A value critical policy analysis of school finance equity. This study examines Iowa's school finance equity as it relates to school district tax rates and per pupil general fund revenue.

Careful review of the literature found prison programs having a positive impact on post-release outcomes in employment and lowered recidivism rates. Most of the literature reviewed found negative effects of mental illness on post-release success. This study expands the literature on prison programming and mental illness by examining the dynamics between mental illness, program completion, and post-release success. Furthermore, this research can be linked to Hirschi's social bond theory, which created a framework to view the relationship between prison programming and increased ties to conventional society through commitment, attachment, and involvement. This study examines the impact of mental illness and prison vocational and educational programming on reentry outcomes (employment rates, length of employment, enrollment in and completion of school, and recidivism) and the relationship between mental illness and program completion. Additionally, the study examines the interactions of mental illness and prison programming on reentry outcomes. The sample consists of male offenders released onto parole in the State of Iowa (N=3426). Vocational training had positive significant effects on employment rates and full-time employment. An additional analysis found a significant indirect relationship between vocational training and recidivism through employment. Mental illness had a negative significant impact on completion of vocational programming, GED classes, and employment outcomes. Furthermore, it was found that having a mental illness significantly increased the likelihood of recidivism. The interaction of mental illness and programming on reentry outcomes did not have a significant impact. However, the interaction of mental illness and vocational programming had a positive significant impact on full-time employment in the opposite direction of prediction. The results inform social work practice and policy on the benefits of prison programming and the negative impact of mental illness on participation in programs and reentry outcomes.

This study examined the use of group Adlerian play therapy (AdPT) as an 8-week intervention to treat children, ages 8-13, displaying emotional and/or behavioral difficulties. The study looked at the effects of the intervention on the parent reports of child externalizing behaviors and parenting stress, and the children’s reports of self-esteem (Social Competence, Behavioral Conduct, and Global Self-Worth). The study included two phases. Phase 1 was a randomized control trial (RCT), which allowed for comparison of treatment to the waitlist-control as between group effects, pre- and post-intervention. Group comparisons could not be tested due to an inadequate sample size of children. Phase 2 involved the waitlist group completing the same 8-week therapy intervention and looking at all participants as a single sample over time, using three time points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-month follow-up. Results from Phase 2 demonstrated tentative support for group AdPT. Additional analyses were conducted in Phase 2 examining differences between the two age groups, 8-10 and 11-13, and the mediating effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on the effectiveness of the intervention. While the analyses suggest that group AdPT is effective for younger and older children, the small number of older children (n = 7) limits the ability to draw definitive conclusions. Children with moderate levels of ACEs showed non-significant trends in improved externalizing behaviors and self-esteem compared to children with lower and higher ACEs. Implications for future research, practice and policy are discussed.

Involuntary turnover among field staff at wilderness therapy programs can result in therapeutic and financial difficulties for the program. This study sought to examine what factors field staff attribute their intent to turnover to. The factors of organizational commitment, burnout, age, and length of days spent in the field were examined to identify if factors identified as predictors of turnover in previous literature were also true for field staff employed by wilderness therapy programs. Three programs agreed to participate by forwarding emails to their field staff containing a link to the survey, and were also emailed a program director survey that asked some basic demographic questions about their program. The field staff survey was comprised of the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey, The TCM Employee Commitment Survey, the intent to leave scale, as well as general demographic questions. A total of 13 field staff participated in the study, and as a result the use of multiple regression models was not possible due to the sample size. Six simple linear regressions were conducted to test the predictive hypotheses, and findings suggest that none of the six factors predicted turnover intentions among field staff. Pearson's correlations were conducted to examine the relationship between factors, and suggested that age is negatively related to intent to turnover and that burnout was identified as a stronger contributing factor of intent to turnover than organizational commitment, and the sub factor of continuance commitment. Findings suggested that wilderness therapy programs may want to consider the costs and advantages associated with a workers age when hiring new staff, and to consider using burnout measurement tools to identify burnout in staff so they may employ preventative measures to reduce the number of voluntary turnover among field staff. Future researcher may want to explore additional predictors of turnover intentions not examined in previous literature to continue developing knowledge about programs and those who are employed by wilderness therapy programs.

Adopted children with special needs can experience a multitude of developmental, emotional, and behavioral issues as a result of pre-adoption maltreatment. On rare occasions, maltreated children can display behaviors severe enough to fit the criteria of reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Children with RAD are known to engage in self-destructive behavior, talk of killing others or themselves, verbal and physical aggression toward peers and adults, and a lack of discernment between parental figures and strangers. Given the uniqueness of these behaviors, the rarity of the disorder, and the lack of research in this area, further exploration is warranted. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the effects an adopted child with reactive attachment disorder (RAD) has on family functioning. Due to their being little research on RAD in the context of families, an exploratory approach was determined to be the best fit for this study. Kathy Charmaz's constructivist grounded theory guided this qualitative inquiry. Her approach, coupled with the use of semi-structured interviews, allowed for rich, descriptive information to be obtained, while allowing the researcher to include aspects of his experience in working with children with RAD. The relevant data collected included five families from the Midwest, and consisted of a total of 28 participants, with 14 adults and 14 children. The adopted children's mental health assessments, individual education plans, and the researcher's field notes were also included. Data analysis consisted of the constant comparative method. RAD behaviors were found to manifest themselves on a developmental continuum, with two dominant forms of thinking and behaviors identified. These behaviors are characterized as control-based, and are often perpetuated by high levels of anxiety. When this anxiety becomes unmanageable for the child, it is released in the form of rages toward those caregivers who are deemed as safe and for whom the child as the strongest relational bond. Traditional child therapies and behavior modification techniques were found to do little to change the course of these behaviors. Since children with RAD had no physical sign of a disorder, this commonly led the public to perceive their behaviors as being the result of parental incompetency. Parents who continually experienced public criticism found themselves purposefully withdrawing from society. This withdrawal was related to an increased sense of isolation, which was related to increased levels of stress, somatic complaints, and marital discord. Possible neurobiological factors involved in the development of RAD are discussed, along with practice and policy implications for families who adopt children with RAD.

Research studies have pointed to specific challenges for undocumented Latino immigrants including exploitation in the workplace (Stoddard, 1976), denial of health care (Angel, Frias & Hill, 2005; Passel, 2005) and lack of access to higher education (Seif, 2004). In addition, fear is never far from their consciousness. Fear of being identified as illegal and faced with possible arrest and deportation are realities for undocumented Latino immigrants. Both work and home are unsafe, particularly because of immigration raids by federal agents. In addition they are stigmatized by mainstream society (Padilla & Perez, 2003). Even the word "undocumented" has been used interchangeably with words like "illegal" and "alien" suggesting criminal behavior. These hardships make it difficult for these immigrants to become part of mainstream society and create barriers to opportunities. All of these factors should logically discourage Latin Americans from immigrating to the United States. However, both the documented and undocumented Latino populations in the United States continue to increase. Although the situation of new Latino immigrants, especially those who are undocumented, seems extremely difficult, there is something unexplained occurring that has not been accounted for in current research that allows them to survive these hardships. In addition, there is a gap in information about the immigration process gathered from immigrants themselves. Therefore, this study uses a qualitative descriptive approach to learn from undocumented immigrants about their experiences when they first came to the United States and how they negotiate their situation while living in the United States. The major findings of this study offer an inside look into the world of undocumented Latino immigrants. The obstacles these immigrants face were language barriers, limited education and unfair wages at work. On the other hand, they also identify facilitators that were helpful during their initial transition into the U.S such as getting help in finding a job, knowing someone in the United States before immigrating, being connected to support networks, and receiving support from others who shared their struggles. However, these findings do not reflect the whole story. Even though most of these Latino immigrants underwent stress and adversity as new undocumented immigrants, the study shows how they transformed their suffering using their personal strengths and drawing on support from a close-knit community. At the same time they maintained their cultural identity both in their immigrant community and within the larger community where they resided. An additional factor which contributed to their survival was that this particular community is unique in preserving the different cultures of ethnic groups rather than fusing them into a "melting pot." Recommendations for practice include using a strengths perspective with clients and community; recommendations for teaching include using interdisciplinary educational strategies and involving students in experiential learning experiences with immigrants. Additional recommendation for policy and research are made.

Men who were sexually abused during childhood (MSAC) represent a highly stigmatized, marginalized population at risk for a variety of psychological problems across the lifespan. Little research has been conducted to understand why some MSAC incur mental health problems and others do not. The purpose of this study was to identify which factors are related to mental distress among MSAC using a psychosocial trauma processing model: account-making. Using a cross-sectional design, the researcher collected data on 487 MSAC through an online survey. Multivariate analyses revealed that four abuse severity factors (clergy abuser, force, penetration, injury), disclosure variables (told after one year, response to first disclosure, overall response to disclosure, in-depth discussion), account-making, and high conformity to masculine norms were related to higher levels of mental distress. Furthermore, posttraumatic growth moderated the relationship between abuse severity variables (force, penetration) and mental distress. This study strengthened the knowledge base of MSAC, further developed account-making theory, and provided useful recommendations for clinical practice with this population. Future research areas were identified.

Healthy food store availability is by no means equitable, that is supermarkets and supercenters are not located nearby for certain populations. Shopping at healthy food stores is important, as dietary intake is associated with adverse health outcomes, which disproportionally affects racial and ethnic minorities. Yet rural areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods—low income or predominantly racial/ethnic minority compositions—have few healthy food store options available near home. Thus residents must use more resources to access them or make do with what is available close by. However, little is known about the characteristics associated with shopping at healthy food stores or shopping near home. Thus the purpose of this study was to examine predictors of shopping at healthy food stores and shopping within increasing distances from home. This study used data from the USDA’s National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) which asked about household food purchasing behaviors. The FoodAPS data set was used to conduct a secondary data analysis of US households (N = 4,826) that was a nationally representative sample. A series of multilevel logistic regression models were conducted to examine the four research questions guiding this study. The four questions examined predictors of: (1) shopping at a healthy food store, (2) shopping at a healthy food store among rural and suburban respondents, (3) shopping within increasing distances from home, and (4) shopping within increasing distances from home among healthy food store shoppers. Results indicated that Hispanic/Latino and other racial/ethnic minority, the distance of travel to the store, and the number of food stores available within 5.0 miles were negatively associated with shopping at a healthy food store. In addition, among rural and urban/suburban respondents had differing predictors of shopping at a healthy food store. Predictors of shopping within increasing distances from home included car to store and living in rural areas. Respondents who used a car as the transportation to the store were less likely to shop within 2.0 miles of home or less. Not surprisingly, rural respondents were also less likely to shop within 5.0 miles of home or less. Several control variables were significant predictors of shopping within increasing distances from home which were unexpected. Results in some instances were surprising and contradictory to findings from past studies. Thus these results are discussed and are compared and contrasted with past studies. The results of this study have practice implications for social workers. Social work practitioners working with individuals can advocate for improving client access in their communities by improving and introducing programming whose goal is to connect people to food resources. Social workers engaged in policy efforts can work at the local, state, and national levels by working in multidisciplinary groups to improve existing programs and prioritize funding that improves issues of equality. While this study examined predictors among a nationally representative sample, it is important for future research to look at differences specifically among age groups, racial and ethnic minorities, and rural residents.

This study investigated the effects of sex differences on clinical judgements. It was hypothesized that: l) clinicians will respond differently to aggressive, self-assertive, or dependent behavior, depending upon whether this behavior was performed by a man or a woman; 2) clinicians will have different treatment goals for a man and a woman who behaved in the same manner; 3) clinicians will describe the client engaged in aggressive, self-assertive, or dependent behavior differently, depending on the sex of the client; 4) clinicians will have different feelings towards men and women behaving in exactly the: same manner, and; 5) clinicians will rate aggressive women and dependent men as more emotionally disturbed and, as such, in need of longer and more intensive treatment than dependent women and aggressive men.

The purpose of this study was to assess the special needs of the families of hospitalized mental patients. The study focused upon the time prior to and including the decision to hospitalize a mentally ill family member. Particularly, the researchers wished to examine the stresses that the family encountered in attempting to deal with a disturbed member as well as their concerns regarding psychiatric hospitalization and the effect which it had upon the family.