Stan L. Albrecht

Racial Differences in Adolescent Drug Use: The Impact of Religion

Contrary to popular stereotypes, current studies of adolescent populations suggest that Black teens are less likely to use illicit drugs than are White teens. This study investigates the extent to which differences in religiosity are responsible for racial differences in drug use. Using data from a national survey of United States high school seniors, our results indicate that religion does provide some protection from drug use by adolescents. However, religiosity has less of an impact on the drug use of Black adolescents, perhaps as a result of the diverse roles of the Black church.

NIMBY and the hazardous and toxic waste siting dilemma: The need for concept clarification

Finding ways to appropriately dispose of the various wastes that we generate has become one of our most urgent and difficult public policy problems. Researchers and policymakers alike have increasingly attributed much of the blame for policy siting failures to local not‐in‐my‐backyard (NIMBY) responses. However, this concept, as currently used in the literature, has limited utility because of the absence of conceptual and operational clarity. We discuss major problems with the concept, including indiscriminate use, incentives problems, equity issues, and the assumed irrational base of NIMBYism. Important research issues are identified that must be addressed if the concept is to retain scientific and policymaking utility.

The changing pattern of interracial marriage

Recent studies have demonstrated an increased occurrence of interracial marriages in the United States, indicating important shifts in intergroup relations. The effectiveness of traditional theoretical approaches in explaining who marries whom, however, remains problematic. Recently, exchange explanations (which have typically assumed that the black partner in the union exchanges educational and economic accomplishments for the higher status of the white spouse) have been replaced by progressive theories emphasizing a trend away from ascriptive and toward achievement norms. We extend this approach by predicting an economic and educational gap between spouses in interracial marriages when compared with racially homogamous marriages. Using the 1980 and 1990 Public Use Microdata Sample, we find continuing evidence that racial barriers in mate selection are weakening. Further, people who intermarry, regardless of race or gender, tend to have higher educational and economic status than those in homogamous marriages. There is still limited support for the kinds of social exchanges between spouses that were implied in earlier sociological theories. We conclude that (1) socioeconomic differentials are not always consistent with the exchange perspective and (2) that recent trends are not systematically eroding these socioeconomic differentials in mate selection.

Equity and justice in environmental decision making: A proposed research agenda

The substantial health, social, and economic costs borne by rural, low‐income, and minority communities because of their differential exposure to environmental hazards is being increasingly acknowledged. For decades, these groups have been the the victims of a variety of activities and policies that have placed them at a substantial risk to their health and quality of life. Recently, many of these policies have come under increasing criticism by an emerging environmental justice movement—a movement that promises to be one of the strongest forces for environmental reform to appear in recent years. It is argued that questions of justice and equity in environmental decision making are deserving of increased attention by the research community. A number of questions that can guide such a research agenda are identified.

Hispanic subgroup differences in prenatal care.

Within SES categories in the United States, racial and ethnic minorities generally fare less well on a variety of health-related indicators than do majority groups. Important differences exist within subgroups, however, and at present, these differences are poorly understood. In this paper we address Hispanic subgroup (Cuban American, Mexican American. Puerto Rican, and Central/South American) differences in utilization of prenatal care. Data from the 1986 and 1987 national Linked Birth/Infant Death files are used to assess patterns of prenatal care utilization across subgroups. Using Kotelchucks Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index, we find that when controlling for other factors, Cuban American and Puerto Rican women are more likely to obtain adequate care than are Hispanic women of Mexican or Central/South American origin. Other factors important in understanding utilization patterns include marital status, education level, birthplace, and region of the country. We conclude with a discussion of the relatively weak link between prenatal care and birth outcomes and identify important cultural factors that may be important in understanding why this relationship is not stronger.

Effects of potential changes in coresidence on matched older parent-adult child dyads

Abstract One important consequence of the rise in the number and proportion of older adults in our society may be an increased occurrence of living patterns where the older person shares a household with one or more of his or her adult children. To this point, only limited research has addressed the effects of coresidence on the quality of life of the members of the dyad. Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, we examined perceived effects of a discontinuance of a current pattern of coresidence on matched pairs of older parents and their adult children. While a majority of both groups report that specific life dimensions would remain largely unchanged if they were not sharing a household, elderly parents anticipate much more negative consequences from the hypothetical separation than do their adult children. The responses of the older parents apparently reflect the greater dependence and vulnerability that result from a variety of economic and health-related problems. Perceptions of both groups are only modestly affected by several sociodemographic and structural characteristics, though age is a fairly consistent predictor of more negative perceptions among the elders. Future research should move beyond these structural factors to address a variety of process variables that might better describe the dynamics of the relationship.

The Perceptions of Elderly Parents about the Possibility of Discontinuing their Coresidence with Adult Children

In the United States, it is not uncommon for older adults (age 65 years or over) to live in the same households with adult children. Yet we know very little about the quality and dynamics of the interpersonal relationships within such households. In this investigation, older adults (N= 192) coresiding with adult children respond to a series of hypothetical questions about how their lives might change if they no longer lived with those children. Results indicate that the majority of parents anticipate no change in most aspects of their lives. Among those who anticipate a change, most indicate that their lives would be worse. Bivariate comparisons identify parent, child, and household characteristics that are associated with more negative expectations; however, in multivariate analyses, the marital status of the parents had the most significant and pervasive influence on the attitudes that were expressed, with unmarried elders more likely to anticipate a negative impact.

The biophysical environment and human health: Toward understanding the reciprocal effects

This article focuses on the challenges and opportunities related to the empirical examination of the relationship between the multidimensional concepts of “biophysical environment” and “human health.” The challenge at hand is the adoption of a holistic, less fragmented approach to conceptualizing health and the environment. Inherent in such an approach is the consideration of issues along a continuum of levels of organization ranging from the cell, to the individual, to the community, to the ecosphere. Such a holistic approach represents an important opportunity for social scientists. Social scientists provide a crucial set of perspectives and a methodological tool kit that can and should be used in concert with the other closely involved sciences to enhance our understanding of the relationship between the biophysical environment and the health of human populations.