Mental and Social Health Commons^™

The Biography Of A Scale: Contextual Factors That Influence The Measurement Of Family Functioning, Ludwig Geismar

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The subject of instrument relevance is addressed by examining issues that have arisen in the use of a single scale over a forty year period. The issues revolve around the impact of varying social conditions, changing ethos, differential respondent receptiveness, and evolving research technology. Extended use of an instrument, it is argued, yields information that transcends the conventional techniques for testing instrument adequacy. The lack of opportunities in social work for accessing information on extended use of measurement tools is due, among other factors, to a preoccupation with working on subjects that are new and original and to a lack …

The Effect Of Self-Focused Attention On Psychopathology, Keith Payne

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

This study investigated whether self-focused attention is related to psychopathology in general or if, instead, specific types of self-focus are associated with specific disorders. Self-focus was measured as private self-consciousness, public self-consciousness, emotional self-reference, or performance self-reference. Personality measures included depression, phobias, 'health concern, obsessiveness, and disordered eating. Public self-consciousness was related to greater depression, obsessiveness, and disordered eating. Private self-consciousness was positively correlated with depression and obsessiveness. Performance self-reference was related to lower levels of depression and obsessiveness. The findings indicate that different types of self-focused attention are involved in different disorders. Results are interpreted with reference to self-awareness …

Research To Practice: Unrealized Potential: Differing Outcomes For Individuals With Mental Retardation And Other Disability Groups, Sheila Fesko

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

A national study examined job search practices used by community rehabilitation providers and state vocational rehabilitation counselors. Employment outcomes for individuals with mental retardation are contrasted with those for individuals with other disabilities.

He Who Has Seen The Wind: The Black Bonspiel Of Willie Maccrimmon, Don Morrow

Donald Morrow

No abstract provided.

Attempting To Learn From History: Nato, Anti-Drug Policies, And Intelligence Assets, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes some political psychological aspects of being allied with security organizations infiltrated by adversaries.

Ackerman Lecture, Suzanne Iasenza

Center for LGBTQ Studies (CLAGS)

The First Annual Dr. John Patten Memorial Lecture was held November 14 at the Hunter College of Social Work. CLAGS agreed to cosponsor the lecture, developed to honor the life and work of Dr. John Patten, faculty member of the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy, Medical Director of the Institute's AIDS Project, and co-founder and co-director f the Institute's Gay and Lesbian Family Study Project. Dr. Patten was also co-founder and senior editor of In The Family Magazine, a family therapy-oriented magazine for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and their relations. He died of AIDS on October 4, 1995.

A Comparison Of Factors Associated With Referrals, Service Placements And Length Of Service For African-American And Caucasian Youth With Serious Emotional And Behavioral Disturbances Served Through The Comprehensive Services Act In Virginia, Vanessa B. Sheppard

Health Services Research Dissertations

Despite the efficacy of community-based treatment, many emotionally and behaviorally disturbed youth still receive restrictive service placements. This is quite problematic for minority youth since studies have reported they are more at risk of out-of-home placements. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in referrals, out-of-home placements, residential placements and length of service for African-American and Caucasian youth. This historical cohort study was a secondary analysis of data from the Comprehensive Services Act in Virginia. The sample consisted of 2,883 youth ages 10-19. Multiple logistic regression was employed for data with dichotomous outcomes in order to adjust for …

Trends. Psychotherapy And Foreign Policy, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The author reviews Russia's involvement in the G-8.

The Political Psychology Of Deception Research, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes some substantive and ethical complexities in research on the psychology of deception.

Degreed And Nondegreed Licensed Clinical Social Workers: An Exploratory Study, John T. Pardeck, Woo Sik Chung, John W. Murphy

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This exploratory study focuses on 155 randomly selected respondents who obtained a clinical license in social work with or without the Master of Social Work (MSW) degree. Ninety-seven of the respondents obtained a license with an MSW degree;fifty-eight obtained a license without the MSW degree. The two groups of respondents completed a survey instrument that explored their basic demographic characteristics, their attitudes and behaviors related to practice, and their philosophical and political attitudes toward practice. The researchers found few statistically significant differences between the two groups of respondents. The article offers implications of these findings for the profession of social …

Indochinese Mental Health In North America: Measures, Status, And Treatments, Thanh V. Tran, Donna L. Ferullo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The massive influx of Indochinese refugees and immigrants to North America since the end of the Indochina war, especially to the United States of America, has resulted in numerous multi-disciplinary efforts to document and study their mental well-being. As a group, Indochinese Americans arrived from war-torn countries where many had experienced various forms of trauma, poverty, and oppression. Their pre-migration experiences, and experiences in adjusting and adapting to the new life in the host society have influenced their mental health status and overall quality of life in various ways. This paper analyzes and synthesizes a wealth of multi-disciplinary research on …

Reconstructing Sex Offenders As Mentally Ill: A Labeling Explanation, Rudolph Alexander Jr.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

A growing number of states are being pressured to keep incarcerated sex offenders behind bars longer. The response to this pressure has been to look to the mental health system and retrieve civil commitment for sex offenders, a policy largely abandoned in the 1960s. In the 1970s, the courts ruled that civil commitment to a mental institution required that the individual be both mentally ill and dangerous. So legislators, with the support of a few mental health professionals, met this requirement by legislatively reconstructing sex offenders as mentally ill and permitting their indefinite commitment to mental institutions. The author discusses …

Personal Narrative And The Social Reconstruction Of The Lives Of Former Psychiatric Patients, Robin M. Gilmartin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study explores ways in which high-functioning former patients integrate the experience of prior psychiatric hospitalization into their lives and find meaning from that event. The narratives of two individuals are presented and discussed in relation to social role theory, social constructionism, and labeling theory. The narratives underscore that the process of integrating and making meaning of important life events such as psychiatric hospitalization occur within a social context. Understanding mental illness and psychiatric hospitalization in familial, social, and political terms was instrumental in helping these individuals to reconstruct personal narratives in order to overcome shame and internalized stigma and …

Devolpment Of A Scale To Assess Home Health Care Aides' Ability To Recognize Depression In Older Adults, Tina M. Nerney

Community & Environmental Health Theses & Dissertations

Depression afflicts 20% to 40% of people 65 and older. Depression in older adults is frequent and chronic. The challenge of a hospital stay and the knowledge of having a long term disability may increase the risk for a depressive episode. In today's health care environment older adults are being released from hospitals after a short length of stay and are frequently dependent on home health services for assistance with activities of daily living. Home health care aides are given the responsibility of providing these services to the older adult in the home environment and need to be aware of …

Bruce Kidd’S The Struggle For Canadian Sport, Don Morrow

Donald Morrow

No abstract provided.

Family Functioning And Psychological Well-Being In Vietnamese Adolescents, Quang Duong Tran, Cheryl A. Richey

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper presents an exploratory study that examines the influences of family functioning on the psychological well-being in a sample of Vietnamese adolescents. Thirty Vietnamese families from the King County area in the state of Washington participated in this study. Thirty adolescents between 13 and 19 years of age and 53 parents (27fathers and 26 mothers) responded to self-reported questionnaires. Data analysis was conducted to provide a descriptive "picture" of family and individual characteristics associated with Vietnamese adolescents' psychological well-being. Gender differences were apparent with Vietnamese female adolescents reporting higher mean scores on depressive symptoms and lower mean scores on …

Research To Practice: Responding To The Needs Of Youth With Disabilities Who Are Runaway Or Homeless, Sheila Fesko, David Temelini

Research to Practice Series, Institute for Community Inclusion

Results from a national survey of Family Youth and Service Bureau-funded agencies regarding their knowledge of the needs of youth with disabilities who are runaways, homeless, or at risk for running away.

Combining Adventure Therapy And Reality Therapy As A Treatment Approach With Adolescents, Shawn C. Becker

Graduate Research Papers

Adolescence is often considered a time filled with emotional conflict and stress. That stress often gives rise to psychological and behavioral problems for a large number of adolescents (Zigler & Stevenson, 1993). Teens experience poor self-concepts, decreases in self-esteem, depression, and a general inability to cope with the stress experienced during this time period. It is reported that many youth also lack support and guidance from their peers, families, and schools which would normally provide security in the development of successful personal identities (Clagett, 1992).

Current therapeutic approaches need to address these adolescent issues and needs in order to help …

Coping Processes Used By Mothers Of Triplets, Susan Mullen Kaplan

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to identify and describe the coping processes used by mothers of triplets. Using a descriptive design, interpersonal comparisons of 92 mothers of triplets attending a national meeting of families of higher order multiples were made. Variables, in addition to sociodemographic characteristics, included coping processes, levels of depression, perceived availability of social support, and current stress levels. Coping processes were measured using the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (Folkman & Lazarus, 1988), derived from their cognitive-phenomenological theory of stress and coping. Level of depression was measured using the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (Zung, 1965). Perceived availability …

Negative Consequences Of Undergraduate Alcohol Usage : A Multivariate Gender Comparison, Leonald Dean Robinson

Dissertations

Problem. While the literature indicates that many male undergraduates suffer numerous negative consequences from alcohol usage, little is known about what, if any, consequences female undergraduates experience. Therefore, this study empirically tested if female undergraduates, ages 17-24, who share similar demographics, perceptions, and alcohol use locations as male undergraduates, also share similar alcohol usage patterns, negative consequences, and predictors for both.

Method. Secondary analysis was conducted on 1992 and 1993 United States Department of Education CORE Survey data collected from 345 male and 584 female undergraduates at two Midwestern private liberal arts colleges. Frequency, chi-square (p

Results. Both genders' …

Unshackling Black Motherhood, Dorothy E. Roberts

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Self-Care Training On The Self-Concept, Self-Care Behavior, And Metabolic Control Of Diabetic Children, Caryle Hopkins Zorumski

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-care training on the self-concept, self-care behavior, and metabolic control of diabetic children. The author hoped to obtain information to help improve training programs for children with diabetes.;Forty-nine diabetic children, ages eight to 13, participated in the study as they received basic self-care training from their physicians. Twenty-seven of the children also attended a week long summer day camp where they received additional instruction in diabetes self-care.;The subjects completed the Self-Perception Profile for Children and the Self-Care Questionnaire two times at a four month interval to measure their self-concept …

Client And Therapist Experiences With A Narrative Therapeutic Summary Format, Peter Duncan Whyte

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research study explored the use of a narrative therapeutic summary letter format as an adjunctive intervention with clients engaged in individual therapy. The study’s sample consisted of six client subjects who received summary letters from six therapist subjects. Client subjects were furnished with written summaries of four consecutive counselling sessions. The summaries were based on pre-established narrative summary guidelines supplied to each respective therapist. After client subjects had received four consecutive summary letters, in-depth individual interviews were conducted with each client. The aim of these interviews was to explore and document clients’ experiences with the narrative therapeutic summary …

Characteristics Of Tobacco Users In The Lumber Industry, Stewart I. Donaldson, Jacqueline L. Stoddard, Steve Sussman, Clyde W. Dent, Herbert H. Severson

CGU Faculty Publications and Research

Cessation interventions for adult smokeless tobacco users may benefit from an improved understanding of the demographic, psychosocial, and tobacco-dependence characteristics of this group. In the current study, 143 employees of the Pacific Lumber Company were interviewed and completed questionnaires about their tobacco use product preference (smokeless tobacco only, cigarettes only, both, and former user), demographic, psychosocial, and tobacco-dependence characteristics. Results of a multivariate discriminant analysis revealed that smokeless-tobacco-only users were younger and reported in engaging in more exercise than did the other three groups; however, they also reported greater dependence on tobacco than did smokers. Formal cessation clinics similar to …

The Effects Of Human-Computer Communication Mode, Task Complexity, And Desire For Control On Performance And Discourse Organization In An Adaptive Task, Cristina Bubb-Lewis

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined how different communication patterns affected task performance with an adaptive interface. A Wizard-of-Oz simulation (Gould, Conti, & Hovanyecz, 1983) was used to create the impression of a talking and listening computer that acted as a teammate to help participants interact with a computer application.

Four levels of communication mode were used which differed in the level of restriction placed on human-computer communication. In addition, participants completed two sets of tasks (simple and complex). Further, a personality trait, Desire for Control (DC), was measured and participants were split into high and low groups for analysis. Dependent measures …

Chronic Fatigue And Immune Dysfunction Syndrome: Its Relationship To Underlying Emotional And Psychological Issues, Terri Lynn Alberts

Theses Digitization Project

This post-positivist research study explored the possible relationship between Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) and the presence of underlying psychological and emotional issues. An exploratory design with naturalistic methods of inquiry was utilized to investigate whether the presence, or absence, of these issues had any impact on the overall disease process.

The Most Appropriate Educational Placement For Seriously Emotionally Disturbed Children In Residential Care, Margaret Cecilia Afana

Theses Digitization Project

This research project utilized a post-positivist design for the purpose of exploring and determining the most appropriate educational placement for seriously emotionally disturbed children who reside in residential care and who are considered to be "high risk," both educationally and socially. It was the goal of the study, through qualitative research, to establish a basis for the successful education and social integration of SED children.

Recognizing Gender Differences: A Comparative Analysis Of Two Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, Judyth Lynne Scott, Linda Diane Pettine

Theses Digitization Project

This study explored the treatment of women's substance abuse from a critical theory perspective. The literature indicates that, within substance abuse treatment programs and in the research world, few treatment programs are sensitive to women's specific needs.

Wrestling John Irving, Don Morrow

Donald Morrow

No abstract provided.