Digital Commons Network^™

The Efficacy Of St. Francis Halfway House Residential Treatment Services For Adults Diagnosed With Borderline Personality Disorder, Teri Dimond

Theses and Graduate Projects

Borderline Personality Disorder is difficult to treat, and diagnosed more prevalently in women. Individuals with this mental disorder are treated in a number of ways in Minnesota, including residential treatment services. This comparative study examines the effectiveness of residential treatment services for adults diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder at St. Francis Halfway House. In studying the effectiveness of this treatment modality, two variables; discharge to a less restrictive environment, and with staff approval, are explored to determine treatment success.

Women's Pathways: Identifying Access Points To Leadership, Jody A. Rosenbloom

Theses and Graduate Projects

This thesis explores women's access to leadership positions and how women's life choices affect their leadership options. The hypotheses of the study include: 1) the assumption that gender affects access to leadership positions, 2) the discovery of a balance in role juggling is crucial to maintaining a leadership role, and 3) the access points to recruit and retain women in leadership positions can be enhanced. Beginning with the premise that it is desirable to have women in leadership roles, r review of literature explores the leadership, history, and sociology that is specific to leadership access and the portrayal of gender …

Evaluating The Effectiveness Of A Peer Mediation Program In A Elementary School, Dawn E. Berg

Theses and Graduate Projects

With the rise of violence in our society, communities, schools, and homes, we are challenged to find peaceful ways to resolve conflicts and learn how to live cooperatively with one another. Peer mediation programs in schools have been used as part of the solution to this challenge of preventing violence. This research study surveyed students who were trained as peer mediators and their parents to identify their perceptions of the effectiveness of a Peer Mediation Program and Sibley Elementary School in Albert Lea, Mn. Data analysis was limited by the small sample size and lack of comparison; however, findings did …

Client Survey Of A Group Treatment Model For Adult Women Incest Survivors, Kristen A. Atmore

Theses and Graduate Projects

The problem of incest has been brought more and more out into the public eye in recent. As this recognition has increased, the growth in knowledge about how to treat incest has been enormous. Many clinicians and researchers agree the long term effects of incest can be very numerous and complex resulting in such symptoms as: chemical abuse, anorexia, self-mutilation, suicide attempts, depression, marital and parenting difficulties. Many therapists also believe that long-term therapy is necessary in the recovery process. However, there is little outcome evaluation for long-term, sexual abuse survivors groups in the literature.

This is an exploratory client …

A Study Of Resident And Family Psychosocial Needs In Nursing Homes, Kathryn A. Rasmussen

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study sought to explore the attitudes of nursing home social workers regarding the relative importance of resident and family psychosocial needs and the frequency of psychosocial care functions performed by nursing home social workers. Previous research has shown that 30% of residents in-a typical nursing home, on average, will experience problems achieving psychosocial well-being' Of this 30% , 2/3 will also have serious behavior and/or mood problems related to psychosocial distress. The nursing home social worker faces the challenge of trying to meet the psychosocial heeds of nursing home residents. Because of the difficulty of this task it is …

The Process Of Implementing An Un-Doing Racism Through Inclusiveness Plan: A Case Study, Megan C. Toal

Theses and Graduate Projects

The United Way of Minneapolis has recently required all funded agencies to develop a plan to become more racially inclusive. The plan addresses five areas: governance, human resources, programming, administration, and community contacts. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of what the process of implementing an inclusiveness project looked like in one metropolitan social service agency, Theoretical and conceptual frameworks were derived from literature on organizational behavior, in addition to research on the history of exclusionary and differential practices in social work towards people of color.

Individual interviews, focus groups, and written documentation of the process …

A Program To Facilitate, Integrate, And Transform Masculinity And Femininity In Teachers To Enhance Wholeness And Creativity, Gwenneth A. Litke

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this paper is to provide school social workers with a program to facilitate the integration of teachers' masculine and feminine dimensions. Any changes in teachers will have an effect on students' wholeness and broader implications within the school. The program focuses on the integral role of one's family in nurturing or limiting the psychological characteristics of masculinity and femininity. Strategies are provided to increase creativity, enhance learning for students, and decrease gender stereotyping. The program offers personal and professional growth to teachers in an effort to provide a more creative and energetic learning environment for students.

Client Satisfaction With Transition Services Provided By Hennepin County, Services For Persons With Disabilities, Julie Zinski

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore client satisfaction with transition services provided through Hennepin County, Services for Persons with Disabilities. Historically, few studies have been conducted in the literature that address satisfaction of people with disabilities in the services they receive. Without this important element in developing and implementing new programs, complete success cannot be achieved.

In this study, individuals who were receiving services through the program for a period of six months or more, and were between the ages of 18 and 23, were selected to be contacted by mail to participate in an interview. The study …

Evaluation Of The Crisis Intervention Program In A Family Preservation Services Agency, Mary Lou Kley

Theses and Graduate Projects

This is an investigative and evaluative study of a Crisis Intervention Program, part of Family Preservation Services. It is in response to issues concerning the effectiveness of Family Preservation Services and how that effectiveness is measured. An inductive analysis of case records was performed to gain a better understanding of factors which contributed to putting families at risk of placing children out of the home, what interventions were used that seemed to benefit most, and the experiences and techniques of the crisis intervention workers that seemed most helpful in resolving family crises. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from in-take …

Case Manager's Perceptions Of The Use And Effectiveness Of Sanctions In The Stride Program, Suzanne Hansen

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study explores the perceptions that case managers have regarding the use and effectiveness of sanctions in the STRIDE program. STRIDE is Minnesota's welfare reform effort which came out of the federal Family Support Act of 1 988. Ninety-four case managers through out Minnesota were surveyed. Participants shared their views on the purpose and results of sanctions with mandated school attenders. Participants also shared ideas for alternative approaches to sanctioning. A review of the literature explored theories of motivation, learned helplessness and social obligation which provide a foundation for the study. The effectiveness, advantages and disadvantages of mandatory welfare programs …

Minneapolis Kinship Mentoring Program: A Descriptive And Exploratory Study, Susan J. Kramer

Theses and Graduate Projects

Children are growing up with a diminished level of adult contact that affects their social and emotional well-being. Structured adult-to-youth mentoring programs provide stable, caring adult mentors for youth in need of additional adult support. This qualitative study describes the Kinship Program, its program population and explores the nature of mentoring relationships between children and mentors from the Minneapolis Kinship Program. For this thesis, personal interviews were conducted with parents whose children were matched with mentors from the Kinship Program. Fourteen interviews were completed; this was a 47 percent response rate. Interview results indicated that parents believed mentors developed trust …

School Social Workers' Perceptions Of Their Role In Preventing And Eliminating Discrimination Toward Gay, Lesbian And Bisexual Students, Jennifer E. Corniea

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this research was to explore school social workers' perceptions of their role in advocating for and providing services to gay, lesbian and bisexual students. The focus of the research was on Minnesota school social workers who were working in a school(s) which served any grade between sixth and twelfth. The research design included both qualitative and quantitative methods. A survey was developed and distributed to 250 school social workers in Minnesota. Ninety-eight of those who were eligible for the research elected to participate. Findings indicate that school social workers assume a variety of roles within the school …

The Degree Of Agreement In Defining Child Maltreatment Among Hennepin County Child Protection Workers In Minnesota, Emily Sprague Ryan

Theses and Graduate Projects

State laws set broad and vague limits on defining child maltreatment. Varying interpretations may occur between communities and within communities when defining maltreatment. The purpose of this study was to describe how consistent social workers at Hennepin County child protection define child maltreatment. The study analyzed any differences among the workers through examining background of the worker. The study involved an anonymous survey of 160 workers. The study findings indicated that workers were inconsistent 50% of the time The study was inconclusive in determining if position, race, age, years in social work, or years in current position changed perceptions of …

A Measure Of Success In An Alternative Junior High School, Jana B. Dannemiller

Theses and Graduate Projects

This project examined three aspects of the Alternative Junior High School program at Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC), a social service agency in North Minneapolis. One aspect was this program's ability to retain students at risk of dropping-out of the educational system. A second was to examine whether the program increased the academic performance and attendance rates of these students. Finally, aspects of the program that students described as helpful are reported, as well as those that they described as needing improvement. The study compared the academic performance and attendance rates of the students in their last semester of public …

Women Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury, Wendy N. Gomez

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this qualitative, exploratory study is to determine the effects of traumatic brain injuries on the lives of women, based on self-report. This research consisted of face to face interviews with five female head injury survivors. The interview schedule, a structured list of open-ended questions, focused on issues of family system, social, physical, cognitive and emotional changes, effects on employment and experience with formal and informal community services. As theoretical frameworks I discuss Kubler- Ross's theory of grief and loss, the ABC-X model of stress and adaptation, and the body of head injury research which has focused largely …

Self-Reports About Homelessness: Single Women With Children, Kristen J. Pederson

Theses and Graduate Projects

The number of homeless families is on the rise. ln 1989 more than 60,000 families nationwide, four times the number recorded in 1984, were in homeless shelters. Seventy to ninety percent of homeless families are headed by women. To better understand the causes of homelessness this study obtained self-reports from 16 women with children residing in a metropolitan homeless shelter. An exploratory study was conducted using a questionnaire that gathered quantitative and qualitative data regarding demographics, reasons for homelessness, and preventative measures. Consistent with other research, the findings indicate varied reasons for homelessness including: circumstantial events, lack of relational support, …

Empowerment Of Patients In Health Care And Its Impact On Their Behavior, Laurie Dahley

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to determine if the lack empowerment in health care is demonstrated in overt negative behavior in patients. Previous research demonstrated increases in perception of pain, depression, and noncompliance with the medical regime to be common responses to the lack of empowerment. As the incenter hemodialysis population has a highly restricted medical regime, they were utilized as the subjects for this study.

An exploratory study utilizing existing data was conducted at Dakota Hospital Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota. Nursing care plans were screened to identify the negative behavior in question for all patients currently …

Treatment Foster Parents' Perceptions Of Their Role With The Primary Family Of Foster Youth, Sheila M. Schmaltz

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study provides a description of treatment foster parents' perceptions of their role with the primary family of foster youth. This study also identifies a baseline measure of treatment foster parents' perceptions which can be utilized for agency program planning, policy and administration. The study sample includes 98 treatment foster parents licensed by the state of North Dakota, and supervised by Professional Association of Treatment Homes (PATH). A mail survey explores different levels of involvement between the treatment foster family and the foster child's primary family, whether or not treatment foster parents believe they can impact the primary families of …

Resiliency In Children: Identifying And Nurturing Coping Skills Through Outpatient Mental Health Services, Sharon Michel

Theses and Graduate Projects

Resiliency is the ability to adapt successfully despite living in adverse conditions. It involves negotiation between risk and protective factors. Researchers have found that resiliency is not necessarily constant but rather contextual. Therefore, characteristics of resiliency, once identified, can be nurtured and to some extent taught. This research study attempts to identify characteristics of resiliency in children who are brought to an outpatient mental health center for behavioral difficulties and assess whether treatment services nurture such characteristics Problem and competence scales were collected from the parents about their children at intake and again for this study. A comparison was made …

How Do Older Citizens Perceive Community Needs And Define The Roles Of Senior Volunteers In Meeting These Needs?, Twyla R. Busse

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to explore older adults' perceptions of community needs in education, basic human needs, the environment, and public safety and to define the role(s) older volunteers might play in addressing these needs. It was hypothesized that if older adults were given the opportunity to speak about their perceptions, they would be willing to address the identified needs through volunteerism. Data were gathered through 3 focus groups involving 20 Greater St. Cloud Area RSVP participants between the ages of 60 and 7O.

Findings indicate that older adults do perceive a number of needs in the community …

Implications Of Play Behavior In Relation To Time Designated In The Kindergarten Curriculum, Marilee Mowry

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study investigated the relationship between the duration of free play periods and the social and cognitive levels of play in kindergarten. The play of forty-one children in an elementary school in Saint Paul, Minnesota was observed during fifteen minute and thirty minute play sessions over a four week period using Rubin's social-cognitive scale. It was hypothesized that the children would exhibit a higher percentage of mature play categories, an increase in social cognitive play behaviors, and a higher percentage of positive affect, relative to other forms of play during the longer play periods than during the shorter play sessions. …

Parent Preference Of Time Allocations For Academic Skills, Functional Skills, And Social/Friendship Development For Students Who Are Moderately Or Severely Impaired, Lois Denise Fischer Cranston

Theses and Graduate Projects

Parents of students with moderate and severe/profound impairment were asked to indicate preferences of how educational time should be allocated to the skill clusters of academic skills, functional skills, social/friendship skills, and other educational activities. This study is a replication of two studies conducred by Dr. Susan Hamre-Nietupski at the Universiry of Iowa in 1992 and 1993. The 1992 study was conducted with Dr. John Nietupski and Marlene Srrathe, and rhe 1993 study with the cooperation of the State Department of Iowa. The parents were asked to complete a survey consisting of three components. The components included demographic data, a …

Ascertaining The Long-Term Effectiveness Of Interventions For At Risk Students Using Follow-Up Study Data Of Mounds View Area Learning Center Graduates, Beth A. Dixon

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examined data to determine the long-term effectiveness of interventions at the Mounds View Area Learning Center (MVALC), an alternative school for at risk students in Shoreview, Minnesota. Interventions, structural, curricular, and personnel modifications to traditional educational approaches, are designed to retain and graduate at risk students. Two questions were posed: l) Have at risk students been able to make a successful transition frorn high school to post-high; and 2) Were the interventions used in helping them succeed in high school helpful after high school? Questionnaires were administered to subjects who graduated between September 1990 and June 1993, having …

Effective Leadership Styles And Methods: A Survey Of Opinions Of Faculty And Management At Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College, Judith A. Sanchez

Theses and Graduate Projects

The hierarchically structured Wisconsin lndianhead Technical College, New Richmond, Wisconsin, is considering implementing Total Quality Management/Continuous lmprovement Process (TQM/CIP) districtwide. The purpose of this study was to determine opinions held by faculty and management employed by that district regarding what constitutes effective leadership methods/styles and to assess whether differences existed between faculty and management groups regarding these opinions. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to all full-time district faculty and management. Two-hundred fourteen questionnaires were distributed, and 1 54 were returned for a return rate of 71 .9 percent. The questionnaire included 24 semantic differentiated items on a seven-point scale, …

An Analysis Of The Ethical Climate Of An Army Reserve Command Using The Integrity Audit Survey, Cornelius K. Hetherington

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to measure the ethical climate of a major Army Reserve Command (ARCOU). This is a significant study in light of the recent changes the Army Reserve, and the military in greneral , has been reguired to make. The study looks to determine whether or not changes such as downsizing, unit inactivations and cutbacks in personnel and funding have influenced the ethical climate of the organization. The Integrity Audit Survey was the instrument used in the study. Nine subordinate companies of 382 soldiers were surveyed. The results were measured against the six factors of the …