Cassandra Clay

Racial differences in social support: Kin versus friends.

Social support was examined among 290 Black and White women recruited from the community. We hypothesized that (1) social support, adjusted for social class, would not vary by race and (2) social support would be related to well-being. Standardized measures were administered, examining support provided by friends versus kin separately. Multivariate models showed that Black women reported similar numbers of kin and fewer friends than Whites, while satisfaction with support did not vary by race. Measures of social support were generally associated with well-being. These findings question earlier reports that Black women have stronger kin support than White women, suggesting that clinicians should not assume that Blacks can rely on kin for social support.

Childhood Sexual Abuse Among Black Women and White Women From Two-Parent Families:

Differences in childhood sexual abuse (CSA) between Black women and White women are explored in a community sample of 290 women raised in two-parent families.A selfadministered questionnaire and a face-to-face interview assessed CSA characteristics, aftermath, and prevalence as well as family structure and other childhood variables. Siblings served as collateral informants for the occurrence of CSA. Overall, comparisons of the nature, severity, and aftermath of CSA showed similarities by race; some differences, for example, in age of onset, are potentially relevant for the planning of prevention programs. Logistic regression models examined effects of childhood variables on CSA prevalence. Initial analyses showed a higher CSA prevalence among Black women (34.1% [45] of Black women vs. 22.8% [36] of White women) that was attenuated when family structure (e.g., living with two biological parents throughout childhood or not) and social class were considered. Of interest, differences in family structure remained important even among these two-parent families. Understanding the dynamics of abuse by race and family structure will facilitate the design of more targeted CSA prevention programs.

Recruiting a Community Sample of African American Subjects: The Nuts and Bolts of a Successful Effort

Recruiting a heterogeneous community sample of White and African American subjects for a research study is a challenging task. Researchers have frequently failed to recruit African Americans or to recruit racially balanced samples. This paper describes the experiences of one social work research team in recruiting a community sample of White and African American women. Specific strategies are presented as a primer for developing samples that are diverse and balanced sociodemographically. A recruitment model is proposed, including use of multiple strategies, simultaneous attention to each segment of the targeted population, and periodic midcourse correction. The results of our recruitment efforts suggest that attracting a sociodemographically balanced sample can be successful when appropriate strategies are implemented.

Mediating Factors for the Long-term Effects of Parental Alcoholism in Women: The Contribution of Other Childhood Stresses and Resources

The primary aim of this study was to identify the stresses and resources in childhood that mediate the relationship between parental alcoholism and adult outcomes in women. Adult outcomes included alcohol problems and measures of psychosocial adjustment. Standardized measures and a face-to-face interview were used to collect data on 290 community-dwelling women, with siblings as collateral informants. Mediation analysis showed that the effect of parental alcoholism on several adult outcomes was indirect, mediated by the other stresses and resources examined. Contextual models such as those presented here are helpful in understanding the long-term effects of childhood environment on women.

Addressing issues of globalization in the training of public child welfare workers Lessons from a training program in the USA

English This article describes the implementation of a course module devoted to international child welfare for social work students. The module utilized adult learning theory and was guided by three perspectives: an ecological model of practice, social and economic justice, and cultural competence. The article describes successes and challenges and offers guidance to social work educators. French Cet article décrit la mise en oeuvre d’un module de formation consacré à la protection internationale de l’enfance, destiné aux étudiants en travail social. Le module utilise la théorie de la formation d’adultes et est orienté selon trois perspectives: le modèle écologique des pratiques, la justice sociale et économique, et la compétence culturelle. L’article décrit les succès et les défis et offre une guidance des formateurs en travail social. Spanish Se describe la implementación de un módulo en un curso para trabajadores sociales dedicado al bienestar infantil internacional. El módulo utilizó teoría de aprendizaje adulto bajo tres perspectivas: un modelo ecológico de práctica, justicia social y económica, y competencia cultural. Se describen los éxitos y los retos y se ofrecen sugerencias a los educadores de trabajo social.

Youth as Partners in Curriculum Development and Training Delivery: Roles, Challenges, Benefits and Recommendations

This article describes youth involvement in a set of national curriculum development and training projects focused on assisting foster youth to transition successfully out of the child welfare system. Various forms of youth involvement occurred in these projects: youth served on advisory committees, as focus group members, as curriculum reviewers, and as trainers and cotrainers. The benefits and challenges of youth involvement, identified by project staff and youth themselves, are outlined. Recommendations are presented for working with youth more effectively, for example, ensuring that the organization is prepared for substantial mentoring of youth and seeking certain groups of youth that match the projects needs. Recommendations are presented that are relevant to a host of educational and human service settings.