Examining Ethnic, Gender, and Developmental Differences in the Way Children Report Being a Victim of “Bullying” on Self-Report Measures

PURPOSE: Racial/ethnic differences in children's self-reports of being a frequent victim of bullying were assessed via two commonly used strategies: a definition-based single-item measure and behavior-based multiresponse measure. METHODS: Logistic regression analyses were conducted on survey data from 24,345 youth to examine ethnic differences in youths' responses to definition-based and behavior-based measures of victimization. Separate analyses were conducted for boys and girls at different school levels. RESULTS: Prevalence estimates were higher using the behavior-based measure than definition-based measure. Several ethnic differences emerged, such that African American youth tended to be less likely than their white counterparts to indicate that they were bullied using the definition-based measure. African American girls and African American and Asian middle-school boys who reported being a victim via the behavior-based measure were less likely to report being a frequent victim of "bullying" via the definition-based measure. CONCLUSION: Prevalence estimates vary considerably by the way in which victimization is assessed. African American youth who were victimized tended to under-report being a victim of "bullying." Self-report studies of bullying should carefully consider the measures used to assess victimization.     

Using Ockham’s razor to redefine “nursing science”

Confusion remains about the concept “nursing science.” Definitions vary, depending on country, context and setting. Even among nurse scholars and scientists there is disagreement about the content and boundaries of nursing science. There is an urgent need for an acceptable definition that can guide nursing knowledge development, education, and practice. In this article, we highlight the problems for the profession of this sort of conceptual ambiguity, arguing that it is an ethical responsibility for the profession to gain clarity about the meaning and apt focus of our knowledge development initiatives. We parse out nursing and science as separate concepts and synthesize from this analysis a simple yet comprehensive definition of nursing science. We propose that this definition is capable of unifying ongoing nursing endeavors and should serve as the basis for evaluating nursing's knowledge development and educational initiatives.     

“I Fell Off [the Mothering] Track”: Barriers to “Effective Mothering” Among Prostituted Women

Ecological theory and basic assumptions for the promotion of effective mothering among low‐income and working‐poor women are applied in relation to a particularly vulnerable population: street‐level prostitution‐involved women. Qualitative data from 38 street‐level prostituted women shows barriers to effective mothering at the individual, community, and societal levels. Suggestions for enhancing the lives and long‐term well‐being of prostituted women with children are included.     

Personality and family disturbances in eating-disorder patients: Comparison of “restricters” and “bingers” to normal controls

Presence of DSM-III-R personality disorders was examined in 67 women with eating disorders (anorexic restricters, anorexic bingers, and bulimics with or without a prior history of anorexia nervosa) and in 25 noneating—disordered women. Additional measures of family functioning were available in 55 of the eating disorders (EDs) and 24 controls. Personality and family disturbances (as measured by the Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire-Revised and the Family Assessment Device) were prevalent among the EDs, but “restricter/binger” differences were not indicated on either measure. Hence results did not support a “restricter/binger dichotomy” concept. They also questioned the degree to which personality problems in ED patients may be consequences of eating disturbances, since severity of personality disorder, while related to reported family dysfunction, was unrelated to severity of eating symptoms.