The relation of economic factors to perceived stress in mobile families

The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between objective and subjective measures of economic well-being, amount of and satisfaction with control, and perceived stress level of subjects, who have relocated with their families within the past year. Both males and females indicate more stress if their financial condition is worse following the move than before, if their employment status is not satisfying, and when they have little control over their lives and are not satisfied with their level of control. Stress is negatively related to satisfaction with the specific aspects of economic situation studied for both males and females with limited exception.Peggy S. Berger received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Consumer Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include socioeconomic issues related to geographic mobility and to gender, and work and family issues.Judith Powell received her Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University. She is a Professor of Child and Family Studies, and Head of the Department of Home Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071. Her research interests include parent-child relations and effects of relocation on families.Alicia Skinner Cook received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University. She is a Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include grief and loss issues, family stress, and adjustment to relocation.     

The effects of financial management strategies on quality of family life in remarriage

A conceptualization of financial management behavior in remarriage forwarded by Fishman (1983) is refined and used to study 91 remarried couples. Couples are categorized into three financial management strategy groups: those having only joint accounts, only separate accounts, and a combination of joint and separate accounts. The different groups' demographic characteristics and satisfaction and happiness regarding family life are compared. Overall few differences between groups are found on the demographic characteristics, and no differences are found on satisfaction or happiness. Her research interests are in remarriage and stepfamily relationships, fathering postdivorce, and stress and coping in adolescents. She received her Ed.D. from Indiana University. He received his M.S. degree in Human Development and Family Studies at Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. His research interests include factors affecting adjustment in remarriage and multiple remarriages and problem solving and creativity in families. before her death in December 1993. Her research interests were financial management and families in transition. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.     

Domains explaining the life quality of dairy farm couples

The purpose of the study reported here is to identify domains which explain the life quality of dairy farm husbands and wives. A further purpose is to identify domains which would explain life quality when the domain unique to farming is deleted. One hundred sixteen dairy farm couples were interviewed in 1986, when a financial crisis in agriculture had reached the western states. The analysis is done by stepwise regression. Satisfaction with farm work is an important explanation of husbands' and wives' life quality. When farm work is omitted from the equations, satisfaction with self is among important domains explaining life quality.Research reported in this paper was partially funded by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University, Logan, UT.Norleen M. Ackerman received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She is an Assistant Professor, Department of Home Economics and Consumer Education, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2910. Her research interests include the well being of farm families, consumer information, and consumer purchase behavior.Glen O. Jensen received his Ph.D. from Utah State University. He is a Professor in the Department of Family and Human Development, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2905. His research interests include the rural family, teen pregnancy, and marriage enrichment.DeeVon Bailey received his Ph.D. from Texas A & M. He is an Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-3530. His research interests include economic issues related to farm families, agricultural marketing and farm efficiency.     

Family life cycle differences for shopping styles,information use,and decision-making

This article identifies shopping styles, information use, and decision-making differences by family life cycle stage in a purchase of a durable good. Data were collected using mailed questionnaires. The sample consists of 378 cases. Data are analyzed using factor analyses, analysis of variance, and cross tabulations. The shopping style factor indicates younger adults are brand conscious. The consumer factor indicates that people in older life cycle stages read more than people in younger life cycle stages. The inexperience factor indicates single parents, younger families, and younger adults are more inexperienced. The decision-making variable indicates that younger adults and single parents make decisions by themselves and younger families make decisions with their spouses. Reasons for purchases indicate that single parents do not own the product, older families are replacing, and retirees want new product characteristics.Leona K. Hawks is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Economics and Consumer Education, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2910. She received her Ed.D. from Brigham Young University. Her current research interests include consumer decision-making and behavior.Norleen M. Ackerman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Economics and Consumer Education, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-2910. She received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Her current research interests include consumer purchase behavior, family financial security, and life quality of farm families.     

The importance of selected housing features at various stages of the life cycle

The spatial environment of the home is an important factor in the consideration of satisfactory housing for families. With the increasing demand for housing, it has become common to simply provide the basic structure without addressing the various wants and needs of individuals and families. It is the purpose of the study reported here to evaluate the importance of specific housing features based on stage in the family lifecycle. Results show that those features with the highest importance involve low maintenance, aesthetics, and environmental quality. Implications for home designers, educators, and consumers are discussed.Kathleen Ann Lodl is an Instructor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 128 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing design, residential alterations, and female-headed households. She is currently working on a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska.Betsy S. Gabb is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Textiles, Clothing and Design, 226 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, NE 68583-0802. Her research interests include housing design and residential space use. She received her Ed.D. from the University of Nebraska.E. Raedene Combs is a Professor in the Department of Consumer Science and Education, 134 Home Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0801. Her research interests include housing designs for special populations and families at risk. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University.     

Time demands on families: Is there a bottom line?

As families continue to adapt to interpersonal and marketplace pressures, time available for household production is becoming scarce. The purpose of the study reported here is to explore the utility of regional economic analyses in determining minimal levels of household production as measured in terms of time. The results provide a minimum family time required in the long term of approximately 35 hours per week and a short term requirement of 2 hours per week. Theoretical frameworks used in family science are integrated in the discussion to explain these findings.Pamela N. Olson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling and Family Studies, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131. Her current research interests are family member time-use and families in debt. She completed her Ph.D. at Oregon State University.James J. Ponzetti, Jr. received his Ph.D. from Oregon State University. He is currently an Assistant Professor in Family Studies in the Department of Home Economics, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926. His current research interests include divorce, loneliness, and family planning.Geraldine I. Olson is Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director, Family Resource Management, College of Home Economics, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97131. She completed her Ph.D. at The Ohio State University and current research interests include family member time-use, assessing managerial activities, and factors which influence the substitution of marketplace goods with household production.     

Using resistance resources to reduce stress: A study of rural Nevadans

Based upon Antonovsky's conceptual model of resources as resistors to stress, seven personal and three environmental resistance resources are identified, and quantified. The resistance resources and measure of tension are used as the predictor variables in a stepwise multiple regression analysis to identify the factors which best predict stress. The four variables which are statistically significant in explaining variance in stress scores are satisfaction with family life, total number of life events experienced, age, and satisfaction with family finances.This project was part of the W-167 Western Regional Agricultural Experiment Station Project, Coping with Stress: Adaptation of Nonmetropolitan Families to Socioeconomic Changes, and was partially funded by the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station. The original instrument was developed and the first wave of data was collected by Dr. Judith Zimmerman, former faculty member of the School of Home Economics at the University of Nevada-Reno.Virginia A. Haldeman is Associate Professor, School of Home Economics, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557. She received her Ed.D. from Utah State University and her research interests include stress and conservation practices.Jeanne M. Peters received her Ph.D. from Oregon State University. She is Assistant Professor, School of Home Economics, University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV 89557. Research interests include stress and time use.     

Perceived risk associated with apparel purchasing in discount stores

Consumer discount store patronage preferences for apparel are investigated using the concept of perceived risk. Apparel items are assigned a type and level of risk: low social, low economic; high social, low economic; and high social, high economic. Females (N=222) responding to a mail survey rate their willingness to purchase each item in a discount store on a scale ofprefer to buy, may buy, ornever buy. Results suggest that consumer preference for purchasing in discount stores declines more sharply when economic risk increases than when social risk increases.Teresa A. Summers is Associate Professor of the School of Human Ecology, Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. She received her Ph.D. from Texas Woman's University. Her research interest includes rural/urban consumer responses to changes in the marketplace.Frances C. Lawrence is Professor of the School of Human Ecology, Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. She received her Ph.D. from Florida State University. Her research interests include family financial decision-making and family time use.Janice L. Haynes is Assistant Professor of the School of Human Ecology, Textiles, Apparel Design and Merchandising at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. She received her Ph.D. from Texas Woman's University. Her research interest includes retail patronage of specialized consumer market segments.Patricia J. Wozniak is Associate Professor of the Department of Experimental Statistics at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Her research interests include survey methodology and rural families.     

The effect of homemaker's employment status on children's time allocation in single- and two-parent families

This study compares the effect of homemaker's employment status on children's time allocation in single- and two-parent families. Specifically under investigation is the effect of living in a family in which the mother is employed professionally, employed non-professionally, or not employed outside the home on older child's time allocated to household work, school work, and recreation in single- and two-parent families. Age and sex of older children and constraints on their time, such as school attendance, are controlled for in the analysis. The data are from a California study. A two-step multiple regression procedure is used. The effect of homemaker's employment status on older child's time allocated to household work, school work, and recreation is not found to differ by family structure. Homemaker's employment status does not explain a significant amount of variance in older child's time allocation.Rosemary J. Key is Assistant Professor, Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, Cornell University, 103 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, New York 14850. Her research interests include substitutability between family members' time in household production, and sequencing techniques used in household production activities. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.Margaret Mietus Sanik is Associate Professor, Department of Family Resource Management, The Ohio State University, 1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210. Her research interests include time use among family members and household production. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.     

Family/work roles' relation to perceived stress: Do gender and ethnicity matter?

This exploratory research examines whether gender and ethnic differences exist in family- and work-related variables that best predict perceived stress. The Anglo male (N=115) and female (N=199) and Mexican-American male (N=35) and female (N=85) respondents each had the roles of employee, spouse, and parent. Data were collected by mail questionnaire from state-classified employees at the three land-grant universities in Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming as part of Cooperative Regional Research Project W-167. Regression analysis indicates that role overload is a significant predictor of stress for Anglo males and females and Mexican-American females, thus providing some support for the role strain theory, which suggests that increasing the number of roles drains personal resources and may increase stress. Satisfaction with family roles enters regression equations as significant predictors for two sample groups. Other variables enter only one of the four regression equations; thus ethnicity and gender differences are found in the variables predicting perceived stress and should be considered in future research in this area. The research was funded by the Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Stations as part of Cooperative Regional Research Project, W-167, “Work, Stress, and Families.” Her research interests include issues related to balancing work and family and to family resource management. She received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Her research interests include grief and loss issues and family support systems. She received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University. His research interest is minority families, and his Ph.D. is from Florida State University. Her research interest is Latino family functioning. Her Ph.D. is from New Mexico State University. His research interest is human resource development emphasizing ranching families. He received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University.     

Coping with economic stress: Implications for helping professionals

This article suggests methods for educational and service application of the research generated from the regional project, W-167, Coping with Stress: Adaptation of Nonmetropolitan Families to Socioeconomic Changes. Similarities among families studied as well as differences among state projects are highlighted. Suggestions for application center on strategies for educating rural families directly, providing information to those who work with rural families, and developing support systems conducive to the rural environment.Randy R. Weigel received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. He is currently Home Economics Program Leader and Assistant Professor, Department of Home Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071. His interests include ranch and farm stress, applying research-generated information, and rural family life development.     

The use of savings as a family resource management strategy to meet child rearing costs

This study examines the effect of children on family savings decisions over the life cycle. The model used is a multinomial logit budget share allocation model. The data are from the 1982 Canadian Family Expenditure Survey Data. Results indicate that the addition of a child to a family results in fewer assets being accumulated than if the child was not present. As much as 43% of direct child rearing costs may be met through this substitution out of future consumption. Closer analysis reveals that accrual of housing equity is relatively unaffected by child's presence and that substitutions occur primarily out of other types of savings instruments.The authors would like to acknowledge financial support from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (Grant #1498-85-0005), the Department of Consumer Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison and the College of Home Economics, University of Saskatchewan. However, all opinions expressed are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of our sponsors. Special thanks is due Susan Bruns for outstanding research and computer programming assistance. The authors accept responsibility for any errors or omissions. All correspondence should be directed to Prof. Douthitt at 1300 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706.Robin A. Douthitt received her Ph.D. from Cornell University. She is an Associate Professor, Department of Consumer Science and the Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706. Her research interests include the relationship between child support awards and child rearing costs, and family time use.Joanne M. Fedyk received her M.S. from the University of Saskatchewan. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the College of Home Economics, University of Saskatchewan S7N OWO, Canada. Her research interests include both the cost of raising children and the valuation of homemaking services.     

Stress and coping of adults and young adults in economically uncertain rural areas

This paper discusses the degree and type of stress experienced by adults and young adults, coping strategies used, and their family, financial, and community satisfaction in economically distressed rural counties. Data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 447 adults and 118 young adults. Results indicate greater perceived stress, use of some less effective coping strategies, and less satisfaction among young adults. Both groups indicate similar numbers of stressful events and a generally positive perception of community social services.Dorothy Z. Price received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She is a Professor, Department of Child & Family Studies, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2010. Research interests include decision-making and consumer behavior.Lonnie J. Dunlap, M.A. is a Graduate Research Assistant, Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program, Department of Child & Family Studies, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2010. Research interests include work and family interactions and career development.     

Home-based employment: Historical and current considerations

The purposes of this article are threefold. First, there is a brief review of current and historical research on home-based business with special emphasis on female home-based employment and the impact of such employment on family life. Second, a conceptual model for family work activities is advanced. Finally, concepts related to home-based employment that could be used to frame and describe the empirical study are specified.This article reports results from the Cooperative Regional Research Project, NE-167, entitled At-Home Income Generation: Impact on Management, Productivity and Stability in Rural/Urban Families, partially supported by the Cooperative States Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Experiment Stations at the University of Hawaii, Iowa State University, Lincoln University (Missouri), Michigan State University, Cornell University (New York), The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, Utah State University, and the University of Vermont.Her research interests include measuring household production, at-home income generation, and rural families. She received her Ph.D. in Family and Consumer Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia.Her research interests include home-based business and consumer behavior. She received her Ph.D from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.Her research interests include consumer behavior and family economic issues. She received her Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.     

The effects of perceived locus of control and perceived income adequacy on satisfaction with financial status of rural households

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among selected socioeconomic variables — perceived locus of control, perceived income adequacy, and satisfaction with financial status. Results of the study indicate that age, household income, household net worth, perceived locus of control, and perceived income adequacy are significantly related to satisfaction with financial status. Household income and household net worth have indirect effects on satisfaction through perceived locus of control and perceived income adequacy. Perceived locus of control also has an indirect effect on satisfaction through perceived income adequacy. These findings suggest that counselors and educators should emphasize the importance of perceptions of income adequacy and control over financial aspect in their courses and programs.Journal Paper No. J-14499 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project No. 2809.His research interests include consumer credit and family resource management. He received his Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1993.Her research interests include family financial management and consumer bankruptcy. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri.     

Time use satisfaction of wives: Home,farm, and labor force workload

Factors related to time spent in work roles are investigated for a sample of 685 wives living on family farms in seven southern and midwestern states. Data were collected in a comprehensive mail survey. Results show that variables reflecting management are the most important predictors of wife's time use satisfaction. Wife's satisfaction is also significantly related to her education and nonfarm employment. Conclusions indicate that, although wives on family farms experience work-role overload relative to their husbands, they are satisfied with their time contributions to the home/farm situation.Jeanne L. Hafstrom is Associate Professor, Consumer Sciences Division, University of Illinois, 161 Bevier Hall, 905 So. Goodwin, Urbana, IL 61801. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. Her current research interests include economic well-being and the quality of life.MaryAnn Paynter is Assistant Professor and Family Economics Extension Specialist, Consumer Sciences Division, University of Illinois, 547 Bevier Hall, 905 So. Goodwin, Urbana, IL 61801. She received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. Her current research interests include family resource management strategies.This study was part of S-191 Regional Research Project Farm Wife's External Employment, Family Economic Productivity and Family Functioning, and Project No. 60-0366 supported by the Agricultural Experiment Station, College of Agriculture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.     

Perceived stress among nonmetropolitan Utah residents

This article examines relationships between perceived stress and variables such as life events, differential economic satisfaction, health problems, and sociodemographic characteristics among respondents in three nonmetropolitan areas in Utah. The three most predictive factors related to perceived stress are economic satisfaction, life events experienced, and religion. The analysis shows an inverse partial relationship between perceived stress scores and economic satisfaction, and a positive partial relationship between the number of life events and perceived stress. Non-Mormons report higher levels of stress than Mormons. A positive but weak relationship is observed between stress and household size. Weak inverse relationships are observed between stress and a measure of household unemployment, income, and respondent's sex.Richard S. Krannich received his Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology, and Director of the Institute for Social Science Research on Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT84322-0730. His research interests include rural development processes, community change, and social responses to natural resource developments.Pamela J. Riley received her Ph.D. from Washington State University. She is currently an Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-0730. Research interests include rural family stress, the impacts of tourism on developing countries, and social aspects of on-farm water management.Ann Leffler is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Program, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-0730. Research interests include nonmetropolitan family stress. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.     

Stress in two-generation farm and ranch families

Family relations and economic issues may predict stress in two-generation farm families. Marital adjustment, length of time married, income satisfaction, and number of household dependents are examined as predictors of stress for each family member (i.e., separately for each member) using multiple regression analyses. The model is significant for fathers with marital adjustment, length of time married, and income satisfaction significantly contributing to fathers' stress. The model is not significant for mothers, sons, or daughters-in-law; but income satisfaction is significantly related to stress for mothers. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.Support for this research was provided by the Montana Agricultural Experiment Station Grant No. MONB00266 and is part of the AES Western Regional Project W-167.Stephan M. Wilson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Studies and is the Director of the Center for Kentucky Children & Families Research, University of Kentucky, 107 Erikson Hall, Lexington, Kentucky 40506-0050. His research interests include family stress, rural families, parent-adolescent relations, and adolescent development. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 1985.Ramona Marotz-Baden is a Professor, Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Herrick Hall, Bozeman, MT 59717. Her research interests include family stress, work and the family, retirement and succession in family-owned business, and dual-earner families. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1970.David Holloway is the Outreach Coordinator for Aspen Crest Hospital, 1970 East 17th Street, Suite 119, Idaho Falls, ID 83404. His interests include marriage and family therapy, parent-child relations, and family development through the lifespan. He received his M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Montana State University in 1987 and M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Idaho in 1985.     

Relationships between marital quality,social, and familial interactions by residential location: Implications for human service professionals

Gerontological literature is reviewed concerning the factors contributing to marital quality of later life couples. Data are presented which compare the marital quality of older couples residing in a retirement facility and elderly couples living in the community-at-large. The couples' interactions with friends and frequency of visits with children are examined in terms of the relationship between these variables and marital quality of the subjects. Implications for practice are discussed.Ellie Brubaker is Associate Professor of Sociology at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Brubaker holds a Ph.D. in Social Work from the Ohio State University. Her current research is in the area of social service delivery to older families.Linda Ade-Ridder is Assistant Professor in the Department of Home Economics and Consumer Sciences and an associate of the Family and Child Studies Center at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Dr. Ade-Ridder received her Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Living at the Florida State University in 1983. Her current research is being conducted on the roles of women, including women in older marriages and eating disorders in women.     

Work patterns and marital status change

The impact of marital status changes on the lives of adults and children has increased importance as marriage, divorce, and remarriage have become more frequent patterns of family composition change. These events can often be predicted by the family members involved so that they may be accompanied by changes in labor market activity prior to the events themselves. The study reported here uses panel data to examine the labor market activity changes that precede marital status changes. Women who become divorced increase hours of work in the year or two before the divorce occurs, and women who become remarried decrease hours of work in the year of the remarriage and thereafter. For men there seems to be little change in labor supply during these years. However, hours of housework for men do seem to change.This research has been supported by the United States Department of Agriculture through the New York Agricultural Experiment Station under Southern Regional Project S-206. The data utilized in this work were made available in part by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. The data were originally collected by James N. Morgan, et al. The contents of this article do not necessarily reflect the view of the Inter-University Consortium or the institutions with which the researchers are affiliated. We wish to especially thank Robert Avery for his helpful comments throughout this research and Veronica Abel for her able research assistance.Jennifer L. Gerner is Associate Professor, Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, 137 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Her research interests include the economics of the family and family organization. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Catherine Phillips Montalto is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Her research interests include the economic behavior of households. W. Keith Bryant is Professor and Chair of the Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, 117D Martha Van Rensselaer, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University.