Body Appreciation and Contraceptive Use Among College Women: A Brief Report

Research suggests that body image and sexual behaviors are related, with poor body image associated with risky behaviors and positive body image related to protective behaviors. However, few studies explore the relationships between positive body image and contraceptive use. Accordingly, the current study investigated the relationship between body appreciation and barrier and hormonal contraceptive use among college women (N = 399). Body appreciation was significantly related to male condom use and to the use of both male condoms and a hormonal contraceptive. These findings are promising as dual contraceptive use is the best way to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs).     

A Note on Maritally-Disrupted Men’s Reports of Child Support in the June 1980 Current Population Survey

Data from the June 1980 Current Population Survey on fathers’ reported provision offinancial support to children from previous marriages living elsewhere is compared to previously published tabulations from the April 1979 CPS of women’s receipt of child support payments. The comparison indicates that the number of men with children from previous marriages living elsewhere is substantially underreported in the June 1980 CPS. Because of the apparent underreporting, the data on the provision of financial support should be interpreted with caution.     

Schizophrenia in older adults

Although the number of people older than 55 with schizophrenia is expected to double during the next 20 years, the research data on older adults with schizophrenia are limited. This appears to be because until the middle of the 20th century, it was assumed that mental illness in older adults was a part of the aging process and because older adults are often excluded from research investigations. Nursing research is needed to explore how people with schizophrenia learn to manage their problems as they age, as well as how those who are first diagnosed with schizophrenia in later life adapt to their illness. Mental health nurses need to be cautious in assigning premature labels to older adults with mental illness that may lead to unsubstantiated assumptions about levels of disability. Instead, nurses should realize individual potential regarding undiscovered strengths and should attempt to create interventions that recognize and foster personal development for older adults with schizophrenia.     

Job Quality and Employment of Older People in Europe

We study the relationship between job quality and retirement using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, a longitudinal survey covering individuals aged 50+ in several European countries. Although most previous studies looked at the impact of bad working conditions on retirement intentions, we can use the panel dimension to study actual retirement as well as other pathways out of a job. As indicators for job quality we use three different approaches: overall job satisfaction, over‐ and undereducation for a particular job as well as effort–reward imbalance, which measures the imbalance between a worker's effort and the rewards he or she receives in turn. The analysis gives some evidence that poor job quality decreases retirement age, in particular for women.     

What Can I Do? Applying Classroom Knowledge to Service Work, or Doing Practice Sociology

Faculty members are frequently asked by students and parents, “what can I do with a Sociology degree?” This paper suggests ways to address the question and take action to insure that majors have the knowledge and skills to be successful in the job search and the work world. In addition, the paper indicates ways that combining service learning and applied sociology serves goals of students, faculty, universities, and communities. Approaches to teaching applied (practice) sociology in departments and to integrating service learning and course content show the “natural synergy” between the two types of learning. Finally, the article discusses practical issues related to service learning in applied settings: getting the support of faculty and administrators; convincing students of the benefits of service learning; revising curricula; and setting up the service learning experiences. The conclusion is that combining service learning and applied sociology courses has positive results for all involved.     

Parents' searches for child care and the design of information services

This article reports selected findings from a study of the process by which urban parents search for child care. Analyses of interview data indicate that (a) parents used informal sources of information to a considerably greater extent than formal sources, (b) the general pattern was to begin the search with relatives and close friends and gradually move out to more peripheral ties, (c) there does not appear to be an effective informal system of neighbors or community persons who matched parents with child care providers, and (d) there was no single or several sources that were outstanding in effectiveness for a large proportion of parents. The article sets forth implications of these data for the design of child care information and referral services in urban settings.     

As good as it gets? Rethinking old age

Although approximately half of aging Americans will probably not be able to live independently after retirement age, there is a greater focus on end-of-life matters, such as living wills, than on exploring creative long-term care models that promote healthy aging. With more Americans aging healthfully, now is the time to look at innovations in long-term care that will not only provide safe housing, but will also focus on the trajectory from healthy aging to end-of-life care, including health promotion and even reversal of disabilities incurred in the aging process. Nurses and other health care professionals need to rethink how those they care for will live out their later years and explore creative approaches for extending living options that foster autonomy.     

The transparency of aging

This article is not meant to provide answers but to provoke thinking related to the questions we should be asking about the ethical personhood of aging adults. Are we covering over the rich opportunities to learn from their stories with an invisible cloak of transparency? Health care professionals have a moral obligation to rethink the assumptions that underlie their definitions of quality of life in aging. We cannot know what should be done unless we learn to listen to the life stories of aging people. This may even help us to see what is most real.