Exploring the Latent Structures of Psychological Constructs in Social Development Using the Dimensional–Categorical Spectrum

This paper provides an introduction to a recently developed conceptual framework—the dimensional–categorical spectrum—for utilizing general factor mixture models to explore the latent structures of psychological constructs. This framework offers advantages over traditional latent variable models that usually employ either continuous latent factors or categorical latent class variables to characterize the latent structure and require an a priori assumption about the underlying nature of the construct as either purely dimension or purely categorical. The modeling process is discussed in detail and then illustrated with data on the delinquency items of Achenbach's child behavior checklist from a sample of children in the National Adolescent and Child Treatment Study.     

The cross-cultural adjustment process of expatriate families in a multinational organization: a family system theory perspective

This case study examined the relationship between the family flexibility of expatriates in a multinational corporation and their cross-cultural adjustment, as well as the stressors experienced by the expatriate, spouse, and children during the international transition. Family flexibility was negatively correlated with cross-cultural adjustment as perceived by the participating expatriates. All five cross-cultural adjustment dimensions (cultural, psychological, organizational, personal and relational) had a statistically significant relationship with family flexibility. Expatriate families identified cultural, relational, and psychological stressors as having the greatest impact on their cross-cultural adjustment. The components of family flexibility (roles, rules, assertiveness and leadership) played a key role in the cross-cultural adjustment of the expatriate, spouse and children. These findings provide insights to organizations and their human resource development professionals as well as to expatriates and their families on how family flexibility impacts cross-cultural adjustment – insights that could lead to the development of appropriate support and development mechanisms.     

A comparison of models using removal effort to estimate animal abundance

This paper compares methods for modeling the probability of removal when variable amounts of removal effort are present. A hierarchical modeling framework can produce estimates of animal abundance and detection from replicated removal counts taken at different locations in a region of interest. A common method of specifying variation in detection probabilities across locations or replicates is with a logistic model that incorporates relevant detection covariates. As an alternative to this logistic model, we propose using a catch–effort (CE) model to account for heterogeneity in detection when a measure of removal effort is available for each removal count. This method models the probability of detection as a nonlinear function of removal effort and a removal probability parameter that can vary spatially. Simulation results demonstrate that the CE model can effectively estimate abundance and removal probabilities when average removal rates are large but both the CE and logistic models tend to produce biased estimates as average removal rates decrease. We also found that the CE model fits better than logistic models when estimating wild turkey abundance using harvest and hunter counts collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources during the spring turkey hunting season.     

Establishing an Office of Scientific and Public Affairs

Procedures for high-interaction two-variable color mapping are described, whereby the user interacts with a graphic display to produce a color statistical map in a few seconds. The approach emphasizes the methodological benefits derived from the ability to examine the nature of the linkage between the statistical and spatial distributions of bivariate data. A series of examples illustrate this method.     

Pitman Closeness of Order Statistics to Population Quantiles

In this article, Pitman closeness of sample order statistics to population quantiles of a location-scale family of distributions is discussed. Explicit expressions are derived for some specific families such as uniform, exponential, and power function. Numerical results are then presented for these families for sample sizes n = 10,15, and for the choices of p = 0.10, 0.25, 0.75, 0.90. The Pitman-closest order statistic is also determined in these cases and presented.     

The Introduction of Capitalism in Russian Agriculture: Popular Response to Neo-Liberal Reforms1

Abstract This work analyzes the reactions of rural residents to the introduction of market-oriented economic reforms in the Russian agricultural sector. Employing primary data collected in a 1995 survey of three villages in the Russian Republic, we argue that strong resistance to the introduction of Neo-liberal market-oriented reforms exists, often based on the respondents' awareness of the importance of social interdependence. Rural residents feel harmed by government reforms, reject further reforms in agriculture, and would prefer a return to pre-1991 conditions. Although most have experienced a decline in village solidarity, they also believe that some forms of collective life will persist in rural communities. Respondents also question the fairness of economic markets given their observation that many have gotten ahead by illegal activities. In general, those with more resources are slightly less negative in their responses. Still, we argue that these results do not necessarily indicate that rural Russians totally reject the move toward a market-based economy. Rather, the results taken together suggest that points of strain and resistance emerge from the rapid introduction of market-oriented reforms, with little protection from unwanted consequences and the uncertainties of capitalism, in a context characterized by a long tradition of collective social relations.     

Sending or Receiving Stations? The Dual Influence of Railroads in Early 20th-Century Great Plains Settlement

This study investigates how railroads shaped settlement patterns in the twentieth century US Great Plains using railroad, population census, and environmental data. The substantive question speaks to recent theoretical and methodological interests in contextual and ecological issues. Drawing from theories of transportation and development, I use spatially-oriented techniques to empirically test long-held claims about the relationship of railroads to population development. The Great Plains is a region where settlement is commonly attributed to railroad expansion. Study results show a complex relationship between county population growth and the presence of railroads during the period after the railroad heyday and before the widespread adoption of the automobile, 1900–1930. Counter to the nineteenth century pattern, the association between population change and railroads is negative. Yet the relationship is conditioned by the stage of county development; in the first decade, railroads are receiving stations for counties with smaller population density and sending agents for more settled places; the reverse is observed during the 1920s; and no significant relationship exists during the 1910s. Spatial effects are addressed in the analysis, and theoretical and statistical implications for scholarship concerning transportation and spatial units of analysis are discussed.

Utilization of health care among female-to-male transgender individuals in the United States

Female-To-Male (FTM) transgender individuals were approached at a conference and several peer support groups in the United States and asked to complete a short questionnaire regarding their medical care. Results from the 122 completed questionnaires indicated that a high number of respondents were taking testosterone (n = 106) and had some gender-confirming surgery (n = 68). Seventy percent of respondents rated their overall quality of health care "good" or "excellent." A surprising finding was the low number (7%) reporting diagnoses of polycystic ovarian syndrome--the incidence of which has been reported elsewhere as high as 50%. Also notable were the high levels of employment, insurance, knowledge of standards of care, and access to providers, contrasting with reports from studies involving predominantly Male-To-Female (MTF) individuals. Finally, FTM's usage of transition-related medical resources can vary, but many within this study are foregoing genital surgery.     

The Process of Change in Complicated Grief Group Therapy for Bereaved Dementia Caregivers: An Evaluation Using the Meaning of Loss Codebook

ABSTRACT

Caring for a person with dementia has adverse health and mental health effects that, for 9–25% of caregivers, persist as complicated grief (CG). For bereaved dementia caregivers unable to satisfactorily grieve, specialized Complicated Grief Group Therapy (CGGT) can restore healthy grief. We investigated therapeutic change in CGGT participants, using an adapted version of the Gillies’ Meaning of Loss Codebook. Participants demonstrated positive gains in 16 thematic areas, notably in moving on with life, summoning pleasant memories, and ascribing bad memories to disease rather than decedent. Meaning transitioned from negative to positive interpretations of the death over the course of treatment.     

Getting Under the Skin: Children’s Health Disparities as Embodiment of Social Class

Social class gradients in children’s health and development are ubiquitous across time and geography. The authors develop a conceptual framework relating three actions of class—material allocation, salient group identity, and inter-group conflict—to the reproduction of class-based disparities in child health. A core proposition is that the actions of class stratification create variation in children’s mesosystems and microsystems in distinct locations in the ecology of everyday life. Variation in mesosystems (e.g., health care, neighborhoods) and microsystems (e.g., family structure, housing) become manifest in a wide variety of specific experiences and environments that produce the behavioral and biological antecedents to health and disease among children. The framework is explored via a review of theoretical and empirical contributions from multiple disciplines, and high-priority areas for future research are highlighted.