This study used a grounded theory approach to develop a model of courtship following divorce. To be included in this study, individuals had to be: (1) divorced; (2) have a child or children; and (3) currently involved in a committed heterosexual relationship. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten individuals. Data analysis consisted of open coding, axial coding, and selective coding (Strauss & Corbin, 1990). Desire for connection is the basic social process underlying the model of courtship after divorce. Three stages which describe this process emerged in the current study: reconnecting with self, reconnecting with others, and reconnecting with a partner. The first stage, reconnecting with self, was a time when people stepped back and reflected on their divorce/separation experiences and started redefining themselves outside of the marriage relationship that had ended. The second stage, reconnection with others, was when people began going out with potential partners after divorce. For most, this stage was not marked by a conscious decision to start dating again, but it did include feelings of anxiety about dating. The experience of going out with different individuals helped people realize what they were searching for in a relationship and in a partner. This process was described in the intervening condition of realizing what you want, which facilitated movement from the stage of reconnecting with others to the final stage of reconnecting with a partner. Personal support, companionship/friendship, and similarity were the factors that emerged in realizing what you want. The final stage of the model, reconnecting with a partner, described people's involvement in committed postdivorce relationships. This stage involved a conscious effort not to repeat past mistakes and, for many, a belief that there was no need to get remarried. It included cohabitation for some couples, but not for others. Decisions regarding cohabitation were influenced by the presence or absence of children living with them. Children emerged as a contextual condition in the model. Age of the children, the relationship between the partner and children, and a belief that children come first were the key factors that comprised the contextual condition of children in the model.

The records of 160 patients from a dependency treatment center in Arizona were reviewed in an effort to substantiate the hypothesis that specific clusters of problems stand out as being characteristic of people seeking help for codependency. Research focused on family of origin and childhood experiences in relation to individual codependency levels. The presence of parent's chemical abuse, reported childhood physical and/or sexual abuse and identified dysfunctional family characteristics and each patient's DSM III diagnosis were recorded. Results were analyzed by comparing these variables to the patient's scored codependency level. The hypotheses were confirmed by the following findings: (1) As a subject's chemical dependency increases, codependency level decreases; (2) when sexual and physical abuse are reported, level of codependency increases; (3) as number of dysfunctional family of origin characteristics increase, codependency level increases; and (4) certain DSM III diagnoses related to level of codependency. An insignificant relationship was found between parent's chemical abuse and level of codependency indicating a null hypothesis.

This research identifies the major dimensions exhibited across three self-report family assessment instruments: the FAM, FES and FACES. The instruments were administered to 138 families, consisting of a mother, father, and one child between 12-18 years old. Principal components analysis was used to identify dimensions across instruments. As dimensions were identified, correspondence across instruments was assessed. Results indicated that the instrument subscales could be organized along three factors, labeled Affect, Activities, and Control. Factor composition for different family members, although not identical, was highly similar. Results also indicated that there was relatively little correspondence across the three instruments. Lack of correspondence appeared to be largely caused by the limited dimensionality of the FACES and FAM. In contrast, the FES demonstrated greater range, contributing substantially to all three factors. Additionally, the obtained factors corresponded to the domains of the Family Environment Model: Relationships, Personal Growth, and System Maintenance.

The fifteen married women whose wills were probated in Amite County, Mississippi between 1840 and 1919 were linked by geographical proximity, church affiliation, and similar social status. Their estate papers indicate that after the legal changes of 1839 allowed a married woman in Mississippi to act as a feme sole in regards to her own property, Amite County wives took advantage of the law and acted independently from their husbands. While the antebellum wills concerned slaves and plantation properties, the wills written at the turn of the century distribute commercial properties and personal items. The information provided in these testaments and estate papers give evidence of the social and economic changes experienced by the region and the South during those eight decades.

The relationship between SES and adolescent smoking has been documented in the past literature; however the roots of the inverse socio-economic gradient remain unclear. Using longitudinal data that was collected from 10 high schools in the Montreal region between 1999 and 2004, the analyses test 'neighborhood median income' and 'parental education' to explain four smoking outcomes at smoking onset, notably "need to smoke prior to daily smoking", a novel variable which attempts to capture Tobacco Dependence rather than Nicotine Dependence. Some mediating variables were also informative in providing reasons why adolescents start smoking and progress toward a more intense consumption. It was hypothesized that teenagers from low socioeconomic status (SES) had greater likelihood to smoke than others. The results showed that SES matters differently according to gender. Unexpectedly, boys were more likely to present a positive relationship as those from high income neighborhoods initiated smoking in greater proportions than those from less privileged areas; whereas contrastingly for girls, as expected, those from low income districts had higher probabilities to start smoking. Furthermore, the respondents from highly educated families were less likely to report mediating factors or to smoke because of these positive endorsements. In attempt to prevent smoking among adolescents and young adults, educational and public policies are suggested. In addition, in order to better explain the inverse social gradient in smoking, future research evaluating the interactional effect between SES and risk factors is needed. Finally, researchers may also engage into a follow-up discussion over the five-step phases of the decisional process that is proposed in this thesis; it would contribute to a better understanding of the forces that are at play when individuals initiate a behavior at-risk for developing a state of dependence. / La relation entre le statut socio-économique et le tabagisme à l'adolescence a déjà été documentée par le passé; par contre, les facteurs expliquant l'origine du gradient inversé demeurent inconnus. Grâce à des données longitudinales qui ont suivi la même cohorte d'étudiants provenant de 10 écoles différentes de la région de Montréal entre 1999 et 2004, des analyses testent l'effet du 'revenu médian du quartier de résidence' et du niveau d'éducation des parents pour expliquer quatre variables dépendantes expliquant différents niveaux d'usage du tabac, notamment une nouveauté, le besoin de fumer avant le début d'une consommation quotidienne dans le but de distinguer la dépendance au tabac à celle de la nicotine. Ces médiateurs sont particulièrement éclairants et indiquent les raisons pour lesquelles les adolescents commencent à fumer et progressent vers une consommation plus intensive. Les hypothèses présument que les jeunes dont le statut socio-économique (SES) est bas sont plus à risque que les autres de fumer. Les résultats démontrent que le SES agit différemment selon le sexe. De façon non-prévue, les garçons qui demeurent dans les districts plus affluents sont plus enclins de fumer que les autres; alors que contrairement pour les filles, tel qu'anticipé, ce sont celles des quartiers les plus pauvres qui présentent les plus grandes probabilités de fumer. De plus, les répondants provenant des familles les plus éduquées sont moins enclins de rapporter des facteurs médiateurs ou de fumer à cause de ces derniers. Des recherches futures évaluant les interactions entre le SES et les variables médiatrices sont nécessaires afin de mieux expliquer la formation du gradient inversé. Afin de prévenir le tabagisme auprès des adolescents et des jeunes adultes, des stratégies éducationnelles et publiques sont proposées. De plus, dans le but de mieux comprendre le gradient social inversé, les recherches futures devront se concentrer sur l'effet interactionnel entre le statut socio-économiques et les facteurs à risque. Finalement, les chercheurs peuvent poursuivre la discussion sur les cinq phases du processus décisionnel qui est proposé dans cette thèse; cela permettrait de mieux comprendre les forces qui sont en jeu lorsque les individus s'initient à une activité pour laquelle, il y a un risque de dépendance.

A sample of 2,435 Canadian pre-retirement women aged 45 to 64 from Statistics Canada’s 2007 General Social Survey was used to examine the effect of sources of financial advice and information, controlling for 7 demographic and socioeconomic factors. The results of logistic regression indicated that levels of income, being in a relationship, having a better state of subjective health, and being born in Canada, were positively associated with women’s perceived adequacy of financial resources for retirement. Retirement planning experts, financial institution employees, accountants, partners, and employers were the key sources of financial advice and information that increased women’s perceived financial security for retirement. The results of this research can be used to better understand who among pre-retirement women are more or less likely to perceive their financial resources for retirement as adequate and whether the use of financial advice and information affects their perceived adequacy of financial resources for retirement.

A sample of 2,435 Canadian pre-retirement women aged 45 to 64 from Statistics Canada’s 2007 General Social Survey was used to examine the effect of sources of financial advice and information, controlling for 7 demographic and socioeconomic factors. The results of logistic regression indicated that levels of income, being in a relationship, having a better state of subjective health, and being born in Canada, were positively associated with women’s perceived adequacy of financial resources for retirement. Retirement planning experts, financial institution employees, accountants, partners, and employers were the key sources of financial advice and information that increased women’s perceived financial security for retirement. The results of this research can be used to better understand who among pre-retirement women are more or less likely to perceive their financial resources for retirement as adequate and whether the use of financial advice and information affects their perceived adequacy of financial resources for retirement.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 4091. Adviser: Brian Powell. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 30, 2008).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Sociology, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 4094. Adviser: Elizabeth A. Armstrong. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 8, 2008).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University OF MICHIGAN.