James P. Canfield

Predictors of CD4 health and viral suppression outcomes for formerly homeless people living with HIV/AIDS in scattered site supportive housing

ABSTRACT Stable housing is key to improving health outcomes for people living with HIV/AIDS. Though many formerly homeless HIV positive individuals reside in supportive housing, little research has examined biometric HIV health outcomes for residents of these programs. Through a community-based research partnership, this study analyzed secondary data from a Shelter Plus Care supportive housing program in Cincinnati, Ohio to examine the likelihood of participants achieving a healthy CD4 count (>500 cells/mm3) and viral suppression (viral load <200 copies/mL) while in supportive housing and to identify participant characteristics associated with these outcomes. The study sample was 86 participants who entered the program between 2008 and 2016, including 50 current residents and 36 exited participants. Participants’ average length of stay in Shelter Plus Care was 35.2 months (range 3.2–108.1 months) during the study period. Bivariate analysis indicated statistically significant improvements on both outcome variables, with 45% of participants achieving a healthy CD4 count and 79% achieving viral suppression by program exit or most recent time point. Participants who had health insurance at intake and who had never been incarcerated were more likely to achieve viral suppression, and longer length of stay in the program was also positively associated with viral suppression. These results add to the literature on the relationship between housing conditions and HIV health outcomes by demonstrating that residence in supportive housing is associated with improvements in CD4 count and viral load for a sample of formerly homeless persons living with HIV/AIDS, two-thirds of whom had co-occurring physical health, mental health, or substance abuse problems. Further research collaborations should expand on these findings to examine the service packages that are associated with optimal HIV health outcomes for supportive housing residents.

Social Work Students’ Perceptions of Team-Based Learning

This study sought to examine social work students’ perceptions of Team-Based Learning (N = 154). Aside from looking at overall student perceptions, comparative analyses examined differences in perceptions between BSW and MSW students, and between Caucasian students and students of color. Findings for the overall sample revealed favorable perceptions. The majority of students felt that Team-Based Learning effectively relayed content while teaching higher order cognitive skills. No differences emerged between MSW and BSW students; however, there were significant differences between students of color and Caucasian students, with the former feeling more isolated and singled out. Implications for practice are discussed.

Development and initial validation of the urban adolescent hope scale

ABSTRACT Objective: Hope is an important component to adolescents’ mental health and well-being. While much study and theory have explored hope, few examine the idea within contextualized factors such as locale. Even fewer have sought to measure hope for urban adolescents. The Urban Adolescent Hope Scale (UAHS) was developed to measure hope in a contextualized manner as guided by previous qualitative inquiry. This study aims to establish initial validation for the UAHS. Method: Using findings from qualitative inquiry, a 24-item proposed measure of hope for urban adolescents was developed. Experts in various fields were consulted to provide face and content validity. The instrument was then given at school-wide needs assessment at an urban Midwestern high school. Results: Using a confirmatory factor analysis, fit indices (RMSEA, TLI, CFI, and SRMR) and measures of internal consistency indicated a reliable five-factor structure of hope consisted of Spirituality (α = .936), Personal Agency (α = .930), The Basics (α = .936), Education (α = .921), and Caring Connections (α = .875). Conclusion: The findings from this study indicate the UAHS has initial validity and reliability to be used as a measure of hope for urban adolescents. Future implications for research and practice are provided.

Assessment of college students with the revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2): Sociodemographic characteristics and relationship

This paper presents prevalence data gathered from the fast-growing metropolitan southeast in the United States college campus representative sample through an on-line 28-question survey on the sexu...ABSTRACT This paper presents prevalence data gathered from the fast-growing metropolitan southeast in the United States college campus representative sample through an on-line 28-question survey on the sexual, physical, and psychological harm in university/college dating and domestic violence relationships. The study questions were 1) what is the prevalence of dating and domestic violence on college campus? and 2) what are the characteristics of those affected by it? The results, derived from the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and the dating experiences survey, reveal that college students’ gender identity, sexual orientation, grade point average (GPA), number of missing classes, current relationship status that they were associated with dating and domestic violence among college students. Statistically significant relationships were found between sexual violence and participants’ sexual orientation and the length of their romantic relationship as well as physical violence, including hitting and shoving, and participants’ sexual orientation and their class attendance. Institutional responses to prevent campus violence through prevention training, education, and intervention services could lower the prevalence of dating and help alleviate the adverse effects that it could have on college students.

Perceptions of Success and Self-Sustainability Among Women Participating in an Entrepreneurial Skills Development and Empowerment Program Through Photovoice

ABSTRACT Financial independence has been identified in the literature as a means of promoting women’s self-sufficiency and a key aspect of the concepts of success and self-efficacy. Few studies, however, have examined women’s perspectives of their needs and ability to meet those needs consistently over time. Furthermore, little is known about how women assign meaning to, perceive, and experience success or their ability to sustain their needs and the needs of their community. This study utilizes photovoice to explore perceptions of self-success and self-sustainability among women (N = 21) participating in a community-based entrepreneurial skills development and empowerment program.

Examining the Factor Structure and Reliability of the Safe Patient Handling Perception Scale: An Initial Validation Study

Purpose: Perceiving imminent safe patient handling and movement (SPH&M) dangers may reduce musculoskeletal (MSK) injuries for nurses in the workplace. The purpose of this study is to develop and validate the 17-item Safe Patient Handling Perception Scale (SPHPS) as an evaluation instrument assessing perceptual risk of MSK injury based on SPH&M knowledge, practice, and resource accessibility in the workplace. Methods: Data were collected from a convenience sample (N = 117) of nursing employees at a Veteran Affairs Medical Center. Factor analysis identified three factors: knowledge, practice, and accessibility. Findings: The SPHPS demonstrated high levels of reliability, supported by acceptable alpha scores (SPHM knowledge [&agr; = .866], SPHM practices [&agr; = .901], and access to SPHM resources [&agr; = .855]), in addition to the relatively low standard error of measurement scores (SEM). Conclusion: The study outcomes suggest that the SPHPS is a valid and reliable tool that can measure participants’ perceived risk factors for MSK injuries.

Addressing the Math-Practice Gap in Elementary School: Are Tablets a Feasible Tool for Informal Math Practice?

Students rarely practice math outside of school requirements, which we refer to as the “math-practice gap”. This gap might be the reason why students struggle with math, making it urgent to develop means by which to address it. In the current paper, we propose that math apps offer a viable solution to the math-practice gap: Online apps can provide access to a large number of problems, tied to immediate feedback, and delivered in an engaging way. To substantiate this conversation, we looked at whether tablets are sufficiently engaging to motivate children’s informal math practice. Our approach was to partner with education agencies via a community-based participatory research design. The three participating education agencies serve elementary-school students from low-SES communities, allowing us to look at tablet use by children who are unlikely to have extensive access to online math enrichment programs. At the same time, the agencies differed in several structural details, including whether our intervention took place during school time, after school, or during the summer. This allowed us to shed light on tablet feasibility under different organizational constraints. Our findings show that tablet-based math practice is engaging for young children, independent of the setting, the student’s age, or the math concept that was tackled. At the same time, we found that student engagement was a function of the presence of caring adults to facilitate their online math practice.