Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Substantial Minority (substantial + minority)
Selected AbstractsJuvenile sexual delinquents: contrasting child abusers with peer abusersCRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 4 2004J. Hendriks MA Background There is growing concern regarding juvenile sex offenders, and concomitant interest in a more scientific database which could help direct management and treatment resources. Aims To investigate whether juveniles who sexually offend against children (or those at least five years younger than themselves) differ from those who sexually assault their peers or older victims. Method The study is based on data from psychological screenings conducted for the juvenile courts in the Netherlands. Results As hypothesized, juvenile child molesters scored higher on neuroticism, had experienced more social problems, and had been bullied more often at school than their peers who sexually assaulted same-age or older victims. Child molesters also reported a more negative self-image. When referred for screening, they were younger but had committed more sex offences, more often against males than females. Conclusions The results were suggestive of greater need for psychological interventions in the child molester group, although in both groups substantial minorities had had experience of early childhood deprivation or abuse. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd. [source] Reduced smoking: an introduction and review of the evidenceADDICTION, Issue 1s1 2000John R. Hughes The major questions about reductions in the number of cigarettesday as a treatment goal are (1) how many smokers can reduce and maintain such reduction, (2) how much compensation will occur, (3) will reduced smoking significantly decrease the risk of smoking and (4) will reduction promote or undermine cessation. Naturalistic studies of smokers who are not trying to stop smoking indicate that a substantial minority of smokers spontaneously reduce their number of cigarettesday and can maintain significant reductions (-7% to -43%) over long periods of time. Six experimental trials of smokers not interested in quitting were able to induce large reductions in cigarettesday (-15% to -63%) using behavioral therapy andor nicotine replacement. Reductions in toxin exposure (carbon monoxide) were not as large but still substantial (-21% to -35%). The three studies with long-term follow-ups found little loss of effects over 6-30 months. Although face-valid, there is no direct test of whether reduced smoking will decrease smoking risks and such a study would need to be very large and last for a long time. None of the above-cited studies indicate that reduction undermines the probability of future cessation attempts and several found reduction promotes future cessation. [source] Employee share ownership and investment concentration: which employee shareholders fail to diversify?HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010Andrew Pendleton Using data from a survey of employees in three UK companies, the article examines concentration of savings in employer shares. It is found that a substantial minority of employees hold most of their savings in employer shares despite the risks. The article examines the distribution and determinants of portfolio concentration. It is found that portfolio concentration is more likely to be found among men, those on higher incomes, and those who are in early middle-age. Regression analysis indicates that organisational commitment and the duration of participation in the share ownership plan also affects the probability of having a concentrated portfolio. There is no clear evidence that those with substantial concentrations of employer shares take active steps to monitor their investments more closely than those with smaller shareholdings. [source] Gender difference in the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms,,INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 5 2009Ruth H. Striegel-Moore PhD Abstract Objective: This study examined gender differences in prevalence of eating disorder symptoms including body image concerns (body checking or avoidance), binge eating, and inappropriate compensatory behaviors. Method: A random sample of members (ages 18,35 years) of a health maintenance organization was recruited to complete a survey by mail or on-line. Items were drawn from the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Body Shape Questionnaire. Results: Among the 3,714 women and 1,808 men who responded, men were more likely to report overeating, whereas women were more likely to endorse loss of control while eating. Although statistically significant gender differences were observed, with women significantly more likely than men to report body checking and avoidance, binge eating, fasting, and vomiting, effect sizes ("Number Needed to Treat") were small to moderate. Discussion: Few studies of eating disorders include men, yet our findings suggest that a substantial minority of men also report eating disorder symptoms. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009 [source] Monetary costs associated with bulimiaINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS, Issue 1 2009Scott J. Crow MD Abstract Objective: The direct monetary costs for food and laxatives, diet pills, and diuretics used by individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN) have not been studied. Method: Ten participants with a presenting clinical diagnosis of BN completed a 7-day food record at the outset of treatment in order to provide estimates of weekly and yearly monetary costs for food and associated symptoms. Results: Participants reported means of 3.6 purge episodes, 2.5 objective binge episodes, and 2.4 subjective binge eating episodes per week. Mean total food costs were $106.98/week (SD = $53.88) or $5,581.79/year (SD = $2,811.58). Costs associated with binge eating and purging were 32.7% of all food costs (average: $1,599.45/year). Conclusion: Financial costs of bulimia symptoms are significant, and appear to constitute a substantial minority of all food spending by individuals with BN. © 2008 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2009 [source] Adverse Outcomes of Osteoporotic Fractures in the General Population,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 6 2003L Joseph Melton III MD Abstract Osteoporotic fractures exact a terrible toll on the population with respect to morbidity and cost, and to a lesser extent mortality, which will increase dramatically with the growing elderly population. Attention has focused on the 12-20% excess deaths after hip fracture, but most are caused by underlying medical conditions unrelated to osteoporosis. More important is fracture-related morbidity. An estimated 10% of patients are disabled by hip fracture, and 19% require institutionalization, accounting for almost 140,000 nursing home admissions annually in this country. Distal forearm and vertebral fractures less commonly result in nursing home placement, but about 10% of postmenopausal women have vertebral deformities that cause chronic pain, and a substantial minority have poor function after forearm fracture. These fractures interfere greatly with the activities of daily living, and all of them can have a substantial negative impact on quality of life. Annual expenditures for osteoporotic fracture care in the United States ($17.5 million in 2002 dollars) are dominated by hip fracture treatment, but vertebral fractures, distal forearm fractures, and importantly, the other fractures related to osteoporosis contribute one-third of the total. Although all fracture patients are at increased risk of future fractures, few of them are currently treated for osteoporosis, and only a subset (i.e., those with vertebral fractures) are considered candidates for many clinical trials. Eligibility criteria should be expanded and fracture end-points generalized to acknowledge the overall burden of osteoporotic fractures. [source] Reasons for terminating psychotherapy: a general population studyJOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 9 2010Robin Westmacott Abstract Clients' (N=693) reasons for ending psychotherapy and their associations with demographics, mental disorder caseness, and type of mental health care service provider were examined. The most frequently reported reason for termination was feeling better, however, a substantial minority of individuals reported terminating because of treatment dissatisfaction or wanting to solve problems independently. Lower income was associated with lower odds of termination because of feeling better and higher odds of termination because of a perception that therapy was not helping. Meeting criteria for an anxiety disorder, a mood disorder, or substance dependence decreased the odds of termination because of feeling better. These findings provide important information on the challenges to the successful completion of psychotherapy. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol: 66:1,13, 2010. [source] Review article: herbal treatment in gastrointestinal and liver disease,benefits and dangersALIMENTARY PHARMACOLOGY & THERAPEUTICS, Issue 9 2001L. Langmead Herbal medicines are now used by up to 50% of the Western population, in a substantial minority of instances for the treatment or prevention of digestive disorders. Although most indications for the use of such remedies are anecdotally or traditionally derived, controlled trials suggest some benefits for ginger in nausea and vomiting, liquorice extracts in peptic ulceration, Chinese herbal medicine in irritable bowel syndrome, opium derivatives in diarrhoea and senna, ispaghula and sterculia in constipation. Herbal preparations contain many bioactive compounds with potentially deleterious as well as beneficial effects. There is clearly a need for greater education of patients and doctors about herbal therapy, for legislation to control the quality of herbal preparations, and in particular for further randomized controlled trials to establish the value and safety of such preparations in digestive and other disorders. [source] ABA task force releases mediation recommendations,and calls for more researchALTERNATIVES TO THE HIGH COST OF LITIGATION, Issue 4 2008Russ Bleemer The American Bar Association Section of Dispute Resolution's Task Force on Mediation Quality has completed its extensive focus group-based investigation, and issued a report. The study shifts the dialogue about mediation evaluation to a broader view of widely used analytical techniques. But the report also acknowledges that a "substantial minority" of mediation users and lawyers still don't want mediator opinions. [source] Parent-Child Relations Among Minor Females Attending U.S. Family Planning ClinicsPERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 4 2005Rachel K. Jones CONTEXT: Relatively little is known about parent-child relations among minor females who use family planning clinics. Such information could inform the debate on parental involvement legislation and help clinics develop effective strategies to promote positive parental engagement. METHODS: Self-administered surveys were completed in 2003,2004 by 1,526 women younger than 18 attending 79 U.S. family planning clinics, providing measures of parent-child relations, perceived parental attitudes toward sex and birth control, and parental knowledge of the clinic visit. Associations between relationships with parents and parental knowledge of clinic visits were examined using t tests and logistic regression. RESULTS: Many adolescents had talked to parents about sexual issues (50,80%, depending on the topic) and reported high levels of connectedness with parents (68%). A substantial minority (19%) perceived that parents disapprove of their both having sex and using birth control. The majority (60%) reported that a parent knew of their clinic visit; such reports were most common among those who had high levels of connectedness to parents and communication with parents about sexual issues, and those who did not perceive parents to disapprove of sex and birth control. Adolescents aged 15 and younger were more likely than 17-year-olds to indicate that a parent knew they were at the clinic and to report that a parent suggested the clinic. CONCLUSIONS Overall, minors attending family planning clinics have good relations with parents. The youngest adolescents may be at family planning clinics specifically because parents are involved in their reproductive health decisions. [source] Acceptability of common screening methods used to detect distress and related mood disorders,preferences of cancer specialists and non-specialistsPSYCHO-ONCOLOGY, Issue 3 2008Alex J. Mitchell Abstract A new questionnaire of clinicians' attitudes and practices in relation to screening for mood disorder was distributed to 300 cancer professionals (specialists and non-specialists) working across the UK. From 226 (75.3%) health professionals working in cancer care who responded, approximately two-thirds always or regularly attempted to detect mood disorder during consultations but a substantial minority relied on patients spontaneously mentioning an emotional issue. The highest rate of routine questioning was performed by clinicians working in palliative medicine (76.3%) as well as nurse specialists working in all areas (72%). Despite these relatively high rates of enquiry, 10% or less of all specialists used a validated questionnaire, most preferring to rely on their own clinical skills or recalling the two simple questions of the short Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ2). Staff suggested that ideal screening practice was to use one, two or three simple questions or a short validated questionnaire but not to refer to a specialist for a diagnosis. The main barrier to successful screening was lack of time but insufficient training and low confidence were also influential. Once distress was detected, 90% of nurses but only 40% of doctors were prepared to give distressed patients as much time as they needed. Predictors of clinicians' willingness to use more advanced screening methods were length of follow-up appointments and time clinicians were prepared to spend detecting distress. We suggest that future field studies of screening tools should also measure the issue of acceptability. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Racism in Court: The Experience of Ethnic Minority MagistratesTHE HOWARD JOURNAL OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE, Issue 5 2006GWYNN DAVIS The study was conducted in 14 magistrates' courts in England and Wales. Most of those interviewed had not encountered racist attitudes or behaviour in their dealings with fellow magistrates, but a substantial minority (28%) had perceived instances of racism, and four magistrates (out of 128) believed that they had been subject to unequal treatment at the institutional level. The researchers found that ethnicity intersects with education, social class, gender, and aspects of personality or personal philosophy to determine ease or difficulty of integration within the court environment, and that these factors can also influence ethnic minority magistrates' response to incidents that might be construed as racist. This article explores these intersections. [source] Rate and determinants of progression of atherosclerosis in systemic lupus erythematosusARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 10 2007Mary J. Roman Objective To determine the rate of atherosclerosis progression as well as the relationship of traditional risk factors, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),related factors, and treatment to atherosis progression in SLE patients. Methods Outpatients in the Hospital for Special Surgery SLE Registry underwent serial carotid ultrasound and clinical assessment in a longitudinal study. Results Among 158 patients, 77 (49%) had persistent absence of atherosclerosis (carotid plaque), 36 (23%) had unchanged atherosclerosis, and 45 (28%) had progressive atherosclerosis, defined as a higher plaque score (new plaque in 25 patients and more extensive plaque in 20 patients) after a mean ± SD interval of 34 ± 9 months. Multivariate determinants of atherosclerosis progression were age at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 2.75, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.67,4.54 per 10 years, P < 0.001), duration of SLE (OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.64,6.07 per 10 years, P < 0.001), and baseline homocysteine concentration (OR 1.24, 95% CI 1.06,1.44 per ,moles/liter, P = 0.006). SLE patients with stable plaque and progressive plaque differed only in baseline homocysteine concentration. Atherosclerosis progression was increased across tertiles of homocysteine concentration (16.2%, 36.4%, and 56.1%; P = 0.001), and homocysteine tertile was independently related to progression of atherosclerosis (OR 3.14, 95% CI 1.65,5.95 per tertile, P < 0.001). Less aggressive immunosuppressive therapy and lower average prednisone dose were associated with progression of atherosclerosis in univariate, but not multivariate, analyses. Inflammatory markers and lipids were not related to atherosclerosis progression. Conclusion Atherosclerosis develops or progresses in a substantial minority of SLE patients during short-term followup (10% per year on average). Older age at diagnosis, longer duration of SLE, and higher homocysteine concentration are independently related to progression of atherosclerosis. These findings show that aggressive control of SLE and lowering of homocysteine concentrations are potential means to retard the development and progression of atherosclerosis in SLE. [source] Regulation of environmental tobacco smoke by Australian drug treatment agenciesAUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Issue 3 2005Raoul A. Walsh Objective: To determine how smoking is regulated in alcohol and other drug treatment agencies. Method: Australian drug treatment agencies were mailed questionnaires for completion by the manager and one other staff member (553 packages posted). Results: Questionnaires were returned by 260 (59.8%) eligible agencies. Most respondents (82.5% managers, 76.7% other staff) indicated their agency had a written policy regulating smoking. The vast majority (88.2% managers, 82.3% other staff) reported smoking was banned inside their agency, with the highest proportion of bans being in the area health category (95.8% managers, 93.7% other staff) and the lowest in the residential rehabilitation category (75.6% managers, 62.8% other staff). Of the respondents reporting a ban, 19.1% of managers and 27.5% of other staff reported their agency's ban was not ,always' enforced. Paired analyses suggested that other staff were more likely to indicate that the agency had no written policy or be unsure and managers were more likely to report that smoking bans were ,always' stringently enforced. Overall, a substantial minority of respondents (managers 28.6%, other staff 40.2%) indicated that smoking occurred inside their agency at least occasionally. Conclusions and Implications: A substantial proportion of Australian drug and alcohol agencies continue to permit smoking inside their premises. Policy initiatives and educational campaigns are required to promote the expansion of smoke-free conditions in this sector. Serious consideration should be given to making the adoption and enforcement of internal smoke-free policies a condition of any continued government funding. [source] Tracing Foreign Policy Decisions: A Study of Citizens' Use of HeuristicsBRITISH JOURNAL OF POLITICS & INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Issue 4 2009Robert Johns Public opinion researchers agree that citizens use simplifying heuristics to reach real, stable preferences. In domestic policy, the focus has been on citizens delegating judgement to opinion leaders, notably political parties. By contrast, citizens have been held to deduce foreign policy opinions from their own values or principles. Yet there is ample scope for delegation in the foreign policy sphere. In this exploratory study I use a ,process-tracing' method to test directly for delegation heuristic processing in university students' judgements on the Iranian nuclear issue. A substantial minority sought guidance on foreign policy decisions, either from parties, international actors or newspapers. This was not always simple delegation; some used such heuristics within more complex decision-making processes. However, others relied on simple delegation, raising questions about the ,effectiveness' of their processing. [source] The paediatrician , past, present and future , a conversation with Nils Rosén von RosensteinACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 9 2009Ingemar Kjellmer Abstract An imagined conversation takes place with the author of the first textbook of Paediatrics, Nils Rosén von Rosenstein. Enormous progress in the prevention and treatment of diseases of children is demonstrated. But a different spectrum of diseases has replaced the old one. And in spite of unprecedented material well-being a substantial minority of our children cannot make full use of their capabilities. Conclusion:, We must resume the full responsibility for our children and act as their advocates in society. [source] Dominican Immigrants and Discrimination in a New Destination: The Case of Reading, PennsylvaniaCITY & COMMUNITY, Issue 3 2010R.S. Oropesa The last decade has witnessed the diversification of immigrant destinations in the United States. Although the literature on this phenomenon is burgeoning, research on the experiences of smaller immigrant groups in new destinations is underdeveloped. This is especially the case for those from the Dominican Republic, a group that is expanding beyond the traditional gateway cities of the Northeast. Using a survey of Dominican immigrants in Reading, Pennsylvania, this study has two objectives. The first objective is to describe the prevalence of experiences with institutional and interpersonal discrimination. The second objective is to determine the extent to which these experiences are structured around racial markers (i.e., skin tone), forms of capital, forms of incorporation, and exposure to the United States. Our results show that a substantial minority of Dominican immigrants claims to have been treated unfairly, primarily because of their "race and ethnicity." In addition, experiences with some types of discrimination are positively associated with skin tone (i.e., darkness) and several factors that are identified in models of assimilation. Los inmigrantes dominicanos y sus experiencias con la discriminación en un nuevo lugar de destino: el caso de Reading, Pennsylvania (R.S. Oropesa y Leif Jensen) Resumen En la última década, se ha dado un proceso de diversificación de los lugares de destino en la migración a los Estados Unidos. Aún cuando la literatura sobre el tema está aumentando, todavía sabemos muy poco sobre las experiencias de los grupos más pequeños de inmigrantes en nuevos lugares de destino. Esto ocurre especialmente con la comunidad inmigrante de la República Dominicana, un grupo que se está expandiendo más allá de las ciudades de entrada tradicionales en el Noreste del país. El presente estudio hace uso de una encuesta con inmigrantes dominicanos en Reading, Pennsylvania para cumplir con los siguientes objetivos. El primer objetivo es describir la preponderancia de las experiencias de discriminación tanto institucional como interpersonal en dicha comunidad. El segundo objetivo es determinar hasta qué punto estas experiencias están relacionadas con indicadores raciales (por ejemplo, color de la piel), tipos de capital, modos de incorporación y contacto previo con los Estados Unidos. Nuestros resultados muestran que una minoría significativa de inmigrantes dominicanos asegura haber sido tratada injustamente, principalmente debido a su "raza y etnicidad". Además, sus experiencias con algunos tipos de discriminación están positivamente asociadas con el color de la piel (o sea, piel oscura) y varios factores identificados en la literatura sobre modelos de asimilación. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||