The Moderating Effects of Risk, Protection and Desistance on Violence in Female Adolescents

The major focus of this study was to test the theory driven conceptual model derived from the literature regarding risk, protective and desistance factors in relation to violent behavior of female adolescents. This study utilized The National Longitudinal Adolescent Health Study (Add Health) dataset and included 2,031 female participants. The conceptual model developed was based on life course perspective as it relates to violent behavior in adolescents. The tested SEM model suggested: (1) that each of the latent variables of risk (β = .06, t = .02, p < .001) and protective factors (β = −.07, t = .01, p < .001) were significantly directly associated with violent behavior, (2) the latent variable, desistance factors (β = .01, t = .06, p > .05), was not significantly directly associated with violent behavior, (3) there were mediating effects between risk factors, protective factors and violent behavior (β = −.12, t = .04, p < .05) and (4) there were no mediating effects between risk factors, desistance factors and violent behavior (β = −1.28, t = 2.99, p > .05).     

“Not for the fainthearted”: Engaging in cross-national comparative research

Gerontologists are increasingly taking up the challenge of cross-national research and while there has been an increase in reporting on the product (findings) of this type of scholarship, there has been much less written about the process (methodology) of this approach, particularly in the gerontological literature. In 2009 our newly formed research team enthusiastically embarked on a cross-national comparative research study of social isolation and aging. In this paper, we ‘publicly’ reflect on our research process, sharing what we have learned — what ‘happened’, strategies that ‘worked’, places along the way where we might have intervened to mitigate the difficulties we encountered, and the implications of our experience on our research. Integrating the knowledge gained through our lens as newcomers to international comparative research, we end by presenting a Conceptual Framework for Cross-National Research.     

Sample Heterogeneity and the Measurement Structure of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale

Several measurement assumptions were examined with the goal of assessing the validity of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS), a measure of adolescents’ satisfaction with their family, friends, living environment, school, self, and general quality of life. The data were obtained via a cross-sectional survey of 8,225 adolescents in British Columbia, Canada. Confirmatory factor and factor mixture analyses of ordinal data were used to examine the measurement assumptions. The adolescents did not respond to all the MSLSS items in a psychometrically equivalent manner. A correlated five-factor model for an abridged version of the MSLSS resulted in good fit when all negatively worded items and several positively worded items (the least invariant) were excluded. The abridged 18-item version of the MSLSS provides a promising alternative for the measurement of five life domains that are pertinent to adolescents’ quality of life.     

Exploring the Gay Community Question: Neighborhood and Network Influences on the Experience of Community among Urban Gay Men

The reported declining significance of gay neighborhoods has raised questions about the role of gay enclaves as a locus for community building. Using Wellman and Leighton's community “lost,” “saved,” and “liberated” frameworks, we examine the degree to which gay enclave residence and network socializing are associated with experiences of gay community among men in the New York City area. Multilevel models indicate that enclave residence is neither directly nor indirectly associated with perceived community cohesion or community attachment. Increased socializing with gay men and heterosexuals were, respectively, positively and negatively associated with our community outcomes. Increased socializing with lesbians was associated with greater community attachment, while socializing with bisexuals was associated with greater perceived community cohesion. Our findings lend support for a “gay community liberated” perspective; experiences of gay community are shaped principally by network relations rather than residential proximity to gay institutions.     

The Road to Recovery: Addressing the Challenges and Resilience of Military Couples in the Scope of Veteran’s Mental Health

As the war in Afghanistan for many United States service members is coming to an end, focus on veteran recovery and mental health maintenance is emerging. Veterans’ mental health problems have been cited as an individual and familial problem (Segrin, 2012). As a result, further examination that includes partners as well as challenges and resilience among military couples is needed to assess a more comprehensive view of the repercussions of mental illness on the veteran. The following literature review seeks to highlight the effects of mental illness on military couples through the explanatory framework of the relational turbulence model (Knobloch & Solomon, 2004). Couple resilience and implications for mental health practitioners are also discussed.     

Methodological approaches to the analyses of elder abuse screening measures: Application of latent variable measurement modeling to the WC-RAPS

While several elder abuse screens exist, few measure risk and none target long-term support services. The aims were to examine the psychometric properties of the Weinberg Center Risk and Abuse Prevention Screen (WC-RAPS), comparing approaches to modeling self-reported risk and abuse in relation to reported Adult Protective Services contacts. Methods: The sample (n = 7,035), admissions to managed long-term care (79%) and short-term rehabilitation (20%), was primarily (66%) female, with mean age 77.6 (SD = 9.10); 7% each were African American and Latino and 12% Asian. Latent variable models were used to examine measurement properties of six indicators of abuse and five of risk. Results: Good model fit and stable subscale measurement models were observed across analyses. Reliability was >0.80 across methods, and concurrent criterion validity estimates were as expected. Conclusion: Evidence supported the reliability and concurrent criterion validity of the risk and abuse subscales in an ethnically diverse cohort.     

Courtship,sex and poverty: illegitimacy in eighteenth-century Wales

This article sheds new light on illegitimacy in eighteenth-century Britain through an analysis of evidence from 36 parishes across the former Welsh counties Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire. Quantitative analysis of illegitimacy ratios demonstrates that levels were significantly higher in certain, but not all, parts of Wales in the eighteenth century. This evidence is considered in relation to explanatory frameworks used in the analysis of English data, which attempt to account for rising levels through cultural changes that influenced premarital sexual behaviour, and economic opportunities created by industrialization. Welsh evidence appears to present a challenge to these understandings in two key ways: Wales was linguistically different and lacked certain cultural markers which some historians have associated with an eighteenth-century ‘sexual revolution’, and because the highest levels of illegitimacy were found in agricultural regions of Wales which experienced little or no industrial change. It is argued that Welsh illegitimacy was influenced by a combination of courtship-led marriage customs, a decline in traditional forms of social control and worsening economic circumstances which, on closer examination, appear remarkably similar to London. This analysis provides further evidence that illegitimacy in eighteenth-century Britain was a deeply complex phenomenon governed by diverse regionally specific social and economic influences.     

Parents as developing adult learners

Drawing largely on the literature from adult learning and development, this article presents parents as continuous learners whose critical reflections on their experiences with parenting can be rich fodder for their growth and development. Theories and models are highlighted that may suggest a wider repertoire of approaches for helping professionals who are facilitating parents in their learning and growth.     

Bridging the Gap: Anticipated Shortfalls in Future Retirement Income

Determining an appropriate and desirable income replacement rate is one of the keys to developing a successful personal financial plan for retirement. In the present investigation, we examined workers?? expectations of the pre-retirement income they believed would be necessary in order to have a ??good?? retirement relative to the income they anticipated they would receive. Analyses revealed an expected income shortfall, the magnitude of which was positively related to one??s income and age. Sex was also related to the magnitude of the expected shortfall, with women anticipating a larger financial discrepancy than men. Finally, a sex by marital status interaction emerged in which single women were found to have a larger shortfall than single men and married individuals of both sexes. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of interventions aimed at educating workers to understand the value of selecting a reasonable retirement income replacement rate.