A randomised trial on pubertal development and health in China

Sentencing Male Sex Offenders Under the Age of 14: A Law Reform Advocacy Journey in Hong Kong

The common law presumption that a boy under the age of 14 is incapable of sexual intercourse has provoked controversial debates in Hong Kong. This article describes a 6-step advocacy journey to examine how community efforts have helped modify this law so that juvenile male sexual offenders under the age of 14 who have committed the crime of having sexual intercourse with underage females can be sentenced to receive appropriate treatment. Seven court cases provided by the magistrates' courts in Hong Kong were used in this advocacy effort for the removal of the presumption in July 2012. Although this effort has yet to reveal signs of effectiveness, it represents greater public awareness about providing rehabilitation appropriate for juvenile sex offenders through a formal sentence. Restorative justice, as opposed to retributive or punitive justice, places an emphasis on rehabilitation of the offender and restoration of victims to a place of wholeness.

Effectiveness of audiovisual interventions on stress responses in adolescents with ENT surgery in hospital: randomized controlled trial protocol

AIM

To investigate the circadian pattern of cortisol secretion and other stress indictors in association with audiovisual stimuli in adolescents having otorhinolaryngological surgery in hospital.

BACKGROUND

Hospitalization for surgery is a major stressful life event for adolescents causing negative consequences, including anxiety. Recent studies suggest that entertaining and educational interventions might be effective at reducing such adversities, but little is known about the pattern of these responses and effects.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

Adolescents with otorhinolaryngological surgery in hospital without any contraindictions for salivary cortisol enzyme immunoassays will be recruited and randomly allocated to experimental, placebo and control. Stress indicators will be collected regularly for 5 days. Standard audiovisual interventions will be displayed for experimental and placebo groups including a simultaneous video-recording of facial and behavioural changes on the second afternoon postadmission and stress indicators will be collected pre- and three times with 20-minute interval postintervention. Follow-up will be conducted to evaluate the longer term effects at 2 weeks, 1-month and 3 months postadmission, respectively. Descriptive and comparative analyses of stress indicators will be performed to examine group differences. Competitive funding was obtained from the Independent Innovation Foundation of Shandong University for interdisciplinary research in 2012.

DISCUSSION

This study will help identify timeslots for interventions for integrating strength-building into stress response reduction in adolescents hospitalized for surgery.