Marital Processes and Parental Socialization in Families of Color: A Decade Review of Research

Research published during the past decade on African American, Latino, and Asian American families is reviewed. Emphasis is given to selected issues within the broad domains of marriage and parenting. The first section highlights demographic trends in family formation and family structure and factors that contributed to secular changes in family structure among African Americans. In the second section, new conceptualizations of marital relations within Latino families are discussed, along with research documenting the complexities in African American men's conceptions of manhood. Studies examining within‐group variation in marital conflict and racial and ethnic differences in division of household labor, marital relations, and children's adjustment to marital and family conflict also are reviewed. The third section gives attention to research on (a) paternal involvement among fathers of color; (b) the relation of parenting behavior to race and ethnicity, grandmother involvement, neighborhood and peer characteristics, and immigration; and (c) racial and ethnic socialization. The article concludes with an overview of recent advances in the study of families of color and important challenges and issues that represent research opportunities for the new decade.     

The Population Education Transition Curve: Education Gradients Across Population Exposure to New Health Risks

The salutary effect of formal education on health-risk behaviors and mortality is extensively documented: ceteris paribus, greater educational attainment leads to healthier lives and longevity. Even though the epidemiological evidence has strongly indicated formal education as a leading “social vaccine,” there is intermittent reporting of counter-education gradients for health-risk behavior and associated outcomes for certain populations during specific periods. How can education have both beneficial and harmful effects on health, and under which contexts do particular effects emerge? It is useful to conceptualize the influence of education as a process sensitive to the nature, timing of entry, and uniqueness of a new pleasurable and desirable lifestyle and/or product (such as smoking) with initially unclear health risks for populations. Developed herein is a hypothesis that the education gradient comprises multiple potent pathways (material, psychological, cognitive) by which health-risk behaviors are influenced, and that there can be circumstances under which pathways act in opposite directions or are differentially suppressed and enhanced. We propose the population education transition (PET) curve as a unifying functional form to predict shifting education gradients across the onset and course of a population’s exposure to new health risks and their associated consequences. Then, we estimate PET curves for cases with prior epidemiological evidence of heterogeneous education gradients with health-risk behaviors related to mass-produced cigarettes in China and the United States; saturated fats, sugar, and processed food diets in Latin America; and HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa. Each offers speculation on interactions between environmental factors during population exposure and education pathways to health-risk behaviors that could be responsible for the temporal dynamics of PET curves. Past epidemiological studies reporting either negative or positive education gradients may not represent contradictory findings as much as come from analyses unintentionally limited to just one part of the PET process. Last, the PET curve formulation offers richer nuances about educational pathways, macro-historical population dynamics, and the fundamental cause of disease paradigm.     

Real Estate Taxation and Commercial Mortgage Underwriting

Recent disclosures about problem commercial real estate loans have exposed the underwriting process to intense scrutiny. This study focuses on mortgage loan underwriters of life insurance companies. After a review of the tax changes that affected commercial real estate from 1969 through 1988, the study tests how loan underwriters reacted to changes in tax benefits. To overcome the interdependent effects of interest rates and capitalization rates, a variation of the Black-Scholes pricing model is used to test the impact of changes in tax benefits. The results indicate that the underwriters do not fully incorporate the value of tax benefits in the underwriting decision. During the period of the largest tax benefits, 1982 to 1986, underwriters became more conservative and increased their equity requirements.     

Examining the interrelation dynamics between option and stock markets using the Markov-switching vector error correction model

This study examines the dynamics of the interrelation between option and stock markets using the Markov-switching vector error correction model. Specifically, we calculate the implied stock prices from the Black–Scholes 6 Black, F. and Scholes, M. 1973. The pricing of options and corporate liabilities. J. Polit. Econ., 81: 637–659. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] [Google Scholar] model and establish a statistic framework in which the parameter of the price discrepancy between the observed and implied prices switches according to the phase of the volatility regime. The model is tested in the US S&P 500 stock market. The empirical findings of this work are consistent with the following notions. First, while option markets react more quickly to the newest stock–option disequilibrium shocks than spot markets, as found by earlier studies, we further indicate that the price adjustment process occurring in option markets is pronounced when the high variance condition is concerned, but less so during the stable period. Second, the degree of the co-movement between the observed and implied prices is significantly reduced during the high variance state. Last, the lagged price deviation between the observed and implied prices functions as an indicator of the variance-turning process.     

Cultural,individual, and familial risk and protective factors associated with depressive symptoms in Pacific youth living in New Zealand

ABSTRACT

This article examines cultural, individual, and familial risk and protective factors associated with depressive symptoms in Pacific youth living in New Zealand. At ages 11 (n = 950) and 14 (n = 931), Pacific youth participated in multidisciplinary interviews that included the Children’s Depression Inventory. Across time points, factors significantly associated with higher depressive symptoms were involvement in bullying and gang activities. Positive parenting was significantly associated with lower depressive symptoms, and Tongan youth were significantly less likely to report depressive symptoms than Samoan youth. Time-varying factors were gender, problem behaviour syndromes, and maternal education. Gaining more knowledge about modifiable risk and protective factors that contribute to depression in Pacific youth is an important tool to support new approaches that promote adaptive psychological adjustment during adolescence.     

Migration is the Driving Force of Rapid Aging in Puerto Rico: A Research Brief

Population Research and Policy Review - The combined effects of declining fertility and increased longevity have accelerated population aging in different parts of the world. Unlike other...     

‘The times,are they a‐changing?’ As the world enters a new millennium are we as paediatricians keeping up with the changing needs of children?

This paper describes changes that are occurring in paediatric practice in a variety of settings. The ‘new morbidity’ demands focused training of paediatricians of the twenty‐first century. Areas that include advocacy, public health, adolescence, chronic illness, health promotion, behavioural issues, parenting and family dynamics, social influences, health and social inequalities, managerial decision making and technological advances should be a part of paediatric training. These factors assume different importance in developing nations where priorities may be more focused on public health, nutrition and health promotion. Partnership with others who have children's interests at heart, for example mental health services, public health, social sciences, education and social services is imperative in planning service development informed by good information systems incorporating measures of mortality and morbidity. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Fisheries Trade and Social Development in the Philippine‐Malaysia Maritime Border Zone

Weakly regulated natural‐resource trading activities in the remote borderlands of developing countries are commonly viewed both as a means of improving economic development and as a way of smuggling valuable natural resources. Based on data from the Philippine‐Malaysia maritime border that focus on the trade in high‐value live reef fish, this article points to the need to situate such cross‐border activities more closely within the context of local perspectives and priorities. A locally‐grounded perspective is necessary in order to understand the context of social‐development challenges that mediate both macroeconomic and environmental policy outcomes.     

The Reunification Partnership: Engaging Birth Parents and Foster Carers as Collaborators in Restoration Casework

Collaboration is recognised as a key factor influencing the success of efforts to reunite children with their family following a protective intervention and a period in out-of-home care. Until now, little research has explored the possibilities of collaboration in this context, especially between parents and foster carers. This qualitative, interpretive study asked child protection caseworkers involved in restoration cases about their perceptions, perspectives, and experiences of collaboration between parents and carers. In-depth interviews were conducted with six caseworkers from five locations in New South Wales. The study found that caseworkers identified factors that influence the development of collaboration. These factors include trust, motivation and willingness, knowledge, and agreement. They also described strategies for promoting these factors in their casework. The research highlighted that a collaborative relationship between parents and carers can be facilitated through casework practice that considers certain factors and that strategically addresses the barriers to collaboration.     

Therapeutic Engagement of Adolescents with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Youth engagement is increasingly recognized as a preferred approach and often necessary step in the treatment of emotional and behavioral disorders. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree and quality of youth engagement in the therapeutic process, compare engagement scores between youth accessing residential and day treatment, and explore the association between engagement and interpersonal difficulties in a sample of youth with an emotional and/or behavior disorder in residential and day treatment programs based in Southern Ontario. Cross-sectional surveys of standardized measures were administered to youth and a separate survey to their Prime Workers. Relevant constructs included client engagement (as rated by youth and Prime Workers), and youth-rated behavioral screen, interpersonal problems and family functioning. Both Prime Workers and youth rated youth as moderately high in their level of engagement in therapy. Furthermore, Prime Worker and youth ratings did not significantly differ statistically, suggesting that youth may have actually engaged at a moderate level. Interpersonal problems were shown to be negatively associated with youth engagement, and family functioning approached significance for only youth in residential treatment. Assessing youth engagement during the treatment process as an intervention technique may highlight areas where greater clinical efforts are needed. Future considerations include testing methods of sharing and discussing results of an engagement measure within the context of a one-on-one clinical encounter with youth.