Gender differences in correlates of recent physical assault among untreated rural and urban at-risk drinkers: role of depression

This study examined gender-specific correlates of past 6-month physical assault victimization among 468 men and 229 women at-risk drinkers recruited from both urban and rural settings. Both alcohol dependence and depression were associated with physical assault, but there were differences for women and men in the pattern of significant correlates. Specifically, for women the presence of alcohol dependence, depression or their comorbidity all were associated with physical assault. For men, depression by itself was not associated with physical assault, but alcohol dependence and especially alcohol dependence comorbid with depression were significant predictors. Further, there were stronger relationships between demographics and physical assault for men. The results have implications regarding identification of risk factors for physical assault victimization among at-risk drinkers. Overall, the results of this study suggest that screening and prevention interventions for physical assault among at-risk drinkers should target both alcohol use disorders and depression.     

Trends in environmental lead exposure and troubled youth, 1960-1995: an age-period-cohort-characteristic analysis

Beginning in the mid-1980s and extending into the early 1990s, the United States experienced a wave of increased youth violence and teenage pregnancy. Nevin (2000) proffers a cohort-based explanation that these trends can be attributed to corresponding trends in gasoline lead exposure during the youths' early years. He contends that the increased consumption of adversely impacted their intelligence levels (IQs). This decreased their intellectual ability, resulted in poor decisions made during their teen and young adult years, and in turn, led to disproportionally high level of criminal involvement and unwed pregnancies among this cohort. The present study evaluates Nevin's causal model by testing the connection between trends in lead exposure and youthful problem behavior with age-period-cohort-characteristic (APCC) models. Our research finds no support for this cohort explanation.     

Divorce and psychological stress.

While research on adjustment to divorce has been extensive, the paucity of studies assessing stress before and after divorce has kept the relation between psychological stress and martial dissolution unclear. Conflicting findings cast some doubt on the utility of using a crisis model to study divorce. Analysis of three-wave panel data from a national sample of persons married in 1980 indicates that the crisis model is appropriate for understanding adjustment to divorce. Comparisons of divorced persons with married persons show a predivorce rise in stress which then returns to levels comparable to those reported by married individuals. No evidence was found supporting the idea that a high level of psychological stress is a general cause of divorce or that dissolution resulted in more or less permanent elevation of psychological stress. Findings support the hypothesis that predivorce resources and outlooks influence the amount of stress experienced in the two years immediately following divorce. Below median family incomes, no post-high school experience, and wife not in the labor force put divorcing individuals at a disadvantage. Individuals reporting few premarital troubles and beliefs in the immorality of divorce also appear to experience heightened stress in the two years following divorce.     

Personal Influence Networks and Voluntary Association Affiliation*

Individuals ordinarily have considerable information about voluntary associations even before they seriously think about joining a group. In becoming affiliated, members usually rely on personal networks and often several persons are consulted. When mass media sources are utilized in the affiliation process, they serve as a stimulus or catalyst (not one respondent in the sample joined an organization solely on the basis of mass media sources of information). Those with an extensive network of friends and relatives often become members through informal leaders. Moreover, they are sought out and encouraged to join. Individuals who have fewer primary-group resources frequently become members through formal leaders and themselves initiate the contact which results in membership. Finally, personal influence networks are more likely to play an important role for those joining expressive rather than instrumental voluntary associations.     

A deterministic model for the housing decision

The decision to rent or buy housing, or to choose among various housing acquisition alternatives, represents an important and complex financial problem, which confronts virtually all individuals. This paper develops a comprehensive model (within the institutional and legislative context of the United States) which provides theoretically appropriate criteria for evaluating personal housing alternatives. Empirical results clearly indicate the economic consequences of housing alternatives, and both substantiate some and contradict other “wisdoms” concerning the housing decision.     

Generalised regression estimation via the bootstrap

A generalised regression estimation procedure is proposed that can lead to much improved estimation of population characteristics, such as quantiles, variances and coefficients of variation. The method involves conditioning on the discrepancy between an estimate of an auxiliary parameter and its known population value. The key distributional assumption is joint asymptotic normality of the estimates of the target and auxiliary parameters. This assumption implies that the relationship between the estimated target and the estimated auxiliary parameters is approximately linear with coefficients determined by their asymptotic covariance matrix. The main contribution of this paper is the use of the bootstrap to estimate these coefficients, which avoids the need for parametric distributional assumptions. First‐order correct conditional confidence intervals based on asymptotic normality can be improved upon using quantiles of a conditional double bootstrap approximation to the distribution of the studentised target parameter estimate.     

Quality of life

What is sought is a definition of Quality of Life (QOL). Other authors have defined QOL in terms of actual happiness or perceived satisfaction/dissatisfaction. The present paper defines it not as a summation of the individual happiness-states of all members of a society, but as the obtaining of the necessary conditions for happiness throughout a society. These conditions being necessary not sufficient, high QOL is compatible with actual unhappiness. The necessary conditions in question are identified with the availability of means for the satisfaction of human needs rather than human desires, and a Maslowian analysis of the former is proposed in default of ay more satisfactory analysis. The paper concludes with a discussion of how maximizing needsatisfaction (as opposed to want-satisfaction) automatically guarantees fair distribution of needed goods. This ensures that in at least some respects high-QOL societies are societies characterized by justice.     

Testosterone and men's depression: the role of social behavior.

Medical research suggests that testosterone has positive effects on mood (thereby reducing the chances of depression), and social science research finds testosterone to be related to antisocial behavior, risk behavior, unemployment and low paying jobs, and being unmarried--factors known to be positively related to depression. Analysis of a sample of 4,393 men finds a parabolic model best fits the data. The relationship between testosterone and depression is inverse for men with below average testosterone and direct for those with above average testosterone. The relationship disappears for those with above average testosterone when controls for antisocial and risk behaviors and the absence of protective factors such as marriage and steady employment are in the equation. The relationship is unchanged for those with below average testosterone. The results help explain the difference between medical and social research findings. Mechanisms accounting for the findings are explored.