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Moral Theory And Moral Life, Michael Pritchard

Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Papers

This paper was originally presented as The Distinguished Scholar Award Lecture, January 25, 1996.

Predictors Of Depression Among Workers At The Time Of A Plant Closing, Nancy R. Vosler, Deborah Page-Adams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using an ecological theoretical perspective, this study of white male UAW workers stressed by a plant closing explored predictors of depression at multiple systems levels. The five best predictors of workers' depression were family strengths, age, economic strain, health, and social support. Additional bivariate predictors included self-esteem and having an alcohol problem at the individual level, marital status and family satisfaction at the family system level, and household income, home ownership, and key relationships at the social-environmental level. Implications for collaboration between direct-service and policy-practice social workers are discussed.

Improving Social Work Practice With Persons Who Are Homeless And Mentally Ill, Carol T. Mowbray, Shirley P. Thrasher, Evan Cohen, Deborah Bybee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Despite a proliferation of programs targeted for persons who are homeless and mentally ill, few reports in the literature detail the challenges experienced or strategies utilized by workers, the majority of whom are social workers. The present study reports results from two focus group sessions held with staff running a model service intervention for this population at two separate sites. The methodology that was utilized quanitified results, allowing presentation of themes, as well as comparisons of the frequency of responses across categories and by site. Staff perceived barriersa ssociatedw ith client behaviors and characteristicsp redominated at both sites. However, systemic …

A Study Of The Emotional Responses And Coping Strategies Of Male And Female Athletes With Moderate And Severe Injuries, Donna S. Eaton

Dissertations

Emotional responses and coping strategies of injured athletes was the focus of the study. Several emotions have been identified in injured athletes such as frustration, depression, anger, and shock. Questions remain whether males and females feel similar emotions and engage similar coping strategies and whether severity of injury is a significant factor in responses and coping.

Quantitative data were obtained on emotional responses and coping strategies using the Emotional Response of Athletes in Injury Questionnaire (ERAIQ), the Profile of Mood States (POMS), and the COPE. The study examined whether gender and severity of injury may influence emotional responses and coping …

Coherency Among Substance Abuse Models, Stephen Kauffman, John Poulin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social policy decisions are often made based upon socially constructed models of human behavior. As such, understanding the social constructions in a given policy area is of utmost importance. This study examines three competing models within the substance abuse area: the moral model, the disease model, and the biopsychosocial model. Utilizing survey data from a random sample telephone survey of 1,019 residents of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, the study examines a) the degree to which individual models are internally consistent between beliefs about causes and beliefs about solutions, b) whether the assumptions in competing models are in fact different; and c) …

Effects Of Exercise And Psychosocial Stress On Blood Glucose In Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetics, Lisa Renae Clemensen

Dissertations

Non-insulin dependent diabetes often has serious consequences for individuals if blood glucose is not maintained within relatively normal ranges. Exercise and stress have been enumerated as important variables for the control of blood glucose in non-insulin dependent diabetics.

This study compared blood glucose and stress for eight exercise and eight matched control non-exercise adult noninsulin dependent participants. A prospective home monitoring design was used to monitor daily blood glucose, stress, and physical activity via multiple measures for six days.

Results indicated that control participants had significantly higher average blood glucose readings and higher blood glucose variability. Daily stress measures did …

Differences In The Self-Talk Of Students With Language Impairments When Completing Math Computation And Story Problems, Jennifer Shepard Crouse

Masters Theses

This study was designed to analyze the differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with students with normal language. Nine fifth grade students with language impairments and nine fifth grade students with normal language, identified by their teachers as average-achieving, participated in this study. Participants were instructed to use a think-aloud technique while completing sets of computational and math story problems. Resulting samples of self-talk were transcribed and coded.

Results indicated several significant differences in the self-talk of students with language impairments when compared with their normal language peers. In regard to quantitative aspects of self-talk, …

Behavior And Attitudes Related To The Prevention Of Sexually Transmitted Disease And Unplanned Pregnancy, J. Lee Hoover

Dissertations

A sample of 214 persons was tested to determine the impact of gender role orientation, neuroticism, extraversion, authoritarianism, race, gender, and sexual orientation on attitudes and behavior relevant to the prevention of sexually transmitted disease and unintended pregnancy. Specifically measured was the impact of these factors on attitudes toward the condom as contraceptive, attitudes toward the condom as prophylactic, and reported condom use.

Gender role orientation was measured using the short form of the Bern Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) (Bern, 1978), neuroticism and extraversion were measured using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) (Costa & McCrae, 1992), and authoritarianism was measured …

Poverty, Family Support, And Well-Being Of Infants: Mexican Immigrant Women And Childbearing, Margaret Sherrard Sherraden, Rossana E. Barrera

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data reveal that despite high levels of poverty, Mexican immigrants have relatively few low birth weight babies. This unusual pattern suggests that there are "protective" social factors mediating the effects of povertyperhaps especially family support. Our study, based on in-depth interviews with immigrant women in Chicago, finds that family support does protect some women from delivering a low birth weight infant but it does not protect women living in extreme poverty. Implications for services to Mexican immigrant women in childbearing years and their families are presented. These findings also speak to broad issues in social policy, especially the need for …

A Validation Of Target Heartrate Formulas Used In Swimming, Tasha Kay Litwinski

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore whether procedures used to establish target heart rates (THRs) for running are applicable to front crawl swimming. Eight male and 22 female fitness swimmers from Western Michigan University participated in this study. Their exercise durations under three experimental conditions were compared. The conditions were: (a) Condition 1, a treadmill run at an intensity equal to a THR of 85% of heart rate reserve (HRR); (b) Condition 2, a front crawl swim at an intensity equal to 85% of HRR; and (c) Condition 3, a front crawl swim at an intensity equal to …

Market Mechanisms And Consumer Involvement In The Delivery Of Mental Health Services: A Uk-Us Comparison, Wes Shera

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Both the United Kingdom and the United States Are in the midst of health care reform. By focusing on services for the severely mentally ill this paper compares recent developments in managed care in the U.S. and care management in the U.K. It particularly focuses on the use of market mechanisms and consumer involvement in these reforms.