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A Study Of Behavior Changes Among Children Who Have Left The Children's Psychiatric Day Treatment Center, Julia A. Jones, Larry G. Pederson

Dissertations and Theses

This study began with the authors' interest in the Portland Public Schools' program for Emotionally Handicapped children. Originally, the researchers were interested in assessing behavioral characteristics and changes among children in that program and in relating these variables to the kind and extent of parental involvement. Such a study was particularly timely, it was felt, since some schools were considering eliminating the parent involvement component of the program and there was discussion of phasing out the entire program as it then existed in favor of "mainstreaming." The researchers soon discovered the paucity of research information relating to program effects on …

Attitudes Of Psychiatric Nurses And Aides At An Oregon State Hospital Toward Homosexuality, Don Andersen

Dissertations and Theses

Homosexuality is something which has been a part of almost every society throughout history. In western society this has been a subject of secrecy and taboo. Throughout our history homosexuals have been persecuted and forced to hide their sexual identity. The effects of this on an individual should be something of concern to professionals in the mental health field.

While in the past there has been little knowledge of homosexuality, and no self-expression on the part of homosexuals, there has, in recent years, been growing information and expression. The effect of this change on mental health workers is what this …

Disengagement Of Older People In An Urban Setting, Melvina Somers

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation reevaluates the controversial Disengagement Theory of aging introduced by Elaine Cumming and William E. Henry in their book, Growing Old (1961), with particular emphasis on aging in the city.

Disengagement theory embodies the antithesis to the traditional activity theory of aging based on a work ethic. Disengagement theory holds that normal aging is an inevitable mutual withdrawal or disengagement between the aging person and others in the social system, that it is universal, and that, by impl ication,it is a mutually satisfying condition since it results in a new equilibrium between society and the aging individual. The theory …

An Evaluative Study Of Client Satisfaction At A Mental Health Clinic, Dianne E. Carlton

Dissertations and Theses

Evaluative research in the field of mental health is carried out pursuant to several goals. One is to study a very particular intervention on a very particular client (or client population) in a controlled way with the aim to test a theory of intervention. This form of research requires basically an experimental research design. It also requires rigorously defined and measured intervention and a good control for factors other than intervention. The requirements for this form of research are stringent and the number of such projects reported is, therefore, rare.

The present study was done as a pilot study for …

A Descriptive Study Of Some Problems Of Widows In Portland, Oregon, Kathleen Marsha Davis, Gail Petchesky

Dissertations and Theses

Widowhood is an inevitable phase of the life cycle for three out of every four married women. It is apparent by the lack of research about widowhood that it has been neglected as a developmental phase in the life cycle. Presently there are ten million widows in this country and their numbers are increasing each year. It is appalling that with a population this large, little attention has been directed towards research about widowhood. Other than recognizing that the widow may have financial problems for which Social Security provides assistance, few people realize what it means to be widowed. For …

The Effects Of Urban-Rural Life Histories Of The Aged On Urban Adaptation, Michael R. Deshane

Dissertations and Theses

Among the major interests of students of urbanism and urbanization in the United States have been the understanding and explication of differences between urban and rural segments of American society. Coupled with this has been an attempt to theoretically delineate the effects of these differences on the social psychological adjustment of urban and rural inhabitants. The culmination of this work in sociology is to be found in Wirth's (1938) essay "Urbanism as a Way of Life." Wirth identified three major differences between urban and rural lifestyles which have been the impetus for considerable research and controversy. The three major differences …

A Demographic Study Of Two Alcoholic Populations In A State Hospital, James John Schelot

Dissertations and Theses

Twenty-five alcoholic patients in the Alcohol Treatment Program at Dammasch State Hospital near Wilsonville, Oregon, and twenty-five alcoholic patients in the same hospital who were not participating in the program were given a questionnaire designed to collect demographic data on both groups. The demographic characteristics were to be gathered in order to assess the possible need of diversified treatment programs for alcoholic patients at Dammasch State Hospital and in the Portland community.

Demographic data involved the social background, the alcohol background, and the medical/psychological history of the patients.

The results seemed to suggest that the two groups of patients were …

The Influence Of Age And Stimuli On The Explanations Of "Same" And "Different" By Young Children, Pamela Callas Senders

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the influence of chronological age and stimuli on the explanations of "same" and "different" by young children. Seventy children, between by young children. the ages of three-years, six-months and nine-years, six-months, selected on the basis of chronological age, normal speech and language development, and normal verbal maturity, were involved as subjects. A test consisting of a series of verbal tasks was administered to each child. The experimenter recorded and later analyzed and classified all responses for each child, following specific guidelines for judging appropriateness of response and assigning each appropriate response to one of three classifications.

Mastectomies And Their Effect On Sexual Behavior, Irene Marian Ellicott

Dissertations and Theses

Sixteen women who had had hysterectomies and eighteen women who had had mastectomies were mailed the Oregon Sex Inventory to see if any significant differences in sexual behavior occurred before or after surgery.

The mastectomy group showed a greater degree of change in their sexual behavior than the hysterectomy group. The mastectomy group reported a decrease in the importance of the breast during the sexual act after surgery and a decrease in their desire for intercourse after surgery. The hysterectomy group reported lowered sexual satisfaction after surgery.

The changes reported in this study although relatively small are statistically significant. The …

An Exploratory Study Of Adolescent Perceptions Of Communication Behavior, Pat Adams, Marion Summers

Dissertations and Theses

The interaction between troubled adolescents and the adult world is generally characterized as laden with ambiguity and conflict, and is rarely seem as productive or mutually satisfying. This research project is an attempt to study the way in which this interaction is perceived by a group of female adolescents involved in the Bridge, a short-term residential program for girls in a state of early crisis as demonstrated by runaway behavior. This study specifically focuses on communication behaviors of parents and of adults other than parents as perceived by the adolescent upon her entry into The Bridge and at her release …

Follow-Up Study Of The Child Diagnostic Center, Nancy Ann Peck, Krystal Angevine

Dissertations and Theses

In order to document the need for additional treatment centers for severely disturbed children, the Oregon Mental Health Division decided to submit a grant to the National Institute of Mental Health to request an extensive, retrospective follow-up study of an innovative diagnostic approach, the Child Diagnostic Center. When the grant was not funded, the State Office for Child Study and Treatment Centers recruited graduate students to conduct portions of the proposed follow-up study.

Attitudes Of Graduate Social Work Students Toward The Disabled: Use Of Yuker's Disabled Persons Scale, Donna Meyer Weggenman

Dissertations and Theses

According to a front page editorial in the Wall Street Journal of January 27, 1976, the major barriers to employment of eight million disabled people are attitudinal. Understanding of attitudes - their sources, and their dynamics - must be achieved in order to progress toward a goal of acceptance of handicapped persons as full and equal partners in our society.

An Improved Approach For "Optimization" Of Multiple Policy Objectives, Perihan Soliman Tawfik

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis involved three categories of activity; development and testing of an expanded version of ELECTRE II, also the development of a computer software program for ELECTRE II.

The expanded version of ELECTRE II took the form of an input aiding questionnaire along with a tailored structure to suit a particular problem. The contents of the questionnaire were based on geueral problem solving concepts (techniques, strategies) gleaned from the systems science literature. This questionnaire assumed a programmed instruction format in contrast to that of an interactive computer software package, so that it would not be prohibitive in terms of expenses …

The Study Of The Differential Effects Of Visual And Auditory Presentation On Logical Reasoning, Jacob Lauterstein Driesen

Dissertations and Theses

A fundamental task in reasoning is to form some internal representation of the premises that allows the relations between them to be determined. Whether this process is visual or auditory is the subject of a long-standing controversy.

This controversy seems to have reached a stalemate. Another approach is to determine where in the brain reasoning is done. A way of doing this involves looking at differences in the processing and storage of visual and auditory information within the brain. Brooks used this approach in his experiments. His results suggested that a subject who receives spatial information by of the ear …

A Concept Acquisition Project Comparing Receptive And Expressive Programs, Carol Paulson Carpenter

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project was to measure and compare the language concept growth of two clients who utilized different response modes; client A utilized the expressive mode and client B utilized the receptive mode. A systematic management program was administered to each client for eighteen sessions. The specific questions posed were:

1. Did both clients demonstrate the ability to verbalize concepts on the post-test of the individualized programs?

2. Did client A learn more concepts in eighteen sessions than client B as measured by the post-tests of the individualized programs and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts?

3. …

A Survey Of Neighborhood Attitudes Toward The Mentally Retarded And Community Group Homes, Fred T. Cooprider

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will cover the following subject areas: a brief history of attitudes toward and treatment of the retarded, to give an historical perspective to current developments; a review of current research of attitudes toward the retarded; a statement of the research question and the research design; the results of this research; and a concluding discussion.

Motivational Factors Behind Repetitive Abortions, Kelly Osmont, Ellen Wolfford

Dissertations and Theses

This practicum intends to explore the motivational factors behind repeat abortions. The underlying assumptions of this study include: (1) women have abortions; (2) women have repeat abortions. Based on these assumptions, the two research questions are (1) are there significant factors in the causation of repeat abortions, and (2) what are the implications regarding the lack of information and service to women which have a direct relationship to repeat abortions.

An Investigation Of The Combined Effect Of Agency Support And Professional Social Workers' Training On The Type Of Family Therapy Practiced By Agency-Based Social Workers, Betsy Marsh Mccartor, Margaret Labby

Dissertations and Theses

All persons are born into some form of family unit. The traditional family is a unit of people who live together over periods of time and have ties of marriage and kinship. Even if that unit is separated, as in death or adoption, qualities of one's personhood are closely connected with forebears and parents. Whether for good or bad, the family profoundly affects the individual.

The family is an important unit. Many stresses impinge upon it. The church and extended family are less influential on the family today. The school is less influential. Where does the family turn for support? …

Service Delivery To Deaf Persons : A Survey And Proposal, Patrick F. Walsh

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will identify the problems faced by deaf people in terms of social and emotional, and then discuss the research on factors which contribute to the problems. The first section will define deafness, investigate the psychological characteristics of the deaf, and then identify the incidence of mental or emotional problems. The second section will review the literature on factors which contribute to the emotional problems of the deaf. The final section will review the literature on the service system available to the deaf. Throughout this presentation, the writer will summarize with personal conclusions. These summaries will both capsulize the …

Toward An Understanding Of Men And Masculinity: Some Dimensions Of The Social Construction Of Knowledge In Social Work Professional Journals, Robert Bailey, Denny Patella

Dissertations and Theses

This work is an attempt to critically evaluate the way men and masculinity have been portrayed in and through social work journals and to develop an annotated bibliography of the professional periodical literature as it relates to the masculine gender role. It is also an analysis of authorship in order to determine differential participation by the sexes in social work journals. These analyses will be used to assess the current status of “masculinity” and gender role issues in the profession and to suggest areas of future growth.

A Model For Decision Making: A Systems Approach, Eleanor Weitman

Dissertations and Theses

This paper addresses itself to the problem of the analysis of the decision making processes in the area of Human Resources Planning.

Citizen Participation: Individual Political Behavior And The Federal Mandate, Rick R. Paulson

Dissertations and Theses

Federally mandated citizen participation has been controversial since its inception in 1964. It has been as difficult to implement in practice as it has been to define conceptually. An examination of the literature related to this federally mandated citizen participation uncovers a number of untested assumptions relating to the individual political behavior of those for whom participation is mandated. This literature concentrates on forms of organized group participation, and the direct action of these groups in the planning and policy-making process, but it tends to ignore the fact that participation in the organized neighborhood groups advocated is essentially an individual …

The Disposition Of Reported Child Abuse, Marc F. Maden

Dissertations and Theses

Child abuse is a significant contemporary community problem. Child abuse authorities are divided over the question of whether public intervention in the child abuse problem should be executed by law enforcement or social services agencies. Many jurisdictions, such as Multnomah County, Oregon, reflect this basic disagreement by authorizing the involvement of both of these agencies. The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a relationship between what happens to child abuse victims, their families, and the perpetrators and the community agency - law enforcement or social services (the Children's Services Division)-which investigated the case. Data were collected …

Social Impact Assessment At The Neighborhood Level, William H. Triest

Dissertations and Theses

This paper originated as a result of one of the stated objectives of the Salem Primary Prevention Project. That project, operating jointly with Marion County Community Mental Health, Salem School District 24J and the City of Salem’s Community Development Department, has had as one of its stated objectives, the development of a mechanism to review the impact of planned change at the local level.

For several years both the staff and Advisory Committee for the Primary Prevention Program had wrestled with the complexity of developing such a review or assessment mechanism. Existing literature on social impact assessment appeared to deal …

Retrospective Study Of Participants In Preorgasmic Women's Groups : Looking For Life Changes, Barbara Geiger

Dissertations and Theses

It is the purpose of this research practicum to explore the self-reported changes of women who have participated in Preorgasmic Women's Groups. These groups are a type of treatment program for the problem of primary orgasmic dysfunction, and for women who want to learn to experience orgasm through manual masturbation. A Preorgasmic Group relates to a combination of physiological and psychological components of orgasm. It is distinguished from other therapy techniques in that the program involves only women in a group situation and uses a combination of techniques. It combines group discussion, education of female anatomy and sexual function, and …

Social Work Intervention And Patients' Utilization Of The Kaiser Health Care System, Pegi Sten, Liz Swint Young

Dissertations and Theses

This study was an analysis of social work practice in a medical setting: analyzing the work of a medical social worker in an outpatient clinic located in a metropolitan area. The primary purpose of this descriptive study was to evaluate the performance of a medical social worker in a Kaiser-Permanente outpatient clinic and to determine if there were possible associations between social work intervention and patient utilization of existing services offered by the Kaiser Health Care system, also referred to herein as Kaiser. Specifically, the study attempted to determine if there were quantitative changes in patient contacts, and utilization of …

Program Planning For Community Residents Who Have Been Released From Mental Institutions, Joseph D. Condon, Margaret Ann Drackert

Dissertations and Theses

Zion Lutheran Church in Portland has had contact with a number of neighborhood residents who have been released from mental institutions but who have had little community support. The Church has felt the need for some time to develop a residential program for former patients in the area they serve. The authors of this report agreed to conduct a needs assessment and to develop a program relative to the results of the assessment.

A needs assessment identified the target population, attempted to determine what services they would use and how such services might best be delivered. The assessment was conducted …

Women In Menopause: A Study Of Gynecologist's Perceptions, Zadell Cogan, Sharon Kennedy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to explore the needs of women experiencing menopause. Since women at this time experience physical, social and emotional changes, they may have a special need for services. Doctors were selected as the population for study because they treat so many women at this age and because they are powerful transmitters of our culture. This exploratory study was designed to provide descriptive information about the doctors' perceptions.

Results are reported from interviews with seventeen gynecologists from the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon. Attempts were made to interview all female gynecologists in the area. Male gynecologists …

An Evaluation System For Alcohol And Drug Programs, Michael J. Schrunk

Dissertations and Theses

The Office of Programs for Alcohol and Drug Problems is the designated "Single State Authority" for the planning and development of alcohol and drug programs. It is within the State Mental Health Division, and is the interface between the Division, the counties, and the federal government with regard to alcohol and drug programs. The Division's Office of Management Support Services (MSS) is charged with the responsibility of developing an evaluation system for programs. This is being done in regard to the needs of programs and decision-makers concerned with programs. The Program Office is now providing input to MSS largely through …

Quality Of Life Assessment Of Chronic Hemodialysis Patients At The Artificial Kidney Unit Of Good Samaritan Hospital And Medical Center, Karen Jones Whittle, Michael Tripp, Bruce De Young

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate certain factors that affect the quality of life experienced by the chronic hemodialysis patient population served by the Artificial Kidney Unit at Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, Oregon. The intent of the study was to discover if there was a significant difference in quality of life between patients who dialyzed at home and patients at the Artificial Kidney Unit (center patients).

For the purposes of this study, House, Livingston and Swinburn’s definition of quality of life was used. Their definition states that quality of life is a function of the …