Sociology Commons^™

Domestic Sex Trafficking Of Minors, U.S. Department Of Justice

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

The trafficking section of this web page provides information on the international problem of cross-border transportation of children for sexual purposes. It is important to note that United States not only faces an influx of international victims of sex trafficking, but also the United States has its own homegrown problem of interstate sex trafficking of minors.

Rights, Protections And Resources Pamphlet (2009), U.S. Department Of State

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

If you are coming to the United States to work or study, we are confident that you will have a pleasant and rewarding stay. If you should encounter any problems, however, know that you have rights and can get help. The pamphlet linked below informs you of your rights as a non-immigrant visa holder in certain employment- and education-based categories (specifically A-3, G-5, NATO-7, B-1 domestic employees, H-1B, H-1B1, H-2A, H-2B, and J-1 visa holders). The U.S. Government created this pamphlet at the prompting of a new U.S. law, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (Public Law 110-457), …

Department Of State - Global Affairs, U.S. Department Of State

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

The Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP) is pleased to announce a two-stage competitive process for 2010 funding of projects that will improve the response to trafficking in persons outside the United States. The first stage is submission and competitive panel review of two-page Statements of Interest (SOI) from organizations interested in submitting proposals for projects that combat human trafficking. In the second stage, G/TIP will invite applicants whose Statements of Interest are reviewed favorably to submit proposals that expand on their SOI. These proposals will also be reviewed by a panel for consideration …

2009 Trafficking In Persons Report, U.S. Department Of State

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

The Department of State is required by law to submit each year to the U.S. Congress a report on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This is the ninth annual TIP Report; it seeks to increase global awareness of the human trafficking phenomenon by shedding new light on various facets of the problem and highlighting shared and individual efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective action against all forms of trafficking in persons.

The United States’ Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), as amended, guides efforts to combat …

Recruiting And Selecting Child Welfare Staff, Michelle Graef, Megan Paul, Tara L. Myers

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

In this chapter, the focus is on recruiting and selecting new staff and on the steps agencies can take to ensure that they are doing the best possible job to attract and hire a high-performing, committed workforce. This chapter reviews a number of strategies for improving recruitment and selection processes and provides case examples from the authors' work with child protection agencies in several states. These projects have been accomplished by a team of researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Center on Children, Families, and the Law (CCFL). Some of the techniques described here will be familiar, whereas others are …

Satisfaction With Community Life In Non- Metropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Most of the smaller communities in rural Nebraska have experienced population decline since 2000 while most of the larger communities have experienced population growth. Most communities are also facing budget issues due to the economic recession. Given these conditions, how do rural Nebraskans feel about their community? Are they satisfied with the services provided? Are they planning to move from their community next year? Do their perceptions differ by community size, the region in which they live, or their occupation?

This report details 2,852 responses to the 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll, the fourteenth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. …

Adapting To The Current Economic Climate In Non-Metropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

The national economy has faltered during the past year. While Nebraska’s economy has also faltered, it has not seen the level of job losses and mortgage foreclosures that have occurred in other parts of the country. Given these conditions, what do rural Nebraskans think about the current economic climate? How has their household been impacted during the past year? What changes have they made because of concerns about the economy? How concerned are they about financial matters? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions.

This report details 2,852 responses to the 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll, the fourteenth annual …

Working In Non-Metropolitan Nebraska, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Self employment is the fastest growing part of the rural economy. Given this, what types of jobs do rural Nebraska households have? How many rural Nebraskans derive income from self employment? Are rural Nebraskans self employed out of necessity or because of personal preferences? How many rural Nebraskans have health insurance? Who owns agricultural land in the state and what are their future plans for it? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions.

This report details 2,852 responses to the 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll, the fourteenth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series …

Effects Of Recent Television Signal Changes On Rural Nebraskans, Rebecca Vogt, Randolph Cantrell, Bruce Johnson, Brad Lubben

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

In mid-February 2009, some television stations in the country started broadcasting only in digital signal. All were required to switch to digital only signal this past June. This change did not affect households that currently receive their television signal from a cable or satellite TV provider, only those that receive their signal over-the-air through an antenna or rabbit ears. The 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll included questions related to television viewing, providing a picture of how rural Nebraskans prepared for this change and the effect this change has had on 2,852 randomly selected non-metropolitan Nebraskans. Not all television stations had made …

Well-Being In Non-Metropolitan Nebraska: Perceptions Of The Present And Views Of The Future, Rebecca J. Vogt, Randolph L. Cantrell, Bruce B. Johnson, Bradley D. Lubben

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Nebraska has experienced the effects of the recent recession. How do rural Nebraskans perceive their quality of life? Do their perceptions differ by community size, the region in which they live, or their occupation? This paper provides a detailed analysis of these questions.

This report details 2,852 responses to the 2009 Nebraska Rural Poll, the fourteenth annual effort to understand rural Nebraskans’ perceptions. Respondents were asked a series of questions about their individual well-being. Trends for these questions are examined by comparing data from the thirteen previous polls to this year’s results. In addition, comparisons are made among different respondent …

An Exploratory Evaluation Of Conjoint Behavioral Consultation To Promote Collaboration Among Family, School, And Pediatric Systems: A Role For Pediatric School Psychologists, Susan M. Sheridan Dr., Emily D. Warnes, Kathryn E. Woods, Carrie A. Blevins, Katie L. Magee, Cynthia Ellis

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Pediatric school psychology is a relatively new subspecialty in the field; however, few specific, prescribed roles have been articulated, and fewer have yielded preliminary efficacy data. In this exploratory study, the acceptability and potential efficacy of conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) as a model for linking families, schools, and pediatric settings to address concerns for children with medical issues were evaluated. Twenty-nine children, their parents, teachers, and consultants were involved in conjoint consultation, a model of cross-system collaboration to address shared concerns of medically referred children. In this structured indirect service delivery model, parents, teachers, and school psychology pediatric consultants worked …

Exploring Mothers’ And Fathers’ Relationships With Sons Versus Daughters: Links To Adolescent Adjustment In Mexican Immigrant Families, Kimberly A. Updegraff, Melissa Y. Delgado, Lorey A. Wheeler

Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools: Faculty Publications

Drawing on ecological and gender socialization perspectives, this study examined mothers’ and fathers’ relationships with young adolescents, exploring differences between mothers and fathers, for sons versus daughters, and as a function of parents’ division of paid labor. Mexican immigrant families (N = 162) participated in home interviews and seven nightly phone calls. Findings revealed that mothers reported higher levels of acceptance toward adolescents and greater knowledge of adolescents’ daily activities than did fathers, and mothers spent more time with daughters than with sons. Linkages between parent-adolescent relationship qualities and youth adjustment were moderated by adolescent gender and parents’ division …

Agreement Answer Scale Design For Multilingual Surveys: Effects Of Translation-Related Changes In Verbal Labels On Response Styles And Response Distributions, Ana Villar

Survey Research and Methodology Program: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Answer scales in survey instruments are widely used, but little is known about how to choose verbal descriptors as labels. In multilingual research, this matter is further complicated because answer scales must be appropriate for all languages and function comparatively. Comparing source questionnaires to translations of multinational projects (e.g., the World Values Survey, the European Social Survey), it was observed that certain verbal features differed across languages, countries, and modules. This dissertation empirically investigates the effect of such changes on response distributions. The verbal feature examined is the presence or absence of an intensity modifier in the second and fourth …

Maintaining Credibility And Authority As An Instructor Of Color In Diversity-Education Classrooms: A Qualitative Inquiry, Gary Perry, Helen A. Moore, Crystal Edwards, Katherine Acosta, Connie Frey

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The movement for multicultural or diversity-centered education has resulted in changes to the academic demography of the United States (Banks, 1991; Butler & Walter, 1991; Goodstein, 1994; Morey & Kitano, 1997). Institutions of higher education have integrated the voices, knowledge, and lived experiences of various underrepresented cultures and excluded groups into their formal academic curriculum. A recent survey by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU) shows that 63% of colleges and universities report that they have in place, or are in the process of developing, a diversity education component in their undergraduate curriculum (AACU, 2003). Of those that …

Coping Styles And Sex Differences In Depressive Symptoms And Delinquent Behavior, Lisa A. Kort-Butler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Building on research that links gender to differences in well-being and differences in stress exposure and vulnerability, the current study examines how coping styles are gendered in ways that may contribute to sex differences in depressive symptoms and delinquent behavior. The study disaggregates stress measures to reflect gender differences in the experience of stress, examining whether avoidant, approach, and action coping condition the relationship between stress and well-being. Regression analyses were conducted using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Results revealed sex differences and similarities. The interaction of avoidant coping and stress helped explain why girls had …

Depressed Affect And Historical Loss Among North American Indigenous Adolescents, Les B. Whitbeck, Melissa L. Walls, Kurt D. Johnson, Allan D. Morrisseau, Cindy M. Mcdougall

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study reports on the prevalence and correlates of perceived historical loss among 459 North American Indigenous adolescents aged 11–13 years from the northern Midwest of the United States and central Canada. The adolescents reported daily or more thoughts of historical loss at rates similar to their female caretakers. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated that our measure of perceived historical loss and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale were separate but related constructs. Regression analysis indicated that, even when controlling for family factors, perceived discrimination, and proximal negative life events, perceived historical loss had independent effects on adolescent’s depressive symptoms. …

Annie Marion Maclean, Feminist Pragmatist And Methodologist, Mary Jo Deegan, Michael R. Hill, Susan L. Wortmann

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Annie Marion Maclean was a major Chicago sociologist and methodologist. She was profoundly influenced by the gendered division of labor in sociology during her era. Maclean combined her work with the men and women of the early Chicago school of sociology and the women of Hull-House, an early social settlement. As a feminist pragmatist, Maclean was both a theorist and practitioner who used qualitative and quantitative methods. She set precedents in the Chicago school of ethnography, participant observation, and critical methodology. Maclean, however, was not the “mother” of ethnography. Harriet Martineau holds a far stronger claim to be a founding …

Clinician’S Use Of The Statin Choice Decision Aid In Patients With Diabetes: A Videographic Study Nested In A Randomized Trial, Roberto Abadie, Audrey J. Weymiller, Jon Tilburt, Nilay D. Shah, Cathy Charles, Amiram Gafni, Victor M. Montori

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective To describe how clinicians use decision aids.

Background A 98-patient factorial-design randomized trial of the Statin Choice decision vs. standard educational pamphlet; each participant had a 1:4 chance of receiving the decision aid during the encounter with the clinician resulting in 22 eligible encounters.

Design Two researchers working independently and in duplicate reviewed and coded the 22 encounter videos.

Setting and participants Twenty-two patients with diabetes (57% of them on statins) and six endocrinologists working in a referral diabetes clinic randomly assigned to use the decision aid during the consultation.

Main outcome measures Proportion and nature of unintended use …

Risk Factors For Trading Sex Among Homeless Young Adults, Kimberly A. Tyler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although numerous homeless youth report trading sex, few studies have examined risk factors associated with trading sex and even fewer have employed multivariate analyses to examine this relationship, even though trading sex is associated with many negative health outcomes. Based on a sample of 151 homeless young adults in the midwestern United States, logistic regression analyses revealed that for each additional year of age, youth were 37% more likely to have traded sex (AOR = 1.37; 95% CI = .99–1.90). White youth were 84% less likely to have traded sex than nonwhite youth (AOR = .16; 95% CI = .03–.77). …

Odds Of Having A Regular Physician And Perceptions Of Care: Ethnic Patterns For Women Ages 25–45, Karina Shreffler, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur Greil, Naomi Lacy, Christine Ngaruiya

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: This study’s purpose was to simultaneously investigate demographic, socioeconomic status, health status, and access-to-care factors to see if they could explain racial/ethnic differences in the odds of reproductive-aged women having a regular physician and perceptions of those women about their care. Methods: Data come from a nationally representative sample of 4,520 women ages 25–45. We used logistic regression models to ascertain the odds of having a regular doctor and feeling cared for among black, Hispanic, and Asian women as compared to non-Hispanic white women. Models contained controls for factors found significant in prior research and interaction terms. …

Promoting Parent Partnership In Head Start: A Qualitative Case Study Of Teacher Documents From A School Readiness Intervention Project., Carolyn P. Edwards, Tara Hart, Kelly Rasmussen, Y. M. Haw, Susan M. Sheridan

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

To advance the field of children’s services, implementation and generalization studies are needed to help us reveal the inner workings of intervention projects and how they do (or do not) achieve their outcomes. This paper provides a case study of Head Start teachers’ uptake of the Getting Ready school readiness intervention, intended to strengthen professionals’ capacity to support parental engagement in young children’s development and learning. The qualitative method of document review was used in scrutinizing home visit reports and classroom newsletters as a source of authentic evidence about teachers’ implementation and generalization of an early intervention model. Home visits …

Relation Of Caregiver Alcohol Use To Unintentional Childhood Injury, Amy Damashek, Natalie A. Williams, Kenneth Sher, Lizette Petterson

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective The present study used a case-crossover design to investigate the association of caregiver alcohol consumption and supervision to children's injury occurrence and severity.

Method A community sample of 170 mothers of toddlers was interviewed biweekly about their children's daily injuries for a period of 6 months.

Results Proximal caregiver-reported alcohol use predicted higher likelihood of injury occurrence and higher injury severity, whereas caregiver-reported supervision predicted lower likelihood of injury occurrence and lower injury severity.

Conclusion Even at low levels, proximal caregiver alcohol use may contribute to higher risk for childhood injuries and more severe injuries. The combined effect of …

Factors Influencing Familial Decision-Making Regarding Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, Heather L. Gamble, James L. Klosky, Gilbert R. Parra, Mary E. Randolph

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective The purpose of this review is to summarize the research regarding Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination uptake among families with adolescent/preadolescent daughters.

Methods Literature searches (utilizing PubMed and PsychInfo databases) were conducted and research examining psychological and environmental factors which relate to HPV vaccine uptake and intentions was reviewed.

Results Factors such as physician recommendations, perceptions of the beliefs of peers and significant others, history of childhood immunizations, and communication with adolescents regarding sexual topics appear to influence HPV vaccination outcomes.

Conclusions Although primary prevention of cervical and other cancers is available for preadolescent and adolescent girls, rates of HPV …

Using The World Wide Web To Educate And Inform The Public About Risk And Agricultural Biotechnology, Douglas A. Golick, Robert D. Peterson, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The University of Nebraska and AgBios, Inc. launched the AgBiosafety website (http://agbiosaftzy.unl.edu) with the purpose of educating the public about agricultural biotechnology risk and safezy issues through science-based content. This article discusses the creation ofthe website, its components, and data gathered from usage statistics and a web-delivered survey. Also included is a discussion of the results ofdata gathered and recommendations for future web-based educational efforts in biotechnology safety and risk assessment.

Gestational Risks And Psychiatric Disorders Among Indigenous Adolescents, Les B. Whitbeck, Devan M. Crawford

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study reports on the effects maternal prenatal binge drinking, cigarette smoking, drug use, and pregnancy and birth complications on meeting criteria for psychiatric disorders at ages 10–12 and 13–15 years among 546 Indigenous adolescents from a single culture in the northern Midwest and Canada. Adolescent DSM-IV psychiatric disorders were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Revised (DISC-R). Results indicate that maternal behaviors when pregnant have significant effects on adolescent psychiatric disorders even when controlling for age and gender of adolescent, family per capita income, living in a single mother household, and adolescent reports of mother’s positive parenting.

Harriet Martineau And Ireland, Brian Conway, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The Victorian sociologist-novelist Harriet Martineau visited Ireland on two different occasions, first in 1832 and again, twenty years later, in 1852, just six years after the Great Famine of 1846, when the country was still very much visibly affected by that event. Her latter journey covered some 1,200 miles and encompassed all four provinces that make up the island of Ireland, north and south. Martineau was not the first foreign visitor to nineteenth century Ireland, of course, but she provided one of the few genuinely sociological interpretations during this time period. This chapter, then, examines Martineau's Irish writings and her …

Managing Performance [In Child Welfare Supervision], Megan E. Paul, Michelle Graef, Erika J. Robinson, Kristin Saathoff

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

One of the primary roles of a supervisor is to manage worker performance. Performance management is the "continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning performance with the strategic goals of the organization" (Aguinis, 2007, p. 2). Supervisors must regularly assess current performance levels and take steps to improve performance in a way that is congruent with agency goals. The ultimate goal is to achieve agency objectives through individual and team performance.

To effectively manage performance, supervisors must know what the performance expectations are for workers and clearly communicate these expectations to workers. …

Patriarchy, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The term patiarchy refers to an organization, institution, or society in which power, social control, material wealth, and high social status accrue predominantly to males rather than females. Patriarchy is one of the most enduring and pervasive of all social patterns. It appears in all eras, among all races, social institutions, and economic classes, and in virtually every known culture. Rising initially in early family and kinship structures, hierarchical patriarchal patterns are found today around the globe not only in family and kinship groups but also throughout the major social institutions, including language, family, economy, polity, religion, law, education, science, …

Discrepancies In Reporting Of Physical And Sexual Abuse Among Homeless Young Adults, Kimberly A. Tyler, Lisa A. Melander

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This study investigated risk factors for discrepant reporting of physical and sexual abuse among 172 homeless young adults. Discrepant reporting includes situations in which a respondent denies experiencing abuse in general but reports being a victim of specific forms of maltreatment. The results revealed that discrepant reporting rates tended to be highest for minor physical assault and for noncontact sexual abuse. Multivariate results revealed that demographic characteristics were important correlates of both discrepant physical and sexual abuse reporters. Family background characteristics also played a role in discrepant reporting for physical abuse. Overall, some young people with abuse histories are not …

Neighbors In The Pews: Social Status Diversity In Religious Congregations, Philip Schwadel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

For the most part, Americans interact with other people like themselves—those with similar social and economic backgrounds. This homogeneity of social networks contributes in turn to social stratification and to the unequal distribution of social capital and civic integration. Religious congregations offer a rare opportunity for Americans to interact across social status lines. I use data from the 2001 U.S. Congregational Life Survey, which includes survey responses from relatively large samples of attendees nested within a large random sample of congregations, to examine the prevalence of income and education diversity in religious congregations. In contrast to racial diversity, which is …