Cheryl A. Richey

An assertion inventory for use in assessment and research

The Assertion Inventory is a 40 item self-report inventory which permits respondents to note for each item their degree of discomfort, their probability of engaging in the behavior, and situations they would like to handle more assertively. Normative data from a college population as well as data from women taking part in assertion training groups are included. Comparative distributions of these populations over four combinations of response probability and discomfort scores are presented as well as reliability and validity data. The value of the Inventory both in clinical settings and in research is discussed.

Child age and outcome correlates in intensive family preservation services

Abstract Consistent with other studies of Intensive Family Preservation Services (IFPS), 83% of 1506 children served by Homebuilders over a 2 year, 8 month period avoided official out-of-home placement, 12 months after service intake. An examination of client variables associated with outcome revealed that child age was an important predictor of placement outcomes, with infants (birth to 2 years) and older children (ages 10 to 17 years) being significantly more likely to be placed after treatment than 3 to 9 year-old children. Additional analyses of the 3 child-age cohorts revealed that clear, cohort-specific clusters of child and parent/family characteristics were associated with post-intervention placement. Implications for service provision, intervention focus, and program evaluation are explored.

Interpersonal skill training to enhance social support among women at risk for child maltreatment

Abstract This pilot study examined the feasibility and potential effectiveness of a 12-week group training program designed to strengthen prosocial attitudes and skills of six at-risk mothers. “At-risk” status was defined for these women through low-income, and a state referral of their young children to a therapeutic day nursery. The mothers participated in the group, in data collection before and after training, and at a 2-month follow-up probe. High attendance and positive consumer ratings supported the feasibility of structured group training with these women. Outcome data showed increases in personal network size, quality of daily contacts, proportion of daily contacts with friends, satisfaction with support from friends, and duration of contacts. Data on self-esteem, loneliness, and attitudes about utilizing support resources showed only slight improvement. Unexpectedly, decreases in satisfaction with family supports and a negative correlation between proportion of extended family network members and family support satisfaction were noted at posttraining. The validity and desirability of certain treatment outcomes, especially with abuse-prone families, and social support reciprocity for women are among issues discussed.

CRITERIA USED TO DEFINE AND EVALUATE SOCIALLY COMPETENT BEHAVIOR AMONG WOMEN

Criteria used to evaluate socially competent behavior of women are described and critiqued. Many definitions of social competence do not employ a process view of social behavior in which individual goals and values as well as specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors are considered. This may result in the imposition of artificial goals on consumers of assertion and social skills training programs and the neglect of individual goals. The relationship between the definition of competence used and the assessment methods relied on is discussed. The advantages of focusing on specific goals are noted and a checklist that consumers can use to review the content of training programs is provided.

On the Sidelines of Guidelines: Further Thoughts on the Fit Between Clinical Guidelines and Social Work Practice

Professors Howard and Jenson identify numerous potential benefits of clinical practice guidelines. We welcome the opportunity to join the dialogue and organize our comments around five questions: (a) Do guidelines ensure positive client outcomes? (b) Are published treatment outcome studies adequately representative of the universe of empirical knowledge about what works with diverse client problems and populations? (c) How can guidelines be integrated with professional decision making? (d) Will implementing guidelines translate into greater client compliance? (e) What is the fit between guidelines and paradigms of direct social work practice?

Empirical Support for the Effectiveness of Respite Care in Reducing Caregiver Burden: A Single-Case Analysis

This article examines the effectiveness of respite care in reducing feelings of entrapment and resentment experienced by a 69-year-old daughter who was sole caregiver for her frail, 99-year-old mother. Outcome measures collected weekly over a 2-month period included caregiver reports of amount and enjoyment of time away from home and attitude toward mother. An experimental single-system (ABAB) design allowed comparison of caregiver burden during times when respite care was and was not available. All measures evidenced statistically significant changes in predicted directions when respite care was in place. Issues discussed include operationalization of burden and the clinical significance of findings. The case study offers an exemplar of how empirical support for respite care can be garnered to promote social welfare policies and programs that are responsive to the needs of families pursuing caregiving functions.

Social support characteristics among nonclinical African-American and Filipino-American parents with school-age children

Abstract This study is the first phase of a project to develop a culturally-appropriate, family-mediated social support intervention program. This phase consisted of in-home interviews with 26 African-American (AF) and 26 Filipino-American (FA) parents who were not receiving counseling or social services for parent-child conflict, and self-reported adequate personal and family functioning. In general, parents were college educated and employed full-time and had house-hold incomes of over

Book Review: Liberating Method: Feminism and Social Research

25,000. On average, AF parents were 35 years old, with 4 people in the household, including 2 children (mean age = 10 years). FA parents were older, averaging 45 years, and had 6 people in the household, including 3 children (mean age = 12 years). Mean scores on standardized measures reflected high self-esteem and positive attitudes toward their children and families. Social network size averaged 32 and 38 members for AF and FA mothers respectively, and 24 and 29 members for AF and FA fathers. Most parents reported that fewer than 50% of their network members knew each other. Data also suggested that parents reported a generally positive orientation to utilizing support resources, and favorable perceptions of and satisfaction with support form family and friends. Analyzes revealed that only functional support variables were significantly associated with parent well-being. Study limitations, service implications, and further research directions are discussed.

Book Reviews : Treating Women's Fear of Failure. Edited by Esther D. Rothblum and Ellen Cole. New York: Haworth Press, 1988, 105 pp.,

The author, a sociologist at Syracuse University, uses Liberating Method as an opportunity to bring together a number of her previously published articles. Of the 11 chapters, 8 were published between 1990 and 1998. DeVault states that these works chart her professional development as someone who conducts and teaches “oppositional research,” a label she applies to feminist and other research approaches that are committed to challenging oppressions and promoting liberatory agendas. Her specific aims for this book are to “seek creative and durable revisions of research methods in the social sciences, strategies that will free activist researchers to resist routine practices upholding false and oppressive versions of scientific ‘truth’” (p. 1). This ambitious overarching goal is joined by additional aims articulated in subsequent chapters. The resulting fluid and shifting nature of the book’s primary purpose, along with the tenuous and incomplete connections that are developed among the discrete chapters, undermine DeVault’s efforts to present a well-organized and unified treatise. Despite this shortcoming, the book may be useful to social work scholars who are struggling with conceptualizing, conducting, and teaching feminist research. The book is divided into six parts: Introduction, What Is Feminist Methodology, Excavation, The Self as Resource, Writing and Rhetorical Strategy, and Craft Knowledge of Feminist Research. Chapter 1, Becoming a Feminist Scholar, is an engaging autobiographical sketch of DeVault’s journey into the academy. Although DeVault’s experiences may be more relevant for

14.95, cloth

Ulbricht’s personal reflections on the experience of laryngectomy and Feldman’s review of women’s concerns as patients and caregivers in the world of work each highlight a critical need for supports through professional services and advocacy for nondiscriminatory working conditions. Articles on hospice care, unproved methods of cancer treatment, and scientific and ethical conflicts in studies involving human subjects are less specific to the concerns of women. In contrast, those by Barrett-Connor