Eaves, L. J., Prom, E. C., & Silberg, J. L. (2010). The mediating effect of parental neglect on adolescent and young adult anti-sociality: a longitudinal study of twins and their parents. Behavior genetics , 40 (4), 425-437. doi: 10.1007/s10519-010-9336-2
This study was conducted by Eaves, Prom and Silberg. The purpose of the study was to investigate the nurture contribution of anti-social behavior in Virginian young adults. The researcher looked for a situation where genetic aspects would be congruent thus the only variable was the nurture aspect such as environment and parental conduct. Therefore, the population studied included Virginian families with identical twins with the study being focused on the twins. The total number of families used in the study was 1,412 families. The study conclusively established that the environment where children grow up in as well as parental conduct has a great influence on the eventual behavior of the children. Neglected children were more prone to show negative behavioral traits. This research shows how the innovative capacity of the research team can ease a potentially extremely complex research process. The use of identical twins eliminated the nature aspects and put the focus on nurture thus exponentially enhancing the reliability and validity of the research. The researcher also did not seem to have any bias in the research as the process was purely scientific in nature.
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Gillespie, N. A., Kendler, K. S., Prescott, C. A., Aggen, S. H., Gardner, C. O., Jacobson, K., & Neale, M. C. (2007). Longitudinal modeling of genetic and environmental influences on self-reported availability of psychoactive substances: alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine and stimulants. Psychological medicine , 37 (07), 947-959. doi: 10.1017/S0033291707009920
Gillispie, Kendler, Prescot. Aggen, Gardner, Jacobson and Neal conducted this research. The purpose of the research was to investigate the effects and influences of availability of substances capable of being abused by children. Exposure to drugs is a common form of child neglect in Virginia but how the exposure itself affects children from an individual perspective had not been investigated hence the study. The study used twins, as they were most likely to have the same genetic characteristics and similar exposure to drugs but may react differently to the exposure by either using drugs, wanting to use drugs or shunning drugs altogether. The researchers used the Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) to access information for 1788 individuals used for the study who were all adult males. The results of the research showed that when all other aspects are similar, individual preferences will still determine of a child or an adolescent will abuse drugs. Availability of drugs does not necessarily mean that drug abuse will ensue. The authors of the studies were not biased neither was there a personal bias on my part about the study. It, however, answered an important personal question about why one sibling will end up a drug addict and another a professional success. The scientific nature of the study confirms that the study is valid and the results crucial.
Kendler, K. S., & Aggen, S. H. (2014). Clarifying the causal relationship in women between childhood sexual abuse and lifetime major depression. Psychological medicine , 44 (06), 1213-1221. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713001797
This research was carried out by Kendler and Aggen. The purpose of the research was to establish the causal link between childhood sexual abuse and major depression amongst Virginian adults. It sought to establish if being abused as a child had a direct correlation with chronic depression in adulthood. The researchers, therefore, sought a population sample where two individuals had other factors such as genetics and environment were at a constant but one individual was a victim of sexual assault as a child. The researchers used the Virginia Adult Twin Study of Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders to find 1493 female twins, who fitted the definition above, for the study. The results showed a trend where the recall of childhood sexual abuse increased the propensity for chronic depression among adults who were depressed as children. The sexual abuse itself was, therefore, found to be an overwhelming source of chronic depression. The results of this study would rationally be expected more so by experts in the area, a factor that would have created a slight bias on the research team. However, the results are important as a scientific confirmation of the hypothesis that sexual abuse as a child will most likely lead to chronic depression in adulthood.
Masho, S. W., & Anderson, L. (2009). Sexual assault in men: A population-based study of Virginia. Violence and victims , 24 (1), 98-110. PMID: 19297888
Mach and Anderson conducted this research and co-authored this article. The purpose of the research is to investigate the prevalence of sexual assault among male children in Virginia and its effects upon the as adults. The importance of the study is based on the fact that sexual abuse against men is not normally reported yet is still gradually becoming a major health problem. The researchers, therefore, sought to find out how being sexually abused as a male child affected the psychology of an adult man and if it resulted in suicide ideation. The research sample included 705 randomly selected men in Virginia. The researchers were able to establish that about 12.9% of Virginian men have been the subject of sexual abuse. Out of this, 94% were abused as minors. These individuals had 3.4 times a higher propensity for depression and 2.4 times a higher propensity for suicide ideation. This was an important research since due to culture and lifestyle changes the abuse of male children is on the rise yet it is seldom reported. This makes the problem generally ignored thus allowing for its adverse effects to go unmitigated. The study also seems balanced and unbiased thus reliable and valid.
McGarvey, E. L., Leon-Verdin, M., Bloomfield, K., Wood, S., Winters, E., & Smith, J. (2014). The effectiveness of A-CRA/ACC in treating adolescents with cannabis use disorders. Community mental health journal , 50 (2), 150-157. . doi: 10.1007/s10597-012-9566-2.
McGarvey, Leon-Verdin, Bloomfield, Wood, Winters & Smith carried out this research. The purpose of the research was to investigate the effectiveness of the practical application of Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach with Assertive Continuing Care (A-CRA/ACC). The researchers, therefore, conducted observational studies on a program that involved A-CRA/ACC in Virginia. The sample included 147 adolescents between ages 12–18 who had all been addicted to cannabis and enrolled in an A-CRA/ACC extenuation program. The researcher observed both the application of the programs and sought to assess the final results therefrom. The results were assessed based on the days it took to stop using cannabis and general character improvement based on factors such as school attendance. These results showed that A-CRA/ACC actively extenuated the effects of cannabis addition and helped eliminate the use of cannabis among adolescents as well as enhanced positive behavior. The results were mainly observatory with the researchers not having the actual control of the A-CRA/ACC process which adversely affected the validity and reliability of the study although this was mitigated by the researcher having a proper understanding of standard A-CRA/ACC procedures.
References
Eaves, L. J., Prom, E. C., & Silberg, J. L. (2010). The mediating effect of parental neglect on adolescent and young adult anti-sociality: a longitudinal study of twins and their parents. Behavior genetics , 40 (4), 425-437. doi: 10.1007/s10519-010-9336-2
Gillespie, N. A., Kendler, K. S., Prescott, C. A., Aggen, S. H., Gardner, C. O., Jacobson, K., & Neale, M. C. (2007). Longitudinal modeling of genetic and environmental influences on self-reported availability of psychoactive substances: alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, cocaine and stimulants. Psychological medicine , 37 (07), 947-959. doi: 10.1017/S0033291707009920
Kendler, K. S., & Aggen, S. H. (2014). Clarifying the causal relationship in women between childhood sexual abuse and lifetime major depression. Psychological medicine , 44 (06), 1213-1221. doi: 10.1017/S0033291713001797
Masho, S. W., & Anderson, L. (2009). Sexual assault in men: a population-based study of Virginia. Violence and victims , 24 (1), 98-110. PMID: 19297888
McGarvey, E. L., Leon-Verdin, M., Bloomfield, K., Wood, S., Winters, E., & Smith, J. (2014). The effectiveness of A-CRA/ACC in treating adolescents with cannabis use disorders. Community mental health journal , 50 (2), 150-157. doi: 10.1007/s10597-012-9566-2.
