Suicide mortality in Australia, 1970–1991

This paper contains results of a study into changes in rates of suicide in Australia in the 1970s and 1980s. The study found that there was a significant divergence of suicide mortality rates between males and females, with male rates increasing in the last twenty years and female rates showing a general decline. The increase in male rates was highest at ages under 30 and over 80 years of age. The differences in rates between marital status groups have remained large. The study also analysed birthplace differentials in suicides and included some data from overseas countries for comparisons.     

Creating elder-friendly communities: preparations for an aging society

Because many communities where older people live were not designed for their needs, older residents may require support to remain in the least restrictive environment. "Age-prepared communities" utilize community planning and advocacy to foster aging in place. "Elder-friendly communities" are places that actively involve, value, and support older adults, both active and frail, with infrastructure and services that effectively accommodate their changing needs. This paper presents an analysis of the literature and results of a Delphi study identifying the most important characteristics of an elder-friendly community: accessible and affordable transportation, housing, health care, safety, and community involvement opportunities. We also highlight innovative programs and identify how social workers can be instrumental in developing elder-friendly communities.     

RESERVE PRICE EFFECTS IN AUCTIONS: ESTIMATES FROM MULTIPLE REGRESSION‐DISCONTINUITY DESIGNS

We present evidence from 260,000 online auctions of second‐hand cars to identify the impact of public reserve prices on auction outcomes. We exploit multiple discontinuities in the relationship between reserve prices and vehicle characteristics to present causal regression‐discontinuity estimates of reserve price impacts. We find an increase in reserve price decreases the number of bidders, increases the likelihood the object remains unsold, and increases expected revenue conditional on sale. We then combine these estimates to calibrate the reserve price effect on the auctioneer's ex ante expected revenue. This reveals the auctioneer's reserve price policy to be locally optimal. (JEL D44, L11, L62)     

Association Study on Pathological Gambling and Polymorphisms of Dopamine D1, D2, D3, and D4 Receptor Genes in a Korean Population

Several studies have reported that some dopaminergic receptor polymorphisms are associated with pathological gambling (PG). Considering that there are major race and ethnic group difference in dopaminergic polymorphisms, the result of genetic association studies should be confirmed in more homogeneous population to avoid problems of population stratification. The present study aimed to investigate whether selected polymorphisms in the dopamine receptors genes (DRD1, DRD2, DRD3, and DRD4) are associated with PG in Korean population which is consisted of only Korean ancestry. Subjects were 104 men with a diagnosis of PG and 114 unrelated age-matched normal control men. Genotyping was performed for the DRD1 gene -48 A/G, DRD2 gene TaqI A, DRD3 gene Ser9Gly, and DRD4 gene exon III variable number tandem repeat polymorphisms. The method of multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze gene-gene interactions. There were no differences in the frequencies of any studied polymorphisms between patients with PG and normal controls. MDR analysis did not show a significant effect of the 4 dopamine receptor gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to PG (P > 0.05). The present study suggests that the analyzed polymorphisms of the dopamine receptor genes might not be associated with PG in a Korean population.     

Who Is Hispanic? Hispanic Identity among African Americans,Asian Americans,Others, and Whites*

Hispanics are now the largest minority group in the United States and their presence is likely to continue to expand. Little is known, however, about the correlates of Hispanic identity or the processes that are involved in its maintenance. We investigate these issues by ascertaining and then seeking to understand the various associations between reported racial identities and Hispanic ethnicity using data from the Current Population Surveys. Restricting the sample to individuals who are known to have demographic origins in Latin America, our results indicate that persons with African or Asian racial identifications are substantially less likely than whites or Others to also identify as Hispanic. Relative to the first generation, Hispanic identification declines and the racial differences increase in the second generation. The exceptions in this regard are Others for whom racial and Hispanic identifications are the most highly associated for both the first and second generations. These findings are interpreted as reflecting various social processes that are involved in the development and maintenance of racial and ethnic identities. Our results provide insight into the complex, social nature of Hispanic identification in modern America.     

Self-Defined Retirement Status and Engagement in Paid Work among Older Working-Age Women: Comparison between Childless Women and Mothers

Utilizing data from the 1992–1994 Health and Retirement Study (HRS), this paper examines the question of whether three groups of older working-age women—childless women, mothers with at least one child at home or temporarily away at school, and mothers with all their children living away from home—were different or similar in their likelihood of retirement and their actual work status. The results show that the childless group and the child-not-at-home group were more likely than the child-at-home group to define themselves as retired, although the three groups were equally likely to engage in paid work activities. Both early childbearing history and ongoing parental financial obligations appear to influence women's willingness to assume a retiree versus a nonretiree status. The findings may reflect an emerging trend of retirement being a status symbol rather than a marker of complete cessation from the world of work.