Equal Protection versus Free Speech Rights: When Gains Loom Larger than Losses

This paper examines the tension between equal protection and free speech in the hate speech context through a prospect theory lens. Two hundred and fifty‐four participants recruited through Amazon's Mechanical Turk read a First Amendment free speech or Fourteenth Amendment equal protection argument framed to endorse the protections gained by each right, the losses avoided by each right, or the security provided by each right. Results showed gain‐framing was more persuasive than loss‐framing. Participant race and constitutional principle influenced punishment invoked for cross burning but not destruction of property or trespassing. Participants who received a positive framed equal protection argument believed the target would experience stronger negative emotions, particularly under low intimidation. Furthermore, participants receiving a positive frame speech argument believed the target would be less willing to support suppression. Unlike previous research, which suggests an equal protection principle default, this study demonstrated an impact of framed statements on decisions.Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Impact of Latino Caregiver Acculturation on Treatment Engagement in Children’s Community Mental Health Services

Ongoing treatment engagement is low in children’s community mental health. Although concerns are more pronounced for racial/ethnic minorities, findings have been mixed when comparing racial/ethnic minorities with Non-Hispanic Whites. Within-group variability, such as level of acculturation, may be a more proximal predictor of treatment engagement. The current study aimed to examine the effect of Latino caregivers’ acculturation on ongoing treatment engagement indicators, specifically session attendance, premature treatment termination, and treatment satisfaction. Participants were families of youth, ages 5–15, with a Latino primary caregiver (N = 93) receiving treatment for anxiety/trauma, depression, or disruptive behavior problems in community-based mental health agencies. Caregivers were classified into low and high acculturation groups using latent class analysis based on demographic indicators, such as nativity status and primary language spoken. Groups significantly differed in terms of caregivers’ nativity status, age at immigration, primary language spoken, language of study assessment completion, and language spoken in the home. Families of low acculturation caregivers no showed to significantly fewer planned treatment sessions than families of highly acculturated caregivers. Treatment satisfaction did not differ between groups. Low acculturation families also had lower odds of prematurely withdrawing from treatment. Results of this study highlight the importance of considering family characteristics such as acculturation when engaging families in treatment.     

Ethics in Community-University-Artist Partnered Research: Tensions,Contradictions and Gaps Identified in an ‘Arts for Social Change’ Project

Academics from diverse disciplines are recognizing not only the procedural ethical issues involved in research, but also the complexity of everyday “micro” ethical issues that arise. While ethical guidelines are being developed for research in aboriginal populations and low-and-middle-income countries, multi-partnered research initiatives examining arts-based interventions to promote social change pose a unique set of ethical dilemmas not yet fully explored. Our research team, comprising health, education, and social scientists, critical theorists, artists and community-activists launched a five-year research partnership on arts-for-social change. Funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council in Canada and based in six universities, including over 40 community-based collaborators, and informed by five main field projects (circus with street youth, theatre by people with disabilities, dance for people with Parkinson’s disease, participatory theatre with refugees and artsinfused dialogue), we set out to synthesize existing knowledge and lessons we learned. We summarized these learnings into 12 key points for reflection, grouped into three categories: community-university partnership concerns (n?=?3), dilemmas related to the arts (n?=?5), and team issues (n?=?4). In addition to addressing previous concerns outlined in the literature (e.g., related to consent, anonymity, dangerous emotional terrain, etc.), we identified power dynamics (visible and hidden) hindering meaningful participation of community partners and university-based teams that need to be addressed within a reflective critical framework of ethical practice. We present how our team has been addressing these issues, as examples of how such concerns could be approached in community-university partnerships in arts for social change.