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Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 35, No. 3 (September 2008)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

SPECIAL ISSUE: BEYOND THE NUMBERS: HOW THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF WOMEN CHALLENGE THE "SUCCESS" OF WELFARE REFORM

• INTRODUCTION - Mary Gatta and Luisa S. Deprez
• WOMEN'S LIVES AND POVERTY: DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK OF REAL REFORM FOR WELFARE - Mary Gatta and Luisa S. Deprez
• LONG-TERM TANF PARTICIPANTS AND BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN MAINE - Sandra S. Butler, Janine Corbett, Crystal Bond and Chris Hastedt
• DROPPED FROM THE ROLLS: MEXICAN IMMIGRANTS, RACE, AND RIGHTS IN THE ERA OF WELFARE REFORM - Alejandra Marchevsky and Jeanne Theoharis
• WELFARE AND FAMILY ECONOMIC SECURITY: TOWARD A PLACE-BASED POVERTY KNOWLEDGE - Deborah …

Program Approach For Childheaded Households In Zambia, Samson Chama

Theses and Dissertations

Using an emergent design, this study developed a program approach for young people in the child headed households of Zambia. Phase I dealt with prior ethnography, Phase II focused on independent living services, and Phase III concerned translation to Zambia. A total of 36 participants from Richmond, consisting of 20 Richmond Department of Social Services workers and youth and 16 Africans, were recruited. Three major themes emerged: feasibility, content, and quality. Lessons learned about translational research highlight the need for uniformity in a cultural screen’s composition. This might enhance the richness of perspectives on young people. Lessons for the Department …

Acculturation, Ethnic Identity, Resilience, Self-Esteem And General Well-Being: A Psychosocial Study Of Colombians In The United States, Candida R. Madrigal

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

This research sought to identify the factors that contribute to the wellbeing of Colombians in the United States by exploring the differences in their wellbeing across three waves of immigration. It examined the extent to which acculturation, ethnic identity, self-esteem, and resilience explain wellbeing. Although Colombians represent one of the largest groups of immigrants from South America, studies available to date are based on groups with ethnic labels such as "Hispanics" or "Latinos." The Colombian government estimates that there are about 1.5 million Colombians, including documented and undocumented, residing in this country. This investigation used time periods of Colombian migration …

Sexual Diversity, Social Inclusion And Hiv/Aids., Carlos F. Cáceres, Peter Aggleton, Jerome T. Galea

Social Work Faculty Publications

Despite a number of programmes to prevent HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) and, more generally, sexually diverse populations, gay and other homosexually active men continue to be at heightened risk of HIV and its consequences. This paper analyses some of the reasons for this situation and offers policy and programmatic recommendations to contribute to a solution. The social exclusion of MSM and transgender individuals is an overwhelming reality in the majority of countries worldwide. Although progress has been achieved in some countries, in most of the world the situation remains problematic. Present challenges to equality and …

Comparing The Impact Of Bullying And Sexual Harassment Victimization On The Mental And Physical Health Of Adolescents, James Gruber Phd, Susan Fineran Phd, Licsw

School of Social Work

A sample of 522 middle and high school students from a school district in a northeastern state in the U.S. was used to address two questions about bullying and sexual harassment: Is one more frequent than the other, and are there gender or sexual orientation differences in this regard? And, does one have greater adverse health effects than the other, and, if so, for whom? Bullying occurred more frequently than sexual harassment for both girls and boys but not among sexual minorities. Girls were bullied or harassed as frequently as boys, but sexual minorities experienced higher levels of both. Compared …

Equine Assisted Therapy And Exercise With Eating Disorders: A Retrospective Chart Reveiw And Mixed Method Analysis, Carolyn Boyd Lutter

Social Work Theses - Archive

Eating disorders are a group of devastating mental illnesses that chronically affect millions of young women and men of all ages and ethnicities in industrialized nations. Mainstream treatment approaches thus far have proven to have variable efficacy and outcomes and new behavioral interventions such as equine assisted therapy and exercise deserve to be considered as a viable intervention with this population. The area of equine assisted therapy in the field of eating disorder research has received disproportionately little attention. Given the number of residential treatment facilities that integrate it into their treatment for eating disorders, evidence of its safety and …

The Mechnism Of Cbt For Depression Recovery: The Role Of Problem-Solving Appraisal, Szu-Yu Chen

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is among the most extensively tested psychotherapies for depression. Although its effect on depression alleviation has been widely recognized, little is known regarding its therapeutic mechanism on depression alleviation. Among empirical explanations about the mechanism of CBT, the cognitive mediation hypothesis has historically dominated the field. Although findings of prior studies support this hypothesis by showing a correlation between cognitive changes and depression changes, there is still an absence of sufficient evidence to support that patients' depression improvements are caused by their cognitive changes. In recent years, several studies further observed that patients' depression was improved …

Focal Point, Volume 22 Number 02, Portland State University. Regional Research Institute

Research and Training Center - Focal Point

This issue of Focal Point—through a consideration of personal, lived experience as well as practice and research—examines the mutual impact of caregiver and child mental health, and highlights practical strategies to promote positive outcomes for children and caregivers who experience mental health difficulties.

Assets, Poverty, And Public Policy: Challenges In Definition And Measurement, Yunju Nam, Jin Huang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Assets, Poverty, and Public Policy: Challenges in Definition and Measurement

Determinants Of Asset Building, Sondra G. Beverly, Michael Sherraden, Min Zhan, Trina R. Williams Shanks, Yunju Nam, Reid Cramer

Center for Social Development Research

Determinants of Asset Building

Helping People Act On Their Hopes Rather Than Their Fears: Lessons From Non-Enrollees In The Seed Initiative, Trina Williams Shanks, Toni Johnson, Kerri Nicoll

Center for Social Development Research

Helping People Act on Their Hopes Rather Than Their Fears: Lessons From Non-Enrollees in the SEED Initiative

Household Assets And Health In China: Evidence And Policy Implications, Baorong Guo, Lin Zhang, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

China’s health care reform of the 1990s has not yielded much success. The market-oriented health system has resulted in declines in fairness of health services and efficiency of investment in the health sector. Further health care reform will be required. Among many options, asset-based policy has demonstrated some potential in domestic policy development. To provide evidence to inform health policy development in China, this study focuses on effects of household assets on health in China. Specifically, the current study examines how household assets may affect health status and how assets differ from income in predicting health status. Using a random …

The Effects Of Holding Assets On Social And Economic Outcomes Of Families: A Review Of Theory And Evidence, Robert Lerman, Signe-Mary Mckernan

Center for Social Development Research

The Effects of Holding Assets on Social and Economic Outcomes of Families: A Review of Theory and Evidence

Parental Assets: A Pathway To Positive Child Educational Outcomes, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Yeong H. Yeo, Kate Irish, Min Zhan

Center for Social Development Research

A growing body of evidence suggests parental assets have positive effects on children’s well-being. Using 2004 data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, this study tests the effect of parental asset holding on child educational outcomes, and explores whether this relationship is mediated by parental involvement and expectations. Results indicate that assets are a significant predictor of all child academic outcomes of our study, however income is not a significant predictor for school outcomes when controlling for assets. The mediation analyses show the effect of assets on school outcomes is mediated by two of the three parenting measures: …

Raising Parent Expectations: Can Wealth And Parent College Accounts Help?, William Elliott Iii, Kristen Wagner

Center for Social Development Research

For many children, especially minority and low-income children, attending college is a genuinely desired but elusive goal. Research on aspirations and expectations provides a way to understand the gap between what children desire and what they actually expect to happen. This study examines the potential role of children’s college accounts (CCAs) as a way to reduce the gap between aspirations and expectations among at-risk children. I find that only 39 percent of children without savings for college expect to attend college; there is an aspirations/expectations gap of 41 percentage points among children with CCAs. Moreover, children with a CCA are …

Transforming Caregiving: African American Custodial Grandmothers And The Child Welfare System, S. Yvette Murphy, Andrea G. Hunter, Deborah J. Johnson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Growing numbers of African American grandmothers are raising grandchildren under the auspices of the child welfare system; however, little is known about the manner in which child welfare policies and practices impact custodial grandparenting. Based on focus groups with African American grandmothers who are raising grandchildren as formal kinship caregivers, this study explored the ways in which the new formalized relationship between the child welfare system and African American custodial grandmothers is transforming the meanings and practices related to intergenerational caregiving in African American families. Drawing on cultural and historical traditions, grandmothers forge a transformative partnership with child welfare that …

Documentary Photography In American Social Welfare History: 1897-1943, Peter Szto

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This is a study of documentary photography in American social welfare history. The study examines the emergence of photography as a tool of social policy, and in particular, key practitioners who shaped the perception of American social welfare. Within the social welfare literature, this topic is largely unexamined yet invaluable to an understanding of American social welfare. Photography performed a highly instrumental role by providing visual evidence as an innovative way of seeing and analyzing social problems. This image-based approach to social welfare analysis influenced how society viewed itself and the social environment. The goal of this study is to …

Review Of Social Work With Latinos: A Cultural Assets Paradigm. Melvin Delgado. Reviewed By Barbara J. Robles., Barbara J. Robles

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Melvin Delgado. Social Work with Latinos: A Cultural Assets Paradigm. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. $35.00 hardcover.

Family Foster Care For Abandoned Children In Egypt, Hamido A. Megahead

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The profile of Egyptian foster children has changed tremendously since the establishment of Egyptian family foster care in 1959. This is a result of changes in foster family practice and changes in the profile of foster families. The changes in family foster care practice included terminating the use of wet nurses and replacing them with Childhood and Motherhood Care Centers and by determining a specific age that foster children would leave the foster care system. The changes in the foster family profile included the educational qualifications offoster mothers, the jobs offoster mothers and foster fathers, the motivation to be a …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 35, No. 2 (June 2008)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• GLOBALIZATION, PRECARIOUS WORK, AND THE FOOD BANK - Ernie S. Lightman, Andrew Mitchell and Dean Herd
• FAMILY FOSTER CARE FOR ABANDONED CHILDREN IN EGYPT - Hamido A. Megahead
• POTENTIAL IMPACT OF EITC ADJUSTMENTS ON FINANCIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY AMONG LOW INCOME FAMILIES: A SIMULATION MODEL - Younghee Lim and Catherine Lemieux
• TRANSFORMING CAREGIVING: AFRICAN AMERICAN CUSTODIAL GRANDMOTHERS AND THE CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM - S. Yvette Murphy, Andrea G. Hunter and Deborah J. Johnson
• DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY IN AMERICAN SOCIAL WELFARE HISTORY: 1897-1943 - Peter Szto
• USING SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION THEORY AS A FOUNDATION FOR MACRO-LEVEL INTERVENTIONS IN COMMUNITIES IMPACTED BY HIV …

Child Soldiers: From Violence To Protection. Michael Wessells., David K. Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Michael Wessells, Child Soldiers: From Violence to Protection. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2006. $45.00 hardcover.

Attributes Of Effective Head Start Mental Health Consultants : A Mixed Method Study Of Rural And Urban Programs, Mary Dallas Allen

Dissertations and Theses

Early childhood mental health consultation (ECMHC) is the primary strategy implemented by Head Start programs to address the social and emotional needs of children and their families, but little is known about the attributes of early childhood mental health consultants (MHCs) that contribute to consultants' relationships with Head Start staff and to consultation outcomes. The present study examined how attributes of MHCs contribute to positive relationships between the MHCs and Head Start staff and to improved consultation outcomes. Seven attributes of rural and urban mental health consultants were examined: MHC training, supervision, and support; MHC understanding of consultant role; MHC …

Children With Incarcerated Parents : A Longitudinal Study Of The Effect Of Parental Incarceration On Adolescent Externalizing Behaviors, Jean Mollenkamp Kjellstrand

Dissertations and Theses

Over the past two decades, the number of imprisoned adults in the United States has quadrupled. Mirroring this trend is the rapidly increasing population of children with incarcerated parents. The initial findings of research on the effects of parental incarceration on children are disturbing, indicating a vulnerable group of children at risk for poor outcomes. Yet, research on these children remains limited. Several studies have focused on the description of these children, yet few have analyzed the relationship between parental incarceration and child outcomes in conjunction with other risk and protective factors. Understanding these relationships is crucial to the development …

The Increase Of Bipolar Disorder In Children And Adolescents, Kristen Wroblewski

Social Work Theses

This cluster study investigates the different possibilities that may have caused an increase in the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder in children and adolescents, including comparison to diagnosis in other countries. The same criteria for diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder for adults are used for children and adolescents, which may be misdiagnosed due to other disorders having the same characteristics, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the cluster study, current and past students’ files at an alternative school were analyzed to determine whether the diagnosis had increased within the setting. Main findings were that Bipolar Disorder did increase over the …

The Relationship Between Parental Substance Abuse And The Effects On Young Children, Lindsey Capaldi

Social Work Theses

This was a relational study investigating the implications of a parents drug use on a young child’s life. A review of the literature revealed that a child is severely impacted by their parent’s drug and alcohol abuse. Prenatal or postnatal use of drugs or alcohol can mean health, mental, social and emotional issues for a child. The relational study compared children whose parents have a history of drug or alcohol abuse to the children whose parents did not. The sample was observed in the Head Start setting and consisted of 77 children. The children whose family life did not include …

Foster Youth And The "Aging Out" Age In Rhode Island, Kelsey Creeden

Social Work Theses

Foster care is a temporary placement of children and youth with others outside of their home due to child abuse or neglect. Since its 19th century origins, the foster care system has evolved to focus on three goals of providing safety, well-being, and permanency until the child leaves the system, either by reunification, adoption, or “aging out”. Because these youth often “age out” without a home, job, or support system, programs such as the Life Skills Program and the Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative are working toward providing this population with skills that will assist them in successfully aging out …

The Lack Of Mental Health Professionals And Services For Children Who Are Deaf Or Hard Of Hearing, Kiley Morgart

Social Work Theses

Children who are deaf or hard of hearing are vulnerable to abuse and are not receiving proper care at an early age due to their parents’ negative reactions towards having a child who has a hearing impairment. The lack of proper care and their vulnerability to abuse puts these children at a high risk of not developing properly. A qualitative study was undertaken using interviews to find services/agencies that provide help to parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in Rhode Island. Findings indicate that there is a sufficient amount of service for parents but these parents …

Effective Interventions For Treating Superficial Self Mutilators, Maria Palladini

Social Work Theses

Self-cutting is the most common form of self-mutilation in adolescents but there is insufficient knowledge as to which treatment methods to reduce self-mutilation are most effective. This exploration into the causes of self-cutting and the treatment interventions, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), compares adolescents who had DBT treatment with those who have used other treatment methods. Research findings indicate that the average age of adolescents in treatment was 15 years old and had been in treatment at least one time prior. Adolescents in DBT treatment showed signs in reducing/stopping self-cutting behavior along with improving communication skills with caregivers. Implications …

The Need For Gender And Age Specific Life Skill Groups, Sara Pateras

Social Work Theses

Adolescent life skill groups can strengthen self-esteem, develop appropriate body image, and improve peer and adult relationships while providing a sense of unity and support for its members. By separating boys and girls, adolescent life skill groups encourage the easeful gender specific discussions. This research investigated the effectiveness of adolescent girls’ life skill groups on increasing self-esteem, developing appropriate body image, and improving both peer and romantic relationships. This research evaluated the results of a pre-test and post-test administered to 174 participants in a life skill group ran by Big Sisters of Rhode Island. This study found that the average …

A Call For The Spiritual Dimension To Be Included In Social Work Education, Stephanie Sullivan

Social Work Theses

Spirituality is a concept that is not easily definable and because of that, many people shy away from fully understanding how one’s belief system can affect other factors in life. As a professional social worker, it is one’s duty to look at the whole individual because every system is intertwined with another. When pondering over whether or not aspects of spirituality is used in everyday social work practice, one must ask the question about the worker’s view on spirituality. This qualitative research study shows how spirituality in social work is arguably important both personally and professionally in the profession. After …