Working in East German Socialism in 1980 and in Capitalism 15 Years Later: A Trend Analysis of a Transitional Economy's Working Conditions

Many studies document the changes that have taken place in the new German states, the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), since the end of socialism. Most research looks at the changes that took place after the unification of East and West Germany, but little is known about the differences between the present, somewhat settled situation in the new German states and the stable situation in the GDR before the system change.
The goal of this study was to enlarge our knowledge on these differences. With a trend analysis, aspects of work in the GDR in 1980 ( n =337) were compared with the new German states in 1995 ( n =168). Results showed that there was more job control and complexity, more activity in work improvement and better work organisation in the new German states than in the GDR. There was no difference in stress variables and social support by colleagues between both groups. Relationships with supervisors and appreciation for suggestions for work improvement were better in the GDR than after the introduction of capitalism.     

DEMOGRAPHIC, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND RELATIONSHIP FACTORS IN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DURING PREGNANCY IN A SAMPLE OF LOW-INCOME WOMEN OF COLOR

Research suggests that a significant number of women first experience domestic violence during pregnancy. The current study examines correlates of violence during pregnancy, first by comparing women who did and did not report violence, and second examining three subgroups of women who reported violence (violence initiated, violence persisted, violence ceased). Results indicated that controlling for demographics, more frequent violence was associated with less support and satisfaction with support from the baby's father, more negative interactions with the baby's father, and more verbal aggression in their relationships than those who did not report violence. Differences among subgroups of women reporting violence emerged only for the relationship variables. Implications for detecting violence in clinical settings are discussed.     

EDUCATING ABOUT WOMEN AND GENDER

This study assesses the multiple effects of planned exposure to gender and women's issues on graduate student development. Students in a gender-aware Counseling Psychology program (n = 63) were compared to those in two other graduate psychology programs (total n = 38) on five scales that measured exposure to gender issues, social constructivist views, feminist identity development, performance self-esteem, and endorsement of feminist therapy goals and strategies. Results supported the hypotheses that all outcome measures were significantly correlated with the extent of academic experiences related to women and gender. Program of concentration and level of graduate training were differentially related to social construction views and stages of feminist identity development. We discuss these findings in terms of their implications for gender-aware education in the development of student identity, attitudes, and professional practice.     

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF "HOME" TO OLDER WIDOWS

Elderly widows are increasingly choosing to remain alone in their homes following the deaths of their husbands. For a number of reasons they are a more vulnerable group than married older women, and thus were expected to have less positive attitudes toward being homeowners. In the present study widows (N = 70) who live alone were compared to married women (N = 74) who who lived with only their husbands. Both groups lived in single-family dwellings. Subjects responded to an empirically derived Likert-type scale which measures four factors relating to "attachment to hom". Results indicated that widows had significantly higher scores on the Traditional Family Orientation factor and on the Competence in a Familiar Environment factor. One explanation of these findings is that the home may take on new meanings for widows as they reflect on earlier family experiences or as they discover that they can competently manage an independent lifestyle for themselves.