JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.. American Sociological Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Health and Social Behavior.Multiple regression analyses are used to assess the ability of the Health Belief Model to account for observed variation in a variety of preventive health behaviors (PHB) in a sample of urban adults (N = 383). In addition to the impact of the social psychological attributes posited by the Health Belief Model, the effects of the individual's social milieu on PHB are measured with and without controls for age, gender, and situational factors. The independent variables are tested in relation to two different kinds of PHB. One dependent measure is labelled Indirect Risk PHB; this is a scale composed of indicators for seat belt use, exercise and nutrition behavior, medical checkups, dental care, immunizations, and miscellaneous screening exams. The other dependent measure is called Direct Risk PHB and includes driving and pedestrian behavior, personal hygiene, and smoking behavior. Both social-psychological and social-group characteristics are important in accounting for differences in Indirect Risk PHB, but exert little influence on Direct Risk PHB. Conversely, appropriate Direct Risk PHB is strongly associated with older age and female gender, although some of the social-psychological attributes continue to have a small independent effect on this kind of PHB. A new model of PHB is tentatively proposed in order to account for the bi-dimensional character of PHB and for differences in the consistency of people's behavior.

Those who file for divorce but whose petitions are withdrawn or dismissed report higher rates of psychological distress than control group samples of divorced and married people. Reconciled couples experience high levels of domestic violence and have more serious marital complaints than those who divorce, but are not especially likely to seek professional help. Risk factors for reconciled families--and characteristics of those who reseparate or later divorce--are examined.

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