Maxwell School News and Commentary

Merril Silverstein, Marjorie Cantor Endowed Professor of Aging Studies and chair of sociology, has edited and written the introduction for “Aging Families in Chinese Society” (Routledge, 2022), which was recently released in paperback.

“Social Infrastructure Availability and Suicide Rates among Working-Age Adults in the United States,” co-authored by Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat, was published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World.

Women in Bangladesh suffer disproportionately during floods, as Farhana Sultana, professor of geography and the environment, has documented in a study, in part because they bear the brunt of responsibility for managing water and food for their household, as well as taking care of their children.

"Gender Differences in Adults with ADHD," co-authored by Professor of Sociology Andrew London, was published in the Clinical Handbook of ADHD Assessment and Treatment Across the Lifespan.

“Social media works a lot like any other type of addictive drug,” says Alexandra Punch, director of the Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health. “When you utilize these services, it triggers dopamine responses and serotonin responses in the brain, so it also increases your craving for more of that same thing.”

Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, says the authority should install at least small metal gates to make the system safer. “It’s better than nothing,” she says. “If there’s somebody pushed, just by accident, and if you have metal bars, I think that would definitely help.”

"Becoming sandwiched in later life: Consequences for individuals’ well-being and variation across welfare regimes," co-authored by Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein, was published in The Journals of Gerontology.

Shana Gadarian, professor and chair of political science, co-authored a chapter in the Oxford Handbook of Political Psychology 3rd Edition titled "Emotion and Political Psychology."

“Suicide was always a men’s issue,” says Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. During the pandemic, “suddenly, women’s suffering became visible.” For the first time, “the government was forced to confront an approach to suicide prevention that had previously focused exclusively on middle-aged men.” 

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says no single law will solve the issues of gun violence. “You have to think very specifically about it,” Reeher says. “There is no one blanket policy that is going to say, ‘OK, this is going to reduce gun violence and it is going to apply equally to everybody.’ You have to think of the pockets and where the risk is.”