Alcoholism : medicalization by the masses in post-prohibition America

The medicalization of America is typically presented as a top-down, doctor-driven phenomenon. I argue that in the case of alcoholism, this model leaves out the community-level social activism of individuals who were identifying themselves as members of Alcoholics Anonymous. Any description of the popularization of the disease concept of alcoholism that does not take into account the efforts of these individuals is missing a key element. My thesis attempts to incorporate these individuals into the historical narrative. If we are to focus on the efforts of Alcoholics Anonymous in framing alcoholism as a disease, the 1930s represent a crucial turning point. In 1933, Prohibition was brought to an end. In 1935, the cofounders of A.A., William Wilson and Robert Smith, met for the first time and began working with other alcoholics. In 1939, the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous was published. This series of events is critical to understanding the medicalization of alcohol consumption, and what made alcoholism such a path breaking disease. The period between 1933-1939 represented the turning point when patients finally took the initiative to reintegrate themselves into mainstream society by defining inebriety as a disease. However, this ostensibly medical model continued to rely upon religious underpinnings. This tension is the focus of my study

Risk and Protective Factors: Suicide in the Military

Suicide rates in the military are on the decline, yet on the rise in the National Guard and Reserve components. Training programs to educate and raise awareness about suicide have been implemented in all branches of the military. There is a lot of research about suicide risk and protective factors in the general population and Active Duty military population, but there is not research that identifies service members’ perceptions on what those risk and protective factors may be. Nor is there research that explores the perceptions of stigma in the military regarding suicide. Knowing how service members perceive suicide risk and protective factors and stigma in the military may give some insight into how well the training programs are working. This study compared the perception of suicide risk and protective factors of new members to the service and veterans. The research showed that the two groups have similar perceptions regarding risk and protective factors, yet have fairly differing perceptions about stigma in the military. The veteran sample believes that service members are uncomfortable reporting mental health concerns to the military; the veterans also believe that the military discriminates against service members with mental health issues. The new service member sample believes that it is safe to ask for help regarding suicide in the military; they also believe that the military wants to help those with mental health issues. The research also shows that unit cohesion and family support are strong protective factors for suicide. Based on the findings I recommend improving family involvement in the military. I also recommend creating more unity within Guard and Reserve units. The research also shows there is a lack of resources for Guard and Reserve members; I recommend further research studies identify where the greatest needs for resources are

Risk and Protective Factors: Suicide in the Military

Suicide rates in the military are on the decline, yet on the rise in the National Guard and Reserve components. Training programs to educate and raise awareness about suicide have been implemented in all branches of the military. There is a lot of research about suicide risk and protective factors in the general population and Active Duty military population, but there is not research that identifies service members’ perceptions on what those risk and protective factors may be. Nor is there research that explores the perceptions of stigma in the military regarding suicide. Knowing how service members perceive suicide risk and protective factors and stigma in the military may give some insight into how well the training programs are working. This study compared the perception of suicide risk and protective factors of new members to the service and veterans. The research showed that the two groups have similar perceptions regarding risk and protective factors, yet have fairly differing perceptions about stigma in the military. The veteran sample believes that service members are uncomfortable reporting mental health concerns to the military; the veterans also believe that the military discriminates against service members with mental health issues. The new service member sample believes that it is safe to ask for help regarding suicide in the military; they also believe that the military wants to help those with mental health issues. The research also shows that unit cohesion and family support are strong protective factors for suicide. Based on the findings I recommend improving family involvement in the military. I also recommend creating more unity within Guard and Reserve units. The research also shows there is a lack of resources for Guard and Reserve members; I recommend further research studies identify where the greatest needs for resources are

Grins and Giggles: The Launch Pad to High Performance

Long ago I observed that people get more things done when they're having fun . At the time, I had no idea why. Now I think I have an answer. When children play, look at the energy that's put into it, that's shared with everyone else. This sort of energy brings people together, unleashes their creativity and indeed inspires them to do amazing things

The Nexus between Causal Macroeconomic Relations in Japan

Japan achieved phenomenal economic growth after WWII. Starting in the early 1990s, however, the Japanese economy began experiencing a prolonged deflation-stagnation period widely known as the “Lost Decades”. Based on data from the World Bank and the Federal Reserve Bank of Saint Louis, this paper employs an autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) model to find evidence of a long run relation among the real GDP, real imports, the real exchange rate, and the public debt-to-GDP ratio for Japan. Once cointegration is established with the Bounds Test, Granger Causality tests are performed by employing an estimated Vector Autoregressive (VAR) model with the same variables. The empirical results support Granger causality in all directions. In particular, we found real imports and public debt-to-GDP ratio to directly cause real GDP. Interestingly, the real exchange rate causes real GDP indirectly via imports. The public debt had a negative effect on GDP but did not wreak havoc on the Japanese economy. The study also examines whether former Prime Minister Shinzō Abe’s unprecedented macroeconomic policies and structural reforms launched in 2013, known as Abenomics, are pulling Japan out of its economic doldrums

Science in the Time of COVID-19: The Feasibility of Online Data Collection in Developmental Populations

COVID-19 restrictions resulted in many scientists pausing data collection (Maga et al., 2020). Virtual data collection may be an option and has been used for over a decade for experiments with adult participants (Buhrmester et al., 2016). Using virtual or remote data collection has not been well studied in developmental science given the nature of the populations that are studied (infants and toddlers). We evaluated the feasibility of virtual data collection, using a website called Lookit, for examining word learning in toddlers. Participants (N=49), ages 18-36 months, were presented with novel spoken word-shape pairs as their eye movements were recorded. All data were collected on Lookit. Parents were given explicit directions on experimental set up and study procedures. Toddlers then completed the experiment using their home computer and webcam. Video recordings of each experimental session were analyzed for parent adherence to study procedures and overall video quality. Results suggested that most parents followed the study directions. Video quality was generally good and appeared adequate for coding eye movements. In conclusion, virtual data collection appears to be a promising resource for developmental scientists