bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stability and Change of Unidimensionality
Authors: Spiel Christiane , GlÜck Judith , GÖssler Heimo
Published: March 2007

In most longitudinal studies, researchers take the stability of a latent dimension for granted.This article shows that items assumed to measure a given construct can change their meaning during developmental progress or across cohorts.The authors suggest that Rasch models offer a viable approach to assessing such aspects of dimensionality.First, they outline the general ideas of the Rasch model.Then, they discuss how mixed Rasch models, an exploratory approach for identifying latent classes of participants within which unidimensionality holds, can be used to assess the dimensionality of a given item set.To illustrate their ideas, the authors present data from a study on adolescents’ deductive reasoning that clearly show that the same test items can be measuring qualitatively different latent traits in different subsamples or at different time points.
An Ecological Risk-Factor Examination of Suicide Ideation and Behavior of Adolescents
Authors: Perkins Daniel F. , Hartless Glen
Published: March 2007

Using an ecological risk-factor approach, this study sought to identify risk factors related to suicidal behavior in a sample of 14,922 adolescents (11,027 European American adolescents and 3,895 African American adolescents) drawn from Michigan. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine significant predictors and to calculate a cumulative risk analysis. For both African American and European American males, risk factors related to frequent suicidal ideation and suicidal behavior were found at three levels of the social ecology: individual, family, and extrafamilial. Risk factors were also detected at all three levels of the ecology for both African American and European American females in terms of suicide attempts but not in terms of frequent suicidal thoughts. More similarities were found between the two ethnic groups and between males and females in terms of risk factors for suicidal ideation and attempted suicide. Results lend support to the use of an ecological risk-factor model for examining suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Measuring Bicultural Ethnic Identity among American Indian Adolescents
Authors: Moran James R. , Fleming Candace M. , Somervell Philip , Manson Spero M.
Published: March 2007

Based on the premise that ethnic identity provides a fruitful approach to exploring issues related to ethnicity, an empirically based strategy was used to develop a measure of ethnic identity among American Indian adolescents. Because American Indians live in two worlds, a bicultural approach was drawn on to measure the degree that respondents identified with Indian culture and with the mainstream or White culture. An exploratory factor analysis was used to examine the structure of ethnic identity among Indian adolescents and the resulting models were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. A scale for measuring bicultural ethnic identity was developed and the reliability and validity of the scale was assessed.
Lesions of the Thalamic Intergeniculate Leaflet Alter Hamster Circadian Rhythms
Authors: Harrington Mary E. , Rusak Benjamin
Published: March 2007

We have investigated the effects of destruction of the geniculo-hypothalamic tract (GHT) on the circadian system of golden hamsters. In the first experiment, intact hamsters were housed in constant darkness, and phase shifts in running-wheel activity rhythms were assessed following 15-min light pulses administered at circadian time (CT) 12 (defined as the beginning of activity), CT 14, CT 18, and CT 20. Responses to light pulses at the same CTs were then reassessed after GHT lesions. Hamsters with complete lesions showed decreases in phase advances caused by light pulses at CT 18 and CT 20. Phase delays elicited by light at CT 12 and CT 14 were not altered. In a second study, intact and GHT-ablated hamsters housed in constant light received 6-hr dark pulses at various CTs. Hamsters with complete GHT ablation showed smaller advances than controls to dark pulses centered on CT 8-10. After 110 days in constant light, 7 of 10 intact hamsters showed splitting of their activity rhythms into two components, while only 1 of the 8 similarly treated ablated hamsters displayed dissociated activity components. Ablated hamsters had significantly shorter free-running periods during the first 35 days of exposure to constant light than did the intact hamsters. These results demonstrate that destruction of the GHT in the hamster alters phase shifting in response to periods of light or dark, and they indicate a role for the GHT in mediating several photic effects on the circadian system.
The disconnected Visual System Mutations in Drosophila melanogaster Drastically Disrupt Circadian Rhythms
Authors: Dushay Mitchell S. , Rosbash Michael , Hall Jeffrey C.
Published: March 2007

Mutations at the disconnected ( disco) locus in Drosophila melanogaster cause cultures of this insect to eclose in an essentially arrhythmic manner and also nearly eliminate free-running circadian rhythms of locomotor activity. Yet disco mutants are not totally light- insensitive : Whereas they performed very poorly in tests of certain behavioral responses to visual stimuli, they were able to exhibit "forced" periodic locomotor activity under conditions of light-dark cycling. We discuss these results in the context of (1) the dispensability of this insect's external photoreceptors for entrainment of its circadian pacemaker, and (2) possible disco-induced abnormalities in the connections of extraocular photoreceptors to their targets in the central nervous system and/or abnormalities in the targets themselves—which presum ably include elements of the fly's circadian clock.
Interpreting the Human Phase Response Curve to Multiple Bright-Light Exposures
Authors: Strogatz Steven H.
Published: March 2007

Czeisler and his colleagues have recently reported that bright light can induce strong (Type 0) resetting of the human circadian pacemaker. This surprising result shows that the human clock is more responsive to light than has been previously thought. The interpretation of their results is subtle, however, because of an unconventional aspect of their experimental protocol: They measured the phase shift after three, cycles of the bright-light stimulus, rather than after the usual single pulse. A natural question is whether the apparent Type 0 response could reflect the summation of three weaker Type 1 responses to each of the daily light pulses.

In this paper I show mathematically that repeated Type 1 resetting cannot account for the observed Type 0 response. This finding corroborates the strong resetting reported by Czeisler et al., and supports their claim that bright light induces strong resetting by crushing the amplitude of the circadian pacemaker. Furthermore, the results indicate that back-to-back light pulses can have a cooperative effect different from that obtained by simple iteration of a phase response curve (PRC). In this sense the resetting response of humans is similar to that of Drosophila, Kalanchoe, and Culex, and is more complex than that predicted by conventional PRC theory. To describe the way in which light resets the human circadian pacemaker, one needs a theory that includes amplitude resetting, as pioneered by Winfree and developed for humans by Kronauer.
Damped Oscillation of the Lateral Hypothalamic Multineuronal Activity Synchronized to Daily Feeding Schedules in Rats with Suprachiasmatic Nucleus Lesions
Authors: Kurumiya Satoshi , Kawamura Horoshi
Published: March 2007

In male Wistar rats with chronically implanted electrodes, multiple-unit activity (MUA) was recorded from the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Blinded rats with bilateral suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) lesions showed no circadian rhythm in MUA or motor activity when food was available ad libitum. However, under a restricted-feeding schedule (food was available from 1400 to 1600 hr; water was always available) lasting for 10 days, a gradual increase of MUA of the LH developed, starting 3-4 hr prior to the feeding time. The elevated MUA lasted up to 6-7 hr after feeding and subsequently returned to the baseline level. This circadian rhythm of MUA of the LH persisted up to 4 days under total food deprivation, with quickly decreasing amplitude after termination of the schedule. MUA rhythm in VMH was less obvious than that in LH. Also, general motor activity showed a rhythm comparable to that of MUA, but it was less prominent. The elevated MUA in the LH prior to the feeding time may have been neural substrate of anticipatory activity appearing under the restricted-feeding schedule. These findings may suggest the existence of a quickly damping oscillator mechanism in the brain, presumably in the LH, which can be induced by daily feeding cues in the absence of the SCN.
Photoperiodic Induction in Quail as a Function of the Period of the Light-Dark Cycle: Implications for Models of Time Measurement
Authors: Follett Brian K. , Pearce-Kelly Alison S.
Published: March 2007

The earliest detectable event in the photoperiodic response of quail is a rise in luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion beginning at about hour 20 on the first long day. The timing of this rise was measured in castrated quail after entrainment to short daylengths which cause significant phase angle differences in the circadian system: (1) LD 2:22 and LD 10:14, and (2) LD 3:21 (T = 24 hr) and LD 3:24 (T = 27 hr). The quail were then exposed to 24 hr of light (by delaying lights-off ), and the time of the first LH rise was measured; it was similar in all schedules. Quail were also entrained to LD 3:21 or LD 3:24 and then given a single 6-hr nightbreak 6-12, 7-13, or 13-19 hr after dawn. The earlier pulse was marginally more inductive in the 27-hr cycle. Thus the entrainment characteristics of the photoinducible rhythm (Φ1) in quail appear very different from those of the locomotor circadian rhythm, and raise doubts as to whether Φ1 is a primary circadian oscillator.
Evidence for Genetic Variation in the Occurrence of the Photoresponse of the Djungarian Hamster, Phodopus sungorus
Authors: Kliman Richard M. , Lynch G. Robert
Published: March 2007

The Djungarian hamster generally responds to a short-day photoperiod with a complex syndrome of physiological and behavioral changes; however, not all hamsters are photoresponsive. The phenotypic difference is, in part, genetically determined. Parent-offspring regression on a number of continuous and discontinuous measures indicated significant heritability for photoresponsiveness. Four generations of replicated bidirectional selection on a photoresponse index (PI) resulted in significant shifts in the percentage of responsive hamsters, although the average PI of responsive individuals was not significantly changed. Eight estimates of heritability ranged from 0.20 to 0.52. We hypothesize that the circadian system is responsible for the occurrence of the photoresponse, but that the extent of photoresponse is controlled by a separate functional system.
Ontogeny of the Circadian System Controlling Release of Sperm from the Insect Testis
Authors: Giebultowicz Jadwiga M. , Joy Janet E.
Published: March 2007

In the gypsy moth, the release of sperm bundles from the testis into the vas deferens is rhythmic and is controlled by a circadian pacemaker located in the reproductive system. However, in males kept since pupation in constant darkness (DD) and temperature, the release of sperm was arrhythmic. The release of sperm became rhythmic when males were transferred from a light-dark cycle (LD 16:8) to DD 6-7 days after pupation. To further investigate the development of the circadian system during the pupal stage, we exposed DD pupae to a single 8-hr pulse of light or 8-hr pulse of a 4°C temperature increase on different days after pupation. The pattern of sperm release was determined 5-6 days after the pulse. Males that were exposed to light or temperature pulses 5 days after pupation subsequently showed nonrhythmic sperm release. However, about half of the pupae that received the pulse on day 6 and most of the pupae that received it on day 7 subsequently showed synchronized sperm release. These results suggested that the clock underlying rhythmic release of sperm becomes operational at approximately 6 days after pupation—that is, 2 days prior to initiation of rhythmic sperm release from the testis.
Circadian Control of Visual Information Processing in the Optic Lobe of the Giant Cockroach Blaberus giganteus
Authors: Bult R. , Mastebroek H.A.K.
Published: March 2007

Extracellular spike activity from three different types of visual interneurons found in the optic lobe of the giant cockroach Blaberus giganteus was recorded. The spike rate of all three types of neurons fluctuated in a circadian manner in constant darkness (DD). Two types, so-called "on" neurons (ON1 and ON2), responded exclusively to stationary light stimuli. A static light pulse elicited a sustained component in ONI, whereas in ON2 only a brief transient response was observed. In ON1 neurons, responsiveness was high during the subjective night and low during the subjective day. The responsiveness of ON2 neurons had a peak during a few hours around subjective dusk and a smaller peak in the later subjective night. The third neuron type recorded consisted of a directionally selective motion-detecting (DSMD) neuron. The pure intensity response and the motion response of the DSMD neuron were high during the subjective day and low during the subjective night. The results show that visual interneurons in the optic lobes are influenced differently by the circadian oscillator system. It is suggested that the mode of circadian control depends on the role a neuron plays in the process of visual information processing.
Light-Induced Phase Responses in Gonyaulax Are Drastically Altered by Creatine
Authors: Roenneberg Till , Taylor Walter
Published: March 2007

The mammalian phosphagen creatine has been shown to shorten the circadian period (τ) of the bioluminescence rhythm in the marine alga Gonyaulax polyedra from 23 to 18 hr. The studies described here concern the interactive effects of creatine and light, mainly on the bioluminescence rhythm. We have found that the τ-shortening effect of creatine is greater in blue light, suggesting that it acts on a blue-sensitive light input pathway. In addition, creatine affects the phase response mechanism in Gonyaulax, which is also known to be mainly blue-sensitive. The responses to 4-hr light pulses are dramatically increased under the influence of creatine. The unusual phase response curve (PRC) of the Gonyaulax circadian system, which has no phase delays in the early night, is changed in the presence of creatine to a more typical type 0 PRC, with delays of up to 12 hr. Creatine also amplifies the cells' phototactic response, suggesting that the blue-sensitive light input pathway is shared by the phase-shifting mechanism of the bioluminescence oscillator and the mechanism responsible for phototaxis.
An Inhibitor of Protein Phosphorylation Stops the Circadian Oscillator and Blocks Light-Induced Phase Shifting in Gonyaulax polyedra
Authors: Comolli James , Taylor Walter , Hastings J.W.
Published: March 2007

The expression of circadian rhythmicity in Gonyaulax polyedra is strikingly altered by an inhibitor of protein phosphorylation. The effects of 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP), known to reversibly block cell division in many systems through inhibition of protein kinase activity, are described here for Gonyaulax. Its action appears to be exclusively tonic in nature; in cells continuously exposed, the period is lengthened in a concentration-dependent fashion. Shorter treatments at a higher concentra tion of 6-DMAP (5 mM) apparently stop the circadian oscillator, but reversibly so, since the rhythm resumes after drug removal with a phase delay approximately equal to the duration of the treatment. Pulses of the inhibitor are effective in causing phase delays at all times of the circadian cycle. In addition, 6-DMAP completely blocks light-induced phase advances and is effective in inhibiting many Gonyaulax protein kinases in vitro.
Photosensitivity in the Circadian Hatching Rhythm of the Carotenoid-Depleted Silkworm, Bombyx mori
Authors: Sakamoto Katsuhiko , Shimizu Isamu
Published: March 2007

Silkworms ( Bombyx mori) were reared on a carotenoid-deprived artificial diet, and the carotenoid-depleted eggs of the next generation were incubated so that we could observe the effect of the depletion on the circadian rhythm of hatching. The phototactic response curves of newly hatched larvae showed that the visual photosensitivity in ocelli of larvae from the carotenoid-depleted eggs was at least 4 log units lower than that of a carotenoid-rich control group. However, the phase-shift experiment revealed that carotenoid depletion did not reduce the photosensitivity in the hatching rhythm. When the hatching rhythm was generated by exposure to a single light pulse in constant darkness, the first peak in the rhythm of the carotenoid-depleted silkworms occurred significantly earlier than that of the carotenoid-rich group, but the following second peaks of both groups were found at the same time. These results suggest that for the silkworm, carotenoid is not involved in photoreception for the hatching rhythm, but is involved in the timing of hatching.
Light Treatment for Sleep Disorders: Consensus Report
Authors: Campbell Scott S. , Eastman Charmane I. , Terman Michael , Lewy Alfred J. , Boulos Ziad , Dijk Derk-Jan
Published: March 2007

Examination of the influence of the light-dark cycle on circadian rhythmicity has been a fundamental aspect of chronobiology since its inception as a scientific discipline. Beginning with Bünning's hypothetical phase response curve in 1936, the impact of timed light exposure on circadian rhythms of literally hundreds of species has been described. The view that the light-dark cycle was an important zeitgeber for the human circadian system, as well, seemed to be supported by early studies of blind and sighted subjects. Yet, by the early 1970s, based primarily on a series of studies conducted at Erling-Andechs, Germany, the notion became widely accepted that the light-dark cycle had only a weak influence on the human circadian system and that social cues played a more important role in entrainment. In 1980, investigators at the National Institute of Mental Health reported that bright light could suppress melatonin production in humans, thereby demonstrating unequivocally the powerful effects of light on the human central nervous system. This finding led directly to the use of timed bright light exposure as a tool for the study and treatment of human circadian rhythms disorders.
Light Treatment for Sleep Disorders: Consensus Report
Authors: Campbell Scott S. , Terman Michael , Lewy Alfred J. , Dijk Derk-Jan , Eastman Charmane I. , Boulos Ziad
Published: March 2007

Sleep maintenance insomnia is a major complaint among the elderly. As a result, an inordinate proportion of sleeping pill prescriptions go to individuals over 65 y of age. Because of the substantial problems associated with use of hypnotics in older populations, efforts have been made to develop nondrug treatments for age-related sleep disturbance, including timed exposure to bright light. Such bright light treatments are based on the assumption that age-related sleep disturbance is the consequence of alterations in the usual temporal relationship between body temperature and sleep. Although studies are limited, results strongly suggest that evening bright light exposure is beneficial in alleviating sleep maintenance insomnia in healthy elderly subjects. Less consistent, but generally positive, findings have been reported with regard to bright light treatment of sleep and behavioral disturbance in demented patients. For both groups, it is likely that homeostatic factors also contribute to sleep disturbance, and these may be less influenced by bright light interventions.
Is There an Endogenous Tidal Foraging Rhythm in Marine Iguanas?
Authors: Wikelski Martin , Hau Michaela
Published: March 2007

As strictly herbivorous reptiles, Galápagos marine iguanas graze on algae in the intertidal areas during low tide. Daily foraging rhythms were observed on two islands during 3 years to determine the proximate factors underlying behavioral synchrony with the tides. Marine iguanas walked to their intertidal foraging grounds from far-off resting areas in anticipation of the time of low tide. Foraging activity was restricted to daytime, resulting in a complex bitidal rhythm including conspicuous switches from afternoon foraging to for aging during the subsequent morning when low tide occurred after dusk. The animals anticipated the daily low tide by a maximum of 4 h. The degree of anticipation depended on environmental parameters such as wave action and food supply. "Early foragers" survived in greater numbers than did animals arriving later at foraging sites, a result indicating selection pressure on the timing of anticipation. The timing of foraging trips was better predicted by the daily changes in tabulated low tide than it was by the daily changes in actual exposure of the intertidal foraging flats, suggesting an endogenous nature of the foraging rhythms. Endogenous rhythmicity would also explain why iguanas that had spontaneously fasted for several days nevertheless went foraging at the "right" time of day A potential lunar component of the foraging rhythmicity of marine iguanas showed up in their assemblage on intertidal rocks during neap tide nights. This may indicate that iguanas possessed information on the semi- monthly rhythms in tide heights. Enclosure experiments showed that bitidal foraging rhythms of iguanas may free run in the absence of direct cues from the intertidal areas and operate independent of the light:dark cycle and social stimuli. Therefore, the existence of a circatidal oscillator in marine iguanas is proposed. The bitidal foraging pattern may result from an interaction of a circadian system with a circatidal system. Food intake or related stimuli may be used as tidal zeitgebers in synchronizing the foraging rhythms of these reptiles under natural conditions.
Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase Message Isoforms in Human Suprachiasmatic Nucleus
Authors: Gao Bo , Moore Robert Y.
Published: March 2007

The rat suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is comprised of neurons that contain gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) colocalized with one or more peptides. In the present study, the authors employed in situ hybridization histochemistry to determine whether the human SCN also contains GABA neurons using synthetic oligonucleotide probes complementary to sequences of two isoforms of the GABA-forming enzyme, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), GAD 65, and GAD67. Most, if not all, SCN neurons appear to express both GAD65 mRNA and GAD67 mRNA with the content of GAD67 greater than GAD65. Both isoforms also are expressed in some neurons of the anterior hypothalamic area, in small neurons of the paraventricular nucleus but not in the supraoptic nucleus. These data indicate that neurons in the human SCN, like those in rodents, use GABA as a neurotransmitter.
Photic Entrainment in Hamsters: Effects of Simulated Twilights and Nest Box Availability
Authors: Boulos Z. , Macchi M. , Houpt T.A. , Terman M.
Published: March 2007

Entrainment of wheel-running activity rhythms was compared in hamsters exposed to daily light-dark (LD) cycles with abrupt transitions between 0 and 10 lux or with artificial twilights simulating summer solstice conditions at 41°N latitude but truncated at 10 lux. The photoperiod in LD-rectangular was set at 16.24 h, equating the total light (in lux • min) emitted under the two schedules. The LD cycles were maintained for 35 days and were followed by 14 days of constant darkness (DD). Half the animals in each condition had access to a dark nest box connected to the outer compartment by a tunnel, the remaining animals being confined to a single compartment. Body temperature and locomotor activity inside the nest boxes were recorded by telemetry. Movements between the nest box and the outer compartment were monitored and the data were used to calculate light exposure at different times of the day. In all groups, the phase angle difference between wheel-running onset and dusk was more positive than that between activity offset and dawn. Hamsters with access to nest boxes, however, had later onsets, earlier offsets, and shorter activity durations (αs) than those without. These effects could be accounted for by the difference in light exposure between the nest and no-nest animals, particularly light exposure in the morning. The inclusion of twilights also resulted in later onsets and shorter αs, but the differences were relatively small and were only observed in the nest animals. The day-to-day variability in activity onset was negatively correlated with onset time and was smaller in the twilight/nest animals than in the other three groups. Most animals showed an expansion of α during the first few days of DD, resulting from a rapid advance of activity onsets relative to offsets. The period of the rhythms, determined from the first five activity onsets in DD, was negatively correlated with the balance of evening and morning light exposure. These results are discussed in the context of nonparametric entrainment of compound pacemakers.
Experimental and Clinical Evaluation of a Counterpulsation Device
Authors: Nanas John N. , Anastasiou-Nana Maria , Moulopoulos Spyridon D.
Published: March 2007

The counterpulsation technique has been widely used for the as sistance of the acutely failing left ventricle utilizing the intraaortic balloon pump. However, a variety of other counterpulsation devices are available. To evaluate a counterpulsation device several variables need to be considered: (1) experimental and clinical determination of the salutary effects of the device on the left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac output, aortic pressures, left ven tricular end-diastolic pressure, tension-time index, diastolic pressure-time in dex and endocardial viability ratio; (2) experimental and clinical estimation of the device biocompatibility, and (3) the clinical improvement of the assisted patients.
Local Housing Plans
Authors: Varady David P. , Birdsall Charlotte T.
Published: March 2007

In recent years, local governments have taken a more active role in the development and implementation of housing programs. This article reviews changes in local housing plans during the 1970s and 1980s; looks at what guidelines were developed for preparing effective local plans; and critically examines seven efforts (Chattanooga, Dallas, Detroit, Hartford, King County (Washington), Minneapolis-St. Paul, and New York City). An "insider's" view of the preparation of Cincinnati's recently completed Housing Blueprint is also provided. The eight plans exhibit a high degree of diversity with respect to both mission (whether the planfocused on both market-rate and below market-rate housing) and organizational auspices (whether it was produced by a city agency or an independent taskforce). The article highlights three issues involved in the preparation of local housing plans. First, needs assessment is a more complicated and value-laden process than most planners realize. Second, local governments lack the financial resources to address the problem of affordability in addition to the problems of unhealthy and overcrowded housing conditions. Third, there is a need for improved coordination between housing and ancillary programs (income transfers, education, and social services).
The Theory and Practice of Equity Planning: An Annotated Bibliography
Authors: Metzger John T.
Published: March 2007

Equity planning is a framework in which urban planners working within government use their research, analytical, and organizing skills to influence opinion, mobilize underrepresented constituencies, and advance and perhaps implement policies and programs that redistribute public and private resources to the poor and working class. This approach divergesfrom the downtown-oriented land-use planning tradition of most U.S. cities. The bibliography compiles literature that describes some of the theoretical and political debate about planning for social equity goals. It is also a resource that informs and guides planners, public administrators, urban policy analysts, and community leaders regarding some of the actual experiences of equity planning over the past twentyfive years.
Homeless Women and Men: Their Problems and Use of Services
Authors: Benda Brent B. , Dattalo Patrick
Published: March 2007

This article reports on a study of 444 homeless persons in Richmond, Virginia, that examined the relationships among homelessness and gender; current and past problems; and various demographic characteristics. The findings support the general theory that a significant proportion of homeless men and women drift down into their current situation after a history of crime, substance abuse, or mental illness. However, the path that leads to homelessness differs according to gender. Thus, men are likely to become homeless after years of crime and alcohol abuse, whereas women are likely to have taken the path of abusing nonprescription drugs. The implications of these findings for the development of policies and services are discussed from a feminist perspective.
Feminism, Empowerment, and Field Education
Authors: Lazzari Marceline M.
Published: March 2007

Interactions between 19 field instructors and 19 field students provided the exploratory context from which an operational definition of empowerment was derived. Empowerment emerged as an interactive process of trust between the field instructors and their students. Specified as belief in self and in the other, that relational stance was both product and process and represented the feminist reconceptual ization of power that integrates relationship with connectedness.
Postmodernism and the Conduct of Inquiry in Social Work
Authors: Gorman Jane
Published: March 2007

This article proposes that social work's indigenous treasures are the intensely personal, highly emotional, often brutal stories of everyday life as lived by clients and witnessed by practitioners. Citing postmodern thought in several disciplines, the author suggests that the embrace of narrative as a method of inquiry and as a transformational tool at the individual and societal levels has the potential to bring social work's practice, research, and social action aspects into harmony. Clinical narratives illustrate the ways in which the postmodern dia logue could be (and already is) engaged by practitioners.
Economic Empowerment of Low-Income Women Through Self-Employment Programs
Authors: Raheim Salome , Bolden Jacquelyn
Published: March 2007

This article compares the potential for self-employment to facilitate women's economic empowerment with traditional options for women's economic self-sufficiency. It concludes that self-employment programs are potentially subversive to patriarchy and the state be cause through them, low-income women can gain independence from male dominance in the home and the workplace and from the collective male control of the social welfare system.
Debunking the Myth of Progress for Women Social Work Educators
Authors: Petchers Marcia K.
Published: March 2007

This article presents a study of trends in the employment of women social work educators from 1972 to 1993. The findings revealed that academic women continue to be clustered in nontenure and nontenure-track positions, despite the growing number of women with doctorates in social work. Strategies for achieving equity are also presented.
Conducting Qualitative Interviews With Women Survivors of Trauma
Authors: Brzuzy Stephanie , Ault Amber , Segal Elizabeth A.
Published: March 2007

Because victimization and trauma are significant parts of women's lives, it is important for qualitative interviewers to explore and chronicle those events without raising the women's anxiety unnecessarily or revictimizing the women. This article discusses concerns related to interviewing women survivors of trauma and presents guidelines for interviewing them.
Multicultural Perspectives on Menopause and the Climacteric
Authors: Chornesky Alice
Published: March 2007

Different cultures have different attitudes toward menopause and the symptoms of menopause. This article discusses research on these attitudes and suggests that the way menopause is conceptualized is primarily a function of societal attitudes toward the roles and status of women, especially mature women. It also presents recommenda tions for social work research and practice with women in midlife.
"What It Was Won't Be Anymore": Reaching the Turning Point in Coping With Intimate Violence
Authors: Eisikovits Zvi , Buchbinder Eli , Mor Michal
Published: March 2007

This article presents a study of the experiences of 20 battered Israeli women in the process of reaching the turning point in their experience of abuse—the point at which they refused to live with violence and took active steps to stop it while living with the perpetrators. The process needs to be understood as a series of losses on the personal and interpersonal levels that, taken together, lead to a total change in the women's meaning systems.
Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: McFARLANE JUDITH , WILLSON PAMELA , MALECHA ANN , LEMMEY DOROTHY
Published: March 2007

To compare the severity of violence reported by women and men filing assault charges against an intimate partner, 100 complainants (90 women and 10 men) were interviewed. Measurement instruments included the Severity of Violence Against Women Scales, Danger Assessment Scale, Stalking Victimization Survey, and a quality of life index. Using independent t tests, no significant differences existed between male and female demographic characteristics. The majority of victims were African American, employed, and in current relationships with the abuser. Similarly, no significant differences existed between genders for any of the measurement instruments, including quality of life indices. Although incidence reports of intimate partner, nonlethal violence is consistently and appreciably higher for females, this study indicates that the severity and extent of the violence does not differ by gender, and neither do the associated quality of life indices. Clearly, violence against intimates is an equally serious issue for both men and women.
The Relationship Between Adolescent Sex Offender Behaviors and Victim Characteristics With Prior Victimization
Authors: VENEZIANO CAROL , VENEZIANO LOUIS , LeGRAND SCOTT
Published: March 2007

Adolescent sexual offenders have recently been the focus of a number of research studies that have indicated that sexual offending often begins in adolescence and that prior sexual abuse of this group is common. This study examined the relationship between prior victimization and subsequent sexual abuse of others. The variables of gender, age, relationship of victim and offender, and sexual behaviors were compared by gathering information from a sample of adolescent sexual offenders with respect to their prior victimization and their subsequent perpetration. It was hypothesized that adolescent sexual offenders were more likely to repeat the behaviors they had experienced as victims and that the characteristics of victims were more likely to be reflective of their own victim experiences. The results supported the hypotheses. Implications for future research and clinical practice were discussed
An MMPI-2 Scale to Identify History of Physical Abuse
Authors: KORBANKA JUERGEN E. , McKAY MATTHEW
Published: March 2007

This study attempted to extract an MMPI-2 scale identifying adult male and female victims of childhood physical abuse. Such a scale may alert clinicians early in treatment to issues related to trauma. Victims may not disclose such a history because of discomfort or because they may not make the connection between past events and present-day functioning. Early detection of victims is important because victims are more prone to enter abusive relationships as adults or to become abusers. The sample (N = 201), recruited from a community mental health center and a low-fee outpatient center to represent a broad clinical population, was divided into a physical abuse reporting group and a comparison group. A stepwise discriminant function analysis based on Wilks's lambda yielded 95.5% correct classification (using 43 MMPI-2 items), suggesting that the MMPI-2 can be an important aid in the identification of individuals who suffered from childhood physical abuse.
The Relationship Between Adult Psychological Adjustment and Childhood Sexual Abuse, Childhood Physical Abuse, and Family-of-Origin Characteristics
Authors: KAMSNER SHANE , McCABE MARITA P.
Published: March 2007

A history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been shown to be an important contributor to poor psychosocial adjustment in adult life. However, the long-term impact of childhood physical abuse (CPA) has been neglected, and research has often failed to consider moderating factors such as a negative family environment. This article investigates the relationships among adult psychological adjustment and self-esteem, family-of-origin environment variables, and a history of CSA or CPA. A self-report questionnaire was administered to a general community sample and a tertiary student sample. Findings indicated that family-of-origin variables did not predict psychological adjustment. However, the community group exhibited poorer psychological adjustment than the student group. For the community group, family cohesion and CSA were the best predictors of adult adjustment and self-esteem. For the student group, only CPA significantly contributed to the prediction of adult psychological adjustment. Statistical and conceptual limitations, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.
Victims of Stalking
Authors: SPENCE-DIEHL EMILY , POTOCKY-TRIPODI MIRIAM
Published: March 2007

In the past decade, there has been a growing effort across numerous disciplines to begin to document, explain, and address the problem of stalking. Because community services for stalking victims have scarcely been addressed in the literature, this study sought to explore the provision of services to stalking victims in the context of crime-victim service delivery networks. A 40-item questionnaire was mailed to all victim services programs listed in Florida and California. Victim services practitioners (VSPs) were asked to describe and evaluate the needs of stalking victims and their communities' responses to this population. The study found that: (a)VSPs' perceptions and provision of services varied significantly across employment settings (criminal justice vs. private/nonprofit or university-based programs), (b) victims of nondomestic stalking (perpetrated primarily by acquaintances and strangers) appear to be underserved, and (c) VSPs suggest community and service-provider education and training would help improve communities' responses to stalking victims.
Object Relations Disturbances in Sexually Abused Males
Authors: MORRELL BARBARA , MENDEL MATTHEW P. , FISCHER LANE
Published: March 2007

The relationship between object relations and child sexual abuse, physical abuse, and separation from parents was investigated in a clinical sample of 120 adult males with a history of sexual abuse, using the Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Investory. Variables included gender of and relationship to perpetrator, age of onset, severity, frequency, duration, and number of abusers. Males with a history of abuse demonstrated greater object relations disturbances than the norm, scoring significantly higher on all object relations subscales. Disturbances in object relations were predicted by several sexual abuse variables, including abuse by a male, by both a male and female, by a relative, and by a stranger; and duration, frequency, and severity of abuse. Specific object relations problems were predicted by different patterns of sexual abuse. The implications of findings are discussed in relation to object relations theory, clinical applications for male victims, and future research.
An Evaluation of an Acquaintance Rape Prevention Program
Authors: GIDYCZ CHRISTINE A. , LAYMAN MELISSA J. , RICH CINDY L. , CROTHERS MARIE , GYLYS JULIUS , MATORIN ABIGAIL , JACOBS CECILIA DINE
Published: March 2007

The present study was designed to assess the effectiveness of a sexual assault prevention program on college students' rape-related attitudes and experiences with sexual aggression and victimization. Attitudes and sexual aggression and victimization experiences were assessed both prior to the program and 9 weeks following the program. Results suggested that program participants evidenced less rape myth acceptance at posttest than the comparison group. The program, however, did not have a significant effect on attitudes toward women, rape empathy, or rates of sexual aggression or victimization. Participants rated the program highly, although they did not find the information personally relevant. Implications of these findings for preventative efforts are discussed.
Batterer Characteristics and Treatment Completion
Authors: DALTON BRUCE
Published: March 2007

This study explored the relationship between treatment completion and the level of threat or consequence perceived by the client from the referral source, which is usually the judicial system. Completion was high at 71% (n = 60), but the degree of threat from the referral source did not predict treatment completion. What were found to be significant predictors of treatment completion were reported symptoms of drug abuse (n = 37,44% of sample) and unemployment (n = 14, 17% of sample). The literature indicates that a trend to provide substance abuse services is developing, although programs do not generally address issues of unemployment. In addition, most batterer treatment programs have strict policies concerning payment of fees. This raises issues when the unemployed batterer has an employed spouse, as was the case for 10 of the 14 unemployed in this sample.
Attributions of Blame and Responsibility for Child Sexual Abuse and Adult Adjustment
Authors: McMILLEN CURTIS , ZURAVIN SUSAN
Published: March 2007

Both clinical and empirical work suggest that attributions of responsibility and blame for child sexual abuse may be important determinants of subsequent adjustment. Measurement of the attributions has been problematic, however, and has hindered the conclusions that can be drawn. In this study, measures were developed that assess three types of attributions—self-blame, family blame, and perpetrator blame. The examination of the relationships between attributions and adjustment in a study of 154 adult women sexually abused as children found that both self-blame and family blame were related to some indicators of poor adjustment. In addition, there was a threeway interaction among blame types and one indicator of adjustment. These results suggest that the relationships between attributions and adjustment may be more complex than previously indicated.
Convicted Women Who Have Killed Children
Authors: CRIMMINS SUSAN , LANGLEY SANDRA , BROWNSTEIN HENRY H. , SPUNT BARRY J.
Published: March 2007

Because the innocence and vulnerability of children typically arouse feelings of nurturance and protectiveness, how do we understand homicides involving women who have killed children? As part of a NIDA-funded study that examined the role of drugs in homicides committed by women, life history interviews with 42 women convicted of killing children were conducted. Repeated experiences of damage to the self, including physical and sexual victimization, suicide attempts, and substance abuse, were evident throughout the lives of these women. The extent that these self-damage indicators interfered with the women's ability to parent children is discussed. Links between these self-damage experiences and the homicide are explored.
Personality Predictors of the Minnesota Power and Control Wheel
Authors: DUTTON DONALD G. , STARZOMSKI ANDREW J.
Published: March 2007

Tests were conducted to determine whether the Minnesota Power and Control Wheel (MPCW), which describes eight forms of power and control tactics, constituted a syndrome of intercorrelated actions. Criterion items for the MPCW octants were derived from Tolman's Psychological Maltreatment of Women Inventory (PMWI) completed by assaultive and nonassaultive samples. Tests were conducted of whether certain features of the abusive personality could accurately predict various octants of the MPCW. With the exception of “using the children as pawns,” all MPCW dimensions of the abuse of power and control were significantly intercorrelated, suggesting the existence of a syndrome of abuse of power and control. Personality disturbance was significantly correlated with all octants except using the children. These findings argue for a comprehensive model of abusive uses of power and control tactics integrating both social and psychological influences, rather than one that relies exclusively on either one.
Prevalence of Wife Abuse in the Netherlands
Authors: RÖMKENS RENEE
Published: March 2007

This article presents data from the first national survey on the prevalence of wife abuse in the Netherlands, conducted among a representative sample of 1,016 women between 20 and 60 years of age. The article starts with a discussion of methodological and definitional issues in survey research on violence against women. The methodological measures are discussed: the design of a semistructured interview schedule that enabled flexible but controlled data collection. Main results on prevalence and consequences of wife abuse in the Netherlands are presented. Method and findings are discussed in relation to earlier findings and the debate on quality of survey data on wife abuse.
Hidden Perpetrators
Authors: FROMUTH MARY ELLEN , CONN VICTORIA E.
Published: March 2007

The current study explored molestation committed by females during childhood and adolescence. Participants were 546 female college students recruited from the psychology research pool at a large southeastern university. Using a questionnaire approach, 22 women (4%) described at least one experience that met the criterion for sexually molesting a younger child. Although no offender viewed the experience as having a positive effect on the victim, only 3 of the 22 (14%) viewed what occurred as child sexual abuse. Few differences were found between perpetrators and nonperpetrators on background variables and psychological adjustment. Perpetrators, however, were more likely to have been sexually abused as children and to report having some sexual interest in children.
Female Incest Survivors
Authors: LUBELL AIMEE K. NEWMAN , PETERSON CHRISTOPHER
Published: March 2007

Adult female survivors of incest (n=68) were compared to other women (n=93) with respect to their relationships with their mothers and female friends. For the most part, incest survivors did not differ from other women in terms of their friendship networks or the quality of their closest female friendships. However, they did report lower levels of interpersonal competence. Survivors described relatively poor relationships with their mothers, who were seen by them as socially isolated and lonely. Measures of relationships with their friends were largely independent of those assessing relationships with their mothers. These results imply that incest indeed affects the relationships adult survivors share with other women, particularly their mothers, but also indicate that negative consequences are not always present. Many aspects of friendships with other women seem resilient and may serve as a positive foundation for therapeutic interventions.