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Primary prevention in health care services has effected important economies through prevention of handicap in children and through the reduction of financial and time costs for expensive, often life-time care. An important recent development in education has been the application of the concept to the innovation of preventive practices. These emphasize the promotion of competencies and strengths in children, particularly during critical periods in development, rather than the treatment of emotional, behavioral and learning deficits. This research investigated the immediate effects of a preventive programme, a modification of the Bessell and Palomares Methods in Human Development (MHDP), upon the learning of competencies and coping skills associated with cognitive and ego development in kindergarten and first grade children. The literature suggested a critical period at this point in ego development. Using a sample of 103 metropolitan kindergarten and first grade children, the effects of the Bessell and Palomares programme were compared to the effects of another discussion group method, Show-and-Tell. A fully-crossed fixed-effects three-factor design was used to test eight hypotheses; treatment main effects, sex and grade-level effects and all possible interactions. The dependent variables selected as representative of cognitive and ego development were: cognitive performance competency as measured by (1) minutes spent in mature problem-solving behavior on the Keister Puzzle Box and (2) school achievement (for first grade pupils only); social competency as measured by scores received on measures of (1) teacher perception of dysfunctional behavior, (2) peer perception of observed socially positive or neutral behavior, and (3) peer affiliation; affective competency as measured by scores received on measures of (1) the child's predominant emotional response to life and (2) the child's feelings of independent security (for first grade pupils only). Results pertaining to hypotheses were: 1. A significant multivariate F revealed differences between the two treatments. These differences were accounted for by changes in two of the social competency measures, the teacher behavior rating and the peer perception measure. For both measures the students taught under the modified Methods in Human Development programme (MHDP) gained significantly more than those taught under Show-and-Tell (SAT). 2. A significant interaction was found between treatment and grade-level, with followup univariate analyses showing a significant F for the measure of teacher perception of dysfunction. For kindergarten students taught under MHDP there was a greater reduction than for students taught under SAT. There was no statistical difference for first grade pupils. 3. Informal results were also presented which gave additional support to the effectiveness of the MHDP programme, particularly at the kindergarten level. 4. All other null hypotheses were accepted. A discussion of results included the following points: 1. In spite of the relatively brief, treatment period (18 weeks), the substantive impact of the treatment upon overt social functioning was noteworthy. Such positive functioning had been identified in the literature as predictive of adult competence. 2. While the peer affiliation measure was not significant, some informal results suggested a modest increase in social effectiveness for the Bessell and Palomares participants. 3. Possible weaknesses in instrumentation and the programme omissions necessitated by time restrictions may have contributed to the lack of clear results, particularly for first grade students. 4. Informal results from the standardized problem-solving situation seemed promising in providing valuable information on the behavioral or temperamental and cognitive styles of children. It was conjectured that such observational data would be helpful in educational planning for young children. Suggestions were made for further research particularly with the full grade one programme and on the use of the problem-solving device. / Education, Faculty of / Graduate

Sample surveys are often used to collect data for obtaining estimates of finite population quantities, such as disease prevalence. However, non-response and sampling frame under-coverage can cause the survey sample to differ from the target population in important ways. To reduce bias in the survey estimates that can arise from these differences, auxiliary information about the target population from sources including administrative files or census data can be used. Survey weighting is one approach commonly used to reduce bias. Although weighted estimates are relatively easy to obtain, they can be inefficient in the presence of highly dispersed weights. Model-based estimation in survey research offers advantages of improved efficiency in the presence of sparse data and highly variable weights. However, these models can be subject to model misspecification. In this dissertation, we propose Bayesian penalized spline regression models for survey inference about proportions in the entire population as well as in sub-populations. The proposed methods incorporate survey weights as covariates using a penalized spline to protect against model misspecification. We show by simulations that the proposed methods perform well, yielding efficient estimates of population proportion for binary survey data in the presence of highly dispersed weights and robust to model misspecification for survey outcomes. We illustrate the use of the proposed methods to estimate the prevalence of lifetime temper dysregulation disorder among National Guard service members overall and in sub-populations defined by gender and race using the Ohio Army National Guard Mental Health Initiative 2008-2009 survey data. We further extend the proposed framework to the setting where individual auxiliary data for the population are not available and utilize a Bayesian bootstrap approach to complete model-based estimation of current and undiagnosed depression in Hispanics/Latinos of different national backgrounds from the 2015 Washington Heights Community Survey.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1984. / "A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ..."

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1984. / "A research report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree ..."

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Research suggests that misperceptions about the mentally ill and about their ability to recover and live productive lives are still commonly held by the public. Psychoeducation programs and direct contact can help both correct misperceptions and offer encouraging messages about recovery in those with and without mental illness. Consumer presentation programs, such as NAMI’s In Our Own Voice (IOOV), were designed in part for these purposes. This study examined archival IOOV audience evaluations (n = 599) from 2009 to better understand how audiences respond to IOOV in natural settings. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted to examine: 1) viewers’ responses to the program, 2) differences between consumer and nonconsumer responses, and 3) whether the program satisfies program goals for audience members. Results indicate that the majority of viewers respond positively, in a variety of ways and to a variety of program elements not previously identified. Additionally, the program’s effects appear to generalize across consumers and nonconsumers equally well, with the exception that nonconsumers more frequently reported finding the program educational and consumers more frequently reported personally relating to presenters. Finally, results suggest that IOOV is indeed meeting its two stated program goals for audience members: educating the public and offering a hope-inspiring message of recovery. In conclusion, IOOV, as it is performed in the field, appears to be a valuable addition to educational and inspiring recovery-oriented programming available to the public.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) represents an effective treatment for individuals with severe mental illness. Though studies estimate that as many as half of all people with severe mental illness are parents, little is known about consumers receiving ACT services who are parents. Thus, the purpose of the present study was to 1) estimate the prevalence of parent ACT consumers, 2) identify current ACT team policies and practices for treating parent consumers, and 3) examine the perspective of parent consumers served by ACT teams. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed via two separate studies. In study 1, eighty-two ACT providers from 76 teams across the United States and Canada were surveyed to determine the prevalence of parent ACT consumers, ACT team policies for identifying the parental status of consumers, treatment services available for parent consumers, and provider attitudes about parent consumers. Providers estimated roughly 21.6% of ACT consumers were parents. Less than half of providers (46.3%) reported formally asking about parental status during intake and only 20.7% providers belonged to ACT teams that provide special programs/services designed for parent consumers. The majority of providers (75.6%) reported negative or mixed attitudes about parents with severe mental illness. In study 2, seventeen parents with severe mental illness being served by ACT teams were interviewed about parenting, the relationship between parenting and severe mental illness, parenting needs, and suggestions for improved treatment services for parents. All parents were able to identify at least one positive aspect of parenting and most parents (76.5%) also identified negative aspects of parenting. Loss of custody emerged as a significant parenting problem, with the majority of parents (88.2%) experiencing loss of custody at least once. Given the difficulties of being a parent and having to manage a severe mental illness, parents expressed interest in several parent-focused treatment services, including family therapy, parenting skills, communication skills training, resources/finances for children, and social support groups with peers. When asked about overall satisfaction with ACT services, most participants with adult children (87.5%) reported having no unmet parent-related needs and high satisfaction (4.63 out of 5) with ACT services, whereas parents with young children (77.8%) reported having numerous unmet parenting needs and low satisfaction (3.78 out of 5) with ACT services. Thus, the age of participants’ children was a significant factor, indicating that the ACT treatment model may not be adequately serving parents of young, dependent children. Overall, findings suggest the need for more attention and focus on parent consumers, including formal identification of consumers’ parental status and improved parent-related treatment services and support