The objective of this exploratory descriptive research was designed to investigate the “Relationship Between the level of knowledge about HIV/AIDS and the Practicing of Preventive Behaviors Among African American College Students.” The population was comprised of 40 African American male and female college students ranging from ages 18-25 who attend one of the three African American colleges within the Atlanta University Center. The results revealed that there is a statistical relationship between the level of knowledge this population has about HIV/AIDS and their engaging in preventive behavior. However this relationship is a very weak one. Students know about the various components of HIV/AIDS yet they continue to engage in “risky behaviors.”

Behavioral family therapy will decrease the severity of early warning signs being reported by the patient with an Axis I diagnosis of schizophrenia. This study was conducted to find out what effect, if any, behavioral family therapy would have on the reduction in severity of early warning signs reported by a person with schizophrenia currently involved in outpatient treatment. The research design employed in this study was an A-B single subject research design. One of the main reasons this design was utilized were the time constraints within which the author had to work. Findings supported a decline in the severity of early warning signs that were sustained for a long period of time. However, it cannot be safely assumed that the intervention accounted for the change which occurred in the reporting behavior.

A single system design study examined the impact of a Rites of Passage program upon truant, black middle school students. SETCLAE, a model Rites of Passage program was utilized as the intervention. Data were solicited via facilitator’s process notes, questionnaires, and pre and post tests. Baseline and intervention data were compared resulting in a pragmatic reduction of most subjects truancy rate. It was theorized that truant students exposed to their African-American heritage within the school system would result in the students eagerly attending school. The outcome of the program indicated the subjects improved on school attendance and arriving on time.

The purpose of this study was to analyze, describe and explain the relationship between work autonomy and job satisfaction of social workers. The study analyzed facets of work autonomy and job satisfaction in order to explain the contributions of the independent variables to variation in the dependent variables and to determine which of these facets were predictors of work autonomy and job satisfaction for social workers. Survey research was employed in a metropolitan area involving a randomly selected sample of 371 social worker respondents compiled from lists of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), National Association of Black Social Workers (NABSW) and Clark Atlanta University School of Social Work. The independent variables of the study were gender, ethnicity, education, annual income and age group. The questionnaire employed two instruments. Breaugh's Work Autonomy (BWA) Scale measured work autonomy and the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) measured job satisfaction. The work autonomy facets of methods, scheduling, and criteria; and the job satisfaction facets of work, pay, coworkers, promotions and supervision were codifed, measured and analyzed. The findings of the study indicated a statistically significant relationship between the work autonomy and job satisfaction of social workers: there was a statistically significant relationship between work autonomy, job satisfaction and the annual income of social workers; the methods facet was a predictor of work autonomy; the supervision facet was a predictor of job satisfaction; and, of the 371 social worker respondents, 78.9% experienced some work autonomy and 51.6% experienced some job satisfaction in their jobs.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between 1) parental involvement within the home, and 2) parental involvement within the school, and to assess their impact on academic performance. To obtain this purpose, students were categorized as low and high achievers based on perceived grade point average. The level of parental involvement was categorized as high and low involvement, based on students’ responses. Fifty African-American student volunteers from Roosevelt Middle School in Oakland, California were selected from a subject population of one hundred and given a self administered questionnaire. A descriptive research design was used in the study. Results indicate that a significant relationship exists between overall parental involvement in both the home and the school, and academic performance. High achievers indicated a greater level of parent involvement in the home, while similar levels of involvement exists within the school.

This study implemented a social support system into the weekly regiment of a second year, Black, female graduate student. Utilizing the Stress-Arousal Checklist to examine the subject's levels of stress before and after the intervention periods, the study showed that after implementing social support there was a decrease in the level of stress experienced by the subject.

This research explores the effect of social intimacy on the high risk sexual behavior of African American men who have sex with men. Seventy-three men participated in this study. The Miller Social Intimacy Scale (MSIS) was used to determine the participants' level of social intimacy. Their scores on the MSIS were compared to high risk sexual behaviors. Although the analysis indicates that there is no statistical relationship between the level of social intimacy and high risk sexual behavior in African American men who have sex with men, the study does indicate some important implications for social work practice, most importantly, the need for future research which continues to look for reasons why African American males continue to engage in high risk sexual behavior in the face of AIDS and other STD's.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors that affect social workers' decision-making in the medical setting. Social workers, working in the are of child abuse and African- American families, from the Metropolitan Atlanta area. Case vignettes were used to examine the relationship between a series of decision-making about the cases described in he vignettes. Dependent variables are the perception and judgement of the social workers. Independent variables are characteristics of the social worker, such as: Education, ethnicity age marital status, children, sex, socio-economic status time in the field, personal experience with corporal punishment, and working experience in child abuse. Thirty-seven social workers from five hospitals in the Metropolitan Atlanta area responded to the questionnaire. This research model used practice case vignettes for analyzing decision-making in child abuse. This model has implications for other medical and child protective agencies by proving: 1) training for staff in decision-making in child abuse, and 2) classroom teaching in schools of social work for both undergraduate and graduate students. These could enhance social workers' skills and increase their knowledge in the practices in the area of child abuse.

The purpose of this study was to compare the safety outcome for children who remained at home under the supervision of the State and children who were placed in foster care. There were two variables: (1) services as the independent variable, and (2) placement outcomes as the dependent variable. A correlational research design was used to analyze the data. An on-site review instrument was used to collect data from three county Departments of Social Services in South Carolina. Additionally, a case record analysis and a face-to-face interview approach were utilized. The conclusion drawn from this study is that families are confronted with many stressors and a lack of resources that affect their behavior. The researcher found that in cases where services were provided, maltreated children could remain safely in their homes. For future child maltreatment interventions, this could provide a comprehensive approach to services that might avoid unnecessary out-of-home placements.