Spousal Control Research Articles

A dyadic analysis of anti-fat attitudes and partners’ diet-related influence among gay married men

Objectives The focus on physical appearance among gay men has potential implications for anti-fat attitudes, including those directed toward romantic partners. Partners often influence each other’s behaviors including those linked to weight, but most research has examined the consequences of these influence strategies versus their antecedents. To address this research gap, we examined how men’s own and their partners’ anti-fat attitudes were related to both health-promoting (control) and health-compromising (undermining) types of diet-related influence and whether these associations differed by weight status. Methods and Results Analyzing data from a cross-sectional online survey of 450 U.S. adult gay married men (225 couples), Actor-Partner Interdependence Models revealed that individuals’ own anti-fat attitudes (all types) were positively associated with more frequent receipt of spousal control and undermining. Additionally, partner’s fears about gaining weight were positively associated with more frequent receipt of spousal control and dislike of higher weight people and fear of gaining weight (among those of higher weight status) were positively associated with more frequent receipt of spousal undermining. Conclusion Our findings add to the literature on diet-related interactions among gay married men, highlight the value of examining these processes dyadically, and suggest the importance of including both members of couples in health promotion and intervention efforts.

EFFECTS OF FINANCIAL SOURCES AND SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS ON PERFORMANCE OF WOMEN-OWNED MANUFACTURING ENTERPRISES IN KISUMU CITY COUNTY, KENYA

<p>Women-owned enterprises play a significant role in contributing to a country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by creating employment opportunities. However, the manufacturing sector in Kisumu City County, has witnessed poor performance, coupled with less than 10 percent of the women participating in this sector. Despite this poor performance and low participation rate, there has been limited exploration into the factors influencing the performance of women exclusively within this sector. Therefore, the study aimed to determine the effects of financial sources and socio-cultural factors on the performance of women-owned manufacturing enterprises. The study employed a descriptive research design. Data was gathered through a questionnaire administered to 48 women selected using a simple random sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics were applied to analyze the data using Excel and STATA Software. The results of multiple regression analysis established that women who secured funding from banks during shortages and initial capital depicted high performance. Additionally, factors such as household size, spousal decision-making regarding property utilization, and spousal control over the enterprise earnings had a negative effect on the performance of women-owned manufacturing enterprises in this County. <em>Top of Form</em>The study recommends that policies need to be formulated to finance informal sectors such as <em>Chamas </em>where the majority of women prefer to increase the amount of loan accessed. Additionally, women should acquire more advanced entrepreneurial skills that are instrumental in making independent decisions and having better control over productive resources without utterly relying on their spouses.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong>JEL</strong>: L60; M10</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/soc/0046/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Motives for spousal involvement in a Partner's diabetes management: Considering the role of gender and links to diet-related involvement.

Using data from 148 middle-aged and older adult spouses whose partners had type 2 diabetes, we sought to examine spouses' motives for involvement in their partners' diabetes management and whether these motives were related to common types of diabetes-related spousal involvement; we also sought to understand gender differences in these dynamics. Spouses indicated being motivated to be involved in their partners' diabetes management due to altruistic motives to the greatest extent and egoistic motives to the least extent. Results from multivariable regression analyses that controlled for gender, marital quality, and spouses' own conditions requiring dietary changes revealed that all types of motives were related to the frequency of providing diet-related spousal support, whereas only egoistic motives were related to the frequency of exerting diet-related spousal control. We did not find gender differences in any motives nor in associations with spousal involvement. Findings have potential implications for couples-oriented chronic illness interventions.

Prevalence, pattern, and predictors of formal help-seeking for intimate partner violence against women: findings from India’s cross-sectional National Family Health Surveys-3 (2005–2006) and 4 (2015–2016)

BackgroundHelp-seeking for intimate partner violence (IPV) requires women to disclose their experiences. For policymakers, low help-seeking threatens the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of gender equality, good health, and wellbeing. In India, the Prevention of Domestic Violence Against Women Act (PWDVA 2005) was implemented in 2006. Using two rounds of the India National Family Health Survey (NFHS), one before and one after implementation, we examined the prevalence, pattern, and sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors associated with formal help-seeking for IPV.MethodsWe used univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to assess the prevalence of help-seeking for IPV in the past 12 months and examined associations with different forms of IPV and sociodemographic factors.ResultsThe proportion of ever-married women aged 15–49 years who reported physical, sexual, or emotional IPV in the last 12 months increased from 23% in NFHS-3 (2005–2006) to 25% in NFHS-4 (2015–2016). In both surveys, few women sought help. Informal sources of help were preferred over formal sources, which declined from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4 (any help: 24.5 to 13.8%; informal help: 24.1 to 13.4%; and formal help: 1.2 to 1.1%). Women from lower castes and women with children were less likely to seek formal help. Over the two surveys, the odds of formal help-seeking for sexual IPV in the past 12 months remained similar (NFHS-3 aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4, 2.5. NFHS-4 aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4, 2.6). The odds were slightly higher for emotional IPV (NFHS-3 aOR 2.5, 95% CI 1.8, 3.3. NFHS-4 aOR 2.7, 95% CI 2.0, 3.7) and spousal control (NFHS-3 aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.4, 3.0. NFHS-4 aOR 2.3, 95% CI: 1.4, 3.7).ConclusionsLow disclosure and help-seeking impact a country’s social, cultural, economic, and political progress. The PWDVA did not appear to result in increases in help-seeking among women in India who experienced IPV. Further work is needed to understand barriers to help-seeking in the presence of public policy efforts to support women affected by IPV. These may include poor implementation and enforcement of Policy, as well as normalization and justification of gender-based violence. We recommend a deeper understanding of help-seeking across all systems to establish a barometer of help-seeking. An increase in formal or informal help-seeking is an indicator of reduced tolerance of IPV and the enabling environment of the PWDVA 2005 for tracking progress toward the SDGs of gender equality and the eradication of all forms of gender-based violence and discrimination.

Psychometric Properties of the Childbirth Expectation Questionnaire in a Sample of Spanish Pregnant Women

Childbirth expectations during pregnancy are important factors related to birth satisfaction. The aim of this study is to validate the Childbirth Expectation Questionnaire (CEQ) in a sample of Spanish pregnant women; 231 women responded to the CEQ during their first trimester of pregnancy and 106 of them completed a re-test at the third trimester. Exploratory analyses with 1-to-6 factor solutions were carried out to investigate the internal structure of the CEQ. The three-factor solution (spousal support and control, medical support and environment, and labor pain and distress) showed the best properties in terms of model fit, number of items per factor, and item loadings. The internal consistency of scales was also good (.79 ≥ α ≤ .93). Test-retest analyses showed significant intercorrelations between expectations from the first to the third trimester of pregnancy. There is a need to assess childbirth expectations, and our results suggest that the CEQ is a valid and useful instrument to be used among Spanish pregnant women.

Predictors of spousal coercive control and its association with intimate partner violence evidence from National Family Health Survey-4 (2015-2016) India

BackgroundThe feminist theory posits that spousal coercive control is not random but a purposeful and systematic men’s strategy to control and dominate their female partners. The frequency of coercive control is more than emotional, physical, and sexual intimate partner violence (IPV). Coercive control is usually mistaken with psychological abuse when it is not and has recently gained independent attention within the spectrum of IPV. The role of socioeconomic factors in determining coercive control and associations between coercive control and form of IPV is less researched.ObjectiveWe aimed to examine sociodemographic and socioeconomic predictors of spousal coercive control and its association with IPV (past 12-months).MethodsWe analysed data of 66,013 ever-married women aged 15-49 from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 (2015-2016). Estimates involved bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models, and marginal effects prediction.ResultsThe prevalence of spousal coercive control is more commonly reported by 48% of women than the prevalence of IPV 25% (emotional 11%, physical 22%, and sexual 5%) in the past 12 months. Adjusted odds ratio indicate that women having three and more children (aOR 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0-1.2), women work status (1.1; 1.1-1.2), husband’s secondary (1.1; 1.1-1.2) or higher education (1.1; 1.1-1.2), and husband alcohol consumption (1.7; 1.6-1.7) increase the odds of coercive control. In the fully adjusted model coercive control independently increased the likelihood of experiencing emotional (aOR 2.8.; 95% CI: 2.6, 3.1), physical (2.2; 2.1, 2.3), and sexual (2.5; 2.3, 2.8) IPV in the past 12 months; and with an increase in each additional indicator of coercive control acts, the likelihood of physical, sexual, and emotional IPV further increases. When women reported six indicators of coercive control, the predicted proportion of women experiencing emotional 53%, physical 45%, and sexual IPV was 25% in the fully adjusted model.ConclusionCoercive control limits women’s social support and contacts contributing to low self-esteem, self-efficacy, and poor mental health. The purpose of this study is to highlight that understudied coercive control is more common than other forms of IPV and is a potential risk factor for physical, sexual, and emotional IPV independently. The inclusion of coercive control in interventions is crucial to prevent form of IPV. Survivals long-term safety and independence can be secured if the current protection law against domestic violence is extended to encompass coercive control.

Will conjugal relationship affect the corporate innovation? Empirical evidence from a-share listed family business in China

PurposeFew studies have focused on the impact of conjugal control and non-conjugal control on the innovation capability of family firms. In the context of the relative lack of research on the relationship between family firm heterogeneity and innovation ability, this study aims to focus on the differentiated impact of husband–wife-controlled family listed companies and non-husband–wife-controlled family listed companies on their innovation capabilities, which provides empirical evidence with more Chinese institutional and cultural characteristics for the development of corporate organizational management and innovation theories.Design/methodology/approachTaking all A-share listed family firms from 2007 to 2016 as the research sample, this paper examines the influence of spousal control on firm innovation level by empirical research method.FindingsThe empirical results show that compared with non-spousal-controlled family enterprises, spousal-controlled family enterprises have significant positive effects on the level of enterprise innovation. Further studies suggest that joint management of spousal-controlled family enterprises improves the level of innovation. Authority difference of the couple will weaken the innovation capacity. However, the wife’s professional skills can promote the innovation level.Originality/valueFocusing on the characteristics of family internal structure and embedding marriage relationship in the enterprise organization, this paper investigates the influence of different characteristics of husband and wife and cooperation mode on enterprise innovation, and the conclusion enriches the theory of family business and family science, as well as provides important information reference for the stakeholder groups in the capital market.

Correlates of diet-related spousal involvement among both members of couples managing diabetes.

Spouses are often involved in facilitating each other's healthy diet through support and regulation (i.e., control), especially when one member has a chronic condition such as type 2 diabetes. This diet-related involvement is likely reciprocal, yet little is known about the implications of this type of involvement for the nonpatient spouse, as well as the implications of providing support or control. This study accordingly focused on the behavioral and emotional correlates of the receipt and provision of diet-related spousal support and control among both members of couples managing type 2 diabetes. Both members of middle-aged and older adult married couples (N = 296) in which at least one member had type 2 diabetes completed an online survey. Data were analyzed using multilevel models that controlled for sociodemographic and disease characteristics. The only patient status difference in any of the key variables was that spouses reported more diabetes distress than patients themselves. Receiving more frequent support was related to a healthier diet, whereas receiving more frequent pressure was related to an unhealthier diet. Providing more frequent support and persuasion were related to a healthier diet, but only among spouses without diabetes. Finally, the more frequent provision of all types of diet-related involvement was related to greater diabetes distress. Patient status did not seem especially relevant in understanding correlates of diet-related spousal involvement. Findings highlight the importance of examining and focusing intervention efforts on both members of a couple in later life when chronic conditions requiring dietary changes are prevalent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Are People More Patient with Their Spouse's Money? An Experimental Study

• There is sorting of preferences within households. • For both men and women, the decisions for their spouse are close to the decisions they made for themselves. • Men make decisions that are more patient for their spouses compared with their predictions of their spouses’ decisions. • Both spousal control and financial conflict affect the difference between decisions made for the spouse and the predictions of the spouse decisions. We study how partners in a household make decisions for themselves and for their spouses regarding intertemporal choices in a field experiment in rural China. We find that men, but not women, make decisions that are more patient for their spouses compared with their predictions of their spouses’ decisions, in particular when choices involved two delayed options. Instead the decisions for their spouse are close to the decisions they made for themselves. At the same time, we find evidence of sorting of preferences within households, i.e. that the preferences of husband and wife are correlated. We also find that spousal control and financial conflict to some extent affect the difference between decision made for the spouse and the predictions of the spouse decisions.

The impact of device-assisted therapies on the gut microbiome in Parkinson's disease.

Microbiome feedbacks are proposed to influence Parkinson's disease (PD) pathophysiology. A number of studies have evaluated the impact of oral medication on the gut microbiome (GM) in PD. However, the influence of PD device-assisted therapies (DATs) on the GM remains to be investigated. To profile acute gut microbial community alterations in response to PD DAT initiation. Clinical data and stool samples were collected from 21 PD patients initiating either deep brain stimulation (DBS) or levodopa-carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) and ten spousal healthy control (HC) subjects. 16S amplicon sequencing of stool DNA enabled comparison of temporal GM stability between groups and with clinical measures, including disease alterations relative to therapy initiation. We assessed GM response to therapy in the PD group by comparing pre-therapy (-2 and 0weeks) with post-therapy initiation timepoints (+ 2 and + 4weeks) and HCs at baseline (0weeks). Altered GM compositions were noted between the PD and HC groups at various taxonomic levels, including specific differences for DBS (overrepresentation of Clostridium_XlVa, Bilophila, Parabacteroides, Pseudoflavonifractor and underrepresentation of Dorea) and LCIG therapy (overrepresentation of Pseudoflavonifractor, Escherichia/Shigella, and underrepresentation of Gemmiger). Beta diversity changes were also found over the 4week post-treatment initiation period. We report on initial short-term GM changes in response to the initiation of PD DATs. Prior to the introduction of the DAT, a PD-associated GM was observed. Following initiation of DAT, several DAT-specific changes in GM composition were identified, suggesting DATs can influence the GM in PD.

An Exploratory Study of the Gaps and Barriers to Nutrition Education for Pregnant Women in Tamale, Ghana

Abstract Objectives Nutrition education (NE) remains a popular intervention to improve maternal health literacy (MHL), with the promise of behavior change and improved maternal and child health outcomes. However, there continue to be gaps and barriers that impede the delivery of NE to women, and/or affect maternal compliance to NE guidelines. This is the first phase of a larger project that examines the role of NE on MHL and pregnancy outcomes. Specifically, this phase aimed to identify the gaps in, and barriers to current NE delivered at hospitals to women in Tamale, Ghana. Methods A series of focus group discussions were used to engage health providers and pregnant women. Field observations of the antenatal care (ANC) process and informal interviews with focal personnel were also employed. Data were thematized using recurrent themes from field notes and audio loggings. Results Preliminary analysis of discussions with 33 health providers and 13 pregnant women identified 3 thematic areas describing gaps and challenges to successful delivery and implementation of NE: 1) Sociocultural: Women's adherence to NE advice was affected by constrained autonomy resulting from patriarchal norms including spousal control, polygamy, coercion, and financial abuse. Food insecurity resulting from low socioeconomic status and a lack of social safety nets also impacted maternal ability to access and comply with NE 2) Communication: Midwives were cited as the most common sources of information for women at ANC sessions, yet owing to dissatisfaction with the hospital set up, some mothers preferred and continued to seek health information from traditional birth attendants. Also, more emphasis was placed on anemia prevention at ANC visits compared to other salient topics like weight gain during pregnancy. 3) Administrative: Lack of professional language translation, health professional workload and inadequate health worker retraining also affected the quality of NE. Conclusions Attention should be paid especially to the sociocultural factors plaguing vulnerable women in low-middle income settings like Tamale when designing NE interventions. The study investigators will continue to engage community members in exploring ways of incorporating these in the design of a NE intervention for pregnant women in the area. Funding Sources N/A.

Household Decision Making and Savings Impacts: Further Evidence from a Commitment Savings Product in the Philippines

Commitment devices for savings could benefit those with self-control as well as familial or spousal control issues. We find evidence to support both motivations. We examine the impact of a commitment savings product in the Philippines on household decision making power and self-perception of savings behavior, as well as actual savings. The product leads to more decision making power in the household for women, and likewise more purchases of female-oriented durable goods. We also find that the product leads women who appear time-inconsistent in a baseline survey to self-report being a disciplined saver in the follow-up survey. For impact on savings balances, we find that the 81% increase in savings after one year did not crowd out savings held outside of the participating bank, but that the longer-term impact over two and a half years on bank savings dissipated to only a 33% increase, which is no longer statistically significant. We discuss reasons why the effect dissipated and the implications for designing and implementing sustainable, equilibrium-shifting interventions.

Spousal Control and Efficiency of Intra-household Decision-Making: Experiments among Married Couples in India, Ethiopia and Nigeria

Given the importance of the household as a resource allocation mechanism, considerable interest exists in its efficiency. Most of the non-experimental evidence for inefficiency comes from West African farm households in which husbands and wives pursue separate productive activities. Using experiments, we test for efficiency of spouses’ resource allocation decisions in a range of household types. In North India, we select households that are unified, in northern Nigeria households characterised by separate spheres of economic decision-making. Our other sites occupy carefully selected intermediate positions on the spectrum from unitary to separate-spheres household types. We find that, the more separate the decision-making in real life, the less efficient the resource allocation in the experiments. Moreover, female control of resource allocation tends to lower efficiency, in contrast to male control. The exception is a site in northern Nigeria where female control of resource allocation is well established.

Hearing Impairment and Type 1 Diabetes in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) Cohort.

To evaluate the prevalence of hearing impairment in participants with type 1 diabetes enrolled in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (DCCT/EDIC) study and compare with that of a spousal control group without diabetes. Among participants with type 1 diabetes, to evaluate the association of hearing impairment with prior DCCT therapy and overall glycemia. DCCT/EDIC participants (n = 1,150) and 288 spouses without diabetes were recruited for the DCCT/EDIC Hearing Study. All subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire, medical history, and physical measurements. Audiometry was performed by study-certified personnel; audiograms were assessed centrally. Speech-frequency (pure-tone average [PTA] thresholds at 500, 1,000, 2,000, and 4,000 Hz) and high-frequency impairment (PTA thresholds at 3,000, 4,000, 6,000, and 8,000 Hz) were defined as PTA >25 dB hearing loss. Logistic regression models were adjusted for age and sex. DCCT/EDIC participants and spousal control subjects were similar in age, race, education, smoking, and systolic blood pressure. There were no statistically significant differences between groups in the prevalence or adjusted odds of speech- or high-frequency impairment in either ear. Among participants with type 1 diabetes, for every 10% increase in the time-weighted mean HbA1c, there was a 32% (95% CI 1.15-1.50) and 19% (95% CI 1.07-1.33) increase in speech- and high-frequency hearing impairment, respectively. We found no significant difference in the prevalence of hearing impairment between the group with type 1 diabetes and the spousal control group. Among those with type 1 diabetes, higher mean HbA1c over time was associated with hearing impairment.

Peer Positive Social Control and Men's Health-Promoting Behaviors.

Men are generally thought to be less inclined to take care of their health. To date, most studies about men’s health have focused on deficits in self-care and difficulties in dealing with this sphere of their life. The present study reframes this perspective, using a salutogenic strengths-based approach and seeking to identify variables that influence men to take care of their health, rather than neglect it. This study focuses on the association between peer positive social control and men’s health behaviors, while controlling for other important individual and social determinants (sociodemographic characteristics, health self-efficacy, home neighborhood, spousal positive social control, and the restrictive emotionality norm). In a mixed-method study, 669 men answered a self-reported questionnaire, and interviews were conducted with a maximum variation sample of 31 men. Quantitative results indicated that, even after controlling for sociodemographic variables and other important factors, peer positive social control was significantly associated with the six health behaviors measured in the study (health responsibility, nutrition, physical activity, interpersonal relations, stress management, and spirituality). Interview results revealed that peer positive social control influenced men’s health behaviors through three different mechanisms: shared activity, being inspired, and serving as a positive role model for others. In summary, friends and coworkers could play a significant role in promoting various health behaviors among adult men in their daily life. Encouraging men to socialize and discuss health, and capitalizing on healthy men as role models appear to be effective ways to influence health behavior adoption among this specific population.

FOLLOWING YOUR LEAD: PATIENTS’ DIET ADHERENCE, SPOUSE AWARENESS AND INVOLVEMENT IN MANAGING DIABETES

Spouses often are involved in the day-to-day management of chronic illnesses by supporting their partners’ adherence to treatment recommendations (health-related social support), or regulating their partners’ behaviors when adherence is irregular or absent (health-related social control). Although support and control have implications for both partners, little is known about what prompts spouses’ daily involvement. Using daily diary data from 129 patients with type 2 diabetes, we found that on days when patients reported higher adherence to their diabetic diet, spouses were more aware of their partners being on track with their diet, which in turn, was related to more spousal support. On days when patients reported lower adherence, spouses were more aware of their partners being off track with their diet, which in turn, was related to more spousal control (both persuasion and pressure). Findings suggest that spouses may be appropriately calibrating their involvement in response to patients’ adherence.

Spousal positive social control and men’s health behaviors and self-efficacy

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between spousal positive social control (SPSC) and men’s health behaviors. This study also tested the mediating effect of health self-efficacy in this relationship and the moderating effects of age and relationship satisfaction (RS) in the association between SPSC and health behaviors and self-efficacy. A total of 506 unionized male workers answered a questionnaire assessing their level of health self-efficacy, how often they performed various health behaviors, and their perceptions of the frequency with which their spouse used positive social control to influence their health. Results indicated that SPSC was positively associated with health behaviors and that this association was mediated by health self-efficacy. Moderation analysis indicated that, for middle-aged and older men, SPSC was only positively associated with health self-efficacy when RS was high. Also, for older men only, when RS was low, SPSC had a backfiring effect and was negatively associated with health self-efficacy. Finally, results indicated the presence of a moderated mediation with the indirect effect of SPSC on health behaviors through health self-efficacy being moderated by age and relationship satisfaction. By indicating more precisely how, with whom, and under what circumstances SPSC can be beneficial or not, the results from this study have important implications for interventions promoting men’s health.

Depression Among Mexican Women: The Impact of Nonviolent Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Violence and Employment Status

There is significant empirical evidence documenting the link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and incidence of depression symptoms. This study explores the impact of intimate partner violence, nonviolent spousal coercive control, and women’s employment status on the incidence of depression symptoms in a sample of Mexican women. Results from regression models suggest different types of abusive relationships have differential impacts on incidence of depression. Specifically, a woman’s employment status contributed to the risk of depression in the context of prevalent nonviolent spousal controlling behaviors. On the other hand, employment status did not contribute to the risk of developing depression symptoms when women were in relationships where physical violence was not coupled with controlling behaviors. Results of the study are discussed in the context of the Mexican culture, as well as implications for the treatment of IPV among Mexican women.

Kidney Transplantation From Spousal Donors Have Excellent Patient/graft Outcomes Similar to Living Related Kidney Transplantation: 10-Year Single Mexican Center Experience.

Background: Spousal renal donation has become an important source of donor kidneys. Recent studies have shown good transplant outcomes in kidneys coming from spouses when compared to other living donors. Herein, we examined and compared our results between spousal donors and living related kidney transplantation. Methods: From 02/03 to 03/13 twenty six (n=26) spouse donor kidney transplants were performed. They were compared with an age/sex matched living related (sibling donors) kidney transplantation group (n=48). Outcomes measured were: 1-year acute rejection incidence, kidney graft function, patient/graft survival. P < 0.05 was statistically significant. Results: 63% patients were male. Mean age was 37.2 ± 9.8 years. Recipient BMI was 26.3 ± 4.2 kg/m2. 59.3% were on PD. Mean time of dialysis was 29.2 ± 20.2 months. 59.3% donor were female, donor BMI was 26.5 ± 2.5 kg/m2. There was no statistical significance between spousal donors and control group in sex, age, BMI, renal failure etiology, dialysis, donor sex and donor BMI. Spousal donors have higher eGFR (MDRD) (125.4 ± 14.3 ml/min) than control group (116.3 ± 15 ml/min) (p=0.01). Basiliximab induction was used in all (100%) spouse donors and 93.8% in control group (p=ns). 1-year acute rejection incidence was higher in spousal donor (14.8%) than group control (4.2%) (p=ns). 1-year and 5-year eGFR by MDRD were similar between groups (1-year: 61.9 ± 25.8 ml/min spouse vs. 67.6 ± 22.9 ml/min siblings) (5-year: 51.7 ± 17.2 spouse vs. 61.8 ± 28.6 ml/min) (p=ns). 10-year patient survival was 90% and control group 95% (p=ns). Uncensored 10-year graft survival was 89% in spouse donors and 79% in control group (p=ns). Conclusion: Excellent and similar results in long-term transplant outcomes are obtained in kidneys coming from spousal donors compared to living related kidney transplants. Spouse should be encouraged as living donors.

Crime and the Transition to Marriage

Influential perspectives in life course criminology maintain that marriage leads to desistance from crime, and the mechanisms are largely related to spousal social control. Whether and to what degree marriage represents a break from a criminal past might depend on the spouse’s criminal attitude. We study how changes in offending are related to marriage, and how the patterns vary by the wife’s criminal record. We use data from Norwegian administrative registers that cover the total population of all persons who married in Norway between 1997 and 2001 (N = 80,064). We use information on these persons’ criminal records in two five-year periods before and after marriage as well as information on their wives’ criminal records in the same period, to estimate the probability of offending across an 11-year period around the time of marriage. We do so in a way that takes premarital changes in criminal behaviour into account. We find that the desistance process tend to start up to several years before marriage, and that the decline is greater for those who marry a wife with a criminal record.