Schenita D. Randolph

Understanding Key Barriers to Fathers’ Involvement in Their Children's Lives

Fathers who are uninvolved or play minimal roles in their childrens lives may unwittingly have adverse effects on their psychosocial development. In 2003, only 54% of nearly a half million children in foster care in the United States had contact with their fathers, compared to 72% of children from the general population. There are multiple, complex personal, familial, societal, and agency barriers that limit fathers’ involvement with their children. We provide recommendations for child welfare agencies to modify their policies to be equitable and financially helpful to fathers, and engage fathers in case planning about their childrens safety, well-being and permanency.

Values that Fathers Communicate to Sons about Sex, Sexuality, Relationships, and Marriage

ABSTRACT African American males between ages 13 and 24 are disproportionately affected by unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV/AIDS; indeed, they account for 50% of HIV infections among all youth. Clear communication between parents and their youth about sex is associated with higher rates of sexual abstinence, condom use, and intent to delay initiation of sexual intercourse, which can prevent STIs and unintended pregnancy. However, barriers exist for parents to educate their youth about sexual health. The purpose of this article is to explore the values fathers communicate to their sons to prevent their risky sexual behaviors that lead to STIs, HIV, and adolescent parenthood. This was a qualitative study conducted from May and June 2015. African American fathers (N = 29) who had sons, ages 10 to 15 years, participated in five focus groups across metropolitan and rural North Carolina communities in barbershops. A qualitative content analysis revealed four themes regarding areas that fathers imparted their values onto their sons to protect them from sexual health risks: (a) sex, (b) sexuality, (c) relationships, and (d) marriage. The findings have implications for social work and public health practice.

Preparing BSN Students for Population-Focused Nursing Care [Innovation Center]

A baccalaureate nursing program in central North Carolina, in partnership with a local homeless shelter and community clinic, serves a vulnerable, underserved population while helping students gain hands-on experience in population-focused nursing. Students assess health needs, issues in access to care, and other health challenges using health assessment tools, surveys, and one-on-one dialogue. They then prioritize the top three health challenges and issues for the population and plan and implement educational sessions. After this experience, students report greater understanding of the concepts of community health and are able to apply them in practice. It is recommended that others considering this approach collect data to document the effectiveness of services to the population served and for funding of such initiatives.

Parent–youth communication to reduce at-risk sexual behavior: A systematic literature review

ABSTRACT There are nearly 110 million cases of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that annually there are more than 19.7 million new STI cases. Of those, more than half are accounted for by youth aged 15–24 years. Although some STIs are not considered to be life threatening, they can lead to severe health problems, risk of HIV infection, or infertility if they are not properly treated. Some research has shown that parent–youth communication can reduce youth’s at-risk sexual behaviors. The following is a systematic review of the literature on parent–youth sexual communication and family-level interventions designed to reduce risky sexual behavior in youth.