Search

In a study exploring how organizational identification impacted college retention and performance outcomes at a university in the United States, we found the mere act of taking the survey emerged as an unexpectedly strong result. Using propensity score matching, we found that those who took the voluntary survey during the first week of school were 6%, 9%, and 11% more likely to retain by the second, third, and fourth semesters, respectively. Participation in a short survey had notable retention predictive power 18 months later. These results provoke a series of questions on retention much more broadly considered and invite us to recalibrate our understanding of mechanisms for improving retention.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore the association between low self-control and college student retention. Design/methodology/approach: Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 369 undergraduate students in the USA and combined with follow-up data on retention. Factor analysis was used to develop and validate the abbreviated eight-item low self-control instrument. Propensity score matching, an analytic technique that permits the assertion of causality without the need for experimental design, was used to examine the relationship between low self-control and second-semester college retention. Use of propensity score matching permitted the pairing of survey respondents under the defined circumstance of low self-control with those respondents not having low self-control under multiple relevant covariates. Findings: The results showed a relationship between low self-control and college retention. Specifically, in the matched sample, those students with low self-control were 8 percent less likely to be retained at the institution at the onset of the second year than their counterparts with higher self-control. Practical implications: The results of the study prompt the important question of how colleges and universities can alter their structures and processes to better support students with low self-control. Key managerial and administrative implications from the findings of this study revolve around the recognition, motivation, and subsequent performance appraisals of those students with low self-control. Originality/value: This study extends the quite limited research on how low self-control correlates with retention and subsequently offers insights on how to further support students with low self-control as a way to improve retention outcomes. Additionally, the validated eight-item survey provides a quick, low-cost assessment tool for interested researchers and managers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify the degree to which intensive mothering ideology corresponds to the perspectives and roles of mothers of young adults with autism. Background: Previous research suggests that intensive mothering ideology shapes the perspectives and roles of mothers in general. However, few studies have examined how the ideology specifically relates to mothers of young adults with autism. Research is needed to understand the roles that mothers of young adults with autism assume within the context of intensive mothering. Method: In‐depth interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 19 mothers of adult children with autism. Interview data were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Results: Mothers devoted much time and effort to caring for or otherwise assisting their adult children with autism, assuming the roles of protector, advocate, and case manager. Mothers struggled to live up to the expectations of intensive mothering but, simultaneously, resented the degree to which they had to advocate and manage services for their adult children. Conclusion: Mothers may feel added pressure to meet the needs of adult children with autism. Many are susceptible to self‐blame and internalizing others' negative judgments of their parenting abilities, but some view themselves as good mothers based on the challenges they have overcome. Implications: Service providers can adopt a family‐based approach to services for adults with autism and their families. Policymakers could explore opportunities to make the adult service system more attentive to the needs of caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of a study of differences in orientation toward disability over the lifecourse. The study was based on an instrument developed by the authors, the Questionnaire on Disability Identity and Opportunity (QDIO). This instrument measures two dimensions of disability: participation and orientation. Orientation, in turn, consists of the dimensions of identity, role, and model. In an earlier study, the QDIO was validated with a convenience sample of 388 people with disabilities in the United States. Using the same data, this article focuses on the association between disability orientation and ageing. Among other findings, we found that age was negatively associated with "disability pride" and positively associated with exclusion. However, the interpretation of these findings is limited by the fact that age was strongly associated with age at disability onset in this sample. The discussion speculates about why older adults are less likely to have been exposed to the "social model" of disability and suggests the value of these findings for interventions with older populations. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study tested three types of theories of gender inequality in preindustrial societies by using half the societies in the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample: militarist, Marxian, and non-Marxian materialist theories. The first phase of the research used simple cross-tabulations with chi-square as a test of significance and gamma as a measure of association. The results from this phase showed no support for militarist theories, some support for Marxian theories, and substantial support for non-Marxian materialist theories. Since the first phase involved no control variables, a second phase was conducted using multivariate analyses. These analyses confirmed that militarist theories must be emphatically rejected, and that both Marxian and non-Marxian materialist variables help determine gender inequality. Non-Marxian materialist variables, however, explain much more of the variance in gender inequality than Marxian variables do.

Based on a yearlong observational study of participants in a 'Live Action Role Playing' group called 'Dagorhir,' using the manhood acts perspective, we focus on how masculinity is constructed among low-status, subordinate men who self-define as 'nerds.' We demonstrate that through fantasy role-playing, men are given opportunities to increase their group status, while women are typically relegated to subordinate positions. Increasing status in Dagorhir involved a type of self-enhancement strategy that we termed 'epic glory,' which positioned men as social dominants. Epic glory was earned through training activities, at Dagorhir events, and through simulating dramatic death scenes. Such actions served as a performance of masculinity that was not possible for these men outside the role-playing experience. Importantly, women were excluded from many of the opportunities to enact epic glory, which helped reproduce inequalities both among males and between males and females participating in the events. Keywords gender, masculinity, manhood acts, nerds, self-enhancement, glorified-self, live action role-play, LARP, analog games, ludology, Introduction Every Sunday, in a quad of a northeastern college, nearly 20 men, in their early to late 20s, battle as knights and warriors. The men equip themselves with various [...]

This study partially replicates and expands on a previous study that showed women's perceptions of risk to be a strong predictor of reassault among batterers. The current study employed a larger and multisite sample, a longer follow-up period of 15 months, and multiple outcomes including "repeated reassault" (n = 499). According to the multinomial logistic regressions, women's perceptions of risk improved prediction with risk factors (ROC area under the curve improved by .04 and sensitivity of repeated reassault increased 12 percentage points). In comparison to simulated risk instruments, women's perceptions by themselves were better predictors than the K-SID, similar in predictive ability to the SARA, and almost as strong as the DAS. The best prediction of repeated reassault was obtained using risk markers, including women's perceptions (ROC AUC = .83; 70% sensitivity) or by using the DAS and women's perceptions together (ROC AUC = .73; 64% sensitivity).

Evidence-based practice within the criminal justice system has relied primarily on cumulative reports of reassaults or rearrests, especially in evaluating effectiveness of domestic violence (DV) interventions. We use a longitudinal sample of DV offenders arrested and referred to DV offender programs in four cities to examine complex multi-outcome patterns of violent and abusive behavior and trajectories between patterns over time. Offenders and their partners were surveyed at program intake and followed for 15 months (N = 550). A Hidden Markov Model identifies four distinct behavioral patterns. Trajectory analysis indicates that the most abusive state is relatively stable and indicative of a high probability of future physical assault. Results suggest that evaluation based on complex outcomes may improve criminal justice intervention effectiveness, risk assessment, and risk management. Keywords: Hidden Markov; domestic violence; offender; batterer; violence DOI: 10.1891/0886-6708.25.1.3

Researchers and practitioners recognize the need to develop better prediction of abuse and reassault among men referred to batterer programs. Previous approaches have produced relatively weak predictions for primarily dichotomized 'reassault versus no reassault' outcomes. The primary objective of this research was to improve prediction using multinomial logistic regressions with multiple outcomes and conditional factors. We used a unique data set from a multisite batterer program evaluation with a large sample size (n = 840), a longitudinal 15-month follow-up, and high response rates (70% of the women). Multiple outcomes included no abuse, verbal abuse or controlling behavior, threats, one-time reassault, and repeated reassaults. Using multiple outcomes improved prediction with risk markers over prediction of a dichotomous outcome and suggests that 'repeat reassault' should be distinguished from 'one-time reassault.' Conditional factors did not substantially improve prediction. The low 'correct classification' suggests, however, the difficulty of identifying the most dangerous batterers. Keywords: batterer programs; violence prediction; risk assessment; batterer recidivism

This study partially replicates and expands on a previous study that showed women's perceptions of risk to be a strong predictor of reassault among batterers. The current study employed a larger and multisite sample, a longer follow-up period of 15 months, and multiple outcomes including 'repeated reassault' (n = 499). According to the multinomial logistic regressions, women's perceptions of risk improved prediction with risk factors (ROC area under the curve improved by .04 and sensitivity of repeated reassault increased 12 percentage points). In comparison to simulated risk instruments, women's perceptions by themselves were better predictors than the K-SID, similar in predictive ability to the SARA, and almost as strong as the DAS. The best prediction of repeated reassault was obtained using risk markers, including women's perceptions (ROC AUC = .83; 70% sensitivity) or by using the DAS and women's perceptions together (ROC AUC =. 73; 64% sensitivity). Keywords: batterer; batterer programs; perceptions of risk; risk assessment; risk instruments

Two studies have recently identified battered women's perceptions as a substantial predictor of reassault by their batterers. Only a few exploratory studies examine how women make these useful perceptions. We attempted to identify determinants of battered women's perceptions of reassault and safety using the 15-month follow-up of a multisite evaluation of batterer intervention. The regression analyses indicate that the perceived likelihood of reassault increased with men who were divorced or separated, heavy drinkers, and severely abusive in the past. The strongest determinant for perceptions of safety was the perceived likelihood of reassault. Also, the women's professed reasons for their perceptions corresponded to the actual determinants. The women's perceptions appear, therefore, to be grounded in practical circumstances and correspond to establish predictors of rcassault. Further research is needed to identify the additional cues, processes, or intuitions that make women's perceptions such a strong predictor of reassault.

In a study exploring how organizational identification impacted college retention and performance outcomes at a university in the United States, we found the mere act of taking the survey emerged as an unexpectedly strong result. Using propensity score matching, we found that those who took the voluntary survey during the first week of school were 6%, 9%, and 11% more likely to retain by the second, third, and fourth semesters, respectively. Participation in a short survey had notable retention predictive power 18 months later. These results provoke a series of questions on retention much more broadly considered and invite us to recalibrate our understanding of mechanisms for improving retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interviewed 149 retired rural couples to examine conjugal role organization. Found that subjects showed a traditional, gender-differentiated division of household tasks, but that household role segregation decreased significantly after retirement; spouses made majority of decisions jointly; and spouses participated in large number of joint leisure activities during retirement. (Author/NB)

This article presents the findings from a study comparing the responses of human service providers and service users to a community needs assessment survey. The analysis of data from this study provided strong support for the hypothesis that providers would see their clients as more needy than the clients would see themselves. The analysis also suggested support for a second hypothesis that professionals and clients would emphasize different needs. In particular, although both groups of respondents emphasized information/access and material support issues, the groups differed markedly in their perceptions of need for formal support services and services to address social participation concerns. In general, the professionals were more concerned than their clients about personal and family problems, whereas the clients were more concerned with universal human needs, such as access to public libraries and recreational facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated factors related to retirement satisfaction in a Midwestern rural population. Four major sets of variables were investigated: personal background factors; socialization for retirement; reasons for retirement; and social integration. Multiple regression showed that the most important predictors of retirement satisfaction were (1) quality of relationship and frequency of aid from confidants and relatives; (2) involvement in organizations; (3) health; and (4) financial status. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]