Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Induced Abortions Increase Risk of Preterm Births


A recent article in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons concludes that the increased rate of preterm birth (PTB) has a serious adverse effect on children’s health, with a disparate impact on black children. There is substantial evidence that induced abortion (IA) is an important risk factor for PTB. (FULL ARTICLE HERE)


Reference:


Roonet et al (2008). Does Induced Abortion Account for Racial Disparity in Preterm Births, and Violate the Nuremberg Code? J. of Am. Physicians and Surgs, 13(4), 102-104.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Correlations Between Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation


Review of Two Recent Studies on Correlations between Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation.


1. Drummond, K. D., Bradley, S. J., Peterson-Badali, M., & Zucker, K. J. (2008). A follow-up study of girls with gender identity disorder. Developmental Psychology. 44(1), 34-45.

A panel of experts infamous for treating gender identity disorder (GID) have recently released data of their longitudinal follow-up with 25 girls who had been diagnosed as gender identity disorder (GID). Standardized assessment data in childhood (mean age, 8.88 years; range, 3-12 years) and at follow-up (mean age, 23.24 years; range, 15-36 years) were used to evaluate gender identity and sexual orientation. At the assessment in childhood, 60% of the girls met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for GID, and 40% were subthreshold for the diagnosis. At follow-up, 3 participants (12%) were judged to have GID or gender dysphoria. Regarding sexual orientation, 8 participants (32%) were classified as bisexual/ homosexual in fantasy, and 6 (24%) were classified as bisexual/homosexual in behavior. The remaining participants were classified as either heterosexual or asexual. The rates of GID persistence and bisexual/homosexual sexual orientation were substantially higher than base rates in the general female population derived from epidemiological or survey studies. There was some evidence of a "dosage" effect, with girls who were more cross-sex typed in their childhood behavior more likely to be gender dysphoric at follow-up and more likely to have been classified as bisexual/homosexual in behavior (but not in fantasy).


2. Rieger, G., Linsenmeier, J. A. W., Gygax, L., & Bailey, J. M. (2008). Sexual orientation and childhood gender nonconformity: Evidence from home videos. Developmental Psychology. 44(1), 46-58.


This interesting study asserted that homosexual adults tend to be more gender nonconforming than heterosexual adults in some of their behaviors, feelings, and interests. Retrospective studies have also shown large differences in childhood gender nonconformity, but these studies have been criticized for possible memory biases. The authors studied an indicator of childhood gender nonconformity not subject to such biases: childhood home videos. They recruited homosesual and heterosexual men and women (targets) with videos from their childhood and subsequently asked heterosexual and homosexual raters to judge the gender nonconformity of the targets from both the childhood videos and adult videos made for the study. Prehomosexual children were judged more gender nonconforming, on average, than preheterosexual children, and this pattern obtained for both men and women. This difference emerged early, carried into adulthood, and was consistent with self-report. In addition, targets who were more gender nonconforming tended to recall more childhood rejection.


See also: “Gender Identity Disorders In Childhood And Adolescence: A Critical Inquiry And Review Of The Kenneth Zucker Research” http://www.narth.com/docs/GIDReviewKenZucker.pdf

Father’ Involvement and Children’s Developmental Outcomes



Review of study:

Sarkadi, A., Kristiansson, R., Oberklaid, F., & Bremberg, S. (2008). Father’ involvement and children’s developmental outcomes: A systemic review of longitudinal studies. Acta Paediatrica, 97, 153-158.

The authors conducted a systematic review looking at longitudinal evidence on the effects of father involvement on children’s developmental outcomes. Databases were searched for studies that measured the involvement of fathers over time. Out of 22 of the 24 studies found, positive effects of father involvement were described. In conclusion, it was determined that active and regular engagement of the father with the child predicted a range of positive outcomes. That proved true in terms of social, behavioral, psychological, and cognitive development. Interestingly, no specific form of engagement was shown to yield a better outcome over another. This said that it didn’t matter specifically, what the father did with the child, rather the fact that he was engaged paid huge dividends in the child’s development. The authors concluded that father engagement reduced the frequency of behavioral problems in boys and psychological problems in young girls. It also decreased criminality and economic disadvantages. Rightly so, the authors made claim that there was enough support in the literature to urge both professionals and policy makers to improve circumstances for involving fathering.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Review of Research Paper: "Using to numb the pain: substance use and abuse among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals."


Review of Research Paper: "Using to numb the pain: substance use and abuse among lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals." Published in Journal of Mental Health Counseling, Jan 2008, Vol 30 # 1, pp. 31-48; Author: Weber, Genevieve N.

Genevieve Weber's research was based on a sample of 824 lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, although 3% of her sample were "transgendered" and 1% were "other". The sample was recruited via advertisements to LGB listservs and posters placed in the LGB community. Nineteen percent came through emails "from friends". The analyses consisted of the use of four separate scales.

The major finding in the study was that participants who were classified as having at least one substance use disorder reported experiencing heterosexism and internalized homophobia more often than those who are not classified as disordered on either the alcohol or drug abuse scale. Interesting to note however, was what the author said subsequent to this finding:
Although these relationships are significantly significant, their small effect sizes limit my confidence that participants who are classified as having at least one substance use disorder have, in fact, experienced more heterosexism and internalized homophobia. In this case, statistical significance may not necessarily mean that the findings have practical or clinical significance to the field of mental health counseling. To this end, interpret the following discussion points with caution. (p. 40)
Much discussion was placed on the notion that sexual minorities experience stress from being in a predominately anti-gay society. However, this study could not support whether or not that heterosexist events and/or internalized homophobia led the LGB subgroup to use or abuse substances.

The author, not able to make any conclusive outcome about what causes the high incidence of substance use/abuse among gays and lesbians, stated that, "There is much that remains unknown about the etiology of alcohol and drug use and abuse among LGB people" (p. 44).

Concluding, in a practical sense, the author made a case that in her opinion, counselors and educators need to increase their awareness of how LGB individuals might cope with minority stress.

Limitations of the study:

1. The sample was recruited from an internet survey from LGB resources only; therefore, it lacked the diversity of methods for which strong research designs require.

2. The use of self-reported measures provided the strong possibility for participants to be influenced by social desirability. The general profile of these recruits were that they were largely "out", thirty-something, educated, and savvy about LGB resources (well read), therefore it made sense that they would value having an explanation, such as heterosexism, to account for the high incidences of substance use/abuse within their population.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Vox Popoli: The Failure of Scientody

The failure of scientody
The profession is demonstrating its corruption through its refusal to make use of the method:

In today’s political climate, it has become fairly dangerous for a young scientist or professor to step up and say: ‘This is all nonsense.’ It is increasingly difficult to challenge the global warming consensus, on either a scientific or a political level. Academies can be incredibly cowardly institutions, and if one of their employees was to question the discussion of climate change he or she would be pulled to one side and told: ‘You’re threatening our funding and reputation - do you really want to do that?’ I don’t think we should underestimate the impact that kind of informal pressure can have on people’s willingness to think thoroughly and speak openly.One way in which critics are silenced is through the accusation that they are ignoring ‘peer-reviewed science’. Yet oftentimes, peer review is a nonsense. As anyone who has ever put his nose inside a university will know, peer review is usually a mode of excluding the unexpected, the unpredictable and the unrespectable, and forming a mutually back-scratching circle. The history of peer review and how it developed is not a pretty sight. Through the process of peer review, of certain papers being nodded through by experts and other papers being given a red cross, the controllers of the major scientific journals can include what they like and exclude what they don’t like. Peer review is frequently a way of controlling debate, even curtailing it. Many people who fall back on peer-reviewed science seem afraid to have out the intellectual argument.

While I have tremendous regard for the effectiveness of the scientific method, I have very, very little respect for scientists. They are very, very far from the impartial devotees of scientody that they so love to portray themselves being. With a few notable exceptions, they are cowardly, contemptible herd animals more interested in jousting for a better position among the herd hierarchy than advancing the state of human knowledge.There have never been more scientists accomplishing less of scientific value than at any point in the scientific era. As for global warming, scientists of the future will look back on it in much the same way scientists today view phrenology, even as they attempt to push their latest non-scientific nonsense on the rest of us.

From: http://voxday.blogspot.com/

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Drug-Resistant Staph Appearing Heavily Among Homosexually Active Men in Boston and San Francisco

A highly drug-resistant strain of MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as drug-resistant staph) is appearing among men who have sex with men (MSM) in San Francisco and Boston, researchers reported this week. A study of hospitals and clinics in those cities found that a strain of MRSA resistant to many of the antibiotics used to treat the infection is 13 times more common among MSM in San Francisco than in the rest of the city's population, and notably more common among people with HIV.

Click here to read the article in the February 19, 2008 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.