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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Case Western Reserve University

2017

Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Relationship Between Black And Gay Community Involvement And Hiv-Related Risk Behaviors Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin Dec 2017

The Relationship Between Black And Gay Community Involvement And Hiv-Related Risk Behaviors Among Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Black gay men must navigate identities and stigmas related to being gay and Black, and report higher HIV incidence relative to their White male counterparts although they report lower rates of drug use and risky sexual behaviors. This study examined whether closeness to the gay or Black community correlated with HIV-related risk and protective behaviors. Data were drawn from uConnect, a population-based cohort study of young Black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) on Chicago's South Side. The sample consists of 618 Black MSM ranging in age from 16 to 29. Cross-sectional measures for this study include Black and …

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Pathways To Delinquency And Substance Use Among African American Youth: Does Future Orientation Mediate The Effects Of Peer Norms And Parental Monitoring?, Dexter R. Voisin Nov 2017

Pathways To Delinquency And Substance Use Among African American Youth: Does Future Orientation Mediate The Effects Of Peer Norms And Parental Monitoring?, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

The following study assessed whether future orientation mediated the effects of peer norms and parental monitoring on delinquency and substance use among 549 African American adolescents. Structural equation modeling computed direct and indirect (meditational) relationships between parental monitoring and peer norms through future orientation. Parental monitoring significantly correlated with lower delinquency through future orientation (B = −.05, standard deviation =.01, p <.01). Future orientation mediated more than quarter (27.70%) of the total effect of parental monitoring on delinquency. Overall findings underscore the importance of strengthening resilience factors for African American youth, especially those who live in low-income communities.

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Project Ngage: Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Dyadic Network Support Intervention To Retain Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men In Hiv Care, Dexter R. Voisin Oct 2017

Project Ngage: Results Of A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Dyadic Network Support Intervention To Retain Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men In Hiv Care, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

HIV-positive young black MSM (YBMSM) experience poor outcomes along the HIV care continuum, yet few interventions have been developed expressly for YBMSM retention in care. Project nGage was a randomized controlled trial conducted across five Chicago clinics with 98 HIV-positive YBMSM aged 16–29 between 2012 and 2015. The intervention used a social network elicitation approach with index YBMSM (n = 45) to identify and recruit a support confidant (SC) to the study. Each index-SC dyad met with a social worker to improve HIV-care knowledge, activate dyadic social support, and develop a retention in care plan. Each index and SC also …

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Do Serial Sex Offenders Maintain A Consistent Modus Operandi?: Findings From Previously Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits, Rachel Lovell, Daniel Clark Sep 2017

Do Serial Sex Offenders Maintain A Consistent Modus Operandi?: Findings From Previously Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits, Rachel Lovell, Daniel Clark

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

It is a common belief among law enforcement and prosecutors that serial sex offenders maintain a consistent modus operandi (MO), or offending pattern. The standard investigative practices in many law enforcement agencies are to either investigate a sexual assault allegation as an isolated event or use the offender’s MO to link other sexual assaults possibly committed by that offender. However, recent research from the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit research team at Case Western Reserve University is calling this practice into question. In our recently published paper in the Journal of Criminal Justice “Offending patterns for serial sex offenders identified …

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Reinventing Translation: Toward A Common Language For Scholar-Practitioners, Ann Kowal Smith, Karen R. Nestor Aug 2017

Reinventing Translation: Toward A Common Language For Scholar-Practitioners, Ann Kowal Smith, Karen R. Nestor

Engaged Management ReView

Translation starts in one language, and converts to a second. But it doesn't change the languages or the people who "speak" them. We propose – instead of translation – the joint development of theory and practice that becomes a common language – a common language of a community of scholar-practitioners. This paper describes the work of two scholar-practitioners committed to addressing a pressing problem of practice: the educational attainment and skills required for positive outcomes in the 21st century workplace. This paper considers the original design and implementation of an innovative, theory-based workplace learning initiative (Books@Work) and, arising from this …

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Changing Culture Through Sharing Space: A Case Study Of The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, Rachel Lovell, Misty Luminais, Daniel Flannery Aug 2017

Changing Culture Through Sharing Space: A Case Study Of The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, Rachel Lovell, Misty Luminais, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

This brief explores the efficacy of having a shared space for a multidisciplinary team that is responsible for tackling the issue of unsubmitted SAKs in their community. Our research finds that being in close proximity for extended periods of time has many positive outcomes including engendering a cultural shift that can break through disciplinary silos leading to more positive experiences for victims and successful prosecutions. The findings and recommendations detailed in this brief can be applicable to jurisdictions that are currently tackling or beginning to address their jurisdiction’s unsubmitted SAKs, regardless of whether those efforts are currently being funded under …

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Describing And Quantifying How Previously Unsubmitted Saks Advanced From Testing To Disposition On The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, Rachel Lovell, Daniel Flannery Aug 2017

Describing And Quantifying How Previously Unsubmitted Saks Advanced From Testing To Disposition On The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, Rachel Lovell, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

In this research brief, we detail the process by which previously unsubmitted SAKs advance through four phases—testing, investigation, prosecution, and disposition—on the Cuyahoga County SAK Task Force (Task Force). We describe the key steps in the process, providing statistics on the number of cases that proceed or fail to proceed as well as the reasons why cases fail to proceed. The purpose of this research brief is to aid other jurisdictions that are processing their previously unsubmitted SAKs in visualizing the processing from testing to disposition, collecting performance measures at each step in the process, and establishing comparable statistics across …

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Perceptions Of Why The Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Exists In Cuyahoga County, Ohio And Recommendations For Improving Practice, Rachel Lovell, Misty Luminais, Daniel Flannery Aug 2017

Perceptions Of Why The Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Exists In Cuyahoga County, Ohio And Recommendations For Improving Practice, Rachel Lovell, Misty Luminais, Daniel Flannery

Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education Reports and Briefs

Previous research has addressed the logistical and structural factors that contributed to the backlog. This research brief approaches this issue from a different perspective—focusing instead on the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force (Task Force) members’ perceptions of the reasons for the backlog. We detail in the brief perceptions of what created the backlog, which provides an important glimpse into what was not working about the process according to Task Force members. Through their analyses and critiques, we can observe the shifts in culture and practice that have occurred, due in part to the passage of time and larger …

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A Longitudinal Analysis Of Antiretroviral Adherence Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin Apr 2017

A Longitudinal Analysis Of Antiretroviral Adherence Among Young Black Men Who Have Sex With Men, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Purpose: Young black men who have sex with men (YBMSM) experience poorer antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication adherence relative to their white counterparts. However, few studies have longitudinally examined factors that may correlate with various classifications of ART adherence among this population, which was the primary aim of this study. Methods: Project nGage was a randomized controlled trial conducted across five Chicago clinics from 2012 to 2015. Survey and medical records data were collected at baseline and 3- and 12-month periods to assess whether psychological distress, HIV stigma, substance use, family acceptance, social support, and self-efficacy predicted ART medication adherence among …

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Merging Ahead, Increase Speed: A Pilot Of Funder-Driven Nonprofit Restructuring, Robert L. Fischer, Claudia J. Coulton Mar 2017

Merging Ahead, Increase Speed: A Pilot Of Funder-Driven Nonprofit Restructuring, Robert L. Fischer, Claudia J. Coulton

Faculty Scholarship

Nonprofit agencies face increasing competition for scarce funding resources. Many agencies are considering ways to restructure themselves, often via mergers and acquisitions, as a way to become more effective and competitive. This case study examines a pilot initiative in Cleveland, Ohio, in which philanthropic funders invited and supported nonprofits in the pursuit of significant restructuring efforts. Health and human service nonprofits were recruited into a three-phase facilitated pilot that assisted the agency executive directors and boards in determining what type of restructuring was feasible and desirable. Overall, 75 nonprofits participated in some part of the pilot, 17 of which formally …

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Testing Three Pathways To Substance Use And Delinquency Among Low-Income African American Adolescents, Dexter R. Voisin Feb 2017

Testing Three Pathways To Substance Use And Delinquency Among Low-Income African American Adolescents, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Objective Mounting literature suggests that parental monitoring, risky peer norms, and future orientation correlate with illicit drug use and delinquency. However, few studies have investigated these constructs simultaneously in a single statistical model with low income African American youth. This study examined parental monitoring, peer norms and future orientation as primary pathways to drug use and delinquent behaviors in a large sample of African American urban adolescents. Methods A path model tested direct paths from peer norms, parental monitoring, and future orientation to drug use and delinquency outcomes after adjusting for potential confounders such as age, socioeconomic, and sexual orientation …

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