Dianne K. Kieren

Following the Leaders: Parents' Influence on Adolescent Religious Activity

In this study, the relationship between the religious activity of mothers and fathers and the religious activity of male and female adolescents was investigated. The gender of the adolescent was seen as an important variable. Two hundred and thirty five intact families with adolescents were drawn from the Olson, McCubbin, Barnes, Larsen, Muxen and Wilson (1983) data set of 1140 families. Findings indicated that only paternal religious activity variables were significantly related to female adolescent religious activity, while both maternal and paternal variables were significantly associated with the religious activity of male adolescents. However, even in relation to male religious activity, more paternal religious activity variables were significant than maternal religious activity variables.

The adolescent menstrual attitude questionnaire, part I: Scale construction

A valid, reliable, and age-appropriate instrument to measure adolescent responses to menarche was constructed. The Adolescent Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire is a 5-point Likert scale (with six sub-scales) with versions for pre- and postmenarcheal girls. Scale development included (a) content validation, (b) testing (with 860 premenarcheal and 1,013 postmenarcheal girls), (c) discriminant analysis (to identify items unique to the pre- and postmenarcheal experience, (d) construct validity using principal component factor analysis, and (e) reliability analysis. Development of the scale revealed that on some dimensions, the attitudes of premenarcheal girls were qualitatively different from those of postmenarcheal girls. Thus, the final versions of the Adolescent Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire consist of 58 items each, with 43 common items, 4 common items that load on different subscales, and 11 unique items. Reliabilities (r) are .91 and .90 for the pre- and postmenarcheal versions, respectively.

Handling greedy clergy roles: A dual clergy example

Striking changes have occurred in the number of women who have been ordained as clergy in the Protestant denominations in North America. With these changes has come a concomitant increase in the number of dual clergy couples. These couples are a new variant on the dual career theme. They share some of the same strains which have been identified for dual career couples in general; namely, identity issues, work and role overload, role cycling problems, social network dilemmas and discrepancies between personal and social norms. In addition, particular qualities of the clergy role create problems which these couples must address. One such problem is handling the ambivalent boundary between work and family roles. Two aspects of this issue are the absorptiveness of the role and the embeddedness of both work and family roles. The present paper discusses these boundary issues using data from a study of a population of dual clergy couples in two synods of the Lutheran church in two western Canadian provinces. Strategies for handling these issues are suggested for couples, church leaders and congregational representatives.

Preparation factors and menstrual attitudes of pre- and postmenarcheal girls

This article reports data from a study of 859 premenarcheal and 1,013 postmenarcheal girls residing in a large western Canadian city. Separate pre- and postmenarcheal forms of the AMAQ, a menstrual attitude scale that is relevant to age and experience, were developed and used to assess the relationship between menstrual status, age, a number of preparation factors, and menstrual attitudes.A MANOVA test was significant at the .01 level, supporting the role of menstrual preparation factors in positively shaping menstrual attitudes, although the data indicated that the impact of the various preparation variables were not the same across specific menstrual attitudes. Results with respect to preparation and symptom attitudes revealed a negative rather than a positive relationship. Results are discussed in terms of the implications for the redesign of menstrual education programs, and the role sexuality educators from a variety of professional preparations can play in assuring that these programs are relevant t...

Spousal Adaptability: An Assessment of Marital Competence

This paper reports data summarizing the development and testing of a spousal adaptability instrument designed to measure social psychological aspects of marital relations. Marriage is conceptualized as a unique problem-solving relationship. The adaptability instrument consists of three components: flexibility, empathy, and motivation. Ratings are made on eighteen different problematic marital situations. Results from factor analyses and intercorrelations indicate that the adaptability instrument measures skills which are not situation specific. The data also support the hypothesis that flexibility, empathy, and motivation all make independent contributions to total adaptability.

Underwhelming Participation: Inhibitors to Family Enrichment

Fears about loss of privacy, misunderstandings of qualifications, and lack of time are some inhibitors that keep families from family enrichment programs. Such inhibitors can be countered by promotion, proper settings, and effective planning and programming.

The adolescent menstrual attitude questionnaire, part II: Normative scores

Results obtained from administering the Adolescent Menstrual Attitude Questionnaire to 860 pre- and 1,013 postmenarcheal girls from 49 randomly selected schools in a large western Canadian city are reported. Scores obtained for both the pre- and the postmenarcheal versions of the total scale and the subscales are presented by age and by grade. In addition, for postmenarcheal girls, the self-report of menstrual symptoms gives insight into the prevalence of symptoms and the perception of symptom severity. Correlations between self-reported symptoms with the Menstrual Symptoms subscale score and the total scale score add validity to the scale. These data may be used by clinicians for comparison when administering the scale to individuals or to groups.

The support gap for dual clergy couples

Within this study six levels of support for dual clergy couples with and without children were investigated. Seven dual clergy couples of several synods of the Lutheran Church in two western Canadian provinces were asked open-ended questions about the support they had received in several employment and family related areas. While findings in each of the areas varied, overall, most individuals received the most support from their spouse and little from close friends and relatives often due to physical distance. Support provided by other clergy and church administrators was mixed. Only one major difference was found between couples with and without children. The group without children were more optimistic about the support that would be provided by family and friends in the area of child care while couples with children failed to mention support from friends and family.

Body Image in Breast Cancer

Abstract there is extensive literature comparing the effects of different surgical procedures used in breast cancer treatment on psychological outcome. Body image in breast cancer has received considerable research attention. Narrow views focused on the physical effects of the cancer and of competing treatments on body image have received criticism, and broader approaches are currently being advocated. In this paper, body image in breast cancer and its treatments are examined in the context of the available literature. Preliminary results of the focus group component of a recent research study into body image in breast cancer are reported. Implications for clinical practice based on a review of the literature, and on the focus group results in particular, are discussed.

Mid-life Women and their Physicians Collaborating to Make Decisions about Menopause

Abstract Over three million Canadian women between the ages of 40 and 60 face a wide range of life transitions that call for effective decision making. Such transitions encompass both expected and unexpected physiological and psychological changes associated with aging. While menopause is one such transition, it occurs within a much broader context. Understanding how women make choices about handling such physical changes needs to be considered in consultations between women and their gynaecologists. While not all women necessarily adopt a single decision-making role, many contemporary women, especially those with higher education, prefer to work with their physicians collaboratively. This may require the development of new skills for both the woman and her physician.