Coming Home: Challenges Related to Reentry and Recidivism for Previously Incarcerated New Mothers

This thesis explores the intersection of motherhood, recidivism, and the reentry process for recently incarcerated new mothers. Women were recruited from the Healthy Beginnings Project, a program that works with pregnant, incarcerated women from correctional institutions in the Williamsburg area to provide perinatal education and support. Completed intake and postpartum surveys (n=103) were analyzed for quantitative data on the incremental ability of maternal, psychological, and contextual stressors to predict new mothers\u27 likelihood to recidivate. 34.3% (n=34) of the new mothers recidivated when the child was one to twelve months old. None of the summed stressor variables were significantly associated with recidivism, nor was the cumulative measure of combined stressors. However, some of the individual contextual variables were: monetary stress (t(94)=-2.04, p=0.04), unemployment (x2=10.53, px2=15.94, pn=15) collected narratives on the women’s experiences related to incarceration, motherhood, and reentry. Women who recidivated (n=6) did not attribute their reincarceration to their children, but women who were successful in their reentry (n=9) attributed their success to their children

WORKING ON TRAUMA – A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF TF-CBT WORK WITH CHILD SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL ABUSE

Although there is growing interest in evidence-based practice (EBP), the implementation of research into clinical practice is still underutilised (DiCenso, Guyatt & Ciliska, 2005; Rycroft-Malone & Bucknall 2010). One emerging method in clinical practice with child survivors of sexual abuse is trauma-focused cognitive behavioural therapy (TF-CBT). This study aimed to systematically review the literature on TF-CBT work with child survivors of sexual abuse in an attempt to provide social work educators and practitioners with sufficient information about these treatments, which they can pursue in ongoing education and trainin

Does commuting to university influence students’ personal and professional development and the likelihood of graduate level employment?

The current UK university system is based on the traditional home-university model of transition that has customarily seen students moving away from home to study for their degree. However, within the current massified and marketised conditions of higher education the number of students choosing to commute to study whilst living at home is increasing annually. This may be driven by a number of pressures, including the costs of university life, part-time work, family responsibilities and/or personal confidence. Whilst commuting to study may be a financially rational decision that provides commuter students with a different way of attending to meet their distinctive learning needs, research suggests that commuter students may also experience emotional and social challenges that may influence their personal and professional development, which in turn may impact on their ability to access and contribute to graduate employment. This paper explores the potential benefits and challenges experienced by commuter students and suggests that their personal circumstances and the tensions between home and university life may influence the likelihood of, and their ability to, develop personally and professionally in the way that graduate employers expect and desire. Consequently, commuter students may secure fewer graduate roles than their peers opting for the traditional home-university model of transition and employers may miss good candidates who possess the different but equally valuable employment skills and experience that commuter students are able to offer. This paper may be of interest to universities, current undergraduates and potential employers seeking the personal and professional development of future graduate employees

Recreation Research—So What?

The authors contend that most recreation research cannot stand the question, So what?” From that point the article proceeds to a prescription for a meaningful approach to recreation research, which links recreation research to planning within a systems context. Researchable questions are posed dealing with preferences and behavior, resource capabilities and environmental impacts, and the nature and dynamics of institutions for the original state, process, and desired state segments of a planning system

Understanding the truth about subjectivity

Results of two experiments show children’s understanding of diversity in personal preference is incomplete. Despite acknowledging diversity, in Experiment 1(N=108), 6- and 8-year-old children were less likely than adults to see preference as a legitimate basis for personal tastes and more likely to say a single truth could be found about a matter of taste. In Experiment 2 (N=96), 7- and 9-year-olds were less likely than 11- and 13-yearolds to say a dispute about a matter of preference might not be resolved. These data suggest that acceptance of the possibility of diversity does not indicate an adult-like understanding of subjectivity. An understanding of the relative emphasis placed on objective and subjective factors in different contexts continues to develop into adolescence

How do UK universities engage with commuter students?

Recently students have increasingly chosen to live at home whilst studying; over 25% of UK undergraduates (440,000) are now “commuter students”. It is widely accepted that commuter students obtain poorer outcomes and academic experiences than their campus-based peers. This roundtable discussion explores challenges faced by commuter students’ and seeks to establish and share recommendations to enhance academic experiences and outcomes

Racial Disparities between the Sex Steroid Milieu and the Metabolic Risk Profile

Aims and Method. The present study examined the relationship between the metabolic risk profile (MRP) and total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone using the free androgen index (FAI) and sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in 36 Caucasian American (CA) and 30 African-American (AA) women volunteering for a weight loss study. Results. After controlling for age, significant relationships were found between TT and diastolic blood pressure (P = .004 and P = .015 in CA and AA women, resp.). Additionally, total cholesterol (P = .003), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .004), apolipoprotein B (P = .006), and the total cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol (P = .027) were significantly related to TT in AA women only. In CA women, similar measures of glucose/insulin status related to FAI, were also related to SHBG. In both CA and AA women, SHBG was related to waist (P = .031 and P = .022 resp.). Conclusion. Our findings showed racial disparities in the relationship between the sex steroid milieu and the MRP in overweight/obese CA and AA women

Impact of Social Activities on Healthy Aging in Community-Dwelling Adults

Humans are highly social beings which is evidenced by our desire to continually establish social relationships with each other. Healthy social relationships promote engagement in social activities and provide access to social support which greatly benefits overall health outcomes. In our research study, we provide an overview of the impact of social activities on the quality of life among nursing home residents (65+) and evaluate different aspects of social relationships on various health, physiological and psychological functioning. Evidence suggests that a level of social engagement increases life satisfaction and is also associated with a lower risk of physiological dysregulation while low levels of social engagement can negatively impact physiological and psychological functioning (Kelly et al., 2017). We utilize the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) survey to gather data from nursing home residents. The GDS is a tool developed as a self-report instrument utilized to screen for clinical depression among older adults (Mauk, 2018). Data collected from the surveys will be analyzed using t-test data analysis. Independent variables of interest include participation in subjective measures of social activities, social programs, and social support. The primary outcome of interest is to determine the impact of social activities on cognitive functioning, quality of life, and the number of hospitalizations. Creating programs that help older adults engage in activities and boost productivity, such as social activities, group exercise, group volunteering, etc., will contribute to a better life satisfaction and healthier aging