Infant Simulator Lifespace Intervention: Pilot Investigation of an Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program

This quasi-experimental study of 48 high school students clearly demonstrates the impact of a very realistic infant simulator on adolescents' attitudes and beliefs about what their future parenting experiences might be like. After their experience of the three-day lifespace intervention, the teenagers who participated had much more realistic notions about the responsibilities and demands involved in childrearing. Nearly all of them (90%) scored higher on a measure of realistic parenting expectations than the average adolescent in a comparison group did. Also of practical significance was the finding that the intervention even seemed to positively impact classmates of the primary intervention group, adolescents who merely observed others tending to infants.     

Return migration and metropolitan-nonmetropolitan population composition

This paper examines the extent to which female "return migrants" to Puerto Rico return to their area of birth or to a different area, thereby contributing to a redistribution of the island's population, and the extent to which those who do return to their area of birth have different socioeconomic characteristics than those who return to a different area.     

Placement type matters: Placement experiences in relation to justice system involvement among child welfare-involved youth and young adults

Out-of-home placement in the child welfare system is related to justice system involvement. Yet, few studies address the similarities and differences of child welfare placement types in relation to justice system involvement within the same sample of youth, which can provide a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between the two. Utilizing a sample of child welfare youth with substantial out-of-home placements (N = 794), we investigate trajectory group experiences on each of three child welfare placement types, and cross-tabulate each with justice system trajectory groups to examine subgroups. The five-group model fits best for foster homes and group homes; four groups for residential facilities. Relationships between justice system groups and placement types were significant. Youth with chronic justice system involvement had more experiences in group homes and residential facilities; youth with less justice system contact tended to have foster home experiences. Implications for policy and practice are presented.     

Resilience and Decision‐Making Strategies as Predictors of Career Decision Difficulties

The purpose of this study was to examine resilience and decision‐making strategies as predictors of difficulties experienced during the career decision‐making process. College students (N = 364) responded to measures of resilience, career decision‐making strategies, and career decision difficulties. Results indicated that resilience and decision‐making strategies accounted for 46% of the variance in career decision difficulties. Resilience had a greater influence on problems encountered during decision making than on problems encountered at the outset of the process. Different decision‐making strategies appeared to be related to difficulties encountered at different stages of the decision‐making process. For example, aspiration for an ideal occupation was positively associated only with lack of readiness. Procrastination was the only strategy related to all three decision difficulties: lack of readiness, lack of information, and inconsistent information. The results indicated the importance of decreasing procrastination at all stages of decision making and the need to promote resilience to deal with decision difficulties.     

How different are their experiences and outcomes? Comparing aged out and other child welfare involved youth

This paper adds to the growing body of research examining the experiences of youth aging out of the child welfare system. Through a comparison of youth aging out with two other groups of child welfare-involved youth—those whose families received child welfare services but were never placed out of home and those who were in out-of-home placement but did not age out—it presents a profile of their care careers and other system involvement (e.g., mental health, justice system). Analyses indicate that young people aging out of care have experienced significant amounts of time in out-of-home placement, a great deal of placement instability, and high levels of other system involvement. In general, their involvement is more extensive than that of the two comparison groups. However, the justice system involvement of youth who experienced out-of-home placement but did not age out is just as high as that of youth who have aged out. This finding highlights the importance of devoting resources not only to youth aging out of care but also to similarly-aged young people with prior child welfare involvement.     

The Media's Influence on Body Image Disturbance and Eating Disorders: We've Reviled Them, Now Can We Rehabilitate Them?

Survey, correlational, randomized control, and covariance structure modeling investigations indicate that the media are a significant factor in the development and maintenance of eating and shape-related disorders. One specific individual difference variable, internalization of societal pressures regarding prevailing standards of attractiveness, appears to moderate or even mediate the media's effects on women's body satisfaction and eating dysfunction. Problematic media messages inherent in existing media portrayals of eating disorders are apparent, leading researchers to pinpoint intervention strategies that might counteract such viewpoints. Social activism and social marketing approaches are suggested as methods for fighting negative media messages. The media itself is one potential vehicle for communicating productive, accurate, and deglamorized messages about eating and shape-related disorders.