Family, peer and individual factors related to methylenedioxymethamphetamine use in Taiwanese adolescents

Examination of the correlates of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use is crucial for the development and implementation of effective prevention programs for adolescents. The aim of the present study was therefore to identify the family, peer and individual factors that were related to MDMA use in Taiwanese adolescents. Two hundred adolescents who used MDMA and 200 who did not use MDMA were recruited into the study. The family, peer and individual factors related to MDMA use were examined using chi(2) automatic interaction detection (CHAID) analysis. The results indicated that the adolescents who had more friends involved with substance use, disruptive family and attitude favoring MDMA use were more likely to use MDMA. Multiple factors of family, peer and individuals were related to MDMA use among Taiwanese adolescents. This knowledge may be helpful when designing and implementing preventive intervention programs.

Differences in psychological health and family dysfunction by sexual victimization type in a clinical sample of African American adolescent women

We examined levels of sexual victimization among a sample of 249 14- to 19-year-old African American adolescent women. Victimization was common: 32.1% reported having been raped, 33.7% had experienced sexual coercion, and 10.8% reported an attempted rape. Only 23.4% had never been victimized. We investigated whether levels of psychological health and family dysfunction varied as a function of the type of sexual victimization. Girls who had been raped had lower levels of self-esteem and mastery and higher levels of depression compared to girls who reported no sexual victimization. Significantly higher levels of family cohesion and significantly lower levels of family support were reported by girls who had been raped versus girls who reported no sexual victimization. These findings are a starting point for future studies by providing evidence that levels of mental health and family dysfunction vary by the type of sexual victimization experienced.

Conflict across the Atlantic: women, family, and mass male migration in Sicily, 1880-1920

This article looks at the effect of transoceanic migration on rural Sicilian families. The author focuses on the conflicts, stresses, and transformations experienced by members of transnational families. While the reality of migration rarely reflected the popular notion that emigration would ruin families, the experience did create deep divisions between migrant men and the women who remained behind. Even before men migrated, husbands and wives struggled over the initial decision to emigrate. From their differing positions within the family, men and women separately weighed the potential benefits and risks of migration. When women encouraged their husbands to work overseas, the experience of migration often created new dreams and opportunities that divided family members. This essay highlights the deeply gendered nature of transnational migration, and the role of the family in altering ideas of husband, wife, mother, and father.