Lowering the age of consent: Legal,ethical, and clinical implications of adolescent-directed therapy

This article discusses a recently enacted Colorado law that aims to reduce the youth suicide rate by lowering the age of consent for psychotherapy from age 15 to age 12. The author discusses the challenges therapists face when young adolescents seek therapy without parental consent in cases involving interparental conflict. Suggestions for managing adolescent-directed therapy are offered.     

Prior Commitments: Compatible Interests versus Capabilities in Alliance Behavior

The rapid emergence of transnational networks in world politics calls for an analysis of their power dynamics. By combining the advocacy network literature and the two-level game theory in an innovative manner, this article provides a theoretical conceptualization of the interplay between intra- and inter-network interactions. It argues that the strength of a network as agent springs from its force as a structure. A network win-set is determined by its internal games, thereby affecting both its bargaining power and its chance to reach a consensual agreement with other networks. The issue of access to medicines is used as a factual background to illustrate how the flow of influence within networks affects influence among networks.     

民生保障研究:论适足生活水准权保障与实现

适足生活水准权的实现遵从辅助性原则、国家义务、平等与非歧视原则。食物权、住房权与健康权构成了适足生活水准权最主要的具体权利形态,其实现标准主要有:有效、真实与可接受。适足生活水准权的保障与实现不是孤立的,是与其他人权,如财产权、工作权等,特别是公民权利与政治权利,密切相关。公民权利和政治权利的保障是实现适足生活水准权救济的有效方式。适足生活水准权的实现为呼声日高的民生保障研究提供了新视角。     

Rethinking Timing of First Sex and Delinquency

The relation between timing of first sex and later delinquency was examined using a genetically informed sample of 534 same-sex twin pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, who were assessed at three time points over a 7-year interval. Genetic and environmental differences between families were found to account for the association between earlier age at first sex and increases in delinquency. After controlling for these genetic and environmental confounds using a quasi-experimental design, earlier age at first sex predicted lower levels of delinquency in early adulthood. The current study is contrasted with previous research with non-genetically informative samples, including Armour and Haynie (2007, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 36, 141–152). Results suggest a more nuanced perspective on the meaning and consequences of adolescent sexuality than is commonly put forth in the literature.

Factors Associated with Physician Discussion of Health Behaviors with Adolescents

Behaviors developed in adolescence influence health later in life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the frequency of health care provider's discussion of health behaviors with overweight and non-overweight adolescents and identify demographic and health behaviors related to exercise, hours of television viewing, and weight issues associated with these discussions. A Cross sectional survey of urban adolescents was conducted. Trained interviewers administered surveys over a three month period in 2001 at an urban academic pediatric and adolescent clinic. The 252 adolescents surveyed had a mean age of 15 with 49% categorized as being at risk for overweight/overweight and 51% as normal weight using the CDC percentiles for BMI. While 16% of the adolescents reported that their physician or nurse discussed the amount of television they watched, rates of discussion related to exercise (58%), and weight (54%) were much higher. In multivariate analyses, health care provider discussions with adolescents regarding exercise were more common for overweight (O.R.=2.42, 95% C.I. [1.28–4.57]) and at risk for overweight (O.R.=1.98, 95% C.I. [1.03–3.81]) adolescents, whereas physician discussion of television viewing was not associated with weight. Discussions of weight were more common for female (O.R.=2.18, 95% C.I. [1.21–3.95]), African-American (O.R.=2.53, 95% C.I. [1.40–4.57]), and overweight (O.R.=3.92, 95% C.I. [1.97–7.81]) adolescents. Even after adjusting for weight, race and gender strongly influenced the frequency of discussions about weight in physician offices. Although health care providers frequently address weight and exercise with adolescents, more discussions related to sedentary behaviors such as television viewing may be warranted to address adolescent obesity.Received PhD in Epidemiology from University of California, San Diego. Research interests include smoking prevention and cessation among adolescents and health promotion interventions.Received MD from University of Missouri-Kansas City and MPH from Johns Hopkins University. Research interests include health services research and research in support of measurable, systematic improvements in the quality of medical care.Received medical degree from Christian Medical College, Punjab, India and Master of Public Health from University of Kansas School of Medicine. Research interests include diet and physical activity behaviors, role of the environment in obesity and obesity prevention, especially among children and adolescents.Received MBBS from Allama Iqbal Medical College, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan and MPH from University of Kansas Medical Center. Research interests include smoking cessation, database design, implementation, data management and analysis, and use of information technology in health care settings.Director, Cancer Prevention, Control, and Population Sciences, Kansas Cancer Institute. Received MD/MPH from Tulane University and MS from Harvard School of Public Health. Research interests include disparities in healthcare; smoking cessation among underserved populations, specifically African Americans; diet, nutrition, obesity, and physical activity.     

生命法史考

作为生命法学研究对象的生命法拥有自身独特的发展历程。国外生命法与中国生命法尽管显现出了不尽相同的发展进路，但却有着相同的推动力量。具体来说：生命法的发展是经济社会进步的必然结果，是科技进步的必然结果。生命法的本质使命在于保障人类生命伦理社会秩序的相对稳定。就其发展进路来看，生命科技的不断进步与人类经济社会的持续发展使得生命法的调整范围必然呈现出日渐扩大的趋向，其体系构成必然会逐步完善，而生命法的内容也会越来越趋向于理性。     

关于提升法学（医药卫生）专业社会效益的思考

随着社会的需求，法学（医药卫生）这一专业应运而生。然而，缺乏实践性的法学教育使得培养出的大量法科毕业生无法满足现实法律实务工作的要求，那么本期待能弥补法学教育实践性缺乏这一困境的法学（医药卫生）教育能否带来很好的社会效益呢？本文将针对如何提升法学（医药卫生）专业的社会效益这一新的现实问题，从几个方面提出自己的一些思考。     

论农村低保户的医疗保障

保护公民健康权是我国政府应尽的国际义务和宪法义务，医疗保障制度是保障健康权的重要制度。根据补充性原则，政府在行政给付中的义务处于第二位，但是由于农村低保户在经济能力上的特殊性，其医疗保障中政府应承担主导作用，并以此为指导思想完善我国农村低保户医疗保障制度。     

对比研究视野下的中国卫生立法迫切性

本文以中美两国卫生立法对比研究为切人点探讨中国卫生立法的迫切性，在医疗控费、患者保护、医疗保险市场、医生监管等几个方面介绍了美国立法体系，从执行力、立法理念、前瞻性等环节上进行了对比分析，从差异上找出可改进之处。     

大学生心理健康教育工作的有效途径

近年来，大学生心理健康问题越来越受到关注。目前已有不少高校和心理学专家开始了对大学生心理健康问题的研究，并取得了宝贵的成果。通过分析当前大学生中普遍存在的心理问题，力求找出解决问题的正确途径，以帮助大学生摆脱心理问题的困扰，走出心理阴影。