimate common factors from the panel of data by the method of principal components and then to augment an otherwise standard regression with the estimated factors. In this paper, we show that the least squares estimates obtained from these factor‐augmented regressions are consistent and asymptotically normal if . The conditional mean predicted by the estimated factors is consistent and asymptotically normal. Except when T/N goes to zero, inference should take into account the effect of “estimated regressors” on the estimated conditional mean. We present analytical formulas for prediction intervals that are valid regardless of the magnitude of N/T and that can also be used when the factors are nonstationary.     

Is more better? The relationship between outcomes achieved by problem gamblers and the number of counselling sessions attended

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of how much intervention is necessary for the effective treatment of problem gambling by exploring the relationship between the number of counselling sessions attended and the degree of problem resolution achieved for 613 individuals who attended problem gambling counselling services in Victoria. While those who achieved partial or full resolution of presenting problems attended more sessions than those who finished counselling with their problems still unresolved, problems were typically reported as being resolved in fewer than five sessions. It is concluded that for some problem gamblers a relatively brief intervention may be sufficient.     

Grief and loss of religion: the experiences of four rural lesbians

The purpose of this four-person study was to discover the grief and loss experiences of rural lesbians using a phenomenological approach. A prominent theme that emerged from the interview data was grief and loss related to religion and a lesbian identity. Participants identified the need to modify their beliefs, the experience of rejection by church members or the church itself, and seeking acceptance.     

Perinatal loss and parental grief: the challenge of ambiguity and disenfranchised grief

Following perinatal loss, a type of ambiguous loss, bereaved couples struggle with and experience distress due to various forms of ambiguity. Moreover, the juxtaposition of their grief with society's minimization often disenfranchises them from traditional grieving processes. The purpose of this study was to explore sources of ambiguity and disenfranchised grief related to perinatal loss. Audio-taped interviews with 13 bereaved couples at 2, 6, and 13 months following the death of their fetus or infant were analyzed. Several categories of ambiguity and disenfranchised grief emerged, pertaining to: (a) the viability of the pregnancy; (b) the physical process of pregnancy loss; (c) making arrangements for the remains; and (d) sharing the news. This study uncovers the many sources of ambiguity and disenfranchised grief that bereaved couples face in interactions with family, friends, society, and healthcare professionals. These insights may inform healthcare professionals in their attempts to ease distress related to perinatal loss.     

Towards an analytical theory of social change: the case of China

Lockwood argues that contradiction between the core institutional order and the material substructure of a society gives rise to potential social relationships which constitute a threat to the existing institutional order and may lead to change in the type of the society. Parkin, in particular, has advocated the application of the idea to the study of socialist societies. However, the situation of socialist China opposes Lockwood's view in that the new social relationships arising from the changing economic system do not pose a threat to the existing political system. Moreover, Lockwood underdevelops the connection between human action and social structure and does not theorize the mechanism linking system weakness and social change. This article formulates an alternative perspective by building on Giddens's structuration theory and Mouzelis's work on sociological theory. The theoretical framework is applied to China to give a flavour of how social change can be studied.