The Families and Democracy and Citizen Health Care Project

This article describes and updates the work of the Families and Democracy and Citizen Health Care Project, which engages with community concerns in order to effect change on many system levels. The project draws on family therapy's tradition of interest in larger social issues and adds democratic public theory and community organizing strategies. Since 1999 we have developed 14 citizen initiatives with a wide range of groups on a diverse set of problem areas. We describe the overall project and several of its initiatives, we address research and evaluation issues, and we outline opportunities for marriage and family therapists to learn how to do this work in their own communities.     

Children’s Mental Health Providers’ Perceptions of Mental Health Literacy Among Parents and Caregivers

Mental health disorders are prevalent among children, yet many do not receive treatment. Parents and caregivers play a vital role in recognizing mental health disorders in children and accessing treatment. But a substantial number of parents lack essential knowledge of children’s mental health disorders, including risk factors, symptom recognition, and treatment options. Little focus has been given to parents in the children’s mental health literacy literature. The purpose of this article is to begin filling that gap by using a survey to describe the perceptions of child and family mental health providers’ perceptions regarding the amount, accuracy, and origin of mental health literacy in the parents of the children they treat. The impact of those perceptions on the work of providers is also explored. Eighty-seven mental health providers completed a survey to assess their perceptions of parent mental health literacy in the area of children’s mental health. Providers perceived parent mental health literacy as low, inaccurate, and inconsistent. In addition, providers indicated that parents rely on informal sources of support, such as friends and family for information about children’s mental health. Implications for social work researchers, practitioners, and the children and families they serve are discussed.     

A Convolution Estimator for the Density of Nonlinear Regression Observations

Abstract. The problem of estimating an unknown density function has been widely studied. In this article, we present a convolution estimator for the density of the responses in a nonlinear heterogenous regression model. The rate of convergence for the mean square error of the convolution estimator is of order n ^?1 under certain regularity conditions. This is faster than the rate for the kernel density method. We derive explicit expressions for the asymptotic variance and the bias of the new estimator, and further a data‐driven bandwidth selector is proposed. We conduct simulation experiments to check the finite sample properties, and the convolution estimator performs substantially better than the kernel density estimator for well‐behaved noise densities.     

Is Ethnic Identity a Buffer? Exploring the Relations Between Racial Microaggressions and Depressive Symptoms Among Asian-American Individuals

ABSTRACT

This study explores the moderating role of ethnic identity in the relations between racial microaggressions and depressive symptoms. Using survey data from 353 Asian-American college students, we found that racial microaggressions significantly predicted depressive symptoms and accounted for 24% of the variance in a hierarchical multiple regression analysis. In addition, ethnic identity moderated the relations between racial microaggressions and depressive symptoms. Thus, ethnic identity buffers Asian-Americans against the negative mental health effects of racial microaggressions. Implications for research and practice in the field of social work are discussed.     

Predictors of mental health literacy among parents of youth diagnosed with mood disorders

Research reveals limited knowledge of children's mental health among caregivers. This paper identifies predictors of mental health literacy among parents of children diagnosed with mood disorders that are seeking or already receiving help. Secondary data analysis using multivariate regression was conducted on data from a randomized, controlled efficacy trial with a sample of 165 children. Mental health literacy was higher for parents who were female, white, higher educated and had children who were older, had a bipolar diagnosis or received more services. Lifetime experience with mental health disorders also predicted literacy. Public mental health efforts are needed to raise caregiver mental health literacy.     

Adolescents' feelings about openness in adoption: implications for adoption agencies

Adoption research commonly uses parents' reports of satisfaction when examining openness in adoption arrangements. This qualitative study aimed to fill a gap in the adoption research by using adolescents' voices to gain a better understanding of their adoption experiences. Adopted adolescents (n = 152) were interviewed concerning their satisfaction with the openness in their adoption arrangements with their birthmothers. Results and implications from this study may affect how adoption agencies work with adopted adolescents and their families, and may influence a broader understanding of the recent trend toward open adoption arrangements.     

A critical survey on the status of multiple criteria decision making theory and practice

This paper seeks to review and to contrast the main streams of thought in Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) theory and practice, without attempting to review all MCDM methods in detail. The main purpose is to identify pitfalls in the usage of various approaches, and to suggest approaches which are most robustly and effectively useable, especially by the non-expert in MCDM methodology. Problem areas in MCDM still requiring further research are also discussed.     

Developing a New Approach to Case Management in Youth Mental Health: Strengths Model for Youth Case Management

Strengths Model (SM) case management has been utilized as a community based intervention with adults diagnosed with a mental illness since the 1980s. This paper describes the developmental, familial, and systemic adaptations made to the model so that it can be used with youth with mental illness. The resulting SM for Youth provides an alternative framework for providing case management to youth with mental illness which allows the youth to drive goal development and attainment by identifying and capitalizing on the youth’s strengths and resources. The model has the potential to positively impact youth mental health services by equipping supervisors and case managers with a formal model and tools, helping the case managers to feel more prepared and less stressed in their roles, and by empowering youth to engage in services that are positive and driven by their desires.     

Adolescents' Satisfaction with Contact in Adoption

The current investigation drew from the second wave of data collected from the Minnesota-Texas Adoption Research Project (MTARP). Adolescents involved in adoptive arrangements in which there is contact with birth parents were compared to adolescents who do not have contact with their birth parents in terms of satisfaction with adoption openness. ANOVA results indicated that adolescents who have contact with their birthmothers maintain higher satisfaction with contact status than those who do not have contact. No effects for gender or age were noted. In terms of contact with birthfathers, adolescents with contact maintained higher satisfaction with contact status than those who do not have contact. Significant effects for age were also noted, insofar as satisfaction with contact increases with age. Implications of these findings for adoption professionals are put forth, as well as directions for further research.