Functional Family Therapy And The Treatment Of Inhibited Sexual Desire

Although inhibited sexual desire is very common, the literature indicates that it is extremely difficult to treat successfully. Functional Family Therapy (Alexander & Parsons, 1982) appears to be a promising treatment approach. This paper defines the major goals of Functional Family Therapy and applies these goals to the treatment of inhibited sexual desire, and a case study illustrates the utility of the model.     

Early Intervention with a Mother–Infant Pair: The Impact of an Enduring and Adaptive Relationship

This paper examines the author's treatment of a severely depressed mother–infant pair in a therapeutic nursery. While the direct treatment lasted only nine months, a telephone relationship has continued over fifteen years. Dramatic changes in the pair resulted from the strong therapeutic alliance between mother and therapist, combined with a flexible and adaptive approach, utilizing on demand availability, as described by Winnicott. The convergence of the clinical work with the maturational processes and the sequelae of both mother and infant's early experiences of deprivation are described and explored.     

Social networks and changes in contraceptive use over time: evidence from a longitudinal study in rural Kenya

The impacts of social networks on changes in contraception in rural Kenya are investigated using special data from a longitudinal household survey. An analytic model, informed by detailed knowledge of the setting, yielded estimates that indicate that (1) social networks have substantial effects even after unobserved factors (e.g., homophily) that may determine social networks are controlled; (2) controlling for these unobserved factors may substantially alter the estimated effects of networks (these controls were not used in previous studies); (3) network effects are important for both men and women; and (4) network effects are nonlinear and asymmetric, suggesting that networks provide information primarily through social learning, rather than by exerting social influence.     

Women Sociologists in the Midwest: A Status Report*

This report examines the status of Midwest women sociologists in occupational attainment and professional participation, and seeks to answer three questions: (1) What is the current status of Midwest women sociologists? (2) What changes have occurred in the status of Midwest women sociologists in recent years? and (3) How does the status of women sociologists in the Midwest compare to their colleagues nationally?     

FEAR OF CRIME AMONG THE ELDERLY AS PERSON/ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION*

Despite lower victimization, older people express greater fear of crime. The causes and consequences of such fear are investigated for a 1980 sample of 1,185 persons aged 60+. Fear of crime is a response to both personal vulnerability and locational cues. Fear reduces subjective well-being, but has little relation to activity patterns. While social resources have little bearing on fear of crime and its consequences, variations by sex and personal competence are apparent. These reflect the role of coping resources and environmental docility.     

The need for educational assessment of children entering foster care

Comprehensive medical and mental health evaluations of children in foster care are recommended within 30 days of entering care. What constitutes a comprehensive evaluation has yet to be established. This study examines the need to include educational assessment as a component of the comprehensive evaluation. Rates of achievement and language problems for Arkansas school-age children are compared with rates of medical and psychiatric disorders to assess the relative need for including educational assessment.     

'There just aren't enough hours in the day': the mental health consequences of time pressure

In this paper I examine the association between subjective time pressure and depression and consider whether time pressure mediates the relationship between roles and depression, whether social and economic resources moderate the association between time pressure and depression, and whether time pressure explains gender differences in depression. Results of a telephone survey of 790 respondents indicate that time pressure is significantly associated with distress for men and women, and that subjective time pressure accounts for the significantly higher depression of employed women. Time pressure mediates the impact of housework and the volunteer role among women and it partially explains the differential depression of divorced men. Several resources moderate the impact of time pressure on depression: income among both men and women and perceived co-worker social support among men. Results suggest that the subjective experience of time pressure can be thought of as a potentially important mechanism by which lived experience is transformed into depression. However, in spite of the ubiquity of time pressure in the North American context, the depressing consequences of this subjective experience are not distributed equitably, suggesting that the capacity to manage time pressure and avoid depression may be another benefit associated with strategically advantageous social locations.     

Firearm advertising: product depiction in consumer gun magazines

In contrast to tobacco, alcohol, and other consumer products associated with health risks, we know very little about how firearm manufacturers advertise their products. The authors examined advertisements for firearms in all 27 ad-accepting magazines listed in Bacon's Magazine Directory "guns and shooting" category. Sixty-three manufacturers spent an estimated $1,195,680 on firearm advertising during the month studied. Annual advertising costs ranged widely; manufacturers spent an estimated $28.16 in advertising per firearm produced. Firearms generally were presented as a part of a lifestyle. Self-protection was noted infrequently in the advertisements. By contrast, attributes of the gun, typically technological characteristics, were noted in almost every advertisement.     

Rational emotive behavior therapy: disputing irrational philosophies

This article provides an overview of the concepts and techniques of rational emotive behavior therapy to distinguish it from cognitive-behavioral therapy. Rational emotive behavior therapy proposes that psychological disturbance is largely created and maintained through irrational philosophies consisting of internal absolutistic demands. This therapy strives to produce sustained and profound cognitive, emotive, and behavioral change through active, vigorous disputation of underlying irrational philosophies.