Suicidality among homeless people: Testing the mediating effects of self-efficacy and depression

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study examined the mediating effect of PTSD on suicide ideation and suicide attempt through two mediators, self-efficacy and depression, among homeless adults. We recruited a non-random, purposive sample of 156 homeless adults from seven homeless people shelters in Kansas. SEM results suggest that self-efficacy and depression were significant mediators between PTSD and suicide ideation, but not between PTSD and suicide attempt. This study’s findings can be used to identify risk factors associated with suicidal behaviors that can be used to design service programs aimed at preventing suicidal ideation and attempt among people who are homeless.     

Core/periphery scientific collaboration networks among very similar researchers

Empirical studies such as Goyal et al. (J Polit Econ 114(2):403–412, 2006) or Newman (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101(Suppl. 1):5200–5205, 2004) show that scientific collaboration networks present a highly unequal and hierarchical distribution of links. This implies that some researchers can be much more active and productive than others and, consequently, they can enjoy a much better scientific reputation. One may think that big intrinsical differences among researchers can constitute the main driving force behind these inequalities. Nevertheless, this model shows that, under specific circumstances, very similar individuals may self-organize themselves forming unequal and hierarchical structures.     

Attribute Charts for Zero-Inflated Processes

The classical Shewhart c-chart and p-chart which are constructed based on the Poisson and binomial distributions are inappropriate in monitoring zero-inflated counts. They tend to underestimate the dispersion of zero-inflated counts and subsequently lead to higher false alarm rate in detecting out-of-control signals. Another drawback of these charts is that their 3-sigma control limits, evaluated based on the asymptotic normality assumption of the attribute counts, have a systematic negative bias in their coverage probability. We recommend that the zero-inflated models which account for the excess number of zeros should first be fitted to the zero-inflated Poisson and binomial counts. The Poisson parameter λ estimated from a zero-inflated Poisson model is then used to construct a one-sided c-chart with its upper control limit constructed based on the Jeffreys prior interval that provides good coverage probability for λ. Similarly, the binomial parameter p estimated from a zero-inflated binomial model is used to construct a one-sided np-chart with its upper control limit constructed based on the Jeffreys prior interval or Blyth–Still interval of the binomial proportion p. A simple two-of-two control rule is also recommended to improve further on the performance of these two proposed charts.     

Records Properties of Non Stationary Time Series

This article proposes an asymptotic expansion for the Studentized linear discriminant function using two-step monotone missing samples under multivariate normality. The asymptotic expansions related to discriminant function have been obtained for complete data under multivariate normality. The result derived by Anderson (1973 Anderson , T. W. ( 1973 ). An asymptotic expansion of the distribution of the Studentized classification statistic W . The Annals of Statistics 1 : 964 – 972 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) plays an important role in deciding the cut-off point that controls the probabilities of misclassification. This article provides an extension of the result derived by Anderson (1973 Anderson , T. W. ( 1973 ). An asymptotic expansion of the distribution of the Studentized classification statistic W . The Annals of Statistics 1 : 964 – 972 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) in the case of two-step monotone missing samples under multivariate normality. Finally, numerical evaluations by Monte Carlo simulations were also presented.     

A Detrended Range Unit Root (DRUR) Test

We extend the Range Unit Root test in two directions. First, we consider the process with time trend and prove that the modified standardized number of new records converges to a sum of two Rayleigh distributions. Second, more general structures of autocorrelated disturbances are also taken into account. Monte Carlo experiments show the good sample properties of this nonparametric unit root test.     

马来班顿体和土生华人班顿体比兴中的自然物象

对某些学者而言,马来班顿体也许是马来世界和马来灵魂的完美镜像。班顿体是一种口头文学,它扎根于许多不同的族群中,通过口头方式代代相传。本文的研究焦点是马来和马来西亚土生华人班顿体,其中有些文本直接录自马六甲和新加坡的口述者,分析的重点是马来班顿体首联中对自然的偏爱是如何在土生华人班顿体中得到强调的。此外,强调自然比兴的这种手法是马来班顿体和土生华人班顿体冲突后产生的“镜像效应”。这两种班顿体中反复出现的自然景象强调了当时与之紧密相关的日常生活,同时也形成了班顿体独特的审美性。     

Deprivation index for small areas in Spain

The term deprivation is often used to refer to economic or social shortages in a given geographical area. This concept of deprivation has been identified for years using simple indicators such as income level, education and social class. One of the advantages of using simple indicators is the availability of data, since they come directly from sources of information like censuses and population registers. However, the main disadvantage of these indicators is their limited usefulness when measuring a concept as complex as deprivation with a single variable. One possible solution to this problem is using compound indices, made up of a combination of simple indicators. For years, the concept of material deprivation in Spain has been measured using indices or indicators imported from other countries. However, there are no studies that investigate if all of these variables are really related to material deprivation in Spain. In this context, the objective of this study is to create a synthetic index for material deprivation for the municipalities in Spain, bearing in mind the variables available from the Population and Housing Census. The index was built on a principal components factor analysis. The analysis showed two factors. The first factor showed a high positive correlation to the variables relating to illiteracy rate, unemployment rate and percentage of manual labourers, while the second factor was seen as highly positively correlated to the variables relating to the percentage of homes without access to a vehicle and the dependency index and also correlated, though negatively, to the percentage of foreigners between 16 and 49 who lived abroad in 1991. The variables that make up the first factor can be considered to be an approximation of the concept of deprivation in Spain. This study proposes a deprivation index made up of three simple indicators available from national information sources: percentage of illiteracy, percentage of unemployment and percentage of manual labourers. With this index, the criteria for measuring deprivation in Spanish municipalities can be unified and a comparison of the results of the different studies in our context facilitated.     

Bourdieu,ethics and symbolic power

This article critically discusses Pierre Bourdieu's views on ethics and normative evaluations. Bourdieu acknowledged that people hold ethical stances, yet sought to show that these stances are – unconsciously – conducive to obtaining symbolic power and legitimizing hierarchy. The first part of the article looks at this argument and charts the shifts it went through particularly in the early 1990s. The second part discusses ontological and empirical critiques of the ethics as ideology argument and suggests the latter to be more salient, as Bourdieu proposed his argument as an empirical rather than as an ontological point. The reason why he nevertheless found the ethics as ideology explanation fitting to nearly all the cases he studied, as the third part argues, is not simply that reality ‘obliged’ him to do so, but his circular definition of symbolic capital as qualities that are worthy of esteem. This definition makes his argument of ethics as ideology unfalsifiable and impedes him from distinguishing between cases when legitimate power is the aim of ethics and between those when it is merely their side effect. The article concludes by suggesting ways in which Bourdieu's work can be fruitfully incorporated into the study of ethics once the tautology is resolved.     

Are LGBT Populations at a Higher Risk for Suicidal Behaviors in Australia? Research Findings and Implications

The aim of this article is to review the Australian literature about suicidality in minority sexual identity and/or behavior groups in order to determine the evidence base for their reported higher vulnerability to suicidal behaviors than heterosexual and non-transgendered individuals in the Australian context, as well as to identify the factors that are predictive of suicidal behaviors in these groups in Australia. A literature search for all available years (until the end of 2012) was conducted using the databases Scopus, Medline, and Proquest for articles published in English in peer-reviewed academic journals. All peer-reviewed publications that provided empirical evidence for prevalence and predictive factors of suicidal behaviors among LGBT individuals (or a subset thereof) in Australia were included. Reference lists were also scrutinized to identify “gray” literature for inclusion. The results revealed that there is only limited research from Australia. Nevertheless, although no population-based studies have been published, research indicates that sexual minorities are indeed at a higher risk for suicidal behaviors. In order to further the understanding of suicidal behaviors and potential prevention among LGBT groups in the Australia, further research is needed, particularly on fatal suicidal behaviors.