White Ethnic Diversity in Small Town Iowa: A Multilevel Analysis of Community Attachment

Community attachment is the feeling of being connected to community life. Within the community attachment literature, two classic approaches frame scholars’ understanding of this important dimension of community life: the linear development and systemic models. Our empirical models emphasize different factors for community attachment, including population size, density, and heterogeneity for the linear development model and age, length of residence, and social status for the systemic model. Surprisingly, heterogeneity has been omitted from analyses of the linear development model throughout the literature since its introduction, a shortcoming our study addresses. Though heterogeneity can be conceptualized in a number of ways, a large—and growing—body of literature focuses on the effects of race and ethnicity for communities. Here, we focus on a particular type of ethnic heterogeneity—European ancestry—and reincorporate this essential dimension of communities back into the linear development model of community attachment. Using data from the 2004 wave of the Iowa Community Survey and multilevel modeling techniques, we explore how white ethnic diversity matters for community life. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our study, including potential avenues for future research focusing on other ethnicities that are often subsumed under broader racial and panethnic labels.     

Trajectories of Limitations with Activities of Daily Living Among Older Adults of Mexican Descent: The Role of Widowhood

Using seven waves of data from the Hispanic Established Population for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly (1993–2011), this study applies multiphase growth models to examine changes in limitations with activities of daily living (ADL) across widowhood experience among 385 older adults of Mexican descent. This study also investigates the implications of demographic characteristics, health, socioeconomic status, living arrangements, and social involvement. ADL limitations increased pre-widowhood, were at higher levels immediately before and especially during the transition to widowhood, and increased at a steeper rate post-widowhood. Age and partially depressive symptoms accounted for these trends in ADL limitations pre-widowhood and to a lesser extent during the transition to widowhood and post-widowhood. Older age, being female, chronic conditions, financial strain, lower educational attainment, coresidence with children and others, and less frequent church attendance were risk factors for higher levels of and greater increases in these functional limitations throughout widowhood experience.     

Trajectories of Interracial Heterosexual Couples: A Longitudinal Analysis of Relationship Quality and Separation

Minimal research has examined interracial couples’ relationship satisfaction and dissolution patterns over time. Using dyadic data across 8 years, we examined potential differences in relationship quality trajectories through latent growth curve modeling with 1,336 couples as well as differential risks for relationship dissolution through logistic regression between same‐race and interracial relationships using a different subset of 2,370 couples. Results indicated that women in interracial relationships were significantly lower in initial relationship quality than women in same‐race relationships. Further, interracial couples of Black‐Hispanic partnerings were twice as likely to separate across 8 years than same‐race couples. These results suggest that despite interracial relationships not substantively differing from same‐race couples in trajectories of relationship quality, specific Black‐Hispanic interracial couples are at a higher risk of eventual separation.     

“Contrary to All the Other Shit I’ve Said”: Trans Men Passing in the South

Qualitative Sociology - This article examines the influence of geographic location on trans men’s desire to pass in the southeastern United States. Through 51 in-depth interviews with trans...     

“Thank You for Including Us!” – Introducing a Community‐Based Collaborative Approach to Translating Clinic Materials

When working with clients in another language, having culturally relevant and properly translated clinic materials is vital to effective clinical practice. Not having them presents a barrier for bilingual therapists and their clients. This paper reviews common translation methods and introduces a multi‐level, community‐based approach for translating clinic materials for non‐English speaking clients. Informed by decolonizing practices, this five‐tier method includes members from the target community as cultural brokers to verify the accuracy and nuances of language for their cultural group, as well as a constant comparative method to ensure methodological rigor in the process of inclusion. We present community member's feedback and recommendations, as well as discuss advantages and challenges of using this collaborative culturally responsive translation method.     

Health insurance literacy: A mixed methods study of college students

Objective: This study examines the health insurance literacy, or the ability to use health insurance effectively, of college students. Participants: A total of 455 students from a large, public university completed an online questionnaire in November 2016. Methods: A questionnaire examined students’ knowledge of commonly encountered health insurance terms and ability to apply that knowledge to determine cost-sharing in a clinical setting. Results: The majority of students were able to correctly identify the most commonly encountered terms, but could not identify terms related to plan types and options. Eighty-eight percent of students could not determine their cost-sharing for two presented scenarios. Approximately half of the students indicated they had been confused about their health insurance plan, with one-quarter of students stopping or delaying medical care due to confusion. Conclusions: Outreach and education for students should target specific deficits in knowledge such as those identified in this study.     

Implementing a college mental health program – an overview of the first twelve months

Objective: To evaluate the demographics and clinical utilization patterns among college students during the initial 12 months of a novel, multi-disciplinary, collaborative, college mental health program (CMHP). Participants: Undergraduate and graduate students receiving treatment at the CMHP from Jan-Dec 2015. Methods: De-identified data was obtained via electronic health records for all students receiving care through the CMHP. Results: 1.2 FTE clinical providers treated 278 undergraduate and graduate students during the year (65.1% < age 26, 53.6% female, 49.6% caucasian). There were 1822 CMHP outpatient visits, 318 other medical visits and 103 total emergency room (ER)/inpatient visits. Ten students were identified as high utilizers of ER/inpatient services, while charges to the CMHP totaled $470,157 and total charges to the Health System were $2,378,315. Conclusions: Students with complex psychiatric/medical co-morbidities received cost effective, convenient and integrative treatment. Over time, we hope to intervene earlier and decrease ER/inpatient visits.     

Mother–Adolescent and Father–Adolescent Relationships After Divorce: Relations with Emerging Adults’ Romantic Attachment

This longitudinal study examined relations between mother–child relationship quality and father support in adolescence (ages 15–19) and emerging adults’ (ages 24–28) romantic anxiety and avoidance in a sample that experienced parental divorce in childhood (n = 72). A significant interactive effect of mother–adolescent relationship quality and father support on romantic anxiety occurred. High levels of father support protected emerging adults from the negative effects of a low quality mother–adolescent relationship. These results highlight the importance of examining effects of one parental relationship in the context of the other and the role that nonresidential fathers play in influencing their offspring’s romantic attachment.