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Journal Article The current study compared cardiovascular risk profiles and trajectories (i.e., within-person changes) of women who were married or cohabitating and who had high relationship satisfaction with those of women with moderate or low satisfaction and with those of women who were single, divorced, and widowed. Participants were 493 women from the Healthy Women Study, a prospective investigation of health during and after the menopausal transition. Risk factors were measured across more than 5 occasions and 13 years, on average. Data were analyzed using a multilevel modeling technique. Overall,…
This paper explores the number of parents in prisons and jails in the United States and in the State of Hawaii, and unique challenges faced by Hawaiian parents who are incarcerated and their children. The growth in the number of females in the Hawaiian prison population is noted, as well as the State's use of Oklahoma and Arizona private prisons for approximately 24% of its felons. Information is provided on the characteristics of incarcerated parents, Hawaii's prison population profile and trends, negative impact of parental incarceration on children, parents, and families, and problems with…
This report discusses six programs being considered by the 108th Congress for reauthorization, focusing on policies designed to assist disconnected and at-risk youth. The review seeks to identify how the programs do or do not consider at-risk or disconnected youth ad how such programs might be improved. After an introduction by Alan Houseman, six papers include: "The Adult Education and Family Literacy Act and Disconnected Youth" (Cynthia G. Brown and Andy Hartman); "The Higher Education Act and Disconnected Youth" (Thomas R. Wolanin); "The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and…
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Journal Article By age 3, children from privileged families have heard 30 million more words than children from underprivileged families. Longitudinal data on 42 families examined what accounted for enormous differences in rates of vocabulary growth. Children turned out to be like their parents in stature, activity level, vocabulary resources, and language and interaction styles. Follow-up data indicated that the 3-year-old measures of accomplishment predicted third grade school achievement.
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Journal Article This pilot study combined narrative and quantitative data to explore the factors enabling and motivating singleAfrican American fathers to take full custody of one or more of their children. The size and selection of the sample does not allow for generalization, since most of the men were college-educated and financially stable. The findings indicated a distinction between enabling and motivating factors. Factors that appeared to enable full custody included employment and secure housing, as they were present for all of the fathers before they took custody. Adult age at the time of their…
This indicator brief outlines six broad strategies for increasing the percentage of children living in two-parent families: address the linkages between economic security and stable families, discourage nonmarital childbearing and encourage family formation, remove obstacles to marriage, adopt policies aimed at increasing the chances of marital success, ensure that children benefit from both parents' emotional and financial support, and support research on the effects of family structure on children's well-being. (Author abstract modified)
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Journal Article Written for lawyers, judges, and child welfare professionals, this article considers the parental role of men who batter their spouses and partners. Parenting styles of batterers, their impact on the relationship between the mother and child, and the risk for children living in a violent home are discussed. Post-separation issues and litigation tactics used by batterers in child custody cases and other legal processes are identified, including threats made to the mother, failure to pay child support, manipulation of children, and income advantage. The article also profiles programs that work…
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Journal Article Approximately 1.7 million men were incarcerated during 1997, many of whom were fathers. The impact of paternal imprisonment is especially significant for African Americans who are disproportionately represented in the prison system. Although prevailing public opinion considers African American fathers to be uninvolved in the lives of their children, research has found that unmarried black men are more likely to spend time with their children and maintain attachments than unmarried men of other races. This article describes the barriers to paternal involvement for African American men in…
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Journal Article Fatherhood is a topic of national conversation that is receiving considerable media attention. The number of single and noncustodial fathers is on the rise, and social workers will have increased contact with these men in the future. It is important for social work professionals to learn more about fatherhood, given the growing relevance of this topic. The social work literature is an important source of information where social workers can gather information about fatherhood. In this article, the authors examine how the social work literature describes fathers, especially noncustodial…
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Journal Article For the past decade our nation has turned its focus to personal responsibility and has subsequently formulated policies that have reformed welfare and strengthened child support enforcement. Parents are held more accountable for the support of their children, regardless of their income levels or age. Teen fathers continue to present dilemmas for policymakers because of their status as minors, lack of understanding of the policy implications for parenthood, lack of skills, and high unemployment rates. Young men face several barriers to involvement with their children, including physical…
