Socioeconomic status and health: a micro-level analysis of exposure and vulnerability to daily stressors

This study examines the interconnections among education--as a proxy for socioeconomic status--stress, and physical and mental healthy by specifying differential exposure and vulnerability models using data from The National Study of Daily Experiences (N = 1,031). These daily diary data allowed assessment of the social distribution of a qualitatively different type of stressor than has previously been examined in sociological stress research--daily stressors, or hassles. Moreover, these data allowed a less biased assessment of stress exposure and a more micro-level examination of the connections between stress and healthy by socioeconomic status. Consistent with the broad literature describing socioeconomic inequalities in physical and mental health, the results of this study indicated that, on any given day, better-educated adults reported fewer physical symptoms and less psychological distress. Although better educated individuals reported more daily stressors, stressors reported by those with less education were more severe. Finally, neither exposure nor vulnerability explained socioeconomic differentials in daily health, but the results clearly indicate that the stressor-health association cannot be considered independent of socioeconomic status.     

Long-term effects of teaching behavioral strategies for managing persistent auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia

1. Attendance at a 10-week class designed to teach behavioral management strategies to people with schizophrenia was effective in reducing some of the negative characteristics of auditory hallucinations for 12 months and in reducing anxiety for 9 months after completion of the class. 2. The sustained improvement experienced by class participants was characterized by their voices being less frequent and more mumbled and the participants feeling more in control, less distractible, and less anxious. 3. Participants recommended that other mental health consumers take similar classes to learn how to better manage their voices. 4. Monthly support groups may help participants maintain gains lost during the follow-up period.     

Omnibus Tests of The Martingale Assumption in The Analysisof Recurrent Failure Time Data

The Andersen-Gill multiplicative intensity(MI) model is well-suited to the analysis of recurrent failuretime data. The fundamental assumption of the MI model is thatthe process M_i(t) for subjects i=1,,n,defined to be the difference between a subject's counting processand compensator, i.e., N_i(t) A_i(t); >0,is a martingale with respect to some filtration. We propose omnibusprocedures for testing this assumption. The methods are basedon transformations of the estimated martingale residual process ^M _i (t) a function of consistent estimatesof the log-intensity ratios and the baseline cumulative hazard.Under a correctly specified model, the expected value of ^M _i (t)is approximately equal to zero with approximately uncorrelatedincrements. These properties are exploited in the proposed testingprocedures. We examine the effects of censoring and covariateeffects on the operating characteristics of the proposed methodsvia simulation. The procedures are most sensitive to the omissionof a time-varying continuous covariate. We illustrate use ofthe methods in an analysis of data from a clinical trial involvingpatients with chronic granulatomous disease.     

Eating habits and stress correlates in a female student population

Interviews were conducted with 100 female undergraduate students to investigate the relationship between anxiety, work related stress and abnormal eating habits. Dietary habits were examined using the EAT-26 questionnaire and an anorexia check list (derived from the DSM classification for anorexia nervosa). Anxiety and stress were assessed using self report questionnaires and blood leukocyte counts. Dietary restraint was associated with anxiety, irritability and psychosomatic complaints. Additionally, subjects with high EAT-26 scores tended to have low leukocyte counts. A six month follow-up study, carried out prior to examinations, showed a decrease in leukocyte counts, an increase in mean weight and an increase in abnormal eating habits.     

PLACING GENDER IN THE HEART OF MFT MASTERS PROGRAMS: TEACHING A GENDER SENSITIVE SYSTEMIC VIEW

This paper describes a masters level course that teaches the systemic underpinnings of the field while also addressing the feminist critique of the ideas. The goal of the course is for students to understand and adopt a gender sensitive systemic view. Students then have a systemic/gender yardstick to use as they study and evaluate MFT theories, observe client interaction, and practice.     

DIVORCE THERAPY OUTCOME RESEARCH: A SUBSTANTIVE AND METHODOLOGICAL REVIEW

Empirical studies related to divorce therapy are reviewed both substantively and methodologically. There is strong evidence for the superiority of mediation to traditional adversary methods for custody and visitation disputes. Conciliation counseling appears to increase the number of reconciliations in the short-term. Other conclusions must remain very tentative. Overall, the methodologies of the 22 studies are weak; however, there are wide variations in quality. Investigations of divorce mediation utilized the best designs and studies of separation techniques the worst. What we know and what we need to know about divorce therapy is answered critically and suggestions are made for future research and practice.     

Education,race/ethnicity and out-migration from a border city

Through a combination of high immigration rates and differential fertility, communities along the U.S.-Mexico border have become overwhelmingly Hispanic. El Paso, Texas, located across the border from Ciudad Juárez, forms part of the world’s largest urban center on a land border. El Paso ranks among the bottom 10 large U.S. metropolitan areas with the smallest proportion of college-educated adults, causing concerns among policy makers regarding its prospects for economic development. Local discourse suggests that low educational levels result from the out-migration of educated groups that find higher wages or better jobs elsewhere. Two sources of data are used to explore the association between education, race/ethnicity, and out-migration: the five percent 2000 PUMS and a survey conducted among students at the University of Texas at El Paso. We find that between 1995 and 2000 a large net outflow of non-Hispanic whites and blacks of all educational levels took place. Among Mexicans and Mexican Americans, college graduates were more likely to leave compared to high school graduates, but place of birth and language preference influenced these odds. Student data confirmed that non-Hispanics are significantly more likely to plan to leave compared to students of Mexican origin or descent. Among Mexicans and Mexican Americans, those who prefer English and mentioned jobs and lifestyle as the most important factors in choosing a place to live and work were more likely to have plans to leave upon graduation. Policy implications are discussed regarding the future of border communities.