Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Social Response To The First "A" Alert Of The Parkfield Earthquake Prediction Experiment, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Paul W. O'Brien

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

To Survive And To Thrive: Integrating Services For The Homeless Mentally Ill, Marie D. Hoff, Katherine H. Briar, Kristin Knighton, Angie Van Ry

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

An intervention research project with homeless, chronically mentally ill persons demonstrated that linking rehabilitation services, such as employment skills and psycho-social stabilization, with survival services promotes success in serving this population. The project confirmed the central role of case managers in promoting engagement with mental health services and re-integration into stable community living.

Rediscovering The Asylum, Sharon M. Keigher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Spending a night at a typical big city shelter for the homeless has reminded the author of the massive and regimented environment in institutions that she had mistakenly believed no longer existed after the much acclaimed "deinstitutionalization" of America. St. Mary's is run by a religious order attempting to provide charitable care in a nondemanding environment. Many demands are made, however. The lack of privacy and respect for individuality inherent in institutional life tends to erode the "inmate's" very conception of self. It controls their activities, time, and choices, and thus creates barriers to exit. Providing "shelter" for the homeless …

Assessing The Impact Of Serving The Long-Term Mentally Disabled Homeless, Laura E. Blankertz, Ram A. Cnaan, Marlene Saunders

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Homelessness has emerged as a major social problem. In an attempt to understand this problem, attention has been focused on postulating its causes, describing the individuals who hold this status, and estimating its magnitude. This study assesses the outcome of one social service program for long-term mentally disabled homeless individuals. It includes a synopsis of the state of the art in serving homeless individuals with severe mental health problems; a description of a program created to meet their needs; and an analysis of the outcome of this program.

Homeless Persons' Interest In Basic And Health Services: The Role Of Absolute, Relative, And Repressed Needs, Russell K. Schutt

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study describes and explains the interest of homeless persons in housing, economic, and health-related services with intake interview data collected by a large urban shelter for single adults. Shelter guests were most interested in assistance with housing, job, and economic benefits, rather than health services. Three explanations of variation in service interests are identified: the "absolute needs" explanation expects service interests to vary directly with service needs, the "repressed needs" explanation expects service interests to vary inversely with alcoholism and mental illness, while the "relative needs" explanation expects interest in health-related services to be related to health needs, but …

An Analysis Of Substance Abusers' Field Dependence & Time Spent In Rehabilitative Therapy, Robert Fane

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This project was designed to determine if significant differences existed between the level of psychological differentiation, as determined by the Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT), of individuals entering a treatment center for chemical dependency and the length of stay at the facility.

The subjects consisted of 43 white males who were seeking treatment for addiction to mood altering chemicals at a regional treatment facility in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Each subject was interviewed to collect pertinent background information pertaining to past substance abuse and was evaluated to determine psychological differentiation, utilizing the GEFT.

It was determined through an analysis of variance …

University Students' Personal Histories And Alcohol Programs: A Naturalistic Study, Alexandra E. Michaels

Dissertations

Using a naturalistic inquiry approach, this study sought to generate (a) new insights into the troubling problem of student alcohol abuse as well as (b) a new theoretical basis for alcohol programs. The purpose of the study was to provide a comprehensive understanding of the experiences and characteristics of college students who have discontinued abusive drinking. Using an interview methodology, three main issues were examined: (1) the environmental and personal factors that influenced the participants' drinking behavior and related problems, (2) the factors which hindered or assisted participants in setting and achieving a goal of sobriety or establishing a nonabusive …

The Effects Of Training And Experience On The Ability To Detect Relapse Precipitants In A Substance Abuse Client, Michael F. Sunich

Dissertations

This study examined the effects of training and experience on counselors' ability to detect relapse precipitants in substance abuse clients. Eighty counselor trainees from Western Michigan University and the University of Northern Colorado participated. They were classified as to their previous level of experience and then exposed to either the treatment condition or the control condition. Pretest-posttest data were gathered using a modified version of the Alcohol Confidence Questionnaire (Annis & Graham, 1988) (ACQ-M).

The findings from this study suggest that counselors with previous substance abuse experience tend to show less confidence in a client's ability to remain abstinent than …

Examination Of Community Mental Health Services For Persons With Serious Mental Illness: A Descriptive Study Of 31 Counties In Michigan, Pamela C. Werner

Masters Theses

Thirty-one out of 55 Community Mental Health Boards participated in a survey conducted by the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Michigan. This study examined a number of variables in the questionnaire using a product-moment correlational analysis.

Results indicated that family and consumer input is modestly correlated with comprehensive service delivery and staff/consumer education and training. Budget and the active number of mentally ill cases had a low correlation with comprehensive service delivery and staff/consumer education and training. Interagency collaboration was modestly correlated with program evaluation, and comprehensive services available to consumers. Weaknesses were noted in the management structure of …

Predisposing Psychological Factors In The Development Of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy: A Review Of The Empirical Evidence, Stephen Bruehl, Charles R. Carlson

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Objective: To examine the literature for evidence that psychological factors predispose certain individuals to development of reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD).

Data Sources: English-language journal articles that described psychological data on patients diagnosed with RSD, identified through Medline search and bibliography reviews.

Study Selection: All studies reporting data on psychological factors in adult, adolescent, or child patients with RSD were included.

Data Extraction: We extracted data regarding psychological factors in patients with RSD and assessed validity of these studies through evaluation against seven basic research criteria.

Data Synthesis: Of the 20 articles reviewed, 15 reported the presence of depression, anxiety, and/or …

Interactive And Higher-Order Effects Of Social Influences On Drug Use, Alan W. Stacy, Michael D. Newcomb, Peter M. Bentler

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

The study of moderators and higher-order effects of social influences on drug use has many implications for theories of health behavior. In the present study, we investigated the longitudinal predictive effects of some of the prominent moderator variables that represent forms of susceptibility toward social influence in teenage drug use. We also studied the possibility that social influence may predict drug use in nonlinear (quadratic) forms, consistent with theories proposing that threshold or decelerating effects may occur in social influences on normatively sanctioned behaviors. Results showed that several of the interactive and quadratic predictive effects were significant. The findings supported …

Assessment Of The Relationship Between Regular Fitness Activity And Sexual Functioning In Women, Joanne Kolean-Burley

Masters Theses

This study assessed differences between female aerobic exercisers and nonexercisers in sexual functioning and arousability. Fourteen exercisers and 6 nonexercisers between the ages of 19 and 52 participated in the study. All subjects were involved in an ongoing sexual relationship with a duration of at least 3 months. Sexual functioning, satisfaction, and arousability were assessed through two self-report measures, the Sexual Interaction Inventory (LoPiccolo & Steger, 1978) and the Sexual Arousability Inventory (Hoon, Hoon, & Wincze, 1976); sexual arousability also was assessed through two extragenital physiological measures during exposure to erotic stimuli under laboratory conditions.

The results indicated that there …

The Supreme Court As Risk Manager: An Analysis Of Skinner, Todd F. Volyn, James F. Mogan, Lisa M. White

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Examining a recent case in which the U.S. Supreme Court approved the collection of blood and urine samples from railroad employees, the authors conclude that, in attempting to improve railroad safety, both majority and minority opinions reflected undue emphasis on technical issues and inadequate attention to the intangible social values underlying traditional Constitutional rights to privacy.

Book Review, Jennifer L. Frizzell

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the following: THOMAS SZASZ, OUR RIGHT TO DRUGS: THE CASE FOR A FREE MARKET. (Praeger 1992) [164 pp.] Notes, bibliography, name index, notes, preface, subject index. LC: 91-30378; ISBN: 0-275-94216-3. [Cloth $19.95. P.O. Box 5007, Westwood CT 06881-9990.]

The Impact Of An Incentive/Competition Program On Participation And Smoking Cessation Among High Risk Smokers At The Worksite, Dyann M. Matson

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

This study compared the effectiveness of a multicomponent smoking cessation/reduction program (”M") at one worksite (N = 81), with the same program plus incentives and team competition ("I") at a second worksite (N = 68). Incentives were discontinued at six months. A third worksite (N = 36) received a traditional smoking cessation program ("T').

The "I" program attracted a higher percentage of hourly (blue-collar) smokers (18.5%) compared to the "M" program (9.3%), or the "T" program (7.9%). Incentives with competition were also effective for improving abstinence for as long as 6 months (41%) compared to the "M" program (23%), and …

Characteristics Of Habitual Dysfunctional Behaviors, Carole Ryan Serena

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The suggestion that habitual dysfunctional behavior disorders (HDBs) have a common underlying cluster of addictive characteristics and dynamics is new. A broad research base which would support this theory has not kept current with clinical In order successes. In order to address the need for relevant research, an anonymous cross sectional study was designed to identify, describe and compare variables associated with 15 habitual dysfunctional behaviors (HDBs) in a sample (N =176) from a broad spectrum of socioeconomic groups.

People reporting two different HDBs (alcohol and food-related behaviors) were compared to those not reporting any HDBs on levels of four …

The Effects Of Music Listening And Progressive Muscle Relaxation On The Anxiety Level Of Adjudicated Adolescent Males In A Residential Treatment Setting, Ned David Gladfelter

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music listening and progressive muscle relaxation on the anxiety level of adjudicated adolescent males. Sixty-five delinquent, adolescent males in a residential treatment facility took part in either a music listening treatment, a progressive muscle relaxation treatment (Bernstein & Borkovec, 1973), or a combination of both methods, and the effects of each approach on the self-perceived anxiety level of the subjects were determined.

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger, 1983) and a Subjective Units of Discomfort Scale were used to measure levels of anxiety. Data gathered from these instruments revealed that …

The Withering Of Community Life And The Growth Of Emotional Disorders, Thomas F. Maher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The architecture of this essay is as follows: I begin by assaying the communitarian crisis of the modern western world. Second, I offer a brief narrative of the social and cultural variables that foster rootlessness and social disintegration in much of urban industrial life. Third, I state a strong case for how this same process may be systematically undermining the nuclear family as a life-long community, threatening the dependence of children on care-giving adults, and, thereafter, the psychological development of children.

The Mmpi-2 Clinical Scales And Clinical Diagnosis: Differentiating Between Schizophrenic And Bipolar-Manic Disorders, Laura M. Volkmann

Student Dissertations & Theses

The validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) clinical scales in differentiating schizophrenia and bipolar-manic disorders was evaluated in terms of MMPI-2 congruence with psychiatric hospital treatment team diagnoses. From a pool of 286 MMPI-2 profiles, valid profiles were obtained on 5 schizophrenia (paranoid type) inpatients and 5 bipolar-manic disordered psychiatric inpatients and were assessed by using each of four MMPI profile classification methods. Overall, the rate of agreement between treatment team diagnosis and the MMPI profile classification methods for both the schizophrenia (paranoid type) and bipolar-manic disordered groups was inconclusive. The results suggest that the MMPI-2 is of …

Cognitive Disability Theory As A Basis For Activity Analysis For Elderly Persons With Dementia, Deborah S. Kaeser

Masters Theses

Allen's (1985) Cognitive Disability approach provides a guideline for modifying the cognitive demands of an activity to match the abilities of an individual. Thirty older adults with a mean age of 78.1 years and a diagnosis indicating an irreversible dementia were selected for the study. A counterbalanced design was used to compare the performance of 15 individuals with a Level Three cognitive ability and 15 individuals with a Level Four cognitive ability on two tiling craft activities: one with Level Three cognitive demands and one with Level Four cognitive demands. Analysis of variance indicated a significant interaction between cognitive level …

Housing, Community Support, And Homelessness: Emerging Policy In Mental Health Systems, Paul J. Carling

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article summarizes the dramatic changes in public policy through which public mental health systems are attempting to meet the housing and community support needs of persons with severe and persistent mental illnesses, including those who are homeless. It traces the historical approach to meeting these needs through defining people principally as patients and providing some combination of psychotropic medications, outpatient therapy, and structured, supervised quasi-institutional settings such as group homes, shelters, and segregated single-room-occupancy, or board-and-care facilities. A transition phase in public policy has emphasized defining these individuals essentially as service recipients who need greater or lesser amounts of …

The Kindred Bonds Of Mentally Ill Homeless Persons, Richard C. Tessler, Gail M. Gamache, Peter H. Rossi, Anthony F. Lehman, Howard H. Goldman

New England Journal of Public Policy

While the unraveling of the kinship bond has long been suspected to play a role in the epidemiology of homelessness, the connection between kinship and homelessness has been little studied. Based on a normative analysis of the role of family structure in response to adversity, this article explores the impact of the amount and quality of kinship ties on episodes of homelessness experienced by discharged psychiatric patients in Ohio. Survey data derived from personal interviews with both former patients and their kin indicate more strain in relations with kin of the homeless than the nonhomeless. The strain in the kinship …

Program Design And Clinical Operation Of Two National Va Initiatives For Homeless Mentally Ill Veterans, Robert Rosenheck, Catherine A. Leda, Peggy Gallup

New England Journal of Public Policy

In 1987, in response to reports of large numbers of veterans among America's homeless, the Department of Veterans Affairs established two new national health care initiatives, which have seen over 40,000 homeless veterans since their inception. We present here evaluation and treatment data on a sample of 14,000 of them. Because of differences in their design, the two programs vary in the degree to which they emphasize community outreach, homelessness prevention, and the provision of aftercare services to patients discharged from other VA programs. In spite of these differences, veterans treated in the two programs have similar health care problems …

Homelessness, Alcohol, And Other Drug Abuse: Research Traditions And Policy Responses, Gerald R. Garrett

New England Journal of Public Policy

Although homeless alcoholics and other drug abusers more often elicit public scorn than sympathy, ironically they enjoy a celebrity status as research subjects. This article provides an overview of research literature on the homeless and their alcohol and drug problems. The evolution of public policies concerning control, rehabilitation, and treatment of homeless substance abusers is also traced with special attention to the interaction between scientific literature and policy responses over the past century. Although homeless populations today are more diverse than their counterparts in earlier decades, the analysis suggests that the policies and programs developed in response to the crisis …

Ending Homelessness Among Mentally Disabled People, Steven A. Hitov

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines some of the many shortcomings of the mental health system operated by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) and explores the impact of that system on single homeless individuals who suffer from some form of serious or long-term mental disability. To afford that discussion context, however, the article first briefly examines those forces which have, and have not, significantly contributed to the large number of mentally disabled homeless persons. It suggests certain changes, including a shift in departmental focus from hospitals to community services and the creation of a housing subsidy system exclusively for DMH clients, …

The Manufacture Of Dependency: Shelterization Revisited, Kostas Gounis

New England Journal of Public Policy

Emergency shelters have been the most comprehensive and enduring response to homelessness in the United States, with New York City leading the way since the early 1980s. Shelters have emerged as a hybrid between a degraded type of "public housing" and a new form of "institutionalization." The persistence of shelter dependency, or "shelterization," is an intractable problem that frustrates policymakers and service providers. Popular among certain circles of professional pathologists is the view that shelterization is a form of "adaptation" to the violent, anomic, and generally antisocial environment of the shelter. This explanation of shelter dependency is theoretically flawed and …

The New England Shelter For Homeless Veterans: A Unique Approach, Ken Smith, James M. Yates

New England Journal of Public Policy

It has been estimated that veterans comprise one third of the homeless population. To combat this national disgrace, many small veterans' groups have been formed nationwide to serve their homeless "brothers" in such settings as shelters, group homes, and outreach centers.

A Boston group, the Vietnam Veterans Workshop, based its New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans on the simple but powerful concept of veteran helping veteran. The shelter created a program to accomplish three important functions: providing the basic necessities of a bed, a meal, clothing, and a hot shower; rehabilitating the veterans by offering various activities to comfort and …

Aggressive Outreach To Homeless Mentally Ill People, Ellen Nasper, Melissa Curry, Elizabeth Omara-Otunnu

New England Journal of Public Policy

Historically, people with chronic mental illnesses have been particularly at risk for homelessness. In 1984, the Connecticut Department of Mental Health (DMH) articulated policy to insure housing for mentally ill persons. One facet of that policy is to increase mental health services to homeless people. The Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center has addressed this need through the formation of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). This article describes the development, organization, clinical work, and future of HOT. The team is run jointly by the Mental Health Center (funded through DMH) and Family Service-Woodfield, a United Way-funded agency that provides case …

The Pendulum Swings: How Changes In Federal And State Policy Have Affected The Status Of Homeless People With Mental Illness In Ohio, Kim Bryant

New England Journal of Public Policy

Public policy in the problem areas of homelessness and mental illness has been reactive, rather than proactive, for the past thirty to forty years. As a result of this approach, federal and state policies have swung, like a pendulum, from one extreme to the other, taking the homeless mentally ill population on a most difficult ride. Public policies concerning these issues must become proactive, even if it means a complete overhauling of federal and state social service systems. Only with proactive policies will mentally ill individuals, and all people, have the housing, food, and health care they need, and the …

Victimization And Homelessness: Cause And Effect, Pamela J. Fischer

New England Journal of Public Policy

The literature on the contemporary homeless population is reviewed to examine the association of victimization with homelessness. Although few studies have specifically focused on victimization, findings derived from studies investigating pathways to homelessness, prevalence of health, mental health, and substance-use disorders, and demographic profiles and life histories suggest that victimization both causes homelessness and is an outcome of losing housing. Causal sequences ending in homelessness most frequently involve domestic violence, which mainly affects women, although other types of abuse may extrude individuals from their established housing. Once they become homeless, the risk of violence escalates for people living on the …