Normal responses to sexually anatomically detailed dolls

The behaviors and verbalizations of normal, preschool age boys and girls during interactions with sexually anatomically detailed (SAD) dolls were examined. A structured, nonsuggestive interview with each child was videotaped, and five behaviors and five verbalizations were coded for each of five phases of the interview. A two-way ANOVA (gender × phase) showed that during those phases when the dolls were undressed, both boys and girls showed more sexual exploratory play, aggressive behavior which was nonsexual, and active avoidance. Across all phases, nonsexual aggression accounted for 31% of the boys' and 22% of the girls' total responses. Behavioral and verbal sexual exploratory play represented 42% of the boys' responses and 50% of the girls' responses. In contrast, sexually aggressive behavior accounted for only 1% and 2% of the boys' and girls' responses, respectively. Girls interacted with the dolls more than did boys. Additionally, girls demonstrated more affection to the dolls than did the boys, and boys displayed more anxiety with the dolls than did girls. Investigators should be cautious as to inferences about preschoolers' interactions with SAD dolls, especially interactions of a sexual or aggressive nature which do not clearly depict fondling or intercourse.     

National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986: Using Tax Revenues to Assure Vaccine Availability

The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 was funded with an earmarked tax in an attempt to prevent a perceived crisis that was developing in the United States regarding the availability and affordability of vaccines for life-threatening childhood illnesses. The federal government felt compelled to intervene in a perceived failure of the private marketplace. In short, the inability of several pharmaceutical firms to obtain liability insurance due to high damage awards forced them to leave the marketplace or self-insure. This article details the history of the vaccine tax policy issues and updates the experiences of the financing mechanism. As the federal government attempts to broaden its role in the health care delivery system, the possibility of similar interventions exist.     

Ḣarim and Ḣijab: Seclusive and exclusive aspects of traditional Muslim dwelling and dress

Architectural constructs of the family dwelling and styles of women's outer garments for public wear are intricately intertwined with the sociocultural framework within which both women and men function. Although conventionally regarded as restrictions on women's free movement in society, it is also apparent that in the Muslim world dwelling and dress may be, and indeed are, used to advantage by women as a means of retaining privacy from male intrusion and for exerting power in a society ostensibly controlled by men.     

Measuring Alcohol Expectancies in Youth

Beliefs about the consequences of using alcohol, alcohol expectancies, are powerful predictors of underage drinking. The Alcohol Expectancies Questionnaire-Adolescent form (AEQ-A) has been widely used to measure expectancies in youth. Despite its broad use, the factor structure of the AEQ-A has not been firmly established. It is also not known whether it assesses similar constructs (i.e., measurement invariance) between boys and girls. This article reports on a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of a shortened version of the AEQ-A with 310 youth, ages 10–16, to determine whether a two factor, positive and negative expectancy structure held for this sample and to test measurement invariance across gender. The results support evidence of a 2-factor, positive and negative structure for the abbreviated version of the AEQ-A and show that it assesses equivalent alcohol expectancy constructs among males and females. These findings have important implications for cognitive based approaches to alcohol prevention.Florida State University College of Social Work. She received her Ph.D. in Social Work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her major research interests are youth at risk, substance use prevention, and family engagement in prevention interventionsFlorida State University College of Medicine. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Arizona State University. Her major research interests are women's health, disease prevention, and health communication.Prevention Research Center, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. She received her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University at Albany. Her major research interests are family-based prevention strategies for adolescent alcohol, drugs, and sexual risk taking; women's alcohol, and other drug problems; prevention of young adult alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behavior, and violence.     

Politics,Science, and Termination: A Case Study of Water Fluoridation Policy in Calgary in 2011

Policy termination is identified as a rare occurrence and thus difficult to study. However, one policy area, community water fluoridation, has seen an apparent increase in termination in recent years. We examine the specific case of termination in Calgary, Alberta in 2011 with a specific goal to apply Kingdon's Multiple Streams Approach to the policy termination framework. Our findings suggest that of key importance for the termination of water fluoridation was the impending need for an upgrade to the fluoridation infrastructure, the effectiveness of the local anti‐fluoridation activists, the speed of decision making, and a prominent framing of the issue in ethical terms. The opening of a policy window made possible by the 2010 Calgary municipal election, one that introduced a number of new members to council, as well as the presence of a policy entrepreneur who took advantage of the window's opening, were of specific importance to the success of policy termination.