Thoughtfully Reflective Decision Making and the Accumulation of Capital: Bringing Choice Back In

In this paper we relate a particular type of decision making, thoughtfully reflective decision making (TRDM) in adolescence, to successful and unsuccessful life outcomes in young adulthood. Those who are thoughtfully reflective in their decision making are more likely to consider possible alternative routes to goal attainment, weigh the costs and benefits of those alternatives, and critically revisit the decision once made to examine what went well and what went wrong. We also argue that what mediates the effect of TRDM on later life outcomes is the accumulation of capital. Those who use better decision making practices are more likely to recognize the resources provided by and make the necessary investments to accumulate human, social and cultural capital. These notions are theoretically linked to conceptions of criminal offenders as both rational planners and decision makers and as fully human agents. Using data from the Add Health data set, our hypotheses are largely confirmed. Those who are higher in TRDM as adolescents were more likely to have enrolled in or graduated from college, to be in better physical health, are more involved in civic and community affairs, less likely to commit criminal acts, use illegal drugs and be involved in heavy drinking as adults. TRDM is also positively related to the accumulation of human, social and cultural capital. Finally, a substantial part of the effect of TRDM on young adult outcomes was mediated by capital accumulation. The implications of these findings for future theory and research are discussed.     

The counselor's trauma as counseling motivation: vulnerability or stress inoculation?

Should counselors with interpersonal trauma histories work with similarly traumatized clients? How does the work affect them? Current research is inconsistent. This study examines 101 sexual assault and domestic violence counselors' recalled motivations for trauma work, their reported subjective personal changes, and their secondary and vicarious trauma symptoms and burnout. Counselors motivated by interpersonal trauma report both more symptoms and positive changes (including dealing with their own trauma). Those seeking personal meaning report becoming more hypervigilant and self-isolating. Those saying they learned from clients rate symptoms lower, suggesting stress inoculation. Supervisors of trauma counselors should facilitate learning from clients separately from processing the counselor's trauma.     

Considering Mixed Mode Surveys for Questions in Political Behavior: Using the Internet and Mail to Get Quality Data at Reasonable Costs

Telephone surveys have been a principle means of learning about the attitudes and behaviors of citizens and voters. The single mode telephone survey, however, is increasingly threatened by rising costs, the declining use of landline telephones, and declining participation rates. One solution to these problems has been the introduction of mixed-mode surveys. However, such designs are relatively new and questions about their representativeness and the intricacies of the methodology remain. We report on the representativeness of a post election mixed-mode (Internet and mail) survey design of 2006 general election voters. We compare sample respondent means to sample frame means on key demographic characteristics and examine how mail and Internet respondents differed in terms of attitudes, behaviors and demographics. We find that overall the Internet respondents were representative of the population and that respondent choice of mode did not influence item response. We conclude that mixed-mode designs may allow researchers to ask important questions about political behavior from their desktops.     

Mentally ill offenders eligible for diversion at local court in New South Wales (NSW), Australia: factors associated with initially successful diversion

Diversion away from the criminal justice system and into mental health treatment services is a key strategy for addressing the well-established burden of mental illness suffered by those presenting to court. While mental health courts, court liaison and court diversion services have been developed in many jurisdictions internationally, there is limited research evidence to support their effectiveness in identifying those with mental health need and achieving successful diversion. The Statewide Community and Court Liaison Service in New South Wales, Australia, identifies mentally ill offenders likely to meet legal eligibility criteria for diversion at the busiest local courts across the state. Utilising data collected by mental health clinicians working in the service, 8317 individuals were identified as being eligible for court diversion on at least one occasion during the study period (1 July 2008 and the 30 June 2015) and 57.3% were subsequently diverted by Magistrates. Successful diversion at this first step was associated with being female, older, of non-Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background, and having a serious mental illness, replicated when stratified by sex and by Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. There may be barriers to mental health diversion at court for individuals with particular socio-demographic characteristics which future service developments may need to take into account.     

The Centrality of Theory in Modern Day Crime Prevention: Developments,Challenges, and Opportunities

Theory matters in crime prevention. Indeed, but this is hardly the full story. Crime prevention is oftentimes viewed as atheoretical—not grounded in the etiology of crime and offending. Reasons abound for this view, and the recent interest in an evidence-based approach to policy-making has been at the forefront. This article reviews the role that theory plays in modern day crime prevention, with a special focus on the three main crime prevention strategies: developmental, community, and situational. The review identifies a number of key challenges and opportunities for making theory more central to crime prevention. It suggests that the classification system employed in situational crime prevention has allowed for a more explicit connection between sound theory and prevention techniques, and may provide important lessons for developmental and community crime prevention.     

“We are family”: Gender,microenterprise, family work,and well-being in Ecuador and the Dominican Republic — with comparative data from Guatemala,Swaziland, and Guinea-Bissau

The article analyzes the realm of family business to see what a difference the gender of the owner makes. Through the lens of the author's rapid appraisal and/or survey data from field studies in Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Swaziland, and Guinea-Bissau, three main issues are examined: (1) the use of family in the family business by women and men microentrepreneurs (MEs) — i.e., differential involvement of family members in different work patterns and differential reliance on home-based businesses; (2) similarities and differences in men's vs. women's ventures (type of economic activities, gender composition of employees, loan repayment, reinvestment of profits, etc.); and (3) the impact of the business' income on the ME and his/her family well-being (using hypotheses from my general theory of gender stratification). Finally, implications are extracted concerning the consequences of women's economic empowerment, as well as for Third World microenterprise credit and savings programs.     

Pedagogy of the Logic Model: Teaching Undergraduates to Work Together to Change Their Communities

Undergraduate community psychology courses can empower students to address challenging problems in their local communities. Creating a logic model is an experiential way to learn course concepts by “doing.” Throughout the semester, students work with peers to define a problem, develop an intervention, and plan an evaluation focused on an issue of concern to them. This report provides an overview of how to organize a community psychology course around the creation of a logic model in order for students to develop this applied skill. Two undergraduate student authors report on their experience with the logic model assignment, describing the community problem they chose to address, what they learned from the assignment, what they found challenging, and what they are doing now in their communities based on what they learned.     

Orphan Living Situations in Malawi: A Comparison of Orphanages and Foster Homes

Orphans have become an increasingly large percentage of the population in Sub‐Saharan Africa due to the AIDS epidemic. Debate ensues about more supportive living situations for these youth, with most research supporting foster homes over orphanages. This article compares these two situations in the country of Malawi, considering how the two systems meet material needs, psychosocial needs, and those needs created by the constraints of the nonprofit environment in Malawi. Interviews were conducted with 50 orphans, nine orphanage and foster system administrators, five foster and group home caregivers, five health care workers, and five community members. All interviewees were asked questions about the children's routine, educational experience, residence characteristics, responsibilities, free time, health care, and future prospects. Administrators and parents were also queried about the management and organization of the programs, and health care workers were asked additional questions about the orphans’ health care and supplies for it. It was found that Malawian orphans placed in orphanages have an advantage over those placed in foster homes along the dimensions of lodging, health care, food quantity and variety, clothing, and school supplies. Additionally, children in orphanages have more autonomy, and have a broader concept of their future potential. Orphanage residents view their caregivers as compassionate and loving. Finally, it was found that orphanages are more efficient in providing care and at exchanging information with other organizations. They are also easier to replicate for use in other areas than are community‐based programs. The article concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings and directions for future research.