The National Center for Education Statistics reports that single mother college students are nearly three times as likely to drop out of college during their first year of study compared to single females without children. Qualitative studies on single mothers indicate that financial problems and demands of parenthood are reasons that precipitate voluntary withdrawal from college. These studies also indicate that being able to academically and socially integrate into the collegiate atmosphere increases the chance of completing a degree. Considering the various obstacles facing single mothers, it becomes important to examine why some single mothers graduate from college while others leave without degrees. Therefore, the focus of this study was to examine how potential factors impacted degree completion for single mothers. To understand the magnitude of how potential factors impacted degree completion, comparisons with married mothers were performed. Although vast amounts of higher education research have been conducted on degree completion, little attention has been given exclusively to student-mothers attending college, particularly those who are single. This study utilized data provided in the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:96/01 – restricted level) employing logistic regression to investigate the influence of the integration process (academic integration and social integration), degree type (certificate, associate, and bachelor), and pertinent external factors (age of child, financial difficulties, and family difficulties) on degree completion for single and married mothers as separate groups. Findings revealed that the proposed model of degree completion operated similarly for single and married mothers. This study validated concepts from Tinto's (1993) model of institutional departure for single and married mothers. With the exception of having a child under the age of five, degree type, the integration process, and external factors predicted degree completion as hypothesized. Results from this study filled the gap in knowledge by becoming the first to examine factors that impacted degree completion on nationally representative samples of student-mother undergraduates. Results from this study could inform educational administrators, advocates for single mothers, and educational policy makers about the on-campus and off-campus experiences of single mothers so that better educational and advocacy decisions can be enacted. This was significant, not only for single mothers but also, for the 73% of nontraditional students attending postsecondary institutions in America. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / October 21, 2008. / Vincent Tinto, Single Mothers, Higher Education, Secondary Data Analysis / Includes bibliographical references. / Dina Wilke, Professor Directing Dissertation; Xu-Feng Niu, Outside Committee Member; Melissa Radey, Committee Member; Karen Randolph, Committee Member.

Objective: Research with children has been hindered by the lack of standardized assessment instruments that address child emotional and behavioral problems. Very few self-report instruments have been developed focusing on harmful tendencies in children A measure that can capture a child's perceived propensity towards self-harm or harm to others, such as the LSIC, would fill the gap in clinical assessment and practice research. The LSIC can also be a useful medium through which child-related policies can be improved. This dissertation describes the development of the Level of Stability Index for Children (LSIC), a multidimensional, self-report, rapid assessment instrument to assess the harmful emotional and behavioral tendencies children may exhibit. The LSIC describes one's propensity toward depression, suicidal ideation, anger, and aggression. Method: Assessments were conducted with 426 children from various school and agency settings. Emotional and behavioral indicators were assessed using the LSIC and two measures for construct validation: The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI; Kovacs, 1992) and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI; Spielberger, 1999). Results: Strong evidence was found for reliability, content, factorial, and construct validity. Factorial validity was tested using the multiple groups method and structural equation modeling. Convergent and discriminant construct validity were also examined. Conclusion: The LSIC shows great promise as a tool that can be used to assess harmful tendencies in children and youth. It showed strong evidence of reliability and validity for younger children (7-12 years of age) as well as adolescents (13-18 years of age). / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2003. / November 4, 2003. / Rapid Assessment Instrument, Children, Depression, Suicidal Ideation, Anger, Self-Report, Aggression / Includes bibliographical references. / Neil Abell, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joyce Carbonell, Outside Committee Member; Nicholas Mazza, Committee Member.

Parenting can be difficult when parents are dealing with their own childhood issues such as childhood sexual abuse. Cohen (1995) stated that a possible long-term consequence of child sexual abuse is its effect on the survivor's future ideas about parenting, as well as her functioning in this role. "Parenting is a challenging process made complicated by the interaction of individual characteristics and perceptions of parents with the behavior and development of the child" (Crnic & Booth, 1991, p. 1042). This study built on previous research in the area of parenting efficacy of women who were sexually abused in childhood by attempting to improve the regression model found in the original study entitled, Parenting among women sexually abused in childhood conducted by Benedict (1998) by adding child temperament to the model. In order to fulfill the purpose of the study, the secondary dataset consisting of 265 women sexually abused and not sexually abused in childhood from a prenatal clinic at The Johns Hopkins Hospital were examine using a two-stage least squares regression. The theoretical framework that guided this study is attachment theory, because it helped to explain the connections between parenting attachment and behaviors and their offspring's attachment and behaviors. The findings were that payment source, hassles, current violence, and child temperament were all statistically significant to parenting efficacy. In conclusion, there is a relationship between how mothers' view their children's temperament and their view of their parenting efficacy. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Fall Semester, 2006. / October 26, 2006. / Parenting, Child Temperament, Sexual Abuse / Includes bibliographical references. / Ann K. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Sande D. Milton, Outside Committee Member; Patrice M. Iatarola, Outside Committee Member; Christine A. Readdick, Committee Member; Marsha L. Rehm, Committee Member.

Obesity and associated chronic conditions are endemic among the American population with rates disproportionately high among ethnic minorities and the economically disadvantaged. If current trends continue, every adult in the United States will be considered obese by the year 2030. Not only do overweight and obesity pose significant physical health risks, persons of overweight and obese status often encounter forms of bias, including stigma and appearance discrimination and are subject to negative myths and stereotyping. The causes of obesity are complex, and include biological, behavioral, and environmental factors. Historically, cultural and social mores have considered overweight and obese individuals the victims of faulty decision-making, impulsive behaviors, or flawed psychosocial development. However, obesogenic environments, or the physical settings that promote population-level obesity by encouraging increased food intake of non-healthful foods and physical inactivity are ubiquitous in the United States. The pervasive nature of obesogenic environments in the U.S. is evidenced by the fact that nearly seven out of every ten Americans are overweight. In fact, for most people, it is difficult NOT to become overweight. Minority, poor, and otherwise under-resourced communities share a disproportionate burden of obesogenic environments, including the phenomenon of food desserts, or areas with severely limited proximal or financial access to healthy foods. For example, fast-food restaurants tend to be more heavily concentrated in lower-income and minority neighborhoods than in high-income and predominantly White neighborhoods, and the availability of supermarkets in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods is lower than in predominantly White neighborhoods. This research study examines environmental sprawl, one facet related to obesogenic environments. Sprawl is a comprehensive measure of an area's accessibility and has been shown to have significant associations with overweight and obesity. The purpose of this research study is to examine the effects of sprawl and energy intake on BMI while assessing the impact of demographic factors. The methods included traditional measures of association and correlation to describe the relationship between sprawl and BMI, as well linear regression methods to estimate the hypothesized predictive effect of sprawl score on BMI score and fruit and vegetable consumption. The sample consisted of adults living in the US who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey and also resided in areas for which sprawl scores were calculated (n= 122,265). A total of 63% of respondents in the sample were overweight or obese, consistent with the current U.S. trends indicating a shift in the population weight distribution towards higher weight categories. Significant differences in BMI scores were noted based on education level, race, income, marital status, and sex, with minorities, and those with lower education and income levels having higher BMI scores and consuming fewer fruits and vegetables. In addition, a significant correlation exists between sprawl scores and BMI scores, with residents of more sprawling areas having higher BMI scores. The multivariate analyses also confirmed significant effects of sprawl and region of residence on BMI, even when accounting for the relationship of other significant variables. / A Dissertation Submitted to the College of Social Work in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2011. / March 18, 2011. / Obesogenic Environments, Obesity, Body Mass Index, BMI, Environmental Sprawl, Food Environment, Food Desert, Sprawl Index, Health Behavior, Behavioral Ecological Model, Health Belief Model, Fat Discrimination, Fat Stereotypes, Standard American Diet, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, National Health and Nutrition Examination Study, Obesity Comorbidities / Includes bibliographical references. / Melissa Radey, Professor Directing Dissertation; LaTonya Noel, Professor Co-Directing Dissertation; Lisa Jordan, University Representative.

The concept of civic-efficacy, as well as its role in post-school outcomes for high school students with disabilities is explored. Service-learning is introduced as a possible intervention for improving the civic-efficacy of high school students with disabilities. The existing literature regarding civic engagement, service-learning, and students with disabilities is critiqued. The results of a mixed methods study with quasi-experimental design analyzing the impact of service-learning activities on the civic-efficacy of youth with disabilities are presented. The findings indicate a significant difference in the civic-efficacy scores of youth who participate in service-learning activities. Qualitative analysis revealed that all the youth participating in the focus groups would like to do more service-learning activities and none of the service-learning sites aligned their projects with the service-learning best practices. / A Dissertation Submitted to the College of Social Work in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2009. / December 5, 2008. / Disability, Transition Services, Service-Learning, School Social Work, Inclusion / Includes bibliographical references. / James E. Hinterlong, Professor Directing Dissertation; Bruce Menchetti, Outside Committee Member; Martell Teasley, Committee Member.

This descriptive, nonexperimental, cross-sectional, in vivo study examined factors influencing decisions about life-sustaining treatment decisions (CPR, mechanical ventilation, tube feeding, and hemodialysis), and perceptions of the benefits and barriers associated with these decisions in a central Florida (USA) sample of health care surrogates and proxies (N = 132). Derived from the Health Beliefs Model, a surrogate decision-making model portrayed relationships among study variables assessed with hierarchical multiple regression (HMR). A three-step variable entry process and post hoc case analysis produced the final surrogate decision model: R² = .381 (F = 6.43, [F = .05; 9, 94] = 10.65, p Surrogates were reassured by knowing patients' verbal and/or written advance treatment instructions. Sustained by knowing "what Mom wanted", 97.8% of respondents expressed a higher degree of personal decision acceptance by carrying out patient wishes, accepting those decisions as the best alternatives. Following treatment decisions, surrogates expressed high self-reliance and significantly appreciated the benefits associated with treatment decisions. As surrogates must possess essential patient information prior to legitimately exercising legal and moral obligations to the patient in a decision reflecting patient wishes, engagement between social workers and surrogates at hospital/ICU admission can facilitate surrogate-patient communication and information exchange with remaining healthcare professionals. New measurement tools to clarify patient treatment preferences and surrogate role demands enable social workers to prepare surrogates for their role, counter barriers associated with treatment decisions, and mitigate stressors associated with surrogacy. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2007. / December 1, 2006. / Proxy Decisions, Surrogate Decision-Making, Health Belief Model, Health Care Decision-Making / Includes bibliographical references. / Neil Abell, Professor Directing Dissertation; Michelle S. Bourgeois, Outside Committee Member; Nicholas F. Mazza, Committee Member.

This study investigated the relationship between initial levels and change in parent involvement and children's learning-related social skills over time. Bioecological theory was the theoretical framework which guided the study using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Class of 1998-99. MPlus (Muthén & Muthén, 2004) was used to address missing data using Full Information Maximum Likelihood estimation and to complete latent growth curve analysis. Parent involvement at home (PI-H) in kindergarten was found to be significantly and positively related to interpersonal skills (IPS), but not work-related skills (WRS) in kindergarten. Parent involvement at school (PI-S) in kindergarten was found to be significantly and negatively related to both IPS and WRS in kindergarten. Increase in PI-H and PI-S overtime was found to be significantly related to decrease in IPS and WRS over time. There were not significant results found for the relationship between parent involvement in kindergarten and change in children's learning-related social skills over time. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2009. / March 17, 2009. / Social Competence, ECLS-K, Social Behavior, School Success, Bronfenbrenner, Educational Success, Parent-Child, Home Environment, Social Development, Secondary Data, Weights, Approaches To Learning, Peer Play, Self-Control, Cooperation, Responsibility, Independence, Self-Regulation, Listening, Following Directions, Staying on Task, Task Completion, Mastery Behaviors, Organizing, Executive Skills, Independent Working Skills, Adaptation To The Classroom, Responsible, Attentive, Assertive, Play Interactions / Includes bibliographical references. / Ann K. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Patrice Iatarola, Outside Committee Member; Carol Darling, Committee Member; Ming Cui, Committee Member.

There are currently over 500,000 children in foster care in the United States. Foster care places them at a high risk for immediate and long term psycho-social-educational problems. In an effort to prevent some of the immediate behavior problems in foster children, an innovative intervention referred to as Transitional Group Therapy (TGT) was developed. TGT combines developmentally appropriate therapeutic interventions, psycho-education, and play therapy in a group milieu to facilitate resiliency. This study is the first phase of a best practices approach in which TGT was tested for its feasibility with 11 first-placement foster children, ages 6-11. Its research and development methodology employed both qualitative and quantitative methods. A challenge to the implementation of this program included systemic barriers to recruiting participants. Qualitative data and quantitative pre and post testing on the Child Behavior Checklist and the Behavior and Emotional Rating Scale offered promise of the TGT'S effectiveness. This preventive intervention in time may be viewed as providing a "shot in the arm" to instill resiliency in first-placement foster children to help them survive their experience. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / May 19, 2008. / Interventions, Resiliency, Play Therapy, Group Therapy, Foster Children, Foster Care, Research And Development / Includes bibliographical references. / Robert E. Lee, Professor Directing Dissertation; Scott Ryan, Outside Committee Member; Ron Mullis, Committee Member; Lenore McWey, Committee Member.

According to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics (2008), "The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty" (p. 1). The focus on marginalized groups has always been a central feature of the profession. More interestingly, perhaps, the social work profession has always been a profession principally comprised of women. Throughout the literature, the nineteenth-century female friendly visitor is generally recognized as the precursor to the modern social caseworker (Boylan, 2002; Comitini, 2005; Elliott, 2002; Katz, 1996; Kirk & Reid, 2002; Lubove, 1965; Margolin, 1997; Popple & Reid, 1999; Trattner, 1978). However, how friendly visiting came to be is less developed. This study fills a critical gap in the developmental history of social work by providing an exploration of the possible evolution of professional helping in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. First, eighteenth-century women's roles, responsibilities, and duties are explored through the writings of four English writers: Mary Astell (1697), Lady Sarah Pennington (1761), Mary Wollstonecraft (1792), and Hannah More (1799). These gentlewomen, here defined as educated women of means, identify charity as an accepted feature of women's social and religious responsibilities. Then, early benevolent organization societies and the roles available to women in Western Europe and America are explored. The overlap between religion and charity work, evident from Pennington, More, Astell, and Wollstonecraft, informs the creation of benevolent societies on both continents. However, by the close of the eighteenth century, philanthropy and religion are infused with the language of medicine and science. Finally, the work of the friendly visitor, formalized through the Charity Organization Societies and the scientific charity movement, is considered. The formalization of friendly visiting reveals the gendered nature of professional helping that persists to this day. / A Thesis submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work. / Spring Semester, 2011. / May 5, 2010. / Friendly visiting, Friendly visitor, History, Women's Studies, Benevolent Society, Charity Organization Society / Includes bibliographical references. / Tomi Gomory, Professor Directing Thesis; Stephen Tripodi, Committee Member; Dina Wilke, Committee Member.

The current study examined the longitudinal moderating effects of organizational social phenomenon (viz, leader behaviors, cohesion, and collective efficacy) on the relationship between stressors associated with military peacekeeping operations and psychological distress. This study was a secondary analysis of longitudinal data collected by personnel from the US Army Medical Research Unit – Europe. The original data were collected from US Army personnel deployed in support of the NATO peacekeeping operation in Kosovo. Data collection occurred in two waves. The first wave occurred during the mid-deployment phase of an approximately six-month deployment, while the second wave occurred approximately two months after the soldiers returned from Kosovo to capture post-deployment psychological distress. Data were separated into individual level variables and organizational-level variables. The individual-level variables consisted of individual perceptions of operation-related stressors including, (a) role conflict and mission ambiguity associated with the role of peacekeeper, (b) concern for family well-being and (c) exposure to potentially traumatic events and the outcome variable assessing psychological distress. Organizational-level variables represented group perceptions of leader behaviors, cohesion, and collective efficacy aggregated at the US Army company to which the soldiers were assigned. Data from a sample of 546 soldiers assigned to 37 different US Army companies were examined using hierarchical linear modeling. Initial results indicated that, within organizations, only role conflict/mission ambiguity served to predict post-deployment individual psychological distress. None of the organizational-level variables predicted the within-groups relationship between role conflict/mission ambiguity and post-deployment psychological distress. However, a between-groups interaction of leader behavior and role conflict/mission ambiguity with psychological distress was observed. When leader behavior lacks clear direction and support and the mission is perceived of as vague or ambiguous, soldiers, on average, are more likely to experience greater degrees of psychological distress than in units where leaders exhibit strong characteristics of directive and supportive behaviors. This discrepancy, however, diminishes as soldiers perceive the peacekeeping environment as meaningful and pertinent. The results of this study reinforce the theory that leaders influence attitudes of subordinates which in turn positively affects psychological adaptation to potentially stressful environments. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2003. / March 3, 2003. / Leader Behavior and Mission Attitudes, The Stress Strain Process / Includes bibliographical references. / C. Aaron McNeece, Professor Directing Dissertation; Pamela L. Perrewé, Outside Committee Member; Jorge Delva, Committee Member.