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Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<4::AID-JCOP2290160103>3.0.CO;2-Apmid: N/A
It is a privilege to dedicate this special issue on women in the community to the memory of Barbara Snell Dohrenwend. We thank her for encouragement to us as students and as colleagues, for her insightful and clear scholarship, and for her leadership in the field of community psychology. She was our mentor and friend.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<6::AID-JCOP2290160104>3.0.CO;2-1pmid: N/A
The goals of this study were (a) to provide descriptive information on the reproductive attitudes and behavior of Mexican‐American women and (b) to investigate the relationship of socioeconomic status, acculturation, and religiosity with these attitudes and experiences. Data were obtained in personal interviews with 137 Mexican‐American women visiting a community health center. Women were asked questions about religion, motherhood and pregnancy, sexuality, and unwanted pregnancy and abortion. The results indicate a great heterogeneity, even among relatively low‐income and unacculturated Mexican‐American women, in attitudes and experiences. Socioeconomic status, degree of religiosity, and degree of acculturation were associated with women's reproductive attitudes. Overall, the results contradict common stereotypes that present Mexican‐American women as dominated by Catholic doctrine, passive in fertility decisions, and desirous of large families.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<21::AID-JCOP2290160105>3.0.CO;2-Hpmid: N/A
This article examines a doubly oppressed group: mainland Puerto Rican women. Sociocultural and gender‐related problems are analyzed within the context of cultural change. The crucial role played by the Puerto Rican woman in the transculturation of the mainland diaspora is pinpointed. Community paradigms relevant to psychological interventions with this group are discussed, and guidelines are suggested to the community psychologist working with Puerto Rican women.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<32::AID-JCOP2290160106>3.0.CO;2-Apmid: N/A
This study examines the relationship between maternal child‐rearing practices (nurturance and restrictiveness) and a number of significant demographic and personality variables. It was found that state and trait anxiety and depression represent an important unitary factor in explaining restrictive styles of child‐rearing. In addition, religious preference, education, and race were related to restrictiveness. Education emerged as a positive predictor of nurturance. The results indicate the importance of considering a broad assessment of associated maternal personality and demographic factors before attempting to modify child‐rearing attitudes and practices.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<41::AID-JCOP2290160107>3.0.CO;2-9pmid: N/A
Measures of economic hardship, coping, self‐esteem, and social support from friends and co‐workers predicted nearly 25% of the variation in financial strain in a sample of 83 single mothers in New York City. Social support appeared to function as a protector in the face of stress, though evidence for the buffer effect was meager. Support from co‐workers and friends rather than family was positively related to well‐being. Self‐esteem strongly affected the well‐being of single mothers, accounting for a unique 5% of the variation in strain. Implications for community psychologists are discussed.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<55::AID-JCOP2290160108>3.0.CO;2-Upmid: N/A
Two theories have been advanced to explain gender differences in coping. Socialization theory states that women are socialized into using less effective coping strategies than men. Role constraint theory affirms that no gender differences in coping exist when men and women occupy the same roles. Three studies, where the roles occupied by women and men were the same, were conducted to test the theories. Two of them also compared role constraint and socialization theories for social support. The results for coping did not support the socialization theory and partially supported the role constraint theory. With one exception, men and women did not differ in the ways they coped with similar role stressors. The results for social support indicated that women reported using more support than men in similar role situations. These findings suggest that higher levels of psychological disturbance among women cannot be attributed to their coping styles independent of their social roles.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<70::AID-JCOP2290160109>3.0.CO;2-3pmid: N/A
Commonalities between recent feminist thinking and community psychology are described in order to argue that a feminist agenda can and should be more fully incorporated into the discipline of community psychology. The two domains share a historical context and significant theoretical assumptions — e.g., the importance of empowerment for social change. Generally accepted goals and methods from each domain and examples of research, theory, and practice are presented for purposes of documentation and illustration. This article also addresses the critical question, Why hasn't community psychology incorporated a feminist agenda more fully into research, theory, and practice, given its compatibility with feminism? Finally, a discussion of how a feminist agenda would strengthen community psychology and strategies for accomplishing such an agenda are presented. Areas of concern include classroom dynamics, field placement opportunities, the psychological consequences of sexist language, the complex interactional effects of multiple oppressions (e.g., racism, sexism, and ageism), homophobia as a community problem, violence against women, and the feminization of poverty.
Mulvey, Anne; D'Ercole, Ann; Blair, Rima N.
doi: 10.1002/1520-6629(198801)16:1<84::AID-JCOP2290160110>3.0.CO;2-Gpmid: N/A
Neither the public nor the helping professions have much awareness of miscarriage. Miscarriage is examined from medical, feminist, psychoanalytic, and community psychological perspectives, which are judged critically from a woman's experiential perspective. The latter is presented in depth and utilized to demonstrate the needs for greater awareness and understanding of this kind of personal and family loss.
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