09.24.07

10-year Retrospective Study Shows Progress in American Attitudes About Depression and Other Mental Health Issues

Posted in Mental Health, Social Science at 11:55 pm by AAL

10-year Retrospective Study Shows Progress in American Attitudes About Depression and Other Mental Health Issues
Source: Mental Health America
Mental Health America, the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives, today released a 10-year retrospective study showing significant progress in Americans’ attitudes about mental health problems, but also continued shame and discomfort around these health problems.
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While the survey data shows that Americans are much more knowledgeable about the seriousness of mental illnesses, public acceptance of depression and – even more so for other mental health problems (i.e., bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcohol and drug problems and suicide attempts) – still lags behind that of other health issues, such as diabetes and cancer.
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Americans are split down the middle on their views of suicide: 46% see it as a personal or emotional weakness and 46% see it as a health problem. However, suicide deaths (over 30,000 each year) consistently outnumber deaths attributable to homicide (18,000) by a ratio of three to two – with most suicides attributable to untreated depression. Yet, most Americans greatly underestimate the occurrence of suicide. 63% of Americans believe homicides vastly outnumber suicides, according to the survey.

+ Executive Summary (PDF; 48 KB)

09.23.07

2007 National Meth Use & Attitudes Survey

Posted in Mental Health, Social Science at 6:28 pm by AAL

2007 National Meth Use & Attitudes Survey (PDF; 354 KB)
Source: The Meth Project
From press release (PDF: 45 KB):

The Meth Project today released the results of the first-ever national survey examining the attitudes and behaviors that American teens have toward methamphetamine. The survey, gathered from a representative group of junior and senior high school students from throughout the United States, found that nearly a quarter of teens believe Meth is easy to obtain, and one in 10 have been offered the drug. More than half said they had never discussed the subject of Meth with their parents.

The new survey also found that teen perceptions of methamphetamine could put a significant number of them at risk of using the drug. One in three see little danger in trying Meth and one in four perceive benefit in using it, including dealing with boredom and weight loss. 42% of respondents said their friends would not give them a hard time if they used the drug.

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2005 Homicide Data

Posted in Social Science at 6:27 pm by AAL

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2005 Homicide Data (PDF; 341 KB)
Source: Violence Policy Center
From press release:

The Violence Policy Center (VPC) today released When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2005 Homicide Data. This annual report details national and state-by-state information on female homicides involving one female murder victim and one male offender. The VPC releases the study each year to coincide with Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. In 2005, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s unpublished Supplementary Homicide Report, 1,858 females were murdered by males in single victim/single offender incidents. Where weapon use could be determined, firearms were the most common weapon used by males to murder females (887 of 1,713 homicides or 52 percent). Of these, 72 percent (637 of 887) were committed with handguns. In cases where it could be determined if the victim knew her offender, 62 percent of female homicide victims (976 of 1,574) were wives or intimate acquaintances of their killers. Nevada ranks first in the nation in the rate of women killed by men. Ranked behind Nevada are: Alaska, Louisiana, New Mexico, Mississippi, Arkansas, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, and Oklahoma (see chart below). Nationally, the rate of women killed by men in single victim/single offender instances was 1.32 per 100,000.

Do Accounting Students Cheat? A Study Examining Undergraduate Accounting Students’ Honesty and Perceptions of Dishonest

Posted in Education at 6:26 pm by AAL

Do Accounting Students Cheat? A Study Examining Undergraduate Accounting Students’ Honesty and Perceptions of Dishonest Behavior
Source: Social Science Research Network (SSRN)

Research suggests that a significant number of undergraduate students have cheated at some point during their college careers. This is of particular concern to the accounting profession and accounting educators given the ethical crisis within the profession and corporate America. This paper discusses the results of a study that surveyed 569 undergraduate business majors from seven universities. The objectives of this study were threefold: first, to determine if students who were accounting majors were as likely to cheat or act in an academically dishonest manner as were students with other business majors; second, to determine if accounting students agree on whether certain behavior constitutes dishonesty; and third, to determine if those accounting students who did admit to cheating in college also cheated in high school. The results indicated that there was no significant difference between accounting majors and other business majors with regards to the number who admitted to cheating. There was significant disagreement among accounting majors as to what constitutes dishonest behavior. Finally, the results indicated that a significant number of those accounting majors who admitted to cheating in college also admitted to cheating in high school. Implications for the accounting educator and potential solutions are discussed.

Several options available for retrieval of full text (PDF; 120 KB).

Minorities in Higher Education 22nd Annual Status Report: 2007 Supplement

Posted in Education, Social Science at 6:25 pm by AAL

Minorities in Higher Education 22nd Annual Status Report: 2007 Supplement (PDF; 560 KB)
Source: American Council on Education
From press release:

Total minority enrollment at the nation’s colleges and universities rose by 49 percent between 1994 and 2004 to more than 4.8 million students, while the number of white students during the same period increased by 6 percent to 10.6 million students, according to the American Council on Education’s (ACE) Minorities in Higher Education 22nd Annual Status Report: 2007 Supplement.

The report shows that while students of color continue to make gains in college enrollment, they continue to lag behind their white peers in the percentage of 18- to 24-year-old high school graduates enrolled in college, commonly referred to as the college participation rate.

Between 1993-95 and 2003-05, the college participation rate for whites increased from 43 percent to 48 percent, while the college participation rate for African Americans increased from 35 percent to 41 percent. The college participation rate for Hispanic students saw little improvement during the same period, growing from 35 percent to 37 percent.

A 25-Year Quagmire: The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society

Posted in Health, Mental Health, Social Science at 6:25 pm by AAL

A 25-Year Quagmire: The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society (PDF; 414 KB)
Source: The Sentencing Project
From press release:

The Sentencing Project has released a new report that examines the burden of the “war on drugs” on the criminal justice system and American communities. A 25-Year Quagmire: The War on Drugs and Its Impact on American Society assesses the strategy of combating drug abuse primarily with enhanced punishments at the expense of investments in treatment and prevention.

The report documents how the drug war has produced a record expansion of prison and jail systems and highlights additional indicators of the war’s impact on the criminal justice system and communities, including:

  • Drug arrests have more than tripled since 1980 to a record 1.8 million by 2005;
  • Four of five (81.7%) drug arrests were for possession offenses, and 42.6% were for marijuana charges in 2005;
  • Nearly six in 10 persons in state prison for a drug offense have no history of violence or high-level drug selling;
  • Only 14% of persons in 2004 who report using drugs in the month before their arrest had participated in a treatment program, a decline of more than half from participation rates in 1991;
  • A shortage of treatment options in many low-income neighborhoods contributes to drug abuse being treated primarily as a criminal justice problem, rather than a social problem.

09.22.07

Charter Schools and Collective Bargaining: Compatible Marriage or Illegitimate Relationship?

Posted in Education at 6:31 pm by AAL

Charter Schools and Collective Bargaining: Compatible Marriage or Illegitimate Relationship?
Source: Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy (via SSRN)

The rapid increase in charter schools has been fueled by the view that traditional public schools have failed because of their monopoly on public education. Charter schools, freed from the bureaucratic regulation that dominates traditional public schools, are viewed as agents of change that will shock traditional public schools out of their complacency. Among the features of the failed status quo are teacher tenure, uniform salary grids and strict work rules, matters that teacher unions hold dear. Yet unions have begun organizing teachers in charter schools. This development prompts the question whether unionization and charter schools are compatible…

Several options available for retrieval of full text (PDF; 1.64 MB)

09.21.07

It’s Important… But Not for Me

Posted in Education, Science at 6:30 pm by AAL

It’s Important… But Not for Me
Source: Public Agenda

There is growing consensus among the nation’s business, government and higher education leaders that unless schools do more to train and nurture a whole new generation of young Americans with strong skills in math, science and technology, U.S. leadership in the world economy is at risk. A new research report from the opinion research and citizen engagement organization Public Agenda concludes that Kansas and Missouri parents and students didn’t get the memo.

“Important, But Not for Me: Parents and Students in Kansas and Missouri Talk About Math, Science and Technology Education” details parents’ and students’ current thinking about MST education and their satisfaction with the existing curriculum which most experts see as vastly below world-class standards. According to the study, just 25% of Kansas/Missouri parents think their children should be studying more math and science; 70% think things “are fine as they are now.” The report also explains why parents and students are so complacent in this area and what kinds of changes might be helpful in building more interest in and support for more rigorous MST courses.

+ Full Report (PDF; 6.9 MB)

09.20.07

New Study: Common Air Fresheners Contain Chemicals That May Affect Human Reproductive Development

Posted in Environment, Health at 6:29 pm by AAL

New Study: Common Air Fresheners Contain Chemicals That May Affect Human Reproductive Development
Source: Natural Resources Defense Council

An analysis of more than a dozen common household air fresheners found that most contain chemicals that may affect hormones and reproductive development, particularly in babies, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) said today. The federal government does not currently test air fresheners for safety or require manufacturers to meet any specific safety standards. The study offers both consumers and officials new information on the risks certain air fresheners pose.
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NRDC tested 14 different brands of common household air fresheners and found that 12 contained the hormone-disrupting chemicals known as phthalates. Only two, Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects, contained no detectable levels of phthalates. The products that tested positive included ones marketed as “all-natural” and “unscented.” None had phthalates in the list of ingredients or anywhere else on the label. The three with the highest level of phthalates were Walgreens Air Freshener, Walgreens Scented Bouquet, and Ozium Glycolized Air Sanitizer.

While consumers should be concerned about the chemicals, NRDC stressed that there is no cause for panic. The chemicals pose their greatest risk over long term repeated exposure.

+ Clearing the Air: Hidden Hazards of Air Fresheners
+ Full Report (PDF; 171 KB)

Public School Practices for Violence Prevention and Reduction: 2003–04

Posted in Education at 6:28 pm by AAL

Public School Practices for Violence Prevention and Reduction: 2003–04
Source: National Center for Education Statistics

This Issue Brief (1) examines principals’ reports of the prevalence of formal practices in public schools designed to prevent or reduce school violence and (2) describes the distribution of these practices by selected school characteristics. This analysis is based on school-level data reported by principals participating in the school year 2003–04 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS) administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Findings from the analysis indicate that schools implemented a variety of school violence prevention and reduction practices and that some practices were more commonly used than others. For example, 59 percent of schools formally obtained parental input on policies related to school crime and 50 percent provided parental training to deal with students’ problem behaviors. In addition, practices differed by school level and other selected school characteristics. For example, high schools were more likely than primary schools to implement safety and security procedures, while primary schools were more likely than high schools to promote training for parents to deal with students’ problem behavior.

+ Full Report (PDF; 137 KB)

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