Child Welfare Workers' Adoption of Decision Support Technology

Child welfare workers must process complex information in deciding to refer clients to appropriate mental health services. Decision support systems have been demonstrated in other fields to be an important tool, yet little research has been done in child welfare. This study focused on the adoption of a specific decision support system into child welfare practice. Quantitative analysis was used to demonstrate the diffusion of innovation process among a sample of state child welfare workers, while qualitative analysis was used to explain the facilitators and barriers to decision support systems adoption. Results indicate that for decision support systems to be widely adopted in child welfare practice, they should be integrated into the referral system and include workers' knowledge and experiences with referral resources. For successful adoption, decision support systems need to respect the natural logic and flow of worker interaction as well as organizational constraints.     

Social Support and Health Among Senior Internet Users: Results of an Online Survey

ABSTRACT

There is some disagreement as to whether the Internet has a positive or negative impact on social connection and well-being for older adults. Using an online survey, we assessed self-reported social support, health, and Internet use patterns among users over fifty years of age. In a comparison of highly social Internet users versus low-social users, we found that high-social users spent more time on-line and reported more physical and mental health problems. However, the groups did not differ in amount of or satisfaction with social support they received. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Social Support: A Key to Positive Parenting Outcomes for Mothers in Residential Drug Treatment with Their Children

SUMMARY

This study explored parenting experiences of ten mothers residing with their young children in four residential drug treatment facilities in New York City and how these experiences related to the perceived support of the social environment of the facility. Through the lenses of the self-in-relations theory and family-centered service model, the study examined the supportive function of the treatment program including the program structure, the staff, and fellow mothers in affecting the mothers' parenting experience and outcomes. Programmatic, policy, and research implications of the study's findings are discussed.     

《艺圃撷余》新论——从当下研究中的问题说起

王世懋的《艺圃撷余》一书向有赞誉,但在当下的研究中,因对文献的误解或误用,我们的理解并不符合王氏原意。详考其书,王世懋坚持七子派观点的立场并未改变,但他同时也反对机械地看待格调,并从更高的立场上指示了该如何理解格调,从而对七子派的观点进行了有益的补充与修正。同时,我们在认识王世懋的身份时,除了观点上的倾向性,更要注意他作为文人所具有的特殊情趣与意蕴。     

论群体意识形态对我国主流意识建设的影响

群体意识形态指群体内部的成员所共同享有的思想观念、价值体系、理论学说、心理认知等的总称。与统治阶级所倡导的居于主导地位的主流意识形态相比,群体意识形态通常是一种非主流的或民间性的社会思潮。在意识形态领域中,群体意识形态往往处于从属地位,也经常不被重视。随着社会的发展和人们思想观念的进步,群体意识形态的地位和作用日益凸显,它对我国主流意识形态建设具有多方面的影响：群体意识形态既能够充当社会万能胶的作用来增强主流意识形态的凝聚力,也能发挥其社会离心力的作用与主流意识形态发生冲突,还可以通过反映各种社会矛盾为主流意识形态提供自我认识与反思的工具。     

变换群与若干哲学范畴的广谱分析

从广谱哲学的视角出发,可把变换群看成人的一种观控方式,从而把变换群、不变性与事物客观性三者联系起来;分析变换群与分类的内在联系,可引出差异与同一、共性与个性的变换群描述;运用广谱哲学的类变理论,可揭示变换群与量变质变规律、可推测与不可推测的数学机理.     

Social Support During Adjustment to Later-Life Divorce

This study investigated the adult child's role as a provider of social support to divorced parents. Each of the 230 randomly-selected individuals participating in the survey had been divorced after 19 or more years of marriage and had at least one child over age 18. Participants ranged in age from 36 to 72 and had been married an average of 28 years prior to divorce. Respondents were asked to indicate types and amounts of support provided by children in two major areas: instrumental aid (e.g., advice, services, financial assistance) and socioemotional aid. The pattern of support varied according to the sex of the parent and the sex of the child. Mothers received significantly more support than fathers in all four categories: advice, services, financial assistance and socioemotional aid. Sons and daughters did not differ significantly with regard to frequency of providing advice or financial aid. However, sons provided significantly more services, and daughters provided significantly more socioemotional aid. Circumstances connected with filial provision of support-opportunity, parental expectation of aid, parental financial need, parental health and morale, competing role responsibilities of the child, and quality of parent-child relationship-were analyzed. Multiple regression was used to specify the relationship between total support received and seven independent variables: frequency of contact, sex of respondent, emotional closeness, filial expectation, frequency of telephoning, sidetaking behavior, and financial strain. These variables explained 52% of the variance in total support.     

Social Support Expectations and Strategic Ambiguity in Parent–Young Adult Child Divorce-Related Stressor Conversations

With communication privacy management and the divorce disclosure model as guiding frameworks, this study identified the stressors postdivorce families discussed as they mature, elucidated the types of social support parents and young adult children expected regarding divorce-related stress, and tested whether motivational and contextual factors prompted parents' use of strategic ambiguity while discussing stressors. By examining parent–child divorce-related stressor conversations in a controlled lab setting, results indicated that a decade after parental divorce, families continued to manage a variety of stressors. Additionally, parents and young adults had strong expectations for nurturant, informational, and tangible support from one another. Yet, social support expectations did not affect parents' self-reported use of strategic ambiguity nor children's perceptions of parents' communication.     

The Experience of Nonresidential Stepmothers

Despite the growing body of research examining the experience of stepparents, very little is known about the unique experience of nonresidential stepparents. This research examined the experience of nonresidential stepmothers (N = 10) using semistructured interviews. Thematic content analysis identified 2 principal themes. Those themes were perceived control (with the subtheme of visitation and parenting and financial matters) and psychological and physical well-being. The perceived inability to control parenting practices during periods of visitation and financial matters associated with the payment of child support generated a sense of powerlessness, anger, and resentment that manifested in depression. Implications for family service providers and clinicians working with stepfamilies are discussed.     

Family Social Networks and Recovery From Severe Mental Illness of Clubhouse Members

This study examined the contribution of family social network variables to recovery among Clubhouse members. A random sample of 118 members from one Clubhouse was recruited for this cross-sectional study. Among all respondents, greater overall family support and better relationship quality with the most supportive network member were correlated with greater levels of recovery. Clubhouse members perceived higher quantity and quality of support and more criticalness from their most supportive network members, principally family members, compared to the rest of their family members. Longitudinal studies are needed to further investigate the relationship between family support and recovery.