Digital Commons Network^™

Program Evaluation : The Clinical Programming Of An Adolescent Psychiatric Residential Program And Adherence To Clinical Best Practice Guidelines, Michael K. Colbert

PCOM Psychology Dissertations

The structure and delivery of clinical services at an adolescent psychiatric community residential program (PCR), located in New Jersey, was evaluated and compared to national clinical guidelines in order to determine the effectiveness of the services being delivered. A multitude of demographic and clinical variables were examined through the review of 70 closed medical records over a 5-year period. An exploration of the history, rationale, and effectiveness of residential treatment services for adolescents is also presented, along with recommendations for the delivery of more effective clinical services.

Raising The Cut-Off: The Empirical Case For Extending Adoption And Guardianship Subsidies From Age 18 To 21, Josh Gupta-Kagan

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Commons, Roger A. Lohmann

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

The commons is a theoretical formalism that is useful in understanding many diverse problems of civil society. A common (or commons) is an economic, political, social, and legal institution that enables joint, shared, mutual or collective natural or social action by agents using a “pool” of shared or jointly held or mutually controlled resources. A substantial body of work exists detailing natural common resource pools acted upon by physical or biological agents. Another large body of work on humanly-directed natural resource pools study the human-natural environment interface, interspecies conflict and population density. Studies of social commons have also looked at …

Learn And Serve America Year (3 Progress Report For Period Of September 6,2008 - June 30, 2009), Learn And Serve America

Project Summaries

At the end of Year 3, there were a total of 1,748 economically disadvantaged youth beneficiaries and 502 college students who were served through the LSA supported activities as reported through our LASSIE data. These figures both exceed our annual targets. Our cumulative figures to date are as follows: Disadvantaged youth beneficiaries, Year 1: 1334 and Year 2: 1775 and Year 3: 1748 for a total of 4857.

Ethnic Fertility Differentials In Vietnam And Their Proximate Determinants, Sajeda Amin, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Southeast Asia‘s rapid economic growth and demographic change have brought divergent fertility behaviors, particularly those of socially excluded groups, into sharper focus. In Vietnam, while the majority Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese, who together account for 85 percent of the country‘s population and benefit the most from the country‘s economic progress, have achieved replacement fertility, certain ethnic minority groups still have total fertility rates exceeding 4. This paper explores proximate determinants of fertility across ethnic groups using a new classification system for ethnicity in Vietnam based on poverty indicators, location, and degree of assimilation of ethnic groups. We decompose components of …

A Survey Of School Counselor Attitudes Regarding Animal-Assisted Interventions, Sara Morrow

Master's Theses and Capstones

Though animal-assisted interventions (AAI) have been used in many institutional settings, there is little evidence of AAI use in public schools. This study examined attitudes of school counselors regarding the incorporation of AAI into their practice.

The Pet Attitude Scale Modified (PAS-M) was used to measure attitudes towards animals and was incorporated into an online survey containing items addressing knowledge, interest, and perception of benefits and challenges associated with AAI. A sample of 220 public school counselors completed the online survey. Most considered themselves knowledgeable about AAI (73%), approximately half were interested in using AAI (56%), "reducing stress and anxiety" …

The Idea Eligibility Mess, Mark C. Weber

Buffalo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Child Neglect And Trauma: The Additive Traumatic Effects Of Neglect On Maltreated Adolescents, Adrianna Rachel Wechsler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Child maltreatment affects thousands of youths in the United States and poses numerous detrimental effects to individuals, families, and the community. Neglect is the most commonly reported and least studied form of child maltreatment. All types of child maltreatment may result in negative outcomes, but the chronic and pervasive nature of child neglect poses a significant threat to child development. No studies have been published evaluating the role of child neglect in the development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and PTSD-related symptoms. This study examined whether neglect has an additive traumatic effect on maltreated youth. The first hypothesis was that …

The Yearning For Zion Raid And Its Impact On Texas Child Welfare Cases: How A Botched Rescue Effort Exposed A Need To Refocus Efforts On Effective Service Plans Comment., Shannon K. Dunn

St. Mary's Law Journal

The raid of the Yearning for Zion ranch exposed fundamental flaws in the operation of the Texas Department of Children and Family Services (the Department). In the raid, the Department took custody of 468 children without a court order and removed them from their homes. This is one of the most glaring examples of the Department’s disregard for the Texas Family Code. Subchapter B of section 263 of the Texas Family Code mandates for the creation and implementation of a comprehensive service plan whenever the Department removes a child from his home. The Department, however, failed to create service plans …

Somebody's Children, Laura Briggs

Utah Law Review

This article has been interested in how and why liberals, and even feminists like Elizabeth Bartholet, joined the campaign against "illegitimacy" waged by neoconservatives in the 1990s as part of the effort to get rid of federal entitlements that supported single mothers. As we have seen, the 1996 Interethnic Placement Act was redefined to separate it from the previous controversy over Gingrich's remarks about orphanages, and even, ultimately, from the measure to end AFDC. It was called, instead, as legal scholar Joan Heifetz Hollinger defines it, a "law aimed at removing the barriers to permanency for the hundreds of thousands …

Ethnic Fertility Differentials In Vietnam And Their Proximate Determinants, Sajeda Amin, Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Southeast Asia’s rapid economic growth and demographic change have brought divergent fertility behaviors, particularly those of socially excluded groups, into sharper focus. This paper explores proximate determinants of fertility across ethnic groups using a new classification system for ethnicity in Vietnam based on poverty indicators, location, and degree of assimilation of ethnic groups. For the ethnic groups that have high fertility, two major contributors are earlier childbearing and lower rates of abortion due to strong ideological opposition. Our evidence suggests that population policies will need to extend beyond provision of contraception and abortion services to address the question of early …

Youth Aspirations And Sense Of Place In A Changing Rural Economy: The Coos Youth Study, Nena F. Stracuzzi

Carsey Publications

Youth in rural Coos County have surprisingly strong ties to their communities, finds a new report from the Carsey Institute. The brief is the first to report on a ten-year panel study of students who began seventh and eleventh grades in 2007 in Coos, New Hampshire's northernmost and most rural county.

A Brief Version Of The Family Background Questionnaire, Timothy P. Melchert, Augustine Kalemeera

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Although it is lengthy. the Family Background Questionnaire provides reliable behaviorally specific family history information. Results from reliability and validity analyses suggest that a brief version of this instrument that assesses parental responsiveness, child maltreatment, and parental substance abuse would provide a useful screening instrument for obtaining family history information.

Advocacy And Obstacles In The Education Of Homeless Children And Youth In Illinois, Laurene M. Heybach

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

The Millennial Generation: A Demographic, Ethnographic, And Religious Profile, Monte Sahlin

180 Symposium Publications

A new generation is emerging into adulthood in the first years of the new century. Born from 1977 through 1994, most are the offspring of parents in the Baby Boom generation. Just as their parents’ childhood and adolescence largely paralleled the development of television, so the Millennial generation has grown up with the Internet. They share many of the values and interests of their Baby Boomer parents, although the world is starkly different. There is much greater diversity, and global boundaries are transparent, while economic anxiety is increased. The young adults and teens in the Millennial generation tend to be …

Raising Children The American Way: Court-Mandated Parenting Education In Alameda, California, Nicole D. Laborde

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Based on ethnographic research in Alameda County, California, this dissertation examines the parenting practices and knowledge that are taught in court-mandated parenting classes along with those of parents enrolled in these classes. In California, two of the primary reasons that parents would be mandated to take classes are because of involvement with Child and Family Services (CFS) or in a custody dispute that reaches the courts. I argue that the different forms of knowledge and the practices advanced in the classes, at times consistent with, at times in conflict with those of the parents, reflect the demands and social responsibility …

"Reconnecting To Resilience" A Historical Study Of Slave Narratives With Implications For Social Work Practice With African American Youth From High Risk Environments, Barbara E. Milton Ii

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The often times high risk environment of African American youth negatively impacts their psychological well being, their family relations and community connections. Many African American youth today are experiencing the vestiges of historical trauma that took root in America in the 17th Century when the first Africans came to America. As a result of generational transmission of historical trauma, many youths today are disproportionately underachieving in education, disproportionately poor, disproportionately monitored by police and incarcerated and disproportionately disrespected by the society at large. In order to reduce the disparity of contemporary problems effecting African American youth, social scientists need to …

Bringing Home Our Adventist Prodigals: A Strategic Plan To Reclaim Youth In The Trans-European Division, Paul David Tompkins

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

The Seventh-day Adventist church is losing far too many of its young people. This trend is hurting the world-wide church, the local congregation, and individual families. Yet very little is being done about it! The purpose of this study is to address this issue and to specifically formulate a Strategic Plan for reclaiming inactive youth in the Trans-European Division (TED).

Method

The TED territory is extensive, covering over thirty-five countries, therefore, a local pilot project was conducted. This involved identifying young people who the local church listed as inactive, or non-attending, and then contacting them with a questionnaire as …

Young Children’S Access And Use Of Computers In Family Child Care And Child Care Centers, Nanci Weinberger, Traci Anderson, Phyllis Schumacher

Applied Psychology Department Faculty Journal Articles

Forty eight family child care providers and 37 center-based providers completed surveys about the availability and use of computers for children in their care. In addition, the providers were asked about their attitudes towards technology and their own computer skills. The impact of setting type on computer placement and rules about their use did not differ very much by setting type. Several factors were associated with the amount of time children were reported to use the computers. Overall, it appears that child care providers had developmentally sensitive guidelines for fostering computer use in both child care settings.

An Impact Study Of Locally-Designed Head Start Program Models On Children's Assessment Scores, Jennifer Price

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

Head Start, a nationwide early childhood program, promotes the development and use of locally-designed program models, such as partnerships with child care centers, to expand enrollment opportunities and improve service delivery to eligible children and families. Partnerships are considered to be an efficient solution with positive benefits accruing to the Head Start grantee, partnering child care center, and participating families. It is not known, however, whether partnerships differ from standard, direct-managed centers in terms of promoting school readiness among children, the goal of Head Start. This study addresses that question, undertaking an assessment of the impact, if any, that program …

Using The Fourteenth Amendment To Protect The Integrity Of Kinship Foster Families, Jennifer Baum, Teresa J. Grogan

Faculty Publications

(Excerpt)

As children’s advocates, we know well the value of an extended family to a dependency case. Living with a family member is often considered by children removed from their parents to be the “second best.” Such arrangements are often more comforting, less socially stigmatizing, and more capable at facilitating children’s normal daily routines, including school, medical care, and religious training, than stranger foster care. The social and psychological benefits of kinship care are well documented. One recent retrospective study concluded that children in kinship foster care have fewer behavioral problems three years after placement than do children who were …

Child Advocacy (Chad), Montclair State University

Course Descriptions

No abstract provided.

Researchers Who Surf: Riding The Waves Of Analysis In Self-Study Research, Matthew D. Conley, Lesley Colabucci

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

In this paper, two beginning qualitative researchers describe the challenges and successes of conducting a collaborative self-study. For two academic years, the authors wrote and analyzed personal narratives related to their experiences as a lesbian and a gay man, respectively, in educational contexts. This article addresses the data analysis phase of the research process. The authors attempt to make visible their analytic process in hopes that their struggles might be useful to those who conduct similar research. They rely on the metaphor of waves to capture what it was like to engage in their analytic work. Their experience demonstrates the …

Ministering With Millennials: A Complete Report On The 180 Symposium, Roger Dudley, Allen Walshe

All Books

Millennials in your community range in age from 15 to 32. The youngest are in the early years of high school and the oldest may or may not be married with families. One important Millennial generation attribute is delayed commitment. Ministering with Millennials starts with a complete overview of this interesting and important generation.

Papers presented at the 180 Symposium covered five major ministry themes:

• The Search for Identity
• Relationships are the Key
• Spirituality is Essential
• There is a Call for Leadership
• A Theme of Service

Among the 25 papers included in Ministering with Millennials, you will find powerful …

Effects Of Marital Quality On Children In Brazilian Families, Stephen V. Stutzman, Richard B. Miller, Cody S. Hollist, Olga G. Falceto

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Although there is a robust literature supporting the empirical generalization that parental conflict is related to childhood problems, the research has primarily studied European American populations in the U.S. There is minimal research that investigates the relationship between marital distress and child outcomes in other cultures (Bradford et al., 2004; Buehler et al., 1997; Krishnakumar & Buehler, 2000; Shek, 2001), including a specific lack of knowledge regarding Latino populations. This is a significant gap in the literature since Latino children make up the largest minority group in the U.S., accounting for 16% of children younger than 18 years of age …

Homeless Education: Analyzing The Problematic Legal Remedies Available To Homeless School Children, Clifton S. Tanabe

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

Given the extent to which our society values education, it is perplexing to learn that we continue to struggle to provide all children, especially homeless children, an adequate education. This troubling issue is the focus of this paper. Specifically, this paper will center around two basic questions; 1) what has the legal system done to ensure that homeless children receive an adequate education, and 2) what might be done, legally, to advocate for the educational well-being of such children? In addressing these two questions, this paper will begin by problematizing the definition of homelessness and by analyzing some national statistics …

Opportunities For The Primary Prevention Of Obesity During Infancy, Ian M. Paul, Cynthia J. Bartok, Danielle S. Downs, Cynthia A. Stifter, Alison K. Ventura, Leann L. Birch

Kinesiology and Public Health

Are chubby babies healthy babies? Whereas most seem well during infancy, evidence is increasing that heavier babies have a poorer long-term health trajectory than their trimmer counterparts. Data have emerged over the past 2 decades that early life growth patterns and behaviors play an important role in the etiology of obesity, yet there has been very little focus on the primary prevention of obesity during infancy by the medical, behavioral health, and public health communities. A recent report from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) highlighted the need for very early intervention when it revealed that between 2003 …

Family Leisure Satisfaction And Satisfaction With Family Life, Joel R. Agate, Ramon B. Zabriskie, Sarah Taylor Agate, Raymond Poff

Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between family leisure satisfaction and satisfaction with family life. Zabriskie’s Family Leisure Activity Profile was used to measure family leisure satisfaction. The Satisfaction with Family Life Scale was used to measure satisfaction with family life. The sample consisted of 898 families from throughout the United States. Results indicated a relationship between all family leisure satisfaction variables and satisfaction with family life. Data collected from parents and youth provided insight into the relationship between family leisure satisfaction and satisfaction with family life. At the parent, youth, and family levels, core family …

Constitutional Birthright: The State, Parentage, And The Rights Of Newborn Persons, James G. Dwyer

Faculty Publications

State parentage laws, dictating who a newborn child's first legal parents will be, have been the subject of constitutional challenges in several U.S. Supreme Court and many lower court decisions. All of those decisions, however, have focused on constitutional rights of adults (especially unwed biological fathers) who wish to become, or to avoid becoming, legal parents. Neither courts nor legal scholars have considered whether the children have any constitutional rights that constrain legislatures and courts in deciding which adults will be their legal parents. If a state enacted a parentage law that said, for example, that any child born to …

Increasing Referrals For Services Through Collaboration With Community Agencies, Benjamin Mohr

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of the project is to investigate how a non-profit organization can collaborate better with other agencies to increase referrals for services. Research was conducted to determine the best avenue of increasing utilization of services in southeast Minnesota by strategic planning. A survey was conducted of 15 southeast Minnesota counties to conduct a SWOT analysis of 3 key services offered by Family Focus that are currently underutilized. Information was compiled in order to support a more comprehensive marketing plan to build relationships with county agencies and increase awareness and use of the services provided by the agency. Recommendations and …