Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Women And Homelessness: Evidence Of Need To Look Beyond Shelters To Long Term Social Service Assistance And Permanent Housing, Elizabeth Huttman, Sonjia Redmond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on two surveys of staff in 25 homeless shelters in the San Francisco Bay area, this study focuses on services to homeless women and their children. Both the advantages and disadvantages of shelter living are discussed, as well as obstacles to moving homeless women and their children into permanent housing. The survey finds that there is a need for rapid movement out of the shelters and a concomitant need for long term social services.

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.

An Arbitrary Matching Training Supplement To The Avc Discrimination Test, Charles P. Buller

Masters Theses

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required only very simple equipment. Davine (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine looked at four experimental steps designed to test this notion. The results of this study were inconclusive. Wilson (1991) tested the same notion by devising a series of nonidentity matching tasks which were generally found to be …

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 …

Homeless In Philadelphia: A Qualitative Study Of The Impact Of State Welfare Reform On Individuals, Anthony Halter

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although homelessness is not a new problem, the faces of the homeless are changing. For many, the term "homeless person" conjures up the image of a skid row alcoholic. However, the homeless now include unskilled middle-aged males, the chronically mentally ill, and families (Chaiklin, 1985). The reasons for the amplification of homelessness include unemployment, insufficient low-cost housing, alcohol and/or drug addiction, mental health deinstitutionalization and the inadequacy of community-based services. In addition, advocates for the homeless including Mitch Snyder (1986) and Jan Hagen (1986) have argued that federal and state welfare policy changes have served to shift potentially at-risk populations …

Acting On Their Own Behalf: Affiliation And Political Mobilization Among Homeless People, Marcia B. Cohen, David Wagner

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Homeless people have been portrayed in the literature as passive, isolated, and unable to act on their own behalf. The authors discuss the findings of an ethnographic study of homeless activists which challenge the stereotypical view of homeless people as disaffiliated and disempowered. Collective social action was found to have a long term impact on access to material resources, development of social networks, and construction of positive homeless identity.

An Arbitrary Matching Training Supplement To The Avc Discrimination Test, Charles P. Butler

Masters Theses

Kerr, Meyerson and Flora (1977) devised a series of small learning tasks that could be used to assess developmentally disabled individuals on the typical tasks to be performed in a school setting or sheltered workshop and required only very simple equipment. Davine (1990) suggested that there may be transitional skills between AVC levels IV and V not found by Kerr et al. Davine looked at four experimental steps designed to test this notion. The results of this study were inconclusive. Wilson (1991) tested the same notion by devising a series of non identity matching tasks which were generally found to …

The Construction Of The Right To Development: The United Nations, Human Rights, And Economic Development, Nader Izzat Said

Dissertations

The origins of human rights are of interest to social scientists. This study focuses on the construction process of the right to development as related to the UN. The emphasis is on the claims-making processes surrounding the creation of the right to development. To understand these processes, a theoretical framework has been developed. This framework combines interactionism, collective-behavior approaches, a dialectical theory of law-creation, and a capitalist world-economy theory. It is expected that this theoretical framework will explain the specific, organizational, and structural processes that led to the creation of the right to development.

Data for this study came from …

How Gender And Psychological Separation From Parents Interact With Depression In The Young Adult Experience Of Parental Separation And Divorce, Mary Oppenhuizen

Dissertations

The impact of parental divorce on children under the age of 18 has been studied extensively (Hetherington, 1979, 1981; Kurdek & Siesky, 1980; Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989; Wallerstein & Kelly , 1974, 1976, 1980). There has been far less research addressing effects of parental divorce on young adults (Bianchi, Rosen, & Reilly , 1987; Cain, 1989; Cooney, Smyer, Hagestad, & Klock, 1986; Farber, Primavera, & Felner, 1983; Kaufmann, 1987/1988). This may be due to the "common" assumption that young adults are psychologically separated from their parents in such a way that they suffer minimally when encountering parental divorce.

In this …

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 …

Sense Of Humor As A Mediator Of The Effects Of Stress On Physical Health And Psychological Well-Being, Timothy Eugene Spruill

Dissertations

This paper explores the role of sense of humor as a mediator of the effects of stress on physical health and psychological well-being. One hundred subjects, selected from a population of hospital employees, were administered two measures of sense of humor. In addition, they completed a personal data form, and instruments assessing stressors, perceived stress, physical health and psychological well-being.

Results were evaluated using simple correlations and multiple regression analysis in order to determine whether or not knowledge of a subject's sense of humor enables prediction of their levels of physical health, psychological well-being and perceived stress. Analysis of the …

Interest Group Influence On U.S. Congressional Committees: A Case Study Of The United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement, Laurel L. Hoffman

Masters Theses

The impact of special interests on Congress has long been a matter for concern. A content analysis of testimony presented at 14 Congressional committee hearings on the United States-Canada Free Trade Agreement revealed that three broad categories of witnesses participated: business, government, and non-business. Total testimony for business and government were comparable, while non-business had fewer witnesses and less testimony. Government supplied more testimony in oral form, which was interpreted as a higher degree of participation than written testimony, predominantly supplied by business. There was little evidence of lobbying coalitions as measured by crossreferencing; witnesses rarely referred to anything but …

Poverty, Homelessness, And Racial Exclusion, John R. Belcher

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reviews the societal forces that have made homelessness the end result of racial exclusion and inner city isolation. It is argued that significant societal change is necessary to reduce racial exclusion and prevent homelessness.

Absence Of A Family Safety Net For Homeless Families, Kay Young Mcchesney

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Analysis of data from interviews of 80 mothers in five shelters for homeless families suggests that the availability of housing support from kin may be a selection mechanism determining which families become homeless. The availability of kin housing support is seen as a function of four factors: family structure, proximity, control of adequate housing resources, and estrangement. Policy implications are discussed

Five Year Cohort Study Of Homeless Families: A Joint Policy Research Venture, John J. Stretch, Larry W. Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Over the past ten years there have been significant investments in families uprooted by homelessness, but no data which clearly delineated what types of families had been helped, and how long help may have sustained them. Reported are preliminary data on 875 families who resided in a 60 day family shelter from 1983 through 1987. Field interviews in 1989 with 201 of those families provide data on residential history, employment, familial and demographic changes, service needs and additional homeless episodes. Policy questions focus on current residential stability and community reintegration.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 19, No. 4 (December 1992)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE ON HOMELESSNESS - Edited by Padmini Gulati

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Padmini Gulati
• HOMELESSNESS IN PHILADELPHIA: A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF STATE WELFARE REFORM ON INDIVIDUALS - Anthony Halter
• ACTING ON THEIR OWN BEHALF: AFFILIATION AND POLITICAL MOBILIZATION AMONG HOMELESS PEOPLE - Marcia B. Cohen and David Wagner
• POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS AND RACIAL EXCLUSION - John Belcher
• ABSENCE OF A FAMILY SAFETY NET FOR HOMELESS FAMILIES - Kay Young McChesney
• FIVE-YEAR COHORT STUDY OF HOMELESS FAMILIES: A JOINT POLICY RESEARCH VENTURE - John Stretch and Larry W. Kreuger
• WOMEN AND HOMELESSNESS: THE NEED TO LOOK BEYOND SHELTERS …

Ideology. Public Policy And Homeless Families, Padmini Gulati

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper was originally presented at the session of Ad hoc Committee on Housing and the Built Environment of the World Congress of Sociology held in Madrid. July 1990.

Entrepreneurial Activities Of Homeless Men, Steven Balkin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Encouraging and assisting homeless people to become self-employed provides a way for some of them to increase their incomes, and may help close the gap between the cost of housing and labor market earnings. A survey of operators of homeless shelters was conducted to determine the types of work activities that adult homeless men participate in. Self-employment was found to be a common activity for a substantial proportion of adult homeless men; and a preferred mode of employment for many. Advantages and disadvantages of such an approach are discussed. Several program models are described which can be used to enhance …

Homelessness And The Low Income Housing Crisis, Cushing N. Dolbeare

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The cost of housing is beyond the means of a growing number of housholds. This "affordability gap" is the underlying cause of homelessness. Housing assistance to low income families is therefore a logical solution to the problem, in combination with other responses.

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 …

Book Review: The Visible Poor: Homelessness In The United States By Joel Blau, Larry Kreuger

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

THE VISIBLE POOR: HOMELESSNESS IN THE UNITED STATES Joel Blau New York: Oxford University Press, 1992. $22.95 hardcover.

Training And Maintenance Of Breast Self-Examination Skills, Bernardine M. Pinto

Dissertations

Maintenance of breast self-examination (BSE) skills is crucial to the effectiveness of self-exams in early detection of breast tumors. While researchers have developed an effective technology for training these skills, the maintenance of BSE proficiency is questionable (Pennypacker et al., 1982). The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of reassessment (and retraining) on the maintenance of BSE skills. Twenty-nine women (ages 25-64) were trained to criterion using the MammaCare training package. Experimental subjects were required to demonstrate their skills at a 2 month reassessment and received retraining if their skills had declined below criterion. Control subjects were …

Neuropsychological Effects Of Short-Term Abstinence In Adolescent Alcoholics, Asiah Mayang

Dissertations

The Michigan Neuropsychological Battery (Smith, 1975) was administered to 14 to 17-year-old alcoholics from an inpatient and outpatient substance abuse treatment center within 7 days of their last drink, and again after 28-33 days of abstinence (a = 26). Comparisons were made between this group and an adolescent alcoholic group who did not abstain and was not receiving treatment for their alcohol abuse (n = 15). The non-abstaining group was also given the same test battery twice. Results indicated that subjects who abstained from drinking (experimental group) performed better than subjects who did not abstain (control group) on measures of …

Detection Of Sexual Cues: An Assessment Of Nonaggressive And Sexually Coercive College Males, Rita Kenyon-Jump

Dissertations

Seventy-four nonaggressive and 78 sexually coercive college males, as determined by the Sexual Experiences Survey (Koss & Oros, 1982) and ranging in age from 18-25 years, participated in a study designed to assess their ability to detect specific behavioral cues of female partners’ unwillingness to engage in kissing, genital fondling, and sexual intercourse. Contrary to prediction, a 2 (nonaggression and sexual coercion) X 3 (kissing, fondling, and intercourse) analysis of variance revealed no statistically significant difference between the nonaggressive and sexually coercive males in their ability to detect cues of female unwillingness to engage in kissing, genital fondling, and sexual …

Perceptions Of Racial Climate In Residence Halls Between African-American And Euroamerican College Students, Vanessa D. Johnson-Durgans

Dissertations

This study was undertaken to determine if African-American residents perceive the racial climate of residence halls differently than do Euroamerican residents at a predominantly Euroamerican university in southwest Michigan. The questions explored in this study were:

1. Do African-American residents perceive the hall environment differently than Euroamerican residents?

2. Do African-American residents perceive the residence hall government differently than Euroamerican residents?

3. Do African-American residents perceive the halls' student staff differently than Euroamerican residents?

4. Do African-American residents perceive their relation to other residents differently than Euroamerican residents?

This study consisted of analyzing the results of this writer's questionnaire e …

Experimental And Theoretical Analyses Of Instructional Tasks: Reading, Discrimination, And Construction, Satoru Shimamune

Dissertations

The effectiveness and efficiency of three kinds of workbooks were compared in teaching behavioral systems analysis to college students. Each workbook contained the same content but utilized different types of instructional tasks. The reading workbook had the definitions, and examples and nonexamples of the concepts to be taught, and the subjects were asked to read them. The discrimination workbook had the same definitions, examples and nonexamples, but the subjects were asked to work on discriminating the examples from the nonexamples. Feedback was given with regard to the correctness of the subjects' responses. The construction workbook had the same definitions of …

Intimate Femicide: An Ecological Analysis, Karen Stout

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This research identifies the killing of women by male partners as a multidimensional problem and, through empirical analysis, identifies relationships between intimate femicide and individual, family, community services, state status of women, and violence against women factors. The conceptual base follows an ecological framework. Individual demographic and situational factors are presented. The findings of the study indicate that factors within each of the ecological settings are associated with intimate femicide. An implication of this exploratory study is that intimate femicide is related to a number of state factors, including factors associated with gender inequality in a state.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 19, No. 3 (September 1992)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• EDITORIAL - Bob Leighninger
• BLACK PINK COLLAR WORKERS: ARDUOUS JOURNEY FROM FIELD AND KITCHEN - Judith B. Bremner
• INTIMATE FEMICIDE: AN ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS - Karen Stout
• HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, STRESS AND SINGLE MOTHERS: PATHWAY TO HOMELESSNESS - Elizabeth A. Mulroy and Terry S. Lane
• ASSET-BASED SOCIAL WELFARE POLICY: HOMEOWNERSHIP FOR THE POOR - Alice K. Johnson and Michael Sherraden
• CORRELATES OF THE ELDERLY'S PARTICIPATION AND NONPARTICIPATION IN THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME (SSI) PROGRAM: A NEW EVALUATION - Namkee G. Choi
• A CONTINUUM THEORY FOR SOCIAL WORK KNOWLEDGE - Yair Caspi
• FEDERAL RELIEF PROGRAMS IN THE 19th CENTURY: A …