Brien L. Bolin

STUDENTS WITH PSYCHIATRIC DISABILITIES: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF PROGRAM PRACTICES

This article presents findings of an exploratory study addressing social work program practices regarding psychiatric disabilities among social work students. An e-mail invitation to participate in an online survey was sent to approximately 875 social work educators, with 71 individuals choosing to participate. The findings indicated that 88% of respondents were in programs that had made accommodations and slightly less than 33% were in programs that had psychiatric disability policies. A positive relationship between ratings of the effectiveness of the accommodations and ratings of employability of students with psychiatric disabilities was found. These findings suggest that additional studies are needed to identify effective ways to deal with the complex legal and educational issues involved with accommodations and support.

Police protective custody

Purpose – To document the police protective custody (PPC) process and in doing so develop a predictive model to better inform police decision makers on the factors that are more likely to result in the state maintaining custody of a child.Design/methodology/approach – Data for the current study were gathered through a series of focus groups and 6,607 existing records of PPC admissions into a childrens home in the Wichita Childrens Home (WCH) (Kansas). Systematic predictive modeling (logistic regression) was used to differentiate between children that are likely to need continued involvement of the child welfare system and those who could remain in the custody of their families.Findings – Documents the PPC process by which a child is referred to be housed by WCH by a law enforcement agency. Reports on the design of a decision model which identifies the factors affecting the outcome of the PPC process.Originality/value – Provides recommendations for streamlining the PPC process as well as the improvement ...

Stress and Spirituality on the Depressive Symptoms of Older Adults in Assisted Living: Gender Differences.

In this study the authors explore the effects of stress and spirituality on the depressive symptoms of 92 older adult men and 224 older adult women who reside in assisted living facilities. Hierarchical regression reveals that stress was related to increases in depressive symptoms. The stress of women was more strongly associated with depressive symptoms than found among men. In contrast, spiritual coping was associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms among all older adults in assisted living. The spiritual coping of older adult women was not a significant predictor of decreased depressive symptoms. Through this study the authors support the use of spiritual interventions to alleviate depressive symptoms experienced by older adults in assisted living.

Teaching students web page development

An innovative web-based approach to teaching computer-based technological skills to MSW students is described. Students enrolled in an advanced generalist community practice course were taught how to create useful, informative, and empowering web sites for at-risk communities. Student feedback suggested that web development skills were viewed as relevant and useful to community-based practice, and students felt empowered through the acquisition of technological skills. The basic pedagogical features of the assignment are described and recommendations for mounting a web design course are offered.

ADVANCED STANDING AND BRIDGE COURSES: STRUCTURES AND ISSUES

This study explores the issue of advanced standing in MSW programs in light of the new Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS). Advanced standing structures of MSW programs were studied using a purposive sample consisting of 203 MSW program directors with a response rate of 28% (N=58). The results indicate that slightly more than 15% of programs do not provide advanced standing to incoming students, that slightly more than 63% require a bridge course, and that bridge courses are most often used to increase the academic readiness of students. The studys findings are used to frame a discussion of the significant issues raised by the introduction of a common set of competencies for BSW and MSW students in the new EPAS.

Teaching students web page development: A skill for practice and empowerment

Summary: An innovative web-based approach to teaching computer-based technological skills to MSW students is described. Students enrolled in an advanced generalist community practice course were taught how to create useful, informative, and empowering web sites for at-risk communities. Student feedback suggested that web development skills were viewed as relevant and useful to community-based practice, and students felt empowered through the acquisition of technological skills. The basic pedagogical features of the assignment are described and recommendations for mounting a web design course are offered.