Rooted in one year of ethnographic research in the central highlands of Angola, this dissertation examines the distinct cultural and linguistic worlds of girls ages eight to eighteen who are growing up in a centro de acolhimento, one of more than 100 residential centers—or group homes—built in the aftermath of Angola’s 27-year-long civil war (1975–2002) to provide shelter and care for children in need. Currently housing over nine thousand young residents throughout the country, centros de acolhimento have emerged as institutional replacements, or supplements, for traditional family structures. As a result, they have become an integral part of growing up for a generation of Angolan youth, shaping their lived experiences, social networks, and access to resources. The dissertation draws on Victor Turner’s formulation of liminality to provide an anthropological analysis of the residential centers as liminal spaces and to understand the ways in which liminality shapes institutionalized childhood, including children’s sense of identity, relatedness, forms of sociality, and caregiving practices. Using audiovisual recordings of everyday interactions in an all-female center, the dissertation analyzes how girls are socialized to behave, think, feel, and talk in institutionally preferred ways as part of the center’s goal to rear idealized versions of Angolan women. It also investigates what it means to “care” and the paradoxes of caregiving in a setting where resources are very limited, affective ties are fragile, and a sense of security is unstable for both children and adult staff. The dissertation illuminates the complexities of institutionalized childhood in Angola and, more broadly, the global phenomenon of children growing up outside of normative family networks. Since the 1990s, anthropological studies of youth have investigated how the instabilities of economic conditions of the late 20th century impact the lives of young people (Scheper-Hughes & Sargent 1998; Stephens 1995), powerfully unsettling the “convenient fictions” of childhood as a time characterized by belonging to the domestic sphere and dependency upon adults (Lee 2001). Yet, despite this long-standing interest in examining childhood outside of the normative contexts of family, there is a surprisingly small body of long-term ethnographic research on children’s lives in institutional care (Carpenter 2021; Goldfarb 2017; Heying 2022; Khlinovskaya Rockhill 2010; Van Vleet 2019). Recent ethnographic work on migration (Coe et al. 2011; Heidbrink 2014; Statz 2016; Terrio 2015), orphanhood (Cheney 2017), and homelessness (Cox 2015) reveals how contemporary socio-economic structures have reshaped traditional notions of family and home, making extra-familial and transitory settings across different borders important sites of socialization for unaccompanied child migrants, orphaned youth, and homeless youth. This dissertation is a contribution toward understanding children’s lives in, and negotiations of, these challenging liminal contexts. / Anthropology

Previous research has linked attributional style in children to self-esteem, loneliness, depression, general distress, and reading persistence to the learning disabled. The current study sough to determine if specific attributional styles in children were correlated with their length of stay in a behaviorally based Alternative Education program. Sixty-two first-grade through sixth-grade children were recruited from two Alternative Education campuses in Polk County, Florida. They each completed two administrations of the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ), separated by a two-week interval, and one administration of the performance Expectation Questionnaire, (PEQ), which assessed the children's expectation of their ability to perform tasks specific to the responses cost system of the Alternative Education program. A backward stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship among attributional style, self-efficacy, and length of stay in the Alternative Education program. It was predicted that internal-stable-global attributions for failure, external-unstable-specific attributions for success, and both the level and strength of efficacy expectations would all correlate significantly with length of stay. None of the hypotheses were supported.

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Token systems of reinforcement are an increasingly popular method of modifying the behavior of the institutionalized mentally retarded. The dramatic success of the token economy has resulted in its programmatic use without full consideration for the relevancy of treatment goals and the numerous variables that may contribute to the successful implementation and maintenance of the token economy. An examination of the treatment goals found in the existing literature reveals that two orientations presently exist: management/control and therapeutic/educative. Furthermore, a review of the literature reveals differing methods or variables may contribute to achieving a successful token economy with the mentally retarded. Several suggestions are advanced as to those goals and specific variables which may be important for successful implementation.

Drug abuse often correlates with a criminal career. Compulsory care of addicts aims to motivate the individual to come to terms with their addiction. However, crime can be part of the lifestyle that the addict gets involved in. This essay examines how the preventive treatment at the State Board of Institutions in Sweden works to prevent relapse for both addiction and crime. The issues also concern collaboration in addition to treatment work. The material was gathered through qualitative semi-structured interviews with five people in the treatment staff at one of the State Department Board's LVM homes. The analysis was a thematic analysis and the collection of material resulted in three themes: "treatment work", "lack of knowledge among staff" and "collaboration". The informants believe that the treatment work has a good effect through the social bonds that are created between the client and treatment staff, but also so called “treatment conversations”. Clients are perceived to have high motivation during the time for LVM, but this often decreases after LVM completion. The result of the study shows that there is a lack of knowledge among treatment staff, mainly regarding crime prevention and psychiatry. Collaboration is perceived to work deficient, and informants highlight shortcomings in the provision of information between the actors involved. The results are subsequently attributed to social bond theory, the age-graded theory of informal social control, routine activity theory and to previous research on addiction and crime. The results are intended to be used instrumentally in order to improve the treatment work at the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care, which in turn improves prevention for both substance abuse and crime.

[pt] A presente tese tem por objetivo discutir como os direitos de participação se exprimem no cotidiano dos adolescentes em serviço de acolhimento institucional. Investigamos, partindo das suas perspectivas, se existem espaços e/ou possibilidades de participação e de que forma ela ocorre nas decisões que os envolvem nas suas rotinas e dinâmicas cotidianas. Este estudo tem como ponto de partida a mudança de paradigma sobre a concepção de infância a partir da doutrina de Proteção Integral à Criança e ao Adolescente, por meio da promulgação da Constituição Federal de 1988 e do Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente de 1990. A pesquisa, de natureza qualitativa, se deu em três instituições de acolhimento no município de Duque de Caxias, no Rio de Janeiro. A coleta de dados foi realizada por meio de observação participante e entrevistas semiestruturadas realizadas com 16 adolescentes destas instituições, priorizando suas narrativas. Os dados demonstraram que são pouco informados e ouvidos no dia-a-dia do acolhimento. Planejam-se ações sobre suas vidas sem a efetiva participação deles. Em sua maioria, desconheciam informações básicas sobre seu destino, como por exemplo, para qual instituição iriam, o real período de permanência nesta situação e o que iria lhes acontecer. O ―viver‖ em acolhimento lhes provocou sentimentos de medo em relação ao mundo externo às instituições. Por outro lado, observamos que, mesmo dentro de dinâmicas institucionais definidas pelos adultos, e assumindo um nível muito mais consultivo do que participativo, os adolescentes afirmaram ter participado, por pouco que seja, da organização de algumas rotinas e em alguns aspectos relativos às suas situações jurídicas. Depreende-se deste estudo que a participação efetiva, na qual possam influir diretamente na negociação e tomada de decisões da vida institucional permanece como desafio. / [en] The purpose of this thesis is to discuss how participation rights are expressed in the daily life of adolescents in institutional care. We investigated, from their perspectives, if there were spaces and possibilities of participation and how participation occurrd in the decisions that involve them in their daily routines and dynamics. This study has as starting point the paradigm shift on the conception of childhood based on the doctrine of Integral Protection to the Child and the Adolescent, through the promulgation of the Federal Constitution of 1988 and of the Statute of the Child and the Adolescent of 1990. Qualitative research (,) took place in three institutions of reception in the municipality of Duque de Caxias, in Rio de Janeiro. Data collection was performed through participant observation and semi - structured interviews with 16 adolescents from these institutions, prioritizing their narratives. The data showed that adolescents are poorly informed and heard in their daily lives. Actions are planned over their lives without their effective participation. For the most part, they were unaware of basic information about their destiny, for example, what institution they would go to, the actual length of stay in this situation and what would happen to them. The fact that they lived in institutions for so long resulted in feelings of fear towards the external world. On the other hand, we observe that, even within institutional dynamics, defined by adults, and assuming a level that is much more consultative than effective participation, listening has occurred as they organized some routines and in some aspects related to their Legal situations. However, effective participation, in which they can directly influence negotiation and decision-making, remains a challenge.

As the number of elderly individuals in the population continues to increase, the demand for alternatives to group care settings will also increase. Homes for adults represent an example of the diversification of long term care options by providing care to elderly individuals in a setting that is more home-like and less institutionalized than traditional nursing homes. Since previous research is often limited to nursing home residents, the study of home for adult residents offers a fresh approach to sample selection, and provides reassurance that the needs of elderly residents are indeed being met not only in terms of custodial care but also in a therapeutic sense that enhances life satisfaction. In this study, the relationship of integrity/despair, locus of control, and life satisfaction was examined in a sample of elderly persons who reside in homes for adults. The participants were 17 males and 83 females, ranging in age from 60 to 95 and reporting fair to good health. It was hypothesized that elderly individuals who felt in control of their lives would also be more satisfied with life, Additionally, it was proposed that elderly individuals who looked back on their lives and were not satisfied would be afraid to die and would feel little or no control over their lives. Death anxiety, as measured by the Death Anxiety scale (Templer, 1970) was used to define integrity/despair. The indicator of locus of control was the Mastery Scale (Pearlin & Schooler, 1978), and life satisfaction was assessed with the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (Lawton, 1975). Correlation analysis yielded the following results: (a) the more internal an individual’s locus of control score, the lower the death anxiety score, (b) the more internal the locus of control, the higher the life satisfaction score, and (c) the higher the life satisfaction, the lower the death anxiety score. These findings supported the hypotheses and indicate that elderly individuals who feel in control are also satisfied with their lives and are not afraid to die. / Master of Science

Analysis of staff knowledge of client rights in West Virginia institutions for the developmentally disabled was undertaken in this study. Even with the identification of guaranteed rights for institutionalized individuals through federal and state legislation, standards, policies, and judicial decisions, whose findings have shown that violation of client rights continues to occur in most institutions. A review of the literature indicated that one possible cause for the continuation of rights violations may be the staff limited understanding of client rights. The literature also has revealed few studies have attempted an investigation in this area. This study involved 644 full-time staff who were representative of one of six different job categories. The staff were employed in one of three West Virginia institutions for the developmentally disabled. It was hypothesized that if differences in staff knowledge of client rights were identified, this information could be used to direct staff training and policy-making decisions and perhaps minimize the continuous violations of client rights. That significant differences in knowledge of client rights did exist when different job categories of staff were compared within each institution as well as across institutions. It was found that significant relationships in knowledge of client rights exist between staff with different job longevity rates, but the correlation was too low to be considered a reliable predictor of limited value. No significant differences in staff knowledge of client rights were found between the three institutions. The implication of these research findings and the future need for research in this area are discussed. / Ed. D.

Background: Adolescents in need of care that cannot be provided by Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, or by other aid provided by the Social service can be placed and cared for at the youth facilities of the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care (SiS). Adolescents being cared for at the youth facilities of SiS have complex needs of care, including both psychiatric conditions and psychosocial issues. At every institution at least one nurse with responsibility of the adolescents' care is employed. There is a lack of research on how these nurses experience the care which they provide at the youth facilities. Purpose: The aim of the study was to describe the experiences of the nurses caring for adolescents in the SiS. Method: A qualitative interview study was conducted. Eight nurses employed by the SiS were interviewed. The data was then analyzed according to Lundberg and Graneheim's model for qualitative content analysis. Results: The results are presented in three main themes and nine subthemes: Challenges and opportunities with working within SiS. Lack of collaboration and information, resources and competence and the work environment within SiS. The role of the nurse. Experience of working under different laws and assuming different work roles, leading and training other staff. Meeting the care needs of adolescents. To be able to see the entire adolescent, create an alliance and educate the youth about their own health. Conclusion: The nurses experienced an inexplicit health care assignment within SiS. They experienced a lack of health care competence among the staff working at the wards. A better collaboration with other health care departments, such as Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and primary care centers, was considered desirable. The adolescents are considered to present with great suffering and complexcare needs, and their psychiatric needs are considered the most difficult to meet. The nurses need to create an alliance with the adolescents, and to see the individual beyond criminal history, diagnosis and social issues. This essay contributes to the visibility of the nurses' perspective and of how they can contribute to the development of health care within the institutions, but more studies and more extensive research on the subject are sorely needed.

The purpose of this study is to examine how social workers´ in child protective services, and staff working within Swedens´ National Board of Institutional care institutions, so called SiS (Statens institutionsstyrelse) experience the effect coercive care and coercive measures have on young people placed in SiS-institutions. A vast majority of the youths placed in SiS-institutions, are placed there by coercion. While placed at the institution, the staff working there, has the right to perform coercive measures if necessary. The media in Sweden has reported a number of mistreatment and abuse going on within the institutional walls during recent years. But not much focus is put on the effect of the design of the SiS-instititutions, in terms of the coercive character of the institutional care. With a qualitative approach, this study presents an analysis of empirical data, collected from five semi stuctured interviews, with both social workers, working with placement of youths to SiS-institutions, and staff working in the SiS-institutions. The empirical data has shown that the social workers who works with placing youths at the SiS-institutions, generally don´t believe in institutional care as a concept, and that social workers working with placement to SiS-instiitutions generally are very aware of the negative consequences of placing a young person in an institution. The interviews also showed that the social workers generally don´t see positive results in terms of behavioural changes after the placement. When interviewing staff working in the SiS-institutions about coercive measures, the interviews showed that the staff had a lot of room for action, even though they are often lacking relevant education and experience. This in turn increases the risk of having to perform coercive measures, which both testimonies of youths placed in SiS-institutions, and research have shown has a harmful effect for the youths. The data has been analyzed with theories that touch on the subject of power, and social workers room for action. The main conclusions are that the social workers experience of the effect of coercive care at SiS-institutions, is that it in the majority of the cases has no effect, or the effect of making the youths situation worse. Regarding coercive measures, the empirical data collected from the staff working in SiS-institutions, showed that staff experienced the youths as discouraged from behaving against the rules in the institutions, so that they can avoid being the target of coercive measures. But that coercive measures is also uses as a tool by the staff to set boundaries, and create a trusting relationship between staff and the youths placed in the institutions. Although staff describe coercive measures as somewhat of a tool, it can not be ignored that reasearch, testimonies in the media and empirical data also shows that the youths can feel and behave worse when being the subject of a coercive measure.