The role of antenatal and postnatal maternal bonding in infant development: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the empirical literature on maternal bonding and associations with infant physical, psychological, and social development. Nineteen articles met inclusion criteria and were included in a qualitative synthesis (79 effect sizes); 15 articles were suitable for aggregation in a series of 14 meta‐analyses (51 effect sizes). All mean effects were in the expected direction, with higher maternal bonding contributing to infant developmental outcomes, including higher attachment quality (r = .35) and parent‐reported lower colic rating (r = .22), easier temperament (r = .19), and positive infant mood (r = .27). Consistent with theoretical explanatory models, the review provides support for the hypothesis that maternal bonding plays a role in fostering more optimal infant development. The review also identifies a paucity of empirical work on this topic and provides directions for future research.     

Scholastic ability vs family background in educational success: evidence from Danish sample survey data

This research examines the role of scholastic ability and family background variables in the determination of educational attainment in Denmark. A categorical representation of the highest level of education attained by the individual is the dependent variable. It is analyzed by procedures that take account of the presence of unobservable factors. Parent’s education and occupation, along with an indicator of scholastic ability which is represented by a set of aptitude tests, explain a small but significant portion of the variation in their children’s educational success. Women are shown to respond differently to their environments than men, and including these test scores does not remove the need to deal with unmeasured attributes. On the basis of the available data, family background variables as a group contribute more to the explained variation in the data than the test scores. Finally, credit constraints do not appear to be a factor in educational attainments.

Doctoral Theses 1954-1996

The present article centres on a group of Indonesians and Australians who are members of a gamelan ensemble based at the Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia in Perth, Western Australia. By examining why Australians and Indonesians choose to participate in this musical community, the article investigates how these individuals negotiate and construct musical identities to give local meaning to gamelan in the West Australian context.     

Returns to scale to family size - who gains from high fertility?

Summary In this paper the hypothesis put forward by J. C. Caldwell in a number of recent articles, including one in this journal is tested, that there are social and economic increasing returns to scale to family size. Using two village samples of household data collected in Bangladesh in 1977, it is shown that there is a statistically significant inverse correlation between adjusted consumption of rice per head and family size. This result holds true when age and size of landholding are taken into account. From this, it is concluded that the hypothesis is not empirically supported by the data from Bangladesh. This result is partially explained by the extreme poverty of the region and the fact that women are exploited in Bangladesh society.     

Predicting Intent to Consume Beef: Normative Versus Attitudinal Influences1

Abstract The Ajzen-Fishbein (1980) model to predict intent to perform behavior was used to assess the intent to consume beef among a stratified random sample of 400 Texas women. It was found that attitudes toward consuming beef do not predict directly intent to consume beef, but the subjective norm does. Specifically, the respondent's husband and friends strongly affect her intention to consume less beef. Thus, knowing the subjective norm permits prediction of her intentions because such intentions are not under attitudinal control. These findings call for an intensification of research efforts on food consumption on social influences such as referent others.     

Workforce training in family therapy and systemic practices: An evaluation framework and case study

Internationally, while the interdisciplinary field of family therapy and systemic practices is well established and evidence for therapeutic impact is advanced, evaluation of training and measurement of its impact lags behind. This paper addresses this gap, utilising a single case study at the Bouverie Centre, the largest family therapy and workforce development service in Australia. We describe (a) the scope of workforce training and implementation at the Centre, (b) the development of our training research and evaluation framework, and (c) standardised data collection methodology, including a pre-post training reflective survey. Collectively, this work comprises our current evaluation framework through which we will subsequently examine training impact. Future research and practice recommendations are offered to address challenges to workforce training evaluation and progress efficacy of family therapy training.