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746 respondents to a statewide telephone survey were asked if they had ever spent any time in foster care. 3.4% or 26 answered affirmatively. These data were collected to establish an estimated baseline for the number of adults raised in foster care which may be helpful for research on the effects of foster care of children.

Engagement in social work education can be a critical factor in the success and retention of information for students. Similarly, an engaged classroom provides a better experience for faculty and students. This article considers how the Students-Teaching-Students (STS) model might increase engagement in undergraduate social work courses. The STS model is introduced, described, applied to online and in-person students, and analyzed for its impact on student engagement. Descriptive analysis shows the interests and preferences of students who participated in the STS model. Bivariate analysis revealed how STS might impact overall engagement and involvement in the course in various academic settings. Findings from this study will better inform and introduce social science faculty about how to incorporate and utilize the STS model to create a more vibrant and interesting student experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have shown that stress has contributed to employee turnover and retention problems for agencies, and at the individual level, chronic stress has been associated with coronary heart disease, anxiety, depression, and many other negative effects. In the past, the extent of stress one has felt has been measured by subjective paper-and-pencil instruments; however, recent technological advances have improved our ability to obtain accurate biofeedback assessments from wearable instruments. The Kentucky Child Welfare Workforce Wellness Initiative is the first known study to explore physiological stress in a sample (n = 32) of child welfare professionals using biometric technology (Firstbeat Bodyguard 2) and the first to report that data longitudinally over a four-month period. The study revealed that a variable associated with the strength of the Autonomic Nervous System (RMSSD) remained below the norms for a healthy population as participants experienced consistent and prolonged physiological stress. When examined relatively to the agency's lifting of COVID restrictions and returning to face-to-face service delivery, stress levels began to further rise almost to significant levels (p <.10) and the participants' ability to achieve a state of physiological relaxation significantly decreased. Future research employing biometric technology is also suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Children in the child welfare system comprise a group characterized by exposure to trauma via experiences of maltreatment, under circumstances presenting multiple risk factors for traumatic stress. High rates of posttraumatic stress have been observed in this population. However, there is currently no standard for the universal screening of children in child welfare for trauma exposure and traumatic stress. This study examined the trauma experiences of a sample of maltreated children and whether their child welfare workers were effective screeners of traumatic stress symptoms. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted regarding a sample of children (N = 131) with trauma screenings completed by their child welfare workers and clinical measures of traumatic stress symptoms. Four hierarchical regression models were also examined to determine whether workers' screening information regarding child age, trauma exposure history and symptoms of traumatic stress were predictive of outcomes on clinical measures. The analyses revealed complex trauma exposure histories and high rates of traumatic stress symptoms among this generally younger sample of maltreated children. Additionally, the models supported workers' efficacy in screening for symptoms of total posttraumatic stress and specific trauma symptoms of intrusion and avoidance. Workers were less effective in screening for the symptoms of arousal. These findings support the importance of identifying the trauma recovery needs of maltreated children and the utility of child protection workers in assisting with the trauma screening process. Implications are provided for related practice, policy and training efforts in child welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child maltreatment impacts society on multiple levels, and consistent turnover in the child welfare workforce creates financial challenges and problems associated with service delivery. This study explores the qualitative survey findings from a statewide sample of child welfare administrators in one state (n = 86). When asked to provide suggestions for improving workforce retention, nine overarching themes emerged: compensation, decreased workload, organizational culture, job factors, professional development, frontline supervision, performance management, leverage external partners, and competent and engage leadership. A comparative analysis ensues, where these strategies are juxtaposed with those of frontline supervisors and frontline workers. Similarities, differences, and implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontline child welfare supervisors are a vitally important component for providing leadership in service delivery and workforce stability. This statewide study of public child welfare supervisors uses a modified version of a previously developed instrument (the CWEFS) to examine job satisfaction and factors influencing supervisors' intention to leave. A consistent negative perception of salary was found but a stratified pattern of dissatisfaction emerged across other variables when examined by intention to leave (Stayers, Undecided, and Leavers). A Hierarchical Binary Logistic Regression Model identified two factors that predicted intention to leave: dissatisfaction with administrative support and workload impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from a state-wide survey of frontline supervisors from a state child welfare agency, this study qualitatively examined how stress from their positions may have affected their perceived health. With a response rate of 44%, 117 frontline supervisors participated and provided 240 comments describing health consequences in their physical health, mental health, work-life balance, and development of unhealthy habits or behaviors. Implications from this study are discussed in the context of workplace stress and employee turnover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child welfare supervisors have a unique vantage point, leading local service delivery efforts while representing a larger organizational bureaucracy. They also play a key role in workforce stability, as high caseworker turnover remains a real problem that affects clients, communities, and agency budgets. Using a qualitative thematic content analysis to analyze data collected from a sample of public child welfare supervisors in a southern state (n = 117), findings from this study provide suggestions for systematically addressing workforce turnover through the unique perspective of the child welfare supervisor. Supervisors made recommendations to improve agency infrastructure, organizational climate, and organizational culture as areas for immediate consideration to address this significant problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore potential similarities and differences in the ways boys and girls appraise and interpret their traumatic experiences, and better understand how gender roles, performance, and socialization processes may impact trauma experiences, appraisals, and narratives within the context of trauma-focused treatment. We used thematic analysis to analyze the trauma narratives of youth ( N = 16) ages 8-16 who had experienced multiple types ( M = 5.38) of child maltreatment and who were receiving Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to address clinically elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms. Four themes emerged: variations in the content of negative cognitions, differences in relational emotion, adoption of socially prescribed gender roles, and symptom differences. Although many similarities existed in youth's trauma narratives, differences emerged that point to the importance of social context and the ways gender role expectations and socialization processes influence youth's appraisal of and responses to traumatic events. Findings indicate the importance of considering distress tolerance, relational emotion, gender identity development, and role socialization within the treatment milieu., (© 2024 Springer Publishing Company.)

Objective: Gender differences in the development and severity of PTSD have long been observed, but much less is known about gender differences within the context of trauma-focused treatment. This study investigated gender differences in the PTSD symptoms of polytraumatized youth during Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)., Method: The sample included child welfare-involved youth ages 7-18 (N = 138) who experienced a mean of 4.78 types of trauma and received TF-CBT at a trauma treatment clinic. Mixed ANOVA analyses assessed gender differences in PTSD symptoms from baseline to termination of treatment. PTSD symptoms were then mapped according to the phase of treatment, and factorial ANOVAs examined gender differences during isolated phases of TF-CBT. Potential interactions with sexual violence history were considered., Results: Significant reductions in overall PTSD, intrusive, avoidance and arousal symptoms were found from baseline to termination of TF-CBT for the entire sample, although females reported higher symptom levels across all PTSD symptom domains. Significant gender differences were also revealed during some, but not all, phases of treatment, with variations among PTSD symptom domains noted., Conclusions: Findings suggest TF-CBT is effective in reducing PTSD in youth with poly-trauma exposure, irrespective of gender. Gender differences in symptom severity were revealed, however, and indicate the need to attend to gender within the context of treatment. Findings also suggest the use of measurement-based care, and specifically attending to symptom fluctuation in PTSD symptom domains during treatment, can help inform clinical decision making and individualize treatment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The purpose of this study was to better understand how youth with poly-trauma histories appraise and make meaning of their traumatic experiences within the trauma narrative and processing components of Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and to explore the results of the meaning-making process. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the trauma narratives of youth ( N  = 16) ages 8 - 16 that were created during TF-CBT. Participants experienced a mean of 5.38 types of trauma that predominantly included various forms of child maltreatment. With regard to how youth appraise and interpret their traumatic experiences, four themes emerged, including I Am Not Safe, which denotes a lack of physical and psychological safety; It's My Fault, which symbolizes misattributions of responsibility; I Am Changed, which captures alterations in systems of meaning; and Why Did This Happen to Me?, which denotes the struggle to comprehend why the traumatic events occurred and their significance. With regard to the products of the meaning-making process, three themes emerged, including Now I Know, which denotes reappraisals; I Am Safe/r, which signifies increases in perceptions of safety, and I Can Do It, which includes the participant's perceptions of growth. Results from this study provide a deeper understanding of youth's experiences during these components of treatment, and illuminate the meaning-making process. Findings can help guide clinical-decision making, and highlight the importance of explicitly attending to specific components of the meaning-making process during trauma narration and processing., Competing Interests: Conflict of InterestOn behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.)

After collecting personal accounts of near-death experiences from persons with large burn injuries, it was discovered that several of the participants described seeing, talking with (and even hugging and praying with) a person or spirit they identified as an angel. Although the number of individuals in this qualitative study is small ( n  = 6), verification of some key details in these interesting accounts may have been possible if one had the inclination and resources to investigate at the time. The author suggests helping professionals may want to consider that some patients may be able to relate other anecdotal accounts and a collection of these could assist with understanding their prevalence and could be a source of comfort to those experiencing great pain, loss, or crisis in their lives.

Persons who come close to death but survive catastrophic accidents sometimes report very vivid experiences during times when their survival was in doubt, when they were believed to be dead, and during resuscitation efforts. This qualitative study builds upon existing research on near-death experiences (NDEs) by focusing on the oral accounts from a sample of individuals with large and life-threatening burns. The NDE accounts were obtained from burn survivors attending the Phoenix Society's World Burn Congress and are similar to reports by notable researchers ( Greyson, 2003 ; Moody, 1975 ; Ring, 1980 ) while reflecting the uniqueness of the individual survivor's experiences. Six major themes are reported. Counselors and health professionals need to be aware of and educated about NDEs as these experiences can have profound effects upon the individual. Patients who have had NDEs may need to discuss them but fear professionals will reject their stories as being crazy.

Sutter Davis Hospital aims to make employees happier to help make patients happier.