Lesbians and tech: Analyzing digital media technologies and lesbian experience.

The rise of the popular Internet has coincided with the increasing acceptance, even assimilation, of lesbians into mainstream society. The visible presence of lesbians in the tech industry and in digitally mediated spaces raises a set of questions about the relationship between queer identities and Internet technologies. This introduction to a special issue of Journal of Lesbian Studies explores some of these questions and provides an overview of the articles that follow.

The Association of Ethnic Pride With Health and Social Outcomes Among Young Black and Latino Men After Release From Jail.

The goal of this study was to understand whether ethnic pride among young, incarcerated Black and Latino men was associated with successful community reentry. We interviewed 397 Black and Latino men 16 to 18 years old in a New York City jail and then again 1 year after their release to determine the relationship between participants' sense of ethnic pride during incarceration, and substance use, violence, recidivism, and education/ employment after release from jail. Participants with higher ethnic pride scores were less likely to engage in illegal activities and be reincarcerated. Ethnic pride was also associated with feeling safe in gangs and positive attitudes toward avoiding violence in situations of conflict. Ethnic pride was not associated with substance use, education, or engagement in community-based organizations post release. This study demonstrated that ethnic pride might be a source of strength that young men of color can harness for successful community reentry after release from jail.

A Mixed-Methods, International, Multisite Study to Develop and Validate a Measure of Nurse-to-Physician Communication in Simulation.

AIM: This study examined the reliability and validity of the ISBAR Interprofessional Communication Rubric (IICR). BACKGROUND: Improving education regarding communication in health care is a global priority. Communication is difficult to measure and no evaluation rubrics were located that uniquely focused on nurse-to-physician communication in simulation. METHOD: This study used a mixed-methods design and included five sites. RESULTS: The IICR was determined reliable among nurse educator raters (r = 0.79). The scale was found valid as assessed by nurse and physician experts (content validity index = 0.92). When describing their experience of using the tool, nurse educator raters described three categories: overall acceptability of the tool, ease of use, and perceptions of the importance of communication skills for patient safety. CONCLUSION: Teaching and evaluating communication in simulation with a standardized rubric is a research area in need of further exploration and refinement.

Creating REAL MEN: description of an intervention to reduce drug use, HIV risk, and rearrest among young men returning to urban communities from jail.

This article describes the life circumstances and risk behaviors of 552 adolescent males returning home from jail. Most young men reported several sources of support in their lives and many had more tolerant views toward women and intimate relationships than portrayed in mainstream media. They also reported high levels of marijuana and alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, and prior arrests. Investigators designed the Returning Educated African American and Latino Men to Enriched Neighborhoods (REAL MEN) program, a jail and community program to reduce drug use, HIV risk, and rearrest. By helping participants examine alternative paths to manhood and consider racial/ethnic pride as a source of strength, REAL MEN addressed the assets of these young men as well as their challenges. Our findings suggest that interventions that emphasize the assets of these young men may be better able to engage them than programs that seek to impose adult values.

Substance use and HIV-risk behaviors among young men involved in the criminal justice system.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the relationship between substance use and sexual HIV-risk behaviors among young men who have been incarcerated, in order to understand how HIV risks develop for this vulnerable population. METHODS: A sample of 552 young men in a New York City jail was interviewed at the time of incarceration. Bivariate analyses were performed to examine demographic and sexual HIV-risk behavior differences between men with and without recent alcohol and marijuana use. Logistic regression was used to examine associations between alcohol and marijuana use and sexual HIV-risk behaviors in the 90 days prior to incarceration. RESULTS: Respondents were predominantly Black (57%) or Latino (37%), with a mean age of 17.4 years. The most common substances used were marijuana (82%) and alcohol (65%). Alcohol use prior to incarceration was significantly associated with having three or more sexual partners in the same time period (OR = 2.40, p < .001), as well as with having unprotected sex with a long-term partner (OR = 1.72, p < .01). Marijuana use was significantly associated with having multiple sex partners (OR = 1.55, p < .01). Heavy alcohol and marijuana use did not result in an increased likelihood of sexual HIV-risk behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: High rates of substance use and unprotected sex may have unintended health consequences for incarcerated young men. Severity of substance use is not a significant predictor of risk behaviors, suggesting the importance of contextual and social factors. Results highlight the need for HIV prevention efforts for this population that take into account contextual and social factors.

Coming home from jail: the social and health consequences of community reentry for women, male adolescents, and their families and communities.

Each year, more than 10 million people enter US jails, most returning home within a few weeks. Because jails concentrate people with infectious and chronic diseases, substance abuse, and mental health problems, and reentry policies often exacerbate these problems, the experiences of people leaving jail may contribute to health inequities in the low-income communities to which they return. Our study of the experiences in the year after release of 491 adolescent males and 476 adult women returning home from New York City jails shows that both populations have low employment rates and incomes and high rearrest rates. Few received services in jail. However, overall drug use and illegal activity declined significantly in the year after release. Postrelease employment and health insurance were associated with lower rearrest rates and drug use. Public policies on employment, drug treatment, housing, and health care often blocked successful reentry into society from jail, suggesting the need for new policies that support successful reentry into society.

Nursing student caring behaviors during blood pressure measurement.

The purpose of this multisite, nonexperimental study was to examine, using a repeated measures design, the effects of a teaching intervention designed to promote caring behaviors as students learn the psychomotor skill of blood pressure measurement. Watson's theory of human caring and a combination of cognitive and connectionist learning theories were used as the organizing construct. Baccalaureate nursing student participants were videotaped and evaluated at two points in time while performing the psychomotor skill of blood pressure measurement on a role-player. Role-players rated the students' caring behaviors using the Role Player Survey of Caring Behaviors During Blood Pressure Measurement instrument. Between these data collection points, students learned about caring behaviors through analysis of a videotaped role-play and required readings. An evaluator randomly selected 10 student videotapes from each of the 6 baccalaureate nursing program study sites and noted the presence or absence of caring behaviors on the Caring Behaviors During Blood Pressure Measurement instrument. Pretest and posttest scores on both subjective and objective research instruments were compared using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Students demonstrated a significant improvement in objective and subjective caring behaviors between the two performance examinations. The findings support further investigation of teaching interventions to promote the development of caring behaviors during nursing psychomotor skill development.

Comparison of health and social characteristics of people leaving New York City jails by age, gender, and race/ethnicity: implications for public health interventions.

OBJECTIVES: We compared health and social needs by gender, age, and race/ ethnicity of people leaving New York City jails and assessed the implication of these differences for the development of jail reentry programs. METHODS: Surveys were completed with 1,946 individuals (536 men, 704 women, and 706 adolescent males) between 1997 and 2004. Structured questionnaires captured data on demographic, criminal justice, substance use, and health characteristics. Bivariate comparisons were performed to determine variations between men and women, men and male adolescents, and non-Latino black and Hispanic/Latino respondents. RESULTS: The majority of participants were black and Hispanic/Latino, reported high levels of substance use, had high rates of recidivism, and experienced difficult living circumstances. Compared with men, women were more likely to be homeless, use illicit drugs, report drug charges at index arrest, have health problems, and be parents. Adolescent males were more likely than men to rely on illegal activities for income and to have used marijuana and alcohol recently, and were less likely to report homelessness or health problems. Ethnic/racial differences between black and Hispanic/Latino respondents within gender and age groups were smaller than differences among these groups. CONCLUSIONS: Jails concentrate individuals with multifaceted health and social problems, providing opportunities to engage at-risk populations in comprehensive reentry programs. Gender, age, and ethnic/racial differences among incarcerated populations require that interventions be tailored to the specific needs of these different groups.

Feelings of Belonging: An Exploratory Analysis of the Sociopolitical Involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander Sexual Minority Women.

This article compares and contrasts the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latina, and Asian/Pacific Islander American sexual minority women within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of color. For the analysis, a sample of over 1,200 women from the Social Justice Sexuality project was analyzed. Findings indicate that, for all groups of women, feelings of connectedness to the LGBT community was the most significant predictor of sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color.

Reducing drug use, human immunodeficiency virus risk, and recidivism among young men leaving jail: evaluation of the REAL MEN re-entry program.

PURPOSE: This study assesses the impact of REAL MEN (Returning Educated African-American and Latino Men to Enriched Neighborhoods), an intervention designed to reduce drug use, risky sexual behavior and criminal activity among 16-18-year-old males leaving New York City jails. METHODS: Participants (N = 552) were recruited in city jails and randomly assigned to receive an intensive 30-hour jail/community-based intervention or a single jail-based discharge planning session. All participants were also referred to optional services at a community-based organization (CBO). One year after release from jail, 397 (72%) participants completed a follow-up interview. Logistic and ordinary least squares regression was used to evaluate the impact of the intervention on drug use, risky sexual behavior, criminal justice involvement, and school/work involvement post release. RESULTS: Assignment to REAL MEN and, independently, use of CBO services, significantly reduced the odds of substance dependence (odds ratio [OR] = .52, p ≤ .05; OR = .41, p ≤ .05, respectively) 1 year after release. Those assigned to the intervention spent 29 fewer days in jail compared with the comparison group (p ≤ .05). Compared to non-CBO visitors, those who visited the CBO were more likely to have attended school or found work in the year after release (OR = 2.02, p ≤ .01). CONCLUSIONS: Jail and community services reduced drug dependence 1 year after release and the number of days spent in jail after the index arrest. While these findings suggest that multifaceted interventions can improve outcomes for young men leaving jail, rates of drug use, risky sexual behavior, and recidivism remained high for all participants after release from jail, suggesting the need for additional policy and programmatic interventions.

Coming home from jail: the social and health consequences of community reentry for women, male adolescents, and their families and communities.

Each year, more than 10 million people enter US jails, most returning home within a few weeks. Because jails concentrate people with infectious and chronic diseases, substance abuse, and mental health problems, and reentry policies often exacerbate these problems, the experiences of people leaving jail may contribute to health inequities in the low-income communities to which they return. Our study of the experiences in the year after release of 491 adolescent males and 476 adult women returning home from New York City jails shows that both populations have low employment rates and incomes and high rearrest rates. Few received services in jail. However, overall drug use and illegal activity declined significantly in the year after release. Postrelease employment and health insurance were associated with lower rearrest rates and drug use. Public policies on employment, drug treatment, housing, and health care often blocked successful reentry into society from jail, suggesting the need for new policies that support successful reentry into society.