Psychopathological and Behavior Impairments in Williams-Beuren Syndrome: The Influence of Gender,Chronological Age,and Cognition

The aim of this study was to explore psychopathological and behavior impairments in Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) by focusing on individual differences rather than group tendencies. Parent/Guardian ratings on the Child Behavior Checklist were analyzed in order to examine the influence of gender, chronological age, and cognitive abilities on psychopathological impairment within WBS. In line with predictions, and consistent with cognitive heterogeneity in WBS, psychopathological and behavioral abnormalities were variable, with gender and specific cognitive abilities making significant and independent contributions to this variance. For gender, females were significantly more likely than males with WBS to display difficulties with externalizing problems. For specific cognitive abilities, those cognitive functions characteristic of the classic WBS cognitive profile (a strength in verbal skills and a weakness in spatial skills) related to significantly greater internalizing difficulties. Future studies should explore underlying genetic and neurological differences in individuals with WBS in order to help explain the variability in psychopathological and cognitive functions.     

Some things you should know about structural equation modeling but never thought to ask

Iacobucci (2009, 2010) covers a number of important issues in the use of structural equation modeling and in so doing provides researchers with many useful insights and sensible suggestions. This commentary focuses on three issues where our views differ somewhat from those expressed in the target articles: SEM and causal inferences, sample size, and model fit. In addressing each of these issues, our perspectives do not so much contradict the views expressed by Iacobucci as they reflect a somewhat different conceptual emphasis.     

The Butterfly Dilemma: Asian Women,Whiteness, and Heterosexual Relationships

Critical Whiteness theory explores Whiteness as a form of power and privilege that originated in Western countries and has been dispersed globally. Its form is particular to location and its interaction with race, ethnicity, nationality, class, and gender. Two ways it has operated historically is through making the norms of Whiteness universal and the marker of reason and rationality. This article examines Whiteness through two lenses, the colonial-era opera, Madame Butterfly, and three recent therapy case studies involving White American husbands and Asian immigrant wives. Although the women in these therapy cases have emigrated from different Asian countries and cultures, the treatment toward them suggests that colonial-era images and stereotypes of Asian women still resonate in contemporary White American culture and are impervious to national or cultural boundaries. A comparison of the opera’s themes with those of the therapy cases suggest how historical and social constructions of Whiteness continue to promote inequality in heterosexual relationships comprised of White American males and Asian females. Feminist, multicultural analyses of the therapy cases are provided to highlight more egalitarian treatment of the women in therapy, in their families, and in the broader society. The intersectionality of gender with ethnicity and culture is discussed for these Asian women who experience the homogenization of their identities in spite of having immigrated to the U.S. from distinct cultures.     

Dual Marginality: The Impact of Auditory Status and Sexual Orientation on Abuse in a College Sample of Women and Men

This exploratory study examined the relationship between the combination of auditory status and sexual orientation, and experiencing interpersonal violence, as measured by sexual, physical, and psychological abuse. A cross-sectional examination of 1,023 undergraduate students including 222 Deaf and hard-of-hearing students provided the data. Findings revealed that gay, lesbian, and bisexual students who also were Deaf or hard of hearing were more likely to experience sexual, physical, and psychological abuse than those in mainstream majority groups. The combination of auditory minority with sexual minority status for students had the strongest effect for physical and psychological abuse. Implications for policy and future research are provided.     

Reducing police use of force: Case studies and prospects

Police codes of conduct require officers to use the minimum amount of force when enforcing laws and maintaining order. At the same time, the use of excessive or unnecessary force is a major problem internationally. The purpose of this paper is to address the possibility of reducing violence in police–citizen encounters and controlling police use of force, especially at the levels that cause injuries and threaten public trust and confidence in the police. A search of the literature was conducted to identify case study reports of apparent success in this area, focused on intervention projects with time series data. Seven cases were selected and analyzed, covering a variety of indicators of force and excessive force. Our study shows that police departments can reduce the levels of force used to enforce laws and maintain order. Strategies identified in the review targeted individual, cultural and organizational factors and included equipping officers at the individual level with the appropriate skills, and providing a framework of internal and external accountability. In particular, we show the value of a Problem Oriented Policing (POP) approach that focuses on diagnostic research, tailor-made interventions, and impact evaluation.     

Follow-up of coping skills training in adults with sickle cell disease: analysis of daily pain and coping practice diaries.

This study examined the 3-month follow-up effects of a pain coping skills intervention in African American adults with sickle cell disease. Sixty-seven participants were randomly assigned to either a coping skills condition or a disease-education control condition. Multivariate analyses applied to summary measures of coping, laboratory pain perception, and clinical measures indicated that participants in the coping intervention reported significantly lower laboratory pain and significantly higher coping attempts at 3-month follow-up in comparison with the control condition. Multilevel random effects models applied to prospective daily diaries of daily pain, health care contacts, and coping practice indicated that on pain days when participants practiced their strategies, they had less major health care contacts in comparison with days when they did not use strategies.     

Focus Introduction: Taking the Measure of Jonathan Edwards for Contemporary Religious Ethics

The Journal of Religious Ethics marks the tercentenary of Edwards's birth with the following collection of essays. In keeping with the overall mission of the journal, this tribute takes the form of historical and constructive reflection, in which diverse perspectives on Edwards's work and diverse forms of engagement with it supplement and correct one another. Our hope is that these essays will serve both to generate interest in Edwards's work among those who are unfamiliar with him, and to advance the discussion of central issues in theological and religious ethics. In this introductory essay, we will offer some reflections on Edwards's general significance for contemporary ethics, followed by a closer examination of his main texts and a brief summary of the essays collected here.     

Are memories for sexually traumatic events "special"? A within-subjects investigation of trauma and memory in a clinical sample

According to a long-standing clinical tradition, sexually traumatic experiences are processed and recalled differently from other experiences, often leading to memory impairment. In this study, we compared the characteristics of traumatic memories for sexual violence and two other types of emotional experiences. N=44 women recruited from a local sexual trauma agency were asked to recall and describe three autobiographical events: sexual abuse/assault, a non-sexual trauma, and a positive emotional event. The characteristics of the three memory types were compared on both subjective and objective measures. Further, the potential influences of level of traumatic impact and dissociation were assessed. Results indicated that memories for sexual trauma were not impaired or fragmented relative to other memories. Instead, memories for sexual trauma were associated with a remarkably high level of vividness, detail, and sensory components. Further, high levels of traumatic impact were not associated with memory impairment. Implications for the ongoing traumatic memory debate are discussed.