Self-employment and family life: constructing work–life balance when you're ‘always on’

This study explores how men and women who are self-employed and have children living at home construct work–life balance. Guided by the concept of work–life fit, in-depth interviews were conducted with 22 parents who were self-employed and had at least one dependent child. Using thematic analysis, the first theme, ‘in control,’ related primarily to schedule flexibility but also extended to income opportunities and, sometimes, to job security. Feelings of control were experienced and expressed in relation to shortcomings of previous job experiences, business location, and preferences for raising children. The second theme, ‘always on,’ meant that parents expected to be both readily accessible to children and available to clients, while continually pursuing income opportunities. This contributed to time pressure, although some viewed participation in volunteer and children's activities as a form of business networking. Work–life balance was described in terms of time, activity, or experience. Most participants believed self-employment contributes positively, but some questioned whether work–life balance is possible. Parents mostly followed traditional gender role patterns. Some fathers resisted this arrangement and saw self-employment as a way to participate more actively in family life. Implications and directions for further research are discussed.     

Gender,polychronicity, and the work–family interface: is a preference for multitasking beneficial?

This study examined how polychronicity, or the preference to do several things concurrently, was related to work and family overload, work–family conflict, and outcomes in the work, family, and life domains (i.e. turnover intent, family, and life satisfaction). Using conservation of resources theory as a framework, polychronicity was conceptualized as a resource that could be used to reduce work and family overload. The participants were 553 employed parents from Canada and the US. Results indicated that polychronicity was related to lower work overload. Lower work overload was related to lower work interference with family conflict, lower turnover intent, and higher family and life satisfaction. We also examined gender differences and found that, although women scored significantly higher than men on family overload and family satisfaction, and significantly lower than men on life satisfaction, there was no mean gender difference on polychronicity. In addition, the path coefficients in the model were not significantly different for men and women.     

Vulnerable infants program of Rhode Island: promoting permanency for substance-exposed infants

The Vulnerable Infants Program of Rhode Island is a care coordination program to promote permanency for substance-exposed infants by addressing parental needs and increasing collaboration among social service agencies. Over the first four years of the program, there was a decrease in time spent in the newborn nursery beyond medical necessity and identification of permanent placements by 12 months for 84% of infants, with the majority of infants (78%) placed with biological parents or relatives.     

Microanalysis of 4-Month Infant Vocal Affect Qualities and Maternal Postpartum Depression

This study examined the association of 6-week maternal self-report depressive symptoms measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) with 4-month infant vocal affect qualities. This was part a larger study which examined many additional domains of both infant and maternal behavior. Infant vocal affect qualities were examined in 122 4-month old infants during face-to-face play in relation to 6-week maternal depressive symptoms. Mothers were categorized depressed (26.2%) based on a 16+ cutoff on the CES-D. Videotaped interactions were coded on a 1-s time basis for infant vocal affect qualities (high positive, neutral/positive, fuss/whimper, cry, angry protest and silent.) Infants of depressed mothers were more vocally activated in both positive and negative qualities. In addition, infants of depressed mothers were more vocally variable, specifically in and out of fuss/whimper, as well as more likely to change, rather than maintain vocal states.     

The effectiveness of intervention strategies used to educate clients about prevention of upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders

The increased prevalence of work-related cumulative trauma disorders (CTDs) of the upper extremity highlights the need for effective prevention programs. This paper examines the effectiveness of different intervention strategies used to educate workers about the prevention of upper extremity CTDs. The articles reviewed include primary prevention and reinjury prevention interventions in both clinical and workplace settings. The current research findings are inconclusive. Intervention strategies may include discussion, demonstration, or practice of proper posture and body mechanics. Practice of correct techniques may not be necessary to achieve improved hand-use patterns in assembly-line workers. However, practice with intensive feedback may be necessary to achieve the best performance of hand-wrist position, but not sitting posture, in computer operators. The effects of practice on correct hand use may depend on the type of job task. Further research is needed to clarify the role of practice and feedback in CTD prevention.     

Street children: Causes,consequences, and innovative treatment approaches

"Children are travelers, newly arrived in a country ofwhich they know nothing." (John Locke) Street children represent a rapidly growing socio-educational challenge affecting both the developing and industrialized nations of the world. At risk for physical, emotional, social, and cognitive violation, these children are in need of interventions that appropriately address their needs in the context of their environment, and build upon the positive survival skills that they have developed as a result of street life. This paper explores the causes, and consequences of this growing phenomenon. It seeks to make known the global dimensions of the physical, social, mental and developmental health consequences of street life for the child. It offers possible occupational therapy intervention strategies and opportunities for working with street children which transition them from youth to mainstream adult and citizenship in the world.     

Training Mental Health Professionals on Ethical Issues and HIV/AIDS

This report describes the importance of ethics training for mental health professionals working with persons infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. We first describe three major ethical dilemmas (confidentiality, duty to warn, and suicide) faced by mental health providers serving persons with HIV/AIDS, and the legal and clinical aspects of these dilemmas. We present data from the South Texas AIDS Training Project describing the types of mental health professionals who have attended workshops on ethical issues and HIV/AIDS. Finally, we report observations about the impact of the ethics training sessions on the participants' knowledge and attitudes.     

An Examination of Cross‐Racial Comparability of Mother‐Child Interaction Among African American and Anglo American Families

This study examined the cross‐racial comparability of maternal quality of assistance and supportive presence coded from a video protocol using data from the Infant Health and Development Program for low‐birth‐weight, premature 30‐month‐olds and their mothers. Evidence of equivalence of measures is necessary before comparisons can be made across groups. Multiple‐group mean and covariance structures analysis was used to demonstrate the invariance of the measures and make comparisons for Anglo American and African American treatment and comparison groups of dyads. Comparisons across groups indicated similar variances and correlation between child and maternal behavior. Differences were found between the mean scores, with Anglo American treatment families scoring the highest.     

Promising research and methodological approaches for health behavior research with homeless persons

High-risk health behaviors have high prevalence among homeless persons prompting substantial research on health behavior and behavior change strategies within the population. Previously, much of this research focused solely on the target behavior without consideration of contextual factors that may contribute to the behavior or that may inhibit behavior change. We describe three overlapping trends in homeless health behavior research – longitudinal, qualitative, and participatory – which consider the link between the context of homelessness and health behavior. These approaches contribute to the understanding of the social determinants of health behavior and health and demonstrate opportunities for intervention beyond the individual level.