THE MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY EXAMINATION PROGRAM: A SURVEY OF PARTICIPANTS

Participants in the Examination in Marital and Family Therapy between November 1994 and May 1996 were surveyed to ascertain who took the examination, how they prepared for it, whether they thought that it was fair, and how these variables related to scores. Two-thirds of the respondents were female. Most were taking the examination for the first time, were relatively young, were Caucasian, and spoke English as their primary language. They primarily practiced marital and family therapy and had completed master's level university programs in marital and family therapy, counseling, and psychology. Most were sitting for the examination relatively soon after completing their training in marital and family therapy. Individual study was the preparation method of choice for half of the sample. Demographic variables had a modest but ambiguous effect on test score. Educational background had none. However, a relatively short latency between graduation and examination was related to a higher score, as was the use of multiple preparation procedures. With regard to fairness, the participants largely agreed that the examination was moderately difficult, but that the problems were realistic and they had enough time to complete the test.     

A COMPARISON OF THE RELATIONSHIP ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM AND THE MINNESOTA COUPLE COMMUNICATION PROGRAM*

This study assessed the comparative effectiveness of the Relationship Enhancement Program (RE) and the Minnesota Couples Communication Program (CC). Couples in the treatment groups (RE-26, CC-20) received RE and CC training from certified leaders. Results at posttesting showed that RE was more effective in increasing marital communication (both behavioral and self-report) and marital satisfaction than CC. A three-month follow-up showed that RE couples' outcome remained superior to CC couples'. Additional analyses revealed that couples' experiencing low marital satisfaction prior to training were best helped by the RE program.     

'SELLING BLOOD': CHARACTERISTICS AND MOTIVATIONS OF STUDENT PLASMA DONORS

This multimethod study examines selected characteristics and the motivational dynamics of remunerated blood plasma donation by U . S . university students . Ten percent of students surveyed reported selling plasma . In comparison to nondonors and nonremunerated student Red Cross donors , paid student plasma donors tended to be predominantly male and from higher income families and to have higher rates of employment while in school . They also exhibited greater rates of alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking . Drawing on focus - group and individual interviews , the authors describe the student plasma donation experience , with particular emphasis on motivational dynamics . Unlike nonremunerated Red Cross donors , plasma donors do not feel a strong identification with the altruistic aspects of the blood donor role . Rather , they are motivated to continue donating in order to secure an easy source of pocket money , which they tend to spend freely , especially on social drinking in student bars . Among students willing to sell plasma more than a few times , self - deferral from long - term donation tended to result from growing concerns about the physical effects of continuing donation , increases in disposable income from other sources , or both . The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for social policy and for future research .     

PARENTAL EARNINGS AND CHILDREN'S WELL‐BEING: AN ANALYSIS OF THE SURVEY OF INCOME AND PROGRAM PARTICIPATION MATCHED TO SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION EARNINGS DATA

We estimate the association between parental earnings and child well‐being using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation matched to Social Security Administration earnings records. We use very large samples on a wide variety of measures of child well‐being that are also linked to long histories of parent earnings from administrative records. Consistent with previous studies, we find that the use of longer time averages of parent earnings leads to substantially higher estimated associations compared to using only a single year of parent earnings. Using 7‐year time averages of parent earnings, we show, for example, that a doubling of parent earnings is associated with a reduced probability of a teenager reporting being in poor health by close to 50% and a decrease in the likelihood of a child repeating a grade by 39%. We also examine how the associations vary by the timing of when parental earnings are received during childhood. We find suggestive evidence that parental earnings received during the child's school‐going years (ages 6 to 17) are more strongly associated with college enrollment and children's future earnings as adults than parent earnings received earlier or later in the child's life. (JEL J13, I1, I2)     

A MULTIVARIATE MODEL OF JOB STRESS AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION

Although a significant relationship between job stress and alcohol consumption would seem quite logical, it has in fact received limited empirical support. A multi-variate model is developed in this article, in which the relationship between job stress and alcohol consumption is assumed to be mediated by beliefs regarding the efficacy of alcohol to relieve stress. Considerable support for this model is demonstrated, and the implications for practice as well as research are discussed.     

THE POWER OF THE LITTLE BLUE PILL: INNOVATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS OF LIFESTYLE DRUGS IN AN AGING POPULATION

The launch of Viagra in April 1998 led to a historically unprecedented high usage of erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs. We test whether Viagra's introduction significantly influenced outcomes for its target population such as sexually transmitted disease (STD) rates of older men, as well as its nontarget populations, such as divorces, natality, the distribution of the age spread within couples, female STDs, and sexual assault rates. We find causal evidence that Viagra's introduction increased gonorrhea rates in older men by 15%–28%. We find no significant evidence of any effects on other variables. We take this as evidence that this lifestyle drug causes significant changes in choices only which affect short‐term outcomes, while long‐term planned decisions are unaffected. Overall, we find that the welfare impacts of Viagra with respect to our outcomes of interest are positive and large. (JEL I1, J1, O33)     

FIRMS' EXPECTATIONS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF AI AND ROBOTICS: EVIDENCE FROM A SURVEY

This study presents new evidence on firms' views about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on their business and employment, using data from an original survey of more than 3,000 Japanese firms. The focus of this study is on technology‐skill complementarity. Firms with highly educated employees tend to expect positive impacts of AI‐related technologies on their business, and vice versa. Larger firms and firms that engage in global markets tend to have positive views about the impacts of AI‐related technologies. (JEL O33, J23, J24, M15)     

FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND LIFESTYLE: ADOLESCENT VICTIMIZATION IN HELSINKI

The proximate correlates of adolescent victimization are well documented in the literature. The purpose of our research is to examine the more fundamental sources of this outcome. Focusing on two basic social contexts—the family and the residential community—we develop a theoretical model and test it empirically against a multilevel data set on juveniles living in Helsinki. Consistent with our hypothesis, we find that the family context is an important determinant of violent victimization. Much of this effect is mediated by involvement in delinquent lifestyles. We also find support for the assumption that community context matters to the risk of victimization independently of the family context and individual-level risk factors. Our research underscores the need for a multilevel approach in explanations of violent victimization.     

THE ECONOMICS OF JOB SEARCH: A SURVEY

Part I of this survey presents a comprehensive and inte- grated analysis of job search. The labor market is characterized by incomplete information and search is conducted in an optimal manner. A variety of job search models are studied in this microeconomic setting. The paper contains a number of new results. Part 11 of the survey [to appear in the September 1976 issue of Economic Inquiry] addresses the empirical and policy implications of search theory.     

EXPOSURE TO MARITAL AND FAMILY THERAPY IN MEDICAL SCHOOL: A STUDENT PERSPECTIVE

Most marital and family therapists, both medically and nonmedically trained, regularly interact with physicians on a professional basis. Though some physicians receive specific training in marital and family therapy in their postgraduate residency programs, (notably those in psychiatry and family medicine), for many, the only academic exposure they receive to this field comes during a 6- to 10-week clinical clerkship in psychiatry during their third or fourth year of medical school. No study could be located which examined marital and family therapy training in undergraduate medical education. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the level of marital and family therapy training in medical school and to provide information concerning physicians who are not family therapists, and how much knowledge about the field they can be expected to have.     

ANTI-SEMITIC ATTITUDES OF THE MASS PUBLIC: ESTIMATES AND EXPLANATIONS BASED ON A SURVEY OF THE MOSCOW OBLAST

In this article we examine anti-Semitism as expressed by a sampleof residents of the Moscow Oblast (Soviet Union). Based on asurvey conducted in 1920, we begin by describing anti-Jewishprejudice and support for official discrimination against Jews.We discover a surprisingly low level of expressed anti-Semitismamong these Soviet respondents and virtually no support forstate policies that discriminate against Jews. At the same time,many of the conventional hypotheses predicting anti-Semitismare supported in the Soviet case. Anti-Semitism is concentratedamong those with lower levels of education, those whose personalfinancial condition is deteriorating, and those who oppose furtherdemocratization of the Soviet Union. We do not take these findingsas evidence that anti-Semitism is a trivial problem in the SovietUnion but, rather, suggest that efforts to combat anti-Jewishmovements would likely receive considerable support from ordinarySoviet people.     

FROM SOCIAL PROBLEM TO PERSONAL ISSUE: THE LANGUAGE OF LIFESTYLE

In this paper the way in which the concept of lifestyle has been mobilized in the debate over healthcare in the last decade is analysed. Has the USA become a more compassionate nation as former President George Bush urged? Or have neo-conservative and right-wing groups continued to impede the democratization of well-being? And, in the absence of full democratization through public provision, how have private sector health and fitness industries capitalized upon the lifestyle concept in the marketing of their wares? These questions are addressed as they pertain to the United States in the time immediately prior to and during the Clinton period.     

STUDENT VOCABULARIES OF MOTIVE: ACCOUNTS FOR ABSENCE

An analysis of actual accounts produced by students who missed class illustrates how they were intended to explain inappropriate behavior. In justifications, which took the form of appeal to loyalties, students accepted responsibility for the absence but emphasized that such action was positive in some other context. Excuses, rather than justifications, predominated. Most students admitted to the negative aspect of the act but attempted to lessen their individual responsibility through the use of five major themes, which included reference to biological factors, control by another person, oversleeping, other coursework, and accidents. The reality of the act of nonattendance was aligned and negotiated within the framework of university culture. Examples, in the words of the students, provide some understanding of their perceptions of their own behavior and self-presentation.     

MARKET STRUCTURE, DURABILITY, AND QUALITY: A SELECTIVE SURVEY

This essay provides an expository survey of that branch of the theoretical literature on product quality determination which assumes that quality can be represented by a scalar. The bulk of the work discussed associates that scalar with durability. Peter Swan's result that market structure has no impact on quality is derived in a straightforward way, and the assumptions on which it rests are identified and discussed. The consequences of relaxing these assumptions, as revealed by the subsequent literature, are described. The general implications of the durability literature are summarized .