Expertosis: Is it Catching?

In this plenary address a therapist talks about her experiences of culture, gender, the loss of her daughter, and the impact this has had on her values and beliefs which are reflected in both her personal and professional life. Her paper challenges dominant discourses and the tyranny of expert knowledge.     

The effect of homemaker's employment status on children's time allocation in single- and two-parent families

This study compares the effect of homemaker's employment status on children's time allocation in single- and two-parent families. Specifically under investigation is the effect of living in a family in which the mother is employed professionally, employed non-professionally, or not employed outside the home on older child's time allocated to household work, school work, and recreation in single- and two-parent families. Age and sex of older children and constraints on their time, such as school attendance, are controlled for in the analysis. The data are from a California study. A two-step multiple regression procedure is used. The effect of homemaker's employment status on older child's time allocated to household work, school work, and recreation is not found to differ by family structure. Homemaker's employment status does not explain a significant amount of variance in older child's time allocation.Rosemary J. Key is Assistant Professor, Department of Consumer Economics and Housing, Cornell University, 103 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Ithaca, New York 14850. Her research interests include substitutability between family members' time in household production, and sequencing techniques used in household production activities. She received her Ph.D. from The Ohio State University.Margaret Mietus Sanik is Associate Professor, Department of Family Resource Management, The Ohio State University, 1787 Neil Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43210. Her research interests include time use among family members and household production. She received her Ph.D. from Cornell University.     

Long‐Term Influences of Intergenerational Ambivalence on Midlife Parents' Psychological Well‐being

We investigated changes in midlife parents' intergenerational ambivalence toward a focal child and its influence on their psychological well‐being over 14 years, as the focal child moved from adolescence into young adulthood. We estimated growth curve models using three waves of data from the National Survey of Families and Households (N = 1,510 parents aged 35–54 years at Time 1). Parental ambivalence declined over time, equally among mothers and fathers. The prediction from ambivalence theory that children's attainment of adult statuses reduces parental ambivalence received only modest support. Only the focal child's marriage reduced parental ambivalence. The focal child's lifestyle–behavioral problems during adolescence still elevated ambivalence 14 years later, albeit less so. For its part, intergenerational ambivalence counteracted trends toward declining depressive symptoms and greater happiness for mothers and fathers alike, and its effects remained constant over time.     

Household registration type and compliance with the “one child” policy in China, 1979–1988

This research analyzes how type of household registration, which reflects the degree of government control, affects compliance with China’s “one child” policy for women at risk during the first decade of implementation. Although socioeconomic and cultural factors have significant effects on four fertility events after first live birth, household registration type is the most important. Furthermore, household registration type interacts with urbanization in such a way that the modernization influence associated with urbanization is more evident for women under less government control. The notable success of China’s family planning program is linked to its unique system of government control.     

A New Privacy Paradox? Youth Agentic Practices of Privacy Management Despite “Nothing to Hide” Online

Focus groups conducted with Canadian teenagers examining their perceptions and experiences with cyber risk, center on various privacy strategies geared for impression management across popular social network sites (SNS). We highlight privacy concerns as a primary reason for a gravitation away from Facebook toward newer, more popular sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, as well as debates about the permeability of privacy on Snapchat in particular. The privacy paradox identifies a disjuncture between what is said about privacy and what is done in practice. It refers to declarations from youth that they are highly concerned for privacy, yet frequently disregard privacy online through “oversharing” and neglecting privacy management. However, our participants, especially older teens, invoked a different mindset: that they have “nothing to hide” online and therefore do not consider privacy relevant for them. Despite this mindset, the strategies we highlight suggest a new permutation of the privacy paradox, rooted in a pragmatic adaptation to the technological affordances of SNS, and wider societal acquiescence to the debasement of privacy online.     

Hoarding cases involving older adults: the transition from a private matter to the public sector

Hoarding interventions with older adults require significant resources from multiple public agencies, yet recidivism occurs frequently. To improve services through better coordination, some communities have formed multiagency hoarding teams (MAHT), which include aging services. MAHTs requested this mixed methods study to understand the progression of cases through the public sector. Quantitative data collected on 52 cases involving adults ages 60+ identified steps in this process. Qualitative data collected from MAHT members were the basis for case studies illustrating the progression of cases through the public sector. Findings have implications for social workers involved in local service coordination, training, and policy.     

African Students in America: Reconstructing new meanings of "African American" in urban education

The presence of newly arrived students from countries on the continent of Africa poses specific challenges for inner-city schools, but their presence also provides the unprecedented opportunity to bring African and African American students together around their shared heritage and to restore connections that were severed long ago by slavery. In many school settings with African and African American students, strained relations are the norm. Myths, misperceptions and negative stereotypes keep these two groups of students apart. Regrettably, negative stereotypes about Africans and about African Americans are reinforced, rather than acknowledged as pernicious, at school, at home and by the media. Afrocentricity, a theory that situates people of African descent as subjects, not objects, promotes the importance of knowing one's history and culture, and delineates the elements of the African worldview, can be an effective tool for building positive relationships between these two groups. Afrocentric activities were used to help students develop a shared understanding of their common heritage and values. Results of this study indicate that, by providing positive images of Africa, Africans and African Americans, and by giving the students the opportunity to develop a new understanding of their shared history and culture, both groups of students benefited and their relations improved. Some of the benefits the students mentioned include respect for self and others of African descent, new friendships, a new interest in Africa, and the courage to learn more about Africa, Africans and African Americans.