Parent and Stepparent Support and Psychological Control in Remarried Families and Adolescent Empathic Concern

Abstract

Using a symbolic interaction perspective, this study examined the extent to which (a) perceptions of parent/stepparent support were positively related to adolescent empathic concern and (b) perceptions of parent/stepparent psychological control mediated this relationship. Participants were a convenience sample of 72 ninth and tenth grade adolescents residing in remarried family households who completed self-report questionnaires. Results showed that adolescent girls in remarried family households who perceived their residential parent as more supportive reported greater empathic concern and that the relationship was mediated by perceptions of parent psychological control.     

Family Intervention and Services for Persons with Mental Illness in the People's Republic of China

ABSTRACT

Family services and intervention for persons with mental illness is crucial in mental health services. In this paper, the writer attempts to describe family intervention and services for persons with mental illness in the People's Republic of China. Family intervention and services like home-based care, guardianship network, family counseling, and psychoeducational programs are only preliminarily developed. Their effectiveness and challenges in future development are discussed.     

The Role of Stress,Family Coping,Ethnic Identity,and Mother-Daughter Relationships on Substance Use Among Gang-Affiliated Hispanic Females

ABSTRACT

Hispanic adolescent females are the largest group of minority adolescents in the nation and appear to be at great risk for substance use. This research is based on data generated from a cross-sectional study of 150 Mexican American gang-affiliated adolescent females to predict substance-use recurrence. Findings reveal that positive family relationships, and in particular, mother-daughter relationships are protective factors for alcohol- and tobacco-use recurrence. Furthermore, the ability of the immediate family to cope with difficulties, stress, and conflicts were significant in averting illicit drug recurrence. This research provides evidence of the role of the family as a protective factor among these adolescents, despite their gang affiliation and street orientation. Discussed is how these findings contribute to formulating effective intervention, prevention, and treatment responses aimed at this “beyond risk” population.     

A Novel,Self-guided,Home-Based Intervention to Improve Condom Use Among Young Men Who Have Sex With Men

Abstract

Objective: This pilot study tested the efficacy of a brief, novel, theory-driven, self-guided, home-based intervention designed to promote condom use among young men who have sex with men (YMSM). Participants: Thirty YMSM were recruited from a large public US midwestern university during spring of 2012. Methods: The intervention was tested using a repeated measures design with the primary follow-up assessment occurring 6 weeks after enrollment. Results: Forty-five percent of men reported a reduced frequency of unprotected insertive penile–anal intercourse in the past 30 days compared with baseline (p = .01). Consistency of condom use improved (p = .013), as did motivation to use condoms correctly, condom use self-efficacy, and condom attitudes. All participants indicated that they were glad they participated, would recommend the program, and that overall, they had liked the program. Conclusions: This pilot study supports an expanded trial of this intervention with MSM at high-risk of acquiring human immunodeficiency virus/sexually transmitted infections (HIV/STIs).     

A pilot test of a self-guided,home-based intervention to improve condom-related sexual experiences,attitudes, and behaviors among young women

Objective: To conduct a pilot test of a brief, self-guided, home-based program designed to improve male condom use attitudes and behaviors among young women. Participants: Women aged 18–24 years from a large Midwestern University reporting having had penile–vaginal sex with two or more partners in the past 3 months. Sixty-seven enrolled; 91.0% completed the study. Methods: A repeated measures design was used, with assessments occurring at baseline, immediately post intervention (T2), and 30 days subsequent (T3). Results: Condom use errors and problems decreased, condom-related attitudes and self-efficacy improved, and experiences of condom-protected sex were rated more positively when comparing baseline with T2 and T3 scores. Further, the proportion of condom-protected episodes more than doubled between T1 and T3 for those in the lowest quartile for condom use at baseline. Conclusion: This low-resource, home-based program improved condom-related attitudes and promoted the correct and consistent use of condoms.     

Comparison of Family Therapy Outcome With Alcohol-Abusing, Runaway Adolescents

Treatment evaluation for alcohol problem, runaway adolescents and their families is rare. This study recruited primary alcohol problem adolescents ( N  =   119) and their primary caretakers from two runaway shelters and assigned them to (a) home-based ecologically based family therapy (EBFT), (b) office-based functional family therapy (FFT), or (c) service as usual (SAU) through the shelter. Findings showed that both home-based EBFT and office-based FFT significantly reduced alcohol and drug use compared with SAU at 15-month postbaseline. Measures of family and adolescent functioning improved over time in all groups. However, significant differences among the home- and office-based interventions were found for treatment engagement and moderators of outcome.     

Examining the efficacy of an mHealth media literacy education program for sexual health promotion in older adolescents attending community college

Objective: To determine the feasibility of a mobile health (mHealth), media literacy education program, Media Aware, for improving sexual health outcomes in older adolescent community college students. Participants: 184 community college students (ages 18–19) participated in the study from April–December 2015. Methods: Eight community college campuses were randomly assigned to either the intervention or a wait-list control group. Student participants from each campus completed web-based pretest and posttest questionnaires. Intervention group students received Media Aware in between questionnaires. Results: Several intervention effects of the Media Aware program were significant, including reducing older adolescents' self-reported risky sexual behaviors; positively affecting knowledge, attitudes, normative beliefs, and intentions related to sexual health; and increasing media skepticism. Some gender differences in the findings were revealed. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that Media Aware is a promising means of delivering comprehensive sexual health education to older adolescents attending community college.     

Adoptive Family Adjustment and Its Relation to Perceived Family Environment

ABSTRACT

Fifty-one adopted college students from three mid-sized East Coast universities participated in interviews structured to gather information regarding adoptees' perceptions of adoptive family life. Additionally, subjects completed a scale which measured their perceptions of general characteristics of family environment. Multiple regression analysis revealed that of ten adoption-specific factors derived from interview data, overall satisfaction with one's adoptive status and family life was the strongest predictor of perceived general family environment. Adoptee satisfaction predicted high levels of family expressiveness, ethical focus and involvement in shared activities as well as low levels of family conflict. Adoptees' perception of adoptive fathers' and mothers' communication styles predicted different aspects of family environment. Adoptees' acknowledgment of life differences due to their adoptive status did not relate to family expressiveness. The latter finding lends support to recent research suggesting that acknowledgment and expressiveness are independent aspects of adoptive family functioning.     

The Adolescent Sexual Development of African American Gay Men with AIDS: Implications for Community-Based Practice

ABSTRACT

This qualitative study describes the adolescent sexual development of ten African American gay men living with AIDS. The informants retrospectively describe the challenges of being a gay adolescent in a mostly heterosexist and homophobic environment. They report unsupportive homophobic and heterosexist family members, community members and school officials. They also describe their burgeoning sexual orientation, sexual initiation as well as consensual and non-consensual sexual experiences with their peers. Additionally, several informants describe seeking sexual experiences with adult men. Later they suggest the adult men became their primary sources of emotional and psychological support. Implications for community practice, intervention and research with both African American gay adolescents and adult men living with AIDS are discussed.     

Family Communication and Adolescent Alcohol Use in Nicaragua,Central America: A Test of Primary Socialization Theory

ABSTRACT

Applying primary socialization theory to a sample of early adolescents from Nicaragua, this study examines direct and indirect associations between family bonding and adolescent alcohol use via substance specific prevention communication (SSPC) and adolescent efficacy. Early adolescents in 7th and 8th grades completed a self-report, cross-sectional survey. Structural equation modeling revealed that family expressiveness was significantly indirectly related to adolescent lifetime alcohol use through SSPC. Results are discussed in relation to primary socialization theory, family communication, and international substance use prevention efforts. This study provides supportive evidence for the important role of positive family communication as a protective factor for early adolescents in Nicaragua.     

Tolerance of Elder Abuse and Attitudes Toward Third-Party Intervention Among African American,Korean American,and White Elderly

SUMMARY

Studies have found that professionals and the lay public differ consistently from one another in the ways in which they perceive elder abuse. A potential variable that may explain this observed difference is cultural norms among ethnic groups. Using 18 statements, this study examined similarities and differences among elderly from three ethnic groups in their tolerance for potential elder abuse, perceptions regarding perpetrators and the causes of elder abuse, and attitudes toward third-party intervention and reporting of elder abuse to the authorities. Results suggest that while African American and White elderly are remarkably similar in their responses to most statements, Korean American elderly differed significantly from the other two groups in their tolerance for medical mistreatment, financial exploitation and neglect, perceptions of causes, and attitudes toward reporting elder abuse. These findings have implications for understanding potential barriers to preventive outreach efforts, investigation, and intervention in cases of elder abuse in a culturally diverse community.     

The Perceptions of Welfare Reform by Michigan Families Whose Children Have Disabilities and Welfare Caseworkers

Abstract

This article examines family and caseworker perceptions of welfare reform and services as they relate to families who have a child with a disability. Interviews were conducted with 39 families and 77 caseworkers. Family questions addressed their perceptions of the welfare system, factors impacting their self-sufficiency, and their perceptions of needed program changes. Caseworker questions addressed their perceptions of welfare practices and policies and their education needs related to serving families who have children with disabilities. Familial perceptions of the welfare system were validated by caseworker reports. Implications for service improvement are discussed.     

The GIG

SUMMARY

The GIG¹ is an innovative community based intervention which offers education regarding pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) risks and prevention in the context of a social event that is open to the adolescent community. This intensive, six hour intervention features live and recorded music, celebrities from local radio stations, raffles and prizes, and a number of educational activities providing instruction regarding pregnancy and STI risks and prevention. A total of 609 Latino adolescents completed matched pre and posttest measures. The increase in the total mean score from pretest to posttest was found to be statistically significant, as were the separate analyses for items related to pregnancy and those related to STIs. Information regarding specific attitudes and areas of knowledge are provided. Important intervention components related to the research literature are discussed along with areas of success, especially with regard to risk factors, and those in need of further attention in future intervention events. Recommendations for reinforcing and enhancing the GIG messages are presented along with implications of the findings for social work and health care professionals responsible for designing interventions for at-risk youth.     

How early is early intervention and who should get it? Contested meanings in determining thresholds for intervention

The latest wave of reforms of the child protection system in Australia have been based on attempts to provide support to all families with vulnerable children, rather than increasing surveillance of ‘at risk’ families and forensic responses to incidents of maltreatment. This includes a drive to widen the remit of child protection from the statutory child protection agency and involve other government agencies such as health and education as well as the non-government sector in child protection. This paper reports on the effects of one such reform, the NSW initiative Keep Them Safe. It focuses on the classification of families as needing either early intervention or intensive support, using thematic analysis of qualitative interview data.MethodInterviews and focus groups were conducted with practitioners and managers from human service agencies (total n = 115), and discussed their perceptions of the initiative and the changes it had introduced to service delivery.FindingsPractitioners discussed family needs in ways which contested the policy meanings of ‘early intervention’: whether families are conceptualised in terms of their needs or risk; whether engagement with services should be voluntary or mandated; and whether the agencies to support them should be the statutory agency or an NGO. The implications for these tensions, in terms of policy and practice, are discussed.     

Referent Group Proximity,Social Norms,and Context: Alcohol Use in a Low-Use Environment

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived normative use of alcohol and reported consumption in an environment where relatively little alcohol use occurs. Participants: A total of 585 undergraduate students completed an online survey on alcohol use in March 2006. Methods: Participants reported personal alcohol use and perceptions of use by “friends,” “the average student,” and “the average student who drinks.” Results: Due to the large number of students reporting zero alcohol use, zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to analyze the data. Results showed that perceptions of use and beliefs about the acceptability of use by proximal groups were strongly and positively correlated with personal alcohol use. Perceptions of distal groups were either not correlated or were correlated negatively with personal use. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the use of distal referent groups for a social norms campaign in a low-use environment may have paradoxical effects.     

Social Norms Theory-Based Interventions: Testing the Feasibility of a Purported Mechanism of Action

Social norms-based interventions targeting college student drinking behaviors have become increasingly popular. Such interventions purportedly modify student misperceptions of fellow student drinking behaviors, which leads to changes in individual drinking behavior. Despite claims of successful interventions, research demonstrating that social norms-based interventions modify student perceptions is lacking. Objective: The authors conducted a laboratory experiment examining the feasibility of this mechanism of action and aimed to determine the validity of the campus-specific drinking norms hypothesis. Participants and Methods: The authors randomly assigned 60 students to 1 of 3 research conditions: Alcohol 101 (national drinking norms), a didactic presentation of campus specific drinking norms, or a control condition. Results: Both intervention groups modified student misperceptions regarding peer alcohol use, and these changes were sustained 1 week later. Conclusions: Social norms-based interventions can contribute to more accurate drinking perceptions among college students.     

A view from 1991: Crisis: Home-Based Family Therapy

Originally prepared for publication in 1991, but now appearing for the first time, this article discusses home-based family therapy in the context of families experiencing psychiatric crises. Strategies of engagement, interventions and safety issues related to this form of family therapy are outlined. The advantages of home-based family therapy in terms of direct observation and intervention and the minimisation of the need to transfer learning are discussed. Reflecting from the perspective of the present, the author notes with regret that most crisis teams today do little more than gatekeeping; a great opportunity for effective home-based treatment appears to have been lost.     

Student and faculty perceptions about mandatory influenza vaccinations on a health sciences campus

Objective: To examine the perceptions among faculty and health professional students regarding mandatory vaccination policies on a health sciences campus. Participants: A total of 296 faculty and 244 students completed surveys during Fall 2015. Methods: The online survey administered to individuals who received the influenza vaccine during the fall 2015 influenza vaccination clinic season included five items evaluating perceptions of employer mandatory vaccination requirements. Results: Chi-square analysis indicated that although faculty and students agree mandatory vaccinations in a health care environment are appropriate, faculty are more likely than students to get vaccinated in the absence of a mandate. Additionally, a small fraction of faculty would consider employment elsewhere when facing this mandate. Conclusions: Overall, faculty and students had favorable perceptions about mandatory influenza vaccine policies. Since students were less likely to be vaccinated in the absence of a mandate, education of students should be improved to support the importance of vaccinations in a health care environment.     

Impact of Familial Factors and Psychopathology on Suicidality Among African American Adolescents

Abstract

Racial differences in familial factors, psychopathology, perceptions of social support, and socioeconomic status were examined in a matched sample of African American and White suicidal adolescents (N = 90) during a psychiatric hospitalization. Exploratory analyses suggest that significant differences were found in family support and its association with psychopathology, but most noteworthy were the many similarities between the two adolescent groups. The results presented in     

Positive Changes in Perceptions and Selections of Healthful Foods by College Students After a Short-Term Point-of-Selection Intervention at a Dining Hall

Abstract

Objective: Determine the effects of a short-term, multi-faceted, point-of-selection intervention on college students’ perceptions and selection of 10 targeted healthful foods in a university dining hall and changes in their self-reported overall eating behaviors. Participants: 104 college students, (age 18–23) completed pre-I and post-I surveys. Methods: Pre-survey collected at dining hall in April 2007, followed by 3-week intervention then post-survey collected via email. Healthy choice indicators, large signs, table tents, flyers and colorful photographs with “benefit-based messages” promoted targeted foods. Response rate to both surveys was 38%. Results: Significantly more participants reported that healthful choices were clearly identified in the dining hall after the intervention. Over 20% of participants reported becoming more aware of healthful food choices in the dining hall after the intervention. Significant increases in self-reported intake were reported for cottage cheese and low-fat salad dressing, with a trend toward increased consumption of fresh fruit. Seven of the 14 assessed eating behaviors had significant changes in the desired direction. Increased awareness of healthful foods was the top reason for self-reported changes in overall eating behaviors. Conclusion: Short-term, multi-faceted, point-of-selection marketing of healthful foods in university dining halls may be beneficial for improving college students’ perceptions and selections of targeted healthful foods in the dining hall and may improve overall eating behaviors of college students.