Psychoeducational groups with foster parents of sexually abused children

Psychoeducational groups for foster parents of sexually abused children were successfully delivered. Groups with nonrelative foster parents required less basic behavior management training than groups for foster parents related to the children in their care. Relative groups also required considerable attention to issues of visitation with birth parents. The groups helped foster parents improve their ability to care for sexually abused children. Participants were highly satisfied with the groups. Additional program development and research is clearly warranted.Ms. Winterfelt is in private practiceThe Project was supported by the Children's Bureau, ACF. DHHS.Copies of the training curriculum and videotape are available from Ms. Yeaton, Dept. of Psychiatry, Children's Hospital, 747 52nd Street.     

Gender and Illicit Drug Use

Correspondence to Dr Joanne Neale, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York, Heslington, York Y010 5DD, UK. E-mail: jsn3{at}york.ac.uk Summary There has been no recent large-scale systematic UK investigationof differences between male and female drug users seeking treatment.Equally, there has been no debate within the social work fieldregarding how best to address any gender-specific needs of drug-usingclients. This is despite the fact that social workers frequentlywork with both drug-dependent individuals and members of theirfamilies. This paper examines differences between men and womenbeginning a new episode of drug treatment in Scotland and considerssome of the implications of the findings for social work practice.Data were collected from structured interviews conducted with1,033 individuals (715 males and 318 females) in a range oftreatment settings. Chi-square statistics were computed to investigatesex differences on key categorical variables relating to: (i)patterns of drug use; (ii) education, employment and income;(iii) offending behaviour; (iv) housing circumstances; (v) healthstatus; and (vi) personal relationships. Analyses identifiedmany differences between the men and women interviewed, butalso many common difficulties faced by respondents of both sexes.Additionally, the extensive range of problems and stressfullife circumstances encountered suggested that the lives of individualsseeking drug treatment were extremely heterogeneous. It is concludedthat social workers can employ a range of practical interventionsand theoretical approaches when working with both male and femaledrug-using clients.     

Access to Health Care: Social Determinants of Preventive Cancer Screening Use in Northern British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to examine theextent to which social factors are influentialin determining women's access to cancerscreening services in Prince George, BritishColumbia. Specifically, this study evaluatedthe association of age, income, education, workstatus, disability, marital status, andimmigrant status with previous use of screeningmammography and Pap tests. Data was obtainedfrom the 1994 National Population HealthSurvey, which contains a sample of 416 womenfrom the Prince George area. A series oflogistic regression analyses were used todistinguish ever versus never beenscreened as well as recency of previousscreening. Participation rates in screeningmammography in Prince George are comparativelyhigh; however, no association was found betweensocial factors and previous mammography use.This suggests women in Prince George areparticipating in mammography servicesregardless of social background. Participationrates in Pap test screening in Prince Georgeare high and are similar to provincialaverages; however, while a large percentage ofwomen have been screened, this percentagevaries across social groups. Immigrant women,single women, and women with less education areover represented among women who have never hada Pap test. In addition, older women are lesslikely to obtain a recent Pap test whencompared to younger women. This study suggeststhat certain groups of women in northernBritish Columbia experience low participationin health services, resulting in a higher riskfor poor health and a poor quality of life.     

A human ecological approach to quality of life: Conceptual framework and results of a preliminary study

A human ecological framework for study of quality of life is proposed and used in the study of the QOL of a rural sample in northern Michigan. The framework is based on an ecosystem, i.e., the interaction of humans, the environed units, with their interrelated environments. These are conceptualized as: natural, human constructed and human behavioral. Quality of life indicators can measure aspects of the environed units, environments, and their interaction. Scales to measure perceived overall quality of life (POQL), community satisfaction (COMSAT), and the importance of and satisfaction with selected life concerns (SALI and SALS) were used. The life concerns represented human needs, attributes of the self, conditions and resources of the three environments, or implied interaction with or action upon the environment. Objectives were to study how these life concerns contributed to POQL; the relationship between SALI and SALS ratings and how this influenced POQL; the relationship between COMSAT and POQL; and whether or not satisfaction with these two variables varied by demographic characteristics. A relatively high POQL was found; those with higher incomes and children living at home had higher scores. COMSAT was also generally high, but did not vary by demographic characteristics. POQL and COMSAT were significantly related. Family life, health, safety, house, and financial security ranked highest in importance; clothing, spare time activities, and fun ranked lowest. Family life, religious faith, food work, and safety ranked highest in satisfaction; national government, financial security, developing oneself, health, and an interesting life ranked the lowest. The various life concerns appear) to behave differently in regard to how the discrepancy between importance of a concern and satisfaction with it influences overall quality of life. Satisfaction with accomplishments, family life, work and financial security accounted for over half the variance in POQL. These represent essential human needs which are satisfied with resources of the near environment, suggesting the salience of one's most proximate environment to evaluation of quality of life. Findings, while preliminary, illustrate the viability of a human ecological model as a unifying framework for conceptualization and measurement of quality of life. Further specification and elaboration of the model are indicated.     

Scenario building: an integral methodology for learning,decision-making,and human resource development

Recognizing and managing the complexities of strategic change is a difficult endeavor for organizational leaders, and is one that is increasingly necessary for organizations that exist in uncertain and rapidly changing environments. Organizations, and the individuals within them, must develop expertise and tools to operate effectively in these conditions. Scenario building has gained attention as a methodology that enriches traditional strategic planning methods by helping organizational leaders recognize and better prepare for the critical uncertainties and complexities of forces driving future change. Scenario building is explored in this article to provide HRD professionals with a solid exposure to the art of scenario building. The process is defined and explained, its history briefly explored, and key benefits as a learning and decision-making tool as well as for the field of human resource development are discussed.     

Stillbirth and the Couple: A Gender-Based Exploration

ABSTRACT

The stillbirth of a baby occurs in about 1 in 110 families yearly. Yet, little is understood about the ways in which grieving mothers and fathers experience the baby's death. This study is intended to explore the ways in which bereaved parents perceive and cope with the death of their baby and how the baby's death affects them both individually and as a couple. Respondents answered open-ended questions about their experiences. Results suggest that mothers and fathers grieve individually and collectively, struggling to find meaning in their losses. Responses to a baby's death may depend, in part, on the parent's gender, as well as on the individual's locus of control, couple and family cohesion, the degree of attachment to the baby, and social support. The death of a baby may create conflict in a marital dyad, yet many couples also experience a greater sense of closeness. A therapeutic relationship that is nonhierarchical and egalitarian, focusing on “keeping the therapist close to the experience of each partner” (Vatcher &; Bogo, 2001 Vatcher , C. , &; Bogo , M. ( 2001 ). The feminist/emotionally focused therapy practice model: An integrated approach for couple therapy . Journal of Marital and Family Therapy , 27 ( 1 ), 69 – 83 .[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], p. 76) may offer a place where the marital relationship can flourish after such a tragic experience.