Citizenship and Community Mental Health Care

Citizenship is an approach to supporting the social inclusion and participation in society of people with mental illnesses. It is receiving greater attention in community mental health discourse and literature in parallel with increased awareness of social determinants of health and concern over the continued marginalization of persons with mental illness in the United States. In this article, we review the definition and principles of our citizenship framework with attention to social participation and access to resources as well as rights and responsibilities that society confers on its members. We then discuss our citizenship research at both individual and social‐environmental levels, including previous, current, and planned efforts. We also discuss the role of community psychology and psychologists in advancing citizenship and other themes relevant to a citizenship perspective on mental health care and persons with mental illness.     

Quality home visits: Activities to promote meaningful interactions

Examination of and support for specific practices that promote high-quality home visiting are essential as family support programs continue to expand across the country. The current study used direct observation of 91 home visits across 41 home visitors to examine relations among interaction partners, content of the interactions, the home-visitors’ activities, and quality of home-visitors’ practices and family-members’ engagement within programs funded by the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program. More time spent in triadic interactions focused on child-related content, as measured by the Home Visit Rating Scale-Revised, was related to higher quality of family engagement in home visits, as measured with the Home Visit Observation Rating Scales. Time spent in adult-focused interactions and administrative tasks, however, was related to lower quality of home-visiting practices and family engagement. Implications for research and practice are discussed.     

The Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development: Then,Now, and in the 21st Century

The results of a content analysis of volumes 18–22 of JMCD are presented and related to findings of 5 and 10 years earlier. Trends are identified along with issues for future development of the journal.     

Assessing White Racial Identity: The White Racial Consciousness Development Scale (WRCDS)

Prior to the ready availability of Helms and Carter's (1990) White Racial Identity Attitude Scale (RIAS-W), Claney and Parker (1989) developed the White Racial Consciousness Development Scale (WRCDS). Using this device they reported finding a curvilinear relationship between the stage of racial identity or consciousness of Whites and their comfort with African American persons. Recently, the WRCDS seems to be gaining acceptance by scholars working in the area of White racial identity. Data, however, are presented suggesting that the WRCDS lacks adequate reliability and concurrent validity and that the findings and future use of the instrument should be questioned.     

Selection Procedures in North America

The selection practices of organizations in Canada and the United States are reviewed. These practices are notable insofar as they rarely represent the most valid procedures, nor do they tend to be based on current research knowledge. Some reasons for the current state of selection and assessment procedures include knowledge of appropriate devices, professional competence, and client limitations. The challenge of complying with human rights legislation in North America is viewed by many practitioners as a selection constraint. It is argued, however, that legal requirements support valid selection practices by demanding professional accountability.     

ETHNIC AND RACIAL SIMILARITY IN DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS:

Abstract— Correlation matrices were computed on academic achievement and family environment measures using longitudinal data on siblings The 8 × 8 correlation matrices were computed on Hispanics, blacks, and whites separately When compared employing a LISREL method, the matrices were equal across these ethnic-racial groups Hence, developmental processes influencing academic achievement may be similar in Hispanics, blacks, and whites A structural equation model with four free parameters was fitted successfully to a correlation matrix pooled across groups As a single structural equation model fitted all groups, the existence of minority-specific developmental processes was not supported     

Validity of Adolescents' Report of Maternal Age

Examined the validity of adolescents' reports of their mother's age. Most research on the validity of self-report focuses on personal behaviors such as alcohol and substance use, or response bias due to social desirability. Few studies investigate the validity of adolescents reporting of nonsensitive information. Data from 80 mother–adolescent pairs were collected. The sample included 9th graders from four high school English classes, equal numbers of males and females, and 15% African Americans. The correlation between mothers' reports and youths' reports of mother's age was .99, and 95% of the youth were within a year of their mother's correct age. No race or gender differences were found. These results allow researchers to examine adolescent outcomes for youth born to teen mothers without the expense of also collecting data from their mothers. Results also suggest that adolescents' self-reports of other nonsensitive familial data may also be valid.