Gary Holden

Psychosocial characteristics of inner-city children with asthma: A description of the NCICAS psychosocial protocol

Previous research has demonstrated a significant reciprocal relationship between psychosocial factors and asthma morbidity in children. The National Cooperative Inner‐City Asthma Study investigated both asthma‐specific and non‐specific psychosocial variables, including asthma knowledge beliefs and management behavior, caregiver and child adjustment, life stress, and social support. This article presents these psychosocial characteristics in 1,528 4–9‐year‐old asthmatic urban children and their caretakers.

Outcomes of Social Work Education: The Case for Social Work Self-Efficacy

This article describes the development and testing of the Social Work Self-Efficacy Scale, which assesses social workers’ confidence regarding a broad range of social work tasks. Pre-post data from two cohorts of social work students are presented showing significant positive change in MSW students’ self-efficacy, suggesting a new approach to outcomes assessment in social work education.

Self-Efficacy of Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analysis:

The current study analyzed empirical work examining the relationship of self-efficacy to subsequent behavior in children under the age of 16. Applying meta-analytic techniques to 26 studies (N = 1692) published in the psychological literature between 1977 and 1989 resulted in a mean effect size (r) of .334 across studies.

Research Self-Efficacy: A New Possibility for Educational Outcomes Assessment

Does social work research education work? To answer this question, instructors employ an array of traditional measures, each with its own limitations and compromises. The validity and utility of st...

Bibliometrics: A potential decision making aid in hiring, reappointment, tenure and promotion decisions

Abstract The assessment of scholarship assumes a central role in the evaluation of individual faculty, educational programs and academic fields. Because the production and assessment of scholarship is so central to the faculty role, it is incumbent upon decision makers to strive to make assessments of scholarship fair and equitable. This paper will focus on an approach to the assessment of the quantity and impact of the most important subset of an individuals scholarship-peer-reviewed journal articles. The primary goal of this paper is to stimulate discussion regarding scholarship assessment in hiring, reappointment, tenure and promotion decisions.

Tracing thought through time and space: a selective review of bibliometrics in social work.

Abstract Bibliometrics is a field of research that examines bodies of knowledge within and across disciplines. Citation analysis, a component of bibliometrics, focuses on the quantitative assessment of citation patterns within a body of literature. Citation analysis has been used in social work to examine the quantity and the impact of the work of individuals and academic institutions. This paper presents a selective review of these uses of bibliometrics within social work.

Evaluating the Effects of a Virtual Environment (Starbright World) With Hospitalized Children

The objective was to pilot test the impact of STARBRIGHT World (SBW)—a virtual environment for seriously ill, hospitalized children. The impact of SBW was assessed with a series of nine replicated single system designs. The outcomes were children’s pain intensity, pain aversiveness, and anxiety. The results were aggregated using meta-analysis. At the individual child level, 6 of 27 contrasts between the two conditions reached significance. Overall, there was a trend for the later participants to report greater impact in the SBW condition and this appeared to parallel the increase in the SBW system’s functionality. When the results were combined meta-analytically, the combined p value was less than .05 for pain intensity and pain aversiveness and slightly greater than .05 for anxiety. This study provided modest support for the effectiveness of SBW and demonstrates the use of meta-analysis with single system designs.

Psychosocial Correlates of Adolescent Substance Use: A Review of Current Etiological Constructs

This article reviews psychosocial correlates of adolescent substance use by focusing on the recent empirical literature. Using a tabular format, an attempt is made to provide a facile tool for referencing the literature. Examination of the literature reveals considerable diversity among explanations regarding the variance explained by many of the correlates studied. While the field strives toward a consistent theoretical base from which effective interventions may be developed, researchers must specify the nature of their study populations, designs, methodological approaches, and any issues of generalizability. Only in this way will inconsistencies in study findings be reconciled and progress toward culturally specific intervention techniques be furthered.

The coming of age for assisted living care: new options for senior housing and social work practice.

Abstract As the United States experiences substantial growth in its population that is 65 years and older, development of safe housing and compassionate care for seniors is becoming a priority domestic issue. Assisted living is one of the fastest growing types of senior housing in the nation, attracting residents with a perceived combination of security, personal care services, less restrictive homelike environments and emphasis on independence, privacy and personal dignity. As there is limited reference to assisted living in the social work literature, this article selectively reviews the broader literature on the aging U.S. population and their need, assisted living as a senior housing and care option, the characteristics of this approach and the potential for social work practice in this evolving arena.

Edith Abbott was Right: Designing Fieldwork Experiences for Contemporary Health Care Practice

This article discusses the contribution of fieldwork to the preparation of social work practitioners in contemporary health care settings. The authors present two programs that may serve as alternative models of fieldwork in such settings. Observations of the impact of these models, including a summary of two evaluations of one model, are discussed. The authors contend that a fieldwork structure using rotations may increase the value of fieldwork for students, both academically and in the employment process.