This research explored the fathering experience of 44 divorced and remarried fathers with legal joint custody and at least one child under the age of 16. The fathers filled out a questionnaire and were interviewed about the frequency of their participation in various child care activities, their satisfaction during their participation in these activities, and their perceived influence on their child's growth and development. Three fathering measures were derived from the questionnaire. The father's perception of the relationship with the mother (coparenting relationship) was correlated with the fathering measures to determine if the amount of interaction between coparents and the amount of support or conflict in their relationship was associated with high or low scores on the fathering measures. Results indicate that the sample fathers have maintained an active and involved relationship with their children which did not diminish upon remarriage. They are satisfied with the time spent with their child, and feel influential in their child's growth and development. The quality of the relationship between coparents varied from highly supportive relationships to highly conflictual and antagonistic ones. In general, the amount of support or conflict within the coparental relationship, and the frequency of the coparental interaction, was not associated with any of the indicators of a father's involvement with his child. Fathers were able to sustain an involvement with their children without support from their former wives and within conflictual circumstances. Joint custody was considered to be the context within which fathers were able to negotiate a positive relationship with their child. Most fathers were strongly in favor of using the legal supports that are part of a joint custody agreement as a means of insuring both parents' attachment to their child after divorce. Joint custody appears to be an appropriate and desirable child care alternative in more kinds of divorced families than is currently accepted or encouraged. However, far more support from the legal and social systems is needed to help fathers continue to fulfill their responsibilities and obligations as parents after separation, divorce and remarriage.

This study tested the effects of a mental health practitioner's professional affiliation (psychiatry, clinical psychology, and social work), gender, and warmth on clients' perceptions of the professional's expertness and social attractiveness and the relationship between these perceptions and the influence the mental health practitioner has on client attitude change. Using social psychology's literature on attitude change as a frame of reference, the study was based on the premise that social work practice is a process of social influence in which the social worker attempts to influence clients to change their attitudes. The subjects were 120 randomly selected male inpatients from an alcohol detoxification unit at a private hospital in New York City. They were randomly assigned to one of twelve experimental conditions based on the mental health practitioner's professional affiliation, gender, and the description of the practitioner as a warm or cold person. These experimental conditions were established by biographical sketches describing the mental health professional. The subjects then listened to a ten-minute segment of a simulated psychotherapy session and completed the Counselor Rating Form which measured the subjects' perceptions of the mental health practitioner's expertness and attractiveness, and the Persuasibility Questionnaire, which measured the tape mental health professional's influence on subjects' attitudes. The results indicated that the practitioners from all three professions were perceived to be equally expert and attractive as were the male and female practitioners in both psychiatry and psychology. Although male and female social workers were perceived to be equally attractive, the male social workers were perceived to be significantly more expert than their female counterparts. When the psychiatrists and psychologists were described as warm they were perceived to be significantly more expert and attractive than when they were described as cold. However, the description of the social worker as warm had no differential effect on the subjects' perceptions. This resulted from the subjects' failure to see the social workers as cold, even when they were so described. The overall findings of this study indicated that the more expert and attractive mental health professionals were perceived to be, the more influence they had in changing the subjects' attitudes. This held true for all subgroups except social workers and male mental health professionals.

The study examined factors affecting return to work following a short-term disability and measured the relationship between social support and the subject's well-being status, emphasizing the role of the social support system. Subjects are 185 female city workers, members of District Council 37, AFSCME, AFL-CIO, and recently either physically or mentally disabled. They are entitled to a maximum of six-months short-term disability benefits. Data, collected through a structured telephone interview, included the Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS), modified to the type of event (short-term disability), population (female), to measure perceived social support, and the General Well-Being Schedule to measure subjects' well-being. Univariate and multivariate statistical techniques were utilized. Six variables predicted length of unemployment: (1) severity of illness; (2) general well-being; (3) type of disability (physical or mental); (4) quality of support from immediate family; (5) job tenure; and (6) perceived financial stress. None of the work social support variables were statistically significant in predicting length of unemployment. A relationship between social support and well-being was found. Four variables predicted the subject's well-being status: (1) perceived financial stress; (2) job satisfaction; (3) quality of support from family; and (4) quality of support from friends. Mentally disabled subjects remained longer on short-term disability than the physically disabled and a higher percentage were unemployed at the end of the six-month short-term disability, implying that they are at a greater risk of leaving the labor force. Findings are consistent with existing research on the role of social support in promoting well-being and return to work, as well as identification of critical risk factors for leaving the labor force. These have critical implications for social work practice and policy, in general, and in union settings.

Purpose. The purpose of the study was to examine the network of indigenous resources of the Mexican-American community. Further it was the purpose of the study to explore the knowledge of the respondents regarding the issue of concern. The objectives of this study were threefold. The primary objective was to contribute to the body of knowledge on Mexican-Americans and secondly to explore their network of indigenous resources. The final objective of this study was to contribute to theory development and provide recommendations for social work practice and intervention with Mexican-Americans. Method. The study was exploratory-descriptive, and the setting for the research was Tulare County in the Central San Joaquin Valley, California. The host agency for the study was Tulare County Headstart and Child Care Agency. Thirty-six couples, 18 first generation and 18 second generation were randomly selected as the sample of the study. None of the participants were, past or present, a client of Mental Health Services, which was one of the criteria for the sample selection. Respondents participated in interviews that were prearranged. The interviews were facilitated with a research instrument designed to explore the most salient elements of the network of indigenous resources. Analysis of the data collected was performed by qualitative and quantitative methods. Conclusions. Generally the data revealed that a well defined and functioning system of indigenous resources exist among Mexican-Americans. On most aspects of the indigenous resources and utilization, no difference was determined between the first and second generation respondents. It was found that the sample was youthful and involved in the life tasks of child rearing and family development. Their outlook on life is controlled by a well developed system of belief which is guided by belief in God and evil. Their overall family orientation was extended in nature and in some cases friends and compadres were considered as part or extension of the family. Finally, it was found that curanderos and priests/ministers have a significant role for the respondents in regard to provision of assistance/help for life problems. Recommendations. The findings have implications for social work theory development and social work practice. Sensitivity and awareness is necessary in relation to the cultural, social, and environment of Mexican-Americans. This is of critical importance in the provision of intervention and services. Further social work practitioners need to be cognizant that Mexican-American clients within their relationships and beliefs may possess a wealth of indigenous resources. And a concerted effort must be made to engage the indigenous resources as part of the helping system.

Many questions surround the nature of the relationship between homeless individuals' personal attributes, histories and problems and their recent experiences with homelessness, their current level of social and psychological functioning and their need for services. Using data collected in a major needs assessment survey of municipal shelter users in New York City, the study explores the continuities and discontinuities between different phases in the life histories of homeless men aged 28 to 50. Employing factor analysis and multiple regression methods, the study examines associations between a range of disparate variables describing experiences of childhood and adulthood as well as several current status measures. The relationship between these variables and homeless individuals' self-rated service needs is also investigated. The emerging view of the contemporary homeless population as defined by considerable heterogeneity was supported. Four broad life course dimensions (mental illness/substance abuse, childhood deprivation/family disruption, positive adjustment/achievement, delinquency/deviant behavior) were identified and described. Childhood runaway behavior, delinquency and separation from the family were found to be significantly associated with a number of specific adult outcomes and current status measures. Homeless persons' self-ratings of their need for services was found to comprise a coherent factor structure and to be associated with selected life course variables. Policy and practice implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

This was an exploratory-descriptive survey of planned short-term crisis-oriented programs in 44 child psychiatric clinics and 54 family service agencies. The general study questions concerned the common and special characteristics of these programs, the extent to which formulations about the crisis approach and the structuring of the time dimension were utilized, and the feasibility of developing a scoring-instrument to profile certain important program features. Specific study questions dealt with theoretical formulations, practice processes, and administrative procedures. Planned short-term treatment (PSTT) was defined to mean that certain cases were designated during the intake period, or shortly thereafter, to be seen for (a) a more or less limited number of in-person interviews and/or (b) a more or less limited period of time. The "crisis approach" included attention to the stress-crisis configuration (the precipitating event, the perception of and response to the event, and the resolution of the ensuing problems) as well as emphasis on the prompt availability and accessibility of treatment. Major findings were: The proportion of clinics with PSTT services was much greater than that of the agencies. PSTT was viewed as a treatment of choice rather than expediency. The goals of PSTT were generally focused on the client's "presenting" rather than his "underlying" problem. The primary reason for initiating PSTT was to meet the needs of clients in crisis situations. Treatment techniques were thought to require special adaptations in PSTT. The clinics--as compared to the agencies--were more likely to (1) have longer waiting lists; (2) use an application form as a screening device; (3) have centralized or specialized intake services; (4) have a longer time laps betwen the application for help and the initial interview; and (5) use a larger number of exploratory interviews before the case was assigned to PSTT. In terms of these administrative factors, clinics seemed less accessible for early crisis intervention than agencies. Only 21 clinics and agencies reported the use of a specific predetermined number of interviews or weeks of treatment for PSTT cases; the remaining 77 respondents used an approximate range of interviews or weeks as a way of flexibly structuring the time dimension. PSTT, as typically used by the respondents in this sample, encompassed up to 12 interviews which were offered over a period of up to three months. Staff opinions about the professional advisability of PSTT were overwhelmingly positive, and when they changed--after PSTT services were initiated--they did so in a significantly positive direction. A preliminary Program Assessment Scale (PAS) was developed to profile differences among respondents with a strong, moderate, or minimal investment in crisis-oriented PSTT. The PAS included 10 cross-validated items (for clinics and agencies) related to crisis formulations, time factors, intake procedures, staff training, and research. Further study will be needed to test this instrument. The study suggests that continued careful experimentation with crisis-oriented PSTT programs in a variety of mental health services shows promise of (1) reducing the number of unplanned terminations by offering families under stress a meaningful ans definitive type of brief service; and (2) serving--through the redeployment of available professional resources--an increasing number of individuals and families in stressful situations. Such programs might well be the treatment of choice for large numbers of families and thus deserve an important place in the spectrum of community mental health services.

The major objective of this research was to investigate factors involved in discharge planning for terminal patients and their families where alternatives exist--home vs. institution. This was an exploratory-descriptive survey, utilizing questionnaires and telephone interviews. The respondents were 86 trained social workers from acute care hospitals and hospice units within hospitals. Data collected were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. The social workers who responded came from hospitals within one state, and from hospices across the country. Sampling was a two-stage process, with hospitals and hospices selected in the first stage, and social workers in the second. The major research aims were: (1) Identify the parameters of discharge plans for terminal patients, including those factors already suggested in the literature as being involved in discharge planning. (2) Specify the relative importance among factors that social workers consider in their formulation of discharge plans for terminal patients. (3) Compare differences in worker reactions to discharge planning as between the hospital and hospice settings. Most social workers felt terminal patients needed nursing services upon discharge, and doctors and nurses were important team members in discharge planning. Hospice workers were more likely than hospital workers to take patients' needs and home conditions into account. Hospice workers recognized patients' spiritual needs and considered religious personnel to be significant team members. Hospital workers saw their patients as more helpful, while hospice workers perceived their patients to be more accepting of prognosis. Although most social workers felt patients and families needed counseling around death and dying, hospice workers especially noted the need for bereavement counseling. They were more likely than hospital workers to consider the family attitude of leaving the decision of disposition to the patient. All hospice workers and many hospital workers had personal experience with family and terminal illness. Most workers preferred sending patients home to die, rather than to an institution. Plans to send patients home generated workers' feelings of competence and empathy toward their work, while plans to send patients to institutions provoked feelings of sadness, guilt, and frustration. Generally, workers believed patients were aware of their prognosis, despite their feelings that the patients were not formally told by their physicians. Principal factors influencing discharge planning were found to be the family's desire to have the patient home, financial conditions, and the patient's desire to go home.

This is a study of the process of collaboration between schools of social work and their field placement agencies as they go about the business of educating tomorrow's social workers. In order to develop a complete picture of the nature of the inter-organizational interactions actors in both settings were studied. The student, the field instructor and the university's director of field work were chosen because of their active involvement in the process under investigation. The sample was drawn from the six graduate schools of social work in the New York City area (i.e., Adelphi, Columbia, Fordham, Hunter, New York University and Wurzweiler). The study was conducted during the 1975-76 academic year. Perceptions of students and field teachers regarding the school-agency relationship was obtained through the mail administration of two separate questionnaires. A total of 285 second year students and 180 field instructors responded. Each of the six field work directors were viewed as "key informants" and seen in individual face-to-face interviews. The history of social work education is marked by the consistent association between academia and practice. This study attempted to explain the reasons for this engagement. Areas examined involved the·motivation of each institution in initiating this educational partnership and each setting's stake in maintaining it. Efforts were also made to understand the historically recurrent tensions between school and agency through eliciting respondents' opinions regarding their existence and degree of friction. The strains investigated included conflict in organizational structure and goals, the generic-specific controversy, discrepancies in content taught in class and field and the integration of the two. Special attention was also given to respondents' views of the intimacy of the school-agency relationship, the linkage mechanisms joining them, the reciprocal influences on each others' systems, the importance of the field experience and its connection to the university. In addition the investigator sought out differential perceptions of various debatable issues in social work education. Among these was the subject of generic training. Opinions were solicited regarding the applicability of the same practice skills in work with individuals, groups and communities and on the need for a "fields of practice" approach. Responses indicated a dubiousness about generic education and an inclination towards method teaching and away from fields of practice concentrations (e.g., aging...). Other educational issues dealt with the prevalence and need for uniform standards for student performance in the field, as well as for choice of field work placements and field instructors. An attempt was made to explain the views of respondents by school affiliation, by certain demographic factors and by ratings of the field placement as an educational experience. In order to determine whether role effected opinions the analysis of the results also included comparisons of student, field instructor and field work director perceptions. The findings of the study reaffirmed the centrality of field work in social work education. It was viewed as being more influential than class work in shaping a student's professional training. Not surprising was the view that the field instructor exerted the greatest influence on learners. Serious question was raised as to who controlled field instruction since the field teacher was seen as a relatively isolated and unsupported agent in his role of helping students to integrate the skills of professional practice. Teaching the field instructor to teach emerged as an issue for further exploration. Although there was some variation attributable to differences in a school's pattern of field advisement, the relationship between the academic and.practice settings was usually not seen as a close one. This raised a question of the role of the faculty advisor as a connecting link. There tended to be general agreement on the need for uniform standards in field work performance and the establishment of criteria for acceptable field work placements and field teachers. Respondents saw the school as the senior partner in the relationship having ultimate responsibility for student education both in the class and in the field. This study's findings emphasized the need for a great deal more work from both partners in providing quality field education for the aspiring professional.

This is a comparative case study of income maintenance policy formation involving six economically underdeveloped countries, i.e. Bolivia, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Ghana, Mauritius, Thailand and the United Arab Republic (now Egypt). The major questions raised are: what are the types of income maintenance programs in the selected countries?; are there specific factors associated with the adoption of those programs? If so, what are they?; and what are the conditions, if any, under which certain factors may become active in association with the program types? In this study, the income maintenance program was defined as a body of statutory measures designed to help assure a minimum income for selected or all sectors of population through direct transfers of cash or benefit-in-kind. The specific program components examined were food subsidies, public education, public health, demogrants, modified negative tax and public assistance in the non-occupational sector and social insurance, provident fund, corporative profit-sharing and subsidized commissary in the occupational sector. For the purpose of cross-national analysis, four basic program types determined by the level of pertinent expenditures, the number and type of components involved, population coverage and the relative balance between occupational and non-occupational components were delineated and employed. In addition to exploring the substantive questions, this study attempted to formulate a conceptual model which may be useful for future studies in terms of defining the problem, generating hypotheses and comparing the findings of one study with those of another. The basic problem of the study relates to theories of choice in the social field. The selection criteria of the study settings were: the level of economy as represented by per capita income (US $137-157 and US $209-211 brackets), the income maintenance program variation and data availability. This study covers various historical junctures of the post World War II period, usually coinciding with the life span of one government in each country. In one country only (Mauritius) a period of nearly 20 years was covered because the evolvement of the income maintenance program in that country took that long. Of existing theories and hypotheses of public policy, the study findings generally support a political one, particularly those involving the political self-interest theory of Anthony Downs, Theodore Riker, Daniel Ellsberg and others. This, however, does not rule out the secondary or conditional significance of non-political factors such as needs, resources, economic context, demography, technical assistance, socio-cultural and institutional factors and external factors. The overall concept of income maintenance policy determination emerging from the study findings as a whole is represented by a systems model distinguished by politico-kinetic dynamics among all the underlying factors. In this model, the policy-making environment is envisaged as a kinetic field in which the movements of and the relationships between all underlying factors of income maintenance policies are controlled by a shifting balance of forces among political factors, such as pressure group influence, power requisites of political leadership, the leadership orientation and commitment, ideology, and so on. These political factors are conceived to change not only in their relative strengths but also in their aims or directions, and thus cause modifications in the income maintenance program. With the changes in the controlling factors and their relationships, the non-political factors are regarded to change also in terms of their relative strengths and dispositions in relation to the political factors as well as in relation to one another, thus undergoing changes in their powers of influence upon the program. The pattern of inter-factor relationships represented in the model is regarded to hold at any given moment in time as well as over a period of time. The conceptual model that best embodies the above dynamics among the underlying factors may appropriately be termed a politico-kinetic paradigm.

This study was a pre-post, single group evaluation of a drug-abuse treatment program at a private psychiatric hospital located in the north eastern United States. Subjects consisted of 101 consecutive atypical patient admissions. They were predominantly white male professionals in their late twenties who earned almost $45,000 per year and had about two years of college. The data-base included patient information obtained using: The Addiction Severity Index (ASI), The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, The Beck Depression Scale, drug history variables and a natural support systems matrix. Seventy-four of the patients successfully completed the inpatient treatment protocol, 26 did not and 1 died. Subsequently, 51 entered the outpatient program. Telephone followups on the patients were carried out 3.5 months post discharge from the inpatient program; on these interviews the ASI was administered. At these followups 51 subjects were found to be readdicted, 46 were drug free and data for 4 were unobtainable. The relationships of social, psychological and biochemical factors to occurrence and severity of drug use at post-treatment followups were examined. The analytic strategy employed chi square, correlation, hierarchical multiple regression, and residualized change score analyses. The results indicated that the longer a patient remained in treatment the more likely he was to be drug free at followup, especially if the patient entered the outpatient program. Antecedent factors predicting longer length of stay in treatment were (1) strong economic support status and (2) the existence of a supportive conjugal dyad. Two other antecedent factors were directly related to incidence of readdiction and its severity at followup. First, the greater the degree of pre-treatment legal involvement the greater the probability and severity of post-treatment readdiction. Second, the type of pre-induction drug of abuse predicted post-treatment readdiction and severity--methadone being the greatest predictor followed in order by "speedball" (a mixture of heroin and cocaine), heroin and cocaine. Additionally, it was found that the subjects taking psychotropic medication during the inpatient and continuing into outpatient phase of treatment were the most likely to be drug-free at followup, especially for the high psychiatric severity patients.