Involvement in extreme violence and violence‐related trauma: A review with relevance to young people in custody

Purpose. This review is concerned with the points of contact between two diverse literatures: first, the association between childhood abuse and the development of violent conduct; second, the effects of involvement in the perpetration of acts of violence. Method. The empirical literature in the two areas of concern is considered along with complementary explanations for the extant evidence. Results. There is a weight of evidence indicating that childhood abuse is associated with later violence alongside a literature that considers this association in terms of the traumatic effects of abuse. The perpetration of violent acts can have debilitating effects on the individual offender: these effects have also been considered in terms of trauma. Conclusion. It is suggested that there are potential advantages to adopting a trauma‐based framework to inform practice with violent young people. This suggestion raises several areas for research to inform the development of evidence‐based practice that are presented in outline form.     

Probiotics in Tanzania: a multi-partner development project

This article critically examines an HIV/AIDS development and research project in Mwanza, Tanzania. A group of women produce a type of probiotic yoghurt that has provided evidence of lowering the incidence of HIV infection. The yoghurt is consumed by the women, their family members, and local citizens living with HIV/AIDS; surplus is sold within the community. While the project's multi-partner, multi-disciplinary composition allows for varied expertise and insights, it also requires open and collaborative dialogue. This article discusses the project's challenges, positive outcomes, and some of the socio-cultural issues that need to be addressed if it expands in size and/or scope.     

Literary Feature Reviews

Negritude and after: changing perspectives in French‐language African fiction

The Black Cloth: A Collection of African Folktales. Bernard Binlin Dadie. Translated from the French by Karen C Hatch. Amherst, Massachusetts: The University of Massachusetts Press. 1987. 140pp.np . hb

Black Docker. Sembene Ousmane. Translated from the French by Ros Schwartz. London: Heinemann Educational Books. 1987. 120pp. £3.95pb

Tribaliks: Contemporary Congolese Stories. Henri Lopes. Translated from the French by Andrea Leskes. London: Heinemann Educational Books. 1987. 86pp. £3.95pb

The Laughing Cry: An African Cock and BuU Story. Henri Lopes. Translated from the French by Gerald Moore. London: Readers International. 1987. 260pp. £4.95pb

Chinese literature in renaissance

Mulberry and Peach: Two Women of China. Hualing Nieh. London: Women's Press. 1986. 197 pp. £3.95pb

One Half of the Sky: Selection from Contemporary Women Writers of China. Edited and translated from the Chinese by R A Roberts and Angela Knox London: William Heinemann. 1987. 143 pp. £11.95hb

Leaden Wings. Zhang Jie. Translated from the Chinese by Gladys Yang London: Virago Press. 1987. 180 pp. £3.95pb

Waves. Bei Dao. Edited by Bonnie S McDougall. Translated from the Chinese by Bonnie S McDougall and Susette Ternent Cooke. London: William Heinemann. 1987. 234 pp. £11.95hb     

Treatment manuals: The good,the bad and the useful

Abstract

This paper offers a commentary on the debate between Marshall and Mann on the desirability and merits of treatment manuals in the treatment of sexual offenders. Marshall offers a view of manuals as restrictive to clinical practice and as stifling to clinical innovation. Mann takes the position that manuals are a vital component in effective correctional practice. The commentary suggests that these contrary views are understandable: Marshall takes a clinical perspective and advocates best practice; Mann speaks from a realist forensic perspective in which manuals offer a practical means to deliver treatment on a large scale within prisons and probation. Of course, both positions have their merits and it is suggested that the two are perhaps not irreconcilable if the skills of the practitioner and model of treatment delivery are taken into account.     

Development of the Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) for Dutch forensic psychiatric inpatients with an antisocial personality disorder

The Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) has been developed to evaluate inpatient treatment programs designed to reduce aggressive behavior in Dutch forensic psychiatric patients with an antisocial personality disorder, who are "placed at the disposal of the government". The scale should have the sensitivity to measure changes in the possible determinants of aggressive behavior, such as limited control of displayed negative emotions (irritation, anger or rage) and a general deficiency of social skills. In developing the OSAB 40 items were selected from a pool of 82 and distributed among the following a priori scales: Irritation/anger, Anxiety/gloominess, Aggressive behavior, Antecedent (to aggressive behavior), Sanction (for aggressive behavior) and Social behavior. The internal consistency of these subscales was good, the inter-rater reliability was moderate to good, and the test-retest reliability over a two to three week period was moderate to good. The correlation between the subscales Irritation/anger, Anxiety/gloominess, Aggressive behavior, Antecedent, Sanction was substantial and significant, but the anticipated negative correlation between these subscales and the Social behavior subscale could not be shown. Relationships between the corresponding subscales of the OSAB and the FIOS, used to calculate concurrent validity, yielded relatively high correlations. The validity of the various OSAB subscales could be further supported by significant correlations with the PCL-R and by significant but weak correlations with corresponding subscales of the self-report questionnaires. The Observation Scale for Aggressive Behavior (OSAB) seems to measure aggressive behavior in Dutch forensic psychiatric inpatients with an antisocial personality disorder reliably and validly. Contrary to expectations, a negative relationship was not found between aggressive and social behavior in either the OSAB or FIOS, which were used for calculating concurrent validity.     

Leaders,the Economy or Iraq? Explaining Voting in the 2004 Australian Election*

Following the 2001 “border security” election, it was assumed that the 2004 federal election would revert to the traditional campaign battleground of socio‐economic issues. This prediction proved to be only partly true, and while economic and social issues did figure in the election campaign, much more important were popular perceptions of the leaders. Indirectly, the Iraq War also had some impact, mediated through evaluations of John Howard. Analysis of leader effects suggests that Mark Latham was not the electoral liability for Labor that many have subsequently claimed. Ultimately, the Coalition won the election because they had a highly popular leader who had presided over a period of sustained economic growth. The election emphasizes the central role that the party leaders play in modern election campaigns.