<p> It is estimated that by the year 2050 more than 100,000 professional social workers will be needed to meet the demands of the aging population. This qualitative study explored Master of Social Work (MSW) students' perceptions of stress and coping in family caregiving and their preparedness to meet the needs of family caregivers at home as well as in their future roles as social workers. The researcher met individually with 22 MSW students to conduct a structured interview to help identify trends and themes related to these issues. Findings were consistent with literature in identifying stress in anticipation of family caregiving. The results of the study suggest that although most participants are prepared for their roles as future social workers, many are not prepared for the role of a family caregiver. With regard to coping and their preparedness, many anticipate using family resources and building on skills learned throughout their MSW program. Social work implications for education and practice are discussed as are directions for future research. </p>

<p> As African American (AA) breast cancer survivors live longer with the disease, much attention should be directed to quality of life and factors influencing it. An understanding of survivors&rsquo; belief that God controls their health and their social support needs is necessary as an effort to develop health care services and programs that are culturally sensitive. This study was the first to explore the association between an individual&rsquo;s belief that God controls their health, social support and quality of life among AA breast cancer survivors. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social support, God Locus of Health Control (GLHC) and quality of life (QoL) among the survivors residing in Illinois. This study&rsquo;s alternative hypotheses predicted after controlling for age, location of residence, marital status, and time since diagnosis, social support and GLHC, combined and individually, would positively correlate to QoL for AA breast cancer survivors. </p><p> The study used a descriptive, correlational and quantitative design by testing the variables using hierarchical multiple regression and Pearson correlation. A convenience sample of 92 AA women was recruited from a community hospital, a Federally Qualified Health Centers, a beauty shop, two support groups, a member association that advocates for health care disparity, and local newspapers. Quantitative measures included Social Support Questionnaire (Northouse, 1988), GLHC scale (Wallston et al., 1999), Quality of Life Index &ndash; Cancer Version III (QLI &ndash; CV III) (Ferrans, 1990), and Demographic Characteristics form created by researcher.</p><p> Results concluded QoL was not affected by social support and GLHC, combined, and GLHC, individually. However, social support was a predictor of QoL. Statistically significant relationships were found between social support, QoL and its domains: a) health and functioning subscale, b) social and economic subscale, c) psychological/spiritual subscale and d) family subscale. Statistically significant relationships were not found between GLHC and QoL and its domains. The mean score for social support and GLHC scales were low compared to prior study results. The QLI &ndash; CV III mean score was moderately high compared to other study results. </p><p> Additional findings concluded women residing in the suburb had statistically significant higher mean QoL than those living in the rural or urban area of Illinois. Also, married women in this sample had a higher mean QoL than unmarried women. Although AA breast cancer survivors&rsquo; QoL was not increased by their belief that God controlled their health and the mean social support score was low, the study results provided valuable information for future research and the development of social support programs that are culturally sensitive.</p>

<p> The purpose of this study is to explore the therapist&rsquo;s perspective regarding the clients and family who receive in-home therapy, their perspectives on the therapists practicing in the field, and the industry as a whole. A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted in order to explore the emergent themes from transcribed audiotaped interviews of 12 participants. The participants were all licensed therapists working with child and adolescents and their families within the home. The participants were recruited through a purposive snowball sample.</p><p> Seven major themes emerged from the study, these themes were as follows: (a) home and environment; (b) clients and their families; (c) treatment; (d) time; (e) the therapists; (f) experience; and (g) competency. Additional findings were presented, the developmentally disabled, burnout, and the work of psychologist in the in-home therapy field. This study also presented conclusions, recommendations for future research and a summary of the work as a whole.</p>

<p> Using Giorgi's descriptive phenomenological psychological method, the written accounts of three heterosexual men who described their experiences of grief and mourning in relation to spousal bereavement were analyzed, individually and then collectively, so that general meaning units common among them might be revealed. Though interrelated, the general meaning units for grief and mourning were segregated. The seven general meaning units of grief were encountering Death; homeworld alienation; embodied suffering and loss of self-integrity; negative affects; social alienation and disaffection; agnizing losses; and yielding or enduring. The seven general meaning units of mourning were reflecting; remembering; reorienting; renewing; releasing; recovering; and integrating Death. These 14 general meaning units were compared to contemporary thanatological descriptions and approaches to grief and mourning as well as several depth psychological theories. The contemporary descriptions were reasonably consistent with the authored descriptions, but the rubrics used to organize the contemporary descriptions shared no similarity to the names or descriptions of the general meaning units. This study affirmed many of the contemporary criticisms of structured approaches and identified a few more. Contrary to contemporary criticism, classical psychoanalytic theory was reasonably consistent with some of the results of this study, but it lacked comprehensiveness. The descriptions in this study were consistent with attachment theory's concept of an internal working model, but they did not consistently affirm the manifestation or relevance of yearning or pining. Self psychology provided a reasonable theoretical foundation for the interpretation of phenomena related to the self; however, it lacked comprehensiveness with regard to other general meaning units that emerged in this study. Unlike other depth psychologies, analytical psychology assigns meaning to the experiences of grief and mourning (individuation) and its approach to the imaginal dimensions of grief and mourning are unique and valuable. Unfortunately, there is currently no integrated and coherent application of analytical psychology to grief or mourning. Archetypal psychology offers a rich and useful foundation for interpreting several of the general meaning units and descriptions in this study. The value of alchemical psychology is most evident in its explication of the nigredo. Unexpectedly, the importance of Nature became evident during the study.</p>

<p> The public use version of the National Comorbidity Survey &ndash; Replication (NCS-R) dataset was used (N = 995) to investigate risk factors for recurrent major depressive disorder (MDD) that are evident before recovery from the first major depressive episode (MDE) by comparing persons diagnosed with MDD who experienced a single MDE to persons with recurrent MDD. </p><p> Multiple logistic regression analyses assessed the independent risk of recurrent MDD for each of the following risk factors: an early age of onset (&lt;30 years old), absence of a life stress trigger, chronic first episode, childhood parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, comorbid anxiety disorder, and comorbid substance disorder. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) assessed the risk of recurrent MDD associated with the interaction of an early onset with three childhood-based vulnerabilities: a) parental depression, b) parental loss, and c) parental maltreatment. </p><p> There was a statistically significant risk of recurrent MDD found for the following risk factors: early onset, stress trigger absent, childhood parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, and anxiety disorder; marginally significant results suggested an increased risk of recurrent MDD for substance disorder. There was a significant increased risk found for the interaction of an early onset with parental depression and similar non-significant trends were found for the interactions of early onset with parental loss and early onset with parental maltreatment. </p><p> An early onset, the absence of a life stress trigger, and the presence of parental loss, parental maltreatment, parental depression, a comorbid anxiety disorder, and a comorbid substance disorder each confer greater risk of recurrent MDD among persons that have not yet recovered from their first lifetime MDE. The presence of an early onset combined with a childhood-based vulnerability such as parental depression, parental loss, or parental maltreatment, indicate an especially high risk of recurrent MDD. These findings may inform the development of a screening tool to assess risk for recurrent MDD and early intervention to prevent recurrent MDD. Future research should employ a longitudinal research design to replicate and expand upon these findings.</p>

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, 1996. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 57-07, Section: B, page: 4723.

<p> The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a group art therapy intervention on psychological well-being of Korean mothers of children with disabilities. This study employed a quasi-experimental pre- and post-test research design with non-random assignment of participants to either the art therapy intervention group (AG) or the control group (CG). The present study quantitatively examined the effectiveness of the group art therapy intervention using four standardized measurements (Parental Distress sub-scale from Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Perceived Stress Scale, Beck Depression Inventory-II, &amp; The Multidimensional Scale for Social Support) assessing parenting stress, perceived stress, depression, and perceived social support. In addition, the Draw-a-Person-in-the-Rain (the DAPR) assessment with numerical scoring system was used to assess the mothers&rsquo; stress. </p><p> A total of 44 participants from multiple regions across Korea were included, and mothers in AG (<i>n</i> = 22) participated in 6 sessions of 100 minutes in length. The results of the statistical analysis showed significant differences between the two groups in parenting stress, perceived stress, and depression with those in the AG reporting a greater decrease in parenting stress, perceived stress, and depression than those in the CG. In terms of perceived social support, no significant difference was found between the AG and the CG. The results of the DAPR-Stress scale showed that stress indicators on the post-drawing assessment decreased significantly compared to the pre-drawing assessment after participating in the art therapy intervention. Thus, the art-based projective drawing assessment (the DAPR) supported the quantitative results of the art therapy intervention on decreasing stress. Overall findings support the effectiveness of the group art therapy intervention in enhancing psychological well-being of Korean mothers of children with disabilities.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of this policy analysis is to critically review the Welfare and Institutions Code&sect; 369.5, which regulates the authorization of psychotropic medication to treat mental disorders among California's dependent children. While these medications have been proven effective forms of treatment, there is a growing concern about their life threatening side effects.</p><p> Research has concluded that children exposed to chronic child abuse and neglect often present with behaviors indicative of trauma. The <i>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders</i> 5th Edition has included criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) in children. However, the Welfare and Institutions Code&sect; 369.5 does not mandate psychiatrists and pediatricians to first rule out trauma prior to diagnosing foster children with one or more behavior, mood, or psychotic disorders.</p><p> Results support amending child welfare legislation and policies to reflect a shift toward trauma-focused services, thereby reducing the reliance on potentially dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.</p>

Tools for measuring competence in delivering Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) provide a means of assessing the training of new CBT therapists and ensuring the quality of treatment provision within routine practice, provide a framework for delivering formative feedback, promote ongoing self-reflection, and are essential to establishing treatment integrity in research trials. As such, identifying an optimal strategy for assessing the competence with which CBT is delivered is crucial to the continued progression of the field. However, research in this area has been somewhat limited to date. Thus, there are at present no evidence-based best practice guidelines outlining the way CBT competence should be assessed. Furthermore, many of the assessment measures currently available have been widely criticised, indicating a need for improved tools for assessing CBT competence. To begin addressing this issue, the first two chapters of this thesis focus on reviewing and evaluating current assessment methods. Chapter one provides a systematic review of current methods of assessing CBT competence and chapter two outlines a qualitative exploration of experts’ understandings and experiences of assessing CBT competence. Findings from these studies provide tentative recommendations for practitioners and researchers assessing CBT competence. These initial studies also highlight ways in which the assessment of CBT competence could be improved and therefore provide a platform for guiding subsequent thesis chapters which focus on further developing existing assessment measures. Specifically, chapters three to six focus on the development and evaluation of a novel CBT competence rating scale: the Assessment of Core CBT Skills (ACCS). The ACCS builds upon currently available scales (especially the Cognitive Therapy Scale- Revised: CTS-R) to provide an assessment framework for assessors to deliver formative and summative feedback regarding therapists’ performance within observed CBT treatment sessions and for therapists to rate and reflect on their own performance. Development of the ACCS involved three key stages: 1- theory-driven scale development (chapter three), 2- an ‘expert’ review of the content validity, face validity, and usability of the scale (chapter four), and 3- an evaluation of the scale involving a pilot study examining its psychometric properties (chapter five) and a focus group examining its usability and utility (chapter six). Results from these studies indicate that the ACCS is a useful learning tool, is easy to use, has good psychometric properties, and offers an acceptable alternative to the CTS-R. Finally, chapter seven examines whether assessors require training in how to use the ACCS, concluding that simply reading the ACCS manual may be sufficient to achieve acceptable levels of reliability and usability. The results from the thesis are then drawn together in the final concluding comments in chapter eight, which discusses the findings within the broader context of the assessment of CBT competence.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Lehigh University, 2008. / Adviser: Grace I. L. Caskie.