Female marital mobility within Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland: a log-linear analysis

A series of log-linear models predicting the exchange marital experiences of Irish wives are prevented for the Irish Republic. The best explanatory model is one in which the relationship between a husband's occupational status and that of his father-in-law remains homogeneous across age levels, Women show a marked propensity to marry husbands at a similar occupational status as that of their fathers and long-range upward or downward mobility across the manual/nonmanual divide is unlikely. This tendency towards endogamy is particularly pronounced within the two upper non-manual categories and the manual strata generally the same general model of homogeneous association holds for Northern Ireland across age levels and religious affiliation. In the North, however, more short-range mobility occurs, particularly between the two upper non-manual groups. Despite this the norm for both the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland is marital immobility rather than marital mobility with no evidence of a fundamental trend towards increased marital mobility. Furthermore. The mobility through marriage that did occur does not result in an overall net advantage for women.     

The sociological perspective and policy analysis: A case study approach

Case studies are widely used in law, medicine and business schools. In this paper an example of how the case method can be used in complex organization, industrial sociology or political sociology classes is presented. The case method also lends itself to an applied approach challenging the student to use a sociological perspective in policy analysis. The utility of the case method for instructors using an applied approach is demonstrated.     

THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION AND RISK PERCEPTION ON THE HURRICANE EVACUATION DECISION-MAKING OF GREATER NEW ORLEANS RESIDENTS

This article contributes to the current discussion on how residents living in vulnerable areas make the decision to evacuate when they are in harms way. Key in this discussion is the question, what role does information and risk play in shaping evacuation behavior? This study used a sample of respondents from the greater New Orleans region (Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Bernard Parishes) of the Twelve Parish Survey (N = 1,207) conducted prior to Hurricane Katrina. The findings indicate that information sources are vitally important in the evacuation process. By examining the role of information from authorities, family, and friends; visual imagery; and the media we found that individuals use a variety of sources when they decide to evacuate. Further, the importance of visual imagery in the evacuation process is discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of information dissemination and its importance to members of the media and public policy makers.     

Too Strict or Too Lenient?: Examining The Role of School Strictness With Educational and Juvenile Justice Outcomes

Abstract

Although there is research exploring how school punishment practices are influencing academic and juvenile justice outcomes, how strict or lenient school punishment practices are related to aspects of education such as grade retention and dropping out, as well as juvenile justice contact, remains unknown. This study draws from the Texas Education Agency’s Public Education Information Management System to investigate the relationship between strict and lenient school punishment practices, academic progress or failure, and juvenile justice contact. Results indicate that schools with more strict punishment practices can contribute to higher grade retention and juvenile justice referral rates; however, it also appears that lenient punishment practices also exacerbate these same outcomes as well as higher referral rates. The importance of fair, just, and balanced school punishment practices is discussed.     

Friendship and Conformity in Group Opinions: Juror Verdict Change in Mock Juries

Social psychological research on group processes has consistently shown that group members adjust their views to conform to dominant and/or socially desirable stances. Studies are less clear, though, on how friendships within groups impact this tendency. Some studies suggest greater group cohesion leads to more conformity; other studies suggest friendship lessens the pressure to agree on certain issues. In this study, we use mock juries to test the impact of varying levels of friendship on jurors’ propensities to change their verdicts to the dominant position (in this case acquittal, or a “not guilty” verdict). Our findings show that distant friendships among jurors increase the odds of conforming to acquittal; but close friendships decrease the odds of conformity. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding group processes and conformity as well as for jury research.     

Abstract

Abstract

Edmunds M W: Structure and nurse practitioner performance. The Nurse Practitioner 4: (3)42, May/June 1979

Are you a “new” nurse practitioner (NP) returning to your “old” practice setting? Are you a staff nurse, physician, receptionist in the “old” setting, wondering how to cope with this “new” nurse? This article is a MUST.

Simply and clearly, Ms. Edmunds illustrates the ingredients necessary to facilitate successful role transition.

Structural aspects requiring consideration are drawn from A. Donabedian and include:

1. adequacy of physical structure, facilities and equipment—office, exam room and equipment, telephone;

2. staff qualifications and organization-different mixes and levels of staff and/or reallocation of functions may be required;

3. fiscal arrangements—economic contributions to the practice should be recognized financially;

4. administrative, organization and/or programatic structures need to be reevaluated. Daily routine, patient assignment, collaboration-consultation time, development of new modes of health care delivery are examples.

Problems that may prove to be barriers to the role transition must be assessed and defined. Solutions potentiated should include attending to the structural aspects of the practice milieu. Ms. Edmunds offers valuable suggestions to avert or resolve “reentry” problems.     

A Measure of Accountability: Clients' Perceptions of a University Mental Health Service

Abstract

The University Counseling Center at the State University of New York at Stony Brook has developed a psychodynamic model for brief therapy in order to meet increased demands for service with limited staff resources. Because the center has both a multidisciplinary staff and graduate student training program, the aim of the model was to translate already existing theories of time-limited psychotherapy into practical, usable, teachable techniques. A major issue addressed was the reluctance to accept brief therapy because of its perception of being superficial and amenable only to symptom relief as opposed to “preferred” long-term treatment, seen as providing in-depth change and personality reorganization.

The model developed is based on one or two assessment sessions followed by eight sessions of treatment. The major distinguishing characteristic of the model consists of the explicit setting of two goals with the patient. Goal I is based on an assessment of the presenting problem and is directed toward symptom relief. Goal II is based on a characterological-thematic assessment of the patient and is directed toward major theme-process issues in which the presenting problem is imbedded. The eight treatment sessions are seen as a dynamic whole. Both goals I and II are explicitly contracted for, and each session number is announced by the therapist.

Experience with the model to date has shown that eight sessions produce characteristic initial, middle, and late sessions, with planned termination, a powerful, dynamic feature not usually utilized with many psychotherapies in which natural or calendar events tend to provide motivation for termination. In addition, major characterological changes can begin when the patient participates in the ego-synthesizing function of understanding the thematic issues within which specific behaviors and emotional reactions are a part.     

Emergency Contraceptive Pill (ECP) Use and Experiences at College Health Centers in the Mid-Atlantic United States: Changes Since ECP Went Over-the-Counter

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the availability of emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) at college health centers since ECP went over-the-counter (OTC) in 2006. Related issues, such as distribution procedure, existence of a written protocol, personnel involved, contraindications, follow-up procedures, methods of advertising, and staff attitudes, were examined. Participants: The sample included 135 college and university health centers in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Methods: Data were collected via telephone survey with the use of a 42-item survey instrument. Results: Forty-three percent of schools reported distributing ECPs, for an average of 10.6 years. Major changes in ECP distribution and usage since ECP went OTC related primarily to protocol in ECP distribution, advertising for ECP services, and ECP accessibility to university students. Conclusions: College health centers are responding to the OTC status of ECP in a number of ways, primarily relating to their distribution procedures and advertising techniques.     

Toward Health Reform for Seniors in Bermuda: Historical Constraints on Political Possibilities

In 2009, as the United States moved toward health care reform, the government of Bermuda implemented its FutureCare program to make health care for seniors more affordable. This article investigates how preferences for reform and its eventual design were shaped by the country's social history and commitment to free market values. Data derive from 36 in-depth interviews with key stakeholders deemed knowledgeable about health care financing and delivery in Bermuda, including government officials, provider representatives, insurance executives, and consumer advocates. Data also derive from a variety of documentary sources. Results indicate that although a clear need for health care and the ability to finance it for seniors exists in Bermuda, the scope of reform was circumscribed by preferences for prior policy decisions, creating a favorable tax and business environment for international corporations and a minimalist social welfare state for addressing racial and economic inequality. This suggests that widespread agreement on the challenges in meeting the health and long-term care needs of the elderly does not necessarily lead to equally commensurable solutions to addressing it.     

Social Density of Gambling and Its Association with Gambling Problems: An Initial Investigation

The role of social factors in pathological gambling has received relatively little systematic research. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between a target individual’s gambling behavior and the gambling behavior among that individual’s parents, siblings and five closest friends. The specific aims were, first, to apply a novel brief assessment to study the social density of factors relating to pathological gambling; second, to replicate previously observed findings involving the social aggregation of alcohol and tobacco use; and third, to examine social density findings among the three domains. Participants were 128 frequent gamblers from the Athens, Georgia area, 79.7 % male with a mean age of 34.2 (SD = 11.7). Participants were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview for Gambling Severity for gambling severity, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test for alcohol abuse, the Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence for tobacco use, and the novel Brief Social Density of Gambling, Alcohol, and Tobacco Assessment. Significant relationships were observed between participants’ and friends’ activity within all domains: gambling (ps = .001), alcohol use (p < .001) and tobacco use (p < .001). Relationships with friends’ activity across domains were less strong. Distinct patterns of associations with parents and siblings were not observed. Thus, social aggregation was observed across the three domains of potentially addictive behaviors, generally with specificity within domains and with friends, not biological relatives. Methodological considerations and potential applications of these findings are discussed.