Marital status, marital transitions, and health: a gendered life course perspective

We work from a life course perspective to assess the impact of marital status and marital transitions on subsequent changes in the self-assessed physical health of men and women. Our results suggest three central conclusions regarding the association of marital status and marital transitions with self-assessed health. First, marital status differences in health appear to reflect the strains of marital dissolution more than they reflect any benefits of marriage. Second, the strains of marital dissolution undermine the self-assessed health of men but not women. Finally, life course stage is as important as gender in moderating the effects of marital status and marital transitions on health.     

The effects of nonverbal synchrony on message comprehension and persuasiveness

Previous research has not considered the effects of nonverbal synchronization by a speaker on message processing and acceptance by a listener. In this experiment, 178 subjects watched one of three versions of a message—high synchrony, minimal synchrony or dissynchrony—presented by one of two speakers. Receivers of the high synchrony message, which employed kinesic cues synchronized to the vocal/verbal stream, showed higher recall of the message and were more persuaded by it than receivers of the dissynchronous message, which had kinesic cues out of sync with the vocal/verbal stream. Results on three other dependent measures—credibility, distraction and counterarguing—were mixed but were generally consistent with the credibility-yielding and distraction-yielding formulations outlined.     

Physical variation in low-load work - physiological effects during exposure & recovery

Trends in industry are leaning towards jobs that are more stereotyped at lower workloads. Physical variation is a potential ergonomic intervention. However, little is known of physiological response to different kinds of variation. To investigate this issue, three kinds of isometric contraction patterns with the same mean amplitude, cycle time, and duty cycle were compared. Fatigue responses were measured by multiple biomechanical and physiological approaches. In exercise, sustained and intermittent contractions with zero force had a greater number of statistically significant differences in fatigue responses. Intermittent contractions with amplitude ? and 1? of mean force had effects intermediate but close to the sustained contraction. In recovery, sustained contractions led to decreased twitch forces 24 hours post-exercise whereas both intermittent contractions recovered within 60 minutes. This suggests that time varying forces, even without complete muscular rest, may be a useful intervention to reduce local and perceived fatigue in workers performing low-load tasks.     

Pornography,erotica, and attitudes toward women: The effects of repeated exposure

It is a widespread belief that pornography causes negative attitudes toward women, but tests of this belief are contradictory. A large body of research has studied the effect of violent pornography on behavior, but the effects of erotica and violence have often been confounded. Thus, the relationship between pornography and attitudes toward women was assessed in two correlational studies, and the effect of (nonviolent) erotica on attitudes towards women was tested experimentally. The dependent measure was the score on a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward women and women's issues. The questionnaire possessed high reliability; factor analysis indicated a single general factor. Participants included 184 psychology students and 20 patrons at an “adult” theater. Multiple linear regressions indicated that hours of viewing pornography was not a reliable predictor of attitudes toward women in either sample. Patrons of the adult theater, who viewed more pornography, had more favorable attitudes toward women than male or female college students. In Study 3, 75 students were randomly assigned to watch four hours of erotica or four hours of psychology films over five consecutive days. Power analysis indicated a strong test. Manipulation checks showed a difference in students’ perception of the erotic nature of the videos, but attitudes toward women were not influenced by type of video.     

Purpose and life satisfaction during adolescence: the role of meaning in life,social support,and problematic digital use

This study examined the characteristics of youth with different types of purpose in life, as well as the associations between adolescents’ life satisfaction, purpose in life, meaning in life, social support, and problematic digital use. The sample included 193 participants aged 14–18 who completed self-report questionnaires on life satisfaction, purpose in life, meaning in life, social support, and problematic digital use. The following purpose in life clusters were found: (1) other-oriented goals (n?=?33); (2) self-oriented goals (n?=?42); and (3) both other- and self-oriented goals (n?=?107). Adolescents with both self- and other-oriented goals had significantly higher life satisfaction, meaning in life, and social support compared to the other groups. Meaning in life and greater support from parents and teachers were significantly associated with greater life satisfaction. In addition, having other-oriented goals was associated with lower life satisfaction. Finally, support from parents (p?=?0.05) mediated the association between problematic digital use and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed in light of previous research and the theoretical and practical implications are examined.     

Relational message interpretations of touch,conversational distance,and posture

According to a social meaning model of nonverbal communication, many nonverbal behaviors have consensually recognized meanings. Two field experiments examined this presumption by investigating the relational message interpretations assigned to differing levels and types of touch, proximity, and posture. Also examined were the possible moderating effects of the communicator characteristics of gender and attractiveness and relationship characteristics of gender composition and status differentials. Results showed that touching typically conveyed more composure, immediacy, receptivity/trust, affection, similarity/depth/equality, dominance, and informality than its absence. The form of touch also mattered, with handholding and face touching expressing the most intimacy, composure, and informality; handholding and the handshake expressing the least dominance, and the handshake conveying the most formality but also receptivity/trust. Postural openness/relaxation paralleled touch in conveying greater intimacy, composure, informality, and similarity but was also less dominant than a closed/tense posture. Close proximity was also more immediate and similar but dominant. Proximity and postural openness together produced differential interpretations of composure, similarity, and affection. Gender initiator attractiveness was more influential than status in moderating interpretations.An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Interpersonal Communication Interest Group, Western States Communication Association convention, Phoenix, Arizona, February 1991. The author wishes to thank Leesa Dillman for her assistance on that version.     

Debt problems and life transitions: a register-based panel study of Finnish young people

This register-based panel study analyzed the impacts of key life events on debt problems among emerging adults using a within-individual design. In this study, 8093 Finnish young people (born 1988–1990) were monitored for 9 years (2005–2013). The data comprised information from administrative registers, including information about debt enforcement, which was used as an indicator of debt problems. Key life events included leaving home, obtaining the first full-time job, and becoming a parent. Debt problems were highly common. They increased after leaving home, especially among those leaving home at a young age. Obtaining the first full-time job was not regarded as a major event in the context of debt problems, although having a job was associated with a lower level of debt problems. Such problems increased after becoming a parent. The results imply that life-changing events can have an impact on economic problems.     

Look Again: Research,Uncertainty, and Understanding

Abstract

An outbreak of measles (rubeola) occurred on the Bloomington campus of Indiana University in February 1983, resulting in 179 clinically diagnosed cases. An aggressive, voluntary immunization program followed by the possibility of sanctions against nonimmunized students returning to campus after spring break resulted in 23,000 vaccinations, with other students submitting verifications of previous history of disease or live-vaccine immunization.

The factors that may have contributed to the outbreak were less natural immunity in this age group, absence of school legislation when these individuals were entering school, and use of killed vaccine which did not provide immunity.     

The extremists across the aisle: selective exposure and evaluations of presidential candidate extremity

The consensus of most scholars is that the United States is significantly polarized across lines of partisanship, ideology, beliefs, and values. This polarization also extends to media use through selective exposure to partisan television and online content. This suggests a process in which partisans view opponents as especially extreme, seek reinforcement of those views in media, and strengthen those views going forward.

Using National Annenberg Election Survey panel data, this study examines relationships between political identity, cable television use, and perceptions of 2008 presidential candidates’ ideological extremity. Candidates from “across the aisle” are seen as more extreme, and this perception leads to a spiral of selective exposure, which reinforces and strengthens extant views. This process is driven by television sources that predate the Internet-based “Daily Me” model, suggesting that concerns about online echo chambers might be better focused on political segregation in general.     

The antidepressant nefazodone. A review of its pharmacology, clinical efficacy, adverse effects, dosage, and administration

Nefazodone is an antidepressant medication which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of major depressive disorder in 1994. This article summarizes the pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, adverse effects, and drug interactions of nefazodone as well as its administration and dosing schedule. The potential efficacy of nefazodone in treating anxiety, premenstrual syndrome, chronic pain conditions, and sleep disturbances also is summarized. Nefazodone has a favorable side effects profile which makes it an attractive alternative option for patients who withdraw from treatment when they develop adverse effects to other available antidepressants.     

Effects of gaze on hiring,credibility, attraction and relational message interpretation

Two competing models of the social meaning and effects of eye gaze exist. One holds that different levels of eye gaze have clearly identifiable meanings that will yield main effects on such communication outcomes as hiring and interpersonal evaluations. The other holds that deviant levels of eye gaze are ambiguous in meaning and that interpretation depends on contextual cues such as the reward value of the violator. An experiment required 140 Ss to serve as interviewers during a structured interview in which six confederate interviewees sytematically varied three levels of eye gaze (high, normal, low) and two levels of reward (highly qualified, highly unqualified for the advertised position). Results favored a social meaning model over a violations of expectations model: Subjects were more likely to hire and rate as credible and attractive interviewees who maintained a normal or high degree of gaze than those who averted gaze. Interpretations given to higher amounts of gaze were more intimacy and similarity, more immediacy and involvement, and more composure, informality and nonarousal.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

—Guillaume de Salluste

—T.S. Eliot

     

Marital transitions, marital beliefs, and mental health.

In this paper, we examine whether people's beliefs about the permanence, desirability, and importance of marriage moderate the impact of marital transitions--including marital losses and gains--on depression, a disorder associated with both marital status and role transitions. Using two waves of panel data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 10,005), we find that a marital loss results in increased symptoms, whereas a marital gain results in decreased symptoms. We also find, however, that the negative effects of a marital loss are greater for people who believe in the permanence of marriage than they are for those who do not. Conversely, the positive effects of a marital gain are greater for people who believe in the desirability and importance of marriage than they are for those who do not. Our results highlight the potential utility of more systematically incorporating people's beliefs--and sociocultural factors more generally--into theory and research on the impact of stressors on mental health.     

Risk-taking behavior in gamblers and non-gamblers during prolonged exposure

Most comparisons between personality traits of gamblers and non-gamblers have yielded no significant differences (Kusyszyn & Rutter, 1985). But from a behavioral standpoint, gamblers have consistently placed heavier monetary bets than non-gamblers. Furthermore, past researchers have clearly shown that the level of risk-taking behavior increased as a function of the number of trials (Ladouceur, Tourigny, & Mayrand, in press). The present research compared the level of risk-taking behavior of gamblers and non-gamblers during prolonged exposure to American roulette (four sessions of 50 trials each). Subjects of each group (N=8) were matched on sex, age and academic level. Risk behavior was operationally defined as 1. Total amount of money bet at each trial; 2. types of bets; and 3. monetary risk coefficient. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the monetary risk coefficient was greater for the gamblers than the non-gamblers. Furthermore, for the three dependent variables, risk level increased as a function of the number of sessions and of trials. The overall results confirmed that exposure to gambling activities increased the level of monetary risk-taking behavior in gamblers and non-gamblers.Part of this paper was presented at the Sixth National Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking, Atlantic City, 1984. This research was supported by a grant from the Gouvernement du Québec (FCAR).     

HPV vaccination campaign fear visuals: An eye-tracking study exploring effects of visual attention and type on message informative value,recall, and behavioral intentions

HPV is the most common sexually transmitted disease, and there are alarming global disparities in cervical cancer and HPV vaccination uptake (CDC, 2016a). To inform HPV vaccination public health campaigns, an experiment with a psychophysiological measure (eye-tracking) explores the effects of visual attention to vaccination messages on message recall, informative value, and behavioral intentions. Results indicate 1) visual type affects recall and informative value of vaccination messages as well as intentions to vaccinate; 2) visual attention is negatively related to message recall only when a non-fear visual is used; and 3) visual attention predicts intent to vaccinate only when a fear visual is utilized. These results suggest the use of fear appeals in health, crisis, and risk public relations campaigns may promote performance of recommended safeguarding behaviors.     

Weathering Risk: Uncertainty,Weather Forecasting,and Expertise

Bridging the sociology of uncertainty and weather, this review paper provides a sociological examination of the weather forecasting enterprise in order to illustrate how expert decision makers negotiate high uncertainty. It begins with an outline of the literature on uncertainty and risk, particularly as it regards the modern experience. It then fleshes out and expands the discussion through an examination of weather forecasting practice. The final section reprises the theme of expert decision making under uncertainty, this time focusing on the communication of risk and uncertainty, and it concludes with a few thoughts on the future of the field.     

Childhood exposure to the Second World War and financial risk taking in adult life

Adverse childhood experiences might have long-lasting effects on decisions under uncertainty in adult life. Merging the European Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement with data on conflict events during the Second World War, and relying on region-by-cohort variation in war exposure, we show that warfare exposure during childhood is associated with lower financial risk taking in later life. Individuals who experienced war episodes as children hold less – and are less likely to hold – stocks, but are more likely to hold life insurance, compared to non-exposed individuals. Effects are robust to the inclusion of potential mediating factors, and are tested for nonlinearity and heterogeneity. Moreover, we provide evidence of hedonic adaptation to war, as high and low intensity of war exposure have comparable long-term effects. We also document that war exposure in childhood increases sensitivity to financial uncertainty since exposed-to-war individuals are less likely to hold stocks after periods of high volatility. Finally, we shed light on the most likely mechanism in the relationship between war exposure and financial risk taking – i.e., enhanced sensitivity to uncertainty – and we show that preferences, and not beliefs, channel this relationship.     

Clinical work with adolescents and their parents during family transitions: Transference and countertransference issues

This paper describes specific transference and counter-transference issues that commonly emerge in therapeutic work with adolescents and parents who are in the midst of family transitions such as divorce and remarriage. Psychoanalytic understanding and definitions of transference and countertransference are applied to short-term family-centered cases in which the parent-adolescent relationship is at particular risk. Case vignettes are presented in order to illustrate how transference and countertransference may guide or interfere with clinical interventions that are especially indicated with adolescents whose family structure has changed. Such interventions as well as the use of consultation are briefly described.At the time this paper was prepared, Ms. Springer was Associate Director and a senior clinician at the Center for the Family in Transition in Corte Madera, California. Funds for the research and clinical work that provided the basis for this paper were supplied by grants from the San Francisco Foudation. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 66th Annual Meeting of the American Orthopsychiatry Association, New York City, March 31–April 4, 1989.     

Getting the message out: Feminists,the press and violence against women

Dans cette communication l'auteur présente une étude de cas sur les relations entre les féministes, qui s'inquiètent de la violence faite aux femmes, et la presse torontoise pendant les six premiers mois de 1988. L'auteur emploie les données d'une analyse de contenu de la couverture de presse accordée à la violence faite aux femmes, ainsi que les entrevues avec les journalistes et les féministes. Globalement, l'auteur trouve que les vues des féministes ont été absentes de la couverture faite par la presse an sujet de la violence faite aux femmes. Mais, malgré cette absence, les féministes ont eu plusieurs occasions d'exprimer leurs vues sur le sujet. Ces données indiquent qu'il y a lieu d'ětre optimiste quant aux chances de succès qu'ont les mouvements sociaux lorsqu'ils utilisent la presse pour faire connaǐtre un point de vue opposé au point de vue dominant. This paper presents a case study of relations between feminists concerned about violence against women and the Toronto press during the first six months of 1988. Drawing upon a content analysis of press coverage of violence against women and interviews with both journalists and feminists, the study finds that on the whole, feminist views were absent from press coverage of violence against women, but there were also openings where feminists could achieve a significant amount of access to the press to express their views on the issue. This gives cause for optimism regarding the possibility of social movements using the press to disseminate knowledge of oppositional views of reality.