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This study examined the persistent perpetration of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) across relationships. Based on the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health, data were analyzed on 6,446 young adults, who reported on two recent relationships. Frequency and logistic regression analyses were used to examine the persistence of physical IPV perpetration across relationships and the predictors of persistent perpetration. Among individuals who perpetrated physical violence in their first relationship, 29.7% persisted in their perpetration in the second relationship and 70.3% desisted. Significant predictors of persistent physical IPV in the final multi-variate model were as follows: IPV frequency in the first relationship, age, living together versus apart in the subsequent relationship, respondent being better educated than the partner, and being an IPV victim in second relationship. The persistence of physical IPV across relationships was relatively low, with desistance being much more common. Factors specific to the second relationship were the strongest predictors of persistence. (Contains 4 tables.)

Objectives: Since the late 1980s, there has been a strong theoretical focus on psychological and social influences of perpetration of child sexual abuse. This paper presents the results of a review and meta-analysis of studies examining risk factors for perpetration of child sexual abuse published since 1990. Method: Eighty-nine studies published between 1990 and April of 2003 were reviewed. Risk factors were classified into one of the following six broad categories: family factors, externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, social deficits, sexual problems, and attitudes/beliefs. Sex offenders against children (SOC) were compared to three comparison groups identified within the 89 studies: sex offenders who perpetrated against adults (SOA), non-sex offenders, and non-offenders with no history of criminal or sexual behavior problems. Results: Results for the six major categories showed that SOC were not different from SOA (all d between -0.02 and 0.14) other than showing lower externalizing behaviors (d = -0.25). Sex offenders against children were somewhat different from non-sex offenders, especially with regard to sexual problems and attitudes (d = 0.83 and 0.51). Sex offenders against children showed substantial differences from non-offenders with medium sized effects in all six major categories (d's range from 0.39 to 0.58). Conclusion: Child sex offenders are different from non-sex offenders and non-offenders but not from sex offenders against adults. Practice implications: This study suggests that the presence of general risk factors may lead to a variety of negative behavioral outcomes, including the perpetration of child sexual offending. Family factors were strongly related to the perpetration of child sex offending (vs. non-sexual offending or non-offending) and may be valuable intervention points for interrupting the development of child sex offending, as well as other negative behaviors. Other potential points for intervention may focus on the development of appropriate social and emotional skills that contribute to sexual offending. (Contains 9 tables.)

Although many of the pioneers of behavior analysis thought on a large scale and encouraged others to do so, most behavior analytic projects have remained small scale. The intent of this article is to urge the application of behavior analytic principles on a large scale. This article begins with a brief history of applied behavior analysis. It then describes some early behavior analysts who thought big and describes several examples of large-scale behavioral projects. It then shows how behavior analysis fits well with the public health model and describes how behavior analytic principles can be implemented broadly to combat public health problems. The article ends with some practical advice for behavior analysts on how to think big and speculates on the future of behavior analysis.

Examined how parent-adolescent communication about initiating sex and using condoms influenced the relationship between peer norms and behavior among African American and Hispanic adolescents. Found that peer norms were more strongly related to behavior among adolescents who had not discussed sex or condoms. Communication was also related to teens naming a parent as the best information source about sex. (Author/KB)

Objective: Dating violence is a significant health problem among youth that leads to adverse health outcomes, including injuries. Reciprocal violence (perpetrated by both partners) is associated with increased injury in adults, but very little is known about the prevalence and context for reciprocal violence, as well as injury rates, among youth. We sought to determine the prevalence and scope of reciprocal dating violence and injury occurrence among urban youth in a high-risk community. Methods: Analyses were based on data from the Youth Violence Survey, conducted in 2004, and administered to over 80% of public school students in grades 7, 9, 11, and 12 (N=4,131) in a high-risk, urban school district. The current analyses were restricted to those who reported dating in the past year and who also reported any dating violence (n=1,158). Dating violence was categorized as reciprocal (the participant reported both violence perpetration and victimization) and non-reciprocal (the participant report either violence perpetration or victimization, but not both). Results: Dating violence reciprocity varied by sex. Girls who reported any dating violence were more likely to report reciprocal dating violence (50.4%) than were boys (38.9%). However, reciprocity did not vary by race/ethnicity or grade level. Reciprocal dating violence was more common among participants who reported more frequent violence experiences. Reciprocal violence was also associated with greater injury occurrences relative to non-reciprocal relationships (10.1% versus 1.2%). Conclusion: Reciprocal dating violence is common among adolescents and leads more often to injury outcomes. In particular, relationships in which boys report reciprocal violence against their partner appear to lead to more frequent injury occurrences. These findings underscore the importance of addressing dating violence and factors that increase risk for reciprocal violence and therefore exacerbate injury occurrence. [West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(3): 265-269.]

Background: States, territories, non-profits, and tribes are eligible to obtain federal funding to implement federally endorsed evidence-based home visiting programs. This represents a massive success in translational science, with $400 million a year allocated to these implementation efforts. This legislation also requires that 3% of this annual funding be allocated to tribal entities implementing home visiting in their communities. However, implementing stakeholders face challenges with selecting which program is best for their desired outcomes and context. Moreover, recent reviews have indicated that when implemented in practice and delivered at scale, many evidence-based home visiting programs fail to replicate the retention rates and effects achieved during clinical trials. To inform program implementers and better identify the active ingredients in home visiting programs that drive significant impacts, we aimed to develop an expert derived consensus taxonomy on the elements used in home visiting practice that are essential to priority outcome domains. Methods: We convened a panel of 16 experts representing researchers, model representatives, and program implementers using a Delphi approach. We first elicited standard practice elements (SPEs) using open-ended inquiry, then compared these elements to behavior change techniques (BCTs) given their general importance in the field of home visiting; and finally rated their importance to 10 outcome domains. Results: Our process identified 48 SPEs derived from the panel, with 83 additional BCTs added based on the literature. Six SPEs, mostly related to home visitor characteristics and skills, were rated essential across all outcome domains. Fifty-three of the 83 BCTs were rated unnecessary across all outcome domains. Conclusions: This work represents the first step in a consensus-grounded taxonomy of techniques and strategies necessary for home visiting programs and provides a framework for future hypothesis testing and replication studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thrombocytopenia is a platelet count of less than 150 × 103 per μL and can occur from decreased platelet production, increased destruction, splenic sequestration, or dilution or clumping. Patients with a platelet count greater than 50 × 103 per μL are generally asymptomatic. Patients with platelet counts between 20 and 50 × 103 per μL may have mild skin manifestations such as petechiae, purpura, or ecchymosis. Patients with platelet counts of less than 10 × 103 per μL have a high risk of serious bleeding. Although thrombocytopenia is classically associated with bleeding, there are conditions in which bleeding and thrombosis can occur, such as antiphospholipid syndrome, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and thrombotic microangiopathies. Patients with isolated thrombocytopenia in the absence of systemic illness most likely have immune thrombocytopenia or drug-induced thrombocytopenia. In stable patients being evaluated as outpatients, the first step is to exclude pseudothrombocytopenia by collecting blood in a tube containing heparin or sodium citrate and repeating the platelet count. If thrombocytopenia is confirmed, the next step is to distinguish acute from chronic thrombocytopenia by obtaining or reviewing previous platelet counts. Patients with acute thrombocytopenia may require hospitalization. Common causes that require emergency hospitalization are heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, thrombotic microangiopathies, and the hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count (HELLP) syndrome. Common nonemergency causes of thrombocytopenia include drug-induced thrombocytopenia, immune thrombocytopenia, and hepatic disease. Transfusion of platelets is recommended when patients have active hemorrhage or when platelet counts are less than 10 × 103 per μL, in addition to treatment (when possible) of underlying causative conditions. It is important to ensure adequate platelet counts to decrease bleeding risk before invasive procedures; this may also require a platelet transfusion. Patients with platelet counts of less than 50 × 103 per μL should adhere to activity restrictions to avoid trauma-associated bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social workers can promote resiliency among refugee families by referring them to evidence-based programs to reduce the stressors of resettlement. The purpose of this study was to complete a structured adaptation process with the SafeCare® program for implementation in a refugee resettlement community. Participants included 21 members of an adaptation team made up of administrators, supervisors, and family service providers from three community agencies and community health workers. Quantitative findings suggested that content, process, and literacy-related adaptations were necessary to ensure cultural relevance of program materials. Qualitative feedback suggested the adaptation approach was a meaningful process that engaged community members and resulted in an acceptable and feasible curriculum for delivery in the refugee resettlement community, which will be further tested in a forthcoming implementation trial. The multi-pronged, community-engaged approach to SafeCare adaptation is presented as a potential framework for other programs that could benefit refugee children and their families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an enormous public health problem that results in injury, health problems, and substantial cost to society. Despite having a grasp of the scope of IPV, public health officials and workers know little about how to prevent it. The few empirically established primary prevention programs consist of school-based curricula targeting high school students. Additional venues for IPV prevention are needed, especially for women at elevated risk. This article describes a preventive intervention for IPV consisting of three components: (a) a structured assessment for IPV; (b) a brochure-driven intervention for women experiencing IPV, including safety planning, referrals, and advocacy; and (c) a skills-based curriculum delivered to all participants that focuses on improving relationship decisions and outcomes. While this intervention could potentially be delivered in multitude of clinical settings, this article focuses on its delivery within a home visitation program for young, disadvantaged new mothers, a population known to be at increased risk for IPV. If found to be effective, this intervention could be incorporated into many service delivery systems, with broad-based clinical implications for IPV prevention. Keywords: intimate partner violence, prevention, intervention

Objectives. We sought to determine the frequency of intimate partner violence by type in a large, clinic-based, nurse-administered screening and services intervention project. Methods. A brief intimate partner violence screen, which included items to measure sexual and physical assaults and psychological battering (using the Women's Experience With Battering scale) was administered to consenting women receiving care at 1 of 8 rural clinics in South Carolina. Results. Between April 2002 and August 2005, 4945 eligible women were offered intimate partner violence screening, to which 3664 (74.1%) consented. Prevalence of intimate partner violence in a current (ongoing) relationship was 13.3%, and 939 women (25.6%) had experienced intimate partner violence at some point in the past 5 years. Of those ever experiencing intimate partner violence, the majority (65.6%) experienced both assaults and psychological battering; 10.1% experienced assault only, and 24.3% experienced psychological battering only. Most women (85.5%) currently experiencing both psychological battering and assaults stated that violence was a problem in their current relationship. Conclusions. The intimate partner violence screening technique we used was feasible to implement, acceptable to women seeking health care at the targeted clinics, and indicated a high proportion of women reporting intimate partner violence in the past 5 years, with a majority of those women stating that such violence was a problem in their relationships. These findings demonstrated the viability of the screening technique, which supports the growing importance of implementing intimate partner violence screenings in clinical settings in order to reduce the prevalence of violence in intimate relationships.

Objectives. We sought to examine the prevalence of reciprocal (i.e., perpetrated by both partners) and nonreciprocal intimate partner violence and to determine whether reciprocity is related to violence frequency and injury. Methods. We analyzed data on young US adults aged 18 to 28 years from the 2001 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which contained information about partner violence and injury reported by 11 370 respondents on 18761 heterosexual relationships. Results. Almost 24% of all relationships had some violence, and half (49.7%) of those were reciprocally violent. In nonreciprocally violent relationships, women were the perpetrators in more than 70% of the cases. Reciprocity was associated with more frequent violence among women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.9, 2.8), but not men (AOR= 1.26; 95% CI = 0.9, 1.7). Regarding injury, men were more likely to inflict injury than were women (AOR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.1, 1.5), and reciprocal intimate partner violence was associated with greater injury than was nonreciprocal intimate partner violence regardless of the gender of the perpetrator (AOR = 4.4; 95% CI = 3.6, 5.5). Conclusions. The context of the violence (reciprocal vs nonreciprocal) is a strong predictor of reported injury. Prevention approaches that address the escalation of partner violence may be needed to address reciprocal violence.

Objectives. We examined the concordance between measures of self-reported maltreatment and court records of abuse or neglect in a sample of detained youths. Methods. Data were collected by the Northwestern Juvenile Project and include interviews from 1829 youths aged 10-18 years. Participants were newly detained youths in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Illinois between 1995 and 1998. Self-reported cases of child maltreatment were compared with court records of abuse or neglect in the Cook County judicial system. Results. We found that among detained youths, 16.6% of those who reported any maltreatment, 22.2% of those who reported the highest level of maltreatment, and 25.1% of those who reported that they required medical treatment as a result of maltreatment had a court record of abuse or neglect. Among those with any self-reported maltreatment, girls (vs boys) and African Americans (vs Whites) were more likely to have a court record (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.53, 3.09; and AOR =2.12; 95% CI = 1.23, 3.63, respectively). Conclusions. Official records seriously underestimate the prevalence of maltreatment, which indicates that multiple data sources are needed to document the true prevalence of maltreatment.

Objectives. We sought to describe and compare prevalence rates of and risk factors for violence against women during pregnancy and postpartum. Methods. Physical and sexual violence and violence risk factors were assessed during late pregnancy and 6 months postpartum in a prospective study of pregnant women with (n =336) and without (n=298) HIV in 4 US states. Results. Overall, 10.6% of women reported having experienced violence, 8.9% during pregnancy and 4.9% after delivery. Of these women, 61.7% were abused only during their pregnancy, 21.7% were repeatedly abused, and 16.7% were abused only after their delivery. Sexual violence rarely occurred in the absence of physical violence. The strongest predictor of violence was engaging in bartered sex (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 5.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] =2.0, 15.4). Other predictors included frequent changes in residence (adjusted OR= 1.57; 95% CI= 1.1, 2.2), financial support from family or partners (adjusted OR =0.42; 95% CI = 0.2, 0.8), and HIV diagnosis during current pregnancy (adjusted OR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.1, 0.7). Conclusions. Women more commonly experienced violence during than after their pregnancy, but violence was best predicted by socioeconomic and behavioral indicators whose influence did not vary over time. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.067744)

In three studies, the authors show that unconscious expressive cues can lead to opposite evaluations, depending on the context in which they. occur. In Study 1, brow (vs. cheek) tension reduced preferences in an easy judgment context but increased preferences in a difficult context. In Study 2, head shaking (vs. nodding) either increased or decreased prosocial affect depending on the context in which the judged character was presented. In Study 3, a subliminal smile (vs. frown) led to higher self-ratings of performance when paired with one's own actions but to lower self-ratings of performance when paired with a competitor's actions. Together, these results suggest that the meaning of unconscious expressive cues is not fixed. Keywords: nonconscious processing; affect; evaluation; bodily expressions

White-light emission in donor–acceptor systems usually requires relatively high acceptor content and/or multiple acceptors to "neutralize" the primary color of donors. Herein, a cyanostilbene-bridged ditopic ureidopyrimidinone donor (CSU) was designed and synthesized, which can self-assemble into dispersed nanoparticles in water. Fascinatingly, efficient white-light emission can be realized by co-assembling 0.1% DBT into the nanoparticles through a light-harvesting strategy. This new system is further demonstrated for use in white-light encryption materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. This study estimated the prevalence of violence during pregnancy in relation to HIV infection. Methods. Violence, current partnerships, and HIV risk behaviors were assessed among 336 HIV seropositive and 298 HIV-seronegative at-risk pregnant women. Results. Overall, 8.9% of women experienced recent violence; 21.5% currently had abusive partners. Violence was experienced by women in all partnership categories (range = 3.8% with nonabusive partners to 53.6% with physically abusive partners). Neither experiencing violence nor having an abusive partner differed by serostatus. Receiving an HIV diagnosis prenatally did not increase risk. Disclosure-related violence occurred, but was rare. Conclusions. Many HIV-infected pregnant women experience violence, but it is not typically attributable to their serostatus. Prenatal services should incorporate screening and counseling for all women at risk for violence. (Am J Public Health. 2002;92:367-370)

The authors examined the extent to which self-esteem (SE) stability relates to self-regulatory styles, self-concept clarity (SCC), and goal-related affect. The results supported the notion that individuals with unstable SE are not likely to possess a strong sense of self. Specifically, unstable as compared to stable SE was associated with (a) self-regulatory styles reflecting lower levels of self-determination, (b) lower SCC, and (c) goal-related affect characterized by greater tenseness and less interest. Theoretical implications are discussed.

This project employed a randomized-control design to evaluate the effectiveness of the MBF Child Safety Matters® (CSM) curriculum. Six Georgia schools across 3 counties agreed to participate, and 136 K – 5th grade classrooms were randomized to either receive the CSM curriculum or be a wait-list control and to receive the curriculum after the evaluation. In total, 2,414 students participated at pretest (1195 CSM and 1219 control) and 2,260 participated at posttest (1159 CSM and 1101 control). Pre/posttests were collected from all students prior to the delivery of the CSM curriculum and again approximately a month later to measure knowledge gains related to child safety. Intervention students displayed a greater increase in knowledge for the information taught in the CSM program as compared to students who did not receive the intervention (d =.29). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]