'Yeah but, it's funny if she does it to him': comparing ratings of acceptability, humour, and perpetrator and victim blame in female-to-male versus male-to-female domestic violence scenarios

Background: Data suggests that an increasing number of women are being arrested for intimate partner assault (Martin, 1997). Research has also shown how male and female offenders may have different reasons for offending and may require different domestic violence programs to reduce repeat offending (Henning, Jones & Holdfold, 2005). However, relatively little is known about how male-to-female versus female-to-male domestic violence (DV) is judged by others. Methods: This study presented 20 male undergraduates and 20 female undergraduates with vignettes depicting a scenario of either male-to-female or female-to-male DV. Participants rated these scenarios on how acceptable and humorous the scenario was, as well as how much they attributed blame to the victim and perpetrator. Participants also completed a questionnaire assessing the relationship of power to sex (Chapleau & Oswald, 2010). Results: 2 (Gender) x 2 (Vignette Type) ANOVAs were computed for each scale. Results showed that whilst acceptability was low for both scenarios, participants found female-to-male DV more humorous. In addition, whilst across both scenarios participants placed high blame on the perpetrator, participants placed more blame on the victim in the female-to-male DV scenario. In addition, for all participants, ratings given to DV scenarios were positively correlated with how strongly they related power-to-sex. Conclusions: These results indicate that, even though it is viewed as equally unacceptable, both men and women view female-to-male DV as ‘funnier’, and also believe that the victim was more to blame in these scenarios – suggesting that overall DV towards men may be taken less seriously. This study demonstrates that, in addition to different DV treatment programmes for offender, attitudes towards male victims of DV also need to be targeted

Feminine Values and Happy Life-Expectatncy in Nations

Cross-national studies suggest that people are happier in feminine nations that are also economically affluent. The first objective of the present study was to replicate this finding with a quality of life index which is more comprehensive than the usual measures of subjective well-being. This comprehensive indicator termed Happy Life-Expectancy (HLE) combines subjective happiness with objective longevity. As predicted, in the richer countries, HLE was higher in feminine nations (r=−0.51, n=14, P<0.05, one-tailed), whereas in the poorer nations HLE did not correlate with national masculinity–femininity (r=−0.27, n=13, NS). A second objective was to examine the mechanisms behind the significant relationship in the richer countries. Contrary to expectation, the findings could not be explained by national differences in private freedom.This is a preprint of the article published in Personality and Individual Differences (2002), 33, pp. 803-81

Validação da versão reduzida da escala de comportamento interpessoal para adolescentes Portugueses

Este trabalho apresenta a adaptação linguística para português da Escala de Comportamento Interpessoal – versão reduzida, e a avaliação das suas características psicométricas, em uma amostra de adolescentes tardios (dos 16 aos 21 anos; N = 872). Foi encontrada uma organização interna em quatro dimensões e uma medida geral para os dois componentes avaliados: desconforto ao ser assertivo e frequência de prática de comportamento assertivo. Todas as medidas obtiveram valores aceitáveis de consistência interna e níveis moderados de validade por relação com outras variáveis, face à versão reduzida da Escala de Assertividade de Rathus. Algumas diferenças por gênero foram observadas. Este instrumento mostrou-se útil para ser empregado na avaliação e investigação em psicologia

Vimentin: from a cytoskeletal protein to a critical modulator of immune response and a target for infection

Vimentin is an intermediate filament protein that plays a role in cell processes, including cell migration, cell shape and plasticity, or organelle anchorage. However, studies from over the last quarter-century revealed that vimentin can be expressed at the cell surface and even secreted and that its implications in cell physiology largely exceed structural and cytoskeletal functions. Consequently, vimentin contributes to several pathophysiological conditions such as cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, or infection. In this review, we aimed at covering these various roles and highlighting vimentin implications in the immune response. We also provide an overview of how some microbes including bacteria and viruses have acquired the ability to circumvent vimentin functions in order to interfere with host responses and promote their uptake, persistence, and egress from host cells. Lastly, we discuss the therapeutic approaches associated with vimentin targeting, leading to several beneficial effects such as preventing infection, limiting inflammatory responses, or the progression of cancerous events

A Comparative Analysis of Two Rural Development Programs: Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement and Thailand's Functional Literacy Program -- A Participant and Expert Profile

The purpose of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of two rural development programs: Sri Lanka's Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement and Thailand's Functional Literacy program. The initial aim was to ascertain whether these programs have kept pace with the changing environments and aspirations of their participants. An objective was to investigate the educational component of each program by profiling the opinion of experts and participants who have been involved with either program for a substantial period of time (four years or more). This research project sought to determine whether the philosophical approach employed by each program was helpful to participants with regard to further educational services. This research project also sought to determine whether participants from the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement or Functional Literacy Program have matured beyond the educational parameters (i.e., course offerings, program objectives, mode of delivery, etc.) of their respective programs. A positional-repututional approach was employed to ascertain a population for this study. Indepth interviews where held in the following cities and villages: Bangkok, Columbo, Hennawala, Key Lorn, Makandana, Moratuwa, New York, Sribuangern and Washington, D.C. Of the 81 subjects, 57 were participants who had actually been involved in either the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement or Functional Literacy Program. There were 24 subjects who were considered to have expert knowledge. The data collection process for this study utilized a variety of interviewing techniques. To further analyze the data the use of SPSS Multiple response variable procedure which permitted the use of dichotomous labeling provided frequency distributions and cross tabulations by category. The conclusions show that although the majority of participants benefited from being either rural development programs, participants felt that neither program could accommodate their desire for further educational services. Participant educational choice appears to be strongly influenced by the proximity of a village, local town or urban centers. The philosophical ideals espoused by the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement or Functional Literacy Program had minimal influence on participants with regard to helping encourage further educational pursuit. Moreover, this study shows that older youth and adults can and often do continue to examine their lives through a series of complex decision-making strategies that enable some to pursue new directions

Feasibility and potential effectiveness of an intensive trauma-focused treatment programme for families with PTSD and mild intellectual disability

Background: Persons with mild intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning (MID-BIF; IQ 50–85) have a higher risk of being exposed to traumatic events and developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). EMDR therapy has shown to be applicable, safe and potentially effective for the treatment of PTSD in individuals with MID-BIF. However, in traumatized multi-problem families with MID-BIF and (impending) out of home placement of children, standard PTSD treatment in an outpatient setting may not be appropriate. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and potential effectiveness of KINGS-ID, a six-week clinical trauma-focused treatment programme consisting of intensive EMDR therapy with parents and children, and parental skills training followed by two weeks of parent support at home. Method: Six families (nine parents of whom six had MID-BIF) and 10 children (all having MID-BIF) participated in the KINGS-ID programme. Seven parents and seven children had PTSD. Data were collected within a single case study design. For each family member data were collected during baseline (three measurements), treatment (seven weekly measurements), posttreatment (three measurements) and at follow-up (three measurements). Results: None of the family members dropped out. Within the first two treatment weeks all but one child and one parent no longer met PTSD symptom criteria. In both children and parents, trauma-related symptoms and daily life impairment significantly decreased following treatment and in parents a significant decrease in symptoms of general psychopathology and parental stress was found. Results were maintained at six-month follow-up. Conclusions: The findings of the current study are promising given that the treatment programme seems to offer new perspectives for traumatized multi-problem families with MID-BIF

A qualitative study of perceived social barriers to care for eating disorders: Perspectives from ethnically diverse health care consumers

Objective: The study aim was to identify and describe health consumer perspectives on social barriers to care for eating disorders in an ethnically diverse sample. Method: We conducted an exploratory secondary analysis of qualitative data comprising transcripts from semi-structured interviews with past and prospective consumers of eating disorder treatment (n = 32). Transcripts were inputted into NVivo 8 for coding, sorting, and quantifying thematic content of interest within strata defined by ethnic minority and non-minority participants. We then examined the influence of key social barriers—including stigma and social stereotypes—on perceived impact on care. Results: The majority of respondents (78%) endorsed at least one social barrier to care for an eating or weight concern. Perceived stigma (or shame) and social stereotyping—identified both within social networks and among clinicians—had adversely impacted care for 59% and 19% of respondents, respectively. Discussion: Social barriers to care for eating and weight related concerns may be prevalent in the U.S. and impact both ethnic minority and non-minority health care consumers. © 2009 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc