Parenting experiences of three self‐identified gay fathers

There is an increasing number of self‐identified gay fathers or “out” gay men who have chosen to parent through such alternative means as adoption and surrogacy. In spite of their growing numbers, there has been little research on the experiences of gay fathers. Three self‐identified gay fathers volunteered to participate in the current study. The semi‐structured interviews focused on four areas: decision to parent, experience of fatherhood, relationships with children, and the coming‐out process. Participants were Caucasian, ranged in age from the mid‐30s to early 50s, and had either one or two children. Their children were either Caucasian or biracial and ranged in age from early infancy to seven years. Both single and partnered fathers were represented in the sample as was parenting through adoption and through surrogacy. The themes that emerged from the interviews are described below.     

The self‐concept of the delinquent female 1

Interviewing: Its Principles and Methods, Annette Garrett, Second Edition, FSAA, New York, 1972

The Experience of Psychotherapy: A Practitioner's Manual, Herbert S. Strean, Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press Inc., 1973.     

An explorative study of peer influence and response to adolescent self‐cutting behavior in Hong Kong∗

This paper reports on a qualitative study of peer responses to self‐cutting of secondary school adolescents in Hong Kong. Through semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with three adolescent self‐cutters, their family members, and their peers, the peers’ response to adolescents’ self‐cutting was explored. The findings showed that different peers had different types of influence, as well as different responses to self‐cutting. Close and supportive peers were usually the first to discover the self‐cutting. They were a source of help, communicating with parents, friends, teachers, and the adolescents themselves. In contrast, non‐supportive peers, especially boyfriends or girlfriends, created conflicts that seemed to provoke self‐cutting. The findings’ significance for social work intervention is also discussed.     

Gender and health among older people: What is the role of social policies?

The study investigated how social policies moderate the association between gender and health among older people across European countries. The study is the first to take a comprehensive view on the role of social policies in connection with gender inequality in health among older Europeans. The association between gender and poor self‐rated health and limiting long‐standing illness was investigated in a multilevel framework. Cross‐level interaction effects showed that more generous minimum pensions, higher spending on eldercare and a higher degree of eldercare formalisation are associated with relatively better health among women, while more generous standard pensions are associated with relatively better health among men. The conclusion is that policies directed towards older people are not gender neutral; rather they are likely to affect men and women differently. By shaping the distribution of resources as well as of unpaid work, social policies can contribute to either strengthening or weakening the link between gender and health.     

Secure attachment and social and personality outcomes: The moderating role of emerging adults’ autobiographical memories of parents

Schema-congruent positive autobiographical memories of past experiences with parents, a legacy of secure attachment, may operate jointly with secure attachment to predict social and personality outcomes. The current study examines the moderating role of emerging adults’ autobiographical memories of parents on the relations between maternal and paternal attachment and self-regulation, personal distress, and pathological narcissism. Undergraduates (N = 156, 66.7% female, 53.2% White, M_age = 19.3) completed a battery of measures assessing secure attachment, self-regulation, personal distress, and pathological narcissism (vulnerable and grandiose). Participants were instructed to recall brief autobiographical memories of experiences with their parental figures. Later, they were asked to name the primary emotion associated with each memory. These emotions were coded as positive, negative, or neutral in valence. For the final analysis, a positive emotion index was constructed by subtracting the number of negative memories from the number of positive memories. Regression models simultaneously examining four outcomes (self-regulation, personal distress, and vulnerable and grandiose narcissism) were examined for both female and male parental figures. Interactions between secure attachment and positive memories were only significant for maternal model outcomes. Secure attachment was positively related to self-regulation, and negatively related to personal distress and vulnerable narcissism, when more relative positive memories were recalled. Taken together, this study provides support for the continued influence of secure attachment on social and personality outcomes in emerging adulthood. Further, this influence of secure attachment appears buttressed by readily accessible positive (relative to negative) memories of female attachment figures.     

Focusing the mediating role of institutional trust: How does interpersonal trust promote organizational commitment?

Numerous organization scholars point out that trust is crucial for well-functioning organizations. However, trust in organizational settings could differ according to the objects of trust. This study compares two conceptually different models: main-effect model and mediation-effect model. The main-effect model assumes that both interpersonal trust and institutional trust promote organizational commitment independently, but the mediation-effect model assumes that institutional trust is cultivated by interpersonal trust and increases organizational commitment. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) show that the mediation-effect model fits better than the main-effect model and that the structural coefficients of the mediation-effect model are neatly interpreted by social scientific studies of trust. This study's findings have two important implications: First, there seems to be sequential order between different types of trust in organizational settings. Second, interpersonal trust promotes organizational commitment only if it facilitates institutional trust, providing an explanation for the inconsistent findings of previous studies.     

“The Wisdom of Age”: Perspectives on Aging and Growth among Lesbian Older Adults

Older lesbian-identified women are a health disparate yet resilient population about whom knowledge is limited and emerging. Among the areas in need of research are older lesbians’ experiences of later life and stress-related growth. This article presents the findings from a qualitative study that investigated older lesbians’ experiences of adversity and adaptation as they age. In-depth, exploratory interviews were conducted with 12 lesbian-identified women who were between the ages of 65–80. This study applied grounded theory methodology to identify respondents sources of stress and fear, their strengths and coping strategies and how those relate to each other and to their growth in later life. We advance a model of adaptive change that shows how spirituality, social support, and resistance to cultural norms help older lesbian adults cope with loss, illness, and discrimination and develop wisdom in later life. Knowledgeable practitioners can help older lesbian women identify and maintain sources of social support, explore spirituality, and facilitate continuous growth through the end of life. Social workers can advocate for services that are welcoming and affirmative so as to reduce fears of isolation and dependence associated with health decline.     

The plural “self”: Group therapy with Bosnian women survivors of war

Although mandated to protect children, most child welfare workers do not receive the training and supervision they need to do their work. Using the case of a 7‐year‐old boy, this paper shows the need for child protection workers to be aware of the stages of psychosexual development. The problems caused by the current “good touch/bad touch” sexual abuse prevention teaching are also highlighted.     

The Scale of Government‐financed Persons in China and the Variables Affecting It: The Experience of the Last Ten Years of Institutional Reform

财政供养人员是政府的行政之基,其规模大小直接影响政府效能与社会和谐。1998年以来的政府机构改革,有效地抑制了财政供养规模的膨胀,中国当前的财政供养规模总体上处于安全水平、受控状态,但在优化财政供养人员的结构与功能方面仍然面临巨大挑战。中国的财政供养问题绝非是一个孤立的问题,而是与更深层的政府体制改革息息相关。财政供养问题其实是中国政府体制改革的一个缩影,政府体制很多深层次的问题都会在财政供养问题中得到集中反映,而财政供养存在的各种现实问题,也只有通过政府体制改革才能够从根本上解决。

关键词: 财政供养?机构改革?政府规模

Government‐financed persons (GFPs) form the basis of government administration and the number of the GFPs has a direct bearing on government efficiency and social harmony. Government restructuring since 1998 has effectively curbed inflation in the number of the GFPs, which at present remains at a safe overall level and under control. However, optimizing the structure and functions of GFPs still poses a huge challenge to the central government. The issue of GFPs is by no means an isolated one, but is closely related to government restructuring at a deeper level. In a real sense, the issue of GFPs is a microcosm of China's government restructuring and many of the underlying problems in the government system find a concentrated reflection in the question of GFPs. Conversely, many of the real problems in GFPs can only be thoroughly resolved by government restructuring.     

The Effects of Parenting Stress,Perceived Mastery,and Maternal Depression on Parent–Child Interaction

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to test a model that delineated the interrelationships among parenting stress, perceived mastery (defined as the belief that one's life chances are under one's own control), maternal depression, and parent–child interaction. A secondary data analysis of the Fragile Family and Child Well-Being Study was conducted, using a sample of 2,650 mothers. Results suggest that parenting stress undermines one's sense of perceived mastery which, in turn, resulted in depression. Moreover, the results also indicated that parenting stress directly affected maternal depression and parent–child interaction. There was no support for the hypothesis that parenting stress undermines one's sense of perceived mastery which, in turn, resulted in depression, which affected one's parent–child interaction. Implications of these findings for professionals working with mothers of young children are discussed. Future research should test this model using other forms of parenting behavior.     

The Dissolution of Joint Living Arrangements among Single Parents and Children: Does Welfare Make a Difference?

Objective . This research examines the claim that states' newfound autonomy to devise their own welfare systems will lead to more intergenerational family dissolution. Critics of welfare reform argue that children residing in states with lower welfare benefits will be more at risk of living apart from parents, as some parents will lack sufficient income to raise children. Methods . Data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation were analyzed employing a discrete-time hazard model. Results . The findings suggest that the risk of children living apart from parents was lower in states offering higher welfare benefits. Also, results indicate that the children at greatest risk of living apart from parents are those who are either newborns or teenagers, are white, or have parents with disabilities. Conclusions . Growing reluctance across all levels of government to provide income support for needy families may accelerate the upward trend in parent-child separation. Results further broaden the literature on household responses to economic setbacks by showing that economic deprivation leads single-parent families to reduce the number of coresident children.