A Comparative Analysis of the Risk Profiles of Australian Young Offenders From Rural and Urban Communities.

Australian young people from rural areas, particularly Aboriginal young people, are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. Apart from broad evidence regarding the entrenched social disadvantages experienced by young people in rural communities, the literature is limited in describing why this might be case. Due to these social disadvantages, it is hypothesised that young offenders from rural communities will have higher levels of offending risk factors, as measured by the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory-Australian Adaption (YLS/CMI-AA). A total of 6,750 archival records were analysed, showing that significantly more Aboriginal young offenders live in rural areas. Contrary to the hypothesis, urban young offenders had significantly higher risk scores than rural young offenders. These findings suggest that there may be particular ecological factors that are not assessed in the current risk assessment instrument or that rural young people have a range of protective factors that may insulate against the broader context of social disadvantage.

Measuring Self-Perceived Effects of Pornography: A Short-Form Version of the Pornography Consumption Effects Scale.

The Pornography Consumption Effects Scale (PCES) is a 47-item measure of self-perceived effects of pornography use. While the PCES is frequently used in the pornography research literature, its length may limit its applicability in some research situations. This study investigated if a short-form version of the PCES could be created for use with heterosexual men. The study employed an online sample of 312 self-identified heterosexual men. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to produce a 14-item version of the PCES. This short-form PCES (PCES-SF) showed excellent psychometric properties in terms of reliability, concurrent validity with the long-form PCES, and discriminant validity with respect to social desirability. Similar to the full-length PCES, the PCES-SF generates both an overall positive effect score and an overall negative effect score.

A retrospective chart audit of electroconvulsive therapy at a regional Australian hospital.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of the current study was to provide a contemporary review of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) practice in Far North Queensland, Australia. METHOD: Demographic, diagnostic and treatment characteristics were extracted from the hospital files of people who received ECT between 2011 and 2013. Data were quantitatively analysed and described. RESULTS: Depressive illnesses were the most common indicator for treatment. However, psychotic illnesses also made up a large proportion of treated cases. The technical aspects of treatment were commensurate with previous Australian findings except for the higher incidence of bifrontal ECT and maintenance treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed across Australia to determine whether the findings of the current study represent changes in Australian ECT practice.