Search

In an Internet-based study, 1,583 Bahamian adults living in The Bahamas were asked about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices relating to corporal punishment. The study confirmed the attitudes and practices towards corporal punishment reported in other studies. Both male and female respondents were physically punished as children (92.4% of males and 87.1% of females). The study indicated that a limited number of participants had knowledge of the detrimental effects of corporal punishment; for example, 28% of male and 36.2% of female participants agreed that corporal punishment was associated with learning problems at school. Respondents with more knowledge about the effects of corporal punishment were less likely to use disciplinary methods of concern. There was a strong link between knowledge and attitudes and between attitudes and experiences of physical punishment in the childhood of respondents. The data suggest that education about the detrimental effects of corporal punishment could help to reduce its use and prevent children from suffering the unintended consequences of corporal punishment.

This review of the literature concerning corporal punishment arising from The Bahamas enables us to identify several strands: (1) corporal punishment is an historically accepted method of controlling children which only recently has been called into question; (2) school teachers have typically seen corporal punishment as a useful classroom management tool; (3) there has been unease about its use in schools which has resulted in its regulation; (4) more recently, there has been evidence of the awareness of the long-term negative effects of corporal punishment; and (5) the rise of social media has made corporal punishment and its potential abuses visible to a wider audience. These strands appear to have woven together to move the country in a direction of outlawing corporal punishment, at least in schools.

The Bahamas is reported to have a high incidence of rape. As lack of consent prior to sexual intercourse is typically associated with sexual abuse or rape, this paper focuses on the provision of consent prior to sexual intercourse arising from the sexual experiences of university students in The Bahamas. This Internet-based study of 621 students (74.1% female and 25.4% male, with 0.5% indicating that their sex was “other”) indicates that—if the legal interpretation of rape is applied to the sexual experiences of study participants—almost half were victims of rape or sexual abuse. None of the males who admitted to being victims of rape reported the event. This suggests that males, as well as many female rape/sexual abuse victims, may never receive the help they need to help them recover from their attack. Female students in The Bahamas who consent to unwanted sexual intercourse appear to have been pressured to a greater extent than their counterparts in North America.

This study investigates the mental health of victims of sexual abuse, particularly rape, in college student populations. The study identifies the connection between sexual abuse/rape and elevated scores of mental health. It indicates that even with other stressful events occurring in the lives of respondents, sexual abuse/rape has a detrimental effect on the mental health of both males and females. A death in the family was the most commonly reported stressful event for males and females, and females were more likely than males to have suffered from a sexual attack. Early negative experiences of sexual intercourse can apparently have long lasting negative effects on the victim’s mental health. These findings require society to look beyond the physical consequences of sexual abuse and rape to ensure that the long-term mental health of victims, both male and female children and adults, is not overlooked.

This review of the literature concerning corporal punishment arising from The Bahamas enables us to identify several strands: (1) corporal punishment is an historically accepted method of controlling children which only recently has been called into question; (2) school teachers have typically seen corporal punishment as a useful classroom management tool; (3) there has been unease about its use in schools which has resulted in its regulation; (4) more recently, there has been evidence of the awareness of the long-term negative effects of corporal punishment; and (5) the rise of social media has made corporal punishment and its potential abuses visible to a wider audience. These strands appear to have woven together to move the country in a direction of outlawing corporal punishment, at least in schools.

Society at large, both government and residents, invests in education, a process which is considered to reach its apex with a university qualification. Economically, education is typically seen to be both a private and public good, and so it is useful to determine the benefits to both the individual and society arising from this investment. This paper examines the economic contributions of university-educated Bahamians to society. Using information obtained from The College of The Bahamas and other official sources, the study demonstrates that having a populace with higher education has a beneficial impact upon the Bahamian economy.

Dogs in The Bahamas have been documented since the time of Columbus, so dogs have been residents of the country for at least as long as our written records. While the term “potcake” has been associated with mongrel dogs in The Bahamas for some time, written references have been traced back only as far as 1970. Since then, the written word potcake has become relatively common. Potcakes, while reviled by some, are considered as quintessentially Bahamian by others. This paper attempts to determine if the potcake is unique to The Bahamas. Our analysis of potcake DNA from New Providence and Grand Bahama suggests that the importation of dogs has diluted the pool of any ancient potcake DNA to an extent that the Bahamian potcake, if it ever existed, is now either extinct or highly admixed. Some implications for demystifying this Bahamian icon based upon the current welfare offered potcakes are proposed. The Dogology of Nassau is a science worthy of profound study and investigation by all those dogmatically inclined (Wilson, 1864, pp. 28-29).

There is a dearth of studies that compare interpersonal violence cross nationally. This paper reports the findings of a cross-sectional study which compares and contrasts violence in the lives of 740 college students, as children and as adults, in The Bahamas and the United States of America. Overall, students in The Bahamas were subjected to more violence (more frequently spanked) than their American counterparts. Frequency of spanking when the student was a preteen and teenager were linked to anger outbursts in adulthood, and higher numbers of anger outbursts were linked with violent behaviours of students. Although Bahamian students were exposed to more violence than the American students, this did not result in Bahamian students being more violent than American students in interpersonal relationships. However, Bahamian students were more likely than American students to anticipate using corporal punishment on their children and to condone violence in marital relationships.

This paper reports the attitudes and actions on relationships with the opposite sex of 1,002 Grade 10 and Grade 12 students in New Providence. Girls were more likely than boys to use aggressive behaviours in teen relationships. Some of the behaviours noted in teen relationships informed expectations of marital relationships, such as restricted access to friends of the opposite sex. The students endorsed a number of sex-related stereotypes, such as a man being the head of the household. Both male and female students indicated that it was acceptable for men to control their wives. Participation in aggressive and controlling behaviours by teens points to the need to educate students about how to develop more respectful relationships.

This paper identifies linkages between the experiences of high school students in The Bahamas and their creativity. University students were asked to reflect on their time in high school and recall how their teachers responded to their expressions of creativity demonstrated in their responses to questions, solutions to problems and public contributions to discussions and debate. Of 640 participants, almost 90% thought that authority figures influenced their creativity, and not necessarily in a positive direction. Around 25% of the participants claimed not to have offered “bright” ideas in class for fear of being ridiculed. Students from public schools had lower self-reported creativity scores than those from private schools. Students from homes associated with domestic violence were at a higher risk of reporting negative teacher responses to their creativity (“bright ideas”) than those students from other homes.

Gender based violence continues to be a source of concern in The Bahamas. Structural inequality between the sexes is present in the law and cultural attitudes can work to circumscribe the expectations of women. Such attitudes are reinforced through messages from various sources. This paper presents the results from an Internet-based survey of 1,279 participants to examine how Bahamian citizens learn their attitudes towards women. The most important influence on Bahamians was the participant’s mother. She, in turn, was influenced by the messages she received from faith-based sources. Official governmental sources of information and the opinions of politicians and school teachers appeared to be less influential. This disparity suggests that within The Bahamas, changes in attitudes towards women will require a more enlightened message to be taught and reinforced by faith-based organizations.

Dogs in the Caribbean have been traditionally viewed as low maintenance pets which are fed leftovers from the household. Changes in the lifestyle of Caribbean families have resulted in changes in their eating patterns. These changes can be expected to have consequences for the feeding of dogs, which may require households to switch to commercial dog food. This paper reports the finding of a survey of groups involved with pets and animal welfare in the Caribbean conducted on behalf of the Pet Food Institute, a non-profit industry association. The study examined perspectives on how dogs are fed in the Caribbean and activities conducted to educate pet owners and the public. Use of household scraps and commercial dog food was associated with household income, except in the case of some high income dependent territories. The findings indicate that while many animal welfare groups in the Caribbean provide educational programs, not all of these provide recommendations on feeding pets and so they neglect to provide information on an important aspect of animal welfare.

An on-line survey of 1,447 persons indicate that almost all participants (98.4%) knew both their biological father and mother. However, few (7.6%) knew the names of all their great grandparents. The direct female relations on the maternal side were more likely to be known than other similar relations on the paternal side. This knowledge of names confirms the matrifocal nature of Bahamian families and indicates the need for families to take steps to preserve their own history, so as to provide a sense of identity.

This paper reports the first known study on childhood cruelty towards animals in The Bahamas. An internet survey involving 1,558 respondents allowed childhood cruelty, using the Children and Animals Inventory (CAI), to be investigated in the context of other violent behaviours in the child’s home. The homes of children who did no harm animals were less violent than the homes of children who harmed animals. Consistent with other studies, males were more likely to harm animals than females. Males were more likely than females to harm sentient animals. While the use of violence to train children was not associated with a higher CAI score, domestic violence and the presence of a gun in the home were associated with a higher CAI score. The implications of these findings as they relate to the treatment of living creatures are discussed.

Saint Paul the Apostle, Lyford Cay, is the most westerly Catholic parish church on the island of New Providence, The Bahamas. It was established to meet the spiritual needs of Roman Catholics most removed from the island’s city, Nassau, when a new community was being developed. The paper will demonstrate how the church building blends the “modern” style of architecture of the mid-20th century as well as Church tradition in its Bahamian architectural context.

This paper reports the level of care offered 424 dogs, classified as small dogs, large dogs, pit bulls and potcakes (the colloquial name for the local mongrel) in New Providence, The Bahamas. Levels of care that meet the legal minimum –food water and shelter– as well as care considered essential and enriched in The Bahamas were less common for large dogs than small dogs. Small dogs tended to get more care than other dogs and so were at lowest risk of being neglected. It is suggested that the size of the dog is an important factor which determines the level of care provided. Pit bulls generally received similar care to potcakes which are often considered neglected. Large dogs were more likely to be kept outside and less likely to be allowed inside the home than small dogs. It is conjectured that in many instances the level of care offered constitutes partial abandonment due to a lack of interaction between caregivers and their dogs.

Haitian nationals have been migrating to and settling in The Bahamas for hundreds of years. However the presence of Haitians in The Bahamas has been an ever-increasing cause for concern. In 1963 the Haitian community accounted for 3.2% of the population; in 2000 it represented 7.1% and was numerically the largest migrant group in The Bahamas. The relatively high numbers of Haitian migrants on some Bahamian islands have raised fears that The Bahamas is being overwhelmed by this group; in some enumeration districts Haitian nationals account for more than 20% of the population. In common with migrant groups elsewhere, a stigma has become attached to being a Haitian migrant in the Bahamas. Primarily through the use of census data and newspaper articles, this paper attempts to explain this stigma. Haitian migrants are associated with illegal status, poor education, and poverty. Language is a barrier which prevents Haitian migrants from fully participating in society and makes them distinct from the general population. First-generation migrants may face the prospect of being state-less. The paper stresses the need for the resident community to ensure that the stigma does not result in marginalization and lead to a breakdown in relations between the Haitian and non-Haitian groups.

This paper describes two postal surveys conducted in New Providence between September 2001 and February 2002. These surveys, using the telephone directory as the sampling frame, were specifically designed to investigate the response rate to postal surveys in New Providence. Each survey included a one-page form sent to 250 persons resulting in a response rate of about 20%. Each survey form contained one question that had also appeared in The Bahamas 2000 census. Overall response to this question differed significantly between the respondents to each survey and the respondents to the Census. These results suggest the presence of sources of bias relevant to the sampling frame, socio-economic status and self-selection. The implications of these results for using the postal survey as a research tool are discussed.

This article uses data from several sources to outline dog welfare and to identify areas in which it could be improved. The data include 253 dog license records, 11 observations from free-roaming dogs, and two convenience samples (of 411 people in total). Dog age is used as an indicator of welfare. The current care given results in low average dog ages (three years). The actions of owners allow many animals to roam and so mate unchecked, and this exacerbates the nuisance of free-roaming dogs and diminishes the welfare of society. Three areas are identified which would enhance the welfare of dogs and society: keeping dogs inside the house, not in the yard; sterilizing dogs; and taking dogs to the veterinarian at least "when necessary".

This paper describes our experiences from using the telephone survey as a research tool in New Providence. Gender specific surveys may be complicated by the fact that females are more likely to answer the telephone than males. Respondents often seem suspicious of telephone callers, and so might be uncooperative. The large proportion of telephone lines "not in service" means that many numbers are dialed unsuccessfully. Variation between exchanges in the proportion of completed calls could result in uneven survey coverage of the island. This variability appears to be related to socio-economic factors that could bias survey results.

Barking dogs, both roaming and unowned, are regarded as a nuisance throughout New Providence. With most dogs being owned for protection, either as watch or guard dogs, it is apparent that many people keep dogs specifically to bark. This observational study of 551 dogs, in 14 areas of greater Nassau, showed that confined, barking dogs constituted the single largest group of dogs (37.4%) observed at night. A smaller percentage of unconfined (48.0) the confined dogs (68.5%) barked at night. Almost half (45.5%) of the roamers observed were unconfined. The study indicated that confined dogs constitute the majority of barking dogs and so are the major causes of the nuisance of barking at night.

This paper uses graduation data to show the changes that have occurred in the profile of the College’s graduates from 1976 to 2013. The data demonstrate the rise and fall in the number of graduates receiving Associate degrees. The decline in the number of graduates obtaining Associate degrees can be connected with the rise in the number of graduates receiving Baccalaureate degrees. While College to University: Strategic Plan, 2009-2019 (http://www.cob.edu.bs/Administration/StrategicPlan.pdf) of the College of The Bahamas considers the College era to be associated with two phases, “Creation and Early Growth: The College of The Bahamas, 1974-1995” and the “Transition Era: From College to University, 1995-2009”; the graduation data show a complex and ongoing picture of change, consolidation and change.