Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers And The American Dream. Ruth Sidel.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Ruth Sidel, Unsung Heroines: Single Mothers and the American Dream. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2006. $ 45.00 hardcover, $ 17.95 papercover.

Index Of Volume Xxxiv, Issues 1-4

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Subchronic Dietary Lead Exposure On Dmtp And Dnmtp Performance In Fisher 344 Rats, Joshua D. Vardigan

Masters Theses

Recent attention has focused on the possibility that even low-level Pb exposure can produce subtle neurological impairments in the absence of overt signs of toxicity. Previous behavioral assessments of learning and memory using DMTS procedures have documented learning impairments in monkeys exposed to Pb during early postnatal development, and although a variety of operant behavioral assays have documented detrimental effects of dietary Pb treatment in rats, the DMTS procedure has not been examined in rats following short-term low levels of Pb through dietary exposure. Thus, the objective of this study was to measure the degree of cognitive impairment produced by …

The Effects Of Feedback On The Accuracy Of Completing Flight Checklists, William G. Rantz

Masters Theses

This study examined whether pilots completed airplane checklists more accurately when they received post-flight graphic and verbal feedback. Participants were 8 college student pilots with instrument rating. The task consisted of flying flight patterns using a Personal Computer Aviation Training Device. The main dependent variable was the number of checklist items completed correctly per flight. A multiple baseline design across pairs with reversal was used. During baseline, the average number of correctly completed items per flight varied considerably across participants, ranging from 21 to 39 out of 40. It increased to near perfect levels for all participants after they were …

Three Essays On The Impacts Of Risk And Uncertainty On Foreign Direct Investment (Fdi) And Remittances Flows Into Developing Countries, Blen Solomon

Dissertations

This three-essay dissertation focuses on the two most important and most stable sources of finance to developing countries, namely Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and remittances. The first essay examines the roles of exchange rate uncertainty and political risk in determining FDI inflows into African economies. The past few decades have witnessed a surge of FDI inflows to developing regions. However, FDI inflows to Africa still remain relatively small and investor surveys show political risk and macroeconomic uncertainty to be strong deterrents of FDI inflows into Africa. In this essay, I use a sample of 12 African countries and employ Fixed …

Leadership Behavior And Perceived Team Communication Effectiveness: A Study Of Division 1 College Hockey Coaches' Perceptions, William Chris Brooks

Masters Theses

The purpose of the research was to begin testing assumptions about coaches' leadership and team communication by starting with an examination of the relationship between a head coach's perception of his leadership behavior and his perception of the effectiveness of his team's communication.

The sample in the study consisted of fifty NCAA Division I Men's Head Hockey Coaches during the 2006-2007 season. Demographic data reported included the following: the participants' age, education level, nationality, number of years as a head coach, number of years as an assistant coach, 2006-2007 record, and number of years as head coach at their current …

Negotiating 'Professional Agency': Social Work And Decision-Making Within The Ontario Child Welfare System, Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, Brienne Coleman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article explores how social work as a discipline has helped to negotiate professional agency in decision-making within the restructured child protection system. The narratives of child protection workers affirm that a restrictive climate does exist in child protection agencies and that it indeed shapes the way they make their decisions. This study uses institutional ethnography as the methodology for exploring the decision-making practices of child protection workers. Three forms of data collection were used: experience as data, documentation reviews and in-depth interviews.

Hiv/Aids Policies In The United States And The United Kingdom: Emerging At-Risk Groups And The Struggle For Limited Resources, Jennifer Lorren Willis

Masters Theses

This thesis compares the HIV/ AIDS policies in the United States of America and the United Kingdom since the emergence of the virus in 1981. Despite a privatized health care system in the U.S. and the universal system in the UK, which lie on opposite ends of the policy care spectrum, similar populations have recently emerged as those most in need of health care services, preventative programs, and financial assistance. This thesis employs several quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the emergence of women and minorities in both nations as those that are most in need of resources. Data has …

An Investigation Of Relationship Characteristics, Exercise And Physical Activity, Couple And Life Satisfaction, Mark W. St. Martin

Dissertations

Exercise has been shown to be positively related to many different variables including sexual satisfaction, mental health, and physical health. These variables, in turn, have been linked to increased life satisfaction and couple satisfaction. The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between exercise and couple satisfaction as well as exercise and life satisfaction. A secondary purpose was to replicate previous findings on the relationships between communication, love, sexual satisfaction, self-esteem, and physical health and couple satisfaction.

A total of 229 undergraduate and graduate students from a large Midwestern university in the United States participated in this …

A Study Of Intake And Assessment In Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, Christopher J. Richmond

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to compare clients' assessment of two different counseling intake procedures used by clinicians. This study compared a Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) intake intervention with an intake intervention constructed from the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). The SCID-I is one of the most widely used diagnostic interviews and reflects a "gold standard" in formulating accurate diagnoses. The SFBTintake intervention developed for this study stands in stark contrast to the SCID-I and its primary objective, evaluation of the problem. SFBT is a strength-based model that maintains a positive and future-oriented focus. …

Economic Impacts Of Casino Gambling On Rural Michigan Communities, Mark Steven Reece

Dissertations

When considering future casino development, it is important to know whether the magnitude of a casino's economic impact.

A way to understand the impact of adding a casino to a rural Michigan community is to study the economic changes during the 6 years surrounding casino's opening. If significant changes occur in population, employment, and commercial, industrial, and residential property values, it may be possible to attribute this change to the introduction of a casino.

Township level data is used for an index of annual percentage change, preceding and following an opening. This study tests for movement in the community's economics …

Two Decades After Mcmartin: A Follow-Up Of 22 Convicted Day Care Employees, Mary Deyoung

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

It has been more that two decades since the notorious McMartin Preschool case created a day care ritual abuse master-narrative that recruited many social workers into becoming involved in case-finding, investigations, interviewing and advocacy. The purpose of this article is threefold: it introduces a sample of 22 day care employees who were convicted in day care ritual abuse cases; it updates their current legal status; and it discusses the relevance of these cases to social workers who currently are being recruited by today's new master narratives about extrafamilial sexual threats to children, whether from neighborhood pedophiles, child pornographers, parish priests …

A Critique Of The Global Trafficking Discourse And U.S. Policy, Moshoula Capous Desyllas

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article examines the dominant discourse on trafficking in persons and the implementation of international and U.S. policy to address trafficking globally. Features of the United Nations Protocol and the Trafficking in Victims Protection Act demonstrate how trafficking frameworks currently in place contain underlying fears of migration and female sexuality. The implications of policy on the construction of third world women as "victims to be saved" through governments, National Government Organizations, feminists and the media will show how these misrespresentations only reinforce racism and dualistic simplifications of a complex issue. An emphasis is placed on the importance of women's agency …

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 34, No. 4 (December 2007)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• TWO DECADES AFTER MCMARTIN: A FOLLOW-UP OF 22 CONVICTED DAY CARE EMPLOYEES - Mary deYoung
• NEGOTIATING 'PROFESSIONAL AGENCY': SOCIAL WORK AND DECISION-MAKING WITHIN THE ONTARIO CHILD WELFARE SYSTEM - Henry Parada, Lisa Barnoff, and Brienne Coleman
• A CRITIQUE OF THE GLOBAL TRAFFICKING DISCOURSE AND U.S. POLICY - Moshoula Capous Desyllas
• A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF LETTERS TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY FROM PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS AND THEIR FAMILIES:USING THE RESEARCH POEM IN POLICY ORIENTED RESEARCH - Rich Furman and Allison Shukraft
• THE RESEARCH PRACTICES AND NEEDS OF NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS IN AN URBAN CENTER - Randy Stoecker
• PUBLIC AND PRIVATE …

A Qualitative Study Of Letters To President Kennedy From Persons With Mental Illness And Their Families: Using The Research Poem In Policy Oriented Research, Rich Furman, Allison Shukraft

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Using the research poem as a tool of data representation, this paper presentsfindingsfrom an analysis of letters sent to President John F. Kennedy regarding the formulation of mental health policy during the early 1960s. The article presents the experiences of consumers of mental health services and their families-shapers and receivers of mentalhealthprovisionsth atareinfrequentlygivenv oice. Traditional thematic analysis was conducted, and data subsequently were represented in three poetic forms:free verse, the pantoum, and the tanka.

Review Of International Social Work Research: Issues And Prospects. Tony Tripodi And Miriam Potoky-Tripodi. Reviewed By Teresa Morris., Teresa Morris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Tony Tripodi and Miriam Potocky-Tripodi, International Social Work Research: Issues and Prospects. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. $ 55.00 hardcover, $ 24.95 papercover.

Social Functioning: A Sociological Common Base For Social Work Practice, Thomas J. Blakely, Gregory M. Dziadosz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article describes the experience of a social work mental health agency with Social Role Theory (SRT), that is an organizing concept for the delivery of its assessment and treatment program. SRT has been called the process variable of the program, meaning how services are delivered. Social functioning, a concept taken from SRT, is a treatment outcome. The overall purposes of the article are to describe the contribution of sociology to social work practice, and to advance the argument that social functioning is a common base for social work practice generally.

Review Of Welfare Discipline: Discourse, Governance And Globalization. Sanford F. Schram. Reviewed By Pranab Chatterjee And Kathleen M. Alman., Pranab Chatterjee, Kathleen M. Alman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Sanford F. Schram, Welfare Discipline: Discourse, Governance, and Globalization. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2006. $ 64.50 hardcover, $ 21.95 paperback.

Review Of The Relationship Rights Of Children. James G. Dwyer. Reviewed By Mary Ann Mason., Mary Ann Mason

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of James G. Dwyer, The Relationship Rights of Children. Cambridge University Press, 2006, $ 55.00 hardcover.

Humanitarian Aid Work: A Critical Approach. Carlos Martin Beristain., David K. Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Carlos Martin Beristain, Humanitarian Aid Work: A Critical Approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. $ 59.95 hardcover.

Deadly Worlds: The Emotional Costs Of Globalization. Charles Lemert And Anthony Elliott.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Charles Lemert and Anthony Elliott, Deadly Worlds: The Emotional Costs of Globalization. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006. $ 19.95 paperback.

Solving The Health Care Problem: How Other Nations Succeeded And Why The United States Has Not. Pamela Behan., Krista Drescher Burke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Pamela Behan, Solving the Health Care Problem: How Other Nations Succeeded and Why the United States Has Not. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 2006. $ 60.00 hardcover.

American Families: Past And Present. Susan M. Ross, Editor., Lorelei Mitchell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Susan M. Ross (Ed.), American Families: Past and Present. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2006. $25.95 papercover.

Gender Disparity In Nigerian Education: Women’S Experience Of Barriers To Equal Educational Opportunity, Eugene Okoli

Dissertations

Discrepancies between males and females in access to schooling, school completion rates, and participation in employment opportunities are still more the norm in some regions of the world than others. Limited access to education plagues women in Nigeria as well as in Sub-Saharan Africa. Disparity in access to educational opportunity is a pressing gender equity issue in Nigeria (World Bank, 2003).

Relatively few studies have focused on obtaining the viewpoints of women who experience this phenomenon. To hear the voices of these women regarding how they gained or were denied access to education in the Nigerian context, a cross-section of …

Treatment Of Co-Morbid Methamphetamine Substance Abuse And Borderline Personality Disorder Features Using Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Jessica R. Schultz Fischer

Dissertations

The study investigated the effectiveness of a time-limited, skills-based treatment in a population of female substance abusers. This project implemented a pilot clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a 12-session modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) protocol among a small sample of women, with co-morbid borderline personality disorder features, receiving concurrent outpatient treatment for methamphetamine abuse. A non-concurrent multiple baseline design was used. In addition to on-going assessment conducted during baseline and weekly over the course of treatment, a comprehensive assessment battery was administered pre-, and post-treatment as well as at 1 and 3 months following treatment. Findings suggest that …

Therapists' Handling Of Secrets Between Partners In Couple Therapy, Michael Alan Jansen

Dissertations

This study examines couple therapists' policies, procedures, and perspectives regarding secrets between partners in couple therapy. Handling secrets appropriately is necessary to avoid legal, ethical and therapeutic problems, especially when the secret involves contentious or potentially dangerous material such as infidelity, divorce, paternity, and HIV/AIDS infection. One hundred sixty randomly selected Clinical Members of the AAMFT participated in a 38-question researcher-generated mail survey. Data provided descriptive statistics and allowed for between-groups comparisons to explore for differences between therapists with regard to experience and several specific practices related to handling secrets. The study also examined whether courses in HIV/AIDS confidentiality law …

Essays On Intrahousehold Allocation And The Family: Fertility, Child Education, And Nutrition, Alemayehu Azeze Ambel

Dissertations

Understanding the constraints that households face when making decisions on fertility, education, and health is beneficial for effective interventions aimed at enhancing investments in human capital, promoting gender equity, and reducing poverty. This dissertation consists of four essays that analyze the nature, performance, and determinants of fertility, child education, and nutritional status in a developing economy.

The first essay identifies peculiar constraints, including gender preference and income uncertainty that households face when making fertility and schooling choices. The underlying assumption in the theoretical analysis is that in the absence of formal risk and capital markets, households may revert to informal …

The Effects Of Acute Nicotine Abstinence On Vigilance And Verbal Memory In Non-Diagnosed Smokers, David W. Ayer

Dissertations

Research has shown a differential prevalence of smoking in the schizophrenic population compared to other psychiatric and non-diagnosed populations. The three most commonly investigated reasons for this differential prevalence in schizophrenics are: the self-medication hypothesis, side effects hypothesis, and sociological hypothesis. The self-medication hypothesis which proposes that schizophrenics smoke at a higher rate to ameliorate cognitive deficits is the most substantiated by the research. Of current interest is the possible role of nicotine in improving performance on vigilance and verbal memory, the two areas shown to be most related to impaired social functioning in schizophrenics. It is difficult to make …

Evaluating The Effectiveness And Benefit-Cost Of Michigan Background Check Program Using Crime Opportunity Theory, Judith Brown Clarke

Dissertations

Elderly persons in long-term care settings are exceptionally vulnerable to abuse, neglect, and exploitation necessitating special protective measures by criminal justice, social services, and health care agencies. In 2006, 28.6% of Michigan households with a family member in long-term care reported that person having experienced one or more forms of abuse including physical, caretaking, verbal, emotional, neglect, sexual, and exploitation (Post, 2006). Criminal justice agencies were scrambling to identify programs aimed at reducing elder abuse in long-term care. Michigan was selected as one of seven states designated as a federal pilot test site. As a result, the Michigan Background Check …

Perceived Organizational Support And Ethical Work Climates As Predictors Of Turnover Intention Of Licensed Nurses In Skilled Nursing Facilities, Anna A. Filipova

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was twofold: (1) to replicate Victor and Cullen's (1987; 1988) studies to confirm whether ethical climates (ECs) arise in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and whether organizations and groups within organizations have identifiable ECs; and (2) to test a model that examines the effects of ECs and perceived organizational support (POS) on licensed nurses' turnover intention (TOI) through job satisfaction (JS) and organizational commitment (OC).

A cross-sectional survey design was implemented. Three hundred and fifty nine freestanding SNFs were selected in a midwestern state. While a total of 110 facilities (31%) agreed to participate, responses were …