Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Evaluating A Grief Support Group's Effectiveness In Alleviating A Person's Grief Experience, Kristin Lea Anderson

Theses and Graduate Projects

Grieving over the death of a loved one is an incredibly painful experience for anyone to endure. Moving through this grief in isolation can make the experience even more devastating. Fortunately, grief support groups have been developed as a way for people to receive the necessary emotional and social support during this difficult time. This study is a direct practice evaluation examining the effectiveness of a grief support group's ability to alleviate a person's level of anger, despair, and social isolation. Those participating in the study included 7 new members of a grief support group who had experienced the death …

Observing Attachment Disorder In Adults, Aileen G. Ockwig

Theses and Graduate Projects

Mental health professionals who work with adults typically encounter clients who have issues left over from childhood. This paper discusses the Attachment Theory first conceptualized by John Bowlby and the therapeutic implications with adults concerning attachment theory based on psychoanalytic-object relations theory. Understanding and emphasizing the importance of affectional bonds with caring others is an essential part of treating adult clients with attachment issues. The purpose of this study is to define the nature of the therapeutic relationship between client and clinician to identify therapeutic strategies that create a safe place for adult clients to explore issues of attachment, separation …

Grieving The Loss Of A Partner: The Ways Of Isolation A Hermeneutic Experience, Nichole M. Yager

Theses and Graduate Projects

This hermeneutic, qualitative study was undertaken to find out what the lived experience has been for one woman who lost her partner. Hermeneutics is an interpretive approach to looking at everyday experiences and uncovering what is usually hidden from us. Theorists have developed many frameworks to apply to the bereaved person. They try to explain how the loss will affect those who suffer a loss. This study attempted to capture what this experience was like for one bereaved person, what her thoughts and feelings were while living the experience and how this experience has changed her life. The participant lost …

Jane Addams, Mary Richmond And Liberal Feminism: An Historical Analysis, Elizabeth Reum

Theses and Graduate Projects

This historical thesis analyzed records and archival information regarding feminism in American social work by contrasting two key historical figures, Mary Richmond and Jane Addams who were considered the matriarchs of the social work movement in the earliest part of the 20th century. The study examined the accomplishments of Ms. Addams and Ms. Richmond, their backgrounds and philosophies that helped shape their feminism, beliefs, and political work and the impact it had on social work as a profession. The research gathered attempted to answer the question of whether the work done by these two women meets the current criteria of …

E. Franklin Frazier And The Interfacing Of Black Sociology And Black Social Work, Jerome H. Schiele

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

E. Franklin Frazier is known almost exclusively for his scholarly contributions after the publication of his seminal book, The Negro Family in the United States. Less is known about Frazier's professional life and scholarly contributions during the period when he was Director of the Atlanta School of Social Work between 1922 and 1927. Frazier was part of that generation of black scholars who benefited from the fluid interfacing of sociology and social work characteristic of the early part of the 20th century. While director of the Atlanta School, Frazier made significant contributions to the knowledge base of social work and …

Already Hit Bottom: General Assistance, Welfare Retrenchment, And Single Male Migration, Thomas Vartanian, Joe Soss, Sanford Schram, Jim Baumohl

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The claim is often made that welfare recipients move to states where benefits are more readily available in more generous amounts. To test that claim, this study uses data on state General Assistance (GA) programs, as well as data on single men from the Public Use Microdata Set of the 1990 U.S. Census. We find only slight evidence that men who lack access to GA seek it elsewhere, and overall we find that the availability of GA has no more than a marginal effect on the location decisions of the men we studied. It seems that poor people, like other …

Beside The Golden Door: Policy, Politics And The Homeless. James D. Wright, Beth A. Rubin And Joel A. Devine.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for James D. Wright, Beth A. Rubin and Joel A. Devine, Beside the Golden Door: Policy, Politics and the Homeless. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1998. $ 39.95 hardcover, $ 19.95 papercover.

Privatizing Social Security. Martin Feldstein (Ed.).

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Martin Feldstein (Ed.), Privatizing Social Security. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1998. $ 60.00 hardback.

America's Changing Attitudes Toward Welfare And Welfare Recipients, 1938-1995, Laurie Macleod, Darrel Montero, Alan Speer

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper examines American national public opinion on welfare, welfare recipients, and the government's role in welfare programs. The data were gathered from published public opinion polls of national samples of adults taken between 1938 and 1995. The findings indicate that public opinion has remained relatively stable over this 57-year period, with the majority of Americans believing that the government has a responsibility to help those in need. At the same time, the majority of those polled believed that the government spends too much on welfare. The findings also show that the public is in favor of reducing income differences …

Social Security And The Incremental Privatization Of Retirement Income, Neung-Hoo Park, Neil Gilbert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examines the process of "incremental privatization" of retirement income--a slow decline in the proportion of retirement income from Social Security relative to retirement income derived from employerprovided pensions (private and government) and IRA-type Accounts. The findings reveal that since the mid 1970s the elderly in the bottom 40% of the income distribution experienced a minimal increase in retirement income from pensions other than Social Security, while those in the upper ranges showed steady gains in income from private sources. This trend is accompanied by increasing inequality in the ratio of retirement income of those in the lower quintiles …

Social Work And Downsizing: Theoretical Implications And Strategic Responses, Samuel J. Rosenberg

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The economic, political and social changes of the past 25 years have undermined most working American's assumptions about job security. Large segments of the population now find their jobs threatened by "downsizing" -which results from the reduction of staff by employers, usually for economic reasons. Downsized individuals typically experience personal and familial crises of major magnitude, and have increasingly been turning to social workers for assistance. Social workers, however-who have had relatively little experience delivering services to this clientele--are themselves being threatened by downsizing. Given this situation, the present study assesses-through interviews and participant observation-(a) how social workers are conceptualizing …

Review Of Big Cities In The Welfare Transition. Alfred J. Hahn And Sheila B. Kamerman. Reviewed By John R. Graham, University Of Calgary., John R. Graham

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Alfred J. Kahn and Sheila B. Kamerman, Big Cities in the Welfare Transition. New York: Columbia University School of Social Work, 1998, $25.00 papercover

Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare Vol. 26, No. 2 (June 1999)

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• SOCIAL WORK AND DOWNSIZING: THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS AND STRATEGIC RESPONSES - Samuel J. Rosenberg
• THE WILLINGNESS TO SEEK HELP: ITS ROLE IN SOCIAL WORKERS' PROFESSIONAL COMMITMENT - Ben-Zion Cohen
• HISTORICAL TRENDS IN STATE-LEVEL ADC/AFDC BENEFITS: LIVING ON LESS AND LESS - Sandra Wexler & Rafael J. Engel
• PROMOTING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MASS MEDIA - Edward A. Brawley & Emilia E. Martinez-Brawley
• PERCEPTIONS ABOUT POVERTY: VIEWS FROM THE GEORGIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - Elizabeth L. Beck, Deborah M. Whitley & James L. Wolk
• E. FRANKLIN FRAZIER AND THE INTERFACING OF BLACK SOCIOLOGY AND BLACK SOCIAL WORK - …

The Willingness To Seek Help: Its Role In Social Workers' Professional Commitment, Ben-Zion Cohen

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Providing help to persons in need is the central theme of the social work profession. The three elements essential to this process are the person offering the assistance, the assistance itself, and the person receiving it. The focus here is on the person offering the help and to what degree that person is willing to request help when he or she needs it. Social workers differ with regard to their willingness to seek help, and this study employs a variety of research tools to explore the relevance of these differences to their commitment to the profession and to their professional …

Historical Trends In State-Level Adc/Afdc Benefits: Living On Less And Less, Sandra Wexler, Rafael J. Engel

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper, using government statistics, describes state-level variation in ADC/AFDC benefits from 1940-1995. The findings illustrate that the "race to the bottom" began in 1975, especially among higher paying states. The concomitant declines in benefit value relative to the poverty line places TANF-dependent recipients in serious jeopardy. Implications for education and advocacy are discussed.

Promoting Social Justice In Partnership With The Mass Media, Edward A. Brawley, Emilia E. Martinez-Brawley

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Research on mass communications suggests that public understanding of social justice issues can be significantly enhanced by the appropriate use of the media. Indeed, without the access to the public that only the mass media can provide, social workers are unlikely to have much impact in the public's understanding of critical social justice issues and appropriate responses to these issues. Based on emerging research and practice, we identify opportunities for individuals, groups and organizations interested in addressing issues of social justice to engage in productive public communication activities through newspapers, radio and television.

Legislators' Perceptions About Poverty: Views From The Georgia General Assembly, Elizabeth L. Beck, Deborah M. Whitley, James L. Wolk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study sought to explore legislators perspectives about causes of poverty. Members of the Georgia General Assembly rated the importance of 10 behavioral and structural explanations of poverty, and indicated whether they thought poor women and children would be better served under AFDC or TANF. Whereas all groups of legislators found behavioral explanations moderately important, there was significant variation by race, gender, and political party about the importance of structural explanations of poverty. Support for several structural explanations of poverty correlated with a preference for AFDC, but no correlations were found with behavioral explanations. This study holds implications for affecting …

A Socio-Economic Analysis Of The Three Paths To Social Security Reform, Rebecca A. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As this century ends, old-age pension systems worldwide are experiencing tremendous strain and undergoing rigorous examination. At issue is the ability of current schemes to survive demographic changes which threaten to bankrupt most OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) members' old age pension systems by the early part of the twenty-first century (Peterson, 1996; Steuerle & Bakija, 1994; World Bank, 1994). A variety of proposals have been advanced in response to this concern, which reflect different underlying values and priorities. Varying significantly in their recommendations for the appropriate balance between public and private efforts, these proposals form a continuum …

Bridging The Divide: The Casework Policy Link, Peggy Pittman-Munke

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The professional history of social work in the United States of America is entering its second century. From this vantage point, it is possible to draw on. the past to develop ideas that will work for the future. Contemporary social workers often view the profession as dichotomized between those who deal with individual issues through counseling and private practice and those who are concerned with social change through policy reform. Mary Richmond, pioneer in the professionalization of social casework, offers a tightly integrated model which demonstrates how social casework and social reform can serve to reinforce and support one another …

Review Of Conservative Social Policy: A Description And Analysis. Leon Ginsberg. Reviewed By David Stoez, Virginia Commonwealth University., David Stoez

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Leon Ginsberg, Conservative Social Policy: A Description and Analysis. Chicago, Nelson Hall, 1998. $23.95 papercover.

Review Of Confronting Racism: The Problem And The Response. Jennifer L. Eberhardt And Susan T. Fiske (Eds.). Reviewed By Eric Swank, Morehead State University., Eric Swank

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Jennifer L. Eberhardt and Susan T. Fiske (Eds.), Confronting Racism: The Problem and the Response. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1998. $29.50 papercover.

Review Of The Poor Belong To Us: Catholic Charities And American Welfare. Dorothy M. Brown And Elizabeth Mckeown. Reviewed By Dorothy Van Soest, University Of Texas, Austin., Dorothy Van Soest

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book review of Dorothy M. Brown and Elizabeth McKeown, The Poor Belong to Us: Catholic Charities and American Welfare. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998. $45.00 hardcover.

Fragile Families: Fragile Solutions. Robert Halpern

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for Robert Halpern, Fragile Families: Fragile Solutions. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998. $ 49.50 hardcover, $ 17.50 papercover.

Does America Hate The Poor? The Other American Dilemma. John Tropman.

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Book note for John Tropman, Does America Hate the Poor? The Other American Dilemma. Westport, CT: Praegar Published, 1998. $ 59.95 hardcover.

Out For Equity, A Case Study, Erin Beaudry

Theses and Graduate Projects

The purpose of the study is to explore the effectiveness of such a program and if found useful, to put forth information that can assist social workers in starting such a program in their school systems. Homosexuality has been a controversial subject in our society for many years. Society has reacted to the topic in many different ways including ignoring, condemning, or accepting gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals for who they are. The framework for this study is based on Systems Theory and focuses on the power the education system has in affecting the lives of gay, lesbian, and bisexual …

Nurturant And Provider Role Saliency Of Fathers In Traditional And Non-Traditional Families, Michael R. Hacker

Theses and Graduate Projects

Although identity theory, out of symbolic interactionism, has been suggested to be the most useful framework for understanding the changing roles of fathers, little systematic research has been done to apply this framework to fathering roles, and especially the specific roles of provider and nurturer. In this study, seven fathers, four in economically traditional families and three in economically non-traditional families, were interviewed using a structured interview schedule. This interview focused on the saliency of the roles of provider and nurturer for fathers and the strain in fulfilling aspects of both as predicted by identity theory. The content analysis revealed …

A Secondary Data Analysis Of The Womankind/Centers For Disease Control Evaluation A Study Of Hospital Staff S Ability To Engage, Assess And Refer Victims Of Domestic Abuse, Victoria M. Hanson

Theses and Graduate Projects

This is a secondary data analysis of an evaluation of a domestic violence program in a hospital setting in the Midwest. Hospital staffs in five hospitals who work in either the Emergency Department, Intensive Care, or Perinatal/Ob/Gyn were surveyed to evaluate their knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors regarding domestic abuse. This secondary data analysis looked at the results of the 320 completed baseline surveys to examine if hospital staff who have a high concordance with feminist principles perceive themselves as having a high ability to engage, assess, and refer victims of domestic abuse. Multiple regression was used to compare practitioner …

Service Usage As A Measure Of Program Effectiveness: One Agency's Experience, Lisa M. Powers

Theses and Graduate Projects

This is a program evaluation of a community support program for adults with a serious and persistent mental illness. Since the deinstitutionalization of persons with a serious and persistent mental illness, many programs have been developed with the aim of keeping this population as independent in their communities as possible. Existing research shows the effectiveness of community-based programs in reducing acute care hospitalizations for this population yet fails to determine which components of these programs are most necessary and for whom. A simple random sample of currently active files (N=38) was conducted, and data was collected on type and frequency …

Outcome Based Data Analysis Of A Therapeutic Foster Care Program, Lisa M. Silvestri Adamich

Theses and Graduate Projects

Therapeutic foster care (TFC) is quickly becoming a favored placement option by case managers for children and adolescents. As the number of agencies that provide therapeutic foster care programs increase, case managers question what constitutes successful and failed placements of adolescents in the TFC system. This exploratory, quantitative study focuses on data analysis of a therapeutic foster care program. Data analysis will consist of evaluating matched intake and discharge information of approximately 32 adolescents (32 intake/discharge records) from January l, 1998 through December 31, 1998 as well as evaluating discharge records of those youth admitted prior to 1998 and discharged …

Wisconsin Reforms Welfare: The Experiences Of Recipients, Kimberly Lewis

Theses and Graduate Projects

This mixed qualitative and quantitative exploratory study was conducted in an effort to expand the knowledge base regarding Wisconsin welfare recipients under the new welfare reform policy titled "Wisconsin Works" or ("W-2"). A mixed research design was used in order to capture the experiences of "W-2" welfare recipients from their perspectives. A purposive sampling technique was utilized in conducting interviews of 6 participants who were receiving welfare in the state of Wisconsin. The interviews focused on several areas that are assumed to lead to self-sufficiency under the "W-2" policy, including food and shelter, child care, transportation and job skills/training. Content …