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Opportunities to improve skills and opportunities to teach or train others may be associated with job satisfaction, work engagement and organizational commitment. The analysis reported in this paper used a subsample of 823 employees within two Japanese and three American worksites. We tested not only the direct relationships of each type of training opportunity (to improve skills and to teach or train others) with each of three outcomes (job satisfaction, work engagement and organizational commitment) but also the potential moderating roles of performance orientation, job security and age. The relationships were assessed separately for Japanese and American respondents. The results highlight the importance of opportunities to improve skills for all three outcomes and of opportunities to teach and train for job satisfaction and work engagement. Performance orientation, job security and age generally were not significant moderators and, when they were, the effects were typically restricted to one country. The consistently positive coefficients for training opportunities should provide insight for cross-national organizations seeking to identify human resource policies effective across varying cultural, economic and demographic contexts.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.11.022 Byline: Grace Chang (a)(b), Tay K. McNamara (a), Louise Wilkins-Haug (a)(c), E. John Orav (a)(d) Keywords: Prenatal alcohol use; Collateral report Abstract: Abstinence from alcohol has been recommended for both pregnant and pre-conceptional women. The purpose of this study is to compare self and partner reports of abstinence from alcohol in a sample of 253 pregnant women who were T-ACE (Tolerance, Annoy, Cut-down, Eye-opener) alcohol screen positive. Dyads' reports of the women's abstinence from alcohol before, during, and after pregnancy were compared. Based on their own self-report, less than 20% of the pregnant women were abstinent in their first trimester and about half were abstinent for the rest of their pregnancy. Partners significantly over-estimated the women's abstinence from alcohol at all points except in the post-partum period when the dyad had the highest rate of agreement (85.4%). Reasons for the discrepancies in the self and partner reports of prenatal abstinence, and how partners might influence such behavior remain speculative, but identify areas for future research and prevention. Author Affiliation: (a) Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, United States (b) Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States (c) Department of Obstetrics-Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States (d) Department of Medicine (Biostatistics), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States

This study evaluated stage of change as a predictor of alcohol use in a sample of 301 pregnant women who were either in the precontemplation (62%) or in the action (38%) stage of change in their first trimester. Stage of change distinguished between different patterns of alcohol consumption before and after pregnancy. Those in the precontemplation stage drank more per episode and more often before pregnancy than those in the action stage. The precontemplation group also had a significantly greater quantity of alcohol after pregnancy. However, stage of change did not directly predict subsequent prenatal alcohol use. Previous alcohol use, age, and education were the most significant predictors of prenatal drinks per drinking day. Temptation to drink alcohol was the best predictor of prenatal drinking frequency after study enrollment. Women in both stages of change reduced the quantity and the frequency of their alcohol consumption while pregnant and achieved comparable rates of abstinence. Keywords: Stages of change; Prenatal alcohol use

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2006.05.016 Byline: Grace Chang (a)(b), Tay K. McNamara (a), E. John Orav (a)(c), Louise Wilkins-Haug (a)(d) Keywords: Prenatal alcohol use; Goal choice Abstract: The behavioral problems and cognitive deficits resulting from even small amounts of prenatal alcohol exposure can be significant and enduring but completely preventable. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a prenatal drinking goal selected during a brief intervention for 115 pregnant women and their partners on subsequent consumption. Higher proportions of women having their first pregnancy chose abstinence as a goal over drinking reduction. Goal selection was highly predictive of subsequent drinking behavior. Interestingly, the participants who were abstinent at enrollment and who chose to remain abstinent had the highest rates of abstinence. In contrast, the women who chose cutting down on drinking were the least likely to drink less subsequently, despite recognizing more situations putting them at risk for drinking and identifying more alternatives to consumption. We conclude that goal choice in behavioral self-management of alcohol use by pregnant women is critical. Author Affiliation: (a) Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA (b) Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA (c) Department of Medicine (Biostatistics), Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA (d) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA Article History: Received 23 December 2005; Revised 8 May 2006; Accepted 12 May 2006

Objective: The impact of a couple's knowledge about healthy pregnancy habits involving alcohol and substance use was assessed in the context of other factors previously identified to predict prenatal alcohol consumption in a sample of 254 pregnant women and their male partners. Method: Couples were asked to assess independently a series of statements (true or false) describing the consequences of prenatal substance exposure, while also providing information about their own drinking. Results: Although the couples demonstrated good knowledge of healthy habits during pregnancy, they did not agree when the element of chance was considered. Median household income was more highly predictive of a pregnant woman's knowledge score than her partner's score. In turn, the subject's knowledge of healthy pregnancy habits as manifested in the assessment score had only a weak relationship with prenatal alcohol consumption. Previous alcohol use by the pregnant woman was the strongest predictor of prenatal alcohol use. Conclusions: Because previous alcohol consumption use by the pregnant woman was the strongest predictor of prenatal alcohol use, the importance of its accurate identification is emphasized. Although pending further investigation, knowledge about healthy pregnancy behaviors may exert greater impact if it is shared by a pregnant woman and her partner., ABSTINENCE FROM ALCOHOL IS the recommendation of the United States Surgeon General, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to pregnant and preconceptional women [...]

Demosraphic projections have prompted concerns about the potential economic burden of an aging population. This article, drawing on the 1998 Health and Retirement Study, explores ways in which race, gender, and age moderate the effects of various factors on labor force participation among people ages 60 to 80. Key findings center on health, education, and non-wage income. First, the effect of low non-wage income is weaker at older ages due to higher levels of functional disability. Second, the effect of low education is stronger for women, who perceive their chances of finding employment as low. Third, the effect of health is weaker for blacks, as they are less likely to find steady employment regardless of health. Policy implications: Employer flexibility in number of hours worked might make sense for workers close to retirement age, while job search and training programs might be preferable for workers past the typical retirement age.

This article analyzes the differences between the generational equity and generational interdependence conceptual packages used to frame arguments in the debate over policies such as Social Security reform. It begins [...]

This study explored the effect of unplanned changes in disability and marital status on labor force participation for a sample of just under 6,000 men and women born between 1931 and 1941. It was based on Wave 1 (1992) through Wave 4 (1998) of the Health and Retirement Study data. Binomial hierarchical linear models were used to evaluate the change in the probability of working. Unplanned changes in disability and marital status had effects on labor force participation over and above the effects of the statuses themselves. These findings highlight the need for employer and government policies that minimize the stress that exists with unplanned events. Such policies might encourage higher labor force participation among workers who experience unplanned events that prompt them to exit the labor force earlier than they otherwise would have, with potentially adverse consequences for their subsequent socioeconomic status. Keywords: retirement; labor force participation; marital status; disability

The different pathways out of the labor force have been the focus of many recent studies, yet not enough scholarly attention has been paid to the effect of country-level, individual, and job characteristics and their potentially different influence across genders. The current article examines the relationships between retirement decisions and macroeconomic conditions, personal characteristics, and job satisfaction, while focusing on gender differences. Data came from 16,337 respondents in 13 European countries that participated in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). We find that the relative importance of macroeconomic conditions and job satisfaction differs by gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]