Adolescent nutritional and psychological patterns and risk for the development of an eating disorder

A group of 256 female and 248 male adolescent students were assessed regarding nutritional practices and psychological attitudes associated with the development of eating disorders. While the majority showed adequate nutritional practices, there was a high prevalence of dieting and the consumption of low-calorie foods among the girls. For boys, there was no relationship between a strong desire for thinness and restriction of foods high in calories; boys tended to report that hunger and positive affective states were related to overeating. A risk factor conception of nutritional and psychological precursors to the later development of an eating disorder was discussed.This research was supported in part by a Biomedical Research Support Grant to Dr. Cheryl Perry.     

Belief in a Just World and Commitment to Long-Term Deserved Outcomes

We investigated whether people need to believe in a just world in part because such a belief helps people to work toward long-term goals and to do so in such a way that they are deserved. We assessed participants' long-term goal focus and also their commitment to deserving their outcomes (via a psychopathy scale). In a second session, participants were then exposed to a victim whose situation did or did not contradict a belief in a just world. When the victim's situation contradicted a belief in a just world, the greater the participants' tendency to focus on long-term outcomes, the more they blamed the victim for her misfortune; but this relation only occurred for participants with a strong commitment to deserving their outcomes (i.e., those low in psychopathy). The results are consistent with our argument that, given the function of the belief in a just world proposed in this article, people would have a greater need to preserve the belief (e.g., by blaming victims of injustice) the greater their investment in long-term and deserved outcomes.     

Rural Versus Urban Victims of Violence: The Interplay of Race and Region

This paper examines individuals who were victims of domestic violence in Illinois between 1990 and 1995, comparing the traits and service needs of those who received assistance in an urban county over the 5-year period with those who were served by domestic violence programs in rural areas. Analysis focuses on the demographic characteristics of clients in each region, their relationship to the abuser, type of abuse, referral source, and need for both concrete and supportive services. In addition to looking at variations by region, analysis examines differences between African American and White clients within and across geographic areas so that the interaction of race and location is highlighted. Results indicate that apart from demographic differences related to race, there is little difference in the circumstances of abuse when victims in the urban region are compared to rural victims of violence. However, those in rural environments regardless of race, have more service needs. Differences in service needs also exist in relation to race, and for some services, both race and location are important. The implications of these findings for policy, practice, and future research are examined.     

Land Use Regulation and Residential Segregation: Does Zoning Matter?

Critics of zoning have attributed to it much of the responsibilityfor the persistent and severe patterns of racial and economicsegregation that characterize urban America. Yet, little empiricalevidence has been produced to demonstrate the degree to whichobserved patterns of residential segregation are attributableto zoning. This article explores that question by comparingpatterns of residential segregation in Houston, the nation'sonly unzoned large city, and Dallas, a similar zoned city. Houston'sunique system of "nonzoning" is described. The index of dissimilarityis used to measure segregation by race, tenure, and housingtype, and a variation of the index is developed to measure segregationby income. No significant differences in residential segregationare evident between the two cities. These results suggest that,absent zoning, private voluntary institutions produce nearlyidentical patterns of residential segregation.     

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EVALUATING "NONTRADITIONAL" RELIGIOUS PRACTICE IN CHILD CUSTODY CASES

This article suggests a model for objectively evaluating "nontraditional" religious practices in child custody and visitation rights cases. The model draws a distinction between religious beliefs and religiously motivated behavior. This distinction assists the evaluator in approaching the family in an unbiased, objective, and respectful manner. Emphasis is placed on considering the religiously motivated behavior in a constitutionally sensitive procedure that simultaneously protects the fundamental rights of parents and children and the children's best interests.