James A. Rosenthal

Predictors of special needs adoption disruption: An exploratory study

A matched pairs design (N = 54) was utilized to identify predictors of special needs adoption disruption, the breakdown of an adoptive placement prior to legal finalization. Variables predictive of intact rather than disrupted placement included: younger age at time of placement, female gender, foster care adoptive placement as opposed to placement with a new family, and sibling placement as opposed to non-sibling placement. Minority (as opposed to majority) ethnic status as well as lower income and lower education level were modestly associated with increased likelihood of intact placement. Emotional/behavioral but not cognitive handicaps predicted disruption. Social worker assessments of level of parenting skills were highly associated with intact placement. A separate study demonstrated higher risks of disruption for younger boys (less than 9 years of age) and modestly higher risks for older girls (older than 9 years of age). Similarly, this study found increased risks for sibling placements for younger children and modestly higher risks for non-sibling placements among older children.

A descriptive study of abuse and neglect in out-of-home placement.

Selected characteristics of 290 reports of physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect in foster homes, group homes, residential treatment centers, and institutions are described. At each type of setting physical abuse reports were most common, and neglect reports were least common. Quantitative and qualitative methods demonstrate that a significant percentage of confirmed reports are of a serious nature. Injuries occurred most frequently because of physical abuse while sexual abuse reports were most likely to be confirmed. Prior allegations of abuse or neglect regarding the perpetrator were indicated in 27% of reports. Factors contributing to abuse and neglect and the role of a state institutional review team in developing a systematic approach to this problem are discussed.

Patterns of reported child abuse and neglect

Confirmed reports of abuse and neglect logged in a large state registry file from 1977 to 1984 are analyzed. Boys tend to sustain more frequent and more serious injuries. Victims of male perpetrators tend to sustain more serious injuries. A modest same-sex perpetrator/victim pattern is revealed for physical abuse; males are more likely to physically abuse boys while females are more likely to physically abuse girls. Among younger victims (aged 12 and younger) boys outnumber girls in all reporting categories except sexual abuse. Among adolescent victims, female victims greatly outnumber male victims in all reporting categories. Similarities between adolescent physical abuse and spouse abuse are noted; males are are the predominant perpetrators and females the predominant victims. As expected, victim age emerged as a strong predictor of severity of physical abuse injury. Several other factors including social isolation, mental health problems, lower income, and unemployment of the father are identified as modest predictors of severity.

Predictors of Child Welfare Worker Retention and Performance: Focus on Title IV-E-Funded Social Work Education

Abstract Using administrative records, this paper tracks for up to four years using Cox survival methods the retention of 839 public child welfare workers who began child welfare work in 1999. It also examines, using ordinal logistic regression, supervisory performance evaluations of 382 of these workers. Participation in a IV-E-funded social work educational program predicted better retention. In particular, risk of termination decreased by 52% during the mandated contractual employment period in which the educational stipend was “worked off”. Other predictors of longer retention included prior non-child welfare employment at the public agency and working in the state office setting. Temporary job classification predicted higher risk of termination. With temporary classifications excluded, female gender predicted better retention. In exploratory Cox frailty regressions, neither county of employment nor supervisor explained significant variance in retention. Involvement with the IV-E funded social work program was not associated significantly with supervisory ratings. Regression analyses revealed an association between an ethnic groups representation in the population of child welfare workers and supervisory evaluation; the greater that representation, the higher the overall evaluation for the group.

Services for families adopting children via public child welfare agencies: Use, helpfulness, and need

Abstract This papers presents the results of a three-state mailed survey which examines pre- and post-adoptive service needs of 562 families who adopted children, most of whom had special needs. Financial and medical adoptive subsidies emerged as pivotal service needs. Counseling and education services in three areas — adoption issues, child development, planning for the childs future—were evaluated as “very helpful” by more than 60% of families. Respite care was evaluated as “very helpful” by more than 80% of families. More than two-thirds of families who adopted children with major behavioral adjustment difficulties who had not received respite care services reported a need for it or that this service could have been helpful to them. Overall, service needs of families adopting children with behavioral difficulties were higher than those of any other subgroup in the study. Study findings reaffirm the importance of thorough background information. Findings on social support systems suggest that families use informal supports somewhat more often than formal supports and that greater social support is desired by a substantial minority of families.

Impacts of Bilingual Education on Secondary School Grades, Attendance, Retentions and Drop-Out:

Junior high and high school academic performance of two groups of students were compared in a quasi-experimental study. The experimental group students (N = 86) had received one or more years of bilingual instruction at the elementary level while the control group students (N = 90) had not participated in an elementary bilingual program. While differences in grade-point average (GPA) and absenteeism were small, the bilinguals were less likely to drop-out and experienced fewer retentions. Secondary analyses focused on the relationships within the experimental group between number of years enrolled in bilingual programs and secondary school outcomes. The relationships of number of years to ab-senteeism and to retention were quite weak. Important relationships between number of years and GPA and between number of years and drop-out were observed. As number of years increased, mean GPA in 7th, 8th and 9th grades increased and the probability of drop-out decreased.

Single Parents and Their Adopted Children: A Psychosocial Analysis

The functioning of single- and two-parent adoptive families is described and compared by means of psychosocial analysis. Data were collected via a survey mailed to families who had finalized their adoption of a special-needs child. Differences in demographic characteristics were observed, as were differences in social and ecological functioning. Although most families were satisfied with their decision to adopt, results indicated a modest trend toward more positive adoption outcome among single parents.

Gendered Discourse in the Political Behavior of Adolescents

The roots of adult civic and political participation originate in pre-adult experiences (Verba et al. 1995) and high school extracurricular activities offer students opportunities to develop interpersonal and leadership skills. In this research, we ask whether adolescents also learn gendered norms of political discourse through extracurricular activities. This project assessed gender differences in participation at the 1999 Model United Nations of the Southwest (MUNSW) at the University of Oklahoma. Important differences in participation were observed in the number and character of speaking turns taken by male and female delegates. We find that contextual factors, such as the sex of the committee chair, the issue areas addressed by the committee, and the timing of the session in the conference significantly influence who participates in the discourse, but the percentage of female participants surprisingly does not. The character of the political discourse suggests norms dominated by masculinity.

Behavioral problems of special needs adopted children

Abstract Parents of 757 special needs adoptees completed the behavior problems section of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist. Significant behavioral problems were not indicated for those children aged 4–5 at the time of the study. For children aged 6 to 16, behavioral problem scores were elevated on the two major CBC scales, externalizing (aggressive, acting-out behavior) and internalizing (withdrawn, inhibited behavior). The degree of elevation was greater for externalizing. Elevated scores were also observed on the total behavioral problems scale and, in particular, on hyperactivity sub-scales.

A Structural Analysis of Families Adopting Special-Needs Children

The authors analyzed the responses of 799 families who had finalized their adoption of a special-needs child. The Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales instrument was used to describe family process and structure in families who had successfully adopted a child with special needs. These families are much more adaptable and cohesive when compared with normative families. The cohesion subscales clearly indicated that close emotional bonding and recreation focused around the family were highly valued. Implications for practice are discussed.