Eric Albers

Children in Foster Care: Possible factors affecting permanency planning

This is a study of Children in Foster Care to determine possible factors affecting permanency planning. Several issues were determined to be of importance, cultural diversity, economics, and family support services. Areas needing additional study were determined to be the different treatment given to African-American and poor children, and the influence of economic and social problems on placement needs and planning.

Suicide ideation, attempts and abuse among incarcerated gang and nongang delinquents

The present study examines suicide ideation and attempts as well as reported levels of physical and sexual abuse among gang and nongang-involved incarcerated youth. The self-report survey data were collected from 334 males and 61 females who were incarcerated in Nevada youth correctional facilities in the summer of 1994. Over half (58.3 percent) of the males and nearly half (45.2 percent) of the females reported being gang members. Surprisingly high rates of abuse (more than 70 percent for both physical and sexual abuse) were found among the incarcerated females of this study. Females reported significantly more suicide attempts and were more likely to have been physically and sexually abused than males. Nongang males reported significantly more suicide attempts and were more likely to report sexual abuse than gang-involved males. Among the gang-involved delinquents, females reported significantly more suicide attempts than males. In addition, gang members who reported sexual abuse were more likely to have higher levels of suicide ideationand to have attempted suicide. Implications for youth correction specialists and social workers are discussed.

Suicide ideation among a stratified sample of rural and urban adolescents

This study examined factors associated with sucidal ideation among a stratified sample of rural and urban adolescents. Data was collected on 1,728 eighth and tenth grade southern Nevada students from 23 schools. No overall differences were found between rural and urban adolescents, although results did indicate that grade, gender, and school achievement variations exist between rural and urban student populations. Implications for social workers and other youth service providers are discussed.

Child sexual abuse programs: Recommendation for refinement and study

Child assault prevention programs have increasingly been instituted in school systems throughout the country. this paper reviews and summarizes research findings on child abuse, child abuse prevention programs, and evaluations of child abuse prevention programs. In addition, the author presents issues for program developers to consider as they re-examine and refine existing child abuse prevention programs.

The Use of Interactive Television in a BSW Program: Comparing Experiences of Distance and Campus-Based Learners

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of interactive television (ITV) on the educational experiences of both distance and campus-based BSW students. Data were collected through quest...

Substance Use and Fighting among Male and Female High School Youths: A Brief Report.

While previous studies have investigated the relationship between substance use and violent behaviors among youths, the individual influence of specific drugs among males and females is poorly understood. Using the Nevada 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) Survey (N = 1,556), weighted logistic regression was used to assess the independent substance use correlates of physical fighting among males and females. Final models controlled for sociodemographics, gang membership, parental monitoring, and other drugs. Our data suggest that there are gender differences in the individual drugs that are correlated with fighting among high school students. For males, binge drinking was independently associated with fighting, while for females, marijuana and methamphetamine were independent correlates.

A Conceptual Three-Dimensional Model for Evaluating Community-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Programs

ABSTRACT Evaluators of substance abuse prevention programs are being asked to assess multiple and simultaneous interventions occurring in complex settings. The field of substance abuse prevention currently has no overarching conceptual evaluative framework for evaluating its programs. This paper presents a three-dimensional model for conceptualizing existing prevention programs, defining and measuring effects of prevention programs, and making a connection between those programmatic effects, and the interests of the funder. This paper describes the methodology and its use for promoting the efficiency and effectiveness of substance abuse prevention programs.