A reliability study of measures assessing the impact of deinstitutionalization.

This study examined the reliability of several scales and indices used to measure outcome variables (independence, integration, productivity, and satisfaction) among people with developmental disabilities. A stratified random sample of 112 people was interviewed twice in a two-week period and included equal numbers of verbal and nonverbal consumers, of parent versus other caregivers, and consumers with diagnosed level of retardation being dichotomized into high and low. In addition, half of the interviews were test-retest and half were interrater. After stratifying on these four variables, the sample was chosen randomly within subgroups from the total database of 3,700 individuals who receive services through the Developmental Disabilities Services Division of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. Correlation and proportion agreement analyses were performed on the pre- and post-tests and comparisons made on each scale for each stratification to examine variations in reliability. Acceptable correlations and matched agreements of at least 0.70 for all measures were found, with the Adaptive Development Scale having particularly strong correlations. In addition, responses from people with developmental disabilities on items of the Consumer Satisfaction scale were acceptably reliable.

Changing the legal minimum drinking age: results of a longitudinal study.

Alcohol consumption patterns of samples of college students were examined before and after legislation to raise the minimum drinking age for "weak" beer (3.2% or less alcohol content by weight). Sampling was completed just before and immediately after inception of the law, and then each semester for a total of 4 years. These samples were compared with baseline data obtained 2 years before the legislative action. Quantity and frequency of consumption showed an increase in the sampling period just before the law change and a decrease immediately following. Overall, the quantity-frequency index remained constant, and reports of problem drinking changed very little. Some adjustments were found in drinking locations with students reporting less drinking in public places, such as bars or restaurants, and more drinking in private places, such as residence halls or homes. Policy implications of legislation designed to control drinking are discussed.

Neutralization and delinquency: a comparison by sex and ethnicity.

A path model illustrating the relationships between church attendance, delinquent peer association, tendency to neutralize delinquency, and self-reported delinquent behavior was compared between males and females and between Mexican-American and Anglo college students (N = 694). The structure of the relationships among these variables was found to be similar across all four subsamples, although there was some variation in the strength of the relationships. In all four subsamples, the strongest paths were between neutralization and delinquent behavior, especially among Anglos and among males, and the weakest paths were between church attendance and delinquent behavior. On the other hand, church attendance was more strongly related to having fewer delinquent peers among Anglos and females. The path models explained substantial amounts of variation in delinquent behavior: 38% among Anglos, 32% among females, 31% among males, and 30% among Mexican-Americans.

Alcohol consumption indices: format comparisons.

Three methods for wording quantity-frequency indices of alcohol consumption were compared over three time periods. Wording changes were associated with significant differences in mean scores, suggesting that comparative research results dependent on means might be reflecting measurement error rather than reality. The results of factor analysis and correlation analysis, however, supported the reliability and interchangeability of the three forms for purposes of scale construction and establishment of relationships.

Containment theory and juvenile delinquency: a reevaluation through factor analysis.

All seven variables of containment theory were operationalized for questionnaires. Data were collected from 677 adolescents in a variety of high schools and correctional institutions, and divided into categories by race and sex. Factor analysis indicated that the structure of the relationships among the seven containment variables and delinquency was substantially different among black females.

Alcohol consumption patterns among American Indian and white college students.

College students in Oklahoma completed a self-administered questionnaire to compare the drinking behaviors of culturally active American Indians (N = 34 men and 24 women) an Whites (N = 181 men and 250 women). Significantly more Indians were classified as drinkers, but they had begun drinking at a somewhat later age. Both groups indicated a preference for beer, and they were quite similar in quantity and frequency of beer consumption. White students reported drinking significantly more wine and distilled spirits, and drinking more often in public places, such as bars, pubs, restaurants and parked cars; Indians drank more in their own homes and in the homes of friends. White students tended to cite hedonistic reasons for drinking whereas Indians reported escapist or social reasons and drinking to "get high." Drinking-related problems were reported somewhat more often by Indian students, notably so by Indian women. Indians were more inclined to report the more serious drinking problems of being arrested, blacking out, interference with school or work, an difficulties in human relationships. White students more often cited problems of nausea or vomiting, drinking and driving, doing something that was later regretted and damaging property. It was suggested that the higher Indian arrest rate could be indicative of police bias and that the reports of problem drinking among Indian women be investigated further.

The Modified Purpose in Life Scale: a Cross-National Validity Study.

Although the original 20-item Purpose in Life Test (PIL) has been subjected to various reliability and validity tests, its use has been limited largely to American culture. In this paper ten items were selected from the original scale, and both directionality and response categories were modified. This Ten-Item Modified Purpose in Life Test was then validated through item analysis by using two cross-national samples of elderly people. One sample consisted of 177 retirees from the school system in Payne County, Oklahoma, and the other consisted of 202 retired teachers in Taipei, Taiwan. It was concluded from this study that the Ten-Item Modified Purpose in Life Scale can be reduced to the Seven-Item Modified Purpose in Life Scale as an alternative measure for comparing the psychological well-being of the elderly cross-nationally.

Alcohol-related problems and collegiate drinking patterns.

Six kinds of collegiate problem drinking were examined utilizing a ceptualized relationship among the variables of student religious commitment, parental attitude toward drinking, neutralization of drinking behavior, drinking before college, anticipated ethos of college life, social orientation in college, and quantity-frequency of alcohol consumption. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from 534 college students and analyzed by path analysis, which explained up to 47% of the variation in certain kinds of problem drinking. The strongest single predictor of problem drinking was found to be quantity and frequency of consumption, but precollege drinking was also important.

Types of neutralization and types of delinquency.

Neutralization theory was tested with questionnaires administered to a random sample of public school students (N=298) and institutionalized male delinquents (N=53). Nye-Short delinquency items were factor analyzed to yield three dimensions of delinquency (Predatory, Minor, and Aggressive), and each of the five techniques of neutralization was scored separately. Patterns of acceptance of neutralization techniques were similar among high school males, high school females, and institutionalized males. For example, all three subsamples scored highest on Detail of a Victim and lowest on Appeal to Higher Loyalties. Correlations between each technique of neutralization and each type of delinquency, however, were statistically significant and quite dissimilar. Within the three subsamples, however, there were no discernible patterns among these dissimilar correlations. In fact, few of the differences among these correlations were statistically significant. The analysis provides general support for neutralization theory, but indicates that the particular technique of neutralization as well as the particular type of delinquent act may be viable distinctions in delinquency research.

Factor analysis of reports of parental behavior by children living in divorced and married families.

To determine whether or not responses to the Child's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory (CRPBI) would yield similar factors for children living in divorced families and for children living in married families, responses to the 56-item six-scale version of the CRPBI were obtained from 29 children living with their divorced mothers and from 30 children living with their married parents. All children were between seven and 11 years of age. Socioeconomic characteristics of the two types of families were similar except for income. Each child completed the inventory for both the mother and the father. Scale totals for each family structure and sex of parent were intercorrelated separately and subjected to a principal axis factor analysis with Varimax rotation. Three factors emerged for children's reports of married mothers, married fathers, and divorced fathers; however, two factors emerged for children's reports of divorced mothers. While the unique factor structure observed for children's reports of divorced mothers may be a function of the instrument's being more valid for reports of parental behavior by children living with married parents, alternative explanations were discussed. Results of the study appear to lend empirical support to Weiss' theory of the structure and functioning of single-parent households.

An examination of types of delinquency through path analysis.

Relationships between father's occupation, delinquent peer association, tendency to neutralize, and self-reported delinquency are explored in a path model. Self-reported delinquency are categorized into Minor, Predatory, and Aggressive delinquency. The effect of this division is analyzed among Mexican Americans and Anglo college students (N=694). The structure of the resulting path models remained similar across these subsamples, although there was some variation in the strength of the relationships. The effect of father's occupation was minimal. The strongest relationships were between neutralization and delinquency, controlling for delinquent peers and for father's occupation, which decreased as the seriousness of the delinquency increased. Additionally, neutralization was more strongly related to delinquency among Anglos than among Mexican Americans, explaining 39% of the variation in delinquency among Anglos, but only 28% among Mexican Americans. Association with delinquent peers, however, was more strongly related to delinquency among Mexican Americans.

A behavioral continuum synthesizing Neutralization Theory, situational ethics and juvenile delinquency.

This paper develops some ideas in Matza's Neutralization theory into a continuum containing four categories ranging from extreme goodness to rebellion. We labeled these categories as Moral Absolute, Situational Ethic, Neutralization, and Rebellious Absolute. We discuss the percentages expected in each category and hypothesize that involvement in delinquency will increase progressively across these four categories. The rationale behind this hypothesis is that youth in the United States are viewed as being socialized to accept absolute norms but also to allow exceptions to these norms for particular situations, and that delinquent youth extend these exceptions to zones wider than are tolerated by law officers and wider than are generally accepted. A modified version of the Nye-Short self-reported delinquency scale and measures of normative oreintation which we constructed were used in a mail-out questionnaire to public school students (N = 351). We view our findings as being basically consistent with these expectations.

Tolerance as a correlate of experience with stigma: the case of the homosexual.

Scales measuring attitudes toward various unconventional groups were presented to 100 college students and 51 homosexual respondents. Homosexual respondents expressed significantly more tolerant attitudes toward deviantly labeled groups than did student respondents. Homosexuals were also significantly less likely to place social restrictions on those who opted for unconventional alternatives. However, differences between student and homosexual respondents were smaller on the public tolerance scale. The findings suggest that although gays expressed a significantly higher amount of tolerance for other unconventional groups, they appeared to have reservations in terms of total personal acceptance.