Faith Organizations and Ethnically Diverse Elders: A Community Action Model

SUMMARY

In this article we argue that faith organizations should become involved in developing social service programs for older adults in the community. In the current political climate, the government is providing fewer social service programs, and future prospects for services are bleak. The literature provides evidence that religion and faith-based organizations are important in the lives of Americans, particularly the current cohort of ethnically diverse elders. Our earlier Korean church study found that Korean older people benefit from church-based services and church-involved, older Koreans had higher rates of well-being. Churches remain untapped resources and we believe they should be extensively involved in provision of community programs. We offer a twelve-step model for the development of community programs under the auspices of faith organizations: The Faith-Based Community Action Model (FBCAM).     

Innovative Community Services for Rape Victims: An Application of Multiple Case Study Methodology

A qualitative multiple case study design was used to examine communities across the United States that have developed coordinated community-based programs to assist rape victims. Previous studies have suggested that coordinated community programs help victims obtain needed resources and services. This study provided a follow-up examination of how and why these programs are helpful to rape victims. In-depth interviews were conducted with rape victim advocates, rape crisis center directors, police officers, prosecutors, doctors, nurses, and rape survivors from 22 communities with coordinated programs. A comparison sample of 22 communities with fewer coordinated programs was also obtained. Results indicated that the high coordination communities had three types of programs to address sexual assault: coordinated service programs, interagency training programs, and community-level reform groups. Although not all of these programs directly address service delivery for rape victims, they help create a community culture that is more responsive to victims' needs. The research team and participants developed an explanatory model of why these program are effective in addressing rape victims' needs. This model hypothesizes that coordinated programs reflect an understanding of the multiple contexts of service delivery and embody that knowledge in services that are consistent with victims' needs. Narrative data from the interviews with service providers and rape survivors are used to develop and support this model.     

The Feasibility,Appropriateness, Meaningfulness,and Effectiveness of Parenting and Family Support Programs Delivered in the Criminal Justice System: A Systematic Review

Children whose parents are involved in the criminal justice system (CJS) are at increased risk of developing social, emotional, and behavioural difficulties and are more likely than their peers to become involved in the CJS themselves. Parenting behaviour and parent-child relationships have the potential to affect children’s outcomes with positive parenting practices having the potential to moderate some of the negative outcomes associated with parental involvement in the CJS. However, many parents in the CJS may lack appropriate role models to support the development of positive parenting beliefs and practices. Parenting programs offer an opportunity for parents to enhance their parenting knowledge and behaviours and improve relationships with children. Quantitative and qualitative evidence pertaining to the implementation and effectiveness of parenting programs delivered in the CJS was included. Five databases were searched and a total of 1145 articles were identified of which 29 met the review inclusion criteria. Overall, programs were found to significantly improve parenting attitudes; however, evidence of wider effects is limited. Additionally, the findings indicate that parenting programs can be meaningful for parents. Despite this, a number of challenges for implementation were found including the transient nature of the prison population and a lack of parent-child contact. Based on these findings, recommendations for the future development and delivery of programs are discussed.     

Personality Preferences and Their Relationship to Ego Development in Australian Leadership Program Participants

The growth of adult ego development to post-conventional levels is associated with many adaptive advantages for the individual and society. However, the vast majority of adults across a wide range of samples demonstrate ego stages well below the maximum potential. In an effort to advance understanding of why and how development to higher ego levels might occur for some individuals and not others, we explored whether particular personality preferences and combinations thereof (as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI) are associated with higher ego levels and whether particular personality preferences might act as inhibiting or facilitating factors in ego development. Participants were 374 adults (aged 18–61; 50 % female) undertaking 11 community leadership development and 2 professional management development programs. After adjusting for effects of age and education, a preference for Intuition on the MBTI was associated with significantly higher ego development on program entry and with greater ego development during the programs. These results are consistent with previous research and provide support for Manners’ and Durkin’s (Developmental Review, 20:475–513, 2000) proposal that dispositional personality characteristics may enhance or constrain ego development.     

Multimodale Psychotherapie der dissozialen Persönlichkeitsstörung: aktuelle Konzepte in der Straftäterbehandlung

The frequent equalization of antisocial personality disorder with habitual criminality has led to the fact that therapeutic pessimism still pervades and many psychotherapists are reluctant to treat patients with antisocial personality disorder because of widespread belief that such patients are frequently untreatable. There is increasing evidence, however, that antisocial personality disorders can absolutely be successfully treated. Meta-analyzes have shown that successful treatment programs are modularized and thus highly structured thematically according to therapy priorities. Furthermore, therapy optimism of therapists could be repeatedly demonstrated as an additional factor, which at the same time implies significant positive effects on a favorable therapist-patient relationship. In this article the most important research results from recent studies are summarized and discussed. Treatment planning in detail is then discussed, based on thorough assessment of the individual’s personality characteristics to determine prognosis, risk management, and appropriate treatment.     

Facilitated Parent-child Groups as Family Support: A Systematic Literature Review of Supported Playgroup Studies

Supported playgroups are community-based services that provide low intensity family support, through regular group sessions for parents and their young children. Led by a playgroup facilitator, the program aims to enrich children’s early learning, enhance positive parenting behaviors, provide social connections for parents, and enable access to other community services. Despite high community acceptance and government investment, little is known about the extent to which such services are effective. This paper reports findings from a systematic review of research on supported playgroups and their effectiveness to improve child, parent, and community outcomes. Thirty-four studies were included, of which 28 were conducted in Australia. Programs targeted a diverse range of families who were considered socially disadvantaged. Seven studies employed experimental or quasi-experimental designs from which reliable evidence for effectiveness could be established. A high proportion of studies were qualitative and included action research, case studies, or ethnographies. A range of qualitative and quantitative measures were used to assess child, parent, and community outcomes. While findings suggested that supported playgroup programs were highly valued by parents and other stakeholders, rigorous evidence of effectiveness for achieving desired improvements in child outcomes or parenting behavior was rare and limited by low quality study designs. More explicit theories of change about how different types of supported playgroup programs can meet diverse family needs are required. Such theories of change would provide directions for specific content and delivery approaches that could address and improve different child and parent outcomes targeted to specific populations of attending families.     

Church-Based Community Activism: A Comparison of Black and White Catholic Congregations

Scholars have recently examined the role of black churches in initiating civil rights and social justice activities, community development and rehabilitation projects, and family support and community health outreach programs. Practically all of this research has been on black Protestant churches. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature by investigating the extent to which African-American Catholic congregations engage in social action and social service programs in their communities. Data drawn from a nationwide survey of U.S. Catholic parishes are used to show that black churches are significantly more likely than white churches to engage in social service and social action activities independent of a variety of demographic, organizational, and structural factors known—or suspected—to influence activism. This finding lends support to the argument that the extra religious functions of black churches—Protestant and Catholic—are more deeply ingrained in these religious institutions than is suggested by some analysts. Equally significant is the finding of positive and significant relationships between churches that have parish councils and leadership training programs and congregational activism. This finding lends support to previous findings that suggest that the organizational structure of religious institutions may influence churchgoers' opportunities for learning and practicing civic skills relevant to community activism.     

Church‐based Community Activism: A Comparison of Black and White Catholic Congregations

Scholars have recently examined the role of black churches ein einitiatingcivil rights and social justice activities, community development and rehabilitation projects, and family support and community health outreach programs. Practically all of this research has been on black Protestant churches. This article seeks to address this gap in the literature byinvestigating the extent to which African‐American Catholic congregations engage in social action and social service programs in their communities. Data drawn from a nationwide survey of U.S. Catholic parishes are us d to show that black church s are significantly more likely than white churches to engage in social service and social action activities independent of a variety of demographic, organizational, and structural factors known—or suspected—to influence activism. This finding lends support to the argument that the extra‐religious functions of black churches—Protestant and Catholic—are more deeply ingrained in these religious institutions than is suggested by some analysts. Equally significant is the finding of positive and significant relationships between churches that have parish councils and leadershiptraining programs and congregational activism. This finding lends support to previous findings that suggest that the organizational structure of religious institutions may influence churchgoers opportunities for learning and practicing civic skills relevant to community activism.     

Health service use costs by personality disorder following specialist and nonspecialist treatment: a comparative study

The impact of specialist psychosocial treatment on health service use costs by patients with personality disorder is not yet sufficiently documented. In this prospective study we compare patterns of health service costs by three groups of people with personality disorder treated in a hospital-based program (IPP), a step down program (SDP), and a general psychiatric program (GPP). Total service use costs at follow up, compared with intake costs, showed that significantly higher savings were achieved by SDP and IIP compared with GPP. Cost reductions in SDP were significantly greater than in IPP. Significant cost reductions were found between treatment programs in social worker and community psychiatric nursing and psychotherapy. The cost-effectiveness of the two specialist treatment programs was indicated by the significant association between total cost reduction and clinical outcome in GPP and IPP, but not in GPP. The effect of Major Depression and Borderline Personality Disorder on health service use alone and in combination was also investigated. The finding that Major Depression was found to be more significantly associated with higher health service use costs than Borderline Personality Disorder is discussed.     

Community Service Experiences and Commitment to Volunteering1

University students who were involved in a community service field placement completed the Inventory of Service Experience (ISE), a measure that was designed to assess the extent to which they felt supported by family, friends, and the organizations with which they worked; and the extent to which they experienced positive outcomes (e.g., enhanced skills, a feeling of “having made a difference”) in their community service setting. Students who had a more supportive and positive experience, as assessed by the ISE, were more likely to have continued to work as volunteers in the setting 2 months after they had completed their course requirements. The implications of these results for community service programs are discussed.     

TRAINING COUNSELING SKILLS: AN EXPERIMENTAL ANALYSIS AND SOCIAL VALIDATION

A community development perspective suggests the value of using local resources to solve local problems. Two low-income staff of a community service center served as nonprofessional counselors after receiving a training program consisting of written instructions, practice, and performance feedback. The effects of the 40-hour training program were positive for both counseling and problem-solving skills. There was also evidence of generalization of counseling performance across clients, problems, and time. In addition, expert judges' ratings of performance were obtained as a measure of social validity. These findings suggest that the training procedures are effective in enhancing the counseling and problem-solving skills of low-income nonprofessionals.     

Balancing Social Responsibility and Personal Autonomy: Adolescents’ Reasoning About Community Service Programs

Many jurisdictions in North America have implemented mandatory community service programs in high schools. However, little research exists examining the reasoning of youth themselves about such programs. This study examined how youth reason about community service programs, and how they balance the prosocial goals of these programs against their personal autonomy. Seventy-two participants between 10 and 18 years old evaluated voluntary community service along with 4 hypothetical mandatory programs that varied according to whether students or the government decided the areas in which students would serve, and whether a structured reflection component was included. The findings reveal that youth are not simply self-focused but rather balance and coordinate considerations of autonomy and community in their judgments and reasoning about community service.     

The effects of service activities on adolescent alienation

This research evaluated the effects of involvement of adolescents in community service activities on levels of alienation. It was proposed that alienation could be reduced through the implementation of a model which utilized community service activities to facilitate adolescent access to adult society, development of responsibility, collaborative and cooperative work, and control over planning and outcomes. It is suggested that adolescent involvement in service activities can produce positive benefits, among which are reduced levels of alienation, improved school behavior, improved grade point average, and acceptance by the adult community. These findings also suggest that females respond more positively to school when allowed to problem-solve collectively and collaboratively.     

The Development of Coping Resources in Adulthood

ABSTRACT We examined three community samples to determine whether stressful episodes form a context for the development of coping resources in adulthood. The first study found that 81.9% of a sample of 845 older men reported drawing upon prior experiences in coping with a recent problem. Content analysis revealed that only 22.7% drew upon similar stressful episodes; the rest drew upon problems from work, the military, illnesses, deaths, etc. The second study replicated the earlier findings in 102 men and women, ages 24 to 84, who reported on a recent low point in semistructured interviews. In addition, 75% reported long-term effects, equally split between negative, positive, and mixed effects. Those individuals who perceived advantages from the low point were significantly more likely to report positive long-term effects. The third study replicated the findings from the first two studies in a sample of 941 men and women ages 23 to 62. Path analyses showed that coping strategies differentially predicted perceived positive or negative outcomes, which in turn predicted current mastery and depression levels. While the findings are cross-sectional and causality cannot be inferred, they are nonetheless supportive of the effects of stress and coping on personality.     

Communicating evidence‐based mental health care to service users

There is a significant gap between evidence‐based mental health care and patients, their family members and carers. To inform preventative mental health care among existing and potential service users, this review identifies effective methods for communicating evidence. A systematic review located 14 publications that met search criteria. Several methods can effect behavioural and/or intermediary change among existing and/or potential service users: namely, mass media; health warning labels; policy change; community interventions; school‐based programs; parent programs; and psychoeducation. Robust evidence, however, is lacking. Although effective approaches are likely to be founded on several factors, the review concludes with a discussion of a research agenda, and appropriate methodologies that could strengthen the knowledge base that guides the communication of evidence‐based mental health care to service users. This agenda has important implications for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers, which are also discussed.     

Relations between personality,knowledge, and behavior in professional service encounters

We report two studies that tested hypotheses about relations between personality, knowledge about service encounters, and performance in service encounters. A novel method for measuring knowledge was used. In one study, we measured undergraduates' personality, knowledge, and skill in handling service encounters in jobs performed by human factors professionals. The other study reanalyzed data reported by Motowidlo, Crook, Kell, and Naemi about volunteers' personality, knowledge about volunteer service encounters, and job performance. Both studies found that knowledge about service encounters is correlated with effectiveness in service encounters, even when effects of personality are controlled. Conscientiousness was correlated with this knowledge. We discuss implications of personality in the development of knowledge about effective behavior in social situations at work.     

Empowering youth to change their world: Identifying key components of a community service program to promote positive development

Prior to graduating from high school, the vast majority of youth in the United States will take part in at least one community service activity. Although it is frequently assumed that community service is inherently beneficial to those that take part, the activities and processes of youth service programs tend to be unsystematic and vary widely. In addition, empirical assessment of youth service programs is inconsistent and often lacks methodological rigor. The present paper addresses these concerns in a preliminary evaluation of both the process experience and the outcomes of a theoretically grounded school-based community service program for urban adolescents. The evaluation focuses on identifying key components of a youth community service program, assessing whether the program was experienced as it was intended, and providing preliminary data on participant outcomes. Findings indicate that the program was experienced as both empowering (i.e., guided by student initiative, preferences, and strengths) and promoting a sense of community (i.e., encouraged cooperation and collective decision making). Results also suggest that taking part in the community service program increased youths' self-reported empathy and intent to be involved in future community action, as compared to a group of matched controls. Implications and recommendations for developing and evaluating service-learning or community service programs in the schools are discussed.     

Brief Report: Non-suicidal Self-injury in the Context of Self and Identity Development

This brief report describes an exploratory qualitative study that examined online narratives of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in the context of critical developmental tasks of early adulthood: the development of self and identity. Thematic analyses of online autobiographical accounts of NSSI suggest that self and identity processes that are particularly relevant in early adulthood may contribute to vulnerability to NSSI. Specifically, NSSI may provide a source of self-identification in the service of developing self-identity and a community of others with whom to identify, a means for managing negative emotions specifically related to negative self-concept, and it may provide a basic sense of a coherent self who persists across time. Implications are discussed with respect to research, clinical practice, and prevention, with a particular emphasis on the Internet as a context for early adult development.     

The empirical link between relationship marketing tools and consumer retention in retail marketing

This article focuses on the key relationship marketing tools of customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, brand/store community, personalization and customization, and their relationship with customer retention. The relationship between customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, customization, personalization, brand/store community and customer retention were examined via an empirical investigation of 450 loyalty/reward program members of three retail stores in Malaysia. The administration of the survey was personally administered but self‐completed. Four of the five relationship marketing tools, namely, customer service, loyalty/rewards programs, brand/store community and personalization, had a significant positive relationship with customer retention. The findings provided valuable insights into the loyalty program management practices of retail stores in a developing country context. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Training Community Members to Serve as Paraprofessionals in an Evidence-Based,Prevention Program for Parents of Preschoolers

Widespread dissemination of evidence-based programs for underserved populations may require non-traditional means of service provision. Collaboration with paraprofessionals from communities that are targeted for intervention holds promise as a delivery strategy that may make programs more accessible and acceptable, especially to parents living in low-income, urban neighborhoods. We describe a paraprofessional training program for individuals living in a community targeted for preventive intervention based on high levels of poverty and community violence. The design and implementation of the training program are described in the context of issues related to the use of paraprofessionals in community-based, preventive interventions with parents of young children. We also provide insight into lessons learned from a feasibility study as well as general guidelines for the development of paraprofessional training programs for delivery of evidence-based programs.