The Relationship Between Sexual Minority Verbal Harassment and Utilization of Health Services: Results from Countywide Risk Assessment Survey (CRAS) 2004

In this article we examine the prevalence of and associations between sexual orientation–based verbal harassment and reported utilization of health services across levels of sexual orientation in a diverse sample of adult recipients of Los Angeles County–funded HIV-related health and social services. Thirty-two percent reported they had experienced verbal harassment, the majority (80.3%) of whom identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB). Those who reported being verbally harassed received significantly more services overall than those who were not verbally harassed, and service utilization varied by sexual orientation. These findings inform future efforts to identify and assess social discrimination in health and social service settings.     

Spatial distribution of structure infesting ant species inhabiting urban housing developments of different ages

The distribution of ant colonies within a community is often well defined, yet this distribution can change due to changing environmental conditions, resource availability, and colony growth. In this study, structure infesting ant communities were sampled for one year within three Puerto Rican housing developments of different ages. These developments represented environments in different stages of recovery after a disturbance (secondary succession). Spatial mapping was used to plot the distribution and abundance of ant communities within these developments. At the beginning of the study, the youngest housing development (1 year since construction), had the fewest number of species present (ave. 1.6 per house). The second housing development (4 years old) had a greater number of species (ave. 2.6 per house), and a greater sampling frequency (the same species collected at multiple houses) than Site 1. The oldest development (8 years old) had both the greatest number of species (ave. 2.7 per house), and sampling frequency of the three sites. In all developments, the number of species, sampling frequency, and ant biomass increased throughout the year as colonies grew and foraging ranges expanded. It was observed in all developments, that species coexistence also increased throughout the year. As colony populations increased, there was a greater occurrence of multiple species being collected at the same sample house. In the youngest development, the two most dominant species increased in numbers during the year and began to be collected from the same sample houses. Spatial diagrams documented that multiple species in the older housing developments (later stages of succession), also shared a common distribution. Even the most dominant species (S. invicta) in all three sites, did not exclude additional species from foraging within its established range.     

Changes in Higher Education

The social work profession has been too little concerned with policy, program, and practice issues related to human sexuality. Changing times and new knowledge require that the profession deal with this area more competently. Studies indicate that human sexuality is affected by biological, cultural, and psychological factors; that the female and male sex drives and physiological responses are similar; that the incidence of premarital and extramarital sexual relations are probably increasing along with more emphasis on the quality of the total interpersonal relationship; and that sexual behavior and values vary between socioeconomic groups.     

Interactive Videodiscs: A Linkage Tool for Social Work Education

Abstract

The merging of videodiscs and computers now makes possible a variety of exciting instructional strategies in education. This article highlights the ways in which videodiscs can be utilized to individualize the pace of student learning and to enhance the transfer of new learning from the classroom to beginning professional encounters. Ranging from concept learning to simulations of client-worker interactions, the application of videodisc technology to classroom instruction enables the blending of theory and practice so valued by social work educators.     

Phallus or Penis: Commentary on Cornelia St. John's Paper

The Lacanian concept of the masculine and feminine as symbolic positions, which may or may not correspond to anatomy, is clinically useful in the case of Mr. M. This discussion suggests that these concerns can be addressed by the feminist Lacanian theorists (Ragland, 1995), who discuss language within the landscape of primary repression as well as secondary repression. The analyst here illustrates the insufficiency of listening or speaking from only a preoedipal/maternal or an oedipal/paternal position; both are needed. In this discussion, the factors of sexual difference, psychosexual identification, gender definitions, and object choice are described in their different relations to one another when in preoedipal land (the Law of Language) versus the oedipal territory (Law of the father/culture). In summary, it could be said that stuttering or the inability to speak one's name is an incomplete weaning–there is no “I” who speaks from a secure symbolic indentification.     

Passion,Intimacy, and Commitment in Casual Sexual Relationships in a Canadian Sample of Emerging Adults

Research on casual sexual relationships (CSRs) among emerging adults is prevalent, yet our empirical and theoretical knowledge of relationship processes involved in these relationships is limited. The present study’s objective was to compare four CSR partner types (acquaintance, friend, non-dating partner, ex-romantic partner) on passion, intimacy, and commitment, the components of Sternberg’s triangular theory of love. A total of 441 Canadians aged 18–25 years who were not in a romantic relationship, and who reported having had more than one sexual contact with their last CSR partner, completed an online survey. Across all partner types, passion was highest, followed by intimacy and commitment. Levels of passion, intimacy, and commitment generally increased with partner familiarity. However, CSR partner type differences on the three components were partially explained by CSR components (i.e., frequency of sexual activity, frequency of social activity, whether partners saw each other with the main goal of having sex, sexual exclusivity agreement, and hopes about the relationship). Results are consistent with CSRs’ emphasis on sexuality, and, to a lesser extent, emotions. However, they challenge the mainstream and scientific conflation of CSRs with an absence of emotional bond, commitment, or love.     

Qualitative research on homosexual and bisexual behavior relevant to HIV/AIDS

The spread of the international AIDS pandemic has drawn attention to the urgent need for data on human sexual behavior; yet the lack of an established tradition of theory and method in sex research has limited the development of research initiatives in this area. This has been particularly true in the study of homosexual and bisexual behavior, which has relied heavily on the use of quantitative survey methods that largely fail to address cross‐cultural differences in the structure and meaning of same‐sex sexual experience. More qualitative approaches offer the possibility of investigating homosexual and bisexual behavior within a broader social and cultural context and can therefore play an important role in developing a framework for the comparative analysis of behavioral data. This article seeks to contribute to the development of theory and method in sex research by outlining key research issues and possible methodologies for the qualitative investigation of homosexual and bisexual behavior in relation to HIV/AIDS.     

Simulated Clients in a Group Practice Course: Engaging Facilitation and Embodying Diversity

Social work students need to develop practice skills with racially and ethnically diverse clients. Previous research has found benefits to using individual simulated clients, and working with a group would not only provide facilitation opportunities, it could also increase students’ exposure to diversity. This article presents a social work group practice class that used simulated clients and the evaluation of the pedagogy using a mixed-methods design. Students’ scores on the Diversity and Oppression Scale significantly improved from pretest to posttest. Focus groups clarified the impact. The results of this exploratory pilot study suggest that this approach allowed students to learn to manage emotional responses, promoted student insights, and provided opportunities to challenge student assumptions.     

‘Show me the money and the party!’ – variation in Facebook and Twitter adoption by politicians

Our study explores the adoption of Facebook and Twitter by candidates in the 2013 German Federal elections. Utilizing data from the German Longitudinal Election Study candidate survey fused with data gathered on the Twitter and Facebook use of candidates, we draw a clear distinction between Facebook and Twitter. We show that adoption of both channels is primarily driven by two factors: party and money. But the impact of each plays out differently for Facebook and Twitter. While the influence of money is homogenous for Facebook and Twitter with the more resources candidates have, the more likely they are to adopt, the effect is stronger for Facebook. Conversely, a party’s impact on adoption is heterogeneous across channels, a pattern we suggest is driven by the different audiences Facebook and Twitter attract. We also find candidates’ personality traits only correlate with Twitter adoption, but their impact is minimal. Our findings demonstrate that social media adoption by politicians is far from homogenous, and that there is a need to differentiate social media channels from one another when exploring motivations for their use.