Research ethics for mental health science involving ethnic minority children and youths

In response to U.S. Public Health Service projects promoting attention to disparities in the outcomes of mental health treatments, in July 2001, the American Psychological Association, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the Fordham University Center for Ethics Education convened a group of national leaders in bioethics, multicultural research, and ethnic minority mental health to produce a living document to guide ethical decision making for mental health research involving ethnic minority children and youths. This report summarizes the key recommendations distilled from these discussions.     

Goodness-of-fit ethic for informed consent to research involving adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities

This article reviews current theory and research on informed consent policies for adults with mental retardation within a relational ethics framework that re-conceptualizes consent vulnerability in terms of the goodness-of-fit between participant decisional capacities and the specific consent context. Conceptualizing informed consent competence as a product of the relationship between person and consent context shifts assessment of decisional capacity away from an exclusive focus on a research participant's cognitive deficiencies to (a) an examination of those aspects of the consent setting that are creating or exacerbating consent vulnerability and (b) consideration of how the setting can be modified to produce a consent process that best reflects and protects the hopes, values, concerns, and welfare of adults with developmental disabilities.     

FutureNatural?: A Future of Science Through The Lens of Wisdom

This paper offers a theological critique of the future of 'nature' as suggested by New Biology, including recent developments in genetic engineering. It explores the biblical basis for grounding a theology of creation in the wisdom motif. The relationship between wisdom and creation in the Old Testament is discussed. The link between wisdom, Christ and the Holy Spirit is suggestive of wisdom's involvement in re-creation as well as initial creation. An argument is put forward for a Trinitarian basis for wisdom. The relationship between wisdom and apocalyptic literature gives a clue as to how wisdom might contribute to theological reflection on the future. Wisdom as metaphor is used to construct a new future of science. By reformulating the future of creation in the light of wisdom a future of science comes into view that meets the postmodern requirement for adaptability and diversity, but without forgetting the idea of distinction between humanity and the natural world. The long tradition of wisdom brings both a rootedness in historical perspectives and dynamic flexibility that serves to inform the relationship between God and the natural world. A measure of stability is a requirement in shaping perspectives for the future, particularly if the ambivalence and anxiety associated with new explorations in science are to be met.     

Alcohol and Other Drug Use Among African-American Students in a Southern University

This analysis of the circumstances of alcohol and other drug use among African-American students at a predominantly White university indicated that the majority of these students drank in a responsible manner. Other drug use was almost nonexistent. Strong peer disapproval was exhibited toward drug users and alcohol abusers. Counselors dealing with such problems must be cognizant of the multicultural aspects of these behaviors.     

Reporting and referring research participants: ethical challenges for investigators studying children and youth

Researchers studying at-risk and socially disenfranchised child and adolescent populations are facing ethical dilemmas not previously encountered in the laboratory or the clinic. One such set of ethical challenges involves whether to: (a) share with guardians research-derived information regarding participant risk, (b) provide participants with service referrals, or (c) report to local authorities problems uncovered during the course of investigation. The articles assembled for this special section address the complex issues of deciding if, when, and how to report or provide referrals for research participants who are minors (referred to hereafter as minor research participants). This paper focuses on two factors underlying these decisions: the validity of risk estimates and meta-ethical positions on scientific responsiblity. It is suggested that, before sharing information about minor research participants investigators should do the following: critically examine the diagnostic validity of developmental measures, include the scope and limitations of information sharing in informed consent procedures, and become familiar with state reporting laws. I discuss the impact of the traditionally accepted act utilitarian meta-ethical position on the investigator-participant relationship, and I recommend consideration of alternative positions as a step toward developing a research ethic of scientific responsibility and care.     

Effects of cooperative,competitive, and individualistic sets on performance in children's groups

Four instructional sets were employed in a study of task performance in triads of first- (age 7 years) and third-grade (age 9 years) children: promotive (equal rewards given to each participant for 12 trials); individualistic (rewards given in proportion to individual performance for 12 trials); contrient-promotive (winner take all for 6 trials followed by equal rewards for 6 trials); and contrient-individualistic (winner take all for 6 trials followed by proportional rewards for 6 trials). Performance under the promotive condition was superior to performance in the other conditions during the first half of the session. Promotive conditions improved performance during the second half of the session in triads that had received contrient instructions earlier but not to levels reached under continuous promotive conditions. Results are discussed in relation to theories of cooperation and competition.     

British research productivity in psychology 1980–1989. Does the Lotka-Price law apply to university departments as it does to individuals?

This study replicated two American studies which set out to look at research productivity in British (university and polytechnic) psychology departments based on publication in the seven BPS journals over the last decade. Composite productivity scores were calculated, rank-ordered, and compared with previous reputational ratings. The correlation between the productivity score and Rushton's [(1989) The Psychologist, 2, 64–68] citation score was r=0.79 and his publication score was r=0.77. Despite the fact that quite different methods have been used to rate or rank departmental excellence or output, they seem to show highly significant correlations. The effect of highly productive individuals within departments was considered. The dangers and limitations inherent in this particular productivity count are listed. The results seemed to suggest that the Lotka-Price law of scientific productivity partly applied to departments in that half of all scientific contributions are made by (slightly more than) the square root of the total number of scientific contributors (in this sense psychology departments).     

Therapeutic strategies for Mexican-American families

This paper emphasizes the need for therapists to develop culturally attuned approaches to families. Family therapy strategies effective with families of Mexican descent are related to specific stages of the treatment process. Categories of problems presented by Mexican-American families are defined and corresponding therapist roles suggested. A specific class of interventions, labeledcultural strategies, makes use of culture in the service of therapy. Although the illustrations presented are of Mexican-American families, the concepts can be adapted to other ethnic families.     

IMPACT OF REFLECTIVE SUPERVISION ON EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTIONISTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF SELF‐EFFICACY,JOB SATISFACTION,AND JOB STRESS

Despite widespread recognition of the importance of reflective practice in the field of infant mental health, little quantitative research exists regarding the impact of reflective supervision on professionals’ self‐efficacy, job satisfaction, and work‐related stress. Thirty‐three early childhood interventionists received approximately 9 months of reflective supervision and completed pre‐ and post‐assessments of their job‐related stress and self‐efficacy using a modified version of the Reflective Supervision Self‐Efficacy Scales for Supervisees (S. Shea, S. Goldberg, & D.J. Weatherston, 2012). At the post‐assessment, participants also rated their overall experience of reflective supervision. Reported self‐efficacy increased significantly from pre‐ to post‐assessment, and participants reported a positive overall impact of reflective supervision with respect to a variety of indices, such as job satisfaction, professional development, and the ability to cope with job‐related stress. These results provide necessary quantitative data demonstrating a positive impact of reflective supervision on early childhood professionals and suggest the value of reflective supervision for supporting workforce development.