Applying the Strengths Perspective to Increase Safety and Weil-Being: Views from Families and Providers

Consensus about the value of the strengths perspective is developing among child welfare and family service practitioners. Yet, few first-hand reports are available from the perspectives of family members and interdisciplinary service providers about the principles most important for engaging and supporting family members to achieve needed outcomes. This paper briefly highlights principles most often cited as key to application of the strengths perspective and compares first-hand accounts from family members and service providers. These views were elicited through focus groups facilitated by a community-based family support program.Implications for strengths-based practice with families are discussed.

Supporting Families through Short-Term Foster Care: An Essay Review

Aldgate, J. and Bradley, M. (1999). Supporting families through short-term fostering. London: The Stationery Office. This essay reviews a British qualitative study of short-term foster care from the perspectives of birth parents, children, foster parents, and social workers. Respondents highlighted the value of short-term foster care as a family support service and also offered many recommendations for improving service delivery. The study provides useful implications for restructuring child welfare services in the United States and for promoting cross-national collaboration in future research activities in the area of child and family services.

You Know You Are Evidence-Based If...

This issue of the Family Preservation Journal further contributes to our knowledge of what works in family preservation and family support by offering seven articles that are evidence-based.

Something real: A social marketing approach to smoking prevention among Montevideo youth

Uruguay has some of the strictest tobacco-control laws in Latin America. Despite this, youth smoking rates in Uruguay are amongst the highest in South America. Thus, it is important to identify strategies to prevent youth smoking in Uruguay. The current qualitative research study sought to identify intrapersonal and socioenvironmental factors that are associated with smoking among middle school youth in Uruguay. It also sought to develop potential prevention strategies and media messages that would resonate with youth for a social media campaign. The study was grounded in social cognitive theory and the theory of reasoned action/planned behavior, among other behavioral science theories; anthropological perspectives were also considered. To achieve these goals, 29 group and individual structured interviews were conducted in two private middle schools catering to lower and higher SES youth in Montevideo, Uruguay during the summer of 2012. One hundred and three study participants, including students, parents, and teachers, were interviewed. The structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, translated, back translated, coded and analyzed. The study findings show that positive attitudes towards smoking (i.e. to be seen, to increase status, to ensure women's equality, to looking old, and to service as a rite of passage), delinquent behavior (i.e. transgression/deviant behavior), social norms that support smoking (i.e. peer pressure and modeling, group membership/sense of belonging, parental modeling, and family support), easy access and availability to tobacco (i.e. retails stores) were factors associated with youth smoking. Potential protective factors may include parental support, negative attitudes towards smoking, sports/music, and smoke-free environments. Because study participants are accustomed to government-sponsored strong countermarketing graphic imaging, study participants selected even stronger images and messages as the preferred way to receive tobacco prevention messages. Something Real ("Algo Real") was a theme that resonated with the participants and chosen as the name for the proposed campaign. This campaign was designed as a multiple component intervention that included mass, school base, and family based strategies to prevent tobacco use. Some intervention materials specific to these intervention components were developed to target relevant intrapersonal and socioenvironmental factors identified above. These materials will be tested in future pilot studies and larger scale evaluation with this population, outside the scope of this dissertation. ^

Singularidades da intervenção psicológica nos cuidados paliativos

Relatório de Prática Clínica apresentado à Escola Superior de Saúde Dr. Lopes Dias do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Cuidados Paliativos, realizada sob a orientação científica da Diretora da ESALD Doutora Ana Paula Gonçalves Antunes Sapeta, do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco, e orientação científica do Assistente Convidado pela Escola Superior de Saúde Dr. Lopes Dias, Mestre Eduardo Manuel Neves Oliveira Carqueja.

Description des relations familiales : la perspective d’hommes en situation d’itinérance atteints de troubles concomitants

Les personnes en situation d’itinérance, principalement des hommes, représentent pour certains une culture au sein de laquelle on identifie des personnes atteintes de troubles concomitants de santé mentale et d’abus de substances. Déjà vulnérables de par leur statut domiciliaire précaire, les personnes atteintes de cette concomitance le sont davantage et tendent à être plus isolées de leur famille que celles ne rencontrant pas cette double problématique. Le soutien familial est toutefois reconnu comme un élément favorisant l’engagement de comportements de santé et réduisant l’itinérance. Le but de cette étude était alors de décrire, du point de vue des hommes en situation d’itinérance atteints de troubles concomitants de santé mentale et d’abus de substances, les relations qu’ils entretiennent avec leur famille. Pour ce faire, le devis choisi fût une ethnographie ciblée. Différents degrés d’observation participante au sein de la Mission Old Brewery et des entrevues avec neuf informateurs-clés ont été les principales méthodes de collecte des données. L’analyse des données qualitative était soutenue par le guide proposé par Roper et Shapira (2000) ainsi que l’épistémologie constructiviste et l’approche systémique familiale de Calgary (Wright & Leahey, 2013) qui furent les cadres de référence de cette étude. Les résultats font ressortir trois thèmes explicitant 1) l’influence du contexte de vie dans les relations familiales, 2) la teneur conflictuelle de ces relations ainsi que 3) le soutien familial perçu. Finalement, des recommandations pour la pratique infirmière ainsi que des pistes pour de futures recherches sont suggérées.

Description des relations familiales : la perspective d’hommes en situation d’itinérance atteints de troubles concomitants

Les personnes en situation d’itinérance, principalement des hommes, représentent pour certains une culture au sein de laquelle on identifie des personnes atteintes de troubles concomitants de santé mentale et d’abus de substances. Déjà vulnérables de par leur statut domiciliaire précaire, les personnes atteintes de cette concomitance le sont davantage et tendent à être plus isolées de leur famille que celles ne rencontrant pas cette double problématique. Le soutien familial est toutefois reconnu comme un élément favorisant l’engagement de comportements de santé et réduisant l’itinérance. Le but de cette étude était alors de décrire, du point de vue des hommes en situation d’itinérance atteints de troubles concomitants de santé mentale et d’abus de substances, les relations qu’ils entretiennent avec leur famille. Pour ce faire, le devis choisi fût une ethnographie ciblée. Différents degrés d’observation participante au sein de la Mission Old Brewery et des entrevues avec neuf informateurs-clés ont été les principales méthodes de collecte des données. L’analyse des données qualitative était soutenue par le guide proposé par Roper et Shapira (2000) ainsi que l’épistémologie constructiviste et l’approche systémique familiale de Calgary (Wright & Leahey, 2013) qui furent les cadres de référence de cette étude. Les résultats font ressortir trois thèmes explicitant 1) l’influence du contexte de vie dans les relations familiales, 2) la teneur conflictuelle de ces relations ainsi que 3) le soutien familial perçu. Finalement, des recommandations pour la pratique infirmière ainsi que des pistes pour de futures recherches sont suggérées.

Characteristics and financial circumstances of AFDC recipients.

Description based on: FY 1987; title from cover.

Barriers and Facilitators to Treatment among Newly Diagnosed Hypertensive Patients in Nepal: a Qualitative Study

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Prospective study of individual, social, and environmental predictors of physical activity: women's leisure running

Background: Understanding and influencing the determinants of physical activity is an important public health challenge. We used prospective data to examine the influence of individual, social, and environmental factors on physical activity behaviour, using regular running as the behavioural model. Methods: Over 500 middle-aged women completed two consecutive questionnaires in 2000 and 2002. Logistic regression analyses were used to examine factors predicting adoption of and regression from regular leisure-time running during the follow-up. Results: Women who frequently used behavioural change skills were more likely to adopt regular running (OR=4.0, CI=1.7-9.5). There was an interaction between the enjoyment of running and family support: those who rated enjoyment of running high and reported high family support were less likely to adopt running (OR= 0.2, CI = 0.1-0.5). Women who reported infrequent use of motives were more likely (OR = 3.3, CI = 1.6-6.9) to regress from regular running. There was an interaction between perceived health and the neighbourhood environment: those who perceived themselves to be in poor health and had an unattractive neighbourhood were more likely (OR = 2.7, CI = 0.9-8.3) to regress from regular running. Conclusions: Behavioural skills and enjoyment may be of particular importance for the adoption of regular activity; social support and an aesthetically attractive neighbourhood are likely to have a key role in encouraging maintenance. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PERCEPÇÃO DE SUPORTE FAMILIAR DE ADOLESCENTES EM CONFLITO COM A LEI

O Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA) e o Sistema Nacional de Atendimento Socioeducativo (SINASE) definem que a criança e o adolescente que cometem ato infracional são imputáveis, porém passíveis ao cumprimento de medidas socioeducativas. Esta reformulação do modelo do atendimento e o fenômeno da violência juvenil tem assumido uma visibilidade social e acadêmica a partir da crescente problematização da temática, principalmente referente ao aumento dos índices de ato infracional, reincidência do ato infracional e da criminalidade de maneira geral. A partir deste cenário, surgem algumas demandas sobre o papel da família no desenvolvimento dos adolescentes em conflito com a lei. Compreende-se que a família também viveu transformações histórico-sociais e que atualmente foi eleita a assumir os cuidados e responsabilidades de seus membros sem levar em conta as condições de inclusão/exclusão que também sofre. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa buscou identificar a percepção de suporte familiar dos adolescentes em cumprimento de medida socioducativa de Liberdade Assistida e Prestação de Serviços à Comunidade em São Bernardo do Campo SP. O processo de coleta dos dados foi dividido em duas etapas distintas, a primeira referiu-se a aplicação do Inventário de Percepção de Suporte Familiar (IPSF), em que 84 adolescentes participaram do estudo, e a segunda etapa referiu-se a realização de entrevistas com cinco adolescentes. Identificou-se uma percepção de suporte familiar na dimensão afetivo-consistente média-alta à médio-baixa, na dimensão adaptação e autonomia familiar baixa à médio-baixa, estes resultados podem indicar certa fragilidade dos vínculos e das relações intra-familiares e uma percepção de inadequação e pouca autonomia na família. A percepção de suporte familiar dos adolescentes em conflito com a lei pode ser compreendida pela dificuldade de imposição de impeditivos e continência por parte da família, não rompendo com os ciclos de violência vivenciado pelos adolescentes e suas família. Desta forma, identifica-se a necessidade de intervenções junto a rede de garantia de direitos que promovam ações no âmbito do fortalecimento dos vínculos comunitários e familiares, podendo assim, instaurar novas possibilidades de vivências entre os adolescentes e suas famílias, em que o Estado, a comunidade e a família juntos se responsabilizam pelo desenvolvimento da criança e do adolescente.

PERCEPÇÃO DE SUPORTE FAMILIAR E QUALIDADE DE VIDA: UM ESTUDO COM ADOLESCENTES E SEUS PAIS

A família é o primeiro grupo social ao qual o individuo pertence e exerce importante função no desenvolvimento dos seres humanos. Levando-se em consideração o fato da adolescência ser considerada um período do desenvolvimento, marcada por diversas transformações, tanto do individuo quanto do meio familiar, assim como a importância que a família exerce na constituição desses adolescentes, faz-se necessário pensar na qualidade das relações que são estabelecidas. Diante disso, a presente pesquisa teve como objetivo identificar possíveis relações entre a percepção de suporte familiar e qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde de adolescentes e seus responsáveis. Para tanto, buscou-se identificar a percepção dos adolescentes sobre sua qualidade de vida e suporte familiar, bem como a percepção de seus responsáveis sobre os mesmos. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo, quantitativo e de delineamento transversal. Participaram desse estudo 348 sujeitos, sendo 174 adolescentes e 174 responsáveis, escolhidos por conveniência. Dentre os resultados pode-se salientar que os adolescentes possuem percepção de melhor qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde do que seus responsáveis, porém ambos revelam que possuem visão positiva acerca da adolescência. No que se refere à percepção de suporte familiar os dados revelaram que os homens (independente de serem responsáveis ou adolescentes) apresentam melhor percepção acerca da expressão afetiva entre os membros da família e os responsáveis possuem melhor percepção acerca do fator autonomia do que os adolescentes. Conclui se que os objetivos do presente estudo foram atingidos na medida em que foram identificadas inúmeras correlações entre os fatores de percepção de suporte familiar e as dimensões de qualidade de vida relacionada à saúde. Os resultados obtidos sugerem a necessidade de ações que favoreçam o dialogo entre responsáveis e adolescentes favorecendo a aproximação e, consequentemente favorecendo a promoção da saúde.

Quality of the written information about suicide attempters

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to assess the quality of the clinical records of the patients who are seen in public hospitals in Madrid after a suicide attempt in a blind observation. METHODS: Observational, descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at four general public hospitals in Madrid (Spain). Analyses of the presence of seven indicators of information quality (previous psychiatric treatment, recent suicidal ideation, recent suicide planning behaviour, medical lethality of suicide attempt, previous suicide attempts, attitude towards the attempt, and social or family support) in 993 clinical records of 907 patients (64.5% women), ages ranging from 6 to 92 years (mean 37.1±15), admitted to hospital after a suicide attempt or who committed an attempt whilst in hospital. RESULTS: Of patients who attempted suicide, 94.9% received a psychosocial assessment. All seven indicators were documented in 22.5% of the records, whilst 23.6% recorded four or less than four indicators. Previous suicide attempts and medical lethality of current attempt were the indicators most often missed in the records. The study found no difference between the records of men and women (z=0.296; p=0.767, two tailed Mann-Whitney U test), although clinical records of patients discharged after an emergency unit intervention were more incomplete than the ones from hospitalised patients (z=2.731; p=0.006), and clinical records of repeaters were also more incomplete than the ones from non-repeaters (z=3.511; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinical records of patients who have attempted suicide are not complete. The use of semi-structured screening instruments may improve the evaluation of patients who have self- harmed.

Gender differences in behavioral and psychosocial correlates of substance abuse among adolescents in residential treatment

This dissertation reports the results of a study that examined differences between genders in a sample of adolescents from a residential substance abuse treatment facility. The sample included 72 males and 65 females, ages 12 through 17. The data were archival, having been originally collected for a study of elopement from treatment. The current study included 23 variables. The variables were from multiple dimensions, including socioeconomic, legal, school, family, substance abuse, psychological, social support, and treatment histories. Collectively, they provided information about problem behaviors and psychosocial problems that are correlates of adolescent substance abuse. The study hypothesized that these problem behaviors and psychosocial problems exist in different patterns and combinations between genders.^ Further, it expected that these patterns and combinations would constitute profiles important for treatment. K-means cluster analysis identified differential profiles between genders in all three areas: problem behaviors, psychosocial problems, and treatment profiles. In the dimension of problem behaviors, the predominantly female group was characterized as suicidal and destructive, while the predominantly male group was identified as aggressive and low achieving. In the dimension of psychosocial problems, the predominantly female group was characterized as abused depressives, while the male group was identified as asocial, low problem severity. A third group, neither predominantly female or male, was characterized as social, high problem severity. When these dimensions were combined to form treatment profiles, the predominantly female group was characterized as abused, self-harmful, and social, and the male group was identified as aggressive, destructive, low achieving, and asocial. Finally, logistic regression and discriminant analysis were used to determine whether a history of sexual and physical abuse impacted problem behavior differentially between genders. Sexual abuse had a substantially greater influence in producing self-mutilating and suicidal behavior among females than among males. Additionally, a model including sexual abuse, physical abuse, low family support, and low support from friends showed a moderate capacity to predict unusual harmful behavior (fire-starting and cruelty to animals) among males. Implications for social work practice, social work research, and systems science are discussed. ^

Integrating Individuals with Developmental Disabilities into the Open Labor Market

This qualitative study addresses attitudes concerning employing individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) and identifies factors limiting their integration into the workplace. Four themes emerged: lack of infrastructure, awareness, family support, and the need for ongoing training and development. A proposed model of integrating individuals with DD in the workplace is discussed.