A decade of changes: Within-group analysis of LGBTQ individuals' perceptions of their community context and the relevance for social service providers

The previous decade has seen a drastic shift in the social environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people. It is not surprising then to find that the perceived “best” and “worst” aspects of life for nonmetropolitan LGBTQ individuals have also changed. We use data from two cohorts of the Rainbow Illinois survey to examine differences between responses in 2000 and 2011. Furthermore, we examine demographic differences in the perception of what is “best” and “worst” among the 2011 cohort. Results suggest that although the general social climate has improved for some, it remains problematic for others. Implications for social service providers are thoroughly discussed.     

Infants’ Lexical Processing Efficiency is Related to Vocabulary Size by One Year of Age

By 15–18 months, infants’ skill in interpreting familiar words, or lexical processing efficiency (LPE), improves substantially and is correlated with vocabulary size concurrently and several months later. Prior to this age LPE is quite poor, and to date there is little evidence that it is related to vocabulary size. If this relation only emerges once infants have relatively good LPE, and also know a substantial number of words, it could suggest that the processes that support the rapid growth in vocabulary commonly observed as infants approach age 2 may not yet be functional in the earlier stages of lexical development. However, using a modified LPE task we found that 12‐month‐olds with better LPE understood more words at that age and also produced more words several months later. These results suggest that meaningful individual differences in LPE are already emerging by 12 months and may support lexical development across the second year.     

Self Psychology and Male Child Sexual Abuse: Healing Relational Betrayal

The prevalence of male child sexual abuse (MCSA) is higher than initially thought with up to 26 % of men in community samples reporting sexual abuse in childhood, and up to 36 % of men in clinical samples reporting childhood sexual abuse. Disclosure of MCSA is complex because of men’s difficulties in viewing themselves as victims, especially of sexual violence. This difficulty is exacerbated by societal attitudes that sexual abuse rarely occurs with boys, and is further complicated with the taboo of victimization by same sex perpetrators. Too often, the response to disclosure is disbelief and minimization. For these reasons disclosure is often delayed or withheld thus prolonging the abuse. The negative effects of child sexual abuse are well documented and far reaching with depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, addictions, sexual dysfunction and impaired interpersonal relations as common presenting issues in therapy. Treatment is indicated for significant numbers of male survivors. This paper identifies aspects of interpersonal relational difficulties commonly experienced by male sexual abuse survivors, and describes self psychology as guiding a clinical approach to address these interpersonal difficulties. The application of self psychology with male sexual abuse survivors is traced and discussed through the use of a clinical case study with Adam.     

Innovation Management as a Post-Modern Phenomenon: The Outsourcing of Pharmaceutical R&D

The institutionalization of R&D by large, modern organizations is regarded as one of the most significant social and economic factors of the twentieth century. In recent years post-modern organizations have begun to replace bureaucratic control with market control. This approach is particularly attractive in the case of R&D employees who have been relatively successful in resisting direct managerial control. Government statistics are used to demonstrate that external R&D increased from 5% to 16% of internal R&D expenditure between 1989 and 1995. This trend is examined in the context of consolidation within the UK pharmaceutical industry, which has considerable implications for the sustainability of high-technology industry in the UK.     

Effects of a multimodal activation program (SimA-P) in residents of nursing homes

Is it possible to maintain or even enhance functional and cognitive independence in residents of nursing homes? Little is known about the potentials and limits of therapeutic methods designed to maintain independence in elderly people already in need of residential nursing care. The aim of the “Rehabilitation in Nursing Homes” research project was to determine the practicability and effectiveness of a rehabilitative approach targeting residents of nursing homes. The main objectives of the activation program were to maintain and enhance residents’ cognitive and functional autonomy. Data on psychological, functional, and medical variables were obtained from a sample of 294 nursing home residents (age range?=?70–99 years) at three points of measurement over a 12-month period. The intervention approach draws on the theoretical and practical findings of the SimA Study (“Bedingungen der Erhaltung und Förderung von Selbstständigkeit im höheren Lebensalter,” “conditions on maintaining and supporting independent living in old age”; Oswald et al., Z. Gerontopsychol. Psychiatr., 15:61–84, 2002, Z. Gerontopsychol. Psychiatr., 15:13–31, 2002) and incorporates the results of recent therapeutic and rehabilitative studies in the fields of geriatrics and gerontopsychiatry. The intervention involves a combined program of cognitive and physical activation. An alternative program based on biographical information was designed specifically for residents with dementia. Results show that the intervention had significant effects on cognitive and functional parameters. Moreover, transfer effects were observed with respect to activities of daily living and frequency of falls.