bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Et Tú Brutè?
Authors: DALLA ROCHELLE L.
Published: March 2007

Intensive interviews were conducted with 31 streetwalking prostitutes to examine their interpersonal support systems. Interviews focused on their relationships with parents or parental figures, partners, and children. Data were analyzed using phenomenological descriptive analysis. Results reveal the potentially dark side of human relationships and the destructive, lingering effects of such on individual development. Familial environments were characterized by parental alcoholism and drug abuse, domestic violence, parental absence and abandonment, and multiple forms of childhood abuse. Relationships between the women and their male partners were largely devoid of emotional content but rather based on sex and drugs. Few of the women retained custody of their children, although many were hopeful that they would be reunited with them in the future.
Reconsidering Family Policy
Authors: SCANZONI JOHN
Published: March 2007

The question of family policy is considered in terms of “conventional-progressive” interest group perspectives. The conventional perspective is that “family problems” are the result of “breakdown” and can be resolved by reestablishing the status quo ante. Progressive interest groups contend that family “difficulties” are the result of “slippage” between morphogenetic society and morphostatic (or “conventional”) family. Progressive advocates also argue that current and projected pervasive changes in citizens' marital/familial behaviors can be accepted, and that a theoretically informed, socially responsible model of family can be offered as a viable policy alternative to the conventional one.
Problems of Prisoners' Families
Authors: FERRARO KATHLEEN J. , JOHSON JOHN M. , JORGENSEN STEPHEN R. , BOLTON F. G.
Published: March 2007

This research examines the differential effects of imprisonment on the inmate's family—the hidden familial costs of imprisonment. Lengthy interviews were conducted with adult members of inmates' families in a sample drawn from a maximum security prison, and 46 of these are analyzed here. Problems with income, employment and child care were severe, pervasive, and subject to only minor changes over time. These affected spouses more than other family members. Deterioration of relationships with family and friends were also noted by many, showing a greater tendency for adjustment over time. Some of the strongest perceived effects of imprisonment on the family members were emotional, including problems of expressing and dealing with feelings, and problems of experiencing enjoyment in life. Social ties complicate the punitive consequences of incarceration, which stands in tension with a system of justice that is oriented to the individual rule violator.
High-Quality Proprietary Day Care
Authors: ENDSLEY RICHARD C. , BRADBARD MARILYN R. , READDICK CHRISTINE A.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of parents choosing quality day care programs for their children. Questionnaires were obtained from 152 parents whose children were enrolled in one of the 10 licensed day care centers in two neighboring Alabama communities, and from 105 parents whose children attended one of eight licensed centers in a Georgia community and a Maryland community. Information obtained from the parents included demographics on the family and the process the parents went through in selecting a center. The results from the Alabama sample yielded eleven significant correlates of day care quality choice, where quality was assessed independently and reliably by local day care experts. Five of these variables, when entered in a stepwise regression analysis, accounted for 39% of the variance in quality choices among centers in Alabama and 34% of the variance in quality in the Georgia/Maryland replication sample. Briefly, (a) the amount of husband's education, (b) dissatisfaction with previous day care arrangements, (c) fewer children, (d) the wife and husband making the decision together, and (e) not choosing a center due to location were all significant, independent predictors of choosing a quality program.
Changes in Laws Governing Divorce
Authors: BROWN SUSAN
Published: March 2007

This article will explore various clinical, sociological, and legal justificiations given for the adoption, by some state courts, of joint legal custody as a preference or custodial norm. It will suggest that this trend, however well intentioned, may be ineffective and counterproductive. It may serve only to undermine the values advocates assume it will promote. It may cause harm to the children it is intended to benefit. Furthermore, there are other reforms, some already underway, that may be more effective in promoting these values, and in serving the needs of postdivorce parents and their children.
Women's Employment, Time Expenditure, and Divorce
Authors: SPITZE GLENNA , SOUTH SCOTT J.
Published: March 2007

Past research on the relationship between wives' employment and divorce has focused on two types of explanations: those positing changed motives regarding divorce and those suggesting changed opportunities. Without discounting totally the path from income to opportunity, we focus here on a somewhat neglected alternative, that leading from time constraints to changed motives toward maintaining a marriage. We argue that time spent by the wife working outside the home impedes the completion of tasks necessary to the maintenance of the household and hence increases the probability of divorce. Using data from the Young and Mature Women samples of the National Longitudinal Survey, we find that among employed women, hours worked has a greater impact on marital dissolution than do various measures of wife's earnings. In partial support of our hypotheses, the relationship between wife's hours worked and the probability of divorce is strongest for middle income families and families in which the husband disapproves of his wife's employment.
A Theory of Family, Economy, and Gender
Authors: HUBER JOAN
Published: March 2007

Two assumptions undergird the argument: In all societies producers have more power than consumers; those who control the distribution of valued goods beyond the family have the most power. Historically, the requirements of population replacement have interacted with modes of subsistence technology to shape the differential distribution of power and prestige by sex. Evidence comes from societies based on foraging, the hoe, the plow, herding, and industrial technologies.
Influences on Sibling Relations in Families with Married and Divorced Parents
Authors: MacKINNON CAROL E.
Published: March 2007

Two regression analyses were performed that tested the relationships between the amount of negative sibling interaction and the amount of positive sibling interaction and measures of relationship quality and family form. When measures of husband-wife, mother-child, and father-child relationship quality were controlled, marital status was not significantly related to either measure of sibling interactions. However, when the marital status of the parents (family form) was controlled, both the quality of husband-wife relationship and the quality of mother-child relationship were positively related to positive sibling interaction and negatively related to negative sibling interaction. Regardless of family form, the quality of other relationships in the family were important predictors of sibling interactions.
The Effects of Replacing Income Tax Deductions for Children With Children's Allowances
Authors: MEYER DANIEL R. , PHILLIPS ELIZABETH , MARITATO NANCY L.
Published: March 2007

All other industrialized countries have some version of a children's allowance, a grant provided to all families based on the number of children they have. In contrast, the United States provides tax deductions for children, which provide the most benefit to the rich and provide no benefit at all to most poor families. The authors argue that a children's allowance could be instituted in this country that would decrease poverty and welfare participation while not costing the federal government any additional resources. A microsimulation model shows the effects of three levels of children's allowances on government revenues, family incomes, welfare use, and labor supply.
Fathers and Parental Leave
Authors: HYDE JANET SHIBLEY , ESSEX MARILYN J. , HORTON FRANCINE
Published: March 2007

This research examined the parental leave-taking behaviors and attitudes of a sample of 550 U.S. men whose wives/partners were pregnant, in a longitudinal design that assessed them during the middle trimester of pregnancy, 1 month after the birth, and 4 months after the birth. Identity theory provided the theoretical framework. The fathers' mean length of leave was 5 days, with 71% of fathers taking 5 or fewer days; 91% of fathers took at least some leave. Generally both men and women were strong supporters of job-guaranteed parental leave for fathers, although opinions were mixed about paid parental leave for fathers. The employer's policy regarding length of leave was a significant predictor of the length of leave taken. As predicted by identity theory, sex role attitudes predicted length of leave; supervisor/co-worker attitudes were marginally significant predictors. As predicted by our analysis of the good-provider model and the father involvement model, fathers holding egalitarian sex role attitudes and high in family salience took the longest leaves.
The Relation Between Role Constructions and Adjustment Among Stepfathers
Authors: FINE MARK A. , GANONG LAWRENCE H. , COLEMAN MARILYN
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to assess the relations between stepfathers' constructions of their role as stepfathers and several dimensions of their adjustment. Thirty-nine stepfathers who resided with stepchildren between the ages of 10 and 18 completed a series of self-report measures assessing their perceptions of the stepfather role and their perceived adjustment in several individual, stepfather, marital, and family domains. Positive stepfather outcomes were related to (a) stepfathers' perceptions that they frequently engage in parenting behaviors and that they should engage in these behaviors; (b) small discrepancies between perceived role behavior and standards of how one should behave as a stepfather, particularly with respect to the warmth dimension of parenting; and (c) role clarity. Implications for theory modification and future research are discussed.
Youth Inside or Outside the Parental Home
Authors: VAN HEKKEN SUUS M. J. , DE MEY LANGHA , SCHULZE HANS-JOACHIM
Published: March 2007

This article presents some trends in the leaving home process of young adults between 1950 and 1990 and the trend shift that took place in the second half of the 1970s. Using a theoretical scheme, the authors discuss the possible relationship of material and nonmaterial resources in the family and outside the family with young adults' decision of leaving or staying home. Related to family-bound material resources, the authors discuss variables such as parental money, parental services, and the economic job status of the father. Nonmaterial family resources are the parent-child relationship, norms and values, and educational level. Both material and nonmaterial variables do not explain the trend shift in the leaving home process. In general, the authors conclude that the material and nonmaterial variables outside the family offer promising explanations for the trend shift in the average age at which young adults leave home for the first time.
Sibling Ties in Later Life
Authors: CAMPBELL LORI D. , CONNIDIS INGRID ARNET , DAVIES LORRAINE
Published: March 2007

Using data from a study of 678 adults aged 55 and older, this article examines the role of siblings in four social support networks: confidants, companions, emotional support, and instrumental support, with a particular focus on the impact of gender and marital status on their role. Two types of analyses are used: probability analysis to determine the likelihood of specifying a given tie as a network member and compositional analysis of network membership. Three models of support (hierarchical compensatory, task specificity, functional specificity of relationships) are used to discuss the significant results regarding the probability of including a sibling in each network and the dominance of siblings in the overall composition of each network. The single, especially women, the childless, and widowed women stand out as having particularly involved sibling ties. Greatest support is found for the functional specificity model and for the value of combining probability and compositional analyses.
Family Members' Experiences With Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR)
Authors: LARSEN GWEN
Published: March 2007

This qualitative study describes the experience of family members making do-not-resuscitate (DNR) decisions for an imcompetent, terminally ill family member. Terminally ill was defined as a debilitating condition that is medically incurable and expected to cause death. The essence of the experience was gathered through in-depth unstructured interviews. Interviews were then analyzed using qualitative analysis procedures. Three broad theme categories were identified: (a) making the decision, (b) the companion of stress, and (c) the perception of feeling supported or nonsupported. Within each category, theme clusters developed. Theme clusters under “making the decision” delineated areas decision makers considered before arriving at the DNR decision. Theme clusters under “companion of stress” and “perception of feeling supported or nonsupported” portrayed the needs of family members surrounding the decision-making process. The fulfillment or nonfulfillment of identified needs had a direct relationship with family members' decision satisfaction.
Race Differences in Changing Family Demographics in the 1980s
Authors: HEATON TIM B. , JACOBSON CARDELL K.
Published: March 2007

Traditional demarcators of family formation and dissolution have changed dramatically over the past few decades and Black-White differences have become pronounced. In this article, we explore the degree to which a relatively small set of variables can account for racial difference in timing of initiation of sexual activity, first marriage, first birth, and divorce. The independent variables included in the model are adolescent living arrangements (single-parent vs. two-parent), mother's educational level, religion, region of the country, area of residency (urban, suburban, rural), birth cohort, and year of the survey. Based on hazard models for the rate of occurrence of each event, we estimate how Blacks would differ if they had mean values on covariates equal to White observed means. Although the results differ for the four dependent variables, this particular set of independent variables does not provide a satisfactory explanation of the differences between Black and White family formation and dissolution. Blacks and Whites may be responding to different structural and cultural constraints not easily captured by basic demographic variables.
Multiple Identities in a Marginalized Culture
Authors: Wilson Brian , White Philip , Fisher Karen
Published: March 2007

This article is a theoretical and empirical examination of female youth culture in recreation/drop-in centers. The authors attempt to integrate theories of female participation in leisure and sport with more mainstream perspectives on female youth subcultures. A gender-sensitive, cultural studies-based perspective emerges, underscored by a (Chicago-style) symbolic interactionist approach to understanding social process. Research findings from an ethnographic study of female youth in one such center in southern Ontario, Canada, are presented, with particular attention to how the various beliefs, behaviors, and customs that characterized female youth culture in the center were created, maintained, and referred to as the basis for interaction. The study findings showed that experiences within the center, although generally positive, were varied and extremely gendered, with female youth marginalized in the informal, male-dominated sport culture. Moreover, the findings revealed that among these youth, there existed simultaneously a resistance to broader, gender-and class-based limitations on sport participation and a reproduction of informal power structures. The relevance of these findings to theoretical understandings of female youth culture and youth-centered organizations and to practical and strategic approaches to programming for “at-risk” female youth are assessed, and suggestions for future research in this sparse area are provided.
Winning Ways
Authors: Heeren John W. , Requa Marylee
Published: March 2007

Using observations and interviews of a girls high school field hockey team, this article investigates the values conveyed through participating in this sport. As the team had a lengthy record of success, the main value that permeated the team’s culture was that of winning. Contrary to other scholars who tend to emphasize the negative consequences of having a high value placed on winning, this study suggests that winning can have generally positive results for the players and the community.
Defending the Nation
Authors: Chisholm Ann
Published: March 2007

This article examines U.S. Women’s Gymnastics both as a contemporary site of public fascination and as a historically situated discourse. In doing so, the article argues that early U.S. women’s gymnastics functioned as a means of subjection that was understood to cultivate desirable (White, bourgeois) femininity. Nevertheless, elegance, beauty, and perfected femininity do not adequately explain the appeal of U.S. women’s gymnastics. Instead, U.S. women gymnasts also function as limit figures that mediate cultural anxieties and conflicting desires regarding national identity in the U.S. popular imagination.
Women’s Football in the United Kingdom
Authors: Caudwell Jayne
Published: March 2007

This article draws on recent quantitative and qualitative research material to show how gender functions in the cultural arena of women’s football in the United Kingdom. In particular, the questionnaire and interview findings show that the “butch lesbian” identity is a concern for those players who have taken part in the research. This supports other research on women taking part in sports traditionally defined as male. I will discuss the findings as they relate to the social construction of gender and lesbianism. The research suggests that our understanding of gender and sexuality is bound up in a structuralist analysis. I will offer a post-structuralist interpretation as a “new” way to theorize gender and sexuality as they function within women’s football culture in the United Kingdom.
HIGHER EDUCATION AND THE PLIGHT OF THE BLACK MALE ATHLETE
Authors: Siegel Donald
Published: March 2007

The effect of athletic participation on the graduation rate of Black male scholarship athletes was examined. Data are reviewed and comparisons are made of Whites versus Blacks at “elite” schools and at the average Division I institution. The data indicate that although Black athletes trail Whites in graduation rate across institutions and sports, Black athletes tend to graduate at a higher rate than do their Black peers at elite institutions and across Division I schools. Such findings conflict with the common belief that athletic participation has a negative impact on the academic success of Black males. Nonetheless, the Black-White differences remain problematic. It has become apparent that the issues involved go well beyond athletics and that sports, once again, appears to highlight and reflect larger societal problems.
TOUGH ENOUGH AND WOMAN ENOUGH
Authors: Halbert Christy
Published: March 2007

Women have traditionally been credited only with marginal roles in the sport of boxing, even though they have competed as pugilists since the late 1880s. The author interviewed 12 women professional boxers in the United States in an effort to understand their position as athletes who compete in a sport considered deviant for women. This revealed that women pugilists face discrimination at gyms and in competitions, are aware of numerous stereotypes as a result of their participation in a deviant sport, and use several strategies to manage their identity in an effort to remain marketable in the industry. They are aware of the need for balance of a public identity that appears neither too masculine nor too feminine. This balance is done in an effort to avoid negative sanctions and thus improve chances of becoming a successful professional boxer.
SPEED, AGGRESSION, STRENGTH, AND TACTICAL NAÏVETÉ
Authors: McCarthy David , Jones Robyn L.
Published: March 2007

The aim of the study was to analyze whether the language used by television commentators during the coverage of domestic English soccer matches differed according to the race of the player. It was hypothesized that the English television medium constructed negative images of the Black domestic soccer player through the descriptive narratives and metaphors adopted. The methodology was composed of a verbal content analysis (as used by Sabo and colleagues). The analysis centered on the identification and categorization of positive and negative commentator remarks. The categories were (a) players and their performances, (b) physical characteristics of players, and (c) psychological characteristics of players. Although Black players were depicted positively in each of the defined categories, evidence of covert racial stereotyping was found in the excessive positive depictions related to the physicality of the Black players and the psychological characteristics of the White players.
ONCE UPON A SUBCULTURE
Authors: Spencer Nancy E.
Published: March 2007

Since the early 1970s, professional women tennis players have been among the most highly visible female athletes. In the 1990s, high-profile celebrity women tennis players such as Steffi Graf and Monica Seles earn millions of dollars in prize winnings and endorsements. But this was not always the case. In the early years of the “open era” of tennis, professional women tennis players commonly earned only a fraction of the prize winnings awarded to men. This was until a specific conjunctural moment in women's tennis history when key events produced the celebrity space in which professional female athletes now flourish. Using Hebdige's subcultural theory, the author contends that meanings of the subculture of professional women's tennis are revealed in distinctive styles that emerged beginning in the 1970s.
Environmental Awareness and Responsibility
Authors: Mares Cherry
Published: March 2007

The aim of the research was to find ways of increasing children's awareness of litter and responsibility for the environment. Using principles identified in an initial investigation, learning materials were designed to act as stimulus and support for a project based on the subject of litter and leading on to a study of wider environmental problems. The materials were evaluated in a pilot study involving, 1,139 children in primary schools in England, Scotland, and Wales. The evaluation used questionnaires, observation, inter views, and tests to assess factors such as the extent to which the materials achieved their stated aims and the comparative awareness of litter of control and experimental groups. A summary of the findings of the evaluation is given, with information on current and further research.
An Evaluation of Rural Health Care Research
Authors: Kane Robert , Dean Marilyn , Solomon Marian
Published: March 2007

This article reviews the state of the art of rural health research and evaluation with par ticular emphasis on the questions of access, health personnel, and financing. The current state of knowledge both in the published and in the unpublished literature in each area is summarized and a series of unresolved issues is proposed. A strategy for further research to include the various types of rural health care programs is described. Major findings suggest that, although rural populations do have somewhat less access to care than do urban populations, our ability to quantify precisely the extent and importance of this discrepancy is underdeveloped. Despite a substantial investment in a variety of rural health care programs there is inadequate information as to their effectiveness. Programs designed to increase the supply of health personnel to rural areas have met with mixed success. Sites staffed by National Health Service Corps personnel show consistently lower productivity than do sites under other sponsorship. Nonphysician personnel (physician assistants and nurse practitioners) offer apromising source of primary carefor rural areas; recent legislation that reimburses such care should increase their utilization. A persistent problem is the expectation (often a mandate) incorporated into many rural health care demonstration efforts that the programs become financially self-sufficient in a finite period of time. Self-sufficiency is a function of utilization, productivity, and the ability to recover charges for services. In many instances stringent enforcement of the self-suf ficiency requirement may mean those those who need the services most will be least likely to receive them.
Estimation Procedures for Pooled Cross-Sectional and Time Series Data
Authors: Berk Richard A. , Hoffman Donnie M. , Maki Judith E. , Rauma David , Wong Herbert
Published: March 2007

In this paper we provide a didactic introduction to econometric estimation procedures for data with both cross-sectional and longitudinal variation. Several different ap proaches are discussed, and data from an earlier study by Deutsch and Alt (1977) are reanalyzed as an example.
Housing Benefits From the Section 8 Housing Program
Authors: Weinberg Daniel H.
Published: March 2007

The Section 8 housing program is the largest U. S. housing assistance program. This article presents the first systematic analysis of the benefits participating households receive and compares those benefits with federal government costs. Section 8 New Construction projects provide acceptable housing at an affordable price to those low-income households fortunate enough to be accepted by the developers. However, about 20% of the total project rents goes to program-related costs rather than to tenant benefits. A major advantage of the Section 8 Existing Housingprogram is that tenant benefits are provided without excessive rent increases. But, most units in that program do not meet Section 8 Acceptability Criteria. A shift in emphasis from the New Construction to the Existing Housing program can save the government significant amounts of money yet maintain the number of households assisted.
Evaluating Microcounseling Training
Authors: Gill Stephen Joel , Berger Carl F. , Cogar George L.
Published: March 2007

An evaluation research design was developed as an attempt to provide a more satisfactory approach to microcounseling training program evaluation. Trainee performance was measured three times during a counseling practicum, with microcounseling training occurring between the second and third observations. Trainee performance was compared to a predetermined standard for counselor behavior. Results were analyzed for both the differences between observations, and the degree of similarity to the model. Counseling behavior of trainees after microcounseling training was significantly different from their behavior prior to the training. After training they were more like the standard. The trainees performed less like the standard after some counseling experience, but before receiving microcounseling training.
Evaluation of an Alternative Home Energy Audit Program
Authors: Egel Ken
Published: March 2007

From May 1984 through May 1985 the city of Santa Monica, California, operated an innovative home energy audit program designed to test alternative approaches to the federally mandated Residential Conservation Service (RCS) Program, the program under which virtually all major utility companies in the nation have offered their customers energy conservation audits and recommendations since the early 1980s. As a consequence of the Energy Fitness Program's unique approach, it has become one of the nation's most successful home energy audit programs. This article provides a brief summary of the unique elements of the Santa Monica Program's approach, describes the components of the experimental design by which the effort was completed, and presents the final results of the evaluation performed to measure the program's effectiveness. The evaluation discus sion will particularly focus on program participation and net savings in natural gas, electricity, and water resources achieved by participants.
How Precise Are Evaluations of Employment and Training Programs
Authors: L Robert , Maynard Rebecca
Published: March 2007

This article summarizes the results from two studies that used experimental data to evaluate nonexperimental methods of program evaluation. These studies compared the experimental estimates—of an employment and training program that used random assignment to allocate its participants into training positions—to estimates from nonexperimental procedures. Both studies indicate that the nonexperimental methods may not accurately replicate the experimental estimates, and that recently developed methods for constructing comparison groups are no more likely to yield accurate estimates of the impact of training than the more conventional econometric procedures.
Training the Disadvantaged
Authors: Bassi Laurie J.
Published: March 2007

Recently, the Job Training Partnership Act has been implemented with the explicit purpose of moving economically disadvantaged individuals toward economic indepen dence through the provision of training. Ideally, we wish to know whether this type of training is a cost-effective expenditure.
Determinants of Benefit-Program Participation Among the Urban Homeless
Authors: Wright James D. , Weber Eleanor
Published: March 2007

Data are presented on the entitlement status of nearly 30,000 homeless persons who have received care through the national Health Care for the Homeless program in 16 project cities. Overall, about half of all clients are enrolled in at least one benefit program; program participation is slightly higher among homeless women than among homeless men and increases sharply with age. City-to-city variation in theproportion ofparticipat ing clients is found to be determined primarily by state-level differences in the leniency of eligibility criteria; in contrast, the effects of direct project efforts are modest. The "entitle ment problem "faced by the urban homeless is not that they fail to participate in programs for which they are otherwise eligible, but rather that in many states they are not eligible to participate in many programs, regardless of their rather obvious needs.
Working With State and Local Service Delivery Systems
Authors: Lobosco Anna F. , Kaufman Judith S.
Published: March 2007

The conflict between the political agenda and practical implementation is not unique to the evaluation of Educational Opportunity Programs at community colleges; it is a problem that plagues the development, initiation, and maintenance of all innovative services and service delivery systems. It is a particular feature of most remedial education programs due to their regulated (legislated and funded) nature. This article documents the interaction between state and local service delivery systems and discusses the politics of conducting a multi-site evaluation which straddled state and local funding mechanisms and service delivery systems in terms of the problems encountered and appropriate evaluation practice.
Considerations in the Application of a Modified Scree Test for Delphi Survey Data
Authors: Altschuld James W. , Thomas Phyllis M.
Published: March 2007

Recently, Keith Zoski and Stephen Jurs proposed a modified version of the scree test for analyzing Delphi survey data. Although the test has merit, three considerations or problems affecting its use are examined and examples of data related to those problems are given. Discussion is also provided regarding appropriate and inappropriate applications of the modified scree test to Delphi data.
Using Cost-Benefit Analysis To Evaluate Correctional Sentences
Authors: Gray Tara , Larsen Clark R. , Haynes Peter , Olson Kent W.
Published: March 2007

When Haynes and Larsen gathered self-report and official data from burglars, they found the high cost of recidivistic crime causes probation to cost more than prison. Gray and Olson analyzed the data again, arguing that researchers should measure rehabilitation, the difference between priors and recidivism, rather than recidivism alone. They found that prison may generate so much dehabilitation that it costs more than probation. In this study, the four authors analyze their conflicting results and show how cost-benefit analysis can inform policymakers.
Methods for Tracking Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents
Authors: Gregory Marilyn M. , Lohr Mary Jane , Gilchrist Lewayne D.
Published: March 2007

This article provides descriptive information on procedures used to successfully follow a sample of 241 premaritally pregnant urban adolescents participating in a longitudinal study of drug use patterns. Respondents were interviewed once during pregnancy, with subsequent interviews at 1 month, 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months after pregnancy resolution. Only 1 respondent refused to continue in the study, and temporary attrition due to inability to locate respondents was only 1% to 3% at each wave of data collection. Successful methods for sample recruitment and retention are discussed, emphasizing a multimethod approach.
Techniques for Analyzing Focus Group Data
Authors: Bertrand Jane T. , Brown Judith E. , Ward Victoria M.
Published: March 2007

Focus groups are widely used in the field of public health as a quick, low-cost means of obtaining information from selected groups in the target population for programmatic purposes. Much has been written about techniques for conducting focus groups, but there is limited practical information on systematic analysis of the results. The current article outlines three methods of recording information from focus groups onto paper, as well as three techniques for condensing hours of free-flowing discussion into a readable article that accurately reflects the main points of the focus group discussions. The value of using microcomputers in organizing the focus group information is also discussed.
Formative Evaluation of a Nutritional Marketing Project in City-Center Restaurants
Authors: Demers Andrée , Renaud Lise
Published: March 2007

Eating habits are influenced by both individual and collective factors. From this perspective, a community health project designed to provide and promote low-fat foods in restaurants, was elaborated with the collaboration of seven downtown Montreal restaurants. This article reviews two major questions pertaining to the feasibility of this nutritional marketing project. The first question focuses on restaurateurs' acceptance of this type of initiative, and the second, on consumers' receptiveness. The formative evaluation shows that restaurateurs are willing to collaborate in the implementation of this type of project, but not in training sessions for waiters. On the other hand, 18% of the market currently favors low-fat menu choices and the project did not significantly contribute to an increase in market demand The evaluation also points to a number of ways in which the project should be changed if it is expanded
Estimating Mediated Effects in Prevention Studies
Authors: Mackinnon David P. , Dwyer James H.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this article is to describe statistical procedures to assess how prevention and intervention programs achieve their effects. The analyses require the measurement of intervening or mediating variables hypothesized to represent the causal mechanism by which the prevention program achieves its effects. Methods to estimate mediation are illustrated in the evaluation of a health promotion program designed to reduce dietary cholesterol and a school-based drug prevention program. The methods are relatively easy to apply and the information gained from such analyses should add to our understanding of prevention.
Needs Assessment
Authors: Wiener Richard L. , Wiley Deane , Huelsman Timothy , Hilgemann Amy
Published: March 2007

Following critical multiplistic epistemology, this study employed naturalistic and traditional social science models to conduct a need assessment. Thirty-five stakeholders were interviewed about their perceptions of how the crisis agency functions, how it ought to function, and the needs of the community and agency. Note cards with the need statements were presented to a planning committee to sort and assign importance weights. Using concept mapping technology (multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis), the authors analyzed the sort data to establish need categories. A summary of results is presented along with a discussion of the merits of using this combination of methods.
Estimating the Cost Impact of Three Dual Diagnosis Treatment Programs
Authors: Jerrell Jeanette M. , Hu Teh-Wei
Published: March 2007

Specialized intervention programs for people with concurrent severe mental illness and substance abuse reduce the total costs of care. Compared to baseline, cost savings of over 40% were achieved by 18 months, primarily due to significant reductions in the use of acute and subacute mental health services and despite an increase in outpatient mental health services. There also was an observable impact on cost reductions in medical and criminal justice services without an increase in family costs over the same time period.
Reactive Effects of a Survey On the Television Viewing Behavior of a Telemetric Television Audience Panel
Authors: Schmitz Bernhard , Stanat Petra , Sang Fritz , Tasche Karl
Published: March 2007

Data from telemetric television audience panels are invaluable for commercial and scientific television reseanch. For the study of most research questions, however, it is necessary to request additional information from the panel participants. Such interventions can only be permitted if they do not threaten the validity of the telemetric data. This study investigates whether a questionnaire intervention disrupts the viewing behavior of a television audience panel. The results indicate that, on the day they completed a questionnaire, experimental subjects watched a small amount more television than controls who received no questionnaire. It is argued that such a small effect on one day should not be accorded practical relevance. In addition, the article introduces a combined time-series and control-group design with which intervention-effect hypotheses can be investigated. It is suggested and illustrated that this design has a number of important advantages over traditional approaches.
Long-Term Impact of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E
Authors: Dukes Richard L. , Stein Judith A. , Ullman Jodie B.
Published: March 2007

The long-term effectiveness of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) was assessed by contrasting drug use and other D.A.R.E.-related attitudinal latent variables among 356 twelfth- grade students who had received the program in the 6th grade with 264 others who did not receive it. A prior study of these subjects when they were in 9th grade had shown no significant differences. A follow-up survey in 12th grade assessed central D.A.R.E. concepts such as self- esteem, police bonds, delay of experimentation with drugs, and various forms of drug use. Although the authors found no relationship between prior D.A.R.E. participation and later alcohol use, cigarette smoking, or marijuana use in 12th grade, there was a significant relationship between earlier D.A.R.E. participation and less use of illegal, more deviant drugs (e.g., inhalants, cocaine, LSD) in a development sample but not in a validation sample. Findings from the two studies suggest a possible sleeper effect for D.A.R.E. in reference to the use of harder drugs, especially among teenage males.
Random-Effects Models for Analyzing Clustered Data From a Nutrition Education Intervention
Authors: Woodruff Susan I.
Published: March 2007

When evaluating the effects of public health interventions, larger units, or clusters, of individuals are often the unit of randomization and implementation. Ignoring dependency in the data due to clustering can misrepresent intervention effects. Random-effects models (REMs) may be a useful way to analyze such data. The present study compares results of analyses of data from a nutrition intervention program using four different methods: (a) usual multiple regression analysis using indivtdual subject data, (b) usual multiple regression analysis using the classroom cluster as the unit of analysis, (c) two-level REM model with subjects clustered within class rooms, and (d) two-level REM model with subjects clustered within sites.
Estimation of Seroprevalence, Rape, and Homelessness in the United States Using a Social Network Approach
Authors: Killworth Peter D. , McCarty Christopher , Bernard H. Russell , Shelley Gene Ann , Johnsen Eugene C.
Published: March 2007

The authors have developed and tested scale-up methods, based on a simple social network theory, to estimate the size of hard-to-count subpopulations. The authors asked a nationally representative sample of respondents how many people they knew in a list of 32 subpopulations, including 29 subpopulations of known size and 3 of unknown size. Using these responses, the authors produced an effectively unbiased maximum likelihood estimate of the number of people each respondent knows. These estimates were then used to back-estimate the size of the three populations of unknown size. Maximum likelihood values and 95% confidence intervals are found for seroprevalence, 800,000 ±43,000; for homeless, 526,000 ±35,000; and for women raped in the last 12 months, 194,000±21,000. The estimate for seroprevalence agrees strikingly with medical estimates, the homeless estimate is well within the published estimates, and the authors' estimate lies in the middle of the published range for rape victims.
The Experience of Caring for a Family Member with Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Butcher Howard Karl , Holkup Patricia A. , Buckwalter Kathleen Coen
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease or related disorder (ADRD) living at home among a diverse sample of 103 family caregivers. The study involved secondary analysis of in-depth transcribed interview data using van Kaam’s rigorous four phase, 12-step psychophenomenological method. A total of 2,115 descriptive expressions were categorized into 38 preliminary structural elements. Eight essential structural elements emerged from an analysis of the preliminary structural elements. The eight elements were then synthesized to form the following synthetic structural definition: Caring for a family member living at home with ADRD was experienced as “being immersed in caregiving; enduring stress and frustration; suffering through the losses; integrating ADRD into our lives and preserving integrity; gathering support; moving with continuous change; and finding meaning and joy.”
Knowledge of and Attitudes Toward Sex among Chinese Adolescents
Authors: Ip Wan-Yim , Chau Janita P. C. , Chang Anne M. , Lui May H. L.
Published: March 2007

This study was conducted to examine the knowledge of and attitudes toward sex of 178 Chinese secondary school students in Hong Kong. The data were collected using a questionnaire that comprised three parts: the Chinese version of the Mathtech Knowledge Test, the Chinese version of the Mathtech Attitude and Value Scale, and a demographic sheet seeking sociodemographic information. In general, students demonstrated a low level of sexual knowledge, especially in relation to adolescent marriage, the probability of pregnancy, and adolescent sexual activity. With regard to attitudes, students indicated positive attitudes toward importance of family and importance of birth control. Male students in comparison with their female counterparts had a higher level of agreement with premarital intercourse and the use of pressure and force in sexual activity.
Descriptions of Wellness by Individuals with Schizophrenia
Authors: Hamera Edna K. , Pallikkathayil Leonie , Bauer Susan , Burton Michael R.
Published: March 2007

A major challenge in the rehabilitation of individuals with schizophrenia is to establish a system of monitoring disease status so interventions can be instituted to prevent disease exacerbation and to promote healthier functioning. Monitoring illness status has primarily focused on indicators of illness. The aim of the present study was to determine what individuals with schizophrenia described as evidence ofwellness to generate descriptors for a wellness questionnaire. Twenty participants diagnosed with schizophrenia and living in a community setting were interviewedabout their descriptors ofwellness. Coding of transcriptions of the interviews yielded two major categories of wellness: Statements related to the reduction or absence of troublesome (illness) indicators and statements related to the presence of helpful or positive (wellness) indicators. Three subcategories, thoughts, feelings, and actions or behaviors emerged under both major categories. The majority of wellness descriptionsfocused on the presence ofwellness and were actions or behaviors.
Structure and Faculty Perception of Climate in Schools of Nursing
Authors: Lubbert Velma M.
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the relationship between dimensions of structure (i.e., centralization, formalization, and complexity) and climate in schools of nursing, using the framework of contingency theory. Data were collected from 111 full-time faculty from 11 baccalaureate and 7 associate degree schools of nursing in Minnesota accredited by the National Leaguefor Nursing. Thefindings indicated a significant relationship between structure and climate in the schools of nursing. Dispersion of influence throughout the school was associated with a more favorable climate. A higher degree of supervision by superiors was related to a less favorable climate.
School-Age Children's Perceptions of Mental Illness
Authors: Spitzer Ada , Cameron Cheryl
Published: March 2007

The purpose of this study was to describe how school-age children perceive mental illness. The specific aims of this study were to describe the impact of age and sex on children's ability to identify and classify deviant behavior, and to identify how school-age children perceive mental illness by looking at how they define the concept, characterize the mentally ill, and understand causality and treatment. The random sample consisted of 90 school-age children. Thirty children were in grade 1, 30 in grade 4, and 30 in grade 7. A multimethods approach combining qualitative and quantitative techniques was used to analyze data Major studyfindings indicated that age was not a significant factor in children's ability to classify deviant behavior; however; there was a sex main effect: Boys were able to better identify deviant behaviors than girls. A developmental trend was noted in children 's ability to be aware of what mental illness is, to acknowledge characteristics of people who are mentally ill, to differentiate between mental illness and mental retardation, to identify various etiologies of mental illness, and to choose appropriate treatment modalities.
Professionalism Behaviors of Hospital Nurse Executives and Middle Managers in 10 Western States
Authors: Adams Donna , Miller Barbara K. , Beck Lasca
Published: March 2007

What is the level of professionalism of nurse managers? These leaders of nurses are expected to establish a climate in whichprofessionalpractice canflourish. In this study the authors used the Professionalm Inventory to determine professional behaviors of 144 nurse executives and 135 midde managers. Nurse executives performed at consistently higher levels exceptfor the categories concerning autonomy and knowledge of the Code for Nurses.