Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Absence Of Presence: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis Of Indicated Interventions To Increase Student Attendance, Brandy R. Maynard

Dissertations

The present study utilized systematic review methods and meta-analysis to quantitatively synthesize research and systematically examine the effects of indicated intervention programs on school attendance behaviors of elementary and secondary school students. A comprehensive search strategy resulted in the identification 11 randomized studies, 9 quasi-experimental studies and 13 single group pre-post test studies that met inclusion criteria. Effect sizes data and study, participant, and intervention characteristics were coded and analyzed. Analyses of the randomized and quasi-experimental studies were performed separately from the single group pre-post test studies.

The meta-analytic findings showed overall positive and moderate effects of indicated attendance interventions …

A Planning Model For Disaster Relief Agencies, Lajuana Janice Hector

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Rather than identify nongovernmental organizations (NGO) with traditional service delivery systems, NGOs should be viewed as a unique system with specific outcomes pertinent to resource distribution. Grounded theory was used to help design the research methodology and General Systems Theory (GST) served as the theoretical framework. Predisaster planning, training, and leadership results from the empirical research helped to identify perspectives of resource distribution. Open ended interview responses were analyzed using the open coding, content analysis, constant comparison methods which yielded management as the theme with coordination, communication, and preparation as sub-themes. While each outcome may be contingent upon each designated …

Risk And Protective Factors Associated With Teen Fatherhood Among A Sample Of Black, White, And Hispanic Males, Nila Kelly-Ricks

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

After 14 years of consistent decline, the teen pregnancy rate increased for 2 consecutive years. This increase is concerning due to the adverse consequences associated with teen pregnancy. This study conducted secondary analysis with the 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data. The Risk and Resilience Perspective guided this study to determine key factors associated with teen fatherhood. The overall purpose of the study was to investigate the key factors associated with teen fatherhood risk. Another purpose of the study was to provide pertinent information for pregnancy prevention programs. The sample consisted of 4588 adolescent males between the ages of 15 …

Non-Suicidal Self-Injury And Social Influence, Terin Marie Driggers

Social Work Theses - Archive

The researcher conducted an online survey through social networking sites and online college/university communications to identify the relationship between social influence (e.g. peer acceptance, media exposure) and NSSI behaviors among undergraduate and graduate students from participating colleges and universities in the United States. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analyses were utilized to analyze the research objectives and a Pearson's correlation coefficient indicated that a positive, direct relationship was found between social influence and NSSI, but it was weak and not statistically significant (r=.20, p=.12). Implications and recommendations for future research as well as practice are discussed.

How Age Of First Dating Experience, Number Of Dating Partners, And Length Of Relationship Relates To Dating Violence Victimization, Marcella Smith

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Dating violence is a serious social and health problem for young adolescent in many parts of the world. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between three independent variables: (1) age of first dating experience; (2) number of dating partners; and (3) length of dating relationships with one dependent variable: (1) dating violence victimization among African American middle school youths. A review of the literature indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between each independent variable and the dependent variables. One-way ANOVA was used to identify the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. The results of this …

African American Fathers And Afrocentric Parenting - Factors Associated With Parenting Of Their Children, Emmett R. Roberts

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

To provide an alternate explanation for the behavior of African American fathers in their parenting using an Afrocentric model, comparing it with the parenting behavior of the Caucasian father, who would use primarily an Eurocentric model. Using data from the National Survey of Family Growth, IV, 2002, a parenting scale was devised using specific parenting behavior that revolved around the type and frequency of interactions that the fathers had with their children, and whether the father was married, was resident with the child, neither, or both.Findings of this study uncovered many differences and similarities between the groups, namely, that marriage …

The Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale: Develpment And Validation, Karla B. Horton

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Relational aggression (RA) includes rumor spreading, social isolation, talking behind someone's back, staring, and threats to withdraw friendship. RA is associated with verbal and physical aggression, and these aggression subtypes are often assessed together. This research developed and validated the Diverse Adolescent Relational Aggression Scale to assess RA in diverse populations. The population consisted of 191 students from 9th-12th grade (predominantly African American) from schools located in the south-suburban Independent School District of a major southern city. The measure consisted of 28-items developed from relational aggression research. Factor analysis, reliability tests, t-tests, and correlations were conducted on the data. The …

Flourishing Among Japanese Immigrants And Sojourners In Texas: Social Capital And Acculturation, Sachi Ando

Social Work Dissertations - Archive

Are immigrants in the United States flourishing? What constitute flourishing life among them? This cross-sectional, survey study focused on the role of social capital and acculturation to American society on flourishing among the purposive sample of Japanese immigrants and sojourners living in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, USA. A total of 380 cases were used to test the hypothetical model of flourishing through structural equation modeling. The majority of the participants was female, in their 30s and 40s, married, fairly high socioeconomic status, and employed. The average lengths of stay in the United States were almost 10 years. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed …

Economic Human Rights Violations Experiences By Women With Children In The United States, Sarah E. Twill, Samantha Fisher

Social Work Faculty Publications

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) was adopted by the United Nations. Economic human rights are expressed in Articles 23, 25, and 26. The UDHR requires that poverty be seen not just as an unfortunate living condition but also as a violation of human rights. In this study, 20 women with children were educated about the UDHR and interviewed in order to understand their stories of poverty through the lens of rights violations. Implications for reframing poverty as a rights violations and how social workers can advocate for policies that promote the well-being of families are discussed.

Scaling Up, Lourdes Hernández-Cordero, Susan P. Sturm, Kathleen Klink, Allan J. Formicola

Faculty Scholarship

Moments of crisis require big, bold ideas. In this chapter we will zoom out of our close examination of the Northern Manhattan Community Voices Collaborative experience to propose ways to scale up the things that worked for us in order to make them applicable at a national level. With this chapter we honor the intent of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation in its support of learning laboratories across the nation. Our goal is to contribute to the collective dialogue on how to improve the health care system. Specifically, we propose that making a healthier nation and reducing health care costs …

Solving The Childcare And Flexibility Puzzle: How Working Parents Make The Best Feasible Choices And What That Means For Public Policy, Arthur C. Emlen

Regional Research Institute for Human Services

This monograph’s contribution to knowledge was two-fold: 1) reliable measures of the quality of childcare as perceived and assessed by the parents themselves; and 2) discovery that the quality of the care chosen by working parents depends upon the amount of flexibility they can muster from their immediate environment at work, at home, or from accommodating childcare providers. It doesn’t matter which source of flexibility works best for them. It’s the flexibility that allows optimum choice. The findings suggest that public policy should recognize the vast diversity of parental choices and the flexibility needed to improve their choices. That means …

A Vignette Study Examining The Accuracy Of Diagnosis: The Role Of Patient And Practitioner Gender And Race Match, Kevin Johnson

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DIAGNOSING MENTAL ILLNESS

By

KEVIN JOHNSON

2010

Advisor: Dr. Janet R. Hankin

Major: Medical Sociology

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

A convenience snowball sample of 228 mental health practitioners were surveyed and administered two vignettes of persons with mental illness and a 12-question survey that included occupational background and attitudinal questions about diagnosing mental illness. The gender and race of the patients were randomly altered, while the symptoms and characteristics of mental illness remained constant for each vignette. Each practitioner assigned a DSM-IV diagnostic label for axis I and axis II on both vignettes. The surveys were coded …

Understanding The Relationship Between Social Resources And Levels Of Parent Involvement In Illinois Early Childhood Programs: A Program-Level Perspective, Aimee Victoria Hilado

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the number of resources and levels of parent involvement across state-funded preschool programs in Illinois. This dissertation presented a mixed methods study using survey data from the Illinois Birth to Five Evaluation FY09 (n=843) and interviews with ten preschool administrators who completed the survey. Based on the survey data for Illinois state-funded preschools, the number of social resources provided by a program was positively associated with levels of parent involvement. The correlation analysis (r = -0.22, p=.0001) and analysis of variance (ANOVA) F(2,708) = 23.19, p =.0001) findings both …

A Descriptive Analysis Of Bookings In Sibley County Jail Between January 1, 2008 And December 31, 2009, Deanna Aufderheide

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Each year approximately 12 million admissions and releases occur in U.S. jails (Solomon, A. L., Osborne, J. W. L, LoBuglio, S. F., Mellow, J., & Mukamal, D. A.). Those that cycle in and out of jail often times are unstable. These instabilities include: substance abuse, lack of housing and employment, mental illness, and health concerns. More than 80 percent of offenders are incarcerated for less than one month; some for a few hours or a few days (Solomon, et. al.). This concern was identified by the Public Health Nurse (PHN) who has seen the same offenders being booked in, time …

Innovative Mental Health Services In Rural Minnesota: Community-Based Mobile Crisis Response Services, Rebecca A. Zuehlke

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this research project was to explore the relationship between the frequency of service utilization of the Community-based Mobile Crisis Response Services (MCR) provided by the Southwestern Mental Health Center (SWMHC) and the frequency of service utilization of emergency holds and civil commitments in Jackson and Cottonwood counties by month for the 2009 calendar year.

The specific research question proposed was: Is there a relationship between the frequency of Community-Based Mobile Crisis Response Services and the frequency of emergency holds and civil commitments in Jackson and Cottonwood Counties?

The significance of this research project was to explore statistically …

Independent Living Outcomes Evaluation Project, Craig J. Padgett

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This project developed specific examples of skills and resources for three example categories of ILST and developed recommendations for enhancing the creation of goals. It was important to develop indicators into a tiered structure for reinforcing those skills and resources into knowledge through an added educational component. Methodology was developed and necessary instrumentation and processes were designed for implementation. And, an informed consent was designed for any organization providing Independent Living Skills Training (ILST).

Life Transitions, Social Support And Psychological Well-Being Among The Elderly In Taiwan : A Longitudinal Study, Shiau-Fang Chao

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study examines the relationships between life transitions, social support and psychological well-being. A decline in health and financial strain were selected as two types of chronic stressors and loss of a spouse as an acute stressor. This study integrates previous literature and develops a unique predictive model involving seven components of social support -- social network size, social network composition, frequency of social contact, satisfaction with social support, types of support, helping others, and proximity of support. Depression and life satisfaction were the two measures of psychological well-being. 3,585 elders who were interviewed up to five times over a …

The Utility Of The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System In Testing Quality Of Life Theory : An Evaluation Using Structural Equation Modeling, Evelyn Marie Kintner

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study is a secondary data analysis that uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the utility of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)--the Centers for Disease Control's premier surveillance tool for monitoring behavioral risk factors--in predicting health related quality of life (HRQoL). Employing the statistical package SPSS/AMOS (version 7), the study utilizes New York State data extracted from the 2007 BRFSS national dataset to assess how well the observed pattern of variances and covariances of the state level data fit with a well-known HRQoL model developed by Wilson and Cleary (1995). Interaction effects are examined, utilizing a multigroup …

The Role Of Organizational Commitment In Practitioner Implementation Of Evidence-Based Practices In Substance Abuse Treatment Settings, Irene Teresa Manfredo

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Organizational commitment (OC) has been linked to different types of work-related behaviors including innovation implementation and professional behavior change but the influence of OC on technology transfer or research to practice processes is as yet unknown. Using a social exchange perspective, the study employed constructs derived from Klein & Sorra (1996) - perceived implementation climate and practitioner innovation-values fit - to understand the association between practitioner level OC and evidence-based practice implementation (EBP) in substance abuse treatment settings. Method: A secondary data analysis was conducted utilizing a 2008 cross-sectional survey of outpatient substance abuse practitioners in eastern New York State …

The Impact Of Counselor Recovery Status, Disclosure, Education, And Experience On The Working Alliance In The Treatment Of Substance Use Disorders, Brian D. Roland

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although evidence shows that between 30 and 75 percent of alcohol and other drug (AOD) counselors are themselves in recovery from a substance use disorder, dated research comparing the effectiveness of recovering and non-recovering counselors failed to control for education, experience, and use of disclosure. Given that the strength of the working alliance between client and counselor is highly predictive of outcome and utilizing interpersonal influence theory as an organizing framework, a path model was hypothesized which posited (a) counselor recovery status and its disclosure impact counselor attractiveness which, in turn, impacts working alliance; (b) counselor education impacts counselor expertness …

Welfare Recipients' Perspectives On Employment In Beijing's Welfare Employment Program, Lei Wu

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since the 1990s, urban unemployment has become a serious social problem in China. Research shows that the real urban unemployment reached 16 million in 1999 and nine percent of the total urban population was affected by unemployment. In response to the social problem of unemployment, the Chinese government established a special welfare employment program targeted toward the elderly, needy, and hard-to-employment group to serve the public welfare in the communities.

Decision-Making Processes Among Siblings Caring For Adults With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities, Anna L. Zendell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Sibling caregivers comprise a population of increasing significance to intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) policy and practice. As persons with I/DD and their caregiving parents age, more families are relying on adult siblings to provide care. Today, 70% of persons with I/DD live with family members; estimates indicate that up to 20% may reside with siblings. Sibling caregiving has potential to meet some of the growing social need for later life care of individuals with I/DD. However, the needs of siblings providing care are often not addressed by the service system. Inadequate knowledge about how siblings come to be caregivers and their …

Effective Community-Based Chemical Dependency Treatment For Adolescents : Matching Program Services With Individual Difference Variables, Joseph S. Hunter

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

In recognition of differences in presenting needs and treatment responses of various subgroups of the adolescent substance abusing population, this study breaks ground from the traditional concept of utilizing a "one size fits all" evidence-based practice for treating adolescents by revealing the importance of tailoring treatments to adolescent subgroups. The subgroups studied were defined by age, gender, race, and special needs including, co-occurring mental illness, juvenile justice history, parental addiction, and those of higher severity of substance abuse. The interventions studied included group treatment, family treatment, case management, multi-service programming, vocational treatment and behavioral approaches. A quasi-experimental design was utilized …

Moving Beyond Anecdote : An Impact Evaluation Of A Popular New York State Work Supports Program, Rebecca J. Wood

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

This study used New York State administrative data on its welfare population and publicly available data to evaluate the impact of a popular work supports program, the Transitional Opportunities Program (TOP), in a sample of ten counties that operated the program compared to eight counties that did not between January 2006 and December 2008. Secondary administrative data on case characteristics, case activity, and employment were matched with data on unemployment from the New York State Department of Labor and mean travel time to work from U.S. Census 2000.

State Agency Promising Practice: Massachusetts - Using A Collaborative, Person-Centered Planning Approach To Facilitate Community Employment, Jennifer Bose, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

The Northeast Region Supported Employment Project was developed by the North Shore area office of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services in 2007. This pilot program, open to any individual with ID/DD who wanted to work, emphasized a person-centered planning approach to achieving the individuals’ goals for employment in the community. The project emphasized the individual’s choice of employment providers, collaboration with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), and use of an independent facilitator to support career and life planning. The project was spearheaded by two DDS administrators dedicated to communicating the value of community-based employment to the Department.

State Agency Promising Practice: Maryland - Collaborating To Promote Self-Employment For People With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Jennifer Bose, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Self-employment has emerged as a viable option for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). To meet increased self-employment demands, Maryland’s Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA), in collaboration with the Maryland Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS), adapted services offered through the Reach Independence through Self Employment (RISE) program. The RISE program, funded by DORS, provides technical assistance and financial support to people starting their own businesses. DDA’s role in this self-employment initiative has helped people with IDD start a wide variety of businesses and achieve meaningful employment.

State Agency Promising Practice: Michigan’S Job Development Incentive, Jaimie Ciulla Timmons, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Michigan’s Department of Community Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Administration (MDCH) has expressed a strong desire to improve the state’s employment outcomes among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Set against this desire is a major obstacle: Michigan is among the states hardest hit by the continuing economic recession, with the highest unemployment rate in the nation. MCDH delivers supports through local Community Mental Health Services Programs (CMHSPs). These CMHSPs not only experience differences in employment rates but also have high variability in their funding levels and structures, payment methodologies, and reimbursement mechanisms. Local CMHSPs individualize their contracts …

Words Can Hurt Forever, James Garbarino, Ellen Delara

Falk College Research Center

No abstract provided.

Evidence Based Practices For Sensory Stimulation Seeking Impulsive Diagnosis, Sheena Gasner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to identify evidence based practices that can be used in the treatment of Sensory Stimulation Seeking Impulsive Disorder (430.0). Identification of these practices will more effectively meet the therapeutic needs of the children diagnosed with this disorder.

Addressing The Needs Of The Saint Clair Attendance Policies, Nicole Goettl

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Saint Clair School is a small rural school that houses kindergarten through twelfth grade in one school building. Currently the school has two attendance policies, one for elementary school and one for the high school. The two polices are very different in how they define attendance and choose to discipline absences. The purpose of this Capstone Project is to make recommendations to the Saint Clair School on how to make changes to their current attendance policies so that there are solid expectations from the students regarding absences.

Research Question: What components make an effective attendance policy in a school …