The particular challenges of being adopted

The authors propose that constructivism provides a theoretical framework suitable for the complexities of contemporary social work practice. The specific focus is on the areas of confluence of cognitive‐behavioral and psychodynamic theory and technique. Building on their earlier work on psychotherapy integration, the authors extend their notion of “starting where the client is,” is in fact a constructivist concept, critical to the meaning‐making process. Through the use of case vignettes and a select review of the literature from both the psychodynamic and cognitive‐behavioral traditions, the importance of the active participation of both the client and the therapist are demonstrated. The use of the therapeutic relationship is highlighted in both the psychodynamic and cognitive‐behavioral perspectives, as is the social context of the client.     

Secondary Trauma and Military Veteran Caregivers

The article focuses on the secondary trauma stressors experienced by those who care for members of the military with special attention to the caregivers of war fighters seeking help from combat stress. Consistent with the theme of the special issue of understanding and preparing for the challenges of combat stress, the authors suggest that military caregiver stress and resilience require attention. The article calls for more attention to this area by researchers, practitioners, and policy makers given the growing combat stress injuries due, in large part, to recent multiple and lengthy deployments. The first section of the article describes secondary traumatic stress (STS) conceptually by identifying and defining STS and related constructs and the relevant theories and the prevalence estimates. The middle section of the article discusses the risk and protective factors for STS. The latter section provides an overview of very underdeveloped literature on military veteran caregivers by first describing this population, the most promising approaches to mitigating and preventing STS, and several model programs that may be useful for units of military caregivers.     

Impact of Support Groups on Well-Being of Older Women

ABSTRACT

The goal of this study was to determine whether differences in incidence of depression and level of well-being are manifested between older women, aged 60 and older, who attend either (a) a peer-run support group, (b) a staff-run support group, or (c) a comparison group (i.e., who do not attend a support group).

Thirty-six women participating in peer-run and staff-run support groups and 9 women receiving nongroup support were administered the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale. Separate analyses of variance were employed on each scale to determine the significance of differences in scores according to facilitator type (i.e., peer-run vs. staff-run vs. comparison group).

Analysis of scores on the Geriatric Depression Scale indicated significant differences between women in the peer-run groups and women in the comparison group, but no significant differences between women in the peer-run groups and women in the staff-run groups or between women in the staff-run groups and women in the comparison group. Analysis of scores on the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale did not indicate any significant differences between women based on facilitator type.

Results of this study have implications for those who run face-to-face support groups for older adults, for those who train peer group facilitators, and for community agencies that desire to initiate a support group system for their clientele.     

Conquering Depression and Anxiety Through Exercise,by Keith Johnsgard

No abstract available for this article.     

Involvement in Voluntary Organizations: How Older Adults Access Volunteer Roles?

ABSTRACT

This study examines how older adults access organizational volunteer roles and what socio-structural factors are associated with the access. Using the data from the Current Population Survey (U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2002 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. 2002. Current population survey, September 2002: Volunteer supplement, Washington, DC: Author. [Computer file] [Google Scholar]), bivariate analyses show that there are variations in access to volunteer roles across types of organizations. Results from multinomial logistic regressions indicate that education, income, age, and race are associated with the ways that older adults access volunteer roles. Voluntary organizations are advised to approach older adults directly, use current volunteers to recruit potential ones, publicize their organizational goals, and disseminate relevant information in efforts to improve access of older adults to volunteer roles.     

Rating Methodological Quality: Toward Improved Assessment and Investigation

Assessing methodological quality is considered essential in deciding what investigations to include in research syntheses and in detecting potential sources of bias in meta-analytic results. Quality assessment is also useful in characterizing the strengths and limitations of the research in an area of study. Although numerous instruments to measure research quality have been developed, they have lacked empirically-supported components. In addition, different summary quality scales have yielded different findings when they were used to weight treatment effect estimates for the same body of research. Suggestions for developing improved quality instruments include: distinguishing distinct domains of quality, such as internal validity, external validity, the completeness of the study report, and adherence to ethical practices; focusing on individual aspects, rather than domains of quality; and focusing on empirically-verified criteria. Other ways to facilitate the constructive use of quality assessment are to improve and standardize the reporting of research investigations, so that the quality of studies can be more equitably and thoroughly compared, and to identify optimal methods for incorporating study quality ratings into meta-analyses.     

Hoarding in the Community: A Code Enforcement and Social Service Perspective

ABSTRACT

Hoarding behaviors endanger individuals and their communities. Although there is a growing literature on clinically referred and elderly hoarders, there is limited information about hoarding behaviors beyond these contexts. This study examines the frequency, characteristics, and outcomes of cases involving hoarding encountered by code enforcement officials and social service staff. Prior to an in-service training, 236 social service staff members completed a 43-item survey about their experiences with cases involving hoarding. Respondents reported encountering between two and three cases per year. Although these hoarding cases were estimated to cost more than $3,700 in cleaning fees, 83% of respondents reported having received no prior training on dealing with hoarding. Survey responses suggested that hoarding situations were difficult to resolve and involved multiple community agencies. Collectively, hoarding behaviors appear to be a problem regularly encountered by social service members, who often serve as the initial point of contact. Along with increased training, future research is needed to develop and evaluate collaborative interagency protocols to manage this multifaceted problem. Empirically informed interagency protocols may facilitate the timely referral of community hoarders to mental health professionals and may lead to improved outcomes.