Parenting styles

Dr. Ellen Slicker, associate professor, psychology, and Iris Thornberry, M.A., conducted research on 660 entering students (mean age = 17.9 years) during freshman orientation in order to determine the relationship between parenting style and adolescent well-being. Students were assigned to one of five parenting styles--authoritative, authoritarian, midrange, indulgent and neglectful--representing the environment (by their own perceptions) in which they were reared. Adolescents from authoritative homes reported greater physical, psychological and overall well-being when compared to their peers reared by the other four styles.

For more information on the study, contact Slicker at 615-898-5966.
eslicker@mtsu.edu

Moderation, please

Philosophers since Aristotle have noted that a strong middle class that avoids the extremes of wealth and poverty often leads to political moderation, says Dr. John Vile, expert on the U.S. Constitution. James Madison also noted that the more groups there were, the less likely that any single group would dominate. "Although religion can be important in strengthening the 'moral fiber' of a nation, religious fanaticism, when translated into the political realm, can often prove destructive." American courts take special care to safeguard the interests of minorities, including minority races and religions, he adds.

Contact Vile at 615-898-2596.
jvile@mtsu.edu

Obesity and wages

Obesity and its negative effects seem to dominate the news. Drs. William Ford and Charles Baum, economics and finance, have conducted research to discover how, if at all, obesity affects the wages a person earns. Recent research indicates that societal costs of obesity exceed those of cigarette smoking and alcoholism. One cost is the medical expense that obesity imposes. Also, obese people are shown to experience social penalties in their interpersonal activities. "However, economists have given relatively little systematic attention to the effects of obesity on labor market outcomes," they state in their introduction.

To learn more about their study, contact Ford at 615-898-2889 or Baum at 615-898-2527.
wfford@mtsu.edu or cbaum@mtsu.edu