The parental problem-solving measure: Further evaluation with maltreating and nonmaltreating parents

Inability to solve problems related to parenting and other aspects of daily living is hypothesized to result in frustration or inability to cope, and contribute to the occurrence of problematic parental behavior such as physical abuse or neglect. The present investigation evaluated the Parental Problem-Solving Measure (PPSM), a procedure for measuring parental problem-solving skill of maltreating and nonmaltreating parents. Subjects were 60 parents with at least one child between the ages of 2 and 12. Subjects belonged to one of three groups: (a) physically abusive and/or neglectful parents (n=27); (b) nonmaltreating clinic parents seeking help for child behavior problems (n=12); and (c) nonmaltreating, non-help-seeking community parents (n=21). Results demonstrated the interrater reliability, internal consistency, and temporal stability of the PPSM and its five subscales. Support is also provided for the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure.     

A Marx for the twenty-first century?

Among his many books are The Credential Society: An Historical Sociology of Education and Stratification; Conflict Sociology: Toward an Explanatory Science; Three Sociological Traditions; Sociology Since Mid-Century: Essays in Theory Cumulation;and Conflict Sociology: Toward an Explanatory Science.     

Regional Transboundary Cooperation Efforts in Centralist States: Conflicts and Responses in France and Mexico

France and Mexico have long traditions of highly centralizedgovernment. Nevertheless,in each case, populations in borderregions, which are distant from the national capital, have closeinformal cultural and economic ties with neighboring populationsin adjacent nations. In France, tensions between central authoritiesand local and regional authorities over greater internationalcooperation at the local and regional levels have been especiallyevident in Alsace, France's "window" on Europe's economic heartland.Administrative decentralization measures now being implementedin France will probably enhance transborder cooperation, thoughFrance still has not formally endorsed the European OutlineConvention on Transfrontier Cooperation. The Mexican governmentmaintains its historic resistance to dependency on the UnitedStates, and emphasizes policies to integrate its border citiesmore closely with the rest of Mexico. However, Mexico, likeFrance, could give greater attention to the development of internationalagreements that respect national sovereignty as well as thewishes of border peoples for closer transborder cooperation.     

Lipids in the proximal tubules of the kidney in diabetic coma

Vacuolization of the renal tubular epithelial cells (the Armanni-Ebstein lesion) associated with diabetic hyperglycemia is usually regarded as an accumulation of glycogen. In a case of death of diabetic coma, the vacuoles were stained strongly for lipids. This observation may have both clinical and therapeutic consequences, and may increase our knowledge of the metabolism in diabetes.     

The Spousal Assault Risk Assessment (SARA) Guide: Reliability and Validity in Adult Male Offenders

We evaluated the reliability and validity of judgments concerning risk for violence made using the Spousal Assault Risk Assessment Guide (SARA; Kropp, Hart, Webster, & Eaves, 1994, 1995, 1998). We analyzed SARA ratings in six samples of adult male offenders (total N = 2681). The distribution of ratings indicated that offenders were quite heterogeneous with respect to the presence of individual risk factors and to overall perceived risk. Structural analyses of the risk factors indicated moderate levels of internal consistency and item homogeneity. Interrater reliability was high for judgments concerning the presence of individual risk factors and for overall perceived risk. SARA ratings significantly discriminated between offenders with and without a history of spousal violence in one sample, and between recidivistic and nonrecidivistic spousal assaulters in another. Finally, SARA ratings showed good convergent and discriminant validity with respect to other measures related to risk for general and violent criminality.