Anomic suicide: A Durkheimian analysis of European normlessness

ABSTRACT

According to Durkheim (1897), periods of economic, social, or political change result in a state of anomie or normlessness. Anomic periods lead to deregulation of desires and suffering. Durkheim hypothesized that, as an expression of suffering, societies and groups experience an increase in suicide rates. This paper provides two formal tests of Durkheim’s (1897) theory of anomie - a behavioral aggregate analysis and an attitudinal individual-level analysis - on the backdrop of the 2008 economic crash. The first analysis assesses the relationship between unemployment and suicide in the European Union between 2000 and 2010. Results provide conditional support for Durkheim's theory: suicide rates increased following the crash and decreased once economic stability resumed in 2010 for males only. A second attitudinal analysis identified factors contributing to the gendered relationship between anomie and suicide. Results indicated that traditional Durkheimian regulatory mechanisms, such as marriage and divorce, contributed to the gender-specific results.     

The Gender Gap in Physical and Life Sciences: Masculinity,Femininity, Occupational Values,and Chilly Climate

Abstract

Although women have advanced considerably in science achievement, course taking, degrees earned, and professional positions held over the past four decades, most of this growth in female representation within the sciences has been confined to the life sciences while women's representation in physical, engineering, and mathematical (PEM) sciences remains recalcitrantly low. Many studies of this problem emphasize that life sciences are more compatible with stereotypical feminine personality characteristics, while PEM sciences are associated with traits understood to be culturally masculine. Operationalizing masculine and feminine personality traits with the Bem Sex Role Inventory, we test a series of hypotheses addressing the extent to which masculine and feminine personality characteristics explain why female STEM majors are less likely to be enrolled in a PEM science major compared to a life science major with a sample of 425 STEM majors drawn from a large, public, STEM-oriented university.     

The Relationship of Parental Alcoholism and Family Dysfunction to Stress Among College Students

Abstract

The relationship between collegiate adult children of alcoholics (ACOAs) and adult children from dysfunctional families (ACDFs) was examined to determine whether ACOAs and ACDFs were at greater risk of stress than non-ACOAs and non-ACDFs. The participants were 549 students from a midwestern university. The data collection instruments were the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test, 6-Item Version (CAST-6); the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, Version II (FACES-II); and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). A substantial proportion of the sample was classified as ACOA, ACDF, or both, and there was considerable overlap between the two groups. Both ACOA and ACDF status were found to be significant predictors of stress, with ACDF status being a better predictor than ACOA status. Possible explanations for the results and implications for collegiate wellness programs are discussed.     

Neuropsychological Profiles of Victims of Financial Elder Exploitation at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center

The current article examines neuropsychological correlates of financial elder exploitation in a sample of older adults who have been documented victims of financial elder exploitation. The purpose of this exploratory study was twofold. First, a subsample of the referrals at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (LACEAFC) was compared to community dwelling adults in terms of the specific cognitive domains linked to financial capacity including memory, calculation, and executive functioning. Next, the correlation between presence of neuropsychological data and the likelihood of filing a case with the LA County’s District Attorney office was examined. Twenty-seven LACEAFC cases and 32 controls were assessed. Overall, the forensic center group performed worse than a community-based age-matched control group on the MMSE, calculation, and executive functioning (ps < .01). The presence of neuropsychological data was significantly correlated to an increased likelihood of a case being filed.     

Impact of Support Groups on Well-Being of Older Women

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to determine whether differences in incidence of depression and level of well-being are manifested between older women, aged 60 and older, who attend either (a) a peer-run support group, (b) a staff-run support group, or (c) a comparison group (i.e., who do not attend a support group).

Thirty-six women participating in peer-run and staff-run support groups and 9 women receiving nongroup support were administered the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. Separate analyses of variance were employed on each scale to determine the significance of differences in scores according to facilitator type (i.e., peer-run vs. staff-run vs. comparison group).

Analysis of scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale indicated significant differences between women in the peer-run groups and women in the comparison group, but no significant differences between women in the peer-run groups and women in the staff-run groups or between women in the staff-run groups and women in the comparison group. Analysis of scores on the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale did not indicate any significant differences between women based on facilitator type.

Results of this study have implications for those who run face-to-face support groups for older adults, for those who train peer group facilitators, and for community agencies that desire to initiate a support group system for their clientele.     

NORC Supportive Services Model Implementation and Community Capacity

As community residents age, service delivery systems may not be equipped to meet their changing needs. The Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) model has emerged as a strategy to utilize existing resources and develop a comprehensive approach to maintaining older adult functional status. However, little has been written about how community capacity influences NORC implementation. A community capacity framework was used to analyze the themes that emerged from participant and service provider interviews at two diverse NORC sites. The findings revealed that perceptions of a sense of community and partnership management influenced the NORC experience for participants and providers.     

Theoretical Support and Other Considerations in Using Simulated Clients to Educate Social Workers

This article builds on literature from many helping disciplines supporting the use of simulated clients (sometimes referred to as standardized patients) in training professional students, explaining why the use of simulated clients is more effective in developing clinical skills as compared with student-to-student role-plays. Psychodynamic and Bowen intergenerational family theory, critical to the development of social work knowledge, is used to support the use of simulated clients to portray clients with challenging and complex lives. Risks and benefits of using simulated clients is discussed, along with recommendations to educational programs regarding ways to effectively use this experiential learning method.     

The Educational Consequences of Teen Childbearing

A huge literature shows that teen mothers face a variety of detriments across the life course, including truncated educational attainment. To what extent is this association causal? The estimated effects of teen motherhood on schooling vary widely, ranging from no discernible difference to 2.6 fewer years among teen mothers. The magnitude of educational consequences is therefore uncertain, despite voluminous policy and prevention efforts that rest on the assumption of a negative and presumably causal effect. This study adjudicates between two potential sources of inconsistency in the literature—methodological differences or cohort differences—by using a single, high-quality data source: namely, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. We replicate analyses across four different statistical strategies: ordinary least squares regression; propensity score matching; and parametric and semiparametric maximum likelihood estimation. Results demonstrate educational consequences of teen childbearing, with estimated effects between 0.7 and 1.9 fewer years of schooling among teen mothers. We select our preferred estimate (0.7), derived from semiparametric maximum likelihood estimation, on the basis of weighing the strengths and limitations of each approach. Based on the range of estimated effects observed in our study, we speculate that variable statistical methods are the likely source of inconsistency in the past. We conclude by discussing implications for future research and policy, and recommend that future studies employ a similar multimethod approach to evaluate findings.     

Nutrition and Fertility in Bangladesh: Breastfeeding and Post Partum Amenorrhoea

From 1975 to 1980 a prospective study a nearly 2,500 married, fertile women was conducted in Matlab, Bangladesh at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research. Women were interviewed at monthly intervals to collect information on nutritional and reproductive status, in order to study the factors associated with natural fertility. The median duration of amenorrhoea for women with no child deaths was 15.5 months, with older women and those of higher parities recording longer durations than younger women or those of lower parities. Median duration of amenorrhoea for women with six or more years of education was 8.4 months compared to 16.4 months among women with no education. When classified by weight at pregnancy termination, average duration of amenorrhoea of women weighing less than 38 kg was 17.6 months compared to 13.6 months among women weighing more than 44 kg. Proportional hazards analyses show that mother's education, parity, month of birth, supplementation practices and nutritional status were significantly associated with the probability of resuming menstruation.