Hyperplane arrangements in preference modeling

A standard representation of a family B of partial orders on a given finite set X is as a set of vertices of a cube. The metric and order structures on B inherited from the cube are often used in applications. In this paper, following Stanley [(1996). Hyperplane arrangements, interval orders, and trees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 93, 2620-2625], we represent relations in B by regions and cells of a hyperplane arrangement arising from numerical representations of the partial orders in B. To illustrate this approach, we establish wellgradedness of some families of generalized semiorders. Although the families of linear and weak orders are not well graded, our approach allows the recasting of such concepts as well graded families of sets.     

Characteristics of Family Interaction of Individuals with Hikikomori (Prolonged Social Withdrawal) From the Viewpoint of Behavior Theory

The cognitive behavioral approach for families of individuals with hikikomori (IWH) places importance on assessing family interaction from a behavior theory. However, there is no gold standard method for the assessment of family interaction of IWH. Additionally, the characteristics of the family interactions of IWH have not been clarified. This study aims to (a) develop the Family Interaction Scale for Hikikomori (FIS‐H) using parent‐reported data, and (b) clarify the characteristics of hikikomori cases. First, the FIS‐H factor structure was examined. Second, to examine the reliability and validity of the FIS‐H and the characteristics of hikikomori cases, parents of IWH (hikikomori‐group) and unaffected parents (without‐group) completed the FIS‐H and the Relationship Happiness Scale. Based on data from 146 parents, the FIS‐H preliminary version consisted of four factors with a total of 12 items (Study 1). The reliability and validity of the FIS‐H were also confirmed to be acceptable using data from 246 hikikomori‐group participants. The hikikomori‐group had higher FIS‐H scores than did the without‐group (Study 2). These results show that it is important to appropriately assess family interactions.     

Agreeable mothers: How they manage adverse circumstances and difficult children

Relations between two contextual challenges (low household income, difficult child temperament), maternal agreeableness and three aspects of parenting (harshness, sensitivity, stimulation) were examined when children were 6 months, 54 months old and 5th grade. Mothers with higher incomes and more education were more sensitive and provided more stimulation to their children. They also were less harsh. Mothers high in agreeableness were more likely to demonstrate sensitivity and provide stimulation; and they were less likely to manifest harshness. Maternal agreeableness moderated the effects of low income on parental behavior with significant interaction effects observed in 9 of the 12 models tested. When rearing a difficult child, mother’s high in agreeableness showed more supportive behavior in 3 of the 12 models tested.     

Reconceiving the field: Infant mental health,intersectionality, and reproductive justice

The field of infant mental health is conventionally comprised of professional discourses including developmental science, psychology, and psychiatry, among others, and involves spheres of practice as wide-ranging as pediatrics, maternal/child health, early intervention, early care and education, and child welfare. The World Association of Infant Mental Health [WAIMH] put out its position paper on the rights of infants in 2014 (amended in March 2016) in recognition of the human rights implications of professional understanding of infants’ unique, yet universal, developmental capacities and needs. This article links the policy issues outlined in the WAIMH position paper with critical issues in the field of reproductive justice, extending the reach of WAIMH's call to action on behalf of infants’ rights, and pointing the way toward potent alliances among interconnected movements. Connecting the dots among economic injustice, race-based health disparities, and gender inequities, the article demonstrates that it is not possible to safeguard infant mental health unless we make reproductive justice a reality.     

Marriage and Family Therapy with Low-Income Clients: Professional,Ethical, and Clinical Issues

Economic stress greatly increases the likelihood of mental health issues occurring within a family. Although this is widely known within the mental health profession, there is a lack of literature that assists therapists in working effectively with low-income clients. As a result, marriage and family therapists may be ill equipped to meet the needs of those in poverty, and may even be conducting therapy that is ethically unsound. The authors of this article discuss several ethical and professional issues regarding therapy with families in poverty. A number of suggestions are presented for improving the effectiveness of therapy with low-income clients. Michele E. Grimes and Alyssa D. McElwain are masters students in Marriage and Family Therapy at Purdue University Calumet, Hammond, IN. Michele E. Grimes and Alyssa D. McElwain contributed equally to this article.     

How Culture Impacts the Dissemination and Implementation of Innovation: A Case Study of the Families and Schools Together Program (FAST) for Preventing Violence with Immigrant Latino Youth

We consider how culture impacts the translation of research into practice, focusing on the culture of the client and the culture of the agency implementing selected programs. We build on lessons learned from a pilot study of an evidence-based family-school partnership, Families and Schools Together (FAST), to prevent youth violence with low-income, immigrant Latino families in Southern California. We examine the impact of cultural characteristics on the translation of this innovation into practice at the community level, relying on an interactive systems framework developed recently by Wandersman and colleagues (2008, American Journal of Community Psychology, 41(3–4), in press) discussed in this issue. As we point out, the culture of the client and the culture of the agency can facilitate or impede connections within and across these interactive systems.     

Improving adolescents' standardized test performance: An intervention to reduce the effects of stereotype threat

Standardized tests continue to generate gender and race gaps in achievement despite decades of national attention. Research on “stereotype threat” (Steele & Aronson, 1995) suggests that these gaps may be partly due to stereotypes that impugn the math abilities of females and the intellectual abilities of Black, Hispanic, and low-income students. A field experiment was performed to test methods of helping female, minority, and low-income adolescents overcome the anxiety-inducing effects of stereotype threat and, consequently, improve their standardized test scores. Specifically, seventh-grade students in the experimental conditions were mentored by college students who encouraged them either to view intelligence as malleable or to attribute academic difficulties in the seventh grade to the novelty of the educational setting. Results showed that females in both experimental conditions earned significantly higher math standardized test scores than females in the control condition. Similarly, the students—who were largely minority and low-income adolescents—in the experimental conditions earned significantly higher reading standardized test scores than students in the control condition.     

Self-Perceptions of Comparative Power and Worth in Three Generational Families

This study focused on the extent to which self-perceptions of power and worth differed across members of three-generational families as they compared themselves with other family members. It was hypothesized that self evaluations of worth would show more stability than self evaluations of power in such comparisons. There was support for this hypothesis. Differences regarding self evaluations of power according to gender and generation were also examined. The rank order, from lowest to highest, of perceived comparative power was: female adolescent grandchildren, grandmothers, mothers, male adolescent grandchildren, grandfathers, and fathers. Implications of findings for family therapists are described.     

Towards Culturally Relevant Preventive Interventions: The Consideration of Racial Socialization in Parent Training with African American Families

We present a rationale for the inclusion of culture-based parenting practices (i.e., racial socialization) in the design and implementation of empirically based parenting programs with African American families. We begin with a discussion of the limitations of the current parent training literature related to cultural considerations. Second, we examine the cultural and racial contexts of parenting for African Americans, review the literature on racial socialization, and discuss empirical support for considering its inclusion in parent training programs. Third, we examine the extent to which racial socialization operates in low-income African American families by presenting the findings from a qualitative pilot. We conclude by discussing how findings from the qualitative pilot might inform intervention efforts.     

Serving Culturally Diverse Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance and Their Families

Over the coming decades, we can expect that cultural diversity will abound within the U.S. population and the imagery of an American melting pot will long be discarded. One significance of this trend will be the imperative to account for cultural diversity in assessing the needs of children with serious emotional disturbance (SED), to ensure that assessments, diagnoses, and treatments are accurate, fair, and meaningful. To achieve that end, however, will first require that all persons in the fields of education, mental health, social services, and juvenile justice become fully prepared to support children with SED and their families, prepared to bring to the process a sophisticated understanding of the interplay between culture and social behaviors. Nothing less than that level of preparedness will enable practitioners to develop unbiased interventions that competently and sensitively weigh cultural influences and target the needs of diverse students with emotional and behavioral difficulties. In this paper, we present the need for culturally competent practitioners in the area of SED, ways in which service providers can increase their cultural knowledge, and strategies for more effective service with this population.