Follower-Centric Influences on Sexual Decision Making in a Pentecostal Church Faith Community

Published ArticleThis study utilized participatory action research approaches to construct a follower-centric framework for measuring influences on sexual decision making by youth members of a church organization. Participants were Batswana Pentecostal church members self-reporting on their engagement in pre-marital sex (n = 68, females = 62%; age range 15–23 years; median age = 20.3 years) from eight of 26 randomly selected congregations. They completed a multi-stage concept mapping process that included free listing of statements of potential influences on their sexual decisions. They then sorted the statements into groupings similar in meaning to them, and rated the same statements for relative importance to their sexual decisions. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis of the data yielded a five cluster solution in which church teachings emerged as most salient to the teenagers’ sexual decision making followed by future orientation, community norms, knowledge about HIV/AIDS and prevention education. While the youth believed to be influenced by religion teachings on primary sexual abstinence, they self-reported with pre-marital sex. This suggests a need for secondary abstinence education with them to reduce their risk for STIs/HIV and unwanted pregnancies. Concept mapping is serviceable to construct frameworks and to identify content of follower-centric influences on sexual decision making by church youth members

The Relationship Between Work Space And Organisational Communication Efficiency: A Case Study Of Masvingo Education Region.

A ZJER journal article.The study examined the effects of work space allocation of an education service organisation as related to its communication efficiency. Twenty Education Officers responded to a questionnaire on various aspects of the organisation’s communication systems. The organisation’s work space allocation impacted negatively on organisational communication efficiency both in terms of man-hour losses and perceived quality of the work environment.,Recommendations for improvements on the work space allocation with a view to achieving better communication efficiency are made and possible training needs indicate

Harm Minimisation Drug Policy Implementation with Australian Injecting Drug Users

National health care policies are important for defining the vision, priorities, budgetary decisions and actions for improving and maintaining the health of a countries people. Yet in order for a countries health care policy to be implemented, planning needs to occur at all levels of the health care system. Effective policy implementation allows for broad national health strategies to be translated at a local level into appropriate and feasible approaches, based on local circumstances. This is particularly important with respect to emerging sectors of care, such as harm minimisation programs for people who inject drugs. The characteristics that influence the implementation process and fidelity are: 1) relative advantage; 2) compatibility, 3) complexity, 4) trialability, 5) observability, 6) obligation and 7) resourcing

Evaluating Person-Oriented Measures to Understand Sexuality with Cerebral Palsy: Procedures and Applications

This paper is based on a research which explored sexual scripts in the lives of people with cerebral palsy. To assess the utility of the study protocol, aimed at exploring the relative salience of public, interactional and private sexual scripts as described by people with cerebral palsy, a pilot study was conducted. This paper discusses the development and results of the pilot study used to test the accessibility and trustworthiness (credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability) of the study protocol. This paper also outlines the utilization of the pilot study in the modification of the final study protocol. Consistent with the aims of the pilot study networks were established which facilitated recruitment of individuals within the sampling frame and also provided participants for the main study. The trustworthiness of the study was confirmed through an assessment of the credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability of the interview guide. Transferability was achieved through the provision of evidence of the analytic process which may allow other researchers to repeat, as closely as possible the procedures of this project. Dependability and confirmability of the data collection, analysis, theory production and the level to which the study’s findings are supported by the collected data were ensured through the employment of an independent audit of the research methods by a competent peer. The pilot study confirmed the availability of participant networks as well as the accessibility and trustworthiness of the study protocol. Pilot studies continue to be a medium to test research methodology and apply necessary amendments in order to conduct larger studies

Drug Treatment Policy in the Criminal Justice System: A Scoping Literature Review

Published ArticleThis scoping review sought to map the emerging evidence on use of harm minimization drug treatment programs in criminal justice settings. A search of various data bases including Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews Medline, ProQuest, SAGE Premier, Scopus, Taylor & Francis Online, and Web of Science yielded eight studies that met inclusion criteria. The available evidence suggests increasing adoption of harm minimization policy oriented programs by countries around the world. Specific programs adopted include needle and syringe exchange, methadone maintenance, buprenorphine maintenance and treatment in lieu of incarceration. Each of these programs has evidence to support their effectiveness in relation to individual harm reduction, disease reduction, increase treatment retention and reduced criminality. This article considers implications of the adoption of harm minimization policies by criminal justice systems

Teacher-reported quality of schooling indicators in Botswana primary schools: an exploratory study

This study examined teacher self-reported views on quality indicators in Botswana primary schools. A purposively selected sample of primary school teachers in the city of Gaborone, Botswana (N = 72, females = 56; males = 16; mean age = 39 years, SD = 7.17 years; mean years of service = 15.6; SD= 8 years; public schools = 65%; private schools = 35%), completed a survey on their perceptions of quality of education indicators relevant to their school setting. Data were analyzed by type of school contrasting private and public schools. Findings suggest teachers in public schools to associate the use of teacher-led student supports as important quality indicators whereas those in private school consider access to learning materials significantly more important than other learning context variables. Type of school influenced perceptions of quality of schooling indicators in Botswana primary schools

Eligibility, the ICF and the UN Convention: Australian perspectives

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in Australia, acts as a philosophical and moral statement and framework guiding integrated and strategic policy across the nation. Broad policy agreement has been reached by governments, and both the government and non-government sectors are developing strategies for implementation or evaluation. There is however a need for a more integrated approach to disability policy and information, reflecting all three components of the Italian project

Theory-Based School and Community-Based HiV Prevention in Zimbabwe: A Prospective Study.

A ZJER article on school and community based HIV/AIDS prevention program.The overall goal for this proposed project is to conduct a pilot stud)> of a theory, school and community-based, HIV prevention programme for in and out of school adolescents and youths in Harare. The intervention will use a Reducing the Risk approach as well as incorporate a peer diffusion model into school interventions. It is expected that the proposed project will positively impact on adolescents and teenagers at risk for contracting HIV in Zimbabwe and will produce benefits that continue long after the project is concluded. The project will also empower teachers and health educators with the necessary information and training to successfully implement HIV school and community-based behavioral intervention studies in Zimbabwe that can continue long after the proposed project has concluded. This will be achieved through training, seminars, and on-going workshops for professionals and students during the entire research process

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Efficacy for Reducing Recidivism Rates of Moderate- and High-Risk Sexual Offenders: A Scoping Systematic Literature Review

Published ArticleThis literature scoping review compared recidivism rates of moderate- and highrisk sexual offenders who received cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) oriented treatments. Ten empirical studies from 2001 to 2014 were selected for review that met the following criteria: (a) Treatment program included a CBT-based intervention with a comparative intervention; (b) participants included adult, male, moderate- and high-risk sexual offenders only; and (c) follow-up data for up to 12 months. Data were analyzed using a summative metric for recidivism rate comparisons (N = 3,073 for CBT and N = 3,588, for comparison approaches). Sexual offense recidivism rates varied from 0.6% to 21.8% (with CBT) and from 4.5% to 32.3% (with comparison intervention). The within-sample median rate of violent recidivism with a history of sexual offense was 21.1% (with CBT) versus 32.6% (comparison). Sexual offenders had a general felonies (within-sample) median recidivism rate of 27.05% (with CBT) versus 51.05% (comparison). The evidence supports the conclusion that CBT in its various forms is an efficacious treatment modality to prevent offense recidivism by sexual offenders. Suggestions for future research are considered

Faith and HIV prevention: The conceptual framing of HIV prevention among Pentecostal Botswana teenagers

Background There is a huge interest by faith-based organizations (FBOs) in sub-Saharan Africa and elsewhere in HIV prevention interventions that build on the religious aspects of being. Successful partnerships between the public health services and FBOs will require a better understanding of the conceptual framing of HIV prevention by FBOS to access for prevention intervention, those concepts the churches of various denominations and their members would support or endorse. This study investigated the conceptual framing of HIV prevention among church youths in Botswana; - a country with one of the highest HIV prevalence in the world. Method Participants were 213 Pentecostal church members (67% female; age range 12 to 23?years; median age?=?19?years). We engaged the participants in a mixed-method inductive process to collect data on their implicit framing of HIV prevention concepts, taking into account the centrality of religion concepts to them and the moderating influences of age, gender and sexual experience. After, we analysed the data using multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) to map the ways the church youths framed HIV prevention. Results The findings suggest the church youth to conceptually frame their HIV prevention from both faith-oriented and secular-oriented perspectives, while prioritizing the faith-oriented concepts based on biblical teachings and future focus. In their secular-oriented framing of HIV prevention, the church youths endorsed the importance to learn the facts about HIV and AIDS, understanding of community norms that increased risk for HIV and prevention education. However, components of secular-oriented framing of HIV prevention concepts were comparatively less was well differentiated among the youths than with faith-oriented framing, suggesting latent influences of the church knowledge environment to undervalue secular oriented concepts. Older and sexually experienced church youths in their framing of HIV prevention valued future focus and prevention education less than contrasting peer cohorts, suggesting their greater relative risk for HIV infection. Conclusion A prospective HIV prevention intervention with the Pentecostal church youths would combine both faith and secular informed concepts. It also would need to take into account the ways in which these youth interpret secular-oriented health concepts in the context of their religious beliefs