Internal Validity in Longitudinal Homeless Research

Internal Validity in Longitudinal Homeless Research Establishing Internal Validity in Longitudinal Research with the Homeless Introduction When working with the homeless, it is necessary to identify potential factors that may contribute to the process of entering or exiting homelessness. These factors may take the form of demographic information, socio-economic status, and familial support, to name a few (Johnson et al., 1997; Chamberlain Johnson, 2013). Some of these variables may be described as negative reinforcements, in that they exacerbate a person’s likelihood of experiencing prolonged homelessness (Aubry, Klodawsky, Coulombe, 2012). These may include substance use, mental illness, arrest history, and absence of support network (Fazel et al., 2008). The temporal relationship between variables of this nature and homelessness is of particular interest to researchers. Determining whether substance use or mental illness precede and predict one’s chances of entering homelessness, or whether these variables have a greater chance of occurring following the manifestation of homelessness, will have implica tions for the development of interventions. While substance use and mental health disorders are shown to occur at increased rates among the homeless as compared to the general population (Fazel et al., 2008), teasing out their particular relationship with the onset, life course, or outcome of homelessness may be difficult to do. In their longitudinal investigation of 344 single adults recruited from municipal homeless shelters in the New York City area, McQuistion, Gorroochurn,Hsu, andCaton (2013) sought to measure the constructs of substance use and mental health, among others, to discover what relationship they had with whether or not someone experienced chronic homelessness, recurring homelessness, or successful rehousing over an eighteen-month period. The authors hypothesized that recurrent homelessness would be associated with characteristics that limit or impede a person’s ability to function, and additionally sought to determine if these characteristics may be independently predictive of recurrent homelessness, o r if they are associated with other outcomes (McQuistion et al. p. 2, 2013). Defining the variables The dependent variable in this report is described as the life course of experienced homelessness. The researchers limited their participants to exclusively include those who were experiencing homelessness for the first time, so as to observe differences in individual characteristics of those who go on to experience recurrent or chronic homelessness and those are rehoused. The authors recruited participants from the municipal shelter system, and relied on retrospective self-report to measure the continued progress of housing status. Interviews were conducted every six months, while brief check-in interviews were conducted monthly, in an effort to reduce recall bias. As the study proceeded, the authors divided participants into one of three categories: (1.) those experiencing recurrent homelessness – one or more further lapses of homelessness following rehousing, (2.) chronic homelessness – the absence of any housing following baseline interview, and (3.) stably housed à ¢â‚¬â€œ the acquisition and successful retaining of fixed permanent dwelling (McQuistion et al. p. 3, 2013). As a dependent variable, life course of homelessness in this study is sufficiently nuanced to include a wide range of possible experiential outcomes over a span of time, but the concept of â€Å"homelessness† itself is narrowed by the restraints of the study’s recruitment technique. While drawing their entire recruitment pool from the municipal shelter system of New York City ensured that participants were experiencing true homelessness (McQuistion et al. p. 2, 2013), this definition of homelessness still excludes those who may be sleeping in cars, residing in homeless encampments, occupying public spaces, or otherwise absent from the shelter system. There will be no way to say whether the results obtained in this study would be any different for people who may not utilize shelters upon entering homelessness. The independent variables in this study are described as â€Å"risk variables† (McQuistion et al., p. 3, 2013), demographic characteristics, and personal history information. The authors describe only a few of the instruments that were used in gathering this information. Upon initiating the baseline interviews, participants were screened for criteria of DSM-IV Axis I disorders (including substance abuse disorders). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was used for this purpose, for the sake of brevity. The only Axis II diagnosis screened was antisocial personality disorder, because it is the only Axis II disorder in which behavioral history is the primary criteria (McQuistion et al. p. 2, 2013). While this may be convenient, excluding the diagnosis of other personality disorders further limits the generalizability of this data. History of living arrangement, education, income, employment history, criminal justice involvement, history of childhood placement, and current familial support were also obtained (McQuistion et al,. 2013). â€Å"Out-of-home placement† in childhood was defined as residing with a non-relative before the age of 18 (McQuistion et al., p. 3, 2013). Once again, the definition of this construct may be too narrow in scope, as it overlooks those who have had a similar â€Å"out-of-home placement† experiences, but have been placed with distant relatives through foster care. Familial disorganization during childhood was assessed by asking a series of questions related to parental substance abuse, parental criminality, family violence, and other similar items. According to the authors, â€Å"family disorganization† as a construct had a reliability ÃŽ ± coefficient of .71 (McQuistion et al. p. 3, 2013). Other reliability coefficients for the remaining instruments were not disclosed. Relationship between variables Following data collection after eighteen months, cases were divided into the aforementioned three categories of homeless life course (McQuistion et al. p. 3, 2013). The authors then used multinomial logistic regression analysis to investigate the relationship between each of the housing categories and the risk variables, while controlling for demographic characteristics (McQuistion et al. p. 6, 2013). Some noteworthy associations were discovered. On its own, substance abuse was associated with increased rates of recurrent homelessness when examined in a bivariate analysis (McQuistion et al. p. 8, 2013). Among the risk variables and dependent variables, no isolated variable was statistically significantly associated with housing status outcome following multinomial logistic regression analysis. However, the authors point out that upon combining three factors – (1.) substance abuse within 30 days prior to baseline interview, (2.) history of arrest, and (3.) a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder – an outcome of recurrent homelessness could be exclusively predicted. These findings suggest that while no single variable may predict the life course of homelessness, a grouping of risk factors may increase the likelihood of one outcome over another. There are associations, particularly between substance use and the homeless life course, but they may not reach critical influence unless they occur in conjunction w ith other factors. These findings further illustrate the idea that the phenomenon of homelessness is complex, hard to explain, and involves the culmination of many forces (McQuistion et al., 2013). Discussion – internal validity The internal validity at issue in this study comes down to establishing the relationship between three statistically significant risk factors and an outcome of recurrent homelessness, specifically whether one causes the other. While the authors took steps to safeguard against the threat of confounding and selection bias by virtue of the potential independent variables they accounted and controlled for, there are still issues with establishing internal validity. Although the three variables that were collectively linked with recurrent homelessness were temporally established as preceding the outcome, there are alternative explanations for this. Arrest history and antisocial personality disorder have historically been closely related (Hodgins, Cà ´tà ©, 1993; McCabe et al., 2012). That these both occurred together is redundant, and suggests that one variable that could have covered both of these simultaneously had to be divided to produce the appearance of a significant association. Furthermore, the authors describe a substance use disorder within the past thirty days of the baseline interview as being the third predictive variable for recurrent homelessness. That reported substance abuse was present prior to the baseline interview – and subsequently the first of many recurrent homeless episodes – throws doubt on the temporal assumption of one variable causing the other. Participants could have forseen their entry into homelessness as their support networks fell apart, began using a substance to cope, entered homelessness, and continued using. In this case, entry into homelessness may have brought on substance use, rather than the alternative. That there exists this alternative explanation casts doubt on the internal validity of asserting cause-and-effect between this article’s dependent and independent variables. While this article does contribute to our understanding of the factors associated with recurrent homelessness – and may even suggest a temporal relationship – it is not flawless. Research attempting to identify the possible causes of a complex phenomenon like homelessness will undoubtedly encounter difficulties in doing so. Regardless, it is the collective contributions of these efforts that will continue to inform our knowledge base, and consequently our interventions, with this population. References Aubry, T., Klodawsky, F., Coulombe, D. (2012). Comparing the housing trajectories of different classes within a diverse homeless population. American Journal Of Community Psychology, 49(1-2), 142-155. Chamberlain, C., Johnson, G. (2013). Pathways into adult homelessness. Journal Of Sociology, 49(1), 60-77. Fazel, S., Khosla, V., Doll, H., Geddes, J. (2008). The prevalence of mental disorders among the homeless in Western countries: Systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLoS Medicine 5(12), 0001–0012. Hodgins, S., Cà ´tà ©, G. (1993). Major mental disorder and antisocial personality disorder: A criminal combination. Bulletin Of The American Academy Of Psychiatry The Law, 21(2), 155-160. Johnson, T. P., Freels, S. A., Parsons, J. A., Vangeest, J. B. (1997). Substance Abuse and homelessness: Social selection or adaptation. Addiction, 92, 437–445. McCabe, P. J., Christopher, P. P., Druhn, N., Roy-Bujnowski, K. M., Grudzinskas, A. r., Fisher, W. H. (2012). Arrest types and co-occurring disorders in persons with schizophrenia or related psychoses. The Journal Of Behavioral Health Services Research, 39(3), 271-284. McQuistion, H. L., Gorroochurn, P., Hsu, E., Caton, C. M. (2013). Risk factors associated with recurrent homelessness after a first homeless episode. Community Mental Health Journal, doi:10.1007/s10597-013-9608-4 1

The Misuse of Torture in Rendition Essays -- Film Analysis

What if someone you love just disappeared? The United States used this same idea to install a program known as the extraordinary rendition. It was put in place during the Clinton administration, but became publically recognized after 9/11. In the context of the movie, Rendition, rendition refers to the transfer of suspected terrorists outside of the United States to a foreign country, where harsh interrogation and torture takes place. Although Rendition was installed to protect the United States from terrorist attacks, the rendition of Anwar El- Ibrahimi represents the government’s misuse of the program. In the movie, Rendition, a terrorist bombing occurs in a foreign country and an American envoy is killed. An investigation is then dispatched, which leads to an Egyptian who has been living in the Unites States for many years and who is married to a United States citizen. This man, Anwar El- Ibrahimi, is then apprehended on his way home from a business meeting in Egypt. As Anwar El- Ibrahimi is now a terrorist suspect and is appeared to have gone missing on his flight back to the United States, his wife, Isabella El- Ibrahimi and a CIA analyst are trying to figure out where he is. The U.S government wants to find the mastermind who committed such terrorist attacks so they can prevent future attempts like these. In the movie, Alan Smith, CIA Analyst, confronts Corrine Williams, CIA’s Head of Operation Rendition, on human rights and she replies, â€Å"Honey, this is nasty business. There are upwards of 7,000 people in central London alive tonight, because of information that we elicited just this way. So maybe you put your head on your pillow and feel proud for saving one man while 7,000 perish, but I got grandkids in Londo... ...of. The fact that Anwar El- Ibrahimi is abducted under reasons not justified by the cause is crossing the line. The movie Rendition exemplifies the misuse of torture as a way to show us the difference between what is right and what is wrong. Although someone seems like a terrorist, the U.S government cannot abduct such person solely on that assumption. One must look at the background and analyze their entire lives. Torture and rendition are a very sensitive and extremely controversial issue, but one must take a step back and realize what stops the government from torturing oneself. Works Cited "Rendition Quotes." Movie Quotes - Subzin.com. Web. 22 Dec. 2010. . "Rendition (2007) - IMDb." The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 22 Dec. 2010. .

Notes on A Constable Calls by Seamas Heaney Essay

Seamus Heaney tells us about a memory from his childhood. A policeman visits his family farm to take a record of the crops that Heaney’s father is growing. The description of the bicycle is our first indication that the policeman is not welcomed and that he is seen -by Heaney at least –as an intimidating, unpleasant figure. Everything in the description of the bike hints at this. The ‘fat black handlegrips’ sound ugly and unpleasant, and seem to suggest that the bicycle’s owner might be similarly unappealing. The dynamo is ‘cockedback’, reminding us of the trigger of a gun. The pedals are ‘relieved / Of the boot of the law’, implying that the constable is a man whose presence causes pressure and discomfort. He represents ‘the law’ and is therefore disliked. At that time in Northern Ireland, most Catholics would have viewed the police as an oppressive force. The descriptions of the constable reinforce that idea. The harsh ‘k’ and ‘g’ sounds in the opening stanzas emphasise the harshness of the authority the constable represents and they also create a sense of tension. It is clear that the constable is not welcome in the Heaney home. His hat is on the floor: nobody has taken it from him or offered him a place to put it. Again, the physical description of the constable focuses on unattractive aspects of his appearance. His hair is ‘slightly sweating’ and marked by the cap he has been wearing. The idea of his oppressive presence is again picked up by the reference to the ledger (record book) being ‘heavy’. The young Heaney is filled with fear as he watches the constable. He stares at his gun and remembers every detail of it in its holster. The tone of the poem is one of fear. Meanwhile, the constable continues to record the family’s crops. Heaney’s father answer’s the constable’s questions with curt, one word replie s, showing how unwelcome both he and his interrogation are. The young boy is terrified to hear his father lying about the crops. He knows that there is a line of turnips which his father has not admitted to, and in his horrified imagination, he sees his father –and maybe even himself –being taken to the barracks and thrown in a cell. The constable takes his leave, putting the ledger away. Heaney refers to it as the ‘domesday book’ because he is so terrified that his father will be judged and punished for his  little lie about the turnips. This name for the ledger also reinforces the idea of the constable belonging to an oppressive force which holds the threat of violence over people like Heaney’s father. Of course, the young boy is grossly exaggerating the policeman’s power in this instance. To a small child, the lie about the turnips seems enormous, but in reality, nobody would be thrown in jail for such a minor offence, even if it were to be discovered. However, young Heaney’s emotions towar ds the constable reflect his father’s dislike and resentment of being held to account for his crops. The constable looks at the young boy and says ‘goodbye’. This reminds us that the constable is, in reality, just a man. This is the only instance of his humanity. It is not likely that he wishes to appear threatening or intimidating, but that is how he is viewed by the Catholic community. He is seen as a representative of an unwelcome, despised, oppressive authority. Outside the window, the constable is for a moment just a shadow. There is something shadowy about the descriptions of him throughout the poem. We never learn any details about him as a person: what we learn of him is based on the images of menace and threat.

Cubic Feet to Cubic Inches Conversion

Cubic Feet to Cubic Inches Conversion Converting cubic feet  to cubic inches  is a common English units conversion  problem. Here is the conversion factor and a worked example. Conversion Factor 1 cubic foot   1728 cubic inches 1 cubic inch 0.000578704 cubic feet Simple Example Convert 3.5 cubic feet into cubic inches.  When using a conversion factor, be sure the unit you are changing from gets canceled out. You can multiply by the conversion factor: 3.5 cubic feet x 1728 cubic inches per cubic foot 6048 cubic inches Worked Example You measure a box and find it is 2 foot  long, 1 foot  high, and 0.5 feet deep. The first step is to calculate the volume in cubic feet.  The volume of the box is length x width x height so the volume of the box is: 2 x 1 x 0.5   volume in cubic feet 1 cubic foot Now, to convert this to cubic inches, you know there are 1728 cubic inches in 1 cubic foot: 1 cubic foot x (1728 cubic inches / 1 cubic foot) volume in cubic inches 1 cubic foot x 1728 cubic inches/foot   volume in cubic inches 1728 cubic inches

Study of Mercury †Astronomy Essay

Study of Mercury – Astronomy Essay Free Online Research Papers Study of Mercury Astronomy Essay Suppose mercury is our home planet(Although it is not possible)but we concive by the imaginary that, we are animal of mercury planet. then A.U and Orbital period will be of other planet is:- Planet A.U Orbital period - - Mercury 1 88 Days Venus 1.86 223.16 Days Earth 2.58 364.6 Days Mars 3.93 685.5 Days Jupiter 13.34 4335.76 Days Saturn 24.64 10762.4 Days Uranus 49.51 30693.5 Days Neptune 77.89 60499.2 Days About the deflection of planetary winds:- Infact, durinal motion of Mercury is very slow. For this slow motion, there is no deflection of matters on Mercury. Hence, Mercury has no deflection of planetary winds. Suppose the 1st days Mercury enters on Aries then 29.4 Days enters cancer, 51.5 days Libra, 73.5 Days capricornius and again 88 days enter on Aries. HOW MUCH TIME WILL BE REQUIRED FOR COMING OF LIGHT FROM SUN TO MERCURY AND MERCURY TO OTHER PLANET? Sun to Mercury 3.2 minutes Mercury to Venus 2.7 minutes Mercury to Earth 5.0 minutes Mercury to Mars 9.4 minutes Mercury to Jupiter 40 minutes Mercury to Saturn 1.2 Hour Mercury to Uranus 2.6 Hour Mercury to Neptune 4.1 Hour AN AVERAGE DISTNCE OF MERCURY FROM THE SUN IS 57900000 KM(APPROX)SO WHAT IS DISTANCE OF MERCURY TERMS OF LIGHT-YEAR? Light year of mercury is 6.1*10^-6 ly. COMPARE OF AXIAL ROTATION PERIOD BETWEEN THE EARTH AND MERCURY:- EARTH MERCURY AXIAL ROTATION PERIOD 5.6 Minutes 5.5 Hours 1.4 Degree 11.25Minutes 11.06 Hours 2.8 Degrees 22.5 Minutes 22.12 Hours 5.6 Degrees 45 Minutes 22.12 Hours 11.25 Degrees 1.5 Hours 88.5 Hours 22.5 Degrees 3 Hours 177 Hours 45 Degrees 6 Hours 354 Hours 90 Degrees 12 Hours 708 Hours 180 Degrees 24 Hours 1416 Hours 360 Degrees Note:- Axial rotation period of earth and Mercury is respectively 24 Hours and 1416(59Days). VARIATION OF g WITH ALTITUDE:- Altitude(Km) ag(m/s^2) 0 Km 3.70 8.8Km 3.67 36.6Km 3.59 400 Km 2.73 35700Km 0.0 RELATION OF SYNODIC PERIOD BETWEEN THE MERCURY AND OTHER PLANETS:- Planet Sidereal period synodic peroid - Mercury 88 Days Venus 224.7 Days 145 Days Earth 365 Days 116 Days Mars 678 Days 101.11 Days Jupiter 11*3/4 Years 89.9 Days Saturn 29*1/2 Yaers 88.7 Days Uranus 84 Years 88.3 Days Neptune 164*3/4 Years 88.2 Days pluto 247*3/4 Years 88.1 Days SIZE a) Mercury is 2.4 times smaller than Venus. b) Mercury is 2.5 times smaller than Earth. c) Mercury is 1.3 times smaller than Mars. d) Mercury is 28.5 times smaller than Jupiter. e) Mercury is 23.8 times smaller than Saturn. f) Mercury is 10.3 times smaller than Uranus. g) Mercury is 9.9 times smaller than Neptune. h) Mercury is 1.1 times smaller than Pluto. i) Sun is 278.4 times bigger than Mercury. j) Moon is 1.4 times smaller than Mercury. Research Papers on Study of Mercury - Astronomy EssayThe Spring and AutumnThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationThe Hockey GameThe Project Managment Office SystemQuebec and CanadaThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsResearch Process Part OneBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

Competing Vision of Health Care Administration among Stakeholders Literature review

Competing Vision of Health Care Administration among Stakeholders - Literature review Example Health care entails the provision of health services to human beings (Edwards, 2010). Having quality health care services is important for patients and in raising the reputation of hospitals. That is, this subject is highly essential in ensuring that patients get access to the best services (Edwards, 2010). However, as clarified earlier, for the hospitals to achieve this goal, its leaders have to play a huge role in the daily operations of hospitals. It is worth noting that different health care stakeholders in hospital administration share different competing visions, which bring in a subject of great concern in the standards at different hospitals (Edwards, 2010). One of the subjects that the administrators have varied sets of views about is on health care insurance reforms particularly. These reforms are very important in reducing the amount of charity care and Medicaid expenses. The president of the Center for Studying Health System Change, Mr. Ginsburg indicates that there is variable uncertainty on the expected hospital reforms. That is, it is unfeasible to have a simple and fast reform on insurance of health care. Additionally, he says that the aforementioned reforms will vary from state to state and that there are great chances of hospitals experiencing high growth in the number of patients that go for Medicaid (Edwards, 2010). However, Ginsburg goes ahead to point out that, sooner rather than later, hospitals are going to face significant changes in the delivery of care. Precisely, he warns that, with better coordination of care, then, there is a very good chance for hospital care to undergo a decline in the near future.

Discussion board quantitive methds and analysis common assessment Essay

Discussion board quantitive methds and analysis common assessment - Essay Example The method has many advantages and disadvantages. One of its advantages is its flexibility that allowed for data collection at research participants’ convenience. This could have also facilitated response rate. Another advantage of the phone interview method is its speed in data collection relative to other methods such as written interviews because it offers instant response. Phone interviews are also cheaper than other methods because its cost is limited to phone call rates. Other advantages of the method are ability to record responses without negative implications on research participants, ability to explain research requirements to the interviewees, and eliminated need of research assistants (Kothari, 2004). There are, however, challenges of limited time for data collection and limited scope of a study to individuals with phones. The method may also be restricted in geographical scope due to call rate factors. Phone interviews are also not suitable for interviews that require comprehensive responses and are susceptible to interviewer bias. The method may also dictate that interview questions are brief due to cost (Kothari, 2004). Qualitative data was used for the study and the study’s objective informed the data type. The study aimed at understanding people’s beliefs, which are subjective, and therefore require qualitative approach and measure (Kothari, 2004). Stratified random sampling was used for recruiting research participants. The method involves identification of participants in groups with similar and distinguishing characteristics and then generating participants from each of the groups. In the study, participants were grouped by counties and then by age groups, adolescents and adults. Samples were then dawn from each sub groups (Kothari, 2004). The method was used because of anticipated cultural differences across generations and across geographical