School Belonging,Self-Esteem,and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents: An Examination of Sex,Sexual Attraction Status,and Urbanicity

Using data from Wave II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health; Bearman, P. S., Jones, J., and Udry, J. R. http://www.cpc.unc.edu/projects/addhealth/design.html, 1997), we conducted multivariate analyses to examine three indicators of psychosocial adjustment (school belonging, self-esteem, depressive symptoms) and their associations with sexual attraction status, sex, and urbanicity. In general, sexual minority adolescents reported lower psychological adjustment than adolescents endorsing other-sex attractions only, with sexual minority females at particular risk. Further, differential patterns of risk for sexual minority youth emerged across rural, urban, and suburban communities. We conclude by discussing implications of these findings for addressing the psychosocial needs of sexual minority adolescents.     

Chinese migrant women and families in Britain

This article examines the mode of understanding and experiences of family relationships of Chinese migrant women in Britain. In contrast to much existing research work on the patterns and experiences of postwar settlement of unskilled Chinese male labourers in Britain, the focus here is on the life stories of 41 Chinese women with different migration trajectories and varying economic and cultural capital. Their oral testimonies reveal Chinese women's diverse expectations and experiences of migrant family relationships and their different strategies to achieve self-fulfillment both within and outside the confines of the migrant family. For some women, migration brings opportunities for a fulfilling and independent lifestyle. They are successful in negotiating their way around and sometimes out of their initial familial and social position. For others, they bear the disproportionate cost and labour of familial strategies of advancement and remain vulnerable to the most constraining aspects of diasporic existence.     

A novel approach to obtaining reliable PCR results from luminol treated bloodstains

In recent years the forensic scientist has been afforded great advances in technology both in the detection of latent bloodstains and in acquiring reliable DNA typing results from very small pieces of physical evidence. Scientists are now able to detect minute quantities of latent bloodstains by utilizing the luminol reagent, oftentimes indicating that an attempt has been made to conceal any evidence of bloodshed. With the introduction of PCR based technology to the forensic arena, scientists are now routinely able to obtain DNA typing results from previously insufficient amounts of biological material, items as small as a single hair, saliva on a cigarette butt, or a bloodstain the size of a pin head. We present here a merging of these two advances coupled with a new collection medium for post luminol treated latent bloodstains. The forensic scientist is now able to routinely isolate and recover an adequate amount of DNA suitable for PCR typing at all of the Promega GenePrint PowerPlex 1.1 loci. In this study, several dilutions of latent bloodstains were prepared in an effort to simulate transferred bloodstains that are routinely encountered in a crime scene setting. The latent bloodstains were treated with luminol and subsequently collected using conventional cotton tipped swabs as well as a Puritan sponge tipped swab. PCR typing at the Promega GenePrint PowerPlex 1.1 loci was then attempted upon all dilutions of the latent bloodstains for both collection mediums. The results clearly indicate that it is now routinely possible to recover adequate amounts of DNA suitable for PCR typing upon post luminol treated bloodstains.     

Seeing Theory in Practice: An Analysis of Empathy in Mediation

cush and Folger (1994) in The Promise of Mediation acticulated distinctions between Individualist and Relational ideology, and linked them to specific theoretical orientations to mediation practice, problem-solving and transformative, respectively. Yet, a question persists as to whether these distinctions produce any material differences in practice. This question is approached here through an examination of a single construct in the mediation literature, empathy. The author proposes that the Individualist and Relational ideological frameworks have material implications for the concept and the practice of fostering empathy between the parties to a mediation: The problem-solving framework fosters a social interaction which can be understood as transactional empathy while the transformative framework fosters an interaction described as relational empathy.     

Perspectives on Therapeutic Jurisprudence in Dependency Court in Cases Involving Battered Mothers

A qualitative study was conducted involving clients, victim advocates, and judges participating in one of Miami‐Dade County's (Florida) “therapeutic” juvenile court based programs, the Dependency Court Intervention Program for Family Violence (DCIPFV). The primary objective of this study was to assess how battered mothers’ perceptions of the dependency court judges’ actions impacted the women's motivation to take appropriate actions to promote their own, and their child(ren)'s safety.