Caring for the caregivers

National Family Caregivers month is a reminder of the invaluable contributions of family caregivers--contributions that are too often unrecognized when addressing the costs of health care. Unpaid caregivers spend a substantial percentage of each week "helping out," often with older relatives, which requires major changes in their work patterns. It is clear that these caregivers may need help balancing their work and caregiving responsibilities, and it is tempting to want to help them by "taking over" some of the seemingly overwhelming tasks they face daily. Yet, it is also important to recognize the ways in which these tasks may enrich caregivers' own quality of life. Through listening to caregivers, nurses and other health care professionals can better understand the embedded values, goals, joys, and disappointments that connect their lives with those for whom they care.     

Competitive bidding — The probability of winning

A company bidding by sealed tender needs to know the relationship between their bid price and their chances of winning the contract. Previously published models for computing the probability of winning are examined and found to be inaccurate. The problem is reformulated, and a new general predictive model for computing the probability of winning is developed. The method of computation is illustrated by a simple worked example.     

Sociology Dismissing Religion? The Presentation of Religious Change in Introductory Sociology Textbooks

This paper explores whether the field of sociology harbors a dismissive attitude towards religion. Specifically it examines whether introductory sociology textbooks present the classic secularization theory over the more recent religious economies explanation of religious change. The classical secularization thesis suggests that religion is declining in importance in modern societies and may disappear completely. The religious economies perspective proposes that religion has actually become more influential and dynamic over time. While both theories are well represented in the sociology of religion literature, we explore whether generalist sociology textbooks reflect this reality. This article provides a content analysis of 31 introductory sociology textbooks published between 2003 and 2006. We assess the presence and promotion of the above theories in these textbooks. Our analysis reveals that 20 (65%) of the 31 textbooks in our study present only secularization theory, while seven (23%) of the textbooks cover both secularization theory and religious economies theory. We assess the ramifications of such a lopsided arrangement and conclude by encouraging a more open dialogue on this issue.     

Meeting the mental health needs of the aging veteran population

The growth in the veterans population parallels the graying of America, accompanied by an increasing need for health care and mental health services from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system. With the incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) rising in veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the already strained mental health resources in use by veterans with persistent PTSD from previous wars, the VA mental health system is and will continue to be in overload. In addition, recent research has noted an increased incidence of dementia in veterans with PTSD. The VA's long-term care facilities cannot meet their current demands, nevermind provide support for veterans with cognitive deficits who can no longer be cared for at home. It is imperative that immediate measures be taken to strengthen resources for research, manpower, and training to accommodate the future mental health needs of our aging veterans.     

Productivity of highly skilled immigrants: economists in the postwar period

Prior work finds declining immigrant quality in the postwar period that is linked to source-country and skill-composition changes associated with the 1965 Immigration Act. This paper uses a unique panel of foreign- and native-born American Economic Association members to show that the highly skilled experienced a similar shift away from European migrants toward those from Asia. However, the findings do not indicate that this change in source-country composition has been accompanied by a decline in quality; rather, the most recent cohorts of foreign-born economists appear to be more productive than their native counterparts.     

Rolling with the shakes: an insight into teenagers’ perceptions of recovery after the Canterbury earthquakes

Natural disasters are harmful worldwide events that inflict multiple psychosocial impacts on disaster-exposed individuals. A significant proportion of affected individuals are teenagers (13–18 years old) who, compared with adults, have been historically overlooked in disaster research. The literature is particularly sparse concerning teenagers’ recovery from natural disasters, specifically what recovery means to them and the contributing factors towards their positive recovery. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to gain deeper insight into this largely unexplored area by conducting five focus groups with teenagers (16–18 years) who experienced at least one of the Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquakes since and including the initial September 2010 earthquake. This study directly asked teenagers about their recovery over the three years after the initial earthquakes, with data being analysed using thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified: (1) perceptions of recovery, with three sub-themes (i) knowledge and being less frightened, (ii) talking about the earthquakes and (iii) shift in perspectives; and (2) contributing factors to recovery, with three sub-themes (i) participation in the community response, (ii) returning to school and (iii) the rebuild of Christchurch. These factors provide insight into how we can better support the recovery process for disaster-exposed teenagers to reduce long-term distress.     

A common-features analysis of Amsterdam and London financial markets during the eighteenth century

We examine the financial linkage between the London and Amsterdam financial markets using stock prices recorded in each market over the period 1723-94 in conjunction with tests for common trends, cycles, and regime shifts. These tests reveal a surprising degree of integration between the markets as their prices move together in both the short and long run. Moreover, shocks to the assets translate quickly and accurately between markets. It also appears that Dutch investment did not destabilize London markets and stock prices in London were the primary determinant of prices in Amsterdam.     

Widows and widowers in today's society

With the increasing life span in our society, the number of widowed individuals has increased dramatically. The loss of a spouse is one of the most stressful life events for both women and men, yet there is little nursing research on the physical and psychosocial needs of older adults who are experiencing this loss. Some studies suggest that widowed women and men develop significant physical and mental health problems and complicated grief. Thus, it is important for nurses to recognize the diversity of grieving experiences and the increased vulnerability of widowed individuals to psychiatric illnesses that may result in suffering and impairment of daily functioning. With a better understanding of these needs, nurses can provide interventions that help these individuals maintain their health and independence.