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The Discourse Of Denigration And The Creation Of "Other", Joshua Miller, Gerald Schamess

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper attempts to reduce the distance between intellectual frameworks that inform different fields of social work practice by exploring the relationships between intrapsychic mechanisms, family dynamics, small group processes and such society wide phenomena as public denigration, scapegoating, and the systematic oppression of politically targeted population subgroups. Clinical theories are used to explore disturbing social trends such as the redistribution of wealth while cutting services to the needy, the growth of prisons and disproportionaten umbers of incarcerated people of color, societal retreat from social obligation and commitment and divisive political rhetoric. Suggestions are made about how clinical social workers …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 27, No. 3 (September 2000)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• SECOND-GENERATION PARENTHOOD: A PANEL STUDY OF GRANDMOTHER AND GRANDCHILD CORESIDENCY AMONG LOW-INCOME FAMILIES, 1967-1992 - Richard K. Caputo
• MAKING A DIFFERENCE: HUMAN SERVICE INTEREST GROUP INFLUENCE ON SOCIAL WELFARE PROGRAM REGULATIONS - Richard Hoefer
• THE DISCOURSE OF DENIGRATION AND THE CREATION OF OTHER - Joshua Miller & Gerald Schamess
• PATHWAYS TO PRISON: LIFE HISTORIES OF FORMER CLIENTS OF THE CHILD WELFARE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS - Stephen A. Kapp
• RACE, CLASS, AND SUPPORT FOR EGALITARIAN STATISM AMONG THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MIDDLE CLASS - George Wilson
• URBAN VIOLENCE AMONG AFRICAN AMERICAN MALES: INTEGRATING FAMILY, NEIGHBORHOOD, AND PEER PERSPECTIVES …

Pathways To Prison: Life Histories Of Former Clients Of The Child Welfare And Juvenile Justice Systems, Stephen A. Kapp

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the relationship between child maltreatment and future offending from the viewpoint of former clients. Imprisoned adults describe their experiences in child welfare and juvenile justice system services. Specifically, those placed out of the home originally into the child welfare system have a different perspective on their path to prison than those placed into the juvenile justice system as delinquents. The study contributes to the literature by examining the relationship between the services children receive in the child welfare system as well as the juvenile justice system and their imprisonment as adults from a former service recipient's point …

Urban Violence Among African American Males: Integrating Family, Neighborhood, And Peer Perspectives, M. Daniel Bennett Jr., Mark W. Fraser

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Even though rates have declined in recent years, violence is a serious problem in many American cities. This paper reviews recent perspectives on violence among young, urban African American males. Special attention is afforded the "father absent" hypothesis, the effect of poverty, the character of neighborhoods, the roots of self-efficacy, and peer influence, particularly the influence of street codes. The latter are argued both to regulate some situational behavior and to promote the use of violence in disputes over social status, drugs, and money. The authors discuss implications for policy and community development.

The Potential Impact Of Gender Role Socialization On Welfare Policy Formation, Magalene Harris Taylor

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper addresses a five year welfare reform pilot project conducted at the state level. The outcome of research findings for this project indicate that factors other than the obvious are barriers to women choosing work over welfare. Gender role socialization may play an active and very significant role in this process. The reality of which may inhibit welfare reform efforts at the state and national levels.

Review Of Disposable People: New Slavery In The Global Economy. Kevin Bales. Reviewed By Jo Beall,London School Of Economics., Jo Beall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Kevin Bales, Disposable people: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1999. $24.95 hardcover.

The Concept Of Hope In Social Work Practice And Education, Wayne Luebbert

Theses and Graduate Projects

The concept of hope has been and continues to be part of the research literature in many human service fields, such as medicine, psychology and nursing. The research on hope in these fields has shown that its presence can have multiple benefits for persons in differing forms of distress. However, any discussion on hope has been conspicuously absent from most social work literature for almost forty years. This qualitative study has been designed to begin a begin a discussion on the role of hope in social work practice and education. Seven social workers were interviewed on their understanding of hope, …

Risk And Resilience Factors Linked To Problem Behavior Among Urban Culturally Diverse Adolescents, Stephanie L. Crosby

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examined several risk and resilience factors associated with sexual intercourse, gang involvement, and alcohol and drug use among 332 urban culturally diverse adolescents aged 12-16 years. In general different patterns of risk and resilience factors were found to predict the three problem behaviors. Delinquency was the only factor that was significantly linked to sexual intercourse, gang involvement, and substance use.

Discriminant analyses supported that delinquency was differentially associated with low problem vs. high problem urban adolescents. In addition when compared to the high problem urban youth the resilient youth tended to have higher academic competence and intact two …

Quality Of Life And Panic Disorder, Rebecca J. Wyatt Kinnander

Theses and Graduate Projects

Panic disorder has been associated with pervasive social and health consequences similar to or greater than those associated with major depression. Studies have been found that support findings concerning diminished quality of life for persons currently being treated, or shortly after treatment for anxiety disorders, but little is said in regards to quality of life (QOL) in years that follow treatment. This research project attempts to ascertain if there is a difference between the findings of previous studies with this more recent examination of QOL in panic disorder patients. Furthermore, implications for practice show use of quality of life assessment …

Parent Satisfaction With A Supervised Visitation Program, Mary K. Rose

Theses and Graduate Projects

Supervised visitation is contact between a non-custodial parent and one or more children under the supervision of a third party. The need for supervised visitation is great. Clients in these programs are often court ordered and are therefore involuntary. The goal of this study was to at one particular program in Hennepin County in Minnesota from the user’s perspective. A survey was distributed to 46 adult clients: twenty-three of the subjects were custodial parents and twenty-three were non-custodial parents. The items on the survey both qualitative and quantitative. The response rate was poor. Only 15.22%of the surveys were returned. However, …

Social Support Of Sudanese Refugees In Anoka County, Minnesota, Leslie Kay Anderson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Using a qualitative research design, this study reports findings from interviews with five Sudanese refugees regarding sources of social support available to them in Anoka County, Minnesota. The potential sources of support explored were family and relatives; Sudanese and other African friends; American friends; and American Sponsors and social service agencies. Themes of culture shock and differences between support in Sudan and support in the United States emerged. Implications for social work practice and research are discussed.

Parent Involvement Within An Inner-City School: Perspectives Of Parents And Educators, Lisa Zurek

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory qualitative study was executed to expand the knowledge of the issues surrounding parent involvement within an inner-city school. Educators from Tuttle Elementary School responded to qualitative interview guide questions. Parents in focus groups answered questions from a guide. Factors surrounding parent involvement such as the reasons why parents chose to be involved in their child's education or not via the perception of educators and parents were emphasized in the interviews and focus groups. It was found that there are various aspects that effect whether a parent is involved in their child's education include transportation, day care, and work …

Historical Analysis Of African Immigrants With Specific Reference To Ethiopia: Their Cultural Adaptation, Resiliency And Implication For Social Work Practice, Haregewoin Tsegaye

Theses and Graduate Projects

Because of political unrest, civil wars, and economic problems in Africa, the number of African immigrants entering the United States since 1960 has greatly escalated. Beginning in 1914, for example, when junior military officers overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie's Government up to 1991, a year in which a new group took over power and introduced the administration of the country based on ethnic lines to the present time, thousands of Ethiopians fled their country to escape execution, torture, and arbitrary arrest. Although those Ethiopians who did so managed to avoid political and economic sufferings at home, the new way of life …

Assets And The Poor: Evidence From Individual Development Accounts, Mark Schreiner, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Clancy, Lissa Johnson, Jami Curley, Min Zhan, Sondra Beverly, Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Center for Social Development Research

Assets and the Poor: Evidence From Individual Development Accounts

Productive Engagement Of Older Adults: Effects On Well-Being, Nancy Morrow-Howell

Center for Social Development Research

Productive Engagement of Older Adults: Effects on Well-Being

Going To Scale: Principles And Policy Options For An Inclusive Asset-Building Policy, Robert Friedman, Ray Boshara

Center for Social Development Research

Going to Scale: Principles and Policy Options for an Inclusive Asset-Building Policy

Homeownership And Youth Well-Being: An Empirical Test Of Asset-Based Welfare, Edward Scanlon, Deborah Page-Adams

Center for Social Development Research

Homeownership and Youth Well-Being: An Empirical Test of Asset-Based Welfare

Saving Patterns In Ida Programs, Michael Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Margaret Clancy, Sondra Beverly, Mark Schreiner, Min Zhan, Jami Curley

Center for Social Development Research

Saving Patterns in IDA Programs

The Impacts Of Ida Programs On Family Savings And Asset-Holdings, Michael Stegman, Robert Faris, Oswaldo Urdapilleta Gonzales

Center for Social Development Research

This paper was commissioned for Inclusion in Asset Building: Research and Policy Symposium, an event hosted in September 2000 by the Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis. A version was subsequently developed for publication in Inclusion in the American Dream: Assets, Poverty, and Public Policy (Oxford University Press, 2005). This paper supplements research on the national Individual Development Account (IDA) pilot known as the Downpayment on the American Dream Demonstration (ADD). Its subject is the financial impact of ADD on the net savings and assets of program participants, and it examines what ADD participants would have …

Saving And Asset-Accumulation Strategies Used By Low-Income Individuals, Amanda Moore Mcbride, Sondra Beverly, Michael Sherraden, Margaret Sherraden, Lissa Johnson, Mark Schreiner

Center for Social Development Research

This paper presents quantitative and qualitative data regarding the saving and asset-accumulation strategies used by low-income participants in Individual Development Account programs(IDAs). the results of a cross-sectional survey with 298 IDA participants and case studies with 15 IDA participants—the first methods that assessed saving behavior among this population—demonstrate that low-income individuals use psychological and behavioral strategies to save, deposit, and maintain assets. the most frequentlyused strategies are behavioral saving strategiesfor increasing the efficiency of spending (e.g., shopping more carefully for food) and for reducing consumption (e.g., spending less on leisure). Qualitative results indicate that individuals also use goals and mental …

High School Students' Perception Of Developmental Assets, A Gender Comparison, Delia Vandyke

Theses and Graduate Projects

This quantitative study explores the findings from a local study using an instrument developed by the Search Institute: "Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors. This 156-item anonymous survey was administered to 203 suburban high school students who are receiving alternative or non-traditional educational services. The research measures developmental assets, risk, and protective factors and includes a gender comparison. The findings from the survey are compared against a national sample of 24,740 students in 11th and 12th grade. The research is relevant to social workers who want to know how this adolescent population spends their time, what are their perceptions …

The Mandate To Report Child Abuse And The Clergy Privilege Of Confidentially: How Are These Understood?, Brant Moore Thomsen

Theses and Graduate Projects

While clergy in Minnesota are mandated to report child abuse, they are also mandated to keep information confidential. While many studies have been completed looking at the behavior of mandated reporters, and many others have been completed looking at the ethical issues faced by the clergy who experience this dual mandate, little research has brought the two together. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of child protection workers in Dakota County in Minnesota, and pastors in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America who serve congregation in Dakota County.

The findings show that within each group there are a variety of …

Probation Officers Reporting Of Mental Disorders And Treatment Among Juveniles In Ramsey County, Theresa A. Pease

Theses and Graduate Projects

A descriptive research study focusing on the mental health services available to juveniles in the juvenile justice system who have mental health diagnoses. Ramsey county juvenile probation officers were surveyed to provide information regarding this population.

Juveniles in the juvenile justice system have been identified as having a high incident of mental health disorders and are a population in great need. The goal of the study was to answer several questions related to the number of youth with mental disorders in a metropolitan juvenile justice system. The information was collected using a short survey distributed to the county's 44 juvenile …

The Twin Cities Hospice Movement, David A. Larson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This historical study analyzed information about the development of hospice from ancient times to the modern hospice movement. In this study special attention is given to the modern hospice movement, which began in Britain in 1967, and began in the United States in 1974. The purpose of this historical study was to explore and discuss the development of hospice programs Twin Cities, MN, as compared to the hospice movement on a national level.

The study will describe the local hospice movement as seen through the experiences of three local death and dying activists. Throughout the study, the social ideals behind …

A Family Resource Center's Impact On Community Connection And Social Support, Cathy A. Mumm

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceived needs of participants at the Rosemount Family Resource Center as well as to explore if the family resource center was making an impact in the participant's level of social support and connection to the community. The hope was to have a clearer idea of what the participants need and to meet those needs through services and programs offered at the family resource center. One of the goals of the family resource center is to create a community where its residents feel supported and take that feeling of support back to …

The Importance Of Family-Centered Professional Behaviors To Parents Of Children Receiving Day Treatment Services, Cindy A. Torborg

Theses and Graduate Projects

Although many agencies and professionals identify their services as family-centered very few have evaluated their practice to determine the legitimacy of this claim. This exploratory quantitative study elicited survey responses from a random sample of 75 parents and/or guardians of children with severe emotional disturbances who have received family services through Catholic Charities Day Programs. Parents and/or guardians used the Family-Centered Behavior Scale to evaluate the professional behaviors of the family service providers, and rate the importance of these behaviors in the service process. The results indicate that the level of satisfaction with the family practitioner directly correlates with the …

Borderline Personality Disorder: Effectiveness Of The Dbt Model, Lynn Braun Larson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) has become increasingly prevalent in the mental health field (Linehan, 1993). Approximately 1-3% of the population is diagnosed with BPD (Linehan, Oldham, & Silk, 1995). Throughout the past decade, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) has been utilized in the treatment of BPD. Six mental health practitioners were interviewed to determine the effectiveness of DBT with BPD. The research question addressed the ability of individuals with BPD to learn effective problem-solving skills in the areas relating to suicidal/self-mutilating behaviors, number of hospitalizations, interpersonal relationships, impulsiveness, and emotional instability. Some common themes discovered from the practitioners thoughts/perceptions about the …

Community Assessment: Strengths And Challenges Of American Indian Youth, Yvonne L. Barrett

Theses and Graduate Projects

This qualitative study used focus groups to conduct an assessment of capacities and needs of a large upper Midwest American Indian community's views of adolescents who have mental health issues and are violent. The study elicited feedback from 1) providers serving American Indian youth and their families and, 2) the community in general. A total of eleven individuals participated in two focus groups. The interview questions covered the areas of personal experiences with adolescents, strengths and challenges of American Indian youth, available resources and whether they meet the needs of American Indian youth. Findings reveal that the strengths of family, …

The Treatment Experience Of Women Survivors Of Sexual Abuse With Co-Occurring Issues Of Substance Abuse, Barbara E. Harschutz

Theses and Graduate Projects

The high incidence of co-occurrence of women survivors of sexual abuse with substance abuse and the historical differences between mental health and substance abuse treatment were cause for exploration of current treatment available to this population. The purpose of this study was to explore what treatment encounters have been effective for this population of women to recover. Through interviews this exploratory, qualitative study gave six women survivors of sexual abuse with substance abuse who have been involved in treatment a voice that provided needed information for treatment design and implementation. It attempted to answer what treatment services currently offered are …

Review Of Group Work With Overwhelmed Clients. June Gary Hopps And Elaine Pinderhughes. Reviewed By Charles Garvin, University Of Michigan., Charles Garvin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of June Gary Hopps and Elaine Pinderhughes. Group Work with Overwhelmed Clients. New York: The Free Press, 1999. $29.95