A revised socioeconomic index of occupational status

Duncan's Socioeconomic Index (SEI), a widely used indicator of occupational ranking, is based on education and income data from the 1950 census. The major purpose of this paper is to offer a more contemporary version of this index. There are several reasons for doing so. Not only has the occupational classificatory scheme been altered, but the educational and economic characteristics of the American labor force and of specific occupational groups have changed since 1950. The two decades may also have seen a shift in the relations between the educational and economic attributes of an occupational grouping and its social standing or prestige. Second, the construction of the original SEI rested on the characteristics of the male labor force, rather than those of the total labor force. Third, in the process of updating the index, we illustrate how certain arbitrary decisions (dictated by data limitations) in the construction of the Duncan SEI served to vest the socioeconomic index with some artifactual properties. In the production of an updated version of the socioeconomic index, we use three approaches. First, we experiment with differing measures of the income and educational criteria. Second, we reconstruct the dependent variable, occupational standing, to provide a better approximation of the prestige measure used by Duncan (1961). Third, we consider the attributes of both the male and total labor forces in generating contemporary indexes of occupational status. We also compare the performance of the new socioeconomic indexes in models of occupational attainment against the performance of the original Duncan index and subsequent occupational prestige measures. The paper appends new socioeconomic indexes for detailed occupational titles based on the 1970 census classification of occupations.     

Cognitive-behavioural interventions for adolescents in residential child care in Scotland: an examination of practice and lessons from research

This paper sets out to examine the basis and use of cognitive‐behavioural interventions with adolescents in residential child care. The paper outlines the results of a survey of the use of cognitive‐behavioural interventions in Scotland. The survey indicates that such interventions are used widely in residential schools and secure units in Scotland. The paper then reviews some of the studies relating to cognitive‐behavioural interventions, which appear to be most relevant to residential child care. The review revealed many of the positive outcomes of cognitive‐behavioural interventions. However, there are some cautionary notes highlighted by the survey and the review. These relate to issues about generalization of learning and the meaning of the intervention for the young person and for the staff. The paper discusses the importance of other factors in determining the success of cognitive‐behavioural interventions. These factors include the importance of accurate assessment, the role of staff training and the need to ensure that interventions are always in the best interests of the child.     

Using research in practice: A research information service for social care practitioners

In recent years a variety of initiatives have been created with the aim of increasing the use of research in social care practice. This article reports findings from a one‐year pilot research information service provided by the What Works for Children project. Taking note of the evidence from the research utilization literature, the service was set up to support social care practitioners in using research findings in their service‐planning. An implementation officer worked with service‐planners to identify areas where research could be helpful. Researchers provided responses to practitioners’ questions by searching for, critically appraising and summarizing the relevant literature. This article looks at the practicalities of running such a service and discusses its potential for influencing research use. The pilot underlines the importance of some of the obstacles to using research, some of which our service was able to overcome. The gap between what practitioners want from research and what research provides is discussed.     

Opportunity,outlook and coping in poor,urban, African American,late-age,female adolescent contraceptors

This article explored the concepts of resilience, equal opportunity, and coping within a person-process-context model among urban Black adolescents in the US. Data were obtained from narrative accounts and interviews among 20 pregnant and 16 nonpregnant Black female adolescents aged 17 and 19 years. Respondents were recruited from prenatal and family planning clinics of a large metropolitan hospital and were representative of a low-income community with many female household heads and at-risk behaviors. The instruments included a 24-item structured interview of demographic data, and the 56 item semi-structured Pregnancy Adulthood Negotiation of Status Interview (PANSI). The interview elicited responses based on concrete experience, dialogue for assessing knowledge, and an ethic of caring and personal accountability. Contextual analysis revealed seven themes: adulthood preparation, role model formulation, decision-making, protective sensibility, sex and gender role commitment, opportunity mobility, and mate selection. All females shared similar demographics. Most resided in female-headed households and were high school graduates. The subsample differed in behaviors and attitudes on church affiliation, college attendance, registered voter status, sense of care and protection of self and others, self expectancies of social mobility, dating, and mate selection. Nonpregnant females were more likely to have part-time work experience and have mothers with post-high school achievement. Low-income nonpregnant adolescents were effective contraceptors and had social mobility aspirations. Narratives suggest that nonpregnant adolescents had an inner strength and belief, and commitment to advancement of career and vocational goals. The affiliations acted as social supports. These women used skillful coping mechanisms. Clinical social workers should reinforce resilience and work values.