Mental Health Professionals' Perspectives on Sex Offender Registry Web Sites

In an attempt to reduce the occurrence of childhood sexual abuse, some state governments have passed legislation allowing the public access to sex offender registries. One of the ways this access is granted is through the world wide web (web). There is, however, limited research on the impact this type of community notification has on actual rates of child sexual abuse. This study investigates the opinions of 133 mental health professionals who work with sex offenders regarding the implications of public sex offender registry web sites. Over 80% of the participants in this study do not believe that sex offender registry sites will affect the number of children who are sexually abused each year. Seventy percent of the respondents also believe that a listing of sex offenders on the web will create a false sense of security for parents, and over 60% of the respondents believe that sex offenders who are listed on these sites will become targets of vigilantism in their community. Implications for future research are provided.     

Trastuzumab uptake and its relation to efficacy in an animal model of HER2-positive breast cancer brain metastasis

Purpose

To examine whether baseline sleep duration or changes in sleep duration are associated with breast cancer prognosis among early-stage breast cancer survivors in the multi-center Women’s Healthy Eating and Living Study.

Methods

Data were collected from 1995 to 2010. Analysis included 3047 women. Sleep duration was self-reported at baseline and follow-up intervals. Cox proportional hazard models were used to investigate whether baseline sleep duration was associated with breast cancer recurrence, breast cancer-specific mortality, and all-cause mortality. Time-varying models investigated whether changes in sleep duration were associated with breast cancer prognosis.

Results

Compared to women who slept 7–8 h/night at baseline, sleeping ≥9 h/night was associated with a 48% increased risk of breast cancer recurrence (Hazard ratio [HR] 1.48, 95% Confidence interval [CI] 1.01, 2.00), a 52% increased risk of breast cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.52, 95% CI 1.09, 2.13), and a 43% greater risk of all-cause mortality (HR 1.43, 95% CI 1.07, 1.92). Time-varying models showed analogous increased risk in those who inconsistently slept ≥9 h/night (all P < 0.05), but not in those who consistently slept ≥9 h/night.

Conclusions

Consistent long or short sleep, which may reflect inter-individual variability in the need for sleep, does not appear to influence prognosis among early-stage breast cancer survivors.

     

Personality Traits Associated with Occupational ‘Burnout’ in ABA Therapists

Background

Applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapists typically work one‐to‐one with children with autism for extended periods of time, which often leads to high levels of job‐related stress, lower levels of job satisfaction, increased frequency of occupational ‘burnout’ and higher than average job turnover (Journal of Autism Development, 39 , 2009 and 42). This is particularly unfortunate, in that these vulnerable clients need stability and consistency in care, both of which are empirically related to clinical outcomes (Journal of Autism Development, 39 , 2009 and 42). It is reasonable to assume that some individuals, by virtue of their personal characteristics, are better suited to this type of work than are others.

Method

The purpose of the this study was to investigate associations between personality traits, using the five‐factor model of personality, and key job‐related variables, including burnout and job satisfaction, in a sample of therapists (n = 113) who work one‐to‐one with individuals diagnosed with autism.

Results

Significant correlations were found between Neuroticism and all three subscales of burnout (Exhaustion, Cynicism and Professional Efficacy). Extraversion and Conscientiousness were significantly negatively correlated with Cynicism and positively correlated with Professional Efficacy. Agreeableness was positively associated with Professional Efficacy. Job satisfaction was correlated positively with Extraversion and negatively with Neuroticism. Level of perceived personal and professional support partially mediated the effect of personality traits on job satisfaction.

Conclusions

These results may help to identify job applicants who are dispositionally less suited to this type of work, as well as currently employed therapists who are in need of support or intervention.