“Building a Bigger Table”: Mobilizing Social Capital to Develop a Community Food Resource Center

Traditional food initiatives often aim to increase food access through market-based, needs-driven models, leaving basic food requirements unmet for many in the current U.S. food system. Employing qualitative community-based participatory methods, we examine the asset-based developmental stages of a local-level Food and Resource Center (FRC) in rural Stillwater, OK. We consider the ways that social capital can be activated as a community asset for development, articulating how social networks are used to identify, mobilize, and galvanize community support. How has the community identified and mobilized a “stock” of social capital to employ an asset-based approach to developing a food resource center? How can the FRC enhance social capital for the community as a whole? We provide insight into how individual, agency, and institutional actors act as pivotal resources for community development, delineating the ways in which community social capital and asset-based development can influence an organization's operational goals. Additionally, we explore strategies used to enhance linking and bonding forms of social capital as well as obstacles to bridging social capital in the broader community.     

The Effects of Subjective Age and Aging Attitudes on Mid- to Late-Life Sexuality

This study examined the effects of subjective age and attitudes about aging on frequency of sex and interest in sexual activity among middle-aged and older adults. Data were drawn from two waves of the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study (n = 1,170 adults, mean age Time 1 = 53.70 years, SD = 9.08). Regression analyses were used to investigate the effects of subjective age and attitudes about aging on three measures of sexuality: frequency of sex, perceived quality of sexual activity, and interest in sexual activity, over 10 years. The older participants felt and the less positive their views of aging, the less they rated sexual activity as enjoyable over time. Feeling older (though not attitudes about aging) also predicted less interest in sex. Subjective age and beliefs about aging did not have an impact on frequency of sex. Although frequency of sex was not predicted by subjective aging and aging attitudes, the results suggested that subjective age and stereotypic views on aging may shape the experience of sex in later life.     

Manipulating diversity: How diversity regimes at US universities can reinforce whiteness

As US universities attempt to accommodate a growing multicultural society, the task of racially diversifying entering cohorts and retaining a racially diverse student demographic has taken on a leading role in recruitment, college admissions, and campus programming. But, we ask, what definitions of racial diversity are fueling these changes and how have existing racial diversity regimes impacted racial/ethnic hierarchies? We analyze two widespread applications of racial diversity—racial diversity as benefit for all and racial diversity as status marker—to illustrate how racial diversity regimes can be manipulated in ways that undermine the contributions of racially/ethnically minoritized groups and reinforce a racial order that privileges Whiteness—particularly when framed around interest convergence. We conclude by discussing the importance of articulating more concrete racial diversity objectives, addressing structural contributors to racial inequity, and measuring diversity outcomes.     

Integrating youth participation and ecosocial work: New possibilities to advance environmental and social justice

ABSTRACT

This article reveals possibilities to expand the role of youth within ecosocial work practice. The Where I Stand Youth Summit held in Chicago, Illinois, provided a safe space for young people to reflect upon their understanding of, and roles within, social and environmental justice movements. Drawing upon critical youth empowerment theory and participant observation, we note that youth shared experiences of oppression across unique social identities, while displaying authentic communication, acceptance, and desire for solidarity. Re-defining what knowledge matters, along with intention and self-restoration, also emerged as critical to building young people’s agency and power to effect social change.     

当了妈,付出多少才算爱

正妈妈不仅是妈妈,她也是一个需要臭美、需要娱乐、爱吃爱玩、有着喜怒哀乐的普通人。最近遇到一个许久未见的老朋友,我差点都不敢相认:以前的她,是业余学芭蕾和烘焙、爱逛博物馆和美术馆的少女力满格的姑娘;现在她孩子9个月,她因产后肥胖身材严重走形,穿着大T恤牛仔裤、运动鞋,由于素颜,可以看出脸上有斑和痘痘。     

Using implicit encouragement to increase narrative productivity in children: Preliminary evidence and legal implications

Abstract

Statements made by children in a range of legal settings can irrevocably impact their family structure, relationships, and living environment. Because these statements can fundamentally alter children’s futures, efforts have been made to identify methods to enhance children’s reports by increasing comprehensiveness, completeness, and accuracy. Interviewer support has broadly been considered a method of interest, but variations in what constitutes “support” have highlighted the need for greater specificity in documenting how different facets of supportive behaviors relate to children’s reporting tendencies. In this review, we describe work focused on the effects of interviewer support, on children’s memory completeness and accuracy. We then describe to a subset of interviewer behaviors that encourage elaboration in dyadic interactions: back-channeling and vocatives. We present preliminary evidence suggesting that these utterances, referred to as implicit encouragement, can increase the amount of detail provided without compromising accuracy. Implications for custody evaluations are discussed.     

Prevention of shape and weight concerns among college students: An examination of education status variables

Objective: The current study examined whether overlooked aspects of the postsecondary student experience predicted individuals’ body-related concerns, beyond the influence of demographic factors that have upheld explanatory power in past research. Participants: Undergraduate and graduate students (n?=?3,259) took part in the multi-institute Healthy Bodies Study during the 2015 academic year. Method: Participants completed an online survey that assessed their undergraduate/graduate statuses, academic majors, extracurricular involvements, and body-related concerns. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were run to answer primary study questions. Results: Gender, body mass index (BMI), undergraduate/graduate student status, being a male graduate student, major, and extracurricular activities predicted shape concern (SC), weight concern (WC), and whether these concerns increased since students began at their universities. The addition of the student-specific variables uniquely contributed to the variance in body-related concerns. Conclusions: Further research on the body-related discontent of the identified student groups should be conducted to elucidate potential campus-based treatment targets.     

Mental health literacy,stigma, and help-seeking behaviors among male college students

Objective: Mental health literacy (MHL) is low in college-aged men potentially resulting in impaired mental wellbeing. This study assessed MHL, psychosocial determinants, and help-seeking behaviors among male university students. Participants: Male undergraduate and graduate students were surveyed in Spring 2017 (n = 1,242) at a large southeastern university in the United States. Methods: Preexisting validated scales for MHL, psychosocial determinants, and help-seeking intention were used in measurement and demographic variables were collected. T-tests and one-way ANOVA were performed to measure differences between groups. Results: Participants showed low scores for all constructs with statistically significant differences between undergraduate and graduate students, as well as between races and major classifications. Undergraduate men had moderate MHL and low intentions to seek professional care. Conclusions: Interventions focusing on increasing mental health knowledge and improving beliefs can improve MHL among male college students. Further, interventions should be tailored for racial groups and major classifications.     

Navigating Housing Instability and Substance Use: Hidden Tensions Facing Youth in Small Town America

Abstract

Recent scholarship indicates that youth homelessness is a significant problem outside urban areas. However, previous studies have not examined how local contexts shape the experiences of youth who are homeless in rural areas and small towns with high rates of poverty and epidemic drug use. To address this gap, this analysis draws from two components of a large national study of homelessness among youth, using data collected in a small non-urban setting in the Northwest including (1) a subset of 41 (out of 215 nationally) in-depth interviews with youth and (2) a subset of 16 surveys (out of 523 nationally) with service providers. We explored availability of services and how youth navigate housing instability and the service landscape in small communities. We discovered that current or prior addictions sometimes posed risks to the safety of youth and compromised their ability to rely on family supports – a support proving critical in the absence of a formal service infrastructure. Our results suggest that youth experiencing housing instability in the context of high rates of drug use and limited formal services must often choose between meeting competing needs: a place to stay versus sobriety. We discuss the implications for policy, practice, and research.