Local Chapter Outposts: A Dilemma for Federated Social Movement Organizations*

Although there has been a significant shift toward decentralized forms of social movement organizations (SMOs), the federated form is still quite active and deserves further study. In particular, the role of the local chapter in relation to its national office can be explored from new angles for additional insights into federated SMOs. I address the specific issue of isolation that is problematic for some chapters of federated SMOs. I consider these chapters to be “outposts”; isolated from national headquarters geographically, socially, culturally, politically or due to communication barriers. This outpost status creates specific difficulties over control, autonomy, coordination, and resources. “SMO Outposts” are often not able or willing to carry out national goals, strategy or tactics in the prescribed manner expected from headquarters. However, SMO Outposts may also experience unexpected opportunities. My typology of SMO Outposts clarifies their characteristics and presents the challenges and opportunities they encounter under various modes of isolation. This provides for a fuller assessment of the success, organizing capability and adaptation of federated SMOs.     

“I wish someone would explain why I am in care”: The impact of children and young people's lack of understanding of why they are in out‐of‐home care on their well‐being and felt security

Having a good understanding of one's origins and history is known to be significant in identity development. Drawing on a large‐scale online survey of looked after children's subjective well‐being, this paper demonstrates that a significant number of children and young people (age 4–18 years) did not fully understand the reasons for their entry to care. The paper explores the effect of this lack of knowledge on children's well‐being and on their feelings of being settled in their current placement. The study reiterates the need for professionals to be honest and open with children in out‐of‐home care and the need to specifically address, perhaps repeatedly, why a child is not living with their birth family.     

Longitudinal Patterns in Parent and Friend Emotion Socialization: Associations With Adolescent Emotion Regulation

Adolescents learn about emotions through interacting with parents and friends, though there is limited longitudinal research on this topic. This study examined longitudinal patterns in parent and friend emotion socialization and adolescent emotion regulation. Eighty‐seven adolescents reported on parent and friend emotion socialization. Parents reported on adolescent emotion regulation. Parents’ responses were stable over time and across gender. Friends of girls reciprocated negative emotions more and were less punitive over time, whereas friends of boys increased in comforting and decreased in neglect of negative emotions. Parents and friends evidenced unique effects on adolescent emotion regulation, and the effect of friend socialization responses differed for girls and boys. Future research should examine combinatory influences of multiple socializers on adolescent adjustment.     

SORTING OUT THE CUCKOO'S NEST: A FACTORIAL SURVEY APPROACH TO THE STUDY OF POPULAR CONCEPTIONS OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Research relevant to understanding how mental illness is popularly conceptualized owes much to the methods pioneered by Star in 1950. However, while her six vignettes have been used extensively over the last 30 years to test the public's ability to recognize mental illness, subsequent research has provided little insight into which factors contribute most to the judgment process. This study introduces a factorial survey research method that is more appropriate for the task. A sample of 143 college undergraduates responding to the experimentally designed vignettes were found to be most influenced by a vignette person's behavioral impairment, followed by the psychological attributes of depression, obtrusive thoughts, beliefs, conflict, engagement/withdrawal, fear, and anxiety. Other factors that significantly affected mental illness ratings included a vignette person's past history of mental illness and the relationship of the vignette person to the rater. These ten dimensions were found to be considerably more important than sociodemographic characteristics in judging persons mentally ill.     

Issues Related to Time Averaging of Exposure in Modeling Risks Associated with Intermittent Exposures to Lead

Typical exposures to lead often involve a mix of long-term exposures to relatively constant exposure levels (e.g., residential yard soil and indoor dust) and highly intermittent exposures at other locations (e.g., seasonal recreational visits to a park). These types of exposures can be expected to result in blood lead concentrations that vary on a temporal scale with the intermittent exposure pattern. Prediction of short-term (or seasonal) blood lead concentrations arising from highly variable intermittent exposures requires a model that can reliably simulate lead exposures and biokinetics on a temporal scale that matches that of the exposure events of interest. If exposure model averaging times (EMATs) of the model exceed the shortest exposure duration that characterizes the intermittent exposure, uncertainties will be introduced into risk estimates because the exposure concentration used as input to the model must be time averaged to account for the intermittent nature of the exposure. We have used simulation as a means of determining the potential magnitude of these uncertainties. Simulations using models having various EMATs have allowed exploration of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to time averaging of exposures and impact on risk estimates associated with intermittent exposures to lead in soil. The International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) model of lead pharmacokinetics in humans simulates lead intakes that can vary in intensity over time spans as small as one day, allowing for the simulation of intermittent exposures to lead as a series of discrete daily exposure events. The ICRP model was used to compare the outcomes (blood lead concentration) of various time-averaging adjustments for approximating the time-averaged intake of lead associated with various intermittent exposure patterns. Results of these analyses suggest that standard approaches to time averaging (e.g., U.S. EPA) that estimate the long-term daily exposure concentration can, in some cases, result in substantial underprediction of short-term variations in blood lead concentrations when used in models that operate with EMATs exceeding the shortest exposure duration that characterizes the intermittent exposure. Alternative time-averaging approaches recommended for use in lead risk assessment more reliably predict short-term periodic (e.g., seasonal) elevations in blood lead concentration that might result from intermittent exposures. In general, risk estimates will be improved by simulation on shorter time scales that more closely approximate the actual temporal dynamics of the exposure.     

Did Divorces Decline After the Oklahoma City Bombing?

The Oklahoma City bombing in April 1995 was an act of terrorism that had many potential influences on the city and state, including influences on families. We analyzed divorce data from 1985 to 2000 for all 77 counties in Oklahoma to assess the divorce response to the Oklahoma City bombing. Our prediction was that divorce rates in Oklahoma would decrease in response to the bombing, a prediction derived from two different theoretical orientations, terror management theory and attachment theory. We test this prediction in the context of two relatively powerful quasi‐experimental designs, an interrupted time series design, and a nonequivalent control group design. We analyze the time series data with polynomial regression. Results suggested that there were lower observed divorce rates following the Oklahoma City bombing than the prevailing 10‐year cubic divorce trend would have predicted, with the effect dampening over time. We analyzed the nonequivalent control group design using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) linear model to compare counties in and around Oklahoma City to those farther away, and to compare metropolitan to nonmetropolitan counties in Oklahoma. In each case, divorces were lower in the predicted directions.     

Mentors for adolescents in foster care

Significant numbers of adolescents in foster placement plan to live independently following discharge. Mentoring is increasingly being used as a support service to assist older foster youths to make the transition to adult living. A survey of 29 child welfare programs indicate that a variety of mentoring models are in use. The main models are transitional Life Skills Mentors, Cultural-Empowerment Mentors, and Corporate-Business Mentors. Mentoring connects foster wards with a cross-section of community citizens who provide a bridge to higher education and employment, and serve as a resource for transitional problem-solving. Information is needed on the impacts of mentor-mentee matches and efforts to sustain mentor-mentee relationships.Based on a paper presented at the Second National Child Welfare Conference, Division of Child Welfare Research, Arlington, Virginia, 1994. The research is supported by Research Grant #90CW1026 entitled Mentors as Resources for Preparing Foster Youths for Independent Living, from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Washington, D.C.the Principal Investigator, Foster Youth Project and Adolescent Mentor Project.