Development of Ego‐resiliency: Relations to Observed Parenting and Polymorphisms in the Serotonin Transporter Gene During Early Childhood

We used observed parenting behaviors, along with genetic variants and haplotypes of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4), as predictors of children's ego‐resiliency during early childhood (N = 153). The quality of mothers' parenting was observed at 18 months of age, and mothers' reports of ego‐resiliency were collected at six time points from 18 to 84 months. Genetic data were collected at 72 months. Observed parenting was positively associated with initial levels of children's ego‐resiliency. Furthermore, although individual genetic variants of the serotonin transporter gene (LPR, STin2) were not associated with ego‐resiliency, the S10 haplotype (that combines information from these two variants) was negatively associated with initial levels of ego‐resiliency. Both parenting and serotonin genetic variation uniquely predicted children's ego‐resiliency, suggesting an additive effect of genetic and parental factors.     

Family Structure Pathways and Academic Disadvantage among Adolescents in Stepfamilies*

Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) data, this research documents the prevalence of the different stepfamily forms in which American adolescents live, examines the family structure pathways through which adolescents traveled to arrive at their current family form, and explores the effects of these pathways on grades, school‐related behavior, and college expectations (N = 13,988). Compared to those who have always lived with both biological parents, youth in pathways including divorce/separation or a nonunion birth experience significantly lower academic outcomes, while those whose pathways include parental death do not. Specific effects vary, however, according to the outcome examined. For example, the combination of divorce/separation and movement into the least common of family forms is associated with particularly poor GPA outcomes. Divorce/separation is also more detrimental than nonunion birth for college expectations, particularly when coupled with a transition into a stepfamily based on cohabitation. Divorce/separation and nonunion birth have similar, negative effects on school behavior problems. Overall, results indicate that living in a stepfamily does not benefit youth, and can in some ways disadvantage them, even compared to their peers in single‐mother families. This is especially the case if youth transition into a stepfamily following a combination of stressful family experiences. These findings underscore the importance of examining family effects from a longitudinal perspective.     

University–industry relationships and open innovation: Towards a research agenda

Organizations increasingly rely on external sources of innovation via inter‐organizational network relationships. This paper explores the diffusion and characteristics of collaborative relationships between universities and industry, and develops a research agenda informed by an ‘open innovation’ perspective. A framework is proposed, distinguishing university–industry relationships from other mechanisms such as technology transfer or human mobility. On the basis of the existing body of research, the role of practices such as collaborative research, university–industry research centres, contract research and academic consulting is analysed. The evidence suggests that such university–industry relationships are widely practised, whereby differences exist across industries and scientific disciplines. While most existing research focuses on the effects of university–industry links on innovation‐specific variables such as patents or firm innovativeness, the organizational dynamics of these relationships remain under‐researched. A detailed research agenda addresses research needs in two main areas: search and match processes between universities and firms, and the organization and management of collaborative relationships.     

Social Entrepreneurship in Communities

The United States ranks low on many measures of population health. In addressing this societal problem, nonprofit health conversion foundations are emerging as important, local social entrepreneurs. We investigated the processes by which these organizations create and implement locally situated innovative approaches to promote health and wellness. Using an inductive, qualitative approach, we identified central themes by which conversion foundations, as social entrepreneurs, developed collaborative solutions to health. We found that they defined the social problem, generated social capital in the community, and educated potential partners. These mechanisms helped build a groundwork for collaboration among community actors. Conversion foundations then convened partners with complementary competencies to develop creative solutions. This research contributes to the literature on social entrepreneurship and nonprofits by expanding understanding of how foundations can foster community collaborations to develop innovative solutions to social problems. Further, this study sheds light on the activities and processes of nonprofit health conversion foundations as actors with the potential to improve population health.     

A Perilous Paradox: The Contraceptive Behavior of College Students

Abstract

Currently, college students live in a social environment where contraceptive technology is highly effective, contraceptive information and methods are widely available, and premarital sexual activity is generally condoned. Paradoxically, data indicate that these students are poor contraceptive users, and that pregnancy and abortion rates among college students are surprisingly high. Since these social conditions should result in adequate contraceptive usage, other less obvious and overtly less rational factors must be influencing the behavior of this population.

The objectives of this article are to a) describe more fully the paradoxical nature of the problem of contraceptive use among college students, in part by a review of the research on collegiate contraceptive and sexual behavior; b) examine theories which have been offered to explain contraceptive behavior in college populations; and c) discuss implications of existing data and theories for the contraceptive education of young adults. This is a topic which has been relatively neglected as attention has been focused on the sexual and reproductive behavior of younger adolescents. It is also an area where professionals have failed to incorporate the implications of theory and research to the actual delivery of contraceptive health services.     

Job‐change and age: The experience of administrators in colleges and universities

Job‐change is widely regarded as the primary means of career advancement for professionals in bureaucratic organizations. However, while the relationship between mobility and age has been suggested, age differences, when they have been recognized at all, have been variously interpreted, but rarely related to organizational selection and career cycles.

In this paper we explore the relationship between job‐change and age for one kind of professional employed in bureaucratic organizations–academic administrators in colleges and universities. This is accomplished by determining job‐change rates for administrators in different age cohorts as a function of type of position held and gender. Analyzing mail questionnaires from academic administrators in one state, the research also tests the efficiency‐motivation model of mobility which suggests that job‐change serves two diverse and possibly conflicting functions of meeting an organization's need to select and advance persons to perform necessary tasks as well as serving as an important source of employee motivation. The results indicate the presence of several patterns of job‐change and suggest that the theory, with some modifications, offers a framework for conceptualizing and analyzing academic administrator mobility.     

Erotophobia‐erotophilia as a dimension of personality

This review discusses the measurement, antecedents, and consequents of erotophobia‐erotophilia—the disposition to respond to sexual cues along a negative‐positive dimension of affect and evaluation. Test construction procedures which resulted in a 21‐item measure of this personality construct are reported. Evidence indicates that the measure is internally consistent, shows acceptable degrees of convergent and discriminant validity, and is correlated as expected with related constructs such as authoritarianism, adherence to traditional sex roles, indices of value orthodoxy, and various measures of sex‐related evaluations. Retrospective surveys and group contrasts suggest that erotophobia‐erotophilia is a learned disposition based on one's exposure to sex‐related restrictiveness and punishment during socialization. Consequents of erotophobia‐erotophilia involve avoidance versus approach responses to sexuality in a wide range of situations; scores on this test predict differential sexual experience, responses to erotica, likelihood of engaging in sexual fantasy behavior, the tendency to learn about or teach others about sex, engaging in sex‐related health care, the probability of utilizing contraception, and behaving sexually during pregnancy and postpartum. Cross‐cultural research provides evidence for the generality of this construct beyond North America.