THE DISADVANTAGE OF A GOOD REPUTATION: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims

Social scientists generally presume that a good reputation has advantages. Yet the Walt Disney Corporation, a firm that has long benefited from a reputation for producing wholesome popular culture, attracts more than its share of efforts to link it to various social problems. In particular, conservative moralists argue that Disney in fact produces morally questionable products, progressive critics claim that Disney's messages help preserve social inequities, and social scientists criticize Disney for fostering inauthentic and alienating entertainment. These claims are a form of blowback—negative reactions to the firm's positive reputation. While blowback makes it easier to construct social problems claims, a good reputation remains a significant resource in deflecting these criticisms.     

High-risk drinking characteristics in collegiate athletes

OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to further describe the relationship of alcohol use by college athletes to variables, such as sport participation, time of year, and level of competition. PARTICIPANTS: There were 720 participants from Divisions I, II, and III who participated in either a team sport or an individual sport. METHODS: The authors measured characteristics of alcohol use by college athletes at 9 colleges and universities. RESULTS: Participants reported a high rate of consuming 5 or more drinks per occasion in the past 2 weeks. There were greater percentages of team sport athletes reporting this behavior than athletes of individual sports, and there were significant differences according to level of competition. CONCLUSIONS: The college athletes in this study reported high-risk alcohol use at percentages much higher than previously reported. The findings and practical application of the results are discussed.     

Exiting welfare in the 1990s: Did public policy influence recipients' behavior?

This paper evaluates the association between welfare policies implemented by states in the early to mid-1990s and the rate at which female household heads with children exit AFDC for work or for non-work reasons. The results show that waiver policies requiring work, such as the work requirement and the elimination of exemptions for mothers of very young children, are associated with more rapid exits through employment. Incentive policies that make work more attractive by allowing mothers to remain eligible as earnings rise extend the period of welfare receipt. Neither time limits, the family cap, nor sanctions were related to welfare exits during this early period of welfare reform. Results suggest that other policies implemented in the 1993-1996 period, such as the EITC, may have also influenced welfare exits. In addition, the economy played an important supportive role in facilitating recipient exits from public assistance. While relatively high unemployment rates did not deter recipients from working, state prosperity increased the positive impact of work requirements on work exits.     

Contents of Volume 57

Volume Contents

Contents of Volume 57     

The Role of Leisure in Determining Quality of Life: Issues of Content and Measurement

Traditional approaches to themeasurement of leisure's relationship toquality of life have emphasised place-centredindicators (e.g., the frequency of leisurefacility usage) and tended to ignoreperson-centred criteria (e.g., satisfactionwith leisure experiences). Moreover, theunderlying assumption in subsequent policyoutcomes has been that increasing the number offacilities and services will automaticallyenhance people's QOL. This paper focuses onboth the content and measurement of leisure andits relationship to quality of life. Itreports the results of a study that examinedthe relative importance of selected place andperson-centred leisure attributes in predictingquality of life. The study tested a set ofobjective and subjective indicators that peopleare most concerned with in their leisure lives. Overall, it was found that the person-centredleisure attribute, leisure satisfaction, wasthe best predictor of quality of life. Place-centred attributes failed to influencequality of life. Further analysis revealedthat people who engage in social activitiesmore frequently and who are more satisfied withthe psychological benefits they derive fromleisure, experience higher levels of perceivedquality of life. The results suggest thatthere is a need to reconcile objectiveknowledge with subjective perceptions ofleisure in order to achieve greaterunderstanding and comprehensive measurement ofthis complex domain and its relationship toquality of life.     

The bivariate logarithmic series distribution

The bivariate logarithmic series distribution was introduced by Subrahmaniam (1966) as a Fisher-limit to the bivariate negative binomial distribution. The present paper considers the properties of the distribution along with various models giving rise to it. Problems of estimation and the goodness-of-fit are examined. Methods for simulating the distribution are developed and illusuated.     

Growing health disparities for persons who are aging with intellectual and developmental disabilities: the social work linchpin

Similar to the general population, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are living into their 70s and beyond. Health care disparities have been well-documented for this vulnerable and underserved population. Social workers are often responsible for assessment, coordination of care, and negotiation of needed services for people with IDD. This article explores the challenges facing social workers in meeting the growing health and social needs of aging adults with IDD and their families. Trends in social work practice and gaps in education are discussed as they relate to addressing and reducing current health disparities.