JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY

United States of America (Minneapolis) 93

MAY 1994 - VOLUME 56, NUMBER 2

96.93.1 - English - Mark. A. FINE, Department of Psychology, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH 45469-1430 (U.S.A.), and David R. FINE, United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, 228 Walnut Street, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1877 (U.S.A.)

An examination and evaluation of recent changes in divorce laws in five Western countries: The critical role of values (p. 249-263)

In this article, we describe recent changes in divorce laws in the United States, England and Wales, France, and Sweden in the areas of obtaining a divorce, spousal support, child support, and child custody. Although there are important differences among countries, there are some common trends. Divorce has become increasingly easy to obtain; spousal support has become less common; efforts have been made to increase child support awards and to improve payment compliance; and shared parental decision-making authority has become increasingly accepted and encouraged. We discuss the relation between individuals' values and their evaluations of the effects of changes in divorce laws on family members, as well as the relation between legal change and cultural values. (DIVORCE, LEGISLATION, VALUE SYSTEMS, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

96.93.2 - English - Amy KOEL, Susan C. CLARK, Robert B. STRAUS, Ruth Rotundo WHITNEY and Barbara B. HAUSER, Middlesex Divorce Research Group, 70 Waverly Avenue, Newton, MA 02158 (U.S.A.) Patterns of relitigation in the postdivorce family (p. 265-277)

This study examines child-related, postdivorce litigation in families with young children. We explore who relitigates, how often, when, and around what issues. We examine the relationship between relitigation and custodial status and parental gender. Legal records of 700 divorced families with young children and 700 couples without children are reviewed. Data reveal a high relitigation rate, particularly among parents. Support issues were relitigated more frequently than were visitation and custody issues. Differences between joint and sole legal custody families and between mothers and fathers are noted and explored. Five main areas related to relitigation - interparental conflict, the legal system, resources, child-related issues, and family characteristics - are presented and discussed. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCE, CONFLICTS, JUSTICE, CHILDREN)

96.93.3 - English - Glenna SPITZE, John R. LOGAN, Glenn DEANE and Suzanne ZERGER, Department of Sociology, State University of New York at Albany, Social Science 340, Albany, NY 12222 (U.S.A.)

Adult children's divorce and intergenerational relationships (p. 279-293)

We examine effects of adult children's divorce on several dimensions of their relationships with parents, using a local probability sample of 905 parents. We find that an adult child's divorce is a fairly common experience for parents. Approximately half of parents above age 60 who have at least one ever-married child have experienced a child's divorce. The experience of currently having grandchildren not in an adult child's custody is much less common, but affects around 1 in 10 parents in their sixties at a given time. The effects of divorce differ between sons and daughters. In general, divorced daughters with child custody have more contact than married daughters and receive more help from parents. Sons, on the other hand, receive more babysitting help when they are married than in other situations. Divorce does not decrease daughters' help to parents, as some observers have feared. Grandchildren are viewed as pivotal in these relations. We discuss implications for future intergenerational relations and suggestions for further research. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCE, PARENTS, CHILDREN, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

96.93.4 - English - William S. AQUILINO, Department of Child and Family Studies, 1430 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (U.S.A.) Impact of childhood family disruption on young adults' relationships with parents (p. 295-313)

The implications of childhood family disruption for parent-adult child relations are explored in a sample of 4,516: young adults. Among young adults raised in single-parent families, relationships with custodial mothers and custodial fathers remained quite positive into early adulthood. Becoming the noncustodial parent resulted in severe deterioration of the father-child relationship. Noncustodial mothers, in contrast, enjoyed relations with adult children that were nearly as good as those of custodial mothers. The impact of remarriage of the custodial parent differed greatly for noncustodial mothers and noncustodialfathers. In custodial father families, the father's remarriage sharply reduced the quality of adult children's relations with nonresidential biological mothers. In custodial mother families, in contrast, mother's remarriage had only a slight negative influence on adult children's relations with nonresidential biological fathers. Issues of timing of familv structure transitions and degree of family instability are also examined. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCE, CHILD CUSTODY, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

96.93.5 - English - John O. G. BILLY, Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation, 4000 N.E. 41st Street, Seattle, WA 98105 (U.S.A.), Karin L. BREWSTER, Carolina Population Center, 123 W. Franklin Street, CB#8120, University Square, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (U.S.A.), and William R. GRADY, Battelle Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation (U.S.A.)

Contextual effects on the sexual behavior of adolescent women (p. 387-404)

The present study contributes to the literature that explores the implications of contextual factors for adolescent fertility by examining the effects of community context on the likelihood of experiencing sexual intercourse and on two aspects of sexual behavior subsequent to first intercourse: intercourse consistency and frequency. We use a multilevel strategy incorporating aggregate- and individual-level data for nationally representative samples of 566 black and 1,286 nonblack adolescent women to test hypotheses about a wide range of community characteristics. Our results suggest that the likelihood of first intercourse and subsequent sexual behavior among teens of both races are shaped by a number of community characteristics, including social disorganization, socioeconomic status, religiosity, female labor force participation, population composition, and family planning service availability. (UNITED STATES, ADOLESCENCE, SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS, RACES, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

96.93.6 - English - Jay D. TEACHMAN, Department of Human Development, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164 (U.S.A.), Vaughn R. A. CALL, Center for Studies of the Family, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602 (U.S.A.), and Karen Price CARVER, Center on Population, Gender and Social Inequality, Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (U.S.A.)

Marital status and the duration of joblessness among white men (p. 415-428)

The primacy of men's economic provision and the substantial impact of their economic resources on families suggests that marital status should be an important correlate of men's labor market behavior. In this article we investigate the relationship between men's marital status and duration of spells of joblessness. We outline a rational for expecting men's marital status to be related to duration of joblessness and provide empirical estimates for a sample of 2,851 white men from Washington state followed from approximately ages 16-18 to approximately ages 29-31. The results suggest that men's marital status exerts a negative and direct causal influence on length of joblessness. (UNITED STATES, MEN, MARITAL STATUS, UNEMPLOYMENT)

96.93.7 - English - Jutta M. JOESCH, Department of Family and Consumer Studies, 228 AEB, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112 (U.S.A.)

Children and the timing of women's paid work after childbirth: A further specification of the relationship (p. 429-440)

The concept of opportunity cost of time, Cox hazards models, and data on 597 women from the 1983-1987 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics are used to analyze when women start paid work following a birth. By the beginning of month 5 after delivery, half of the women had started paid work. Work status during pregnancy has the largest effect on the timing, but family income, the federal income tax rate, and home ownership also matter. Of several measures for children, having a second or fourth child are the only ones related to the timing of paid work, if work status during pregnancy is not controlled for. (UNITED STATES, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION, CHILD REARING)

96.93.8 - English - Felicia B. LECLERE, National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics, 6525 Belcrest Road, Room 850, Hyattsville, MD 20782 (U.S.A.), and Brenda Marsteller KOWALEWSKI, Department of Sociology, University of Maryland, Art-Sociology Building, College Park, MD 20742 (U.S.A.)

Disability in the family: The effects on children's well-being (p. 457-468)

In this study, we examine the impact of disability among all coresident family members on children's severe and common behavioral problems and their probability, of suffering an accident, injury or poisoning in the previous year. Using data from the 1988 National Health Interview Survey's supplement on child health, we analyze a sample of 11,248 nondisabled children aged 5 to 17. The results of multiple classification analyses show that the mean number of severe and common behavioral problems were significantly increased by the presence of a disabled family member. The risk of severe behavioral problems was highest for children living with more than one disabled family member. Common behavioral problems were more likely to be found among children who live with a disabled parent. Only children living in households with more than one disabled person showed an increased risk of experiencing an accident, injury, or poisoning. (UNITED STATES, DISABILITY, INDIVIDUAL WELFARE, CHILDREN)

96.93.9 - English - Stephen T. RUSSELL, Department of Sociology, Duke University, Box 90088, Durham, NC 27708-0088 (U.S.A.) Life course antecedents of premarital conception in Great Britain (p. 480-492)

This study employs a life course perspective in its examination of possible antecedents of premarital as well as marital conceptions early in the lives of young women and men in Great Britain. Using data on 5,167 women and 5,585 men from the British National Child Development Study, it is found that significant antecedents of premarital conception for both sexes are low socioeconomic status, low adolescent social adjustment, and a family environment characterized by parent-child arguing, parental divorce or separation, or a family history of nonmarital fertility. Pubertal development is found to be related only weakly to premarital conceptions. These findings are compared to analyses of marital conception for the same cohort. (UNITED KINGDOM, PREMARITAL CONCEPTIONS, FERTILITY DETERMINANTS)

96.93.10 - English - Michael P. SOBOL, Department of Psychology, and Kerry J. DALY, Department of Family Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1 (Canada) Canadian adoption statistics: 1981-1990 (p. 493-499)

Canadian adoption statistics are presented for the years between 1981 and 1990. Data were provided by the adoption coordinators of all 10 provinces and two territories. Downward trends in the use of adoption as a means of family formation were found across the decade. By 1990, a majority of infant adoptions were facilitated by private practitioners and agencies while older children were primarily adopted through public auspices. Findings are discussed within the context of pregnant women's decision making and the availability of adoptable children. Finally the need for better record keeping is considered. (CANADA, ADOPTION, SOCIAL STATISTICS)

AUGUST 1994 - VOLUME 56, NUMBER 3

96.93.11 - English - Yoshinori KAMO and Min ZHOU, Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (U.S.A.) Living arrangements of elderly Chinese and Japanese in the United States (p. 544-558)

This study examines patterns of living arrangements among elderly persons of Chinese and Japanese origin in the United States. Based on 1980 U.S. Census data on 8,502 elderly persons, we draw on three theoretical frameworks - modernization, cultural specificity, and assimilation - to explore the effects of acculturation, economic feasibility, and demographic availability on elderly living arrangements. Our results show that patterns of elderly living arrangements vary among Chinese, Japanese, and non-Hispanic whites. Elderly Chinese and Japanese are more likely than their non-Hispanic white counterparts to live in extended family households, particularly in their ever-married children's homes. This pattern appears to hold even after the place of birth is controlled for and even when Chinese and Japanese are given attributes identical to those of non-Hispanic whites. We conclude that while the influence of immigrant culture is significantly reduced through acculturation, the effect of this influence is nonlinear and that the cultural effect on elderly living arrangements will persist longer than expected according to modernization and assimilation models. (UNITED STATES, CHINA, JAPAN, AGED, ACCULTURATION, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION)

96.93.12 - English - Gary R. LEE, Julie K. NETZER and Raymond T. COWARD, Center on Rural Health and Aging, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610 (U.S.A.) Filial responsibility expectations and patterns of intergenerational assistance (p. 559-565)

This study tests the association between two dimensions of the theory of intergenerational solidarity (Bengtson & Roberts, 1991) - filial responsibility expectations (a component of normative solidarity) and functional solidarity - on a sample of 387 elderly parents. Filial responsibility expectations are defined as the extent to which adult children are believed to be obligated to support their aging parents. Functional solidarity is measured by aid given by aging parents to their adult children, and aid received by parents from children. Aging parents' filial responsibility expectations are positively related to the amount of aid they give to their children when parental resource variables are controlled, but unrelated to aid received from children. (UNITED STATES, AGED, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, PARENTS, CHILDREN)

96.93.13 - English - Sally K. GALLAGHER, Department of Sociology, Fairbanks Hall 307, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331-3703 (U.S.A.) Doing their share: Comparing patterns of help given by older and younger adults (p. 567-578)

This article compares the help older people give to family, friends, and others with patterns of help given by younger adults. The analysis is based on in-depth personal interviews with 273 married men and women. Older adults are less involved in helping kin - particularly less proximate kin - and friends. However, older adults spend more time volunteering - especially to help the needy - than do younger adults. Gender is also a significant and consistent predictor of giving care across types of recipients. Helping kin and helping friends are positively associated, as are helping friends and volunteering. (UNITED STATES, AGE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

96.93.14 - English - Ray HUTCHISON, Urban and Regional Studies, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (U.S.A.), and Miles McNALL, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, 267 19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (U.S.A.)

Early marriage in a Hmong cohort (p. 579-590)

Married and not-married Hmong female high school students were compared on attitudinal, achievement, and background variables to explore factors associated with early marriage and to determine consequences of early marriage for mental health and educational expectations. Although more than half of the female students were married by their senior year of high school, the majority remained in school, had educational expectations similar to their not-married peers, and were not differentiated on indices of depression, psychological well-being, self-esteem, self-derogation, or mastery. The more usual individualistic models of marriage choice, which would consider this pattern "nonnormative " or "disorderly," may not be appropriate for ethnic subgroups such as the Hmong, where high educational expectations coexist with high rates of early marriage and early childbearing. (UNITED STATES, LAOS, REFUGEES, EARLY MARRIAGE, SCHOOL SUCCESS, PSYCHOLOGY)

96.93.15 - English - Les B. WHITBECK, Ronald L. SIMONS and Meei-ying KAO, Department of Sociology and Center for Family Research on Rural Mental Health, 107 East Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011 (U.S.A.)

The effects of divorced mothers' dating behaviors and sexual attitudes on the sexual attitudes and behaviors of their adolescent children (p. 615-621)

Using reports from a sample of 79 adolescent boys and 95 adolescent girls and their divorced mothers, we used structural equation modeling to investigate the effects of mothers' dating behaviors on adolescents' sexuality. The single mothers in this study had divorced in the past 2 years and had an adolescent child in the seventh or eighth grade. Our results indicated that mothers' dating behaviors directly influenced the sexual behaviors of adolescent boys, and indirectly influenced adolescent girls' sexuality by affecting their sexual attitudes. Mothers' attitudes of sexual permissiveness influenced daughters' sexual attitudes and behaviors, but not sons'. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCED PERSONS, MOTHER, ADOLESCENTS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR)

96.93.16 - English - Tom LUSTER, Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1030 (U.S.A.), and Stephen A. SMALL, Department of Child and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706 (U.S.A.)

Factors associated with sexual risk-taking behaviors among adolescents (p. 622-632)

This study examines factors that distinguish between sexually active adolescents who are at risk for pregnancy and for sexually transmitted diseases and sexually active teens who are at lower risk for these outcomes. The study is based on a representative survey of 2,567 teenagers from four rural Midwestern counties. Several characteristics of the adolescents and their families were found to distinguish between sexual risk takers and those at lower risk for sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancy. (UNITED STATES, ADOLESCENTS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, RISK EXPOSURE)

96.93.17 - English - Daniel T. LICHTER and David J. EGGEBEEN, Population Research Institute, 601 Oswald Tower, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (U.S.A.) The effect of parental employment on child poverty (p. 633-645)

Mandated work requirements contained in recent welfare legislation suggest the need to evaluate the extent to which parental work - or the lack of it - contributes to the high poverty rates of American children. Data on 41,996 children under age 18 from the 1990 Current Population Survey support three general conclusions. First, parental employment and children's poverty are inextricably linked in married-couple and female-headed families. Second, simulations reveal that child poverty rates are nevertheless relatively insensitive to increases in parental employment. Only very large and unrealistic increases in maternal employment would significantly reduce child poverty rates. Third, the large black-white differences in child poverty are not simply a result of racial differences in paternal and maternal employment. The problem is not one of finding a job, but rather a job that pays well enough to lift the family (and its children) out of poverty. (UNITED STATES, POVERTY, CHILDREN, PARENTS, LABOUR)

96.93.18 - English - Rosalind C. BARNETT, Wellesley College and Murray Research Center, 10 Garden Street, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA 02138 (U.S.A.) Home-to-work spillover revisited: A study of full-time employed women in dual-earner couples (p. 647-656)

In this analysis, I estimated separately the moderating effect of marital role and parent role quality on the relationship between job role quality and psychological distress in a random sample of 300 full-time employed women in dual-earner couples. The hypothesized relationships were confirmed: The quality of women's marital and parental roles each buffered women from the negative mental health effects associated with a poor experience on the job. Comparison of these data with those previously reported by the husbands of these women indicated that these interaction effects did not depend on gender. For full-time employed men and women in dual-earner couples, positive experiences in the role of partner or parent buffered the effects of job experiences on psychological distress. (UNITED STATES, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, FAMILY LIFE, MENTAL HEALTH)

96.93.19 - English - Karen Fox FOLK and Yunae YI, Division of Consumer Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 905 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801 (U.S.A.)

Piecing together child care with multiple arrangements: Crazy quilt or preferred pattern for employed parents of preschool children? (p. 669-680)

This study uses data on 469 employed mothers from the 1987 National Survey of Families and Households to examine the ways both single and married mothers of preschoolers combine child care arrangements for preschool children and what factors affect use of multiple versus single child care arrangements. Married mothers on average use fewer hours of care from fathers and relatives than do single mothers, but both fathers and relatives provide a substantial proportion of the total hours of child care in multiple care combinations. Logistic regression analyses find that mothers with a varying work schedule, those who work more than 40 hours per week, those with more education, and those in families with the father as main child care provider are more likely to use multiple care arrangements. Mothers working less than 20 hours per week are less likely to use multiple care. (UNITED STATES, CHILD REARING, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT)

96.93.20 - English - J. Jill SUITOR, Department of Sociology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (U.S.A.), and Karl PILLEMER, Human Development and Family Studies, MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (U.S.A.) Family caregiving and marital satisfaction: Findings from a 1-year panel study of women caring for parents with dementia (p. 681-690)

This study uses quantitative and qualitative data collected from 94 daughters and daughters-in-law to examine the effects of caregiving on marital satisfaction across the first year of caring for an elderly parent with dementia. While there was no change in mean marital satisfaction scores, more than one-third of the women reported notably lower or higher scores by the end of the year. Analyses indicated that changes in the women's marital satisfaction were associated with variations in their husbands' emotional support and hindrance of the caregiving effort. Husbands' support and hindrance were affected by the husbands' perceptions that caregiving interfered with their wives' performance of traditional family roles. Husbands' instrumental support did not help to explain changes in caregivers' marital satisfaction across the year. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY LIFE, INTERSPOUSE RELATIONSHIPS, ANCESTORS, MENTALLY ILL)

96.93.21 - English - Cynthia GIMBEL and Alan BOOTH, Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802-6211 (U.S.A.)

Why does military combat experience adversely affect marital relations? (p. 691-703)

Using data on 2,101 Vietnam veterans, we investigate the ways in which combat decreases marital quality and stability. We test three models: (a) factors that propel men into combat also make them poor marriage material; (b) combat causes problems such as post-traumatic stress symptoms or antisocial behavior that increase marital adversity; and (c) combat intensifies premilitary stress and antisocial behavior that then negatively affect marriages. All three models were supported. Combat creates stress and antisocial behavior, but only antisocial behavior has direct effects on marriage; all other effects are indirect. (UNITED STATES, INTERSPOUSE RELATIONSHIPS, MILITARY PERSONNEL)

96.93.22 - English - Zheng WU, Department of Sociology, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3050, Victoria, BC, V8W 3P5 (Canada), and T. R. BALAKRISHNAN, Department of Sociology, Social Science Center, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5C2 (Canada) Cohabitation after marital disruption in Canada (p. 723-734)

Using recent Canadian national data, this study examines the cohabitational experience of 930 women and 650 men after they terminated a first marriage in the context of a marital search model. Our results suggest an increasing trend of postmarital cohabitation for recent cohorts. The hazard rate of postmarital cohabitation varies, depending particularly on time since marital disruption, age at marital disruption, and year of marital dissolution. The analysis shows no significant sex differences in the rate of postmarital cohabitation. The implications for these results are discussed. (UNITED STATES, DIVORCED PERSONS, COHABITATION)

96.93.23 - English - Rachel PRUCHNO, Christopher BURANT, Menorah Park Center for the Aging, 27100 Cedar Road, Beachwood, OH 44122 (U.S.A.), and Norah D. PETERS, Philadelphia Geriatric Center, 5301 Old York Road, Philadelphia, PA 19141 (U.S.A.)

Family mental health: Marital and parent-child consensus as predictors (p. 747-758)

Data regarding consensus and mental health were collected from 252 women, their husbands, and an adolescent child who were members of three-generation households. Analyses indicate that consensus is best represented by six separate constructs and mental health by three separate constructs. Mental health of individual family members was differentially predicted by indicators of consensus. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY WELFARE, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS, MENTAL HEALTH)

96.93.24 - English - Nan Marie ASTONE, Department of Population Dynamics, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, 615 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 (U.S.A.), and Dawn M. UPCHURCH, Division of Population and Family Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (U.S.A.)

Forming a family, leaving school early, and earning a GED: A racial and cohort comparison (p. 759-771)

In this paper we evaluate whether family formation - getting married or bearing a child - has interfered with women's secondary school attainment in the United States during the mid-20th century. Examining a sample of 3,055 white and African American women, we find that women who formed a family while still enrolled in high school had an elevated risk of leaving without a degree. The odds that such early family formation will result in premature withdrawal from secondary school do not vary by cohort or by race at the individual level. Recent cohorts and Alfrican Americans are more likely to form a family while still in high school, making this effect more important for these groups than others. Early family formation did not inhibit women born since World War II from earning a GED. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY FORMATION, COLLEGE STUDENTS, EDUCATIONAL DROPOUTS, SCHOOL SUCCESS)

NOVEMBER 1994 - VOLUME 56, NUMBER 4

96.93.25 - English - Nancy E. RILEY, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME 04011 (U.S.A.) Interwoven lives: Parents, marriage, and guanxi in China (p. 791-803)

This article examines changes in the role of parents in marriage decisions in China using two data sets, the In-depth Fertility Survey, Phase II, and data collected by the author in 1986-1987. The number of arranged marriages, in which parents have absolute control, has decreased. But in most marriages, parents continue to have an influence on the decisions made. Parental involvement in all aspects of young people's lives is welcomed by both parents and children. Guanxi provides an explanation for continuing strong kin ties. In China people rely heavily on the use of interpersonal lies (guanxi) to acquire scarce goods and services. Children often rely on parents' guanxi for help in achieving school or career goals. Marriage decisions are thus made in a context that supports continuing influence of parents in the lives of adult children. (CHINA, MARRIAGE, ARRANGED MARRIAGE, INFLUENCE, PARENTS, SOCIAL ORGANIZATION)

96.93.26 - English - Steven STACK, Department of Sociology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202 (U.S.A.), and Elena BANKOWSKI, Department of Mathematics, University of Detroit-Mercy, Detroit, MI 48221 (U.S.A.)

Divorce and drinking: An analysis of Russian data (p. 805-812)

This study uses data on 374 respondents, aged 16 and older, from the Moscow Oblast Survey to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption and divorce in Russia. A logit regression model of drinking in Moscow finds that both divorced and single persons have elevated risks of drinking relative to married persons. This relationship is independent of control variables including gender, education level, and religiosity. Hence, although Russian alcohol consumption has been largely typified as a reaction to macrosociological problems such as terrorism and chronic shortages of consumer goods, a Western model of divorce and drinking is supported. (RUSSIA, DIVORCE, ALCOHOLISM)

96.93.27 - English - Jay GINN and Sara ARBER, Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guilford, Surrey, GU2 5XH (R.-U.) Midlife women's employment and pension entitlement in relation to coresident adult children in Great Britain (p. 813-819)

Data from the General Household Surveys of 1988-1990 was analyzed to examine how the employment and pension plan membership of British midlife women was related to the presence, employment status, and earnings of their adult children, while controlling for other relevant factors. Information was available on over 9,000 women aged between 40 and 59, nearly half of whom have adult children living with them. Midlife women with adult children at home were less likely to work full-time than women whose children had left home, although the overall rate of employment was not related to the presence of adult children. Women who had never had a child were more likely to work full-time than women whose children had left home. Women were less likely to belong to an occupational pension scheme if they had coresident adult children than if all children had left home, after controlling for hours of work. (UNITED KINGDOM, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, PENSION FUNDS, HOUSEHOLD COMPOSITION)

96.93.28 - English - Benjamin P. GIVENS and Charles HIRSCHMAN, Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology, Department of Sociology, DK-40, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (U.S.A.) Modernization and consanguineous marriage in Iran (p. 820-834)

Using data on 4,667 women from the 1976-77 Iran Fertility Survey, we examine the trend and social correlates of consanguineous marriage in Iran. Based upon William Goode's theory of modernization, we hypothesize a declining trend in consanguineous marriage over time and negative relationships between consanguinity and measures of social status. Contrary to our expectations, there was a modest increase in the proportion of marriages between cousins in Iran from the 1940s to 1970s. Results from multivariate logistic regressions, however, indicate that many of the measures of individual social status had the expected negative relationships with consanguinity. Overall, the results of this analysis suggest that forces of modernization may be slowly eroding the social bases of consanguinity, while the increased availability of cousins may lead to an increase in consanguinity in the near term. (IRAN, CONSANGUINEOUS MARRIAGE, MODERNIZATION, SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS)

96.93.29 - English - Kirk DEARDEN, Save the Children, 54 Wilton Road, Westport, CT 06881 (U.S.A.), Christiane HALE, Takoma-Pierce County Health Department, 3701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98408 (U.S.A.), and Mary BLANKSON, School of Public Health, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, U.A.B. Station, Birmingham, AL 35294 (U.S.A.)

Family structure, function, and the early transition to fatherhood in Great Britain: Identifying antecedents using longitudinal data (p. 844-852)

This study uses data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS) of Great Britain to identify social risk factors for becoming a father at a young age. The NCDS is a longitudinal study spanning more than 20 years. Findings reported here suggest that boys whose families experienced financial hardship were at greater risk for fathering a child while in their teens. Presence of older siblings was also associated with the transition to early fatherhood. However, teen fathers were no more likely than nonfathers to come from single-parent homes, homes where fathers played a minimal role in child management, or those marked by domestic tension. (UNITED KINGDOM, PATERNITY, ADOLESCENT FERTILITY, FAMILY COMPOSITION, FAMILY ENVIRONMENT)

96.93.30 - English - Malathi RAM and Rebeca WONG, Department of International Health, Hygiene 2041, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205 (U.S.A.) Covariates of household extension in rural India: Change over time (p. 853-864)

This study examines changes over time in household extension and its determinants, using multivariate analyses of cross-sectional data, panel data, and regression decomposition techniques. We use panel data for 9 years from 240 households in six villages in south India and find that household extension is associated with variables representing three factors: life cycle stage, insurance and support needs, and production system requirements. The most important factor contributing to the observed change in household extension over the panel period is the change in the propensity to live in extended households as opposed to changes in the composition of the sample through time. (INDIA, RURAL ENVIRONMENT, HOUSEHOLD SIZE)

96.93.31 - English - Alan BOOTH, Department of Sociology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (U.S.A.), and Paul R. AMATO, Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68508-0324 (U.S.A.)

Parental gender role nontraditionalism and offspring outcomes (p. 865-877)

Using data from a longitudinal study of a representative sample of 471 parents and their adult offspring, we examined whether nontraditional gender roles and attitudes among parents are associated with later life outcomes of children. We found very little evidence that mother's participation in the labor force, father's participation in household tasks, and parents' gender role attitudes had adverse or positive effects on offspring well-being. However, offspring of nontraditional parents were less likely to reside with parents and had slightly poorer relationships with their fathers; the latter finding is accounted for by the greater likelihood of nontraditional parents to divorce. In addition, daughters of nontraditional parents were more likely to cohabit. Finally, offspring of nontraditional parents tended to have nontraditional gender role attitudes. In all cases the relationships were modest. (UNITED STATES, PARENTS, CHILDREN, ATTITUDE, SEX ROLES)

96.93.32 - English - R. S. OROPESA, Daniel T. LICHTER and Robert N. ANDERSON, Department of Sociology and Population Research Institute, 206 Oswald Tower, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (U.S.A.) Marriage markets and the paradox of Mexican American nuptiality (p. 889-907)

Current research on the retreat from marriage emphasizes the economic underpinnings of family formation, especially among disadvantaged minorities. The paradox of Mexican American nuptiality is that first marriage rates among Mexican Americans are similar to those among Anglos, despite economic circumstances that closely approximate those of African Americans. Using event histories constructed from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study extends previous analyses by investigating the roles of both structural (e.g., pool of marriageable men) and cultural (e.g., familism) factors in the marriage transitions of 3,853 Mexican American, African American, and Anglo women. The results support three main conclusions. First, similarities are outweighed by differences in the marriage process across these groups. Second, cultural indicators do not explain group differences. Third, the unique aspects of the marriage process among Mexican Americans cannot be fully understood without taking their generational heterogeneity into account. (UNITED STATES, MEXICO, ETHNIC MINORITIES, NUPTIALITY, COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS)

96.93.33 - English - William S. AQUILINO, Department of Child and Family Studies, 1430 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (U.S.A.) Later life parental divorce and widowhood: Impact on young adults' assessment of parent-child relations (p. 908-922)

The implications of later life parental divorce and widowhood for relations between parents and young adult children are explored in a sample of 3,281 young adults who grew up in intact families. Family disruption that occurred after children were grown had sizable effects on parent-adult child relations. Later life parental divorce lowered relationship quality and contact between adult children and parents. The effects were stronger for father-child than for mother-child relations, and stronger for father-daughter than for father-son relations. Widowhood had negative effects on father-child but not on mother-child relations. Effects of later life marital dissolution on help exchange and financial assistance differed by sex of child and parent. Divorce disrupted parent-son more than parent-daughter support exchange. Death of the same-sex parent had stronger effects on parent-child support exchange than did death of the opposite-sex parent. (UNITED STATES, AGED, DIVORCED PERSONS, WIDOWHOOD, PARENTS, CHILDREN, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

96.93.34 - English - Lynn WHITE, Department of Sociology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0324 (U.S.A.) Growing up with single parents and stepparents: Long-term effects on family solidarity (p. 935-948)

Using data on 3,625 respondents from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households, this analysis examines the long-term consequences of childhood family structure for adult relationships with parents and siblings. Using a broad array of indicators of family solidarity - relationship quality, contact frequency, and perceived and actual social support - this research compares adults raised by single parents with those raised in intact families and compares those who grew up in stepfamilies with those raised by single parents. Results show that divorced single-parent families are associated with reduced solidarity between parents and children. Custodial mothers' remarriages are associated with more parent-child solidarity than single-mother families, but the remarriages of custodial fathers are associated with lower solidarity. Sibling solidarity is not significantly affected by childhood family structure. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY DISINTEGRATION, FAMILY COMPOSITION, INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS)

96.93.35 - English - Laura SPENCER LOOMIS, Westat, Inc., 1650 Research Boulevard, Rockville, MD 20850-3129 (U.S.A.), and Nancy S. LANDALE, Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 601 Oswald Tower, University Park, PA 16802 (U.S.A.) Nonmarital cohabitation and childbearing among Black and White American women (p. 949-962)

Previous studies have suggested that there are racial differences in the role of cohabitation in the family-formation process. This study provides an empirical analysis of this issue by examining the childbearing behavior of approximately 733 black and 2,986 white cohabiting and married women at two stages in the marital life course. The results indicate that, for both first unions and first postmarital unions, the rate of childbearing within cohabitation more closely approximates the rate of childbearing within legal marriage among black women than white women. ln fact, among black women in first postmarital unions, cohabitors and the legally married are equally likely to have a birth. In addition, among white women, the likelihood of a birth among relatively disadvantaged cohabitors is closer to that of legally married women than is the likelihood of a birth among more advantaged cohabitors. Overall, it appears that cohabitation is most similar to legal marriage as a setting for childbearing among black women and relatively disadvantaged white women. (UNITED STATES, BLACKS, WHITES, COHABITATION, MARRIAGE, FERTILITY)

96.93.36 - English - Valarie KING, Carolina Population Center, CB# 8120, University Square, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27516-3997 (U.S.A.)

Variation in the consequences of nonresident father involvement for children's well-being (p. 963-972)

Using data from subsets ranging in size from 777 to 1,501 children from the child supplement to the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY), a series of multivariate regression models were tested to determine whether the effects of nonresident father involvement on child well-being vary by race, mother's education, or whether the child was born within or outside of marriage. The results show few interactive effects, and no identifiable set of conditions emerged that increased or reduced the importance of father involvement for child well-being. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY DISINTEGRATION, FATHER, CHILDREN, FAMILY WELFARE)

96.93.37 - English - Mel HOVELL, Carol SIPAN, Elaine BLUMBERG, Cathie ATKINS, C. Richard HOFSTETTER and Susan KREITNER, Center for Behavioral Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 7051 Alvarado Road, Suite B, La Mesa, CA 91941 (U.S.A.) Family influences on Latino and Anglo adolescents' sexual behavior (p. 973-986)

This analysis explored the relationship between family variables and adolescents' sexual behavior. Latino (n = 224) and Anglo (n = 160) teens completed an interview concerning their sexual practices and social and family background. Adolescents reported a mean of 4.48 (SD = 3.24) on the sexual activity scale (petting inside of clothes); 29.9% reported some form of sexual intercourse. Sexual behavior was regressed on family variables, and a multiple R of .55, which explained 30% of the variance in sexual behavior, was obtained. The variables that accounted for most of the explained variance were: adolescent's age (positive), mother's attitude about the adolescent having sex (positive), following dating rules (negative), and mother's attitude to wait until married for intercourse (negative). It was concluded that the family influence component of the model was a moderately important contributor to the development of sexual behavior in adolescents. Results suggest that conservative maternal attitudes about sex and the presence of dating rules that are followed (or enforced) delay the development of sexual behavior. (UNITED STATES, ADOLESCENTS, SEXUAL BEHAVIOUR, FAMILY ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE)

96.93.38 - English - Stan L. ALBRECHT, Michael K. MILLER and Leslie L. CLARKE, Institute for Health Policy Research, P.O. Box 100177, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0177 (U.S.A.)

Assessing the importance of family structure in understanding birth outcomes (p. 987-1003)

In this study, we address the effect of family structure on adequacy of prenatal care and resultant birth outcomes by examining data for 18,594 women who experienced either a live birth, fetal death, or infant death in 1988. Using Kotelchuck's adequacy of care index, we find major differences in the effect of family structure across racial/ethnic groups. For Hispanics, women living with the father of the expected child, as opposed to living alone or in an extended family, have substantially higher probabilities of receiving adequate prenatal care. The effect of family structure is less important for black or while women and its effect on infant birth weight and mortality for all women is modest. We argue for richer measures of family structure than are often available in large secondary data sets. (UNITED STATES, FAMILY COMPOSITION, PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH)

96.93.39 - English - David J. TUCKER, Lorna F. HURL and Harry FORD, School of Social Work, University of Michigan, 1065 Frieze Building, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285 (U.S.A.) Applying organizational ecology to the family: The case of who persists in providing foster care (p. 1005-1018)

This study uses arguments from organizational ecology to explore processes underlying the propensity of families to persist in caring for others' children. Through analysis of event history data on a population of 629 foster homes in Ontario, Canada, over a 23-year period, we show that the pattern of exits can be explained in part by the "liability of adolescence" hypothesis. Risk of exit, initiall), low, increases with the chronological aging of the family, and then shows a pattern of decline. A finding not anticipated by our theoretical arguments is the propensity for duration of tenure to lose some of its survival value after a family has made a successful transition through the liability of adolescence period. These findings, along with findings that the attributes of care-providing families at entry also affect risk of exit, support using organizational ecology to study dynamics of family life. (CANADA, METHODOLOGY, FOSTERING)

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