This study examined the reliability and construct validity of a modified version of the Colorado Symptom Index (MCSI), a brief, self-report measure of psychological symptomatology, in a study of interventions to prevent homelessness. Eight projects in a national, cooperative study collected new data at baseline, 6, and 12 months using a set of common measures as well as site-specific instruments. The pooled sample consisted of 1,381 persons in treatment for mental illness or substance abuse (or both), of which 84% had a history of homelessness. The analyses employed classical and Rasch methods to examine the MCSI's content validity, internal consistency and item quality, test/retest reliability, dimensionality, appropriateness for the sample, construct validity, and responsiveness to change. This 14-item scale was found to be a reliable and valid measure of psychological symptoms in this sample. Its content was consistent with other symptom measures, its high internal consistency and test-retest coefficients supported its reliability, its relationships to other measures indicated that it had good construct validity, and it was responsive to change. We conclude that the MC

Using data front 2522 young men who were first surveyed as 7th-grade students in Houston, Texas in 1971, we examined the psychological consequences in early adulthood of having a girlfriend become pregnant in adolescence. By age 21, 15% of the young men were involved in a nonmarital pregnancy. Rates were higher for blacks (24%) than for whites (12%) or Hispanics (16%). Among whites, most adolescent pregnancies were ended by abortion (58%). Adolescent pregnancies to blacks most often resulted in single parenthood (56%). Hispanics tended to have the child, and marry or live together (55%). Consistent with the life course perspective, young men involved in adolescent pregnancies were more psychologically distressed as young adults than those who did not have a girlfriend become pregnant in adolescence. The greater distress in adulthood is not simply a function of accelerated role transitions, because men whose girlfriends had abortions are also distressed, and those who let their girlfriends assume major parenting responsibility are no less distressed than those who became fathers and married or lived with their girlfriends. Subgroup comparisons revealed that psychological distress levels of young black men were not influenced by adolescent pregnancy.

The social and environmental impacts of the modern industrial food system are ample reason to explore alternative scenarios. A New England Food Vision calls for building a resilient food system at the regional scale, with the goal of providing 50% of New England's food from within the region by the year 2060. Land access is a substantial challenge for aspiring farmers, particularly those from socially marginalized groups. Leasing farmland is less expensive than purchasing it outright, although not without its challenges. Institutionally owned land-properties owned by government entities, nonprofit organizations, educational organizations, religious organizations, or healthcare organizations-may be especially suitable for leasing to aspiring farmers due to their secure tenure and reduced development pressure. This site suitability analysis identifies institutionally owned lands in Windham County, Connecticut, excludes areas containing ecological or practical constraints, and assesses the new farmland acreage and food production that might be generated if these lands were converted to agricultural cultivation. Leasing the resulting lands to farmers would increase the agricultural acreage within the county by almost 19%. The majority of the land identified was owned either by state or municipal government entities, so farmer advocate organizations seeking to promote leasing arrangements should tailor their resources to this type of land ownership and audience.

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