A Berry–Esséen Bound for M-estimators

We prove a Berry–Esséen bound for general M-estimators under optimal regularity conditions on the score function and the underlying distribution. As an application we obtain Berry–Esséen bounds for the sample median, the L_p -median, p > 1 and Huber's estimator of location     

The Impact of Items and Anchors on Parent–Child Reports of Problem Behavior

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that parent and child reports of child behavior and emotional functioning often do not agree in terms of symptom severity or even symptom presence. Given the potential clinical impact that discrepant reports may have on the therapeutic process, a significant amount of research has addressed the factors influencing this observed discrepancy. Traditionally, this research has evaluated the impact of demographic factors on mean differences and obtained correlation coefficients between parent and child reports. The current research improves upon previous research in this area in two ways. First, the current research uses parent and child measures with identical rather than similar items as is commonly found in previous research. Second, the current research moves beyond identifying demographic influences on discrepant reports by explaining observed discrepancies in terms of differences in parent and child perceptions of typical child behavior.David Carlston and Benjamin Ogles are affiliated with Department of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, USA.Funding for this project was provided by the Ohio Department of Mental Health.     

Rising to the Challenge: Addressing the Concerns of People Working in the Sex Industry

En septembre 2010, trois dispositions du Code criminel relatives à la prostitution ont été jugées inconstitutionnelles parce qu'elles contribuent à mettre en danger les personnes qui travaillent dans l'industrie du sexe (PTIS). En utilisant des données provenant d'études effectuées auprès de PTIS et d'informateurs clés dans plusieurs villes canadiennes, nous examinons trois domaines liés à la santé et à la sécurité des travailleuses : la santé et la sécurité au travail, les perceptions et les comportements à l'égard des travailleuses et l'accès aux services essentiels. Pour traiter ces questions, nous devons aller au‐delà de la décriminalisation. Nous concluons que l'instauration d'un cadre de droits des travailleurs et de réduction de préjudices améliorerait grandement notre capacité d'aborder les problèmes liés aux droits et au bien‐être physique, social et mental des PTIS. In September 2010, three Canadian Criminal Code provisions related to prostitution were ruled unconstitutional because they increase the risk of harm to people working in the sex industry (PWSI). Using data from studies with PWSI and key informants conducted in several Canadian cities, we examine three domains related to worker health and safety: occupational health and safety, perceptions of and behaviors toward workers, and access to essential services. Addressing these issues necessitates moving beyond decriminalization. We conclude that using a harm reduction/labor rights framework would enhance our ability to address issues related to the physical, social, and mental well‐being as well as rights of PWSI.     

Estimating the Probability of Default with Applications in Provisioning the Portfolio of Clients of a Credit Institution

In this paper we study the implications of estimating the expected probabilities of default (PDs), for the firms that are already part of a credit portfolio of a bank (or in general, of a credit institution), on the provisioning process of that portfolio. An applied example of an estimation of PDs is conducted on a representative sample of companies from a real portfolio of an important bank in Romania (among top five banks as size). With respect to what is recommended by the standard practice and central bank authorities, our provisioning application (based on the logistic estimation of PDs) results in a higher risk aversion for those credit classes of superior financial reliability, respectively leads to a risk underestimation for the companies in the credit classes with low levels of reliability. Besides, the results of our econometric exercise of estimating PDs reveal the importance of the solvency as predictor of the default probability, as well as the negative effect of the services sector, in the context of the financial and economic Romanian crisis of the year 2008.     

Where It's At! The Role of Best Friends and Peer Group Members in Young Adults' Alcohol Use

We examined the hypothesis that best friends and members from a broader peer group would not differ in the amount of influence they have on young adults' alcohol consumption and that what counts would be the mere presence of drinking peers in a given context—irrespective of the type of relationship such peers would have with the target young adult. Data were used from a naturalistic observation study that was conducted in a “bar‐lab” among 221 young adults aged 18–25 years. Both hierarchical and multilevel regression analyses showed that group effects (i.e., average group levels of alcohol consumption) explained young adults' drinking. When taking into account these group effects, best friends' alcohol consumption in the bar‐lab was a nonsignificant predictor of young adults' alcohol use—although best friends' questionnaire‐assessed drinking did predict alcohol consumption in the bar‐lab.     

An Exploratory Study of Clinical Measures Associated with Subsyndromal Pathological Gambling in Patients with Binge Eating Disorder

Both binge eating disorder (BED) and pathological gambling (PG) are characterized by impairments in impulse control. Subsyndromal levels of PG have been associated with measures of adverse health. The nature and significance of PG features in individuals with BED is unknown. Ninety-four patients with BED (28 men and 66 women) were classified by gambling group based on inclusionary criteria for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV (DSM-IV) PG and compared on a range of behavioral, psychological and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology variables. One individual (1.1% of the sample) met criteria for PG, although 18.7% of patients with BED displayed one or more DSM-IV criteria for PG, hereafter referred to as problem gambling features. Men were more likely than women to have problem gambling features. BED patients with problem gambling features were distinguished by lower self-esteem and greater substance problem use. After controlling for gender, findings of reduced self-esteem and increased substance problem use among patients with problem gambling features remained significant. In patients with BED, problem gambling features are associated with a number of heightened clinical problems.     

Differential Item Functioning of Pathological Gambling Criteria: An Examination of Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Age

This study tested for the presence of differential item functioning (DIF) in DSM-IV Pathological Gambling Disorder (PGD) criteria based on gender, race/ethnicity and age. Using a nationally representative sample of adults from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), indicating current gambling (n = 10,899), Multiple Indicator-Multiple Cause (MIMIC) models tested for DIF, controlling for income, education, and marital status. Compared to the reference groups (i.e., Male, Caucasian, and ages 25–59 years), women (OR = 0.62; P < .001) and Asian Americans (OR = 0.33; P < .001) were less likely to endorse preoccupation (Criterion 1). Women were more likely to endorse gambling to escape (Criterion 5) (OR = 2.22; P < .001) but young adults (OR = 0.62; P < .05) were less likely to endorse it. African Americans (OR = 2.50; P < .001) and Hispanics were more likely to endorse trying to cut back (Criterion 3) (OR = 2.01; P < .01). African Americans were more likely to endorse the suffering losses (OR = 2.27; P < .01) criterion. Young adults were more likely to endorse chasing losses (Criterion 9) (OR = 1.81; P < .01) while older adults were less likely to endorse this criterion (OR = 0.76; P < .05). Further research is needed to identify factors contributing to DIF, address criteria level bias, and examine differential test functioning.     

Do public representatives in local governments know about “disability rights” in Pakistan? An awareness assessment case from Southern Punjab

Local self-government systems have been adopted in many countries to supervise local interests in development and provide a range of goods and services to localities. It is believed that awareness of certain issues itself guides duty-bearers to reshape and divert development in a certain direction. In Pakistan, elected representatives in district governments are the key duty-bearers at the local level. Hence, their awareness is indispensable to decision-making for local development and, thus, it is pertinent to assess it from a disability rights perspective. In-depth information collected from two districts has reflected that most of the public representatives are ill-informed about disability, day-to-day problems of disabled persons and their rights, which results in inadvertently disability-biased local development planning. An overriding impression gained from the results is that raising elected representatives’ awareness on disability and the rights of disabled people is imperative to embracing disability rights practice in local development.