A national survey of U.S. statutes on juvenile transfer: implications for policy and practice

A survey of the statutes on juvenile transfer and cecertification in the U.S. federal and 50 state jurisdictions, and the District of Columbia, was performed. Relevant information was obtained on the procedures in each jurisdiction by which a juvenile can be tried in criminal court, whether there are applicable decertification (“transfer back”) procedures in jurisdictions permitting criminal court processing through automatic file or prosecutorial discretion, and the burden and allocation of proof in relevant proceedings. We also identified four criteria relevant to the mental, emotional, and developmental functioning of juveniles that are used in various jurisdictions in making transfer and decertification decisions: treatment needs and amenability, risk assessment of future criminality, the presence of mental retardation or mental illness, and certain kinds of offense characteristics. The majority of jurisdictions now allow 14-year-old juveniles to be tried in criminal court. Treatment needs/amenability and risk assessment are set forth as criteria relevant to transfer in the majority of jurisdictions as well, with the presence of mental retardation or mental illness explicitly relevant in a small number of jurisdictions. The patterns of these findings are discussed in their implications for social policy and for the forensic mental health assessment of juvenile transfer and decertification, with needed areas of research identified within each. ©1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of Tripartite Factors of Emotion in Children and Adolescents I: Structural Validity and Normative Data of an Affect and Arousal Scale

The authors developed and evaluated a self-report measure for children designed to assess factors of the tripartite model of emotion (Clark & Watson, 1991). Factor analytic results from a large, multi-ethnic sample (n = 1,289) supported the structural validity of the scale, with the additional suggestion that negative affect appeared to contain two lower order dimensions in the item pool. Confirmatory factor analysis in an independent sample of 300 children and adolescents suggested favorable structure. Consistent with prediction, positive and negative affect emerged as relatively orthogonal dimensions. Physiological hyperarousal was found to be positively correlated with negative affect. Normative data are presented, and tests for differences by sex, grade level, and ethnicity demonstrated nonsignificant or minimal differences between groups. The implications for the assessment of tripartite factors and their relation to psychopathology in youth are discussed.     

“I and thou”: Another barrier to societal change?

The purpose of this study was to examine cognitive barriers to the incorporation of information about societal discrimination against groups of which the individual is a member. Information about discrimination, personal efficacy, and the control of reality was presented to comparable groups of students enrolled in courses on women. Items were phrased either in terms of the self (first-person singular) or generically (in the third person). The results showed that individuals are more aware of discrimination against others than against themselves, and are more likely to attribute personal efficacy and control to themselves than to others. It is suggested that the differential use of identical information when applied to the self vs others is a cognitive mechanism that leads people to ignore evidence about sociostructural biases that affect themselves.     

Effects of a televised smoking cessation intervention among low-income and minority smokers

In November 1985, a television smoking cessation program was broadcast for 20 days on the noon and 9 p.m. news. Smokers in West Garfield Park, an inner-city impoverished area of Chicago, were randomly assigned either to a comprehensive intervention or to a no-intervention control condition. Although 100,000 self-help manuals had been distributed throughout Chicago, none of the controls in this low-income area had obtained a manual. The intervention consisted of providing the smokers a self-help manual, the televised broadcast, weekly support meetings, and supportive phone calls. At a 4-month follow-up, 20% of treatment participants were abstinent compared to 9% of controls. The results indicated that intensive supplementary opportunities enhanced participation by low-income smokers in a media smoking cessation program.     

Psychiatric and Psychological Morbidity as a Function of Adaptive Disability in Preschool Children with Aggressive and Hyperactive-Impulsive-Inattentive Behavior

Children with high levels of aggressive-hyperactive-impulsive-inattentive behavior (AHII; n = 154) were subdivided into those with (n = 38) and without (n = 116) adaptive disability (+AD/–AD) defined as a discrepancy between expected versus actual adaptive functioning. They were compared to each other and a control group of 47 normal children. Both AHII groups were more likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder, and conduct disorder than control children; more symptoms of general psychopathology; greater social skills deficits; more parental problems; and lower levels of academic achievement skills. Compared to AHII – AD children, AHII + AD children had (1) more conduct disorder; (2) greater inattention and aggression symptoms; (3) more social problems, less academic competence, and poorer self-control at school; (4) more severe and pervasive behavior problems across multiple home and school settings; and (5) parents with poorer child management practices. Thus, adaptive disability has utility as a marker for more severe and pervasive impairments in AHII children.     

MARITAL SATISFACTION AND DEPRESSION:

Abstract— A sample of 150 recently married couples provided data egarding marital satisfaction and depressive symptoms. Approximately 18 months later, 116 of these couples provided complete information on marital satisfaction and depression once again. The data were examined using three sets of causal models, which yielded converging results. For men, causal paths emerged from depression to marital satisfaction, whereas for women causal paths were from satisfaction to depression. The results are discussed in relation to the marital discord model of depression.     

Exercise Stage of Change and Self-Efficacy in Primary Care: Implications for Intervention

Multiple chronic diseases are caused or complicated by a sedentary lifestyle. Thus, an important and challenging application of psychology in clinical settings is changing the behavior of sedentary primary care patients. This study focused on exercise stage of change and self-efficacy in a sample of adult family practice patients recruited while waiting for their scheduled physician appointment. Regarding exercise stage of change, 15% of respondents were in the Precontemplation stage, 26% in the Contemplation stage, 50% in the Preparation stage, 7% in the Action stage, and 13% in the Maintenance stage. Mean self-efficacy scores for exercise were significantly higher among respondents in the Action and Maintenance stages of change. These cross-sectional data are consistent with the hypothesis that movement through the exercise stages of change could be encouraged by clinical interventions that increase exercise self-efficacy. The identification of multiple personal opportunities for increasing exercise self-efficacy may be clinically useful in this context. Recommendations for psychologists in primary care settings in their work with physicians are offered.     

Disclosure and Self-Advocacy Regarding Disability-Related Needs: Strategies to Maximize Integration in Postsecondary Education

This article reviews issues related to disclosure of disability and disability related needs by students in postsecondary education. The first section familiarizes counselors with research related to disclosure; to benefits and concerns regarding disclosure: and to attitudes that are relevant to the issue of disclosure. The second section provides counseling and systems change strategies to enhance the disclosure and self-advocacy skills of students with disabilities regarding disabilily-related needs.