Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Relationships And Mortality Risk: A Meta-Analytic Review, Julianne Holt-Lunstad

Faculty Publications

Background

The quality and quantity of individuals' social relationships has been linked not only to mental health but also to both morbidity and mortality.

Objectives

This meta-analytic review was conducted to determine the extent to which social relationships influence risk for mortality, which aspects of social relationships are most highly predictive, and which factors may moderate the risk.

Data Extraction

Data were extracted on several participant characteristics, including cause of mortality, initial health status, and pre-existing health conditions, as well as on study characteristics, including length of follow-up and type of assessment of social relationships.

Results

Across 148 studies (308,849 …

Estimating The Prevalence And Frequency Of The Adolescent Drug Use: Do The Models Fit The Measures?, John P. Hoffmann, Stephen J. Bahr

Faculty Publications

We critically review recent studies to examine the measurement schemes and empirical models used to examine adolescent drug use, with a particular eye toward determining whether differences between the prevalence and frequency of use have been addressed. Several theoretical models suggest that there are differences but we find relatively few studies that have considered prevalence versus frequency, even though selection effects that dictations these processes affect conclusions about predictors of drug use. Using data from the 2004 U.S. National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), (n=16,235), we provide an empirical example of why distinguishing prevalence and frequency of use …

Romantic Relationships And The Physical And Mental Health Of College Students, Scott R. Braithwaite, Raquel Delevi, Frank Fincham

Faculty Publications

This study tested the hypothesis that, analogous to married individuals, college students in committed romantic relationships experience greater well-being than single college students. In a sample of 1,621 college students, individuals in committed relationships experienced fewer mental health problems and were less likely to be overweight/obese. There were no significant differences between groups in frequency of physical health problems. Examination of 2 models suggested that being in a committed romantic relationship decreases problematic outcomes largely through a reduction in sexual partners, which in turn decreases both risky behaviors and problematic outcomes. These results are discussed in the context of how …

Religion And Academic Achievement Among Adolescents, Benjamin Mckune, John P. Hoffmann

Faculty Publications

In this article, we examine the association between religiosity and academic achievement among adolescents. Recent research demonstrates a positive association between religiosity and academic success. However, some studies show that this association is due to family and community factors; for example, variation in levels of family capital among religious affiliates could explain it. Yet whether religious factors affect academic achievement among adolescents might also be due to the concordance or discordance of religiosity between parents and their children. Using data for two years from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examine the associationbetween adolescents‘ religiosity, parents‘ religiosity, and …

Changing Patterns Of Family Care In Uganda: Father Absence And Patrilineal Neglect In The Face Of Hiv/Aids, Jini Roby, Stacey Shaw, Elinor Wanyama Chemonges, Cole D. Hooley

Faculty Publications

In this study, 162 HIV-positive mothers in Uganda were interviewed about the involvement of fathers and paternal kin, regarding current support they provide to children and as child placement options in the event of the mother’s death. More than half of the children had fathers who were already deceased. Another one third had fathers who were alive but did not live with the children. Only 16% of the children were living with and being supported by their fathers. Mothers indicated a strong preference for placement with maternal kin, in contrast to traditional expectations of paternal kin care. Patterns of change …

Attitudes Toward Abortion Among Religious Traditions In The United States: Change Or Continuity?, John P. Hoffmann, Sherrie Mills Johnson

Faculty Publications

Abortion continues to be a highly contentious issue in the United States, with few signs of abatement. The goal of this paper is to specify how variable positions about abortion across religious traditions have led to differential shifts in attitudes among their members. Based on culturally relevant events, position papers, and other religious media, the guiding hypotheses propose that Evangelicals have become increasingly opposed to abortion for elective reasons; yet changes in attitudes regarding abortion for traumatic reasons are due primarily to cohort shifts. Data from the cumulative General Social Surveys (1972–2002) are used to test the hypotheses. The first …

Career Paths Of Eminent Researchers In Marriage And Family Therapy, Sarah R. Droubay, Thorana S. Nelson, Lee N. Johnson, Scott A. Ketring

Faculty Publications

The mental health field of marriage and family therapy (MFT) needs more MFT researchers and more research to validate and verify the effectiveness and efficacy of MFT for the treatment of various mental health and relational problems. Knowing more about how successful researchers have developed their careers would be useful in both inspiring and guiding young MFT researchers toward success. Three eminent researchers whose careers have focused on MFT (James Alexander, John Gottman, and Howard Liddle) and their publications served as the research sample. Research questions addressing types of research, research samples, research questions, therapy model development, funding, and paths …

Onset Of Major Depressive Disorder Among Adolescents, John P. Hoffmann, Scott A. Baldwin, Felicia G. Cerbone

Faculty Publications

Objectives: To examine the association between parental affective disorders and psychoactive substance use disor- ders and the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD) among adolescents and young adults and to determine whether this association is affected by stressful life events, family cohesion, self-esteem, or gender. Method: Prospective cohort study of 804 adolescents, aged 11–17 years, and their parents who were followed for seven consecutive years. The sam- ple was drawn from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Parental diagnoses were based on Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R administered during study screening stage. Diagnoses of MDD and age of onset were based …

Children’S Sociable And Aggressive Behaviour With Peers: A Comparison Of The Us And Australia, And Contributions Of Temperament And Parenting Styles, Alan Russell, Craig H. Hart, Clyde C. Robinson, Susanne F. Olsen

Faculty Publications

Links between both temperament and parenting, and children’s sociable and aggressive behaviour with peers (physical and relational), were examined. The research was undertaken in two Western cultures (the United States and Australia) assumed to be similar in socialisation practices and emphases. The moderating effects of parent sex and child sex were also examined. Parents completed questionnaires on parenting styles and child temperament. Preschool teachers rated children’s aggressive and sociable behaviour. US children were rated higher on both types of aggression by teachers and on sociability, activity, and emotionality by parents. Girls were rated as more relationally aggressive and more prosocial …

Parental Substance Use Disorder And The Risk Of Adolescent Drug Abuse: An Event History Analysis, John P. Hoffmann, Felicia G. Cerbone

Faculty Publications

A common observation in the research literature is that children of drug-dependent parents are at significantly heightened risk of adolescent drug use, abuse, and dependence. Recent research indicates that several psychological and interpersonal factors may affect the association between parents’ psychoactive substance use disorder (PSUD) and drug use risks among adolescents, yet studies have failed to examine explicitly whether these factors moderate the association between PSUD and adolescent substance abuse. This paper explores these potential relationships using longitudinal data from a study that has followed three cohorts of adolescents and their families over a 7-year period. The cohorts are defined …

The Decision To Breastfeed In The United States: Does Race Matter?, Renata Forste Phd, Jessica Weiss Bs, Emily Lippincott Bs

Faculty Publications

Objectives. To estimate the effects of maternal and birth characteristics on the decision to breastfeed and to relate breastfeeding practices to racial differences in infant mortality.

Methods. Using a sample of women with young children from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), Cycle V, 1995, the likelihood of breastfeeding was modeled using logistic regression techniques. In addition, single, live births from the NSFG 1988 and 1995 surveys were analyzed to model the effects of race and breastfeeding on infant mortality using Cox regression methods.

Results. After controlling for socioeconomic background and birth characteristics, race remained a strong predictor of …

Proclamation-Based Principles Of Parenting And Supportive Scholarship, Craig H. Hart, Lloyd D. Newell, Lisa L. Sine

Faculty Publications

How parents view the nature of a child and their own role as parents has great influence over the life of that child. Many perspectives about the nature of children have arisen in the course of Western Civilization that have shaped childrearing practices for centuries, including the increasingly accepted scholarly view that parents matter relatively little in children’s lives. (2) This chapter emphasizes inspired, eternal principles that are supported by empirical and conceptual scholarship, which suggests that optimal parenting does indeed matter in children’s lives.

The Effect Of Home Environment On Adolescent Substance Use And Depressive Symptoms, S. Susan Su, John P. Hoffmann, Dean R. Gerstein, Robert A. Johnson

Faculty Publications

We used data from the screening phase and first two waves of a panel study to compare the home environments of families with a substance-abusing parent, families with a depressed parent, and families in a comparison group. We diagnosed substance use disorder and affective disorder by administering the Structural Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (third edition, revised) to each participating parent. The data suggest that families in which parents display a substance use disorder are very similar to those in which parents suffer from affective disorder, in terms of negative life events and lower …

Investigating The Age Effects Of Family Structure On Adolescent Marijuana Use, John P. Hoffmann

Faculty Publications

This study examines differences among older and younger adolescents in the influence of family structure, family relations, and peer relations on marijuana use. Data from a longitudinal sample of adolescents from the United States were stratified by age and used to assess these potential differences. Precise measures of family structure were constructed to account for the various manifestations of family forms. Multivariate analyses indicate that a recent divorce attenuates attachment among younger adolescents and leads to less family involvement among older adolescents. Moreover, older adolescents from stepparent families are less attached to their families. Changes in these family relationship variables …

The Effect Of The Postdivorce Relationship On Paternal Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis, Constance R. Ahrons, Richard B. Miller

Faculty Publications

Longitudinal analyses of data from 64 pairs of former spouses indicate that the quality of their postdivorce relationship had a significant impact on fathers' involvement with their children. The strength of the influence declined over time, however, as the patterns of interaction in the reorganized binuclear family became more stable.

Race And Ethnic Variation In The Schooling Consequences Of Female Adolescent Sexual Activity, Renata Forste, Marta Tienda

Faculty Publications

Data from the National Survey of Families and Households are used to examine the influence of adolescent childbearing and marriage on the likelihood of high school completion among a cohort of women aged 20 to 29 in 1987. Use of event history techniques reveals striking differences by ethnicity. While the effect of teen marriage on school completion was significant only for whites, adolescent childbearing had much stronger deleterious effects for Latinas than for white or especially black teens. Attitudinal data are presented in an effort to explain these differences.

The Family Historian, G. Wesley Johnson Jr.

Faculty Publications

The archivist of a great university library was once asked his secret in collecting so many important materials. He smiled and said, "My success can be summed up in two very important words: vacuum sweeper." His approach was to locate as many relevant materials as possible and then to analyze and classify them. His success was linked to having a wide definition of what records might be of value for historical archives. Where others threw away phone books, he kept them (valuable information on professions and businesses in the Yellow Pages), where others threw away menus, he kept them (valuable …