V. Some factors in the etiology of maternal rejection

A Handbook of Child Welfare: Context, Knowledge and Practice. Joan Laird and Ann Hartman. (New York: Free Press, 1985.)

The Altruistic Imagination: A History of Social Work and Social Policy in the United States. John H. Ehrenreich. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1985)

Child Psychosis in the First Four Years of Life. Henry N. Massie and Judith Rosenthal. (New York: McGraw‐Hill Book Co., 1984.)

The Aggressive Adolescent. Charles Keith (Ed.). (New York: The Free Press, 1984.)

Piagetian Dimensions of Clinical Relevance. Hugh Rosen. (New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.)     

The Development of Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Widowed and Abandoned Women Through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case of Rural South India

ABSTRACT

Widowed or abandoned women are among the poorest and marginalized people in Indian society. In an effort to empower these women to achieve a sustainable livelihood and overcome discrimination related to marital status and caste, a local nongovernmental organization, Kalangarai, organized widows and abandoned women into microcredit self-help groups (SHGs) along the Southeast coast of India. This mixed-methods study examines the effects of microcredit SHG training and facilitation on the perceived self-efficacy of widowed or abandoned women in the groups (N = 64). Data were collected on SHG training, facilitation, self-efficacy, well-being, and caste discrimination. Regression results indicate that participation in SHG trainings and having more intensive staff facilitation significantly impacted the women's perception of self-efficacy. These findings suggest that the microcredit SHG structure can be utilized to spark a transformative process for women to collectively gain power and political voice. Further implications for advocacy, scholarship, and program design are discussed.     

Job-Seeking Behavior in Young Adults: Do Unemployment Insurance Benefits Hurt Job Search Efforts?

ABSTRACT. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and young adults’ job-seeking behavior. In particular, the study evaluated if the extension of UI benefits to 99 weeks in 2008 had direct effects on job search efforts. Three waves (2007–2009) of data (N = 915) from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth were analyzed using multiple regression models to assess the association of UI benefits to young adults’ job search efforts. Additionally, the homogeneity of slope coefficients of the UI benefit on job search effort was evaluated across 3 years using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The results of regression analyses suggest that UI benefits were negatively associated with job search efforts for 2007 and the pooled sample of 2007 to 2009, but the relationship was not significant for 2008 and 2009. The results of the ANCOVA suggest that the UI benefit extension of 2008 did not have any negative association with job search efforts. Future studies should explore the subjective experiences and decisions young adults make in consideration of unemployment, UI benefits, and job search efforts.     

Religious domains and general well-being

With only a few notable exceptions, studies on quality of life or general well-being have failed to deal with religiosity in general, and the development of more refined measures of religious meaning and belonging in particular. Data measuring subjective perceptions of well-being for various domains of life, including neighborhood, employment, work at home, education, friends, household members, marital status, standard of living, health and religion were used to form a number of domain scales. Relationships between the multidimensional concepts of well-being and religiosity are explored and the importance of religiosity in defining well-being is tested. Religious satisfaction was found to be important for general life satisfaction and existential well-being. Among the eight indicators and scales of religiosity, various combinations of religious satisfaction, frequency of prayer, prayer experience, and relationship with God, were important predictors of general life satisfaction, existential well-being, and overall happiness. Under no circumstance did any measure of religosity contribute to negative affect.     

Historical epidemiology of smallpox in Åland,Finland: 1751–1890

We analyze a 140-year series of smallpox deaths in the Åland Islands, Finland. Vaccination, introduced in 1805, dramatically reduced the annual number of smallpox deaths. It also influenced the age distribution of smallpox deaths, changing smallpox from a childhood disease before 1805 to one which affected both adults and children after 1805. This appears to be due to the fact that Ålanders were usually vaccinated only once during childhood and often lost their immunity during adulthood. Spectral analysis of the prevaccination time series of smallpox deaths demonstrates a strong seven-year periodicity, reflecting the amount of time necessary to build up a cohort of nonimmune individuals. After the introduction of vaccination, the periodicity changes to eight years. The probability that a parish in Åland was affected by a smallpox epidemic is shown to be highly correlated with migration patterns and parish population sizes.     

An examination of referent selection processes underlying job satisfaction

Using two different methods of assessment, the goal of the present research was twofold: (1) to examine the relative influence that different standards of comparison have in determining satisfaction with various job facets; and (2) to examine the relative consistency of each standard's influence across job facets. According to both direct reports and the strength of empirical relationships, the results indicated that some standards of comparison were stronger predictors of facet satisfaction than others. The consistency of a standard's influence or predictive power depended on the particular standard of comparison under consideration. Some standards were consistently strong or consistently weak predictors of facet satisfaction, regardless of the particular job facet. However, for other standards of comparison, the amount of predictive influence depended on the particular job facet. Within the context of discrepancy-based theories of job satisfaction, results are discussed in terms of their comparability across the two different methods of assessment, and the directions they suggest for future research.     

Skin Color and Intelligence in African Americans: A Reply to Hill

Hill's theory that the positive association between light skin color and intelligence among African Americans can be explained as a result of discrimination by whites against darker skinned blacks is implausible. There is no direct evidence for this theory. If it were true, dark skinned blacks should earn less than light skinned blacks as a result of greater discrimination against them. The NORC data show that this is not the case. Hill's analysis is an example of the Sociologists' Fallacy that consists of treating correlates as causes.     

Exploring death anxiety among elderly people: a literature review and empirical investigation

Given the growing number of elderly persons in society and concerns about their health and well-being, the aim was to review the available literature on their death anxiety, and to explore features of this experience among a small sample of older men and women in care facilities. In both the review and empirical parts of this study, components and correlates of death anxiety were investigated. The review revealed limited research focus on death anxiety among the elderly, particularly among those in institutions, but suggested both components and correlates for inclusion in our empirical study. Results showed that, among our elderly participants in an assisted living facility (N = 49; age range: 60-96 years), there were higher levels of fear for others and of the dying process than for fear of the unknown. Notably, among the correlates identified, fear for significant others was associated with poor physical health; fear of the dying process was related to low self-esteem, little purpose in life, and poor mental well-being. Gender differences in death anxiety were found: women showed greater fear for the death of loved ones and for the consequences of their own death on these loved ones, than did men. These patterns are discussed in the light of concerns about the welfare of elderly persons; scientific implications are also considered.