Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Exploration Of Social Power Differences Between The Sexes: A View From The Transsexual Experience, Terry Dickelman

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study examined the social power and status differential between men and women from the perspective of transsexual individuals. Eight transsexuals, took part in two separated focus group sessions held on different evenings. Five open ended questions designed to examine power differences were asked. Findings indicate men and women experience life differently and are treated differently, both positively and negatively, across a wide variety of situations. Although participants were asked to view their gender experiences in discrete categories, it was extremely difficult for them not to discuss their transition process and those experiences unique to the transsexual as inherent components …

Community Support Program Staff Attitudes Toward Family Involvement With The Adult Who Has A Serious And Persistent Mental Illness, Timothy W. Himango

Theses and Graduate Projects

Research has shown that staff of mental health programs will blame family members for problems incurred by an adult member with a serious and persistent mental illness and therefore be excluded from invotvement in the adult's community support plan. Fifteen personal interviews of staff from four community support programs (CSP's) in Minnesota's Hennepin County were conducted, using a combination of a standardized open-ended question interview format and a S-point Likerttype scale. The CSP staff viewed family members as both positive and negative in their influence on the adult with a mental illness. Their decision was influenced by client self-determination, confidentiality, …

Home Mortgage Lending In St. Louis City: An Analysis Of 1992 And 1994 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data, Edward Scanlon, Shirley Emerson

Center for Social Development Research

This report examines home mortgage lending data in St. Louis City in 1992 and 1994. Our primary purpose is to determine how race, income level and neighborhood location relate to home mortgage loan application denial rates. Overall, it is demonstrated that race, income level and negative neighborhood conditions are predictive of loan denial in St. Louis City. The study begins with an overview of related literature. The second section describes our study, and provides information regarding the data set, our variables and research procedures. Part three is a report of our findings. The final section draws conclusions and suggests implications …

Human Capital And Social Work, Sondra Beverly, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

This article is an update and continuation of Theodore Schultz’s seminal, but largely unheeded, 1959 article on human capital. Like Schultz, we suggest that building human capital should be a key development strategy for social workers. Empirical research demonstrates that human capital has important positive outcomes. However, opportunities for human capital development are not equally accessible to all. By facilitating human capital development among disadvantaged groups, social workers can help individuals obtain skills that will enable them to compete in post-industrial labor markets. This emphasis on investment and development is particularly relevant today since, in the current political climate, there …

Mortgage Lending: Is Gender A Factor?, Cynthia K. Sanders, Edwaard Scalon, Shirley R. Emerson

Center for Social Development Research

In promoting well-being for women and female-headed households, social policy analysts are increasingly attending to wealth accumulation rather than focusing solely on income. Homeownership equity is a form of wealth that may be especially helpful for low-income women. This paper analyzes 1992 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data for the city and county of St. Louis. Our primary hypothesis was that women, controlling for marital status, income, and race, would be more likely to be denied home loans. The findings from this data set contradict our hypothesis and suggest that men are slightly more likely than women to be denied mortgage …

Homeownership And Well-Being Among Blue-Collar Workers, Deborah Page-Adams, Nancy Vosler

Center for Social Development Research

The economic, social, and psychological vulnerability of blue-collar workers increases as the U.S. economy continues to shift from manufacturing to service and technology. This paper reports findings from an analysis of economic resources and well-being among automobile manufacturing workers. Following previous theoretical and empirical work suggesting positive homeownership effects for vulnerable populations, this analysis was designed to test relationships between homeownership and four measures of well-being while controlling for household income and education levels. Workers from two adjacent automobile manufacturing plants in a large midwestern metropolitan area were surveyed. Multivariate analysis of data from a subsample of 193 workers indicate …

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 …

Grandmothers Laughing: Intergenerational Transmission Of Cultural Beliefs About Pregnancy And Childbirth Among Native American Women, Claudia Robin Long

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation reports findings from a qualitative study of intergenerational transmission of pregnancy and childbirth information among Native American women. Proposed is a theory of intergenerational transmission that explains four pathways used by Indian women to gain information about pregnancy and childbirth. Antecedent, consequent, and core elements are associated with the transmission process.

Discriminant sampling was used to identify the middle generation of Indian mothers and grandmothers, between 36 and 65 years of age, residing on or near the reservation, with experience of assimilation policies that had moved off-reservation temporarily. The researcher used the grounded theory method to analyze responses …

The Cost And Benefit Of Supported Employment In Minnesota: A Social Policy Analysis, Robert Schwartz

Theses and Graduate Projects

This study analyzed the economic feasibility of supported employment for people with mental illness using a cost/benefit framework and outcome data from the Institute on Community Integration (ICI) at the University of Minnesota. A purposive sample was chosen of three programs offering community-based individual supported employment for people with mental illness. Using the ICI framework and a Goeller Scorecard, programs were evaluated for cost/benefit. Findings indicate that when viewed from the ICI model, two of the three programs demonstrated positive cost/benefit ratios.

Adoption Permanency Of Older Children: Evaluation Of Adoptive Family Functioning Variables In Families Who Adopt Older Children, Rhonda M. Jager-Pippy

Theses and Graduate Projects

Current adoption literature indicated a steady increase in adoptive placements of older children over the past twenty years. The Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 was based on the belief that every child has a right to a permanent, stable home. The result of permanency legislation increased the number of school age children who were legally freed for adoption. Previous studies indicated the probability of adoption disruption increased as the age of the child increased. This research study examined adoptive family characteristics and functioning that were related to adoption permanency for older children. This research study was adapted …

Practitioners' Perceptions Of Older Male Batterers And Related Factors: An Exploratory Study, Connie F. Pribyl

Theses and Graduate Projects

This was an exploratory study to determine: if mental health practitioners were serving older men who batter; if the practitioners perceived that there were characteristics that differentiated older men who batter from younger men who batter; if these characteristics impacted treatment outcomes and if so, what treatment approaches should be used. Four family violence practitioners participated in a semi-structured interview. The initial findings indicated that: (l) older men who batter comprised a very small proportion of the practitioner's clientele, may be due to fewer older partners utilizing law enforcement assistance; (2) practitioners perceived little difference in characteristics between older men …

Economic Self-Sufficiency Programs Within Privately-Owned, Subsidized, Family Housing Communities: A Program Development Process, Wendy A. Geving

Theses and Graduate Projects

The decreasing size of the United States' affordable housing stock coupled with increasing rates of family poverty and demand for housing assistance make it essential to find ways to make subsidized, family housing communities more transitional in nature and able to serve more low-income families. One way of doing so is by creating economic self-sufficiency (ESS) program within those communities. This study surveyed managers of six existing housing-based ESS programs on their experiences with regard to program development and their thoughts on program components most effective in moving residents toward increased ESS. Program components rated most effective included GED classes, …

Incidence Of Substance Abusing Parents In The Child Welfare System, Kathryn Laura Vaudreuil

Theses and Graduate Projects

There is a significant increase of substance abusing families involved in the child welfare system nationwide and locally, in Minnesota. Many studies suggest that substance abuse is the contributing factor for children placed in foster care by child welfare workers due to child neglect and/or maltreatment reports. This descriptive study examined twenty-two court cases in a large mid western metropolitan county in efforts to determine the incidence of substance abuse on termination of parental rights cases in 1996. Findings from this research project reveal that substance abusing families are frequently cited in termination of parental rights cases. Implications of this …

An Exploratory Study: Out-Of-Home Placement Practices In Two Mid-Western Counties, Michael I. Frafjord

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of this study is to explore the criteria used by social workers in two mid-western counties to place children out of the home. This exploration has been done using a questionnaire that asks questions intended to identify a consensus among workers about the criteria considered to place children. Out-of-home placement for the purpose of this study will include any placement done by a county agency either on an emergency basis or by a plan, started at the beginning of a worker/client relationship. These placements are those in which a child has been removed from the home or from …

Implementation Of A Conflict Mediation Program In An Elementary School, Ruth Ann Moreno Belland

Theses and Graduate Projects

Schools are looking at how violence in the school contributes to students' stress levels and how it interferes with the academic abilities and performance of students. If schools are to be orderly and peaceful places in which high quality education can take place, students must learn to manage conflicts constructively. Studies show that conflict mediation plays a role in creating an environment where students regulate their own behavior in regards to conflict in school. This research study surveyed students about their attitudes and opinions towards conflict mediation at Beaver Lake Elementary School. This study also evaluated whether staff to student …

Examining The Complex Relationship Between Social Support And Self-Reported Physical And Emotional Status Of Older Adults, Janet L. Cahill

Theses and Graduate Projects

This exploratory quantitative study was undertaken to examine the complex relationship between social support and the self-reported physical and emotional health status of older adults. The participants (N=30), clients and volunteers of DARTS (Dakota Area Resources and Transportation For Seniors), completed a structured interview consisting of twenty-one questions from two validated questionnaires. The survey measured physical health status, emotional well-being and perceived social support of the participants. The implications of the findings of this study, although complex in nature, are consistent with past studies and will assist DARTS in planning and evaluating services for seniors and their caregivers in Dakota …

Caregiver Support Groups: Benefits Of Participation, Charlotte Jean Mcintosh

Theses and Graduate Projects

As the population ages, many adults will find themselves dependent on others for care due to chronic illness or disability. Often a family member will assist an individual by becoming the caregiver. A caregiver experiences a unique set of stressors and challenges that come with this responsibility. In the community, there are caregiver support groups that are designed to assist a caregiver. This study explored three aspects of participation in a caregiver support group. The findings of this study reveal that participation in a caregiver support group has benefits for the caregivers. The caregivers reported that they learned about resources …

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 …

Ethics In Field Education: Promise, Pretension, Or Practice?, Gary Mathews, Susan Weinger, Marion Wijnberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Ethics are the foundation of every profession. Field education is central to the education of professional social workers. There is a consensus among educators that field education should include ethics education. The field education literature pays lip service to the importance of ethics. Ethical practice is being taught infield education in a cursory manner. Reasons for the discrepancy between promise and practice are discussed. Suggestions are made for including ethics education in the field.

Welfare Plastic: The Transformation Of Public Assistance In The Electronic Age, Mark Peyrot, William L. Harris, L. Mickey Fenzel, John J. Burbridge

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Several states have developed electronic benefit transfer (EBT) systems to deliver cash assistance and food stamp benefits. These systems establish electronic account balances which recipients access through the use of a debit card at terminals such as bank automatic teller machines or transaction authorization machines like those that validate credit card charges. We examine the potential effects of such systems on involved stakeholders, including government agencies, benefit recipients, financial institutions, and food retailers. Overall, each stakeholder group benefits from EBT, but some subgroups do not fare as well. Several key issues are identified.

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 …

European Welfare Policy: Squaring The Circle. Vic George And Peter Taylor-Gooby (Eds.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Vic George and Peter Taylor-Gooby (Eds.), European Welfare Policy: Squaring the Circle. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996. $49.95 hardcover.

Miles To Go: A Personal History Of Social Policy. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Miles to Go: A Personal History of Social Policy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1996, $22.95 hardcover.

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 …

Review Of Measuring The Performance Of Human Service Programs. Lawrence L. Martin And Peter M. Kettner. Reviewed By Shana Schuyten, Louisiana State University., Shana Schuyten

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Lawrence L. Martin and Peter M. Kettner: Measuring the Performance of Human Service Programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. $39.95 hardcover, $17.95 papercover

Foster Parent Demographics: A Research Note, Kathleen M. Kirby

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data were collected on a random sample of 218 foster parents in Michigan during Fall, 1991 regarding socioeconomic characteristics, licensure arrangement with placement agencies, foster parenting experiences, life experiences, reasons for entering, and satisfaction with foster parenting. Respondents are predominately female (77%), White (78%), educated beyond high school (63%), with an annual family income (excluding foster care payments) over $26,000. Most are Protestant (78%), currently married (79%), and married once (71%). The average foster home cares for 3 children with 1.5 foster children currently placed. Median number of placements is 8 with families typically fostering numerous categories of children. Replacement …

An Afrocentric Perspective On Social Welfare Philosophy And Policy, Jerome H. Schiele

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although much of the literature on American social welfare philosophy and policy is progressive and sincere in its objectives to dismantle poverty and economic oppression, the literature is limited in two important areas: 1) identifying American social welfare philosophy and policy as primarily Eurocentric in its worldview, and 2) applying the cultural values of people of color as a conceptual base to advance and diversify views on social welfare philosophy and policy. To address this gap, this paper draws on the viewpoints of a cadre of social scientists called Afrocentrists and applies the Afrocentric worldview to deseribe how it conceives …

Toward A Sociocultural Context For Understanding Violence And Disruption In Black Urban Schools And Communities, Linwood H. Cousins

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines violence and disruption in a Black urban school and community. The author argues that an unempowering framework of culture has restricted our understanding of violence and other social issues affecting Black schools and communities. From such a backdrop, a sociocultural framework is presented that captures the strain, solidarity, and contemporary emergences that area part of school, American and Black culture, and a part of the context in which violence occurs in Black schools and communities. Broad implications are posited for human service policy, research, and direct practice.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 24, No. 2 (June 1997)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• INDOCHINESE MENTAL HEALTH IN NORTH AMERICA: MEASURES, STATUS, AND TREATMENTS - Thanh V. Tran and Donna L. Ferullo
• AN AFROCENTRIC PERSPECTIVE ON SOCIAL WELFARE PHILOSOPHY AND POLICY - Jerome H. Schiele
• TOWARD A SOCIOCULTURAL CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING VIOLENCE AND DISRUPTION IN BLACK URBAN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES - Linwood H. Cousins
• RECONSTRUCTING SEX OFFENDERS AS MENTALLY ILL: A LABELING EXPLANATION - Rudolph Alexander, Jr.
• PERSONAL NARRATIVE AND THE SOCIAL RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LIVES OF FORMER PSYCHIATRIC PATIENTS - Robin M. Gilmartin
• ETHICS IN FIELD EDUCATION: PROMISE, PRETENSION, OR PRACTICE? - Gary Mathews, Susan Weinger, and Marion Wijnberg
• THE …

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 …