Where Do We Stand? Testing the Foundation of a Shared Site Intergenerational Program

Abstract

Shared site intergenerational care programs provide ongoing services simultaneously to old and young community members at a single facility, thereby, meeting the care needs of multiple generations. However, they face the challenge of sustainability common to all community-based programs. We employed the results management model to identify program elements that may enhance or inhibit sustainability of intergenerational programming at a shared site facility involving a child development lab school and adult day services program. The 4-step results management approach is a strengths-based model that supports community capacity and achievement of community and program goals. The current paper describes the first step in the results management approach, mapping the terrain, which involves gathering evidence of community needs and strengths. Focus groups were conducted with eleven staff members from both programs after a 4-month intergenerational program. The focus groups targeted the needs and strengths related to intergenerational programming. Respondents identified strengths that enhanced staff members' and clients' capacity for collaboration. These included affective and developmental benefits for both generations and strong partnerships between staff members. Respondents also identified factors that limited collaboration, such as the need for greater authority support and cross-training opportunities. Findings from our study have been used by program administrators to continue using the results management approach to further build intergenerational community and expand the scope of evaluating intergenerational shared site programs. Other intergenerational programs may utilize the results management model to enhance intergenerational programming and increase program sustainability.     

Implementation of an intimate partner violence screening program in a university health care clinic

Abstract

Objectives: To examine whether an intimate partner violence (IPV) screening program is related to a positive change in health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of IPV screening. Participants: Eleven health care providers at a university health care clinic participated in the IPV screening program. Methods: A one-group pretest-posttest design was used to examine whether an IPV screening program was related to a change in health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of IPV screening. Results: Findings indicated that there was a significant difference (p?<?000) between the posttest scores and the pretest scores on the Domestic Violence Healthcare Provider Survey Scale. Domain analysis of the scale revealed a significant difference in perceived self-efficacy (p?=?.001), system support (p?=?<.002), victim provider safety (p?=?.015), and beliefs of blaming victims (p?=?<.004). No statistical difference was found in professional role resistance/fear of offending (p?=?.158). Conclusions: A university health care clinic IPV screening program was related to a positive change in health care providers’ knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of IPV screening.     

Narratives of Low-Income Mothers in Addiction Recovery Centers: Motherhood and the Treatment Experience

ABSTRACT

This study examines the narratives shared by low-income women in addiction recovery centers about the meaning they attach to being a parent in recovery and how they view current program models that include children in daily treatment. Their stories reflect the centrality of the mothering role to women in recovery and offer insights that can guide treatment and program planning with families.     

Explaining how unexploded ordnance clearance enhances livelihoods in the Lao PDR

BackgroundFollowing violent conflict, the continued presence of landmines and unexploded ordnance pose a barrier to rebuilding livelihoods. Mine action removes these explosive remnants of conflict to enable communities to safely return contaminated land to productive use. There is limited understanding, however, of how, why, in what context and in what respects mine action contributes to livelihoods. Yet, such information is required for effective resource allocation, checking underlying program assumptions, understanding benefits and potential harms.MethodsThe evaluation was undertaken in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. It used an interpretive case study design and applied the principles of realist evaluation. Program staff and local government authorities were interviewed (N = 37) and program beneficiaries. In total, 38 individual interviews with program beneficiaries were conducted and eighteen focus group interviews (9 with males, 9 with females), each with 6–9 participants.ResultsThe evaluation identified two main mechanisms through which the program ‘worked’: (1) communication pre- and post-clearance and (2) the delivery of the product (cleared land).ConclusionThe realist approach helped to refine the program theory, highlighted the role of self- and task-efficacy and community communication, assisted in identifying contextual factors that influence outcomes and suggested a revision of expected outcomes.     

"It Has Made College Possible for Me": Feedback on the Impact of a University-Based Center for Students in Recovery

Objective: The authors aimed to gain information on (1) the challenges for recovering students on a university campus and (2) the most helpful components of a collegiate recovery program.

Participants: The 15 students in the study were all in recovery from substance abuse. They entered the university and also entered the campus recovery program either in fall 2002 or fall 2003.

Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with students multiple times during their first academic year.

Results: Participants identified several challenges on the university campus. Many believed they would have dropped out of school or relapsed without the support of the recovery program, and they described aspects of the program that were particularly important to them.

Conclusions: Support from a campus recovery program is essential for many recovering students. There are a variety of recovery program components that can foster the sense of community that was so important to the students in this study.     

The Effect of Education on the Sexual Beliefs of Family Physicians

ABSTRACT

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of education regarding a healthy sex life on family physicians’ ideas concerning sexuality. Methods: A 3-hour interactive education program was prepared for family physicians. Thirty-seven family physicians and 21 students specializing in family medicine volunteered to participate in the program. Results: The level of agreement expressed by participants with 25 of the 31 dysfunctional sexual beliefs in the study decreased after training. Only marital status played a significant role in predicting change percentages in sexual beliefs. Conclusions: We think that programs concerning a healthy sex life should be added to physicians’ training.     

Engaging Intercollegiate Athletes in Preventing and Intervening in Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Objective: The object of this exploratory evaluation was to evaluate the “Bringing in the Bystander” sexual and intimate partner violence prevention program with a new sample of intercollegiate athletes. Participants and Methods: Fifty-three male and female athletes participated in the program (experimental group), and 86 were in the control group. All completed pretest, posttest, and 2-month follow-up surveys, including assessment of rape myth acceptance, intent to engage in bystander behaviors, bystander confidence, and bystander behaviors. Results: The program worked overall and for both women and men, improved bystander confidence and intent to engage in bystander behaviors, and did not create significant backlash effects (ie, worsening of attitudes as a result of program). Conclusions: The program fits with the intent of the National Collegiate Athletic Association CHAMPS/Life Skills program regarding its focus on the overall development of student-athletes and demonstrates the promising bystander approach compatible with the 2007 American College Health Association toolkit, Shifting the Paradigm: Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence.     

Pilot of a Computer-Based Brief Multiple–Health Behavior Intervention for College Students

Abstract

Objective: Given the documented multiple health risks college students engage in, and the dearth of effective programs addressing them, the authors developed a computer-based brief multiple–health behavior intervention. This study reports immediate outcomes and feasibility of a pilot of this program. Participants: Two hundred students attending a midsized university participated. Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention or control program, both delivered via computer. Immediate feedback was collected with the computer program. Results: Results indicate that the intervention had an early positive impact on alcohol and cigarette use intentions, as well as related constructs underlying the Behavior-Image Model specific to each of the 3 substances measured. Based on the implementation process, the program proved to be feasible to use and acceptable to the population. Conclusion: Results support the potential efficacy of the intervention to positively impact behavioral intentions and linkages between health promoting and damaging behaviors among college students.     

Internet and Mobile Phone Text Messaging Intervention for College Smokers

Objective: The authors developed a smoking cessation program using mobile phone text messaging to provide tailored and stage-specific messages to college smokers. Participants and Methods: The authors recruited 31 daily smokers who desired to quit from a college campus and asked them to use an Internet and mobile phone text messaging program to quit smoking. Results: Six weeks after program initiation, 45% reported abstinence with 42% abstinent based on cotinine verification. Continued smokers reported significantly reduced smoking rates and dependence. Overall, participants accepted the text messages. Conclusions: These results replicate findings from an earlier study and indicate that mobile phone text messaging is a potentially efficacious and easily disseminated method for providing cessation interventions to young adult smokers.     

My Student Body: Effects of an Internet-Based Prevention Program to Decrease Obesity Among College Students

Abstract

Objective: To determine the impact of My Student Body (MSB)–Nutrition, an Internet-based obesity prevention program for college students. Participants: Three hundred and twenty ethnically diverse undergraduate students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: MSB-Nutrition program, an on-campus weight management course, and a comparison group. Methods: Students completed baseline and follow-up surveys regarding their nutrition and physical activity behaviors, self-efficacy, stress, attitudes, and body weight. Results: Compared with the on-campus course and a comparison group, the MSB-Nutrition program increased fruit and vegetable consumption, reduced stress, and increased fruit and vegetable self-efficacy but had no significant effect on students’ exercise self-efficacy, exercise behavior, or weight loss. Conclusions: The MSB-Nutrition program was effective in changing students’ nutrition behaviors but had no effect on physical activity behaviors or weight loss. Suggestions for improving Internet-based interventions aimed at decreasing obesity rates among college students are offered.     

Rates of Asymptomatic Nonurethral Gonorrhea and Chlamydia in a Population of University Men Who Have Sex With Men

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate a text message (SMS) program as a booster to an in-person alcohol intervention with mandated college students. Participants: Undergraduates (N = 224; 46% female) who violated an on-campus alcohol policy over a 2-semester period in 2014. Methods: The SMS program sent drinking-related queries each Thursday and Sunday and provided tailored feedback for 6 weeks. Response rates to SMS drinking-related queries and the associations between weekend drinking plans, drinking-limit goal commitment, and alcohol consumption were examined. Gender differences were explored. Results: Ninety percent of SMS queries were completed. Weekend binge drinking decreased over 6 weeks, and drinking-limit goal commitment was associated with less alcohol consumption. Compared with women, men had greater reductions in alcohol consumption when they committed to a drinking-limit goal. Conclusions: Preliminary evidence suggests that an SMS program could be useful as a booster for helping mandated students reduce weekend binge drinking.     

Convict

Summary

Convict, a computer simulation of the criminal justice system, assumes an economic explanation for criminal behavior. Players choose one role to play for ten years. Decisions about working, stealing money, or both must be made. All aspects of the criminal justice system are included, from bargaining with the police to considering plea bargaining to serving time are included. Results are kept in a separate file. All program probabilities are based on recent government data.     

Comparison of two approaches to prevention of mental health problems in college students: Enhancing coping and executive function skills

Objective: College students face a significant number of stressors, increasing risk for internalizing and externalizing psychopathology. The current study examines two promising avenues of intervention aimed to reduce stress and prevent psychopathology in this population: a coping skills group and a cognitive training program. Participants: 62 undergraduate students from two universities were recruited from 2013 to 2015. Methods: Students were randomized to a 6-week coping skills group or cognitive training program and completed measures of stress, coping, executive function, and symptoms of anxiety, depression and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at pre- and post-intervention. Results: Participants in both conditions reported significant decreases in social stress, executive function difficulties, and anxiety symptoms post-intervention. Students in the cognitive program improved significantly more on measures of behavior regulation and ADHD symptoms compared to the coping group at post-intervention. Conclusions: Brief stress management interventions targeting coping and executive function may benefit college students at risk for psychopathology.     

Investigating feasibility and fidelity of the Parenting Young Children program in Sweden

Specific aimsThis study explored feasibility and fidelity of an education program for parents with intellectual disability. The Australian Parenting Young Children intervention was translated and adapted for support workers in the Swedish social services.MethodFidelity was examined using implementation diaries tracking frequency of implementation of program activities and teaching approaches ((over 14 months, completed by 27 support workers from 15 municipalities). Eighteen of these support workers and their managers (n = 12) completed questionnaires examining feasibility using Roger’s concepts of program compatibility and complexity.FindingsResults showed that implementation of Parenting Young Children was feasible, with overall positive attitudes to Evidence Based Practice, good program compatibility, low perceived program complexity, and high satisfaction with implementation support. The fidelity measures suggest problems in how the program is used by some support workers: parents received less than the recommended number of sessions and activities such as observation of parents and follow up, were infrequently used by support workers.DiscussionThe findings raise questions about how program support and education should be provided. Difficulties in defining fidelity within the flexibility of the Parenting Young Children program are also discussed.     

Evaluating College Student Interest in Pet Therapy

The first year of college can be extremely stressful, especially for students residing on campus. Objective: The authors obtained information from college freshmen about their relationships with pets and investigated interest in a pet therapy program as social support for transient stressful periods. Participants: As part of a university orientation program, 246 college freshman attended 1 of 5 health issues sessions offered during the 2006-2007 academic year. Approximately 50 freshmen attended each session. Method: Participants completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the session, followed by a 20-minute presentation about pet therapy that ended with pet therapy visitation. Results: Students identified that visits with certified pet therapy dogs could be beneficial to college freshman during their first year away from home. Conclusions: These students indicated that a pet therapy program could temporarily fill the absence of previous support systems and be a catalyst for establishing new social relationships.     

Coping and Regulating Emotions: A Pilot Study of a Modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Delivered in a College Counseling Service

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the efficacy of a pilot program, aimed at treating college students with borderline personality disorder (BPD) using short-term, modified group dialectical behavior therapy at an Australian college counseling service (CCS). Participants: Seventeen enrolled college students aged between 18 and 28 (76.5% female), with a diagnosis of BPD completed the program between November 2009 and November 2010. Methods: Participants attended 8 2-hour group therapy sessions, held at the CCS during semester. Participants were assessed for levels of depression, anxiety, BPD traits, and coping strategies, at commencement and completion of the program. Results: There was a reduction in symptoms of depression and BPD traits, and an increase in adaptive coping skills, including problem solving, and constructive self-talk. There was no reduction in anxiety. Conclusions: The findings indicate promise for short-term treatment of college students with BPD. Implications and limitations are discussed, with emphasis on replication with a control group.     

Inspiring Hope,Envisioning Alternatives: The Importance of Peer Role Models in a Mandated Treatment Program for Women

ABSTRACT

This article presents evidence from a program evaluation effort conducted with clients in a mandated treatment setting for drug-involved women charged with felony-level offenses. We present themes from qualitative interviews that stress the importance of identifying with a peer who is further along in recovery as a crucial mechanism for instilling hope and fostering program engagement. We also provide survey data that shows that a client's ability to imagine a life without using drugs, at intake, is a significant predictor of program success. Finally, the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness scale did not show any significant correlations with program success in this population. All women entered this program from very challenging situations, but we conclude that those who enter with the least hope and smallest (or absent) vision of any alternative future are especially vulnerable for a bad outcome. We urge researchers and practitioners to further explore the ways in which connections with peer role models facilitate engagement and successful outcomes; and to systematically evaluate the effect of interventions designed to foster such connections on program outcomes.     

Process evaluation of the ‘Singapore Physical Activity and Nutrition Study’

IntroductionThe Singapore Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (SPANS) aimed to improve the physical activity (PA) and nutrition behaviours of Singaporean women aged 50 years and over. The SPANS program consisted of PA classes, nutrition workshops, telephone dietary counselling, health booklets, a health calendar and program ambassadors. This study aimed to assess and understand the implementation of the program strategies and gain insight into process evaluation components to inform future programs.MethodsThe evaluation was guided by a process evaluation framework and collected data via questionnaires (n = 209), program ambassador documentation and exit interviews with program completers (n = 13) and non-completers (n = 12).ResultsIn total, 295 participants completed the program (response rate = 84 %). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction with the overall program (99.5 %) and program activities (96.7 %), and also rated program ambassadors highly. Participation rates were highest for telephone dietary counselling sessions. The main reason for not attending program activities was having a ‘busy schedule’ (n = 158). Participants cited a need for improved recreational centre facilities and increased flexibility around program delivery.ConclusionsThe process evaluation showed that the program strategies were implemented as planned and were deemed suitable for supporting behaviour change among Singaporean women aged 50 years and over. The program reached and involved the majority of participants throughout the six months. The combination of practical educational resources and supportive program ambassadors were key strategies that facilitated positive PA and dietary behaviours. However, there needs to be some flexibility in the delivery of programs. The findings of this research may inform other programs in the region.     

Paraphrase II

SUMMARY

Paraphrase -A multimedia listening skills training program is presented and discussed. Major elements of the program include a definition of paraphrasing, some of its advantages and disadvantages, techniques of paraphrasing, and an example of how such a multimedia program might be used to deal with a problem of interpersonal conflict in an organization. Graphics, text, video images and audio were used in the design of the program.