A comparison of widowhood and well-being among older Greek and British-Australian migrant women

The impact of widowhood on well-being has been well-documented, but to date has not focused extensively on the experience of older migrants who have aged in a foreign land. This study aimed to examine the well-being of older migrant widows from two groups in South Australia: British-born (n = 61) and Greek-born (n = 60) Australian migrants, who had been widowed, on average, 13 years. All participants completed a self-report questionnaire in their preferred language. Three indicators of current well-being (self-rated health, depression and loneliness) as well as variables expected to differ cross-culturally, and potentially influence well-being (mourning rituals; continuing bonds to one's spouse; religiosity; social support) were measured. Greek-born widows displayed higher levels of mourning rituals, continuing bonds and religiosity than the British. Both groups perceived similarly high levels of familial social support. Greek widows also reported worse self-rated health, and increased symptoms of depression and loneliness compared to the British. This paper suggests that the detrimental impact of widowhood on well-being may be greater for non-English speaking migrants who are ageing outside of their country of origin, and who, despite residing in an English-speaking host country for several decades, have retained the linguistic, cultural and religious practices and traditions of their home country.     

State ideology and the status of Iranian war widows

Imbedded in widowhood are emotional loss and change in personal life. For women, depending on social constructions of gender relations, widowhood can also lead to identity change, role adjustment and change in social status. Socio-economic and emotional supports rendered by family, community and society at large can highly impact widows in coping with change and making adjustments. These changes and the corresponding societal supports find new dimensions for ‘war widows’. The political nature of their widowhood may provide them with some benefits not enjoyed by non-war widows. As a token of public gratitude, political regimes compensate war widows and their children for their losses. Some political regimes weave political ideology into their compensatory programs, and through these programs they simultaneously raise widows' self-sufficiency and control their lives and thoughts. The specific case of the Islamic Republic of Iran will be examined here.     

Dating after late-life spousal loss: Does it compromise relationships with adult children?

In Widowhood in an American City (1973), Helena Lopata observed that widows struggle with new romantic relationships because their children often are resentful toward these new partners. Since the publication of Lopata's classic work, however, few studies have explored empirically the ways that widow(er)'s dating affects their relationships with children. We use prospective data from the Changing Lives of Older Couples study (CLOC) to explore: (1) the impact of bereaved spouses' dating on positive and negative aspects of parent–child relationships six and 18 months postloss; (2) the extent to which these associations are explained by preloss characteristics; and (3) the factors that moderate the association between widow(er) dating and parent–child relations. Multivariate analyses show that widowers who are interested in dating six months postloss report low levels of support and high levels of conflict with their children, yet widows report enhanced relationship quality. This pattern reflects the fact that men who are interested in dating do form new relationships, whereas women's interests are not translated into actual dating. Widowers' dating six months postloss compromises parent–child closeness among those with a history of strained parent–child relations, yet enhances closeness among those with historically good relationships. Dating takes a harsher toll on parent–daughter compared to parent–son relationships. Overall, dating threatens parent–child relationships in specific cases, yet it may also strengthen widow(er) s' parent–child bonds. We discuss the implications for the well-being of older widow(er)s and adult children.     

Participating in the home: Widows cope in Singapore

Widowhood is often described as a traumatic experience for many. For women in particular, widowhood can bring on the loss of an identity and the meanings attached with it. Using Singapore as an example, the paper explores how widows negotiate their new life paths. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, it portrays widows not as apolitical recipients of gendered roles but as active agencies who strategically plan, within the domestic realm of the home space, a role that is useful and even critical for households with dual income. Widows are indispensable in social and physical reproductive work in spite of their families. State ideology, which promotes a caring family, also helps to challenge metaphors of widows as the “fifth wheel.”     

Financial worry among older people: Who worries and why?

This study sought to clarify what drives economic worries among older people. Based upon the data from a national sample of adults aged 65 and older in Israel (N = 550), we examined associations between financial worry and economic status, lifestyle, social network, concerns about functional health, long term care needs and cognition, and population group. The main financial worry was that pension funds will not suffice for one's entire life. Multivariate analysis revealed that financial worry was negatively related to perceived income adequacy and age, and positively related to concerns about care and to apprehensions regarding one's ability to make decisions. Immigrants from the former Soviet Union were found to worry less. Understanding the different sources of financial worries among older people is essential insofar as older people are increasingly expected to take personal responsibility for their financial futures. Dealing with negative outcomes that stem from financial worries are important programming and policy goals in an era of population aging.     

Abused women and the threat of parental alienation: Shelter workers' perspectives

Based on quantitative and qualitative data collected in 30 domestic violence shelters in the Province of Québec (Canada), the research findings reveal a noticeable increase in the perceived number of women being accused or threatened to be accused of parental alienation; the accusations or threats of accusations reported in the last year by respondents represented 45% of all the accusations reported in the last 5 years (Last year: 4.27, SD = 3.80. Last 5 years: 9.47, SD = 10.04). A large majority of respondents (86.7%) stated that this phenomenon had had an impact on their practices in shelters, and more than half (53.3%) expressed that this issue had been either a priority for their shelters or one of their main concerns. Based on the research findings, the authors argue that domestic violence perpetrators use “parental alienation” as a tactic to discredit reports of abuse by women and children. By embracing this discourse, child protection services and the family court system reproduce the perpetrators' accounts and discredit reports of abuse by women and children, and therefore undermine their core mandate.     

Services use by children and parents in multiproblem families

BackgroundMultiproblem families are multi-users of psychosocial and health care services, but little is known about factors associated with their care utilization in the general population. The aim of this study was to assess which factors were associated with the overall and psychosocial care use of two members—i.e., child and parent—of each multiproblem family.MethodsDuring well-child visits or psychosocial care, we identified 354 children and their parents who had problems in several life domains (response 69.1%). We used multivariate stepwise backward logistic regression analyses to identify the factors related to their use of overall and psychosocial care.ResultsA child's overall care use was associated with greater social support from family and friends (odds ratio, OR, 95% confidence interval, CI; OR = 1.05, CI = 1.01–1.08) compared to less perceived social support; and with more psychosocial problems in the child (OR = 1.84, CI = 1.04–3.24). Child's psychosocial care use was more likely among older children (OR = 1.94, CI = 1.20–3.15); greater social support by family and friend (OR = 1.03, CI = 1.00–1.06); more psychosocial problems (OR = 1.75, CI = 1.04–2.97); and when there were more parenting concerns (OR = 1.19, CI = 1.06–1.33). Parental overall and psychosocial care use was more likely when the family experienced a higher number of life events (OR = 1.27, CI = 1.17–1.38, and OR = 1.39, CI = 1.25–1.55).ConclusionsCare use in multiproblem families is related to family factors as well as psychosocial problems. It may be possible to use these family risk factors to identify such families early, whose intensive care use is possibly explained by the relationship with inadequate use of social support.     

Financial planning for later life: Subjective understandings of catalysts and constraints

This paper examines the conditions under which individuals begin or do not begin making financial plans for their later years. The data are drawn from a sample of mid- and later-life individuals (n = 51) who participated in qualitative, life-history interviews. Participants identified three types of circumstances that acted as both catalysts and constraints to their planning: financial, personal and familial. Catalytic financial influences included employer programs and enrolment in retirement courses, while job loss and unforeseen expenses were viewed as constraints. Personal influences such as health and age, as well as familial transitions such as the death of a spouse, divorce, or remarriage served as both catalysts and constraints, depending on the individual. For example, divorce was viewed by some as a constraint, while others viewed it as a catalyst. Participants' locations in the social structure influenced the onset of financial preparation, however, subjective perceptions of life circumstances were also pivotal.     

What curriculum? Which methods? A cluster randomized controlled trial of social and financial education in Rwanda

Life-skills based financial education (LSFE) for young people is one potential intervention for improving the financial capabilities of a population. However, the pedagogical methods for LSFE have rarely been studied. This study represents the first cluster randomized controlled trial to analyze both student outcomes and the observed use of active learning methods (ALMs) by teachers. The study further tested the power of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to explain the outcomes of a LSFE program that contains explicit personal and social components that link to SCT. The study was undertaken by randomizing 50 schools in Rwanda that had been stratified across 5 districts: Huye, Karongi, Nyagatare, Nyanza, and Ruhango. It comprised 250 teachers with a mean age of 31.8 (SD = 6.2) and 1750 students with a mean age of 15.0 (SD = 2.6). The intervention increased teachers' observed use of ALMs as well as the average time on task of the students observed in class. Students in the treatment group also exhibited increased self-reported active learning environments, general self-efficacy, general financial capability, and self-reported savings behavior. Less robust results indicated the intervention increased students' planning attitudes and decreased their self-reported behavioral and cognitive engagement.     

Trends in state budgets and child outcomes during and post child welfare class action litigation

Litigation is the most prevalent mechanism for comprehensive child welfare system reform. Litigation has resulted in increased funding to child welfare systems. This study assesses the impact of litigation on budgets during and after litigation and the budgets correlation with child outcomes. This mixed methods study analyzes 7 years post-litigation data in 4 state case studies. Individual interviews were conducted with key stakeholders (N = 17) in the lawsuits to determine what impact the lawsuit had on budgets and outcomes. Findings indicate that litigation likely impacts outcomes at least partially through increased financial investments (decreased reunification impacting decreased reentry after reunification and rate served); however, the impact of these outcomes is mitigated because financial investment in child welfare is not sustained.     

Are elderly men worried about crime?

It has been well documented that older adults, especially women, are more inclined to express fear of crime, but their risk of victimization is significantly lower than for people from other age groups. Even if gender issues related to fear are known, fear of crime among men is undocumented. This article explores how worry about victimization among older men (N = 156), from 3 francophone cities in Quebec, Canada, is influenced by age groups (60–69, 70–79 and 80 years old and over), health, depression, social support and prior victimization. There are significant results associated with the 3 dimensions of worry about crime (emotional, behavioural and cognitive). We conclude by commenting on the following question: Is worry about crime among elderly men a reality?     

Drivers of change: Examining the effects of gender equality on child nutrition

India has the world's highest burden of child undernutrition. Lack of income is considered as one of its primary causes. However, evidence suggests that despite steady economic growth and investments in social services directed towards child welfare, undernutrition rates continue to rise. Thus indicating, that there are other societal factors impacting child undernutrition. Previous studies indicate that countries with higher gender inequality have worse health outcomes for women and children. India, particularly in the northern states, has deep-rooted gender biases, leading to disproportionately worse outcomes for women and children. This study uses cross sectional data from the India National Family Health Survey Round-3 (NFHS-3) to examine the immediate and underlying effect of gender inequality on child nutritional status. The sample includes urban married women between 15 and 49 years (N = 9092) who have at least one living child between 0 and 5 years. Findings highlight the significant effect of autonomy and health related awareness on child nutritional status, when the relationship is mediated by maternal health. Implications for policy and practice are provided.     

Exploring the self-care practices of child welfare workers: A research brief

Child welfare workers experience higher rates of vicarious trauma, workplace stress, and compassion fatigue, when compared to other social service workers. Increasingly, social service agencies, in general, and child welfare agencies, specifically, recognize the importance of self-care in assuaging these problematic employee outcomes. However, research that explicitly examines the self-care practices of child welfare workers in nominal. This study brief explores the self-care practices of child welfare workers (N = 222) in one southeastern state. Results reveal that child welfare workers only engage in self-care at moderate levels. Additionally, data suggests that variables such as health status, current financial status, and relationship status significantly impact personal and professional self-care practices, respectively. After a terse review of relevant literature, this brief will explicate findings associated with this study, and identify salient discussion points and implications for child welfare training, practice, and research.     

Police and social work preventions of offending among at-risk youth in Shanghai

The effectiveness of police disciplining and social work counseling in preventing offending of at-risk youth has been unclear. For elucidating the prevention regarding theft and fighting, this study analyzes 1702 retrospective event history cases from 297 at-risk youths identified in the Chinese metropolis of Shanghai. Herein, the event history refers to theft, fighting, police disciplining, and social work counseling happening in the youth's age of 11 years through 18 years. The analysis reveals that the interventions of police disciplining and social work counseling, both in the previous year, demonstrated significant negative effects on fighting and theft respectively. Furthermore, combination of the two interventions generated a significant negative interaction effect on theft. These findings exemplify elasticity theory by showing that the hard form of police disciplining and the soft form of social work counseling are complementary in preventing offending. The findings imply the worth of promoting the interventions selectively to prevent hard and soft offending such as fighting and stealing respectively.     

Social Return On Investment (SROI): Problems,solutions … and is SROI a good investment?

The conclusion of this special issue on Social Return On Investment (SROI) begins with a summary of both advantages and problems of SROI, many of which were identified in preceding articles. We also offer potential solutions for some of these problems that can be derived from standard evaluation practices and that are becoming expected in SROIs that follow guidances from international SROI networks. A remaining concern about SROI is that we do not yet know if SROI itself adds sufficient benefit to programs to justify its cost. Two frameworks for this proposed metaevaluation of SROI are suggested, the first comparing benefits to costs summatively (the resource → outcome model). The second framework evaluates costs and benefits according to how much they contribute to or are caused by the different activities of SROI. This resource → activity → outcome model could enable outcomes of SROI to be maximized within resource constraints (such as budget and time limits) on SROI. Alternatively, information from this model could help minimize the costs of achieving a specific level of return on investment from conducting SROI. Possible problems with this metaevaluation of SROI are discussed.     

“I feel like her daughter not her mother”: Ethnographic trans-cultural perspective of the experiences of aging for a group of Southeast Asian refugees in the United States

ObjectiveThis study seeks to understand trans-cultural aging and stressors for aging refugees. It describes the experiences of Cambodian refugee women as they age in the United States.MethodExperiences of 16 Cambodian refugee women (ages 44–60), participants of a Cambodian community health center support group, were examined over a year.ResultsAnalysis revealed complex experiences of aging in the U.S. including these: (a) loss of role as respected elder, (b) fear of living separate from children, (c) feeling devalued by children, and (d) feeling self-blame for intergenerational cultural gap. The women described years of employment interrupted by the exacerbation of post-traumatic symptoms later in life preventing further employment.DiscussionAn ethnographic trans-cultural perspective of the experiences of aging for Southeast Asian refugees. Aging refugees face stressors even 20–30 years after resettlement. Findings show decrease in functioning as survivors of torture age. Recommendations for social service programs and providers are made.     

Confidence in the economy in times of crisis: Social representations of experts and laypeople

This study investigates experts’ and laypeople's social representations of the financial and economic crisis, as widely discussed in the media after the fall of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Financial experts (n = 156) and laypeople (n = 153) with low versus high confidence in the economic recovery spontaneously associated thoughts and beliefs about the crisis and to economic and political stakeholders. Following a mixed-methods approach, they evaluated economic stakeholders with regard to six trust items. The study was conducted in March 2010 in Austria, which was moderately affected by the crisis. The results indicate that economic variables (e.g., unemployment) were central to the social representations of the crisis, while underlying feelings of unfairness and egoism surfaced during the ongoing process of association. The social representation did not comprise a general criticism of the economic system. The differences between the subgroups depended on identification-based self-protection and economic knowledge. Experts and laypeople tended to attribute the economic crisis to specific stakeholders in a self-protecting way: experts blamed the media, laypeople blamed the managers, and both blamed the politicians. Interestingly, the subgroups tended to evaluate the banks as being relatively neutral. Expertise and differentiated economic knowledge was related to confidence in the economic recovery. Thus, the perceived capability of politicians in terms of competence and morality seems crucial for regaining public confidence in the economy.     

Programmatic effects to modify sources of financial support among Hispanic teenage mothers

This study evaluates whether a randomized school-based intervention for adolescent teenage mothers successfully helped participants achieve better financial independence and economic prospects. Project Mothers and Schools (PMAS) is an initiative intended to modify attitudes and beliefs related to self-sufficiency, parenting, educational goals and achievement, career goals, health behaviors, and interpersonal relationships with family members. PMAS participants were surveyed at baseline and 12 months after intervention enrollment to evaluate the receipt of financial support from 11 sources. The 48 “core group” participants received a basic level of services, whereas the 43 “core-plus group” participants received the same basic services and additional enhanced services. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to identify statistically significant changes in participant responses from baseline to 12 months post-intervention. Both groups reported higher levels of employment 12 months post-intervention compared to baseline (z = − 3.162, p = 0.002 and z = − 2.646, p = 0.008, respectively). The core-plus group used more Food Stamps (z = − 2.673, p = 0.008) and reported receiving more child support (z = 2.236, p = 0.025) 12 months post-intervention versus baseline. PMAS benefited all participants by promoting employment 12 months post-intervention versus baseline. The enhanced services offered to the core-plus group appeared to also increase participant access to Food Stamps and child support, sources which assist participants down the path toward eventual financial independence.