Spirituality,Sacrifice, and Relationship Quality for Expectant Cohabitors

Given negative effects of cohabitation, we examine negative (ambivalence, conflict) and positive (commitment, satisfaction) relationship quality, as explained by perceptions of ease of relational sacrifices and spirituality, for unmarried cohabitors expecting their first child (46 individuals). Controlling for race/ethnicity and education, perceived ease of relational sacrifice was associated with greater satisfaction and lower ambivalence and conflict, whereas spirituality was not associated with any of the relationship quality variables. Examined together, greater ease of relational sacrifice and higher spirituality were associated with greater commitment and satisfaction and lower ambivalence and conflict. Given that many studies of cohabitation focus on demographic factors and that many studies of spirituality focus on married couples, the current study expands knowledge regarding relationship quality for nontraditional couples.     

Predictors of out-of-home placement following residential treatment

Objective

There is a lack of research examining predictors of out-of-home placement (OOHP) following residential treatment (RT). The current study examined how various child and family factors predict OOHP at discharge and 6-months post-discharge for a RT sample.

Methods

Three hundred and eighty-three children (11.92 years, SD = 2.63, 293 boys) with serious mental health disorders were assessed using the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview (BCFPI) and placement information forms at admission, discharge, and 6-months post-discharge from RT.

Results

OOHP at discharge was predicted by older age, OOHP at admission, child welfare involvement, deliberate self-harm, a history of physical abuse, neglect, witnessed domestic violence, and a poor family situation (p < .05). At 6-months post-discharge, OOHP was predicted by dual diagnosis, OOHP at admission, child welfare involvement, neglect, and witnessed domestic violence (p < .05).

Conclusions

Pre-treatment factors are predictive of OOHP following RT. Identifying these key predictors and developing permanency planning options for children to promote stability and consistency is essential. A systemic evidence-based approach is imperative in promoting resilience for children at risk of OOHP, including family intervention and collaboration with the community.     

Social and Health Service Use and Treatment Outcomes for Sexual Minorities in a National Sample of Substance Abuse Treatment Programs

This study examines substance use severity, levels of social and health service utilization, and the impact of service utilization on treatment outcomes for sexual minorities versus non-minorities. The sample included 3,094 clients from the National Treatment Improvement Evaluation Study (NTIES). Substance use severity among sexual minorities and non-sexual minorities was similar at treatment entry and at 12 months post-discharge. Differences in social and health service utilization were significant for substance abuse counseling and health services. Significant interactions between sexuality and access services and sexuality and mental health services were also found. Practice and research implications are discussed.     

State of the Context: Listening in Education

Educational listening research in the last 80 years covers a broad spectrum. Early research investigated the amount of time spent listening. Later studies identified students' comprehension of oral material. Aspects most often researched fall into the following categories: listening elicitation, listening benefits, and listening instruction. Because instructors must meet the needs of a variety of student listening and learning styles, a significant amount of listening research investigates listening and learning preferences. This research emphasizes the need to identify successful teaching strategies to help teachers elicit effective listening. Teachers have long believed that students who listen better are better students, and research seems to corroborate that effective listeners achieve academic success. Few schools offer listening instruction, and even in courses where listening is supposedly emphasized, only 7% of the time is devoted to listening. The impact of listening instruction is ambiguous despite anecdotal evidence suggesting that instruction improves listening. Listening instruction is especially scarce in primary and secondary schools notwithstanding the fact that listening is linked to both literacy and academic success. Further, little research has occurred in K–12 classrooms where there is greater opportunity to learn more about effective listening if researchers take the time to do so.     

An Analysis of Health Care Disparities and Subsequent Public Policy Initiatives

Racial and ethnic health disparities are a major clinical, public health, and societal problem in the United States. This article provides a historical analysis of the identification and progression of health disparities between Whites and minorities from 1989 to 2011. Key causes of health disparities are addressed, including the lack of culturally competent care, health insurance, and medical homes. Federal legislation that mandated federal health agencies to implement a plan to eliminate disparities is discussed.     

Limit your time,gamble responsibly: setting a time limit (via pop-up message) on an electronic gaming machine reduces time on device

In the current study, we assessed whether undergraduate electronic gaming machine (EGM) gamblers would be more apt to set a time limit and spend less time gambling when asked to consider setting an explicit time limit prior to their gambling session. To this end, participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned to a time limit pop-up condition or control condition, both of which involved gambling on an EGM in a virtual reality (VR) casino. In the time limit pop-up condition, participants were asked (via pop-up message) to consider setting a time limit on play and entering that limit in an available text box prior to commencing play. In the no time limit pop-up condition, participants engaged in play immediately upon accessing the EGM in the VR casino (i.e. they were not exposed to a time limit pop-up message). As predicted, participants who were explicitly asked to consider setting a time limit on their EGM play were significantly more likely to do so and spent less time gambling than those who were not given such instructions. The results provide preliminary support for the contention that setting a time limit on EGM play is an effective responsible gambling strategy.     

Elections,Repertoires of Contention and Habitus in Four Civil Society Engagements in Malaysia's 2008 General Elections

The general elections in Malaysia in 2008 saw the ruling coalition, which has ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since independence in 1957, lose control of a number of states and become significantly weakened at the federal level. Amongst the reasons often cited for this was significant and diverse civil society participation in these elections which was often critical of the incumbent government. This article examines four different engagements in the 2008 elections by civil society actors. Through this examination, it is demonstrated that distinctions between types of collective action, from social movements to political parties, are especially likely to be blurred in the context of repressive states such as Malaysia. This examination in turn sees Charles Tilly's concept of repertoires of contention defended against both Nick Crossley's criticisms of it and his preference of Pierre Bourdieu's concept of habitus.     

Family Time and the Psychosocial Adjustment of Adolescent Siblings and Their Parents

This study examined the implications of family time for firstborn and secondborn adolescent offspring, mothers, and fathers in 192 dual‐earner families, defining family time as time shared by the foursome in activities across 7 days. Data were gathered in daily telephone interviews. For firstborns, higher levels of family time at Time 1 predicted less involvement in risky behavior 2 years later, controlling for Time 1 risky behavior. Longitudinal analyses predicting depressive symptoms revealed family time X parent education interactions for firstborns, fathers, and mothers, suggesting that the implications of family time depended on social class. The pattern of results suggests that family time is protective when chosen by family members but not when it represents a default use of time.     

Religion, Religiosity, and Nonmarital Sexual Conduct: An Application of Reference Group Theory

Using the framing process of "partial-birth" abortion (PBA) as an exemplifying case, this paper proposes a dialogic model of framing in which meaning is created and recreated through an iterative, discursive process. Materials developed by six social movement organizations that lead the PBA framing process were analyzed to chronicle the evolution of the PBA frame, as well as factors that influenced this evolution. Movement and countermovement actors attempted to imbue PBA with meaning in such a manner as to motivate and direct action to support their overarching political goals. Rather than two distinct parallel frames battling against each other, this process is better conceptualized as the evolution of a single frame, created in interaction with the framing of one's opponents. A dialectic model of framing provides a framework for examining the process by which cultural meanings are contested and how these meanings are transformed through collective action. Such a model also potentially expands the definition of successful frame and better illuminates the symbiotic relationship between movements and countermovements actors.     

Maternal Employment in Childhood and Adults’ Retrospective Reports of Parenting Practices

Do adults’ perceptions of their mothers’ and fathers’ parenting practices in childhood vary by their mothers’ employment status? Among adults in the Survey of Midlife Development in United States who lived with 2 biological parents until the age of 16 years (N = 2,246), those who had employed mothers during most or all of their childhood reported less support and less discipline from both parents than those who had stay‐at‐home mothers. Sons but not daughters who had employed mothers reported more verbal or physical assaults by both parents than their counterparts who had homemaker mothers. Despite greater social acceptance of maternal employment among younger Americans, cohort differences were not evident. These findings underscore the significance of mothers’ economic roles in influencing offspring’s perceptions of family dynamics.