Attrition among families of divorce: Patterns in an outpatient psychiatric population

The accelerated divorce rate has greatly increased the number of children of divorce. In addition, the children and families of divorce are proportionately overrepresented in populations seeking child guidance and psychiatric services. However, the patterns in the use of such services by these families has been unexamined. In our study we find no differences in the use of outpatient psychiatric services between families where both biological parents are present and families of divorce. A closer look at the divorced families reveals that recently divorced mother-headed families more frequently interrupt both the evaluation and treatment phases of clinic contact. Several clinical patterns are described which help explain the finding and it is suggested that the traditional child guidance model may not be the most suitable intervention modality in working with these families.     

Comparison of Alcohol and Other Drug Use Trends Between a Prohibitionist University and National Data Sets

This article provides information on a decade of trends and prevalence of substance use at a Midwestern prohibitionist university. Trends were based on three data collection times, 1995, 2000, and 2005. This information was compared with results of a number of national surveys to identify trends in the data. Total averages for the prohibitionist sample were 42.6% for alcohol use; 18.2% for binge drinking; 35.4% for tobacco use; and 34.1% for marijuana use. With the exception of binge drinking, which remained stable, the gap between substance use rates for the prohibitionist university and the results of national surveys have widened slightly.     

试论美国哲学的全球维度

作为以多种方式研究不同于美国的一些国家的社会哲学和政治哲学的专家,笔者密切地关注和思考今天几乎全世界不知道为什么都一致同意称之为“世界化”的这个现象。笔者考察了越来越富有霸权色彩的一种变化中的文化的特别具有威胁性的若干方面,它———如果可以称之为“文化”的话———借助跨国公司(可口可乐即是其中之一,而且有幸或者说不幸作为这种发展的代名词)进行传播,但基本上———不是惟一地———以我的祖国为基地。笔者试图说明为什么这种现象可能引起我们不安,尽管并非所有人对此持相同意见。出于非常明显的理由,笔者特别集中地探…     

Beyond the “Birds and the Bees”: Gender Differences in Sex‐Related Communication Among Urban African‐American Adolescents

To read this article's abstract in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese, please visit the article's full‐text page on Wiley InterScience ( http://interscience.wiley.com/journal/famp ). The current study examined gender differences in communication about sex‐related topics in a community sample of urban, African‐American mothers and adolescents living in impoverished neighborhoods with high HIV rates. One hundred and sixty‐two mother–adolescent dyads completed self‐report measures of sex‐related communication. Youth also reported on their sexual risk. We identified the range of sexual‐based topics that adolescents discussed with their mothers, fathers, friends, and at school. The relationship between the frequency of sexual communication and sexual risk was examined. We also investigated congruency between adolescent and mother report about whether sexual‐based discussions occurred. Consistent with prior research, girls talked to their mothers, fathers, friends, and at school about sex‐related topics more than boys. Findings indicated that mothers not only communicated more frequently about sexual issues with their daughters than sons but that parental messages for girls were more protective. Greater sexual communication with mother was significantly associated with decreased HIV risk in the past 90 days and increased protection from HIV. Inconsistencies between mother and adolescent reports about sexual communication were marginally associated with decreased protection from HIV. Findings reveal the protective effect of sexual communication and the general lack of congruence between mother and adolescent reports of sexual communication.     

Exploring the Phenomenology of Suicide

Phenomenology studies conscious experience as experienced from the subjective or first‐person point of view. This paper was developed with the aim of shedding light on the phenomenology of suicide; that is, to focus on suicide as a phenomenon affecting a unique individual with unique motives for the suicidal act. To explore this topic, the author looks back at the past centuries to understand why suicide was thought to be confined to psychiatric illness and to document the bias in studies supporting this notion. One major step forward in the conceptualization of suicide as a psychological disorder was provided by Edwin Shneidman, who focused on the pain of negative emotions. Such a radical approach is laudable in an era where diagnostic criterria and the need to cure are more important than understanding what is not working at the emotional level.