The Construct Validity of Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being (SPWB) and their Relationship to Measures of Subjective Well-Being

The factor structure of Ryff's Scales ofPsychological Well-Being (SPWB) and theirrelationship to standardized measures ofsubjective well-being (SWB) were investigated.Two hundred seventy-seven participants rangingin age from 18 to 48 years were administeredthe Memorial University of Newfoundland Scaleof Happiness (MUNSH), the Satisfaction WithLife Scale (SWLS), and the SPWB. Results failedto support either the hypothesis thatperforming factor analytic procedures on theitems of the SPWB should produce a six-factorsolution, with scale-specific items loadingmost highly on their respective factors or thehypothesis that subjecting the sub-scales ofthe SPWB to factor analytic procedures alongwith standardized measures of SWB would produceone higher-order well-being factor. Instead,item loadings clustered around three majorfactors that could not be identified with thesix scales proposed by Ryff. Moreover, thefactor analysis of SPWB and SWB scale totalsproduced three, instead of one, higher-orderfactors. Implications of findings are discussedwith respect to the relationship of the PWBconstruct to the SWB construct.     

Anticipating attendance in reminiscence therapy with measures of mood and happiness

Nineteen community volunteers for a reminiscence intervention were grouped into those attending no more than one-quarter of sessions and those attending approximately three-quarters of sessions. A model of psychological well-being was used to discriminate these groups. Predictions from the model were confirmed in two analyses: attendance was related negatively to baseline mood but positively to baseline happiness; the acute/chronic environmental discrepancy term of the model was negatively related to attendance. The model correctly assigned 16/19 (85%) of subjects to attendance categories.     

Fit between sourcing capabilities and organisational structure on IT outsourcing performance

Thus far, relatively few studies on the supplier side of Information Technology (IT) outsourcing arrangements have been based on empirical quantitative research. Previous research identified a recurring supplier problem, a lack of sustainability in IT performance. The literature revealed that a supplier's capabilities and organisational structure affect the supplier performance. We hypothesise that realising a fit between the necessary sourcing capabilities and organisational structure on the IT supplier side will result in a sustainable sourcing performance. We executed a survey research among employees involved in sourcing activities of three different IT outsourcing suppliers (N?=?135). The results from our analysis provide evidence that these constructs can be used to analyse differences between the three types of service suppliers. Results indicate that suppliers who focus on establishing a fit are more willing or able to monitor if they achieve a sustainable performance.     

Trends in Occupational Segregation by Gender 1970–2009: Adjusting for the Impact of Changes in the Occupational Coding System

In this article, we develop a gender-specific crosswalk based on dual-coded Current Population Survey data to bridge the change in the census occupational coding system that occurred in 2000 and use it to provide the first analysis of the trends in occupational segregation by sex for the 1970–2009 period based on a consistent set of occupational codes and data sources. We show that our gender-specific crosswalk more accurately captures the trends in occupational segregation that are masked using the aggregate crosswalk (based on combined male and female employment) provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. Using the 2000 occupational codes, we find that segregation by sex declined substantially over the period but at a diminished pace over the decades, falling by only 1.1 percentage points (on a decadal basis) in the 2000s. A primary mechanism by which segregation was reduced was through the entry of new cohorts of women, presumably better prepared than their predecessors and/or encountering less labor market discrimination; during the 1970s and 1980s, however, occupational segregation also decreased within cohorts. Reductions in segregation were correlated with education, with the largest decrease among college graduates and very little change in segregation among high school dropouts.     

The transmission of women’s fertility, human capital, and work orientation across immigrant generations

Using the 1995–2011 March Current Population Survey and 1970–2000 Census data, we find that the fertility, education, and labor supply of second-generation women (US-born women with at least one foreign-born parent) are significantly positively affected by the immigrant generation’s levels of these variables, with the effect of the fertility and labor supply of women from the mother’s source country generally larger than that of women from the father’s source country and the effect of the education of men from the father’s source country larger than that of women from the mother’s source country. We present some evidence that suggests our findings for fertility and labor supply are due at least in part to intergenerational transmission of gender roles. Transmission rates for immigrant fertility and labor supply between generations are higher than for education, but there is considerable intergenerational assimilation toward native levels for all three of these outcomes.     

The Contribution of Practice Skills in a Care Management Process for Family Caregivers

Practice skills are believed to improve practice, yet, little is known about the extent to which skills affect outcomes. This exploratory study examined the extent to which 3 practice skills specific to a care management context for family caregivers, including communication skills, supportive skills, and linking skills, were associated with fidelity of a care management process. Twenty-one care managers who used a single process to serve 113 family caregivers were included in the study. Bivariate correlation analysis revealed the 3 practice skills are positively associated with process fidelity. Implications for social work practice, education, and research are discussed.     

The Impact of 9/11 on the Noncitizen Welfare Caseload: A Time-Series Analysis

ABSTRACT

The tragedy of 9/11 had more far-reaching social and economic consequences for the nation than those found for many individuals on that day. Between October 2001 and May 2002, Nevada witnessed a 25% increase in the total number of households on the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, commonly referred to as welfare. During the same time, households headed by a noncitizen increased their participation in the TANF program by 40%. This study examines the differential impact of 9/11, as well as of the economy and other external developments, on noncitizen and citizen welfare caseloads in a single state. Two monthly time series models are specified that explain and compare trends in the noncitizen and citizen welfare caseloads from April 1998 to June 2002. The findings suggest that, all else constant, 9/11 had a differential impact on the noncitizen and the citizen caseloads. All else constant, 9/11 events increased the noncitizen welfare caseload whereas a similar impact for the citizen caseload was not found. The findings also strongly suggest that the business cycle shapes noncitizens' participation in public assistance programs more closely than citizens' participation. Future research should investigate the extent to which 9/11 affected the behaviors of families on welfare over the long run.     

Promises to keep. An evaluator's perspective on employee assistance programs.

This paper presents a critical review of the rapidly expanding literature concerning employee assistance programs (EAPs). Several essential features of EAPs are identified and the assumptions underlying these components are examined. The latter section of this report offers some tentative suggestions for correcting this situation so that the EAP movement will no longer suffer from the lack of a firm database upon which to build more coherent and defensible theories and programs.     

Techniques of Handling Anger in Marriage

This paper endorses David Mace's (1976) recommendations for dissipating anger in marriage, presents a rational-emotive theory of anger, and derives from this theory of number of cognitive-behavioral methods of minimizing anger between marital partners.     

Street Traffic,Social Integration,and Fear of Crime*

Drawing on the work of Jacobs, Newman, and Gardiner, among others, this paper investigates fear of crime by urban residents as a consequence of two interrelated characteristics of neighborhoods: 1) the perceived volume of street usage and 2) the degree of residents' social integration into the neighborhood. Secondary analysis of a 1975 survey shows that, counter to previous hypotheses, perception of increased street traffic leads to greater fear. However, when controlling for social integration, we find that for those who are socially integrated perceived volume of street traffic has no relationship to fear, while for those not socially integrated the greater the perceived street usage the greater the fear. Three mechanisms by which social integration may reduce fear of people on the streets are considered: 1) reducing the proportion of strangers versus acquaintances on the street; 2) providing networks of potential assistance; and 3) reducing the strangeness of the streets' daily rhythms and routines. We conclude that both physical design and social factors must be interrelated in attempts to understand fear of crime and in designing ameliorative programs.