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This chapter differentiates the stressful consequences of social organization from the stressful antecedents of psychological disorder. The pivotal distinction concerns whether the occurrence of stressors is viewed as socially determined, or as independent of social placement. Recent research is evaluated concerning both the social distribution of stress and social variation in response to stress. Two particularly productive areas of inquiry are also reviewed: self-efficacy as a mediator between social position and stress; and the intersection of macro- and micro-stress processes in economic and occupational spheres, with emphasis upon gender stratification. This review concludes that the occurrence of systemic stressors is not necessarily an indication of a social system run amok but may reflect instead the system functioning precisely as it is supposed to function.

The sources of systematic sample attrition are examined for a community-based panel survey conducted 1984-1987 in Los Angeles County, Calif, of 1,023 Mexican-American & non-Hispanic white female adolescents, 874 (85.4%) of whom were reinterviewed after 2 years. There were few differences between Mexican Americans born in the US & non-Hispanic whites, but Mexican Americans born in Mexico were distinctively different. The characteristics of the original interview shaped the respondent's concurrent attitude toward repeating the experience but did not directly affect subsequent behavior. The results demonstrate that the validity of panel data may be problematic even when indicators of the survey content do not appear to be associated directly with loss to follow-up. Attrition exerted a greater impact on the external than internal validity of the panel data. 3 Tables, 1 Appendix, 29 References. AA

Interview method effects in response to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale are compared among a community sample (N = 546) of adults randomly assigned to either telephone or in-person interviews. The interviews were conducted in Los Angeles, Calif, during 1980. No significant differences were observed between the two interview methods in nonresponse to symptom items, preference for specific response categories, reliability, mean level of depression, or proportion classified as depressed. Furthermore, no significant interactions were found between sociodemographic characteristics & the method of interview. 3 Tables, 1 Figure. HA.

Given medical advances and greater understanding of healthful living habits, people are living longer lives. Proportionally speaking, a greater percentage of the population is elderly. Despite medical advances, there is still no cure for dementia, and as elderly individuals succumb to Alzheimer's Disease or related dementia, more and more people are having to care their elderly parents and /or siblings. Profiles in Caregiving is practical source of information for anyone who teaches caregiving, acts as a caregiver, or studies caregiving. This book discusses recent research on stress factors as

This second edition of the Handbook of the Sociology of Mental Health features theory-driven reviews of recent research with a comprehensive approach to the investigation of the ways in which society shapes the mental health of its members and the lives of those who have been diagnosed as having a mental illnessThe award-winning Handbook is distinctive in its focus on how the organization and functioning of society influences the occurrence of mental disorder and its consequences. A core issue that runs throughout the text concerns the differential distribution of mental illness across various social strata, defined by status characteristics such as gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and age. The contributions to this volume shed light on the social, cultural, and economic factors that explain why some social groups have an elevated risk of disorder. They also address the social repercussions of mental disorder for individuals, including stigmatization within the larger society, and for their families and social networks.The second edition of this seminal volume includes substantial updates to previous chapters, as well as seven new chapters on: -The Individual's Experience of Mental Illness.--The Medicalization of Mental Illness.---Age, Aging, and Mental Health.- -Religion and Mental Health.- -Neighborhoods and Mental Health.- -Mental Health and the Law—and Public Beliefs about Mental Illness.

Mover-stayer models provide an important tool for analyzing changes in attitudinal and psychological states over time. Two general methods are presented for estimating the parameters of the mover-stayer model that are asymptotically efficient and straightforward to calculate using available computer programs. These methods provide procedures for estimating parameters for various modifications of the first-order mover-stayer model. Data from a study of depression among adults are used to illustrate how methods for estimating parameters of the mover-stayer model under various hypotheses can be employed to test the validity of the assumptions of the mover-stayer model.