Residential Location and Proximity to Children Among Impaired Elderly Parents1

Abstract The availability of adult children as potential caregivers is particularly critical to the rural elderly because of the dearth of health and human services in rural areas. This paper analyzes proximity to adult children among a large sample of older persons with some degree of functional impairment, employing four residence categories and two indicators of proximity: coresidence with a child, and residence within a half-hour's travel time. Results show that older residents of large cities are most likely to live with children and that large-city and farm residents are more likely than small-city or rural nonfarm residents to live near children. Implications regarding the potential for family caregiving for the impaired elderly are discussed.     

Drawing the Line: The Development of a Comprehensive Assessment of Infidelity Judgments

Infidelity is a leading cause of relationship discord and dissolution, and couples generally report expectations to maintain monogamy. However, a majority of men and women report engaging in some form of infidelity at least once in their lives. Research assessing judgments of the behaviors that constitute infidelity is lacking. The three studies reported here advanced the literature by developing and validating the Definitions of Infidelity Questionnaire (DIQ), a comprehensive measure examining infidelity judgments. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated four factors to the scale: sexual/explicit behaviors, technology/online behaviors, emotional/affectionate behaviors, and solitary behaviors. Investigation of the psychometric properties demonstrated the DIQ to be reliable and valid. Participants agreed that sexual/explicit behaviors comprised infidelity to the largest extent, whereas other types of behaviors (technology/online behaviors, emotional/affectionate behaviors, and solitary behaviors) were judged as comprising infidelity to a lesser extent. Men reported more permissive judgments than did women. This study provides insights regarding operationalizing infidelity and identifying areas of ambiguity and consensus. Implications of the findings for educators and practitioners working with individuals in intimate relationships are discussed.     

Daily Fantasy Football and Self-Reported Problem Behavior in the United States

Traditional, season-long fantasy sport participation has grown considerably since the late 1990s, and in an attempt to capitalize on this growing demand, daily fantasy sports (DFS) providers have created a new game where money changes hands instantly. This change has led some legal commentators and state agencies to believe the game is a form of Internet gambling similar to online poker, blackjack, and sports wagering, and thus, it requires increased regulation or even prohibition. Little is known, however, about the gambling behavior associated with DFS participation. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine problem gambling severity in conjunction with DFS participant motives, perceptions, and consumption behavior. Over 500 DFS participants were surveyed, and the results suggest DFS participants behave similarly with participants in other forms of gambling activities. In addition, the findings suggest additional consumer protections may be needed to prevent further problem behavior such as chasing.     

On the Optimal Use of Suboptimal Forecasts of Explanatory Variables

Ashley (1983) gave a simple condition for determining when a forecast of an explanatory variable (X_t ) is sufficiently inaccurate that direct replacement of X_t by the forecast yields worse forecasts of the dependent variable than does respecification of the equation to omit X_t . Many available macroeconomic forecasts were shown to be of limited usefulness in direct replacement. Direct replacement, however, is not optimal if the forecast's distribution is known. Here optimal linear forms in commercial forecasts of several macroeconomic variables are obtained by using estimates of their distributions. Although they are an improvement on the raw forecasts (direct replacement), these optimal forms are still too inaccurate to be useful in replacing the actual explanatory variables in forecasting models. The results strongly indicate that optimal forms involving several commercial forecasts will not be very useful either. Thus Ashley's (1983) sufficient condition retains its value in gauging the usefulness of a forecast of an explanatory variable in a forecasting model, even though it focuses on direct replacement.     

Measuring Measurement Error in Economic Time Series

A spectral decomposition method is described for obtaining an upper bound on the amount of measurement error in a time series. The method is applied to generated data and to M1b, real GNP, and the CPI. The bounds provide insight into both the amount of measurement error in these series and the stochastic specification of the errors.     

Creativity and the Self: A Self Psychological Approach to Art and Healing

This paper explores the contributions of Heinz Kohut and self psychology to the conceptualization of art and healing on an individual and cultural level. The roles of normative narcissistic development, selfobject experience, and empathy are emphasized in the formation and maintenance of creative expression. Crayton Rowe’s addition of the undifferentiated selfobject is also explored. The lives and work of legendary artists, as well as a case example from the ongoing clinical treatment of a creative professional, provide illustration.     

Racism, Sexism, and Candidate Evaluations in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election

In an attempt to understand the extent to which racism and sexism influenced affect toward Barack Obama and Sarah Palin, we analyze data from a national survey conducted in October 2008. Situating our investigation in previous examinations of modern racism and modern sexism, we test competing hypotheses about the role of these attitudes in the 2008 presidential election. Our results suggest that racism had a significant impact on candidate evaluations while sexism did not. We find that respondents who hold racist attitudes expressed negative attitudes toward Obama and positive attitudes toward Palin. When interacted with party identification, racism continued to exert a strong effect, indicating findings that are robust across partisan affiliations. Sexism, on the other hand, did not significantly influence evaluations of either Palin or Obama .