Communication of ambiguous risk information

This paper reports on the responses of 646 individuals to environmental risk information involving different forms of risk ambiguity. Recipients of more than one set of risk information do not simply average the risk levels provided. Rather, a variety of aspects of the nature of the risks that are communicated influence their probabilistic beliefs. Individuals' perceptions of the risk levels to which they are exposed are likely to be greater: (i) for more ambiguous risks, (ii) for risks for which the unfavorable risk evidence is presented last even when there is no temporal order, (iii) for risks for which the most unfavorable risk studies have been performed most recently, and (iv) for risks where there is asymmetry in the risk ambiguity that imposes substantial potential downside risks. Although these effects are modest for the median individual, the potential for extreme responses that reflect only the most adverse or the most favorable piece of information provided is quite prevalent. These findings are of interest more generally in that they indicate how individuals form their risk perceptions in the presence of risk ambiguity.The authors would like to thank the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for support of this work under Cooperative Agreements Number CR-815445-01-2 and Number CR-814388-02-1. Dr. Alan Carlin and Dr. Ann Fisher provided valuable guidance in the design of the project, and Dr. Doyle Graham and Dr. Douglas Anthony offered generous assistance in communicating the medical consequences of nerve disease to subjects. Jon LaScala assisted superbly in the administration and analysis of the survey, and Patricia Born provided additional computer programming assistance.     

扬弃悖论命题的方法和标准

要合理解决悖论,首先要区别思想中三种不同的逻辑否定词:同指否定词并非();异指否定词非(′);兼指否定词不只是()。其次,要区分思想中四种不同矛盾命题:逻辑矛盾命题;辩证矛盾命题;怪论矛盾命题;悖论矛盾命题。它们具有辩证矛盾命题的语义内容,却具有逻辑矛盾命题的语法表达形式。再次,要有令人满意的解决悖论的标准。罗素指出的解决悖论的三个必要条件,可作为令人满意解决悖论的共同标准。近百年来解决悖论诸种方案可分为(1)特设性排除悖论方案;(2)特设性容纳悖论方案;(3)非特设性扬弃悖论方案三大类。按罗素提出的三个标准,解决悖论方案(1)和(2)是不能令人满意的,(3)是令人满意的。     

中国民营高科技企业产权制度变迁研究

由于“公有民营高科技企业”和“民办民营高科技企业”在产权制度演变过程中具有不同的特点 ,因此在向股份制变迁过程中 ,前者应选择政府主导的强制性制度变迁 ,后者应选择诱致性制度变迁 ,并通过后者带动前者以突破公有民营高科技企业产权制度变迁中存在的“诺思悖论”。在两类民营高科技企业的产权制度变迁中存在不同的难点 ,针对这些难点 ,本文提出了具体的对策和建议     

An Approach to Community Outreach Practice in the 21st Century

ABSTRACT

This article presents the findings of a study about knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about AIDS held by older Hispanic adults. Members of the convenience sample provided responses that identify concerns about effective practice in outeach and information provision to older adults with regard to risky sexual practices. Intervention to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS among older adults needs to be culturally competent and to be attuned to social practices, traditions, community concerns, and generational perspectives with regard to serious health problems related to sexual behavior. The sample composition was primarily Hispanic (97.4%); Catholic, (92.1%) and female (84.2%) with a mean age of 73.7 years. Approximately 28.2% of those surveyed stated that they felt that AIDS was an important problem for older adults. The majority, (76.3%) were aware of locations where health information and services were available if AIDS were a problem. Even though the majority indicated knowledge that AIDS is spread through sexual intercourse, more than one third, (36.8%) thought that sexually active adults 55 and over never use condoms. A discussion of the implications for disease prevention programs and community practice is presented emphasizing the importance of empowerment strategies in health promotion programs and the strengthening of multidisciplinary collaborative efforts to effect positive community health changes.     

Voices of Hispanic Caribbean Women

Abstract

Few studies on Caribbean women in the United States are based on women's realities or view these issues from their perspective and even fewer compare Caribbean women living in the United States to each other. Gender as an important factor of emigration experience has been neglected. This article presents (1) the results of a qualitative study describing changes in Caribbean women's lives after living in the United States for a period of ten or more years, and (2) a discussion of problems confronted by Latinas in a society different from their native countries of origin. The voices of Caribbean women on the process of migration, family values, and work experiences, are analyzed from a gender perspective. Implications for human services professions practice and recommendation for future research are also presented.     

Reasons for the adoption of celibacy among older men and women living with HIV/AIDS

The reasons for becoming celibate following diagnosis with HIV/AIDS were examined using focused interviews with 63 infected older adults (ages 50 ‐ 68). Forty‐eight percent reported they were currently celibate or had been celibate following diagnosis with HIV/AIDS. Women reported celibacy (78%) more than men (36%). Although men and women reported some similar reasons for celibacy, most notably fear of infecting others and fear of reinfection, we also found gender differences in the reasons for celibacy. Additional reasons offered by women included loss of interest in sex, anger and distrust of men, and desire to focus on themselves rather than men. Other reasons offered by men included fear of rejection or stigma‐tization, difficulty with sexual performance, and negative body image. The prevalence of celibacy and the finding that many reasons for celibacy are related to fear, anger, and distrust suggests that older adults may have difficulty resuming healthy sexual relationships following diagnosis with HIV/AIDS.     

Adolescents' Daily Assistance to the Family in Response to Maternal Need

Although children's provision of family assistance is a common routine, little is understood about the day‐to‐day variability that may exist in children's assistance behaviors. Guided by a family systems framework, the current study examined whether Mexican American adolescents' provision of family assistance was contingent on daily maternal need. Adolescents (N = 354, 49% males, M_age = 14.96 years) and their mothers (M_age = 41.55 years) each completed reports on 14 consecutive days. The results indicated that adolescents generally responded to maternal need, being more likely to help their families on days when their mothers worked or felt fatigued. This daily contingency was modified by family and adolescent characteristics, with adolescents thought to generally engage in low levels of assistance (i.e., youngest males and those in families with little economic strain) increasing their help when their mothers were fatigued. In contrast, daily maternal work did not appear to stimulate greater assistance among families with low levels of economic strain.     

Mexican American and Other Hispanic Couples’ Relationship Dynamics: A Review to Inform Interventions Aimed at Promoting Healthy Relationships

Public policy initiatives have set out to promote healthy relationships among low-income racial and ethnic-minority couples. Interventions used, however, are based on decades of research with primarily White, middle-class, college-educated couples and have yielded disappointing results. The aim of this literature review is to provide the reader with the current state of knowledge on relationship dynamics among the fastest growing ethnic-minority group in the United States: Mexican American (MA) Hispanics and other Hispanic subgroups. Thirty-seven empirical journal articles focusing on the following domains of interest were reviewed: (1) patterns of union formation and dissolution, (2) ideals and views about marriage, (3) relationship satisfaction and quality, (4) communication and conflict, and (5) unique themes. MA couples have higher marital rates, a decreased risk of marital dissolution, and report greater relationship satisfaction than African American couples. First-generation and less acculturated MA couples have a decreased risk of experiencing marital dissolution and dissatisfaction than second- and third-generation MA couples. Cultural variables such as family values and religion seem to play an important role in MA and other Hispanic couples’ relationship satisfaction and stability. In the interest of enhancing the effectiveness of intervention efforts directed at these couples, future research should focus on elucidating the mechanisms by which acculturation impacts MA couple functioning, examining the impact of other facets of relationship quality (e.g., emotional intimacy, support) on marital satisfaction, broadening samples to include other Hispanic subgroups, and exploring the types of services and method of delivery that MA and other Hispanic couples would like to receive. Limitations and strengths of the existing literature are discussed.     

Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions for Anxiety Disorders: Rapid Review Suggestion of Larger Effects among Hispanic than Non-Hispanic White People

ABSTRACT

Anxiety disorders are common among Hispanic people. Evidence-based guidelines indicate cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI), but they were developed primarily with non-Hispanic white (NHW) people. This rapid scoping review and meta-analysis clarified the relative effectiveness of CBI with Hispanics and NHW people with anxiety disorders and explored the clinical effects of cultural modifications among Hispanic people. Evidence from nine studies in the United States and one in Puerto Rico was synthesized. Meta-analysis of four randomized controlled trials (RCT) found no statistically or practically significant differences between Hispanic and NHW participants on anxiety alleviation. Both groups enjoyed large clinical benefits. However, a significantly greater drop-out rate among Hispanic participants was found. Meta-analytic adjustment for this study characteristic of loss to follow-up suggested a somewhat larger clinical benefit among NHW people. Scoping synthesis of six non-RCTs suggested that deep cultural adaptations of CBI would substantially improve outcomes among Hispanic people. Consistent with Hispanic-paradox and barrio advantage theories such culturally sensitive interventions may well take beneficial Hispanic outcomes beyond those of NHW people. This field's synthetic knowledge, therefore, essentially consists of two competing hypotheses that will require rigorous testing with a necessarily larger and better controlled RCT than has been represented in this field thus far.