Religious Motivated Hate Crimes: Reporting to Law Enforcement and Case Outcomes

Relative to non-bias motivated crimes, hate crimes have much graver consequences for victims and their community. Despite the large increase in religious hate crimes over the past decade relative to all other hate crime, little is known about these types of crimes and the factors associated with both reporting to law enforcement and case outcomes. Utilizing the National Crime Victimization Survey and National Incident-Based Reporting System datasets, this study examines the relationship between victim, offender, and incident characteristics on reporting to law enforcement and case outcomes. Most religious hate crimes are not reported (41.3 %) in part due to perceptions of law enforcement’s perceived response. Of the violent incidents that are reported, the vast majority do not result in the arrest of an offender (22.2 %). Whereas only a small number of variables related to the seriousness of the offense are associated with both reporting and arrest, these exhibited large effect sizes.     

The Influence of Footwear Sole Hardness on Slip Characteristics and Slip‐Induced Falls in Young Adults

Theoretically, a shoe that provides less friction could result in a greater slip distance and foot slipping velocity, thereby increasing the likelihood of falling. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sole hardness on the probability of slip‐induced falls. Forty young adults were randomized into a hard or a soft sole shoe group, and tested under both nonslippery and slippery floor conditions using a motion analysis system. The proportions of fall events in the hard‐ and soft‐soled shoe groups were not statistically different. No differences were observed between shoe groups for average slip distance, peak and average heel velocity, and center of mass slipping velocity. A strong association was found between slip distance and the fall probability. Our results demonstrate that the probability of a slip‐induced fall was not influenced by shoe hardness. Once a slip is induced, slip distance was the primary predictor of a slip‐induced fall.     

Self-protective behaviors and injury in domestic violence situations: does it hurt to fight back?

Research examining the impact of self-protective behaviors on outcomes in nonsexual assaults involving intimates has focused solely on one mainstream sample (National Crime Victimization Survey) in which violence is a relatively rare event. Using the Women's Experience of Violence (WEV) project which collects data from a sample of incarcerated women, we explored the phenomenon of self-protective behaviors to assess whether their use impacts the probability and severity of subsequent injury during a domestic violence incident. In addition to utilizing a unique sample, we considered an alternative operationalization of self-protective behaviors that separates physical and verbal responses to include whether the behavior involved an element of force. Results suggest some similarities between a mainstream sample and our marginalized sample. Namely, the frequency in which they utilize countermeasures and the effect of "fighting back" appear to be consistent with previous research. However, the more nuanced categorization of self-protective behaviors demonstrates the importance of considering whether the strategy was forceful when examining women's responses to violence.     

The Psychology of Coercion Failure: How Reactance Explains Resistance to Threats

When confronted with coercive threats, targets often stand firm rather than back down. We identify one important yet unrecognized factor that causes actors to resist threats: psychological reactance. Reactance theory explains that when someone perceives a threat to their freedom to make choices, they attempt to restore their autonomy by refusing to capitulate. The result is unwillingness to concede to coercion that extends beyond rational incentives. We test for reactance as a cause of coercion failure with two novel experiments. Each experiment pairs a coercive threat treatment with a matched “natural costs” counterpart that imposes the same choice on the target without intentional action by a coercer. Controlling for prominent alternative explanations, including costs, benefits, power, credibility, and reputation, we find that the targets of threats capitulate less frequently and more often support aggression against their opponents.     

Investigation of elderly deaths in nursing homes by the medical examiner over a year

Despite death being one of the most common reasons for discharge from a nursing home, fewer than 1% of nursing home resident deaths are autopsied. To evaluate our role as medical examiner in nursing home deaths, we conducted a retrospective review of all decedents in Jefferson County, Alabama, for the year 2001. Death certificate data indicate that 995 deaths occurred in nursing homes in Jefferson County in 2001. Of those 995 deaths, 119 (12%) were reported to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner Office. Jurisdiction was accepted in 5 cases in which the circumstances already made clear that the death was a nonnatural event. In the remaining 96% of nursing home deaths reported to the medical examiner, the statements of the reporting person were taken to be true concerning the expected nature of the death. An independent scene evaluation was provided by a police officer or paramedic in 82% of the cases reported to the medical examiner's office. Elderly individuals, as a group, are expected to die, but the death of a particular elder may or may not be expected. In our jurisdiction, only 12% of all nursing home deaths are reported to our office, and only 4% of reported deaths are actively investigated. Actively investigating each nursing home death would overwhelm the resources currently available to our office. We advocate the study and development of criteria to aid in determining whether the death of an individual elder is sudden and unexpected.     

Parental contexts of adolescent self-esteem: A developmental perspective

Relationships between parental behaviors and adolescent self-esteem were analyzed in a group of 95 early adolescents from multiple settings. The study was designed to investigate hypotheses regarding associations between observed parental interactions (e.g., accepting and devaluing) and adolescent self-esteem. Parents' verbal interactions with their adolescents were assessed through application of the constraining and enabling coding system to transcribed family discussions, generated through a revealed differences procedure. Adolescent self-esteem was measured with the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory. Parent interaction-self-esteem associations were examined in the pooled sample, as well as in specific sub-groups based on gender, health, and ego development (measured by the Washington University Sentence Completion Test). Boys had more numerous associations between their self-esteem and parental interactions than girls, and psychiatrically ill boys had particularly high associations. Parental interactions were found to be most strongly related to adolescent self-esteem for adolescents at the lowest levels of ego development. Our findings are consistent with the view that increasing individuation in self-esteem regulation occurs during adolescent development, such that adolescents at higher levels of ego development evaluate themselves more independently of parental feedback than do their less mature peers.This study was supported through a Research Training Grant No. MH16259 (Dr. Isberg) from the NIMH, a grant from the National Institute of Child and Human Development (NICHD Grant No. 5 R01 HD18684-02), and a Research Scientis Development Award No. 5 K-02-MH-70178 (Dr. Hauser) from the NIMH.Received M.D. from Harvard University. Currently studying adolescent development and working with the school consultation program of the Massachusetts Mental Health Center.Received M.D. from Yale University and Ph.D. from Harvard University (Psychology). Currently studying family contexts of adolescent development.Received M.D. from The University of Chicago. Currently studying psychological consequences of diabetes mellitus.Received Ed. D. from Harvard University (School of Education). Currently studying family coping processes in response to stressful events.Received Dipl. Psych. from Freie Universitat, Berlin (Clinical Psychology). Currently studying relationships between psychopathology and development among adolescent psychiatric patients.Received Ph.D. from Ohio State University (Psychology). Current interests in assessing ego development and family systems.Received Ph.D. from the University of Miami (Clinical Psychology). Research interests in family studies and adolescent development.