‘Just kids playing sport (in a chair)’: experiences of children,families and stakeholders attending a wheelchair sports club

Children who use wheelchairs have few opportunities to play sport with their able-bodied peers and siblings. This appreciative, qualitative study explored the experiences of children, families and stakeholders at a wheelchair sports club. Participant observation, research activities, focus groups and interviews were used. Sixty-three people participated (37 children, 14 stakeholders, 10 parents, two older siblings). Thematic analysis identified one unifying theme (realising potential) and four main themes: invisibility of disability; ambivalence and attraction of the chair; fun and fellowship; and thrills and skills. The Cheetahs created opportunities for meaningful participation in wheelchair sports for children with and without disabilities.     

Learning about restoration of urban ecosystems: a case study integrating public participation,stormwater management,and ecological research

Restoration of ecosystem functions in urban environments is made challenging by 1) a public that often lacks understanding of ecological principles, 2) inadequate evidence of the effectiveness of restoration practices, and 3) difficulty integrating social and biophysical factors in studies of urban ecosystems. This paper describes a case study in which potential solutions to these challenges were explored. We facilitated collaborative learning through public participation in the design and implementation of an urban riparian buffer along a headwater stream in a neighborhood park, a process that was informed by ecological research. Learning outcomes were evaluated using surveys and qualitative assessment of discussion. Results indicated that participants’ knowledge about water quality problems associated with urbanization, stormwater, and nonpoint-source pollution increased, familiarity with stormwater management practices increased, and perceptions about the importance of stream ecosystem functions changed. In-stream monitoring of sediment delivery, as well as direct measurements of buffer infiltration capacity, provided early evidence of buffer effectiveness in prevention of sediment inputs to the stream and absorption of runoff from surrounding surfaces. This study provides a useful model for integration of collaborative learning through participation, ecological restoration, and ecological research in an urban setting. Elements deemed essential to success of this model included an opportunity for dialog focused on a specific natural feature, sustained interaction between participants and researchers, opportunities for hands-on participation by urban residents, and flexibility in restoration practice installation.     

Sexual Rehabilitation After Prostate Cancer Through Assistive Aids: A Comparison of Gay/Bisexual and Heterosexual Men

The use of assistive aids in sexual rehabilitation after prostate cancer (PCa) was examined in 124 gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) and 225 heterosexual men. GBM were significantly more likely to use assistive aids (79% versus 56%), to try multiple assistive aids (M = 1.65 versus M = 0.83) including medication, penile injection, penile implant, vacuum pump, and nonmedical sex aids, and to seek information about sexual rehabilitation on the Internet, through counseling, or in a support group. There were no differences between the groups in satisfaction with the use of assistive aids. However, use of aids was a significant negative predictor of sexual functioning for GBM and a significant positive predictor for heterosexual men. Interview accounts described satisfaction with assistive aids in terms of maintaining erectile functioning and relationships. The majority of men in the study also described hindrances, both physical and social, resulting in discontinuation of assistive aids, including perceived artificiality, loss of sexual spontaneity, side effects, failure to achieve erectile response, cost, and lack of access to information and support. It is concluded that the specific needs and concerns of GBM and heterosexual men regarding sexual rehabilitation after PCa need to be addressed by clinicians.     

Assessing the Psychometric Properties of Both a Global and a Domain-Specific Perceived Quality of Life Measure When Used with Youth Who Have Chronic Conditions

The purpose of this paper was to assess the psychometric properties of the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS) and the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS) when used with youth who have chronic conditions. Baseline data from a longitudinal study examining predictors of changes in perceived quality of life (PQOL) for youth with chronic conditions were used. SLSS and BMSLSS data were collected on over 400 youth aged 11–17 using youth self-report and parent proxy-report versions. Internal consistency, convergent validity, and factor structure were examined for both versions. Extent of agreement and magnitude of differences between youth and parent report were evaluated. Finally, gender, age, and condition group differences in youth report scores were examined for the SLSS and BMSLSS. Strong internal consistency was demonstrated for the youth and parent reports of both measures. As with normative samples, a single factor structure was found for youth and parent reports of the BMSLSS. However, both youth and parent reports of the SLSS had a two-factor structure: one consisting of five positively worded items, and the other, two negatively worded items. Youth reported their PQOL to be significantly higher than did their parents. Significant differences in PQOL scores for the youth report were not found by age, gender, or conditions. Findings show that, from a psychometric standpoint, the BMSLSS (both youth and parent report) is a promising measure of PQOL for use in population-based research with youth who have chronic conditions. The SLSS may need to be revised to exclude negative items when used with this population of youth.     

Heterosexism and social work education: The invisible challenge

This paper is concerned with the new discourse in social work education with its emphasis on anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice. This directive is examined critically in relation to sexual orientation, suggesting that the contemporary climate is confusing and far from straightforward. The ideological, theoretical and legislative contexts in which social work as a profession has developed are reviewed, and their heterosexist bias exposed. In contrast to developments in relation to racism and sexism, little attention has been given to heterosexism - yet the heterosexual hegemony needs challenging with urgency if we are to truly work in an anti-oppressive way with lesbians and gay men.     

Cumulative Risk for Early Sexual Initiation Among American Indian Youth: A Discrete‐Time Survival Analysis

Approximately 3 million teens are diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) annually; STDs rates for American Indian young adults are among the highest of any racial/ethnic group. An important risk factor for STDs is early initiation of sex. In this study, we examined risk for early initiation with 474 American Indian youth ages 14–18, using 11 risk factors from three developmentally important microsystems (family, school, peers) along with several individual characteristics; a cumulative risk index was also calculated. Discrete‐time survival analyses showed that predictors of early initiation differed by gender. For young men, younger initiation of sex was predicted by lower grades, liking school less, having peers with less prosocial attitudes, a greater likelihood of having used alcohol or drugs at first sex, and having higher sensation‐seeking. For young women, earlier initiation was related to having mothers who had their first child at an early age and who had less formal education, to having parents who had divorced, dropping out of high school, using alcohol/drugs at first sex, and higher sensation‐seeking. Higher cumulative risk was associated with elevated risk of sexual initiation, although the degree of added risk varied with age for women. Cumulative risk deserves broader attention in understanding the early initiation of sexual intercourse.     

HIV/AIDS-Core competencies for practice: A framework for the education and training of social workers

This article identifies the increasing relevance of HIV and AIDS for social work practice in the 1990s and argues that the topic should be included as a core component of all DipSW qualifying programmes. It identifies direct work with people affected by the virus, health education and the politics of AIDS in relation to anti-discriminatory practice as key features of this training. The new educational-agency partnerships developing around DipSW are welcomed as having the potential to ensure a continuum of training for social workers. Local authorities, for instance, should have sufficient influence upon basic training to ensure that workers enter employment with a basic awareness of HIV and AIDS and the complex issues which it raises for practice generally. Agencies can then focus on planning effective training strategies which meet the specific and specialist needs of workers arising out of particular areas of practice.

The importance of maximising upon the symbiotic relationship between agencies and educational institutions is stressed, in order to ensure that the rhetoric of partnership is translated into action.     

Relationship characteristics of couples married thirty years or more: A four-sample replication

A secondary analysis of four samples from earlier studies was used to test two hypotheses concerning long-term marriages. First, it was hypothesized that couples from marriages of 30 years or more duration would be characterized by higher levels of relationship quality, with the overall pattern between duration of marriage and relationship quality being curvilinear; across four samples of husbands and wives, only weak support was found for this hypothesis. A second hypothesis, that elements of intrinsic communication including positive regard, empathy, and congruence would be less important for couples from older marriages, received no support. Thus, it appears that relatively intrinsic components of the marital relationship are just as important currently for older couples as they are for younger couples, in spite of popular opinion to the contrary.The preparation of this paper was supported in part by the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, Contribution No. 84-516-J. Janette M. Copeland and Margaret A. Bugaighis are doctoral students, and Walter R. Schumm is an associate professor in the Department of Family and Child Development, College of Home Economics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506.