<p> The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of refractive vision correction through laser surgery (LASIK &amp; PRK) of adults of working age (22-55). This study examined and compared the symptoms of depression, stress perception, and self-esteem prior to surgery and one month after surgery, when sufficient healing has occurred. Research has shown that vision impairment has been reported to be one of the 10 most significant causes of disability in the United States, and, even though clinicians are encouraged to assess emotional response to vision loss, the psychological factors that that play a role in adjustment to vision loss have not been sufficiently studied.</p><p>

<p> Parenting a child with a disability is a unique experience, and both parents and children need to find the most effective parenting strategies. The purpose of this qualitative study is to gain a better understanding of the experiences associated with raising a child who has a disability. Specifically, this study examines what factors parents feel influence them in making decisions about their child and the expectations they have for them. In addition, it assesses how parents perceive they have modified their childrearing approaches and expectations for their child with a disability. To collect qualitative data, the investigator used narrative inquiry. This methodology was appropriate as eliciting specific stories and examples from participants allowed the team to capture the authentic experience of each one. </p><p> The primary investigator collected qualitative data through multiple interviews with parents who have children with disabilities. For purposes of this study, sampling methods were a mix between convenience and non-probability sampling. Parents included were those of children whose disability is primarily physical. The researcher conducted a semi-structured interview to examine the feelings, thought processes, challenges and overall life experience surrounding parenting a child who has a physical disability. Data was analyzed using a &ldquo;constant comparative&rdquo; method whereby the researcher constantly compares within the study the data being collected. Periodic review of the data, as well as summaries, helped identify trends warranting further analysis. </p><p> Overall, the results of this study indicate that parents and families perceive that they have needs that are not being met, empowering them to make certain parenting decisions. Based upon these perceptions, it would appear that there is a need for change in the types of services and information parents are receiving. While medical support is necessary, parents are also expressing a need for more practical forms of assistance.. This study explores several ways in which rehabilitation professionals might implement changes in order to accommodate these needs. Families whose children have disabilities expressed both a strong desire to provide the best possible care. What appears to be currently lacking is sufficient education and emotional support to channel their loving energy into setting higher expectations for their children, knowing how to effectively plan for and reach milestones, while being confident enough in their child&rsquo;s abilities to afford them opportunities to take control of their own lives.</p><p>

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The Council on Social Work Education published, in 1949, a study on the objectives of social work education. This thirteen-volume work proposed, in the section on casework method, that the concepts of "role" and "stress" be used in combination for the purpose of assessing clients' problems. Some research has already been done to bring the theory to the level of practice, but it is generally agreed that further testing is still necessary. This thesis is an attempt to make a contribution in this area by applying "role" and "stress" concepts to a sample of social work practice. Specifically, the objective is to test the usefulness of these formulations in the assessment of marital interaction. The sample group are eight cases from the files of the Adult Clinic, Mental Health Centre. Adults there are seen on referral from medical practitioners for the primary purpose of assessment and treatment of psychiatric problems, but relatives are seen where this is deemed necessary by the treatment "team". Frequently the spouse of the patient is drawn into the treatment program and marriage counseling is done when the problem in the marriage is considered to play a significant part in the etiology of the psychiatric symptoms. In this study, the reciprocal relationship of husbands and wives seen in the Clinic were examined and the case records were analyzed on the basis of the concept of "stress". The attempt was made to identify (a) the source of stress, (b) the values threatened, (c) the duration of stress, (d) the response to stress, (e) the effect of the stress on the reciprocal role relationship of husband and wife. Assessment and re-definition of the marital problem was then attempted in each case. The study brought a number of analytical features to light. (a) The use of the concept of reciprocal role functioning in a marriage made it possible to partialize the clients' total social functioning and extract the manageable units of husband and wife roles. (b) The use of stress concepts revealed a pattern of stress and response to stress that began in the early experiences of childhood and extended into the marriage relationship. (c) There was a discernable relationship between the source of stress and the development of conflict in the marriage. (d) The nature of the stress factors appeared to color the quality of the interaction between the marriage partners. (e) There appeared to be a progressive building up of stress factors in a discernable pattern. This has been only a beginning attempt at testing out the usefulness of these concepts and it would seem that further research is indicated. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

This is an exploratory study of (a) material and (b) method, for analyzing the role of the male partner in marital conflict cases, and the casework implications of the involvement of the husband in the treatment process. For this purpose a small number of cases (15) from the files of the Family Service Agency of Greater Vancouver, were selected for intensive examination, and compared as three groups: (I) in which the casework treatment was focussed on the wife, (II) in which the casework treatment was focussed on the husband, and (III) in which casework was focussed equally on husband and wife. Methods of analysis and classification were worked out in the following areas; (1) the problems discussed by the marriage partners, (2) the performance of the husband in the masculine role, (3) the patterns of interrelationship between husband and wife, and (4) the casework treatability of each marriage partner. It was found, in all cases, that the male spouses were failing in the emotional areas of their roles, in their relationships with their wives and with their children. They were, generally, able to perform adequately as economic providers of the family, and to conform to social and cultural standards. All of the men disclosed a problem in handling their emotional dependency. Nearly three-quarters showed excessive dependence on their wives; the others were trying to handle their dependence in different, but still neurotic fashions. The background information about these men often indicated that their early relationships to their parents had been such as to prevent a healthy resolution of their oedipal feelings, resulting in weak masculine identification, or identification to a pathological pattern of masculine behaviour. In Groups I and II, where casework was focussed on one partner almost to the exclusion of the other, it was generally found that treatment had been focussed on the spouse who had applied first to the agency, and who had been interviewed by a caseworker of the same sex. The focus of treatment on one partner or the other was also clearly related to the relative willingness of the spouses to use casework service. In Group II in which the men were the focus of treatment, to the virtual exclusion of the wives, the men rated better in their performance in the masculine role than in Group I in which the reverse was the case. The treatment techniques used were found to be predominantly those of psychological support and clarification. Movement was measured by an adaptation of the Hunt-Kogan Movement Scale; and techniques described by Florence Hollis. In Groups I and II in which the focus was mainly on one partner, greater positive movement was achieved by this partner. In Group III, in which the treatment was focussed dually on husband and wife, the partners generally both achieved positive movement, to a similar degree. While some improvement in the marriage was seen to result from the positive movement achieved by one partner, generally, considerable improvement in the marriage seemed to result only when both partners achieved positive movement. No improvement occurred in one-fifth of the cases, there was some improvement in slightly less than half the cases, and considerable improvement in one-third of the cases. Some of the factors apparently influential in determining success or failure in these cases, are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Many years ago, the provincial Department of Education recognized that adolescents have special needs and problems. As a consequence, junior high schools have been instituted In British Columbia to meet, not only the academic needs of adolescents, but some of their social and personal needs, as well. To this end, also, counselling services became a part of the program of secondary schools. Counselling program and practice have changed over the years from group guidance on educational and vocational matters to an individual counseling service primarily Intended for vocational counselling but, in practice, extended to many other problems. Current conceptions of counselling also appear to have some relationship to those of casework practice meriting clearer definition. In order to determine the implications of school counsell-in for social work, the counselling program and process in a sample junior high school in Vancouver were studied, by use of structured interviews with counsellors, general interviews with other members of the school staff, School Board employees, and staff members of agencies whose clients were pupils at the school which was studied. The classification developed to examine the "counselling area" was: (a) minor problems; (b) problems related to educational and vocational guidance; (c) problems related to low academic achievement; (d) problems related to school discipline; (e) personality and school adjustment problems; (f) problems related to the home situation. The counsellor's role in helping with problems in each of these areas was distinguished by relating the counsellors duties and responsibilities, training and qualification to the way in which specific cases were dealt with, either by the counsellor alone or with assistance from other people or groups. It was concluded that counsellors provide valuable assistance on an Individual basis to children with problems, where the basis of the problem is not an emotional disturbance stemming from personality or environmental factors. The study indicates, however, that counsellors are obliged to deal with the latter kind of problem, to some extent, despite the fact that they are not trained to do so. Reasons are advanced for proposing that the treatment of emotionally disturbed children in the school should be carried out by properly qualified social caseworkers, who could work with counsellors, each in their respective areas of competence, to give help to the adolescent in school. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate