Examined the death orientations of Australian adults at different "distances" from death. Evaluated the performance of scales designed to measure cognitive and attitudinal components of death orientation. Found the Death Threat Index to be problematic. Results suggest death attitudes are idiosyncratic and only minimally affected by…

Compared social support systems of childless elderly to a larger group of older parents. Results indicated marital status was the major determinant of the quality of the support received and adaptation to childlessness. Childless marrieds were more isolated, while the unmarrieds were more resourceful in using social resources. (Author/JAC)

Compared changes in self-perceived levels of solitary, social, physical, and cultural activities among recent retirees with changes among continuing workers. Findings reflect a relative continuity in perception of leisure activity levels. Retirees did not see themselves as being more involved in leisure activities than their working peers.…

Describes a study conducted to determine the accuracy of the Cohort-Survival Method of Enrollment Forecasting, based on enrollment data collected over a ten-year period from a random sample of 42 Missouri school districts. Compares forecast accuracy with the enrollment stability and location of each of the districts. (JP)

A suicide potential scale is constructed that fits the Guttman scale criteria. The mean suicide potential scores of various age groups support the cohort model with the exception of individuals 75 and older, where it appears that maturation factors play an important role in explaining suicidal behavior. (Author)

For all occupations except clergyman, a relationship between the age of the respondent and preferred age of the professional existed. Older individuals preferred older service providers with one exception, their physician. Highly educated respondents preferred younger physicians. (Author)

Seven frequently used measures were examined by construct validation to improve measures. Results of this research indicate that there is a construct, termed "life satisfaction," shared by six of the seven measures and that no existing instrument best encompasses that construct. The construct is composed of two factors. (Author)

Experiences of cohorts of Swedish females born between 1885-1889 and 1940-1944 are examined, and found to agree with theoretical arguments that increases in female labor-force participation improve feasibility of marriage, while reducing the desirability relative to available alternatives. Increased female labor-force participation also increases…

This analysis of a set of longitudinal data on a cohort of Mexican-Americans, Negroes, and Anglos presents the reinterviewing process and discusses the problems generated by residential mobility. Analytical problems occasioned by death and changes in marital status are discussed. (Author/JM)

Examines the hypothesis that college has a substantial effect on political interest, awareness, and knowledge by comparing college students with a control group of noncollege cohorts. Finds that the effect of the passage of four years increases the awareness and knowledge of youth regardless of whether or not those years are spent in college.…

Compares adults raised in an original, two-parent family to those raised in other family structures. Results, based on 3,523 individuals, suggest that both men and women from original two-parent families earn more, on average, than those from other family structures. Family structure also rendered different effects by gender. (RJM)

Examined the relationship between moving home, family structure, and children's well-being in the National Child Development Study (NCDS) Second-Generation, a study following over 17,000 Britons born in 1 week in 1958. Found little to no association between moving home and children's well-being. Associations between family living arrangements and…

Data from the fourth followup to the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 suggest greater complexity in the individual trajectories, or careers, that characterize the movement from adolescence to adulthood than in earlier years. Understanding the role schooling now plays in the lives of U.S. adults may require a more expansive view than…

Analysis of data from the 1958 Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study indicates that individuals who dropped out from delinquency were less likely to renew their involvement with crime as adults regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender, or particular dropout period. (FMW)

Examines effects of cohort size on starting salaries of college graduates from different areas of study. Increases in the size of graduating classes relative to the population depress their starting salaries relative to other workers. Smallest negative cohort size effects are found for engineering and business graduates, while the largest are…