Goal-Striving Stress and Racial Differences in Mental Health

This study investigated the associations among goal-striving stress, racial related stressors, and mental health. Goal-striving stress was defined as the discrepancy between aspiration for and achievement of a better way of life, weighted by the subjective probability of success, and the level of disappointment experienced if those life goals were not realized. Data are from the National Survey of American Life’s African American (N = 3,570) and non-Hispanic white (N = 891) adult samples. Regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between goal-striving stress and five mental health outcomes: happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, psychological distress, and depressive symptoms. After controlling for socio-demographic factors, a personal problems checklist, and racial discrimination, goal-striving stress was significantly related to all mental health measures such that as goal-striving stress increased, mental health worsened. Additionally, the relationship of goal-striving stress to mental health was found to be conditional upon race. Specifically, goal-striving stress had a stronger effect among white Americans than African Americans. Goal-striving stress was associated differentially with lower levels of mental health for black and white Americans. Racial differences in the impact of goal-striving stress suggest a need for analyses exploring resilience and coping in relation to the impact of goal-striving stress on black–white differences in mental health.     

Shame, Embarrassment, and Formal Sanction Threats: Extending the Deterrence/Rational Choice Model to Academic Dishonesty

Following the lead of Grasmick and Bursik (1990), we propose that significant others and conscience both function as agents of social control to deter illicit behavior in a manner similar to that provided by the law and more formal, bureaucratic organizations. All three–conscience, significant others, and formal organizations–entail potential threats and costs (i.e., shame, embarrassment, and formal sanctions). Actors consider these potential threats and costs, and assess the certainty and severity of them, in deciding whether or not to engage in criminal or deviant behavior. In the research reported here, data from a sample of undergraduate students are employed to examine the effects of perceived certainty and severity of shame, embarrassment, and formal sanction threats of the self-reported prevalence of involvement in a variety of forms of academic dishonesty. The results suggest rather limited support for the deterrence/rational choice model, nearly all of which is due to the influence of conscience (shame).     

Adoptive Mothers' and Fathers' Psychological Distress: Parenting Teens Adopted from Birth

Abstract

This study tests pathways to adoptive parents' psychological distress over time and then examines gender differences in psychological distress. Participants included 190 adoptive mothers and 190 adoptive fathers from the longitudinal Minnesota/Texas Adoption Research Project, a study of U.S. domestic infant adoptions. The majority of adoptive parents reported low psychological distress 10 to 20?years post-adoption. Some struggled throughout their adopted youth’s childhood and adolescence. This study utilizes data allowing an examination of parenting during middle childhood and adolescence. For adoptive mothers and fathers, outside stressors significantly predicted psychological distress. For adoptive fathers, perceived parent–child incompatibility was also predictive.     

Racial Identity Matters: The Relationship between Racial Discrimination and Psychological Functioning in African American Adolescents

This study examines the interrelationships among racial discrimination, racial identity, and psychological functioning in a sample of 314 African American adolescents. Racial discrimination was associated with lower levels of psychological functioning as measured by perceived stress, depressive symptomatology, and psychological well‐being. Although individuals who believe that other groups hold more negative attitudes toward African Americans (low public regard) were at greater risk for experiencing racial discrimination, low public regard beliefs also buffered the impact of racial discrimination on psychological functioning. More positive attitudes about African Americans were also associated with more positive psychological functioning. The results further illustrate the utility of a multidimensional framework for understanding the role of racial identity in the relationship between racial discrimination and psychological outcomes among African American adolescents.     

A Power‐Control Theory of Vulnerability to Crime and Adolescent Role Exits—Revisited*

Hagan (1990) a adapté la théorie du pouvoir‐contrôle pour expliquer le rôle joué par la distinction homme‐femme dans la vulnérabilité au crime, mélange de victimisation et d'offense, et la recherche d'une sortie par rôle déviant. Les auteures « revisitent » ces propos et, con‐sidérant la victimisation et l'offense séparément, essaient d'élargir le concept de recherche de sortie, y compris la réalisation d'une sortie par rôle déviant. Les analyses révèlent que ce modèle explique en partie les différences de sexe dans la dealinquance, mais cela n'est le cas ni pour la victimisation ni pour la recherche de sortie par rôle déviant. Les variables du pouvoir‐contrôle exercent leur influence de manière différente sur le rapport entre sexe et tentatives de sortie par rôle déviant. En guise de conclusion, il est proposé que ce modèle se révèle capable d'améliorer la compréhension du rôle des différences liées au sexe dans des comportements autres que criminels. Hagan (1990) extended power‐control theory to explain gender differences in vulnerability to crime, a composite of victimization and offending, and the search for deviant role exits. We revisit this elaboration, considering victimization and offending separately, broadening the concept of search for role exits, and including enactment of role exits. Analyses reveal that the model partially explains gender differences in delinquency, but not victimization or the search for role exits. The power‐control variables differentially impact the relationship between gender and role exit behaviour. We conclude that the model promises to improve our understanding of gender differences in behaviours other than crime.     

Data Dispersion: Now You See It… Now You Don't

Poisson regression is the most well-known method for modeling count data. When data display over-dispersion, thereby violating the underlying equi-dispersion assumption of Poisson regression, the common solution is to use negative-binomial regression. We show, however, that count data that appear to be equi- or over-dispersed may actually stem from a mixture of populations with different dispersion levels. To detect and model such a mixture, we introduce a generalization of the Conway-Maxwell-Poisson (COM-Poisson) regression model that allows for group-level dispersion. We illustrate mixed dispersion effects and the proposed methodology via semi-authentic data.     

Private Pain,Public Choices: Influence of Problems in the Family of Origin on Career Choices Among a Cohort of MSW Students

This study draws on a survey of 126 graduate social work students from a large school of social work in the United States to investigate the impact of family problems on career choices. Sixty‐nine percent of the students indicated they had a family history of problems related to substance abuse (44%), psychopathology (43%), compulsive disorders (17%), and/or violence (35%). Students who report more indicators of psychopathology and violence were more likely to see their family history as influential in their career choice. These students were also more likely to select mental health/health as a practice area. However, no differences were found between students without a family history of problems and those who did not see their family history as influential. Students' history of family problems and their perceptions of its influence on career choice did not affect the likelihood of selecting a practice method. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and conclude with a series of recommendations for social work education.     

Is bounded-vision an adequate explanation of strategic decision-making failures

One important area in which Management Science should be involved must surely be in the prevention of corporate failure. In this paper we therefore use a scientific methodology to try to identify the major causes of such failure. Two widely differing systems are examined and a large number of hypotheses considered as explanations of failure. In each case the only hypothesis which we are unable to reject, is that prior to the failure the dominant decision-makers in the system were not prepared to accept facts which were plainly available and which, if acted upon, could have prevented disaster. This allows us to suggest some ways of helping to prevent failure. Nevertheless, we feel that research into the mechanisms generating this phenomenon, which we have called bounded-vision, is required before adequate technologies can be designed.