James Walters

Differentiation of girls at risk of early pregnancy from the general population of adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to examine two psychological characteristics (locus of control and purpose in life) that have been associated with early pregnancy. The characteristics were examined first in samples drawn from a general population of adolescents and then in samples of ever-pregnant and never-pregnant adolescents. Ever-pregnant girls differed neither from the general population of adolescents nor from the matched sample of never-pregnant girls on the two psychological dimensions. Alternatives for conceptualizing risk are proposed.

Life Satisfaction and Family Strengths of Older Couples

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between family interaction quality of married elderly and their offspring and life satisfaction of older persons. Information was obtained by means of mailed questionnaires completed by both spouses of 68 married, retired couples living in Georgia and North Carolina who were identified through churches, senior centers, and congregate housing units and through personal contacts. For the total sample, health status was the strongest predictor of life satisfaction followed by certain family strengths factors and job prestige, respectively. Males and females differed concerning which variables contributed most to explaining variance in life satisfaction. Variance in life satisfaction of males was best explained by job prestige, family strengths, and financial help given. Variance in life satisfaction of women was best explained by their perception of their health, family strengths, and job prestige.

Trends Affecting Adolescent Views of Sexuality, Employment, Marriage, and Child Rearing.

The review presents a summary of (a) four changes within society i.e. sexual standards occupational goals of men and women commitment in marriage and changing standards of child rearing in terms of their impact on adolescents views of the family; (b) short- and long-term effects of adolescent marriage on their views; and (c) what can be anticipated of adolescents in the decade ahead in order to illustrate both the continuities and changes in adolescents views of the family. (authors)

Adolescents' Knowledge of Childbearing.

The study reported here is a preliminary one describing one phase of an Adolescent Pregnancy Project being conducted at the University of Georgia. Based on a sample of 1200 high school youth who participated in a state wide study this analysis focuses on their understanding of the consequences of child bearing during adolescence in terms of the health of the mother and the child and in terms of its impact on their family life. (authors)

Perceptions of a Sample of University Men Concerning Women.

Summary The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument, the Positive Regard Scale, to measure the degree of positive regard for women as reflected by university men, and to relate Positive Regard Scale scores to selected personal and social factors. Thirty-two of the 47 items on the scale were significantly discriminating at the .05 level or beyond. A split-half reliability coefficient, computed with the Spearman Brown Correction Formula, of .97 was obtained. Only one of the personal and social factors was significantly related to the Positive Regard Scale scores: Femininity of the mother was related to positive regard for women.

The development of responsibility in young children: A 25-year view

This study was designed to determine if parental perceptions of childrens potential contribution to household work has changed over the past 25 years. Data for this study were collected in 1956 and in 1983. The 1956 sample consisted of 170 white mothers and 210 black mothers of elementary school-age children, and 19 child development specialists. The 1983 sample was made up of 126 mothers and 92 fathers of preschool and school-age children. The Childrens Responsibility Scale was adapted from the early Walters, Stromberg, and Lonian (1957) instrument. Median ages were given for boys and girls on 62 household tasks. The results were consistent: parental perceptions have changed very little over time. The major differences were that parents in the 1983 sample estimated older ages for items relating to tasks involving safety. An instructional component was incorporated in the study to test whether preschool-age children (n = 23) were capable of accomplishing household tasks. The results of this component were positive.

Relationship Between Perceptions of Family Life and Attitudes Concerning Father-Son Interaction.

Abstract The study was designed (a) to develop a form of the Home Life Scale for university men, an instrument which provides a measure of perceptions of their home life in their families of orientation; and (b) to examine the perceptions of university men in relation to selected background characteristics and to their attitudes concerning father-son relationships. No significant relationships were observed between (a) home life perceptions and (6) age, marital status, fathers occupation and education, source of family income, and socioeconomic status of parents; nor were any significant relationships observed between (a) attitudes concerning father-son relationships and (b) age, marital status, fathers occupation and education, source of family income, and socioeconomic status of parents. How-ever, a significant relationship (p = .05) was observed between home life perceptions and attitudes concerning father-son relationships, indicating that those Ss who hold negative perceptions concerning their fami...