Recent Advances and New Challenges in Child Maltreatment Research, Practice, and Policy: Previewing the Issues

Few issues are of such grave importance to society and to the science and practice of psychology as child maltreatment. Our goal in editing this issue of JSI was to inform scientists across various sub-fields of psychology about the most current knowledge in the field of child maltreatment, broadly defined. The authors of the articles have gone further, pushing past the edge of current knowledge and setting aggressive agendas for future empirical and policy-relevant work. We believe that the result will be enriched future research, practice, policy, and law, and in turn, the increased well-being of children and their families.     

A Pedagogical Approach to Engaging Social Work Students in Research

Attitudes of US-based students in graduate-level social work master's in social work (MSW) toward required research courses often appear ambivalent, but developing an effective pedagogical approach to research could have lasting implications on students, educators, and the field. This article uses Bandura's social learning theory (SLT) to provide a framework for successfully engaging MSW students in the content of an introductory research class. This article outlines the thinking behind and the strategies used to engage students in the course content.     

Casa de Esperanza [Part C]

The challenges of nonprofit management and leadership often lie in balancing the constant demands of internal issues and the rapidly changing external context. As the third and final segment of the Casa de Esperanza case illustrates, there is no point of perfect balance. Part C documents the various mechanisms used to institutionalize the organization's identity as a community‐based Latina organization, including new structures, planning processes, and human resource management. In all, leaders strive to make the organization truly bicultural, allowing it to participate in mainstream circles while remaining grounded in core community values and practices. When faced by a new mandate from state funders, leaders use these internal changes as a new filter when considering the most appropriate action. As such, the case illustrates how proactive structural change can propel an organization to recognize realities.     

A Whirlwind of Change Data: How Libraries and Vendors Translate Data Into Discovery and Access

Abstract

Libraries and vendors share change data to ensure successful discovery and access for users. Change data have increased dramatically and affected data communication, causing barriers to access. Serials data used to be simple: There were new, ceased, and title changes. Data were efficiently exchanged. Now data are complex and difficult to communicate in the digital age. This presentation will discuss the challenges of change data and the ways libraries and vendors are teaming up to calm the whirlwind of change.     

Assessing and communicating heterogeneity of treatment effects for patient subpopulations: Panel discussion on considerations in design and analysis

Clinical trials are primarily conducted to understand the average effects treatments have on patients. However, patients are heterogeneous in the severity of the condition and in ways that affect what treatment effect they can expect. It is therefore important to understand and characterize how treatment effects vary. The design and analysis of clinical studies play critical roles in evaluating and characterizing heterogeneous treatment effects. This panel discussed considerations in design and analysis under the recognition that there are heterogeneous treatment effects across subgroups of patients. Panel members discussed many questions including: What is a good estimate of the treatment effect in me, a 65-year-old, bald, Caucasian-American, male patient? What magnitude of heterogeneity of treatment effects (HTE) is sufficiently large to merit attention? What role can prior evidence about HTE play in confirmatory trial design and analysis? Is there anything described in the 21st Century Cures Act that would benefit from greater attention to HTE? An example of a Bayesian approach addressing multiplicity when testing for treatment effects in subgroups will be provided. We can do more or better at understanding heterogeneous treatment effects and providing the best information on heterogeneous treatment effects.     

Perceived benefits and psychosocial outcomes of a brief existential family intervention for cancer patients/survivors

This study assessed a range of benefits from participation in a brief existential intervention consisting of a semi-structured videotaped interview with cancer patients and their families designed to illuminate a life legacy for the family (the Life Tape Project [LTP]). Results indicated the majority reported intervention-specific benefits, especially in the areas of symbolic immortality (passing on personal values and philosophy), self-reflection and growth, and improved family cohesion and communication. Participants, particularly those who had perceived their cancer as a threat of death, serious injury, or threat to their physical integrity, and responded with intense fear or helplessness, also reported more general reductions in mood disturbance, improvements in aspects of well-being (including overall quality of life), satisfaction with the understanding they received, and enhanced cancer-related posttraumatic growth. In short, the LTP is a brief, inexpensive, existential intervention that can yield broad positive psychosocial changes for a majority of participants.     

After-school as intermediary space: theory and typology of partnerships

This chapter explores the nature of after-school partnerships and sets forth a theory and typology describing the way in which the intersection of partners creates a unique intermediary space.