Social Work Commons^™

A Study Of The Crisis Nature Of The Preparenthood Period And Implications For Preventative Social Work Practice, Julie Jean Colton

Dissertations and Theses

This study addresses the preparenthood period of family life, that period from conception to six weeks after the infant is born. This period was of great interest because in nine years of social work practice I have recognized that families resist change after their particular family system process, even destructive process, is established. I also believe that the order, or disorder, of society depends upon the order of the institution of the family. Other institutions of society depend upon the family for their existence.

Salem Teen Mother Program: A Follow-Up Study, Frances L. Barton

Dissertations and Theses

Society has, historically, reacted to teenage pregnancies with a mixture of embarrassment, apathy and neglect. It wasn't until the 1960's that an attempt was made to design and implement programs to meet the needs of pregnant adolescents. An example of such a program is the Salem Teen Mother Program. This program was begun in 1966 and is affiliated with the local YWCA. If offers a comprehensive program to approximately 150 students each year. The services it offers include day care, social services and counseling, education, health services, parenting skills and employment counseling.

The following chapters include a literature review which …

Multiple Impact Therapy: Evaluation And Design For Future Study, Jacqueline H. Abikoff

Dissertations and Theses

The theoretical underpinnings of Washington County Children's Services Division (CSD) Immediate Conflict-Resolution Family Treatment Program include the systems theory of family therapy with a focus on communication and roles. One of the many approaches to helping families in crisis, it incorporates theories regarding assessment of and intervention in families in crisis. Finally, while it draws upon several different approaches to family therapy, the Washington County program is most closely related to Multiple Impact Therapy (MIT). Thus, a review of relevant literature must address portions of the above enumerated theories that illuminate the thinking behind the Immediate Conflict-Resolution Family Treatment Program. …

A Cost Analysis And Recidivism Study Of A Pre-Trial Diversion Program, Ruth E. Green

Dissertations and Theses

This research project is a report of cost findings and rearrest rates from a program evaluation of a pre-trial diversion program. In 1978 Cascade Research Center (CRC) contracted with Clark County, Washington, to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-efficiency of the Pre-Habilitation agency, which implements the Prosecuting Attorney's Pre-Trial Diversion Program.

An Evaluative Study Of The Good Samaritan Pain Evaluation Clinic, Frederic G. Wessinger Jr.

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to ascertain whether or not the Good Samaritan Pain Evaluation Clinic can be considered a success.

Group Parent Training In Oregon, John Peter Kuzma

Dissertations and Theses

Research examining the actual practice and methods of group parent trainers has not kept pace with the great amount of literature on "how-to-parent" theory. In this study, 23 group parent trainees throughout the Willamette Valley in Oregon were interviewed to determine the characteristics of their groups in terms of numbers of parents in each group, length of groups, fees charged, teaching methods used, parenting approaches taught. Their general concerns and opinions about the parent training field were also elicited.

The support aspects of the parent groups were recognized as integral to parent training's effectiveness. The organizational structure of the groups …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Of Organizational Structure To Job Satisfaction Within Social Service Organizations Serving Elderly Clients, Anne Marguerite Wilkinson

Dissertations and Theses

This study investigated the relationships between organizational structure of client serving organizations and the job satisfaction of the members. The exploration of these relationships was conducted using a three dimension model of job satisfaction and seven dimensions of organizational structure. Data was gathered using interview and survey research techniques from 428 service providers within 42 social service agencies serving elderly clients.

The Interruption Of The Developmental Tasks Through Pregnancy In The Female Adolescent, Suzanne Epstein, Kathleen Perkins

Dissertations and Theses

There is much information about the incidence of adolescent pregnancy yet little attention has been directed to how this process will interrupt the working towards or completion of the developmental tasks of adolescence. It is our belief that completion of these tasks is crucial in relation to moving into the next stage, adulthood.

Public interest and concern for the contemporary needs of pregnant adolescents and school age parents as a special group is still fairly novel. Survey findings revealed that adolescent parents still have great need for infant day care services, direct financial assistance, housing arrangements, education, and parenting education. …

Washington County Aftercare Service Utilization Study, James Richard Peterson

Dissertations and Theses

Broadly speaking, the purpose of this study is to:

1. Assess the functioning of the psychiatric hospital aftercare service delivery system by examining community service utilization patterns of Dammasch Hospital releases.

2. Obtain descriptive information relating to Washington County's chronic aftercare population.

3. Provide an objective data base that can be used to further develop the Aftercare Service Delivery System in Washington County.

A Descriptive Study Of Demography & Transportation Issues Of Chronically Mentally Ill In The Eastern Oregon Comprehensive Community Mental Health Catchment Area, Tom H. Brubaker, David Emmons, John Meade

Dissertations and Theses

The CMI (Chronically Mentally Ill) experience many problems in obtaining services in both rural and urban environments. Such problems include community resistance to the mentally ill, inadequate treatment services, support systems, a lack of service utilization, and a lack of follow-up studies concerning this population, especially in rural areas. While these problems are generally characteristic of all areas of the country, whether urban or rural, they tend to have extreme manifestations in rural areas. Such problems are also conjoint in rural areas with rural life poverty, isolation, transportation difficulties, and sparse populations. In order to understand the possible barriers to …

Oregon Chapter, National Association Of Social Workers : Membership Study, Gale Brewer, Leslie Hayashida, Kathy Lam, Adrian Navarro

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to present a descriptive analysis of possible causes related to the drop-out rate in the Oregon Chapter, National Association of Social Workers (NASW) during the period between March of 1977 to March of 1978. Initial interest and involvement for this practicum was generated by a classroom announcement from Norman L. Wyers, D.S.W., Associate Professor at Portland State University School of Social Work. The announcement indicated that the Oregon Chapter, NASW, was interested in studying this drop-out rate. Throughout this practicum, the Oregon Chapter, NASW will be referred to as the Chapter.

Follow-Up Study Of Children In Six Day And Residential Treatment Service (Darts) Centers In Oregon, Doris M. Beard, L. Gail Bulkley

Dissertations and Theses

This study was begun at the request of the Mental Health Division (MHD) of the State of Oregon. The purpose was to conduct a follow-up study on six Day and Residential Treatment Service (DARTS) Centers which are funded by MHD. The purpose of the research was to assess whether or not the Centers are an effective treatment tool. The information acquired by this study will be used to provide information to MHD and the DARTS Center Directors to assist their decision making regarding program direction, and to provide MHD with specific information to be used in preparation for the upcoming …

Industrial Social Work : A Review Of The Literature And An Evaluation Of An Employee Assistance Program, Gregory Mark Lee

Dissertations and Theses

In the attempt to explore the world of work as an arena for mental health services, this report can be considered as having two major goals. The first is to provide a review and discussion of many of the issues that impact on and are part of the industrial social work field. The meaning of work will be discussed, from both an historical and psychological point of view. Aspects of the community mental health ideology will be presented, especially in relation to the world of work. A brief review of various types of mental health programming will be discussed, as …

Affirmative Action Programs In Social Service Agencies: Status Of The Female M.S.W., Geraldine Ann Berg

Dissertations and Theses

Job status and salary inequities between men and women have only recently been documented. The federal government, over the past few decades, through various acts and executive orders, has created legislation to prohibit discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion or national origin in all employment practices. The question is to what extent this legislation has permeated social service agencies and affected their employment patterns, particularly with respect to administrative positions.

In 1976, the Women's Issues Committee of the Oregon Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), addressed this question by initiating a study of social work employment …

An Investigation Of Sexuality And Life Satisfaction Of Institutionalized Aged, Karla M. Baur

Dissertations and Theses

One concern of this study is sexuality among the aged, since every person, regardless of age, is a sexual being. Society, however, has been slow to recognize this fact and has not accepted sexual activity among the aged. Along with the lack of social sanctioning, elderly persons are very susceptible to the myriad of myths, half-truths, misinformation, and incomplete data which affect their attitudes toward sexuality. Furthermore, older persons are susceptible to negative stereotypes of themselves as sexual beings. However, the effect of actual sexual activity upon overall life satisfaction among the aged has yet to be determined. Because there …

Stressful Life Events : A Comparative Study Of Native American And Urban Samples, Sandra Ketcher

Dissertations and Theses

The subject of this paper is an extension of the work done Holmes and Rahe on the development of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale or SRRS and of the study, “Individual Perception of Stressful Life Events: A Comparison of Native Americans, Rural, and Urban Samples,” conducted by Dr. Liberman and Joel Frank. This study will compare those two samples with a sample of a selected Pacific Northwest Indian tribe served by an Indian Health Service facility.

“The Stressful Life Events: A Comparative Study of Native American and Urban Samples” study is a singular component of a total effort on the …

A Study Of Multnomah County Community Support Services For The Chronically Mentally Ill, Karen Albers

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years attention has been given to the problems of the chronically mentally ill in regard to the effects of deinstitutionalization and a need for community supports. In this study, 77 service providers to the chronically mentally ill of Multnomah County (Portland), Oregon were interviewed to assess the components of the existing community support system for this population, as well as to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Ten chronically mentally ill clients were interviewed in a similar manner.

Although a multitude of problems were reported, service providers most frequently mentioned the need for residential situations, for …

Modification Of The Record-Keeping System Of A Community Mental Health Agency, Karen Knight, Christine Neilsen, Craig Schreiter

Dissertations and Theses

In recent years the social service field has incorporated program evaluation. In this time of accountability, funding sources want to to know what they are buying. As they respond to this requirement, agencies often discover that they have been living with archaic record-keeping systems. Systems which are cumbersome, or do not collect needed information have become the focus for change.

The context overview includes, first, information about the agency, Salem Area Family Counseling Service (SAFCS), second, about the catchment area from which it draws clients, and third, about the people it serves. The time perspective from which this is written …

The Effect Of Administrative Mandate On Social Workers' Clinical Decision Making, Richard Arthur Anderson

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which Social Workers' clinical judgement is altered by administrative needs in a population of Veterans Administration social workers.

The importance of this study to research is to find out whether administrative mandates do, in fact, influence social workers' clinical judgement, hence altering treatment to some significant degree. Administrators will be interested in seeing whether there is acceptance or resistance to their directives and what factors are involved in this dimension.

A Survey Of Mental Health Clients Admitted To General Hospital Emergency Rooms, Marsha J. Beale

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this survey was to obtain information from hospital emergency room staff on each mental health admission during the period of December 15, 1977 to January 15, 1978. Mental health admissions were broadly defined to include those people who were experiencing an observable mental health difficulty, but who may have initially presented primary medical problems. At the request of Multnomah County Mental Health Division's Management Team, and with the approval of the Emergency Department Nurses Association (EDNA), questionnaires were distributed among 16 general hospitals in the Portland, Oregon, Tri-County area. These hospitals are located in Multnomah, Clackamas, and …

Administrative Thinking On Youth And Youth Programs, Norman L. Wyers, John F. Longres

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Administrators have a lot of influence over the nature of youth programs. Because of this, their thinking on the causes of delinquency, the nature of ideal youth programs, and the role of youth workers were tapped. In the past, people in the field of delinquency have been accused of assuming an individual, personal problem or deficiency point of view. This study of administrators in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area suggests that, while some evidence for a more social structural understanding exists, in general the individual problem perspective prevails. An explanation for the persistence of a personal problem perspective is advanced …

The Foundations And Social Change, Helen M. Dalton

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis provides an historical review of the role and function of the philanthropic foundation as an institution of American society, stressing in particular the foundation response to social change. The period of emphasis is World War II to the present, although earlier history is also covered in some detail.

Developmental Tasks Of Older People: Implications For Group Work Practice, Mitchell Alan Lang

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the ways in which a developmental approach to personality change can be applied to the later years in life. Chapter II is a brief introduction to the concept of development and its relation to aging. Chapter III contains a literature review of existing developmental theories of aging plus those theories which I feel can be integrated into a psychosocial developmental model. Chapter IV, a description of group work techniques with older people based on the developmental task approach, contains my own ideas for group practice. My primary intention throughout the paper is …

The Effects Of A Child's Serious Illness Upon His Or Her Siblings, Kathleen Bales

Dissertations and Theses

In an effort to prevent serious psychological damage to individuals and families due to illness or disability, professionals in the health field have studied every aspect of one's health. From the "traumatic violence" of birth to the painful complexities of death and dying, the emotional health of human beings has been observed, recorded and analysed. Despite the breadth of this voluminous research, one area of interest merits more thorough study and evaluation. In order to more fully understand the intricacies of health and illness we need to know more about the effect one seriously ill child has upon the emotional …

Assessment Of The Needs Of The Families Of The Hospitalized Mentally Ill, Jean Pelosi Audette, Phyllis J. Jossy

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study was to assess the special needs of the families of hospitalized mental patients. The study focused upon the time prior to and including the decision to hospitalize a mentally ill family member. Particularly, the researchers wished to examine the stresses that the family encountered in attempting to deal with a disturbed member as well as their concerns regarding psychiatric hospitalization and the effect which it had upon the family.

A Descriptive Study Of Social Service Needs And Demographic Characteristics Of Selected Emergency Room Patients, Anne K. Parker

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this study is to gain information about the social service needs and demographic characteristics of patients admitted to Providence Hospital's emergency room during the hours a social worker is not available. The emergency room staff requested the information in order to utilize it in planning emergency room services.

Issues For Professionals Working With Cerebral Palsied Individuals, Joan Marquis, Beth Thompson, Wendy Girdlestone

Dissertations and Theses

This practicum is the result of our participation with a grant of national significance from the Developmental Disabilities Office. The project's inquiry is to describe the aging and aged developmentally disabled and to develop professional curricula based upon the findings.

There are three major objectives for the grant: 1) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the aging and the aged population, 2) to develop curricula for the training of health-care professional and 3) to consult at the supervisory level with national, state and community agencies. The developmentally disabled population studied by the grant includes cerebral palsied individuals over twenty-one years …

A Research Project On The Developmentally Disabled Adult, Randi Lynn Hillinger

Dissertations and Theses

No comprehensive data base concerning the adult developmentally disabled (ADD) population is available. The absence of theoretical formulations about aging, and particularly the aging ADD, make it difficult for service providers or professionals to incorporate a conceptual framework into their work.

An Exploratory Study Into The Financial Situations Of Elderly Wards Of The Public Guardian And Conservator Of Multnomah County, Ruth D. Hudson

Dissertations and Theses

It has been the practice of the Public Guardian and Conservator (PG and C*) of Multnomah County to collect fees for service to elderly wards on an annual basis usually at the time of the annual accounting. The purpose of this study is to determine the profitability of deferring the assessment and collection of fees until the termination of conservatorship. The assumption is that such a policy would provide an immediate benefit to the ward who would enjoy more spendable income while he is alive and at the same time the Public Guardian and Conservator could still collect his fee, …

An Exploration Into The Field Of Hospital Social Work, Timothy D. Haley

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project is to explore the field of hospital social work to see what, if any frustrations, problem areas, and/or dissatisfactions exist among those who work in this profession. In order to accomplish this task of exploration, the project is composed of three parts. The first segment is the literature review (Chapter II). It is divided into a brief history of hospital social work and other studies that have been done on hospital social workers. It is hoped that the combination of both of these components will reflect the struggles, strengths, and problems of the profession, therefore …