This paper reviews the empirical literature on social isolation and loneliness and identifies a wide range of published correlates. Using data from a study conducted in North Wales, which included many of the same correlated variables, a statistical modelling technique is used to refine models of isolation and loneliness by controlling for co-variance. The resulting models indicate that the critical factors for isolation are: marital status, network type and social class; and, for loneliness: network type, household composition and health.

Disabled children are significantly more likely to grow up in poverty than their nondisabled peers. We used longitudinal data from Waves 3-7 (2001Waves 3-7 ( -2005 of the UK Families and Children Study to explore the relationship between the presence of a disabled child in the family and poverty transitions. When compared to other families, families supporting a disabled child are more likely to be exposed to persistent or recurrent poverty, less likely to escape from an episode of poverty and more likely to descend into poverty. However, statistically controlling for the effects of salient family characteristics either attenuates, eliminates or reverses these associations. That is, when compared to other families with similar levels of personal and social resources, families supporting a disabled child are no more likely to escape from or descend into poverty than other families. Results are discussed in relation to the need for social policy to invest in strengthening the broader capabilities of families of disabled children.

SUMMARYThe literature on morale has identified many variables as correlates. In most instances, relationships have been sought with specific variables without taking into account the possible effects of other factors which may be responsible for the correlation. This article identifies correlating variables identified in a review of the literature and matches most of them with similar variables from a study conducted in North Wales. Bivariate and multivariate analyses are presented in an attempt to create a refinement of the model of morale. In so doing, the authors reduce the number of variables of interest by half and present a refined model which, when all other variables are controlled for, includes: health limited activities; potential carer when ill; support network type; meeting as many people as desired; self-assessed loneliness; self-assessed health.

There were few differences between families supporting or not supporting a child with disability with regard to either levels of exposure to potential trigger events or to the strength of the association between exposure and poverty transitions.

In 1992, following consultations with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the confidential inquiry into homicides and suicides by mentally ill people was set up by the United Kingdom Department of Health. The inquiry collects detailed information on contact with secondary mental health services by means of a questionnaire from clinical audit or information departments from these organisations. In Leeds, however, a wider range of available records including Coroner Reports, police, social, educational, and all health records were consulted. This resulted in a series of health/life event histories of suicide cases that had been in contact with psychiatric services. This paper presents an exploratory analysis of these data. The Leeds suicide cases formed less than one-third of all suicide cases in Leeds; the remainder had not come into contact with psychiatric services. This proportion is consistent with the U.K. national figures. Records show that 46% of the sample's first contact with the psychiatric services was through a first failed attempted suicide. Other results include the role of prescribed drugs in repeat suicide attempts, education levels, and employment stability. It is concluded that the link between mental illness and suicide is questionable. Life event history type data on all suicide cases is desperately required to study suicide as a social process.