News From U-M

Racial wealth gap with young children widening

The wealth gap in the United States between white and black households with children nearly doubled to $47,000 between 1994 and 2007, according to a new report. "Diverging Pathways: How Wealth Shapes Opportunity for Children," written by University of Michigan researcher Trina Shanks and released April 7 by the Insight Center for Economic Development, found that the percentage of black households with no net worth or living in debt is on the rise. In 2007, about 70 percent of Latino and black households with young children were poor and 40 percent had no financial assets—more than twice the respective rates for white households. The widening racial gap in wealth—what a family owns versus what it owes—has significant consequences for children's health and thought development, such as problem-solving and decision-making, Shanks says. Read More

Public Policy, Social Sciences

Stress, substance abuse associated with some fathers spanking their children

Biological fathers are more likely to spank their children when they are unable to cope with stress from parenting or they use abuse alcohol and drugs, a new study indicates. The study also finds that fathers used corporal punishment—which involves physical force to a child to correct a behavior—more often on boys than girls. The research, which appears in the current issue of Journal of Interpersonal Violence, is among the first studies to shed light on paternal stress, drug/alcohol use and corporal punishment, while accounting for the father's mental health and involvement with the child. [Read more...]

Social Sciences

Low education, income levels linked to depression among urban black fathers

A new University of Michigan study finds that black fathers are 50 percent more likely to be depressed than men in the general population. One quarter of black fathers were depressed at some time over the five-year course of the study. Additionally, black fathers with lower levels of education and income have elevated rates of depression. Depression is twice as prevalent among those without a high school education. These findings are surprising because depression is more often linked to women and mothers, rather than men and fathers. "The results are also troubling, given current economic conditions," said Marilyn Sinkewicz, assistant professor at the U-M School of Social Work. [Read more...]

Social Sciences

shanks

Investing in kids’ future pays off

When parents set up long-term savings accounts for college, business start-ups or home ownership, kids feel more financially and emotionally secure, new research shows. The studies show the importance of families using child development accounts (CDA) as one measure to shift from an overreliance on credit and create a foundation for asset building. In other words, this program encourages households to maintain less debt and more savings. CDAs can start as early as a child's birth. Deposits, earnings, and incentives help build the account over time, said Trina Shanks, an assistant professor of social work at the University of Michigan. [Read more...]

Public Policy, Social Sciences

Homework wars: How can parents improve the odds of winning?

Children are more likely to do their homework if they see it as an investment, not a chore, according to new research at the University of Michigan. Most children in the United States say they expect to go to college, but there is frequently a gap between students' goals and their current behavior, according to the study conducted by U-M graduate student Mesmin Destin and Daphna Oyserman, a psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR), School of Social Work, and Department of Psychology. The gap can be especially wide among low-income and African American students, the study says. [Read more...]

Education, Social Sciences

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Barriers keep vulnerable workers from accessing unemployment insurance

A new University of Michigan study suggests that provisions in a federal economic stimulus plan falls short of fully bringing vulnerable unemployed workers into the unemployment insurance program. H. Luke Shaefer, assistant professor at the U-M School of Social Work, used longitudinal data from the 2001 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation to compare eligibility and participation rates in unemployment insurance among vulnerable workers with those of more advantaged workers. He found that a large majority of vulnerable workers already met earnings requirements, a main component targeted by the economic stimulus reforms, but only 17 percent of them received benefits. [Read more...]

Public Policy, Social Sciences

Spanking sparks aggression, does little to reduce behavior problems

Researchers at the University of Michigan and five other universities looked at practices and perceptions of discipline in six countries. They found that spanking leads to more child aggression and anxiety, regardless of the country. What do they suggest for parents? "It may be that the long-term investments that we make in children, like spending time with them, showing that we love them and listening to them, have a more powerful positive effect on behavior than any form of discipline," said Andrew Grogan-Kaylor, U-M associate professor of social work. [Read more...]

Social Sciences

New grant to study recession’s effect on Southeast Michigan

University of Michigan researchers will study the effects of various housing problems—including foreclosures and evictions—and the economic crisis on vulnerable workers and families living in hard-hit southeast Michigan, thanks to a $750,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Sheldon Danziger and Kristin Seefeldt in the U-M's National Poverty Center lead the research team, which includes U-M sociologist Sarah Burgard, Ford School research professor Robert Schoeni, School of Social Work professor Sandra Danziger, and Institute for Social Research health economist Helen Levy. The study will explore the influence of the recession and the collapse of stock and housing prices on the well-being of workers and families. It will assess the extent to which social welfare programs and federal stimulus spending offset some of the negative effects of the economic crisis. [Read more...]

Public Policy, Social Sciences

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Burgio

Alzheimer caregivers: Help us help ourselves, too

Alzheimer caregivers say their emotional and physical health along with sleep quality improved when they received a comprehensive skills training program that included a self-care component, according to a new University of Michigan study. These caregivers felt less stressed and burdened in their caregiving role, and their loved one received better care, said Louis Burgio, a professor in the School of Social Work and study's co-author. "When caregivers receive knowledge and skill training including positive health and health behaviors, they are able to incorporate these practices into their daily routine," said Burgio, a research professor in the Institute of Gerontology. [Read more...]

Public Health, Social Sciences

Pregnant women risk early delivery from medications to treat depression

The odds triple for early child delivery among pregnant women with a history of depression who used psychiatric medication, a new study showed. Researchers at the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and University of Washington found that a combination of medication use and depression—either before or during pregnancy—was strongly linked to delivery before 35 weeks' gestation. "Medication use may be an indicator of depressive symptom severity, which is a direct or indirect contributing factor to pre-term delivery," said Kristine Siefert, the study's co-author and U-M professor of social work. [Read more...]

Biomedical, Social Sciences

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