A Gendered Analysis of the Shadow of Sexual Harm Among a College Sample.

This study uses survey methodology to examine correlates of fear of crime among men and women to discern the unique impact of risk perception, victimization, vicarious victimization, and fear of sexual harm on fear of crime. Recently, scholars have begun to examine fear separately by gender, which is vital given the unique experiences men and women have with fear and victimization. We examine two different types of fear of crime to determine whether the effects of these correlates differ by crime type across gender. Results suggest that fear of sexual harm and risk perception are the most important indicators of fear of crime for both genders; sexual harm fear is particularly impactful for female fear of violence. Race and ethnicity also have interesting impacts for male fear of violent crime because racial and ethnic minorities indicate more fear of violent crime than White males. The findings illustrate how imperative it is to continue to examine fear of specific types of crime as well as distinguish fear by gender.

Effect of Intraoperative Dexamethasone on Pain Scores and Narcotic Consumption in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the addition of intravenous dexamethasone during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) would be effective at reducing postoperative pain scores and postoperative opioid consumption. METHODS: A total of 102 patients undergoing TKA were placed into two groups: 55 subjects received intraoperative dexamethasone 8 mg intravenously (treatment group) and 47 did not receive dexamethasone at any time during the perioperative period. Comparison was made using the 0-10 numeric pain rating scale and the amount of opioids used in each group. RESULTS: Patients who received dexamethasone required significantly less oral opioids compared to the control group. Pain scores at 24 h post-surgery were significantly less for the dexamethasone group compared to the control group. There was no difference between groups in regards to patient-controlled analgesic dose or pain scores in the post-anesthesia care unit, at 12 or 48 h post-surgery. CONCLUSION: A single dose of dexamethasone given intraoperatively significantly decreased oral narcotic consumption and decreased pain scores 24 h postoperatively. Dexamethasone appears to be a safe modality to use to control pain in patients undergoing TKA.

Responding to Incidents of Sexual Victimization in Correctional Institutions: Correctional Officer Perspectives.

This study examined beliefs among correctional officers about responding to inmate-on-inmate sexual assault in jails. It is unique in its focus as no other published study has examined this topic using these variables in this setting. The authors utilize survey methodology to measure correctional officer perceptions about responding to sexual assaults among inmates. Results indicate that support for responding to instances of sexual assault among inmates differs somewhat by type of response and size of jail facility examined. Multivariate results suggest that while perceptions of inmate credibility are usually relevant, demographic factors matter more for those who work in larger jails, while beliefs about rape myths are somewhat more relevant in smaller jails. Implications for correctional policy and training and avenues for continued research are discussed.

The Shadow of Physical Harm? Examining the Unique and Gendered Relationship Between Fear of Murder Versus Fear of Sexual Assault on Fear of Violent Crime.

The shadow hypothesis regarding the impact of fear of sexual assault on fear of violent crime suggests that female fear of crime is characterized by concern about sexual assault as a contemporaneous victimization event during a violent crime event. Recent research has found that other types of crime, namely physical assault, may also be feared as a contemporaneous offense. We know of no research that has examined the unique impact of fear of murder versus fear of sexual assault on fear of violent crime. There is also a lack of research that explores how these two types of fear uniquely affect men and women. In addition to gender, we examine factors that have been suggested in previous research to correlate with fear of crime: race, victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk. Through survey methodology, this research examines the unique relationship between both fear of murder and fear of sexual assault and fear of three types of violent crime for men and women. Results suggest differences in how fear of murder and fear of sexual assault are related to fear of other types of violence for men and women. Specifically, fear of murder is important in estimating male fear of robbery and aggravated assault. However, fear of sexual assault is almost as important as fear of murder for men in estimating fear of home invasion. Similarly, for women, fear of sexual assault and fear of murder both are significant factors associated with fear of violent crime, and differences between the levels of significance are marginal. This study is a first to examine whether murder may also be feared as a contemporaneous offense. The results are informative in identifying what drives fear of crime, particularly violent crime, for both men and women. Avenues for future research are discussed.

Professional orientation and pluralistic ignorance among jail correctional officers.

Research about the attitudes and beliefs of correctional officers has historically been conducted in prison facilities while ignoring jail settings. This study contributes to our understanding of correctional officers by examining the perceptions of those who work in jails, specifically measuring professional orientations about counseling roles, punitiveness, corruption of authority by inmates, and social distance from inmates. The study also examines whether officers are accurate in estimating these same perceptions of their peers, a line of inquiry that has been relatively ignored. Findings indicate that the sample was concerned about various aspects of their job and the management of inmates. Specifically, officers were uncertain about adopting counseling roles, were somewhat punitive, and were concerned both with maintaining social distance from inmates and with an inmate's ability to corrupt their authority. Officers also misperceived the professional orientation of their fellow officers and assumed their peer group to be less progressive than they actually were.

Fear of property crime: examining the effects of victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk.

Fear of crime research has primarily focused on fear of crime in general or on fear of specific types of violent crimes. This study builds from this line of research by focusing exclusively on the night fear of six types of property crimes, including fear of burglary while away from home, vehicle theft, bicycle theft, property theft, vandalism, and vehicle burglary. This study examines the effects of victimization, vicarious victimization, and perceived risk on fear of property crime. Survey data from college students reveal that victimization and vicarious victimization were not significant predictors of fear of property crime, whereas perceived risk was a consistent and significant predictor of fear of all property crimes.

Is knowledge power? The effects of a victimology course on victim blaming.

The current study examines the impact of a victimology course on students' perceptions of the blameworthiness of crime victims and knowledge of victimization issues. Victim-blaming attitudes among college students enrolled in a victimology course were compared with students enrolled in other courses. Results from a pretest and posttest suggest that the victimology students were significantly less likely to blame victims and these students also gained significantly more knowledge over time compared with the students who did not enroll in the course. Results from the multivariate analysis indicate that less knowledge over time and a higher propensity to blame victims at the beginning of the semester predicted more victim-blaming attitudes on the posttest. Overall, the findings suggest that knowledge of victimology significantly affects students' propensity to blame victims of crime.

Compatibility of arformoterol tartrate inhalation solution with three nebulized drugs.

OBJECTIVE: Arformoterol tartrate inhalation solution (15 microg/2 mL) is approved for the twice-daily, long-term maintenance treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD). This study assessed the chemical and physical compatibility of arformoterol (15 microg/2 mL) with ipratropium bromide (0.5 mg/2.5 mL), acetylcysteine (800 mg/4 mL), and budesonide (0.25 mg/2 mL and 0.5 mg/2 mL). METHODS: Immediately (T(0)) and 30 min (T(30)) after preparation, the admixtures were tested by visual inspection, pH measurement, and HPLC assay of each active component. RESULTS: For all admixtures, no visible signs of change were observed. The pH of all admixtures at T(0) ranged from 4.82 to 6.40, which was within the range of individual drugs. For all admixtures, no unacceptable changes (less than 1% or 0.1 pH unit) in the pH values were observed within 30 min compared with the initial pH values in the admixtures, which met acceptance criteria of not more than (NMT) 10.0%. At both T(0) and T(30), the assay of each active component in all admixtures ranged from 98.3% to 101.4% compared to the assay in control samples, which met acceptance criteria of NMT 10.0%. In addition, no changes (less than 8%) in the assay of each active component at T(30) were observed compared to the initial assay values, which met acceptance criteria of NMT 10.0%. This study did not evaluate the clinical efficacy or safety of mixing arformoterol in patients. Nor did the study assess the aerosol characteristics of these admixtures or any potential changes in drug output. CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that arformoterol was chemically and physically compatible with commercially available nebulized formulations of ipratropium bromide, acetylcysteine, and budesonide.