Stephen J. Bahr

Cohabitation, Marriage, and Remarriage A Comparison of Relationship Quality Over Time

Using longitudinal data from the 1987 to 1988 (Wave I) and 1992 to 1993 (Wave II) National Survey of Family and Households, the authors compared long-term cohabiting, married, and remarried couples in four areas of relationship quality at Wave II (happiness, communication, fairness, and disagreements). Comparisons were made after controlling for presence of a child, relationship duration, educational level, gender, ethnic status, and relationship quality at Wave I. We found that long-term cohabiting couples reported lower relationship happiness and fairness than other types of couples. Couples who cohabited prior to marriage were similar to couples who did not cohabit prior to marriage, whether the couples were in first marriages or remarriages. Differences were small among the types of couples in level of communication or disagreements.

Religion, Family, and Adolescent Drug Use

Using a national sample of over 17,000 high school seniors, we examined the effect of education of parents, employment status of mother, number of parents in household, religiosity, religious affiliation, gender, and race on alcohol and marijuana use. Contrary to some previous research, neither parental education nor employment status of mother was related to use of alcohol or marijuana. Adolescents who lived with both parents were less likely than adolescents in single-parent homes to use marijuana, although the differences were relatively small. Number of parents in household was not related to adolescent alcohol use. Level of religiosity had a significant association with alcohol and marijuana use among all religious denominations, although the magnitude of the relationship varied by denomination. Religious denomination, gender, and race were also related to drug use.

Successful Reentry: What Differentiates Successful and Unsuccessful Parolees?

In this research the authors examine the reentry of 51 parolees during the 3 years following their release from prison. The objective is to gain increased understanding of what differentiates successful parolees from those who fail. Success is defined as being discharged from parole by 3 years after release. The study examines the extent to which drug treatment, friendships, work, family bonds, and age are associated with reentry success. Contrary to expectations, it is found that closeness to mother, closeness to father, having a partner, being a parent, and education level are not associated with parole success. Those who succeed on parole are more likely to have taken a substance abuse class while in prison and on release tend to spend more time in enjoyable activities with friends. Among the employed, those that worked at least 40 hours a week are more likely to complete parole successfully. Qualitative data indicate that successful parolees had more support from family and friends and had more self-efficacy, which help them stay away from drugs and peers who use drugs. The findings are consistent with an integrated life course theory.

A profile of parental homicide against children

The purpose of this study was to provide a profile of victims and offenders in cases where children were killed by their parents. The data were all incidents (3,459) in which a parent killed a child under age 18, which were recorded in theUniform Crime Reports between 1976 and 1985. In the first week of a childs life, the risk of being killed by a parent was equal for males and females. From 1 week to 15 years, males were the victims in about 55% of all parent-child homicides; the percentage of male victims increased to 77% in the 16–18 age group. Among infants in the first week of life, mothers were almost always the ones who committed the homicide. Between the first week of life and the teenage years, mothers and fathers were about equally likely to kill their child. During the 13–15 year age group, fathers committed 63% of all homicides, and this increased to 80% among the 16–18 year age group. Among very young children, the causes of death tended to be personal weaponds, asphyxiation, or drowning. As age increased, the weapons became predominantly guns and knives.

What Works in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs for Offenders

The purpose of this article is to review current empirical research on the effectiveness of drug treatment programs, particularly those for prisoners, parolees, and probationers. The authors reviewed empirical research published after the year 2000 that they classified as Level 3 or higher on the Maryland Scale. Participants in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), therapeutic communities, and drug courts had lower rates of drug use and crime than comparable individuals who did not receive treatment. Several different types of pharmacological treatments were associated with a reduced frequency of drug use. Those who received contingency management tended to use drugs less frequently, particularly if they also received cognitive-behavioral therapy. Finally, researchers reported that drug use and crime were lower among individuals whose treatment was followed by an aftercare program. Effective treatment programs tend to (a) focus on high-risk offenders, (b) provide strong inducements to receive treatment, (c) include several different types of interventions simultaneously, (d) provide intensive treatment, and (e) include an aftercare component.

Age at marriage role enactment role consensus and marital satisfaction.

This paper uses quality of role enactment (role performance) and role consensus between spouses to examine the relationship between age at marriage and marital satisfaction. The authors hypothesize that age at marriage positively affects 1) the quality of self role enactment 2) the quality of spouses role enactment and 3) marital role consensus between spouses; that 4) role consensus positively affects the quality of the spouses role enactment; and that 5) the selfrole enactment 6) the spouses role enactment and 7) role censensus positively affect marital satisfaction. Three common family roles--provider child socialization and therapeutic roles--are particularly important for marital satisfaction. 704 couples from California Oregon Washington and Utah in their first marriage provide data in a 1976 survey. When compared to US census data the sample represents a broad cross section in terms of age educationoccupation and income with an overrepresentation of college-educated persons in professional occupations. Ages are grouped as 13-17 19-19 and 20 or more. Multiple regression analysis does not support the first three hypotheses but substantiates hypotheses 4-7: selfrole enactment has small relationship with marital satisfaction quality of spouses role enactment positively effects marital satisfaction and role consensus has a strong association with marital satisfaction explaining 44% and 35% of the variance in marital satisfaction of wives and husbands respectively. This study finds no evidence that early marriers have less role consensus or lower quality role enactment than later marriers; but the sample does not include early marriers who are already divorced. Longitudinal studies must follow early marriers to adequately test hypotheses on marriage age.

The process of offender reintegration: Perceptions of what helps prisoners reenter society

Qualitative data from16 offenders were analyzed to understand the process of reintegration from their perspective. The offenders identified six factors that they felt influenced their ability to reintegrate and desist from crime: (1) substance abuse; (2) employment; (3) family support; (4) types of friends; (5) personal motivation to change; and (6) age. A large majority indicated that drug abuse was a major contributor to their criminal activities. Most said supports from family, friends, and treatment services were important for successful reintegration. Those who were successful tended to have both a personal desire to change and a support system that helped them reintegrate and desist from drug use and crime. Support had more impact among those who desired to change and those who received support were more likely to perceive that change is possible.

Religiosity, Peers, and Adolescent Drug Use

In this paper we examined the relationship between religiosity, peer drug use, and adolescent drug use among 4,983 Utah adolescents and the 13,534 respondents from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Adolescents who were religious were less likely to smoke, drink heavily, and use marijuana than adolescents who were not religious. Adolescents in highly religious schools were less likely to smoke than adolescents in schools low on religiosity. Individual religiosity tended to lessen the influence of peer drug use on respondent drug use for cigarettes, heavy drinking, and marijuana use but not for the use of other illicit drugs. The associations between individual religiosity and the four types of drug use were not affected by the level of school religiosity. The findings were consistent across the two different samples and three types of drugs: cigarettes, heavy drinking, and marijuana. Social learning and social control theories were used to explain these findings.

A Social Development Model of Serious Delinquency: Examining Gender Differences

This study offers a critical review and analysis of the Social Development Model (SDM) and social control theory in delinquency. In particular, this study examines one major aspect of the SDM, social control theory, through an empirical examination of a large (self-report) data set. Results of this study show that attachment and commitment to parents, school, and peers is associated with delinquency for both boys and girls. In terms of gender, parental attachment and commitment play a stronger role in female delinquency, while alienation plays a stronger role in male delinquency.

An Evaluation of Court Mediation A Comparison in Divorce Cases with Children

on three criteria: ( I ) economic efficiency. (2) compliance with court orders, and (3) postdivorce adjustment. The data were obtained from published articles and court reports from California, Connecticut. Minnesota. Wisconsin. Canada, and Australia. I t was found that a court with a mediation service was economically more efficient than one without a mediation program. In addition, mediated settlements had greater compliance with divorce agreements and more favorable postdivorce adjustment than nonmediated settlements. The data indicate that mediation would lessen the cost and improve the quality of dispute resolution at the time of divorce.