Debra Kalmuss - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Debra Kalmuss
Advances in Contraception, 1996
Sociological Methods & Research, 1983
Population and Environment, 1987
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2003
Family Planning Perspectives, 1998
Marriage & Family Review, 1997
SUMMARY This paper compares the consequences of placing versus parenting for young women who expe... more SUMMARY This paper compares the consequences of placing versus parenting for young women who experienced a non-marital teenage pregnancy. We examined whether placers were faring better, worse or no differently from parenters four years after giving birth. The findings clearly indicate that relative to parenting, resolving a teenage pregnancy by relinquishing one's infant for adoption is a positive choice resulting in more favorable outcomes on a broad variety of sociodemographic and social psychological outcomes. At the bivariate level, on virtually every outcome except feelings about the pregnancy resolution decision, placers fared significantly better than parenters. When control was introduced for sociodemographic background factors and several post-birth mediators, the differences in sociodemographic outcomes and feelings about the pregnancy resolution decision remained unchanged. However, the differences between placers and parenters on virtually all of the remaining social psychological outcomes, we...
Law & Society Review, 1981
Why do attorneys utilize social science experts in school desegregation cases? Although experts o... more Why do attorneys utilize social science experts in school desegregation cases? Although experts often testify for both parties in these cases, plaintiff lawyers are more likely than defense lawyers to call upon them. Plaintiff lawyers appear to have easier access to a network of scholars willing to testify. Moreover, plaintiff lawyers have a set of social theories and legal strategies that often requires the use of social science expertise. Although the testimony offered by social scientists is often not directly relevant to the legal issues in a trial, it is part of the attorney's attempt to educate or persuade the judge to a particular view of race relations and education.
Journal of Research on Adolescence, 1993
A longitudinal study of young women's pregnancy resolution decision making provided evidence ... more A longitudinal study of young women's pregnancy resolution decision making provided evidence of the important role of significant others; also observed was a positive association between prior adoption socialization experiences and the choice of adoption. Conceptual approaches to decision making considered in the analysis included opportunity structures, socialization, social networks, and expectancy value theory. Subjects included 527 unmarried women 21 years of age or younger who were recruited from US maternity residences and prenatal clinics. Mean age was 17 years; 73% of subjects were White. On a descriptive level, the adoption choice was more frequent among White women (55%), and those with above-average educational aspirations (51%). When the subject's mother was in favor of placement, 75% chose adoption and only 18% kept the child; when the boyfriend wanted adoption, these statistics were 82% and 34%, respectively. If the subject or a close relative had been adopted, 59% chose adoption and 39% kept the child. Next, logistic regression was used to develop a multivariate analysis of pregnancy resolution decisions. The most significant (p 0.001) determinants of pregnancy choice were mother wants placement of child, close relative wants placement, and the expectancy that the quality of the mother and child's life would be adversely influenced by keeping the child. Significant at the 0.01 level were not having a boyfriend or having a boyfriend who wants placement. Only 1 demographic variable--women in an age-appropriate grade--was significantly associated with adoption. Since adoption is selected by less than 3% of US women, this outcome was overrepresented in this sample by the inclusion of maternity homes as a recruitment site.
American Journal of Public Health, 1997
American Journal of Public Health, 1998
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence and effects of potential barriers to removal of le... more OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence and effects of potential barriers to removal of levonorgestrel implants (Norplant) among low-income women. METHODS: A sample of 687 women who received Norplant at hospital-based family planning clinics were interviewed before Norplant insertion and 6 months after Norplant insertion (or at Norplant removal if removal occurred earlier). Those who continued to use Norplant were reinterviewed at 2 years or at removal. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis, only 1 of the 4 potential barriers--cost--significantly impeded Norplant discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Family planning clinics need to make clear that they follow a policy of Norplant removal on demand, regardless of the patient's ability to pay.
American Journal of Public Health, 1997
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated rates of discontinuation of the recently introduced injectabl... more OBJECTIVES: This study investigated rates of discontinuation of the recently introduced injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and postdiscontinuation rates of unprotected intercourse and unintended pregnancy. METHODS: A sample of 402 low-income, urban, minority women were interviewed when they initiated DMPA use and 12 months later. RESULTS: The 12-month life-table discontinuation rate was 58%, with half of the discontinuers stopping after only one injection. Menstrual changes and other side effects were the most frequently cited reasons for discontinuation. Approximately half of the discontinuers at risk for unintended pregnancy either did not make the transition to another contraceptive or used contraception only sporadically. The cumulative unintended pregnancy rate by 9 months postdiscontinuation was 20%. CONCLUSIONS: DMPA initiators were at substantial risk for unintended pregnancy because most quickly discontinued use and did not make the transition...
American Journal of Men's Health, 2009
A multicomponent health education intervention for men was integrated into initial visits at the ... more A multicomponent health education intervention for men was integrated into initial visits at the Young Men’s Clinic in New York City. In all, 157 predominantly low-income, Latino and African American patients completed pre- and post-test surveys to assess their sexual and reproductive health knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Paired t tests compared respondents’ scores on outcome variables at baseline and follow-up. Intervention participants significantly increased their knowledge (e.g., emergency contraception) and frequency of safer sexual behaviors (e.g., condom use) during the 3 months following their initial visit. The intervention was not as successful promoting positive beliefs about health care utilization or attitudes about condoms. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. This study provides evidence that it is feasible to effectively disseminate sexual health information to men at each step of a routine clinic visit, including do...
Social Work, 1993
This article describes the experiences of 215 young birthmothers who placed their infants for ado... more This article describes the experiences of 215 young birthmothers who placed their infants for adoption through 30 maternity residences and agencies in 13 states. The prebirth services they received, their immediate postbirth experiences, and several characteristics of their adoption arrangements are described. A bivariate analysis revealed that several service-procedural variables are related to social-psychological outcomes for the birthmothers at six months after the birth. Policy implications are presented.
Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 2016
I ndividuals involved in the criminal and juvenile justice system (the justice-involved populatio... more I ndividuals involved in the criminal and juvenile justice system (the justice-involved population) through community supervision (parole or probation) or participation in reentry and diversion programs are one of the country's most marginalized populations. Nearly 700,000 people were released from prison in 2011, 1 and close to 12 million people cycled through jail in 2012. 2 Pre-release planning is an important component of successful reentry, 3,4 yet linkage to community health services after incarceration is often inadequate. 5 This is troubling, because risk taking and poor health are common immediately after release 6 and access to health providers and insurance helps individuals to transition home. 7,8
American Journal of Sexuality Education, 2016
ABSTRACT Limited research exists on the slut labeling process, a key means of enforcing rules aro... more ABSTRACT Limited research exists on the slut labeling process, a key means of enforcing rules around appropriate female sexuality. This study explores that process through qualitative interviews with 44 adolescent girls in Travis County, Texas. Labeling girls as sluts or hos was pervasive and was based on a number of factors beyond sexual behavior, including dress, friendships with boys, or jealousy from other girls. Responses depicted a narrow space in which girls functioned, bound at one end by limited agency and at the other by pervasive vulnerability. There was consensus about the negative consequences of being labeled. Most girls held mixed opinions about the slut labeling process: this may reflect their attempts to push back against a system that entraps them. These findings suggest that prevention and sex education programs must explicitly address slut labeling as well as other gender narratives that impede healthy sexual development.
Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 1986
There is controversy about how the experience of a teenage pregnancy affects the contraceptive be... more There is controversy about how the experience of a teenage pregnancy affects the contraceptive behavior of adolescent women. Data from 425 sexually active, unmarried teenage women who had access to contraception were used to address this issue. Chi-square tests suggest that ever-pregnant teens are significantly less likely to have used contraception at last intercourse than never-pregnant teens. This finding persists when comparing never-pregnant teens to subgroups of ever-pregnant adolescents whose contraceptive behavior was expected to have been affected positively by their pregnancy. Logistic regression results show a significant pregnancy-history effect after controlling for other important predictors of teenage contraceptive behavior. Additional analysis suggests that the negative effect of pregnancy history may occur because ever-pregnant teens hold more positive attitudes about pregnancy than their never-pregnant peers.
Advances in Contraception, 1996
Sociological Methods & Research, 1983
Population and Environment, 1987
Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health, 2003
Family Planning Perspectives, 1998
Marriage & Family Review, 1997
SUMMARY This paper compares the consequences of placing versus parenting for young women who expe... more SUMMARY This paper compares the consequences of placing versus parenting for young women who experienced a non-marital teenage pregnancy. We examined whether placers were faring better, worse or no differently from parenters four years after giving birth. The findings clearly indicate that relative to parenting, resolving a teenage pregnancy by relinquishing one's infant for adoption is a positive choice resulting in more favorable outcomes on a broad variety of sociodemographic and social psychological outcomes. At the bivariate level, on virtually every outcome except feelings about the pregnancy resolution decision, placers fared significantly better than parenters. When control was introduced for sociodemographic background factors and several post-birth mediators, the differences in sociodemographic outcomes and feelings about the pregnancy resolution decision remained unchanged. However, the differences between placers and parenters on virtually all of the remaining social psychological outcomes, we...
Law & Society Review, 1981
Why do attorneys utilize social science experts in school desegregation cases? Although experts o... more Why do attorneys utilize social science experts in school desegregation cases? Although experts often testify for both parties in these cases, plaintiff lawyers are more likely than defense lawyers to call upon them. Plaintiff lawyers appear to have easier access to a network of scholars willing to testify. Moreover, plaintiff lawyers have a set of social theories and legal strategies that often requires the use of social science expertise. Although the testimony offered by social scientists is often not directly relevant to the legal issues in a trial, it is part of the attorney's attempt to educate or persuade the judge to a particular view of race relations and education.
Journal of Research on Adolescence, 1993
A longitudinal study of young women's pregnancy resolution decision making provided evidence ... more A longitudinal study of young women's pregnancy resolution decision making provided evidence of the important role of significant others; also observed was a positive association between prior adoption socialization experiences and the choice of adoption. Conceptual approaches to decision making considered in the analysis included opportunity structures, socialization, social networks, and expectancy value theory. Subjects included 527 unmarried women 21 years of age or younger who were recruited from US maternity residences and prenatal clinics. Mean age was 17 years; 73% of subjects were White. On a descriptive level, the adoption choice was more frequent among White women (55%), and those with above-average educational aspirations (51%). When the subject's mother was in favor of placement, 75% chose adoption and only 18% kept the child; when the boyfriend wanted adoption, these statistics were 82% and 34%, respectively. If the subject or a close relative had been adopted, 59% chose adoption and 39% kept the child. Next, logistic regression was used to develop a multivariate analysis of pregnancy resolution decisions. The most significant (p 0.001) determinants of pregnancy choice were mother wants placement of child, close relative wants placement, and the expectancy that the quality of the mother and child's life would be adversely influenced by keeping the child. Significant at the 0.01 level were not having a boyfriend or having a boyfriend who wants placement. Only 1 demographic variable--women in an age-appropriate grade--was significantly associated with adoption. Since adoption is selected by less than 3% of US women, this outcome was overrepresented in this sample by the inclusion of maternity homes as a recruitment site.
American Journal of Public Health, 1997
American Journal of Public Health, 1998
OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence and effects of potential barriers to removal of le... more OBJECTIVES: This study examined the prevalence and effects of potential barriers to removal of levonorgestrel implants (Norplant) among low-income women. METHODS: A sample of 687 women who received Norplant at hospital-based family planning clinics were interviewed before Norplant insertion and 6 months after Norplant insertion (or at Norplant removal if removal occurred earlier). Those who continued to use Norplant were reinterviewed at 2 years or at removal. RESULTS: In a multivariate analysis, only 1 of the 4 potential barriers--cost--significantly impeded Norplant discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Family planning clinics need to make clear that they follow a policy of Norplant removal on demand, regardless of the patient's ability to pay.
American Journal of Public Health, 1997
OBJECTIVES: This study investigated rates of discontinuation of the recently introduced injectabl... more OBJECTIVES: This study investigated rates of discontinuation of the recently introduced injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) and postdiscontinuation rates of unprotected intercourse and unintended pregnancy. METHODS: A sample of 402 low-income, urban, minority women were interviewed when they initiated DMPA use and 12 months later. RESULTS: The 12-month life-table discontinuation rate was 58%, with half of the discontinuers stopping after only one injection. Menstrual changes and other side effects were the most frequently cited reasons for discontinuation. Approximately half of the discontinuers at risk for unintended pregnancy either did not make the transition to another contraceptive or used contraception only sporadically. The cumulative unintended pregnancy rate by 9 months postdiscontinuation was 20%. CONCLUSIONS: DMPA initiators were at substantial risk for unintended pregnancy because most quickly discontinued use and did not make the transition...
American Journal of Men's Health, 2009
A multicomponent health education intervention for men was integrated into initial visits at the ... more A multicomponent health education intervention for men was integrated into initial visits at the Young Men’s Clinic in New York City. In all, 157 predominantly low-income, Latino and African American patients completed pre- and post-test surveys to assess their sexual and reproductive health knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. Paired t tests compared respondents’ scores on outcome variables at baseline and follow-up. Intervention participants significantly increased their knowledge (e.g., emergency contraception) and frequency of safer sexual behaviors (e.g., condom use) during the 3 months following their initial visit. The intervention was not as successful promoting positive beliefs about health care utilization or attitudes about condoms. Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the intervention. This study provides evidence that it is feasible to effectively disseminate sexual health information to men at each step of a routine clinic visit, including do...
Social Work, 1993
This article describes the experiences of 215 young birthmothers who placed their infants for ado... more This article describes the experiences of 215 young birthmothers who placed their infants for adoption through 30 maternity residences and agencies in 13 states. The prebirth services they received, their immediate postbirth experiences, and several characteristics of their adoption arrangements are described. A bivariate analysis revealed that several service-procedural variables are related to social-psychological outcomes for the birthmothers at six months after the birth. Policy implications are presented.
Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 2016
I ndividuals involved in the criminal and juvenile justice system (the justice-involved populatio... more I ndividuals involved in the criminal and juvenile justice system (the justice-involved population) through community supervision (parole or probation) or participation in reentry and diversion programs are one of the country's most marginalized populations. Nearly 700,000 people were released from prison in 2011, 1 and close to 12 million people cycled through jail in 2012. 2 Pre-release planning is an important component of successful reentry, 3,4 yet linkage to community health services after incarceration is often inadequate. 5 This is troubling, because risk taking and poor health are common immediately after release 6 and access to health providers and insurance helps individuals to transition home. 7,8
American Journal of Sexuality Education, 2016
ABSTRACT Limited research exists on the slut labeling process, a key means of enforcing rules aro... more ABSTRACT Limited research exists on the slut labeling process, a key means of enforcing rules around appropriate female sexuality. This study explores that process through qualitative interviews with 44 adolescent girls in Travis County, Texas. Labeling girls as sluts or hos was pervasive and was based on a number of factors beyond sexual behavior, including dress, friendships with boys, or jealousy from other girls. Responses depicted a narrow space in which girls functioned, bound at one end by limited agency and at the other by pervasive vulnerability. There was consensus about the negative consequences of being labeled. Most girls held mixed opinions about the slut labeling process: this may reflect their attempts to push back against a system that entraps them. These findings suggest that prevention and sex education programs must explicitly address slut labeling as well as other gender narratives that impede healthy sexual development.
Journal of Adolescent Health Care, 1986
There is controversy about how the experience of a teenage pregnancy affects the contraceptive be... more There is controversy about how the experience of a teenage pregnancy affects the contraceptive behavior of adolescent women. Data from 425 sexually active, unmarried teenage women who had access to contraception were used to address this issue. Chi-square tests suggest that ever-pregnant teens are significantly less likely to have used contraception at last intercourse than never-pregnant teens. This finding persists when comparing never-pregnant teens to subgroups of ever-pregnant adolescents whose contraceptive behavior was expected to have been affected positively by their pregnancy. Logistic regression results show a significant pregnancy-history effect after controlling for other important predictors of teenage contraceptive behavior. Additional analysis suggests that the negative effect of pregnancy history may occur because ever-pregnant teens hold more positive attitudes about pregnancy than their never-pregnant peers.