Disability and Chronic Illness Identity: Interviews with Lesbians and Bisexual Women and Their Partners

Disability rights activists and cultural workers are articulating disability identity and culture. Through interviews with lesbians and bisexual women with disabilities or chronic illnesses and their partners, the present study examined disability/chronic illness identity on the level of individual, couple, and community. Participants shared differing perspectives about how disability/chronic illness identity relates to other aspects of identity, and about whether disability/chronic illness identity is fluid or constant. They described several challenges they have encountered in developing disability/chronic illness identity. Couples talked about developing boundaries and balance in their relationships, and about how disability or chronic illness has strengthened their relationships. A number of participants spoke about identity as intimately linked with community. Implications for community building are discussed.     

Intergenerational persistence of family formation trajectories among teenage-mothers and -fathers in Sweden

Journal of Population Research - In this paper, we address the questions of whether early family trajectories of parents are reflected in childbearing teenagers, and how socio-economic and family...     

Does community violence exposure predict trauma symptoms in a sample of maltreated youth in foster care?

Previous studies find that childhood exposure to family and community violence is associated with trauma symptoms. Few studies, however, have explored whether community violence exposure (CVE) predicts trauma symptoms after controlling for the effects associated with family violence exposure (FVE). In the current study, CVE and FVE were examined in a sample of 179 youth with a recent history of maltreatment. CVE was associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for FVE, but FVE was not associated with trauma symptoms after controlling for CVE. In addition, negative coping strategies (e.g., self-harm, interpersonal aggression) partially mediated the association between CVE and trauma symptoms. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for interventions aimed at addressing the needs of children exposed to violence.     

Partnership Transitions and Maternal Parenting

We use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 1,975) to examine the association between mothers' partnership changes and parenting behavior during the first five years of their children's lives. We compare coresidential with dating transitions, and recent with more distal transitions. We also examine interactions between transitions and race/ethnicity, maternal education and family structure at birth. Findings indicate that both coresidential and dating transitions were associated with higher levels of maternal stress and harsh parenting; recent transitions had stronger associations than distal transitions. Maternal education significantly moderates these associations, with less educated mothers responding more negatively to instability in terms of maternal stress, and more educated mothers responding more negatively in terms of literacy activities.     

Constructing the Self in Early, Middle, and Late Adolescent Boys: Narrative Identity, Individuation, and Well-Being

The present study examined aspects of identity development in a sample of adolescent boys from two approaches: individuation and narrative. To extend the more recent research on narrative identity development, we also examined relations between narrative identity, well-being, and age. Narrative meaning making was predicted by themes of individuation in the narratives, specifically the interaction of autonomy and connectedness. Well-being was predicted by different aspects of meaning depending on the kind of meaning and the stage of adolescence. Finally, results showed an age-related increase in meaning-making processes, particularly meaning related to perceiving the self as changing. Results are discussed in terms of the processes of narrative identity development for adolescent boys.     

Familial caregivers of older adults

Caregivers of older adults face many obstacles as they balance family, career, and caregiving demands. Caregivers are at an increased risk for burden, stress, depression, and a variety of other mental and physical health complications. It is not uncommon for caregivers to receive some form of pharmacological therapy to treat the physical and mental health changes that may occur throughout their caregiving career. However, while pharmacological forms of treatment are invaluable, medications only may not be sufficient to treat the needs of caregivers. As such, geriatric professionals also have a responsibility to intervene with caregivers through psychosocial interventions. This paper provides an overview of caring, a summary of evidence-based psychosocial interventions for family caregivers of older adults, and recommendations for future interventions.     

The Five Cs of Positive Youth Development: Configurations of Thriving in Four U.S. Adolescent Samples

Positive youth development (PYD) models are widespread, but the empirical evidence for them is primarily nomothetic (i.e., investigations of universal patterns). Contemporary developmental theory suggests that concepts and processes within PYD models should also be explored with respect to specificity. This study demonstrates how the Five Cs Model, a predominant PYD model, can be advanced using group-differential methods. Secondary data from four studies of adolescents were used to test: (1) Whether there were subgroups who varied in their patterns of scores across the Five Cs, and (2) Whether subgroups also varied in Contribution behaviors. Unexpectedly, the four data sets used could not be combined, yielding an opportunity to discuss consistencies and inconsistencies in findings across the four data sets through contextual and sample differences. Findings demonstrate how understanding specificity in theorized concepts and processes in PYD models can complement studies of universal patterns, which are both necessary to advance PYD research and practice.     

Who is willing to come back? College students' willingness to seek help after using campus mental health services

Objective: To examine characteristics of college students who have previously received mental health (MH) services on campus and are willing to seek help again in the future. Participants: Spring 2015 ACHA-NCHA II (N = 12,501) undergraduate respondents who had previously used MH services on their current campus. Methods: Binary logistic regression with willingness to seek MH services in the future as the dependent variable. Results: Among students who had already utilized campus MH services, significant predictors for future help-seeking were: female, white, gay/lesbian, those not working for pay, having the college/university health insurance plan, and not currently/previously serving in the military (p < .05). Conclusions: The predictors for willingness to use services in the future were consistent with the existing literature related to initial use. Colleges and universities need to consider factors that influence openness to MH services after a previous experience in addition to initiating care. Implications for college MH professionals are provided.     

Do Women’s Orgasms Function as a Masculinity Achievement for Men?

Orgasms have been promoted as symbols of sexual fulfillment for women, and have perhaps become the symbol of a woman’s healthy sex life. However, some research has suggested that this focus on women’s orgasms, though ostensibly for women, may actually serve men; but the mechanisms of this are unclear. In the present experiment, we hypothesized that women’s orgasms specifically function as a masculinity achievement for men. To test this, we randomly assigned 810 men (M age = 25.44, SD = 8.31) to read a vignette where they imagined that an attractive woman either did or did not orgasm during a sexual encounter with them. Participants then rated their sexual esteem and the extent to which they would feel masculine after experiencing the given situation. Our results showed that men felt more masculine and reported higher sexual esteem when they imagined that a woman orgasmed during sexual encounters with them, and that this effect was exacerbated for men with high masculine gender role stress. These results suggest that women’s orgasms do function—at least in part—as a masculinity achievement for men.