Purpose: Decision-making among child welfare professionals is complex, influencing both children and their families. Research has highlighted income and race as factors influencing decisions. However, limited research has focused on family structure issues despite the intersectionality family structure has with income and race. The primary aim of this study is to examine the effects family structure has on the decision-making process using the Florida Safety Decision-making Methodology. Three main research questions are posed: (1) How are removal decisions of case managers affected by family characteristics (family structure and race) for families involved with case management services? (2) How do family characteristics (family structure and race) influence the case managers’ safety assessment of families involved with case management services? And (3) How do family characteristics (family structure and race) influence case managers’ assessment of caregiving protective capacities for families involved with case management services? Methods: This study utilized an experimental 2x2 vignette design, which described a scenario of a family involved with case management services. The child’s family structure served as the independent variable with two levels: (1) two parent family or (2) single parent family. Race served as a moderating variable with two levels: (1) Black or (2) White. Population being studied. The convenience sample included 54 case managers working throughout the state of Florida. Data collection procedures. The study utilized primary data collection procedures, targeting case managers at several case management service agencies throughout Florida by employing a convenience sampling technique. Data collection began November 2016 and ended in March 2017. Data Analysis: Bivariate analyses, regression analyses, and a path analysis were utilized to examine the variables of interest. Results: Several relationships resulted in interesting trends in the data. The relationship between family structure and removal decision had a χ2 = 3.47 (p = .062) with a medium effect size (ϕ = .254). The relationship between the interaction of family structure and race and removal decisions also resulted in interesting data trends, as a higher proportion of case managers recommended out-of-home services to White, single parent families compared to all other family types. The final trend in the data indicate a relationship between the interaction of family structure and race on safety decisions. White single parent families are more likely to have a safety decision of “safe” compared to all other family types, a result contradictory to the findings on family characteristics and removal decisions. Discussion: Overall, family structure is a relevant but often overlooked factor related to decision-making among child welfare professionals. According to the results, family structure has an influence on removal decisions, a previously unexplored factor among decision-making research. Additionally, it is important to examine the full picture of the family to fully understand their multiple layers of discrimination. It is not race alone that biases decisions, it is a combination of factors, which need to be continuously examined to diminish the effects of biases when making decisions that impact families and their children. Limitations: Vignettes have been used as sound methodological approaches in many studies; however, a limitation of this design is that the vignette may not elicit a true response even if the scenario presents a true-to-life situation. Many variables are still uncaptured in these scenarios such as the relationship between the client and case manager, the family’s reaction to the case manager, and the perception the family has of the case manager, which are said to indirectly affect case decisions. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester 2018. / April 17, 2018. / Child Welfare, Decision-making, Family Structure, Family well-being, Vignette Methodology / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce A. Thyer, Professor Directing Dissertation; Kathryn H. Tillman, University Representative; Lisa Schelbe, Committee Member; James J. Clark, Committee Member.

The decline of outdoor play in children's lives continues to demand investigation with an explicit goal to reveal and understand the child voice. This study aimed to explore children's engagement in outdoor activity as influenced by the perceptions of outdoor activity of parents and teachers. Children were expected to display similar engagement levels as their parent or teacher. Interviews conducted with six children and six adults revealed that outdoor play is held in high regard. However, observational results discovered that children spent 90% of their time indoors due to teacher perception of weather. The predicted levels of engagement, of each parent and their child, revealed evidence to support parental influence on children's engagement during outdoor play. However, the study revealed that children's outdoor play and potential engagement was influenced by the teacher involved in the study and her perceptions of outdoor play. / A Thesis submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. / Spring Semester, 2011. / March 21, 2011. / Bronfenbrenner, Early Childhood Education, Early Child Development, Outdoor Play, Child Perception, Parent Perception, Obesity, Engagement, Physical Activity / Includes bibliographical references. / Christine Readdick, Professor Directing Thesis; Ann Mullis, Committee Member; Juliann Woods, Committee Member.

Resilience has been defined to include the recovery from traumatic experiences (Block & Block, 1980, and Bonanno (2005), but this assumption had not been empirically tested until now. By using the Ego-Resiliency Scale (Klohnen, 1996), the Trauma Recovery Scale (Gentry, 2006), part of the Traumagram Questionnaire (Figley, 1989), and the Impact of Events Scale – Revised (Weiss & Marmar, 1997), this idea was tested in a non-clinical sample of 242 social work students from Florida State University. It was found that resilience and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder were inversely related as expected, but not significantly. With a Pearson Product correlation coefficient of -.077, it would only be statistically significant at the .268 level. These findings provide evidence that resilience does not mean recovery from traumatic experiences. This new data will require further research exploration to clarify what is meant by resilience. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / April 5, 2010. / Resilience, Resiliency, Ego-Resiliency, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD / Includes bibliographical references. / Bruce Thyer, Professor Directing Dissertation; James P. Sampson, Jr., University Representative; Nicholas Mazza, Committee Member.

Based on the family resilience framework, the current study used a longitudinal design to investigate the relationship between youth (depression and trauma) and parent (parental monitoring and parental substance dependence) risk factors and protective factors (caregiver relatedness) for substance use among adolescents involved with the child welfare system that remain living with a biological parent. Overall the hypothesized effects were not significant for youth and parent risk factors. The moderator and interaction effects also failed to support the hypotheses of the study. Two control variables, age and initial levels of substance use, emerged as consistent predictors of future adolescent substance use. Parental monitoring approached significance in both path models suggesting that more parental monitoring among at risk adolescents can reduce future substance use. Post hoc cross-sectional analysis supported the relationship between depression, parental monitoring, and caregiver relatedness with current substance use of at risk adolescents. Based on these results, clinical recommendations include increased training on assessment and early identification of risks for adolescent substance use among child welfare caseworkers and clinicians. Future research should focus on longitudinal analyses using an at risk sample. Finally, significant correlations which were not addressed in the original research questions and hypotheses of the study should be explored. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / March 30, 2010. / Adolescent, Substance Use, Child Welfare System / Includes bibliographical references. / Ann K. Mullis, Professor Directing Dissertation; Ming Cui, Committee Member; Lenore M. McWey, Committee Member.

Haslam's (2003) folk psychiatry model asserts that laypersons use three modes of thought (explanatory modes) in explaining the behavior of individuals identified as having mental illness: moralizing, which attributes a reason (motive) - and therefore personal responsibility - for behavior; medicalizing, which attributes behavior to a biological essence outside of the individual's control; and psychologizing, which attributes a reason (motive) for behavior but also offers a cause for the reason itself, thus attenuating personal responsibility. The present research hypothesizes that 1) laypersons (mental health nonprofessionals) will have more stigmatizing reactions to a vignette protagonist who exhibits behavior characteristic of the DSM-IV-TR diagnosis Schizophrenia, compared to a protagonist who exhibits no such behavior; 2) the effect of including in the vignette information on the protagonist's adverse childhood experiences will be moderated such that it has a more stigma-reducing effect in the presence of schizophrenia symptoms that in its absence, and 3) this moderation will in turn be mediated by increases in psychologizing and decreases in medicalizing and moralizing. The design is a 2 x 2 between-participants factorial experiment with symptomatic content (schizophrenia symptoms vs. no symptoms) and childhood experiences (adverse vs. benign) as independent variables. The stigma outcome variables are likability (Scale of General Likability; Anson, in preparation) and perceptions of dangerousness (Attribution Questionnaire (AQ), Fear/Dangerousness Subscale; Brown, 2008). The explanatory modes are measured by the Medicalizing-Moralizing-Psychologizing Coding System (MMPCS), which is introduced in the present study. Results show that schizophrenia symptoms increased perceptions of dangerousness and medicalizing, and reduced moralizing. Adverse childhood experiences increased perceptions of dangerousness and psychologizing, and reduced medicalizing. The predicted moderation effect did not reach significance. The predicted mediation effects were not observed. Findings suggest that efforts to reduce mental illness stigma by providing information about adverse childhood experiences may have the ironic effect of increasing fear and perceptions of dangerousness. Additional implications are discussed and a program of future research is proposed. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2013. / November 20, 2012. / Adverse Childhood Experiences, Folk Psychiatry, Medicalizing, Mental Illness Stigma, Moralizing, Psychologizing / Includes bibliographical references. / Tomi Gomory, Professor Directing Dissertation; E. Ashby Plant, University Representative; Neil Abell, Committee Member.

Using family stress theory, the influences of parenting daily hassles, family coping, sibling warmth, parenting stress, and sense of coherence were examined for their predictive qualities in determining quality of life for mothers of children who have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A predictive model was developed using the ABC-X model of family stress. A survey design was used with a sample of 103 mothers. The analysis was conducted using path analysis. For the participants in this study, sense of coherence had the greatest total effect on quality of life, followed by family coping, and parenting stress. Sibling warmth was not found to have a direct relationship with quality of life, but did have an overall effect when mediated by sense of coherence and parenting stress. Overall, this model fit well with the observed data and thus supported the research question for this study; specifically, parenting daily hassles, family coping, sibling warmth, parenting stress, and sense of coherence can be integrated to predict quality of life for mothers of children who have ADHD. This model explained 19% of the variance in quality of life. Pertinent related findings were also discussed relevant to commonly used coping strategies, most frequent and intense parenting daily hassles, and top factors in the sibling relationship. Mothers in the study used passive coping strategies most often in dealing with stressors, and employed more internal coping methods than external coping methods. Mothers were most concerned with and wanted the most help in dealing with arguments, anger, and hostility in the sibling relationship. An exploration of the qualitative parental responses revealed difficulties in accessing support systems. Parents expressed a lack of understanding of ADHD by schools and communities. Suggestions for future research and professional practice were also provided. / A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2010. / March 26, 2010. / Quality of Life, Sibling, Sense of Coherence, ADHD, Stress, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Parental Stress / Includes bibliographical references. / Carol A. Darling, Professor Directing Dissertation; F. Donald Kelly, University Representative; Christine A. Readdick, Committee Member.

In the pharmacological treatment of psychotic disorders, evidence-based treatment recommendations suggest the prescription of one antipsychotic (monotherapy) where possible. The simultaneous co-prescription of multiple antipsychotics, known as antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) has recently been the subject of much discussion and research in the scholarly literature. There are concerns regarding the cost, lack of efficacy, and iatrogenic potential of APP. This study examines clinical and demographic variables related to the prescription of APP among 267 state hospital inpatients. APP was operationalized as co-prescription of ''2 antipsychotics for ''60 days. Inpatients were categorized as recipients of either APP or monotherapy. Monotherapy and APP groups were then compared descriptively across demographic and clinical variables. Demographic variables included age, race, education, and marital status. Clinical variables included seclusion and restraint incidents, number of lifetime admissions, and medical comorbidity, as well as PANSS and GAF scores. There were 95 patients (35.6%) who had at least one episode of APP. There was no clinically significant association between polypharmacy status and race, age, or PANSS scores. Patients prescribed multiple antipsychotics were more likely to be male (OR=2.57), to have been hospitalized over a year (OR=3.12), to have never been married (OR=1.69), and to have ''1 career incident of seclusion and restraint (OR=2.46). Diagnoses of hyperlipidemia (OR=1.5) and adverse neurological effects (OR=1.54) were also associated with an increased risk of APP. Overall, these findings suggest that antipsychotic polypharmacy is a highly individualized treatment decision not well explained by the available clinical and demographic variables. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Summer Semester, 2008. / June 2, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references. / Tomi Gomory, Professor Directing Dissertation; Bruce Bullington, Outside Committee Member; C. Aaron McNeece, Committee Member.

People receiving residential mental health treatment are legally entitled to exercise their rights and freedoms to the extent that is safe and that does not interfere with recovery (Americans with Disabilities Act, 1990; Ford, Rosenberg, Holsten, & Boudreaux, 2003). Despite this, sexual activity in residential treatment settings is often prohibited through both formal and informal means (Buckley, Hogan, Svendsen, & Gintoli, 2013; Wright, McCabe, & Kooreman, 2012). One barrier to lessening restrictions on the sexual liberties of residential clients is the lack of guidelines for determining the capacity to consent to sexual activity (Buckley & Wiechers, 1999; Parker & Abramson, 1995). Providing guidelines for assessing the capacity to consent could provide opportunities for some clients to engage in dignified sexual expression and could help practitioners to identify others who may not be capable of making safe sexual decisions. In a preliminary step toward the creation of such guidelines, this qualitative study explores how administrators, staff, and former clients of residential facilities define and conceptualize the capacity to consent to sex. These stakeholder-endorsed definitions might later serve as frameworks from which guidelines and methods of assessment could be developed. This study also explores factors identified by administrators, workers, and former clients of residential facilities as impacting the capacity to consent, as they define it. This is another important preliminary step toward creating best practices for determining the capacity for sexual consent among clients of residential mental health programs. Nonprobability sampling was used to recruit 15 participants, 5 from each stakeholder group: administrators, staff people, and former clients. An in-person, semi-structured interview with each participant was conducted. Interviews averaged 69 minutes and elicited information about how participants define and conceptualize the capacity to consent to sexual activity as well as the factors perceived to enhance or reduce that capacity. Analysis of interview data used a hierarchical coding process based on Strauss and Corbin's (1990) constant comparative method and Scott's (2004) conditional relationship guide. To enhance the rigor of analysis, a variety of reflexive writing practices were used, and researcher analysis was shared with participants, who were invited to provide statements about where the analysis diverged from their opinions and experiences. The common themes observed in participant definitions of capacity for sexual consent were that capacity for consent includes the ability to give and receive communication about consent, that capacity for consent includes an understanding of contextual information about the sexual encounter, and that capacity for consent includes an understanding of one's own internal desires. Factors identified by stakeholders as affecting residential clients' capacity for sexual consent were intelligence or sexual knowledge, intoxication, confusion, delusions, general mental status, difficulty refusing others, having vacillating feelings about sexual encounters, and using sex as a tool. Participants considered many of these factors transient, indicating that capacity to consent is not viewed as a stable trait. In addition to information directly pertinent to the research aims, stakeholders identified several practical barriers to allowing sex in residential treatment settings. These include the perceived responsibility of providers for the consequences of sex, the lack of private space, the potential to disrupt the treatment environment, and the potential for sex to result in retraumatization or interfere with recovery. This work concludes with recommendations for practice and further research. In particular, the definitions of capacity for sexual consent identified by participants in this study should be evaluated by a representative group of stakeholders in residential mental health to determine their salience and legitimacy more broadly. Further, factors proposed to enhance or reduce the capacity for consent in the study should be empirically investigated to determine whether they do have actual impact on sexual decision making. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / March 2, 2015. / capacity to consent, mental health, psychiatric social work, sexual behavior / Includes bibliographical references. / Tomi Gomory, Professor Directing Dissertation; Amy Burdette, University Representative; Jean Munn, Committee Member; LaTonya Noël, Committee Member.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is estimated to affect over 1.3 million women a year and costs society more than $5.8 billion annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Extensive evidence indicates that men and women perpetrate IPV at similar rates (Fiebert, 2010) and a large portion of IPV involves perpetration by both partners in a couple unit (Kessler, Molnar, Feurer, & Appelbaum, 2001). These findings have created a contentious debate among researchers about the nature of IPV and utility of gender in understanding its dynamics. Family conflict theorists contend that IPV is used as an outgrowth of conflict and that societal and family characteristics explain the high rates of IPV perpetration for men and women (Fiebert & Gonzalez, 1997, Straus, 2010). Meanwhile, feminist theorists focus on the role that control plays in understanding violence and how control intersects with gender to create a culture of terror (Stark, 2007) and contend that methodological issues account for the high prevalence of gender symmetry (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). A typology of IPV, which assumes that violence is not used in intimate relationships for one static reason, asserts that there are different categories of IPV that occur within intimate partner relationships and failure to specify the category of IPV being explored has led to confusing and uninterpretable empirical findings regarding the rates of IPV and gender (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). The purpose of this research was to bridge these theories by advancing the typology of IPV perspective using a gender and racially robust sample and identifying the correlates and consequences of each category. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is estimated to affect over 1.3 million women a year and costs society more than $5.8 billion annually (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003). Extensive evidence indicates that men and women perpetrate IPV at similar rates (Fiebert, 2010) and a large portion of IPV involves perpetration by both partners in a couple (Kessler, Molnar, Feurer, & Appelbaum, 2001). These findings have created a contentious debate among researchers about the nature of IPV and utility of gender in understanding its dynamics. Family conflict theorists contend that IPV is used as an outgrowth of conflict and that societal and family characteristics explain the high rates of IPV perpetration for men and women (Fiebert & Gonzalez, 1997; Straus, 2010). Meanwhile, feminist theorists focus on how control intersects with gender to create a culture of terror (Stark, 2007) and contend that methodological issues account for the high prevalence of gender symmetry (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). A typology of IPV, which assumes that violence is not used in intimate relationships for one static reason, asserts that there are different categories of IPV that occur within intimate partner relationships and failure to specify the category of IPV being explored has led to confusing and uninterpretable empirical findings regarding the rates of IPV and gender (Kelly & Johnson, 2008). The purpose of this research is to bridge these theories by advancing the typology of IPV perspective using a gender and racially diverse sample and identifying the correlates and consequences of each category. This research tested a theory of IPV at the relationship level, conceptualizing categories of IPV as occurring from the interaction of individual behavior within a relationship, forming 10 unique categories. An analysis of secondary data was used; the data were originally collected by Dutton, Goodman, and Schmidt (2006) to develop and validate a measure of nonviolent coercive control under a project entitled "Development and Validation of a Coercive Control Measure for Intimate Partner Violence", which was funded by the National Institute of Justice (Award number 2001-WT-BX-0503). The original sample consisted of 757 participants who were recruited from several locations, which was reduced to 714 participants through data cleaning procedures. Individuals completed a survey which included questions about their own perpetration of violence and control, victimization by violence and control, levels of social/relationship related constructs, mental health related outcomes, and demographic characteristics. Cluster analyses, chi-square tests of independence, multinomial logistic regressions, and multigroup path analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Cluster analyses indicated that elements of IPV (control perpetration, control victimization, violence victimization and violence perpetration) all clustered in a high/low pattern, which intersected to form six unique categories of IPV in addition to the no-IPV category. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that distributions of these categories of IPV were dependent on gender but independent of race. A multinomial logistic regression found that each category of IPV was predicted by a unique combination of demographic and social/relationship variables, and interactions between race, gender, and socioeconomic status to account for intersectionality theory were not useful in the retained model. Finally, a multigroup path analysis revealed that levels of PTSD and depression were higher for individuals in relationships with IPV than without IPV. This research provides empirical support that IPV as previously described and identified by two seemingly competing theoretical orientations exists simultaneously. Support for the FCTs perspective was found because the majority of violence that existed in relationships was bidirectional, suggesting an association with conflict. Several categories of IPV were control-related, in line with feminist theories; most notably a unique category of intimate terrorism was affirmed that could not be explained by any demographic characteristics. This research found support for all four categories of IPV identified under Johnson's (2008) typology of IPV, but also found the presence of two control-related categories: situational control and control resistance. Interpreted cautiously in lieu of the limitations of the study, this new typology of IPV provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the range of violent and controlling experiences within relationships, and gives social workers a common language to describe the variety of IPV present within their client systems which can be used to guide the development and implementation of more responsive treatment modalities. Cluster analyses indicated that elements of IPV (control perpetration, control victimization, violence victimization and violence perpetration) all clustered in a high/low pattern, which intersected to form six unique categories of IPV in addition to the no-IPV category. Chi-square tests of independence indicated that distributions of these categories of IPV were dependent on gender but independent of race. Each category of IPV was predicted by a different combination of demographic and social/relationship variables, and interactions between race, gender, and socioeconomic status to account for intersectionality theory were not useful in the retained model, as indicated by a series of multinomial logistic regressions. Finally, a multigroup path analysis revealed that levels of PTSD and depression were higher for individuals within each category of IPV in comparison to the no-IPV reference group. This research provides empirical support that IPV as previously described and identified by two seemingly competing theoretical orientations exists simultaneously. Support for the FCTs perspective of IPV was found because the majority of violence that existed in relationships was bidirectional, suggesting an association with conflict. Several categories of IPV were identified that were control related, in line with feminist theories; most notably a unique category of intimate terrorism was identified that could not be explained by any demographic characteristics, suggesting there is a type of IPV that cuts across all social identities and is used to maintain power and control in a relationship. This research found support for all four categories of IPV identified under Johnson's (2008) typology of IPV, but also found the presence of two control-related categories: situational control and control resistance. Interpreted cautiously in lieu of the limitations of the study, this new typology of IPV provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the range of violent and controlling experiences within relationships, and gives social workers a common language to describe the variety of IPV present within their client systems which can be used to make decisions about treatment. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 7, 2015. / domestic violence, feminist theory, gender symmetry, intimate partner violence, typology of intimate partner violence / Includes bibliographical references. / Dina J. Wilke, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joyce Carbonell, University Representative; Melissa Radey, Committee Member; Stephen J. Tripodi, Committee Member; Philip Osteen, Committee Member.

Adoption has changed dramatically in the United States. Recent federal legislation, such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, has opened the doorway to an unprecedented increase in the number of foster children eligible for adoption. This has subsequently increased the number of studies on adopted children with special needs (Reilly & Platz, 2003; Smith & Howard, 1999). This research has been dominated by studies whereby adopted children with special needs—which includes but is not limited to those children with histories of abuse and neglect, medical conditions, minority status, older placement age, sibling placement, and learning challenges—are lumped together as one group (Haugaard, 1998; Simmel, 2002). Missing from these studies is a clear understanding of which subgroups are more at risk for unsuccessful adoption outcomes, which variables contribute to adoption risk, and which variables can potentially enhance adoption outcomes. As an unintended consequence of this trend, preadoption and postadoption services are informed by an incomplete knowledge base from which to develop the most effective interventions. The purpose of this study was to address this gap in the adoption research by exploring preadoptive sexual abuse in general and the impact of preadoptive sexual abuse on adopted boys in particular. In doing so, this study also responded to Erich and Leung's (2002) caveat that the "extent of empirical research involving postadoptive placement of those children with a history of sexual or physical abuse remains grossly insufficient" (p. 1046). This study was based on the first wave of data collected through the Florida Adoptive Families study, a longitudinal look at characteristics that allow placements with adoptive families to be permanent, successful, and beneficial for the children and families. This study was guided by the research on preadoptive sexual abuse, the sexual abuse of boys research, the Sexual Abuse of Males model (Spiegel, 2003), and the concept of Restrictive Emotionality described in gender role conflict theory (O'Neil, 1981; O'Neil, Good, & Holmes, 1995; O'Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986). This study had two purposes. The first purpose described, based on parental report, the extent of preadoptive emotional and behavioral needs, postadoptive externalizing behavior problems, and placement risk among approximately 116 adopted boys with preadoptive histories of sexual abuse compared to approximately 287 non–sexually abused adopted boys between the ages 6 and 18. The second and primary purpose of this study explored the moderating and mediating effects of the parents' perceptions of the boys' strengths in Emotional Exchange (i.e., the ability to express feelings, identify feelings, and reciprocate feelings) and Emotional and Behavioral Regulation on Preadoptive Adjustment and Externalizing Behavior. Multiple imputation and generalized estimated equations were used to enhance the confidence in the validity of the statistical results. A number of compelling findings were revealed. Adopted boys with preadoptive histories of sexual abuse presented with higher levels of Preadoptive Adjustment needs and Externalizing Behavior compared to their non–sexually abused, adopted male peers. As a preadoptive risk factor, adopted boys with preadoptive sexual abuse histories were at greater adoption placement risk compared to adopted boys with physical abuse histories, neglect and/or abandonment histories, or no histories of abuse. The moderating analyses indicated that adopted boys with sexual abuse histories who present with high levels of Preadoptive Adjustment needs and lower levels of Emotional Exchange (i.e., deficits in expressing feelings, identifying feelings, and reciprocating feelings) are at risk for escalated Externalizing Behavior. In addition, Emotional Exchange and Emotional and Behavioral Regulation partially mediated the association between Preadoptive Adjustment needs and Externalizing Behavior. In other words, adopted boys with sexual abuse histories who had elevated levels of Preadoptive Adjustment needs displayed fewer Externalizing Behavior problems, partly as a result of their ability to identify feelings, express feelings, reciprocate feelings, and regulate emotions and behaviors. Although the results suggest that adoptive parents may be overcome with the complex array of adoption adjustment problems experienced by boys with sexual abuse histories, the findings also suggest a pathway to hope for these families. The implications of how preadoption and postadoption services could help support these families are discussed. Adoptive parents may hold the key to helping to facilitate the Emotional Exchange and Emotional and Behavioral Regulation abilities of their sons, heal the wounds of sexual abuse, and ultimately foster successful placement experiences. / A Dissertation submitted to the College of Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2006. / February 17, 2006. / Externalizing Behavior, Emotions, Adoption Adjustment, Preadoption Services, Male Gender Role Socialization, Postadoption Services, Sexual Abuse Of Boys / Includes bibliographical references. / Scott D. Ryan, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joyce Carbonell, Outside Committee Member; Neil Abell, Committee Member; Jim Hinterlong, Committee Member.