Psychological Distress and Size of Place: The Epidemiology of Rural Economic Stress

Abstract Size-of-place differences in the distribution of psychological distress are examined. Residents in communities of less than 2,500 population are predicted to have higher levels of distress than persons living in farm, rural nonfarm, and larger places. A research instrument was designed to measure economic stress, personal resources, and psychological distress in a survey of adult householders in a midwestern state. Results support the interpretation that long-term demographic and social trends had a negative impact upon the psychological well-being of residents in rural communities. Residents of these rural communities have higher levels of distress than persons living on farms or in towns of up to 9,999 population. Levels of psychological distress are not significantly different between persons living in rural communities and those in small cities or urban centers.     

Social Meanings of the Occult*

Data from a participant-observational study of the tarot are used to explore the social meanings of modern occultism and to examine certain rival contentions about these beliefs, practices, adherents, and the manner in which activities are or are not organized socially. Unlike collective behavioral audiences, which employ occultisms as a form of popular entertainment, the occult practitioners reported here participate in an “esoteric community” involving practitioner-client relations, social networks, and small cult-like groups. Although the occult tarot constitutes an elaborate theosophy, contemporary adherents selectively subscribe to these doctrines and they freely mix the occult, other esoteric teachings, and elements of traditional culture. When the tarot is used in a divinatory fashion as a service to the general public for pay, problems of legitimacy commonly arise. Occultists in the community deal with this problem by presenting themselves as “professionals.” Within the nominally pluralistic climate of American society, occultisms thereby become another path to dealing meaningfully with life's problems and expressing individual identity. Organized in terms of loose collections of practitioners and groups and supported by the larger cultic milieu, occult communities represent an adaptation to modern society which is likely to persist long after particular groups fail or particular individuals move on to other social scenes.     

Differentiation of the Self and Posttraumatic Symptomatology Among ex-POWs and Their Wives

War captivity is a highly traumatic experience which sometimes has deleterious effects on both ex-POWs and their wives. This study examined the relationships between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and differentiation among male ex-prisoners of war (ex-POWs; n  = 103), their wives ( n  = 82), and comparable controls. Results show that ex-POWs and their wives endorsed more PTSD symptoms than controls. Ex-POWs endorsed more cut-off and fusion than controls, while their wives endorsed only more fusion than control wives. Finally, the relationship between differentiation and PTSD was found to be stronger among ex-POW couples than among control couples. The unique characteristics of war captivity and the relationships between avoidance symptoms and cut-off were suggested as possible explanations .     

Is “Walkability” A Useful Concept for Gerontology?

The study tested two hypotheses: that in a walkable neighborhood, residents will exercise more, eat healthier, and suffer from less obesity and that relation between environment and health outcomes will be stronger for the elderly. Health was measured by physical activity, the number of portions of fruits and vegetables eaten daily, and body mass index. Walkability was measured by three distinct environmental factors—distress, amenities, and residential. The three health outcomes were related to the three environmental factors. Age was not a significant predictor of health outcomes. Although the environment does contribute to health outcomes, the ways that contribution is expressed and its relation to age is complex.     

Attitudes and perceptions of public relations professionals towards graduating students’ skills

The study asks whether universities should educate public relations students with a focus more on traditional skills or new technical skills. Results of a survey of 113 public relations professionals show that, while new technical skills are seen as increasingly important, professionals still value traditional skills more. Within the new technical skills, professionals emphasized the latest trends.     

Premarital sexual standards of rural youth

Abstract

This study measures and evaluates the premarital sexual standards of a sample of adolescents residing in a small Mississippi community. On the basis of their response patterns to a set of Guttman scale items, the students were classified into three standards: abstinence, double standard, and the single standard of permissiveness. A racial comparison of the Mississippi sample with Reiss' Virginia student sample revealed striking similarities with one exception—a significantly higher proportion of Mississippi whites endorsed permissiveness without affection. The Mississippi data, however, failed to give strong support to the presumed prevalence of the double standard. Moreover, several social factors examined appeared to influence the standards of whites and females to a greater extent than those of Negroes and males.