Marital Violence: Dimensions of the Problem and Modes of Intervention*

This paper reviews data on the incidence of marital violence and recommends methods of intervention on a family and social level. Myths which may block awareness of this widespread problem are briefly described. Particular attention is given to the inadequacy of the catharsis hypothesis in explaining and treating marital violence. Interventions for couple counseling aimed at enhancing the couple's problem-solving abilities and eliminating abusive behavior are described and illustrated with case examples. Several suggestions are made for social interventions including police training, legal reform, and the formation of shelter homes for the victims of abuse.     

SMALL SAMPLE VARIANCE ESTIMATORS FOR U-STATISTICS

New unbiased estimators are presented for the dominant and lower-order terms of the variance expansion for U-statistics. In small samples these provide important corrections to the usual estimate of asymptotic standard error which is based on the leading term in the expansion. The new estimators for the first term cannot be recommended. The ordinary jackknife estimator is found to be more effective than the direct estimates of the separate terms.     

Child therapy outcome in a community mental health center

Studies by the Davis Child Therapy Effectiveness Project reveal that brief therapy is the norm. A retrospective outcome study in one mental health center shows a large proportion of adjustment reactions. Outcome ratings from therapists, parents and patients show fairly high levels of outcome and significant improvement in rated impairment. The children who were more impaired at intake were found to have the most visits and numbers of visits were unrelated to success in treatment. Examples are provided illustrating the use of parent responses to modify center practices.     

Density does not help: Help-giving,help-seeking and help-reciprocating of residents of high and low student dormitories

The present study explored self-reports of male and female students living in high-rise or low dormitories regarding their help-giving, help-seeking and help-reciprocating behaviors. Helping relations were studied in behaviors involving exchange of money, services and emotional support. Students living in low dormitories indicated more willingness to give and seek help and less need to reciprocate a favor than students living in high dormitories. Also, only helping responses of students living in high dormitories were affected by the state of need for help. The conceptual and applied implications of these findings are discussed.Requests for reprints should be sent to Arie Nadler, Department of Psychology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat-Aviv, Israel.     

Dissociation in medical practice: Social distress and the health care system

The average physician has developed several different heads, each representing another self on the same body. One is that of the conventional, ethical professional who wants nothing more than to improve mankind's health and well-being, the standard model. Another is the scientist who intends to be perceived as calculating, cold, and factual in determining what will or will not assist the ailing patient (Uexkull & Hannes, 1986). His tools are drugs, surgery, and hospitalization for presumed physical and mental ills. The third, and the one that concerns us the most, is what I will call the neo-capitalist professional hero (Lifion, 1971). This persona is an evolution of our American dominated international culture which the medical profession as a group has honored by honing and polishing with extraordinary skill, second only to politicians and bankers, maximizing it to the further detriment of the entire society. Though the body needs all three to function, none of these heads willingly acknowledges or supports the importance of the others. In what follows, a variety of media, journals, professional books, and a survey are referred to in documenting data about ethical laxity and fraud in the medical profession. Institutional, social concepts are developed that explain the data, and revealing how social distress is the embodiment of the neo-capitalist professional hero. There are also suggestions for remedies in what follows, which are presented without realistic hope for implementation very soon, unfortunately, since they involve deep changes in established social institutions. However, the country at large has developed some awareness of a problem which has reached epidemic proportions in the medical profession. Further increments in awareness promise to tip the balance into positive government action.     

Medical Practice under Managed Care: Cost-control Mechanisms and Impact on Quality of Service

The paper investigates the US experience of Managed Care. It describes the cost controlling measures and the new modes of payment that were implemented along with managed Care. Using theory and field surveys, it reviews how these measures have affected physician practices. The paper also investigates their impact on the quality of health services.     

Economic Stress,Emotional Quality of Life,and Problem Behavior in Chinese Adolescents with and without Economic Disadvantage

The relationships between perceived economic stress (current economic hardship and future economic worry) and emotional quality of life (existential well-being, life satisfaction, self-esteem, sense of mastery, psychological morbidity) as well as problem behavior (substance abuse and delinquency) were examined in 1519 Chinese adolescents with and without economic disadvantage. Results showed that perceived economic stress was related to emotional quality of life as well as problem behavior in adolescents and the relationships were generally stronger in adolescents with economic disadvantage than in adolescents without economic disadvantage. Adolescents with higher levels of emotional quality of life displayed lower levels of adolescent problem behavior. Finally, adolescents with economic disadvantage displayed higher levels of current economic hardship and future economic worry than did adolescents without economic disadvantage.     

A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Cultural Beliefs About Adversity,Psychological Well-Being,Delinquency And Substance Abuse in Chinese Adolescents With Economic Disadvantage

This longitudinal study examines the relationships between Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity and psychological well-being and problem behavior in 199 Chinese adolescents with economic disadvantage. Results showed that endorsement of Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity was concurrently related to measures of adolescent psychological well-being (existential well-being, mastery, life satisfaction, self-esteem and general psychiatric morbidity) and problem behavior (substance abuse and delinquency) at Time 1 and Time 2. Partial correlation and multiple regression analyses showed that while Chinese beliefs about adversity at Time 1 predicted changes in developmental outcomes at Time 2 (except self-esteem), developmental outcome variables at Time 1 did not predict changes in endorsement of Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity at Time 2. The present findings suggest that identification with Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity is an important factor that influences the psychosocial adjustment of Chinese adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage.     

Comparing the Quality of Data Obtained by Minimally Balanced and Fully Balanced Attitude Questions

When measuring attitudes with questions that offer dichotomous,mutually exclusive response options, researchers can ask "fullybalanced" questions (which fully state both competing pointsof view) or "minimally balanced" questions (which fully stateone viewpoint and only briefly acknowledge the second viewpoint).The two studies reported here investigated whether the greaterefficiency of the latter approach brought with it reductionsin the quality of the data obtained. Two experiments embeddedin national sample surveys showed that minimally balanced andfully balanced attitude questions yielded similar distributionsof responses and that responses to the two question forms wereequivalent in terms of concurrent validity. These studies suggestthat greater efficiency can be achieved via minimal balancingat no cost in terms of data quality.