Suchergebnisse

The divorce rate among Blacks in the United States has increased significantly in recent years. Consequently, an increasing number of Black men confront problems associated with adjusting to divorce. Using data from in-depth interviews, we identify factors that working-class/middle-class Black men perceive to cause significant stress following divorce and we examine strategies that they use to reestablish their lives. The results show that Black men confront the following divorce-related stressors: (a) financial strain, (b) noncustodial parenting, (c) child-support stressors, and (d) psychological as well as physiological distress. The findings suggest that divorced Black men experience profound postdivorce psychological distress. The data further indicate that Black men employ the following strategies to cope with the stress of marital dissolution: (a) reliance on family and friends, (b) involvement in church-related activities, (c) participation in social activities, and (d) establishment of intimate heterosexual relationships 1 year after divorce. These findings indicate that postdivorce adjustment should be scrutinized within relevant social-cultural contexts.

This paper focuses on factors in the doctor-patient relationship that affect misuse of prescription drugs and other medically recommended regimens. The review first examines the patient compliance literature as regards the general population and then narrows the focus to the situations of older, minority females. In both sections, the reviews are organized around four aspects of the clinician-patient encounter: teaching efforts, sharing of expectations, activity vs. passivity of the two participants, and emotional tone. In general, there is limited research available on either the general or the older, minority, female patient populations in this area. To the extent that there are data available, both patient groups appear similarly affected by the factors identified. In the latter population (older, minority, female patients) there appear to be several ways in which risk of misuse is heightened.