Children enter the Child Welfare System for a variety of complex reasons. These reasons often point towards parents’ inability to provide appropriate protection and safety for their children. After removal, many children are placed in foster homes of relatives, non-related extended family members, group homes, and county or private foster homes. A child who is removed from their original home is likely to experience difficulties in the areas of attachment with caregivers and other adults throughout their development. This study examined the attachment styles of 37 foster and adoptive parents in three separate private Foster Family Agencies in both San Bernardino and Riverside Counties. Foster and adoptive parents were assessed through the Relationship Questionnaire through a tool, which examined each parent’s level of attachment security. The perspectives of foster and adoptive parents on their child’s relational attachments were assessed through The Behavioral Assessment System of Children, Second Edition (BASC-2) across seven subsets (Reynolds & Kamphaus, 2004).

This research study examined the perspectives of social workers regarding the effects of domestic violence on adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. Research has shown that adolescents who are exposed to domestic violence suffer from long-term psychological and behavioral issues; they exhibit many external and internal behaviors. This study gathered qualitative data by interviewing 13 social workers who have experience working with this demographic and hold a master’s degree in social work. These social workers were employed at a Foster Family Agency, located in Southern California, at the time of the interviews. Participants were asked 11 open and closed ended questions. The study found that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 who witness domestic violence exhibit numerous external and internal behaviors with aggression/anger and depression being the top behaviors exhibited by adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17.

There is a limited amount of research dealing with the wealth effects of sale-and-leaseback transactions, but previous research has focused predominantly on the tax effects of these transactions. The results of these studies have often been in conflict with one another. This dissertation shows that tax effects do play a role in determining the wealth effect of sale-and-leasebacks on stockholders, but there exists a framework of finance research that suggests several other factors could play a determining role as well.

The purpose of this study was to examine affective changes which result from injury in female collegiate gymnasts, using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) instrument (McNair, Lorr, & Droppleman, 1971 ). Twelve female gymnasts, comprising the Utah State University gymnastics team, completed the POMS twice per month for four months during their 1986-87 competitive season . A comparison group of 12 non-athlete female college students, matched with the gymnasts by age, year in school, and major, completed the POMS on the same schedule as the gymnasts. Injury was defined as orthopedic damage to the gymnast's body as a result of participation in gymnastics, another sport-related activity, or a non-sport-related accident, which forced the gymnast to miss one week of gymnastics practice or one competitive event. Pre- and post-injury POMS profiles were analyzed by visual inspection. Of the four gymnasts who sustained injuries during the season, two exhibited significant POMS profile changes. One gymnast who did not participate during the 1986-87 season, due to an injury sustained the previous year, produced POMS profiles which fluctuated in anticipation of, and in response to, her visits to physicians treating her injury. Comparisons using 1 tests of POMS factor scores of the non-injured gymnasts with those of the non-athlete college students indicated no significant differences between the two groups. Visual comparisons were conducted to ascertain if non-injured gymnasts' POMS profiles were similar to the "iceberg" profile found by Morgan (1979) in his study of elite athletes. Thirty-six percent of the gymnasts' POMS profiles had the iceberg configuration, as compared to 20 percent of the non-athletes' profiles. Since three of the five (60 percent) of the injured gymnasts in this study had significant changes in POMS factor scores, the hypothesis that injury can produce substantial affective changes in female collegiate gymnasts was supported . Additional research should be conducted to replicate and extend these results and to explore options for optimal treatment of injured athletes. Further comparisons between POMS profiles of both injured and healthy elite, professional, and collegiate athletes is recommended.

This dissertation contributes to the field of health economics, which, in the past couple of decades, has substantially increased our understanding of the determinants of human health, health-related behavior, and health care choices. A large body of literature has documented the influence of peer group behavior on individual choices. The purpose of my research is to examine the extent of such a phenomenon in breast cancer preventive behavior. Using Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys from 1993-2008, I measured the effect of other female screening behavior on an individual's decision to have a routine breast cancer screening by calculating the size of a so called social multiplier in mammography. I estimated a vector of social multipliers in the use of annual mammograms by taking the ratio of group-level effects of exogenous explanatory variables to individual-level effects of the same variables. Peer groups are defined as same-aged women living in the same geographical area: county or state. Several econometric methods were used to analyze the effect of social interactions on decision to undergo mammography, including ordinary least squares, fixed effects, the split sample instrumental variable approach, and a falsification test. My results supported the hypothesis that social interactions have an impact on the decision to have a mammogram. For all women over age 40, I found strong evidence of social interactions being associated with individual's education and ethnicity. In addition, the decision for women ages 40-49 to have a screening was subject to peer influence through their place of employment and ownership of health insurance. Finally, for women age 75 and older, being married and aging were the most important channels through which peer group influenced the decision to have a mammogram. This research has important policy implications in the presence of current health care reform that reimburses breast cancer screening at 100%, while rates of mammography receipt remain below the policy goal. Furthermore, I examined the effect of the 2009 United States Preventive Services Task Force change in screening recommendations on screening behavior. I demonstrated an immediate reduction in the receipt of mammography among women of all age groups following the revision of screening guidelines. I found that in 2010, the twelve month mammography receipt decreased by 1.97 (women ages 40-49), 2.20 (ages 50-74), and 3.61 (age 75 and older) percentage points, and the twenty-four months mammography receipt decreased by 1.47 (women ages 40-49), 1.05 (ages 50-74), and 1.92 (age 75 and older) percentage points. Analysis using a two-year follow up period after the revision of screening recommendations provided further support to this conclusion.

No description available.

This thesis is prepared in three parts; the first part is a study of the ant species of the southern Carnarvon Basin, which was undertaken in order to determine the patterns of ant species distribution in this arid zone area. The distribution patterns were looked at in terms of biogeographical regions and they demonstrated the transitional nature of this particular area. Recommendations to alter the border between the South-west Province and the Eremaean Province were supported. The next chapter of this thesis analysed ant species from long unburnt and burnt areas of three main vegetation types (two Triodia species grasslands and Acacia aneura woodlands) in the Gibson Desert Nature Reserve. This study was carried out to observe the recovery of ant populations after fire. The results provided further evidence that invertebrates are measurably impacted by fire in the arid zone. The final chapter is a comparison of these two arid zone studies with six other ant community studies from throughout Western Australia. It demonstrated the uniqueness of some arid zone sites as well as related each study to each other according to their ant communities.

Bullying occurs to some extent in all schools. Study 1 investigated and screened for frequently bullied students in a randomly selected and stratified sample of Year 4 students in 29 primary schools using multiple informants and a comprehensive measure of bullying. Using self- and/or parent-report, 16.3% of students were identified as frequently bullied, defined as 'about once a week' or more. There were no sex differences in the proportion of students identified as frequently bullied, however, frequently bullied boys were more likely to experience physical bullying and having money or other things taken away or broken. Self- and parent-report revealed significantly more depressive and anxiety symptoms, somatic complaints, and lower peer self-concept and general self-worth in frequently bullied students. Furthermore, a greater proportion of frequently bullied students experienced clinical levels of depressive, anxiety and/or somatic symptoms. The results clearly highlight the need for interventions that reduce and prevent the distress of frequently bullied students. In taking a universal approach to bullying intervention, it is important that the needs of targeted groups are not overlooked. In Study 2, a group randomised controlled trial with follow-up investigated the impact of the first year of a universal whole-school bullying preventive intervention, Friendly Schools, on the psychological health of frequently bullied students aged 8-9 years. The program utilised the Health Promoting Schools (HPS) approach to facilitate implementation of classroom curriculum, whole-school policy and practice, and partnerships with parents. / At post-intervention and 4-month follow-up the proportion of students who remained frequently bullied did not differ across the groups. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences on self-report victimisation frequency or self and parent-report health outcomes. A preventive effect was revealed however, when students were categorised to clinical and healthy subgroups on the basis of student report pre-intervention scores on the Children's Depression Inventory and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale. A greater proportion of intervention students with low levels of depression and/or anxiety remained healthy at post-intervention, compared to control group children. However, this effect was not maintained at follow-up and the intervention did not reduce symptoms into a healthy range for frequently bullied children reporting high levels of symptomology at pre-intervention. Process evaluation revealed moderate to high levels of use and satisfaction with Friendly Schools by school staff, students and parents. These results suggest that the universal intervention protected students who were frequently bullied from developing clinical levels of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms in the short term. This is a positive finding given that a universal approach acknowledges the social context of bullying and is highly suitable to the school environment, offering economy, practicality and reduced stigmatisation of bullied students. / However, the lack of maintenance of the result emphasises the need for an on-going, multi-year approach. Furthermore, to effectively meet the mental health needs of frequently bullied students already experiencing high levels of symptoms, levels of intervention beyond universal are required. Schools and related health services should address this finding in their planning and implementation of intervention aimed at addressing bullying and helping students victimised by their peers. To help achieve this, further research is required to determine effective targeted strategies that complement universal, whole-school action.

Abstract not available

This thesis is an empirical investigation of the concentration of employment in Australian cities since 1976. In 1976, Australians shared the same access to employment irrespective of where they lived. However, by 1991 the employment–population ratios varied systematically by socio-economic status. The purpose of this thesis is to use a variety of basic statistical techniques to discern whether it matters where one lives.¶ A panel of 9384 small urban areas is constructed from the last four censuses to enable us to fully document the increasing spatial employment inequality in urban areas and to analyse the possible causes and effects of this increase. The first two chapters describe the overall changes in employment inequality in the urban panel using several summary indexes. Group averages from deciles ranked by socio-economic status are used to illustrate the nature of the problem.¶ The more formal analysis of the causes of increasing inequality commences with a shift share analysis of the changes in employment levels. The results show that national changes in industry structure play an important role in determining the intra-urban distribution of employment. The index of sectoral change also varies systematically within Australian cities, with sectoral change being concentrated in low status areas. The apparent importance of industry structure in determining the geographic dispersion of employment points to employment demand being a significant part of the story.¶ Basic regression techniques and principal component analysis are also used to shed light on several possible inter-related causes and effects of the increasing inequality of employment–population ratios including: increased concentrations of personal characteristics, spatial mismatch, neighbourhood effects and the development of an underclass.¶ There are three main findings about the causes and effects of neighbourhood employment inequality. Firstly, spatial mismatch within or between Australian cities is not an important explanation of the changes in the geographic dispersion of employment. Outside Sydney the location of workers vis-à-vis firms does not influence neighbourhood employment–population ratios. However, even in Sydney, spatial mismatch provides a very limited explanation of neighbourhood inequality.¶ Secondly, substantial neighbourhood-specific effects on employment–population ratios are apparent in the bottom decile(s) of urban neighbourhoods ranked by socio-economic status. These neighbourhood effects explain between one and two-thirds of the differential between the top and bottom decile. The rest of the differential can be explained by differences in endowments of personal characteristics such as human capital variables.¶ Finally, there is convincing evidence that class, and perhaps even an Australian underclass, are important determinants of the distribution of employment outcomes. The underclass in Australia, as measured using techniques similar to US studies, is still very small but is increasing at an alarming rate. However, the sensitivity analysis shows that the underclass, so measured, is closely related to a more general concept of class captured in standard socio-economic status indexes.¶ The scope of this thesis is limited by the regional aggregates supplied in all four censuses. Regional aggregates prevent us from asking subtle questions about who is being affected by the observed changes. The lack of adequate individual-level migration data for neighbourhoods means that it is not possible to directly test any hypothesis about social mobility. This thesis is merely a preliminary analysis of whether the local social environment is important.