<p> Single mothers are commonly characterized as low-income welfare recipients. In 2010, close to 30% of single mother households were below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010a) conversely leaving 70% of single mothers above the poverty line. Being a married working mother is challenging and comes with the need of several supports. With the growing divorce rate and the introduction of women choosing to become single mothers, the numbers of single working mothers are growing rapidly. In order to be a successful single mother certain factors need to be accounted for. This study focused on single mothers who are in high profile professional positions and looked at what supports it took; both internally and externally, to sustain their situations. Some highly regarded, prestigious positions that fell into this category include, but are not limited to, school administrators, writers/authors, successful entrepreneurs, attorneys, doctors, professors, upper level managers/supervisors, and executive directors. Also, this study looked at character traits of the identified mothers to see if there was an inner predisposition that positions them to be able to thrive in difficult situations. The findings suggest that in order for single mothers to succeed they need to establish a strong support network, have a flexible career and demonstrate strong leadership skills ranging from a Lazier Fair approach to a transformative one with a strong mentoring influence and affinity.</p><p> The results from this study indicate that this population identified as resilient, passionate, and focused about their professional and personal lives. These single mothers are motivated by a high level of passion for both their work, and parenting their children, including providing a comfortable lifestyle and rich involvement in their children&rsquo;s lives. Their use of support varied and formed a naturally occurring continuum spanning from &ldquo;no support&rdquo;, to &ldquo;support is essential&rdquo;. This population reported their relational style either increased or decreased in their willingness to seek out and accept assistance from others. In leadership style, this group of single mother professionals scored extremely high in having tendencies towards Transformational leadership and surprisingly, even higher in having tendencies towards Laissez-faire leadership.</p>

<p>The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) is a briefer revision of the MMPI-2. The archived MMPI-2 profiles of 214 evangelical missionaries seeking psychological services were analyzed in order to explore the relationship among the MMPI-2-RF newly constructed interpersonal scales, the RC scales, and missionary distress. Missionary husbands and wives were placed into two groups based on marital types (conflicted and non-conflicted) and again into three groups based on clinical presenting problems (marital, family, and non-family distress). The results lend support to the use of the MMPI-2-RF SHY, IPP, and FML interpersonal scales along with the RC4 scale in screening missionary marital distress. Recommendations for counselors and missionary boards are discussed.

<p>Past research often considers living alone as a risk factor for older persons. In fact, adverse health outcomes are associated with living arrangement transitions, suggesting a need to consider the dynamic process of living arrangements. Using eight waves of the Health and Retirement Study (1998&ndash;2012), this study examines three research questions: (1) Do older Americans&rsquo; living arrangements exhibit a pattern of sequence? (2) What are implications of living arrangements at particular older ages on life expectancy? (3) What factors predict transitions out of a living alone arrangement? </p><p> The first analysis displays and classifies ordered patterns of living arrangements over time. Baseline living arrangements have a substantial influence on subsequent transitions. Major patterns of women&rsquo;s living arrangement sequences are more diverse than those for men. In particular, living alone is both the major living arrangements at baseline or intermediately after baseline. These results suggest the importance of the living arrangement status at old ages in relation to subsequent living arrangements over time. </p><p> Next, multistate life tables are estimated for calculating life expectancy in total and among distinct living arrangements. While the expected percentage of time spent living alone for men increases with age, about half of women&rsquo;s total life expectancy at any ages is spent living alone. Older persons living alone do not have shorter life expectancies than those in co-residential living arrangements, particularly among women. This suggests a selection process in which less robust older persons tend to transition to other living arrangements or die at younger ages. </p><p> Lastly, discrete-time event history models are used to examine factors associated with transitioning from living alone. Sentinel health events and poorer functional status are associated with an increased risk of death, and, to a lesser extent, a subsequent transition to co-residence or institutionalization. Analyses of transitions from living alone measured concurrently with changes in functional status suggest that many transitions may be immediate reactions to a recent health decline rather than adjustments following a progressive health decline. In either case, subsequent co-residence does not appear to be a common adaptation for many older adults who live alone with increased needs for care. </p>

This study utilized a phenomenological approach to describe the experience of living in a three-generation household after an adult daughter's divorce for members of each generation--divorcing mothers, grandparents, and grandchildren. Topics addressed included: characterizations of divorcing mother-parent relationships and grandparent-grandchild relationships, redefinition of relationship boundaries, and positives and negatives associated with this living arrangement. Divorcing custodial mothers in three-generation households were recruited from a mandated parent education program for divorcing parents in southeastern Arizona. At least one member from each generation in the household participated. Interviews were conducted with 25 individuals in eight families (eight divorcing mothers, nine grandparents, eight grandchildren). Data analysis followed Giorgi's (1985) technique. Results suggested that the redefinition of relationship roles and boundaries (intimacy issues) and the resolution of power issues led to positive relationships and experiences. In the one family doing poorly, numerous instances illustrated the divorcing mother's lack of power within the household. The divorcing mother-parent relationship boundaries had become more hierarchical since coresiding, and the grandparents had overstepped the boundary between "parent" and "grandparent." The resulting tension caused stress for all generations. In the four families who fell between doing poorly and well, the renegotiation of intimacy boundaries had positive effects in terms of improved relationships since coresiding. Power boundaries were still being renegotiated. Again, divorcing mother-parent relationships had hierarchical boundaries, and grandparents had crossed the line between parenting and grandparenting. However, in these families, this may have been due to the divorcing mothers' negative reactions to their separations. In such situations, having grandparents temporarily take on parenting functions for some period of time may be beneficial. These grandparents did express a desire to return to less hierarchical relationships and become more of a "grandparent" than "parent." In the three families doing well, intimacy boundaries did not require renegotiation because the relationships had always been close and supportive. These families were the only ones to describe the value of extended families and family activities. When power issues did arise, family members handled them quickly. Although there was some grandparental. interference in discipline, these grandparents were viewed as "stereotypical" grandparents.

This study was designed to investigate if adults demonstrate egocentric-tendencies, and if so, what factors influence the degree of egocentrism displayed. The investigation was also devised in order to determine if there is a relation between the degree of egocentric-tendencies displayed and marital satisfaction. To measure egocentrism in adults, the Adult Egocentric-Tendency Scale (AETS) was developed. Both the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale and the Marriage Rating Scale were utilized to assess marital satisfaction and functioning. One-hundred-thirty-six (N = 136) first time married individuals from the general population acted as participants. They were administered all three instruments. Findings indicate that egocentric-tendencies are measurable in adults. Furthermore, specific adults (men, those who are highly educated and those with a lower number of children living in the household) tend to display greater degrees of egocentrism. This investigation also uncovered a tendency for marital satisfaction to decrease as egocentrism increases and vice versa. Other factors contributing to marital satisfaction were also explored.

In central Mexico's semi-arid highlands, it is common practice for ejidatarios (members of a communal farm, or ejido) to migrate to the United States and other parts of Mexico in order to generate enough household income. Economic and demographic traits within the household affect the decision of an ejidatario to migrate. This thesis examines the effects of those traits on migration decisions. Migration data and household characteristics were collected from 169 ejidatario families (1415 individual family members) from four ejidos in the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. In addition, representatives of various governmental and non-governmental organizations who work with the ejidos were interviewed.

Numerous studies have shown that women with better social support have fewer problems adjusting to breast cancer. However, these studies have a tendency to focus only on emotional support and to assess social support at only one point in time. Additionally, the effect of type of treatment on the use of social support has been overlooked. The present study assessed social support as a multidimensional construct. Changes in social support over time and its relationship to life quality at each point in time were examined, as well as any differences due to treatment type. Tangible assistance, satisfaction with support, and negative interaction decreased over time. Tangible assistance and need for support were found to be greater for women receiving chemotherapy, and their life quality decreased. Tangible assistance, advice, and negative interaction were negatively related to life quality, while satisfaction with support was positively related.

Thirty caregivers were interviewed to determine the reasons for the nursing home placement of a relative. A three part questionnaire was used to measure the variables of change in the caregivers' health, social support, social isolation, financial stress, and care receivers' severity of illness. Caregivers consistently identified a decline in physical and emotional health, increased social isolation, declining informal support, and limited formal support. Nearly 50% of the care receivers' demonstrated inappropriate behaviors. With the identification of the reasons for the nursing home placement, caregivers frequently referred to their declining physical, emotional, and social health. Nearly 50% of the subjects described the nursing home as the only choice, and slightly less than 50% identified feelings of guilt. Further education for both professionals and caregivers is essential to help meet the needs of elders and their families.

This study examined whether young adults with a background of parental divorce differed in their attitudes toward marriage and divorce from young adults from maritally intact families. The study utilized data obtained from a survey questionnaire which provided demographic information as well as data on attitudes toward marriage and divorce. The sample population consisted of 152 University of Arizona undergraduate students ages 18-25. Data were analyzed using the Analysis of Variance Method with the results indicating that family structure (maritally disrupted versus intact) was insignificant as a predictor of young adults' attitudes toward marriage and divorce.

<p> The current study examined the construct of intergenerational transmission of trauma (ITT) in relation to its effect on depressed, anxious, and stress symptoms in a sample of participants who could identify a parent as having survived notable trauma. Parental communication style was examined as the moderating factor. A total of 89 participants comprised the current sample, with a majority of the sample representing individuals who identified as highly educated, female, and born in the United States of America. Five assessment tools were utilized, including the Modified Secondary Trauma Questionnaire (MSTQ; Motta, Hafeez, Sciancalepore, &amp; Diaz, 2001), The Depression and Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS; Lovibond, &amp; Lovibond, 1995), The Family Communication Scale (FCS) from The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-IV; Olson, 2011) and a demographic questionnaire. The most frequent traumas in the sample included loss of parent or other significant family member, physical/sexual/verbal abuse and immigration related trauma. Multiple regression statistics were used to analyze the data, and it was found that MSTQ scores contributed significantly toward the variance in levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Parent communication style did not moderate these associations. Clinical implications, study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.</p>