Friendships in late life: A rural-urban comparison

This study examines the friendship patterns of older adults living in rural and urban areas. The sample consisted of 132 urban adults and 126 rural adults, 65 years of age and older. Respondents were randomly selected and interviewed in their own homes. While both groups were involved in joint social activities and helping behaviors with their friends, there was a distinction in the type of involvement according to geographical location.Karen Roberto is Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Gerontology Program at the University of Northern Colorado. Her current research interests include women's health issues in aging and older people's involvement with informal support networks. Dr. Roberto holds a Ph.D. in Human Development from Texas Tech University.Jean Pearson Scott is Associate Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at Texas Tech University. Dr. Scott earned her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is currently conducting research on Alzheimers Disease in the family and the rural elderly.This is a revised version of a paper presented at the Families and Close Relationships: Individuals in Social Interaction Conference, Lubbock, TX, February, 1982.This study was supported by a grant from AARP Andrus Foundation and the Institute for University Research, College of Home Economics, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409.     

Use of time and preferences for time allocation among urban,employed, married women

This study examines the relationship between employed wives' preferences for household production time, employment time, leisure, and their actual time use. A random sample of 235 employed, married women estimate their time use on an average weekday and weekend day in 13 activities and indicate their preferences for time in those activities. Hierarchical multiple regression procedures are used to examine the relationships between actual and preferred time use. Weekday employment time is not related to preferences for more or less time in household production but wives allocating more time to employment want to spend less time at that employment and more time in leisure. Weekend employment time is related to preferences for more time in leisure, child care, and other household work. Time spent performing household work is not related to preferences for more or less time in any activity except the desire for more leisure time on weekends.Ann Renigar Hiatt is Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Services, College of Education and Allied Professions at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223. Her research interests include employed women's time allocation, time pressures, and use of time management strategies. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.Deborah D. Godwin is Associate Professor in the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602. Her research has focused on husbands' and wives' time allocation to household production, the effects of women's employment on family economic functioning, and family financial management. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensbore.     

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 structure,family organization,and quality of family life

This study examines how family organization is associated with the quality of family life for parents in first marriages, remarriages with biological children, and several types of stepfamilies. Data are drawn from the 1987–1988 National Survey of Families and Households; only married couples in which both spouses participated in the survey and who had children under age 19 in the household are considered (N=3,120). Results indicate that respondents in different family structures differ in the perceived quality of parent-child relationships, that differences in family structure are not related to differences in family organization, and that some aspects of family organization are related to marital quality and the quality of parent-chil relationships. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicate that family structure and family organization are independently related to the quality of family life. This research was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant R15 HD28198-01. The National Survey of Families and Households was funded by a grant (HD21009) from the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The survey was designed and carried out at the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the direction of Larry Bumpass and James Sweet. The fieldwork was done by the Institute for Survey Research at Temple University. A previous version of this article was presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Orlando, November 1992. Her research interests include the work/family interface and family policy. She received her Ph.D. from Wayne State University. His research interests include the effects of divorce and remarriage on parents and children. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Her research interests include adolescents and adoption. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware.     

Home care reimbursement for technology-dependent children: Its impact on parental distress

The distress of 52 parents with a technology-dependent child at home is measured using a standardized psychological inventory. Fifty-eight percent of these parents report enough symptoms to classify them as needing psychiatric intervention. Cost savings to third-party payers are accelerating the trend toward home care (rather than institutionalized care). Yet, these findings point to an underestimated cost to families in terms of parents' psychological well-being. One factor associated with less distress for mothers is having services reimbursed through the Medicaid Model Waiver Program, which provides a comprehensive plan for home care services. In contrast, services reimbursed by private third-party payers are more variable, placing greater financial strain and uncertainty on parents, which is associated with greater psychological distress. These results suggest the need for further study of the long-term impact on parents caring for technology-dependent children at home.Reprint requests to Barbara J. Leonard, R.N., Ph.D., Maternal and Child Health Major, Division of Human Development and Nutrition, School of Public Health, Box 197 UMHC, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, (612) 625-3660.This study was supported in part by BRSG Number 2-S07-RR05448-25 awarded to the University of Minnesota, School of Public Health by the Biomedical Research Grant Program, Division of Research and Resources, National Institute of Health. Additional support was provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, State of Minnesota, Academic Computing Services and Systems, University of Minnesota and special project funds from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.Barbara J. Leonard is an Assistant Professor and Chair of the Maternal and Child Health Major, Division of Human Development and Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN 55455. Her research interests include children with developmental disabilities, their parents, and siblings. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.Janny Dwyer Brust is a Research Fellow in the Maternal and Child Health Major at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include issues related to the care of chronically ill children and sexually abused children. She received her M.P.H. from the University of Minnesota.Joan Patterson is an Assistant Professor in the Maternal and Child Health Major and Associate Director of the Center for Children with Chronic Illness and Disability at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests include family adaptation to chronic illness and family stress and coping. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.     

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.     

Family resource management and family stress theories: Toward a conceptual integration

Integration of concepts and models from family resource management and family stress theories can provide a comprehensive view of the crisis and stress management process. This article (a) presents and discusses the ABCD-XYZ Resource Management Model of Crisis/Stress, (b) discusses the concepts of coping, resource management, and adaptation as they pertain to crisis and stress, (c) shows how interpersonal resource exchange theory can be used to conceptualize the concept of social support, and (d) suggests how concepts from family resource management can provide better insight into family crisis/stress. According to the ABCD-XYZ model, crisis/stress management involves (a) perceiving the stressor, the demands of the situation, and the available coping resources to formulate a definition of the crisis/stress situation, (b) cognitive coping and managerial decision-making to create, use, or combine coping resources, and (c) activating those decisions through adaptive coping and management behavior.The author wishes to thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments and suggestions.David C. Dollahite is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27412-5001. His research interests include family resource management, family stress, intergenerational transmission of values, and family storytelling. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.     

Toward working hypotheses of effective management: Conditions,thought processes,and behaviors

The purpose of this article is to develop a set of working hypotheses about the conditions, thought processes, and behaviors that define managerial effectiveness. The Deacon and Firebaugh model of managerial behavior is extended to form the basis for the hypotheses developed. The overall hypothesis is that differences in managerial effectiveness are specifically linked to the timing, completion, frequency, and duration of particular thoughts and actions performed by the manager that are focused on the allocation of resources to meet value-based goals and events. If it is assumed that meeting demands is an appropriate measure of managerial effectiveness, then validation of the hypotheses, the next logical step, can occur by correlating the conditions, processes, and behaviors thought to represent managerial effectiveness with objective and subjective measures of demand responses.An earlier version of this paper was discussed at the annual meeting of North Central Region Project 116, Family Resource Management, April 20–21, 1982, Columbus, OH.Deanna L. Sharpe is Assistant Professor, Department of Consumer Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Her research interests are focused on the effective allocation and use of time and money through the family life cycle. She received her Ph.D. from Iowa State University in 1988.Mary Winter is Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011. Her research interests include family resource management in the U. S. and Mexico. She received her Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in 1970.     

Family use of community services in economically stressed rural counties

This study focuses on stresses, coping strategies, and satisfactions of respondents in eight economically distressed rural counties in the state of Washington. An adult sample is divided into two groups: those who indicate specific economic problems and/or are unemployed (n=236) and those who are still employed and do not report specific economic stresses (n=190). Although those with specific economic problems show higher levels of perceived stress and financial dissatisfaction, there are no differences reported in over-all family satisfaction. Results point to the importance of providing specific employment-related community services to family members in these types of communities.Dorothy Z. Price, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Child and Family Studies, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-2010. Her research interests include decision making and consumer behavior. She received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.Lonnie J. Dunlap, M.A., is a Graduate Research Assistant in the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Program, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-2010. Her research interests include work and family interactions and career development.     

The consumer expenditures of elderly women: Racial,marital, and rural/urban impacts

This research, using data from the interview component of the 1990 Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), examines the main and interaction effects of race, marital status, and residence on the economic well-being of women 65 years or older (N=3,205). Economic well-being is measured by total annualized expenditures of the household for goods and services. The first hypothesis is supported: race, marital status, and urban or rural residence each has a major effect on the economic well-being of older women after adjusting for the effects of age and household size. The characteristics of nonwhite, nonmarried, and rural are associated with lower economic well-being. The second hypothesis is not supported: race, marital status, and residence do not interact to produce differences in the economic well-being of older women. Both hypotheses are examined by analysis of covariance. The results show the economic diversity of older women and the persistent effects of race, marital status, and rural or urban residence on the economic well-being of older women regardless of age and household size. This research was conducted at the Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture (Family Economics Research Group), Hyattsville, MD, July 1992, where Dr. Kivett was a Visiting Scientist at the time. Appreciation is expressed to the staff of the Family Economics Research Group for their technical assistance at all stages of the research. and 1992 Visiting Professor at the Family Economics Research Group, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. Her current research interests include the family supports and relationships of older retired migrants. She received her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Her current research interests include the economic status of elderly American households. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.     

The role of perception in the intention to change the family financial situation

The study investigates factors associated with the individual intentions to change the family financial situation of 337 farm respondents. The hypotheses are that intentions to change are influenced by (a) resource flexibility or constraints existing at the time of the decision situation, including off-farm employment, education, age, and household size, and (b) perceptual factors of perceived income adequacy, locus of control, degree of discrepancy between standard and level of the family financial situation, and dissatisfaction or satisfaction with the discrepancy. Older respondents and those experiencing more external control are less likely to intend to change. Younger respondents and those who perceive their incomes as more adequate are more likely to perceive that they have control over their situation. The lower the perceived income adequacy, the greater the discrepancy between standard and level of the family financial situation and the lower the satisfaction with the discrepancy. Significant indirect effects were consistent with theoretical expectations.Research was supported by the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Projects 52-055, 52-054, and 52-058 and the Minnesota Extension Service. The authors wish to thank Jean W. Bauer, Ph.D., for research collaboration and Susan Keskinen and Cathy Schultz for research assistance.Her research interests include social, economic, and technical decision processes, discrepancies between standards and levels, and the interrelationship of work and family roles, particularly for farm women. Her Ph.D. is from Iowa State University.Her research interests in family resource management theory include social decision making processes and social decision rules, family life quality, and the economic consequences of divorce. Her Ph.D. is from Michigan State University.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Differences in allocation of family time spent on household tasks among single-parent,one-earner,and two-earner families

The purpose of this study is to use analysis of covariance to examine variations in time use among single-parent, one-earner, and two-earner families and to assess the effects of two covariates, Age of the Younger Child and Hours of Employment of the Homemaker, on total family time spent on household tasks. Data were collected from 81 single-parent and 210 two-parent California households using a questionnaire, time chart, and personal interviews. The greatest discrepancy between single-parent and two-parent families is that single-parent families spend significantly less time than two-parent families on Maintenance of the home and yard and on Nonphysical Care (social interaction with family members). One-earner families spend almost as much time as two-earner families on Nonphysical Care, but only when Secondary Time is included. Two household activities, Clothing Care and Management, are not affected by either family type or the covariates.This study utilized data from USDA Regional Research Project NE-113, An Urban-Rural Comparison of Families' Time Use.Jeanne M. Hilton is an Assistant Professor of Family Economics and Management, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557. She received her Ph.D. from Oregon State University. Her current research interests include work and family issues within the context of family structure.     

Satisfaction with home-based employment

Using data from nine state regional research project on at-home income generation, the relationships of three satisfaction variables to demographic and work situation variables of 899 household managers in households with home-based employment are investigated. The satisfaction variables include quality of life, family income, and control over everyday life. The majority of households are satisfied with their quality of life and control over life although only moderately satisfied with income. One variable is related to the three satisfaction variables, the wage earner's control over the amount of work done in a day.This paper reports results from the Cooperative Regional Research Project, NE-167, entitled, At-Home Income Generation: Impact on Management, Productivity and Stability in Rural and Urban Families, partially supported by 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. This article was accepted in 1992 under the editorship of Charles B. Hennon.Her research interests include evaluation of teaching/learning, program evaluation, and entrepreneurship. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.     

Women's perceived stress and well-being following voluntary and involuntary relocation

This study investigated the relationship between voluntary and involuntary relocation and women's perceptions of stress and amount of control, as well as their satisfaction with personal well-being. Results indicated that involuntary movers felt significantly less control and had lower levels of satisfaction with the relationship with their spouses than did voluntary movers. Educational level and employment status were also explored in relation to the dependent variables. Women with high school/trade school education had significantly higher levels of perceived stress, feelings of less control, and lower levels of satisfaction with family life than women with more education.This paper was supported by the Colorado State University and University of Wyoming Experiment Stations and published as Scientific Series Paper No. 290.Paula P. Makowsky received her M.S. from Colorado State University. She is currently a Counselor, Catholic Social Services, Phoenix, AZ.Alicia Skinner Cook is a Professor, Department of Human Development & Family Studies, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include grief and loss issues related to relocation. She received her Ph.D. from Arizona State University.Peggy S. Berger received her Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. She is an Associate Professor, Department of Consumer Science & Housing, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, CO 80523. Her research interests include socioeconomic issues related to geographic mobility and to gender.Judith Powell received her Ed.D. from Oklahoma State University. She is a Professor, Child & Family Studies, and Head, Department of Home Economics, Division of Home Economics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071. Her research interests include parent-child relations and effects of relocation on families.     

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.     

Adaptation to unemployment: Effects of a mine closure on husbands and wives

The purpose of this study was to increase understanding of how individuals/couples respond to the unemployment of the primary breadwinner. Data were collected from 66 individuals (33 couples) shortly after becoming unemployed and again one year later. Results determined that the significant predictor variables of economic satisfaction, marital adjustment, and depression were primarily economic, marital, and emotional variables, respectively. Findings also showed that interaction existed among economic, marital, and emotional variables in predicting the three well-being outcomes. Additionally, differences were found in the pattern of results for husbands and for wives. Based on these findings, areas and hypotheses for future study are proposed.Carl A. Ridley received his Ph.D. from Florida State University. He is a Professor in the Division of Child Development and Family Relations, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. His research interests include relationships and conflict management.Mari S. Wilhelm received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of Family and Consumer Resources, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721. Her research interests include financial management, socio-economic stress, financial stress and problems.     

The roles of role strain,economic resources and time demands in explaining mothers' life satisfaction

Time diary and questionnaire data from mothers who are full-time homemakers, members of dual-earner households, and heads of single-parent households are analyzed to determine the influence of family structure, economic resources, and time demands on their life satisfaction. The multivariate analysis reveals that family structure is moderately related to mothers' satisfaction with progress in life but not to satisfaction with life as a whole. Mothers' satisfaction with life as a whole does vary with their life cycle stage, economic situation, and their use of time.Her research interests include time use of household members and CADD education for interior design students. She received her Ph.D. from Michigan State University.Her research assesses the impact of household composition changes on economic well-being. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.