Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-01

No description available.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine differences between dropouts and completers in a domestic violence focused couples treatment (DVFCT) program. Fifty-eight men met the criteria of participating in at least one couples session for domestic violence. Data was analyzed with t-test and chi-squares. The dropout rate was 36 percent. Three variables — age, race, and marital status — were significant predictors of dropping out from the program. White men who were over 30 and married were found significantly more likely to complete treatment than were nonwhite single men younger than 30. Other variables that approached significance were employment, parental status, living arrangement and prior treatment. That is, employed men who lived with their partners, had children with their partners, and had prior treatment tended to stay in treatment. Stages of Change using the URICA and the URICA-DV measures and level of violence at intake using the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale were not found to differentiate between dropouts and completers in this sample. Other variables examined but not found as significant discriminators between completers and dropouts of DVFCT were education and referral source. A literature review of dropouts in therapy, marriage and family therapy, batterer programs and DVFCT; as well as literature on stages of change, is included. Further discussion and recommendations for further research and for improving domestic violence focused couples treatment is included. / Master of Science

National rates of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) are rising alongside increasing reports of prescription opioid abuse and mortality. Associations between the rise in CNCP and in opioid abuse seem logical, yet research on CNCP among individuals with opioid dependence is currently limited due to the complicated nature of comorbid conditions in research and treatment. This study aims to expand the CNCP knowledge base by responding to the question: Do individuals with CNCP participating in an opiate treatment program have better or worse treatment outcomes than individuals without CNCP? This study used a secondary dataset including 483 adults from Kentucky’s Opiate Recovery Treatment Outcome Study. Individuals in the sample met DSM-IV-TR criteria for opioid dependence and were in treatment at a licensed opiate treatment program (OTP). Analysis compared cases with and without CNCP on national treatment outcome measures including substance use, recovery support, education, employment, mental health symptoms, and criminal justice system involvement. Results indicated no differences at follow-up between the CNCP (n=163) and non-CNCP (n=320) individuals on substance abstinence, recovery supports, education level, or criminal justice system involvement. At baseline and follow-up there were more unemployed individuals and individuals receiving disability benefits in the CNCP group than the non-CNCP group. Reported anxiety and depression symptoms increased at follow-up, while use of prescription medicine for mental health symptoms declined for both groups (non-significant differences). The only predictors for CNCP cases in this sample were tobacco use and presence of a chronic medical condition. Recommendations include expansion of smoking cessation programs in substance abuse treatment settings. Future research might examine integrated treatment and medical home health models to better address biopsychosocial components of clients with comorbid conditions like opioid dependence and CNCP.

This thesis deals with the current legal regulation of post-penitentiary treatment. It is divided into six thematic areas. The opening chapter defines the concept of penitentiary and post-penitentiary treatment and the concept of resocialization. The second chapter contains an analysis of the legal arrangements for penitentiary treatment, including UN and Council of Europe activities in this area. Attention is also paid to a new way of differentiating sentenced prisoners. Description of the legislation of the treatment programs, including an enumeration of their standardized forms follows. The individual activities of the treatment programs are treated with an emphasis on work and educational activities. The last subchapter deals with the description of the release from imprisonment. The focus of the work lies in the third and fourth chapter dealing with post- penitentiary care and problems of released prisoners. The first sub-chapter focuses on the development of care for the released prisoners on the Czech territory from the collapse of Austro-Hungarian Empire to the present. The second subchapter analyzes the current form of providing post-penitentiary treatment in the form of social services and assistance in material need. The structure of providers, including a detailed analysis of the...

For more than two decades, special education teacher shortages and attrition have concerned policymakers and administrators who work to recruit and retain special educators. It is imperative, therefore, to investigate the possible causes underlying the decision of special educators to leave the field. The aim of this current study was to explore teacher commitment to model philosophy and burnout across two well-established preschool treatment models for children with ASD: TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children) and LEAP (Learning Experiences and Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents). Additionally, these constructs were explored in Business As Usual (BAU) classroom models. Results indicated that LEAP teachers were significantly more committed to LEAP philosophy and practice relative to the TEACCH and BAU teachers and TEACCH teachers were not significantly more committed to TEACCH philosophy relative to the LEAP and BAU teachers. Additionally, BAU teachers are not significantly more committed to either LEAP or TEACCH, but do share commitment to both classroom approaches. Lastly, post hoc analyses provided support for a quadratic relationship between teacher commitment and aspects of teacher burnout. Implications for school districts and teachers working within the field of special education are discussed.

Thesis(M.S.)--Auburn University, 2005. / Abstract. Vita. Includes bibliographic references (p.95-102).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2005. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iv, 64 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 28-32).

Chronic low-back pain is a prevalent and costly problem for many adults in the United States. Currently, multidisciplinary treatment approaches are the treatment of choice for this problem. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 published studies to describe the nature of these programs, the patients involved in them, treatment efficacy at discharge and follow-up, and possible relationships between these characteristics and outcome. Results show that these programs were often in university medical settings, with an emphasis on active patient participation. Common treatment approaches included physical therapy, skills training, medication management, supportive therapy, and behavior modification. Patients involved in these programs tended to be middle-aged, married, unemployed, and high-school educated, with an average pain duration of about five years. It was concluded that patients do show improvement at treatment completion (at least one-half standard deviation change) in physical fitness, reported distress levels, daily activity, and medication usage. At follow-up improvement over pre-treatment levels was still evidenced in reported distress levels, medication usage, mood, fitness levels, daily activities, and health perceptions. Results of correlational analyses suggest that the more impaired patients in these studies tended to show greater improvement. Data also suggest that patient dropouts rates were negatively correlated to medication usage and mood over time. Thus, improvements in these areas may be artifacts due to patient drop-out rates. Multidisciplinary treatment programs were found to be generally effective in promoting more adaptive functioning in their patients . However, it is recommended that closer attention be given to attrition rates and other potential sources of bias to maximize confidence in treatment effectiveness.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The United States is experiencing a severe opioid use epidemic with more than 2 million people currently suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD), of which, over 1 million need treatment. Opioid treatment programs (OTPs) are evidence-based modality providing comprehensive care to individuals experiencing OUD. OTPs provide counseling, medical assessments, and medication-assisted treatment, which decrease the use of illicit opioids, reduce associated deaths, criminality, and improve the psychosocial wellbeing of its patients. However, OTPs have been extensively regulated at the federal, state, and local levels with little consistency and varying degrees of enforcement across the country, particularly at the state level, creating a “regulatory fog”. This complex regulatory environment has made it challenging to study new or changing regulations and their impact on health outcomes. In order to better understand the variation of OTP regulation, this dissertation: (1) employs public health law research methods to map the entire landscape of state-level regulation of OTPs and associated state characteristics in effect on January 1, 2017; (2) examine how state-level regulations affect the delivery of care from the perspective of OTP administrators through key-information interviews; and (3) examines associations between regulatory burden and related health outcomes of individuals experiencing OUD, by state.