A New Look at Transgenerational Trauma Transmission: Second‐Generation Latino Immigrant Youth

Transgenerational trauma, which was first documented in the 1960s to describe trauma symptoms experienced by descendants of holocaust survivors, has been linked to psychological and physiological transmission factors. Although traumatization still occurs among contemporary immigrant groups, particularly Latino immigrants, little attention has been paid to the experiences of these individuals. The authors present the relevant cultural considerations and conditions that support the need for proactive assessment of transgenerational trauma in U.S.‐born Latino youth. El trauma transgeneracional, que fue documentado por primera vez en los años 60 para describir los síntomas de trauma experimentados por descendientes de los supervivientes del holocausto, ha sido relacionado con factores de transmisión psicológicos y fisiológicos. Aunque la traumatización todavía ocurre entre grupos de inmigrantes en la actualidad, particularmente en inmigrantes latinos, se ha prestado escasa atención a las experiencias de estos individuos. Los autores presentan las consideraciones y condiciones culturales relevantes que apoyan la necesidad de realizar una evaluación proactiva del trauma transgeneracional en la población de jóvenes latinos nacidos en los Estados Unidos.     

Incorporating Handheld Computers into a Public Science Center: A Design Research Study

ABSTRACT

The feasibility of using handheld computers to customize learning opportunities was explored using a design research process with 68 visitor groups to a small interactive science museum and aquarium. The authors discuss the iterations of the research process, reasons given for both using and not using the handheld computers, and findings related to participants' prior use of handheld computers and their perception of the effects of using the device on their visit. The authors discuss the findings in light of current research on visitor motivations and identities, as well as models of customization. Recommendations for practitioners interested in implementing similar programs, and suggestions for further research are included.     

HIV Risk among Pregnant Teenagers with a History of Interpersonal Violence

This study examined the relationship among interpersonal violence, depressive symptoms, and HIV risk behaviors among pregnant teenagers. A sample of 116 pregnant teenagers was recruited in Rhode Island. Multivariate logistic regressions tested whether or not the relationship between history of interpersonal violence and HIV risk remained after controlling for age and education. Participants reported a young age of sexual debut and low rates of condom use. Multivariate logistic regressions indicate a significant relationship between interpersonal violence and HIV risk but not in degree of depression symptoms and HIV risk. Pregnant teenagers with a history of interpersonal violence could benefit from interventions that address HIV risk.     

Child Perceptions of Parental Care and Overprotection in Children with Cancer and Healthy Children

The primary aims of this study were to: (a) examine child perceptions of overprotection; and (b) explore how these perceptions relate to child health and adjustment. Children with a prior diagnosis of cancer (n = 205) and children without a history of serious illness (n = 76) reported on parental overprotective and caring behaviors. Children with cancer were recruited from one of four strata based on the elapsed time since their cancer diagnosis (1–6 months; 6–24 months; 2–5 years; >5 years) Children also reported on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress. Children with cancer did not differ from healthy children in their perceptions of parental care or overprotection. Child distress was more strongly related to perceptions of care and overprotection than child’s health status. Children with cancer do not report their parents approach to care and protection differently than children without a cancer history. These findings mirror prior research examining parental perceptions of overprotection and suggest that, despite the challenges of parenting a child with serious illness, parental protection is not significantly altered.     

Repressive adaptation in children with cancer: a replication and extension.

Prior research has shown a higher incidence of a repressive adaptive style in children with cancer. To explore whether repressive adaptation in this population is premorbid or reactive, adaptive style was assessed longitudinally in children with cancer at the time of diagnosis and at 6 months and 1 year after diagnosis. Comparison groups included healthy children and children with other serious but nonmalignant chronic illnesses. At diagnosis, children with cancer showed a higher incidence of a repressive adaptive style than healthy children, and the incidence of repressive adaptation remained stable over time. Children with other chronic illnesses also showed levels of repressive adaptive style comparable to the cancer group. These findings suggest a shift toward repressiveness in response to the diagnosis of cancer that is then maintained over time and necessitate further examination of the health consequences of adaptive style in this population.     

Graph-theoretic representations for proximity matrices through strongly-anti-Robinson or circular strongly-anti-Robinson matrices

There are various optimization strategies for approximating, through the minimization of a least-squares loss function, a given symmetric proximity matrix by a sum of matrices each subject to some collection of order constraints on its entries. We extend these approaches to include components in the approximating sum that satisfy what are called the strongly-anti-Robinson (SAR) or circular strongly-anti-Robinson (CSAR) restrictions. A matrix that is SAR or CSAR is representable by a particular graph-theoretic structure, where each matrix entry is reproducible from certain minimum path lengths in the graph. One published proximity matrix is used extensively to illustrate the types of approximation that ensue when the SAR or CSAR constraints are imposed.The authors are indebted to Boris Mirkin who first noted in a personal communication to one of us (LH, April 22, 1996) that the optimization method for fitting anti-Robinson matrices in Hubert and Arabie (1994) should be extendable to the fitting of strongly anti-Robinson matrices as well.