Social Work Commons^™

Identifying And Defining Natural Service Delivery Systems, James R. Garrison, William J. Teverbaugh

Dissertations and Theses

One aspect of reality that professional social workers are experiencing in the course of performing social work is what the authors will refer to as natural service delivery systems. We use this particular term for clarity, yet there are questions that still remain. Are there, in fact, measurable phenomena that we can call natural service delivery systems? If these systems exist, what kind of services do they deliver or what types of services do they imply? If these services do exist and if we recognize them, what are the implications for professional social workers? How does our knowledge base allow …

Villa St. Rose Group Home Study, William H. Finkle

Dissertations and Theses

There has been a gradual move from the exclusive use of institutions for delinquent adolescents as a treatment resource to a realization that institutions need a variety of treatment methods in order to rehabilitate delinquents and other adolescents with adjustment problems. Villa St. Rose is an example of an institution which has acknowledged the effectiveness of developing a therapeutic milieu based on a professional institutional program supported by community treatment in the form of a group home experience.

An Analysis Of Change In Girls Released From Villa Saint Rose, H. Marie Ades

Dissertations and Theses

When juveniles are defined by society as delinquent they are frequently institutionalized. These institutions are referred to as reform schools, correctional institutions or schools, residential care facilities, treatment centers, or variations of the above. They are state sponsored or privately sponsored. Whatever name is on the sign by the front door, each institution is in the business of "people changing."

The excellence of an inanimate product can be measured, weighed, checked, and reproduced; but an altered person is more difficult to measure. If one is in the business of people-changing, it seems important to see if one is in fact …

Diagnostic Congruence: A Study On Presentation Of Clinical Information To Parents And Recall, Miriam Rae Maier

Dissertations and Theses

The present study was an investigation of recall following presentation of diagnostic information. The setting was the Crippled Children's Division of the University of Oregon Medical School.

The purpose of the study was to test the hypothesis that one session conferencing imparting diagnostic information to parents of handicapped children reduces recall. Additionally, it was hypothesized that multi-discipline conferencing is related to greater diagnostic recall than single discipline conferencing. The sample was made up of 20 parent units whose children were evaluated at the Crippled Children's Division for suspected Cerebral Palsy and/or Mental Retardation. There were ten families from the Cerebral …

The Impact Of Coordination By A Child Abuse Committee On Community Services To Battered Children, Grace Jackson Anders, Rebekah M. Burton

Dissertations and Theses

The Child Abuse Committee at the University of Oregon Medical School has assumed a coordinating role as an attempt to provide more effective service to abused children and their families. This research report is a follow up to a 1970 study by Matusak which evaluated the effectiveness of the Committee. The Matusak study seemed to indicate that, because of Committee action resulting in appropriate intervention and services, definite improvement in the situation of the children in the study was seen. This study follows the children from the 1970 study one year later and makes further comparisons of child abuse cases …

Coping Patterns Of Those Denied Public Assistance -1970, Robert A. Turcotte, Anita L. Wahl

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project was to explore the coping patterns of people denied public assistance. The primary focus was on resources available and used by those denied to assist them in the situation that led them to apply for public assistance in the first place.

A review of the literature revealed that very little is known concerning those denied public assistance. This project is one of the first to study the problem of how those denied manage after denial.

The data for this project was gathered by the use of an interview schedule administered in personal interviews with those …

A Study Of The Legal Aid Family Law Center And Its Clients, By Cynthia Ann Thomas [And] Susan Marie Vail, Cynthia Ann Thomas, Susan Marie Vail

Dissertations and Theses

The family is the basic unit in our society. When there is a breakdown in this unit, specifically in the marital relationship, the effect upon the husband, wife, and children can be devastating in terms of poverty, abuse, and cost to society. The frequent inability of the poor to obtain counseling and legal assistance in resolving family relationships perpetuates the social and psychological results of a poor marriage. This study is concerned with poor persons and their ability to receive both legal and counseling services for their family problems 0 Other concerns are with the questions of alternatives to divorce …

Degree Of Depression In Women Preceding Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, William M. Nathe, Ike R. Lacefield

Dissertations and Theses

This evaluation was undertaken because of an interest by the authors in the abortion program at the Medical School. Interest in the emotional status of patients receiving abortions was aroused while working in a field placement at the Medical School through the Portland State University School of Social Work.

With the consent and assistance of the Obstetrics-Gynecology Department and the Director of Social Services, this study was initiated with the hope that it would be a step toward providing an over-all and continuing assessment of information about the women receiving abortions. The researchers' particular area of interest concerned the characteristics …

Behavioral Characteristics Associated With Accidental Poisoning In Childhood, Nancy Koroloff, Emily Tufts

Dissertations and Theses

Two groups of parents from different socio-economic levels were questioned about the behavioral characteristics of their children before 18 months and subsequent incidences of accidental poisoning. The data collected showed proportional numbers of accidental poisonings regardless of parent education, race or income. Unusual activity in the child before 18 months was the best predictor of accidental poisoning during childhood.

Children Without Futures: A Feasibility Study Comparing Characteristics Of Families Who Have Children Placed In Long And Short-Term Foster Care, Kaye Hutchins

Dissertations and Theses

Many children drift into unplanned long-term foster home care, under conditions unsatisfactory for the child, his own family and the foster parents. Current practice in foster care often contributes to foster children growing up without the necessary love, support and guidance from a family that he can call his own. Recent publications in social work journals have suggested that a lack of consistent family relationships may be injurious to the emotional development of children. Social workers have become increasingly dissatisfied with a "helping process" that may, in fact, generate more harm than help. Originating from the social worker's dissatisfaction with …

Preschool Predication Of First Grade Social And Emotional Adjustment, Benjamin Sherrill

Dissertations and Theses

The prediction and/or early identification of problems of the first grader are of concern of concern to educators, school psychologists, and those engaged in elementary school social work. Social and behavioral problems interfere with the child's ability to succeed in school and it is clear that if these difficulties could be anticipated early in the first grader's school experience there could be immediate intervention to enhance his chance for success.

The Role Of Social Work In Genetics Counseling, Diane Margaret Plumridge

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to demonstrate the need for social workers to be employed by Genetics Clinics as a member of the genetics team, the hypothesis being that there is need for social work involvement in the field of medical genetics. Research was completed through a survey of the literature in the field of: counseling problems in genetic counseling, social work involvement in genetics clinics, the role of nursing in genetic counseling, and psychological studies concerning problems of genetic counseling. Literature in these areas was extremely limited During the summer of 1971, a questionnaire was sent to ninety …

Guidelines For Agency Based Day Care Programs For Children Ages 0-3 Years, Elizabeth H. Minifie

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this practicum is to demonstrate the need and appropriateness of agency based group day care programs for children ages 0-3 years, to indicate some guidelines based on a collation of recent, but partial and not fully developed studies consistent with the aim of maximizing the socialized development of each child, with certain desired characteristics in mind as end products. Daycare needs have been studied from several approaches: on a city, state and national level describing the need in terms of "slots" to fill, and from a neighborhood based approach where needs are being met by neighbors in …

Interorganizational Coalitional Decision-Making: An Exploratory Investigation, Dennis Brian Keenan

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together, their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are then, exploratory studies of interorganizational behavior.

An Attitudinal Study Of Selected Groups In The City Of The Dalles Toward The Community Attention Home, David Clitheroe, Garrett Long

Dissertations and Theses

When a family starts to dissolve it frequently comes to the attention of the court or the welfare department and what happens once its members enter the system can be of critical importance. While the number of adults incarcerated is expected to increase slightly, the alarming fact is that if we continue to confine juveniles at the same rate an increase of 70% between 1965 and 1975 can be expected. These data suggest that we should investigate alternatives to detention, not only because of the increasing pressures of space available but, more importantly, because juvenile detention has shown itself to …

Proposals For The Establishment Of Social Service Departments At St. John's Hospital And Cowlitz General Hospital, Longview, Washington, Beryl P. Robison

Dissertations and Theses

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work from Portland State University, it was my desire to do a Practicum which would be of benefit to the community where I live, Longview, Washington. One area in which the shortcomings were apparent was pointed out to me time and again by my husband, who is a practicing physician in Longview and through my own contacts in the community, i.e., neither Cowlitz General Hospital nor St. John!s Hospital had a Social Service Department. Therefore, I have written proposals for a Social Service Department for each hospital. …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Developmental Sequences In Interorganizational Coalitions Involved In Community Planning, Clifford Albert Snyder

Dissertations and Theses

This study is one of four exploratory studies concerned with coalitions of organizations that are formed to plan and develop social welfare programs within the local community. Although each study was conducted independently, taken together, their major purpose was to develop some insights and knowledge into the behavior of organizations and the ways in which they interact as they work together to develop community programs. They are then, exploratory studies of interorganizational behavior.

A Scale Of Verbal Accessibility In Mild And Borderline Retarded Adults, Keith Baker

Dissertations and Theses

This is the forth study of verbal accessibility undertaken at the Portland State University School of Social Work. The first two completed in the years 1967 (Kresse, et al., 1967) and 1968 (Walker, et al.,1968) dealt with the area of marriage. The third completed in 1969 (Metz, et al., 1969)dealt with the authoritarian family ideology. The intent of this study is to determine if that material can be applied to use with the retarded adults being placed from Fairview Hospital and Training Center . This is the major State Institution for care and treatment of the mentally retarded in the …

Selection Of Practice Models For Social Work, Linda Fritz

Dissertations and Theses

This paper will focus upon the value positions underlying two social work models: the traditional or psychodynamic and that of behavior modification. It is recognized that there are areas in which those two approaches do not seem far removed, e.g., with some neo-behaviorists and/or some ego psychologists. However, to the extent that the lines become very blurred, so does the clarity of position or practice. Like many practitioners who claim to be “eclectic,” it becomes extremely difficult to find out where they are and what they do value at a given point in time. Why do social workers become so …

Report On Faculty And Student Evaluation Of Instructors In Direct Service Teaching At Portland State University Graduate School Of Social Work, Janet Mansfield, James Mcdevitt

Dissertations and Theses

The classroom as a messenger of learning and awareness is an honored institution. Education promotes the spirit of inquiry. Concurrently, inquiry spearheads research. As students who have spent many hours in a classroom, we have wondered, inquired, into the spirit of the classroom. Our research is devoted to gaining and establishing a series of perspectives as to what occurs in the classroom.

Our research is concerned with specific characteristics of the teacher-learner relationship and outcomes of that relationship. Specific characteristics of the student-teacher relationship such as effective communication, clarity of course objectives, or the quality of class lectures, have been …

A Descriptive Study Of Educational Background, Contraceptive Knowledge, And Choice Of Agency Among Selected Girls 18 Years Old And Under Seeking An Abortion At The University Of Oregon Medical School, Carol A. Carter, Lititia J. Kirk, Jane F. Ogier

Dissertations and Theses

This study was conducted at the University of Oregon Medical School located in Portland, Oregon. This school has performed many abortions since Oregon liberalized its abortion law in 1969. In Oregon in 1968 before the abortion law was changed there were 238 abortions performed, 35% of these were for women under the age of 19. During 1971 there were 6,997 abortions of these 2,625 were for girls of age 19 and younger.

An Approach To The Decentralization Of Health Care Services In Multnomah County, Oregon, Stephen L. R. Cook, Roger George Philippi

Dissertations and Theses

In the past several years, the subject of health care delivery has assumed increasing importance as a public issue. Congressional hearings, public and private commissions, and task forces have investigated the functioning of the health care system in depth, reporting that access to the system is impeded by financial barriers and by inefficiency of the delivery system. Medicare and Medicaid have attempted to surmount the financial barriers for, some segments of the population, and more inclusive health insurance proposals are being considered in Congress. The Healthright program, under the Economic Opportunity Act, has stimulated efforts to improve the delivery system …

Psycho-Social Aspects Of Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia In Children, Sally Myers Hingley, Judith Ann Mckay

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of the study was to assess psycho-social differences between two groups. A review of the literature suggested psychological and social factors may affect the onset and progression of malignant disease. Comparisons were made between a group of 23 experimental families with a leukemic child, and a group of control families with a normal child matched for child's sex, age, and number of siblings. Data. was gathered on three quantifiable measures; Coddington's Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire; a specially constructed Child's Questionnaire, and The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

The leukemic children and their matched normal controls had approximately equal numbers, …

A Case Study Of The Northwest District Association And Portland City Planning Staff, Jill Sally Haldeman, Kathryn Cynara Heisler

Dissertations and Theses

This is a study of how a city planning staff worked together with a neighborhood group to develop a comprehensive plan for a neighborhood. It explores their relationship and the major conflicts that arise when they work together to develop a district plan.

Foster Family Care For The Aged, Donald V. Sekora

Dissertations and Theses

The following was a research practicum instituted as an actual project for the State of Montana Welfare Department between June, 1970, and May, 1971. The project had a two-fold purpose in being conceived: one purpose was to fulfill a graduate school academic requirement; and the second purpose was to fulfill a responsibility to the people of Montana who would eventually gain some benefits from this project. The series of written documents that follow are the description of that project's conception and actualization in six Montana counties. The first part is the project idea and theory; the next two parts consist …

The Father's Role In Treatment: A Survey Of Selected Social Service Programs, Joanne Robertson

Dissertations and Theses

This is a descriptive, partially exploratory study which examined the date obtained from interviews with socials workers in selected social welfare programs in regard to the father in treatment. Explored were descriptive information concerning the agency's characteristics, the type and extend of treatment offered, the involvement or resistance of the father in therapy, and the provision made for a surrogate male model in the event of the father's absence.

The literature revealed that currently there is a growing body of knowledge and theory related to the father's role in the psychosocial development of the child and the consequences of his …

Predictors Of Placement From A Juvenile Detention Facility, Diane C. Brock

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project was to determine whether certain personal, socioeconomic, and court-related factors are significantly related to the differential placement of delinquent and dependent children from the detention facility at the Donald E. Long Home. A stratified random sample was composed of 173 placements of children who were held in detention after a preliminary hearing.

The review of literature revealed that little systematic. Information is known regarding the placement process as it is related to differential placement of children from a detention facility.

A code sheet was developed for recording the information in the children's records maintained by …

An Attempt To Find Predictor Variables Which Will Discriminate Between Those Patients Who Seek Aftercare Treatment And Those Who Do Not Seek Aftercare Treatment Upon Discharge From A Psychiatric Ward, Nena V. Johnstone, William D. Lynch, Philip M. Baldwin, John C. Kemp

Dissertations and Theses

This is an exploratory follow-up study of the clientele of the Psychiatric Crisis Unit, a short-term, crisis-oriented inpatient psychiatric ward. The main objective of the research was to test the following null hypothesis: there are no significant differences between those individuals who attempt to gain aftercare treatment as opposed to those individuals who do not following discharge from the Crisis Unit.

A sample of fifty-one voluntary patients who consented to participate in the study was used in testing this hypothesis. Each subject completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (M.M.P.I.) and a sociological questionnaire while in the Crisis Unit, and a …

Anxiety Level Of Graduate Students In Social Work, Sophia Kouidou-Giles, George Albert Mckee

Dissertations and Theses

This study was designed to determine (1) the trend of anxiety level of social work students, term by term, over the academic year; (2) the cyclical trend of anxiety level of social work students within each term and (3) the effects of age and sex on level of anxiety among social work students.

Anxiety was measured with the IPAT - 8 Parallel Form Anxiety Battery. This test was administered to twenty randomly selected first year students in the School of Social Work during the 1969-1970 academic year at Portland State University. Data was collected from six test administrations which …

Continuance Vs. Discontinuance In Family Counseling, Katherine Anderson, Alice Dudley, Mayetta Rocks

Dissertations and Theses

The study was designed to examine the social workers' and clients' perceptions of change in the treatment process; specifically to examine the question of why clients discontinue service prior to planful termination. Also, the authors attempted to assess the client's perception of gain and the worker's assessment of gain.