Work and the family systemba naturalistic study of working class and lower-middle-class families

xiii, 337 p.; 24 cm

Officers in Crisis: New York City Police Officers Who Assisted the Families of Vicims of the World Trace Center Terrorist Attack

Following September 11, 2001, considerable research focused on the well-being of disaster and recovery workers at the World Trade Center in New York. Yet police officers who assisted the families of victims have been neglected. These officers worked long shifts escorting families to the site of the attack, reviewing lists of the deceased, distributing death certificates and memorial urns, and collecting materials for DNA sampling. Intense work with traumatized individuals can result in secondary traumatization. Six months after the attack, 23% of a convenience sample of these officers (N = 74) had possible posttraumatic stress disorder, as measured by the Posttraumatic Symptom Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 1993). Additional exposures to the attacks and being Hispanic were associated with more severe symptoms, while years of experience as a police officer with the NYPD had no effect. Recommendations for preventive preparedness training and early intervention for police officers who assist victims’ families following disasters are presented

Understanding barriers to parent involvement in Head Start: A research-community partnership. Early Childhood Research Quarterly

Abstract The present study was conducted by a research institute, The NCJW Center for the Child, in partnership with two Head Start agencies in New York City. The research grew out of practitioners' concerns about parent involvement in their programs and what barriers may be inhibiting participation. Sixty-eight mothers whose children had completed one year of Head Start were interviewed using the Barriers to Parent Involvement Survey. Results revealed that mothers reported the presence of many difficult life experiences, but few were reported as actual barriers by many mothers. Five out of 20 of these experiences were associated with staff ratings of mothers' level of participation. Developing ways to address barriers to participation at the Head Start agencies is discussed in light of the research findings. Information about wider application of the survey as well as research and programmatic implications of the results are included