在唤回天命的路上———关于信仰重建的沉思

市场经济下的当代中国人,面临一种非常矛盾的生存境遇和道德困境。昔日作为中国人民间信仰的“天地君亲师”,是对中国人文理性儒教的高度概括和精炼表达,也是中国百姓之终极关怀的具体表达形式。“天地君亲师”是一个以天（神）为统摄、以血缘孝亲家庭为基础、以大地自然为家园、以祖国社群团体为依归、以尊师弘道、文化守护为己任的,作为公民个人信仰和道德实践的基础的终极关怀。     

Jumping through hoops – the cost of compliance on sole parents

Australian governments along with other western countries have made significant changes to the welfare system with a focus on encouraging sole parents on social security payments to move into paid work. This paper reports on in‐depth interviews with 48 sole parents about their experiences with the welfare‐to‐work process and with a range of other services. Although parents reported some positive encounters, they also described a range of negative experiences, including how they needed to repeatedly prove their entitlement to help, leaving them feel as if they were undeserving of support. The study has demonstrated that it is often the most vulnerable parents who feel under close scrutiny and who have to work extra hard to get the help they need. These experiences can also see them disengaging from services. The findings show how the current policy environment adds to the complexity of sole parents' lives reinforcing their disadvantage.     

Protective Effects of Parent–College Student Communication During the First Semester of College

Abstract

Objective: Recent studies suggest that parents maintain influence as their adolescents transition into college. Advances in communication technology make frequent communication between parents and college students easy and affordable. This study examines the protective effect of parent–college student communication on student drinking behaviors, estimated peak blood alcohol concentration (eBAC), and serious negative consequences of drinking. Participants: Participants were 746 first-year, first-time, full-time students at a large university in the United States Methods: Participants completed a baseline and 14 daily Web-based surveys. Results: The amount of time spent communicating with parents on weekend days predicted the number of drinks consumed, heavy drinking, and peak eBAC, consistent with a protective within-person effect. No association between communication and serious negative consequences was observed. Conclusions: Encouraging parents to communicate with their college students, particularly on weekend days, could be a relatively simple, easily implemented protective process to reduce dangerous drinking behaviors.     

Rewards of Fostering Children with Disabilities

Poverty and hunger are increasingly significant issues facing the United States. An additional trend, the consolidation in food retail, also contributes to food insecurity. This qualitative study of rural food insecure households investigates how assistance services and retail consolidation affect hunger for households in a changing rural environment. The data shows disparities exist in the amount of food assistance available based on household levels of social integration and social capital, leaving less connected residents experiencing hunger.     

Views on Parent–Child Connectedness Among English- and Spanish-Speaking Parents of High-Risk Youth

This study highlights findings from focus groups on parent–child connectedness conducted with English- and Spanish-speaking parents of high-risk youth in the southern United States. The primary aim of the study was to extend research on parent–child connectedness, a broad protective factor for adolescent risk behavior. In addition to describing strategies and obstacles for enhancing closeness between parents and children, parents in Spanish-speaking focus groups also raised issues related to immigration, acculturation, and bicultural stress. Findings provide valuable insights for practitioners and policymakers seeking to improve parent–child connectedness and reduce adolescent risk behavior, with special insight about Mexican-origin, Spanish-speaking families.     

A Culturally Competent Family Enhancement and Empowerment Model for African American Parents

The National Association of Social Worker's Standards for Cultural Competence (2002 National Association of Social Workers. 2002. NASW standards for cultural competence in social work practice, Washington, DC: Author.  [Google Scholar]) mandates social work practices that recognize the cultural preferences of different groups in the United States. The NASW Code of Ethic (1996 National Association of Social Workers. 1996. Code of ethics, Washington, DC: NASW Press.  [Google Scholar]) states that social workers have a responsibility to understand culture and its function and to further recognize the strengths that exist in all cultures. This article addresses the void in the social work literature on culturally based and strengths‐oriented family interventions for African American parents. The article describes a culturally competent intervention model developed by the MAAT Center for Human and Organizational Enhancement, Inc. in Washington, D.C. for parents of African American male youths who live in high‐risk environments. The family enhancement and empowerment model (FEEM) is based on Africentric social work principles that are grounded in a strengths perspective. The article describes the FEEM program, including a discussion of practical strategies for building trust and offering support to African American parents and families.     

The subjective well-being of young people aging out of care

This study explores the subjective well-being (SWB) of young people aging out of public care in Israel, identifying the individual, social support and institutional characteristics of young people on the verge of leaving care that predict their SWB one year later. The results were obtained from two waves of a longitudinal study with young people who aged out from residential settings in Israel. Shortly before they left care 272 young people completed a self-administered questionnaire and 234 of them were interviewed a year later. Overall, their SWB was fairly positive. Specifically, positive relationship with the mother contributes to a better SWB, and learning difficulties reduced SWB. Gender and country of origin also showed a significant effect. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening the young people's relationships with their biological parents while in care and emphasize the need to provide additional support for those with learning difficulties. The findings also help identify sub-groups of young people in care with greater need for support both while in care and afterwards.     

Foster Parents as a Critical Link and Resource in International Adoptions From Guatemala

Before the recent implementation of the Hague Convention requirements on intercountry adoption in Guatemala, most children in the process of being adopted by foreign nationals were cared for by foster parents. In the present study, 16 Guatemalan foster parents were interviewed regarding their experiences with and attitudes toward international and domestic adoption and fostering. Although adoption was generally described in positive terms as a means to improve the child's future, respondents also emphasized the economic dimension of international adoption. Foster parents’ views implied actions that are important for implementation of the Hague Convention requirements, including addressing poverty as the root cause of child relinquishment, reducing structural and attitudinal barriers to domestic adoption, and enlisting the aid of extended families in caring for children. With training and licensing, foster parents themselves might play a role in post-Hague procedures for providing families for children.     

Becoming Lesbian Adoptive Parents

ABSTRACT

Legal, public policy, and social biases make the process of becoming a family difficult for lesbian and gay parents. Currently Massachusetts prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against individuals who apply to become adoptive parents, and allows second parent adoptions enabling adults to adopt a partner's child. We surveyed lesbian adoptive parents, heterosexual adoptive parents, and lesbian parents who used assisted fertilization to determine if the adoption process is similar for lesbian and heterosexual couples, and if lesbian adoptive parents are similar to lesbian parents who use assisted fertilization. The adoption process was similar for both lesbian and heterosexual parents, but lesbian adoptive parents perceived more discrimination and were more inclined to omit information during the home study. Lesbian biological parents found conception, pregnancy and birth “easy.”