Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

The Reporting Of Sensitive Behavior Among Adolescents: A Methodological Experiment In Kenya, Barbara Mensch, Paul C. Hewett, Annabel Erulkar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper assesses whether audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (audio-CASI), a technique designed in the United States to collect data on sensitive behaviors, is a feasible method of survey data collection in a developing-country setting and whether it produces more valid reporting of sexual activity and related behaviors than traditional survey methods. The analysis is based on interviews with nearly 4,400 unmarried adolescents aged 15-21 in Nyeri, a rural district of Kenya that was selected because previous research had indicated a wide discrepancy in the reporting of premarital sexual behavior between boys and girls. The study was based on a quasi-experimental design …

The End Of The Fertility Transition In The Developed World, John Bongaarts

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

By the late 1990s fertility in the developed world had declined to 1.6 births per woman, a level substantially lower than projected in the 1980s. This study examines recent trends and patterns in fertility in the developed world with particular emphasis on the effects and implications of changes in the timing of childbearing. The main objective is to demonstrate that while fertility in these countries is indeed low, women’s childbearing levels are not as low as period measures such as the total fertility rate suggest. To obtain a full understanding of the various dimensions of fertility change, several indicators are …

Social Networks And Contraceptive Dynamics In Southern Ghana, Mark R. Montgomery, Gebre-Egziabher Kiros, Dominic K. Agyeman, John B. Casterline, Peter Aglobitse, Paul C. Hewett

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

There is accumulating evidence that social diffusion processes affect the pace of the adoption of modern contraception in societies undergoing fertility transition. In settings where mortality has declined and many other social and economic changes are underway, decisions about contraception are fraught with uncertainty and risk. In such circumstances, couples may rely on other persons for information and guidance. In this paper, we examine the influence of informal social networks on the contraceptive behavior of reproductive-age women, using longitudinal data collected in six communities in southern Ghana. Our results confirm the hypothesis that adoption of modern contraception is strongly affected …

Sola No Eres Nada, Juntas Flotamos: El Movimiento Manuela Ramos, Judith Bruce, Debbie Rogow

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This edition of Quality/Calidad/Qualité discusses the Manuela Ramos Movement and its efforts to improve women’s health and well-being through a range of empowerment strategies in rural Peru. A joint project with USAID, named Reprosalud, demonstrates how combining the resources of an international donor with local women’s organizations allows a more organic and multifaceted family planning program to develop. Such programs can produce impressive improvements on a number of indicators, including contraceptive use.

Why Marriage?, Martha Albertson Fineman

Faculty Articles

Reflection on the prospect of varied, individualized possibilities for the meaning of marriage suggests, that in order to answer the question "why marriage?" we must first consider "what marriage?" or more succinctly, "what is marriage?" Questioning what marriage actually is calls attention to the institution's individualized and malleable nature. By contrast, a focus on "why marriage" highlights the societal function and rationale for the institution. I will discuss each question-the "what" as well as the "why" of marriage.

Youth Livelihood Opportunities In Egypt, Safaa El-Kogali, Nagah Hassan Al Bassusi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This report presents results from a quantitative and qualitative study on youth livelihood opportunities in Egypt. The study was motivated by growing evidence of increasing unemployment among the young at a time when new entrants into the labor force are also increasing at unprecedented rates. Egypt has a youth population of over 13 million aged 15–24—over a fifth of the total population. They constitute the largest segment of the economically active population. Whether this bulge of young workers entering the labor force is a “demographic gift” or a “demographic burden” depends in large measure on the policies that are in …

Testing Alternative Channels For Providing Emergency Contraception To Young Women, John P. Skibiak, Mangala Chambeshi-Moyo, Yusuf Ahmed

Reproductive Health

In September 1997, the Population Council and Lusaka’s University Teaching Hospital (UTH) launched a 15-month study to identify and explore the range of issues relating to the introduction of emergency contraception (EC) within a developing country context. The study allowed clinic-based family planning providers to accumulate enough first-hand experience to be able to identify strategies for overcoming difficulties associated with the introduction or delivery of EC services. One issue on most participants’ minds was the need to expand the delivery of EC services toward young women, especially out-of-school women, who are harder to reach. Participants recommended that future research activities …

Parenting Styles In Society Today, Julie Hammond

Graduate Research Papers

This paper is a review of parenting styles relative to the importance of childrearing practices. Its primary focus is to identify and examine parenting styles, which impacts childrearing methods. The authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative methods were identified with strengths and weaknesses compared.

From the comparison, it was determined that the authoritative parenting style provides the most success for childrearing in today's changing American society. The conclusion of the paper offers guidelines and suggestions to parents on establishing this childrearing method.

Living Arrangements Of Older Adults In The Developing World: An Analysis Of Dhs Household Surveys [Arabic], John Bongaarts, Zachary Zimmer

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys, this study examines living arrangements of older adults in 43 developing countries and compares patterns by gender, world regions, and macro-level measures of socioeconomic development. Indicators include household size, headship, relationship to head, and coresidence with spouse, children, and others. Unweighted regional averages and OLS regressions determine whether variations exist. Average household sizes are large, but a substantially higher proportion of elderly adults live alone than do individuals in other age groups. Females are more likely than males to live alone and are less likely to live with a spouse or to head …

Determinants Of Educational Attainment Among Adolescents In Egypt: Does School Quality Make A Difference? [Arabic], Cynthia B. Lloyd, Sahar El Tawila, Wesley H. Clark, Barbara Mensch

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The paper explores empirically the relationship between school quality in Egyptian preparatory (middle) schools and the likelihood of school dropout either during preparatory school or before the completion of secondary school. Despite strong empirical evidence for the many positive social and economic returns associated with more years of schooling, there has been little research exploring how the quality of particular schools might influence grade levels attained. The authors address this research gap using detailed data on Egyptian preparatory schools (grades 6-8, the last three years of the eight years of basic schooling) that are linked with a national survey of …

Ecological Degradation, Rural Poverty, And Migration In Ethiopia: A Contextual Analysis, Markos Ezra

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The interrelationships between ecological degradation, poverty, and rural out-migration in Ethiopia are examined using data from a Household and Community Survey conducted in 1994-95. The survey, which covered a sample of 2,000 households, collected retrospective data on changes in household composition, including migration of household members, during the period 1984 to 1994. The study hypothesizes that the decision to out-migrate in the impoverished rural areas of northern Ethiopia is influenced by a combination of factors based on individual, household and community characteristics. A multilevel analysis is applied to determine the role of these factors in the decision. The findings show …

Bénin: Target Men To Increase Use Of Health Services, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

After initiating health sector reforms in 1994, the Bénin government established the Integrated Family Health Project, known as PROSAF. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, PROSAF operates in the Borgou region, which is mostly rural and has the country’s most severe health problems. PROSAF managers wanted to understand why local people were not using health services, despite their poor health. As noted in this brief, managers requested that the African Population and Health Research Centre (APHRC) study the way households and communities make decisions on health care. In a study conducted in 2000 with support from the Population …

Benin: Diríjase A Los Hombres Para Aumentar El Uso De Los Servicios De Salud, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Después del inicio de las reformas del sector salud en 1994, el gobierno de Benin creó el Proyecto de Salud Familiar Integral, conocido localmente como PROSAF. Este proyecto opera en la región de Borgou, bajo el patrocinio de la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional. Dicha región es en su mayoría rural y en ella se observan los problemas de salud más severos del país. Los gerentes de PROSAF deseaban entender por qué la gente no estaba utilizando los servicios a pesar de tener una salud deficiente, por lo que solicitaron al Centro Africano de Investigación en …

West Bank And Gaza: Stress The Importance And Cost-Effectiveness Of Postpartum Care, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

To assess maternal health care in the West Bank and Gaza, the Health, Development, Information, and Policy Institute conducted a study from May to August 2000. This study served as a baseline for the Pilot Health Project (PHP), which seeks to improve antenatal and postpartum services in three areas of the West Bank and Gaza. Seven local and international agencies are implementing PHP in collaboration with the Palestinian Ministry of Health and with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development. Data sources for the baseline study consisted of service statistics, interviews with health-care providers, and exit interviews with antenatal, …

Cisjordania Y Gaza: Subraye La Importancia De La Atención Postparto Y Su Cost-Efectividad, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

El Instituto de Salud, Desarrollo, Información y Políticas realizó un estudio de mayo a agosto de 2000 para evaluar la atención a la salud materna en Cisjordania y Gaza. Dicho estudio sirvió de línea basal para el Proyecto Piloto de Salud (PHP, por sus siglas en inglés), cuyo objetivo es mejorar los servicios prenatales y postparto en tres áreas de esa región. Siete agencias locales e internacionales implementan el PHP con la colaboración del Ministerio de Salud palestino y el patrocinio de la Agencia de los Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo Internacional. Las fuentes de la información para el estudio …

Honduras: Postpartum And Postabortion Patients Want Family Planning, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Approximately half of deliveries in Honduras take place in hospitals, however hospitals rarely offer family planning (FP) services to postpartum or postabortion patients. In 1999, the Honduran Ministry of Health and the Population Council began a two-year project to expand access to FP counseling and methods following childbirth or treatment for incomplete abortion. The intervention built upon a previous Population Council project that showed that 30 percent of women hospitalized for a delivery or an abortion-related complication were interested in adopting an FP method prior to discharge. In all five hospitals participating in the study, delivery was the principal reason …

Honduras: Posparto Y Post-Aborto, Momentos Para Hablar De Planificación Familiar, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

Aproximadamente la mitad de los partos en Honduras son atendidos en un hospital. Sin embargo, los hospitales generalmente no ofrecen servicios de planificación familiar a las pacientes en el posparto o el postaborto. En 1999, la Secretaría de Salud de Honduras (SSH) y el Population Council iniciaron un proyecto de dos años con el fin de ampliar el acceso a la consejería y a los servicios de planificación familiar después de un parto o de haber recibido tratamiento por un aborto incompleto. La intervención se realizó basándose en un proyecto previo del Population Council que mostró que el 30 por …

Introducing Emergency Contraception In Bangladesh: A Feasibility Study, M.E. Khan, Sharif M.I. Hossain

Reproductive Health

Approximately 28,000 maternal deaths occur every year in Bangladesh due to pregnancy and delivery-related complications, while many more women suffer major physical and psychological injuries. Available statistics indicate an increase in menstrual regulation (MR) and abortions, most performed by untrained practitioners under unhygienic conditions. Introducing emergency contraception (EC) in the national family planning (FP) program in Bangladesh could substantially reduce unwanted pregnancies and as result MR/abortions should also decrease. Because MR/abortions in Bangladesh significantly contribute to high maternal morbidity/mortality, introducing EC could be an important reproductive health intervention to provide couples with a back-up support to prevent unwanted pregnancy. EC …

South Africa: Providers Should Encourage Sexually Active Youth To Use Condoms, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

To assess the effectiveness of youth centers in reaching adolescents with reproductive health information, life skills, and services, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and their affiliated peer education programs. The centers were run by the KwaZulu Natal Department of Health, the loveLife program, and the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Program. Researchers also examined young people’s use of condoms as protection against pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. Data sources for this study, conducted in 2000, were an inventory of youth center services, interviews with center staff and clients, …

South Africa: Who Uses Youth Centers And Why?, Frontiers In Reproductive Health

Reproductive Health

In 2000, the Reproductive Health Research Unit in KwaZulu Natal and the Population Council conducted an assessment of 12 youth centers and 7 affiliated peer education programs. The 12 centers, located in urban, peri-urban, and rural areas, offer very different services. The two centers of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health focus on providing reproductive health (RH) information and services to adolescents. The six centers of the Youth and Adolescent Reproductive Health Project provide a broader range of youth-friendly RH services, including counseling and life skills education, as well as modest recreational activities. The four centers run by loveLife have large …

Diverse Realities: Understanding Sexually Transmitted Infections And Hiv In India, Sarah Hawkes, K.G. Santhya

Reproductive Health

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, currently have high salience on the health care agendas of many countries, including India. Strategies for their control are ideally based on a number of well-recognised principles. These include: assessments of the burden of disease; the availability of interventions at policy and programme levels, to influence behaviour change and technical ‘solutions’; and the calculated cost-effectiveness of these interventions. In the case of India, data to inform these principles are often lacking in the case of STI control. In this paper we have reviewed the evidence base for STI control in the Indian context. The …

The "Hard Sayings" Of Jesus And Divorce: Not Commandments But Goals, Ed Christian

Journal of the Adventist Theological Society

No abstract provided.

Risk, Trust, And Technology In The Aftermath Of The Terrorist Attacks Of September 11, 2001., Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The fatal facts of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, are now well known to us, and they will undoubtedly form an indelible chapter in the national history of the United States .... During the past few days, each of us has tried to understand this heinous event, to come to grips with it emotionally, and each of us has responded in understandably human ways: with disbelief, despair, and great sadness. Collectively, we empathize with grieving families personally unknown to us, we offer prayers for our nation's leaders, and we watch with hope and admiration as the rescue and recovery teams continue …

Book Review. Ordinary Resurrections: Children In The Years Of Hope By Jonathan Kozol, Michael Jenuwine, Jane E. Barden

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between The Family Of Origin Processes And Attitudes Towards Marriage And The Likelihood To Divorce Among College Students, Alison Valerian

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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Family Environment, Family Structure, And Personality Traits Of Adult Children, Michelle A. Rallins

Masters Theses

There have been several studies on the long-term impact of divorce on children; however there have been relatively few studies on the personality characteristics of adult children of divorce. This study investigates the personality traits and family environments of young adults from varied family structures. College students (n = 75) completed the Personality Research Form (PRF-E) and the Family Environment Scale (FES) and demographic forms. A multivariate of analysis (MANOVA) was conducted. The results revealed no significant differences in regard to personality or family environments between young adults from intact families and divorced families. There were, however, marginal differences in …

Intergenerational Transmission Of Values Through Adages In An Ecuadorian Family, Norma Albán-Lowry

Dissertations

Problem. This study explored the function of adages in intergenerational value transmission in an Ecuadorian family. Drawing on the richness of Hispanic culture, the study documents a method used by parents and grandparents to pass on their wisdom to younger generations.

The transmission of values to younger generations has always been of special interest to parents, teachers, and religious educators. While the role of the family in the transmission of values has been researched, the use of adages, long practiced as a traditional parenting method in Ecuadorian families, had not been studied.

Method. The ethnographic method, as proposed …

Impact Of A Short-Term Shelter Program On Selected Outcome Indicators Among Youths And Their Parents, Gale Sandra Hackworth

Dissertations

Problem. Innovative services have been developed over the last 10 years to assist families in coping with the increased demands associated with child rearing. One burgeoning area of resource development has been that of"respite" for parents. A variety of programs and methods have been utilized in providing these services. While families frequently proffer the benefit of these programs, there is a relative paucity of data to substantiate these claims. This study has attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of respite programming using outcome indicators which include both objective and subjective measures. This study focused upon families utilizing a short-term respite …

Emerging Strong From A Difficult Adolescence: A Qualitative Study Of Resilience, Vivian Horovitch

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight, second and third year university students who self-identified as having emerged intact from a difficult adolescence. Questions were asked with regard to stress, protective factors, resources, and coping strategies during adolescence, as well as about how they achieved a sense of well-being. Themes derived from qualitative analysis are highlighted in a chronological life story for each participant. Common themes for participants’ coping during adolescence included distraction and avoidance strategies, such as keeping active with sports, extracurricular activities, religion, or arts. More “mature” coping strategies emerged as participants neared early adulthood. These included strategies …

Adolescent Development In The Context Of Canadian-Chinese Immigrant Families, Ching Man Lam

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigates the developmental processes and outcomes of Canadian-Chinese adolescents in families who had immigrated from Hong Kong to the Toronto, Canada area between seven and fifteen years previously. In-depth qualitative interviews with nineteen adolescents, between the ages of sixteen and twenty-one, and ten parents were conducted between February and August 1997. The study's results describe the dynamic interplay of culture and migration that shapes the developmental processes and outcomes of adolescence in Canadian-Chinese Hong Kong immigrant families. The results also address the meanings constructed by the parents and the adolescents as a result of their experiences. Studies show …