Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

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.

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) …

Incarnating Heaven: Making The Hospice Philosophy Mean Business, Mark A. Mesler, Pamela J. Miller

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Hospice providers in the U.S. are on the horns of a dilemma. Survival of individual programs may require accreditation for third party reimbursement, but this stronger alignment with the business world of medicine may jeopardize their unique philosophy of care for dying persons. Hospice's current business/philosophy dilemma was expressed succinctly by a study participant as attempting to incarnate heaven. Data gathered through an ongoing participant observation study reveals the effects of current third party reimbursement on hospice practice. Further, these effects have implications for current U.S. health care reform efforts which are discussed in conclusion.

Sexual Victimization Recognition And Non-Disclosure Inventory Of Young Adolescents, Nancy S. Faulkner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to assess sexual victimization recognition and nondisclosure of young adolescents proximate to the age of the abuse. Participants were 214 middle school pupils, ages 12 to 15 who were presented with Informed Consent giving them the right not to respond, presented brief information on Body Safety, and asked to respond to five questions. The Body Safety information and administration of the survey were on videotape for ease and consistency of data collection. Three null hypotheses were tested using Chi square and three research questions were analyzed by descriptive, non-statistical trend analysis. The following results were noted: …

The Relationship Of Autonomy Sociotropy And Depression To The Recall Of Autobiographical Memories, Jennifer Sue Cheavens

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Past research in the area of dysphoria and depression has examined two personality constructs known as autonomy and sociotropy. These personality constructs have been studied as predispositions to dysphoria and depression. The current study focused on the ability of Autonomy and Sociotropy, measured by the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), to predict both participants' and raters' autonomous and sociotropic ratings of autobiographical life events. The study also examined the differences in classifications of events as either sociotropic or autonomous when the classifications were made by both participants and objective raters. Participants were 72 female and 43 male undergraduate students enrolled in …

Speak Of The Devil: Rhetoric In Claims-Making About The Satanic Ritual Abuse Problem, Mary Deyoung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper uses Toulmin's (1958) scheme to conduct a rhetorical analysis of claims being made in the construction of the satanic ritual abuse of children problem. The analysis reveals that the persistence of these claims over the last fifteen years is the product not of their compelling facts or their effective conclusions, but of their persuasive warrants. These implicit, "self-evident truths" resonate well with recent cultural concerns about the vulnerability of children to abuse, and the satanic menace.

Measuring Hospital Use Without Claims: A Comparison Of Patient And Provider Reports., R E. Clark, S K. Ricketts, G J. Mchugo

Dartmouth Scholarship

We compared the validity of hospital admission and length of stay reports from patients, outpatient providers, and hospitals, and we examined possible sources of error. Data were collected from people enrolled in a randomized trial of treatment for severe mental illness and substance use disorders, from community mental health centers (CMHCs), and from hospitals. Reports for each of the 74 study participants covered two-year time periods beginning and ending at various times between 1989 and 1993. We compared reports from the various sources and constructed a hybrid with data from all three sources. Using parametric and non-parametric statistics, we compared …

Criteria Used In Assigning A Diagnosis Of Passive-Aggressive Personality Disorder, Laura J. Hunsucker

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Passive-aggressive personality disorder has a long history in the literature and has been present in all versions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. However, there have been many different conceptualizations of the disorder over time, and there is not a clear consensus concerning what symptoms constitute the disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine the criteria that clinicians consider most representative of a prototypic patient with passive-aggressive personality disorder. This research also examined differences in symptom presentation of male versus female passive-aggressive individuals. Finally, this study examined symptom overlap with other personality disorders. A list …

Correlates Of The Mmpi-A Immaturity (Imm) Scale In An Adolescent Psychiatric Population, Eric Albert Imhof

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Despite numerous theories of adolescent ego development, there is no objective measure of ego development or maturation targeted for the assessment of adolescents. The Immaturity (IMM) Scale developed for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory - Adolescent (MMPI-A) was designed to fill this void in adolescent assessment. The present study examined the concurrent validity of the IMM Scale based on sixty-six adolescents (13-18 years old) in an inpatient setting using four prominent measures of maturity, i.e., The Defining Issues Test (DIT), the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT), the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status - Second Revision (EOM-EIS-2), and …

Ambulatory Electromyogram Activity In The Upper Trapezius Region: Patients With Muscle Pain Vs. Pain-Free Control Subjects, Charles R. Carlson, Kennen T. Wynn, John Edwards, Jeffrey P. Okeson, Arthur J. Nitz, Don E. Workman, Jeffrey Cassisi

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

Study Design: This study compared the ambulatory electromyogram activity of persons reporting pain in the shoulder and cervical regions with an equal group of persons not reporting such pain. Ambulatory electromyogram data were obtained over 3-day periods. In addition, all participants completed several standard psychological questionnaires.

Objectives: The results were analyzed with inferential statistics to determine whether subjects reporting significant pain in the shoulder and cervical regions had greater ambulatory electromyogram activity than an equal number of subjects not reporting pain.

Summary of Background Data: Considerable controversy exists regarding the role of muscle activity in the etiology and maintenance of …

Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James Wood

Selected Works Temporary Series

This article introduces readers to Bayes' theorem, a simple mathematical formula that can illuminate general issues and assist evaluators in the field of child sexual abuse. The theorem is applied to a case study of sexual abuse allegations that arose during a custody dispute.

Weighing Evidence In Sexual Abuse Evaluations: An Introduction To Bayes's Theorem, James Wood

Departmental Papers (Psych)

This article introduces readers to Bayes' theorem, a simple mathematical formula that can illuminate general issues and assist evaluators in the field of child sexual abuse. The theorem is applied to a case study of sexual abuse allegations that arose during a custody dispute.

An Exploratory Study Of Heroin Addicts' Perceptions Of Methadone Treatment, Sandra Ellen Nehring

Theses Digitization Project

Methadone treatment continues to be the most widely used treatment modality for heroin addiction despite continued controversy. The efficacy of methadone treatment has been determined primarily by statistical research of program outcomes. This study explored heroin addicts' perceptions of methadone treatment.

Perspectives Of Administrative And Direct Services Providers For Substance Abusing Women And Their Children: An Exploratory Study, Susan Gail Lacey, Willem Vanderpauwert

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Research Study On Emotional Adjustment Of A Spouse Following Stroke, John P. Vlasic Ii

Theses Digitization Project

This research project focuses on age as a predictor in the emotional adjustment of a spouse following his/her partner's stroke. The medical records of 80 stroke cases were reviewed at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Fontana, California. Patients and spouses were examined in two age groupings, age 55 and below, and ages 56 and above. Study of these two age groups afforded the most meaningful division to study spouse adjustment.

A Pre-Test/Post-Test Analysis Of Value, Behavioral And Spritual Changes In Drug Treatment, Ralph Olav Jacobsson

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Restraint Use: Impact Of An Employee Educational Program In A Skilled Nursing Facility, Elizabeth Ann Roybal

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between The Level Of Alcohol Consumption And The Incidence Of Spousal Abuse In Euro-American And Hispanic Male Populations, Gabriela Patricia Gomez

Theses Digitization Project

Text includes English and Spanish versions of questionaires and consent forms.

Indicators Of Delay Between Recommendation For Community Outpatient Treatment And Release Into A Conditional Release Program, Dennis Howard Littlefield, Eric Harley Summers

Theses Digitization Project

The mentally ill who have been found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity (NGRI), appear to be at risk in several areas when confronted with the judicial system. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the factors which predict recidivism of NGRI patients in Community Out-patient Treatment (COT) also inhibit a patient's release into a conditional release program (CONREP).

A Literature Of Change: Slave Narrative Rhetoric In Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Andrew Jack Loverde

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Correlation Study Of Methamphetamine Abuse And Resultant Levels Of Child Neglect, Marjorie Nodelman-Niedringhaus

Theses Digitization Project

This positivist research project will attempt to show a correlation between levels of child neglect and proportionate levels of methamphetamine abuse. The term abuse will be used to refer to the chronic, compulsive use of methamphetamine in such a manner, that it will assume a central and negative role in the individual's life style and will result in impaired functioning and parenting.

A Study Of The Effects Of Lesbians' Sexual Orientation To The Disease Of Alcoholism, Teddie Valenzuela Chapin

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

How Do Children Tell: The Disclosure Process In Child Sexual Abuse, April Bradley, James Wood

Selected Works Temporary Series

Children's disclosure of sexual abuse has been described as a quasi-developmental process that includes stages of denial, reluctance, disclosure, recantation, and reaffirmation (Sorenson & Snow, 1991, Summit, 1983). It has been reported that nearly 75% of sexual abuse victims initially deny abuse and that nearly 25% eventually recant their allegations (Sorenson & Snow, 1991). The present study examined disclosures in 234 sexual abuse cases validated by Protective Services in El Paso, Texas. Denial of abuse occurred in 6% of cases, and recantation in 4% of cases in which a child had already disclosed abuse. Four of the eight victims who …

In-Home Health Care And Hospitalization Status, Donna Lee Maeser

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of the study was to describe the relationship between in-home health care services for elderly patients who were recently discharged from inpatient care and re-hospitalization rates. The design was descriptive and the hypothesis was that the provision of in-home health care services would mitigate a decline in the health status, of an elderly patient, following discharge from inpatient care and prevent re-hospitalization.

Male Sexual Abuse: A Retrospective Study, Gary Wayne Deaton

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of How Direct Practice Clinicians Define And Operationalize The Term Codependency, Gail Willhite

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

How Do Children Tell: The Disclosure Process In Child Sexual Abuse, April Bradley, James Wood

Departmental Papers (Psych)

Children's disclosure of sexual abuse has been described as a quasi-developmental process that includes stages of denial, reluctance, disclosure, recantation, and reaffirmation (Sorenson & Snow, 1991, Summit, 1983). It has been reported that nearly 75% of sexual abuse victims initially deny abuse and that nearly 25% eventually recant their allegations (Sorenson & Snow, 1991). The present study examined disclosures in 234 sexual abuse cases validated by Protective Services in El Paso, Texas. Denial of abuse occurred in 6% of cases, and recantation in 4% of cases in which a child had already disclosed abuse. Four of the eight victims who …

Parenting The Transescent: An Education Program For Parents Of Middle School Students At Morgan Middle School, Michael P. Mccloskey

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a program to help parents become more effective in recognizing and responding to characteristics and behaviors of the transescent, with special emphasis on assisting parents with their child's transitions into the middle school and high school. To accomplish this task, current literature, research, and programs related to the parenting of the transescent were studied. Subsequently, a program was designed and developed for implementation at Morgan Middle School in the Ellensburg School District, Ellensburg, Washington.

Examination Of Psychological And Biographical Characteristics Of Body Modifiers And Self-Injurers, Robert A. Rekker

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

.