Search

Transition-aged youth in need of services and supports find themselves in a quandary; in certain instances, they are considered children, whereas in other circumstances, they qualify as adults. Transition to Independence Process (TIP) provides a promising model for transition-aged youth programs. It is distinguished by an emphasis upon client-driven goals, as opposed to agency-defined goals. Another key feature is reliance upon collaboration among service providers in order to address the myriad of needs of young adults. From the perspective of transition-aged clients, an efficacious TIP program must offer support services, including mental health care. It must encourage natural supports, including family. All of the facets of a TIP model program should have as their ultimate focus the education and employment of transition-aged youth. Together, these contribute to the best possible outcomes for transition-aged youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined African-American cancer patients' attitudes toward cancer and their relationship with long-term mental health outcomes. Using mixed methods, 74 breast and prostate cancer patients including 34 depressed and 23 nondepressed African-Americans and 17 depressed Whites were interviewed. The interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Qualitative data analysis identified themes that were coded. The codes were entered into SPSS software. Fisher's exact test was performed to examine group differences in the identified themes. Nondepressed African-Americans more frequently reported cancer as an adaptive experience ( p = 0.047) and less frequently as a struggle ( p = 0.012) than the depressed African-Americans and Whites. Groups did not significantly differ in the belief that cancer has no cure ( p = 0.763), but depressed African-Americans more frequently reported unwillingness to share a cancer diagnosis with family or friends than depressed Whites ( p = 0.50). African-Americans' adaptive attitudes to cancer exhibit a pragmatist approach and a worldview shaped by their lived experience. Participants' narratives were examined to illuminate the meanings of these findings. Adaptive attitudes to cancer are associated with better long-term mental health outcomes, and conversely, unpreparedness and inability to cope are associated with a higher risk of depression among African-American cancer patients. Education about cancer and supports for treatment navigation are important measures for improving the long-term mental health of African-Americans living with cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The murder or attempted murder of a child's mother in the context of domestic violence is a significant event in a child's life and carries with it multiple additional possible stressors. Children experiencing these situations have not, to date, been well studied. This paper discusses what is currently known in the literature about these children and provides some initial descriptive sociodemographic and contextual data regarding 237 children who experienced the murder (N = 146) or attempted murder (N = 91) of their mother by a current or estranged intimate partner. These data are part of a 10-city study to identify the risk factors in intimate partner homicide. This descriptive study suggests the alarming prevalence of children exposed to their mothers' murders or attempted murders, the paucity of systematic interventions provided to these children, the likelihood of their exposure to prior marital violence and/or child abuse, the multiple stressors they encounter after the incident, and some of the demographic variables associated with femicide and attempted femicide. Affected children are most likely to be under the age of 10 at the time of the homicide or attempted homicide with mothers who are between the ages of 30 and 39, working but earning less than $25,000 per year. Poor African American women and their children are especially vulnerable. Many of the children actually witnessed the homicide or attempted homicide (35% of homicide cases; 62% of the attempteds) or found their mother after the attack (37% of homicides cases; 28% of attempteds), but significant numbers of these children received no or little intervention. The critical needs for community-based prevention and intervention programs are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This study describes parents' explanatory models of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and examines model variation by child characteristics. Method Children with ADHD (N=182) were identified from a school district population of elementary school students. A reliable coding system was developed for parental responses obtained in ethnographic interviews in order to convert qualitative into numerical data for quantitative analysis. Results African-American parents were less likely to connect the school system to ADHD problem identification, expressed fewer worries about ADHD-related school problems,and voiced fewer preferences for school interventions than Caucasian parents,pointing to a potential disconnect with the school system. Conclusions More African-American than Caucasian parents were unsure about potential causes of and treatments for ADHD, indicating a need for culturally appropriate parent education approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine in-depth the lives of women whose partners attempted to kill them, and to identify patterns that may aid in the clinician's ability to predict, prevent, or counsel about femicide or attempted femicide.Design: Qualitative analysis of 30 in-depth interviews.Setting: Six U.S. cities.Participants: Thirty women, aged 17-54 years, who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner.Results: All but 2 of the participants had previously experienced physical violence, controlling behavior, or both from the partner who attempted to kill them. The intensity of the violence, control, and threats varied greatly, as did the number of risk factors measured by the Danger Assessment, defining a wide spectrum of prior abuse. Approximately half (14/30) of the participants did not recognize that their lives were in danger. Women often focused more on relationship problems involving money, alcohol, drugs, possessiveness, or infidelity, than on the risk to themselves from the violence. The majority of the attempts (22/30) happened around the time of a relationship change, but the relationship was often ending because of problems other than violence.Conclusions: Clinicians should not be falsely reassured by a woman's sense of safety, by the lack of a history of severe violence, or by the presence of few classic risk factors for homicide. Efforts to reduce femicide risk that are targeted only at those women seeking help for violence-related problems may miss potential victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To examine in-depth the lives of women whose partners attempted to kill them, and to identify patterns that may aid in the clinician's ability to predict, prevent, or counsel about femicide or attempted femicide. Qualitative analysis of 30 in-depth interviews. Six U.S. cities. Thirty women, aged 17–54 years, who survived an attempted homicide by an intimate partner. All but 2 of the participants had previously experienced physical violence, controlling behavior, or both from the partner who attempted to kill them. The intensity of the violence, control, and threats varied greatly, as did the number of risk factors measured by the Danger Assessment, defining a wide spectrum of prior abuse. Approximately half (14/30) of the participants did not recognize that their lives were in danger. Women often focused more on relationship problems involving money, alcohol, drugs, possessiveness, or infidelity, than on the risk to themselves from the violence. The majority of the attempts (22/30) happened around the time of a relationship change, but the relationship was often ending because of problems other than violence. Clinicians should not be falsely reassured by a woman's sense of safety, by the lack of a history of severe violence, or by the presence of few classic risk factors for homicide. Efforts to reduce femicide risk that are targeted only at those women seeking help for violence-related problems may miss potential victims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes 4 help-seeking steps among children at high risk for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and identifies barriers to ADHD symptom detection and treatment. Using a district-wide stratified random sample of 1615 elementary school students screened for ADHD risk, predictors of 4 help-seeking steps among a high-risk group (n = 389) and parent-identified barriers to care among children with unmet need for ADHD care (n = 91) were assessed. Study findings indicate that although 88% of children were recognized as having a problem, only 39% had been evaluated, 32% received an ADHD diagnosis, and 23% received current treatment. Older children and those with more severe behavior problems were more likely to be perceived by their parents as having a problem. Additionally, gender and ethnic disparities in the subsequent help-seeking process emerged. Boys had over 5 times the odds than girls of receiving an evaluation, an ADHD diagnosis, and treatment. Compared to African American youth, Caucasian children had twice the odds of taking these help-seeking steps. For those children with unmet need for ADHD care, poverty predicted lower treatment rates and was associated with the most pervasive barriers. The gap between parental problem recognition and seeking services suggests that thresholds for parental recognition of a child behavior problem and for seeking ADHD services may be different. Future research examining the help-seeking process for ADHD should include a qualitative component to explore the potential mechanisms for gender and ethnic differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]