Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A multi-state project NC1011 "Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-Being and Functioning in an Era of Welfare Reform was approved for October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2008. This report is the termination of the Minnesota project contribution to this project. The work is for these objectives: To analyze individual and family characteristics in relation to functioning and well-being of rural low-income families and to assess how families have adapted to policy and economic changes, and to collect wave 3 data for the longitudinal data set. This year has been one of data analysis and support for working across the states with structuring our work. Nine papers were presented at conferences and these are continuing with the additional analysis. Eight papers are currently under review that supports the work of this project. The factors associated with labor force participation were discussed with policy makers and educators to illustrate the barriers and pathways faced by low-income families. Presentations were made for Cooperative Extension Faculty and materials written to help them work with families with young children around resource use, specifically the issue of birthday celebrations. Other reports were made on the employment issues for low-income families. Future work needs to understand the availability and accessibility of the childcare resources for low-income rural mothers. Future work also is needed around the health resources available to rural low-income mothers with high health demands for either themselves or their children. One thesis was completed on rural low-income mothers caring for a child with a disability. The work was compared to work being done in the nursing fields around resource use, social support, stress, and other health related factors. The dissemination of findings occurred for use in research, teaching, and outreach by people who are connected to rural community and family issues. PARTICIPANTS: Jean W. Bauer, Professor Family Social Science. Professional Development was provided to family scholars, policy makers, and educators with the University of Minnesota Extension. The training and presentations were made available through conferences or national profesional meetings as well as professional development opportunities for educators. TARGET AUDIENCES: Targeted audiences were professionals, policy makers, and educators. These efforts were through the Rural Families Speak: Health and Food Security exhibit during the Agricultural Science and Education Exhibition/Reception, Nutrition and Health, on Wednesday, March 5, 2008. The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) exhibition and reception. Researchers Jean W. Bauer and Mary Jo Katras at the University of Minnesota are among the investigators on the project and whose work will be displayed. Other audiences were undergraduate students that are studying low-income families. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.
Impacts
Labor force participation, health, food security, and social support were examined among rural low-income families to give an insight into the forces and opportunities that affect their lives and where they live. The stability of employment in rural America is a major issue. Assessing and maintaining employment was a major challenge for this group of rural families. Not only do these rural low-income women have access to fewer employment opportunities, they also have less access to other resources such as childcare, transportation, physical and mental health services, which are vital to keeping and maintaining employment. Social support served as an essential resource for these rural low-income families and helped them access the resources they needed when other services were not available. In a study by Berry, Katras, Sano, Lee, and Bauer, the researchers found that stable employment was the key to self-sufficiency. Many rural, low-income mothers find remaining in the workforce to be challenging. In the study, 16 percent of the mothers remained in the same job over a three year period. Over 60 percent changed their employer or were employed on and off over time, and 23 percent were continuously unemployed. Job volatility among those who were employed resulted when there was a lack of flexibility at the work place or difficulty in balancing work and family responsibilities especially with unexpected situations. Short-term health issues or minor disabilities were also factors that contributed to the job volatility. The interface between the community system and family system is where policy will have the most influence to the situation for low-income rural families and the communities where they live. All of the studies this year are working on the issues that influence the family system and also the larger community system where the families live and work.
Publications
- Frazier, M., Brewton, K., & Bauer, J. W. 2008, August. A comparison of assistance needs, community support, and self-sufficiency in rural Louisiana and Minnesota families [Abstract]. Summer Undergraduate Research Symposium, University of Minnesota: Graduate School, 12.
- Sano, Y., Dolan E.M., Richards, L., Bauer, J., Braun, B. 2008. Employment patterns, family resources, and perception: Examining depressive symptoms among rural low-income mothers. Journal of Rural Community Psychology. E11, 1 http://www.marshall.edu/jrcp/current.htm
- Steva, E. and Bauer, J.W. 2007, April. An examination of TANF and its effects on the quality of life for rural, low-income families [Abstract]. 21st National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Dominican University of California, San Rafael, CA. Available at http://www.dominican.edu/query/ncur/display_ncur.phpid=298.
- Lee, J., Katras, M.J., & Bauer, J.W. 2008. Childrens birthday celebrations in low-income rural families. Research Brief. http://cehd.umn.edu/fsos/assets/pdf/RuralFamSpeak/Lee_Birthday.pdf
- Berry, A.A., Katras, M.J., Sano, Y., Lee, J., & Bauer, J.W. 2008. Job volatility of rural low-income mothers: A mixed methods approach. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 29(1):5-22.
- Brewton, K.E. 2008. A qualitative analysis of the stress and coping experiences of low-income rural mothers raising a child with a disability. Unpublished masters thesis: University of Minnesota (J.W. Bauer, adviser).
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A multi-state project NC1011 "Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-Being and Functioning in an Era of Welfare Reform was approved for October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2008. This project is the Minnesota contribution to this project. The work is for these objectives: To analyze individual and family characteristics in relation to functioning and well-being of rural low-income families and to assess how families have adapted to policy and economic changes, and to collect wave 3 data for the longitudinal data set. This year has been one of data analysis and support for working across the states with structuring our work. Five papers were presented at conferences and these are continuing with the additional analysis. Background work was completed to prepare the presentation materials for webcasts from the larger multi-state project. The factors associated with labor force participation were discussed with policy makers and educators to illustrate the barriers and
pathways faced by low-income families. Future work needs to understand the availability and accessibility of the childcare resources for low-income rural mothers. Future work also is needed around the health resources available to rural low-income mothers with high health demands for either themselves or their children. Another paper used the family ecological systems approach was used to provide an integrative perspective for understanding the issues. The materials addressed the availability of resources and mapped whether the institutional structures in rural areas are available. The ecosystem findings around resources were used to interpret the findings from a policy perspective and state the implications for current and future policy. The dissemination of findings occurred for use in research, teaching, and outreach by people who are connected to rural community and family issues. The Rural Families Speak webcast series consisted of one internal electronic conference and three
public conferences utilizing the Macromedia Breeze, a web-based conferencing system available at University of Minnesota. The webcast series audio and visual presentations along with 9 policy and research briefs and fact sheets from the webcast series are located on the Rural Families Speak website at http://www.ruralfamilies.umn.edu or http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/projects/rfs.html. The research team compiled a final report that is available on the website. It was printed and distributed to all members of each state research team, the administrators for the multi-state project. Each state's principal investigator shared a copy of the report with their unit administrator, and the dean or administrator of their college, the director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, the director or dean of Extension, and other selected persons who have supported the research over the years.
PARTICIPANTS: Jean W. Bauer, Professor, Family Social Science, University of Minnesota.
TARGET AUDIENCES: The education from this project was delivered to extension and outreach. Also, several graduate students worked with Dr. Bauer using the data in papers that are part of their educational and professional development.
Impacts
Labor force participation, health, food security, and social support were examined among rural low-income families to give an insight into the forces and opportunities that affect their lives and where they live. The stability of employment in rural America is a major issue. Assessing and maintaining employment was a major challenge for this group of rural families. Not only do these rural low-income women have access to fewer employment opportunities, they also have less access to other resources such as childcare, transportation, physical and mental health services, which are vital to keeping and maintaining employment. Social support served as an essential resource for these rural low-income families and helped them access the resources they needed when other services were not available. In a study by Berry, Katras, Sano, Lee, and Bauer (in press), the team found that stable employment was the key to self-sufficiency. Many rural, low-income mothers find remaining in
the workforce to be challenging. In the study, 16 percent of the mothers remained in the same job over a three-year period. Over 60 percent changed their employer or were employed on and off over time, and 23 percent were continuously unemployed. Job volatility among those who were employed resulted when there was a lack of flexibility at the work place or difficulty in balancing work and family responsibilities especially with unexpected situations. Short-term health issues or minor disabilities were also factors that contributed to the job volatility. The interface between the community system and family system is where policy will have the most influence to the situation for low-income rural families and the communities where they live. All of the studies this year are working on the issues that influence the family system and also the larger community system where the families live and work.
Publications
- Bauer, J.W. and Katras, M.J. 2007. Rural prosperity: A longitudinal study of rural communities and rural low-income families. Final report for NRICGP grant. Available at: http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NRICGP%20Final%20Report.pdf
- Bauer, J.W., Lee, J., and Berry, A.A. 2007. Job volatility of rural, low-income mothers. Research brief. Available at: http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NEAFCS_Bauer.pdf
- Bird, C.L., Morrison, P., Waybright, L. and Katras, M.J. 2007. Extension and research in action: Communicating and creating public value. Research brief. Available at: http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NEAFCS_Bird.pdf
- Katras, M. J., Zuiker, V. S., and Bauer, J. W. 2004. Private safety net: Childcare resources from the perspective of rural low-income families. Family Relations, 53, 201-209.
- Mammen, S., Bauer, J., and Varcoe, K. 2004, November. Quality of Life Among Rural Low-Income Families. ISQOLS, Philadelphia, PA., 127.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
A multi-state project NC1011 "Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-Being and Functioning in an Era of Welfare Reform was approved for October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2008. This project is the Minnesota contribution to this project. The work is for these objectives: To analyze individual and family characteristics in relation to functioning and well-being of rural low-income families and to assess how families have adapted to policy and economic changes, and to collect wave 3 data for the longitudinal data set. This year has been one of data analysis and support for working across the states with structuring our work. One student finished a dissertation analyzing life quality by assessing the influence of parental confidence and economic strain for rural, low-income women. Six papers were presented at conferences and these are continuing with the additional analysis. Stability of employment is an issue in rural America. Background work was completed to
prepare the presentation materials for webcasts from the larger multi-state project. The factors associated with labor force participation were discussed with policy makers and educators to illustrate the barriers and pathways faced by low-income families. A study of job volatility among low-income mothers found that for those with stable employment (same job, over three years), they found their jobs rewarding and in some cases more so than a higher wage, and their work environment was flexible and supportive to the family needs. Mothers in the intermittent employment (in and out of the job market, or changing job over three years) reported lack of flexibility, issues with stable childcare and balance with the needs of their family. They also were more likely to have food insecurity and be receiving transportation assistance to help with employment. For the unemployed mothers (no employment over three years), some were choosing to stay at home with children even though it meant food
insecurity and limited income. Many of the mothers were also unable to participate in the labor force due to health issues. These mothers were forced to deal with their own health needs while trying to pull together resources necessary to provide for their families. They expressed a high need to care for their own children rather than place them in childcare they found not to their liking. Future work needs to understand the availability and accessibility of the childcare resources for low-income rural mothers. Future work also is needed around the health resources available to rural low-income mothers with high health demands for either themselves or their children. Another paper used the family ecological systems approach was used to provide an integrative perspective for understanding the issues. The materials addressed the availability of resources and mapped whether the institutional structures in rural areas are available. The ecosystem findings around resources were used to
interpret the findings from a policy perspective and state the implications for current and future policy.
Impacts
The interface between the community system and family system is where policy will have the most influence to the situation for low-income rural families and the communities where they live. All of the studies this year are working on the issues that influence the family system and also the larger community system where the families live and work.
Publications
- Bird, C. L. 2006. Life Quality: Assessing the influence of parenting performance or confidence and economic strain among rural, low-income women. Unpublished dissertation, University of Minnesota.
- Dyk, P.H., Bauer, J.W., & Katras, M.J. 2006. Rural Contexts, Opportunities and Responses: Vulnerable Families Realities for Labor Force Participation. Conference Proceedings of the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Louisville, Kentucky. Abstract available at: http://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-meeting/2006/proceedings/Abstrac ts.pdf
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
A multi-state project NC1011 Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-Being and Functioning in an Era of Welfare Reform was approved for October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2008. This project is the Minnesota contribution to this project. The work is for these objectives: To analyze individual and family characteristics in relation to functioning and well-being of rural low-income families and to assess how families have adapted to policy and economic changes, and to collect wave 3 data for the longitudinal data set. This year has been one of data analysis and support for working across the states with structuring our work. No students finished their thesis or dissertation. Three papers were presented at conferences and these are continuing with the additional analysis. Stability of employment is an issue in rural America. Of the employed women in this longitudinal study, 30% were employed during all three waves of data and 70% were employed in one or two waves.
Slightly more than half of the working mothers were covered by private health insurance through their employer or husband/partners employer. Having medical insurance and working more than 30 hours were key contributing factors to employment stability. It is important to look at the job and number of hours when viewing stable employment. Medicaid covered one third of the women workers and it continues to be an important source of health insurance for low-income employed rural women. In another study, women who were continuously unemployed had significantly higher depressive symptoms than any other employment patterns. A presentation at Seoul National University, Seoul Korea, Child and Family Department discussed the management of large longitudinal research project. Work continues on what a condition of food insecurity will mean to mothers with children and the policy implications for our rural society. A University of Minnesota Extension Service project has used some of the findings
build a program that deals with understanding how culture and resources are used across various ethnic groups. Learning of how members of a family system views resources will eventually be supportive of better understanding whether our policies directed towards supporting low-income families in our society are the most effective that they can be.
Impacts
The interface between the community system and family system is where policy will have the most influence to the situation for low-income rural families and the communities where they live. All of the studies this year are working on the issues that influence the family system and also the larger community system where the families live and work.
Publications
- Dolan, E.M., S. Mammen, J. Bauer, and S. Seiling. 2005. Stability of employment of rural low-income mothers and their access to employer benefits, Consumer Interests Annual, 51:221-224. Available at: http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Seiling_StabilityofEmpl oymentofRuralLow-IncomeMothersandTheir.pdf
- Dolan, E., L. Richards, Y. Sano, J. Bauer, and B. Braun. 2005. Linkages between employment patterns and depression over time: The case of low-income rural mothers. Consumer Interests Annual, USA: Proceedings of the American Council on Consumer Interests, 51: 225-229.. Available at: http://www.consumerinterests.org/files/public/Dolan_LinkagesBetweenEm ploymentPatternsandDepressionOverTime.pdf
- Mammen, S., Bauer, J., & Varcoe, K. (2004, November). Quality of life among rural low-income families. 6th International Conference on Quality of Life Studies, Philadelphia, PA. : 321.
- Anderson-Porisch, S.A. and J. W. Bauer. 2005. Building Awareness of Culture and Resources: Learning the Language of Money. Proceedings of Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education, Scottsdale AZ: 88-89.
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Progress 01/01/04 to 12/31/04
Outputs
A multi-state project NC1011 Rural Low-Income Families: Tracking their Well-Being and Functioning in an Era of Welfare Reform was approved for October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2008. This project is the Minnesota contribution to the new project. Work on this project is for these objectives: To analyze individual and family characteristics in relation to functioning and well-being of rural low-income families and to assess how families have adapted to policy and economic changes, and to collect wave 3 data for the longitudinal data set. Wave 3 data was finalized and cleaned during the year. The data analysis continues with the combining the three wave of data that were collected between 1999 and 2003. For Minnesota the contribution to sample began with 37 cases and has decreased over the years with 32 cases available for contributions to the wave 2 longitudinal analyses and finally 28 cases for Wave 3. The entire multi-state data set started out with 414 cases in Wave
1, 315 in wave 2, and 254 in wave 3. A mobile, low-income population is difficult to locate over the years. Two masters theses and one dissertation were completed using the data from the project. Both of the masters theses used two waves of data. The dissertation used an intensive method of qualitative analysis to study families with a child or children with disabilities. The principles emerging from low-income families caring for children with disabilities are: fluid boundaries are a strength; programming flexibility is needed to accommodate unique situations; caring for a child with a disability is one stressor among many for these families; relational resources are extremely important; and values play an extremely important role in decision making of families.
Impacts
The interface between the community system and family system is where policy will have the most influence to the situation for low-income rural families and the communities where they live. All of the studies this year are working on the issues that influence the family system and also the larger community system where the families live and work.
Publications
- Bauer, J.W. (2004). Rural families speak: Research basebook. A report of the data set on rural low-income families: Tracking their well-being and functioning in the context of welfare reform. Available at www.ruralfamilies.umn.edu/.
- Bird, C.L. (2004). Education and training: Understanding the factors that influence the opportunity to pursue additional education or training for low-income, rural women. Unpublished masters thesis, University of Minnesota
- Katras, M.J., Zuiker, V.S., & Bauer, J.W. (2004). Private safety net: Childcare resources from the perspective of rural low-income families. Family Relations, 53, 201-209.
- Piescher, K.N. (2004). Economic, social, and community factors indicating depressive symptomatology in rural, low-income mothers. Unpublished masters thesis. University of Minnesota
- Powell, S.E. (2004). Examining the resource use of rural, low-income families caring for children with disabilities. Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of Minnesota.
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