Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Risk Factors For Hiv Among Zambian Street Youth, Kimberly A. Tyler, Ray Handema, Rachel M. Schmitz, Francis Phiri, Charles Wood, Kristen M. Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The sub-Saharan African region has been disproportionately affected by HIV, and Zambia has one of the highest HIV prevalence rates within this region. Moreover, new incidences of HIV infection are increasing most rapidly among those 15–24 years of age. Though young people are at high risk for HIV infection, street youth are even more vulnerable given their exposure to high-risk behaviors. The current study examines multiple levels of social influence on HIV infection among 250 street youth in Zambia. Results reveal that though the majority of youth understand what behaviors increase their risk for HIV, youth still hold many misconceptions …

The Space Of Art, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Three years ago, Tami Miller challenged me to think formally about “the concept of space as creative grounds for enlivenment and immersion,” and today’s talk revisits part of the lecture I gave here in 2013.3 The ideas presented then — as now — are grounded in my university training, research and teaching in the interrelated disciplines of geography, design studies, landscape architecture, community and regional planning, and sociology.

While mostly skipping over the concept of “time” (that’s quite another discussion), I will review five spatial constructs and related ideas useful in our work as docents.

Economic Hardship, Parents’ Depression, And Relationship Distress Among Couples With Young Children, Deadric T. Williams, Jacob E. Cheadle

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study (N = 1,492 couples), we assessed stress, health selection, and couple-crossover hypotheses by examining (1) the bidirectional association between economic hardship and depressive symptoms one, three, and five years after the birth of a child; (2) the association between economic hardship and depressive symptoms on relationship distress for both parents; and (3) whether the associations vary by marital status. The results suggest a pernicious cycle for mothers after the birth of the child. Economic hardship increases depression, but maternal depression also increases economic hardship. These reinforcing mechanisms increase both mothers’ …

Prospective Childhood Risk Factors For Gang Involvement Among North American Indigenous Adolescents, Dane S. Hautala, Kelley J. Sittner Hartshorn, Les B. Whitbeck

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study was to examine prospective childhood risk factors for gang involvement across the course of adolescence among a large eight-year longitudinal sample of 646 Indigenous (i.e., American Indian and Canadian First Nations) youth residing on reservation/reserve land in the Midwest of the United States and Canada. Risk factors at the first wave of the study (ages 10–12) were used to predict gang involvement (i.e., gang membership and initiation) in subsequent waves (ages 11–18). A total of 6.7% of the participants reported gang membership and 9.1% reported gang initiation during the study. Risk factors were distributed across …

Birth Weight, Early Life Course Bmi, And Body Size Change: Chains Of Risk To Adult Inflammation?, Bridget J. Goosby, Jacob Cheadle, Thomas Mcdade

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This paper examines how body size changes over the early life course predict high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in a U.S. based sample. Using three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), we test the chronic disease epidemiological models of fetal origins, sensitive periods, and chains of risk from birth into adulthood. Few studies link birth weight and changes in obesity status over adolescence and early adulthood to adult obesity and inflammation. Consistent with fetal origins and sensitive periods hypotheses, body size and obesity status at each developmental period, along with increasing body size between periods, are highly …

Decline In Ethical Concerns About Reproductive Technologies Among A Representative Sample Of Us Women, Arthur L. Greil, Kathleen S. Slauson-Blevins, Karina M. Shreffler, Katherine M. Johnson, Michele Lowry, Andrea R. Burch, Julia Mcquillan

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Public awareness and utilization of assisted reproductive technology has been increasing, but little is known about changes in ethical concerns over time. The National Survey of Fertility Barriers, a national, probability-based sample of US women, asked 2031 women the same set of questions about ethical concerns regarding six reproductive technologies on two separate occasions approximately 3 years apart. At Wave 1 (2004–2007), women had more concerns about treatments entailing the involvement of a third party than about treatments that did not. Ethical concerns declined between Wave 1 and Wave 2, but they declined faster for treatments entailing the involvement of …

Content Analysis In The Study Of Crime, Media, And Popular Culture, Lisa Kort-Butler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Content analysis is considered both a quantitative and a qualitative research method. The overarching goal of much of the research using this method is to demonstrate and understand how crime, deviance, and social control are represented in the media and popular culture. Unlike surveys of public opinions about crime issues, which seek to know what people think or feel about crime, content analysis of media and popular culture aims to reveal a culture’s story about crime. Unlike research that examines how individuals’ patterns of media consumption shape their attitudes about crime and control, content analysis appraises the meaning and messages …

Reasons For Tubal Sterilisation, Regret And Depressive Symptoms, Karina M. Shreffler, Arthur L. Greil, Julia Mcquillan, Kami L. Gallus

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Objective—To examine the associations between sterilisation reasons, regret, and depressive symptoms.

Study Design—Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White US women ages 25–45 who participated in the National Survey of Fertility Barriers (NSFB) and reported a tubal sterilisation surgery were included in the sample for this study (n=837). Logistic regression was used to examine how characteristics of the sterilisation surgery (reasons for sterilisation, time since sterilisation, and new relationship since sterilisation) are associated with the odds of sterilisation regret, and linear regression was used to examine associations between sterilisation regret, sociodemographic factors, and depressive symptoms.

Results—Findings revealed that 28 …

Age At Migration And Disability-Free Life Expectancy Among The Elder Mexican-Origin Population, Marc A. Garcia, Chi-Tsun Chiu

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND—Migration selectivity is thought to shape the health profiles of Mexican immigrants.

OBJECTIVE—This study examines how the experience of Mexican migration to the United States affects the health process and the quality of life in old age by age at migration, specific to sex.

METHODS—We use 20 years of data from the Hispanic Established Populations for the Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly to estimate the proportion of life spent disability-free prior to death across eight subgroups by sex, nativity, and age at migration among Mexican-origin elderly in the United States.

RESULTS—Female migrants are at a significant disadvantage in terms of …

Book Review: Improving Survey Methods: Lessons From Recent Research, Uwe Engel, Ben Jann, Peter Lynn, Annette Scherpenzeel, And Patrick Sturgis, Eds., Kristen Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Improving Survey Methods: Lessons from Recent Research is a compilation of research by survey methodological leaders across Europe. The book is organized into eight sections – modes, interviewers, sensitive questions, web surveys, access panels, nonsurvey data collection, nonresponse, and missing data. Each section starts with a brief overview chapter followed by three or four (generally) empirical chapters. The chapters themselves vary in approach, with some being simple literature reviews, others reporting the results of a simple 2 £ 2 experiment, and still others conducting extensive observational analyses. This volume is a clear indication that survey methodological research is strong in …

Predicting The Onset Of Alcohol Use And The Development Of Alcohol Use Disorder Among Indigenous Adolescents, Brian E. Armenta, Kelley J. Sittner, Les B. Whitbeck

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Empirical efforts to identify the predictors of drinking behavior among North American Indigenous adolescents are relatively limited. Using longitudinal data, this study considers perceived discrimination, positive drinker prototypes, and peer drinking behavior as risk factors for the onset of alcohol use and development of an alcohol use disorder among 674 Indigenous adolescents as they progressed from early to late adolescence (M age at baseline = 11.11, SD = 0.83). Results showed that positive drinker prototypes and associations with peers who drink increased the risk for the onset of drinking, while perceived discrimination and associations with peers who drink increased the …

Rural And Urban Communities, Emily Kazyak

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

This entry describes how LGBTQ individuals in rural areas have different experiences from those of LGBTQ individuals in urban areas. It outlines how understandings about cities and small towns have been intertwined with understandings about LGBTQ identities as well as what current demographic data show with regard to where LGBTQ people live in the United States. Then the entry details LGBTQ identities and communities in urban contexts. It ends by describing LGBTQ identities and communities in rural contexts. Throughout, attention is paid to the diversity of experiences within each context.

Does Higher Education Cause Religious Decline? A Longitudinal Analysis Of The Within- And Between-Person Effects Of Higher Education On Religiosity, Philip Schwadel

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Although there is ample empirical evidence of the associations between higher education and various aspects of religiosity, the causal mechanisms producing these associations remain unclear. I use four waves of longitudinal data, with respondents ranging in age from 13 to 29, to model the within- and between-person effects of higher education on several measures of religiosity. The results show that earning a bachelor’s degree is associated with within-person declines in some but not all measured aspects of religiosity, which partially supports the argument that higher education causes religious decline. The results also suggest that those predisposed to attending religious services …

When Not To "Tie The Knot”: A Study Of Exogamous Marriage In Ezra-Nehemiah Against The Backdrop Of Biblical Legal Tradition, Gerald A. Klingbeil

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Views Of The Inland From Chicago To Detroit: ‘Gallery Guide’ With Notes On ‘Regionalism In American Art', Tami Miller, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Views of the Inland features a spectacular selection of paintings and works on paper on loan from the Flint Institute of Arts. 28 artworks span 50 years, from 1910-1960, showing views of the Great Lakes Basin by artists living and working between Chicago and Detroit. Images depict figures, landscapes and industry, and represent several movements in art, both regionally and nationally.

Current Rural Drug Use In The Us Midwest, Kirk Dombrowski, Devan M. Crawford, Bilal Khan, Kimberly A. Tyler

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The nature and challenge of illicit drug use in the United States continues to change rapidly, evolving in reaction to myriad social, economic, and local forces. While the use of illicit drugs affects every region of the country, most of our current information about drug use comes from large urban areas. Data on rural drug use and its harms justify greater attention. Record overdose rates, unexpected outbreaks of HIV, and a dearth of treatment facilities point to a rapidly worsening health situation. While health sciences have made considerable progress in understanding the etiology of drug use and uncovering the link …

Effects Of Smiley Face Scales On Visual Processing Of Satisfaction Questions In Web Surveys, Mathew Stange, Amanda Barry, Jolene Smyth, Kristen M. Olson

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Web surveys permit researchers to use graphic or symbolic elements alongside the text of response options to help respondents process the categories. Smiley faces are one example used to communicate positive and negative domains. How respondents visually process these smiley faces, including whether they detract from the question’s text, is understudied. We report the results of two eye-tracking experiments in which satisfaction questions were asked with and without smiley faces. Respondents to the questions with smiley faces spent less time reading the question stem and response option text than respondents to the questions without smiley faces, but the response distributions …

An Inside Look At Homeless Youths’ Social Networks: Perceptions Of Substance Use Norms, Lisa A. Melander, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rachel M. Schmitz

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Substance use among homeless young people is a pervasive problem, and there have been many efforts to understand more about the dynamics of this health-compromising behavior. The current study examined perceived substance use norms within homeless youths’ social networks utilizing in-depth interviews. The sample included 19 homeless individuals ages 16 to 21. Four elements of substance use within networks emerged: substance use choices, drug use safety issues, encouragement and/or discouragement, and appropriate situations in which substance use is condoned. These findings provide unique insight into the norms associated with drug and alcohol use within homeless youths’ social networks.

Food Insecurity And Housing Instability In Vulnerable Families, Christian King

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Reducing the prevalence of household food insecurity has been a long-standing objective of the federal government. Previous research has found many negative consequences of food insecurity for families and households but has not examined its relationship with housing instability. Using longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, difference-in-difference models show that food insecurity is associated with housing instability. The association remains statistically significant after accounting for potential selection and unobserved heterogeneity using propensity score matching and excluding households that experienced prior housing instability from the sample. Examining potential mediating factors, I find that material hardship explains about …

The Predictive Relationship Between Emotional Expressiveness And Discussing Death With Children: An Exploratory Study With Online College Parents, Sally A. Gill

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Death is a sensitive topic, and discussing death with children may be difficult for parents, especially parents who are uncomfortable with emotional expression. Many factors are associated with parents' decision to discuss death; however, a dearth of recent literature existed examining the role of parental emotional expressiveness and discussing death with children. Using Jackson's communications theory within the broader family systems theory, this exploratory non-experimental quantitative study examined if one or more of the selected variables of parents' emotional expressiveness, parents' gender, and any previous discussions about death with a child adequately predicted the age of a child when parents …