Alcohol abuse is often considered a young person's rite of passage and part of the maturing process. Indeed, the developmental periods when alcohol misuse and abuse are highest are those of adolescence and early adulthood. The focus for alcohol use research and funding over the years has been with adolescent prevention and intervention. Because of this focus on adolescents, little is being done to explore and to learn more about adult use and adult entry into treatment. Since the average age of the population is increasing, these attitudes toward alcohol use and treatment are no longer valid. Use, misuse, and abuse of alcohol in adulthood, especially that leading to addiction and then treatment, is a problem within the United States (US) that merits careful attention. The purpose of this dissertation research is to investigate specific aspects of entry into alcohol abuse treatment across stages of the life course. The investigation used the sequential life course theory of Levinson as the primary guiding theory and incorporated those aspects of Bronfenbrenner's social ecology theory used by Levinson. Specifically, with a population of approximately 94,000, this research examined the differences among individuals who began alcohol abuse treatment in mid-life and who experienced variations in time duration from the age of first use to the age of first treatment. Additionally, this research evaluated the timing of treatment episodes in light of the transitions within the life course as outlined by Levinson. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester 2003. / Date of Defense: May 14, 2003. / Alcohol, Abuse, Treatment, Across stages of the life / Includes bibliographical references. / C. Aaron McNeece, Professor Directing Dissertation; Rebecca Miles, Outside Committee Member; Dianne F. Harrison, Committee Member.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Thesis (doctoral)--University of Tartu, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This study examined those early literacy skills and their relation to parent involvement. Two groups were chosen for the study, an intervention group and a comparison group. The intervention group, composed of three child care centers, received an eight-week intervention. The comparison group, composed of two child care centers, did not receive an intervention. Four measures were given to 67 children (33 males, 34 females) prior to the early literacy intervention and following the conclusion of the intervention. Measures include the Boehm Test of Basic concepts, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test Revised, the Print Awareness subtest, and the Receptive Vocabulary subtest from the Preschool Comprehensive Test of Print and Phonological Processing. Results showed that parents can be effective increasing young children's print awareness. In addition, teachers can provide parents with early literacy information they can use with their child. The intervention was not effective in increasing all vocabulary measures or basic concepts in young children. However, the results found a significant difference in one vocabulary measure that is directed at vocabulary achieved through reading instruction. Methodological reasons were identified for differential results. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2003. / Date of Defense: June 17, 2003. / Parent Involvment, Early Literacy Skills / Includes bibliographical references. / Ron Mullis, Professor Directing Thesis; Coco Readdick, Committee Member; Richard Wagner, Committee Member.

Confidentiality is considered one of the foundational principles of social work practice. The ethical, legal and professional responsibility to safeguard client information from unauthorized disclosures is often challenged by cases that pose unique situations in which the practitioner has to make ethical confidentiality practice decisions utilizing available resources. The resources are utilized at the discretion of the practitioner. Research on the utilization of resources is virtually non-existent. This study examines the influence of macro level resource options on confidentiality practices in social work. A survey instrument adapted from Millstein's (2000) Confidentiality in Direct Social-Work Practice: Inevitable Challenges and Ethical Dilemmas research was developed and administered to Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) to assess the number and type of macro level resources that are utilized to resolve confidentiality ethical dilemmas. The sampling frame included all active licensees in the state of Florida (N=9,636) from which 1350 LCSWs were randomly selected to participate in the study. The response rate for the survey was 15% (n=203). Logistic regression, independent sample t-tests and chi-square analyses were utilized to analyze the data. The findings suggest that practitioner and organizational characteristics do not influence the number of resource options that are utilized to resolve confidentiality ethical dilemmas, however macro level resources tend to be utilized more frequently than micro level resources. Significant practitioner differences were found related to the type of resources utilized. The findings suggest that in general, non-whites tended to use macro level resources to resolve confidentiality ethical dilemmas more frequently than whites however gender, practice setting and years of post-master's experience does not appear to influence the use of macro level resources. Limitations of the design and implementation are discussed to guide future research and implications for social work practice and education are also presented. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: July 6, 2010. / Confidentiality, Social Work / Includes bibliographical references. / Dina Wilke, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kay Pasley, University Representative; Nicholas Mazza, Committee Member; Ralph Brower, Committee Member.

Bullying has been recognized as a pervasive problematic behavior that results in potentially severe and long lasting consequences for young people. Bullying is an unwanted aggressive behavior that leads to intentional harm, is repetitive, and involves an observed or perceived power imbalance (Olweus, 1993). In recent years, a form of bullying known as cyberbullying has emerged through electronic technological devices. Cyberbullying is a new challenge which is moving beyond the confines of schoolyard and cafeterias. Unlike traditional bullying, cyberbullying has unique characteristics including anonymity, free access to a time or place, and rapid dissemination through the technical device involved. These characteristics may increase both rates of victimization and perpetration. Empirical evidence has revealed that bullying is highly associated with negative internalizing consequences as well as externalizing consequences (Beran & Li, 2007). Recent bullying studies have demonstrated the significant associations of traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and psychological distress; yet, little research has been done to identify the influence of childhood bullying victimization on subsequent traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and psychological distress in young adulthood. Only few studies have found that childhood bullying experiences increased the likelihood of young adult traditional bullying, cyberbullying, and psychological problems (Rose & Tynes, 2015; Sourander et al., 2000; Sutton, 2014). The purpose of this study is to understand the relationships of traditional and cyberbullying from childhood through young adulthood, and subsequent psychological consequences among young adults. Additionally, childhood parent and peer factors that may mitigate these impacts are explored. To address the purpose of the current study, this study employed a random sampling method. The target population was junior and senior undergraduate students aged 19-25 and enrolled in one of two large public universities in Florida, who use electronic communication devices such as the Internet and mobile phone in daily life. An online survey method was used to collect responses. The data collection procedures yielded a final sample of 360 undergraduate students, which comprised the sample used for this study. An online survey method was used to collect responses. The major variables of interest for this study included childhood traditional and cyberbullying victimization as exogenous variables, childhood parent and peer factors as moderators, young adult traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration as endogenous variables, young adult psychological distress as endogenous variables, and other confounding variables. Descriptive analyses, independent sample t-test, path analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses were used to test the hypotheses. The findings indicated the prevalence of childhood traditional bullying victimization was higher than that of young adult traditional bullying victimization. The rate of childhood traditional bullying victimization was also higher than that of childhood cyberbullying victimization, while that of young adult traditional bullying victimization was slightly lower than that of young adult cyberbullying victimization. Meanwhile, women experienced more traditional and cyberbullying victimization in childhood and young adulthood than men, while men engaged in more traditional and cyberbullying perpetration than women. Further, childhood traditional and cyberbullying victimization increased the likelihood of being a victim and a perpetrator in young adulthood, with an exception of young adult cyberbullying perpetration. Childhood traditional bullying victimization increased the likelihood of young adult depression and anxiety, while childhood cyberbullying victimization increased the likelihood of young adult anxiety. The results for interaction effects of childhood parent and peer factors indicated that childhood parent attachment, parental monitoring, and peer attachment moderated the effects of childhood bullying victimization on young adult traditional bullying and cyberbullying victimization. Additionally, the results revealed childhood parent attachment buffered against a positive relationship between childhood traditional bullying victimization and depression, and childhood parental monitoring also buffered against a positive association between childhood traditional bullying victimization and anxiety. Further, childhood deviant peer association increased the positive relationship between childhood cyberbullying victimization and young adult traditional bullying victimization. The findings from this study have implications for social work practice. Understanding the contexts in which traditional bullying and cyberbullying occur is the first step in school- or community-based prevention and intervention efforts. It represents a first step towards a deeper understanding of the prevalence of childhood traditional and cyberbullying victimization and young adult traditional and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, and their associations with psychological distress among young adults. Particularly, this study provided further evidence that investigating traditional and cyberbullying in childhood and young adulthood in a more dynamic way has merit. Social work practitioners should develop and implement effective bullying prevention and educational training programs to inform students, parents, and school administrators and teachers regarding the significance of early bullying experiences and their consequences, as well as to buffer against traditional and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / June 21, 2017. / Psychological distress, Traditional bullying and Cyberbullying, Victimization, Young adult / Includes bibliographical references. / Stephen J. Tripodi, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kevin M. Beaver, University Representative; Dina J. Wilke, Committee Member; Melissa Radey, Committee Member.

Background and Purpose. For many individuals experiencing homelessness, formal employment is paramount to housing stability. Women represent one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population; however, there are no recent studies on employment for women unaccompanied by children while experiencing homelessness. Research has established barriers to employment faced by women experiencing homelessness, such as domestic violence, substance use, and mental illness; however, these studies focus on women accompanied by children. This dissertation addresses the following research question: What factors influence employment status among unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness? Methodology. I used mixed methodology to address the research question, comparing findings from secondary data analysis to qualitative interviews. First, I used a cross-sectional sample of 1,331 unaccompanied women in one city’s Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). I used logistic regression to assess the impact age, race, domestic violence, homeless episodes, mental illness, substance abuse, and physical health had on employment status. Next, I completed twenty in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a subsample of unaccompanied women recruited from emergency or transitional housing in the area. Interviews focused on women’s experiences in employment and their biggest perceived barriers to finding or maintaining employment while homeless. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and coded thematically using NVivo11 software. Finally, I organized barriers identified in the qualitative interviews in a content analysis and compared the results to the logistic regression. Findings. None of the variables reached statistical significance in the logistic regression. Qualitative analysis showed that women generally had limited formal employment experience, based their future employment plans on previous employment experiences, and were in a holding pattern between training programs and limited employment opportunities. Women reported differing perceptions about barriers to employment, but the majority of women did mention the same four barriers: stigma against homelessness, transportation, physical health, and being presentable for job activities. While many interview participants disclosed histories of substance use, mental illness, and domestic violence, most women reported these factors did not directly affect employment, although women reported these factors did contribute to homelessness. Physical health was the only barrier included in the regression model and identified by women in interviews as a top barrier to work, however it was not statistically significant in the regression model. Conclusion and Implications. While the quantitative findings did not reach statistical significance, the comparison of the quantitative and qualitative results indicated important areas for future research and data collection efforts, such as measures for new measures employment and further research on the relationship between physical health and employment. The qualitative findings support the available literature regarding the importance of stigma, transportation, and physical presentation among unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness. Physical health may be an important personal-level barrier to employment for unaccompanied women experiencing homelessness, particularly when it comes to seeking full time employment. Implications for practice and policy include community stigma reduction, interventions development to increase formal employment in skilled positions, and modifying housing program policies to reduce burden on women with employment. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester 2017. / June 29, 2017. / employment, homelessness, mixed methodology, women / Includes bibliographical references. / Melissa Radey, Professor Directing Dissertation; Lenore McWey, University Representative; Jean Munn, Committee Member; Dina Wilke, Committee Member.

This study explored the phenomenon of occupationally related stress exposures and stress reactions in the emergency medical services. While the emergency services are nearly ubiquitous in the United States, very little exploration has been done into the prevalence and sequelae of occupationally related stresses to which emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are exposed as part of their work. This study, based on the Stress Process Model (Pearlin, 1989) explored the impact of both chronic and critical incident stress. Chronic stressors are defined as persistent difficulties (e.g., insufficient salary, conflict with colleagues or supervisors). Critical incident stress relates primarily to the provision of patient care in emergencies and the emotional reactions caused by the exposure to gruesome or tragic circumstances. Posttraumatic stress symptomatology and alcohol use are identified as potential sequelae of exposure to occupational stress. Six hypotheses are presented to elucidate the relationship between the variables and to guide the research process. The overall aim of this study was to improve upon previous research efforts by exploring how different types of occupational stress may relate to different possible stress reactions. By gaining a detailed view into how different types of stress exposures may influence stress reactions in EMTs, more insight was gained into what factors may influence pathological outcomes. In order to assess the relationship between occupationally related stress exposures and stress reactions, this study used a combination of previously validated measures (PTSD, alcohol use) and stress measures adapted for this research effort. Following the tailored design method (Dillman, 2009), data were collected from a probability sample (N=1633) of nationally registered EMTs and paramedics utilizing an internet-based survey methodology. Data were examined using both bivariate and multivariate analytic approaches. The findings revealed that in this population, a lower rate of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in this sample than in previous research or in population-based samples. Rates of risky and hazardous alcohol use in this sample were comparable with previous research for the general population. Multivariate findings indicated that chronic stress, critical incident stress, and alcohol use contribute to posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Interactions between chronic stress and alcohol use as well as chronic stress and critical incident stress further improved the explanatory power of the model. Regression of alcohol use on the predictor variables illustrated a relationship between alcohol use and chronic stress as well as alcohol use and posttraumatic stress symptomatology. Critical incident stress did not retain a significant relationship with alcohol use when controlling for posttraumatic stress symptomatology. The findings advanced knowledge regarding the relationship between occupational stress exposure and stress reactions in EMTs in several ways. This study placed the phenomenon of occupational stress within a widely utilized theoretical framework, allowing for better understanding of this particular process within the context of a wider body of stress literature. The methodology used in this study (specifically the use of probability sampling) represents a modest improvement from previous studies that have almost exclusively used convenience sampling. Further, this study revealed the differential relationship of chronic and critical incident stress with posttraumatic stress symptomatology and alcohol use in the population, illustrating that both types of stress are influential in stress reactions in EMTs. This research has important implications for both EMS and social work. This research benefits the emergency medical services at both at the individual and organizational levels. With greater empirical evidence of the impact of occupationally related stress, individuals may be better able to take steps to reduce the impact of occupationally related stress exposures. At an organizational level, these findings may provide data to educators, supervisors, and administrators who may need to address occupationally related stress in the workplace. This research enhances the social work practice and research. Social work practice benefits by expanding the knowledge base from which evidence-based practices may be developed. This is especially important, as social workers are often called to work with this population. Understanding the relationship between stress exposures and stress reactions may make it possible to develop an evidenced-based intervention that social workers may utilize for individuals who are struggling to manage the stresses of the job. Additionally, in pursuing this work, social work researchers will gain a greater knowledge of how occupational stressors affect EMTs. Any understanding may inform future investigations into occupational stress exposures and stress reactions within the social work profession. While different in many ways, both EMS and social work share risk for exposure to traumatic stressors, and this research may inform parallel efforts to understand the impact of occupationally related stressors on social workers / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010. / Date of Defense: May 18, 2010. / Emergency Medical Services, Occupational Stress, Occupational Health, Paramedic, Social Work, Posttraumatic Stress / Includes bibliographical references. / Jim Hinterlong, Professor Directing Dissertation; R. Jay Turner, University Representative; Nick Mazza, Committee Member.