Profile of urban vs rural drivers detected drink driving via Roadside Breath Testing (RBT) in Queensland,Australia, between 2000 and 2011

ProblemIn Australia, as in many other countries, a disproportionate number of drink driving crashes occur on rural roads.Aims and methodThe study used Queensland Police Random Breath Testing (RBT) data from 2000–2011 to (a) comparing drink driving rates and RBT efficacy in areas of increasing remoteness (b) compare drink driver factors and the circumstances of apprehensions in rural and urban areas.ResultsGenerally, rural areas had a higher detection rate per RBT intercepts and a greater number of apprehensions per licensed drivers than the state average. Main effects showed that rural drivers were more likely to be male and to be a reoffender but less likely to be apprehended between midnight and 5.59 am and after visiting a licensed venue. Urban drivers were more likely to be aged 17–49 years and to be apprehended with a BAC < 0.15%.ConclusionDifferences in RBT effectiveness and drink driving factors and circumstances exist between rural and urban areas.Practical applicationThe greater number of drink drivers in rural areas signal a need for targeted interventions in these areas. To increase the effectiveness of such interventions, further research should examine the mechanisms responsible for these observed differences between rural and urban drink driver.     

Registration and Voting in a Patriotic Organization

Summary

A positive relationship between firstborns and need affiliation and school activities was found among 56 high school males who were given the need affiliation EPPS scale. Urban youths had higher need affiliation scores, but the number of activities engaged in were no greater than among rural Ss. The rural later born child has significantly lower need affiliation scores, suggesting a strong rural/urban effect which is not apparent among firstborns.     

The Effect of Members' Use of a Formal Group as a Reference Group upon Group Effectiveness

Summary

To test the view that “urban” and “rural” workers in the same job derive satisfaction from different aspects in the work situation, 42 black supervisors were divided into urban and rural groups in terms of the number of years spent in a city or town. Among the urban group, the correlation between satisfaction with content job factors and overall job satisfaction, as measured by the Brayfield-Rothe index, was significantly greater than that between context factors and overall job satisfaction. Among the rural group, the position was reversed.     

Aging Anglican Clergy and Effectiveness in Urban Ministry

ABSTRACT

This study employs path analysis to examine the relationship between clergy age and certain quantitative indices of church life in a sample of 983 urban churches. The data indicate that clergy aged sixty or over have contact with fewer children on a typical Sunday, generate fewer adult confirmation candidates and are less actively involved in promoting adult house groups. These findings are discussed in the light of a growing body of research concerned with clergy aging. It is suggested that older clergy may perform better in suburban parishes than in either rural or urban ministry.     

Challenges of Urban Mental Health Disaster Planning

Summary

Establishing disaster preparedness is an urgent matter, particularly with regard to mental health. This article examines the challenges of mental health disaster planning in the context of an urban setting, which may differ from those pertaining to rural areas. The need to better integrate public health disaster planning and mental health disaster planning is critical. This document particularly focuses on the challenges involved in leading, coordinating, and convening an urban mental health disaster response. With time, dedication, resources, and creation of effective policy, successful mental health response capability will evolve and endure.     

Group Affiliations of University Students in the Arab Middle East

Summary

A study was undertaken in Morocco in order to separate the effects of age and formal schooling on the development of cognitive style. A total of 384 boys (age range: 6–22 years) were selected from environmental backgrounds including: urban/schooled, rural/schooled, urban/nonschooled, and rural/nonschooled. Results indicated that chronological age and schooling played major, but independent roles in promoting perceptual development (and “field independent” cognitive style), while childhood environment appeared to have little effect. It was concluded that general statements about the effects of cultural socialization practices on cognitive style should be tempered by considering particular environmental experiences (such as formal schooling) that may significantly influence cognitive assessment techniques that are said to measure cognitive style.     

Sociometric Technique and Experimental Method in Social Psychology

Summary

Tasks adapted from Piaget's studies of concepts of geometrical space were presented to 133 Zulu youths from rural and urban areas of Natal. Ss' ages ranged from 11 years to 20 years, and schooling from nil to seven years. The association of performances with age, schooling, and rural-urban residence suggested that youths who grow up in town and attend school from an early age proceed to a Euclidean concept of space, while others are likely to retain the topological ideas usually associated with much younger groups.     

Episode-specific drinking-to-cope motivation and next-day stress-reactivity

Background: Research consistently shows drinking-to-cope (DTC) motivation is uniquely associated with drinking-related problems. We furthered this line of research by examining whether DTC motivation is predictive of processes indicative of poor emotion regulation. Specifically, we tested whether nighttime levels of episode-specific DTC motivation, controlling for drinking level, were associated with intensified affective reactions to stress the following day (i.e. stress-reactivity). Design and Methods: We used a micro-longitudinal design to test this hypothesis in two college student samples from demographically distinct institutions: a large, rural state university (N?=?1421; 54% female) and an urban historically Black college/university (N?=?452; 59% female). Results: In both samples the within-person association between daily stress and negative affect on days following drinking episodes was stronger in the positive direction when previous night's drinking was characterized by relatively higher levels of DTC motivation. We also found evidence among students at the state university that average levels of DTC motivation moderated the daily stress-negative affect association. Conclusions: Findings are consistent with the notion that DTC motivation confers a unique vulnerability that affects processes associated with emotion regulation.     

A description of 5- to 12-year old children's conception of health within the context of their daily life

Abstract

This study describes children's conception of health within the context of their daily life. Participants were boys and girls (n = 1,674) from three age groups (5–6, 8–9, and 11–12 years old) from different socio-economic living environments in urban and rural areas. In general, the results indicate that children's conception of health is multidimensional and is rooted in their daily-life experiences. Essentially, it is organized around three main dimensions, functionality, adherence to good lifestyle health habits, and mental health. Variations by age and living environment differences suggest that children's conception of health may reflect differences in their organization of information into schemata on the basis of their experience as well as structural changes in cognitive development.     

Methods in Social Neuroscience,edited by Eddie Harmon-Jones and Jennifer Beer

Abstract

A 10-item Service Ethic Scale was developed and its relationship to personal and demographic variables was analyzed using a sample of secondary school administrators. Ninety-two usable surveys were obtained from a sample of 150 secondary school administrators randomly chosen from the 1994–1995 Louisiana Directory of Schools (Bureau of School Accountability, 1994). Results of exploratory factor analysis showed that the scale had 1 factor that explained 63.2% of the variance, and showed excellent reliability. The scale was significantly correlated with endorsement of the Protestant work ethic and the desire to implement an ethical values curriculum. However, the scale was not related to participants' gender, age, job tenure, or school location (i.e., rural or urban).     

Child Access and Visitation Following Divorce: A Growth Area for Marriage and Family Therapy

Recent federal legislation encourages states to increase noncustodial parents' access and visitation with their children following separation or divorce. The State of Iowa Department of Human Services Bureau of Collections commissioned a pilot study to provide a beginning picture of how parents and professionals experience the child access and visitation process. Two midsized urban centers and a rural community were studied. A total of 14 divorced parents and 16 professionals who work with divorced individuals were interviewed using a 2-hour focus group format. Study findings identified problematic themes regarding child access and visitation, potential solutions, and suggested services to address these problems. The services suggested by the study all fall within the professional expertise of marriage and family therapists. A primary finding of the study was the need for therapy and mediation focused on relational issues.     

Adolescents' family obligation and activities in rural and urban Vietnam: Implications for social change

This study examined how urbanisation may modify adolescents' values and activities concerning family obligation by surveying 572 adolescents (M_age = 15.75, SD = .73) in rural and urban Vietnam. Compared with their rural peers, urban adolescents reported a stronger sense of family obligation but spent less time actually engaging in family assistance, findings that were partly explained by urban households' less financial hardship and higher parental education levels. As expected, stronger family obligation values were associated with greater family assistance activities across rural and urban Vietnam. However, stronger family obligation values were associated with more study hours only in urban Vietnam, indicating that urbanisation may broaden the meaning of family obligation to encompass the academic domain. Additionally, weaker family obligation values were associated with more employment hours only in rural Vietnam, suggesting that rural adolescents with little attachment to the traditional value of family obligation may pursue autonomy through employment outside the home. In traditionally familistic societies undergoing urbanisation, family obligation may take on different meaning depending on adolescents' ecological settings that construct cultural values and behavioural norms.     

Does attractiveness buy happiness? “It depends on where you’re from”

Abstract Previous studies document that attractiveness predicts life outcomes, including well‐being and social connectedness. This study investigates whether the attractiveness–outcomes link is especially strong in settings, such as many urban areas, that promote relationship constructions as a product of personal choice. This link may weaken in settings, such as many rural areas, that promote less voluntaristic‐independent relationship constructions. Analyses of survey data from a national representative (United States) sample supported these hypotheses. Attractiveness (operationalized as waist‐to‐hip ratio) predicted well‐being and social connectedness among urban (n = 257) but not rural (n = 330) women. Social connectedness mediated the urban–rural moderation of the attractiveness/well‐being link. Findings suggest that frequently observed attractiveness effects are the product of particular, modern social contexts that promote relationship choice.     

Urban residents' subtle prejudice towards rural‐to‐urban migrants in China: The role of socioeconomic status and adaptation styles

The household registration system (Hukou) implemented by the Chinese government divides the Chinese society into two groups: urban residents and rural residents. Since the 1980s, millions of rural residents have migrated to cities without official permission. In this paper, we investigate urban residents' subtle prejudice towards rural‐to‐urban migrants. Specifically, the impacts of urban residents' socioeconomic status (SES) and their perception of migrants' adaptation styles are examined. A sample including 457 Chinese urban residents is taken from four cities in China. Educational and occupational levels are used to indicate urban residents' SES. Four adaptation styles (integration, assimilation, separation and marginalization) are manipulated by using vignettes. The results show that SES has a negative impact on urban residents' subtle prejudice. This link is further moderated by urban residents' perceptions of migrants' adaptations: the negative effect of SES on subtle prejudice holds only under a perception of integration or assimilation and disappears under a perception of separation or marginalization. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The relationship between home environment and early childhood development of left-behind children under 3 years in rural China

BackgroundHome environment provides stimulation and learning opportunities required for children’s early development. However, few studies have focused on the effects of home environment on left-behind children’s development in rural China. The study aimed to investigate the relationship between home environment and early childhood development of left-behind children under 3 years old in rural China.MethodsInformation about sociodemographic characteristics, caregivers’ mental health, home environment and children’s development was collected. Infant/Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment Inventory (IT-HOME) was used to assess home environment. Child’s development was evaluated with the Chinese version of the Ages & Stages Questionnaire - third edition.ResultsElevated caregivers’ depressive symptoms were associated with a higher risk of total suspected development delay. An increase of one score in the IT-HOME resulted in a 7% decrease in total suspected development delay. Higher scores in the dimensions of involvement and variety were associated with a lower risk of suspected development delay adjusting for covariates.ConclusionsOur results have implications for home-based intervention aiming at promoting nurturing care as well as caregivers’ mental health, which is required for early development of young left-behind children in rural areas of China.     

Personality and Preference for Rural Ministry Among Male Anglican Clergy

The short-form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was completed by 81 male Anglican clergy in charge of rural benefices and by 72 in charge of urban benefices. The rural clergy recorded higher scores on the extraversion and lie scales. These findings are discussed in light of the changing nature of rural ministry.     

How to improve the walking realm in a car-oriented city? (Dis)agreements between professionals

PurposeUrban environments and transport systems can enable and encourage walking, and therefore play a key role in climate action, public health, equity of access, and population wellbeing. The question, especially in cities that have been dominated by car traffic, is how? The challenge is heightened by the multidisciplinary involvements in the design, operation, and maintenance of urban infrastructure.This study examines the views of professionals from different disciplines involved in delivering walking environments in Auckland, New Zealand. The study examines agreements and disagreements regarding users’ needs, priorities, challenges, and evidence gaps for delivering quality walking environments in a car-dominated city.MethodsPrimary data were collected through an online survey (N = 28) and a focus group, both involving professionals active in urban design, road safety, transport planning, public health, urban development and strategy. Analysis involved content coding and comparing the frequency of responses across professional groups.ResultsThe results indicated a consensus on the complexity associated with providing walking environments, as well as the importance of the quality of street environments. The lack of priority given to walking, car-dominated environments, and the inability to deliver change were seen as challenges. The inputs suggested a negative chain reaction linking the low priority of walking and the lack of consensus relative to users’ experience. There appeared to be a lack of common understanding of users’ needs and experiences and a paucity of evidence on this topic.ConclusionThe findings suggest the need for urban retrofit rooted in a sound understanding of users’ needs and experiences, and walkability as a sub-system of the urban environment. Recommendations include higher interdisciplinary collaboration at the policy and practice level, reviewed delivery processes, and better-quality data.     

Rural‐Urban Differences in Suicide Rates for Current Patients of a Public Mental Health Service in Australia

Rural versus urban rates of suicide in current patients of a large area mental health service in Australia were compared. Suicide deaths were identified from compulsory root cause analyses of deaths, 2003–2007. Age‐standardized rates of suicide were calculated for rural versus urban mental health service and compared using variance of age‐standardized rates with 95% confidence intervals. There were 44 suicides and the majority (62%) were rural. Only urban patients used jumping from heights as a method of suicide (4/17; p = 0.02). Rural patients had 2.7 times higher rates of suicide, similar to findings for rural versus urban community suicides and may reflect the underlying community rates, differences in mental health service delivery, or socioeconomic disadvantage.     

The Predictive Ability of Voters

Summary

A field experiment utilizing three dependent measures was conducted to test the generality of the urban incivility hypothesis: interaction between strangers is less civil, helpful, and cooperative in an urban environment than in a nonurban environment. One hundred sixteen field situations were enacted in Boston and in several small towns in eastern Massachusetts and involved requests for assistance by a wrong-number phone caller, overpayments to store clerks, and “lost” postcards. For each measure, the likelihood of help was greater in the nonurban than in the urban locales.