404 research outputs found
Surfaces with prescribed Weingarten-Operator
We investigate pairs of surfaces in Euclidean 3-space with the same Weingarten operator in case that one surface is given as surface of revolution. Our local and global results complement global results on ovaloids of revolution from [S-V-W-W]
‘I Got it off my Chest’: An Examination of how Research Participation Improved the Mental Health of Women Engaging in Transactional Sex
Ecologic momentary assessment (EMA) is a form of close-ended diary writing. While it has been shown that participating in a study that incorporates EMA improves mental health of participants, no study to date has examined the pathways through which benefits may occur. For 4-weeks, twice-daily EMAs and weekly interviews captured mood, daily activities and HIV risk behavior of 25 women who engage in transactional sex. Qualitative analysis of exit interviews was performed to examine how participation impacted women's mental health. The majority of participants felt that EMAs heightened awareness of emotions and behavior. Most reported experiencing catharsis from the interviews; specifically, from having a non-judgmental, trusting listener. Participants felt responsible for completing tasks, a sense of accomplishment for completing the study, and altruism. This study demonstrates there are direct benefits associated with participation in an EMA and interview study
Flexibility in Faculty Work-Life Policies at Medical Schools in the Big Ten Conference
Purpose: Women lag behind men in several key academic indicators, such as advancement, retention, and securing leadership positions. Although reasons for these disparities are multifactorial, policies that do not support work-life integration contribute to the problem. The objective of this descriptive study was to compare the faculty work-life policies among medical schools in the Big Ten conference.
Methods: Each institution's website was accessed in order to assess its work-life policies in the following areas: maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave, extension of probationary period, part-time appointments, part-time benefits (specifically health insurance), child care options, and lactation policy. Institutions were sent requests to validate the online data and supply additional information if needed.
Results: Each institution received an overall score and subscale scores for family leave policies and part-time issues. Data were verified by the human resources office at 8 of the 10 schools. Work-life policies varied among Big Ten schools, with total scores between 9.25 and 13.5 (possible score: 0–21; higher scores indicate greater flexibility). Subscores were not consistently high or low within schools.
Conclusions: Comparing the flexibility of faculty work-life policies in relation to other schools will help raise awareness of these issues and promote more progressive policies among less progressive schools. Ultimately, flexible policies will lead to greater equity and institutional cultures that are conducive to recruiting, retaining, and advancing diverse faculty
The Unanticipated Benefits of Behavioral Assessments and Interviews on Anxiety, Self-Esteem and Depression Among Women Engaging in Transactional Sex
Women engaging in transactional sex have disproportional mental health co-morbidity and face substantial barriers to accessing social services. We hypothesized that participation in a longitudinal research study, with no overt intervention, would lead to short-term mental health improvements. For 4-weeks, 24 women disclosed information about their lives via twice daily cell-phone diaries and weekly interviews. We used t tests to compare self-esteem, anxiety, and depression at baseline and exit. Tests were repeated for hypothesized effect modifiers (e.g., substance abuse severity; age of sex work debut). For particularly vulnerable women (e.g., less educated, histories of abuse, younger initiation of sex work) participation in research conferred unanticipated mental health benefits. Positive interactions with researchers, as well as discussing lived experiences, may explain these effects. Additional studies are needed to confirm findings and identify mechanisms of change. This work contributes to the growing body of literature documenting that study participation improves mental health
Area-level incarceration and STI risk among a cohort of justice-involved adolescents and adults
Background: Living in areas of high incarceration is associated with increased risk of STI; however, STI risk with respect to both this area-level exposure and an individual’s involvement with the justice system is not known.
Objective: Among individuals before and after arrest or incarceration, assess the association between area-level incarceration rates and risk of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis.
Methods: Retrospective cohort study of individuals living in Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana who were arrested or in jail, prison, juvenile detention, or juvenile prison between 2005-2008 (N=97,765). Area-level incarceration exposure was defined by the proportion of person-days incarcerated among the total population*365 within a census block group. A 1-year period was assessed before and after a randomly-selected arrest/incarceration per person. Multivariable logistic regression, controlling for age, race, STI history, and year, was performed to assess chlamydia, gonorrhea, or syphilis risk by quartile area-level incarceration exposure, adjusting for individual clustering and stratifying by gender.
Results: Area-level incarceration was associated with increased odds of each STI, with a dose response relationship particularly among those with an arrest or jail stay. Women with a history of arrest or jail/prison stay and living in high incarceration areas had higher odds of STI, compared to men with comparable incarceration history and living in similar areas
58896 Feasibility of a Parent Navigator Program for Parents of Justice-Involved Youth
ABSTRACT IMPACT: Development and implementation of a parent navigator program to help parents of justice-involved youth could assist parents in navigating the justice system, improve engagement with court and probation, and ultimately improve outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goals of the study are to (1) develop a parent-peer navigator program utilizing community-based participatory design; and (2) implement and assess the feasibility of a parent peer navigator program in an urban juvenile justice system. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The EPIS framework will guide development and implementation of the navigator program as well as measurement of the implementation process, including measurements of feasibility and acceptability. In the Exploration phase, qualitative interviews with juvenile justice staff, parents of justice-involved youth, and members of the local family advisory board will inform program needs. In the preparation stage, I will work closely with the family advisory board to develop the actual parent navigator program protocol, including a training plan for navigators and their specific roles. I will conduct an open trial in the implementation phase, measuring program feasibility and acceptability among parents, navigators, juvenile justice staff, parents, and youth utilizing mixed methods. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Results will inform feasibility of implementing the program as well as acceptability of the program based on mixed methods data from parents of justice-involved youth, juvenile justice staff, family advisory board members, and other community stakeholders. Results will potentially inform conduct of a larger scale pilot hybrid implementation-effectiveness study. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Development and implementation of a parent navigator program to help parents of justice-involved youth could assist parents in navigating the justice system, improve engagement with court and probation, and ultimately improve outcomes for youth involved in the juvenile justice system
Test positivity for chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infection among a cohort of individuals released from jail in Marion County, Indiana
BACKGROUND: Individuals entering jails have high rates of sexually transmitted infections (STI), but there are few data on STI in the postincarceration period. This study aimed to describe rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis infection among individuals released from Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana jails.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of individuals incarcerated in Marion County, Indiana jails from 2003 to 2008 (n = 118,670). We linked county jail and public health data to identify individuals with positive STI test results in the 1 year after release from jail. Rates per 100,000 individuals and Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed for each STI, stratified by demographic, STI, and jail characteristics.
RESULTS: We found significantly higher rates of STI in this cohort than in the general population, with rates in the 1 year after release being 2 to 7 times higher for chlamydia, 5 to 24 times higher for gonorrhea, and 19 to 32 times higher for syphilis compared with rates in the general population. Characteristics most associated with increased risk of a positive STI test result among this cohort were younger age for chlamydia and gonorrhea, older age for syphilis, black race for men, being jailed for prostitution for women, history of STI, and history of prior incarceration.
CONCLUSIONS: This study found high rates of STIs among a cohort of individuals recently released from jail and identified a number of risk factors. Further study is needed to improve targeted STI testing and treatment among this high-risk population
Using GPS-enabled cell phones to track the travel patterns of adolescents
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few tools exist to directly measure the microsocial and physical environments of adolescents in circumstances where participatory observation is not practical or ethical. Yet measuring these environments is important as they are significantly associated with adolescent health-risk. For example, health-related behaviors such as cigarette smoking often occur in specific places where smoking may be relatively surreptitious.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We assessed the feasibility of using GPS-enabled cell phones to track adolescent travel patterns and gather daily diary data. We enrolled 15 adolescent women from a clinic-based setting and asked them to carry the phones for 1 week. We found that these phones can accurately and reliably track participant locations, as well as record diary information on adolescent behaviors. Participants had variable paths extending beyond their immediate neighborhoods, and denied that GPS-tracking influenced their activity.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>GPS-enabled cell phones offer a feasible and, in many ways, ideal modality of monitoring the location and travel patterns of adolescents. In addition, cell phones allow space- and time-specific interaction, probing, and intervention which significantly extends both research and health promotion beyond a clinical setting. Future studies can employ GPS-enabled cell phones to better understand adolescent environments, how they are associated with health-risk behaviors, and perhaps intervene to change health behavior.</p
Mortality of Youth Offenders Along a Continuum of Justice System Involvement
Introduction
Black male youth are at high risk of homicide and criminal justice involvement. This study aimed to determine how early mortality among youth offenders varies based on race; gender; and the continuum of justice system involvement: arrest, detention, incarceration, and transfer to adult courts.
Methods
Criminal and death records of 49,479 youth offenders (ages 10–18 years at first arrest) in Marion County, Indiana, from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2011, were examined. Statistical analyses were completed in November 2014.
Results
From 1999 to 2011 (aggregate exposure, 386,709 person-years), 518 youth offender deaths occurred. The most common cause of death was homicide (48.2%). The mortality rate of youth offenders was nearly 1.5 times greater than that among community youth (standardized mortality ratio, 1.48). The youth offender mortality rate varied depending on the severity of justice system involvement. Arrested youth had the lowest rate of mortality (90/100,000), followed by detained youth (165/100,000); incarcerated youth (216/100,000); and youth transferred to adult court (313/100,000). A proportional hazards model demonstrated that older age, male gender, and more severe justice system involvement 5 years post-arrest predicted shorter time to mortality.
Conclusions
Youth offenders face greater risk for early death than community youth. Among these, black male youth face higher risk of early mortality than their white male counterparts. However, regardless of race/ethnicity, mortality rates for youth offenders increase as youth involvement in the justice system becomes more protracted and severe. Thus, justice system involvement is a significant factor to target for intervention
Patterns of adolescent gun carrying and gun-related crime arrests in Indianapolis, Indiana over an 11-year time period
Adolescent males are disproportionately affected by homicide as both victims and offenders. Indianapolis has seen increases in youth homicides over the past few years; gun carrying increases an individual's risk for involvement in firearm violence. It is unclear how often youth are arrested for gun carrying and gun-related crimes. Examining these patterns may identify an opportunity for intervention. This study is a descriptive epidemiology analysis that examines patterns of gun carrying and gun-related crime arrests among justice involved youth in Marion County (Indianapolis), Indiana. We accessed juvenile court records from January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2016 on all individuals arrested for a gun carrying offense (i.e., illegal possession of a firearm or gun; n = 711) and all individuals arrested for a gun-related crime (i.e., homicide, robbery, aggravated assault; n = 150). Data were analyzed in fall 2019. Proportions of juvenile arrests for both gun carrying (47.0 per 1000 arrests) and gun-related crime (25.4 per 1000 arrests) have substantially increased compared to ten-years ago (4.5 per 1000 arrests and 2.0 per 1000 arrests, respectively). Of those arrested, 27.7 per 100,000 population were arrested for a repeated gun-related offense; of which 21.5 per 100,000 were first arrested for gun carrying and 6.2 per 100,000 were arrested for a gun-related crime. The majority of gun-related repeat offenders were first arrested for gun carrying; therefore, these gun-carrying arrests may be an opportunity to intervene on an individual level by providing treatment, other needed resources, and discussing safe firearm storage with families and communities
- …