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Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 4 (December 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

CONTENTS

• Policy Gambit: Conservative Think Tanks Take on the Welfare State - DAVID STOESZ
• Reconsidering Drug Involvement Among Youth and Young Adults: Implications for Targeted Primary Intervention - MARK W. FRASER
• Reforming the Juvenile Correctional Institution: Efforts of the U.S. Children's Bureau in the 1930s - MARGUERITE G. ROSENTHAL
• Historical Perspectives on the Care and Treatment of the Mentally Ill - ALBERT R. ROBERTS AND LINDA FARRIS KURTZ
• Sexual Abuse at Charity House: A Case Study of Social Policies in Action - MAUREEN KELLEHER
• Predictors of Job Satisfaction Among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups of Professional Female Human Service Workers - R.L. …

Reforming The Juvenile Correctional Institution: Efforts Of The U.S. Children's Bureau In The 1930s, Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The U.S. Children's Bureau, the federal agency responsible for social policy for children in the early part of this century, delayed studying the problems associated with the institutionalization of juvenile delinquents for nearly twenty-five years. In the 1930's, the Bureau undertook several projects and studies related to training schools for delinquents which were designed to create reform in an area long recognized as harmful to children. This article traces the history of the Bureau's work in the institutional field from 1912-54, analyzes the reasons for the agency's initial reluctance and later activity in this area, discusses the results of these …

Mental Practice: Its Effects On Walking Balance In An Elderly Population, Cheryl A. Linden

Masters Theses

The effect of mental practice on improving walking balance in an elderly population was studied. Walking balance was measured by the number of upper extremity equilibrium reactions elicited and placement of feet observed as subjects traversed an activity course. Twenty-three female subjects between the ages of 67-90 were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group mentally practiced traversing the activity course with the aid of a six minute audio tape. The control group participated in sedentary activities of equal duration. Both groups met for eight sessions. Independent and correlated t-tests indicated no significant difference in walking balance …

Congruence Between Type Of Activity And Volition And Its Relationship To Life Satisfaction In Nursing Home Residents, David De Noble

Masters Theses

This study examines the relationship between life satisfaction and the volition subsystem of 32 older adults who reside in nursing homes. Specifically, it attempts to measure congruence or the perception of the individual that the inherent characteristics of an activity "fit" his or her sense of personal causation, values and interests. The study examines the relationship between this congruence and life satisfaction.

Results of the study identified positive correlations between congruence and life satisfaction. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and activity were at a statistically significant level (p <.05) for personal causation, values and total volition. Correlations between congruence of volition subsystem components and some specific activities were also found.

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups Of Professional Female Human Service Workers, R. L. Mcneely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Three hundred and thirty-six female human service workers were studied to determine whether or not racial/ethnic status was related to job satisfaction among managerial, supervisory and professional employees. Both overall and intrinsic satisfaction were assessed. Two groups were similar in the patterns predictive of their satisfaction but the third group appeared to be influenced by concerns peculiar to those achieving recent professional status.

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 Effects Of Altruism On Activity Productivity In Elderly Women In Skilled-Care Nursing Facilities, Carol J. Getz

Masters Theses

This study investigated altruism as a factor in productivity in elderly women. Eight groups of institutionalized elderly women (n = 33) stenciled personalized (initials) stationery. Groups were randomly assigned to either the non-altruistic condition or the altruistic condition; there was control for time of day and location of the activity. Subjects in the non-altruistic condition made stationery for themselves, while subjects in the altruistic condition made stationery for abused children living in an innercity. The number of pieces of stationery produced and the duration of time engaged in activity were recorded for each subject. Mann-Whitney U tests revealed that subjects …

Registering The Poor To Vote: Lessons From The 1984 General Election, Ira Colby

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Voter registration and educational programs for the poor and moderate income groups were a dominant political strategy embraced by a number of social welfare organizations during the 1984 general election. This article reviews one such project that registered 4,124 individuals and implemented a follow-up survey of 500 new registrants. Based on the survey, the author identifies a number of voting and nonvoting behaviors that should be considered in future voter registration and education projects. The author also identifies critical policy issues that impede voter participation among the poor.

Sex-Role Stereotypes About Social Work Administration, Reginald O. York

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, the issue of sex-role stereotype about administration was examined through a survey of social workers in one state. The analysis of data revealed that, in their descriptions of the good social work administrator, females held a greater preference for the male stereotype than did males. This female preference substantially explained the overall preference for the male stereotype over the female stereotype for the entire sample. The need for further examination of this female preference for the male stereotype about administration is discussed.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 3 (September 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Contents

• Privatization: Reforming the Welfare State - DAVID STOESZ
• Registering the Poor to Vote: Lessons from the 1984 General Election - IRA COLBY
• Refeminization of Child Care: Causation, Costs and Cures - ROBERT WEINBACH
• Stability and Fluctuation in Juvenile Delinquency in Israel - RAM A. CNAAN, ITZHAK HOCHERMAN
• The Use of Survey Methods in Researching Parents of Adjudicated Child Prostitutes - JOHN LONGRES
• Sex-Role Stereotypes about Social Work Administration - REGINALD O. YORK
• Burn-Out Among Social Work Professionals: A Behavioral Approach to Causal and Interventive Knowledge - KAREN M. SOWERS-HOAG, BRUCE A. THYER
• Advocacy and the Adversary System - …

The Use Of Survey Methods In Researching Parents Of Adjudicated Teenage Prostitutes, John Longres

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper is methodological in its orientation. It describes experiences in applying survey methods to a difficult and hard to reach population - parents of adjudicated teenage prostitutes.

Stability And Fluctuation In Juvenile Delinquency In Israel, Ram A. Cnaan, Itzhak Hocherman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A review of the literature indicates two major approaches in official crime rate analysis. The first approach postulates a positive correlation between recorded crime rates and a number of factors including police strength, organizational structure of social control agencies, opportunity, and social pathologies. The second postulate is based on Erikson's hypothesis of stability of deviance over time, namely that recorded crime rates in a given society will remain comparatively stable over time. We tested these approaches based on 15 years of juvenile delinquency statistics in Israel. Official statistics on both recorded juvenile delinquents and their recorded crimes were tested through …

Recidivism Of 17-21 Year-Old Misdemeanants Participating In A Prosecution Diversion Program, Gerald D. Snodgrass

Dissertations

Criminal activity involving the youthful offender is a serious problem in law enforcement. The monetary considerations of processing a criminal case in the established criminal justice system are not declining. Youthful crime, like all forms of criminal activity, is a considerable drain on the resources of this country. The personal costs to the 17-21 year-old offender may include curtailment of employment opportunities, limited educational prospects, and the establishment of adverse life patterns, leading to further criminal involvement. The youthful offender who resorts to crime again and is arrested because of such criminal activity adds additional costs to the criminal justice …

An Analysis Of The Effects Of A Low Glycemic Diet On The Antisocial Behavior Of Juvenile Offenders, James Edward Longhurst

Dissertations

The objective of this study was to determine if a low glycemic diet contributes to a reduction in the incidence of antisocial behavior among male juvenile offenders.

One hundred forty juvenile offenders at a residential treatment center were randomly divided into treatment and nontreatment groups. The treatment group ate from a diet which contained foods low in glycemic characteristics. There was no dietary alteration for the control group.

Three instruments were used to measure differences between groups in antisocial behavior following a 5-week experimental period. These instruments include: (1) the Unusual Incident Report--a systematic and objective observer report form, (2) …

The Socializer, June 1987, Department Of Sociology

The Socializer

Volume 1, Number 26 of the Socializer, published June, 1987.

Harry Lurie's Assessment And Prescription: An Early View Of Social Workers' Roles And Responsibilities Regarding Political Action, Joe M. Schriver

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Harry Lawrence Lurie's recommendations and analyses concerning social workers' involvement in political action are reviewed. By reviewing some of Lurie's concerns and activities from the 1930's into the 1950's in this area, it is possible to gain helpful guidance and insight into contemporary concerns about social workers in the political arena. Lurie argued consistently for greater involvement by social workers in political action as individuals, as members of professional organizations, and in coalition with other groups outside of social work who were concerned with progressive social change. Lurie also articulated many of the conditions preventing effective political action by social …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 2 (June 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

CONTENTS

• INTRODUCTION - Robert D. Leighninger, Jr., Editor
• TEENAGE PREGNANCY, PROFESSIONAL AGENDAS, AND PROBLEM DEFINITIONS - Richard A. Weatherley
• NOT FOR POVERTY ALONE: FOSTER CARE POPULATION TRENDS IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY - Leroy H. Pelton
• THE FAILURE OF THE DESTITUTE MOTHERS' BILL: THE USE OF POLITICAL POWER IN SOCIAL WELFARE - Eve P. Smith
• MINNEAPOLIS SETTLEMENT HOUSES IN THE "NOT SO ROARING 20's:
• AMERICANIZATION, MORALITY, AND THE REVOLT AGAINST POPULAR CULTURE - Howard Jacob Karger
• HARRY LURIE'S ASSESSMENT AND PRESCRIPTION: AN EARLY VIEW OF SOCIAL WORKERS' ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES REGARDING POLITICAL ACTION - Joe M. Schriver
• ORGANIZATIONAL ADAPTATION: THE NATIONAL …

Not For Poverty Alone: Foster Care Population Trends In The Twentieth Century, Leroy H. Pelton

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Trends in the size of the national foster care population from 1910 to 1983 are examined in the context of child welfare policy toward dependent and neglected children. Several major turning points in the child placement rate are identified, and the reasons for them are explored. The relationship between poverty and foster care placement is discussed, and it is concluded that the child placement rate is not related to the poverty rate, but rather, to how our society chooses to intervene with the children of families living in poverty.

Drug Addict And Non-Addict Offenders: A Comparison Of The Disparity In The Types Of Crimes, Sentencing Recommendations, And Formal Dispositions Of Each Group, Scott B. Courtney

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between the type and severity of a crime and the offender's known history (past or present) of controlled substance abuse.

A random sample of federal cases between the years 1980-1985 was used to see if the offender's known problem with substance abuse had any impact on the severity of the recommended and actual sentence imposed on the offender.

Specific control variables such as race, age, educational level, and marital status of the offenders were also incorporated.

Afdc Encounters Joint Custody: Business As Usual Is Not The Solution, Jan L. Hagen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In the fifty years since its enactment, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) has become increasingly difficult to administer efficiently and equitably. Most recently, this increasing complexity is illustrated by eligibility determinations for divorced families having joint custody of the children. A recent national survey of state agencies administering AFDC programs reveals a diversity of approaches in determining eligibility under the continued absence requirement for joint custody situations. As illustrated by these joint custody cases, the meaningfulness as well as the usefulness of the continued absence requirement for AFDC eligibility has become increasingly questionable in terms of responding to …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 14, No. 1 (March 1987)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

• Editorial - ROBERT D. LEIGHNINGER, JR.
• Individual Experience and Critical Consciousness: Sources of Change in Everyday Life - DAVID GIL
• AFDC Encounters Joint Custody: Business as Usual Is not the Solution - JAN C. HAGEN
• Role Ambiguity Among Foster Parents: Semi-Professionals in Professionalizing Organizations - KENNETH J. MIETUS, MICHAEL D. FIMMEN
• Older Blacks' Predictions of Their Social Support Networks - BRENDA CRAWLEY
• Setting Funding Priorities in the Voluntary Sector: A Case Study From the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles - SAUL ANDRON
• Stress of the Caregiver: Effective Management of Dementia Patients in Hospital and Community Settings - RUTH …

Individual Experience And Critical Consciousness: Sources Of Social Change In Everyday Life, David G. Gil

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social scientists tend to interpret social change as the result of collective action. However, all collective action is at some level and time initiated and carried out by individuals, who, of course, are rooted in particular social contexts. A theory of social change needs to derive, therefore, not only from the study of collective action, but also from the study of individual initiation of, and involvement in, social change oriented practice.

The following observations on individual involvement in social change practice are based on personal experience and study over several decades. They are not a theory of social change but …

Rold Ambiguity Among Foster Parents: Semi-Professionals In Professionalizing Organizations, Kenneth J. Mietus, Michael D. Fimmen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Because foster parent role ambiguity has been viewed primarily as a micro-level phenomenon, efforts to reduce its negative consequences have emphasized ameliorist solutions which attempt to alter the behavior of individuals. We suggest that consideration of role ambiguity as a macro-level phenomenon provides a sounder basis for developing long-range solutions which can alter the structure of foster care organizations in ways which will complement existing ameliorist strategies. As semi-professionals, the work-role expectations of foster parents are seen as being contradictory to the goals of a profess ionalizing organizational structure. The transitional nature of this professionalizing process, and the contradictions which …

Older Blacks' Predictions Of Their Social Support Networks, Brenda Crawley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Predicting resources for one's later years is risky and evokes feelings of vulnerability. Findings from a study of older blacks reveal that while race and culture may predispose clients to prefer certain resources, such as spouses and children, others realistically expect kin and friends to care for them. The heterogeneous nature of the black elderly suggests an open posture be maintained in assessing support resources for those who face short- or long- term care needs.

Stress Of The Caregiver: Effective Management Of Dementia Patients In Hospital And Community Settings, Ruth E. Dunkle, Michael Nevin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores the management problems among elders with dementia and their medical and family caregivers. Twenty-five patients were interviewed as well as professional health care personnel and a family member. Findings indicated that professional assessment facilitates home caregiving but has little bearing on successful coping by the caregiver. Variability of coping relates to the strategy employed.