Effectiveness of the Brief Alcohol and Screening Intervention for College Students (BASICS) Program With a Mandated Population

Abstract

Objective: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a large-scale intervention designed to reduce alcohol abuse among adjudicated college students. Participants: Participants were college students mandated to attend a Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS) program and a randomly selected comparison group of high-risk drinkers. Methods: Data were collected from January 2006 through December 2008. A total of 1,390 (67%) students in the intervention group and 508 (61%) students in the comparison group completed baseline and 6-month follow-up surveys. Results: Male students in the intervention group significantly decreased their drinking at follow-up, whereas those in the comparison group increased their drinking. Women in both the intervention and comparison groups decreased their drinking at 6 months. Conclusions: When implemented with fidelity, BASICS is a generally effective intervention, especially for male adjudicated college students. The intervention was most effective for moderate- and high-risk drinkers.     

A Teaching Model to Unite Classroom and Field

Abstract

Integration of theory and practice is always an objective of professional education. In reality, social work students frequently experience a discontinuity when they move from the classroom into the practicum. Many concepts learned in the classroom seem difficult to apply in practice and appear irrelevant to learning practice skills. A teaching model that can be presented both in the classroom and field is described in this article. Students can apply this model, which is relevant to both micro and macro settings, in diverse practice situations.     

Teen Mothers: Marriage,Cohabitation, and Educational Achievement

This study examines the proportions of ethnically diverse low-income teen mothers who are cohabitating and/or married to the father of their child(ren) at approximately 14, 24, and 36 months after birth of their child. In addition, the relationship between marital status and education among teen mothers is explored. At 36 months after giving birth, 60% of mothers were not living with or married to the fathers of their children. Hispanic mothers were the most likely, and African-American mothers the least likely, to be married to the father at each of the three time points. For Hispanic teen mothers, being married at 14 months was related to lower educational achievement.     

College Students' Positivity Toward Teen Mothers

Although teen pregnancy and parenthood are more visible in society than in the past, teen mothers are often stereotyped and stigmatized. The study examined positivity toward teen mothers among college students (N = 316) at a midwestern university. Although students responded positively to some items regarding teen mothers, other statements showed endorsements of stereotypes. Positivity toward teen mothers was positively related to empathy and classification (freshman, sophomore, etc.). Those who did not report having a teen mother in their family had higher levels of positivity than those who reported having a teen mother in their family. Research should examine perceptions of teen mothers among social workers and interventionists as a moderator of intervention effectiveness.     

Listening in the Business Context: Reviewing the State of Research

The central role of listening in leadership has been the subject of increasing attention in recent years. In leadership studies, listening is being theorized as an essential dimension to effective leadership. Those seeking an elected office also have come to appreciate the centrality of listening by engaging in listening-centered events. However, listening leadership requires more than just the presence of listening. Listening and leadership must be connected. Using President Jimmy Carter and his July 15, 1979 “Address to the Nation on Energy and National Goals” as a case study, this essay explores the concept of listening leadership during the evolution and delivery of that speech. This essay argues that in the development and delivery of Carter's speech, the topic of listening was placed front and center for and by the President. However, Carter failed to balance the listening component of leadership with other characteristics which ultimately bifurcated listening from his role as a leader.     

What changes in ‘parenting’ approaches occur over the course of adolescent foster care placements?

An overview of the parenting skills and strategies utilized by foster carers looking after adolescents was given in an earlier paper. This paper focuses specifically on the relationship between the behaviour of fostered adolescents and the quality of parenting provided by the carer. In particular, the paper considers the consequences of situations in which fostered young people have a detrimental impact on other children within the foster family, as this was an especially difficult situation for foster carers to manage. Similarly, foster carers appeared to find it difficult to maintain good parenting skills with young people who were at risk due to their own sexual behaviour although, conversely, caring for a young person whose sexual behaviour put others at risk was connected with improved parenting. The quality of parenting provided by the foster carers was also influenced by the level of stress they were experiencing, with increased levels of stress leading to poorer parenting of the fostered adolescent.     

Mixed results in a transitional planning program for alternative school students

Disciplinary alternative schools have a reputation as gateways to the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The authors conducted an evaluation of an intervention (Strategies for Success) designed to divert seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-grade alternative school students from this gateway. They used propensity score matching and a multivariate random effects model to estimate program impacts and found that the program not only increased attendance rates, at least in the short term, but also increased the likelihood of reassignment to alternative schools. The discussion focuses on possible reasons and solutions for high rates of return to alternative school and for the erosion of program effects.