Change in the Association Between Premarital Cohabitation and Separation,Australia 1945 – 2000

We investigate change in the association between premarital cohabitation and the risk of separation. Using retrospective marriage history data from the first wave (2001) of the Household Income and Labor Dynamics in Australian survey, we examine 6,210 first marriages formed between 1945 and 2000. We find the association between premarital cohabitation and separation is changing. The increased risk of separation for cohabitors compared to noncohabitors diminishes each year for marriages before 1988. This association then reverses for marriages after 1988, where noncohabitors have an increased risk of separation. Our results indicate that, for more recent marriages, premarital cohabitation reduces the risk of separation; more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms for this reversal.     

Where o’ where did my baseball cards go?: Race,performance, and placement in the Topps ERA, 1956–1980

On the surface, baseball cards appear to be little more than uninteresting object of child's play; yet they provide invaluable data for assessing unique aspects of the social order. They reveal much about the state of society when they were produced and the people who collected them. This paper examines the unique numbering system the Topps company developed to differentiate among the “royalty of the diamond” from 1956 to 1980. Their system assigned to each card in a set a number that explicitly designated its placement, while implicitly establishing a hierarchical ordering among the players, ostensibly based on performance. It is arguable whether the numbering system Topps developed was based on performance or the ascribed characteristic of race. The results of our work suggest that player performance, not race, was the primary factor in the assignment of “prestigious” card numbers in Topps’ system.     

Perfectionism,Coping, and Quality of Intimate Relationships

The present study examined the associations among perfectionism, marital coping, and marital functioning in a community sample of 76 couples. A theoretical model was tested in which maladaptive coping mediates the relationship between trait perfectionism and poorer marital functioning. As predicted, one of the interpersonal dimensions of perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, was associated with maladaptive marital coping and poorer marital adjustment for both the self and the partner, even after controlling for depression and neuroticism. Finally, the use of negative coping strategies mediated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and poorer marital functioning for both the self and the partner. Overall, this study highlights the importance of spouse‐specific forms of perfectionism in marital adjustment.     

Parental Caregivers' Desires for Lifetime Assistance Planning for Future Supports for Their Children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Future life planning is a growing concern among families with children with disabilities. This article presents a needs assessment evaluating feasibility of a new model for future life planning for family caregivers, Lifetime Assistance, which will provide ongoing planning and monitoring for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Using surveys informed by a series of focus groups, data were gathered from older and younger parents in one midwestern state regarding the potential program. Study results indicate that respondents did not feel the current system of support was adequate for planning for their child's future, nor sufficient for monitoring the quality of life for their children in the future. Although almost all families had identified a person to support their family members when they were no longer able to do so, parental caregivers overwhelmingly identified the need for the Lifetime Assistance program and many were willing to pay for this service themselves.     

Therapeutically Managing Reunification After Abuse Allegations

School-based programs have been the central strategy to educate children about the serious nature of child sexual abuse in the hope of prevention or early intervention. Virtually all evaluations have been quantitative, seldom allowing children to directly comment on their experiences. This article presents the results of qualitative research with 116 students (51 boys and 65 girls) ranging from age 6 to 12 who had participated in the Who Do You Tell child sexual abuse education program. Ten focus groups were conducted with students in separate grades, from kindergarten through sixth grade, two to three months after program participation. The core themes that emerged from the focus group interviews are presented, as are implications for child sexual abuse prevention programs.     

Roman Catholicism and social justice in Canada: a comparative case study*

Un nombre d'études ont essayé d'expliquer la récente emergence de l'église Catholique Romaine comme agent de changement social dans plusieurs parties du monde. La plupart d'entre elles se sont plus particulièrement intéressées au développement d'un nouvel engagement organisationnel pour la justice sociale dans des Églises spécifiques nationales ou régionales. Relativement peu d'entre elles en revanche se sont intéressées aux subtilités du changement organisationnel à un niveau sub-national ou diocésal. Utilisant des données de recherche assembllées dans les diocèses de Victoria et de Toronto, cette étude aide à aborder cette déficience grâce à un examen des facteurs-clefs qui contribuent à une transformation organisationnelle au niveau de l'église locale au Canada. Les résultats de l'étude appuient le développement d'un modèle nouveau quant à la compréhension des variations non-nationales dans l'engagement organisationnel pour le changement, modèle qui prend en compte non seulement l'orientation idéologique de l'évêque local mais aussi sa volonté et sa capacitéà mobiliser des ressources spécifiques plédant la cause de la justice sociale. A number of studies have attempted to explain the recent emergence of the Roman Catholic Church as an agent of social change in many parts of the world. Most of these have focussed upon the development of a new organizational commitment to social justice in specific national or regional Churches. Relatively few, however, have concerned themselves with the subtleties of organizational change at the sub-national or diocesan level. Using field research data collected in the dioceses of Victoria and Toronto, this study helps to address this deficiency through an examination of key factors conducive to organizational transformation at the level of the local Church in Canada. The study's findings support the development of a new model for mapping and understanding sub-national variations in the organizational commitment to change which takes into account not only the local bishop's ideological orientation, but also his willingness and ability to mobilize specific resources in support of the social justice cause.     

Review Essay: The Social Construction of Social Construction

Qualitative Sociology -