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No description available.

No description available.

This study examines the perceptions of depression, spirituality, treatment modalities including both traditional and nontraditional treatments among African Americans. Two hundred and four respondents were selected for this study utilizing non-probability convenience sampling. The survey participants were composed of African Americans who attended a large metropolitan Atlanta Christian church and self-reported no history of being clinically/medically diagnosed with depression. The survey questionnaire consisted of a demographic information section and questions that defined the four variables, depression, spirituality, traditional treatment and nontraditional treatment. The responses were measured in a four point Likert scale. Phi ( ϕ) test statistic was used to test the strength of the relationships among the variables. The chi-square test statistic used to test statistical significance of the results. The findings of the study indicated that eighty percent of the participants did not report depressive symptoms. Women reported more depressive symptoms than men. Spirituality was reported as being important in managing depression. However, the majority of the survey respondents would not seek or use traditional or nontraditional treatments for depression. There was a significant statistical difference in the report of depressive symptoms between men and women. Women reported more depressive symptoms. There were no significant differences in the responses among African American men and women in regards to spirituality, traditional and non-traditional treatments.

This is a descriptive study of the impact that Aniz, Incorporated has had on the battle against HIV/AIDS in the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. It examines the relationships among an individual’s drug of choice and a person’s failure to protect him or herself from the disease; an individual’s mode of infection and a person’s income level; an individual’s type of insurance and a patient’s T-cell count. The results of the study suggest that there is no statistically significant relationship between a drug of choice and a person’s failure to protect him or herself, there is also no statistically significant relationship between an individual’s mode of infection and a person’s individual income, but there is a statistically significant relationship among types of insurance and an individual’s T-cell count. These findings were based on a .05 level of probability between the variables. This study and others like it will assist Aniz, Incorporated and could assist other nongovernmental agencies to better target their services and programs to better meet the needs of the demographic groups being served.

This study examines the impact of parental metharnphetmline use on the child welfare system in Cobb County Department of Family and Children Services. This study was based on the prenlise that methmnphetamine is contributing to mi increase in the number of children entering the child welfare system in large numbers. Data was gathered and analyzed from surveys completed by case managers in the Plepartment of Family and Children Services in Cobb County, Georgia. Findings from the study revealed that of the thirty participants, ninety-three percent agreed that parental methamphetamine use is impacting the child welfare system greatly. The conclusions drawn from the finding suggest that additional research and services are needed in child welfare systems to assist the parents in successful recovery and lessen the burden on the system.

The purpose of this exploratory descriptive study was to compare the length of time foster care children were spending in care two years prior to the passage of Senate Bill 611 and two years after the legislation took effect in one Northwest Georgia county, Floyd County. Length of time in care was also examined to determine if differences existed among age, reason for placement, and racial background. An interview was utilized to complete the Agency Protocol and Procedures instrument with the local county Director of the Department of Family and Children Services and the Floyd County Juvenile Court Judge. Findings indicated that new written policies are in place and extensive training has been completed in the Floyd County Department of Family and Children Services in relation to the changes associated with Georgia’s Senate Bill 611. A case study method was employed to complete the study of a sample size of forty children in foster care reviewed by the Citizen Review Panel of the Floyd County Juvenile Court. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used. Paired t-tests were conducted to determine if the mean length of time in foster care for children sampled differed prior to the passage of Georgia Senate Bill 611 from July 1, 1994 to June 30, 1996 as compared to after its passage and implementation for the period of July 1, 1996 to June 30, 1998. Non-significant results were found when comparing all children as a group. However, the average placement time from pre and post legislation was found to be 16 months. Similar results were found when making comparisons by age, racial background, and reason for primary placement. Almost all age, racial background, and primary reason for placement subgroups were found to show large reductions in mean length of time in foster care. However, when considering age subgroups, mean increases were actually found in the two youngest categories. Small numbers of children within subgroups and large variability may contribute to the non-significant results even though some large reductions in mean length of time were found.

The aim of this exploratory study was to examine and compare three traditional models of substance abuse treatment interventions at various rehabilitation treatment centres in South Africa. Three treatment centers were chosen each representing a particular treatment model, namely the Disease/Minnesota Model at Careline Crisis Centre (Hillcrest, Durban), the Therapeutic Community Model at Horizon Halfway House (Cape Town) and the Narconon Model at Narconon Rehab (Johannesburg). Data was obtained by means of two research instruments, namely structured interview schedules and focus group. The study was qualitative entailing critical analysis of data yielded by the research instruments. In the structured interview, the researcher asked the staff members at each centre questions and recorded their answers while the focus group methodology was used with the clients or patients (referred to as "students" in the Narconon Model) at each of the centres. The groups were comprised of three or four members. The study was conducted in two phases where phase one comprised. 13 themes and phase two comprised three themes. Based on the structured interviews with the staff members at the three treatment centres and the data yielded from the focus groups of the clients, strengths, weaknesses, differing conceptualizations of chemical addiction and the foci of intervention to treat the addictions of clients were evaluated with the purpose of integrating the best from each of these models of treatment to propose the development of what the researcher has chosen to call The Empowerment Model. Drawing from the conception of human consciousness in the philosophical tradition of existentialism where human consciousness is viewed as Nothingness, a void that is filled or engaged with Being-inthe- World, Being-with-Others and being-with-Oneself. Failure in the engagement of consciousness leads to a frustrating painful void. Given the existence of addictive chemicals, the human in the course of the history of humankind developed the ingestion of such chemicals to seek to fill the void with pleasurable sense experiences. The Empowerment Model aims to create an awareness of this human weakness and advocates filling or engaging this void with purpose in life comprising most notably Spirituality, Sociability, Vocation and Recreation to grow and evolve to a point of going beyond being human. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2006.

The main aim of this study was to understand the challenges of social workers in meeting the obligations of permanency planning when rendering services at Children's Homes in the Magisterial District of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Permanency planning is guided by policy and prescribed in practice but the challenges have not been studied. The descriptive study was qualitative (focus groups) with elements of a quantitative nature (checklist) that targeted the population. Respondents included participants from 15 children's homes, 5 Child and Family Welfare Societies and 2 State District Offices. The checklist of 25 items was completed by 12 principals of children's homes. Results confirmed that permanency planning was not practiced according to policy even though social workers had a good understanding of what was required of them. Children's homes, although recognized as temporary accommodation for children, were sometimes used as an option for permanency planning. Creative efforts towards permanency planning, despite their challenges of limited resources and institutional barriers were evident. However, programmes and activities towards promoting permanency planning needed in-depth evaluation. If used inappropriately, for example leave of absence and the host programme could increase insecurity, instability and unpredictability rather than promoting permanency planning. Recommendations were for social workers to make a significant difference by addressing their negative perceptions, values, attitudes and .beliefs towards parents, to apply solutions found in this study and to play an advocacy role especially with regard to policy and resources. It became apparent that unless the challenges of the social workers were addressed, they would not be able to meet the objectives of permanency planning, even though it is a statutory requirement. Although social workers hold the primary responsibility and accountability for permanency planning, in practice its implementation and effectiveness depended on the interconnection and co-operation of various systemic influences. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006