Network contact changes in early and later postseparation years

This study explains changes in contact frequency in relationships of the preseparation personal network in the early and later years after partners separate. The explanation includes general and separation-related characteristics of the network relationship and the individual. Personal interviews were conducted in three waves of a 12-year longitudinal study with 40 men and 64 women who separated in 1987 or 1988. Multilevel analyses on 1639 network ties showed that multiplex and kin relationships remained over the long term. Contact changes depended on network relationship characteristics, structural conditions, perceived restrictions, and alternative network relationships. Separation-related characteristics were more important in the early years, general characteristics in the later years after the separation.     

Moral Development in Adolescence

Themes in the papers in this special issue of the JRA on moral development are identified. We discuss the intersection of moral development research with policy concerns, the distinctive qualities of moral life in adolescence that warrant investigation, the multiple connotations of “moral,” the methods typical of moral development research, and the influences that shape adolescent moral development. Suggestions are made for new methods and new directions in the study of moral development.     

Solitary‐functional Play and Solitary‐pretend Play: Another Look at the Construct of Solitary‐active Behavior Using Playground Observations

Although the construct of solitary‐active behavior calls for the aggregation of solitary‐functional play and solitary‐pretend play, there is little empirical support for combining them into one construct. Furthermore, little work has been done in early childhood to examine these behaviors on the playground. The purpose of this study was to observe children's behavior on the playground to explore whether solitary‐functional and solitary‐pretend behaviors are related to one another and to other indices of social adjustment/maladjustment. Examining a sample of 361 preschoolers, results revealed that (1) solitary‐functional and solitary‐pretend play were not related, (2) solitary‐functional play was associated with solitary‐passive and reticent behaviors, as well as less social play, co‐operative rough and tumble play, sociable/friendliness, assertiveness, and lower peer acceptance, and (3) solitary‐pretend play was linked to lower peer acceptance and more social maladjustment, including venting, reactive aggression (but not proactive aggression), active exclusion, victimization, and being distractible.     

Working time in Great Britain, 1975–1994: evidence from the New Earnings Survey panel data

Using individual-based panel data from the New Earnings Survey, this paper provides a detailed analysis of the working time behaviour of British full-time male and female workers as well as part-time female workers. We investigate the following: male–female differences in basic and overtime working patterns; extensive overtime working; age-related patterns of weekly basic and overtime hours; the effects of collective bargaining on hours of work; industrial, public–private sector and occupational breakdowns of basic and total hours. The results for the last three topics are based on estimates from fixed effect regressions with time-varying parameters.     

Journey of Resilience and Adaptation: Counselling Vietnamese People

Despite the substantial number of Vietnamese residing in Australia, many Australians' knowledge and attitudes are still shaped by the Vietnam War and the resulting exodus of refugees. This superficial impression contributes little to a meaningful understanding of the rich heritage of the Vietnamese people. The purpose of this article is to broaden the understanding of helping professionals who come into contact with Vietnamese Australians, so as to evoke responses that are more sensitive, appropriate and helpful. A brief history of Vietnam is followed by an exploration of historical insights and cultural variables that aid our understanding of the people, and by an examination of the applicability of these factors for counselling.     

Religious Transmission Versus Religious Formation: Preadolescent-Parent Interaction*

Religiousness on the part of youth can result from transmission across generations and it can stem from a nurturant parent-child relationship. Interaction could occur between these variables. These relationships were tested using data from 2724 adolescents in grades 4–8 in intact families in southern Minnesota. The dependent measure involves five items measuring religious attendance, belief, and devotional practice. Both parental religiousness and support were significant predictors of preadolescent religiousness, with the former the better predictor. There was no significant interaction between these two predictors, and this finding is discussed in the context of a culture supportive of religion. Females were more religious than males. Paternal and maternal measures were similar in their abilities to predict religiosity, although a significant interaction existed between sex of preadolescent and material religiousness, with sons scoring especially low on religion when their mothers also scored low.     

South-nonsouth differentials in National Labor Relations Board certification election outcomes

This paper investigates and evaluates the magnitude of regional differentials in outcomes in National Labor Relations Board elections. The data for this project include NLRB elections conducted during the period 1973–1978. The author wishes to thank Steven Hills, Michael Borus, Gil Nestel and Kezia Sproat of the Center for Human Resource Research for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Books Received

Abstract

The generic nature of social work assists social workers to fulfill, variety of tasks and roles, in a range of settings. Social work train in provides workers with a broad range of knowledge and skills, as well as an ability to be both flexible and adaptable across a given range of situations. Such a ‘launching base’ is essential for all social workers, particularly those who work in the resource-starved remote area sector.

Through the author's own insights and experiences on the remote setting of Saipan, a small island located in the western Pacific Ocean this article examines some of the unique personal and professional challenges that confronted him during his stay on Saipan. These accounts are later transposed generally to an exploration of their implications for practitioners who work, or are contemplating working in a remote area.     

Can a Participatory Approach Contribute to Food Chain Risk Analysis?

We consider food chain risks and specifically address stakeholder participation in the risk analysis process. We combine social and natural science perspectives to explore the participation process in relation to food risks and, in particular, to consider how some specific participation processes might be scientifically evaluated and how stakeholder participation in general might be incorporated into food risk decision making. We have built considerations based on three large integrative case studies that examine aspects of participatory processes. Here we use the case studies collectively to illustrate observations and beliefs concerning the nature of the interaction of stakeholders with established quantitative risk methodologies. This account is not supported by any large volume of analysis. The views in the report are expressed in relation to an accepted risk analysis framework and also with respect to probabilistic modeling of risks and are illustrated where possible with anecdotal reports of actual case study events.