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What Social Workers Do: Implications For The Reclassification Debate, Charles Green

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The reclassification trend is one of the most formidable issues facing American social work today. Social work's vulnerability stemming from a general ambiquity about its distinct role and boundaries, competition from emerging helping occupations, and its debated professionalism is a major contributing factor. Often ignored in recent efforts to address reclassification is empirical evidence of social work's distinct performance in the human services versus other occupational groups. In this article comparative research findings supporting social work's unique performance are presented and their relevance for reclassification discussed.

Development And Testing Of The Stress Adaptation Scale For Parents With Chronically Ill Children (Sasp), Carolyn M. Rutledge

Ellmer School of Nursing Theses & Dissertations

This research study consisted of four phases used to develop and test the Stress Adaptation Scale for Parents with Chronically Ill Children (ASP). The first phase dealt with developing the items on the SASP from a review of the literature and the researcher's professional experience. The SASP was then divided into the six categories of health care, social, personal, familial, financial, and spiritual. In phase II, content validity was evaluated by a panel of experts. In phase III, stability over time and face validity was demonstrated using 26 parents of chronically ill children. The SASP achieved a Pearson's r=.85 with …

The Effects Of A Wilderness/Adventure Program On The Self-Concept, Locus Of Control Orientation, And Interpersonal Behavior Of Delinquent Adolescents, Timothy J. Zwart

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a 26-day therapeutic wilderness program for delinquent adolescent males on three conceptually distinct but closely related constructs: self-concept, locus of control orientation, and interpersonal behavior. Justification for the study was derived from the limitations of past wilderness/adventure research which suggested that there was a need for additional research on the effects of this type of alternative program for delinquent adolescents.

It was hypothesized that following participation in this program the youths would exhibit increased self-concept, more internal locus of control orientation, would express higher needs for inclusion and affection …

The Use Of A Behavioral Checklist To Delimit And Define The Premenstrual Syndrome, R. Hope Kerr

Masters Theses

For the premenstrual syndrome (PMS), there is no consensus as to specific symptoms comprising the syndrome or their temporal relationship to the menstrual cycle. The purpose of this study was to delimit and define PMS by comparing contemporaneous, behavioral data collected by 3 groups of subjects.

Based on the results of this study, PMS is suspected of being a misnomer for frequently random symptoms which may or may not be menstrually-related. "Syndrome" is misleading since there is no group of symptoms specific to one group of women. "Pre-" and "menstrual" are also misleading because the symptoms do not occur consistently …

Eliminating Resistive Behavior During Physical Therapy Using A Behavior Modification Procedure, Marcia Erhardt Roback

Masters Theses

The clinical utility of a behavior modification procedure, Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior, to reduce resistive behavior during physical therapy was investigated using a sample of four severely physically and developmentally disabled females. A multiple baseline design across subjects was employed to assess the effects of positively reinforcing behaviors other than the resistive or inappropriate behaviors during the therapy sessions. The procedure employed produced a dramatic decrease in the inappropriate behavior of two subjects, a moderate decrease in the behavior of one subject, and a minimal decrease in the fourth. The observational system generated extremely reliable data as indicated by …

A Systematic Approach To Staff Management And Systems Evaluation In An Inpatient Psychiatric Setting: The First Step Toward Reform Through Accountability, Helen Diann Pratt

Dissertations

The current study had two major objectives: (1) to evaluate the impact of a staff management package consisting of training, prompts, task assignments, and oral and graphic feedback, and (2) to assess the effects of prescribed staff interventions on the inappropriate behaviors of three psychiatric inpatients. Accomplishing these two objectives produced an objective data base for the detailed evaluation of patient behaviors. Study I was designed to get staff members to record patient behaviors, to use contingent and consistent interventions, and to record those interventions. Results yielded high staff performance without tangible incentives. Staff members were able to consistently, reliably …

The Social Class And Mental Illness Correlation: Implications Of The Research For Policy And Practice, Christopher G. Hudson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ongoing efforts to unravel the causal issues involved in the correlation between socioeconomic status and mental illness suggest that the hypothesis of a recursive or interactive relationship may be the most tenable, at least with the psychoses. Implications of this research are explored, with particular attention paid to the mental health costs of economic policies, the principles with which states allocate mental health resources, and the use of this knowledge-base in service planning.

Technology In Clinical Practice And The "Technological Ethic", John W. Murphy, John T. Pardeck

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Computers are being introduced into practically every area of clinical practice. The use of this technology by practitioners has not gone unchallenged. Specifically, new ethical problems are thought to be associated with using computers to make clinical assessments. Logistical and procedural difficulties, however, have been the primary focus of concern. In this paper the critique of computerized evaluation is expanded, with attention directed to the computer "micro-world." Because the computer micro-world consists of several unwarranted assumptions about the nature of social reality, clinical practice may be affected in many undesireable ways. The theoretical underside of computer use is illustrated to …

On The Excessive Saving Of Objects: An Exploratory Study, Deborah Ann Montana Almer

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Treating Crazy People Less Specially, Stephen J. Morse

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Controlled Evaluation Of Devotional Meditation And Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Charles R. Carlson, Panayiota E. Bacaseta, Dexter A. Simanton

CRVAW Faculty Journal Articles

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of devotional meditation (DM), defined as a period of prayer and quiet reading and pondering of biblical material, on physiological and psychological variables related to stress. It was hypothesized that religious persons engaging in DM experience physiological and psychological changes similar to those reported for persons using progressive relaxation (PR) exercises. Thirty-six participants, equally divided by sex into 3 groups: DM, PR, and a Wait List Control, underwent extensive psychophysiological assessment prior to and following a systematic introductio to either DM or PR. The hypothesis that DM could generate positive physiological …

Aftermath Of A Disaster: Psychological Response To The Russelville, Arkansas Mass Murder, Elizabeth Mary Smith, Carol S. North

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Aftermath Of A Disaster: Psychological Response To The Indianapolis Ramada Jet Crash, Elizabeth Mary Smith, Carol S. North

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Service Utilization By Child Victims Of Natural Disasters, Bill J. Locke

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Variables Affecting Duty-Related Stress After An Air Crash Disaster, Don M. Hartsough

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Grand Canyon Midair Collision, Don M. Hartsough

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Training Primary Care Workers In Disaster Mental Health: The Experience In Ecuador, April 6-11, 1987, Bruno R. Lima

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Aftermath Of A Disaster: Psychological Response To The Madison, Florida Tornado, Elizabeth Mary Smith, Carol S. North

FMHI Publications

No abstract provided.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus In Intravenous Drug Users: Epidemiology, Issues, And Controversies, Donald E. Craven

New England Journal of Public Policy

Intravenous drug users are the second most common risk group for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the United States, and they account for approximately 25 percent of the cases. Drug users may spread human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) by sharing contaminated drug injection paraphernalia and through sexual contact; women who use drugs can transmit the virus to their children. The rapid spread of HIV in this risk group and the fact that intravenous drug users are a source for heterosexual and perinatal transmission underscore the need for immediate intervention. In addition, many drug addicts are poor, have limited career possibilities, and …

Creating A Model For A Student Assistance Program For High School Students Involved In Substance Abuse, George C. Lewis

Masters Theses

Substance abuse is a problem faced by schools, parents, students and communities. The purpose of this field experience was to provide a plan to help educators, parents, students and communities deal effectively with youth involved in substance abuse. The need for this field study became evident to the researcher when twenty-five students from the student body of Salem Community High School were placed in in-patient substance abuse programs during the 1985-86 school year.

The literature was examined and certain reactions and trends indicated in the literature were identified. Many substance abuse programs were reviewed. Key programs reviewed include the following: …

The Stress Buffering Effects Of Positive Life Events And Personality (Hardiness) In Undergraduates With Dental Anxiety, Janette Louise Seville

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies have independently identified positive life events and the hardy personality as variables that reduce the influence of life stress on physical or paychological disturbance. The present study investigates the possible stress buffering effects of hardiness and positive events. Seventy-five undergraduates, identified as having dental anxiety, were randomly assigned to one of five film groups. Groups viewed either a positive film, a negative film, both films (in one of two sequences), or no film. Dependent measures of dental anxiety. positive affect, negative affect, and heart rate were observed. Multiple tests of a priori hypotheses yielded partial support for the …

The Relationship Of The Perception Of Choice And Positive Behavior Change In Adolescent Residential Treatment With Future Success In The Community, Rita Harding Mcclellan

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship of clients' perception of choice in treatment planning and the clients' positive behavior changes made within the treatment setting, with the clients' successful return to the community after release from the residential treatment setting.

Report Of The Commissioner's Task Force On Self-Destructive Behaviors And Teen Suicide, Department Of Mental Health And Mental Retardation

Maine Collection

Report of the Commissioner's Task Force on Self-Destructive Behaviors and Teen Suicide.

Susan B. Parker, Commissioner - Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation, Augusta, Maine (December 1987).

Contents: Foreward / Task Force Members / Introduction / Characteristics of Self-Destructive Teens / Factors Contributing to Self-Destructive Behaviors / Findings and Recommendations / References

Neuropsychological And Socioemotional Subtypes Of Childhood Externalizing Disorders: Cluster And Validation Analyses, Grant Jackson Butterbaugh

Dissertations

The purpose of this exploratory and confirmatory contrasted-group classification study was to determine if specifically predicted (Hypothesis 1) and externally valid (Hypotheses 3 and 4) subtypes of childhood externalizing disorders could be identified, using previously obtained neuropsychological (NP), socio-emotional (SE), and historical variables. Cross-classification validity was evaluated to determine if subjects NP and SE subtype memberships could be predicted using either their SE and NP subtype memberships or their SE and NP variable scores, respectively (Hypothesis 2). Subjects (n = 117) were 6-to-14-year-old boys and girls with normal intelligence, elevated scores on the Delinquency and/or Hyperactivity scales of the Personality …

Development And Evaluation Of An Infant-Care Training Program With First-Time Fathers, Ronald S. Dachman

Dissertations

We evaluated the effectiveness of a multicomponent package in training infant-care skills to first-time fathers. After developing and socially validating a set of infant-care skills, we assessed the effects of training in a hospital-based program with expectant fathers (Experiment 1) and in a home-based program with fathers having varied degrees of experience with their infants (Experiment 2). In both experiments, a multiple probe design demonstrated that the training package was responsible for producing criterion performance by the expectant and first-time fathers. A one-month generalization probe in Experiment 1 showed that the effects transferred across training conditions (training doll to human …

The Relationship Between The Dsm-Iii Borderline Personality Disorder And The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, John Thomas Heroldt

Dissertations

Psychotherapeutic efforts with borderline patients have been frustrated for many years because identification of the disorder has been vague, and because the etiology of the disorder has been unknown. Without adequate diagnosis and knowledge of the etiology, it has been impossible to design treatment strategies. The basis for undertaking this project centers on the amelioration of this basic diagnostic consideration.

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory responses of 50 patients, 16 men and 34 women, meeting the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (APA, 1980) criteria for a borderline personality disorder were compared to a mixed diagnostic group of 50 …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of Women And Depression, Denise Twohey

Dissertations

There is increasing evidence that new conceptualizations of women's development are leading to important revisions in current psychological theories and practices. In this study, these theories were examined to enhance the treatment of depressed women. Toward this end, a phenomenological laboratory was established consisting of an 11-week psychotherapy group for depressed women which was videotaped and observed by six trained evaluators.

The primary outcome was the development of a conceptual framework for understanding women and their experience of depression. The framework was created from the identification of five content themes which emerged as a synthesis of the observations made by …

An Evaluation Of The Effects Of An Infant-Care Skills Training Program On Fathering Behaviors, G. Joseph Vrazo

Masters Theses

This study replicated the findings and expanded the assessment procedures of a previous study that had established the effectiveness of a multi-component infant-care skills training program for first-time fathers. A multiple probe design was used in this study to demonstrate that the training program produced criterion performance of the infant-care skills by four experimental fathers; also, an increase in the frequency of infant stimulation activities initiated by these fathers was observed. A pre/post training evaluation of the effects of the training program on the fathers' performance of play and affectional behaviors and daily infant-care activities yielded negative results. Four control …

A Comparison Of Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Relaxation Therapy And Cognitive Restructuring On State And Trait Anxiety In Speech Anxious Adults, Bernard C. Sefchick

Masters Theses

This study tested the following hypotheses: (a) Cognitive-Behavior Therapy would be more effective than either Relaxation Therapy in reducing speech A-state anxiety or Cognitive Restructuring in reducing speech A-trait anxiety; (b) Relaxation Therapy would be more effective than Cognitive Restructuring in reducing speech A-state anxiety; and (c) Cognitive Restructuring would be more effective than Relaxation Therapy in reducing speech A-trait anxiety.

Fifteen volunteers from a speakers organization were screened and randomly assigned to one of three treatments. The Speech Anxiety Inventory was administered before and after treatments to assess subjects' levels of speech A-state and A-trait anxiety.

Results indicated that …

Reconsidering Drug Involvement Among Youth And Young Adults: Implications For Targeted Primary Prevention, Mark W. Fraser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The purpose of this; paper is to review two dominant social perspectives on the etiology of substance abuse among youths and young adults-the stage and risk factor outlooks-and to discuss them in light of recent demographic and ecological research. The differential demography of drug abuse strongly suggests that the environmental context influences the use and abuse of substances. In an era of great public concern about substance abuse, the use of individually-focused perspectives appears to have resulted in person-centered skills training programs and "say no" media campaigns. Consideration of community-level factors in the etiology of drug abuse permits the identification …