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Donna Howard and colleagues are studying the impact of electronic communication technologies on dating violence

MacDorman findings from 2016 addressed, somewhat

Severe maternal morbidity continues to be on the rise in the US. Short birth spacing is a modifiable risk factor associated with maternal morbidity, yet few studies have examined this association, possibly due to few available data sources to examine these rare events. To examine the association between interpregnancy interval (IPI) and severe maternal morbidity using near‐national birth certificate data and account for known under‐reporting using probabilistic bias analysis. We used revised 2014‐2017 birth certificate data, restricting to resident women with a non–first‐born singleton birth. We examined the following: (a) maternal blood transfusion, (b) admission to intensive care unit (ICU), (c) uterine rupture (among women with a prior caesarean delivery) and (d) third‐ or fourth‐degree perineal laceration (among vaginal deliveries) by IPI categories (<6, 6‐11, 12‐17, 18‐23, 24‐59 and 60+ months). Risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using log‐binomial regression, adjusting for select maternal characteristics. Probabilistic bias analyses were performed. Compared with IPI 18 to 23 months, adjusted models revealed that the risk of maternal transfusion followed a U‐shaped curve with IPI, while risk of ICU admission and perineal laceration increased with longer IPI. Risk of uterine rupture was highest among IPI <6 months. With the exception of maternal transfusion, these findings persisted regardless of the extent or type of misclassification examined in bias analyses. Associations between IPI and maternal morbidity varied by outcome, even after adjusting for misclassification of SMM. Differences across maternal health outcomes should be considered when counselling and making recommendations regarding optimal birth spacing.

This article analyzes U.S. divorce trends over the past decade and considers their implications for future divorce rates. Modeling women’s odds of divorce from 2008 to 2017 using marital events data from the American Community Survey, I find falling divorce rates with or without adjustment for demographic covariates. Age-specific divorce rates show that the trend is driven by younger women, which is consistent with longer term trends showing uniquely high divorce rates among people born in the Baby Boom period. Finally, I analyze the characteristics of newly married women and estimate the trend in their likelihood of divorcing based on the divorce models. The results show falling divorce risks for more recent marriages. The accumulated evidence thus points toward continued decline in divorce rates. The United States is progressing toward a system in which marriage is rarer and more stable than it was in the past.

Student loans have become a social-financial issue in the United States. This study uses a nationally representative dataset to examine the association between financial socialization and student loan borrowing behavior of individuals after controlling a number of different socio-demographic factors. Results show that the financial burdens of college education, such as borrowing and the dollar amounts of a loan, are higher for Blacks, however, their college attendance is significantly lower than Whites. Blacks are more independent and receive less financial support from family and relatives than Whites. The wealth gap that exists between Black and White parents may contribute to the disparity. Additional financial resources for higher education as well as financial education and counseling may be needed to create better academic access for the vulnerable underserved groups including minority students.

The quantitative scholarship on domestic labor has documented the existence of a gender gap in its performance in all countries for which data are available. Only recently have researchers begun to analyze economic disparities  among  women in their time spent doing housework, and their studies have been largely limited to the U.S. We extend this line of inquiry using data from two European countries, the former West Germany and Sweden. We estimate the “economic gap” in women’s housework time, which we define as the difference between the time spent by women at the lowest and highest deciles of their own earnings. We expect this gap to be smaller in Sweden given its celebrated success at reducing both gender and income inequality. Though Swedish women do spend less time on domestic labor, however, and though there is indeed less earnings inequality among them, the economic gap in their housework is only a little smaller than among women in the former West Germany. In both places, a significant negative association between women’s individual earnings and their housework time translates into economic gaps of more than 2.5 hours per week. Moreover, in both countries, women at the highest earnings decile experience a gender gap in housework that is smaller by about 4 hours per week compared to their counterparts at the lowest decile.

Frances Goldscheider, University of Maryland; 2014-001

New model of integrated service delivery makes mental health services more accessible to teenaged parents

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience high rates of victimization leading to health disparities. Community size and community climate are associated with health outcomes among SGM youth; however, we lack studies that include them as covariates alongside victimization to understand their collective impact on health. This study utilized minority stress theory to understand how community context shapes experiences of victimization and health among SGM youth. SGM youth in one Midwestern U.S. state completed an online survey ( n = 201) with measures of physical health, mental health, community context, and victimization. Data were analyzed via multiple regression using a path analysis framework. Results indicate that perceived climate was associated with mental, but not physical, health; Community size was unrelated to health outcomes. Victimization mediated the association between community climate and mental health. Findings are discussed in light of current literature and implications for research and practice are shared.

Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience high rates of victimization leading to health disparities. Community size and community climate are associated with health outcomes among SGM youth; however, we lack studies that include them as covariates alongside victimization to understand their collective impact on health. This study utilized minority stress theory to understand how community context shapes experiences of victimization and health among SGM youth. SGM youth in one Midwestern U.S. state completed an online survey ( n  = 201) with measures of physical health, mental health, community context, and victimization. Data were analyzed via multiple regression using a path analysis framework. Results indicate that perceived climate was associated with mental, but not physical, health; Community size was unrelated to health outcomes. Victimization mediated the association between community climate and mental health. Findings are discussed in light of current literature and implications for research and practice are shared.