Determinants of Depressive Symptoms Among Women on Public Assistance in Louisiana

Depression can be a significant barrier in the welfare-to-work transition of poor women. Fortunately, support from social networks can lessen symptoms and facilitate entry into the workplace. Inconsistency in the literature concerning the effects of social networks on the poor suggests further research is needed. Thus, we examine the level and determinants of depressive symptoms among participants in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program. Having a good job, being in good health, married, and black, and living in rural areas inhibit symptoms of depression. Remaining on TANF and having several children increases symptom levels. Those who report that they frequently have people to help them show lower levels of depression. The larger the social network, and the higher the percent of the network that is made up of neighbors, the higher the level of depression. While some of our findings suggest the success of 1996 welfare reform legislation others suggest important policy considerations. Good physical health (including access to health care), reduction of economic hardships, and effective social supports are ongoing issues to be addressed among low-income populations

The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States: Evidence from the 1999-2010 NHANES

Millions of seniors are food insecure in the United States, meaning that scores do not have access to enough food at all times for an active, healthy life. What makes food insecurity an even more pressing issue is its association with a wide array of negative nutrition and health consequences. In earlier reports on food insecurity among seniors it was documented that food insecure seniors, even after controlling for other factors, were at higher risk of experiencing negative nutrition and health consequences than food secure seniors. In this report, we build on those earlier findings in three main directions. Namely, we add in several new health outcomes; we use four more years of data ; and we examine how trends in health and nutrition outcomes among food secure and food insecure seniors have changed over the past decade. Using data from the 1999-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we considered the following outcomes related to nutrient intakes: energy intake, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, and iron. The set of health outcomes we analyzed were diabetes, general health , depression, diabetes, ADL limitations, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, congestive heart failure, coronary heart disease, cancer, reports of chest pain, gum disease, psoriasis, asthma, having had a heart attack, and a self-report of gum health

Parent-child relationship quality and individual well-being in adulthood: the differential effects of childhood family structure

This study addresses the limitations of previous research on single-parent families by using data from the first wave of the National Survey of Families and Households to examine the long-term consequences of parental divorce and parental death as two specific types of childhood family disruptions. When compared to respondents raised by both biological parents, respondents raised by widowed parents reported significantly lower levels of contemporary parent-child relationship quality, but not lower levels of self-confidence or higher levels of psychological distress. Childhood family structure failed to demonstrate a significant influence on parent-child relationship quality, but had a negative effect on self-confidence and a positive effect on psychological distress when respondents raised by widowed parents were compared to respondents raised in intact families. While respondents who had experienced different types of family disruptions in childhood did not differ in terms of reported parent-child relationship quality, those who were raised by widowed parents reported significantly lower levels of self-confidence and higher levels of psychological distress than respondents who were raised by divorced parents. There was also some evidence that the association between childhood family structure and adult well-being was moderated by contemporary parent-child relationship quality and gender of the respondent. These findings were discussed within the context of a theoretical framework which was based on the life course perspective and incorporated aspects of attribution theory and social learning theory. Taken together, the results from this study provided strong evidence for the importance of distinguishing between different types of family disruptions when examining the influence of childhood family structure on adult outcomes

Rights, social policy and reproductive wellbeing: the Vietnam situation

Wellbeing Rights and Reproduction Research Paper I

Women?s health in mid-life: life course social roles and agencyas quality

Data from a prospective British birth cohort study showed that women who were childless, lone mothers or full-timehomemakers between the ages of 26 and 54 were more likely to report poor health at age 54 than women who occupiedmultiple roles between these ages. To explain this finding we developed and tested a theory of role quality based on theconcept of agency by drawing on Giddens? theory of structuration and Doyal and Gough?s theory of human needs.According to our theory, the patriarchal structuration (drawing on Giddens? term) of work and family roles provides bothlimitation and opportunity for the expression of agency. Doyal and Gough?s theory of human needs was then used toidentify the restriction of agency as a possible influence on health. This theory of role quality was operationalised using ameasure of work (paid and unpaid) quality at age 36 and a measure of work and family stress between ages 48 and 54. Therelatively poor subjective health in mid-life of lone mothers was explained by work and family stress and adult social class.In contrast, the poor health in mid-life of long-term homemakers and childless women was less easily explained.Homemaker?s excess risk of reporting poor health at age 54 remained strong and significant even after adjusting for rolequality and socioeconomic indicators, and childless women were at an increased risk of reporting poor health despite thesocial advantage inherent in attaining educational qualifications and occupying professional or managerial occupations.This study highlights the need to develop measures of role quality specifically designed to capture agency aspects of socialroles

The Lived Experiences of Sandwich Generation Women and Their Health Behaviours

Sandwich generation caregivers simultaneously provide care to their aging parents/in-laws and at least one child under 18 years living in the home (Sinha, 2013). In 2012, 2.23 million Canadians were considered sandwiched caregivers. This group is expected to grow as individuals are delaying marriage, resulting in delayed childrearing (Robinson, Barbee, Martin, Singer, Yegidis, 2003). Further, the government has been advocating for caregiving to move from formal to informal caregiving. Although this would help the government immensely, this creates challenges for middle-aged adults occupying multiple roles. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of sandwich generation women and the influence caregiving had on their health behaviours. This study used phenomenology as its theoretical orientation. One- on-one semi-structured interviews were the main form of data collection for nine sandwich generation women. The following themes emerged: (1) The role of the caregiver; (2) Caregiving: It is a balancing act; (3) Stormy seas: It is not always sunshine and rainbows; and (4) Silver linings amidst the turmoil. By reflecting on their past and current experiences, the sandwich generation women described the perceived challenges and benefits associated with their complex caregiving roles. Further, the mothers’ health (e.g. physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mental health) was compromised due to time constraints placed on their lives as a result of caregiving. This study provides sandwich generation caregivers with insights into the challenges and/or silver linings they may experience while caregiving. Additionally, this research provides important implications for government legislation and healthcare providers

Social Security Act of 1935 to TANF: A Comprehensive Look at the History and Current State of Welfare in America

This study seeks to explore the welfare system within the United States. The study spans from the Great Depression to the current state of TANF, post-welfare reform, to better understand the current state of welfare within the United States in order to analyze the need for further welfare reform. The initial disparities in the system, from the very beginning, are worth analyzing because it provides a framework to understand how disparities could possibly exist in the program today. Social Policy Programs are systems that have been built from multiple policies and components over time. Faulty, systematic issues, must be evaluated from the ground up in order to analyze how these methods have transpired throughout the program over time. Therefore, understanding the state of welfare from inception to present day is imperative to understanding its current state, as well as further reformations needed

A Life Course Investigation of the Differences in Psychological Distress of Mothers by Family Structure Trajectories

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the relationships between family structure, employment patterns, and mental health among mothers using the life course perspective. The Single Parent Family Data Set conducted in London, Ontario, Canada by Avison et al. (2008) is used for this research. The sample consists of 349 single mothers and 430 married mothers. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) is used as a measure of psychological distress. This thesis reveals significant differences in levels of psychological distress by family structure trajectory. In addition, the employment patterns of single mothers are more likely to be characterized by discontinuity and financial strain, compared to stably partnered mothers. Finally, multivariate analysis reveals that employment patterns, socioeconomic characteristics, and work-family demand variables explain family structure trajectory differences in psychological distress

Exposure Outliers: Children, Mothers, and Cumulative Disaster Exposure in Louisiana

Only a limited number of studies have explored the effects of cumulative disaster exposure—defined here as multiple, acute onset, large-scale collective events that cause disruption for individuals, families, and entire communities. Research that is available indicates that children and adults who experience these potentially traumatic community-level events are at greater risk of a variety of negative health outcomes and ongoing secondary stressors throughout their life course. The present study draws on in-depth interviews with a qualitative subsample of nine mother-child pairs who were identified as both statistical and theoretical outliers in terms of their levels of disaster exposure through their participation in a larger, longitudinal Women and Their Children’s Health (WaTCH) project that was conducted following the British Petroleum Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. During Wave 2 of the WaTCH study, mothers and their children were asked survey questions about previous exposure to and the impacts of the oil spill, hurricanes, and other disasters. This article presents the qualitative interview data collected from the subsample of children and mothers who both endorsed that they had experienced three or more disasters that had a major impact on the child and the household. We refer to these children as exposure outliers. The in-depth narratives of the four mother-child pairs who told stories of multiple pre-disaster stressors emerging from structural inequalities and health and financial problems, protracted and unstable displacements, and high levels of material and social losses illustrate how problems can pile up to slow or completely hinder individual and family disaster recovery. These four mother-child pairs were especially likely to have experienced devastating losses in Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which then led to an accumulation of disadvantage and ongoing cycles of loss and disruption. The stories of the remaining five mother-child pairs underscore how pre-disaster resources, post-disaster support, and institutional stabilizing forces can accelerate recovery even after multiple disaster exposures. This study offers insights about how families can begin to prepare for a future that is likely to be increasingly punctuated by more frequent and intense extreme weather events and other types of disaster