Gambling Behaviors among Youth Involved in Juvenile and Family Courts

Problem gambling currently affects between 5-7% of youth ages 12-18 (Hardooon & Derevensky, 2002); however, rates of problem gambling among youth who are involved with the Juvenile Justice System are more than twice that of school sample rates (Lieberman & Cuadrado, 2002). Furthermore, disordered gambling often co-occurs with substance use and criminal activity (Huang & Boyer, 2007), issues that are compounded in the Juvenile Justice population. The current study assessed gambling behaviors and risk factors of 145 youth involved in juvenile, juvenile drug, and family courts. Results indicated that nearly 13% of these youth are currently problem gamblers, and that males and African-Americans had higher problem gambling rates than female and Caucasian youth. Furthermore, gambling-related crime, substance use, scope of gambling activities, and time in detention facilities were all predictive of problem gambling severity, while suicidal ideation, urban environment, and lottery sales per capita were not. Finally, having a parent with a gambling problem also emerged as a risk factor;however, the risk was greater for males than for females. These results present a distinct need for youth to be screened for gambling problems upon entering and exiting the Juvenile Justice System, and for prevention and intervention services to be offered within juvenile and family court settings. Furthermore, communities need to take an active role in preventing youth gambling problems through increasing public awareness and insuring that appropriate and accurate messages reflecting gambling opportunities and outcomes are presented

Fidelity-Outcomes Relationships in the Expect Respect Program

The effects of program fidelity, gender, socioeconomic status, and school level were tested on various outcomes of a dating violence prevention program, Expect Respect. Fidelity data was collected from program facilitators, and individual posttest scores were gathered for individuals nested within each programmatic site. Multiple HLM models indicated that main effects for fidelity were present for the knowledge gained outcome scale, such that higher program fidelity led to higher posttest scores for participants. No other site level predictors affected outcomes or the fidelity-outcome relationship. Results from this study point towards the importance of implementing program fidelity when cognitive gains are a central goal of the program, whereas a more flexible program approach may be more optimal in conveying other programmatic components

A CLINICAL STUDY ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AVARTHAKI CHOORNA IN PRAMEHA W.S.R. TO DIABETES MELLITUS

With a prevalence rate of 424.9 million globally and 72.9 million in India, the disease Diabetes Mellitus affects a large population in our society. The prospective understanding of this disease from etiology to complication is when understood, retrospective analysis of the same in Ayurvedic perspective is characterized by Prabhoota and Avila Mootrata due to the accumulation of excess Medas in Basti leading to Prameha. The same can be understood by the theory of Osmtic diuresis in Diabetes Mellitus. The drug Virapreeta Lajjalu explained in Rajanighantu is used in the study, which has direct reference for Prameha and has not been evaluated yet. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Avarthakichoorna in the management of Prameha w.s.r to Diabetes Mellitus and to evaluate the quality of life. Materials and Methods: A single blind clinical study where 21 patients were given the Avarthaki Choorna for a period of 14 days. Observation and Results: The statistical analysis of study revealed that the intervention was beneficial in Prabhoota Mootrata with a p value <0.001 and for Avila Mootrata it was clinically observed even though the p value 0.008. The blood glucose levels FBS and PPBS was also improved with a p value <0.001 for both. The life style assessment did also seem to be giving positive results with a p value <0.001. Conclusion: The drug Avarthaki Choorna was found to be effective in treating the Diabetes Mellitus or Prameha in terms of subjective and objective parameters. It also improves the lifestyle of a person

HIV Risk Among Female Sex Workers in Miami: The Impact of Violent Victimization and Untreated Mental Illness

Street-based female sex workers constitute a vulnerable population for HIV, as they are often enmeshed in chronic patterns of substance use, sexual risk, homelessness, and violent victimization. This study examined the specific contributions of victimization history and abuse-related traumagenic factors to mental health functioning and sexual risk behaviors, while considering the impact of environmental risk factors as well. Using targeted sampling strategies, we enrolled 562 Miami-based female sex workers into an intervention trial testing the relative effectiveness of two alternative case management conditions in establishing linkages with health services and reducing risk for HIV. Lifetime prevalence of abuse was extremely elevated at 88%. Nearly half reported abuse before the age of 18, while 34% reported violent encounters with dates or clients in the past 90 days. Serious mental illness (SMI) was quite common, with 74% reporting severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or traumatic stress. For those with histories of abuse, SMI appeared to mediate the association between abuse-related trauma and unprotected sex behaviors. Mental health treatment would appear to be an important component of effective HIV prevention among this vulnerable group, and should form part of a compendium of services offered to female sex workers