Barriers to Seeking Police Help for Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence is underreported to police. A study was conducted utilizing focus group methodology to identify women's perceptions of the barriers to seeking police help for intimate partner violence (IPV). Facilitators used a structured format with open-ended questions for five focus group sessions that were recorded and subsequently analyzed using Ethnograph software. Participants were 41 women identified from social service agencies in an urban setting serving IPV women with diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Participants identified many barriers for victims, which fell within the following three themes: (1) Predisposing characteristics — situational and personal factors; (2) fears and negative experiences with police response; and (3) fears of possible repercussions. Participants also described positive experiences with police and generated a wish list for improving police response to IPV. Policies and actions that can be taken by police and social service agencies to address the barriers IPV victims face in seeking police help are discussed.     

Differential diagnosis of traumatic skull findings in infants: residues after vacuum extraction

If autopsy findings in an infant show traumatic changes on the skullcap, these are not always the result of a postnatal trauma due to child abuse, a fall or another accidental event. With regard to differential diagnosis a birth trauma should also be kept in mind, so that the history of the delivery is important. The spectrum of possible residues after vacuum extraction (circular fracture and/or elevation of the outer table of skull bones, subperiostal and intraossal haematoma, extradural and subdural haemorrhage) is demonstrated by means of three examples from the forensic autopsy material.     

Alprazolam-related deaths in Palm Beach County

Alprazolam is a commonly prescribed benzodiazepine. The abuse of benzodiazepines is most frequently seen in conjunction with the abuse of other drugs. Only rare fatalities have been attributed to alprazolam alone. We undertook a retrospective review of cases investigated by the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner's Office in which postmortem toxicologic studies indicated the presence of alprazolam, to further study the pattern of alprazolam abuse. Our review consisted of 178 cases, including 87 in which death was attributed to combined drug toxicity, 2 to alprazolam toxicity alone, 44 to trauma, 12 to natural causes, and 33 to another drug or drugs. Cocaine and methadone were the most common cointoxicants in the cases of combined drug toxicity, while heroin was less frequently detected. There was considerable overlap in the postmortem blood alprazolam concentrations among the groups. The overlapping ranges of concentrations of alprazolam detected indicate that it may be difficult to define a lethal alprazolam range, and that it may not be possible to determine the actual role of alprazolam as a causal factor in cases of combined drug toxicity. This study confirms that alprazolam alone is rarely a cause of death, and that alprazolam abuse usually occurs within a polydrug use pattern. The high incidence of cocaine as a cointoxicant has not been previously reported.     

An analysis of strategies used to disseminate the PLATO system

Two aspects of efforts to disseminate an innovative computer-assisted instructional system called PLATO between 1972 and 1976 are addressed. The first pertains to the dissemination problems encountered and resolved by the system developers. The second covers dissemination modus operandi chosen by the developers to bring PLATO to the attention of large numbers of people. An ex post facto analysis of data obtained suggested PLATO developers made dissemination decisions that reflected viable dissemination theory and practice of the time, committed substantial resources to the dissemination process, and selected what appeared to be a cost-effective marketing strategy. Perhaps the most important consequence of these actions is that PLATO flourished throughout the 1970s and continues to flourish.     

Methadone concentrations in human hair of the head, axillary and pubic hair

The concentrations of methadone and its metabolites in the hair of the head, axillary and pubic hair obtained from patients receiving a daily maintenance doses, were determined. Comparison of the concentrations provides the highest values in the axillary hair, followed by pubic hair and the hair of the head.     

Up-grading the calibre of linkage agent performance

It is the purpose of this paper: To offer a perspective of theories and research outcomes available to and likely to be sought out by persons who aspire to bring together knowledge production and needs of knowledge users; and, to introduce persons to linkage “modus operandi” designed to help them navigate prudently between the twin terrors of their practice — that is, change for the sake of change on the one hand, and, institutional rigor mortis on the other.     

Consistency amongst pairs: How consistent are child co-witnesses with one another?

Purpose

When multiple children are asked about the same event, the consistency of their reports may be used as a heuristic for credibility. Little research has considered how consistent child co-witnesses are likely to be. In this study, we explored how likely child co-witnesses were to report the same details from a mutually experienced event.

Methods

Pairs of children participated in an educational science event during which the target attempted to coax the children into breaking preestablished rules for the session (i.e., commit transgressions). Children were individually interviewed about their experience on two subsequent occasions.

Results

Co-witnesses tended to be quite inconsistent: 32%–55% of all details recalled were only mentioned by one co-witness. Various factors were associated with co-witness consistency, including delay before the interview, centrality of details recalled, and children's age and forthcomingness.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that inconsistency between co-witnesses reflects a natural memory phenomenon, and that practitioners should be cautious of using co-witness consistency as an indicator of credibility.     

Commercialisation of regenerative human tissue: regulation and reform in Australia and England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The commercialisation of therapeutic products containing regenerative human tissue is regulated by the common law, statute and ethical guidelines in Australia and England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This article examines the regulatory regimes in these jurisdictions and considers whether reform is required to both support scientific research and ensure conformity with modern social views on medical research and the use of human tissue. The authors consider the crucial role of informed consent in striking the balance between the interests of researchers and the interests of the public.     

Grooming child victims into sexual abuse: a psychometric analysis of survivors’ experiences

This study sought to examine the psychometric properties of the Grooming subscale of the Computer Assisted Maltreatment Inventory (CAMI) in a sample of adult survivors of child sexual abuse. There are currently no other research measures that examine grooming events as experienced by survivors, which underscores the importance of a reliable and valid way of gathering this information. Participants (n?=?295) were adult survivors of child sexual abuse who completed this anonymous study online. The sample was collected through the use of adult survivor of child sexual abuse websites, trauma blogs, and survivor group pages on Facebook. Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Cronbach’s Alpha were used to ascertain the reliability and validity of this subscale. These analyses suggest that the Grooming subscale of the CAMI is a reliable and valid measure. This measure is an important addition to the body of research instruments that measure adult survivor of child sexual abuse experiences, particularly since this is the only instrument that examines grooming from this perspective.