Contributions from noncustodial fathers and reported change after divorce in the quality of life of mothers and children

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/2720080

Housing constraints and adjustment behaviors of vulnerable households

Three papers examine residential satisfaction, housing quality, and reported change in residential quality for households headed by single-parent women or divorced parents. Families headed by single or remarried parents are vulnerable to housing problems in that they are more likely than nuclear families to have low levels of economic resources and unmet housing needs. Three separate analyses of different data sets add to the understanding of the housing adjustment behaviors of households with non-normative family structures;The first paper reports the operationalization and testing of measures of personality characteristics to predict housing and neighborhood satisfaction. The results suggest that personality characteristics are powerful of housing satisfaction;The second paper reports comparisons of the background, income, housing, and location characteristics of households headed by white, African-American, and Hispanic single-parent women. The characteristics are included in models to predict three measures of housing quality: crowding; cost; and satisfaction. The findings suggest important differences and similarities in the factors that precipitate housing quality problems for the three groups. White, single-parent women are better housed than their African-American or Hispanic counterparts. Hispanic, single-parent women have the largest housing cost burdens and persons per household; African-American single mothers are twice as likely as members of the other reference groups to live in low-quality housing and report the lowest average level of housing satisfaction;The final paper focuses on divorced parents who owned a house before divorce. Socio-demographic characteristics, self-efficacy, legal characteristics of divorce, and current tenure status are included in a structural equations model to predict the outcomes of divorce and reported change in quality of life. The results suggest custody of children and possession of the marital home separately predict improvement in reported change in quality of life. However, when the responsibilities of custody of children is combined with possession of the marital home, there is a negative relationship with reported change in equality of life

A Qualitative Study: Small Business Merchandising Strategies in Rural Minnesota

This study was motivated by a desire to develop strategic guidelines tailored to solve the unique problems small, rural retailers face in today’s competitive retail environment. Because there is limited understanding of the actual experience of rural retailers’ operations and experiences, it was necessary to explore and accurately capture the experience from participants’ perspectives. The objective of the study was to provide an in-depth understanding of the rural small retailer’s perceptions of the business environment, merchandising strategies, challenges, and opportunities. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight small business owners from a rural county in Minnesota. A criterion-based sampling approach was used to recruit the participants from a variety of business types. Five emergent themes were identified: localism, experiential retailing, niche market, awareness, and marketing strategies. These themes provided a deeper understanding of the actual experience that rural retailers face in today’s competitive retail landscape. Extension educators can use these findings to help educate retailers about future best business practices and develop tailored technical support programs catered to the retailer’s specific industry needs

Negotiating between Two Identities: A Preliminary Qualitative Exploration of Clothing Practices among Korean Male College Students in the U.S.

Little is known about how men from Asia living in Western countries negotiate their identities through clothing choices. Given the fact that Asian men whose ideals images, norms, fashion styles, and appearance may differ considerably from the dominant Western culture (Watt & Ricciardelli, 2012), they may experience the process of identity negotiation living in the U.S. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine psychological aspects of clothing practices among Korean male college students in the U.S. using a qualitative research method

Housing Needs in Rural Communities

This study explored housing in small rural communities in an attempt to understand the available housing stock, perceptions of the need for housing, and perceived barriers to housing development. Data were collected through computer-assisted telephone interviews with key community informants. Interviews included forced-choice as well as open-ended questions. Housing issues are described through the words of community leaders with the goal of understanding communities\u27 needs and constraints. Lower cost housing for both renters and owners and housing options for elderly individuals continue to be areas of need in rural communities

Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Daily Living Skills in Children with High-Functioning Autism and Concurrent Anxiety Disorders

CBT is a promising treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and focuses, in part, on children’s independence and self-help skills. In a trial of CBT for anxiety in ASD (Wood et al. in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 50:224–234, 2009), children’s daily living skills and related parental intrusiveness were assessed. Forty children with ASD (7–11 years) and their primary caregiver were randomly assigned to an immediate treatment (IT; n = 17) or 3-month waitlist (WL; n = 23) condition. In comparison to WL, IT parents reported increases in children’s total and personal daily living skills, and reduced involvement in their children’s private daily routines. Reductions correlated with reduced anxiety severity. These results provide preliminary evidence that CBT may yield increased independence and daily living skills among children with ASD