Evidence for a common dissociative-like reaction among addicts

A questionnaire was designed to test selected aspects of the author's General Theory of Addictions (Jacobs, 1982). Data were collected from groups of compulsive gamblers, alcoholics, and compulsive overeaters, and compared with the responses to the same questionnaire obtained from normative samples of adolescents and adults. The more inclusive term, compulsive gambler, has been used throughout, since the sample of gamblers in this study included an inpatient subgroup who had been diagnosed as pathological gamblers, as well as a subgroup of Gamblers Anonymous members who had not been clinically evaluated. Findings support the author's theoretical position that, when indulging, different kinds of addicts will tend to share a common set of dissociativelike experiences that differentiate them from nonaddicts. This has been termed a state of altered identity.     

Large scale communication networks—Design and analysis

The paper discusses the problem of design and analysis of large scale communication systems. An iterative process, composed of a minimum cost network design algorithm and a network performance algorithm, is presented for the solution of these problems. Computational considerations, using these algorithms, are discussed.     

Children of problem gamblers

An anonymous 37-item Health Survey was administered to 844 randomly selected ninth- to twelfth-grade students in four Southern California public high schools. Systematic information was gathered about their general health, quality of life, school and work adjustment, involvement with a range of potentially addictive substances and activities, and indications of psychosocial maladjustment, including difficulties with the law and suicide attempts. A series of self-ratings of students who characterized one or both of their parents as having a compulsive gambling problem (N=52) were contrasted with those of their classmates who reported no gambling problem among their parents (N=792). Findings have been grouped into three major areas: (a) comparative levels and reported effects of involvement with health-threatening behaviors (i.e., smoking, drinking, drug use, overeating, and gambling); (b) comparative incidence of psychosocial risk indicators (i.e., broken home, unhappy childhood and teenage years, legal action pending, overall quality of youth rated as poor); and (c) comparative incidence of dysphoria, school and work problems, and suicide attempts. Across each of these areas children of parents said to gamble excessively were found to be at consistently greater risk than their classmates who did not describe their parents as having a problem with compulsive gambling. These findings strongly suggest that without early and competent intervention, children of parents who gamble excessively: (a) will be seriously disadvantaged when attempting to solve their present adolescent and future adult problems of living; and (b) as a consequence are, themselves, high-risk candidates for developing one or another form of dysfunctional adjustment, including an addictive pattern of behavior.     

Migradollars and development: a reconsideration of the Mexican case

"Economic arguments, quantitative data, and ethnographic case studies are presented to counter popular misconceptions about international labor migration and its economic consequences in Mexico. The prevailing view is that Mexico-U.S. migration discourages autonomous economic growth within Mexico, at both the local and national levels, and that it promotes economic dependency. However, results estimated from a multiplier model suggest that the inflow of migradollars stimulates economic activity, both directly and indirectly, and that it leads to significantly higher levels of employment, investment, and income within specific communities and the nation as a whole. The annual arrival of around $2 billion migradollars generates economic activity that accounts for 10 percent of Mexico's output and 3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product."     

Work and mental health: the experience of the Quebec workforce between 1987 and 1998

This study examines the distribution of psychological distress in twelve occupational groups over the decade 1987-1998 in the Quebec workforce. Cross-sectional data from the three phases of the Quebec Health and Social Survey are used with n = 9,450 in 1987, n = 10,947 in 1992 and n = 10,960 in 1998, totalling 31,357 workers aged 15 and over. Occupations are classified according to the Canadian Socio-economic Classification of Occupations. Prevalence estimates for occupational groups are computed and logistic regression analyses are conducted controlling for gender, age and marital status. The results show that the prevalence of workers with psychological distress increased sharply between 1987 and 1992 and declined back in 1998 but still increased compared to 1987. However, only non-qualified white collars, semi-qualified blue collars and male non-qualified blue collars show a significant increment in psychological distress over time. Analysis of the differentials in the prevalence of psychological distress gives greater odds of distress for supervisors, semi-qualified white and blue collar workers compared to upper managers. The odds for occupations are stable over time, gender, age and marital status. The odds of female workers significantly decreased in the three phases. It appears that the restructuring of the work environment and the perturbations in the larger society promoted an increase of psychological distress within definite segments of the workforce. The specific contribution of occupation is limited but supervisors and occupations requiring lower qualifications are more at risk regarding mental health at work.