When Fathers Matter/Why Fathers Matter: The Impact of the Paternal Involvement on the Offspring of Adolescent Mothers

After a long period of scholarly neglect, social scientists are finally beginning to pay attention to the influence of fathers on children. This new tide of interest in the role of fathers has been so strong that the standard cliché about fathers being slighted in studies of family behavior hardly applies any longer. Recent research on teenage parenthood represents a particularly good example of the growing interest in the extent and consequences of male involvement

Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Stepchildren’s Depression in Adolescence and Adulthood

Before reaching adulthood, one third of all youth in the United States will reside in a stepfamily household—a familial context marked by distinct challenges. Relatively few studies have explored family processes that promote youth adjustment in stepfamilies, and even fewer studies have examined these links across adolescence, emerging adulthood, and beyond. To address these gaps, we use a nationally representative sample of 758 adolescent stepchildren to examine the concurrent and long-term influence of mother–child, stepfather–child, nonresident father–child, and stepcouple relationship quality on stepchildren’s depression across three stages of development: adolescence, emerging adulthood, and young adulthood. Results from longitudinal structural equation modeling indicate that higher quality mother–child and stepfather–child relationships are directly associated with reductions in depression during adolescence and indirectly associated with reductions in depression during emerging and young adulthood via prior levels of depression; higher quality stepcouple relationships are directly associated with reductions in depression during emerging and young adulthood

The Disappearing American Father? Divorce and the Waning Significance of Biological Parenthood

The place of fathers in the family has long been viewed by social scientists as potentially precarious. From the time of Malinowski\u27s writings, family theorists have recognized the comparatively weak link between biological fathers and their children—at least in contrast to the more obvious maternal bond created by pregnancy and childbearing (Malinowski 1930; Davis 1939, 1949; Goode 1960). Malinowski was among the first to observe that marriage is a cultural invention that establishes men\u27s paternal rights and responsibilities. The near universality of marriage and its effectiveness in licensing parenthood have been taken as evidence that culture could regulate behavior no less successfully than biology

A Longitudinal Analysis of Stepfamily Relationship Quality and Adolescent Physical Health

Approximately one third of youth are estimated to live with a biological parent and stepparent before reaching adulthood. Additional research is warranted whereby stepfamily processes are identified that drive variation in youth adjustment, particularly physical health. We examined stepfather–child, mother–child, and stepcouple relationship quality as predictors of levels and changes in adolescent physical health over time. We used a nationally representative sample of 1,233 adolescents living in biological mother–stepfather families from waves I (1994–1995) and II (1996) of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. We incorporated measures of stepfather–child, mother–child, and stepcouple relationship quality, as well as adolescent reports of 10 physical health symptoms at waves I and II. Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations between wave I stepfamily relationships and adolescent physical symptoms at waves I and II. We used a zero-inflated negative binomial model to establish the validity of wave II adolescent physical symptoms as a predictor of an index of diagnosed chronic illnesses by wave IV (ages 26–32 years).Stepfather–child and mother–child relationship quality were negatively correlated with concurrent levels of adolescent physical symptoms. Stepfather–child relationship quality was negatively associated with change in adolescent physical symptoms over time. Adolescents with higher levels of physical symptoms at wave II were more likely to report chronic illnesses by adulthood. Stepfather–child relationship quality is a robust predictor of adolescent physical health throughout adolescence and is linked to chronic illness diagnoses in young adulthood. Future research should explore further the mechanisms that underlie this association

College completion predicts lower depression but higher metabolic syndrome among disadvantaged minorities in young adulthood

College graduates enjoy healthier, longer lives compared with individuals who do not graduate from college. However, the health benefit of educational attainment is not as great for blacks as it is for whites. Moreover, college completion may not erase the detrimental effects of early-life disadvantage for blacks and Hispanics. We use nationally representative data on young adults to test whether American minorities experience differential returns to educational attainment. We find that college completion predicts lower rates of depression for all racial groups. It also predicts lower metabolic syndrome among whites. However, college completion predicts higher metabolic syndrome among black and Hispanic adults from disadvantaged backgrounds, suggesting upward mobility may come at a health cost to young minorities in America

The C-terminal head domain of Burkholderia pseudomallei BpaC has a striking hydrophilic core with an extensive solvent network

Gram-negative pathogens like Burkholderia pseudomallei use trimeric autotransporter adhesins such as BpaC as key molecules in their pathogenicity. Our 1.4 angstrom crystal structure of the membrane-proximal part of the BpaC head domain shows that the domain is exclusively made of left-handed parallel beta-roll repeats. This, the largest such structure solved, has two unique features. First, the core, rather than being composed of the canonical hydrophobic Ile and Val, is made up primarily of the hydrophilic Thr and Asn, with two different solvent channels. Second, comparing BpaC to all other left-handed parallel beta-roll structures showed that the position of the head domain in the protein correlates with the number and type of charged residues. In BpaC, only negatively charged residues face the solvent-in stark contrast to the primarily positive surface charge of the left-handed parallel beta-roll "type" protein, YadA. We propose extending the definitions of these head domains to include the BpaC-like head domain as a separate subtype, based on its unusual sequence, position, and charge. We speculate that the function of left-handed parallel beta-roll structures may differ depending on their position in the structure.Peer reviewe

Concepts of Health in Older Urban African American Women with Chronic Health Conditions: A Focus Group Study

The purpose of this report is to relate the findings of the study ‘Concepts of Health in Older Urban African American Women with Chronic Health Conditions.’ This investigation, undertaken at the request of the Indiana Minority Health Coalition, Inc. (IMHC) is collaboration between IMHC, Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and the community partner, the Black Nurses Association of Indianapolis, Inc. (BNA). The purpose of the study is to gain an understanding of the ways older African American women from medically underserved areas of Indianapolis characterize the various parts of the concept of health; how they understand and interpret the determinants of health status; and to understand how they assess health. Researchers decided to hold focus groups of African American women from Indianapolis ages 50 years and older who had at least one diagnosis of a chronic illness. The Principal Investigator created a moderator’s guide for the focus group. All research partners met to review and redesign the guide to make sure that it was appropriate and would be effective in stimulating discussion to address the three specific aims. The groups, one of currently employed women, two of residents of senior/disabled housing, one group of members of a community church, and one mixed-recruitment group, were held in community settings. Participants received $25.00 gift cards for their involvement. Major findings are that women view ‘health’ as a concept that includes many elements: physical health, mental/emotional health, ability to function through day-to-day activities, and spiritual health. These components work together to produce a state of wholeness or well-being. ‘Health’ is determined through interplay between influences that operate on many levels: the personal, the interpersonal, and the immediate and social/political environment. Specific determinates include health behaviors, state of mind, stress, relationship with God, and the aging process. Women speak at length about their relationship with institutions of healthcare. They express problems in communicating with their healthcare providers, feeling that they are not treated as unique individuals, and they often express distrust of providers. Participants assess their own health through paying attention to their own physical symptoms, their state of mind, and their energy level. Medications are named as determinants of health and markers of health status. Women assess health of their families and friends through observation, intuition, and communication. These women act as facilitators of health status and behaviors for their family members and others in the community. Women are well aware of the importance of positive health behaviors, especially diet and exercise, and they feel strong senses of control over their health. As these women envision ‘health’ as involving many concepts and levels, interventions need to address issues beyond the physical, involving women actively through relationships within communities. Public health professionals need to work with these women in a respectful and collaborative manner. Issues that need further exploration are interplay between mental and physical health through the aging process, patient-provider communication, and women’s understanding of medications in maintaining and improving health