Drug Use and Cognitions About Drug Use Amongst Students: Changes Over the University Career

This study examined the hypothesis that students would exhibit changes in their levels of, and cognitions about, drug use throughout their university career. Three hundred and eighty undergraduates from Years 1, 2, and 3 (174 male, 206 female) initially participated in the study (response rate 63%). Questionnaires were distributed at 6-month intervals over a period of 2 years, resulting in 4 time points. The questionnaires contained items relating to the use of, and cognitions about the use of, alcohol, amphetamine, cannabis, ecstasy, LSD, and tobacco. No evidence was found to suggest an increase in the percentage of respondents using drugs over their university career. However, a significant increase in the frequency of ecstasy use between Years 1 and 2 was found. Various cognitive measures also exhibited changes between Years 1 and 2, associated with increasingly liberal views toward drug use. No evidence was found to suggest that drug use tailed off toward the end of the university career. The findings point to the need for increased drugs education for students, and the need for more research to aid in the understanding of how university life affects drug use levels.     

Alcohol-related battering: Developing treatment strategies

There is a strong association between alcohol and battering. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between alcohol and battering in order to develop appropriate intervention strategies. First,studies demonstrating a correlation between alcohol and battering are reviewed. This is followed by a summary of the intoxicated aggression literature using Graham's (1980) conceptual system. It is tentatively concluded that the role of physiological and cognitive changes brought on by alcohol, the interaction of alcohol and frustration in producing aggression, and needs for personal power in men who drink and then aggress are all promising explanations for the alcohol-battering link. With this in mind, the applicability of disease model-based treatment for alcoholism, cognitive-behavioral-based treatments for alcoholism and battering, and feminist-based treatment for battering are each considered. Finally, a model for incorporating an alcohol component to a batterer treatment program is introduced.     

Socially Appraising Justice: A Cross-Cultural Perspective

The impact and effectiveness of organizational justice efforts vary across cultures. Previous justice research has focused on such themes as outcome allocation, process criteria, allocation control, and decision justification largely from a Western point of view. This paper analyzes organizational justice perceptions from a cross-cultural perspective. More specifically, using the Hofstede cultural dimensions (individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, and power distance), key justice areas are examined. Further, predictions as to the general salience of key justice areas are offered relative to a national culture's overall organizational justice preferences and tendencies.     

Weight Perception, Substance Use, and Disordered Eating Behaviors: Comparing Normal Weight and Overweight High-School Students

Disordered eating behaviors and substance use are two risk factors for the development of serious psychopathology and health concerns in adulthood. Despite the negative outcomes associated with these risky behaviors, few studies have examined potential associations between these risk factors as they occur during adolescence. The importance of accurate or inaccurate weight perception among adolescents has received increased interest given documented associations with nutritional beliefs and weight management strategies. This study examined the associations among the perceptions of weight and substance use with disordered eating behaviors among a diverse sample of normal weight and overweight adolescent males and females. Data came from the 2007 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The sample consisted of 11,103 adolescents (53.4% female; 44% Caucasian, 21% African American; 13% Hispanic; age responses ranged from 12 and under to 18 and over), with 31.5% meeting criteria for being either at-risk for obesity or already obese (i.e., overweight). As hypothesized, overestimation of weight among normal weight adolescents and accurate perceptions of weight among overweight adolescents were associated with higher rates of disordered eating behaviors. In normal weight adolescents, use of all three substances (tobacco, binge drinking, and cocaine) was associated with each disordered eating behavior. In contrast, findings revealed differences for overweight adolescents between the type of substance use and disordered eating behavior. Post hoc analyses revealed that gender moderated some of these relationships among overweight individuals. Implications for the development and implementation of secondary prevention programs aimed at reducing disordered eating behaviors, substance use, and obesity risk among normal and overweight adolescents are considered.     

Representation and Collaboration: Exploring the Role of Shared Identity in the Collaborative Process

Public managers must regularly engage and interact with stakeholders in the external environment to deliver meaningful policy outcomes. Examining the motivations behind such behavior is a critical component of understanding management in the modern era. Some studies suggest that actors with similar interests are more likely to form collaborative partnerships. Using an original mail survey of 150 American Indian education directors in public school districts, this article examines how shared identity and individual attitudes affect levels of interaction with Native American communities. Findings suggest that public school officials who share both a racial and a tribal/co‐ethnic identity with Native American nations in their service area have higher levels of interaction with these groups than public school officials who are either members of Native American nations outside their service area or non‐Indian. This research has broad implications for incorporating theories of representation and social construction into our understanding of collaboration.