Educational Attainment (educational + attainment)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Humanities and Social Sciences

Kinds of Educational Attainment

  • children educational attainment
  • lower educational attainment


  • Selected Abstracts


    A DYNAMIC ANALYSIS OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, OCCUPATIONAL CHOICES, AND JOB SEARCH,

    INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 1 2010
    Paul Sullivan
    This article examines career choices using a dynamic structural model that nests a job search model within a human capital model of occupational and educational choices. Wage growth occurs in the model because workers move between firms and occupations as they search for suitable job matches and because workers endogenously accumulate firm and occupation specific human capital. Simulations performed using the estimated model reveal that both self-selection in occupational choices and mobility between firms account for a much larger share of total earnings and utility than the combined effects of firm and occupation specific human capital. [source]


    Parental Separation and Children's Educational Attainment: A Siblings Analysis on Swedish Register Data

    ECONOMICA, Issue 292 2006
    ANDERS BJÖRKLUND
    This paper analyses whether the commonly found negative relationship between parental separation in childhood and educational outcomes is causal or due mainly to selection. We use data on about 100,000 Swedish full biological siblings, born in 1948,63, and perform cross-section and sibling-difference estimations. Outcomes are measured as educational attainment in 1996. Our cross-section analysis shows the expected negative and significant relationship, while the relationship is not significant, though precisely estimated, in the sibling-difference analysis. This finding was robust to the sensitivity tests performed and is consistent with selection, rather than causation, being the explanation for the negative relationship. [source]


    Sibling Rivalry in Educational Attainment: The German Case

    LABOUR, Issue 2 2001
    Thomas Bauer
    Recent studies exploring sibling rivalry in the allocation of household resources in the USA produce conflicting results. We contribute to this discussion by addressing the role of sibling rivalry in educational attainment in Germany. Using the German Socioeconomic Panel (GSOEP) we are able to distinguish how the effects of sibling rivalry vary by cultural affiliation, i.e. among families of West German, East German and foreign origin. We also point out and correct for a reference group problem in earlier papers analyzing sibling rivalry. [source]


    Teenage Parents' Educational Attainment Is Affected More by Available Resources than by Parenthood

    PERSPECTIVES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, Issue 3 2007
    L. Melhado
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]


    Low-Growth Equilibrium Accompanied by High Levels of Educational Attainment

    THE JAPANESE ECONOMIC REVIEW, Issue 4 2002
    Koichi Yotsuya
    The paper demonstrates the low-growth trap associated with high educational attainment in an overlapping-generations model by examining the dual positive effect of senior educated workers in leading-edge technology: on technological progress and on young workers' on-the-job learning. If new technology is sufficiently productive, young workers will demand education to update technology when old, and high technological growth is sustained in the future. Conversely, if new technology is unproductive, they will demand education merely to improve the skills necessary for existing technology, and technological progress will stagnate. Nevertheless, vigorous investment in education occurs since young workers have little hope for on-the-job learning. JEL Classification Numbers: I20, J24, O33, O40. [source]


    Paths of Effects of Early Childhood Intervention on Educational Attainment and Delinquency: A Confirmatory Analysis of the Chicago Child-Parent Centers

    CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 5 2004
    Arthur J. Reynolds
    This study investigated the contributions of 5 mechanisms to the effects of preschool participation in the Child-Parent Centers for 1,404 low-income children in the Chicago Longitudinal Study. Based on a matched-group design, preschool participation was associated with significantly higher rates of educational attainment and lower rates of juvenile arrest. LISREL analysis revealed that the primary mediators of effects for both outcomes were attendance in high-quality elementary schools and lower mobility (school support hypothesis), literacy skills in kindergarten and avoidance of grade retention (cognitive advantage hypothesis), and parent involvement in school and avoidance of child maltreatment (family support hypothesis). The model accounted for 58% and 79% of the preschool links with school completion and juvenile arrest, respectively. The maintenance early intervention effects are influenced by many alterable factors. [source]


    Educational Attainments of Immigrant Offspring: Success or Segmented Assimilation?,

    INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION REVIEW, Issue 4 2002
    Monica Boyd
    In this article, I study the educational attainments of the adult offspring of immigrants, analyzing data from the 1996 panel of the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID). Fielded annually since 1993 by Statistics Canada, respondents are asked for the first time in 1996 to report the birthplaces of their parents, making it possible to define and study not only the foreign-born population (the first generation), but also the second generation (Canadian born to foreign-born parents) and the third-plus generation (Canadian born to Canadian-born parents). The survey also asked respondents to indicate if they are members of a visible minority group, thus permitting a limited assessment of whether or not color conditions educational achievements of immigrant offspring. I find that "1.5" and second generation adults, age 20,64 have more years of schooling and higher percentages completing high school compared with the third-plus generation. Contrary to the segmented "underclass" assimilation model found in the United States, adult visible minority immigrant offspring in Canada exceed the educational attainments of other not-visible-minority groups. Although the analysis is hampered by small sample numbers, the results point to country differences in historical and contemporary race relations, and call for additional national and cross-national research. [source]


    Do Peer Groups Matter?

    ECONOMICA, Issue 277 2003
    Peer Group versus Schooling Effects on Academic Attainment
    This paper estimates an educational production function. Educational attainment is a function of peer group, parental input and schooling. Conventional measures of school quality are not good predictors for academic attainment, once we control for peer group effects; parental qualities also have strong effects on academic attainment. This academic attainment is a then a key determinant of subsequent labour market success, as measured by earnings. The main methodological innovation in this paper is the nomination of a set of instruments, very broad regions of birth, which, as a whole, pass close scrutiny for validity and permit unbiased estimation of the production function. [source]


    Effects of ethnicity and socioeconomic status on body composition in an admixed, multiethnic population in Hawaii

    AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 3 2009
    Daniel E. Brown
    This study determined ethnic differences in anthropometric measures of a sample of adults in Hawaii, examining the effects of differing degrees of ethnic admixing and socioeconomic status (SES) on the measures. Adults who had attended elementary school in Hawaii underwent anthropometric measurements and answered questionnaires about their educational attainment, income, age, cultural identity, ethnic ancestry, and health. Individuals reporting Asian American cultural identity had significantly lower mean body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) than others, whereas those with Hawaiian/Pacific Islander cultural identity had significantly higher BMI and WC. Educational attainment, but not reported family income and age, was significantly related to BMI and WC, and differences in educational attainment accounted for the increased mean BMI and WC in Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders, but did not account for the lower mean BMI and WC among Asian Americans. Higher percentage of Asian ancestry was significantly correlated with lower BMI and WC, whereas higher percentage of Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ancestry was significantly correlated with increased BMI and WC. Differences in education accounted for the significantly increased BMI in participants with a higher percentage of Hawaiian/Pacific Islander ancestry, but did not entirely account for the lower BMI in individuals with a higher percentage of Asian American ancestry. These results suggest that the high rate of obesity and its sequelae seen in Pacific Islanders may be more a result of socioeconomic status and lifestyle than of genetic propensity, whereas the lower rates of obesity observed in Asian American populations are less directly influenced by socioeconomic factors. Am. J. Hum. Biol., 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


    The stability of correlates of labour force activity

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 5 2009
    G. Waghorn
    Objective:, To investigate the stability of correlates of labour force activity among people with affective and anxiety disorders, compared with healthy adults, between 1998 and 2003. Method:, Secondary analyses of multi-stage probability samples of community residents (n1998 = 37 580 and n2003 = 36 088) obtained from repeat administrations of an Australian population survey. Results:, Proportionally, fewer people with affective or anxiety disorders were employed compared with well controls. Extent of employment restrictions, sex, age left school, country of birth, age and educational attainment were strong correlates of labour force participation and current employment. These effects were stable despite improved labour market conditions in 2003. Conclusion:, These results can inform decisions about access to substantial forms of employment assistance. Subgroups of people with anxiety and depression, with severe employment restrictions, low education, low language proficiency, aged 15,24 years, or aged 55 years or more, may require greater access to substantial employment assistance. [source]


    Psychological functioning and health-related quality of life in adulthood after preterm birth

    DEVELOPMENTAL MEDICINE & CHILD NEUROLOGY, Issue 8 2007
    Stuart R Dalziel FRACP PhD
    The aim of this study was to determine if preterm birth is associated with socioeconomic status (SES), psychological functioning, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adulthood. We used prospective follow-up of 192 adult offspring of mothers who took part in a randomized controlled trial of antenatal betamethasone for the prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (66 born at term [33 males, 33 females] 126 born preterm [66 males, 60 females]). Cognitive functioning was assessed using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Working memory and attention was assessed using the Benton Visual Retention Test, the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test, and the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale. Psychiatric morbidity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory II, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Schizotypy Traits Questionnaire. Handedness was assessed using the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory. HRQoL was assessed using the Short Form-36 Health Survey. Moderately preterm birth (median gestation 34wks, mean birthweight 1946g [SD 463g]) was not related to later marital status, educational attainment, SES, cognitive functioning, working memory, attention, or symptoms of anxiety or schizotypy at 31 years of age. Preterm birth was associated with fewer symptoms of depression and higher levels of satisfaction in three of the eight HRQoL domains measured (bodily pain, general health perception, and social functioning). Adults who were born moderately preterm have SES, psychological functioning, and HRQoL consistent with those who were born at term. This good long-term outcome cannot be extrapolated to those with early childhood disability or very low birthweights. [source]


    The impairments caused by social phobia in the general population: implications for intervention,

    ACTA PSYCHIATRICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 2003
    R. C. KesslerArticle first published online: 29 AUG 200
    Objective: Although social phobia is common, treatment remains low. In order to gauge public health implications of this low treatment, information is needed on the impairments caused by social phobia. Method: A computer literature review searched for the terms ,social anxiety disorder' and ,social phobia' in the MEDLINE and PsycLIT databases. New analyses were carried out in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Results: The literature shows that social phobia has serious effects on role functioning and quality of life. These effects are least severe for pure non-generalized social phobia and most severe for comorbid generalized social phobia with avoidant personality disorder. The most direct impairments involve social interactions and information processing errors in these interactions. Indirect effects are even more important. Three indirect effects are highlighted: effects on secondary mental (e.g. depression), substance (e.g. alcoholism) and physical (e.g. cardiovascular disease) disorders; effects on normative role transitions (e.g. educational attainment); and effects on help-seeking. Conclusion: Given the early age of onset and impacts on secondary disorders and early adult life course transitions, the greatest public health impact of increasing treatment of social phobia is likely to be achieved by developing programs targeted at early identification and treatment through schools. [source]


    Effects of seismic intensity and socioeconomic status on injury and displacement after the 2007 Peru earthquake

    DISASTERS, Issue 4 2010
    Karen Milch
    Earthquakes are a major cause of displacement, particularly in developing countries. Models of injury and displacement can be applied to assist governments and aid organisations in effectively targeting preparedness and relief efforts. A stratified cluster survey was conducted in January 2008 to evaluate risk factors for injury and displacement following the 15 August 2007 earthquake in southern Peru. In statistical modelling, seismic intensity, distance to rupture, living conditions, and educational attainment collectively explained 54.9 per cent of the variability in displacement rates across clusters. Living conditions was a particularly significant predictor of injury and displacement, indicating a strong relationship between risk and socioeconomic status. Contrary to expectations, urban, periurban, and rural clusters did not exhibit significantly different injury and displacement rates. Proxies of socioeconomic status, particularly the living conditions index score, proved relevant in explaining displacement, likely due to unmeasured aspects of housing construction practices and building materials. [source]


    Adults with self-reported learning disabilities in Slovenia: Findings from the international adult literacy survey on the incidence and correlates of learning disabilities in Slovenia

    DYSLEXIA, Issue 4 2003
    Lidija Magajna
    This study of adults with self-reported learning disabilities (SRLD) in Slovenia is part of a larger secondary analysis of the data from the International Literacy Survey project (IALS). The purpose of the study was to examine the characteristics of 79 (2.68%) individuals who reported experiencing learning disabilities and compare them to the general population on a variety of indicators of educational background, employment status, and reading and writing activities at work and at home. The proficiency scores of the SRLD individuals were lower in all three literacy domains (prose, document and quantitative literacy). In prose literacy 77.9% of SRLD adults performed at Level 1 and only 7.8% reached the level necessary for a modern technological society. Experiencing learning disabilities was not related to gender or age, however, results showed significant differences between the levels achieved by older and younger people with SRLD. In SRLD groups aged 40 years and above, no one achieved more than the second level of literacy in any domain. Learning disabilities were reported more frequently in rural areas. SRLD groups achieve significantly lower educational attainment, and lower employment status, with a preference for manual labour or craft. These findings are of critical importance. SRLD people report that poorer literacy skills are an obstacle to their progression in employment. In the Slovene sample, the SRLD group stands out for low scores in quantitative literacy. Results show that they are less active, pick up information only auditorily or in short written form. They need more frequent help from relatives in literacy activities. Interpretation of the IALS data on SRLD presents many problems. These include amongst others, problems in terminology, different background factors, and the validity of self-report measures. However, the study also raises many interesting challenges for future research and policy. Increasing the availability of support, assistance and counselling for adolescents and adults with learning disabilities remains a very important goal for dyslexia and LD policies in Slovenia. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    Parental Separation and Children's Educational Attainment: A Siblings Analysis on Swedish Register Data

    ECONOMICA, Issue 292 2006
    ANDERS BJÖRKLUND
    This paper analyses whether the commonly found negative relationship between parental separation in childhood and educational outcomes is causal or due mainly to selection. We use data on about 100,000 Swedish full biological siblings, born in 1948,63, and perform cross-section and sibling-difference estimations. Outcomes are measured as educational attainment in 1996. Our cross-section analysis shows the expected negative and significant relationship, while the relationship is not significant, though precisely estimated, in the sibling-difference analysis. This finding was robust to the sensitivity tests performed and is consistent with selection, rather than causation, being the explanation for the negative relationship. [source]


    Determinants of continuity and change over 10 years in young women's smoking

    ADDICTION, Issue 3 2009
    Liane McDermott
    ABSTRACT Aims To examine prospectively continuity and change in smoking behaviour and associated attributes over a 10-year period. Design, setting and participants Participants (initially aged 18,23 years) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health completed postal questionnaires in 1996, 2000, 2003 and 2006. The analysis sample was 6840 women who participated in all surveys and provided complete smoking data. Measurements Outcome variables were transitions in smoking behaviour between surveys 1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4 and 1 and 4. Attributes that differentiated continuing smokers from quitters, relapsers from ex-smokers and adopters from never smokers were examined for each survey period. Explanatory variables included previous smoking history, demographic, psychosocial, life-style risk behaviour and life-stage transition factors. Findings Over 10 years, 23% of participants either quit, re-started, adopted or experimented with smoking. Recent illicit drug use and risky or high-risk drinking predicted continued smoking, relapse and smoking adoption. Marriage or being in a committed relationship was associated significantly with quitting, remaining an ex-smoker and not adopting smoking. Living in a rural or remote area and lower educational attainment were associated with continued smoking; moderate and high physical activity levels were associated positively with remaining an ex-smoker. Conclusions Life-style and life-stage factors are significant determinants of young women's smoking behaviour. Future research needs to examine the inter-relationships between tobacco, alcohol and illicit drug use, and to identify the determinants of continued smoking among women living in rural and remote areas. Cessation strategies could examine the role of physical activity in relapse prevention. [source]


    Age, period and cohort influences on beer, wine and spirits consumption trends in the US National Alcohol Surveys

    ADDICTION, Issue 9 2004
    William C. Kerr
    ABSTRACT Aims To estimate the separate influences of age, period and cohort on the consumption of beer wine and spirits in the United States. Design Linear age,period,cohort models controlling for demographic change with extensive specification testing. Setting US general population 1979,2000. Measurements Monthly average of past-year consumption of beer, wine and spirits in five National Alcohol Surveys. Findings The strongest cohort effects are found for spirits; cohorts born before 1940 are found to have significantly higher consumption than those born after 1946, with especially high spirits consumption for men in the pre-1930s cohorts. Significant cohort effects are also found for beer with elevated consumption in the 1946,65 cohorts for men but in the pre-1940 cohorts for women. Significant negative effects of age are found for beer and spirits consumption, although not for wine. Significant period effects are found for men's beer and wine consumption and for women's spirits consumption. Increased educational attainment in the population over time is associated with reduced beer consumption and increased wine consumption. Conclusions Changing cohort demographics are found to have significant effects on beverage-specific consumption, indicating the importance of controlling for these effects in the evaluation of alcohol policy effectiveness and the potential for substantial improvement in the forecasting of future beverage-specific consumption trends, alcohol dependence treatment demand and morbidity and mortality outcomes. [source]


    The effects of adolescent cannabis use on educational attainment: a review

    ADDICTION, Issue 11 2000
    Michael Lynskey
    This paper reviews research examining the link between cannabis use and educational attainment among youth. Cross-sectional studies have revealed significant associations between cannabis use and a range of measures of educational performance including lower grade point average, less satisfaction with school, negative attitudes to school, increased rates of school absenteeism and poor school performance. However, results of cross-sectional studies cannot be used to determine whether cannabis use causes poor educational performance, poor educational performance is a cause of cannabis use or whether both outcomes are a reflection of common risk factors. Nonetheless, a number of prospective longitudinal studies have indicated that early cannabis use may significantly increase risks of subsequent poor school performance and, in particular, early school leaving. This association has remained after control for a wide range of prospectively assessed covariates. Possible mechanisms underlying an association between early cannabis use and educational attainment include the possibility that cannabis use induces an 'amotivational syndrome' or that cannabis use causes cognitive impairment. However, there appears to be relatively little empirical support for these hypotheses. It is proposed that the link between early cannabis use and educational attainment arises because of the social context within which cannabis is used. In particular, early cannabis use appears to be associated with the adoption of an anti-conventional lifestyle characterized by affiliations with delinquent and substance using peers, and the precocious adoption of adult roles including early school leaving, leaving the parental home and early parenthood. [source]


    Education-based group identity and consciousness in the authoritarian-libertarian value conflict

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 2 2009
    RUNE STUBAGER
    The increasing importance of New Politics or authoritarian-libertarian values to electoral behaviour in advanced Western industrial democracies and the previously documented strong link between such values and educational attainment indicates that, contrary to the claims of some New Politics theorists, the ideological conflict is anchored in the social structure , in particular in educational groups. For this interpretation to be warranted, however, it should be possible to document the existence of education-based group identity and group consciousness related to the value conflict. The article develops indicators of the core variables out of Social Identity Theory. Based on a unique survey from Denmark, which includes the new set of indicators, the analyses show that members of the high and low education groups have developed both group identity and consciousness reflecting a conflict between the groups and that these factors are related to authoritarian-libertarian values. The results are interpreted as reflecting a relationship of dominance, which supports the view that the ideological conflict is structurally anchored. [source]


    The effect of socioeconomic factors on voter turnout in Finland: A register-based study of 2.9 million voters

    EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF POLITICAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2005
    PEKKA MARTIKAINEN
    The analyses are based on individual-level register data from electoral wards from the parliamentary elections of 1999 linked to population registration data on personal characteristics covering the whole 25 to 69 year-old Finnish electorate. The results show that income and housing tenure are more important determinants of turnout among older voters than among younger voters, whereas education has a dominant role in determining young people's turnout. Moreover, class has maintained its discriminatory power in determining turnout in all age groups even though working-class under-representation in participation can be partly attributable to previously obtained educational attainment. Furthermore, the lower turnout of younger voters remains unexplained even if socioeconomic factors are held constant. Lower turnout among lower social classes and among the young will affect the legitimacy of the prevalent model of party democracy. [source]


    School Attendance and Skill Premiums in France and the US: A General Equilibrium Approach,

    FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 4 2007
    David De La Croix
    We evaluate the effect of education policies, welfare programmes, technology and demographics on the differential evolution of the skill premium and on the rise in education investment in France and the US. We use a computable general equilibrium model with overlapping generations of individuals and endogenous education decisions. Human capital has two substitutable components - experience and education - both of which evolve endogenously over time. We use an original method to calibrate our model properly on the post-war period and run counterfactual experiments to assess the relative contributions of the different exogenous variables. The expansionary French education policy boosted the supply of skills and kept the skill premium low. In contrast, increasing education costs in the US contributed to increased wage differentials by reducing the rise in educational attainment. Skill-biased technical change is key to understanding rising school attendance and skill premiums in the US. It has a less important role and appears to be delayed in France. [source]


    Understanding Pensions: Cognitive Function, Numerical Ability and Retirement Saving,

    FISCAL STUDIES, Issue 2 2007
    James Banks
    In a world of declining state pension provision, it is becoming increasingly important that individuals are able to understand the financial choices they face and can choose savings products, portfolios and contribution rates accordingly. In this paper, we look at numerical ability and other dimensions of cognitive function in a sample of older adults in England and examine the extent to which these abilities are correlated with various measures of wealth and retirement saving outcomes. As well as finding that relatively large fractions of the older population can be seen to have low levels of numeracy, we show that numeracy levels are strongly correlated with measures of retirement saving and investment portfolios, even when controlling for other dimensions of cognitive ability as well as educational attainment. Numeracy is also related to knowledge and understanding of pension arrangements, and with perceived financial security. In the short run, there may be a role for targeting simple retirement planning information at low-numeracy, low-education groups; a longer-run goal for retirement saving policy might be to improve numeracy levels more generally. [source]


    Determinants of executive compensation in privately held firms

    ACCOUNTING & FINANCE, Issue 3 2010
    Jesper Banghøj
    M52; Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects Abstract We examine what determines executive compensation in privately held firms. Our study is motivated by the fact that most studies in this area rely on data from publicly traded firms. Further, the few studies that are based on data from privately held firms only examine a limited number of determinants of executive compensation. Our findings indicate that the pay-to-performance relation is weak. Board size and ownership concentration are the only corporate governance characteristics that explain variations in executive compensation. Executive characteristics like skills, title and educational attainment all explain variations in executive compensation. Contrary to our expectations, we do not find a stronger pay-to-performance relation in firms with better designed bonus plans. [source]


    Impact of history or onset of chronic medical conditions on higher-level functional capacity among older community-dwelling Japanese adults

    GERIATRICS & GERONTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, Issue 2003
    Yoshinori Fujiwara
    Background: Many studies have examined the impact of chronic medical conditions on the age-related decline in basic activities of daily living (BADL) and the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), but less is known concerning the influence of chronic disease on physical, cognitive, social, and economic aspects of higher-level functional capacity. Methods: Subjects comprised 793 and 725 persons aged 65,84 years, living in an urban and a rural Japanese community, respectively. A baseline interview established any history of chronic medical conditions. Four years later, a second interview again assessed chronic disease, and higher-level functional capacity was evaluated using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG) Index of Competence. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that declines in total score and/or any of three subscales of the TMIG Index of Competence were significantly associated with a history of chronic disease, the onset of visual impairment and the development of hearing impairment, even after controlling for the subject's age, gender, educational attainment, and baseline TMIG Index of Competence. Episodes of stroke were significantly associated with declines in IADL. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and heart disease were also significantly associated with a decrease in functional competence, although each affected a different subscale of the TMIG Index of Competence. Conclusions: The present results underline the importance of controlling chronic medical conditions through a physically active lifestyle and an appropriate medical regimen in order to limit the age-related decline in functional capacity. [source]


    Primary Headache in Italian Early Adolescents: The Role of Perceived Teacher Unfairness

    HEADACHE, Issue 3 2009
    Massimo Santinello BA
    Background., The impact of perceived teacher unfairness on headache incidence has previously been insufficiently investigated. Objective., The aims of the study are to analyze the prevalence of headache among Italian early adolescents as well as to examine the role of perceived teacher unfairness and classmate social support in predicting this health outcome. Methods., Data were taken from the "Health Behaviour in School Aged Children," a cross-sectional survey investigating health behaviors among early adolescents in selected European countries. Headache, perceived teacher unfairness, and classmate social support were measured through a self-administered questionnaire filled out by a representative sample of 4386 (48.4% males) Italian students (11, 13, and 15 years old). Covariates included demographic characteristics (age, gender) and socioeconomic status (parental educational attainment), and other confounding psychological factors (eg, family empowerment, bullying). Results., Prevalence of frequent headaches (at least once a week) was about 40%. Girls were more likely to report frequent headaches compared with boys. Prevalence of frequent headaches increased with age. After adjusting for age and gender, teacher unfairness showed a significant association with frequent headache (P < .001). This relationship remained significant even after additional adjustment for several psychosocial factors. Classmate social support seems to act as a protective factor, but not as a buffering mechanism against the negative effects of teacher unfairness. Conclusions., Italian early adolescents show a quite high prevalence of frequent headache. Results show that characteristics of the school setting, such as teacher unfairness and classmate social support, can be significant predictors of frequent headache among early adolescents. Longitudinal research is needed to delineate causal relationships between school factors and recurrent headache. [source]


    Have newer cardiovascular drugs reduced hospitalization?

    HEALTH ECONOMICS, Issue 5 2009
    Evidence from longitudinal country-level data on 20 OECD countries
    Abstract This study examines the effect of changes in the vintage distribution of cardiovascular system drugs on hospitalization and mortality due to cardiovascular disease using longitudinal country-level data. The vintage of a drug is the first year in which it was marketed anywhere in the world. We use annual data on the utilization of over 1100 cardiovascular drugs (active ingredients) in 20 OECD countries during the period 1995,2003. Countries with larger increases in the share of cardiovascular drug doses that contained post-1995 ingredients had smaller increases in the cardiovascular disease hospital discharge rate, controlling for the quantity of cardiovascular medications consumed per person, the use of other medical innovations (computed tomography scanners and magnetic resonance imaging units), potential risk factors (average consumption of calories, tobacco, and alcohol), and demographic variables (population size and age structure, income, and educational attainment). The estimates also indicate that the use of newer cardiovascular drugs has reduced the average length of stay and the age-adjusted cardiovascular mortality rate, but not the number of potential years of life lost due to cardiovascular disease before age 70 per 100,000 population. The estimates indicate that if drug vintage had not increased during 1995,2004, hospitalization and mortality would have been higher in 2004. We estimate that per capita expenditure on cardiovascular hospital stays would have been 70% ($89) higher in 2004 had drug vintage not increased during 1995,2004. Per capita expenditure on cardiovascular drugs would have been lower in 2004 had drug vintage not increased during 1995,2004. However, our estimate of the increase in expenditure on cardiovascular hospital stays is about 3.7 times as large as our estimate of the reduction in per capita expenditure for cardiovascular drugs that would have occurred ($24). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


    The Wage Structure of Latino-Origin Groups across Generations

    INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, Issue 2 2006
    RICHARD FRY
    We analyzed in detail the wages of Latinos of Mexican origin, Central/South Americans, and Puerto Ricans. The wage structure facing second and third- and higher-generation Latinos is very similar to the wage structure of third- and higher-generation White workers. Unlike African American workers, more than half of the native Latino/White wage gap can be accounted for by the lower educational attainment and potential experience of native Latino workers. [source]


    Predictors of representational aggression in preschool children of low-income urban African American adolescent mothers,

    INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 1 2010
    Geoff Goodman
    Responses to five doll-story stems thematically related to attachment experiences with the mother were videotaped in the home and used to evaluate child, maternal, and environmental predictors of representational aggression in 93 preschool children of African American women receiving public assistance who had become pregnant as teenagers. Significant correlations were found between representational aggression and child's gender (male), birth weight, maternal depressive affect, maternal educational attainment, recent employment, mother's historical residence with her own mother, and felt social support, accounting for 40% of the variance in representational aggression. A significant Felt Social Support × Gender interaction effect suggested that girls of mothers who perceive higher levels of felt social support are more likely to represent less aggression in their stories; felt social support was not associated with boys' representational aggression. A significant Felt Social Support × Employment interaction effect suggested that representational aggression is associated with lower levels of felt social support only among employed mothers. Findings suggest that different pathways exist for representational aggression in children of low-income adolescent mothers, which nevertheless share predictors associated with poverty. [source]


    Maternal psychopathology and attachment in toddlers of heavy cocaine-using mothers

    INFANT MENTAL HEALTH JOURNAL, Issue 3 2001
    Michael Espinosa
    The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships among maternal psychopathology, early sensitive caregiving, and security of attachment in a sample of cocaine-using women from environments with high contextual risks that include poverty, low educational attainment, minority status, and single parenthood. Thirty-five women and their offspring participated in the study. Maternal psychopathology, including Axis I and Axis II disorders, was assessed during the prenatal period via a self-report clinical measure. Maternal sensitivity was assessed at 1 month and 6 months postdelivery through rating scales. At 18 months postdelivery, toddlers' attachment to their mothers was assessed via the Strange Situation procedure. Also at 18 months, mothers' level of depression was assessed via a depression inventory. Maternal psychopathology during pregnancy was found to be associated with both early caregiving and attachment. Mothers demonstrating clinical levels of particular Axis II disorders provided less sensitive caregiving, and had toddlers who were more likely to be disorganized/disoriented in their attachments. For Axis I disorders, only clinical levels of prenatal dysthymia were found to be associated with a greater likelihood of secure attachment. ©2001 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [source]


    Ethnic Stratification and Inter-Generational Differences in Japan: A Comparative Study of Korean and Japanese Status Attainment

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF JAPANESE SOCIOLOGY, Issue 1 2003
    Myungsoo Kim
    Abstract: There are plenty of stereotypical discourses concerning the Korean minority in Japan that are widely accepted, not because of their plausibility, but because of the lack of basic empirical data. In order to fill this intellectual vacuum, I conducted a social stratification and mobility survey focusing on resident Korean men in 1995, comparable with the Japanese sample. The purpose of this article is exploratory rather than aimed at hypothesis testing, given the extreme paucity of the earlier empirical data for the ana-lysis of Korean minority status attainment. The results show that: 1For the Korean minority in Japan, class resources translate into educational attainment to a much lower extent than for the Japanese. 2Korean status attainment patterns deviate from those of their Japanese counterparts. For the Japanese, the crucial status attainment path is secured through educational attainment, which is not the case among Koreans. 3Despite being denied access to such mainstream status attainment paths, major status indicators for Koreans are not significantly different than those of Japanese, and regarding this equality of outcomes, one of the possible explanations is that Korean ethnic disadvantages in the status attainment process may have been overcome by mobilizing informal bilateral ethnic networks. [source]