Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Identity And Substance Abuse In The Lesbian Community, Molly Kerby

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs) among members of the lesbian community. Additionally, the investigator attempted to determine if there was a relationship between negative social identity and low selfesteem that is reflected in higher rates of substance abuse. The data collection method employed in this study was a type of nonprobability sampling procedure referred to as a purposive sample. The questionnaire was derived from instruments used by other researchers and validated by an expert panel. In order to select respondents from the lesbian population to be included …

Street-Based Female Adolescent Puerto Rican Sex Workers: Contextual Issues And Health Needs, Margarita Burgos, Donna L. Richter, Belinda Reininger, Ann L. Coker, Ruth Saunders, Margarita Alegria, Mildred Vera

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Adolescent sex workers potentially have many health needs but are included rarely in health assessments; therefore, little is known about their needs or how to reach them. This study examines the motivations, social context, and health needs of street-based adolescent sex workers. The results show these youths are more likely to experience negative health outcomes, such as unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, when they are using drugs or are depressed. These findings suggest the need for comprehensive programming to include individual, interpersonal, and greater environmental interventions. Examples for reaching adolescent sex workers are discussed.

An Analysis Of Implementation Issues Relating To Chip Cost-Sharing Provisions For Certain Targeted Low Income Children, Sara J. Rosenbaum, Anne Rossier Markus, Dylan Roby

Health Policy and Management Issue Briefs

This analysis, prepared for the Health Care Financing Administration and the Health Resources and Services Administration, examines issues that arise under laws designed to avert excessive cost-sharing in the case of low income families whose children participate in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). High cost-sharing has been shown to significantly affect children’s participation in insurance programs, as well as their utilization of health services. As a result, the Federal CHIP legislation, while permitting cost-sharing under certain circumstances, also places limitations on the total amount of cost-sharing to which families can be exposed for services covered by State CHIP …

A Model Of Organizational Responsiveness To Stakeholders, Caron Chess

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Chess explores the relationship between risk management and risk communication and its affect on an organization/stakeholder relationship.

Media Coverage Of Epa's Draft Dioxin Reassessment Report, Sharon M. Friedman, Megan A. Fitzpatrick, Brenda P. Egolf

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using content analysis, the authors examine the utility of news media in democratic decision making.

Physical Violence During Pregnancy: Maternal Complications And Birth Outcomes, Vilma E. Cokkinides, Ann L. Coker, Maureen Sanderson, Cheryl Addy, Lesa Bethea

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: To assess the association between physical violence during the 12 months before delivery and maternal complications and birth outcomes.

Methods: We used population-based data from 6143 women who delivered live-born infants between 1993 and 1995 in South Carolina. Data on women's physical violence during pregnancy were based on self-reports of partner-inflicted physical hurt and being involved in a physical fight. Outcome data included maternal antenatal hospitalizations, labor and delivery complications, low birth weights, and preterm births. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were calculated to measure the associations between physical violence, maternal morbidity, and birth outcomes.

Results: The prevalence …

A Study Of The Knowledge And Attitudes Of Physicians Toward Victims Of Spouse Abuse, Ramani N. Garimella

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to measure the knowledge and attitudes of physicians toward victims of spouse abuse. All 150 practitioners in the specialities of emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics-gynecology and psychiatry, in a large area general hospital are included in the sampling frame; 76 responded (RR = 51%). Knowledge and attitudes were measured using the Physician Survey on Spouse Abuse. Rosenberg's Tripartite Model of Attitude formed the theoretical basis for this study. Participants were 72% male, 90% white, 88% currently married, with a mean age of 44 years (SD = 7.99). Mean years in practice was 14.61 (SD …

Psychological And Behavioral Functioning In Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatients Who Report Histories Of Childhood Abuse, Carlos M. Grilo, Charles A. Sanislow, Dwain C. Fehon, Steve Martino, Thomas H. Mcglashan

Charles A. Sanislow, Ph.D.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine psychological and behavioral functioning in psychiatrically hospitalized adolescents who report histories of childhood abuse. Method: Three hundred twenty-two subjects completed an assessment battery of psychometrically well-established instruments. Childhood abuse was assessed by using the childhood abuse scale of the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory. Childhood abuse scores of 30 or less and 70 or greater were used to create two study groups—no abuse (N=93) and high abuse (N=70), respectively. The two study groups were compared demographically and on the battery of instruments. Results: The two groups differed substantially on most measures of …

Assessing The Potential Demand For And Effectiveness Of Integrating Sti/Hiv Management Services With Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council's Clinic-Based Family Planning Services, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Hazel M.B. Dube, Caroline S. Marangwanda, Sithokozille Simba, Ahmed Latif

Reproductive Health

HIV/AIDS is a threat to individual lives and the national economies of many sub-Saharan African countries, despite efforts to contain its spread. The region also suffers from high levels of other reproductive tract infections (RTIs), some of which increase the risk of sexual transmission of HIV. The control of RTIs is therefore seen not only as an important reproductive health care strategy, but as a key strategy in reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Most national health care programs in the region are actively seeking cost-effective ways of implementing an RTI management program that would reduce and prevent RTIs and HIV. …

The Continuing Decline In Medicaid Coverage, Leighton Ku, Brian K. Bruen

Health Policy and Management Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Mexico: Protecting Informed Consent, Elsa Santos, Silvia Elena Llaguno, Ricardo Vernon

Reproductive Health

The objective of this three-month project in Mexico was to disseminate information among key audiences about: 1) the right of women to choose contraceptive methods in a free and informed manner; and 2) the laws and institutions available to help redress any violations of this right. Four publications on these topics, developed by a previous project funded by Population Council/INOPAL III, were reproduced and distributed to 2,750 people in the following target audiences: women of reproductive age; reproductive health service providers; national and state commissions of human rights, complaints offices in public hospitals, feminist and human rights organizations; and legal …

Investigación Operativa En Planificación Familiar: Lecturas Selectas, James R. Foreit, Tomas Frejka

Reproductive Health

Desde que existen los programas de planificación familiar existe la investigación sobre este tema. En el nivel teórico, los investigadores examinan el efecto de la fertilidad sobre la salud y el desarrollo socioeconómico y estudian los determinantes de la fecundidad para los individuos y la poblaciones. En el nivel de las políticas, los estudios exploran el papel que juegan los programas de planificación familiar en la modificación de la fecundidad y la salud. El desarrollo de nuevos anticonceptivos se acompaña de pruebas clínicas y pre-introductorias en el contexto de los programas. Se llevan a cabo encuestas para medir los cambios …

The Cost Of Health Services At The Facilities Level Of The Nakuru Municipal Council, Nakuru, Kenya, Andrew Thompson, Barbara Janowitz, Julie Solo

Reproductive Health

The Nakuru Municipal Council (NMC), in Kenya, is concerned with the financial sustainability of its services and is considering increasing prices. The Council is currently charging for services but these fees are not based on the cost of providing services. Before changing its prices, the NMC wanted information on its costs because another strategy to improve financial sustainability is to decrease the costs of producing various services. Information on current costs of services can also help the NMC to determine ways to reduce these costs. The NMC, in collaboration with the Africa OR/TA II project and Family Health International, conducted …

Testing Strategies To Improve Access To Emergency Contraception Pills: Prescription Vs. Prophylactic Distribution, John P. Skibiak, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata

Reproductive Health

This report is the second in a series of research summaries produced in connection with the operations research project “Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services through the Introduction of Emergency Contraception.” Launched in September 1997, the project explores the many issues surrounding the introduction and delivery of emergency contraception services in a developing country context. The study described in this report compares two different approaches to overcoming barriers that prevent women from accessing emergency contraception during the 72-hour period when the first dosage of emergency contraception pills (ECPs) must be taken. In one approach, new family planning (FP) acceptors were …

Comparing Alternative Products In The Provision Of Emergency Contraception, John P. Skibiak, Yusuf Ahmed, M. Ketata

Reproductive Health

This report is the third in a series of summaries produced in connection with the operations research project “Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services through the Introduction of Emergency Contraception.” Launched in September 1997, the project explores the many issues surrounding the introduction and delivery of emergency contraception services in a developing country context. The study compares the introduction of two different emergency contraception pills—the combined oral contraceptive PC-4, introduced in Zambia in 1997, and the progestin-only contraceptive Postinor-2, introduced by this study in the following year. Client histories showed only minor differences in the attitudes of emergency contraception users …

Reproductive Tract Infections: A Set Of Factsheets, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Reproductive tract infections (RTIs) are being increasingly recognized as a serious global health problem with impact on individual women and men, and their families and communities. RTIs can have severe consequences, including infertility, ectopic pregnancy, chronic pelvic pain, miscarriage, and increased risk of HIV transmission. For effective prevention and management of RTIs, accurate information is necessary and should be widely available. In addition to a brief introduction to RTIs, this document contains 13 factsheets addressing medical and social issues on a variety of topics related to RTIs. The document, produced by the Population Council with support from the Ford Foundation, …

Investing In Youth: Testing Community-Based Approaches For Improving Adolescent Sexual And Reproductive Health, Tamara Fetters, Fines Munkonze, Julie Solo

Reproductive Health

The world is now sustaining the largest number of youth in human history; today there are nearly 900 million 10–19-year-olds and their health and livelihood issues are becoming increasingly important to policymakers worldwide. In Zambia, as in many other countries, young people face severe problems, including limited access to jobs, secondary education, and health care. The social, economic, and peer pressures that youth face often lead to high levels of sexual activity, often with subsequent negative impacts on their sexual and reproductive health. In spite of the magnitude of the reproductive health problems facing youth, they still have limited access …

Strengthening Reproductive Health Services In Africa Through Operations Research, Population Council

Reproductive Health

The health status of women, men, and children in sub-Saharan Africa remains the poorest in the world. Moreover, virtually every country in the region is suffering mediocre economic growth or economic decline, thereby reducing the ability of their health care systems to respond adequately, and increasing dependence on external donor assistance. In terms of reproductive health (RH), the region is faced with high levels of unwanted fertility; high levels of maternal, child, and infant morbidity and mortality; and an almost exponential growth in HIV prevalence. Access to and quality of RH services remains poor in most countries, thereby maintaining unmet …

The Use Of Metaphor Graphics To Depict Sleep Research Results, Judith A. Floyd

Nursing Faculty Research Publications

Many nurses are not familiar with the highly technical language of research and the types of graphics that researchers use to communicate findings, creating a major barrier to research utilization in nursing. In an effort to find alternative approaches to displaying research results, W.G. Cole introduced "metaphor graphics" a decade ago as a way of graphically representing knowledge. He proposed that data be summarized using visual metaphors - i.e., abstract signs and symbols - to show patterns and convey meaning. Viewing human beings as imperfect processors of information who tend to reason using pattern recognition and mental models, Cole hypothesized …

Mental Health Parity: National And State Perspectives 1999, Bruce Lubotsky Levin, Ardis Hanson, Richard Coe

Ardis Hanson

Mental health parity legislation could substantially reduce the degree to which financial responsibility for the treatment of mental illness is shifted to government, especially state and local government. There is substantial evidence that both mental health and addictions treatment is effective in reducing the utilization and costs of medical services. There appears to be a lack of substantial evidence to discourage Florida from pursuing mental health and substance abuse parity legislation.

Social Work Assessment Of Adaptive Functioning Using The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales: Issues Of Reliability And Validity, Peter Cabrera, Lucienne Grimes-Gaa, Bruce A. Thyer

Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen

The assessment of client adaptive functioning is often an important component of a comprehensive social work evaluation. The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS) are the most commonly used quantitative measures of adaptive functioning for clients meeting the criteria for a wide range of disorders. We review the development of the VABS and current knowledge pertaining to the instrument's reliability and validity. We conclude that the ability to administer and interpret the VABS is an important skill for clinical social workers to acquire.

Housing And Population Health: A Review Of The Literature, Stephen Hwang, Esme Fuller-Thomson, J. David Hurlchanski, Toba Bryant, Youssef Habib, Wendy C. Regoeczi

Sociology & Criminology Faculty Publications

Research into the relationship between housing and health has frequently been narrowly focused, fragmented, and of marginal practical relevance to either housing or health studies. Population health research, in its reference to the importance of the social and physical environment, rarely mentions housing. While it has been recognized for some time that there is a need for the development of a co-ordinated, integrated and cumulative body of housing and health research, there is still very little formal co-ordination between housing policy and population health policy. More attention needs to be paid to measuring the nature and extent to which better …

L'Approche De L'Analyse Situationnelle Pour L'Évaluation Des Services De Planification Familiale Et De Santé De La Reproduction: Manuel De Recherche, Robert A. Miller, Andrew A. Fisher, Kate Miller, Lewis Ndhlovu, Baker Ndugga Maggwa, Ian Askew, Diouratie Sanogo, Placide Tapsoba

Reproductive Health

Une bonne prestation de services de planification familiale mettant l'accent à la fois sur l'accès et la qualité est la clé des objectifs interdépendants de satisfaction des besoins individuels et la réalisation du succès programmatique. L'analyse de situation (AS) fournit un lien nécessaire entre le responsable de programme et la cliente qu'il essaie de servir. Les données recueillies par l’AS offrent une image représentative du fonctionnement des composantes et permettent de «voir» l'expérience de la cliente. Les analyses situationnelles aident le responsable de programme à atteindre le plus grand but en termes de gestion—celui d’une administration efficace d'un service de …

The Tostan Story: Breakthrough In Senegal Ending Female Genital Cutting [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

In Senegal, elements of the Tostan education program were fundamental to the ending of the practice of female genital cutting (FGC) which has persisted for centuries, despite outside efforts to abolish such a dangerous and harmful operation. This paper is an attempt by those who lived through these events to share the experience with others. At a time when there has been little reduction in the numbers of women ending FGC in 28 African countries, when different programs and strategies have rarely succeeded in making an impact on the number of women still practicing FGC despite laws abolishing the tradition, …

Cognitively Impaired Elderly Individuals And Durable Powers Of Attorney For Healthcare, Nicole Rae Newman

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Examination Of A Stress Process Model In People Living With Aids/Hiv, Bret Morgan Sawyer

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

This survey research examined a stress process model (A-B-C) in People Living With AIDS and/or HIV (PLWAs) with point "A" representing stressful life events, point "B" the PLWAs' psychological make-up, and point "C" the emotional consequences. Point "A" was assessed by the HIV-stressor scale which yielded two results: (1) number of stressors experienced, and (2) the PLWAs' perception of how stressful each event was for them. Point "B" was assessed by measuring two constructs: (1) Sense of Coherence (SOC) which measured the PLWAs' ability to find meaning in their illness, and (2) Perceived Health Competence (PHC) which measured the PLWAs' …

Completing The Demographic Transition, John Bongaarts, Rodolfo A. Bulatao

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Despite ongoing declines in fertility in many countries, the population of the world is experiencing a period of rapid expansion, and its size is expected to exceed 10 billion by the end of the demographic transition. Three causes of this growth are identified and quantified: 1) fertility above the replacement level of two surviving children per woman, 2) continuing declines in mortality, and 3) population momentum resulting from a young age structure. A set of simple analytic expressions is proposed for estimating these factors from standard demographic indicators. Population momentum is shown to be the main cause of future growth …

Measuring Living Standards With Proxy Variables, Mark R. Montgomery, Michele Gragnolati, Kathleen A. Burke, Edmundo Paredes

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Very few demographic surveys in developing countries gather information on household income or consumption expenditure, despite the theoretical importance of these measures. Consequently, researchers have been forced to rely on ad hoc collections of proxy measures for living standards, and the properties of these proxies have not been systematically analyzed. In this research, we ask what hypotheses can be tested using proxy variables, and evaluate the performance of proxy measures in relation to consumption expenditures per adult, our preferred measure of living standards. We find that the proxy variables commonly employed in demographic research are very weak predictors of consumption …

The Decline Of Female Circumcision In Egypt: Evidence And Interpretation [Arabic], Omaima El-Gibaly, Barbara L. Ibrahim, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Female circumcision is widespread in Egypt. Research suggests that the practice persists because of a belief that circumcision will moderate female sexuality, that it will assure a girl’s marriageability, and that it is sanctioned by Islam. Using data from a nationally representative survey of adolescents, this paper investigates the prevalence and social correlates of circumcision among girls aged 10-19, the circumstances surrounding the procedure, and the attitudes of adolescents towards it. While the vast majority of adolescents are circumcised, a life table analysis indicates that girls today are at least 10 percentage points less likely to undergo female circumcision than …

Premarital Sex And School Dropout In Kenya: Can Schools Make A Difference?, Barbara Mensch, Wesley H. Clark, Cynthia B. Lloyd, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Although an overall decline has occurred in adolescent fertility in Kenya, the proportion of births to teenagers that takes place prior to marriage is rising. At the same time that premarital sex and childbearing have increased, educational participation has expanded considerably, especially for girls. Using data from nearly 600 adolescents aged 12-19 in combination with data collected from 33 primary schools that the adolescents attended, this paper explores whether certain aspects of the school environment affect the likelihood of early and unprotected sex among adolescent girls and boys in three districts of Kenya. Because of the concern with “schoolgirl pregnancy” …