Depression and suicidal ideation in early adolescents

This study sought to determine to what extent depression in young adolescents could be predicted by a variety of demographic and personality measures. A sample of 132 adolescents enrolled in junior high school completed a biographical data sheet, short forms of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), a Sensation- Seeking Scale (SSS), the Family Environment Scale (FES), a social support index (SSI), and a life stress inventory (LSI). The nondepressed group differed from the depressed group on a variety of variables, and stepwise multiple regression suggested a significant relationship between depression and life stress and an inverse relationship between depression and family cohesion.Received Ph.D. from University of North Dakota. Main research interests are family coping and child psychopathology.Received M.A. from University of Washington. Main research interests are adolescent depression and future self-concept.Received M.A. from University of Washington. Main research interests are Projective assessment of Personality.     

Resistance of degraded hair shafts to contaminant DNA

We have investigated the susceptibility of degraded human hair shaft samples to contamination by exogenous sources of DNA, including blood, saliva, skin cells, and purified DNA. The results indicate that on the whole hair shafts are either largely resistant to penetration by contaminant DNA, or extremely easy to successfully decontaminate. This pertains to samples that are both morphologically and biochemically degraded. We suggest that this resistance to the incorporation of contaminant DNA relates to the hydrophobic and impermeable nature of the keratin structures forming the hair shaft. Therefore, hair samples represent an important and underestimated source of DNA in both forensic and ancient DNA studies.     

Repartnering and the Management of Risk

Social theorists working with concept of ‘risk society’have addressed the issue of family change, suggesting that processesof individualization mean that family relationships have become‘elective’, which has in turn raised questions aboutthe nature of trust and commitment in intimate relationships.The position of those who are repartnering is particularly sensitivein these respects. Their awareness of risks may render themmore likely to make only contingent commitments, or may makethem more anxious to achieve a relationship founded on trustand commitment. We draw on in-depth interviews with a representativesample of people in England who have repartnered from a varietyof types of intimate relationship into different statuses inorder to explore the management of perceived risks. We findthat for most respondents repartnering is a process involvingdifferent kinds of relationships, although living-apart-togetheris understood as something rather different. There is littlesupport for the risk society thesis in respect of intimate relationshipsin respect of rejection of commitment and absence of trust.Rather, changes in relationship status often seem to be partof the process of building trust and of achieving the goal ofa rather traditional relationship. This poses challenges forpolicymakers as they seek to regulate different statuses indifferent ways.     

Nonviolent offenders' and college students' attachment and social support behaviors: implications for counseling

This study examines the relationships between adult attachment orientations and the ability to seek social support as factors in mediating behavior. Data were collected on non violent offenders (n = 57) and college students (n = 89). The results indicated the non-normative group of nonviolent offenders reported being more securely attached and having more satisfaction with their social supports than the normative group of college students. Fewer college students reported being securely attached than the nonviolent offenders but had a larger number of social supports. In the insecure categories, nonviolent offenders reported being more dismissively attached whereas college students reported being preoccupied in their attachment orientation. The study suggests that attachment and social-support-seeking behaviors across different populations may be potential factors in designing counseling services that are used for risk classification and needs assessment.     

Old dogs can learn new tricks--a new application of the ABFO #2 scale

In 1984 at its first Bitemark Workshop, the American Board of Forensic Odontology (ABFO) developed guidelines for the analysis of bitemark evidence. Prior to this, no standards had been established for the evaluation of bitemarks. The development of the ABFO #2 scale in 1987 gave the forensic odontologist a reproducible way to rectify and measure bitemarks that had been documented photographically. Primarily developed for the analysis of bitemark evidence, its use has expanded to encompass myriad forms of evidence. While the ABFO #2 scale can depict horizontal and vertical measurements, it is unable to depict depth accurately. The purpose of this paper is to show its successful application to three dimensions.