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This study aims to understand the pathways of successful educational attainment (SEA) among Chinese students who are pursuing doctorate degrees in the United States. An exploratory qualitative approach was used to identify the factors of SEA. Based on the in-depth interviews of nine participants, we found common factors of SEA at the micro level include individuals' personalities, visions/dreams of achieving SEA, and interest about study/research; mezzo level factors include important peoples' help, satisfaction with teachers, previous education experiences in China, and home environment; whereas at the macro level, not many participants mentioned that their SEA was due to Chinese social policy. Overall, most participants mentioned that being lucky was an important factor of SEA.

We assessed the association between educational aspirations and the intention to migrate among 1446 adolescents aged 11–17 years, living in semi‐urban/rural communities in Jalisco, Mexico. Analyses rely on survey data from the Family Migration and Early Life Outcomes study. The outcome variable was the intention to migrate, a three‐category variable coded as no intention to migrate, intention to migrate within Mexico, and intention to migrate internationally. The main independent variable was the adolescents' educational aspirations, conceptualized as the intention to achieve higher education. Multinomial logistic regression models were used to examine associations. We found an association between educational aspirations and intentions to migrate, and it was moderated by gender. Girls with the highest educational aspirations intended to migrate internationally, while higher educational aspirations were not a driver for boys' migration intentions. The study findings have implications for education and migration policies and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examines the association between public assistance use and depressive symptoms among young adults experiencing homelessness (YAEH). Method: A purposive sample of 1,342 YAEH (ages 18–26) residing in seven U.S. cities (Denver, CO; Houston, TX; Los Angeles and San Jose, CA; New York, NY; Phoenix, AZ; and St. Louis, MO) were asked whether they received any form of public assistance over the past year, of which 45% did. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was used to assess depressive symptoms. We used propensity score matching to balance the two groups (i.e., public assistance recipients and nonrecipients) and account for selection bias, then we conducted multivariate ordinary least squares regression analysis to examine the relationship between public assistance and depressive symptoms. Results: YAEH who had used public assistance had a significantly higher depression score (b = 1.13 , p =.004) than nonrecipients. Conclusions: Findings suggest many possible connections between public assistance use and depression, yet public assistance does not appear to improve mental health for a population facing multiple challenges and barriers. Further research is needed to understand the directional relationship between public assistance and mental health for this population. Social workers should be especially attentive to the mental well-being of young, homeless public assistance recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the origins, conceptual bases, psychometric properties, and limitations of consumer satisfaction measures in social welfare and behavioral health. Based on a systematic review of research reports published between 2003 and 2013, we identify 58 consumer satisfaction measures. On average, these measures have acceptable reliability (mean Cronbach's a = 0.85). However, the research on the concurrent and predictive validity of consumer satisfaction is inconclusive. We identify the following three core aspects of consumer satisfaction: (a) satisfaction with alternative elements of service, (b) promotion or recommendation of a program based on a recent service experience, and (c) subjective appraisal of change or problem resolution related to participation in a service. Attrition bias, reactivity, and confounding of ratings with the image of service providers complicate and condition the interpretation of consumer satisfaction as an outcome measure.