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African American female students' elevated suspension risk has received national attention. Despite a number of studies documenting racial/ethnic disparities in African American females' school suspension risk, few investigations have attempted to explain why these disparities occur. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of colorism in explaining suspension risk using a nationally representative sample of adolescent females. Controlling for individual- and school-level characteristics associated with school discipline such as student-teacher relationships, prior discipline history, school size and type, the results indicate that colorism was a significant predictor of school suspension risk. African American female adolescents with darker complexions were almost twice as likely to receive an out-of-school suspension as their White female peers. This finding was not found for African American female students with lighter skin complexions. Implications for adopting a colorist framework for understanding school discipline outcomes and future research for advancing the field in this area are discussed.

In this article, we consider how colorist ideologies and practices unsettle arguments that celebrate racial gains in education, particularly as related to divides that have narrowed since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Although outcomes based on race may document some general paths of improvement, progress and success can be appreciably uneven across people who are the same race. Even though skin tone is a linchpin of intraracial disparities, connections between colorism and educational outcomes are underappreciated. A brief consideration of how color-based advantages and disadvantages may affect African-, Latino/a-, and Asian-descended groups is provided to heighten educators' awareness of the problem.

Purpose: We investigated whether health status (i.e., need characteristics) and financial resources (i.e., enabling characteristics) were important predictors of two types of functional adaptations among elderly adults: home modifications such as putting nonslip tape on rugs or installing more telephones and use of equipment for mobility or activities of daily living (ADLs) such as canes or walkers. Design and Methods: Participants were identified from the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging (n = 3,485), a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized U.S. adults aged 65 and older. Need and enabling characteristics were used to predict home modifications and equipment use in multinomial logistic analysis, controlling for predisposing characteristics. Results: Although several health-status (need) variables had significant, direct effects on functional adaptations, the effects of ADL limitations were diminished at higher levels of impairment. Among the financial (enabling) variables, subjective income measures and supplemental insurance had significant, direct effects on functional adaptations. Implications: Promotion of functional adaptations among elderly people may benefit from both a proactive approach that targets elders with few limitations and a consideration of financial factors in addition to health status.

The flooding of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina on 29 August 2005 uncovered critical issues in local, state, and national strategies for emergency preparedness and disaster relief. [...]

This study explored body image as measured by perceptions of weight and appearance and its impact on adolescent drug use among predominately Mexican American middle school students in the southwest. Outcomes analyzed included lifetime and recent alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use and antidrug norms. Disliking one's looks was more of a risk factor for boys, whereas negative weight perceptions were more of a risk factor for girls. Relative to more acculturated (English-dominant) Latinos (N=903), non-Latino Whites (N=121), and other non-Latino youth (N=107), less acculturated (Spanish-dominant) Latino youth (N=212) reported the poorest body image. However, more acculturated Latino youth with poor body image had the greatest risk of substance use. More acculturated Latino boys who disliked their looks reported relatively greater amounts of recent alcohol use, and those who rated their bodies as too thin reported higher lifetime cigarette use, a greater amount and frequency of recent cigarette use, and weaker antidrug norms. More acculturated Latina girls who thought they were too fat reported a greater amount and frequency of recent cigarette use. These findings suggest that low levels of acculturation may protect some Latino youth with poor body image from coping via substance use. In addition, they suggest that poor body image among some Latinos may result less from adoption of American thinness ideals but rather from attitudes and behaviors that devalue the characteristics of Latino appearance. Keywords: Body image, acculturation, substance abuse, Latinos, INTRODUCTION Poor body image has been identified as a risk factor for substance abuse. However, since studies linking body image to substance abuse predominately have used European American samples, there [...]

Using the American Changing Lives Survey, a nationally representative sample of adults residing in the United States, this research examines housewives' subjective evaluations of their housework and the subjective evaluations of paid employment among three groups of married women-professionals, sales-clerical, and service-blue collar wives. A major goal was to assess the usefulness of disaggregating employed women by occupational status. Depressive symptoms were regressed on five work conditions-autonomy, physical and time demands, boredom, and feeling appreciated-along with sociodemographic characteristics. The results indicate professional wives report fewer symptoms than homemakers, sales-clerical, and service-blue collar wives. Differences between professionals and homemakers are largely accounted for by professional women's more advantaged economic position. Nonprofessional employed women are more depressed than professionals even when their disadvantaged working conditions are controlled. We discuss the findings in view of research on the stress of combining full-time employment with homemaking and argue that balancing these two roles may be more difficult for some employed women than for others. KEY WORDS. Work conditions, occupational status and depressive symptoms, married women's mental health

Purpose: We investigated whether health status (i.e., need characteristics) and financial resources (i.e., enabling characteristics) were important predictors of two types of functional adaptations among elderly adults: home modifications such as putting nonslip tape on rugs or installing more telephones and use of equipment for mobility or activities of daily living (ADLs) such as canes or walkers. Design and Methods: Participants were identified from the National Survey of Self-Care and Aging (n = 3,485), a nationally representative sample of non-institutionalized U.S. adults aged 65 and older. Need and enabling characteristics were used to predict home modifications and equipment use in multinomial logistic analysis, controlling for predisposing characteristics. Results: Although several health-status (need) variables had significant, direct effects on functional adaptations, the effects of ADL limitations were diminished at higher levels of impairment. Among the financial (enabling) variables, subjective income measures and supplemental insurance had significant, direct effects on functional adaptations. Implications: Promotion of functional adaptations among elderly people may benefit from both a proactive approach that targets elders with few limitations and a consideration of financial factors in addition to health status. Key Words: Elderly adults, Disability, Functional adaptations