The relationship between measures of subjective and economic well-being: A new look

The objective of this research is to examine the importance of variable specification in using economic variable to explain the variance in individual's perceived (1) overall psychological, (2) economic, and (3) non-economic well-being. Results indicate that careful specification of economic variables improves the explained variance of perceived subjective well-being. Specification of dependent variable, life satisfaction, based on a domain-specific scale, proves superior to using the response to the global satisfaction question, “How do you feel about life as a whole?’ Economic variables prove significant in explaining both perceived economic and non-economic domains of life satisfaction. Although its overall effect on life satisfaction is negative, increased family size is found to enhance non-economic life satisfaction, while detracting from economic aspects of life satisfaction.     

Toward an effective treatment system for adolescents with substance use disorders: The role of the states

A 2002 national expert panel found that the treatment system for adolescents with substance use disorders was inadequate and underdeveloped. The panel recommended immediate improvement in five areas: youth-serving agency collaboration, treatment system financing, workforce development, the implementation of evidence-based practices, and family involvement in all aspects of treatment. In 2004, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), designed the State Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Coordination Grant program (SAC) and implemented it in 2005 to address the critical need in the field. This paper reviews the adolescent substance use disorders treatment system, discusses selected drivers for change and the design of the SAC grant program, and summarizes some of the program's results. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis document that substantive systems development occurred within each of the sixteen grantees and that federal–state partnerships are useful in creating systemic change.     

Structural adjustment and family policy in Africa: Lessons from Sudan

The economic strategy pursued by a country profoundly influences the well-being of families. This article uses a social accounting model of the Sudanese economy to compare the effects of two alternative development strategies on growth, employment, and income distribution. The first strategy considered is a conventional growth-oriented strategy emphasizing irrigated, export-oriented agriculture and modern, capital-intensive industry; the second one is a traditional agriculture-led development (TALD) strategy focused on enhancing equity and improving family nutrition by expanding food production. The study's findings for Sudan demonstrate that there is no necessary trade-off between growth and equity. The TALD strategy fosters income growth for the most vulnerable families while simultaneously maximizing aggregate growth. It also holds the prospect of enhancing family equity and increasing access to traditional institutions that provide support to families.World BankHer research interests encompass issues related to poverty and inequality in developing countries. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.Before joining the World Bank, he was a visiting scholar at the University of Connecticut and acting head of the Department of Econometrics, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan. His research interests span development economics (growth, poverty, and equity), public finance, and economic transition in Eastern Europe. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.     

Characteristics of Female Students Who Aspire to Science and Engineering or Homemaking Occupations

This study identified predictors that discriminated between nontraditional and traditional career aspirations in a sample composed of 930 eighth-grade female students (52 Asian Americans, 123 Hispanics, 61 African Americans, 669 Whites, and 15 Native Americans). Results indicated that the students who aspired to careers in science or engineering scored significantly higher on educational aspirations; perceived parental expectations; student-reported grade point averages (GPAs); and mathematics, reading, and science test scores than did girls who aspired to homemaking occupations. They also scored higher on measures of self-esteem, internal locus of control, socioeconomic status, and had fewer siblings. Educational aspirations, parental expectations, self-reported GPA, and science proficiency were the best discriminators between the groups. Results also indicated that differences in the distributions of career aspirations across racial-ethnic groups were significant.     

The association between perception of relationship with caregivers and behaviours of youth in foster care: a child and caregiver perspective

The transition into foster care can be difficult for children. Research has consistently shown an increased risk for children in foster care to exhibit higher levels of problem behaviours in comparison to youth in the general population. The purpose of this study was to analyse the associations between the youths' perception of their relationship with their caregiver on their perception of their own internalizing and externalizing behaviours as well as the youths' perception of the relationships with caregivers and how caregivers report of youths' internalizing and externalizing behaviours. This study utilized the secondary data from the general release version of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being [National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (2009) Introduction to the wave 1 general and restricted use releases, Nation Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, Ithaca, NY]. Significant relationships between youths' perception of relationship with their caregiver were found with both youth perception of internalizing behaviours and caregiver perception of internalizing and externalizing behaviours. Results are explained with implications for practice, training, research and policy.     

A Framework for Engaging Parents in Prevention

The literature on engaging families in prevention programs is informed by the Health Beliefs Model (HBM), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), and Family Systems theory. Although useful, these frameworks have not facilitated the development of prevention-based practice strategies that recognize different levels of prevention (i.e., universal, selective, and indicated). This article contributes to the literature on parent engagement by (a) summarizing the research on factors that affect parent engagement, (b) proposing an integrated model for engaging parents that incorporates the various levels of prevention, and (c) suggesting engagement strategies for universal, selective, and indicated prevention programs within this integrated model.     

Can educational policy affect the distribution of earnings?—A quantitative exploration

The widely held belief that education is an effective policy instrument for affecting the distribution of earnings is examined within a comprehensive framework of the labor market. The structure affords a view of different roles that education might play and concludes that years of schooling combined with other individual characteristics is an important factor, but it is limited. The educational factor is most reliable in determining earnings within occupations. Supplemental policies other than general provision of education, which could serve to provide access among occupations would substantially enhance the overall tractability of policy vis-a-vis the earnings distribution.     

Gender differences in health risks and physical symptoms among the homeless

Gender differences in health risks and symptoms are compared for a survey sample of 100 homeless persons and for the general population. Homeless men appear at greater risk of exhibiting symptoms. Nonetheless, homeless women report more symptoms, a result consistent with general population trends. Predisposing illnesses were the most accurate predictors of the number of reported symptoms, but gender explained a significant amount of variation in reported symptoms after other health risks were controlled. The findings inform the debate on the relative importance of biological factors, acquired risks, illness perception and behavior, and reporting bias in explaining why women report more symptoms in survey research. It appears likely that female reporting bias and gender differences in illness perception are underestimated in general population surveys because even under extreme conditions, men are less likely than women to report symptoms.     

Medical malpractice,social structure,and social control

The origin and handling of doctor-patient conflict can be understood with reference to the sociological aspects of professional health care. This premise is explored by applying Black's theory of social control to the empirical evidence concerning malpractice litigation in the United States. The vertical, organizational, and relational distances between the health care provider and the patient are particularly relevant for predicting when malpractice claims will be made and how they will be resolved. These social-structural variables help explain several patterns in the American malpractice experience, including the aggregate increase in claim rates over the past four decades; the persistence of toleration as the modal response to medical injury; why poorer patients are less suit-prone than higher income patients; why surgical specialties have higher claim rates than general practice and psychiatry; why hospitals are sued disproportionately less often than individual doctors; and the relatively high frequency of prodefendant decisions when lawsuits are decided by a judge or jury.An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 1992.