Melissa Wells

Online mental health treatment: concerns and considerations.

Concerns and considerations have emerged as mental health professionals contemplate the provision of mental health treatment over the Internet. This paper identifies perceptions of online mental health treatment among a national sample of 2,098 social workers, psychologists, and other professionals. These professionals were unlikely to provide online mental health treatment, although some used the Internet as an adjunct to clinical practice. They noted specific concerns related to the provision of mental health treatment online, including confidentiality of client information and liability issues. We explore these issues and discuss implications for professionals who provide mental health treatment.

How Do High-Risk Youth Use the Internet? Characteristics and Implications for Prevention

Using data from the Second Youth Internet Safety Survey, a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,500 youth Internet users (ages 10 to 17), this study explores differences in Internet use characteristics between high risk youth and other Internet users. Those youth who engaged in aggressive behavior online and those who used the Internet on a cell phone were about twice as likely to be classified as high risk (having experienced high parent conflict or child maltreatment) as compared to other Internet users. Those youth who talked with known friends online were significantly less likely to be included in the high risk group. Controlling for demographic and Internet use characteristics, youth who received an aggressive sexual solicitation were almost 2.5 times as likely to report experiencing physical abuse, sexual abuse or high parent conflict. Implications for prevention are discussed, including avenues for reaching high risk populations of youth.

TEACHING NOTES: MAKING STATISTICS "REAL" FOR SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS

This article presents results from an evaluation of service learning in statistics courses for master of social work students. The article provides an overview of the application of a community-based statistics project, describes student feedback regarding the project, and illustrates some strengths and limitations of using this pedagogy with social work statistics courses. Student evaluations (N=38) suggest that implementing a service-learning pedagogy allows students to master basic statistical analysis skills and see practical applications for statistics. Such an approach also provides myriad benefits for faculty, although incorporating service learning into a statistics course can present specific challenges.

Defining Child Pornography: Law Enforcement Dilemmas in Investigations of Internet Child Pornography Possession 1

This study examines law enforcement dilemmas in child pornography possession investigations in which no offender was arrested. A mail survey of US law enforcement agencies identified a sample of Internet child pornography possession cases where no arrest was made. Telephone surveys with law enforcement investigators were used to collect case‐specific data and information on dilemmas in these investigations. Law enforcement investigators reported that determining whether or not images fit within statutory limits and ascertaining the age of children in images impacted arrest outcomes in child pornography possession cases.

Index of Problematic Online Experiences: Item Characteristics and Correlation with Negative Symptomatology

This exploratory study aimed to develop and test a quick, easily administered instrument, the Index of Problematic Online Experiences (I-POE). The goal of the I-POE extends beyond assessing for Internet overuse to broadly assess problematic Internet use across several domains and activities. Data was collected from 563 college students from a Northern New England university using an online survey methodology. Results indicated the I-POE has adequate construct validity and is highly correlated with a variety of relevant constructs: depression, anger/irritability, tension-reduction behavior, sexual concerns, and dysfunctional sexual behavior as measured by the Trauma Symptom Inventory; as well as amount of Internet use and permissive attitudes toward engaging in a variety of sexual activities. Early flagging of online experiences could mitigate the negative effects associated with problematic use. The I-POE, as an easy-to-administer, short screening index, holds promise in this regard. Initial testing of the instrument points to its utility in identifying persons who are experiencing a broad range of Internet-related problems.

Patterns of Internet Use and Risk of Online Victimization for Youth with and without Disabilities.

Findings from a nationally representative telephone survey of 1,560 young Internet users revealed youth receiving special education services in schools were more likely to report receiving an online interpersonal victimization in the past year, even after adjusting for other explanatory factors. These findings suggest that special education staff and other professionals should assess students for risk of online victimization.

Exploring the Role of the Internet in Juvenile Prostitution Cases Coming to the Attention of Law Enforcement

This exploratory analysis examines the role of the Internet in juvenile prostitution cases coming to the attention of law enforcement. The National Juvenile Prostitution Study (N-JPS) collected information from a national sample of law enforcement agencies about the characteristics of juvenile prostitution cases. In comparison to non-Internet juvenile prostitution cases, Internet juvenile prostitution cases involved younger juveniles and police were more likely to treat juveniles as victims rather than offenders. In addition, these cases were significantly more likely to involve a family or acquaintance exploiter. This analysis suggests that the role of the Internet may impact legal and social service response to juveniles involved in prostitution. In addition, it highlights the need for interventions that acknowledge the vulnerabilities of youth involved in this type of commercial sexual exploitation.

Exposure to websites that encourage self-harm and suicide: prevalence rates and association with actual thoughts of self-harm and thoughts of suicide in the United States

This article provides 12-month prevalence rates of youth exposure to websites which encourage self-harm or suicide and examines whether such exposure is related to thoughts of self-harm and thoughts of suicide in the past 30 days. Data were collected via telephone from a nationally representative survey of 1560 Internet-using youth, ages 10-17 residing in the United States. One percent (95% CI: 0.5%, 1.5%) of youth reported visiting a website that encouraged self-harm or suicide. Youth who visited such websites were seven times more likely to say they had thought about killing themselves; and 11 times more likely to think about hurting themselves, even after adjusting for several known risk factors for thoughts of self-harm and thoughts of suicide. Given that youth thinking about self-harm and suicide are more likely to visit these sites, they may represent an opportunity for identification of youth in need of crisis intervention.

Integration of Research and Practice: Innovations and Challenges in Social Work Programs

This paper presents results from an exploratory, mixed methods study on the integration of research and practice in the social work curriculum. A web-based survey was used to collect data from 184 social work research instructors. Seventy-eight percent of instructors reported that their programs integrated practice content in research courses, particularly at the BSW level. In contrast, about half of instructors reported that research content was infused in other courses, with less integration reported in MSW programs. Qualitative findings consistent with Siegels typology for research and practice integration include the use of research activities as clinical interventions, as a way to shape interventions, and as a problem-solving process for practice. The implications for social work education are discussed.

Improving data systems about juvenile victimization in the United States

OBJECTIVE To suggest improvements to 13 data sets and systems that collect information about juvenile victimization in United States. METHOD The suggestions were gathered from a variety of sources, including data system users and administrators, as well as a special meeting convened on the topic by the National Consortium on Children, Families and the Law in Washington, DC (December 2000). RESULTS Key areas of improvement were identified for each of 13 US data systems and possible solutions were identified. CONCLUSIONS This paper suggests three broad categories of improvements that apply to a number of data systems. First, data systems could expand the coverage of the systems to include more jurisdictions or other segments of the population. Second, in order to be more comprehensive and specific to child victimization, the systems need to create more specific data items, questions, or response categories. Finally, the data systems need to be modified to provide continuity and interrelationships among systems, either by using uniform definitions, or integrating data systems to facilitate the tracking of children across systems.