Abuse and older lesbian,gay bisexual,and trans (LGBT) people: a commentary and research agenda

With increasing visibility of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people, there is an urgent need to understand abuse in their lives. This is an under-researched area, which this scoping study (based on a literature review and a small subset of data taken from a larger project) serves to demonstrate. The content of this article formed the basis of a paper presented at a workshop on ‘LGBT Elder Abuse’ held at Keele University(UK) in 2017, convened and chaired by the author. It considers LGBT elder abuse in terms of polyvictimisation, intersectionality and the abuse of power. The identifies knowledge gaps, proposes a research agenda, and explains why such an agenda matters. In particular, the need for researchers of elder abuse, LGBT domestic abuse and organisational abuse to cut across their traditional boundaries of inquiry in order to address how the abuse of older LGBT people intersects with each domain     

Sterile water injections for childbirth pain: An evidenced based guide to practice

Background

About 30% of women in labour suffer from lower back pain. Studies of sterile water injections for management of low back pain have consistently shown this approach to be effective. The objective of this evidence-based guide is to facilitate the clinical use of sterile water injections to relieve lower back pain in labouring women.

Sex differences in psychological distress,behavioural and emotional problems,and substance use in young people in out‐of‐home care

The aim of the study was to examine sex differences in self‐reported psychological distress, behavioural and emotional problems, and substance use in young people living in out‐of‐home care (OoHC). One hundred seventy‐six young people aged 12–17 years (females 53.4%) in OoHC in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, were interviewed. Participants completed self‐report measures: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test—Youth Version. Girls had more OoHC placement instability over the past year compared with boys (p = .019). Compared with boys, the girls had significantly higher levels of distress (p < .001) (p = .007), were more likely to have self‐reported emotional symptoms (p < .001) and peer relationship problems (p = .043) and were more likely to use sedatives (p = .004). Girls had more psychological distress, behavioural disturbance, and sedative abuse; placement instability might contribute to these problems. Greater integration across OoHC, mental health, and substance use sectors is required. Girls in OoHC may benefit from interventions targeting problems with peer relationship and substance use and supporting prosocial behaviour; such targets may reduce distress and emotional symptoms and possibly prevent longer term problems.     

何日共一曲 尽诉故园情——郑向恒散文印象

郑向恒是台湾当代著名的学者和散文家。其游记散文表现了她对中华古老文明和民族命运的深厚热爱和关切之情,显示出浓郁的文化底蕴和家国之思。风格自然、亲切,语言简炼、朴实     

Willingness to have unprotected sex

Little is known about people's willingness to engage in sex without protection from unwanted pregnancy. This study surveyed 1,497 women and men at 75 clinics and physician offices across California after their reproductive health care visits in late 2007 and early 2008. When asked if they would have sex without contraception, 30% said definitively that yes, they would have unprotected sex, and 20% indicated they would "sometimes" or "maybe" engage in unprotected sex. In multivariate models, compared to non-Latino White respondents, Latinos who responded to the survey in English were 52% more likely and African Americans were 75% more likely to report willingness to have unprotected intercourse. Wanting a child within the next three years was associated with increased willingness to have unprotected sex. Age, gender, parity, and relationship status were not significant in multivariate models. A considerable proportion of women and men may be willing to have unprotected sex, even with access to subsidized contraceptive services and even when recently counseled about birth control. The dominant behavioral models of contraceptive use need to acknowledge the widespread likelihood of occasional unprotected sex, even among people motivated to usually use contraceptives. Findings underscore the need to make contraceptive methods accessible, easy to use, and even pleasurable.     

Multiple Measures of Fixation on Social Content in Infancy: Evidence for a Single Social Cognitive Construct?

The preference of infants to fixate on social information in a stimulus is well known. We examine how this preference manifests across a series of free‐viewing tasks using different stimulus types. Participants were thirty typically developing infants. We measured eye movements when viewing isolated faces, faces alongside objects in a grid, and faces naturally presented in photographed scenes. In each task, infants fixated social content for longer than nonsocial content. Social preference scores representing distribution of fixation to social versus general image content were highly correlated and thus combined into a single composite measure, which was independent of demographic and behavioral measures. We infer that multiple eye‐tracking tasks can be used to generate a composite measure of social preference in infancy. This approach may prove useful in the early characterization of developmental disabilities.     

Does questionnaire format impact reported partner violence rates?: An experimental study

Researchers assess partner violence using numerous formats, but whether questionnaire format affects obtained rates has rarely been examined. We compared paper-and-pencil versus computer administrations, and standard Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2) categories versus dichotomous (yes/no) response categories, in a 2 x 2 experiment with 160 undergraduate students. Differential validity was also examined for gender. Results provide some support for the use of all formats, although sexual coercion rates showed more measurement variability than reports of psychological aggression, physical assault, or injury. Sexual coercion effects also differed by gender. The standard CTS2 categories resulted in more disclosures than dichotomous categories for some variables. Differences between computer and paper-and-pencil formats were generally minimal. More attention to the effects of questionnaire design on disclosures of violence is urgently needed.     

"A sound track of your life": music in contemporary UK funerals

This article considers the role that music plays in contemporary UK funerals and the meaning that the funeral music has for bereaved families. It is based on findings from a recently completed study of 46 funerals funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council. Music contributes to the public ceremony and the personal existential quest of the bereaved. It is important to both the content and process of the contemporary funeral, an event of deep cultural significance in our response as individuals and communities to death and the loss of a significant relationship. There is evidence that for many people, the music chosen and used also evokes and conveys their spirituality. Spirituality may not be intrinsic to the music but spiritual experience may result from the meaning that the music has for that particular person.