Family structure,family organization,and quality of family life

This study examines how family organization is associated with the quality of family life for parents in first marriages, remarriages with biological children, and several types of stepfamilies. Data are drawn from the 1987–1988 National Survey of Families and Households; only married couples in which both spouses participated in the survey and who had children under age 19 in the household are considered (N=3,120). Results indicate that respondents in different family structures differ in the perceived quality of parent-child relationships, that differences in family structure are not related to differences in family organization, and that some aspects of family organization are related to marital quality and the quality of parent-chil relationships. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicate that family structure and family organization are independently related to the quality of family life. This research was supported by National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grant R15 HD28198-01. The National Survey of Families and Households was funded by a grant (HD21009) from the Center for Population Research of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The survey was designed and carried out at the Center for Demography and Ecology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the direction of Larry Bumpass and James Sweet. The fieldwork was done by the Institute for Survey Research at Temple University. A previous version of this article was presented at the annual meeting of the National Council on Family Relations, Orlando, November 1992. Her research interests include the work/family interface and family policy. She received her Ph.D. from Wayne State University. His research interests include the effects of divorce and remarriage on parents and children. He received his Ph.D. from Ohio State University. Her research interests include adolescents and adoption. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Delaware.     

Effects of sleep inertia on cognitive performance following a 1-hour nap

This study investigated the effects of a 1-h nap on subsequent performance in spatial memory (SM) and logical reasoning (LR) tasks. The objective was to evaluate the duration of the effects of sleep inertia (SI). The performance was measured in two independent groups of subjects. The 1-h nap took place at 00:00 h in group 1 and at 03:00 h in group 2. In each task, the experimental design comprised one no-nap condition in which subjects had no sleep before the night tests, and a nap condition that comprised the 1-h nap followed by the test sessions. To measure the duration of SI effects, the subjects were tested in two 30-min sessions and the data in each session were analysed in sub-units of time of 3 min each. In each task the results showed no effects on accuracy, and no circadian effects of napping were found. In each task, analyses of pooled data of the two groups showed that the performance in the 1-h nap condition exhibited significant reductions of speed immediately following awakening, when compared with no-nap, reflecting SI effects. In SM, the slowing lasted 24 min, and 27 min in LR. Practical implications of the results are discussed.     

Transition and the community college: a Career Keys model for students with disabilities

Transition models are needed that address multiple phases in the postsecondary education of students with disabilities. These models must first address the recruitment of high school students with disabilities for community colleges through career exploration experiences that help students clarify their educational and vocational interests and relate those interests to a two-year postsecondary program. Students with disabilities then need a comprehensive service program while attending community college to help them identify accommodation needs in classroom and workplace environments and develop the skills to request such accommodations from their instructors and employers. With this skill base, they are well prepared to initiate the next transition in their lives, that is, the movement from the community college to a four-year educational institution or to employment. Programs are needed to facilitate this transition, such as a placement planning seminar involving rehabilitation professionals and employers and an accommodation follow-up assessment with students in their new educational and employment settings. The "Career Keys" model describes how to deliver the services needed in each of these critical transition phases.