Ecological Predictors of Disciplinary Style and Child Abuse Potential in a Hispanic and Anglo-American Sample

Recent attention to multicultural issues has sparked recognition that parenting is also a culturally construed phenomenon. The present study involved a diverse sample of 90 Anglo-American and Hispanic parents examining predictors based on distal/proximal levels as conceptualized in the ecological model. The study examined background characteristics (e.g., minority status, educational level, income), intrapersonal (anger, parenting competence, parenting satisfaction), and extrapersonal (social support) factors in the prediction of child abuse potential and dysfunctional disciplinary style. Parents participated anonymously in an in-home assessment. Neither minority status nor income predicted abuse potential or parenting style beyond what was accounted for by educational level. The pattern of findings for the sample suggests the relative importance of anger expression, parenting self-efficacy, and social support satisfaction in both abuse potential and disciplinary style for both Hispanic and Anglo-American parents. Future research directions with diverse samples are considered, including the need for measures specifically designed to assess parenting issues in diverse cultural groups.     

Incest,Inbreeding, and Intrafamilial Conflict: Analyzing the Boundaries of Sexual Permissiveness in Modern North America

Our ability to critically analyze the effect of incestuous activity on society is complicated by the fact that such activity may take place in several different types of relationships, each of which play somewhat different roles within the family and community. Thus, if we are to analyze this effect in any meaningful manner, we must first take care to differentiate the various forms of incest from one another, and to study their consequences separately so that any effects due to relationship status, rather than to incest per se, can be taken into account. We must also ensure that we separate our definition of incest from that of non-consensual sex—that is, incest that occurs in couples in which one partner is too young to legally consent should be distinguished from incest that occurs between two consenting adults (i.e. incest per se), and the effects of these two variants of incest should as well be assessed separately. Using these careful definitions, it can be logically argued that incest on its own should not be prohibited in modern North American society, as the damage to our freedom that such a prohibition would entail cannot be justified by what little unambiguous evidence there is to support its case.

Treatment effectiveness of combined medication/behavioural treatment with chinese ADHD children in routine practice

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of a combined methylphenidate/behavioural treatment (BT) versus methylphenidate-only for Chinese children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was tested in routine clinical practice in Hong Kong. METHODS: A randomized group comparison design was adopted with two treatment conditions (methylphenidate-only; methylphenidate/BT), which lasted for 6 months. There were four assessment time points (pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 6-month and 12-month follow-ups), using the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD Symptoms and Normal Behaviours (SWAN) Rating Scale. Parental attitude toward different treatment options of ADHD was also assessed at pre-treatment and post-treatment. Participants included 90 Chinese ADHD children (mean age=8 years, SD=.95). RESULTS: The combination of BT and a low-dose methylphenidate was significantly more effective than methylphenidate-only in reducing ADHD and ODD symptoms at post-treatment. At follow-ups, the benefits of the combined treatment were maintained, while the methylphenidate-only group caught up in improvement in ADHD symptoms. Parents in both treatment conditions showed improved attitude toward medication after the 6-month treatment phase, while their attitude toward BT was positive all along. CONCLUSIONS: This study supported the added benefits of BT, on top of medication, for Chinese ADHD children in routine practice with treatments conducted by regular medical and paramedical staffs.     

Randomized Trial Comparing Two Treatment Strategies Using Prize-Based Reinforcement of Abstinence in Cocaine and Opiate Users

We compared two strategies of prize-based contingency management (CM) in methadone-maintained outpatients. Urine was tested thrice weekly for 5 weeks pre-CM, 12 weeks CM, and 8 weeks post-CM. Participants were randomly assigned to a cocaine contingency (four prize draws for each cocaine-negative urine, N  =  29) or an opiate-cocaine contingency (one draw for each urine negative for opiates or cocaine, four draws if negative for both, N  =  38). There were no group differences in cocaine abstinence during CM or post-CM and no differences in opiate abstinence during CM. Opiate abstinence was greater in the opiate-cocaine group post-CM, and heroin craving was reduced in this group during and post-CM. Draws earned per cocaine-negative urine (four vs. one) did not affect cocaine use.     

Roman Catholic Clericalism,Religious Duress,and Clergy Sexual Abuse

Since 1984, sexual abuse by Catholic clergy has captured public attention and resulted in a stream of criminal and civil lawsuits. The hierarchy has been defensive in the face of constant accusations and criticism. This study examines selected key aspects of the clergy sex abuse phenomenon including historical precedents and the impact of clericalism on the development of psychological and emotional duress in victims and others closely associated with sexual abuse.     

微创技术在脑血管病诊治中的应用与存在的问题

脑血管病是危害人类健康的三大疾病之一.随着CT、,MRI、DSA等先进设备的应用,脑血管病的诊治水平进入一个新的阶段.显微手术、血管内栓塞、γ-刀或X-刀等很多微创技术不断应用于脑血管病的治疗.由于各地区发展不平衡,微创技术的应用尚存在不少问题.因此,必须积极稳妥地开展脑血管病诊治中的微创技术.     

Clerical child sex abuse: the response of the Roman Catholic Church

The response of the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) to the clergy child sex abuse crisis is examined in the context of six cases in an Irish archdiocese. The RCC was not proactive in engaging with complainants and did not accept organizational responsibility for its personnel. Its statements on the crisis were abstract and sometimes transcendent in tone and its attempts to account for its inaction used apologia rather than apology. The Church's reliance on apologia is similar to that found in secular bureaucracies that believe themselves to be ‘client‐independent’. It is argued the Church needs to implement a ‘client complaint’ procedure similar to that found in ‘client‐dependent’ commercial enterprises and that it must also reconnect with its own core values. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characteristics of Children and Adolescents Admitted to a Residential Treatment Center

Studies of youths in residential treatment that utilize systematic assessments and validated measures are rare. We examined psychopathology, family characteristics, occurrence of physical or sexual abuse, types of aggressive behavior, hyperactive/impulsive behavior, medical and neurological problems, and self-reported drug and alcohol use in 397 youth who were assessed using reliable measures and consecutively treated in a residential treatment center. Results indicate high rates of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, aggressive behavior, and consistent gender differences, with girls having higher levels of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology and aggressive behavior. The sample was characterized by high rates of medical problems including asthma, seizures, and obesity, as well as evidence of extensive family dysfunction, including high rates of parental alcohol use, violence, and physical or sexual abuse. Residential treatment needs to progress beyond the one size fits all approach and develop more specific and empirically proven treatments for the specific needs of this population.