The Risk of Partner Violence Among Low‐Income Hispanic Subgroups

Women with few social resources are at elevated risk of partner abuse. Certain evidence suggests that African American and Hispanic women, who are overrepresented in the lower socioeconomic strata, are at particularly high risk. We compare women's risk of partner violence, defined as moderate and severe, among 2,400 low‐income African American, Hispanic, and non‐Hispanic Whites from “Welfare, Children and Families: A Three City Study” and find that these groups differ in their risk of degrees of violence. Specific nation‐of‐origin Hispanic subgroups also manifest important differences in their violence risk profiles. We argue that a better understanding of victimization requires more detailed ethnic categorization and a more refined understanding of the meaning of domestic violence for different groups.     

Reexamining the link of early childbearing to Marriage and to subsequent fertillty

Using data from the 1980, 1985, and 1990 Current Population Surveys, we show that the link between early fertility and nonmarital births has become stronger. Women who give birth earlier are increasingly likely to be unmarried. In contrast, we find a weaker association between first births at young (versus older) ages and (1) a rapid pace of subsequent childbearing and (2) higher completed fertility. We discuss possible causes and consequences of these changes.     

An innovative program to fund health-oriented student projects and research

The price of a university education has increased over the years. As a result, students often graduate with thousands of dollars of debt. Conducting research or developing class projects that require personal expenditures can be overwhelming, if not impossible. Participation in research and in developing projects can enhance a student's educational experience. In an effort to address cost issues and provide an optimal learning experience for all students through participation in projects and research, the College of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) collaborated with a regional foundation to fund health-oriented students' projects and research. Approximately 100 projects have been funded in amounts from 200 dollars to 10,000 dollars at UTEP. Similar programs can be replicated at other US universities. Establishing a general fund and identifying contributors may be a viable option, although finding a foundation or agency to fund the project poses a challenge.     

Gender, widowhood, and long-term care in the older Mexican American population

The objective of this study is to examine the influences of gender on long-term care service use among older Mexican American widows and widowers. Our analysis is based on a sample of 773 widows and 183 widowers from the Longitudinal Study of Elderly Mexican American Health (H-EPESE). In this sample widows resemble widowers in terms of demographic and health characteristics. However, widows report more financial strain than widowers and a greater welfare dependency (SSI) and Medicaid use. Among those who suffered diminished health, widows were more likely than widowers to use community-based long-term care services whereas widowers were more likely to enter a nursing home. Widows also had more instrumental and socioemotional support than widowers. Serious cognitive and functional impairment, though, places widows and widowers at the same risk of institutionalization. We end with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings.     

Financial strain and health among elderly Mexican-origin individuals

In this paper we examine the associations among perceived financial strain and various health measures--including self-rated health, self-reported functional capacity, performance-based mobility, and mortality--in a sample of older Mexican-origin individuals. We employ the Hispanic Established Population for Epidemiological Studies of the Elderly, an eight-year longitudinal survey of over 3,000 Mexican-origin individuals in five southwestern states who were initially interviewed in 1993 and 1994. Although financial strain is associated with actual income and poverty, it is also associated with cognitive capacity, depression, and self-esteem, and while it is strongly associated with subjective measures, it has a weaker association with more objective measures, such as performance-based mobility and mortality. Financial strain appears to be part of a package of cognitions and emotions indicative of low morale or demoralization that has adverse effects on subjective health.     

Experience rating and the generosity of unemployment insurance: Effects on county and metropolitan unemployment rates

I find that state policies affect county and metropolitan area unemployment rates, particularly their policies with respect to unemployment compensation. A generous compensation system is associated with higher unemployment rates, and greater experience rating is associated with lower rates. I also find that greater unionization is associated with higher unemployment rates. Secular manufacturing growth has a weak negative association with unemployment rates in nonmetropolitan counties, but no association in metropolitan areas.     

Generalized Inverse Gaussian Distributions and their Wishart Connections

The matrix generalized inverse Gaussian distribution (MGIG) is shown to arise as a conditional distribution of components of a Wishart distributio n. In the special scalar case, the characterization refers to members of the class of generalized inverse Gaussian distributions (GIGs) and includes the inverse Gaussian distribution among others     

Hazardous Materials Releases in the Northridge Earthquake: Implications for Seismic Risk Assessment

In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the problem of earthquake-initiated hazardous materials releases (EIHRs). While the evidence indicates that EHIRs are an important part of the earthquake hazard profile, little attention has been given to documenting them in a way that could form the basis for more systematic estimates of their probability and consequences. Data from the January 17, 1994 Northridge earthquake document the range and nature of hazardous materials events in the impact area, including those at fixed-site facilities and in transportation systems. Proportional estimates of hazmat incidence are provided, and the implications of these data for developing risk assessments and earthquake hazard management are discussed.     

Pressures from stakeholders hit Japanese companies

In recent years few US and European executives have been faced with the task of managing in a highly complex, dynamic business environment. There is a growing awareness of the need to consider the interests of a variety of stakeholder groups when making business decisions. This awareness has quickly become a requirement for executives across the globe, even among those in Japanese firms who have historically been less encumbered due to different societal, cultural, and business expectations. This article addresses these differences and discusses the global evolution of stakeholder group influence with an emphasis on US, European, and Japanese executives.