The Difficult Transition from Military to Civilian Life

Military service is difficult, demanding and dangerous. But returning to civilian life also poses challenges for the men and women who have served in the armed forces, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey of 1,853 veterans. While more than seven-in-ten veterans (72%) report they had an easy time readjusting to civilian life, 27% say re-entry was difficult for them -- a proportion that swells to 44% among veterans who served in the ten years since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Why do some veterans have a hard time readjusting to civilian life while others make the transition with little or no difficulty? To answer that question, Pew researchers analyzed the attitudes, experiences and demographic characteristic of veterans to identify the factors that independently predict whether a service member will have an easy or difficult re-entry experience. Using a statistical technique known as logistic regression, the analysis examined the impact on re-entry of 18 demographic and attitudinal variables

One Recession, Two Americas: Those Who Lost Ground Slightly Outnumber Those Who Held Their Own

Analyzes survey data on hardships faced during the recession by demographics, political affiliation, education, and other factors. Compares the job experiences and economic views of those who suffered serious economic hardships and those who did not

Home for the Holidays ... and Every Other Day

Based on a survey, analyzes trends in grown children moving back home, seeking a roommate, or putting off marriage or pregnancy as a result of the recession. Compares trends since 1950 in the share of people living alone by age group and gender

The Public Renders a Split Verdict on Changes in Family Structure

Analyzes views on family and increases in unmarried or gay and lesbian couples and single women raising children, unmarried couples living together, mothers of young children working outside the home, interracial marriages; and women not having children

Who Moves? Who Stays Put? Where's Home?

Analyzes results of a Pew Social & Demographic Trends survey on Americans' geographic mobility, including perceptions of "home," reasons for moving or staying, and economic considerations, by race/ethnicity, education, region, and other demographics

Illegal Immigration Backlash Worries, Divides Latinos

Compares survey responses of Latinos/Hispanics with those of the general population and by nativity on topics such as immigration policy, illegal immigrants' impact on other Latinos/Hispanics, and political solidarity between the native- and foreign-born

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life

Discusses survey results about the standard of living, sense of progress and mobility, economic behaviors, anxieties and aspirations, and social and political values of the American middle class. Also examines trends in demographic and income data

For Many Injured Veterans, A Lifetime of Consequences

One out of every ten veterans alive today was seriously injured at some point while serving in the military, and three-quarters of those injuries occurred in combat. For many of these 2.2 million wounded warriors, the physical and emotional consequences of their wounds have endured long after they left the military, according to a Pew research Center survey of a nationally representative sample of 1,853 veterans conducted from July 18 to Sept. 4, 2011.Veterans who suffered major service-related injuries are more than twice as likely as their more fortunate comrades to say they had difficulties readjusting to civilian life. They are almost three times as likely as other veterans to report they have suffered from post-traumatic stress (PTS). And they are less likely in later life to be in overall good health or to hold full-time jobs

Growing Old in America: Expectations vs. Reality

Presents survey results on indicators of old age, "felt age," and the upsides and downsides of growing older, by age, gender, income, and race/ethnicity. Highlights gaps between perceptions of younger adults and the self-reported experiences of seniors

How does study quality affect the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis?

Background: The use of systematic literature review to inform evidence based practice in diagnostics is rapidly expanding. Although the primary diagnostic literature is extensive, studies are often of low methodological quality or poorly reported. There has been no rigorously evaluated, evidence based tool to assess the methodological quality of diagnostic studies. The primary objective of this study was to determine the extent to which variations in the quality of primary studies impact the results of a diagnostic meta-analysis and whether this differs with diagnostic test type. A secondary objective was to contribute to the evaluation of QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in diagnostic accuracy studies. Methods: This study was conducted as part of large systematic review of tests used in the diagnosis and further investigation of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. All studies included in this review were assessed using QUADAS, an evidence-based tool for the assessment of quality in systematic reviews of diagnostic accuracy studies. The impact of individual components of QUADAS on a summary measure of diagnostic accuracy was investigated using regression analysis. The review divided the diagnosis and further investigation of UTI into the following three clinical stages: diagnosis of UTI, localisation of infection, and further investigation of the UTI. Each stage used different types of diagnostic test, which were considered to involve different quality concerns. Results: Many of the studies included in our review were poorly reported. The proportion of QUADAS items fulfilled was similar for studies in different sections of the review. However, as might be expected, the individual items fulfilled differed between the three clinical stages. Regression analysis found that different items showed a strong association with test performance for the different tests evaluated. These differences were observed both within and between the three clinical stages assessed by the review. The results of regression analyses were also affected by whether or not a weighting (by sample size) was applied. Our analysis was severely limited by the completeness of reporting and the differences between the index tests evaluated and the reference standards used to confirm diagnoses in the primary studies. Few tests were evaluated by sufficient studies to allow meaningful use of meta-analytic pooling and investigation of heterogeneity. This meant that further analysis to investigate heterogeneity could only be undertaken using a subset of studies, and that the findings are open to various interpretations. Conclusion: Further work is needed to investigate the influence of methodological quality on the results of diagnostic meta-analyses. Large data sets of well-reported primary studies are needed to address this question. Without significant improvements in the completeness of reporting of primary studies, progress in this area will be limited