Mothers with Physical Disabilities Caring for Young Children

Seventy-one U.S. mothers with a physical disability who had a child aged 0 to 3 years responded to a survey about the system of care used for their child. Results indicated that mothers participated in all different types of care (physical, comforting, playing, limit setting, and taking the child outside the home). Partners and participants’ mothers provided the most assistance with care. Mothers were generally satisfied with assistance received from others. This article explores how mothers remain central to their children with others assisting with the child’s care and the impact of such assistance on mothers’ relationships with partners and children.     

Work Choices of Mothers in Families with Children with Disabilities

This study used a sample of single and married mothers with children under the age of 20 drawn from the 1992 and 1993 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation to examine one facet of the economic implications a child with disabilities brings to a family. Specifically, the choice of women with children to work full time, part time, or not at all was estimated as a function of individual and family characteristics, including the number and ages of children with disabilities. The presence of young children, with or without disabilities, has a significant negative influence on the work choice of both single and married mothers. However, once children enter elementary school, single mothers with disabled or nondisabled children and married mothers with nondisabled children are significantly more likely to enter the labor market or increase their labor market hours than are married mothers of school‐age children with disabilities.     

Heterogeneity in Two‐Parent Families and Adolescent Well‐Being

This study highlights the heterogeneity in two‐parent families and examines how adolescents fare when they reside in simple two‐parent, blended, and stepfamilies. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N= 1,769), we find that shared biological children in blended families have worse outcomes than children in simple two‐parent families, even though they reside with both of their biological parents. These differences occur for academic performance, delinquency, school detachment, and depression. Current explanations in the family literature do not account for the poorer outcomes of shared children in blended families. We suggest that the presence of half‐siblings creates a unique family situation that is not accurately represented in the current family literature.     

From Refrigerator Mothers to Warrior‐Heroes: The Cultural Identity Transformation of Mothers Raising Children with Intellectual Disabilities

This article examines public performances of mothering children with intellectual disabilities through thematic discourse analysis of thirty‐three published memoirs. These data reveal presentations of self that, once consumed and interpreted by public interaction, emerge collectively as a “warrior‐hero” identity, a reformulated archetype in the social construction of a good mother. This archetype places a cultural expectation on mothers to do battle to attain resources and possible cures for their children, ultimately shifting the historical burden on mothers from causing the intellectual disabilities of their children to curing them. The article concludes with a discussion of how this hyperfocus on expert parenting has the potential to leave mothers of children with intellectual disabilities strained and subject to the pitfalls of systems of inequality.     

Community Integration of Older People with Developmental Disabilities in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

To understand the community integration of adults with developmental disabilities in Hong Kong, a comprehensive measure includes four dimensions, pertaining to social activity, social services, interpersonal behavior, and people involved in social interaction. Applying this measure to 692 adults (aged 15–62), the territory-wide study finds that these adults lack company for out-of-home activities and community activities despite their higher knowledge, assertiveness, social interaction, and feeling accepted in the community. With the strengthening of many conditions (including knowledge and community support) for community integration, the adults tend to have greater need for empowerment to enhance their active participation in community activities.     

Disability Services and College Students with Psychiatric Disabilities

Abstract

Weiner (1999) has suggested that the process of accepting a disability and its associated limitations is often protracted for students with psychiatric disabilities, thus leaving many students unable to fully participate in services or in the design of academic accommodations. This research examines the relationship between psychiatric disability identity and use of academic accommodation services for 57 undergraduates with psychiatric impairments who are experiencing problems in their academic functioning. Willingness to utilize services was related to students' identification as having a psychiatric disability. Social work interventions are needed to support students in accepting psychiatric disabilities while concurrently crafting necessary accommodations.     

Parental Involvement Promotes Rural African American Youths’ Self‐Pride and Sexual Self‐Concepts

This study, an evaluation of the Strong African American Families Program, was designed to determine whether intervention‐induced changes in targeted parenting behaviors were associated with young adolescents’ development of racial pride, self‐esteem, and sexual identity. Participants were 332 African American mothers and their 11‐year‐old children in 9 rural Georgia counties. Families were randomly assigned to a control group or an intervention group. Unlike those in the control families, mothers in the intervention group reported increases in targeted parenting behaviors, which promoted self‐esteem, positive racial identity, and positive sexual self‐concepts among their children. These findings expand the study of African American youths’ identity development by including broader domains of identity and parenting processes other than racial socialization.     

Sibling dynamics in adulthood: a qualitative analysis

Abstract

Research on sibling dynamics throughout the life span has gradually increased over the past several years. However, limited work has been conducted on the sibling relationship dynamics of adults particularly using qualitative methods. The current study is a phenomenological examination of the nature of sibling relationships in adults using a sample of forty adults, 24 females and 16 males, between the ages 29 and 70 (M?=?50.55, SD = 12.03) from a large Northeastern city in the United States. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured questions about past and current sibling relationship dynamics. Results were analyzed using the phenomenological method. Themes emanating from the interviews included: (1) impact of age, gender, and geography on the relationship, (2) topology of support provided by siblings, (3) content of conversations/information sharing and taboo items, (4) contact frequency and method of contact (phone, electronic), (5) factors contributing to sibling closeness, and (6) negative aspects of the relationship. Findings highlight the continued and unique importance of this bond even as adult are occupied with their daily life and the diversity found in sibling dynamics during adulthood.     

Gender Differences in Adult Sibling Relations in Two‐Child Families

We examine affective closeness, contact, and helping among adult siblings using data for over 1,500 respondents in 2‐child families from the National Survey of Families and Households. Using this subsample allows us to investigate differences by gender of respondent and of individual siblings using a nationally representative sample. We find that siblings are central to the lives of adults; most sibling relationships involve frequent contact and positive feelings. Sister pairs phone and exchange advice more often than do other sibling pairs. Women are more likely than men to report feeling close to or getting along with their sibling. We find no consistent differences in visiting. Giving and receiving help appear to reflect gendered forms of intimacy and of household labor.     

A Phenomenological Examination of Sibling Relationships in Emerging Adulthood

A growing area of research has focused on the role played by siblings throughout the life span. However, limited work has been conducted on the sibling relationship dynamics of emerging adults specifically using qualitative methods. The current study is a phenomenological examination of the nature of sibling relationships in emerging adults using a sample of 52 students, 36 women and 16 men, between ages 18 and 23 years (M = 19.85, SD = 1.16) from a large northeastern U.S. state university. Participants were interviewed using semistructured questions about various aspects of family environment. Results were analyzed using the phenomenological method. Themes emanating from the interviews were as follows: (1) change in the relationship due to time and transitions, (2) variability due to family constellation, (3) difficulties due to divorce and blended families, (4) older sibling blame and responsibility, (5) parental punishment during sibling dispute and disengagement as the siblings aged, and (6) differences between parents in sibling dispute intervention. Findings highlight the diversity in experiences with siblings and the transitory nature of this relationship during the first year of college.     

Family Influences on Intermarriage Attitudes: A Sibling Analysis in the Netherlands

This study examined the influence of the family on native Dutch attitudes toward having ethnic minority members as kin through marriage using multiactor data from the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study (N = 1,652). Results from multilevel models showed that 28% of the variation in ethnic attitudes can be ascribed to the family. We investigated different pathways through which the family affects these attitudes; 60% of the family influence was explained. Results revealed that the intergenerational congruence of attitudes and the transmission of attitudes and structural and cultural positions are important mechanisms. Furthermore, family characteristics in adulthood—strength and warmth of family relationships—related to intermarriage attitudes, and the strength of family relationships moderated attitude congruence within families.     

CHAPTER 5: Rights of Children Born with Disabilities:

No abstract available for this article.     

Family Structure States and Transitions: Associations With Children's Well‐Being During Middle Childhood

Using longitudinal data from the Maternal and Child Supplement of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (N = 3,862) and Hierarchical Linear Models, we estimated associations of family structure states and transitions with children's achievement and behavior trajectories during middle childhood. Results suggest that residing in a single‐mother family was associated with small increases in behavior problems and decreases in achievement and that residing in a social‐father family was associated with small increases in behavior problems. Family structure transitions, in general, were associated with increases in behavior problems and marginally associated with decreases in achievement. Transitioning to a single‐mother family was associated with increases in behavior problems, whereas transitioning to a social‐father family was associated with decreases in reading achievement.     

Transracial Adoption of Children with Developmental Disabilities

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the transracial adoption of children with developmental disabilities. Thirty-four families who had adopted a child transracially were compared with 63 families who had adopted a child inracially; additionally, we compared adoptions in 13 families who had adopted both transracially and inracially. The adjustment of mothers and fathers was gauged separately at three time points using measures of depression, stress, family strengths, and subjective well-being. Results indicated few differences in functioning between transracial and inracial adoptive parents. Mothers in both conditions maintained low depression scores and comparable means on all other outcome variables. Fathers also revealed similar adjustment patterns despite adoption type. Thus, parents experience both short- and long-term positive outcomes from the transracial adoption of children with developmental disabilities.     

Negotiating Unequal Exchange: Relational Work in Cross-Class Sibling Relationships1

Based on 60 in-depth, semi-structured interviews, this article examines exchanges of support in cross-class adult sibling relationships. Whereas previous studies of family exchange have largely focused on parent–child support and patterns of inequality across families, this study addresses a gap in the literature by focusing on sibling exchanges and within-family inequality. How is support exchanged when expectations of peer equality are violated—when there is an economic difference between adult siblings? I find that cross-class siblings engage in relational work to shape and reframe exchanges in ways that are more indirect, often involving third parties. I identify four types of indirect economic support—proxy support, dependent support, compensatory support, and shared resources—which contribute to our understanding of the dynamics of sibling exchange, and point to ways in which inequality can be interactionally managed.     

Maternal Cohabitation and Child Well‐Being Among Kindergarten Children

Using data collected from 10,511 kindergarten children and their parents from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study—Kindergarten Cohort, this study examines child well‐being across cohabiting 2‐biological‐parent families; cohabiting stepfamilies; married stepfamilies; and married 2‐biological‐parent families. Findings indicate no differences in child well‐being for children living in cohabiting stepfamilies and cohabiting 2‐biological‐parent families. Multivariate models controlling for child characteristics, economic resources, maternal depressive symptoms, stability, and parenting practices show no significant differences across family types in child well‐being indicators, with the exception of reading skills. Important factors in explaining the link between cohabitation and child well‐being include economic resources, maternal depressive symptoms, and parenting practices.     

Sibling Relationships Over the Life Course: A Panel Analysis

Using pooled time series analysis on approximately 9,000 individuals ages 16–85 interviewed in the 1987–1988 and 1992–1994 waves of the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH), this research examines change in 4 behavioral measures of sibling relationships—proximity, contact, giving help, and receiving help—over the life course. All four measures of sibling relationship decline significantly during early adulthood, but proximity and contact stabilize in middle age and do not decline further, whereas sibling exchange demonstrates a slight rise after approximately age 70. Life course analyses provide only modest support for a model in which siblings substitute for parents, spouses, and children. With the partial exception of proximity, measured life course changes do not explain observed age effects.     

Queers and Crips: Parallel Identity Development Processes for Persons with Nonvisible Disabilities and Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Persons

Traditional models of identity development are inadequate when applied to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons and persons with disabilities. The identity development and life experiences of persons with disabilities and LGB persons are similar in many respects including being raised/socialized by persons who are not a part of that group, and being educated to conform to the standards of behavior and appearance of the dominant culture. This article describes and critiques four models of identity development as applied to LGB persons and persons with nonvisible disabilities: stage/linear, issues/milestone experiences, social constructionist, and interactional. The authors propose an interactional identity development model for persons with disabilities and LGB persons that incorporates the significance of bio-psycho-social-cultural contexts, the influence of multiple identities, the fluidity of identity formation, and the importance of language.     

Sibling Socialization of Competence in Rural,Single‐Parent African American Families

Older siblings' contributions to younger siblings' competence net of parenting processes were examined with 152 pairs of first‐born (M= 11.7 years) and second‐born (M= 9.2 years) siblings in rural, single‐parent African American families. The possible moderational effect of sibling conflict on the association between older and younger siblings' competence was also examined. Mothers reported their parenting practices, teachers assessed siblings' competence, and older siblings reported sibling conflict levels. Structural equation modeling indicated that parenting was linked with older siblings' competence, which in turn was linked with competence among younger siblings. Hierarchical multiple regression revealed that older and younger siblings' competencies were linked when sibling relationships included low levels of conflict.     

Wanting Mixed‐Sex Children: Separate Spheres,Rational Choice,and Symbolic Capital Motivations

Substantial research concludes that most Americans want to have “at least 1 boy and 1 girl,” yet few have empirically explored what drives this preference. The author used nationally representative data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 5,544) and generalized ordered logistic regression to evaluate 3 potential psychosocial frameworks motivating the mixed‐sex ideal using gender and family attitude variables. The results supported a “separate spheres” ideology, through which parents may view the interests, traits, skills, and roles of boys and girls in families as very different. Second, the results supported a rational choice orientation, whereby achieving this goal maximizes having a variety of needs met in old age. Third, the desire for 1 boy and 1 girl may be motivated by its symbolic capital as a status marker, representing the image of a “balanced,” ideal family. Based on beliefs about the nonsubstitutability of boys and girls, this ideal represents a form of gender inequality that persists in families.