Is Participation in Head Start Associated with Less Maternal Spanking for Boys and Girls?

Head Start includes family-oriented services to enhance parent-child relationships, but little is known about the effect of Head Start on parenting practices. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort ( ≈ 7,000), we examined whether participation in Head Start was associated with maternal spanking, with particular attention to whether the association differed by child gender. We found that Head Start participation was associated with lower likelihood that mothers spanked their child in the past week at both preschool and kindergarten entry as well as lower likelihood that mothers would use spanking in a hypothetical situation, among boys but not girls.

Recommendations for hospice care to terminally ill cancer patients: a phenomenological study of oncologists' experiences.

The aim of this exploratory study was to better understand oncologists' experiences and their perceptions of hospice care as an end-of-life treatment choice for terminally ill cancer patients. To describe this experience, semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted using phenomenological methods with nine oncologists. Four themes emerged from the data analysis: (a) feelings of discomfort and relief, (b) being different from others, (c) experience with nonhospice patients, and (d) factors influencing the decision to recommend hospice.

The Vision-Specific Optimization in Primary and Secondary Control (OPS) Scale.

Objective: To successfully address the challenges of age-related visual impairment in rehabilitation and health care settings, it is crucial to gain a better understanding of the psychological and behavioral adaptations that occur in these populations. The purpose of this study was to modify the Optimization in Primary Secondary Control Scale (OPS) (Heckhausen Schulz and Wrosch 1999) to assess the utilization of lifespan control strategies among older adults with visual impairment.

Method: The Optimization in Primary and Secondary Control Scale (OPS) (Heckhausen et al.

An empirical assessment of the overlap between sexual victimization and sex offending.

There has been a recent proliferation in the number of studies that are investigating the phenomenon that has been coined the victim-offender overlap. There has been noticeably less attention toward examining the sexual victimization and sex offending overlap. Acknowledging this gap in the literature, the present study provides an assessment of this overlap among a large sample of male prisoners with a focus on the cycle of violence hypothesis.

The case for human agency, well-being, and community reintegration for people aging in prison: a statewide case analysis.

This study profiled 2,913 adults aged 50 and older sentenced to a statewide correctional system and their parole eligibility status with implications for community reintegration, resettlement, and recovery needs. The research team developed the Correctional Tracking Data Extraction Tool to gather official data and personal and legal characteristics from a state department of corrections website. The majority of older prisoners were men from racial/ethnic minorities between the ages of 50 and 59 with a range of minor to serious offenses.

The high cost of the international aging prisoner crisis: well-being as the common denominator for action.

The aging prisoner crisis continues to gain international attention as the high human, social, and economic costs of warehousing older adults with complex physical, mental health, and social care needs in prison continues to rise. According to the United Nations, older adults and the serious and terminally ill are considered special needs populations subject to special international health and social practice and policy considerations. We argue that older adults in prison have unique individual and social developmental needs that result from life course exposure to cumulative risk factors compounded by prison conditions that accelerate their aging.

A social work perspective: attitudes toward end-of-life planning.

This research examined social workers' attitudes toward end-of-life planning and related factors in a cross-sectional study (N = 844). Data were gathered on completion of a health care proxy, personal comfort, training experiences of social workers, and demographics. Attitudes toward end-of-life planning were related to personal completion of the health care proxy, personal comfort, and years of social work experience.

Age, cumulative trauma and stressful life events, and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison: do subjective impressions matter?

Background: The aging prison population in the United States presents a significant public health challenge with high rates of trauma and mental health issues that the correctional system alone is ill-prepared to address. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of age, objective, and subjective measures of trauma and stressful life events and post-traumatic stress symptoms among older adults in prison.

Methods: Data were gathered from 334 prisoners (aged 55+) housed in the New Jersey Department of Corrections, as of September 2010.

Trauma and life event stressors among young and older adult prisoners.

This study examined lifetime trauma and life event stressors among young and older prisoners. A stratified random sample of young (age 18 to 24 years) and older (age 55 and above) male prisoners was drawn from the New Jersey Department of Corrections. Fifty-eight participants completed a modified version of the Trauma and Stressful Life Experiences Screening Inventory during face-to-face interviews.

Trauma, stress, health, and mental health issues among ethnically diverse older adult prisoners.

The United States' older adult prison population is growing rapidly. This study identifies and describes important psychosocial characteristics, particularly trauma, life-event stressors, health, mental health, and substance abuse, among older adults in prison. Data were collected using case record reviews of 114 prisoners aged 55 or older in the New Jersey Department of Corrections.

What and when Korean American older adults want to know about serious illness.

The aim of this exploratory study was to describe disclosure preferences about serious illness among Korean American older adults. Three focus groups (N = 6, 8, and 9) were conducted with Korean Americans age 65+ from two senior centers and a primary care practice in NYC. Six themes were identified: (1) Disclosure allows patients to make decisions and preparations, (2) Disclosure may cause emotional distress and hasten death, (3) Disclosure may be based on physician error or inability to know prognosis, (4) Disclosure should be based on severity of illness and the need to maintain hope, (5) Disclosure should be based on age, and (6) Disclosure practices of physicians vary by culture.

Older Latinos' attitudes toward and comfort with end-of-life planning.

The purpose of this study was to determine which of two educational interventions delivered in Spanish would influence Latino elders' attitudes toward and comfort with end-of-life planning in comparison with a control group receiving only standard information routinely provided. Using a posttest-only control group design, elders receiving home care services who agreed to participate were randomly assigned to one of three groups: Conversación A; Conversación B, with culturally relevant material added; and a control group. A one-way multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to determine the effect on the two dependent variables: attitudes toward end-of-life planning and comfort with end-of-life planning.

Maltreated children's thoughts and emotions as behavioral predictors: evidence for social work action.

The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to explore the mediating influence of internalizing behavior on the link between child maltreatment and externalizing behavior (for example, rule-breaking behavior and aggressive behavior) among children. Using a longitudinal comparison group design and a sample of 300 youths (56 percent maltreated), the relationship among maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing behavior was explored. Structural equation modeling revealed a mediating effect in which initial internalizing symptoms had a longitudinal residual effect on externalizing behavior among maltreated youths.

Preferences for disclosure of information about serious illness among older Korean American immigrants in New York City.

Background: The majority of persons of Western European background want to know their diagnosis and prognosis of serious illness, but minimal information is preferred by some ethnic groups, including Asians. Little is known about disclosure preferences of Korean Americans, the fourth largest East Asian immigrant group in the United States.

Objective: The objective was to describe disclosure preferences about serious illness of Korean Americans in New York City and characteristics associated with disclosure preferences.

Social workers' and nurses' attitudes toward the health care proxy.

Since health care professionals play a critical role in discussing advance directives with patients, their own attitudes toward these directives are important. This study examined the factors associated with health care professionals' attitudes toward the health care proxy, one form of an advance directive. Social workers (n= 115) and nurses (n= 98) had generally positive attitudes toward the health care proxy.

Rethinking needs assessment in planning services for older adults.

Needs assessments are widely used in the field of aging, and are considered valuable tools for planning service responses to unmet and undermet needs of older adults. This article describes a comprehensive needs assessment of Bermuda's older population and presents some of its findings to illustrate concerns about needs assessments that emerged from this experience. We suggest that even when needs assessments are carefully planned and adhere to generally recognized best practice principles, they may not be able to fully provide desired information.

The Chinese social benefit system in transition: reforms and impacts on income inequality.

Economic reforms since the late 1970s have made China one of the world's fastest growing economies but have also led to greater unmet social welfare needs and growing income inequality. This article describes social policy trends in urban and rural China and reviews recent empirical evidence on the transitions and impacts of its social benefit system. The evidence reveals that although urban social benefits experienced significant cutbacks, they are still much more generous than the minimal social benefits for rural residents and migrants.

"They don't want to hear us": Hispanic elders and adult children speak about end-of-life planning.

This study used focus groups to understand Hispanic elders' and adult children's concerns about end-of-life planning. Ten older persons participated in the elders group, and ten adult children in a separate group. Themes in both groups included communication, control, burden, spirituality, religious issues, and importance of family relationships.

Groups for children traumatically bereaved by the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The article reviews the use of debriefing and support groups for children who experienced the deaths of family members in the traumatic events of September 11, 2001. An overview of children's normal age-related responses to bereavement and of the special circumstances of trauma and grief provides the foundation for understanding the unique family and community stressors of 9/11 that impacted the children and group leaders. Stress-reduction exercises suitable for use with traumatized children in bereavement groups are presented together with specific drawing and written activities to encourage the processing of feelings.

Cultural and ethical issues in working with culturally diverse patients and their families:the use of the culturagram to promote cultural competent practice in health care settings.

In all aspects of health and mental health care-the emergency room, the outpatient clinic, inpatient facilities, rehab centers, nursing homes, and hospices-social workers interact with patients from many different cultures. This paper will introduce an assessment tool for health care professionals to advance understanding of culturally diverse patients and their families.

Medical profiling: narratives of privilege, prejudice, and HIV stigma.

In this article, the author uses selected narrative analysis methods to deconstruct stories presented in separate interviews by a married couple who believe that their HIV-infected adult daughter has been victimized by medical profiling. In their accounts, they construct their belief that their daughter's gender, race, education, appearance, and socioeconomic status contributed to her not receiving an accurate diagnosis despite repeated medical examinations. Their similar accounts paint a picture of parents frantically seeking a diagnosis as symptoms worsen without explanation.

HIV/AIDS case management: views from the frontline.

Case management has been a critical component of services to vulnerable populations for the past 20 years, and the knowledge base has been constantly evolving. This article offers an additional dimension to the study of case management practice by providing an opportunity for perceptions of case managers, heretofore relatively neglected, to be included in the literature. It reports the results of two study efforts (chart review and focus groups) that examined the case management system of care for people with HIV/AIDS in the New York tri-county region.

Homophobia and heterosexism in social workers.

Evidence suggests that social workers may be biased when dealing with gay and lesbian populations. The study discussed in this article attempted to measure the extent of homophobia and heterosexist bias and their correlates in a cohort of 187 social workers using the Index of Attitudes toward Homosexuality, the Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scales, and a newly created scale to measure heterosexist bias. We found that 10 percent of respondents were homophobic and that a majority were heterosexist.