Indicators of Consumer Behavior: The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers

Data gathered by the Surveys of Consumers over the past severaldecades show that changes in consumer attitudes and expectationsoccur in advance of action. Current data can be measured andused to predict aggregate trends in consumer expenditures forhouses, cars, and large household durables, as well as the incurrenceof debt and acquisition of financial assets.     

Organizational values,job experiences and satisfactions among female and male psychologists1

This study examined the relationship of managerial and professional women's and men's perceptions of organizational values supportive of work–personal life integration and their job experiences, work and non-work satisfactions and psychological well-being. Data were collected from 324 women and 128 men psychologists in Australia using anonymous questionnaires. Both women and men reported benefits from such values. Women psychologists reporting organizational values more supportive of work–personal life integration also reported working fewer hours and extra-hours worked per week, greater job and career satisfaction, more optimistic career prospects, less time to job and less work stress, greater friends satisfaction, and more positive emotional and physical well-being. Men psychologists reporting organizational values more supportive of work–personal life integration also reported less job stress, greater joy in work, lower intentions to quit, greater job and career satisfaction, more optimistic career prospects, fewer psychosomatic symptoms and more positive emotional and physical well-being. Multiple regression analyses indicated more independent and significant correlates of organizational values supporting work–personal life integration among women than among men. Possible explanations for why women might benefit more from such organizational values are offered.     

Multiple‐Family Group Intervention for Incarcerated Male Adolescents Who Sexually Offend and Their Families: Change in Maladaptive Emotion Regulation Predicts Adaptive Change in Adolescent Behaviors

The multiple‐family group intervention is an effective, yet affordable, 8‐week treatment that is conducted in a juvenile correctional institution in Alabama with adolescents who sexually offend and their families. Data from 115 incarcerated male adolescents and their male and female caregivers collected at pre‐, post‐, and 1‐year follow‐up were used to determine that problem behaviors (internalizing, externalizing) decreased over pre‐ and posttest and the significant decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation predicted those changes. Adolescent‐reported anxiety over abandonment and attachment dependence on parents increased significantly; these changes were predicted by decreases in maladaptive emotion regulation. Linear growth models were also fit over the 3 time points and indicate decreases in adolescent problem behavior and maladaptive emotion regulation.     

Nonstandard Work Schedules,Perceived Family Well‐Being,and Daily Stressors

Data from two studies assessed the effects of nonstandard work schedules on perceived family well‐being and daily stressors. Study 1, using a sample of employed, married adults aged 25 – 74 (n = 1,166) from the National Survey of Midlife in the United States, showed that night work was associated with perceptions of greater marital instability, negative family‐work, and work‐family spillover than weekend or daytime work. In Study 2, with a subsample of adults (n = 458) who participated in the National Study of Daily Experiences, weekend workers reported more daily work stressors than weekday workers. Several sociodemographic variables were tested as moderators. Both studies demonstrated that nonstandard work schedules place a strain on working, married adults at the global and daily level.     

Determinants of stability and changes in self-reported work disability among older working-age populations

Data from the Health and Retirement Study, 1992-1994, were used to analyze (1) the prevalence and incidence of self-reported work disability among older working-age populations over a two-year period, and (2) the effect of the stability/changes in physical and functional health conditions, controlling for socioeconomic and occupational characteristics, on the stability/changes in self-reported work ability/disability. Findings show a high rate of transitions into and out of work-disabled status over the two-year period. Findings also show that, although objective physical and functional health problems and low self-ratings of health at wave 1 were significant determinants of self-reported work disability at wave 1, most subsequent changes in objective physical and functional health conditions over the two-year period were not significantly associated with the changes in self-report of work disability between wave 1 and wave 2. Especially, improved health conditions were not significantly associated with regained work ability between the two waves. Of the demographic variables, female gender significantly increased the likelihood of reporting work disability at wave 2, and being Black or Hispanic significantly decreased the likelihood of reporting regained work ability at wave 2. Research and policy implications of the findings are discussed.     

Mental health service navigation: a scoping review of programmatic features and research evidence

ABSTRACT

Service navigation is a care coordination approach that is designed to resolve barriers and facilitate access to needed services. Originating within primary and specialty health care sectors, navigation models have recently emerged to support engagement with mental health services. Presently little is known about the nature, extent, and research evidence for mental health service navigation programs. To address this gap in knowledge, this study undertook a scoping review to identify, describe, and appraise current models of mental health service navigation. Data sources included PsychINFO, Medline, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Inclusion eligibility required studies to describe a study design, recruitment strategy, navigation approach, sample characteristics, and study outcomes. Searches were constrained to English language and published after January 1, 2000. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Navigation programs targeted diverse populations and were delivered in-person, by telephone, and online. Navigators included peers, paraprofessionals, clinicians, teams, and web applications. Eleven studies reported results from randomized trials, remaining programs employed program evaluation, qualitative, or CBPR methodologies. Common features of navigation programs included engagement, assessment, service identification, referral, and monitoring/follow-up. Current evidence for mental health service navigation is promising, although additional rigorous randomized controlled trials are needed.     

Doubled Homes — Doubled Social Ties? Children's Relationships in Post‐Divorce Shared Residence Arrangements

Although an increasing number of children live in shared residence arrangements after parental divorce, studies on their social relationships are rare. We address this research gap by relying on configurational approaches, social capital and social networks. Building on qualitative case studies (ego‐centred networks, interviews) with 14 children aged 10–14, results show that respondents constructed social ties based on two key categories: emotional closeness and constancy. Having two places of residence did not multiply close relations, and relations that entered the network after parental divorce (e.g. step kin) were particularly distant. Children's networks at both homes had limited interconnections.     

WOMEN'S SOCIAL MOVEMENT INVOLVEMENT:

Data derived from three years of field work illuminate women's participation in a working class, community-based environmental protest organization. Findings show that (1) initial recruitment occur through women's social networks, activating the structurally available; (2) structural availability continues to figure significantly in the ongoing mobilization process in determining who performs which tasks; and (3) the practical necessity that drives women to change their gender role behavior in the social movement organization subsequently prompts similar changes in their domestic lives.     

Revisiting the accuracy problem in network analysis using a unique dataset

A series of papers published by Bernard and colleagues in the late 1970s and early 1980s, dubbed the “accuracy studies,” called into the question the validity of self-reported perceived communication in the study of networks, showing that such reports explain only about 20 % of the variance in directly observed communication. Questions remain about how well the kinds of organizations studied reflect typical formal organizations, the studies’ short observation periods, and manual observation methods. This study revisits the accuracy studies using a unique dataset comprising 144 weeks of network surveys and machine classification of 7,000 h of audio recordings to measure observable communication in a software engineering unit employing 54 people. Results show that correlations between perceived and observed communication over the weeks studied have a lower average than that reported in the accuracy studies but vary considerably from week to week. It also replicates results of earlier research showing that participants tend to overreport communication when they perceive a strong structural relationship to the alters they are rating. This study solidifies our knowledge about network self-reports using a stronger data foundation than prior research employed. Its results, along with the previous research, suggest that perceived communication is not so much a flawed measure of observable communication as it is a related, yet distinct phenomenon. This highlights the need for developments in theory and modeling that articulate the relationship between perceived and observed communication, and Network Reticulation Theory is suggested as a viable approach.     

The effect of parental labor supply on child schooling: evidence from trade liberalization in India

This paper estimates the effect of changes in maternal and paternal labor supply on the schooling rates of children in India using the variation in industry-specific tariffs during a period of trade liberalization. The results show that an increase in maternal labor supplied outside of the household leads to a higher schooling probability for younger children. Specifically, a 1 day per week increase in maternal labor supply is associated with an approximately 5 % points increase in the schooling probability for children between the ages of 7 and 10. However, father’s labor supply has an insignificant effect on child schooling across all specifications. The effect for older children between the ages of 11 and 14, who face a tradeoff between schooling, market work, and domestic work, is also found to be insignificant.     

Extent and sources of occupational stress in university staff

Canadian higher education sector has undergone numerous changes during the past decades. Increased student enrolments, massive cuts in human resources and constant restructuring are changes likely to have had a considerable impact on all employees (e.g., administrative, trades, and faculty). While many studies conducted in different countries have shown that stress in universities is a problem of alarming proportions, to date, no study of the entire staff of a university has been carried out in Canada. This research uses an approach based on the prevention and management of the sources of occupational stress to study 1086 employees of a Quebec university. Data were collected by means of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It was found that the proportion of individuals who reported a high level of psychological distress was twice as high (40%) than that reported for a Quebec-wide sample (20%). Work overload, the relationship with one's superior and participation in decision making were systematically reported as high risks to employees' health. It was found that human resources management practices have not followed the rapid organizational changes which affected the university in the past years. The results are discussed in light of the risk management approach.     

Success and Anomie: A Study of the Effect of Goals on Anomie*

Most studies of subjective anomie assume that all individuals have the same goals, and they explain anomie in terms of differences in the means to achieve goals. This paper examines the effect of variations in the goal of success on anomie. Data are from a Harris survey of 3,001 adults in the continental United States. A multiple regression of anomie on success orientation, plus six social status variables, revealed that success orientation has a significant positive effect on anomie and that, next to education, it is the best predictor of anomie. This finding helps explain both intra-class variations in anomie and the increase in anomie from the 1950s to 1971 found by Fischer(1974). The social status variables did not explain much of the variation in success orientation, and the effect of success orientation on anomie was not mediated by education and income. The relevance of these findings to Durkheim's theory of anomie is discussed.     

Gender differences in the reemployment status of displaced workers human capital as signals that mitigate effects of bias

Data from the Current Population Survey's Displaced Workers Supplement for year 2000 indicate that after job loss, women become reemployed less frequently than do men. To explain this difference, we test sets of hypotheses derived from Human Capital and Gender Queuing theories. The results support the theory that in their hiring of displaced workers, employers tend to place men in a higher labor queue than women. Net of human capital factors, women are significantly less likely than men to be reemployed following the loss of a job. However, results also show that for women only, certain human capital characteristics substantially improve their reemployment chances. Unmarried women displaced from full-time and white-collar high-level occupations were significantly more likely to become reemployed than were women without these characteristics. The results suggest that queuing processes interact with human capital characteristics in a gender specific manner. Because employers lack perfect information about job applicants, they rely on certain human capital characteristics that signal the extent to which women in the labor market depart from prevailing negative stereotypes about women workers. To employers, unmarried women displaced from full-time managerial and professional jobs may appear more productive and committed to work than do women lacking these types of human capital. Thus, the possession of certain types of human capital among women can mitigate the effects of gender bias in the hiring of displaced labor.     

Physical fitness effects on substance abuse risk factors and use patterns

In this study, seventy-four adolescents in either a school, community or hospital based drug intervention program received and eight to nine week structured fitness activity class as an integrated element of their respective prevention or treatment program. Prepost assessments indicated significant gains in the field fitness tests of one mile run, 1 minute situp, 1 minute pushup, percent fat and flexibility for the total sample. Based upon prepost change on the one mile run time (less than 1:00) subjects were categorized as improvers (n = 38) and non-improvers (n = 36). Improvers demonstrated a significant increase in the self concept risk factor (Piers Harris Self Concept Scale) and a significant decrease in anxiety and depression risk factors (General Well-Being Scale) compared to the non-improvers. At posttest, the improvers self reported substance use patterns were significantly lower compared to the non-improvers for percentage of the sample who were multiple drug users and alcohol uses per week and were significantly higher for the percentage of the sample demonstrating total abstinence. These findings are suggestive of the usefulness of physical training as a supplemental intervention for adolescent substance abusers.     

Policy Changes in Medicare Home Health Care: Challenges to Providing Family-Centered,Community-Based Care for Older Adults

The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) established new reimbursement systems in the Medicare home health fee-for-service benefit. Reimbursements were reduced to 1993 levels and per-beneficiary capitated limits were introduced for the first time. This article analyzes the impact of these changes on chronically ill older adults and their families. The study combined a secondary analysis of the Provider of Service file (1996, 1999, 2002, and the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (1996, 1998) with qualitative interviews of home health agency directors. The greatest decreases in staff and visits were for medical social work and home health aide services. Patients with caregivers saw greater decreases in visits and reimbursements for all visits, skilled nursing, medical social work, and home health aide visits. Agency directors reported that they increased caregiver education, training, and involvement in care in order to discharge patients sooner. Additional research is needed to understand the long-term, adverse impact of these policy changes on chronically ill patients and their families.     

Does Returning to Work After Childbirth Affect Breastfeeding Practices?

This study examines the effect of the timing and intensity of returning to work after childbirth on the probability of initiating breastfeeding and the number of weeks of breastfeeding. Data come from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79). Baseline probit models and family-level fixed effects models indicate that returning to work within 3 months is associated with a reduction in the probability that the mother will initiate breastfeeding by 16–18%. Among those mothers who initiate breastfeeding, returning to work within 3 months is associated with a reduction in the length of breastfeeding of 4–5 weeks. We find less consistent evidence that working at least 35 h per week (among mothers who return to work within 3 months) detracts from breastfeeding. Future research is needed on understanding how employers can design policies and workplaces that support breastfeeding.     

An agenda for research on work and class in the postsocialist world

This article reviews the scholarly treatment of work and class in postsocialist states. It traces how class discourses under socialism led to a lack of meaningful working class studies in the postsocialist academy. It offers as an agenda for future research three points of departure: (a) greater confrontation of the one‐sided discourse on class in these societies and the academy itself (class blindness of research). (b) The value in studying postsocialist societies both comparatively to global North and South, and as an intermediate positioning for worker exploitation and responses in global capitalism. (c) To achieve the first 2 agenda items, a more grounded methodological approach proceeding from the lived experience of class and work is proposed. Current research on social networks, memory studies and personhood, the informal economy, deindustrialization, and the “domestication” of neoliberalism show that empirically grounded work on postsocialist working classes can make important contributions to wider social science debates. Studying the “losers” of postcommunist transition can tell us much about populist politics, the rise of the global working class outside the global North and the nature of global capitalist exploitation more generally. In addition, this agenda serves as an important point of departure from the dominant middle class focus of research in postsocialism.     

The effect of child support on the labor supply of custodial mothers participating in TANF

Child support is a critical source of income, especially for the growing proportion of children born to unmarried mothers. Current social policy supports custodial parent employment (e.g., the Earned Income Tax Credit [EITC] and other work supports have largely taken the place of an entitlement to cash assistance for single mothers of young children). Given many single mothers' limited earnings potential, child support from noncustodial fathers is also important. This raises questions about the effects of child support on custodial mothers' labor supply, and whether policies that increase child support receipt will thereby discourage mothers' employment. This paper addresses these questions, taking advantage of data from a statewide randomized experiment conducted in Wisconsin. Unlike previous nonexperimental research, we do not find any negative effect of child support on the likelihood to work for pay or the number of hours worked in a given week. Recent U.S. social welfare policies have focused on increasing both custodial mothers' child support collections and their labor supply. The results suggest that these may be compatible policies; the absence of a negative labor supply effect strengthens the potential antipoverty effectiveness of child support.     

Unitarian ideals and professional diversity in social work practice—the case of Sweden

Attempts to articulate a common core of social work are numerous as is the claim that there exists a ‘true’ or general social work. This article presents results from research on the organisational settings of Swedish social work. Social work managers in 100 middle sized municipalities have been interviewed by means of an extensive interview manual. Data are analysed using quantitative methods. The results demonstrate that since the 1980s specialisation has become the strongest organisational trend. Functional specialisation (division of child welfare, social assistance and social work with substance abusers) is the standard way of organising social work and in many municipalities specialisation has gone much further. An integrated or generic organisational model, which was the imperative of the 1970s, seems to exist only in the smallest municipalities. Some of the organisational changes can be described as short-lived fashions. Specialisation as such seems, however, to be an institutionalised strategy to solve social problems and as a response to expectations from the environment. These results are discussed against the background of the notion of social work as a coherent profession with an identifiable common core and a mutual arsenal of methods.