Fathers and Their Infants: Caregiving and Affection in the Modern Family

Despite social work's expressed interest in families and belief in the importance of parents to children, social work researchers have done little to explore the importance of fathers in children's everyday lives. This is especially true for infants. Moreover, as more and more infants and children grow up in single-mother homes, step-families, and other family configurations, knowledge is needed about how these demographic trends affect parents' interactions with their young children.

This article examines men's caregiving of infants and their displays of affection in a longitudinal study of a diverse sample of infants and their mothers, using both person-centered and variable-centered statistical methods. Comparisons are made among various “types” of fathers, including those who live with and separately from their children and men who are not biological fathers but live with and care for infants.

Results indicate that caregiving and expressions of affection appear to represent two distinct domains of fathering behaviors for residential fathers. We found two classes of residential fathers: one with low levels of both types of fathering behavior and one with higher levels, particularly higher expressions of affection. Similarly we found two classes of non-residential fathers with dramatically different levels of fathering behavior. Though surrogate fathers did provide affection to their infants, their levels of caregiving were low.     

Community Power Structures and Methods' Artifacts: a Reinterpretation*

Four previously published data sets are used to reconsider whether the reputational method identifies pyramidal community power structures while non-reputational methods identify non-pyramidal power structures. Further considered is whether results are methodological artifacts. The reanalysis suggests that the reputational method tends to locate pyramidal and non-pyramidal power structures. The data do not indicate methods' artifacts.     

Construct validities and the empirical relationships between optimism,hope, self-efficacy,and locus of control

This study assessed the construct validities and the relationships between Optimism [21], Hope [27], Self-Efficacy [18], and Locus of Control [12]. The validities and relationships between these scales were examined not only because they are to some degree rival constructs but also because there is an outstanding theoretical question in the literature of whether each of these variables is a state or trait variable or both. Synder' Hope scale was the "know marker" trait-state scale in this study. Data were obtained on all scales from 78 at-risk university students and 22 regular (or normal) students, as all scales either make claims about or have existing data on these two different types of subjects. Other background data were also collected. A Manova on the 13 variables for which data were obtained found significant profile differences between the two groups of subjects as theory and the literature predicted at the 0.01 level. The trait-state two factor structure of Synder's Hope scale was found except the structure was orthogonal in at-risk students as opposed to the oblique structure Synder found in normals. The same strong results were obtained for Schiever and Carver's Optimism scale which additionally resolved an outstanding interpetability issue with this scale. Hypothesized factor structures were not obtained for the self-efficacy or the locus of control scales and both scales best fit the trait-sate model, which contradicts Bandura's and other prevailing view of these two variables, but supports the results found by Bandalos et al. [2].     

The fundamental paradox in the grief literature: a critical reflection

A key theme in the bereavement literature is the recognition that every grief experience is unique and dependent on many variables, such as the circumstances of the death, characteristics of the bereaved individual, their relationship with the deceased, the provision and availability of support, and a myriad of sociocultural factors. Concurrently, there are corresponding efforts to define "normal" grief and delineate it from "complicated" grief experiences. The discord between these two potentially opposing statements remains a paradox evident within the three major tensions within the thanatological literature--the dominance of grief theories, the medicalization of grief, and the efficacy of grief interventions. Three recommendations for moving beyond the paradox are discussed--the provision of improved grief education for service providers, the bereaved, and the wider community; the conduct of research that emphasizes the context of grief and is relevant to service provision; and the examination of current grief interventions.     

领导人该做到什么

领导人不一定非得擅长公众讲演、拥有卓越的战略头脑, 并具有与追随者打成一片的能力 人们通常认为,好的领导人必须富有激情。他们必须擅 长公众讲演,拥有卓越的战略头脑,并具有与追随者 打成一片的能力。但《你必须知道的一件事》一书的 作者马库斯·白金汉(Marcus Buckingham)却坚持认为,事实 并非如此。领导人不一定非得表现出这些素质,但领导人必须 有能力让追随者明白:自己的服务对象是谁,他们凭借什么击 败竞争对手,如何衡量他们的绩效,以及哪些行动会帮助他们 实现自己的目标。     

It’s Not Me,It’s You: Perceptions of Partner Body Image Preferences Associated With Eating Disorder Symptoms in Gay and Heterosexual Men

This study explored perceptions of partner body image preferences and symptoms of disordered eating in gay and heterosexual men. Participants were male college students (n = 201; M age = 20.46), and over one third identified as gay. We compared discrepancies between participants’ current and ideal body type and participants’ current body type and the body type they believed they should have to attract a dating partner. For gay men, the discrepancy between their current body and the body they believed they should have to attract a dating partner was significantly greater than the discrepancy between their current and ideal body types. In gay and heterosexual men, the discrepancy between current body and the body they believed they should have to attract a dating partner predicted eating, shape, and weight concern. Results suggest that perceptions of partner body image preferences may contribute to eating disorder pathology in men.     

Desire for Marriage and Children: A Comparison of Feminist and Non-feminist Women

Research indicates that liberal gender ideologies and feminist beliefs are related to a lower desire for marriage and children, but the importance of feminist self-identification has not been assessed. In Study 1, self-identified feminist and non-feminist women were asked to rate their own and the typical woman’s desire for marriage and children. Non-feminists desired marriage and children more than did feminists. Both groups believed that the typical woman desired these more than they did. In Study 2, feminist and non-feminist women provided information about feminist beliefs as well as their own and the typical feminist’s desire for marriage and children. Consistent with the results from Study 1, non-feminists desired marriage and children more than did feminists. Feminist identity was also found to predict decreased desire for marriage above and beyond feminist beliefs. Our results indicated that stereotypes of feminists, in this context, are somewhat accurate.     

An Investigation Of A Brief Life Satisfaction Scale With Elementary School Children

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Brief Multidmensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS: Seligson et al., 2003) with elementary school children. The participants included 518 elementary school students in grades three through five in a Southeastern US state. The students completed the following measures: the BMSLSS, the Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (SLSS: Huebner, 1991a), the Children’s Social Desirability Questionnaire (CSDQ: Crandall et al., 1965), and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Children’s Version (PANAS-C: Laurent et al., 1999). The results revealed acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct validity and concurrent validity for the BMSLSS. Overall, the use of the BMSLSS for research purposes was supported on a preliminary basis for this age group for research purposes. The study also investigated the usefulness of weighted importance ratings in the prediction of global life satisfaction judgments. Children’s ratings of the importance of the specific domains, whether viewed separately or combined with ratings of levels of life satisfaction, did not enhance the prediction of global life satisfaction. The usefulness of such a brief measure for the assessment of positive indicators of well-being in large-scale national and international studies is highlighted. Recommendations for future research are delineated.     

Native American Stepfamilies: Children’s Expectations Concerning Their Residential Stepparents’ Behavior

Abstract

This study examined how a Native American stepchild’s expectations for their stepparents’ behavior associated with the stepfamily quality. The responses of Native Americans and multiracial Native Americans were compared to the general population in order to identify cultural differences that affect stepfamily quality. Data came from the Stepfamily Experience Project (STEP). Findings suggest that Native Americans differed from other races concerning stepfamily quality, stress from the stepfamily forming, a child’s expectation for a stepparent’s control behaviors, and a child’s relationship with their biological parent. For practical use, clinicians should consider Native American stepchildren’s expectations regarding their stepparent’s behaviors in order to better assess stepfamily quality and provide more effective services.