Demographic characteristics and rates of progress of deaf and hard of hearing persons receiving substance abuse treatment

A lack of demographic information and data related to the achievement of short-term goals during substance abuse treatment among persons who are deaf or hard of hearing dictated the need for the study. New York State maintains a database on all individuals who participate in treatment. Within this database, 1.8% of persons in treatment for substance use disorder (SUD) were also deaf or hard of hearing. As hypothesized, members of the deaf and hard of hearing sample were older, likelier to be white, and likelier to be female, relative to the SUD-only group. For both groups, alcohol, heroin, and cocaine had the highest rates of reported use. Achievement of short-term goals in the areas of alcohol use, drug use, vocational/educational goals, and overall goals indicated no differences between the deaf and hard of hearing group and the SUD-only group. Implications of these findings are discussed.     

Unemployment and social class stigmas

Western economies have seen a shift away from a model of job security to a model of work precarity. Cycles of unemployment are a defining feature of the new precarious economy. Given these cycles of unemployment, it becomes imperative to explore the barriers to reemployment. The present study uses stigma communication to explore the intersection of two barriers to reemployment: the stigmatization of unemployment and social class position. Analysis of 40 interviews revealed that the meaning of unemployment changed depending on the perceived social class of an unemployed person. Participants described typical unemployed people as pathologically lazy and unmotivated. Upper class unemployed people were stigmatized as a product of privilege. Middle class unemployed people were relatively unstigmatized. The typical unemployed person merged with the typical unemployed lower class person, suggesting that the dominant meaning of unemployment assumes that unemployment is a lower class phenomenon that is preventable if the lower class person would work harder.     

Complementary and alternative therapies

Complementary and alternative therapies are increasingly used by many pregnant women in the United States; however, limited research is available on many therapies. The number of studies should increase with the establishment of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine by the National Institutes of Health. This column reviews recent studies of both herbal medicines and alternative therapies used in pregnancy.     

父亲的眼睛

儿子酷爱橄榄球运动,父亲则长期做儿子的铁杆支持者。正是来自父亲源源不断的支持和鼓励,使儿子终于抓住机会证明了自己。