Feasibility, Acceptability, and Impact of a Web-based Gratitude Exercise among Individuals in Outpatient Treatment for Alcohol Use Disorder.

This mixed-methods pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and impact of a web-based gratitude exercise (the 'Three Good Things' exercise (TGT)) among 23 adults in outpatient treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD). Participants were randomized to TGT or a placebo condition. The intervention was feasible with high rates of completion.

Understanding the health beliefs and practices of East African refugees.

Objectives: To explore East African refugees' perceptions, ideas, and beliefs about health and health care, as well as the ways in which health information is shared within their communities.

Methods: This study consisted of 2 focus groups with a total of 15 participants, including East African community leaders and health professionals.

Results: East African refugees in the United States have strong cultural, religious, and traditional health practices that shape their health behavior and influence their interactions with Western health care systems.

Social marketing strategies for reaching older people with disabilities: findings from a survey of centers for independent living participants.

Centers for independent living (CILs) provide critical supports, services, and advocacy for assisting people with disabilities in living independently. As there is a rapidly increasing population of older people with disabilities, many CILs are now considering how to actively engage older adults in their organizations. This study utilized a survey of older people with disabilities to help identify social marketing techniques that community organizations like CILs can use to effectively reach older people with disabilities.

Use of proxy respondents and accuracy of minimum data set assessments of activities of daily living.

Background: Although the Minimum Data Set (MDS) presents a wide range of opportunities for policy makers and practitioners interested in outcomes of nursing home care for frail elderly persons, researchers have debated the validity and reliability of measurements in the MDS from the outset. To investigate this issue, the authors studied the accuracy of functional assessments by comparing the MDS and interview data collected in two evaluation studies.

Methods: Activities of daily living (ADL) assessment data from 3385 nursing home residents were collected from interviews with nursing home residents (n = 1200), family members (n = 1070), and nursing home staff (n = 1115).

Domestic partner abuse treatment programs and cultural competence: the results of a national survey.

Partner abuse literature reveals that treatment is less effective with minorities than with their white counterparts. Our survey of partner abuse programs (N = 142) indicates that, for the most part, little or no special effort is being made to understand or accommodate the needs of minority populations. This colorblind approach lacks the effectiveness of a culturally competent approach, which fosters an environment that helps minority groups succeed in treatment.

Multiple perspectives on groupwork with children of battered women.

As this century ends there continues to be little public attention devoted to child witnesses of woman abuse and few social programs exist to meet their needs. This article presents the findings of a qualitative evaluation of a group program for children of battered women. Interviews were conducted with 16 mothers, 5 fathers, 9 group leaders, and 30 children who participated in 8 groups.

The use of time lines and life lines in work with chronically mentally ill people.

This article describes the use of two treatment tools, time lines and life lines, designed to be used with adults who have had lifelong experience with severe and persistent mental illness. The premise of work with these clients is that their developmental stages and tasks have been skewed by years of mental illness. By graphically charting their reminiscence of life events, many clients can be helped to integrate into society and to resolve negative life experiences.