Forms of Social Support That Moderate PTSD in Childhood Sexual Abuse Survivors

Although social support has been found to attenuate psychological symptoms in victims of sexual abuse, literature does not identify the specific forms of social support that mitigate maladjustment following a sexual abuse experience. This study sought to distinguish the specific types of perceived social support that buffer the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in victims of childhood sexual abuse (CSA). One hundred and seventy-two adult females reporting CSA were administered the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) and the Impact of Events Scale (IES). The ISEL measures the perceived availability of 4 support types. The IES measures core PTSD symptoms of intrusion and avoidance. Regression analysis indicated that social support significantly buffered PTSD development. The best model was one which contained self-esteem and appraisal support. Tangible and belonging support added little to prediction. Further, self-esteem support was identified as the most important variable in preventing PTSD development.     

Who is most at risk for intimate partner violence? A Canadian population-based study

Whole population studies on intimate partner violence (IPV) have given contradictory information about prevalence and risk factors, especially concerning gender. The authors examined the 1999 Canadian General Social Survey data for gender patterns of physical, sexual, emotional, or financial IPV from a current or ex-partner. More women (8.6%) than men (7.0%, p = .001) reported partner physical abuse in general, physical IPV causing physical injury (p < .0001), sexual abuse (1.7% vs. 0.2%, p < .0001), and financial abuse (4.1% vs. 1.6%, p < .0001). There were no gender differences for partner emotional abuse. Significant risk factors after multivariate modeling for physical/sexual IPV were younger age, being divorced/separated or single, having children in the household, and poor self-rated physical health. These findings from a large, randomly generated data set further refine our understanding of the risk profile for IPV in the developed world.     

Book reviews

Svetlana Alexievich, Zinky Boys. Soviet Voices from a Forgotten War. London: Chatto & Windus, 1992, 197 pp., £9.99 paperback.

Artyom Borovik, The Hidden War : a Russian Journalist's Account of the Soviet War in Afghanistan. London: Faber and Faber, £14.99. 288 pp.

Gennady Bocharov. Russian Roulette. The Afghanistan War through Russian Eyes. London, Hamish Hamilton, £13.99, 187 pp.

William Fierman (Editor), Soviet Central Asia. The Failed Transformation. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991, xx + 328 pp.

James Critchlow. Nationalism in Uzbekistan: a Soviet Republic's Road to Sovereignty. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1991. xviii + 231 pp., $32.95.     

Book reviews

Nancy Tapper, Bartered Brides. Politics, Gender and Marriage in an Afghan Tribal Society. Cambridge University Press, 1991, 309 pp., Illus. Index.

Derek Waller, The Pundits. British Exploration of Tibet and Central Asia. University Press of Kentucky, $30/£18.50. Distributed in the UK by John Randall, 47 Moreton St. London SW1V 2NY.     

Experimental Evidence on the Effect of Childhood Investments on Postsecondary Attainment and Degree Completion

This paper examines the effect of early childhood investments on college enrollment and degree completion. We used the random assignment in Project STAR (the Tennessee Student/Teacher Achievement Ratio experiment) to estimate the effect of smaller classes in primary school on college entry, college choice, and degree completion. We improve on existing work in this area with unusually detailed data on college enrollment spells and the previously unexplored outcome of college degree completion. We found that assignment to a small class increases students’ probability of attending college by 2.7 percentage points, with effects more than twice as large among black students. Among students enrolled in the poorest third of schools, the effect is 7.3 percentage points. Smaller classes increased the likelihood of earning a college degree by 1.6 percentage points and shifted students toward high‐earning fields such as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), business, and economics. We found that test‐score effects at the time of the experiment were an excellent predictor of long‐term improvements in postsecondary outcomes.