Employment Patterns of Less-Skilled Workers: Links to Children’s Behavior and Academic Progress

Using data from five waves of the Women’s Employment Survey (WES; 1997–2003), we examine the links between low-income mothers’ employment patterns and the emotional behavior and academic progress of their children. We find robust and substantively important linkages between several different dimensions of mothers’ employment experiences and child outcomes. The pattern of results is similar across empirical approaches—including ordinary least squares and child fixed-effect models, with and without an extensive set of controls. Children exhibit fewer behavior problems when mothers work and experience job stability (relative to children whose mothers do not work). In contrast, maternal work accompanied by job instability is associated with significantly higher child behavior problems (relative to employment in a stable job). Children whose mothers work full-time and/or have fluctuating work schedules also exhibit significantly higher levels of behavior problems. However, full-time work has negative consequences for children only when it is in jobs that do not require cognitive skills. Such negative consequences are completely offset when this work experience is in jobs that require the cognitive skills that lead to higher wage growth prospects. Finally, fluctuating work schedules and full-time work in non-cognitively demanding jobs are each strongly associated with the probability that the child will repeat a grade or be placed in special education.     

Finding a routine that works: A mixed methods study of foster parents

Although it is well established that daily routines are important for family well‐being, very little research has been done on how foster parents establish and integrate new foster children into family routines. We used a mixed‐methods, cross‐sectional design, focused on qualitative results to explore how foster parents utilize routines. Twenty‐three foster parents were recruited from a private child welfare agency in a large city in the United States. Surveys were administered to obtain demographic information, overall home atmosphere, and the importance and prevalence of different routines, including mealtimes and sleep schedules. Nine foster parents received a semistructured interview with open‐ended questions. Foster parents reported that routines such as bedtimes, mealtimes, chores, and homework were essential to family well‐being. Because both parents and children had to adjust to living together in an intimate family environment, it was important to establish routines quickly. Foster parents modified routines depending on their child's needs. Along with typical family routines, foster parents reported additional tasks, such as visits with biological parents, meetings with caseworkers, and trainings that affected their family schedule. Results imply that training foster care workers and foster parents about routines can engender stability and emotional belonging for children.     

Designing and managing public housing self-sufficiency programs: the Youngs Lake Commons Program

This article evaluates an experimental public housing self-sufficiency program that encourages home ownership among low-income families. A quasi-experimental design, in combination with focus groups, records review, and key informant interviews, provides data to focus on four questions: (a) Do these programs simply accelerate move-outs for those who would have left without intervention? (b) Are program elements replicable given the importance of the local context in public housing move-outs? (c) How do housing authorities resolve tensions that arise between housing management and social service delivery? (d) What should housing authority response be to those who fail?     

达则兼济天下穷则独善其身--论苏轼的自由人格

苏轼做到了"兼济天下"与"独善其身"的完全统一,为中国文人构建了一种可仕可隐、无适而不可的新型人格模式--"自由人格"从而形成了对传统文化人格的超越,成为一位更加纯粹、达观、睿智的诗人.     

Holocaust child survivors and child sexual abuse

This study utilized a qualitative analysis of child survivors of the Holocaust who were sexually abused during World War II. The research study aimed to give this specific group of survivors a voice and to explore the impact of multiple extreme traumas, the Holocaust and childhood sexual abuse, on the survivors. Twenty-two child survivors of the Holocaust who were sexually abused during the war completed open-ended interviews. The data was qualitatively analyzed according to Tutty, Rothery, and Grinnell's (1996) guidelines. Three major themes were found: issues relating to the sexual abuse trauma, survivors' perceptions of the abuse, and survivors' general perspectives towards life. The identity of the offenders, Jewish or non-Jewish, determined the survivors' feelings towards themselves, the perpetrators, and about the worth of life.     

Uncomplicated E. coli urinary tract infection in college women: a follow-up study of E. coli sensitivities to commonly prescribed antibiotics

Treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) has changed in the past few years with researchers advocating empiric treatment for shorter periods of time without the use of cultures. Researchers report that antibiotic resistance of Escherichia coli (E. coli) to commonly prescribed antibiotics in uncomplicated UTIs has been increasing. Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is 1 of these antibiotics. Researchers also report that resistance patterns may differ depending on the geographic area of the United States. In this study, the authors present the results of a 7-month retrospective chart analysis of 98 E. coli sensitivities to commonly prescribed antibiotics in the treatment of uncomplicated UTIs at a college health service. They examined the more common antibiotic choices and analyzed their in vitro responses. Of these antibiotics, ciprofloxacin, nitrofurantoin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, and TMP/SMX had the highest sensitivity rates. The authors compared the results with a previous study that they performed at the same institution in 1993. The results of this study show a sensitivity rate of 86% for TMP/SMX. When compared with the previous result of 87%, this represented a 1% change. Because of this slight decrease in sensitivity and the increasing concern over resistance, the authors suggest that they will continue to reevaluate the resistance pattern in their population on a regular basis. This will help determine if there is a need for modifying choices of empiric therapy for UTIs.     

The contemporary U.S. women's movement: An empirical example of competition theory

We use competition and resource mobilization perspectives to explain the rise of the contemporary U.S. women's movement. Our competition framework proposes that economic and sociodemographic changes since World War II increased competition between women and men in the marketplace. This increased competition provided motivation for the women's movement. We find support for this framework with national quantitative time-series data.