Ambivalence in Gay and Lesbian Family Relationships

Intergenerational ambivalence—the simultaneous presence of both positive and negative dimensions of a parent–child tie—is a concept widely used in family studies. Scholars have clarified the measurement of psychological ambivalence, or an individual's own feelings of ambivalence toward others. Yet research has yet to demonstrate whether—and, if so, how—individuals characterize others as ambivalent. Moreover, relatively little is known about ambivalence in gay and lesbian families. In the present study 60 in‐depth interviews were analyzed to identify what the author calls perceived ambivalence in the parent, sibling, extended kin, and “in‐law” relationships of gay and lesbian adults. Perceived ambivalence is revealed through gay and lesbian adults' characterizations of family members' simultaneous positive and negative overt and covert beliefs and behavior. In addition, the author refines the concept of collective ambivalence, wherein perceived ambivalence typifies an entire family unit. The findings further revealed the importance of broader sociological factors, such as homophobia, in structuring perceived ambivalence.     

Disability,partnership and parenting

Partnerships and parenthood can have important effects on economic, social and psychological well-being. We provide new long-term analysis of how disability affects both parental status and partnerships. Analysis of the new Life Opportunities Survey, which is based on social model approaches, demonstrates that disabled people are more likely than non-disabled people to face disadvantages in terms of family formation. Disabled people are more likely to remain single over time, although there is less evidence for any differences in rates of relationship breakdown for those who enter them. Allied to these conclusions, disabled adults are less likely to form households where there are dependent children. These conclusions are supported by longitudinal results from the British Household Panel Survey.     

Transforming child welfare: from explicit to implicit control of families

Through a historical review of child welfare laws and policies between 1896 and 1992 in Norway, this article investigates the state control of families. The central questions in this article relate to the transformations in the forms of state control of families. The research on which this article is based has relied on a genealogical approach. The sources are comprised of previous studies focusing on the historical development of child welfare in Norway. This article argues that state control, from having been explicit in the late nineteenth century, has today become increasingly implicit and hidden. Indeed, the value granted to children's rights and equality has made opposition to state interventions in families difficult. I relate the transformations in state control of families to the affirmation of the norms of ‘egalitarian individualism’. As Norway is amongst the first European countries to make child-centrism a hallmark of its social policies, these findings have implications for EU countries that may follow its path.     

The role of student–teacher relationships in the association between negative parenting practices and emotion dynamics – Combining longitudinal and ecological momentary assessment data

Emotion dysregulation is increasingly implicated as a transdiagnostic risk factor in the etiology of mental health problems. This project aimed to explore the links between emotion regulation, negative parenting and student–teacher relationships using longitudinal and ecologically valid data. A sample of n = 209 young people enrolled in the ‘Decades-to-Minutes’ (D2M) study, based in Zurich, Switzerland, provided data from the ages of 7–20 via parent- and self-report questionnaires and ecological momentary assessment. Data were analyzed using Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling (DSEM). Worse student–teacher relationships predicted increased negative affectivity and emotional lability. Negative parenting practices predicted emotional lability only via their impact on student–teacher relationships. The findings point to worse student–teacher relationships as risk factors in the socioemotional development of children and young people.     

Which Nonprofit Gets More Government Funding?

Government represents one of the most important funding sources for nonprofit organizations. However, the literature has not yet provided a systematic understanding of nonprofits’ organizational factors that are associated with their receipts of government funding. This study combines interorganizational relationships and organizational institutionalism literature to examine the determinants of nonprofits’ obtainment of government funding. Based on a survey of human service nonprofits in Maryland, this research finds that nonprofits with higher bureaucratic orientation, stronger domain consensus with government, and longer government funding history are more likely to receive government contracts and grants. Nonprofits’ revenue diversification, professionalization, and board co‐optation might have very limited impacts.     

人口流动对家庭结构影响的统计研究

人口流动使完整家庭分离为结构不完整的流动家庭和留守家庭,导致家庭结构的变化,其程度需要定量分析。本文以中国家庭金融调查数据为依据分析了人口流动对家庭结构的影响。结果显示,在我国家庭结构类型中核心家庭仍然占主体地位,近半数家庭是核心家庭;三代直系家庭和一对夫妇家庭所占比重比较接近,各占约五分之一;单人户和隔代家庭比重有所上升。人口流出即家庭成员的外出使得家庭结构类型向更小更简单的家庭结构类型转变。     

Is HRD in need of an ethics of care?

Human Resource Development (HRD) operates within competitive global environments and the changing expectations of societal moral values, which can be in conflict with organizational values, performance, and profit. These are underpinned by the unquestioning acceptance and ‘orthodoxy’ of free‐market economics, legalism, and codes of conduct that result in a lack of ethical analysis within HRD practice. In response to the forgoing, it will be argued that the ethics of care that espouses the values of human relationships, empathy, dignity, and respect is a legitimate approach to free-market lead ethical rule-based rationality that is often presented as the de facto position for HRD professional practice. It presents the ethical debates in which HRD operates within, before arguing for the ethics of care. Three case examples from practice are offered illustrating how HRD practice might respond through the lens of an ethics of care. Reflections and implications for HRD in the form of objections and responses are considered. It concludes that HRD professionals are faced with many difficulties when making decisions, and that the ethics of care offer is an alternative perspective for HRD practitioners.     

Experiences of a Mass Interinstitutional Relocation for Long-Term Care Staff

This research explored long-term care (LTC) staff perceptions and experiences of working in LTC and providing care to residents following a mass interinstitutional relocation. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted with 63 LTC workers. Thematic analyses revealed three overarching themes related to how staff members perceived their relationships with other staff members following relocation. The first theme, post-relocation relationships between staff members, included the subthemes “Staff are segregated from each other” (physical distance) and “We were a family” to “barely say hi” (psychological distance). The second theme, post-relocation stress, has two subthemes: “Staffing is our big issue” and consequences of stress: absenteeism and leave. The third theme is recommendations for improving and managing staff relationships post-relocation. Relationships among staff members are integral to working in LTC and providing care to residents following a mass interinstitutional relocation. Recommendations for improving staff relationships and morale are suggested.     

Personal assistance from family members as an unwanted situation,an optimal solution or an additional good? The Swedish example

The aim of this article was to explore how users experienced and managed personal assistance from family members who are employed as personal assistants. Seventeen users of personal assistance provided by one or several family members, often in combination with external personal assistants, participated. Thematic qualitative interviews were conducted. The participants were between 19 and 58 years old, and were living with various impairments: mobility, sensory and/or learning disabilities. The results showed that personal assistance from family members could both promote and be a barrier to disabled people’s control over their own lives and participation in society. It became evident that the situation could have both advantages and disadvantages for both parties, which puts the focus on the interdependency between the participants and their family assistants. However, the results also points to a potential risk that the welfare state (re)passes its responsibilities back on to disabled people and their families.