Lynn Videka

Moving Toward Integrated Health: An Opportunity for Social Work

With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and ongoing health care reform efforts, this is a critical time for the social work profession. The approaches and values embedded in health care reform are congruent with social work. One strategy is to improve care for people with co-morbid and chronic illnesses by integrating primary care and behavioral health services. This paper defines integrated health and how the PPACA promotes integrated health care through system redesign and payment reform. We consider how social workers can prepare for health care reform and discuss the implications of these changes for the future of the profession.

The Development and Preliminary Validation of the Adolescent Domain Screening Inventory: A Substance Use Prevention Tool.

The objective of this study was to develop a screen assessing domains in at-risk and substance-using adolescents. The Adolescent Domain Screening Inventory (ADSI) consists of four subscales: school, family, community, and individual or peer. A convenience sample of 6,661 youths was employed. Analyses included concurrent criterion validity, known instrument construct validity, convergent construct validity, cut points, and gender and race correlations. Concurrent criterion validity correlations range from r =.85 to r =.95. Correlation for known instrument validity is r =.56 and convergent construct validity is r =.49. Cut points produced positive predictive values ranging from .46 to .53. The ADSI demonstrated a general applicability across gender and race. The ADSI is an instrument demonstrating acceptable psychometric properties.

Prevention Counseling and Student Assistance Programs: A Review of the Literature

Substance abuse prevention counseling can be found in two venues: school counseling and student assistance programs (SAPs). School prevention counseling is based on school psychology and guidance counseling. The authors of this article did not find any empirical studies of prevention counseling. Six criteria were used to assess the published research on SAPs: research designs, sampling methods, measures, procedures, analyses, and peer review of results. SAP studies reviewed were placed in one of three levels: Rigorous (N = 3; met all inclusion criteria), Informative (N = 2; met all criteria except peer review), and Evaluative (N = 5; weak design, but explicit in describing methods). The Rigorous Studies found a decrease in substance use or risk factors. The two Informative Studies found a decrease in substance use. The Evaluative Studies demonstrated the prevention of increases in substance use.

Characteristics of Student Assistance and Prevention Counseling Programs in Response to Environmental Impacts

The impacts of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, were observed in Student Assistance and Prevention Counseling programs in New York schools. Methods: A mixed-method study of programs across the state, consisting of interviews (N = 14) and record reviews (N = 407), was conducted in New York State in 2002. Standardized state forms were used for quantitative data collection and frequencies were analyzed. Results: An analysis of referral source before and after September 11, 2001, showed that self-referrals were slightly higher after September 11, 2001. Using data from students admitted before September 11, 2001, as a baseline, there were some shifts observed in reason for admission following the terrorist attacks. Increase of services was typical for the schools closest to the World Trade Center site and in the New York metropolitan area. Discussion: Due to the flexible nature of Student Assistance and Prevention Counseling services, programs were able to redirect both staff and resources to attempt to meet the need brought about by this tragedy.

Characteristics of Students and Services in New York State Student Assistance and Prevention Counseling Programs.

This article reports on a review of selected New York State school prevention program student case records. Methods: Data were extracted from Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) standardized Prevention Activity Summary forms. A total of 407 records from 12 high schools throughout New York State were reviewed. Results: The age range of students in this sample was 12 to 18 years old with a mean age of 15.5 years in an approximately normal distribution. Students in this sample were typically referred to services by school sources or were self-referred. The most frequently cited reasons for admission were personal problems, family problems, and alcohol or substance use or abuse. The majority of students are referred to individual sessions. Counselors rated services as producing positive change in all problem areas, with the largest change for adolescents whose parents used alcohol or other substances. Conclusions: Findings suggest positive outcomes for prevention counseling. Severity of alcohol and drug use decreased and severity of risk factors for alcohol and drug use likewise decreased.