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This study assesses whether changes in older adults' financial situation after an economic shock are associated with feelings of loneliness. Data come from the 2006 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study (N = 2,510) which span the 2008 Great Recession. We conduct first-differencing and formal mediation analyses to determine whether change in financial situation is related to change in loneliness in older age and test potential mediation of personal and social resources. Results show that a higher level of loneliness in 2010 is associated with a higher level of subjective financial strain but not with changes in household income and net assets. The findings hold when accounting for personal and social resources. Knowledge of the direct link between financial strain and loneliness in older age provides an important insight for programmes and initiatives aimed at relieving widespread loneliness in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study uses an ecological systems framework to examine how indicators of individual, family, and school contexts are associated with post-secondary educational enrollment among a sample of rural youth. Structural equation modeling allows us to examine both direct and indirect effects of these contexts on school enrollment. Unique elements of the rural context lead us to expect associations between the family and school contexts and post-secondary school enrollment that differ from prior studies of urban youth. Findings of the current study are that: 1) contrary to existing studies of urban youth, indicators of family income and relationship with parents have only a small significant association with post-secondary school enrollment; 2) indicators of the school context have strong direct associations with student grades, aspirations, and self efficacy; and 3) the school context is a strong mediator in predicting post-secondary school enrollment. Implications for the existing research literature are discussed. (Contains 3 figures, 12 footnotes and 4 tables.)

We examine race and residential variation in the prevalence of female-headed households with children and how household composition is associated with several key economic well-being outcomes using data from the 2000 5% Public Use Microdata Sample of the U.S. Census. Special attention is paid to cohabiting female-headed households with children and those that are headed by a single grandmother caring for at least one grandchild, because these are becoming more common living arrangements among female-headed households with children. We find that in 2000: (1) cohabiting and grandmother female-headed households with children comprised over one-fourth of all female-headed households with children, (2) household poverty is highest for female-headed households with children that do not have other adult household earners, (3) earned income from other household members lifts many cohabiting and grandparental female-headed households out of poverty, as does retirement and Social Security income for grandmother headed households, and (4) poverty is highest among racial/ethnic minorities and for female-headed households with children in nonmetro compared to central cities and suburban areas. (Contains 4 tables and 2 footnotes.)

Using data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, we examine residential variation in cohabiting women's union outcomes. Prior work has shown that although there are no residential differences in cohabitation, nonmetro women are more likely than others to marry directly and hold more favorable attitudes toward marriage. Building on this work, we examined residential differences in cohabiting women's union outcomes (i.e., marriage, separation, or remaining intact) to test whether nonmetro cohabiting women's unions are more likely to "end" through marriage, and whether pregnancy has a larger positive effect on marriage entry among this group. We find that nonmetro women are less likely to remain in cohabiting unions and are more likely to either marry or separate during the first 24 months of the cohabiting union. Pregnancy during cohabitation encourages marriage and discourages separation, but these effects are not significantly larger for nonmetro women. (Contains 4 tables and 3 figures.)

We update and extend prior research on residential differences in women's family formation experiences using data from the 1995 cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth. Residential differences in the timing of family formation behaviors are examined, including first birth, first cohabitation, and first marriage. Our study emphasizes the significance of cohabitation, estimating the effect of geographic residence on type of union formation (i.e., cohabitation versus marriage) and relationship context of first birth (i.e., cohabiting, married, or single). We find that (1) the timing of family formation behaviors, including marriage and childbearing, differs by residence; (2) nonmetro women are more likely to enter marriage and marry at younger ages than their metro counterparts; and (3) when marriage and cohabitation are presented as competing risks, nonmetro women are more likely to marry than cohabit both as a first union and a first birth context.

Employing data from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 March supplements of the Current Population Surveys, this study examines changing household and family structure in metro and nonmetro areas and corresponding changes in poverty, emphasizing female-headed families with children under age 18. We also pay particular attention to the structure and economic conditions of subfamilies with children during this period. Household and family structure in suburban metro and nonmetro areas were quite similar by 2000. In contrast, families and households in nonmetro and metro central city areas were similar in their high prevalence of poverty. Finally, the risk of female-headed families and subfamilies with children living in poverty is highest for nonmetro residents, and their individual characteristics suppress rather than account for this disadvantage. This pattern persisted across the decades studies, despite economic growth during the 1990s.

Surveyed 7th graders at the beginning and end of the school year to examine factors in three domains (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and personal competencies) influencing the increase in alcohol use throughout 7th grade. Factors from all three domains significantly predicted increases in alcohol use. Lack of parental monitoring and perceived ease of access were the strongest predictors. (SM)

Residential aspirations of youth are influenced by family, school, and community characteristics. This study uses data from 7th and 11th grade students in 10 rural Pennsylvania school districts to identify [...]

Recent research by Albrecht and Albrecht (2004) on nonmarital conception outcomes is extended using data from the 1995 cycle of the National Survey of Family Growth. Residential differences in nonmarital conception outcomes are examined, including nonmarital conception, live birth outcomes, and marital status at birth following a nonmarital conception. Analyses emphasize the role of more contemporary family behaviors in conception outcomes and the importance of distinguishing suburban-metro from central city-metro residence in studies that emphasize residential variation in family outcomes. Findings are that (1) nonmetro women have retained more traditional family behavior with regards to marriage following a nonmarital conception, (2) nonmetro and suburban women, however, have equally traditional family patterns and behaviors on many of the outcomes of interest, and (3) it is important to include contemporary family behaviors, such as nonmarital cohabitation, in studies that evaluate traditional family behavior among nonmetro populations.

The purpose of this article is to examine the other (much more neglected) single-parent family type: those single-parent families headed by fathers. We use specially constructed child files from the 1960-1990 Public Use Microdata Samples data from the Census of Population to address two general questions: (a) To what extent has both the likelihood and the demographic characteristics of these families changed over time? (b) What are the consequences for children of living in different kinds of father-only families? We find that single-father families are comparatively rare, but increasing rapidly, especially since 1980. Increasingly, these families are formed by fathers who are young, never married, with low incomes, and fewer children. Analysis of the 1990 data reveal wide diversity in living arrangements among children in single-father families. Furthermore, the social capital of children's fathers, the availability of adults, and children's economic well-being vary markedly across these types of families.

Emerging adulthood is an important stage that shapes young men's life course trajectories. Guided by a developmental, life course perspective, we use the 2006-2010 National Survey of Family Growth to explore the role of a nonmarital first birth in subsequent marriage among men. Nonmarital first births occur earlier in the life course and prior to the completion of education or financial stability. Disadvantage is concentrated among marginalized men with low education and weak labor force connections. Men's education, employment, and family background characteristics are central to a more committed first birth context. Cohabitation plays a key role in marriage formation following a nonmarital first birth. Implications of nonmarital childbearing and marriage formation for men's adult development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]