Thesis (M.S.)--Eastern Illinois University, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 269-275).

Thesis (M.S.)--Yale. / Includes bibliographical references.

This study was concerned with the nature and extent of father involvement during pregnancy, birth and early parenthood. The aims were: (1) to identify and describe the nature and extent of father involvement at this time; (2) to examine the relationship between the various components of involvement, and (3) to assess the relationship between father involvement and certain factors which may affect their level of involvement. Forty first-time fathers were interviewed during the third month post-partum about their involvement during pregnancy, birth and the first two months of parenthood. Overall, a wide degree of variation was found for each of the components of involvement investigated. Throughout the peri-natal period most fathers were highly involved at the affective level and in social components such as play. Father involvement in child care was weighted in the low direction, as was their involvement in preparations, antenatal care and post-natal services. Only a small number of statistically significant intercorrelations were found between components of involvement. Therefore, father involvement in one area did not predict involvement in other areas. Also fathers were not involved consistently high or low across components. Levels of involvement were not related to social class, father's age, father's work hours, time fathers spent with their children, or infant's gender. Therefore a further factor was chosen for investigation through a second study. The most strongly supported factor in the literature, which may account for the variation found, was family network connectedness. In a second study, 35 fathers and their wives were interviewed. Twenty fathers were from close-knit families and 15 were from loose-knit families. A comparison of study I and study II findings showed a high degree of similarity. On the basis of previous sociological studies it was hypothesised that fathers from loose-knit families would be more involved than fathers from close-knit families. The hypothesis was supported for some components but not others. A profile of father involvement today was drawn and discussed in relation to past views on the role of the father. Suggestions for future research are discussed, as are the implications of the findings for social policy.

o cuidado infantil colocado no centro da análise da causalidaade da desnutrição destaca, neste estudo, a importância do papel desempenhado pela mulher na prevenção da doença. Realizado a partir de dados da Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde e Nutrição de 1989, este estudo abrangeu 3.529 crianças de O a 59 meses e analisou características maternas e domiciliares definidoras do cuidado infantil em duas Regiões brasileiras, Região Nordeste e Região Sul, desdobradas nos seus contextos urbanos e rurais. Utilizou-se análise de regressão logística para avaliar os riscos associados aos diversos fatores em estudo. Destaca-se entre os resultados, que a exposição de crianças menores de 5 anos ao analfabetismo ou à baixa escolaridade materna constitui risco expressivo para a desnutrição em todas as regiões estudadas. Outros fatores mostraram-se estatisticamente associados à desnutrição infantil, entre eles encontram-se a ausência de televisão no domicílio e o número de filhos em diferentes faixas etárias. O trabalho materno mostrou ser ora fator de risco, ora fator de proteção entre os diferentes contextos analisados. O estudo sugere a importância de se estender o acesso à educação e o tempo de escolarização da mulher. Concomitantemente, políticas relativas à natureza e remuneração do seu trabalho, expansão dos serviços de creche, acompanhadas de uma divisão de trabalho doméstico mais igualitária, devem abrir o caminho para cidadania da mulher com benefícios diretos para a saúde e nutrição de seus filhos. / The discussion of infant care as a basic determinant of child malnutrition brings to the fore the centrality of women roles to the process. A sample of 3.529 under 5 years old children corresponding to the population of Northeast and South regions were analysed focusing on maternal and household variables. The data came from the Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde e Nutrição carried out in Brazil in 1989 The analisys based on logistic regression models showed that under 5 children of illiterate or low educated mothers are exposed to an expressive risk for malnutrition both in urban and rural settings of the two regions. Some other factors were found to be statistically significant such as the non possession of TV set and the number of children of diferent ages. Maternal employment was a protective factor or a risk factor depending on the region. Besides the importance of extending women\'s education standards, it is suggested that public policies directed towards the improvement of women\'s work nature and salaries, the expansion of nursery services, as well as a more igualitarian division of domestic labor may pave the way for a women\'s dignity with straight benefits for children health and nutrition.

In this submission I use previously published works, my book Rethinking Residential Child Care and two articles ‘Reading Bauman for Social Work’ and ‘Care Ethics in Residential Child Care: A Different Voice’, to develop a critical account of changing rationalities of care in the context of residential child care. Much of my writing draws upon professional experience gained over 20 years of residential child care practice and I begin this account by justifying the use of this experience as the basis of professional and academic knowledge. I then go on to explicate some of the discursive influences that have fed into the way that residential child care is currently constituted. Specifically, I locate many current assumptions and practices within dominant neoliberal political systems and assumptions. This has led to the commodification, instrumentalisation and, within an increasingly regulated polity, the bureaucratisation of public care. Against this backdrop, public care is conceived of in narrow and abstract concerns around rights and protection. The concepts of care itself and of upbringing that ought to be at the heart of adult engagement with children are left, largely, unarticulated. I seek to address this gap by developing possible conceptualisations of care and upbringing. I conclude by arguing that residential child care and, indeed, much public care, is governed by the wrong rationalities, by economic and administrative priorities rather than caring and relational ones. Finally, I suggest some directions that future work might take.

In the study which examined the child health conference as an individual method of adult education, evaluations were made of both the nurse instructor and parent-participant relationships and the gains made by parent participants in their knowledge of general health information, developmental milestones and mother-infant relationships during their period of attendance at the conferences. It was hypothesized that there would be no statistically significant mean equivalences between the first and final test scores for the 32 parents who comprised the study population. The hypotheses were rejected with values of t which were significant beyond the 0.001 level. Despite the significant gains recorded, it would appear that a number of major factors presently limit the conferences' efficiency in providing optimal conditions under which learning may occur. First, an assessment of the educational needs or expectations of each parent is not undertaken at the beginning of each conference and learning objectives appropriate to each individual participant are not set up. Second, the conference does not presently specify educational objectives in terms of desired behaviors and therefore, health teaching is not only relegated a more minor role, but participants are, forced to become mere passive recipients of information. Third, the conference may not always reach its present broad goals because appointments made by the nurse for the parent-participant to return for further discussions may be broken. While it was felt that the research instruments used in this study met the requirements for which they were constructed to some degree, they could undoubtedly have been much more effective measuring devices had steps been taken to increase their reliability, validity, objectivity, comprehensiveness and differentiation. Moreover, rating scale errors could have been minimized had nurses been trained in their proper use. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Since there has been an abundance of research concerning high and low social status and little on inconsistents, the present study intends to shed some understanding of this group by comparing their feelings and attitudes to the highs and lows. Four principle areas are emphasized: family relationships, attitude toward sex, interpersonal relationships and self concept, with sub-areas lending added data.

Abstract available in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Submitted to the FACULTY OF ARTS in fulfillment of the requirements for MASTERS DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK In the Department of Social Work, University of Zululand, 1999. / The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of political violence on the lives of children in Mandini. The motivation for the study came from the number of people who came to the social worker's office reporting children who were having problems after being exposed to violence. The researcher used the exploratory research design. The sample consisted of thirty five (35) children who were affected by political violence in Mandini between 1994 - 1996. The population consisted of children between nine (9) years and eighteen (18) years. The sample which "consisted of children was taken from schools, case files in the welfare office, Psychologist's office and in their homes. The interviews were conducted between August 1998 and September 1998. The interview schedule was used. The study was limited to the impact of political violence on the lives of children. Future studies could focus on the prevention of violence. There is a need for social workers to use the developmental approach to be able to deal with violence. The study found that violence had an impact on the lives of children in Mandini. The study found that violence was caused by politics and it affected the children in that they witnessed the fighting and killings. The study found that the children were personally affected by violence in that they were injured and their relatives were injured and some were killed. The study showed that the children lost their homes during violence. It came to light that children experienced problems during violence in 1994 - 1996. The children suffered long-term disabling effects of violence. The study showed that the children need help to cope with the after effects of violence.

The purpose of this investigation was to develop a demographic profile of current child care providers in 3 selected Western states. Further, this study sought to assess dimensions of professionally in the day to day activities of child care workers. Utilizing a mailed questionnaire, 226 child care providers in Salt Lake City, Utah; Eugene, Oregon; and Boise, Idaho were surveyed for information on demographics and professional dimensions. Results suggest that the demographic profile created by a cross-sectional sample of child care providers differs markedly from a profile created by a sample based on professional affiliation. Statistical analyses suggest that education significantly effects the professional dimension of knowledge. The data further indicate that the interaction of education and length of employment as a care giver significantly effects the dimension of orientation to the community. The findings are discussed in relation to the professional status of child care. It was suggested that child care has not yet met the requirements of becoming a profession. Recommendations for enhancing professional status are given.