Reports on a study that explored the hypothesis that ethnic differences in mortality trends would shed light on the rectangularization debate. Using California population data from 1970, 1980, and 1990, ethnic differences in rectangularization were examined using both visual and means and standard deviation analyses. Resulting patterns varied by…

This editorial provides an informal review of "The Bell Curve" (Herrnstein and Murray, 1994). The book, packaged as scientific writing, is an attack on affirmative action and on government attempts to foster egalitarianism. It is a political treatise that assumes that racial differences in intelligence are valid and genetic. (SLD)

Analysis of public-use samples of 1910 and 1940 censuses of the rural South revealed significant variation in fertility by social class for blacks in both years and for whites in 1940. Farm laborers of both races reported the lowest fertility and steepest declines over the period. A woman's education was negatively related to fertility in all…

Reports on patterns of alcohol use and consequences of abuse among a sample of individuals with disabilities (n=916), analyzing demographics, disability groupings, and various consequences of abuse. Examines specific self-reported consequences as they relate to health, family relationships, legal involvements, and work problems. (JPS)

Examined childhood residence patterns of national cohort of youths and analyzed effects of expanded measures of family structure on young adult outcomes. Results revealed major variability in residence patterns by race and ethnicity across living arrangements and from birth through age 18. White youths appeared to benefit significantly from…

Examines relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and current (six-month) and lifetime rates of psychiatric disorders among African Americans and whites. Overall, SES is inversely related to psychiatric disorder for both racial groups. Found lower-SES white males have higher rates of psychiatric illness than their African-American peers.…

Descriptive information was gathered about 790 students with learning disabilities in primary, intermediate, and secondary grades. Results included identification of learning disabilities peaked in first grade; 76 percent of these students were identified by the end of grade 5; and students with more severe discrepancies tended to be identified at…

Children in developmentally inappropriate kindergarten classrooms exhibited more stress than children in developmentally appropriate classrooms. In inappropriate classrooms, African Americans exhibited more stress than whites during most class activities. Low-SES and African-American children were less involved in appropriate activities than were…

Interviewed 30 Hispanics and 34 African Americans in Detroit, aged 15-21, to identify condom beliefs that may influence condom use in young minority populations. Also explored the utility of the construct accessibility model in explaining condom-use behavior. Condom intentions were reported to be accessible by more African Americans than by…

J. L. Rury (1968) presented evidence that environmental influences are important determinants of interstate black-white score differentials on the Army alpha examination. This article generalizes and extends these findings by constructing a series of educational-quality indices that test the inferential sturdiness of Rury's findings across a…

Examined hypothesis that sociodemographic characteristics such as age, education, race, and gender would be predictive of Multidimensional Health Locus of Control subscale scores in 342 community-dwelling elderly individuals. Bivariate analysis revealed associations between black race, lower socioeconomic status, and lower education on Chance and…

Although Asian American literature has usually been presented from the point of view of race, critics are beginning to take explicit account of gender positions in Asian American writing. Issues of incorporating sexuality into interpretations of Asian American literature are explored, and a bibliography of 41 works is presented. (SLD)

Examined whether African American college students living in university resident halls perceived the racial climate of residence halls differently than did Euroamerican residents of the halls. Findings from 5,897 residence hall students revealed difference in perceptions of racial climates in residence halls between African American and…

Compared Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores of coached and uncoached students (over 1,100) generally and relative to sex, race, high school attended, when coaching occurred, and specific coaching course taken. Found average coaching effect of 6 points on verbal section of SAT and 18 points on mathematics section. Reviews claims made by several…

Depressive symptomatology was assessed in 246 male juvenile sex offenders. Scores on the Beck Depression Inventory indicated 42 percent showed appreciable depressive symptomatology. A history of sexual or physical abuse was related to high Beck scores. Racial differences were not statistically significant. (Author/DB)