<p> Teen pregnancy has been consistently perceived as a substantial social problem, despite recent declines and some equivocal evidence from longitudinal studies. The evidence for this framing has been gleaned from quantitative studies that demonstrate comparative decline in sociodemographic outcomes for the teens themselves and developmental and behavioral deficits for their children over time. Qualitative inquiry has provided an alternate perspective, one that provides teens with a voice, as their voices had been unheard until the last two decades. There are several areas largely unexplored with teens that have been studied with adult, higher-risk women. These are, first, teens&rsquo; perspective and behavior during the prenatal period, which is vital for infant health and development and provides these young mothers-to-be with an opportunity to explore the meaning of this life-changing transition, how they feel toward their infants, and their future plans. The second is the impact of the interpersonal trauma and other cumulative forms of adversity pregnant teens have often experienced, on these perspectives.</p><p> The current qualitative study examined the perspectives of and behaviors around pregnancy in a sample of inner city pregnant teens receiving supportive home-visiting services from the Nurse-Family Partnership. Using a grounded theory approach, the study inductively explored the prenatal phase, and inquired about developmental (level of stability, quality of attachment, early interpersonal trauma) and current factors (fears and concerns, prenatal health behavior and attachment, mental health, help-seeking, wishes for the future). Twenty-three teens were interviewed over 18 months. Outcomes of this study revealed that teens generally felt very positively about their pregnancies and regarded this event to be a portal to a new and better life, and changed their health behavior and social activities accordingly. Teens also showed a high degree of resilient beliefs and behaviors, a spontaneous finding, maintaining hope and optimism and forming concrete plans for future parenting and stability. They also expressed much concern and fear about the lack of material resources, particularly housing. Mental health problems increased with exposure to trauma and stress. The salient finding here was that as interpersonal trauma exposure accumulated, the more positively teens felt about their pregnancies, the more resilient were their beliefs and behaviors, and the more mental health problems they endorsed. Teens with less exposure to trauma and stress had somewhat less positive views of pregnancy, more family and current support, better relationships with parents, more fears and concerns about their pregnancies, were somewhat less resilient, and had fewer mental health problems. Thus, teens who seem most enthusiastic and prepared are often those who have experienced the greatest amount of trauma and disrupted attachment, both of which may affect parenting capacity. Programmatic and policy responses focused on the need to include teens&rsquo; historical narrative and a tableau of their current support in planning to assist them, rather than instantiating interventions which extend from a dominant discourse about what they need to succeed as parents.</p><p>

<p> The purpose of the descriptive, quantitative study was to examine recidivism rates of mentally ill incarcerated individuals. With data provided by the Florida Department of Corrections, the current study sought to describe recidivism rates of mentally ill offenders who, within three years of release, returned to prison. The use of descriptive statistics provided information through means, modes, and frequencies, which led to incorporating logistic regression to provide further details concerning recidivism. The sample consisted initially of more than 120,000 offenders released, and narrowed to more than 20,000 released with a mental health diagnosis in the studied time frame, 2005 to 2008. The study consisted of 11 categorical and individual diagnoses while incorporating analyses of demographics, crimes committed, educational level, past incarcerations, and other variables in relation to mental health diagnoses. The results identified those with a mental health diagnosis were more apt to return to prison within the three-year time frame than those with no diagnosis. Specifically, those with a Schizophrenia diagnosis had a higher recidivism rate than the other diagnoses studied. Other variables found positive for recidivism were age, gender, and prior prison arrest record.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant to fund an evidence-based program, Buried in Treasures, that will help women 35&ndash;55 years old with hoarding behaviors. An extensive literature review was performed to investigate the best way to treat Hoarding Disorder in the community. The proposed program will be located at Mariposa Women's Center and funded by a Promoting Innovation grant by the California Wellness Foundation. </p><p> The primary goal is to help people with Hoarding Disorder while utilizing web tools and newer technology in an evidence-based program. The objectives are to increase quality of life by 20% and knowledge by 30% and to reduce the amount of items acquired. If funded, this structured program will decrease hoarding behaviors and improve mental health. The actual submission of the application was not a requirement of the thesis project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to locate a potential funding source and write a grant proposal to fund a mindfulness-based therapy program, entitled Coping through Mindfulness and Spirituality, for adults experiencing depression at Alma Family Services in Los Angeles County, California. A literature review was conducted to examine topics related to mindfulness and spirituality and their usefulness in coping with symptoms of depression. The purpose of the proposed program was to decrease depressive symptoms using Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). The grant was written to the Weingart Foundation. The actual submission or funding for this grant proposal was not a requirement for the successful completion of the project.</p>

<p> The Bowen Family Systems concept Fusion with Others was found to be the most significant predictor of children&rsquo;s demonstration of anxiety based on parent&rsquo;s reports, accounting for approximately 22% of the variation in anxiety ratings. Both parent Emotional Cutoff and parent Fusion with Others were found to be the most significant predictors of student anxiety in children at school based on their teacher&rsquo;s reports, accounting for nearly 30% of the variability in teacher&rsquo;s anxiety ratings. Children&rsquo;s math performance at school was also found to be significantly associated with parent Emotional Cutoff. This investigation examined relationships between parent&rsquo;s levels of Differentiation of Self, Emotional Cutoff, Emotional Reactivity, &ldquo;I&rdquo; Position, and Fusion with Others, as defined by Bowen Theory, and children&rsquo;s functioning in reading, math, and in social/emotional competencies demonstrated at school. Twenty-five parents and twenty-five teachers from a Midwestern school district participated in the study. Significant differences between home and school emerged in this investigation in children&rsquo;s tendencies to avoid contact with others and in their appearances to parents and teachers of sadness or depression, indicating the possible existence of a Child Focus Process as postulated in Bowen Family Systems Theory. Significant similarities were found between home and school in children&rsquo;s tendencies to demonstrate anxious behavior. </p><p>

<p> The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) of 2004 was analysed using David Gil&rsquo;s (1992) analytic framework. The strengths and weaknesses of the Act were assessed and special attention was placed on transitional age youth (TAY) who are consumers of Full Service Parternship (FSP) services in Los Angeles County. This analysis found that there have been some improvements in the provision of services to TAY as a result of the MHSA (2004). However, TAY continue to be a group that remains underserved despite the availability of MHSA (2004) funds. The lack of infrastructure of Department of Mental Health to oversee MHSA (2004) funded projects is likely one of the main reasons why new programs for TAY have not been developed. This analysis did find that TAY, who have been served under MHSA (2004) funded programs, have lower rates of incarceration and hospitalization. The recommendations for social work practice, policy and research are discussed.</p>

<p> Many Filipino Americans experience mental health disparities, yet they are the ethnic group least likely to seek mental health services. When left untreated, the severity of the original mental health needs may increase and lead to additional behavioral health concerns. The purpose of the proposed short-term mental health program is to provide culturally sensitive psycho-education to address the barriers many Filipino Americans face when seeking mental health services. The psycho-education topics will include general mental health education, mental health experience for Filipino Americans, the barriers faced by this population, how to communicate about mental health disparities and mental health resources. With potential funding support from the California Wellness Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health of underserved and low-income Californians, this program will be made available to bridge the gaps in access and quality mental health care at Filipino American Service Group, Inc. (FASGI) Wellness Center in Filipinotown of Los Angeles, California. The actual submission or funding of this grant was not required for the successful completion of this grant proposal.</p>

<p>Research has shown that the effects of maternal stress, alcohol use, and depression can have lasting effects on offspring. These effects can lead to negative outcomes with her daughter, specifically depression and substance use. These compounding issues can then lead to communication issues between the mother/daughter pair. This secondary data analysis study of a longitudinal community dyadic sample of 811 mothers and daughter pairs sought to determine the impact of these negative maternal effects on daughter depression, alcohol use, communication between the pair, and later risky sexual behavior. Using regression analysis with mediation, results indicated that a relationship exists between mother alcohol use and daughter risky sexual behavior only when daughter alcohol use was present. High communication with the mother lead to a decrease in daughter depression. Mother depression predicted daughter depression whereas mother alcohol use predicted daughter alcohol use and daughter depression. While a negative outcome, risky sexual behavior can be seen as a coping strategy for daughters? experiencing a difficult environment and this coping mechanism may bring them temporary feelings of love and importance.

<p> Previous research has confirmed that neighborhood level social factors (e.g. crime, safety) present chronic stressors that increase risk for depression in residents of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. U.S. Latinos experience higher levels of poverty and thus are more likely to live in poor neighborhoods. In this study it was hypothesized that adult Latina women who reported (1) higher levels of worry regarding the general safety of their household children in the neighborhood, (2) higher levels of worry regarding influence of bad friends on their household children, and (3) higher levels of worry regarding their household children being exposed to drugs and alcohol, would also report higher levels of depression after controlling for the individual level characteristics of level of acculturation, education, age, income and marital status. This study used a cross-sectional survey design and a convenience sample of 136 Latina women. Depression was measured using the CES-D Spanish version. Hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the first step consisting of control variables was significantly correlated with depression, <i>R</i>² =.14, F (5,130) =4.261, p = .001. In step two, after entering the neighborhood level variables, the resulting <i> R</i>² increased significantly, <i>R</i>² = .21, F (1, 129) = 10.937, p &lt; .001. The relationship between depression and each CES-D subscale was also explored. Understanding both micro and macro level factors that contribute to depression is essential for developing complex multi-level explanatory models and designing effective interventions. This study contributes to an emerging critical framework that illustrates how public policy influences the more proximal mechanisms that contribute to mental health and health problems.</p>

<p> College counseling centers have adapted through the years to operate in an environment that has undergone frequent changes since such services were first implemented, over 100 years ago. As counseling centers continue to be faced with an increase in the number of students who need mental health services, as well as a continued increase of fiscal pressures that make providing adequate services difficult, both the students and staff must seek new ways of improving current services. Therefore, the utilization of an appreciative action research inquiry (AARI) involved the engagement of university staff, faculty, and students in developing a task force, which looked at ways to improve the current mental health services based on input obtained from individual interviews with the stakeholders: students, faculty, and staff. A qualitative method of data collection consisted of unstructured individual interviews of the members of the task force, a member-check, and field notes. Utilizing epiphanic data analysis proved best. This AARI project explored collaboratively the strengths and weaknesses of the current mental health services currently offered on campus. The AARI provided opportunities for stakeholders to advocate for improvements to the current mental health services on campus as well as recognize the existing strengths. Identified needed improvements that emerged from the date included increased advertisement of the available services, increased education about the need for mental health services, and the necessity for increased awareness of overall mental health services on campus. </p>