Retrospective Earnings Data: Some Solutions for Old Problems

In this study using the recall method to collect longitudinalsalary data, it was found that information on past earningsis not substantially less accurate than that obtained for currentsalary. Retrospective information on earnings could be a usefulalternative to the costlier and more time-consuming panel operation.     

Socioeconomic,Sociodemographic and Attitudinal Correlates of the Tempo of Divorce

This study assesses the impact of socioeconomic, sociodemographic, and attitudinal characteristics of husbands and wives on the timing of marital dissolution. The primary concerns were with divorce and the intervals of marital duration before divorce occured. The analysis was based on data collected from an initial sample of 610 couples in the early years of marriage, all of whom resided within a large North Central Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area in 1978. The couples were reinterviewed seven years later in 1985 (N = 544). The data collected from the first wave of subjects were used to identify antecedent characteristics of husbands and wives, whereas, data from the second wave were used to measure the timing (tempo) of marital dissolution among the 105 couples who subsequently divorced. Partial correlation coefficients indicated that the tempo of divorce significantly varied according to the wife's employment status, occupational status, future work plans, father's education, age at marriage, gender role orientation and number of children. Moreover, a multiple classification analysis of these variables showed that under controlled conditions wives' employment status and number of children were more powerful predictors of the tempo of divorce.     

Models of Disability in the Labelling and Attitudinal Discourse in Ghana

This article considers the labelling of people with 'mental retardation' in Ghana against the background of the major underpinning models of disability. The influences of these models on individuals and on services and provisions are discussed. It is argued that traditional and religious beliefs, in addition to present day attitudes within the community, are influences on the perception of 'mental retardation' in Ghana.     

The Relationship Between Attitudinal and Behavioral Aspects of Career Maturity

The construct of career maturity has played a prominent role in career development theory. To have practical significance, however, career counselors should know that career maturity is linked to actual career-related behaviors. Toward this end, the current study investigated whether a meaningful relationship existed between an attitudinal measure of career maturity and a measure of career maturity reflecting job performance-related behavioral competencies in a sample of minority youth. Only modest relationships were found between several career maturity attitudes and the behavioral measures. Results are discussed and implications for career counselors working with minority adolescents are provided.     

Social, Economic, and Attitudinal Characteristics of Cohabitation in Israel

This article examines cohabitation in Israel. Since the 1980s cohabitation has been on the rise, with heterosexual couples living together without being legally married. The purpose of this article is to address the following questions: What are the characteristics of cohabitation; what economic circumstances affect cohabitation; why is cohabitation chosen over “family” and is it becoming a threat to the family institution? The sample consisted of 50 couples. Our major findings were that cohabitation does not seem to be an alternative to marriage, but a prelude to it. We found a high correlation between the cohabitants' willingness to marry and their willingness to have children in the future. Cohabitants live in rented apartments, usually do not share a bank account, and have no formal economic agreement.     

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence among U.S. adults

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important correlate of violent behavior. This study examined acceptance of IPV using data collected from a nationally representative telephone survey of 5,238 adults. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations between sociodemographic characteristics, exposure to violence, question order, and acceptance of hitting a spouse or boyfriend/girlfriend under specific circumstances. Depending on the circumstance examined, acceptance of IPV was significantly higher among participants who were male and younger than 35; were non-White; were divorced, separated, or had never married; had not completed high school; had a low household income; or were victims of violence within the past 12 months. Participants were more accepting of women hitting men; they also were consistently more likely to report tolerance of IPV if they were asked first about women hitting men rather than men hitting women. Reports of IPV tolerance need to be interpreted within the context of the survey. Efforts to change IPV attitudes can be tailored to specific IPV circumstances and subgroups, and these efforts should emphasize that the use of physical violence is unacceptable to both genders.     

Attitudinal and normative predictors of alcohol use by older adolescents and young adults

A model of alcohol use based on the theory of planned behavior, expectancy theory, and the developmental literature on the influence of parents and peers was examined with 87 eleventh grade students, 105 college freshmen, and 107 college juniors. Specifically, the influence of attitudes about the positive and negative consequences of drinking, perceived parental and peer norms about alcohol consumption, and perceived control over drinking predicted self-reported alcohol use. The results suggest that, during adolescence, decisions to consume alcohol are rational, based on the consideration of the positive consequences of alcohol use and perceptions of control over drinking; however, the negative consequences of alcohol use are discounted. While perceived peer norms predicted alcohol consumption in all three age groups, the influence of perceived parental norms varied such that they predicted alcohol use only among the college juniors. Implications and avenues for future research are discussed.     

The Effect of Attitudinal and Behavioral Commitment on the Internal Assessment of Organizational Effectiveness: A Multilevel Analysis

Using a multilevel analysis including 207 volunteers and paid workers nested within 51 nonprofit organizations (NPOs), this study examines the effect of individual and group attitudinal and behavioral commitment on their assessment of organizational effectiveness. Drawing on classical attitude theories, our results indicate that individuals with higher affective organizational commitment tend to assess their NPO’s effectiveness higher, while individuals staying because of the lack of alternatives assess it lower. However, in line with behavioral commitment theories, both relationships are mediated by the effect of teamwork behavioral commitment. We also found a negative effect of normative attitudinal commitment partially nested at the group level. Overall, our results suggest that encouraging volunteers and paid workers to participate in concrete teamwork behaviors on a daily basis constitutes a twofold benefit: it adds to the effect of affective attitudinal commitment at the individual level, while counter balancing the negative effects related to normative individual and collective resistances.     

Attitudinal and structural drivers of preferred versus actual residential landscapes in a desert city

Urban Ecosystems - Residential landscaping decisions can have important implications for water use and conservation in urban areas. Yard preferences are generally closely related to actual yard...     

Retrospective Reasons for the Initiation of Substance Use

ABSTRACT

Evidence for comorbidity in psychiatric disorders and chemical depend ency suggests that peopie with ad dietion problems use drugs and alcohoito cope with painful affeetive states and symptoms. At the same time, sus tained chem i cal use may also lead to fur ther dam age and mimic symp toms of dis or ders. This study was de signed to build knowledge about the rea sons in-patient and out-patient sub stance abus ers in treatment initially use, and to test if there were dif fer ences be tween gender and eth nie (White non-His panic and Af ri can-Amer i can) groups. Findings in di cated that peo pie not only started using drugs and al co hoi to en hance af feetive states, they also were likely to use chem i cals as a way to cope with pain ful, af feetive symp toms. Gender seemed to play a salient role than ethnieity in that fe males of either ethnieity were more likely than males to end or se items relating to the management of negative af feetive states, for enhancement of skills and prob-lem-solving abilities, and for per ceived lack of alternatives. Implications of this study are provided.     

Retrospective Views of Intergenerational Relationships

Abstract

CHILDHOOD AND OLD AGE, EQUALS OR OPPOSITES? Edited by Jørgen Povlsen, Signe Mellemgaard and Ning de Conick-Smith. Odense: Odense University Press, 1999. Reviewed by Ann-Kristin Boström

THE DAY GOGO WENT TO VOTE. Elinor Batezat Sisulu. Cape Town & New York: Tafelberg Publishers, 1996. Reviewed by Suzanne Stutman

THE STEPFAMILY PUZZLE: INTERGENERATIONAL INFLUENCES. Edited by Craig A. Everett. Binghamton, New York: The Haworth Press, Inc., 1993. Reviewed by Wilma Wolfenstein

MALE INTERGENERATIONAL INTIMACY: HISTORICAL, SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL, AND LEGAL PERSPECTIVES. Edited by Theo Sandfort, Edward Brongersma and Alex van Naerssen. New York: Harrington Park Press, 1991. Reviewed by H. P. F. Mercken     

The Accuracy of Respondent-Coded Occupation

This study reports results from a methodological experimentconducted in a national survey to test the accuracy of respondent-codedoccupation. For most uses, we conclude that such measures aresufficiently precise. There are, however, some systematic sourcesof error which the investigator should be aware of.     

Accuracy of the College Majors Finder for Three Majors

The Self-Directed Search was administered to 68 university seniors who were majoring in Chemistry/Chemical Engineering, Elementary Education, and Office Administration. Their resulting three-letter summary codes were compared with three-letter college major codes obtained from the College Majors Finder. A high degree of agreement between the two sets of codes was found for each of the three majors. Effective methods for matching people to jobs have held the interest and occupied much time for career counselors and vocational theorists since the inception of the trait-factor approach to career counseling. More recently, Holland (1985a) broadened and clarified matching procedures through the development of his typological theory of vocational choice. Just as personality types and occupational environments have been organized using Holland's framework to foster an understanding of occupational choice, Holland's theory can also be used to explain other types of choices, such as choice of a college major.     

Contemporaneous Versus Retrospective Reports of Cohabitation in the Fragile Families Survey

We compare contemporaneous and retrospective reports of cohabitation among unmarried mothers in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing survey (N =2,524). We find that (a) many mothers revise their reports of whether they cohabited at the time of the birth of their child and (b) revisions in reports are systematically related to individuals’ characteristics and the quality and trajectory of parents’ relationships. These results have important implications for analyses of determinants and consequences of family structure using these data and, potentially, any retrospective data on relationships and family structure.     

Communication of the Decision to Divorce: A Retrospective Qualitative Study

Parents' ability to effectively communicate the decision to divorce can assist children in positively adjusting to this major life change. Using written responses to open-ended questions, this study investigated how 30 adult children of divorced parents recalled and evaluated the nature of their parents' communication of the divorce decision. A thematic analysis of the participants' responses identified salient themes that might assist divorcing parents in communicating the decision to their children. These themes included breaking the news together, avoiding negative talk about the other spouse, taking responsibility for the decision to divorce, leaving out details in the explanation, and inviting questions.