Determinants of housing quality: A comparison of white,African-American,and Hispanic single-parent women

This study examines housing quality among three groups of single-parent women: white, African-American, and Hispanic. Three indicators of housing quality—crowding, affordability, and satisfaction—are used to discover the extent to which these groups experience housing problems. This study also explores differences and similarities in the factors that precipitate problems in housing quality for these three groups of single parents. Findings suggest important differences and similarities in the nature of housing quality problems among white, African-American, and Hispanic single-parent women. The specified variables explained about 20% of the variance in crowding, housing affordability, and housing satisfaction. On measures of objective and subjective housing quality, white single mothers are better housed than their African-American or Hispanic counterparts. Hispanic single mothers have the largest housing cost burden and average more persons per household than the other groups. African-Americans are twice as likely as either group to live in low-quality housing and reported the lowest average satisfaction with their housing. Her research interests include housing and neighborhood assessment and women and public policy issues. She has recently published articles inUrban Affairs Quarterly andHousing and Society on housing and neighborhood assessment criteria among black urban households and the housing cost burden of various groups of female-headed households. She received her Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Her research interests include the housing adjustment behavior of women and public policy. She has recently completed her thesis on the role of noncustodial parents in determining the quality of life of their children. She is also the recipient of the Tessie Agan Award for research excellence from the American Association of Housing Educators for a paper titled “Unterstanding Constraints and Residential Satisfaction among Low-Income Single-Parent Families.”     

Forced online: push factors of internet sexuality: A preliminary study of online paraphilic empowerment

Online sexual behavior may be more completely explained by integrating a Pull Factor analysis, centering on the characteristics of the Internet that make it an appealing outlet for sexuality (e.g., "Triple A Engine") and a Push Factor analysis, centering on characteristics of the offline world that disallow fulfillment of sexual desires. This new framework is utilized in explaining paraphilic (unconventional) sexualities online. Because paraphilics are members of highly concealable, horizontal and rare sexual minorities, they are pushed online by mainstream society. Online, paraphilics interact with similar others, and through lurking, re-learning and self-disclosing, may become sexually empowered. Clinical ramifications of attainment of positive sexual-social identity via empowerment are discussed, as are possible affects on public policy.     

A measure of community members’ perceptions of the impacts of research partnerships in health and social services

Currently, there are no psychometrically sound outcome measures by which to assess the impacts of research partnerships. This article describes the development of a 33-item, survey questionnaire measuring community members’ perceptions of the impact of research partnerships addressing health or social issues. The Community Impacts of Research Oriented Partnerships (CIROP) was developed using information from the literatures on health promotion, community development, research utilization, and community-based participatory research, and from focus groups involving 29 key informants. Data from 174 community members were used to determine the factor structure, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the four CIROP scales, and to provide evidence of construct validity. The CIROP informs research partnerships about the extent of their impact in the areas of Personal Knowledge Development, Personal Research Skill Development, Organizational/Group Access To and Use of Information, and Community and Organizational Development, allowing them to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies. As well, the CIROP can be used as a research tool to assess the effectiveness of knowledge sharing approaches, determine the most influential activities of research partnerships, and determine structural characteristics of partnerships associated with various types of impact. The CIROP provides a better understanding of community members’ perspectives and expectations of research partnerships, with important implications for knowledge transfer and uptake.     

Order Promising and the Master Production Schedule*

Previous research on material requirements planning (MRP) systems has rarely considered the impact of the master production scheduling method used to promise customer orders and to allocate production capacity. Based on a simulation study of an MRP environment, we show that the correct selection of a master production schedule (MPS) method depends on the variance of end-item demand. In addition, we find evidence that the effectiveness of a particular MPS method can be enhanced by holding buffer inventory at the same level in the product structure as in the MPS.     

Floristic composition and richness of urban domestic gardens in three urban socioeconomic stratifications in the city Heredia,Costa Rica

The urban domestic gardens that are part of urban green areas have become a very important element due to their ecosystematic benefits and the poor information about them. Information regarding the floristic richness of three socioeconomic stratifications from the city of Heredia, Costa Rica is presented in this study. Research was conducted from October 2011 to May 2012. Information was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire, which was provided to 61 garden owners, including the owner’s personal data, time living in the dwelling, area of the property and the garden, variation of its size in time and the garden’s location on the property. In addition, a floristic inventory was conducted in each garden as well as a taxonomic identification of all plants. Vegetative forms and substrates were also noted. Characteristics of the gardens and their owners were then analyzed to determine the relationship of species richness between the three sites studied. The number of plant species recorded was 618, corresponding to 102 families (19 % exotic). Regarding geographical origin, 64, 4 % were exotic, 35,6 % native. Orchidaceae (93 spp.) and Araceae (39 spp.) were the most dominant families. The variables of garden area and location and owner's age determined the garden’s floristic richness. In addition, the garden’s area and vegetative forms varied among the sites studied probably due to socioeconomic differences among them. Diversity of pioneer plants increased with the garden’s area. In sum, this research provides important floristic information of domestic gardens, since, being private property, data about them is scarce and municipal management guidelines are nonexistent.     

Situational life changes: A model for coping with stress in adolescence

A health-oriented interactional model of adolescent change in times of transition is presented. Four factors are discussed: 1. the effect of individuals and the environments on each other; 2. the interactive flow between regression and growth, vulnerabilites and competencies, crisis and equilibrium; and 3. the interactive effects of psychological, social and physical factors. A social work assessment and intervention model is built on this framework.Ms. Lammert is an Associate Professor, National Catholic School of Social Service, a consultant to the American Digestive Disease Society and to the Christ Child Society School Counseling Program and in private practice.     

Health belief factors and dispositional optimism as predictors of STD and HIV preventive behavior

Identifying factors predictive of youth's engaging in preventive behaviors related to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV remains a prominent public health concern. The utility of the Health Belief Model (HBM) continues to be suggested in identifying preventive behaviors. This study sought to examine the full HBM, including self-efficacy, with regard to STD and HIV preventive behavioral intentions in college students. Self-efficacy was identified as the primary predictor for each of the behavioral intentions (condom use, STD testing, and HIV testing), whereas response efficacy was only predictive of testing intentions. Inconsistent with HBM assumptions, perceived HIV severity was negatively related to HIV testing intentions. Students who perceived HIV as high in severity were less likely to intend to obtain HIV testing. Overall, the utility of the HBM in predicting college students' sexual preventive behavior was unsupported. An argument for a change in the direction of research, away from the continued emphasis on the study of cognitive variables, is made.     

Colleges respond to student binge drinking: reducing student demand or limiting access

Administrators at 68% of 4-year colleges nationwide (N = 747) responded to a survey concerning the types of programs and policies they used in response to students' heavy drinking. Most schools conducted targeted alcohol education and invested in institutional prevention efforts; half conducted social norms campaigns; a sizeable minority restricted alcohol on campus. Schools that focused on demand reduction were less likely to ban alcohol use. One in 3 schools received funding for these programs from governmental agencies, and 1 in 5 from the alcohol industry. Such schools were more likely to conduct targeted alcohol education and social norms programs and were less likely to restrict alcohol use on campus or at college events. Colleges may want to reconsider prevention initiatives that focus exclusively on demand or supply. They may also want to examine the extent to which funding is the driving force shaping the direction of their alcohol initiatives.     

The effectiveness of job specific training on the occupational performance of student nurses

Body mechanic checklist scores during a one-person pivot transfer, and boosting up in bed were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of training on the work performance of female student nurses from a local college. Thirty subjects participated in the study and were divided into a control group, an experimental group that received basic body mechanic training, and an experimental group that received job specific training. A one-way ANCOVA was calculated to examine the effects of the experimental procedures on the subjects' performance. This revealed a statistically significant difference between the groups (patient transfer F = 10.11, p value < 0.001; boosting F = 38.62, p value < 0.001). A post hoc analysis (Bonferroni procedure) indicated that the job specific training group (mean 11.65, SD 0.66) demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in their performance compared to the other two groups (control group mean 7.5, SD 0.67; BBMT mean 9.66, SD 0.67).