Matching Items (50)
Description
There are a number of factors known to influence the occurrence of child maltreatment, including parental history of child maltreatment. Youth aging out of the foster care system have been shown to experience a number of challenges associated with the transition to adulthood, including early unintended pregnancy and parenting. However, despite the presumed risks associated with being in foster care and having a history of child maltreatment, very little research has been conducted to examine the parenting attitudes among youth aging out. This study explored the parenting attitudes and parental risk of child maltreatment among youth aging out of foster care in Arizona and examined the relationship between relational support and parenting. Foster youths' parenting attitudes and parental risk of child maltreatment across five constructs: parental expectations, parental empathic awareness of children's needs, beliefs regarding the use of corporal punishment, parent-child roles, and children's power and independence were assessed. Linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the relationship between youths' perceived social support from friends, family, and significant others and their parenting attitudes and youths' current living arrangements and their parenting attitudes. Findings indicate that youth had lower than the median normed sample scores on two out of the five parenting constructs, parental empathic awareness of children's needs and parent-child roles. Overall, 17% of youth in the sample were considered high risk of child maltreatment as parents, while 79% were considered medium risk. Perceived social support from friends was significantly associated with higher scores regarding youths' attitudes about the use of corporal punishment and children's power and independence. Youth living with foster parents had significantly higher scores than youth living on their own across three out of the five parenting attitude constructs. Youth living with relatives had higher scores than youth living on their own on the empathic awareness of children's needs parenting construct. Findings suggest that youth may rely on friends for social support and may develop more nurturing parenting attitudes if residing with foster parents or relatives. Implications for policy, intervention, and practice are discussed.
ContributorsGeiger, Jennifer Mullins (Author) / Segal, Elizabeth A. (Thesis advisor) / Gerdes, Karen E. (Committee member) / Lietz, Cynthia A. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2014
Description
A child’s death evokes intense and long-lasting grief in parents. However, few interventions exist to address the needs of this population. This mixed methods project used secondary data to evaluate the impact of a four-day, grief-focused mindfulness-based retreat on bereaved parents.
A quasi-experimental design with two nonequivalent groups (intervention group n = 25, comparison group n = 41) and three observations (pretest and two posttests) was used. Mixed-model repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to assess change over time for the intervention group and relative to a no-intervention comparison group. Outcome measures were depressive and anxious responses, measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25); trauma responses, measured by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R); mindfulness, measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ); and self-compassion, measured by the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The intervention group was expected to show significant decreases in psychological distress and significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion over time and relative to the comparison group.
The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with nineteen retreat participants using a constructivist phenomenological approach in order to obtain a richer understanding of the retreat’s impact on participants’ lives.
There were significant time by condition interactions with small to medium effect sizes for the IES-R and its subscales, the HSCL-25 and its depression subscale, and three FFMQ scales (describe, act with awareness, and nonjudge), all favoring the intervention group. However, not all benefits were maintained at follow-up.
Psychoeducation and relationships emerged as key qualitative themes. Psychoeducation included benefits related to present-moment awareness, fully inhabiting grief, self-compassion, emotional equanimity, and reduced distress or judgment of distress. Relationships included benefits related to giving and receiving social support, emotional expression and sharing, validation and normalization of grief-related experiences, resonance and self-other awareness, self-appraisal, changes in relationships, and connection to a deceased child. Mindfulness seemed to be a key component in reducing trauma responses. Relationship factors, combined with psychoeducation and present-moment awareness, seemed responsible for increasing participants’ capacity for nonjudgmental acceptance of experiences.
The retreat may be an effective intervention for helping parents cope with and express their grief and warrants further study.
A quasi-experimental design with two nonequivalent groups (intervention group n = 25, comparison group n = 41) and three observations (pretest and two posttests) was used. Mixed-model repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to assess change over time for the intervention group and relative to a no-intervention comparison group. Outcome measures were depressive and anxious responses, measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25); trauma responses, measured by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R); mindfulness, measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ); and self-compassion, measured by the Self-Compassion Scale-Short Form (SCS-SF). The intervention group was expected to show significant decreases in psychological distress and significant increases in mindfulness and self-compassion over time and relative to the comparison group.
The qualitative component consisted of semi-structured interviews with nineteen retreat participants using a constructivist phenomenological approach in order to obtain a richer understanding of the retreat’s impact on participants’ lives.
There were significant time by condition interactions with small to medium effect sizes for the IES-R and its subscales, the HSCL-25 and its depression subscale, and three FFMQ scales (describe, act with awareness, and nonjudge), all favoring the intervention group. However, not all benefits were maintained at follow-up.
Psychoeducation and relationships emerged as key qualitative themes. Psychoeducation included benefits related to present-moment awareness, fully inhabiting grief, self-compassion, emotional equanimity, and reduced distress or judgment of distress. Relationships included benefits related to giving and receiving social support, emotional expression and sharing, validation and normalization of grief-related experiences, resonance and self-other awareness, self-appraisal, changes in relationships, and connection to a deceased child. Mindfulness seemed to be a key component in reducing trauma responses. Relationship factors, combined with psychoeducation and present-moment awareness, seemed responsible for increasing participants’ capacity for nonjudgmental acceptance of experiences.
The retreat may be an effective intervention for helping parents cope with and express their grief and warrants further study.
ContributorsThieleman, Kara (Author) / Cacciatore, Joanne (Thesis advisor) / Segal, Elizabeth (Committee member) / Hodge, David (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2019
Description
Youth who turn 18 in the foster care system often face the difficulty of transitioning to adulthood without traditional emotional and financial supports. Early experiences of trauma impact their mental health and receipt of services both while in care as well as decisions whether to continue services after leaving care.
Using the behavior analytic model, this dissertation explores the challenging and supportive situations former foster youth experience with mental health services while transitioning to adulthood. Qualitative interviews and focus groups inform the development of a quantitative instrument in a mixed methods, sequential exploratory research design. The resulting instrument identifies the most intense and frequently encountered situations former foster youth experience, related to their mental health and transitions to adulthood.
Results indicate the most challenging situations foster youth experience during the transition are related to overwhelming expectations, receiving mixed messages from professionals, feelings of isolation, and a lack of voice and choice with regard to mental health services. Young adults in this study also emphasized the importance of responsive engagement, self-efficacy, and consistency in relationships both formally and informally.
This research provides important implications for social work practice, policy, and education. Acknowledging the voice of foster youth gives them a choice in services and allows for realistic transition planning. Developing problem-solving skills and a support network beyond foster care are necessary strategies of preparation to age out. Finally, practitioners should recognize the impact of trauma and other contextual factors when conducting assessment and treatment, to promote positive outcomes.
Using the behavior analytic model, this dissertation explores the challenging and supportive situations former foster youth experience with mental health services while transitioning to adulthood. Qualitative interviews and focus groups inform the development of a quantitative instrument in a mixed methods, sequential exploratory research design. The resulting instrument identifies the most intense and frequently encountered situations former foster youth experience, related to their mental health and transitions to adulthood.
Results indicate the most challenging situations foster youth experience during the transition are related to overwhelming expectations, receiving mixed messages from professionals, feelings of isolation, and a lack of voice and choice with regard to mental health services. Young adults in this study also emphasized the importance of responsive engagement, self-efficacy, and consistency in relationships both formally and informally.
This research provides important implications for social work practice, policy, and education. Acknowledging the voice of foster youth gives them a choice in services and allows for realistic transition planning. Developing problem-solving skills and a support network beyond foster care are necessary strategies of preparation to age out. Finally, practitioners should recognize the impact of trauma and other contextual factors when conducting assessment and treatment, to promote positive outcomes.
ContributorsHayes, Megan Jill (Author) / Lietz, Cynthia A. (Thesis advisor) / LeCroy, Craig W. (Committee member) / Lacasse, Jeffrey R. (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2015
ContributorsKoopmans, Laura (Author) / Wilson, Trish (Author) / Cacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Flenady, Vicki (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2013-03-15
ContributorsCacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Bushfield, Suzanne Young (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2008
ContributorsCacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Ong, Rebecca (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2011
ContributorsCacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Thieleman, Kara (Author) / Osborn, James (Author) / Orlowski, Kelly (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2013-10-26
ContributorsThieleman, Kara (Author) / Cacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2013-01-29
ContributorsThieleman, Kara (Author) / Cacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2013-03-24
ContributorsNordlund, Ewa (Author) / Cacciatore, Joanne (Author) / Börjesson, Astrid (Author) / Pappas, Carissa (Author) / Randers, Ingrid (Author) / Rådestad, Ingela (Author) / Arizona State University. School of Social Work (Contributor)
Created2012-11