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Background: Research has shown inconsistencies in results and difficulties in conceptualization of assessment of socioeconomic status (SES) among adolescents. The aim of this study was thus to test the validity of self-reported information on SES in two age-groups (11-13 and 14-16 years old) in an adolescent population and to evaluate its relationship to self-reported health related quality of life (HRQOL). Different measures of SES commonly used in research in relation to HRQOL were tested in this study; parent's occupations status, family material affluence status (FAS) and perceived SES.Method: A cross-sectional study, with a sample of 948 respondents (n = 467, 11-13 years old and n = 481, 14-16 years old) completed questionnaires about SES and HRQOL. The adolescents' completion rates were used, with chi2-test, to investigate differences between gender and age-group. Correlation was used for convergent validity and ANOVA for concurrent validity.Results: We found a low completion rate for both fathers' (41.7 %) and mothers' (37.5 %) occupation status, and a difference in completion rate between gender and age-groups. FAS had the highest completion rate (100 %) compared to parent's occupations status and perceived SES. The convergent validity between the SES-indicators was weak (Spearman correlation coefficient below 0.3), suggesting that the indicators measured different dimensions of SES. Both FAS and perceived SES showed a gradient in mean HRQOL between low and high SES in relation to HRQOL, this was significant only for perceived SES (p < 0.01, both age-groups).Conclusion: This study indicates the need for considering different approaches to measures of SES among adolescences and when evaluating SES in relation to HRQOL. Further research is needed to investigate sustainable ways to measure SES, delineating the relevance of tangible measures of education, occupation and income in relation to the perceived socioeconomic status in comparison with others in immediate social networks and in society at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japanese young adults' forms of address for their parents (e.g., Dad) reportedly demonstrate their respect for their parents. Such respect has been linked to young adults' interpersonal attitudes as well as depressive symptoms. Given these relationships, the present study identified possible links between young adults' forms of address for their parents, perceived parent-child relationships, interpersonal attitudes, and depressive symptoms. Participants were 226 Japanese college students. Young adults' disrespectful forms of address for parents were positively correlated with feelings of rejection and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, young adults' disrespectful forms of address for fathers predicted the adults' feelings of rejection and depressive symptoms, although there were no such relationships for disrespectful forms of address for mothers. These findings indicated that young adults' disrespectful forms of address for parents, especially fathers, were linked to their negative interpersonal attitudes and depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Child Justice Act 75 of 2008 makes provision for the diversion of child/adolescent offenders and expects parents to monitor their compliance with diversion orders. This paper examines how parents' experience fulfilling this role, especially against the backdrop of their reduced influence during the adolescent development phase, following a qualitative study undertaken with 12 parents of diverted adolescents in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole. The findings revealed the particular difficulties that parents experienced in monitoring compliance and highlight the specific parental support needs that can be met by social workers and other child justice officials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, we investigated the role of childbearing history in later-life health and mortality, paying particular attention to possible differences by sex and region. Higher parity is associated with better self-rated health in West German mothers and fathers aged 50+, but its relationship with East German women's physical health and survival is negative. Early motherhood is paralleled by poorer physical health in West Germany, whereas late motherhood is associated with lower psychological well-being in Eastern Germany. Moreover, among West German women, having had a non-marital first birth is weakly correlated with poorer physical health. Our findings support the notion of biosocial pathways playing an important role in shaping the fertility--health nexus. Specifically, the West German 'male-breadwinner' model of specialization appears to have buffered the stresses associated with childrearing, whereas fertility off the 'normative' life-course track appears to have had adverse effects on women's health in West Germany. Keywords: reproductive history; health; mortality; life course; German Socio-Economic Panel [Submitted December 2009; Final version accepted June 2010] DOI: 10.1080/00324728.2010.506243

Using daily telephone interviews, 82 midlife parents (mean age = 57.4) of children with disabilities (mean age = 29.9) were compared with a closely matched sample of unaffected parents (N = 82) to elucidate the daily experience of non-normative parenting. In addition, salivary cortisol samples were obtained to examine whether parents of children with disabilities had dysregulated diurnal rhythms and the extent to which the amount of time spent with children was associated with divergent patterns of cortisol expression. We found that parents of children with disabilities had similar patterns of daily time use and similar likelihood of positive daily events as the comparison group, but they had elevated levels of stress, negative affect, and physical symptoms, all reported on a daily basis. In addition, their diurnal rhythm of cortisol expression differed significantly from the comparison group, a pattern that was strongest for parents of children with disabilities on days when they spent more time with their children.

The effects of parenting children with disabilities and chronic conditions on the long-term health of parents are studied. The mother's health is negatively affected particularly in long-term disabilities and deteriorates relative to the father's.

Objectives: To: (1) determine the strength of the relationship between risk of child disability and parental mental health in a nationally representative sample of Australian families with young children; (2) estimate the contribution of distress among parents of children at risk of disability to overall parental psychiatric morbidity; and (3) explore the extent to which between-group differences in parental mental health may be attributable to differences in exposure to other risk factors. Method: Secondary analysis of crosssectional data collected in Wave 1 of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n=4,983; 6.5% of children identified as being at risk of disability). Results: Elevated rates of psychological distress indicative of serious mental illness were found among mothers (OR=5.1, 95% CL 3.5-7.6), but not fathers (OR=1.4, 95% CL 0.5-3.4) of children at risk of disability. Psychological distress among mothers of children at risk of disability accounted for 23% of estimated total maternal psychiatric morbidity. Approximately 50% of the elevated risk of distress for mothers was accounted for by increased rates of poverty among children at risk of disability and their families, an association possibly mediated by increased exposure to adverse life events, poorer maternal health and reduced personal-social capital. Conclusions: The association between risk of child disability and maternal mental health is strongly confounded by increased rates of poverty among children at risk of disability. Any residual risk appears to be related to the poorer social, emotional and behavioural development of children at risk of disability. Social and health policy responses need to focus on poverty reduction, enhancing the personal social capital of mothers living in poverty and on improving the social, emotional and behavioural development of the children. Key words: Mental disorders; disabled children; poverty; maternal health; social support; life change events. doi:10.1111/j.1753-6405.2008.00166 .x

The issue of parents having no opportunity to choose the language for their children's instruction in schools if their native language was not predominant in the area where they live is discussed. The sociocultural variables that influence Russian-speaking parents living in Estonia to choose Estonian, Russian or bilingual instruction for their children is described.

Byline: Gary Neil Marks (1) Keywords: Mother's education; Mother's occupation; Socioeconomic inequalities; Student achievement; Cross-national comparisons; PISA Abstract: Since the early 1970s the importance of mothers' socioeconomic characteristics on their children's educational and occupational attainment has been acknowledged. However, it is not clear if fathers' characteristics have a stronger influence because men usually have stronger attachments to the labour market, or alternatively mothers' characteristics are more important because of their greater role in children's socialization. This study addresses this question by comparing the influence of father's and mother's education and occupation on student performance in literacy and numeracy using data from 30 countries. The impact of mother's education is usually greater or comparable to that of father's education. In contrast, substantially stronger effects for mother's occupational status compared to father's were rare. In most countries the impact of mother's socioeconomic characteristics (education plus occupation) on student performance is comparable to that for father's. Of the four indicators of socioeconomic background, father's occupational status and mother's educational attainment tend to have stronger effects, although many countries do not conform to this pattern. There are indications that the relative importance of mother's characteristics have increased over time. Author Affiliation: (1) Melbourne Institute for Applied Economic and Social Research, University of Melbourne, Level 7 161 Barry Street, Melbourne, Victoria, 3124, Australia Article History: Registration Date: 25/04/2007 Received Date: 10/04/2006 Accepted Date: 25/04/2007 Online Date: 23/05/2007

The extent to which coresidence amongst older Mexican American parents and their adult children is influenced by cultural values is examined.

Objectives. We compared recent parents (married, cohabiting, not cohabiting but romantically involved, and not romantically involved) to examine the association between mental health problems and relationship status. Methods. We analyzed data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study that followed a cohort of approximately 4900 births in large US cities. Our study included a large oversample of nonmarital births (n =3700) and interviews with both mothers and fathers. We used the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short Form to assess depression and generalized anxiety 1 year after the birth. Self reports were used to measure heavy drinking, illicit drug use, incarceration, and partner violence. Results. Unmarried parents reported more mental health and behavioral problems than did married parents, and unmarried parents whose relationships ended before the birth reported more impairment compared with other groups of unmarried parents. Conclusions. A substantial number of children are born to unmarried parents and are at risk for poor parenting and poor developmental outcomes. Government initiatives aimed at increasing marriage rates among low-income couples need to consider the mental health status of unmarried parents.

Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, we identify parental age as influential in the parental provision of economic resources, social capital and cultural capital to adolescents, as well as in parental educational expectations for their children. At the bivariate level, the relationship is curvilinear, suggesting that having comparatively young or old parents is disadvantageous to teenagers, at least with regard to resource allocation. With controls for socioeconomic background and family structure, however, the pattern typically becomes positive and linear: as the age of the parent rises, so too does the transmission of resources to adolescent offspring. These patterns hold for most economic, social and cultural resources, although the pattern is strongest for economic ones and weakest--albeit still significant--for more interactional ones. Although maternal age is the primary focus of this article, supplementary analyses also confirm a generally positive relationship between paternal age and parental resources. These results suggest that parental age may warrant attention similar to that given to family structure, race and gender., Introduction Sociologists, especially those coming from human capital, rational choice and status attainment traditions, increasingly direct their attention to understanding the transmission of resources from parents to children (Becker 1981; […]

The impact of gender difference on parental preference, in developing countries, is examined.

Despite the importance of sun protection during childhood, many parents fail to adequately protect their children from the sun. The current study assessed sun-related knowledge, stage of change, and psychosocial [...]

Adults who continue to regularly contact with their parents contribute to feelings of well-being, self-esteem, security and inclusiveness. Most Canadian adults speak with their parents at least once a week, with women generally initiating contact.

Fourth-grade children's peer groups were identified using the Social Cognitive Mapping (SCM) procedure. Children (N = 143) and caregivers then participated in interviews in which they provided information used to [...]

There is increasing consensus in the international community that near-universal primary schooling is not only a prerequisite for the achievement of low fertility but, more importantly, an essential aspect of [...]

The identity development of the women is reported which explores the death of a parent influencing female adolescents. The implications of social work practice are also discussed.

The impact of fertility and income of parents on quantity of children, using regression models, is presented. The tendency of abler parents to invest more in children's education is also discussed.

This article examines the effect of poverty on families in 1910. The author, analyzing the 1910 census, argues poverty led to broken homes in which impoverished parents were forced to put their children in the care of others, especially single mothers.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the association of parental socioeconomic position with later life allostatic load remain unclear. The present study aims to examine potential pathways underlying this association: personality, social relations, intelligence and education.Methods: The study comprised 361 members of the Copenhagen Perinatal Cohort who participated in two subsequent follow-ups: the Prenatal Development Project (mean age 27 years) and the Copenhagen Aging and Midlife Biobank study (mean age 50 years). Allostatic load was based on 14 biomarkers representing the inflammatory, metabolic and cardiovascular system measured at midlife. Information on potential mediators was collected in young adulthood, and their role in the association of parental socioeconomic position with midlife allostatic load were examined in linear regression path analyses.Results: Parental socioeconomic position at one year was inversely associated with midlife allostatic load (β = - 0.238, p < .001). No mediation effects were found for personality or social relations. In a model including intelligence and education, a significant indirect effect was found for education (β = - 0.151, p < .001). A significant direct effect remained (β = - 0.111, p = .040).Conclusions: Parental socioeconomic position was inversely associated with allostatic load in midlife. Results suggest that part of this association was mediated by education. A better understanding of the non-cognitive pathways related to education is an important prerequisite for the development of effective intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]