8 research outputs found
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Assessing National Service Outcomes: A Multilevel Approach
The present study uses hierarchical linear modeling and a large sample of AmeriCorps members (N = 1,376) and AmeriCorps programs (N = 108) to examine the determinants of national service outcomes at the individual and program levels. We found several demographic variations in civic engagement and trust, tolerance and life skills, including race variations in gains in constructive group interactions and personal behavior in groups post-service. Programmatic characteristics have important influences on AmeriCorps members’ civic engagement, tolerance, and trust post-service. Furthermore, the level of support of members that programs offer is a key component to success of AmeriCorps programs. We conclude that the impact of national service could be improved through a better and deeper understanding of the interaction of individual and program level influences on AmeriCorps members’ outcomes. Successfully managing the recruitment of members and the delivery of quality programs in the future will depend on how well the interactions of individual and program-level determinants are understood.LBJ School of Public Affair
Bridging Alone: Religious Conservatism, Marital Homogamy, and Voluntary Association Membership
This study characterizes social insularity of religiously conservative American married couples by examining patterns of voluntary associationmembership. Constructing a dataset of 3938 marital dyads from the second wave of the National Survey of Families and Households, the author investigates whether conservative religious homogamy encourages membership in religious voluntary groups and discourages membership in secular voluntary groups. Results indicate that couples’ shared affiliation with conservative denominations, paired with beliefs in biblical authority and inerrancy, increases the likelihood of religious group membership for husbands and wives and reduces the likelihood of secular group membership for wives, but not for husbands. The social insularity of conservative religious groups appears to be reinforced by homogamy—particularly by wives who share faith with husbands
Genomic Relationships, Novel Loci, and Pleiotropic Mechanisms across Eight Psychiatric Disorders
Genetic influences on psychiatric disorders transcend diagnostic boundaries, suggesting substantial pleiotropy of contributing loci. However, the nature and mechanisms of these pleiotropic effects remain unclear. We performed analyses of 232,964 cases and 494,162 controls from genome-wide studies of anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit/hyper-activity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Tourette syndrome. Genetic correlation analyses revealed a meaningful structure within the eight disorders, identifying three groups of inter-related disorders. Meta-analysis across these eight disorders detected 109 loci associated with at least two psychiatric disorders, including 23 loci with pleiotropic effects on four or more disorders and 11 loci with antagonistic effects on multiple disorders. The pleiotropic loci are located within genes that show heightened expression in the brain throughout the lifespan, beginning prenatally in the second trimester, and play prominent roles in neurodevelopmental processes. These findings have important implications for psychiatric nosology, drug development, and risk prediction.Peer reviewe
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Inside National Service: Americorps' Short-Term Impact on Participants
This study examines the short- and long-term impact of AmeriCorps participation on members’
civic engagement, education, employment, and life skills. The analysis compares changes in the
attitudes and behaviors of participants over time to those of individuals not enrolled in
AmeriCorps, controlling for interest in national and community service, member and family
demographics, and prior civic engagement. Results indicate that participation in AmeriCorps led
to positive impacts on members, especially in the area of civic engagement, members’
connection to community, knowledge about problems facing their community, and participation
in community-based activities. AmeriCorps had some positive impacts on its members’
employment-related outcomes. Few statistically significant impacts were found for measures of
participants’ attitude toward education or educational attainment, or for selected life skills
measures. Within in a subset of community service programs that incorporate a residential
component for members, the study also uncovered a short-term negative impact of participation
on members’ appreciation for ethnic and cultural diversity which disappeared over time. The
implications of these findings for future research on national service are discussedLBJ School of Public Affair