Social Work Commons^™

Lines In The Sand: Social Representations Of Substance Use Boundaries In Life Narratives, K. F. Trocki, L. O. Michalak, Laurie A. Drabble

Faculty Publications

This study identifies social representations in interviews about alcohol and substance use in the discourse of 129 young adults, who were interviewed for 2.5 to 3.5 hr each for their life histories and use or nonuse of alcoholic beverages and drugs. Respondents spontaneously delineated their substance use boundaries, creating a continuum of behaviors with boundary points separating acceptable from unacceptable behaviors. They used signaling expressions to indicate go and stop signs and movement along the substance use continuum and reported negotiating substance use boundaries both internally and with peers. A ubiquitous narrative element was the cautionary tale, in which a …

Mississippi Kids Count: Child Abuse & Neglect In Mississippi, Jeremy Bressman, Kevin Golembiewski, Abram Orlansky, Crystal Redd

Delta Directions: Publications

While the number of children subject to abuse or neglect has dropped over the past decade, it is undoubtedly the case that child abuse and neglect remains one of the most serious concerns for children in the United States. Nationwide, nearly 702,000 children (or 9.3 out of 1,000) were subject to some form of abuse in the Fiscal Year 2009, a drop from even the year before (10.3 victims per 1,000 children), and a significant drop from earlier recorded findings in 1995 (15 victims per 1,000). Still, the numbers remain alarmingly high, particularly given the dire consequences. A number of …

Dating Violence Policy: Making The Grade, Richard Hoefer, Beverly Black, Mashooq Salehin

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Dating violence rates affect an unacceptably high percentage of youth. This paper tests a model to understand the considerable variation in state dating violence policy comprehensiveness. Independent variables in the model are state political culture, partisan control of political institutions, prevalence of dating violence, and median household income. Bivariate results show partial support for preliminary hypotheses. Regression analysis indicates that strength of Democratic Party control of governmental institutions is the only variable in the model that achieved statistical significance. Implications and recommendations for future research are provided.

Review Of Prisoner Reentry At Work: Adding Business To The Mix. Melvin Delgado. Reviewed By Marguerite G. Rosenthal., Marguerite G. Rosenthal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Melvin Delgado, Prisoner Reentry at Work: Adding Business to the Mix (2012). Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers. $58 (hardcover).

Index Of Volume Xxxix, 2012

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare Contents of Volume XXXIX-2012

Sexual Sensation Seeking, Drug Use And Risky Sex Among Detained Youth, Dexter R. Voisin

Faculty Scholarship

Sexual sensation seeking has been correlated with drug use and risky sex in a number of populations. However, these relationships have had limited examination among adolescents, and to date, have not been explored among detained youth, a group with some of the highest rates of illicit drug use and STIs. To better understand these relationships we utilized A-CASI to collect data on sociodemographics, sexual sensation seeking, drug use and risky sexual behaviors among a sample of 550 detained youth. A series of multivariable regression models controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status and risky peer networks indicated that sexual sensation …

Review Of Casino Women: Courage In Unexpected Places. Susan Chandler And Jill B. Jones. Reviewed By Jennifer Zelnick, Jennifer Zelnick

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Susan Chandler & Jill B. Jones, Casino Women: Courage in Unexpected Places (2011). New York: Cornell University Press. $29.95 (hardcover).

Explicating The Social Mechanisms Linking Alcohol Use Behaviors And Ecology To Child Maltreatment, Bridget Freisthler, Megan R. Holmes

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper begins to describe and explicate the specific mechanisms by which alcohol use and the alcohol use environment contribute to specific types of child maltreatment. These mechanisms relating alcohol outlet densities to child maltreatment described here include effects on social disorganization, parent's drinking behaviors, and parental supervision. By investigating potential mechanisms, new information could be obtained on the importance and role of alcohol and its availability in the etiology of child maltreatment. This knowledge can be used to further tailor interventions to those conditions most likely to prevent and reduce maltreatment.

Private Pension Protections Since Erisa: The Expanded Role Of The Individual, Karen A. Zurlo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Designed to provide security and equity to defined benefit (DB) pension plans, the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) became law in 1974. Since that time, the economy has shifted to a more globalized, non-unionized, service-based environment, where defined contribution (DC) plans replaced DB plans as the dominant type of private pension plan. Today workers and retirees bear the burden of managing their pension plans and the associated risks. To protect Americans against the financial risks they face in retirement and ensure greater economic security in old age, targeted financial education, research, and fundamental pension policy reform are required.

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 39, No. 4 (December 2012)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• DATING VIOLENCE POLICY: MAKING THE GRADE - Richard Hoefer, Beverly Black, and Mashooq Salehin
• EXPLICATING THE SOCIAL MECHANISMS LINKING ALCOHOL USE BEHAVIORS AND ECOLOGY TO CHILD MALTREATMENT - Bridget Freisthler and Megan R. Holmes PRIVATE PENSION PROTECTIONS SINCE ERISA: THE EXPANDED ROLE OF THE INDIVIDUAL - Karen A. Zurlo
• RECONCILIATION IN A COMMUNITY-BASED RESTORATIVE JUSTICE INTERVENTION - David K. Androff
• "WHERE ARE MY RIGHTS?" COMPROMISED CITIZENSHIP IN MIXED-STATUS MARRIAGE: A RESEARCH NOTE - April M. Schueths
• FEAR VS. FACTS: EXAMINING THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS IN THE U.S. - David Becerra, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayón, …

Reconciliation In A Community-Based Restorative Justice Intervention, David K. Androff

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) are among the primary means for promoting reconciliation in communities recovering from violent conflict. However, there is a lack of consensus about what reconciliation means or how it is best achieved. In a qualitative study of the first TRC in the U.S., this research interviewed victims of racial violence who participated in the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission (GTRC), a community-based restorative justice intervention. Findings reveal that participants conceptualized reconciliation as a multileveled process, that different concepts of reconciliation influenced assessments of the success and limitations of the GTRC, and indicate how community-based restorative interventions …

Fear Vs. Facts: Examining The Economic Impact Of Undocumented Immigrants In The U.S., David Becerra, David K. Androff, Cecilia Ayón, Jason T. Castillo

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Undocumented immigration has become a contentious issue in the U.S. over the past decade. Opponents of undocumented immigration have argued that undocumented immigrants are a social and financial burden to the U.S. which has led to the passage of drastic and costly policies. This paper examined existing state and national data and found that undocumented immigrants do contribute to the economies of federal, state, and local governments through taxes and can stimulate job growth, but the cost of providing law enforcement, health care, and education impacts federal, state, and local governments differently. At the federal level, undocumented immigrants tend to …

Perceived Neighborhood Safety And Psychological Distress: Exploring Protective Factors, Jaime Booth, Stephanie L. Ayers, Flavio F. Marsiglia

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

While a growing body of literature has established a relationship between "disordered" neighborhoods and psychological distress, less is known about the specific mechanisms at work. Using data collected in the 2008 Arizona Health Survey (N = 4,196), hierarchal linear regression was conducted to assess both the independent effect of perception of neighborhood safety on psychological distress, as well as the mediating effects of powerlessness, social isolation and mistrust. The findings suggest that the more safe individuals feel in their neighborhood, the less psychological distress they experience (b = 1.07, SE = .17, p < .001). This relationship appears to be partially mediated by feelings of powerlessness, social isolation and mistrust, indicating potential risk and protective factors.

"Where Are My Rights?" Compromised Citizenship In Mixed-Status Marriage A Research Note, April M. Schueths

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Immigration policy has shifted its focus from family reunification to strict enforcement of "illegal" immigration. It has become much more difficult for U.S. citizens to adjust their non-citizen spouses' legal status, especially spouses who are undocumented. This paper examines the vulnerabilities of female U.S. citizens married or partnered with undocumented Mexican men. Findings challenge the simplistic notion that marriage with a U.S. citizen creates automatic legalization for undocumented individuals and highlights the creation of a second class citizenry for native-born partners. This study argues that punitive immigration law and policies have profound negative implications for the lives of U.S. citizens.

Social Ties, Social Support, And Collective Efficacy Among Families From Public Housing In Chicago And Baltimore, Rebecca Joyce Kissane, Susan Clampet-Lundquist

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper explores the social ties and capital of women relocating to low-poverty neighborhoods through the Moving to Opportunity program and a "regular mover" group who did not. Findings suggest the low-poverty movers seldom made close ties in their new neighborhoods; they also had fewer childhood friends and exchanged less support than the regular movers. Many, however, welcomed escaping the constant exchange that characterized their former neighborhoods and moved to areas higher in collective efficacy--experiencing neighborhoods rated high in child supervision, facing less conflictual relations with neighbors, and exhibiting greater trust in others-relative to the regular movers.

Review Of Public Mental Health. William W. Eaton, Ed. Reviewed By David Mechanic., David Mechanic

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of William W. Eaton, Ed., Public Mental Health (2012). Oxford, Oxford University Press. $89.99 (hardcover).

Review Of Racial Beachhead: Diversity And Democracy In A Military Town. Carol Lynn Mckibben. Reviewed By Laura S. Abrams., Laura S. Abrams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Carol Lynn McKibben, Racial Beachhead: Diversity and Democracy in a Military Town (2012). Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press. $24.95 (paperback).

Review Of Great American City: Chicago And The Enduring Neighborhood Effect. Robert Sampson. Reviewed By Gwendolyn Y. Purifoye., Gwendolyn Y. Purifoye

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Robert Sampson, Great American City: Chicago and the Enduring Neighborhood Effect (2012). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press. $27.50 (hardcover).

The Initial Development Of Child-Focused Interventions In The Treatment Of Maternal Substance Abuse And Child Neglect, Kendra Tracy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This single case study focuses on the development and evaluation of child focused interventions for the treatment of child neglect and concurrent maternal substance abuse that were incorporated into Family Behavior Therapy (FBT). The participants were a mother referred by the Department of Family Services and her child. The child participated in three child focused interventions that were developed to decrease child behavior problems, increase support and communication, and prevent future neglect by strengthening the mother & child relationship. Although not a focus in this study, the mother participated in traditional FBT adult focused intervention components. The chief aim of …

Youth And Saving In Ghana: A Baseline Report From The Youthsave Ghana Experiment, Gina Chowa, David Ansong, Rainier Masa, Mat Despard, Isaac Osei-Akoto, Atta-Ankomah Richmond, Andrew Agyei-Holmes, Michael Sherraden

Center for Social Development Research

Youth and Saving in Ghana: A Baseline Report From the YouthSave Ghana Experiment