International Sociology, Ahead of Print.
The full extent of feminicide in Mexico remains unknown. When available, data on the gender-related killing of women and girls are often incomplete, inaccurate, or inexplicable. In this article, a sociologist (Saide) and a statistician (Maria) query feminicide data in Mexico. Drawing on Timnit Gebru et al.’s ‘datasheets for datasets’ and Sarah Holland et al.’s ‘data nutrition label’ frameworks, we zoom in on the two primary governmental sources measuring feminicide in the country, the mortality records processed by the Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía e Informática (INEGI) and the alleged feminicide investigation files published by the Secretariado Ejecutivo del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública (SESNSP). In the discussion, we shed light on two noteworthy remarks. First, the discordance between INEGI and SESNSP data, whereby we outline four crucial variations: naming, underreporting, comparability, and availability. Second, the shortcomings of these data sources in measuring feminicide as we understand it sociologically. In other words, neither explicitly gauge the ‘gender-related’ motivation underlying the crime. Instead, what data from INEGI and SESNSP currently provide us with are discordant approximations of the phenomenon, aligning with what Sandra Walklate and Kate Fitz-Gibbon define as ‘thin’ feminicide counts. This contribution seeks to act as a guide to better understand feminicide data in Mexico, to enhance effective communication between data creators and users concerned with data-making practices, and to ignite the querying of data engaging with social justice and accountability against feminicide and beyond.
Querying feminicide data in Mexico
Self-Assessment Survey: Evaluation of a Revised Measure Assessing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports
Assessment for Effective Intervention, Ahead of Print.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Self-Assessment Survey (SAS) 4.0, an updated measure assessing implementation fidelity of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). A total of 627 school personnel from 33 schools in six U.S. states completed the SAS 4.0 during the 2021–2022 school year. We evaluated data demonstrating the measure’s reliability (internal consistency, interrater reliability between PBIS team and non-team members), internal structure, and convergent validity for assessing implementation of Tier 1, 2, and 3 systems. We found strong internal consistency (overall and across subscales) and evidence regarding the internal structure as a four-factor measure. In addition, we found the SAS 4.0 (overall score and subscales) to be statistically significantly correlated with another widely used and empirically evaluated PBIS fidelity measure, the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI). We found a statistically significant correlation between the SAS 4.0 and the SAS 3.0 for the Schoolwide Systems subscale but not other subscales. We discuss limitations given the current sample and describe implications for how PBIS teams can use the measure for school improvement and decision making.
An Insight Into the Experiences of Malaysian Patients With Advanced Cancer and Their Preferences in End-of-Life Care: A Qualitative Study
American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Medicine®, Ahead of Print.
Background: Preferences of patients with advanced cancer are well studied in Western countries but less so in Asian communities where end-of-life discussions can be seen as taboo. This may lead to patients receiving care that is incongruent with their wishes as their disease progress. It is important for healthcare providers to have a better understanding of patients’ experiences and preferences especially in a multicultural country like Malaysia with its diverse beliefs and values to facilitate better planning for future medical care. Objectives: To explore the experiences and preferences of Malaysian patients with advanced cancer. Design: Qualitative study of semi-structured interviews with thematic analysis. Setting/subjects: Purposive sampling of 19 patients with Stage 4 cancer recruited from inpatient and outpatient settings in National Cancer Institute Malaysia. Results: Three major themes emerged in the exploration of patients’ experiences and care preferences in facing advanced cancer namely: 1) Dealing with poor prognosis 2) Spirituality as a source of strength and 3) Enablers of advance care planning. Conclusion: This study highlighted the preference for healthcare providers to be culturally sensitive during end-of-life care discussion and the need for improved spiritual care for Malaysian patients with advanced cancer. Further studies exploring the role of spiritual and cultural factors in advance care planning among Malaysians would be helpful in guiding these efforts.
Attachment anxiety in daily experiences of romantic relationships: An expansion of the mutual cyclical growth model
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, Ahead of Print.
This research provides a conceptual replication and theoretical extension of the mutual cyclical growth model. This model proposes that dependence promotes relationship commitment, which promotes pro-relationship behavior, which—when detected by partners—promotes partners’ trust, which promotes partners’ willingness to depend on the relationship. Prior research supports these links on a month-to-month basis, but romantic partners’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors may change on a day-to-day basis. The present research sought to replicate the model on a daily level, and to extend the model with an important potential moderator: individuals’ attachment orientations. Results from a dyadic daily-report study of romantic couples replicated the links in the mutual cyclical growth model at the level of day-to-day fluctuations in partners’ experiences; the links were especially strong for individuals high in attachment anxiety. This research provides insight into mechanisms through which close relationships develop and strengthen.
Interviewer Ratings of Physical Appearance in a Large-Scale Survey in China
Interviewer ratings of respondents’ physical appearance have been collected in several major social surveys. While researchers have made good use of such ratings data in substantive studies, empirical evidence on their measurement properties is rather limited. This study evaluates two potential threats to the quality of interviewer ratings of physical appearance: interviewer effects and halo effects. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, we show large interviewer effects on interviewer ratings of respondents’ physical appearance based on cross-classified models. We also provide possible evidence for halo effects based on high correlations between physical appearance ratings and other theoretically distinct constructs, after controlling for interviewer effects. However, we find support for convergent and discriminant validity of physical appearance ratings when both interviewer effects and halo effects are controlled for. Empirical studies using interviewer observation data should take into account interviewer effects and halo effects when possible or at least discuss their potential impact on the substantive findings.