Sunday B. Fakunmoju

Outcomes of Group Care for Youth: A Review of Comparative Studies

Objective: The purpose of this study was to review empirical evidence of the effects of placement in group care compared to other interventions. Method: Two-group empirical studies were identified and effect sizes for all reported outcomes were calculated. Results: Nineteen two-group studies were found that compared group care with family foster care, treatment foster care, no placement, and different group care models. Most effects were small to moderate, with strongest effects for shorter lengths of stay for family-centered group care models and decreased delinquency for Multidimensional Treatment Foster Care (MTFC) compared to group care. Conclusion: Based on the limited number of two-group studies of varying quality, outcomes of group care are often worse than alternative interventions. However, some group care models seem more promising than others.

Intention to Leave a Job: The Role of Individual Factors, Job Tension, and Supervisory Support

This study examined the role of individual and organizational factors on intention to leave the job using a sample of 176 Maryland-chapter NASW social workers. Using hierarchical regression analysis, it was determined that lower income, higher job tension, and lower supervisory support are related to higher intention to leave. Gender moderates the relation between supervisory support and intention to leave: for women there is a smaller difference in intention to leave for low and high supervisory support, whereas for men low supervisory support leads to much higher intention to leave than high supervisory support. Implications for research and practice are provided.

Substantiation and Adverse Appeal Outcomes Content Analysis and Testing of Drake's Harm/Evidence Model

Little is known about the influence of evidentiary and case characteristics on adverse appeal outcomes for substantiated cases of maltreatment. This article, therefore, reports on a sample of adverse appeal outcomes during a 2-year period. Using Drakes Harm/Evidence model to examine the adverse outcomes, the study describes differences between substantiated cases that were “modified” versus “overturned” during appeal, as well as differences in their evidentiary characteristics across different types of maltreatment. Content analysis and logistic regression analysis of administrative data were used to predict overturned versus modified outcome. Overall, child neglect, substantiated cases that did not meet basic evidentiary standards, and cases that were deemed as not credible were more likely to be overturned in comparison to being modified. A substantiation assessment framework (SAF) is developed and implications of Drakes Harm/Evidence model for investigating maltreatment as well as for understanding judicial decision making in appealed cases of maltreatment is highlighted.

Development of Perception of Child Maltreatment Scale: Reliability and Validity Analyses

This article presents reliability and validity analyses of the Perception of Child Maltreatment Scale (PCMS). The scale comprised 34 items that measure abusive behaviors related to emotional/psychological abuse (10 items), sexual abuse (6 items), child neglect (6 items), child labor (7 items), and physical abuse (5 items). Analysis was based on a convenience sample of 317 participants in Nigeria. Exploratory factor analysis with promax rotation was used to determine construct validity of its five-factor structure (subscales). The overall internal consistency of the PCMS was .95; subscales of Emotional/Psychological Abuse (.93) and Sexual Abuse (.91) were high, whereas those of Child Neglect (.89), Child Labor (.86), and Physical Abuse (.84) were good. Cutoff scores were computed categorizing scores into low/weak, medium/moderate, and high/strong perceptions of child maltreatment. Strengths and limitations as well as practical applications and implications of the scale for research were discussed.

Factor Structure of the Job-Related Tension Index Among Social Workers:

Objectives: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to assess the factor structure of the 15-item Job-Related Tension Index (JRTI). Method: Data were derived from a larger cross-sectional study using a modified tailored design method to mail a self-administered survey to a random stratified sample of the National Association of Social Workers, Maryland Chapter. The 15-item four-factor structure described by Rogers, Li, and Ellis was tested. Results: CFA resulted in a 12-item three-factor structure with acceptable fit. JRTI internal consistency reliability was 0.87. Conclusion: Findings are preliminary but suggest the JRTI may be useful in examining job-related tension among social workers. Future research is needed to further develop the JRTI and establish its reliability, validity, and factor structure.

Anxiety disorders and depression among high school adolescents and youths in Nigeria: Understanding differential effects of physical abuse at home and school

Despite the exposure of children to physical abuse in more than one setting in many regions of the world, little is known about the associations of physical abuse in different settings (e.g., at home and school) with anxiety disorders and depression among adolescents and youths. Using a convenience sample of 502 adolescents and youths ages 13-23 years from five public and three private senior secondary schools in Nigeria, the study examined associations of gender and physical abuse by parents with anxiety disorders as well as associations of physical abuse by parents and/or teachers with depression in the sample, 39.6% of whom had experienced physical abuse at home and in school. Findings suggest that physical abuse by parents was associated with anxiety disorders and depression than physical abuse by teachers. Being female was equally associated with anxiety disorders. Implications of findings for mental health, practice, research, and theory are discussed.

Childhood maltreatment and perception of child maltreatment among respondents in Nigeria

This study examined childhood maltreatment and perception of maltreatment among respondents in Nigeria. A sample of 304 respondents completed online questionnaire on childhood experience and perception of abusive behaviours. Descriptive analysis was used to examine the responses. Of the 71 abusive behaviours examined, a high level of consensus (95–100 per cent agreement) was reached on five sexually abusive behaviours: having sexual intercourse with a child, asking a child to perform oral sex on adults, having sex in the presence of a child, fondling the breasts of a child for sexual pleasure and forcing a child to masturbate adults or other children. Abusive behaviour least perceived as abusive was experienced by most respondents during childhood: using corporal punishment as the only form of discipline. Finally, those who experienced the following abusive behaviours during childhood were significantly less likely to perceive of them as abusive: witnessing a parent/guardian being drunk all the time and forcing a child younger than 11 years old to take care of parents/guardians or siblings almost daily. Findings highlight the potential risks of childhood experience of abusive behaviours on perception of abusive behaviours and indicate the relevance of abusive behaviours to child protection policy and practice in the region.

Psychometric properties of beliefs about relationship violence against women and gender stereotypes scale

This article describes psychometric properties of the Gender-Based Relationship Violence Beliefs Scale (BEREVIWOS) and the Gender Stereotypes and Beliefs (GESTABE) scale in a Nigerian setting. Analysis was based on a convenience sample of 202 respondents. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to determine construct validity of the three-factor structure of each scale and measurement invariance procedures were utilised to determine whether the factor structure was equivalent across gender. Convergent and discriminant validity of the scales, and predictive and incremental validity were examined for consistency with theory on gender beliefs/stereotypes and violence in patriarchal society. A single-factor CFA model approach was used to examine common method bias. Results suggest the BEREVIWOS and GESTABE are multidimensional scales with an intercorrelated three-factor structure. The fit of the models and composite reliability were adequate. Scores from the BEREVIWOS and GESTABE appear reliable and valid measures of underlying beliefs and stereotypes associated with violence against women in Nigeria.