Did Divorces Decline After the Oklahoma City Bombing?

The Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995 was an act of terrorism that had many potential influences on the city and state, including influences on families. We analyzed divorce data from 1985 to 2000 for all 77 counties in Oklahoma to assess the divorce response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Our prediction was that divorce rates in Oklahoma would decrease in response to the bombing, a prediction derived from two different theoretical orientations, terror management theory and attachment theory. We test this prediction in the context of two relatively powerful quasi‐experimental designs, an interrupted time series design, and a nonequivalent control group design. We analyze the time series data with polynomial regression. Results suggested that there were lower observed divorce rates following the Oklahoma City bombing than the prevailing 10‐year cubic divorce trend would have predicted, with the effect dampening over time. We analyzed the nonequivalent control group design using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) linear model to compare counties in and around Oklahoma City to those farther away, and to compare metropolitan to nonmetropolitan counties in Oklahoma. In each case, divorces were lower in the predicted directions.     

Longitudinal Evaluation of a Teenage Pregnancy Case Management Program in Oklahoma

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a school-based case management intervention in reducing teen-pregnancy. A nonrandomized intervention/comparison schools mixed-method evaluation design was employed. Participants included 203 pregnant and parenting teens with annual follow-up over a 3-year period. The results indicated that the time to repeat pregnancy was delayed among pregnant teens, high school drop-out rates were reduced among parenting teens, and pregnant teens were less likely to deliver before 36 weeks in the intervention versus the comparison school. Case management at a school setting is a promising approach to decrease repeat teen pregnancy.     

Reaching at-risk populations: The inconsistency of communication channels among American Indian tribes and nations in Oklahoma

While according to Census figures American Indians are considered a single minority group, not all tribes within the racial classification of American Indian have the same access to information and resources. This study exposes the inconsistent availability of communication channels among American Indian tribes and nations and the use of available channels for disseminating diabetes awareness, prevention, and treatment messages. Findings imply that health communication campaigns targeting at-risk groups should first identify and assess the ethnic communication channels available to the population, and inclusion of these channels should be essential in the health communication campaign; however, practitioners cannot assume equality of access and availability of these channels within a minority population.     

Covenants of care: The symbols of community support for elders in the all-black towns of Oklahoma

This article explores community covenants of care that benefit older residents in the all-black towns of Oklahoma. Community covenants of care are informal agreements by community residents that favor support of people residing in the community. The covenants are expressions of the social histories of the towns themselves and are intertwined with other social–historical themes, including positive racial identity and racial self-determination, expectations of limited external support, community self-reliance, and special status afforded to elders. There are numerous expressions of community covenants of care within the all-black towns. Although the manifestations of positive community covenants may require considerable time and effort to identify in poor rural minority communities, such as the all-black towns, the experience can lead to a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the lived experiences of older residents and their community roles.     

Soziologische Theorie, Methoden, Migrationssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, Wirtschaftssoziologie, Mitbestimmung, Umweltsoziologie

Literaturbesprechungen

Soziologische Theorie, Methoden, Migrationssoziologie, Arbeitssoziologie, Wirtschaftssoziologie, Mitbestimmung, Umweltsoziologie