The effect of within-pair variation and instructions on the transposition behavior of kindergarten and third grade children

The reported studies examined the test choices of kindergarten and third-grade children in the two-stimulus size transposition problem in response to variations in (a) the magnitude of the size difference between two objects (the within-pair difference), (b) the distance between training and test pairs (“near” and “far” tests), and (c) verbal instructions. It was hypothesized that third graders would be sensitive to variations in the degree of the difference between two objects and to instructions which identify specific aspects of the stimulus array. In contrast, kindergarteners were expected to base their choices upon the direction of the difference, and thus transpose regardless of within-pair variations and instructions. Results generally confirmed these expectations, supporting the notion that children at these ages differ in their organization of the stimulus field and in the scale of measurement they apply to objects differing in size.     

Suicide and Suicidal Attempts in the United States: Costs and Policy Implications

The national cost of suicides and suicide attempts in the United States in 2013 was $58.4 billion based on reported numbers alone. Lost productivity (termed indirect costs) represents most (97.1%) of this cost. Adjustment for under‐reporting increased the total cost to $93.5 billion or $298 per capita, 2.1–2.8 times that of previous studies. Previous research suggests that improved continuity of care would likely reduce the number of subsequent suicidal attempts following a previous nonfatal attempt. We estimate a highly favorable benefit–cost ratio of 6 to 1 for investments in additional medical, counseling, and linkage services for such patients.     

Other-Initiated Motivational Climate and Youth Hockey Players’ Good and Poor Sport Behaviors

This study's purpose was to simultaneously examine the relationships between perceived coach-, peer-, and parent-initiated motivational climate and youth hockey players’ good and poor sport behavior (GPSB). Participants (N = 243) represented PeeWee, Bantam, and Midget hockey levels (11–17 years old). Hierarchical regression showed that hockey players’ goal orientations, perceived ability, and other-initiated motivational climate explained 22.6% (PeeWee) and 18.5% (Bantam/Midget) of the variance in Poor Sport Behavior while explaining 27.1% (PeeWee) and 34.6% (Bantam/Midget) of the variance in good sport behavior. Results provide perspective for how influential the social environment is to both GPSBs in youth hockey.     

Relationship Characteristics Associated with Teen Dating Violence Perpetration

Teen dating violence (TDV) is unstable across dating relationships, suggesting that characteristics of the relationship could be related to TDV. Few empirical studies have examined these links. This study examined associations between relationship characteristics and TDV perpetration among teens and sex differences in those associations. Relationship characteristics examined include tactics used to manipulate partners, ways of responding to relationship problems, relationship duration, exclusivity of the relationship, age difference between partners, and history of sexual intercourse with partner. Data were drawn from 667 teens in a current relationship (62.5% female and 81.4% White) enrolled in the 11th or 12th grade in 14 public schools in a rural U.S. state. Bivariate and multivariable regression analyses examined proposed associations. A total of 30.1% and 8.2% of teens reported controlling and physical TDV perpetration, respectively. In multivariable models, frequent use of manipulation tactics increased risk for controlling or physical TDV perpetration. Teens dating a partner 2 or more years younger were at significantly increased risk for both controlling and physical perpetration. A significant interaction emerged between sex and exit or neglect accommodation for physical TDV. Characteristics of a current dating relationship play an important role in determining risk for controlling and physical TDV perpetration.     

Racial Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Military Personnel: Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma as a Theoretical Lens

Various theorists have explored how intergenerational transmission of trauma impacts minority groups. Intergenerational trauma theories suggest that trauma(s) endured by a community have long-standing effects that can be passed on through generations. However, much of the research has focused on indigenous populations or Holocaust survivors despite the historical experiences of the African American community. The minority stress model adds support to intergenerational trauma theories, in that racial minority groups might suffer worse health due to a variety of stressors. Racial minorities are also at greater risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Within military populations, PTSD is one of many mental health issues and has been labeled one of the signature injuries of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) criteria for PTSD do not take into account the effects of intergenerational trauma, discrimination, or racism. This article proposes that intergenerational trauma theories and the minority stress model provide explanations for why many studies have found that African American military personnel have higher rates of PTSD compared to their White peers. Indeed, African American military personnel with PTSD might be better understood through more culturally inclusive frameworks (e.g., complex trauma, race-based traumatic stress), because the stressors they experience as racial minorities might exacerbate or lead to symptoms of PTSD.     

The role of procedural memory in grammar and numeracy skills

The objective of this study was to examine the contribution of procedural memory to grammar and numeracy skills, which both involve the manipulation of abstract patterns. Seventy-six typically developing children between 5 and 7 years of age were assessed on grammar with a past tense production task and a sentence comprehension task, on numeracy with a counting task and a calculation task, and on procedural memory with a serial reaction time task. Moderate correlations were found between the measures of grammar and numeracy. Moreover, 4 hierarchical linear regressions indicated that procedural memory was associated with calculation but not with counting or grammar skills when age and working memory were taken into account. These novel findings suggest that procedural memory may have a role to play in the development of some numeracy skills. Several possible explanations for the absence of contribution to grammar are considered.     

Disparities in access to family physicians among transgender people in Ontario,Canada

Background: Informed by the Gelberg-Andersen behavioral model for vulnerable populations, this study examined the prevalence of and factors associated with not having a family physician among transgender (trans) people in Ontario, Canada.

Methods: Data were drawn from a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) survey of trans Ontarians age 16 and above (n = 433) conducted between 2009 and 2010. All analyses were weighted using RDS II methods. Prevalence ratios were estimated using average marginal predictions from logistic regression models.

Results: An estimated 17.2% (95% CI, 11.0 to 22.9) of trans Ontarians (median age = 28.7, 77.3% White) did not have a regular family physician. In multivariable analyses accounting for other predisposing and need-related factors, transfeminine persons (trans women and non-binary persons assigned a male sex at birth) who were Indigenous and/or persons of color were less likely than other transfeminine persons to have a family doctor. In addition, trans persons who were homeless or had unstable housing were less likely to have a family doctor than those who were adequately housed.

Conclusions: These results provide the first quantitative evidence of health disparities by race and gender within a Canadian transgender population and suggest a social gradient in access to care within Ontario's “universal health insurance” system.     

Examining cultural socialization within African American and European American households

This preliminary study explored the cultural socialization processes of 227 African American and European American parents of elementary schoolchildren. The Cultural Value Socialization Scales (K. M. Tyler, A. W. Boykin, C. M. Boelter, & M. L. Dillihunt, 2005) were used to garner parents' reports of their cultural value socialization activities at home. The scales contained written vignettes depicting persons involved in activity that reflected a specific cultural value. Ethnocultural values examined were communalism, verve, movement, and affect, and mainstream cultural values included individualism, competition, bureaucracy, and materialism. Regression analyses reveal that being an African American parent was predictive of competition and materialism scores. Race was not a significant predictor of the remaining cultural value socialization scores. Limitations to the study are discussed.     

Counseling Expectations Among Students in an Opportunity Program: Dispositional and Cultural Influences

College students (N = 102) from African American and Latino backgrounds who participated in an opportunity program completed H. E. A. Tinsley's (1982) Expectations About Counseling‐Brief Form (EAC‐B) and measures of self‐esteem, attributional style, problem‐solving appraisal, acculturation, and cultural congruity. Lower self‐esteem and a more depressive attributional style were linked to lower counseling expectations. All 3 dispositional variables were more strongly related to counseling expectations among students reporting higher levels of immersion in their ethnic group of origin. Implications for help‐seeking and the counseling relationship are discussed.