Priscilla W. Blanton

Husbands and Wives in Dual-Earner Marriages: Decision-Making, Gender Role Attitudes, Division of Household Labor, and Equity

Abstract The clearly defined work and family roles of the traditional American family model-husbands as breadwinners and wives as homemakers-have been replaced by a model where both husbands and wives are employed, creating the need to re-negotiate family roles. The current study examined: (1) differences in perceived decision-making, gender-role attitudes, division of household labor and perceived marital equity in dual-earner husbands and wives (n = 233); and (2) the impact of perceived decision-making, gender-role attitudes, and division of household labor on perceived marital equity. Findings indicated that decision-making, low-control household labor, and high-control household labor differed significantly between husbands and wives. Wives spent more time in household labor and were much more likely to be involved in low-control household tasks. Perceptions of marital equity were influenced by decision-making and time spent in low-control household tasks for both husbands and wives.

Predictors of Family Functioning Among Clergy and Spouses: Influences of Social Context and Perceptions of Work-Related Stressors

We wished to identify predictors of family functioning from models including perceptions of stresses associated with mobility, financial compensation, intrusiveness to family boundaries, expectations on time demands, and the lack of social support. Data were collected from 136 randomly selected couples from six denominations in which husbands were clergy. Participants completed a survey that included the Clergy Family Life Inventory which assessed perceptions of five work-related stressors and the Self Report Measure of Family Functioning scale which measured 12 dimensions of family functioning. Separate regression models were tested for husbands and wives and these analyses indicated that no single stressor seemed influential for all 12 dimensions of family functioning. However, for both husbands and wives, family boundary intrusiveness, lack of social support, and mobility stresses influenced their competence in numerous areas of family functioning. In addition, husbands and wives experienced similar effects of stress among several dimensions of family functioning (e.g. enmeshment, family organization, democratic family atmosphere expressiveness).

The influence of self-compassion on emotional well-being among early and older adolescent males and females

Self-compassion has been associated with well-being in adult samples, but has rarely been assessed in adolescents. In this study, 90 students ages 11–18 completed an online survey assessing self-compassion, life satisfaction, perceived stress and positive and negative affect. Findings indicated that older female adolescents had lower self-compassion than either older male adolescents or early adolescents of either gender, and self-compassion was associated significantly with all dimensions of emotional well-being with the exception of positive affect. Additionally, phase of adolescence, but not gender, was found to moderate the relationship between self-compassion and dimensions of well-being; for older adolescents, the inverse relationship between self-compassion and negative affect was stronger. Lastly, the influence of the various components of self-compassion was investigated and discussed.

Marital therapy and marital power: Constructing narratives of sharing relational and positional power

Scholars continue to emphasize in their conceptualizations of marital power the capacity to exert influence in the marital relationship based on the control of valued resources and status (positional power). Much less attention has been given to the capacity to exert authority in the marital relationship through the context of an intimate relationship and the opportunities for influence it provides (relational power). Strategies are suggested for co-authoring narratives with couples in the process of therapy that create opportunities for them to share these bases of power within their families in ways that free them from the negative constraints associated with cultural discourses about gender and power.

The availability and importance of Denominational Support Services as perceived by Clergy Husbands and their wives

Previous research by Morris and Blanton (1994b) used the Denominational Support Service Checklist (DSSC) to determine whether or not denominations were providing support services in any organized/systematic way to the clergy and their wives in their denomination. The DSSC has a yes/no format containing 21 support services that are divided into four areas of support. The four areas of support services included psychological services (3), career development services (6), family oriented services (7), and financial services (5). As a follow-up to the previous study, the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of clergy husbands and their wives regarding the availability and importance of support services provided by their sponsoring denomination. The sample of the study included 136 ordained married clergy males and their non-clergy spouses (n=272) randomly selected from six denominations in the United States. The six denominations included the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC); Lutheran Missouri Synod (LMS); Church of God, Cleveland, Tennessee (COG); Seventhday Adventists (SDA); the American Baptist Church (ABC); and the Episcopal Church (EC). Each husband and wife completed The Perceived Availability of Denominational Support Services (PADSS) and The Perceived Importance of the Denominational Support Service (PIDSS). The PADSS has a yes/no format and the PIDSS is a 3 point Likert-type questionnaire that corresponds identically (e.g., 21 items divided into four support areas) with the DSSC. Findings from the study indicated that a majority of clergy and their wives perceived that their sponsoring denominations were not making available those services that they perceived were important. Additionally, gender differences in reports of availability and importance were found indicating that some denominations may not be providing support services that enhance the quality tof life for the entire clergy family system. Recommendations and suggestions are made to encourage and guide denominations in providing support services for clergy families.

Service providers' modes of interacting with frail elders and their families: Understanding the context for caregiving decisions

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the professional context within which frail elderly individuals and their families operate as they make decisions regarding caregiving. The findings serve to improve our understanding of the nature of the interface between the informal structures of families and the formal structures of the service-provider network. Designed as an exploratory qualitative study, the research process involved one-on-one interviews with providers from 9 areas of service related to elder caregiving. Specifically, analysis of the data revealed 4 provider styles or modes of interacting with elders and their families: Listener, Educator, Encourager, and Advocate. The most frequent mode was Educator, with 7 of the 9 providers referencing it more often than any other mode. The least frequent mode was Listener, with 5 of the service providers referencing it the least often. Implications of these findings for service providers lie in better understanding of how preferences for one style or another may affect their communication with clients. For families, the implications lie in understanding ways to more effectively interact with the formal network of providers in order to have their needs adequately addressed. Further, educators or counselors may be able to use these results in helping families improve their access to resources and services, and in helping providers better serve the needs of clients.

Socio-demographic indicators of intervention program completion with the male court-referred perpetrator of partner abuse

The purpose of this study was to provide socio-demographic indicators of the court-referred perpetrator-as-client who successfully completed a perpetrator intervention program vs. the perpetrator-as-client who was unsuccessful. Significant associations were noted between alcohol use at the time of arrest and perpetrator program completion. Additional associations included perpetrator employment history by program completion status, perpetrator level of violence by program completion status, and report of victim hospitalization by program completion status. Study findings suggest that perpetrator-as-client intervention programs might benefit by implementing comprehensive screening procedures and by developing interagency cooperation in terms of job training and access to opportunities for stable employment.

Peer acceptance in middle childhood among rural and urban boys and girls

Abstract Childrens peer acceptance in the classroom setting was investigated for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade boys and girls in both rural and urban schools. The sample comprised 650 children from 33 classrooms in four different schools. Each child completed the Peer Acceptance Index on which they rated each child in the classroom on a scale of never my friend (1) to my best friend (5). The Peer Acceptance score was a composite of all the ratings of their classmates for each child. A 2 × 2 x 3 (Location x Gender x Grade) analysis of variance was employed to examine the between-group differences on peer acceptance. Significant between-group differences were found for the location and grade variables. A significant location-by-grade interaction also was found. When the grade variable was examined by location, there were significant between-group differences for urban children but not for rural children, with diminishing levels of peer acceptance for fifth and sixth graders. The contrast of location by ...

The Psychosocial Experiences of Obese Insulin-Resistant Children With Successful Clinical Outcomes

Professionals in child and adolescent nutrition have noted the marked lack of success when treating childhood obesity and preventing the negative effects it has for children’s well-being. This arti...