Covariates of Multiplicity of Risk Behavior Among Injecting Drug Users in Nepal

Drug abuse, needle sharing, and high-risk sexual behaviour are often compounded to increase the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission. This paper analyzes covariates of multiplicity of risk behavior among injecting drug users (IDUs). Findings are based on data from 1471 IDUs following modified time-location cluster sampling across Nepal in 2010–2011. Among Nepalese IDUs, average duration of injecting drugs is 4.4 years with two-fifths initiating it before age 20. Alcohol use is common with two-fifths reporting its daily consumption. Needle sharing is quite prevalent especially among younger and alcoholic IDUs. Further, IDUs practicing needle sharing exhibit rampant multi-partner behavior. Condom use with non-commercial partners is almost 80 %, whereas with intimate partner it is 41 %. Coexistence of needle sharing and unprotected sex enhances STI prevalence (7 %), which is further pronounced among alcoholics (9 %). Working towards risk reduction for IDUs must deal with multiplicity of risk. Interventions should deal with covariates of risk, addressing youth, substance abuse and risky sexual behavior.     

Biases in social comparisons: Optimism or pessimism?

Social comparisons typically lead to two kinds of biases: A comparative optimism bias (i.e., a tendency for people to view themselves as more likely than others to be the beneficiaries of positive outcomes) or a comparative pessimism bias (i.e., a tendency for people to view themselves as less likely than others to be such beneficiaries); rarely are people fully calibrated in terms of how they compare to others. However, there is little systematic research on the factors that determine when a comparative optimism versus pessimism bias will occur, how they can be attenuated and whether such attenuation is always desirable. In this paper, we report four studies which demonstrate the following key results: First, we show that perceived level of control over the outcome drives whether a comparative optimism or pessimism bias will occur (Study 1). Second, an increase in perceived similarity between self and a comparison target person attenuates the comparative optimism bias in domains that people view as highly controllable (Study 2a) and attenuates the comparative pessimism bias in domains that people view as less controllable (Study 2b). Finally, we show that people are willing to work harder when they experience more comparative optimism in higher control scenarios and when they experience less comparative pessimism in lower control scenarios, illustrating that motivating people to strive harder for positive outcomes can result from exacerbated or attenuated bias, depending on the context (Study 3).     

Examining role stress among technical students in India

Although organizational stress has been the subject of much research, role stress among professional students in India has not been well examined. This study explores the extent and types of role stresses present among the engineering and management students in India. The findings reveal that students are experiencing role overload, role stagnation and self-role distance. Male students experience higher levels of role stagnation than female students. However, no significant differences could be observed on any of the role stressors between first year students and their seniors, or between management and engineering students. The results are indicative of the social and educational environment prevailing in the country.     

Does Proximity Matter in Promoting Interfaith Dialogue?

This paper explores the role of physical proximity of places of worship in facilitating interfaith dialogue. The research focuses on a religious cluster within the Greater Toronto Area, which emerged due to incremental zoning changes over time. Using key informant interviews as the method and Allport’s contact hypothesis as the guiding theoretical framework, it explores the effects of proximity and contact (interaction or encounters) on intergroup relations. The findings suggest that physical proximity is not a strong factor in facilitating interfaith dialogue initiatives. However, proximity does seem to have an effect in creating a space for interactions and encounters to occur, which can lead to attitudinal shifts concerning the religious “other.”     

Twice Migrants in Canada: Who Are They and How Do They Perform Economically?

Immigrants known as “twice migrants” are those who arrive in Canada via an intermediate country, that is, not directly from their country of birth. With a focus on large contemporary immigrant groups in Canada—South Asians, Chinese and Filipinos in particular—this study develops socio-economic profiles of twice migrants and assesses their economic performance in comparison to that of direct migrants. The study uses custom tables of multiple national level datasets as well as qualitative interviews with a selected group of twice-migrant families to arrive at its findings. The results show that relative to direct migrants, twice migrants were older, more likely to speak a Canadian official language, slightly more educated and more skilled. These human capital characteristics did not however fully translate into economic success. Political and economic situations both in the country of birth and the country of last place of residence affect the flow of twice migration. Lack of job opportunities in Canada forced many twice migrant families to split between two countries.     

Anxiety and Adjustment Levels Among the Visually and Hearing Impaired and Their Relationship to Locus of Control,Cognitive, Social,and Biographical Variables

Forty-five hearing-impaired and 40 visually impaired male residential school children aged 6 to 16 years were administered measures of adjustment, anxiety, and locus of control (LOC). Scores related to intelligence and academic level, teacher and peer acceptance, and biographical variables were also obtained. The findings show that the correlates of anxiety and adjustment differed qualitatively as well as quantitatively between the groups.     

Alienation Among the Visually Impaired: Some Important Predictors

We evaluated the effectiveness of a nondiet approach designed to reduce restrained eating behaviors and improve self-acceptance and self-esteem. This approach also encourages participants to address eating and exercise behavior separately. Subjects were Conoco employees who participated in the Wellness Department's Eat For L.I.F.E. (Long-term change; Image of self; Fun; Enjoyment of eating) program and completed pre-participation and 3-year follow-up questionnaires (N = 79). Pre- and postsurvey data were used to assess participants eating behavior, dieting behavior, self-acceptance, self-esteem, level of physical activity, and demographic information. Mastery of the internally directed eating style was assessed during the program at 3 months, at the conclusion of the 6-month program, and at the 3-year follow-up. Analysis of variance indicated that Eat For L.I.F.E. participants were able to significantly decrease their restrained eating behavior and increase self-acceptance, self-esteem, and level of physical activity. Participants also were able to adopt many aspects of the nonrestrained, internally directed eating style and decrease their frequency of weighing-in behavior. These results indicate that strategies fostering internally directed eating behaviors may be more centrally related to an individual's well-being than programs supporting externally directed eating behaviors.     

Evolution of Ethnic Enclaves in the Toronto Metropolitan Area, 2001–2006

How do ethnic enclaves grow and change over time? This question is addressed by a longitudinal analysis of the geography of ethnic enclaves in the Toronto Census Metropolitan Area over the period 2001–2006. The analysis shows that the enclaves in the Toronto area are continually realigning, their centres of gravity shifting and their contours changing. Usually, in an enclave, an axis or band of high-ethnic-density territories is formed, surrounded by zones of lower ethnic concentrations. Enclaves of groups with high levels of immigration from South Asia and China have been expanding, whilst those of earlier waves of immigrants—Jews, Portuguese and Italians—show tendencies towards consolidation and contraction. The emergence of ethnic institutions and services keeps enclaves thriving. Today, enclaves are largely in suburban areas where homeownership rates are high and new housing has been built. In the Toronto area enclaves, particular ethnic groups are demographically dominant without being a majority. Other ethnic groups have a sizable presence in these enclaves.     

Emotional agency appraisals influence responses to preference inconsistent information

Bringing together the literature on emotional appraisals and the literature on biased processing in judgment, two studies investigate how incidental emotions varying in valence and agency influence decision making after exposure to preference consistent vs. inconsistent information. We show that emotions differ in their response to preference inconsistent information due to their differences in self vs. other agency appraisals, whereas no emotional differences were found in response to preference consistent information. Negative emotions associated with other agency appraisals increase resistance to preference inconsistent information whereas negative emotions associated with self agency appraisals encourage acceptance of preference inconsistent information relative to neutral conditions. We show this pattern reverses for positive emotions. These effects were driven by changes in confidence after exposure to inconsistent information and reflected in evaluative judgments. We discuss the significance of these findings for the emotions, preference consistency, and decision-making literatures.     

Attention and Short-Term Memory in Normal Children,Aggressive Children,and Non-Aggressive Children with Attention-Deficit Disorder

In the present study, fifteen 7- to 9-year-old male school children with attention deficit disorder (ADD) as well as matched groups of aggressive and normal children were compared on scores obtained for initial acquisition of information and its maintenance in the short-term score under various attentional loads. Bi-colored, alphanumeric arrays were used in a partial-report technique. Retention was measured 0, 5, 10, and 20 s, after pre- and postexposure under both rehearsal and nonrehearsal conditions. ADD children (a) were deficient in original acquisition, (b) were unable to take sufficient advantage of decreased load conditions, and (c) showed decrements over time that paralleled those of the control group (CG). The results have been interpreted in light of maturational lag and the differences between ADD and aggressive groups.