Influence of Caregiver Substance Dependence and Serious Mental Illness on Children’s Mental Health: Moderating Effects of Social Support

This study examined the relationships between caregiver alcohol dependence, drug dependence, and serious mental illness and internalizing and externalizing behaviors and whether these risks were moderated by social support. The study included 3,225 children ages 2–17 and their current caregivers, who participated in the second cohort of the National Survey on Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Regression analysis indicated that caregiver alcohol dependence, serious mental illness, and social support were significantly associated with internalizing behaviors and caregiver serious mental illness and social support were significantly associated with externalizing behaviors. Results indicated that social support moderated the associations between caregiver alcohol dependence and internalizing and caregiver drug dependence and externalizing behaviors. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.     

Using Two Intersubjective Perspectives in Combat Deployment: A Military Mental Health Professional’s Experience

The stress and demands of combat deployment create challenges for a military mental health provider (MMHP) to operate in a helper role in an environment adverse to the helping process. A case is presented featuring the experience of a MMHP while deployed to establish the existence of two types of intersubjective space in a combat environment. Modern attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology are used as a theoretical framework, and concepts of emotional self-regulation, implicit communication, and attunement are applied to the case. The work of the MMHP is shown within and between the two types of intersubjective space and emphasize the seizing of unexpected clinical moments. The MMHP must remain emotionally regulated to participate in the implicit communicative process and rapidly form a therapeutic relationship. Creative and improvisational methods are demonstrated by the MMHP that challenge rigid adherence to clinical models. Applicability is significant to the specialty field of MMHP’s to improve deployment preparation, clinical skill development, and personal health management. Work with veterans can be enhanced by understanding deployment experiences and recognizing the importance of attunement by regulating affect for both the provider and client.     

Invisible Scars: Comparing the Mental Health of LGB and Heterosexual Intimate Partner Violence Survivors

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects countless women and men in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) as well as heterosexual relationships, but few studies have examined how such abuse is associated with the mental health of LGB victims. The present study addresses this issue using data from the 2006 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey to examine differences in depression and anxiety among IPV victims in LGB and heterosexual partnerships. The findings indicate LGB IPV victims are much more likely to have a history of depression (OR 1.70, p < .05) and anxiety (OR 1.70, p < .05) than heterosexual victims. These differences are slightly mediated by the victim’s perceived emotional support but not the type of abuse experienced. Our findings accentuate the need for greater inclusion of LGB persons in the IPV and mental health discourse, as well as the importance of social support for IPV victims. Policy implications for members of the LGB community are discussed.     

Differences in Parental Monitoring Components and Their Associated Health Indicators Between Sexual-Minority and Heterosexual Girls

ABSTRACT

Our study sought to assess whether parental monitoring and their associations with health behaviors differed for heterosexual girls compared to sexual-minority girls (girls who identified as lesbian or bisexual, endorsed same-sex attraction, or had same-sex romantic or sexual partners). We analyzed three components of parental monitoring—adolescent disclosure, parental solicitation, and parental knowledge—between heterosexual and sexual-minority girls. We also tested if the associations between these three constructs and adolescent relationship abuse, suicidality, heavy drinking, binge drinking, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms were different for heterosexual girls compared to sexual-minority girls. Sexual-minority girls were less likely to disclose accurately to their parents their location and activities and perceived their parents asked less and knew less about their location and activities than did heterosexual girls. Heterosexual girls who reported higher levels of adolescent disclosure were less likely than were sexual-minority girls to report suicidality and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, heterosexual girls who reported higher levels of parental knowledge were also less likely than were sexual-minority girls to report anxiety and depressive symptoms. These findings suggest that parental monitoring may not be as protective for sexual-minority girls as it is for heterosexual girls.     

Caregivers,firm policies and gender discrimination claims

This paper explores a relatively new class of lawsuits claiming “caregiver discrimination.” Using the National Study of the Changing Workforce, it shows that claims of gender discrimination in general and caregiver discrimination in particular are more likely among women facing greater work-family conflict. Critically, firm policies that allow work from home or the use of personal time off to care for family needs are associated with reduced claims of caregiver discrimination holding all else constant. Importantly, these reduced claims are uniquely among women with greater family responsibilities.     

Comparison of the IPAQ-Short Form and accelerometry predictions of physical activity in older adults

Older adult physical activity (PA) levels obtained from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ) and accelerometry (ACC) were compared. Mean difference scores between accumulated or bout ACC PA and the IPAQ were computed. Spearman rank-order correlations were used to assess relations between time spent in PA measured from ACC and self-reported form of the IPAQ, and percentage agreement across measures was used to classify meeting or not meeting PA recommendations. The IPAQ significantly underestimated sitting and overestimated time spent in almost all PA intensities. Group associations across measures revealed significant relations in walking, total PA, and sitting for the whole group (r = .29-.36, p < .05). Significant relationships between bout ACC and IPAQ walking (r = .28-.39, p < .05) were found. There was 40-46% agreement between measures for meeting PA recommendations. The IPAQ appears not to be a good indicator of individual older adult PA behavior but is better suited for larger population-based samples.     

Who Wins and Who Loses? Public Transfer Accounts for US Generations Born 1850 to 2090

Public transfer programs in industrial countries are thought to benefit the elderly through pension and health care programs at the expense of the young and future generations. This intergenerational picture changes, however, if public education is also considered as a transfer program. We calculate the net present value at birth of benefits received minus taxes paid for US generations born 1850 to 2090. Surprisingly, all generations 1950 to 2050 are net gainers, while many current elderly are net losers. Windfall gains from starting Social Security and Medicare partially offset windfall losses from starting public education, roughly consistent with the arguments of Becker and Murphy.     

Biodemographic modeling of the links between fertility motivation and fertility outcomes in the NLSY79

In spite of long-held beliefs that traits related to reproductive success tend to become fixed by evolution with little or no genetic variation, there is now considerable evidence that the natural variation of fertility within populations is genetically influenced and that a portion of that influence is related to the motivational precursors to fertility. We conduct a two-stage analysis to examine these inferences in a time-ordered multivariate context. First, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979, and LISREL analysis, we develop a structural equation model in which five hypothesized motivational precursors to fertility, measured in 1979–1982, predict both a child-timing and a child-number outcome, measured in 2002. Second, having chosen two time-ordered sequences of six variables from the SEM to represent our phenotypic models, we use Mx to conduct both univariate and multivariate behavioral genetic analyses with the selected variables. Our results indicate that one or more genes acting within a gene network have additive effects that operate through child-number desires to affect both the timing of the next child born and the final number of children born, that one or more genes acting through a separate network may have additive effects operating through gender role attitudes to produce downstream effects on the two fertility outcomes, and that no genetic variance is associated with either child-timing intentions or educational intentions.     

Working with families living with autism: potential contributions of marriage and family therapists

This article introduces marriage and family therapists (MFT) to some of the common issues faced by families that have a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). First, autism is defined and common myths surrounding it are discussed. Next, relational challenges are presented that families report experiencing during early childhood through the elementary school years, adolescence and the transition into adulthood, and the later years of the family life cycle. Real-life stories are included to illustrate the potential contributions that MFTs can make to families that have a child with ASD.