Elder Abuse Research: A Systematic Review

The purpose of this research was to provide a systematic review of, and assign an evidence grade to, the research articles on elder abuse. Sixteen health care and criminal justice literature databases were searched. Publications were reviewed by at least two independent readers who graded each from A (evidence of well-designed meta-analysis) to D (evidence from expert opinion or multiple case reports) on the quality of the evidence gained from the research. Of 6,676 titles identified in the search, 1,700 publications met inclusion criteria; omitting duplicates, 590 publications were annotated and graded.     

Use of research evidence and implementation of evidence-based practices in youth-serving systems

Although the effectiveness of interventions for prevention and treatment of mental health and behavioral problems in abused and neglected youth is demonstrated through the accumulation of evidence through rigorous and systematic research, it is uncertain whether use of research evidence (URE) by child-serving systems leaders increases the likelihood of evidence- based practice (EBP) implementation and sustainment. Information on URE was collected from 151 directors and senior administrators of child welfare, mental health and juvenile justice systems in 40 California and 11 Ohio counties participating in an RCT of the use of community development teams (CDTs) to scale up implementation of Treatment Foster Care Oregon over a 3 year period (2010 − 12). Separate multivariate models were used to assess independent effects of evidence acquisition (input), evaluation (process), application (output), and URE in general (SIEU Total) on two measures of EBP implementation, highest stage reached and proportion of activities completed at pre-implementation, implementation and sustainment phases. Stage of implementation and proportion of activities completed in the implementation and sustainment phases were independently associated with acquisition of evidence and URE in general. Participation in CDTs was significantly associated with URE in general and acquisition of research evidence in particular. Implementation of EBPs for treatment of abused and neglected youth does appear to be associated with use of research evidence, especially during the later phases.     

A Systematic Review of Gay,Lesbian, and Bisexual Research Samples in Couple and Family Therapy Journals

The purpose of this study is to review samples from research on gay, lesbian, and bisexual (GLB) issues and to evaluate the suitability of this body of research to support affirmative and evidence‐based practice with GLB clients. The authors systematically reviewed the sampling methodology and sample composition of GLB‐related research. All original, quantitative articles focusing on GLB issues published in couple and family therapy (CFT)‐related journals since 1975 were coded (n = 153). Results suggest that within the GLB literature base there is some evidence of heterocentrism as well as neglect of issues of class, race, and gender. Suggestions to improve the diversity and representativeness of samples—and, thus, clinical implications—of GLB‐related research in CFT literature are provided.     

Research‐based teacher education for multicultural contexts

Graduate programs in education face the challenge of preparing teachers and specialists in education to work with English Language Learners (ELLs). Programs must be culturally responsive, while at the same time respecting state and federal standards for scientifically based practice according to best evidence. The focus of the present study is a graduate program in education that sought to prepare graduate students to address the needs of ELL students. Among the articulated goals of the program grant were that teachers enrolled would be able to: (1) use effective English for Speakers of Other Languages and bilingual educational strategies and methods; (2) use findings from testing, assessment and research functionally; and (3) promote multilingualism, and, in a broader sense, respect and equitable treatment of the heritages of home languages. The extent to which graduates of the master’s program who were working as teachers and administrators at the time of the study were able to make culturally competent connections with ELL students and to establish a repertoire of scientific evidence, based on research findings that they could then use to support their teaching theory and practice, is discussed. Findings reflecting the responses of 57 graduates of the program were as follows: (a) the training provided by the master’s program was rated as more useful than the in‐service provided by the state because its emphasis on research allowed graduates to judge the merits of proposed educational reforms and to clarify their own pedagogy; (b) the ability to cite research reports enabled graduates to be heard by colleagues and to depoliticize discussions regarding curricular reforms; (c) in developing their ‘communities of practice’, graduates made connections with others who had been trained in the use of scientific research in education. The study illustrates how a graduate education program focused on transformation and the encouragement of home language use can prepare teachers to work effectively in a political context of ‘evidence‐based practice’.     

Rate of perceived exertion as a tool to monitor cycling exercise intensity in older adults

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of rate of perceived exertion (RPE) to monitor exercise intensity in older adults. Middle-aged (46.9 +/- 7.0 years, n = 24) and older women (75.5 +/- 3.8 years, n = 29) performed a graded maximal exercise test on a cycle ergometer while RPE, oxygen uptake, heart rate, and blood lactate levels were measured. The Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient between RPE and oxygen uptake for each stage of the graded exercise test was calculated for each participant. The mean coefficient for the older group (r =.954) was similar to that of middle-aged group (r =.963). The autocorrelation coefficient was much lower (r =.411) in the older group than in the middle-aged group (r =.871). Variability in RPE through the graded exercise test was similar between the two groups. In conclusion, RPE was strongly associated with oxygen uptake in the older group. These results indicate that RPE is effective in monitoring exercise intensity in older adults.     

Putting practice at the heart of social work education: can practice skills be reliably graded by different markers in child and family social work contexts?

The Frontline programme is a social work qualification route, in England, which began in 2014. Students are based in statutory child and family contexts supported by an academic staff member and practice educator. The assessment strategy on the programme includes seven graded observations of students engaging in social work, marked by both staff. This paper investigates reliability of grading of direct practice between different markers on the programme. It reports findings for 30 recordings of direct observations of practice that were graded during the first cohort. These included observations graded by an academic and by a practice educator. Each was independently then graded by an academic, blind to the original score or who marked it. An acceptable level of reliability was found between the independent grader and the first mark (r = .621). In general the level of agreement was higher between the independent grader (a social work academic) and academics. In comparison, practice educators tended to give higher grades to students. Nonetheless, overall the reliability of marking suggests it is possible to agree on marks for students, which points to the potential for grading of practice to be more widely used in social work education.     

Thinking and Speech and Protocol Analysis

Some form of verbal report—that is, a research participant' s concurrent or retrospective verbal account of thought processes during problem-solving activities—has been used throughout this century as the database from which psychologists have developed theories of human mentation. Newell and Simon (1972) and Ericsson and Simon (1980, 1993) have provided extensive justification for using one such method, protocol analysis, as a tool for investigating cognition from an information-processing (IP) perspective. Their arguments have characterized protocol analysis as a methodology capable of providing evidence of the ways in which people attend to information stored in short-term memory to solve problems, with the evidence providing them with the grounds from which to generate models of human cognitive processes. A different view of protocol analysis is available from the perspective of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) based on the work of Vygotsky (1987), Leont'ev (1981), and others, and its concern with the mediation of human development by culturally and historically grounded signs and tools. Because of its emphasis on culturally channeled development, a CHAT perspective views speech, including the speech that serves as evidence for cognition in psychological research, as a tool that potentially enables changes in consciousness. In this article I outline a CHAT perspective that accounts for protocol analysis along three key dimensions: (a) the relation between thinking and speech from a representational standpoint, (b) the social role of speech in research methodology, and (c) the influence of speech on thinking during data collection. The purpose of this discussion is not to refute the IP perspective on protocol analysis but to illustrate how this method can be viewed through a CHAT lens and to identify alternative assumptions that must be made to use it from a CHAT perspective.     

Linear trend or graded association: an international study of objective and subjective socioeconomic inequalities in self-rated health

Abstract

Despite the well-documented socioeconomic inequalities in health, it is less known about how objective and subjective socioeconomic statuses (SES) are related to self-rated health (SRH) in an international context. Using data from the 2007 International Social Survey Program (ISSP) that included 33 countries across six continents (N?=?40,049), we found that for objective SES, either education or income, or both were related to SRH as general linear trends (i.e., higher SES was associated with better SRH as a general trend) rather than graded associations (i.e., adjacent levels of SES were associated with SRH in a dose–response relationship). After controlling for subjective SES, the magnitude of the associations between objective SES and SRH reduced, whereas the associations between subjective SES and SRH remained strong in nearly all countries. Findings suggested that more rigorous analyses are needed to clearly describe the SES-health associations, and future international research should expand to include subjective measures of SES.     

Dimensions of conflict for separated families index: An index for family courts

Many services and interventions focus on assisting separated families experiencing high conflict. Yet, little research has focussed on identifying and distinguishing levels of conflict. This research tested reliability and validity of an Index based on assessing 15 dimensions of conflict typical of high conflict in separation. Seventy-seven mothers and 47 fathers receiving services from family courts or social service agencies were assessed by two raters for inter-rater reliability. Internal consistency was high, with Cronbach's alpha = 0.94 (mothers) and 0.96 (fathers). Inter-rater reliability was high, with ICC = 0.85 (mothers) and 0.83 (fathers). Preliminary evidence of validity was found comparing scores on the index to scores on the Conflict Tactics Scale and the Ahron's Quality of Coparenting Communication Scale.     

Preparation and transition planning for unaccompanied asylum-seeking and refugee young people: A review of evidence in England

Most unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people arrive in the UK in their mid teen years. Preparation and planning for transition to adulthood should therefore be at the forefront of the minds of care-givers and social workers. This paper reviews current research evidence on the response of social work services to this group of young people in England, with a particular focus on what is known about the circumstances in which young people may be best prepared for adult life, how they fare in comparison to other young people in public care, and on the challenges presented for pathway planning that arise at the intersection between social work and the asylum determination process. The evidence for England is situated, wherever possible, against evidence drawn from international literature in this field and the need for a broader research agenda (incorporating more longitudinal work on care and leaving care pathways) is highlighted in order to strengthen the evidence base to support policy and practice in this field.     

Reflecting on the Past: A Content Analysis of Family Therapy Research from 2000‐2015

In this content analysis, researchers examine articles published from 2000 to 2015 in three family therapy journals, yielding a total of 948 empirical articles. The purpose is to provide an overview of the research being published, assess who is publishing, and investigate the current state of clinical effectiveness research in marriage and family therapy (MFT). Most first authors were affiliated with MFT programs and primarily included diversity and couples in their research. There was a significant increase of research on clinical process—though the number of clinical outcome studies held steady. There were no significant changes with regard to research funding. Implications support the use of innovative research methods to provide evidence of clinical effectiveness.     

A GREAT DIVIDE?

Since 1980 most social scientists have found little evidence in support of popular and recurring commentaries that identify religion (and evangelical Protestants, in particular) as a major source of conservative political trends in the United States. But in the past several years a new line of research has reported results suggesting that earlier studies underestimated evidence that partisan change among specific religious groups has contributed to an emerging Republican electoral advantage. We assess this latter body of research, presenting the most comprehensive analysis to date of the effects of religious group memberships on political outcomes in national elections from 1972 through 2000. We address the limitations of past studies by incorporating advances in the measurement of religious denomination, adjudicating competing statistical models of the changing interrelationship of religion and voter alignments and extending previous investigations by simultaneously considering the impact of religion on (1) voting behavior, (2) partisanship, and (3) the representation of religious groups within the Democratic and Republican parties' electoral coalitions. Our results refine and extend past studies of religion and political change, providing evidence of limited changes in group-specific voting coupled with much larger changes in religion-based partisanship and party coalitions.     

Research,policy and funding – academic treadmills and the squeeze on intellectual spaces1

In recent years, there has been a great deal of collective rumination about social scientists' role in society. In the post‐1997 UK context, public policy commitments to ‘evidence‐based policy’ and ‘knowledge transfer’ have further stimulated such reflections. More recently, Michael Burawoy's 2004 address to the American Sociological Association, which called for greater engagement with ‘public sociology’ has reverberated throughout the discipline, motivating a series of debates about the purpose of sociological research. To date, most such contributions have been based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence. In contrast, this paper responds directly to Burawoy's suggestion that we should ‘apply sociology to ourselves,’ in order that we ‘become more conscious of the global forces’ driving our research ( Burawoy 2005 : 285). Drawing on an empirical research project designed to explore of the relationship between health inequalities research and policy in Scotland and England, in the period from 1997 until 2007, this paper discusses data from interviews with academic researchers. The findings suggest that the growing pressure to produce ‘policy relevant’ research is diminishing the capacity of academia to provide a space in which innovative and transformative ideas can be developed, and is instead promoting the construction of institutionalized and vehicular (chameleon‐like) ideas. Such a claim supports Edward Said's (1994 ) insistence that creative, intellectual spaces within the social sciences are increasingly being squeezed. More specifically, the paper argues we ought to pay far greater attention to how the process of seeking research funding shapes academic research and mediates the interplay between research and policy.     

What helps young care leavers to enter the world of work? Possible lessons learned from an exploratory study in Ireland and Catalonia

Work is important for promoting social inclusion, especially for marginalized or economically vulnerable populations. There is also evidence that work is associated with stability and social integration for young people who have left care. There is, however, little detailed evidence on how young care-leavers access, and remain in, the world of work. This paper seeks to address this issue. It reports on preliminary findings from a cross-national qualitative study conducted in Ireland and Catalonia.The study set out to explore factors influencing care-leavers' entry into, and progress within, the word of work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 young adults (10 from Ireland, 12 from Catalonia) aged between 23 and 33 years. The main criteria for inclusion were that study participants should have spent an extended period of time in care and have had substantial employment experience since leaving care. Preliminary analysis reveals different ‘pathways’ into the world of work for the young adults in the study, and a range of influences and circumstances related to these pathways. The implications of the findings for further research and for child welfare practice and policy and research are explored.     

Child witnesses in criminal courts

SUMMARY. Children attend criminal courts to give evidence both as victims and as bystander witnesses. It is widely accepted that this can be a very stressful experience for children, particularly for those who have been victimised. Before effective reforms can be introduced, it is necessary to identify the principal sources of stress and the possible results of this anxiety on the quality of the child's evidence and on their emotional wellbeing. This article reviews the latest psychological research into the causes and effects of stress on child witnesses taking in evidence from studies in a number of countries, ft is based on recent work by Spencer and Flin (1990)     

Task-based learning approaches for supporting the development of social science researchers’ critical data skills

Conducting social science research is a complex process, and social science students face a number of learning challenges in order to develop their skills. Moreover, new sources and types of data including so-called big data are providing new opportunities for research, but also pose methodological challenges. In this article, we explore a task-based learning approach for teaching social science research methods. We draw on evidence from two case study learning tasks: (i) the collection and analysis of Twitter data; and (ii) designing and conducting a face-to-face and online survey. The students were guided to co-lead the tasks, apply their knowledge and then to critically reflect. The pedagogical framework of task-based learning provides opportunities to embed learning in new ways by integrating knowledge, practice and critical reflection. Task-based learning can create a dynamic learning environment and can empower students to develop their identities as researchers.     

What Works in Strategic Partnerships for Children: a Research Review

Strategic partnerships have a key role to play in delivering the government's ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda. There is a developing body of research and other evidence and practice‐informed literature about what works in relation to partnership working. Drawing on a research review commissioned by Barnardos on strategic partnership working for children, this study summarises research findings from a number of sectors relating to the development, delivery and review of effective partnerships. Although there is widespread consensus within the research on the factors contributing to effective partnership processes, there is, currently, relatively little evidence that partnerships lead to positive outcomes for children and young people. © 2006 The Author(s). Journal compilation © National Children's Bureau.     

Language impairments among youth offenders: A systematic review

Low levels of verbal intelligence have long been associated with risk for early onset antisocial behavior, however considerably less is known about the deficits in specific language skills that may characterize antisocial youth. Youth offenders represent a particularly high priority group for research into such deficits, as the juvenile justice system involves a range of high-stakes situations that rely upon the application of language skills. Our aim was to conduct a systematic review of the evidence currently available regarding the discrete language skills of youth offenders, spanning structural, pragmatic, expressive and receptive language domains. Seventeen studies meeting search criteria were identified, 16 of which reported on independent samples. Findings from these studies provide considerable evidence that youth offenders perform poorly on language measures relative to age matched peers. Study results are examined in relation to three key questions: (1) How strong is the association between language impairments and youth offending? (2) Are some language skills or modalities more impaired than others in youth offender populations; and (3) What biopsychosocial factors have been shown to influence the relationship between language impairments and youth offending? Implications for policy and practice are discussed, along with directions for future research.