Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

African American Aged Adults' Attitudes And Perceptions About Assisted Living Facilities, Delois Ann Wilson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In comparison with the national U.S. population, African American aged adults are less likely to reside in assisted living facilities (ALFs). At present, little qualitative data exist concerning how African American aged adults perceive living at home as opposed to living in an ALF. Using a phenomenological approach, this study explored how African American aged adults who live at home feel about residing in ALFs. The research questions focused on aged adults' perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes about ALFs and the conditions that may prevent African American aged adults from living in ALFs. A conceptual framework based on the Purnell Model …

Intergenerational Caregiver Loss And Successful Aging Opportunity Disruption Of Bulgarian Elderly, Daniel Georg Habermann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Identified by European research as an aging crisis, vulnerabilities in the rural Bulgarian elderly population such as intergenerational caregiver loss, are sociohistorical consequences and barriers to successful aging. This transcultural study investigated the aging crisis in rural Bulgaria to create a contextual definition of successful aging and to address successful aging and the identification of challenges and barriers faced by social workers and elders to support successful aging. Guided by continuity theory in aging and contextualized by overarching ecological systems theory, the research questions examined Bulgarian social workers' perceptions and expectations of successful aging and barriers to it. A collaborative …

Cohort Differences In Cognitive Impairment And Cognitive Decline Among Mexican-Americans Aged 75 Years Or Older, Brian Downer, Marc A. Garcia, Mukaila Raji, Kyriakos S. Markides

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research suggests that the prevalence and incidence of cognitive impairment among older adults is decreasing. This analysis used data from 9 waves (1993–2016) of the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to assess cognitive status and cognitive decline for 2 cohorts of Mexican-Americans aged ≥75 years in 1993–1994 versus 2004–2005. Logistic regression, joint longitudinal survival models, and illness-death models for interval-censored data were used to examine cohort differences in the odds of prevalent cognitive impairment, trajectories of cognitive decline, and the risk of 10-year incident cognitive impairment, respectively. Results indicated that compared with the 1993–1994 cohort, …

Within-Household Selection Methods: A Critical Review And Experimental Examination, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson, Mathew Stange

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Probability samples are necessary for making statistical inferences to the general population (Baker et al. 2013). Some countries (e.g. Sweden) have population registers from which to randomly select samples of adults. The U.S. and many other countries, however, do not have population registers. Instead, researchers (i) select a probability sample of households from lists of areas, addresses, or telephone numbers and (ii) select an adult within these sampled households. The process by which individuals are selected from sampled households to obtain a probability-based sample of individuals is called within-household (or within-unit) selection (Gaziano 2005).Within-household selection aims to provide each member …

Understanding Daily Depression, Drinking, And Marijuana Use Among Homeless Youth Using Short Message Service Surveying, Kimberly Tyler, Kristen M. Olson, Colleen M. Ray

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

We used short message service surveying (SMS) with 150 homeless youth to examine the time ordering of feeling depressed with drinking alcohol, using marijuana, and using substances with friends. Multilevel binary logistic regression results revealed that youth who were depressed earlier in the day were more likely to drink alcohol later that day. Among depressed youth, heterosexual youth were less likely to drink alcohol than lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) youth. Depressed youth had increased odds of using marijuana by a factor of 1.6, while heterosexual youth, compared to LGB youth, were 80% less likely to use marijuana. Females were …

Biological Risk Profiles Among Latino Subgroups In The Health And Retirement Study, Catherine García, Jennifer A. Ailshire

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background and Objectives: Latinos residing in the United States exhibit an increased risk for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases compared to non-Latino whites. This elevated risk contributes to a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among Latino adults. Examining biological risk profiles of older Latinos as a “pan-ethnic group” and by Latino subpopulations may help to explain the increased burden of disease in later life among this population. The objective of this study is to document biological risk profiles among a nationally representative sample of older U.S. Latinos by nativity and country of origin.

Research Design and Methods: We use …

Humans In The Loop: Incorporating Expert And Crowd-Sourced Knowledge For Predictions Using Survey Data, Anna Filippova, Connor Gilroy, Ridhi Kashyap, Antje Kirchner, Allison C. Morgan, Kivan Polimis, Adaner Usmani, Tong Wang

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Survey data sets are often wider than they are long. This high ratio of variables to observations raises concerns about overfitting during prediction, making informed variable selection important. Recent applications in computer science have sought to incorporate human knowledge into machine-learning methods to address these problems. The authors implement such a “human-in-the-loop” approach in the Fragile Families Challenge. The authors use surveys to elicit knowledge from experts and laypeople about the importance of different variables to different outcomes. This strategy offers the option to subset the data before prediction or to incorporate human knowledge as scores in prediction models, or …

A Qualitative Study Of Changes In The Traditional Roles Of Housewives In Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria, Rowland Edet, Julianah Babajide, Oluwayimika Ekundina

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although hinged on the principles of patriarchy, the Nigerian society has witnessed appreciable changes in the roles of women. This change is noticed in marriage particularly among married women or housewives. Thus, the phenomenon of full housewife is gradually fading away due to the joint influence of westernization, globalization, and modernization. Thus, this study delved into interrogating the various changes that have taken place in the traditional roles of housewives in selected locations in Ibadan. This study utilized a purely qualitative method of research because the subject matter focuses on making sense of meanings people attach to gender, gender roles, …

Physical Performance Trajectories And Mortality Among Older Mexican Americans, Miriam Mutambudzi, Nai-Wei Chen, Bret Howrey, Marc A. Garcia, Kyriakos S. Markides

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background: We sought to identify distinct trajectory classes of physical performance in Mexican Americans aged 75 years and older and to examine whether these trajectories predict mortality.

Methods: We used four waves of Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly (H-EPESE) data for adults 75 years and older from 2004–2005 to 2013. Latent growth curve analysis was used to identify distinct trajectory classes. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between baseline characteristics and the newly constructed trajectories. Cox proportional hazards regression models examined the hazard of mortality as a function of Short Physical Performance …

Demography Of Aging, Marc A. Garcia, Catherine García, Kyriakos Markides

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

From 2010-2015, the annual growth rate of older adults was 3.3 percent globally (United- Nations 2017). As the proportion of the world’s population continues to age, the increasing number of older adults in the population presents significant challenges for policy makers in nearly all sectors of society. According to the United Nations Population Ageing Report 2017, the global population of adults 60 years and older increased more than two-fold from 382 million in 1980 to 962 million in 2017, and the number is expected to reach nearly 2.1 billion by 2050 (United Nations 2018). While population aging affects nearly …

Gender And Age Of Migration Differences In Mortality Among Older Mexican Americans, Adriana M. Reyes, Marc A. Garcia

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Using a gendered life course perspective, we examine whether the relationship between age of migration and mortality is moderated by gender among a cohort of older Mexican-Americans.

Methods: Data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly and recently matched mortality data are used to estimate Cox proportional hazard models.

Results: Our findings indicate the relationship between age of migration and mortality is moderated by gender suggesting a more nuanced perspective of the immigrant mortality paradox. Among men, midlife migrants exhibit an 18 percent lower risk of mortality compared to their U.S.-born …

Effects Of Stem And Response Order On Response Patterns In Satisfaction Ratings, Jolene D. Smyth, Glenn D. Israel, Milton G. Newberry Iii, Richard G. Hull

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Considerable research has examined the effect of response option order in ordinal bipolar questions such as satisfaction questions. However, no research we know of has examined the effect of the order of presentation of concepts in the question stem or whether stem order moderates response option order. In this article, we experimentally test the main and interaction effects of both stem and response option order for items in self-administered surveys on response distributions and answer changes in eight satisfied/dissatisfied questions. We find consistent evidence that response option order impacts answers. We also find that the order of “satisfied” or “dissatisfied” …

A Red-State View Of Religious Liberty And Nondiscrimination Protection For Lgbt People, Kelsy Burke, Emily Kazyak

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Despite the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, two issues remain contentious in national debates about LGBT rights: employment non-discrimination and religious liberty. About half of all states in the U.S. offer protection against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Twenty-one states have religious exemption laws that offer protection for people to refuse services based on their religious beliefs. Debates about such religious exemption laws as they relate to LGBT discrimination have become increasingly common. For instance, a Mississippi law (HB 1523)—passed in April 2016 and implemented in October 2017 after a series of court …

Avoiding The Major Causes Of Death: Does Childhood Misfortune Reduce The Likelihood Of Being Disease Free In Later Life?, Monica M. Williams, Blakelee R. Kemp, Kenneth F. Ferraro, Sarah A. Mustillo

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Although previous research reveals the detrimental effects of early misfortune on the development of chronic diseases in later life, few studies have investigated its effects on remaining disease free. This study draws on cumulative inequality theory to investigate whether experiencing childhood misfortune reduces the likelihood of remaining disease free over time.

Method: This study utilizes five waves of data from the Health and Retirement Study to test whether five domains of childhood misfortune predict being disease free at baseline (2004) and developing disease over time (2004–2012).

Results: Respondents reporting risky parental behaviors during childhood were less likely to be …

Partner Congruence On Fertility Intentions And Values: Implications For Birth Outcomes, Karina M. Shreffler, Stacy Tiemeyer, Julia Mcquillan, Arthur L. Greil, Tiffany Spierling

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

In heterosexual couples, both partners’ intentions to have a baby (or not) are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth, yet most studies only measure women’s intentions. Therefore, little is known about the potential association of couple agreement or disagreement on intentions or on such values as importance of parenthood, career, and leisure and the implications for childbearing. The goal of this article is to assess whether couple-level agreement or disagreement in fertility intentions and values are associated with the likelihood of a subsequent birth. Guided by the Theory of Conjunctural Action, we use couple data from two waves …

Love At First Byte: An Economic Analysis Of The Internet Dating Apocalypse, Hamsa Srikanth

CMC Senior Theses

We’re often warned that the internet will hasten the dating apocalypse. The internet (it is posited) is depriving us of the elusive in-person magic, and modern courtship is now little more than love at first byte.

There remains uncertainty, however, about what the independent impact of the internet on the dating market has been. Similar to the internet, the telephone also changed the way we communicate, but its effect on the dating market was mostly complementary to the 'traditional' ways of meeting – i.e. calling your school crush at home. So the question remains: Is the effect of the …

Single Parent Households And The Effect On Student Learning, Asia Watt

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research is to examine if there is a relationship between single-parent households and the effect on student learning. A total of seven parents and three elementary teachers took a survey. Students’ scores in math and reading from report cards and PARCC scores were also used as data sources. Results revealed that the involvement of single parents at school varies depending on the type of involvement, however, data from the report card review showed all the parents review their child’s report card. Approximately 70 % or more assisted their children in math and English homework. In addition, …

Work-Family And Family-Work Conflict As A Function Of Role Commitment And Core Self-Evaluation, Elisa A. Pope

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Few previous studies have examined the interaction of role commitment (employee, partner, parental) and core self-evaluation (CSE) on work-family conflict (WFC) and family-work conflict (FWC). In this study I explored the effects of primary role commitment and level of CSE on WFC/FWC, after controlling for perception of control over stressors. Three hundred and seventy-one qualified participants completed an online survey that consisted of four scales—Work-Family and Family-Work Conflict Scale, Life Role Salience Scale, Core Self-Evaluation Scale, and Perceptions of Control over Work and Family Measures—a self-ranking of their primary role, and demographic questions that included specific work and non-work information. …

Fp-19-08 First Marriage Vs. Remarriage In The U.S., 2017, Valerie J. Schweizer

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Religious Heterogamy, Marital Quality, And Paternal Engagement, Young-Il Kim, Isaak Swan

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

Using data from a nationally representative sample of married fathers of school-aged children, we examined the association between religious heterogamy of parents and fathers’ involvement in children’s lives. We further examined whether that association is mediated by marital quality and father–child religious discord. Results showed that greater religious heterogamy is associated with less interaction and more relational distance between fathers and children. Results also suggested that fathers’ reports of marital happiness play an important role in mediating the association between religious heterogamy and paternal engagement. We concluded that religious fathers are more involved in their children’s lives insofar as their …