In this chapter, I investigated how challenges (life events) are negotiated within families according to gender roles and their effect on marriage quality, life satisfaction, and…
Abstract
In this chapter, I investigated how challenges (life events) are negotiated within families according to gender roles and their effect on marriage quality, life satisfaction, and psychological resilience in a nonclinical sample of heterosexual couples (N=159), age 23–78 (M=45.4, SD=11.2), with children (n=127) or childfree (n=32). Specifically, I accounted for the individual’s ability to share “hurt feelings” and foster intimacy within the couple, thus strengthening resilience and improving life satisfaction and hypothesized that the impact of negative life events on both relationship quality and life satisfaction could depend on the resilience levels of each partner and their ratio according to gender roles. Results confirmed the hypothesis and showed significant gender differences in the impact of negative life events on relationship quality, life satisfaction, ability to share hurt feelings, fear of intimacy, and resilience levels. Moreover, the ratio of the partner’s individual resilience affected the dependent variables differently by gender, its level interacted with the age of the couple’s first child (range: 2–54, mean: 21.4, SD: 10.4) and strongly depended on the occupation of the parents.
Details
Keywords
Alexis T. Franzese, Kaitlin Stober and Amy L. McCurdy
Within the field of medical sociology, there is an extensive body of literature on notable family transitions and stages in the reproductive cycle, such as getting married or…
Abstract
Within the field of medical sociology, there is an extensive body of literature on notable family transitions and stages in the reproductive cycle, such as getting married or becoming a parent, as they relate to mental health and well-being. However, the transition to becoming a completed family, that is, the process of determining or recognizing that one’s family is complete, is notably absent. In response to this empirical gap, this chapter presents findings from 114 semi-structured interviews with participants who reported having at least one child and who considered their family to be complete. First, the concept of “family completion” is introduced and conceptualized based on the qualitative considerations of participants and the contextual medical sociology literature. Then, thematic considerations around the process of family completion, related emotional preparations, and factors associated with mental health and well-being are explored. Findings suggest that family completion can be an important transitional period for parents and can be associated with emotional hardship for some individuals. Participants described experiencing conflict with their partner if they disagreed on the completion decision, frustration and sadness related to infertility, and/or feelings of loss or depression when completion was regarded as the end of a personal or familial life phase. This chapter concludes that creating a cultural context in which family completion is a recognized family transition period may spur intentional consideration among parents and promote the design of intervention services for parents experiencing changes in mental health or well-being.
Details
Keywords
Roudi Nazarinia Roy, Yolanda Mitchell, Anthony James, Byron Miller and Jessica Hutchinson
The transition to motherhood has been studied extensively, but primarily among participants in homogenous race/ethnicity relationships. The aim of the current study was to explore…
Abstract
The transition to motherhood has been studied extensively, but primarily among participants in homogenous race/ethnicity relationships. The aim of the current study was to explore the lived experiences of a diverse group of women in biracial and monoracial relationships experiencing the transition to motherhood (e.g., biracial or monoracial motherhood). Informed by the symbolic interaction framework, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted to investigate the expectations and experiences of first-time motherhood on a sample of 12 U.S. women. Their diverse stories contained multiple themes including an overarching theme of racial/ethnic differences in appropriate infant care, which surfaces during engagement in family and social support interactions. This analysis emphasizes the need for more diverse portrayals of motherhood. We discuss our findings in light of the literature and implications for future research and practice.
Details
Keywords
Erika L. Bocknek, Marva L. Lewis and Hasti Ashtiani Raveau
Black fathers, and specifically fathers who identify as African American, represent a group of parents who are at once not well understood and pervasively stereotyped in negative…
Abstract
Black fathers, and specifically fathers who identify as African American, represent a group of parents who are at once not well understood and pervasively stereotyped in negative ways. In this chapter, we describe the risks and resilience of Black fathers and their children, with a special focus on mental health and coping with stress. We emphasize a cultural practices approach that takes into account both the risks specific to Black fathers’ capacity to parent their children and a theoretical foundation for understanding the inherent strengths of Black men and their families. Finally, we address the need for early childhood educators to partner with Black fathers as a means to best support children and their families.
Details
Keywords
Christopher C. Cowan and Natasha Todorovic
Strategies often go awry because organizational leaders are not fully aware of the values held by its members. No matter how brilliant the analysis that underlies a strategy, it…
Abstract
Strategies often go awry because organizational leaders are not fully aware of the values held by its members. No matter how brilliant the analysis that underlies a strategy, it is the people ‐‐ from the board room to the factory floor ‐‐ who must understand and implement the strategy. That only happens when the strategy fits their values. Values matter. Ethical decisions and actions are based on values. The authors present a psychological theory that describes three levels of values: surface values, hidden values, and deep values, and explain how these values affect an organization’s leaders and followers as they pursue their mission.
Details
Keywords
G.C. Holt, M. Henchion, C. Reynolds, B. Baviera, J. Calabrese, L. Contini, C. Cowan, T. Dowgielwicz, C. Luscher, A. Maraglino, R. Prugger and R. Tononi
This paper sets out to provide a consensus position on the potential for the inclusion of small businesses in electronic platforms in the food industry.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper sets out to provide a consensus position on the potential for the inclusion of small businesses in electronic platforms in the food industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The consensus was derived through a Delphi‐type series of questions in an open forum of academics and industrialists across Europe.
Findings
The consensus reached was of the proven benefits of electronic platforms for small businesses and the need for further research to assess how small businesses can incorporate electronic traceability and supply chain management systems into their existing operations.
Practical implications
Electronic platforms are spreading rapidly in the food industry. However, there is some concern that small businesses are not aware of the potential for electronic supply chains such as the potential that electronic traceability offers smaller networks to supply highly demanded food quality attributes such as organic production and regional foods.
Originality/value
The paper addresses the highly topical issue of food origin with a new approach to the supply technologies behind the product.
Details
Keywords
Keith Newton, Norman Leckie and Barrie O. Pettman
The body of literature in the field now commonly known as the “quality of working life” (QWL) has grown steadily over a period in which the industrialised nations have…
Abstract
The body of literature in the field now commonly known as the “quality of working life” (QWL) has grown steadily over a period in which the industrialised nations have increasingly come to question the role and status of human beings in the modern technological environment. In recent years concern with the nature of work, its impact upon people, and their attitudes towards it, seem to have sharpened. Investigation of, and experimentation with, the qualitative aspects of working life—its ability to confer self‐fulfilment directly, for example, as opposed to being a means of acquiring goods—has gained momentum under the influence of a unique set of economic, social, political and technological factors. The outpouring of books, reports and articles from a wide variety of sources has, not surprisingly, grown apace.
In this chapter I address: (a) current perspectives on the teacher–student relationship; (b) assessment issues; and (c) the implications of early student-teacher relationships for…
Abstract
In this chapter I address: (a) current perspectives on the teacher–student relationship; (b) assessment issues; and (c) the implications of early student-teacher relationships for school adjustment. While substantial progress has been made on the conceptualization and measurement of the teacher–child relationship construct, it is important to empirically establish the multidimensionality of the construct across the school years. Research that examines the perspectives of both teachers and children is also critically needed in light of growing evidence that the teacher–child relationship is crucial in the early school years. The evidence on the role of the teacher–student relationship on school adjustment indicates that low relational negativity seems to particularly benefit children who present with troubling behaviors early in school. However, the nature of the association between early school adjustment and the teacher–child relationship is far from conclusive. Attention to constructs that represent warmth, closeness, caring, and nurturance is needed for research to explore what aspects of these constructs might serve as buffers against adversity.
Carla Smith Stover and Andrea Spink
Few studies have examined the parenting of fathers with co‐occurring substance abuse (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) problems. None have specifically interviewed men with…
Abstract
Purpose
Few studies have examined the parenting of fathers with co‐occurring substance abuse (SA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) problems. None have specifically interviewed men with these co‐occurring issues using qualitative methods about their reflective functioning in relation to their children. This paper aims to provide evidence of the reflective capacity of fathers with co‐occurring SA and IPV.
Design/methodology/approach
To assess this, men were asked to describe examples of negative emotions they experienced as parents and how they perceived their children responded to those emotions. In total, 40 fathers with co‐occurring SA and IPV were interviewed using the Revised Parent Development Interview. Interviews were coded for reflective functioning and for themes that emerged related to angry and guilty feelings these fathers experienced as parents.
Findings
Overall, fathers in the sample had a very limited capacity to think about the thoughts and feelings of their children. The desire to spend more time with their child and an inability to provide financially were two common themes. Anger toward the child's mother for not providing adequate care and a focus on shielding the child from his anger were also reported frequently. Fathers did not report feelings of guilt related to their substance use or aggression in their relationships.
Originality/value
This paper is one of the first to explore reflective functioning of fathers with co‐occurring IPV and SA. These findings are discussed in relation to their implications for intervention with fathers with co‐occurring SA and IPV issues.