Though a link between sexual victimization and alcohol use has been well documented, the mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. The current study used path analysis to examine the role of self-reported levels of psychological distress and the function of alcohol use as indirect pathways between adult sexual assault and alcohol use. Participants were 318 undergraduate female victims and nonvictims of adult sexual assault. Results showed that a history of sexual assault was associated with increased psychological distress, which in turn contributed to alcohol use via negative reinforcement. Taken together, these findings provided support for the hypothesis that women who have been sexually assaulted consume alcohol, in part, to self-medicate. The implications for future research are discussed.

The authors examined how certain ability-related academic self-perceptions are organized in the self-systems of 5th graders. One hundred ninety children completed questionnaires concerning their perceived ability, expectancies for the near future, expectancies for the distant future, and causal attributions to ability. Each of these 4 self-perceptions was assessed separately for math, reading, and general school. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that children differentiated their ability-related self-perceptions in ways that are not accounted for by current models of academic self-concept. That is, in addition to differentiating the 3 domains of math, reading, and general school, children also differentiated the 4 selfperceptions within academic domains. These findings both support and extend current theories of academic self-concept.Children's ability-related self-perceptions are important predictors of their task engagement and performance. For example, children who perceive themselves as highly competent are more likely to persist when they confront difficulties and are more likely to use the abilities and strategies they possess (Harter, 1990;Pintrich & Schrauben, 1992). However, ability-related self-perceptions encompass a wide range of constructs, such as self-concept, perceived ability, and performance expectancies. Although these constructs may be highly related, there are potentially important distinctions between them that are often ignored.The purpose of the present study was to examine how certain ability-related academic self-perceptions are organized in the self-systems of late elementary school children. Specifically, this study focused on the interrelationships among four ability-related self-perceptions in the academic domains of math, reading, and general school. The four self-perceptions were (a) expectancies for the near future (i.e., expectancies for their next report card), (b) expectancies for the distant future (i.e., during the next academic year), (c) perceived ability (i.e., perceived "smartness"), and (d) causal attributions to ability (i.e., success attributions to high ability and failure attributions to factors other than low ability).The present study was influenced by the work of Marsh and colleagues on the organization of academic self-concept

Prenatal drug exposure continues to be a controversial topic. Views of what constitutes an appropriate response to drug-exposed infants vary, in large part due to the many complex issues endemic to perinatal substance use. The purpose of this article is to review the controversy surrounding prenatal drug exposure, outline the policy dilemmas that complicate attempts to respond appropriately, review current practice in this area and the effectiveness of those practices, and offer specific recommendations as a starting point for debate. It is suggested that earlier controversy regarding the sequelae of prenatal drug exposure may be decreasing as research identifies specific and subtle deficits in some affected infants. It is also suggested that the postnatal effects of parental substance abuse (e.g., in terms of abuse/neglect, attachment, and development) are the more appropriate focus of child protection efforts, and that different disciplines must collaborate to reach a consensus regarding the nature of these efforts.

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