The extent to which men are beginning to enact new, more flexible models of masculinity remains an empirical question. What we do know is that many men continue to adhere rigidly to traditional gender role ideologies, which have been consistently linked to a range of negative physical and psychological outcomes (Berger, Addis, Green, Mackowiak, & Goldberg, 2013; Levant & Richmond, 2007; O'Neil, 2008). Although these trends continue, there is one area of men’s lives where such changes have been visible, quantifiable, and widespread: fathering. Such shifts, the focus of the current…
In this second edition of the annual State of Grandfamilies in America report, Generations United identified key State laws and policies specifically designed to address barriers and better support the diverse and unique population of grandparents and other relatives raising children. All 50 States and the District of Columbia were evaluated based on the availability of these laws and policies. To identify States with the most promising laws and policies to support grandfamilies, Generations United used the following criteria: percentage of children in foster care who are placed with…
Since the late 1970s and early 1980s, the psychological study of masculinity and the practice of gender-sensitive approaches to psychotherapy with boys and men has gradually become a specialty area within psychology. Recognizing that masculinity is a central aspect of men’s lives, psychologists began to study the male socialization process, socially prescribed notions of masculinity, and the psychological and social problems of boys and men (Englar-Carlson, 2006). Within this movement, a group of pioneering psychologists developed the gender role strain paradigm (GRSP) as a framework for the…
We begin with an overview of men’s participation in the workforce and their distribution across occupations. We briefly review vocational theories, and the limited research on men within those theoretical perspectives. We then review the research in men’s nontraditional careers, including studies that have investigated men who choose to be stay-at-home fathers. We also review the literature on men’s work–family interface, including their work–family and family–work conflicts. Finally, we discuss the research on men and career counseling. The latter is often a non-threatening entry for men…
Brief
Over time, the American workforce has become more educated and the college-going population has diversified. Today’s students tend to be older and often have young children. About 1 million low-income parents who attend school or training also work. Further, many combine full-time work with full-time school attendance. This brief summarizes this population’s characteristics, how they address these competing demands, and the supports they receive while doing so. The brief suggests how existing federal policy initiatives such as the new Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Child…
red dot icon
Journal Article The Social Information Processing (SIP) model postulates that parents undergo a series of stages in implementing physical discipline that can escalate into physical child abuse. The current study utilized a multimethod approach to investigate whether SIP factors can predict risk of parent–child aggression (PCA) in a diverse sample of expectant mothers and fathers. SIP factors of PCA attitudes, negative child attributions, reactivity, and empathy were considered as potential predictors of PCA risk; additionally, analyses considered whether personal history of PCA predicted participants’ own…
red dot icon
Journal Article Although maltreatment is a known risk factor for multiple adverse outcomes across the lifespan, its effects on cognitive development, especially memory, are poorly understood. Using data from a large, nationally representative sample of young adults (Add Health), we examined the effects of physical and sexual abuse on working and short-term memory in adulthood. We examined the association between exposure to maltreatment as well as its timing of first onset after adjusting for covariates. Of our sample, 16.50% of respondents were exposed to physical abuse and 4.36% to sexual abuse by age 17.…
red dot icon
Journal Article Previous research has identified several individual-level factors that modify the risk of childhood trauma on adult psychiatric symptoms, including symptoms of major depression (MD) and posttraumatic stress (PTS). Neighborhood-level factors also influence the impact of individual-level exposures on adult psychopathology. However, no prior studies to our knowledge have explored cross-level interactions between childhood trauma and neighborhood-level factors on MD and PTS symptoms. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore cross-level interactions between a neighborhood-level factor –…
red dot icon
Journal Article Childhood violence exposure (CVE) in formative developmental years may have potent effects on severity and complexity of post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in adulthood, yet little research has examined the role of age of first exposure in the context of polyvictimization or gone beyond an examination of direct effects. The current study examines the specific associations between age of first exposure, total CVE, and posttraumatic stress symptoms in adulthood. Further, the conditional and indirect effects of age of first exposure on posttraumatic stress symptoms were examined. We…
Brief
A recent symposium on poor urban men began with a question: Why focus on men? Three reasons were cited. First, most men have children—nearly two-thirds of young low-educated men are fathers—and fathers represent an important potential source of family income and financial support for children. Second, since 2000, poor urban men have retreated en masse from employment as median wages for low-skilled workers have dropped and their incarceration rate has shot up. Third, much research on the 1990s' welfare reforms focused on poor single women with children, whereas relatively little attention has…
