The Interactive Effects of Marital Conflict and Divorce on Parent – Adult Children's Relationships

This study examines main effect and interactive models of the relations between marital conflict, divorce, and parent – adult child relationships and gender differences in these relations. Data were drawn from a longitudinal study of a community sample (N = 585). Parental marital conflict and divorce were measured from age 5 through age 17 years. Mother‐child and father‐child relationship quality at age 22 years was assessed in terms of closeness‐support and conflict‐control. Results indicated that both marital conflict and divorce are associated with poorer quality parent – adult child relationships. Divorce moderated the link between marital conflict and subsequent negativity in mother‐child relationships, with the estimated effects being stronger in continuously married families than in divorced families, especially for women.     

The Self-Regulation of Gambling

Despite the prevalence of gambling world-wide, relatively few individuals become problem gamblers. Additionally many problem gamblers recover without professional assistance. The current study aim was to examine how individuals self-manage their gambling through (a) assessing frequency of use of a range of self-regulation strategies (b) examining how these strategies cluster and (c) exploring relationships between strategies, gambling frequency, amount spent and problem gambling severity. A sample of 303 gamblers was recruited, over-sampling for problem gamblers as assessed by the Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) of the Canadian Problem Gambling Index (mean age 26.4 years, SD = 10.1 years; 119 males, 184 females; 238 social gamblers, 63 problem gamblers, 2 unclassified). They rated extent of usage of 27 gambling self-management techniques and completed the PGSI and other gambling measures. Factor analysis of items produced five factors, named Cognitive Approaches, Direct Action, Social Experience, Avoidance and Limit Setting. The relationships between these factors and key gambling variables were consistent with hypotheses that problem gamblers trying to reduce their gambling would be more likely to use the strategies than other gambler groups. The potential for developing the factors into a Gambling Self-regulation Measure was explored.     

Children's competent social‐problem solving across the preschool‐to‐school transition: Developmental changes and links with early parenting

What is the developmental course of competent social‐problem solving (CSPS) across childhood? In this study, we sought to answer this question by tracing the development of multiple components of CSPS across 4 years spanning pre‐kindergarten to early grade 3. We also examined whether early positive parenting and sociodemographic factors predicted initial level and growth in CSPS in a sample of 585 children (52% female, 26% lower socioeconomic status, and 17% ethnic minority) and their families. CSPS components (response generation, evaluation, and efficacy) were assessed the summers prior to kindergarten and grades 1, 2, and 3. Positive parenting (warmth, involvement, and guidance) was measured the summer before kindergarten. Multilevel growth models revealed significant linear increases for CSPS, and there was some evidence that these increases were modestly related to early positive parenting and sociodemographic factors. Results underscore the importance of examining CSPS within a developmental perspective.     

Generative Grandfathering: A Conceptual Framework for Nurturing Grandchildren

Empirical research on grandfather–grandchild relationships is small and undeveloped and has not enjoyed systematic theory construction. The weak theory-research connections in the extant grandfather literature have resulted in a body of research that is not cohesive and lacks scope and depth. To address these criticisms, I propose here a conceptual framework for understanding and investigating grandfathering and grandfather–grandchild relationships. The generative grandfathering framework was developed as a result of reviewing and making extrapolations from the growing literature on grandparents and a limited grandfather literature. It is hoped that this framework will be useful to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in capturing the contributions that grandfathers and aging men make to grandchildren's lives.     

Managing aging men in Asia: a strategic approach

We have established a comprehensive diagnostic paradigm for the management of aging men which seeks to evaluate the various determinants of the aging process in five major health areas: cardio-health, bone health, sex health, general health and endocrine state. This paradigm appears to be useful for the management of the problem of aging in our local population. It could be used for the management of individuals as well as for population research. When combined with the establishment of evidence-based management modalities, it will provide a useful tool for the holistic management of aging in Asia.     

Occupational Prestige Hierarchy: Methodological Artifact or Cultural Category System

Occupational prestige findings are among the most stable, replicable findings in all of sociology. Yet, the “cognitive reality” underlying these findings has never been clearly established. Based on the responses provided by students to three questionnaires and comparative data from the more recent NORC study of occupational prestige, the research described in this paper investigates two hypotheses: 1) the occupational rankings resulting from the five‐point scale used in the NORC studies reflect highly differentiated evaluations in the minds of respondents; and 2) occupational prestige rankings form a unidimensional scale. Both of these hypotheses were supported. Not only is the occupational prestige hierarchy highly differentiated in the minds of individuals, it is predominantly a single dimension about which there is substantial agreement. The implications of these findings are briefly discussed.     

Developmental Precursors of Number of Sexual Partners From Ages 16 to 22

This study examines family and child characteristics, parent and peer relationships, and early adolescent behavior as statistical predictors of trajectories of number of sexual partners from midadolescence through early adulthood using data from 527 participants in the Child Development Project. Early adolescent developmental antecedents accounted for modest variance in number of sexual partners. Latent growth models revealed that African American race, more advanced pubertal development, lower parental monitoring knowledge, association with more deviant peers, and lower grade point average in early adolescence each predicted having more sexual partners at age 16. In addition, non‐African American race, lower child IQ, higher parental monitoring knowledge, and lower early adolescent internalizing problems each was associated with a higher rate of growth in number of sexual partners over time at the ages following 16. Latent growth mixture modeling identified subgroups with distinct trajectories of involvement with sexual partners that were associated with family and child characteristics, parent and peer relationships, and behavior in early adolescence.     

A revised learning transfer system inventory: factorial replication and validation

The learning transfer system inventory (LTSI) is an empirically derived self-report 16-factor inventory designed to assess individual perceptions of catalysts and barriers to the transfer of learning from work-related training. Although a good deal of research has been done addressing various dimensions of the LTSI's construct validity, minor discrepancies in factor solutions in several studies together with problematic fit of some items suggest that further construct validity research is needed. Using data collected in 17 countries and utilizing 14 different language versions of the LTSI, the research objectives for this research were to (1) determine the number and nature of common factors involved to account for the pattern of correlations among the measured variables in LTSI version 3 using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and (2) test via confirmatory factor analysis the validity of the factorial structure of the LTSI that emerged from the EFA and scale refinement efforts. Results provided strong support for the five- and 11-factor structure of the program-specific and training-general domains of a 48-item LTSI.