bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Income Inequality and Status Maintenance
Authors: Myles John F.
Published: March 2007

Existing life-cycle models of status attainment, including income attainment, have generally stopped short of the extension of such models into the last stage of the life-cycle, namely old age. A conceptual formulation for the inclusion of this latter stage of the life cycle is proposed, problems and methods of analysis are discussed, and some initial empirical results identifying the mechanisms of status maintenance in old age are presented.
The Value of Home to Older Persons
Authors: O'Bryant Shirley L.
Published: March 2007

Previous research reveals that elderly individuals report high levels of satisfaction with their homes, yet this satisfaction has not been shown to be strongly related to personal, demographic factors or to the physical properties of the housing itself. In a prior study, a factor analysis of homeowners' attitudes revealed four subjective-value factors: (1) competence in a familiar environment, (2) traditional family orientation and memories, (3) the status value of homeownership, and (4) a cost "versus" comfort tradeoff factor. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether these factors would contribute to a better understanding of older persons' high levels of housing satisfaction. Homeowners (N = 320), over the age of 60, completed an inventory that assessed personal, demographic, and housing characteristics, and a scale that measured the subjective value of the home. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the subjective-value factors made a significant increment in the variance accounted for in housing satisfaction, over and above other types of variables. The importance of subjective-value factors in public policy decisions related to housing for the elderly and for more effective relocation counseling are discussed.
Age as a Moderator of the Determinants of Life Satisfaction
Authors: George Linda K. , Okun Morris A. , Landerman Richard
Published: March 2007

Previous studies indicate that age differences in life satisfaction are minimal, especially when other variables are statistically controlled. This article examines the degree to which age moderates the impact of several predictors of life satisfaction. Interaction effects are investigated in context of a path model positing the structural determinants of life satisfaction. Results indicate that, although the total and direct effects of age are trivial, age is an important moderator of the effects of marital status, income, health, and social support upon lifesatisfaction.
Role Conflict in the Postparental Period
Authors: Cassidy Margaret L.
Published: March 2007

A theory of role conflict is developed in order to predict how the marital satisfaction of 190 postparental women might vary depending on their employment status (employed or retired) and their husbands' employment status (employed or retired), while controlling for number of demographic factors. The data used to test the hypotheses are obtained from a statewide survey of Washington state residents age 55 and over in 1980. The results of the first multiple regression analysis indicate that only the prestige associated with wives' present or former occupations (SEI) and husbands' present or former occupations (SSEI) have significant effects on marital satisfaction. However, when analyzed separately by wives' employment status, SEI and SSEI, along with chronological age, are found to significantly affect the marital satisfaction of employed women, but not retired women. Possible implications of the findings are discussed.
Culture and Social Support
Authors: Liu William T.
Published: March 2007

This article was commissioned by ADAMHA to articulate the contribution of social and behavioral sciences to mental health research. The author selected two concepts commonly used in research on ethnic minorities in the last two decades: culture and support groups. Advocates of alternative and special facilities for racial and cultural minorities, on one hand, have argued persistently for increasing funding for research and treatment facilities with bilingual and bicultural clinicians, and others, on the other hand, for research by "insiders. " This article is an attempt to raise theoretical questions concerning the use of culture and support groups in research on cultural minorities and to offer some suggestions.
Children
Authors: Seccombe Karen
Published: March 2007

This research is designed to estimate the effects of having children upon the general happiness of elderly adults, particularly as the elderly experience declining health. Analyses from the Retirement History Survey suggest that children do not contribute systematically to the happiness of either elderly men or women, nor do children moderate the impact of deteriorating health when controlling for such background factors as marital status, age, and income.
Ambulatory Care Use among the Noninstitutionalized Elderly
Authors: Rivnyak Margaret H. , Wan Thomas T. H. , Stegall Meribeth H. , Jacobs Mary , Li Shuo
Published: March 2007

While it is recognized that need for care is the dominant factor influencing utilization of health services, little is known regarding the determinants of ambulatory care use by the noninstitutionalized elderly. It is important to examine the relationships among need factors and how physical and mental dysfunctions influence use of services. This study uses a LISREL model to identify the extent to which ambulatory care use was affected by physical or mental functioning and whether strong linkages would be exhibited by both factors.
Survey of Adult Day Care in the United States
Authors: Conrad Kendon J. , Hanrahan Patricia , Hughes Susan L.
Published: March 2007

Before attempting to understand how a relatively new treatment modality such as adult day care (ADC) works, it is useful to understand what it is. To this end, this article describes the structural characteristics of ADC centers and the characteristics of ADC users in the United States and across the four U.S. census regions. A 1986 national census survey of 1,347 ADC centers yielded 974 usable responses (72.3%). Findings indicated that there is great variability in characteristics of ADC across the country. In general, ADC's are well-staffed, well-linked to other agencies, and well-equipped. However, demand and enrollment appeared low. A need for improved oversight and staff in-service training was indicated for a substantial proportion of centers. These and other findings provide the most detailed and comprehensive national and regional descriptions of ADC available to date.
Gender Differences in Formal Care Use in Later Life
Authors: Mutchler Jan E. , Bullers Susan
Published: March 2007

This article assesses gender differences in the use of formal versus informal sources of in-home care among impaired elders. Data from the 1984 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation are used in the analysis. The results suggest that married women are more likely to receive formal care than are married men, but this pattern does not hold for the unmarried. This result is consistent with gendered expectations regarding caregiving and receipt within the marital unit.
Activities and Self-Esteem
Authors: Reitzes Donald C. , Mutran Elizabeth J. , Verrill Linda A.
Published: March 2007

Data derived from in-depth telephone interviews with full-time working men and women aged 58 to 64 years old who reside in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill metropolitan area are used to explore the influence of activities on self-esteem. Findings include that: (a) among the traditional measures, only leisure activities exert a positive effect on self-esteem; (b) among the new measures, activities with relatives and activities with work friends have a positive effect on self-esteem for women but not for men; (c) activities performed alone exert a positive effect on the self-esteem for men, but not for women; and (d) for women, but not for men, three of the four sets of activities have a more positive effect on self-esteem when role commitment is high.
The Impact of Family Composition on Providing Help to Older Parents
Authors: Connidis Ingrid Arnet , Rosenthal Carolyn J. , Mcmullin Julie Ann
Published: March 2007

Using a subsample from the Canadian Aging and Research Network (CARNET) Work and Family Survey of 1,015 persons who provide at least 1 hour of help weekly to one or both parents, the impact of family composition on providing help to older parents is examined. Specifically, three research questions are addressed: (1) Do family composition characteristics affect the number of hours of help provided to a parent or parents? (2) does the likelihood of being the sole provider of help differ according to these characteristics? and (3) does the likelihood of being the primary helper vary based on family composition? Family composition variables include gender and marital status of the respondent, number of brothers and sisters, the number of children age 20 and older and age 12 and under, and the gender of the parent. Several family composition variables are significant predictors, including number of sisters, number of brothers, and gender in interaction with marital status and number of siblings.
Subjective Age and Traits
Authors: Hubley Anita M. , Hultsch David F.
Published: March 2007

A reanalysis of the Sample 2 data from Hubley and Hultsch (1994) is presented following the discovery of an error in the scoring of Costa and McCrae's (1985) NEO-PI. The reanalysis showed that both extraversion and openness to experience were related to the feel age measure (SAP), whereas only neuroticism was related to the ideal age measure (CAS). Trait variables did not substantially moderate the relationships between SAP and either self-reported health or affective state variables. However, neuroticism did render the relationship between CAS and affective state variables nonsignificant.
Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Age among Older HIV-Infected Adults
Authors: Siegel Karolynn , Raveis Victoria , Karus Daniel
Published: March 2007

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 63 HIV-infected late middle-age andolder adults (i.e., age 50 or older). An analysis of the narrative material revealed avariety of themes that reflected participants' beliefs about how their older ageadvantaged and/or disadvantaged them in living with this disease. Themes reflectiveof perceived advantages included (1) with age comes wisdom; (2) older people donot feel as cheated; (3) with age comes greater respect for health and life; (4) withage comes patience, contentment, and moderation; (5) older people are less psycho-logically threatened by disability and fatigue; and (6) older people can focus more ontheir own needs. Themes reflective of perceived disadvantages included (1) olderpeople's bodies are more worn down and less resilient, (2) older people are moresocially isolated, (3) older people get less sympathy and are judged more harshly, (4)doctors set higher goals when treating younger patients, and (5) older people are toocompliant and conservative.
Self-Rated Health and Mortality Over Three Decades
Authors: Strawbridge William J. , Wallhagen Margaret I.
Published: March 2007

Previous longitudinal studies assessing relative mortality risks associated with fair or poor self-rated health have differed in the extent to which observed relative risks are explained by disease burden and health risk factors. Gender and ethnic differences have rarely been assessed. The authors used proportional hazards models with time-dependent covariates to examine associations between fair or poor self-rated health and mortality over 28 years for 5,976 Alameda County Study respondents age 21 to 94 at baseline. Adjustments for a number of demographic variables, chronic conditions, mobility impairment, and health risk factors accounted for about half of the unadjusted relative risk. No gender or ethnicity differences in relative risk comparisons were found, but consistent with other studies, lower relative risks associated with increasing age were found. The authors conclude that self-rated health is a deceptively simple variable that likely measures a great deal more than disease burden.
Mothers and Fathers of Adults with Chronic Disabilities
Authors: Pruchno Rachel , Patrick Julie Hicks
Published: March 2007

The stressors, resources, caregiving appraisals, and mental health of aging women and men who have a child with a chronic disability were contrasted. Data from 251 women and their husbands indicated that while mean level differences characterize the reports of mothers and fathers, predictors of caregiving satisfaction, caregiving burden, depression, and life satisfaction were relatively similar. With similar mechanisms linking stressors, resources, appraisals, and outcomes for mothers and fathers, these data provide strong evidence for the application of a common model for understanding the experiences of aging men and women who have a child with a chronic disability.
Age and Distance to Death in the Seattle Longitudinal Study
Authors: Bosworth Hayden B. , Schaie K. Warner , Willis Sherry L. , Siegler Ilene C.
Published: March 2007

A series of hierarchical regression models was used to determine if time to death was a significant independent variable for level and seven-year change in intellectual performance for 1,214 community-dwelling adults. Distance to death explained a significant amount of the variance of intellectual performance at individuals’last measurement but not of the decline in performance after controlling for age, education, gender, and survivorship. The inclusion of time to death improved the proportion of unique variance explained by about 1% to 3% and between 4% and 10.4% of the total variance explained. Decedents had lower levels of verbal meaning, spatial ability, reasoning ability, and psychomotor speed at last measurements and greater amounts of seven-year decline on verbal meaning and psychomotor speed. The inclusion of distance to death may help improve the explanation of variability in performance associated with increased age.
Public Confidence in Cybersystems: Issues and Implications for Sustainability
Authors: Feldman David Lewis
Published: March 2007

This article contends that achieving trust and confidence in Internet systems is dependent on enhancing public perceptions that those who develop and manage Internet technologies are honest, capable, competent, and accountable. Drawing upon recent studies of the Internet and on decision-support technologies, first outlined are the principal dimensions of trust and confidence in Cybersystems, including the growing distance between citizens and technology institutions, the credibility of information disseminated by Cybersystems, and the potential risks attendant upon Cybersystem use. It is posited that trust and confidence are dependent on the ability of the Internet and other computer-based communication systems to satisfy salient user needs. Five needs are paramount: real time information availability; accurate and precise data and information; usability and usefulness of information platforms; ease-of-use of communication systems; and access and accountability to users of Internet developers and data providers.
Ten Thousand Cultures, a Single Civilization
Authors: Malitza Mircea
Published: March 2007

The role of ethnicity and culture in local conflicts is examined with special reference to the former Yugoslavia. An examination of the literature on conflict resolution is offered, leading to a discussion of the probability of numerous regional conflicts in the coming century. The role of an overarching civilization in preventing their expansion into a general war is emphasized, and finally, the example of the European Union is invoked to exemplify the promise of conflict resolution through pursuit of common programs for the future, with no reference to the quarrels of the past.
Democracy Before Democracy?
Authors: Schemeil Yves
Published: March 2007

Was democracy invented by the Greeks to replace the anarchy and imperial rule characteristic of earlier Near Eastern societies? Although what was explicitly borrowed from antiquity by modern political thinkers looks Athenian, there was democracy before the polis. Egyptian and Mesopotamian politics relied on public debate and detailed voting procedures; countless assemblies convened at the thresholds of public buildings or city gates; disputed trials were submitted to superior courts; countervailing powers reminded leaders that justice was their responsibility. This was not full democracy, but the Greek version was not perfect either. In this article, “archeopolitics” is used to contrast this efficient form of pluralistic regime (“hypodemocracy”) with truly egalitarian ones (“hyperdemocracies”) and group interests’ polyarchies.
Socialist Values and the Development of Democratic Support in the Former East Germany
Authors: Finkel Steven E. , Humphries Stan , Opp Karl-Dieter
Published: March 2007

Through the use of a three-wave panel study of citizens of the former East German city of Leipzig, the article explores the changes in the relationship between socialist values and democratic support over time. It finds that the direct effect of socialist values on democratic satisfaction declines substantially from the 1993-96 portion of the panel study to the 1996-98 period. As individuals acquire more experience with the democratic system, they appear to assess the system less in terms of its relation to socialism and the previous regime, and more in terms of current economic and political performance. Moreover, evaluations of the democratic system themselves appear to influence the individuals' adherence to socialist values throughout the time spanned by the panel studies; in fact, the article shows that there is little direct effect of socialist values on system support by 1998, once the reverse causal process is taken into account. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for democratic development in the former East Germany, and for more general theories and models of the democratization process.
Political Parties and ngos in the Creation of New Trading Blocs in the Americas
Authors: Macdonald Laura , Schwartz Mildred A.
Published: March 2007

The development of free trade agreements in North America has challenged the capacities of existing political organizations to play representative and responsive roles. This article evaluates the comparative roles of political parties, ngos, and the state in regional debates leading to the development of nafta. Changes following from those interactions are now reflected in ongoing negotiations over ftaa. In the latter context, the Canadian experience indicates an apparent strengthening role for ngos in the formulation of free trade policies along with signs of resistance to this increased participation among decision-makers. Alongside these internal developments are those involving the building of cross-border ties. While states (and thus the representatives of presently governing parties) continue to control the trade agenda, more broadly participatory forms of consultation on trade agreements are developing, gradually enhancing the representative role of ngos as well as providing new opportunities for parties (in and out of power) to improve their own performance.
Issue Voting in the Republic of China on Taiwan's 1992 Legislative Yuan Election
Authors: Hsieh John Fuh-Sheng , Niou Emerson M.S.
Published: March 2007

In the past few years, the Republic of China on Taiwan has undergone a quiet transformation from an authoritarian to a democratic system. On 19 December 1992, forty-five years after the first legislative yuan election, voters went to the poll to elect the entire body of the second legislative yuan. The 1992 election marks a turning point in the ROC's electoral history. This paper examines the role that issues played in that election.

The Kuomintang and the Democratic Progressive Party competed on four main issues during the 1992 legislative yuan election. Based on the survey results, the paper depicts the salience of these issues to individual respondents, the distribution of respondents preferences, and their perceptions of the two parties' policy positions on these issues. The authors then test whether these issues play an important role in explaining the variation in voters' evaluation of the two parties, and, indirectly, their vote choices. The results show that among the four issues included in the model, the democracy/stability issue has the greatest impact on voters' evaluations of parties, followed by the economic and national identity issues, with the environmental issue having the smallest impact.

In addition, the paper examines the role of issue salience in affecting voters' comparative evaluation of the parties. The results show that on the economic, national identity, and democracy/stability issues, difference in salience between those who think of the issue as most important and those who think otherwise contributes to a difference in the impact of issues on party evaluation between the two groups, but on the environmental issue it does not.
Vers un nouveau modèle de démocratie pluraliste
Authors: Vlachos Georges C.
Published: March 2007

Si l'on ne tient pas compte de certaines exclusions—celles notamment qui affectaient les esclaves et les femmes—la démocratie antique apparaît comme ayant les caractéristiques essentielles d'un régime démocratique. Les sociétés modernes, en raison du nombre de leurs habitants ou du moins de la densité de leurs systèmes de communication sociale ne peuvent adopter les modèles antiques à tous les échelons de leur gouvernement. Cependant, la notion de représentation, telle qu'elle est mise en pratique de nos jours, démontre un fort attachement aux principes de l'individualisme et du naturalisme comme à ceux du centralisme politique et administratif. Le modèle de la démocratie antique peut donc nous aider à trouver l'équilibre entre le principe de l'égalité devant la loi et celui du droit à la différence.
The Impacts of HIV/AIDS on Older Populations in Developing Countries
Authors: VanLANDINGHAM MARK , KNODEL JOHN , IM-EM WASSANA , SAENGTIENCHAI CHANPEN
Published: March 2007

The authors describe features of the older population and the history of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Thailand and discuss potential links between them. Both direct and indirect impacts of AIDS on the Thai older population are discussed, but the focus is on how older persons could be indirectly affected by AIDS infections occurring among their adult children. Five major mechanisms are identified through which these indirect effects can occur: finances, health, time commitments, social relationships, and emotional status. Factors that could affect the degree and distribution of such impacts are discussed, and a research agenda is proposed for exploring the impact of AIDS on older persons in developing countries, drawing on the authors' current research project on this topic in Thailand. Several substantive areas are suggested that warrant investigation, and the advantages and weaknesses of a number of methodologies that could be used to pursue these topics are discussed.
Dual-Earner Parents With Disabled Children
Authors: LEWIS SUZAN , KAGAN CAROLYN , HEATON PATRICIA
Published: March 2007

Family strategies for caregiving and income generation are examined in a qualitative study of employed parents of disabled children in the United Kingdom. Four family patterns for working and caring emerged: modified single earner, one-and-a-half earners, dual earners, and flexible dual earners. A number of social, economic, and ideological factors contributed to decision making for these families. Gender expectations and related ideology of caring were usually the most salient, coloring the meanings ascribed to other influencing factors. Gender assumptions in the wider context underpin the difficulties many families experience in obtaining formal supports. The authors argue that flexible community-based and employer supports are crucial to help parents with disabled children to work and care. Beyond this, however, strategies that challenge gender expectations can extend the range of options available to parents, whereas more traditional approaches perpetuate inequalities and family hardship.
How Americans Enact the Grandparent Role Across the Family Life Course
Authors: SILVERSTEIN MERRIL , MARENCO ANNE
Published: March 2007

This study examines life course and sociodemographic variations in the ways grandparents are involved with grandchildren in terms of structural, functional, shared activities, and affective-cognitive aspects of these relationships. Family life stage, as well as grandparents' gender, marital status, race, and education, influenced how the grandparent role was enacted. Younger grandparents tended to live closer to and have greater contact with grandchildren and baby-sit and share recreational activities. Older grandparents tended to provide financial assistance and more strongly identified with the role. When their grandchildren were younger, grandparents tended to interact more with them, share more activities, provide baby-sitting, and receive more symbolic rewards from the grandparent role. Many effects related to grandchildren's age were explained by the greater opportunity of grandparents to interact with younger grandchildren. The article concludes that it is important to consider the life course position of grandparents and grandchildren when ascertaining the content and meaning of the grandparent role.
Family Diversity and Change in Britain and Western Europe
Authors: ALLAN GRAHAM , HAWKER SHEILA , CROW GRAHAM
Published: March 2007

The authors examine recent changes in family relationships in Britain and other countries in Western Europe. To begin with, the authors focus on demographic change, in particular the increased diversity in people's partnership behavior. In considering theoretical accounts that have been given for these changes, the authors explore the ways in which the character of partnership commitment is altering. Particular attention is paid to the growth of cohabitation and the effect this has on cultural understandings of marital commitment. The implications for wider kinship solidarities of changing practices around partnership commitment are discussed. A key theme within this concerns the diversity and complexity of the manner in which family and kinship are negotiated and constructed.
International Variability in Childlessness
Authors: POSTON DUDLEY L. , TRENT KATHERINE
Published: March 2007

This article provides a descriptive account of international trends and variability in marital childlessness. Childlessness data, gathered largely from census questions on number of children ever born, are presented for 65 countries. In discussing trends in childlessness, we introduce several procedures for measuring childlessness that are closely analogous to standard fertility measures. We also set forth a socioeconomic development model that suggests that involuntary childessness predominates among developing countries, and voluntary childlessness among developed countries. Our findings indicate considerable international variability in marital rates of childlessness.
Symptoms of Readiness for Divorce
Authors: PALISI BARTOLOMEO J.
Published: March 2007

George Levinger's analysis of marital cohesion is used to define and evaluate attitudes and feelings toward marriage, and marriage arguments as symptoms of readiness for divorce. Data from London, England; Los Angeles, California; and Sydney and Perth, Australia indicate that status variables are very poor predictors of symptoms and account for very little variance in symptoms. Social interactional and social psychological variables that measure the immediate family environment are strongly related to symptoms in all urban areas. Joint marriage companionship is the single best predictor of symptoms. The importance of immediate family variables for marriage cohesion is discussed.
Feminism and Family Studies
Authors: WALKER ALEXIS J. , THOMPSON LINDA
Published: March 2007

Three basic tenets of feminism (the belief that women are exploited, devalued, and oppressed; a commitment to changing the conditions of women; and the adoption of a perspective critical of intellectual traditions) are discussed. At times these principles are at odds with traditional science. Therefore, we address the question: “Can one be both a scientist and a feminist?” and answer in the affirmative. A review of a sample of JMF articles over the past 20 years shows some substantive but little methodological evidence of feminist scholarship. Analysis of NCFR board composition, and editors and authors in NCFR journals over the same time period reveals a pattern of underrepresentation of women. Scholars in the profession, ourselves included, are called upon to integrate feminist scholarship into the field. The degree to which NCFR adopts and applies gender-neutral standards is the degree to which achievement of feminist goals will be possible.
Parent-Child Relations in Remarried Families
Authors: HOBART CHARLES
Published: March 2007

Data for this study are from simultaneous, independent interviews with husbands and wives in 232 remarried and 102 first-married families. Information was collected on husbands' and wives' relationships with various categories of (step)children and on effects of these various relationships on spousal relations. Findings may be summarized as indicating that in remarried families there are “first-class” (shared) children, “second-class” (wive's unshared) children, and “third-class” (husbands' unshared) children. Each “class” experiences qualitatively distinctive relationships with (step)parents, and these various relationships have differing positive and negative effects on spousal relationships.
Homicidal Wives
Authors: GOETTING ANN
Published: March 2007

The population of 56 women arrested in Detroit, Michigan, for killing their husbands during 1982 and 1983 is described in the context of their killings. Descriptions include the demographic and social characteristics of offenders and victims and the circumstances of the offenses. Where feasible, comparisons are made with general populations of homicide offenders.
The Division of Household Labor
Authors: COLEMAN MARION TOLBERT
Published: March 2007

Although the question of division of household labor between wives and their husbands has been of interest to social scientists for quite some time, in general we do not know much beyond how much time each spends in such activity. While lack of detail and datedness hamper studies based on most large scale data sets, it is possible to glean some initial impressions from the existing work. Those data suggest that there are important qualitative differences between the work that men and women do within the household. This article reviews those findings and presents a gender stratification theoretical framework that appears promising for the examination of the qualitative differences in household and child care division of labor. Three general hypotheses focusing on the concept of the wife's “net economic power” are derived from this framework. Furthermore, the differential impacts of the earnings ratio between husband and wife, stability of that ratio, and presence of surplus income on household division of labor are considered by class. It is suggested that future study focusing on the qualitative aspects of housework and child care sharing within this framework can have social science and policy implications.
Predictors of Loss Management and Well-Being in Later Life Widowhood and Divorce
Authors: FARNSWORTH JUDY , PETT MARJORIE A. , LUND DALE A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that seem substantially to affect the management of loss and subjective well-being of older divorced and widowed individuals. Data were obtained from 219 adults, ages 50-69 years, who were divorced or widowed within two years of interview. Stepwise regression analyses indicated that self-reported personal health was the major predictor of management of loss and well-being for both divorced and widowed respondents with positive ratings of health consistently indicating more satisfactory outcomes. For widowed respondents, time since death of the spouse emerged as a strong predictor in six of the seven criterion measures of loss and well-being. For divorced respondents, time since divorce was not a significant predictor of management of loss and well-being, but divorced women reported more feelings of helplessness/avoidance and anger/guilt/confusion than men.
A Framework for Studying Family Socialization Over the Life Cycle
Authors: KALMUSS DEBRA , SELTZER JUDITH A.
Published: March 2007

Theoretical and empirical work on family socialization focuses on the process by which parents transmit values to their children. This work tends to rely on the unstated assumption that individuals live in only two families during their lives: the family of origin and the family of procreation. Behavior is learned in the childhood family and transmitted to the marital/childbearing family unit formed later in life. This limiting assumption discourages consideration of how current rates of divorce and remarriage affect the process of family socialization. This article uses a lifetime perspective on family socialization to develop a framework for understanding the effects of divorce and remarriage on family violence. We identify three sources of family socialization experiences: socialization that occurs early in family life and creates a repertoire of behavior that may be carried into subsequent family relationships; lessons learned as a result of transitions from one family to another; and socialization experiences in a person's current family. Although the discussion focuses on the specific case of how the transitions of divorce and remarriage affect family violence, the framework can be extended to other family transitions and behaviors.
Parenthood and Psychological Well-Being
Authors: UMBERSON DEBRA , GOVE WALTER R.
Published: March 2007

There are theoretical foundations in sociology for two seemingly incompatible positions: (1) children should have a strong negative impact on the psychological well-being of parents and (2) children should have a strong positive impact on the psychological well-being of parents. Most empirical analyses yield only a modest relationship between parenthood and psychological well-being. Usually, but not always, it is negative. In this study we consider the relationship between parental status and several dimensions of psychological well-being. Our analysis is based on data from a large national survey. It suggests that children have positive and negative effects on the psychological well-being of parents. The balance of positive and negative effects associated with parenthood depends on residential status of the child, age of youngest child, marital status of the parent, and the particular dimension of psychological well-being examined. When compared with nonparents, parents with children in the home have low levels of affective well-being and satisfaction, and high levels of life-meaning; parents with adult children living away from home have high levels of affective well-being, satisfaction, and life-meaning. The widowed appear to benefit most from parenthood and the divorced appear to experience the greatest costs.
Pregnancy Resolution and Family Formation
Authors: MARSIGLIO WILLIAM , MENAGHAN ELIZABETH G.
Published: March 2007

This article examines gender differences in adolescents' personal views about pregnancy resolution and family formation as they relate to a vignette describing their involvement in an unplanned pregnancy within the context of an ongoing, stable relationship. We use a sample of 577 White and Black high school students from a metropolitan, midwestern city to contrast males' and females' preferences and beliefs about pregnancy resolution and family formation. Although similar percentages of males and females preferred abortion and adoption as strategies for handling their own pregnancy, females were more likely than males to select arrangements that involved living with their children, and they were more likely than males to choose single custodial parenting as their first preference. For those young people choosing some form of parental rearing, observed gender differences in the preference for forming a two-parent household were explained by adolescents' beliefs about their parents' and friends' expectations and their personal concerns about having their educational career adversely affected.
The Evolution of Workplace Family Policy Research
Authors: STARRELS MARJORIE E.
Published: March 2007

This article integrates and analyzes research on workplace family policy and suggests areas for further inquiry. It highlights salient themes such as corporate culture, gender and class differences regarding support for policies, and the role of government. A theoretical framework for understanding barriers to progressive family policies in the workplace is articulated that identifies competing social, cultural, and psychological forces. Thus the article delineates factors that support and circumvent creation and successful implementation of workfamily policies. In so doing, it specifies reasons for employer and employee resistance to progressive gender roles. Although future research might elaborate more systematically the relative tenacity of and intersections between various barriers to progressive policy, it also needs to evaluate on a larger scale and with greater precision the costs and benefits of traditional versus progressive programs. These and other issues figure prominently in a research agenda for the 1990s.
Adult Son-Parent Relationships and Their Associations With Sons' Psychological Distress
Authors: BARNETT ROSALIND C. , MARSHALL NANCY L. , PLECK JOSEPH H.
Published: March 2007

The relationship between the quality of adult sons' experiences in their current relationships with their mothers and fathers and the sons' psychological distress was examined in a random sample of 285 sons, aged 25 to 40. Quality of experience in the son role was assessed separately for the son-mother and son-father relationships. Sons who reported a positive relationship with their mother or father also reported low psychological distress. The presence or absence of female siblings moderated the association between both the son-mother and son-father relationship quality and sons' distress. This association was also moderated by the parents' age, and, among sons with fathers, this association was moderated by the sons' education.
Late-Life Divorce
Authors: PETT MARJORIE A. , LANG NANCY , GANDER ANITA
Published: March 2007

The impact of late-life divorce on family rituals has not been systematically explored. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived changes in specific family celebrations, traditions, important life cycle events, and day-to-day family contact that occurred for a group of 115 adult children (73 females and 42 males) whose parents had divorced after a long-term marriage. A strong positive correlation was found between perceived disruptiveness of the parental divorce and changes in family rituals, particularly at Thanksgiving and Christmas. The role of women as kinkeepers, sibling differences, and the implications of evolving family ritual activities for theory development, research, assessment, and intervention are explored.
Black-White Differences in Kin Contact and Exchange Among Never Married Adults
Authors: RALEY R. KELLY
Published: March 2007

This research uses the National Survey of Families and Households to explore Black-White differences in kin contact and exchange among unmarried young adults. Many significant differences between Blacks and Whites are found in both the descriptive statistics and in regression models that control for education, employment, and area of residence. This article also investigates the role of premarital fertility in race differences for women. Unmarried Black men and women are more likely than Whites to be living with relatives, especially nonnuclear relatives. In addition, Black women contact mothers and siblings and socialize with relatives more often than White women. However, Blacks are less likely to exchange aid with any relative, although they are more likely to exchange aid with relatives other than their parents.
Marriage Timing of Chinese American and Japanese American Women
Authors: FERGUSON SUSAN J.
Published: March 2007

Using U.S. census data, this study examines the differences in marriage rates and timing among White, Chinese American, and Japanese American women. An accelerated time model estimates the duration until marriage for each racial-ethic group while controlling for nativity, education, birth cohort, ancestry, and English proficiency. Results show that White women have the shortest duration until marriage, with a smaller percentage remaining never married. Chinese American and Japanese American women delay first marriage longer and have higher percentages of never married women.
Obesity and Marital Quality
Authors: SOBAL JEFFERY , RAUSCHENBACH BARBARA S. , FRONGILLO EDWARD A.
Published: March 2007

Obesity is a stigmatized condition that clinical studies have suggested is associated with low marital quality. Body weight, marital unhappiness, and marital problems were examined in a national telephone survey of 1,980 married adults. Few relationships between the 5 measures of weight and 2 measures of marital quality (unhappiness and problems) were significant. Obese men had more marital problems. Men who lost more weight reported marital problems less often. Obese women reported less marital unhappiness. Men and women who gained weight were happier with their marriages. These population-based findings differ from popular beliefs and clinical studies and may be interpreted using family functioning, social norms, and marital exchange models.
The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2)
Authors: STRAUS MURRAY A. , HAMBY SHERRY L. , BONEY-McCOY SUE , SUGARMAN DAVID B.
Published: March 2007

This article describes a revised Conflict Tactics Scales (the CTS2) to measure psychological and physical attacks on a partner in a marital, cohabiting, or dating relationship; and also use of negotiation. The CTS2 has (a) additional items to enhance content validity and reliability; (b) revised wording to increase clarity and specificity; (c) better differentiation between minor and severe levels of each scale; (d) new scales to measure sexual coercion and physical injury; and (e) a new format to simplify administration and reduce response sets. Reliability ranges from .79 to .95. There is preliminary evidence of construct validity.
Improving Parental Partnerships in Low-Income Families as a Means for Increasing Noncustodial Parental Compliance with Child Support Orders
Authors: DAIL PAULA W. , THIEMAN ALICE A.
Published: March 2007

This article reports evaluation results from a federally funded project designed to improve the co-parenting relationship between custodial and noncustodial parents. The project was hypothesized that improving this relationship would result in increased voluntary compliance with child support orders. Results indicate that, although numerous strategies to involve noncustodial parents in the program were employed, virtually none was successful. Although there was a slight increase in compliance with child support orders for participant families, this was not thought to be a result of program participation and did not have a positive impact on income level of participant families. Further, the quarterly income of the participant families fell dramatically over the course of the program. Discussion focuses on the flaws in family policy that contribute to the failure of the parental partnership concept for low-income families.
Gender, High- and Low-Schedule-Control Housework Tasks, and Psychological Distress
Authors: BARNETT ROSALIND C. , SHEN YU-CHU
Published: March 2007

In this analysis, with data collected from a random sample of 265 employed dual-earner couples, we estimated the association between time spent on housework tasks on one hand and psychological distress on the other. Based on the literature relating job control to mental health outcomes, we hypothesized that hours spent in low-schedule-control tasks, but not total hours spent in housework tasks or hours spent in high-schedule-control tasks, would be associated with psychological distress. Further, we hypothesized that absolute but not proportional time in low-schedule-control tasks would be related to distress. After controlling for age, gender, education, occupational prestige, number of children, preschool children, gender role ideology, marital role quality, and total number of hours in paid employment, all hypotheses were supported. Finally, as hypothesized these relationships were not moderated by gender.
Race Differences in Intergenerational Financial Assistance
Authors: JAYAKODY RUKMALIE
Published: March 2007

Recent studies consistently report that Whites are more likely than African Americans to receive economic assistance from their families. Explanations of why Whites receive more assistance, however, have not been adequately explored. The current research hypothesizes that financial transfers from parents to adult children are guided by both the needs of children and the resources of their parents. Yet, the majority of prior research has considered the characteristics of only one end of the transfer flow—either the giver or the receiver, but not both. When both needs and resources are taken into account, and when family structure is adequately controlled, it is expected that race differences in the receipt of financial assistance will be reduced or eliminated. Probit models are used to examine the probability of receiving assistance, and a censored regression tobit model examines the amount received.
Family Life and the Pursuit of Happiness
Authors: ALDOUS JOAN , GANEY RODNEY F.
Published: March 2007

The General Social Surveys for the years 1972 to 1993 provide the data for examining the reported happiness of U.S. adults according to race and gender. The study looks at the comparative happiness of Blacks and Whites and, within each race, the factors contributing to the happiness of women and men. There have been few previous studies of the happiness of Blacks, and those on the well-being of Whites have resulted in the anomalous finding, given the gender stratification hierarchy, that women generally report being happier than men. As predicted, the findings showed Whites to be generally happier than Blacks, and White women to be somewhat happier than White men. Also as predicted, family and other inter-personal ties were more important for White women's happiness than for White men's happiness. Marital satisfaction also contributed more to the satisfaction of married Black women than married Black men.
Family as Mapped Realities
Authors: LEVIN IRENE
Published: March 2007

Both in everyday language and in more theoretical definitions, family is often made synonymous with household. At the same time, family and household structure have changed remarkably during the last few decades. These changes have implications for how we define family. With a closed and nonproblematized concept of family, certain types of interpretations of social reality are made, but what is needed is a view that can accommodate the more complex and less normative concepts drawn from the everyday experience of family members themselves. This article presents a method for mapping members' conceptualizations.
Sport Institutions and Ideology in Israel
Authors: Nevo Iddo
Published: March 2007

The inherent relationship between Israeli sport organizations and political movements has been one of the key identifying marks of Israeli sport. This relationship was successful due to the mutual benefits it provided to the political system and the power centers of the sporting establishment alike. This article maintains that parallel to the ideological and cultural shifts in Israeli society, a new balance of power among sporting institutions was created. This combination has reshaped the relations between sports and politics in Israel.