REDUCED-HOURS JOB-ROLE QUALITY AND LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED WOMEN PHYSICIANS WITH CHILDREN

Interest in reduced-hours career options has been sparked by recent studies indicating an increase in the work week, especially among professional and managerial employees, a preference among all employees to reduce work hours substantially, and the perception that the absence of reduced-hours career options is an obstacle to professional advancement. Interest has also been fueled by the growing numbers of dual-earner couples whose ability to manage work/family demands might be facilitated by reduced-hours options. Yet, the belief that part-time work is associated with beneficial health effects has received scant empirical support. Building on prior research with full-time employees, we hypothesized that the quality of the experience of working reduced hours would better predict life satisfaction than would work hours per sc. This hypothesis, which we tested in a sample of female reduced-hours physicians with children in two-earner couples, was supported.     

The Relation Between Familial Factors and the Future Orientation of Urban, African American Sixth Graders

This study examined the relations between familial and environmental factors and five dimensions of future orientation in a sample of urban, African American early adolescents from low-income families. A new multidimensional interview measure, the Future Orientation Interview, was designed for this study to expand on available measures. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to examine the unique contribution of each familial and environmental factor to each dimension of future orientation. The independent variables significantly predicted three of the five dimensions of future orientation: salience, detail, and control beliefs. The pattern of significance varied for each dimension of future orientation, with mother involvement, kinship social support, and socialization of future orientation emerging as important predictors of various dimensions of future orientation. Results are discussed in terms of theoretical issues related to future orientation and implications for intervention.     

Healthcare provider cultural competency: development and initial validation of a patient report measure.

OBJECTIVE: Health researchers have proposed that provider cultural competency may contribute to health disparities. Yet, this belief continues to lack empirical support, and this is due in part to measurement issues that have plagued the cultural competency construct. In the present research, we report on the development of a theoretically grounded, generally applicable, and patient report measure of provider cultural competency. DESIGN: Samples of predominantly African American patients (N=310) were recruited from three urban medical clinics to complete a survey about their relationship with their physician. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We examined the factor structure, validity and other psychometric characteristics of a newly proposed patient report measure of provider cultural competency. RESULTS: Psychometric analyses supported a tripartite model of cultural competency that was comprised of patient judgments of their physician's cultural knowledge, awareness, and skill. In addition, this result was replicated across multiple clinical contexts, while also demonstrating convergent and incremental validity when correlated with measures of trust, satisfaction and discrimination. CONCLUSION: This newly proposed measure addresses prior limitations in cultural competency measurement and may enhance future research by providing a standardized tool for use in multiple clinical and cultural contexts.     

GENDER AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MARITAL-ROLE QUALITY AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

In this paper, we estimate the association between marital-role quality and psychological distress in a sample of 300 full-time employed women and men in dual-earner couples. We control for such individual-level variables as age, education, occupational prestige, and job-role quality, and for such couple-level variables as length of marriage, parental status, and household income. We then compare the magnitude of this effect for men and for women and for parents and nonparents. Results indicate that in dual-earner couples marital-role quality is signifycantly negatively associated with psychological distress for women as well as men and that the magnitude of the effect depends little, if at all, on gender or on parental status. These findings challenge the view that marital experiences more significantly influence women's mental health states than men's. The results are discussed in the context of identity theory.     

Optimal or Typical Performance? The Impact of Instructional Set on the Behavioral Assessment of Parent-Child Interactions

The behavioral assessment of parent-child interactions is an important component of treatment planning and evaluation in many evidence-based parent training programs. However, numerous factors unrelated to the parent-child interaction may add error to the assessment. This study investigated the impact of task instructions on parents’ behaviors during the analogue parent-child interaction observation, the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS). Forty-eight mother-child dyads were randomly assigned to one of two conditions that differed on level of specificity of instructions. Significant differences were observed between groups, with parents who received specific instructions using more praises during the DPICS tasks. Specific instructions may shift parents’ behaviors toward optimal, rather than typical, interaction patterns and should be considered in the context of the assessment goals.     

Differences in Mothers' and Fathers' Readiness for Change in Parent Training

We investigated readiness for change (RFC), a construct that may contribute to the discrepancies between fathers' and mothers’ rates of participation in behavioral parent training. One hundred and twenty fathers and mothers of 2- to 7-year-old children with conduct problems completed standardized measures of RFC, child behavior problems, and parent stress as part of an intake to a parent-child interaction therapy clinic. Fathers reported less readiness for change, less confidence in their ability to make changes, were more defensive about the need to change, and saw treatment as less important than mothers. Results suggest that if clinicians match parent training interventions to mothers’ readiness, fathers may be left behind.     

Uncovering the Value and Meaning of a Horticulture Therapy Program for Clients at a Long-Term Adult Inpatient Psychiatric Facility

This qualitative study investigated the value and meaning of the Greenhouse Program and its impact on recovery goals of residents with severe and persistent mental illness at an adult, long-term psychiatric facility. Eight participants and two occupational therapists were interviewed. Findings revealed two main themes, relating to the essence of the program and personal growth of the participants, supplemented by six sub-themes. The findings suggest that initiatives, such as the Greenhouse Program, are an appropriate intervention that occupational therapy professionals can use in adult inpatient psychiatric facilities.