Individual Growth Curves of Frequency of Sexual Intercourse Among Urban,Adolescent, African American Youth

Summary

In the current study we examined individual growth curves of frequency of sexual intercourse among a sample of urban, low-income, African American youth at increased risk for subsequent HIV/AIDS exposure. Three waves of longitudinal data from the Collaborative HIV-Prevention AdolescentMental Health (CHAMP) project were utilized. Participant ages ranged from 9 to 12 years (M = 11 years) at the first interview wave and from 15 to 19 years (M = 18 years) at the final interview wave. As such, we were able to map out true developmental trajectories of sexual intercourse over a 10-year period of adolescence (spanning ages 9 to 19 years). Results indicate that the average study participant was sexually abstinent (in terms of intercourse) during the pre-teen years, reported a single episode of sexual intercourse between ages 14 and 15, and by age 19, reported between 3 and 10 episodes of sexual intercourse. Significant variability in the acceleration of growth rates (as captured by a quadratic random effect) was observed, suggesting that some youth accelerated more rapidly (in their sexual intercourse histories) than did others. Participant gender predicted trajectory starting points; boys reported higher rates of sexual intercourse at age 12. Frequency of baseline exposure to sexual possibility situations (i.e., being in mixed-sex company in a private place in the absence of adult supervision) predicted growth curve acceleration, suggesting preteenswith more exposure to sexual possibility situations accelerated more rapidly in their rates of sexual intercourse over time. Developmental implications of these data are discussed.     

The early home environment and developmental outcomes for young children in the child welfare system

The quality of the early home environment is predictive of young children's subsequent cognitive, academic, and behavioral functioning. Limited research has focused on the effects of the early caregiving environment on the functioning of young children involved with the child welfare system. This study investigated the influence of children's home environments (i.e., number of children in the home, number of moves the child experienced, level of cognitive stimulation, and level of emotional support) during the first 2 years of life on their preschool developmental outcomes (i.e., cognition, language, social skills, and behavior problems).As anticipated, a high-quality early home environment promoted the well-being of preschool children who had entered the child welfare system as infants. Children who lived with greater numbers of children incurred more compromised cognitive, language, behavioral, and social outcomes. No significant associations emerged between the total number of placements and developmental outcomes; children who remained in the same home during infancy (typically the birth family home) had more compromised developmental outcomes in every domain except behavioral problems.Both cognitive stimulation and emotional support in the home predicted higher cognitive and language scores, decreased behavioral problems, and increased social skills. Early out-of-home placement and lack of emotional support interacted to predict children's behavioral problems. These findings are considered in the context of extant research and policy relevant to young children in the child welfare system.     

Senior centers in the era of the “Third Age:” Country clubs, community centers, or something else?

This study explored how senior center employees conceptualize their work and organizational mission. Unstructured interviews with multiple service providers (N = 32) and participant observation in one center reveal a growing emphasis on selling individualized lifestyles to young, healthy, and active seniors, as opposed to a more communal, intergenerational approach. In interviews, service providers talked about “community” in vague and ambiguous terms. At the same time, the philosophy of some providers was informed by a well-developed discourse of individual choice. In discussing needed resources and future goals, service providers spoke to the difficulty of appealing to different cohorts of seniors, but focused primarily on the needs of young seniors and expressed a desire to combat the “image problem” of senior centers. These trends have potentially negative implications for intergenerational community and the developmental passages of seniors. Nevertheless, centers offer many opportunities for seniors to forge connections and bridge differences, and the study concludes with some suggestions for building on these existing resources.     

俏皮话初探

俏皮话作为一种人们常用的幽默语言形式,其特点明显。它往往通过语义的不和谐和语言表达模式的不和谐表达出俏皮幽默的语用效果。俏皮话被人们广泛使用,除其自身特点外,主要与人们追求轻松愉悦环境的心理、模仿心理、求新求异心理等社会心理有关。     

释义学与心理学的方法论变革

主流心理学表现出经验主义、个体主义和普适主义的方法论特征。这些特征给心理学的发展带来了诸多的困境,表现在心理学的破碎和分裂、引发科学心理学和人文心理学两种文化的冲突和与社会文化的脱节。释义学提供了一种不同于经验实证主义的科学观的方法论,其质化的研究方法更适合心理现象的探讨。同时,释义学对理解的文化历史背景的强调对于克服心理学中的个体主义和普适主义也具有积极的意义。     

贵州省黔东南地区留守儿童心理状况调查报告——对凯里市、麻江县、雷山县部分少数民族乡镇留守儿童的调查

本文对黔东南苗族侗族自治州四个乡镇的留守儿童心理状况进行微观社会学研究。研究发现,留守儿童归属和爱的需要明显,性格特征呈现内倾不稳定性,部分留守儿童表现尤其突出,进而从家庭、学校和政府的角度提出帮助留守儿童心理健康发展的建议。     

论壮族服饰变迁的缘由

服饰是人类文化的重要组成部分,是一个民族的重要标志之一。民族服饰不是一成不变的,每一个民族在其发展过程中,都有一个相对独立的服饰变迁史,壮族服饰同样经历了一个发展演变的历程。在壮族服饰习俗的发展和演化过程中,自然环境、物质条件、社会文化环境和心理环境等对其产生重大影响。     

科学发展观是实践中的马克思主义发展观

马克思主义发展观,是马克思主义理论的重要内容,它坚持以人的全面解放为核心,强调社会整体、协调、可持续的发展。中国共产党人提出的以人为本科学发展观,以马克思主义发展观为思想和理论基础,结合中国的具体实际,不断丰富和发展了马克思主义发展观的内容,并在中国特色社会主义建设中具体实践着马克思主义发展观。     

回归文本：解读贾宝玉与秦可卿的关系——贾宝玉论之六

秦可卿在整部《红楼梦》中有着不同寻常的结构意义。秦可卿是作者安排的一个核心人物,她的遽然死去是作者安排的一个情节高潮,一个埋葬恶浊丑陋的高潮。在这个高潮中,主人公贾宝玉穿梭其中,并和秦可卿发生了谜一样的关系。贾宝玉和秦可卿关系非同一般,主要有三个情节可以说明,即卧室梦游、探病流泪、闻逝吐血。这三个情节从心理分析的角度可以解释贾宝玉痴情欲绝的原因。也是打开数百年来解读秦可卿、贾宝玉形象谜团的钥匙。从现存的文本考察,秦可卿无疑是宝玉的性启蒙老师。有理由推论,是秦可卿的诱惑使得贾宝玉遽入梦境,在那太虚梦境里,宝玉受到了近乎性虐待的伤害,使他对性产生了恐惧,造成了他心因性的精神阳痿。     

略论《儿女英雄传》的两性格局与创作心态

《儿女英雄传》讲述了一个符合中国传统文人心态的＂一夫双美＂的故事。小说中的女主人公十三妹,集＂儿女真情＂、＂英雄至性＂于一身,作出了种种侠义之举;而男主人公安骥却几乎毫无作为,仅止于被动地接受女性的付出,从而呈现出鲜明的＂女强男弱＂的两性格局。这与西方同类叙事文学中的两性格局大相径庭。本文试图通过分析作者的创作心态,并借助女性主义视角来解读这部小说中＂女强男弱＂格局产生的原因。