Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Social research|Pastoral counseling|Clinical psychology'

From 2011?2015, The Master?s Touch ministry has been the formal agency for the work of visiting the sick and shut-in at the Mount Moriah A.M.E. Church in New York. The purpose of this study is to determine any correlation between the visitations themselves and the level of local church commitment by the visited family members over these four years. This study is important because persons visited receive the benefits of pastoral care, while the impact on their families may not be as apparent. This research will focus on data from interviews conducted with family members in order to ascertain if there is any change to their level of local church commitment.

Through the creation of a website, this pilot study sought to clarify the needs of clergy and lay counselors who provide marital preparation services. Research has shown that marital preparation is correlated with an increase in later marital stability and satisfaction and a decrease in later marital discord and dissolution (Carroll & Doherty, 2003; Stanley, 2001; Stanley, Amato, Johnson, & Markman, 2006; Wilmoth, 2006). However, clergy, the primary providers of marital preparation, are often asked to provide a service they have little time, training, or resources to effectively provide. This online resource attempts to bridge the gap between providers and research, offering (a) a comparative analysis of three prominent marital preparation assessment tools (PREPARE, RELATE, FOCCUS), (b) basic summary information of current marital preparation research, and (c) relevant resources for a wide range of couples. Clergy, lay counselors, and professional therapists currently providing marital preparation services were asked to evaluate the clarity, organization, and relevance of the website via a brief online survey comprised of Likert-scale and open-ended questions.

During 2013, approximately 87,000 parents in the U.S. experienced the death of a child to drug overdose, however we do not know how the experience affected the bereaved parents. From a theoretical perspective of social constructivism and symbolic interaction, this grounded theory study explored the grief experience of eight parents to understand the social influence on the grief experience and on the meaning ascribed to the child’s death. Data collection and analysis were consistent with constructivist grounded theory methodology that identified the assumptions and opinions that influenced how parents made meaning of the child’s death, and how they integrated the deceased child into their life in a way that fostered a new purpose. The emergent theory stated, “The ability of the bereaved to transform following the drug overdose death of their child was indicated by a process that brought meaning to the death in a way that honored the decedent and through the discovery of a purpose that ensured a continued and heartfelt relationship with the decedent prevailed.” Based on this theory, the resolution of grief benefited when the bereaved thought that they were making meaningful contributions, often accomplished by a transformed identity and a new purpose that promoted a decrease in the rate of drug overdose death and a reduction in the social stigma common to drug overdose death. Proposed solutions called for guidelines to assist physicians in the prescribing of opiates, promoted the availability of Naloxone to first responders and family members who could potentially save a life, and revisions to the Good Samaritan Law throughout the U.S. to encourage more individuals to call 911 for help in overdose situations. Recommendations for future research were included.

• Stress experienced by HIV/AIDS orphans in child headed households due to HIV/AIDS
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• The role of churches in identifying and supporting orphans in child headed households
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Polyamory is a type of consensual non-monogamy (CNM) in which participants engage in multiple simultaneous romantic and often sexual relationships with the knowledge and consent of all involved. CNM practitioners in general, and polyamorous people in specific, appear to be highly stigmatized due to their relational practices, and to frequently encounter CNM-related discrimination, harassment, and violence (DHV). Conceptualizing this dynamic via minority stress theory predicts that this stigma and DHV will lead to negative mental health outcomes for polyamorous individuals. However, recent research has begun to identify possible sources of resilience and strength within polyamorous populations, which may ameliorate these negative effects, as well as enhance satisfaction with CNM and quality of life. This study investigated these hypotheses in a sample of 1,176 polyamorous American adults utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM). Two structural models were proposed and tested, one for polyamorous resilience and one for polyamorous strengths. Four constructs were assessed as potential resilience and strength factors: mindfulness, cognitive flexibility, a positive CNM identity, and connection to a supportive CNM community. Results indicate that CNM-related minority stress was positively related to increased psychological distress, such as higher self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms. Mindfulness was found to have both direct and moderating effects on the relationship between minority stress and psychological distress, such that higher mindfulness attenuated the negative impact of minority stress. Cognitive flexibility also displayed direct and moderating effects, but in the opposite than predicted direction. Regarding polyamorous strengths, mindfulness was found to positively impact overall satisfaction with CNM as well as life satisfaction. In addition, greater connection to a supportive CNM community correlated with having a more positive sense of CNM identity, which in turn was related to higher satisfaction with CNM. Overall satisfaction with CNM was related to greater life satisfaction. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed, with an emphasis on improving cultural competence for clinicians working with this unique and under-served population.

This phenomenological study investigated the experience of battered women, in an effort to understand how affect, social and environmental systems influence the lives of sheltered-battered women who have left the initial stage of domestic violence shelters and are living in the second stage of transitional housing. The research question that guided the study was, “What is the lived experience of battered women who have lived in domestic violence shelters and who currently reside in transitional housing? ” Three theoretical frameworks for this study potentially addressed and explained the complexities of domestic violence and the lived experience of its survivors. These theories—ecological systems theory, feminist theory and social learning theory—were presented, as well as their connections to the research question that guided this study. Ten residents of second stage transitional housing were purposefully selected through criterion sampling. Each participant had to meet inclusion criteria of being 18 years or older, experienced two or more incidents of abuse by a partner with whom they had an intimate or marital relationship, were residents of a domestic violence shelter prior to entering the transitional housing program, and lived in the transitional housing program for at least 6 months. Six themes emerged from the data analysis. The themes that materialized were: fear, depression, survival, coping mechanisms and communal living. While living in transitional housing, the majority of participants experienced immense emotional turmoil, and the majority of the participants faced mental health challenges that caused them concern. Anxiety and depression was common in several of the participants. The results of this study supports that second stage transitional housing for battered women is providing a critical service that should be furthered expanded. After battered women enter second stage transitional housing, time and a series of steps are required for them to become self-sufficient. Implications for counseling professionals include gaining a more comprehensive understanding of what battered women in transitional housing need, while healing from domestic violence. This type of knowledge may contribute to interventions that help to strengthen women and reinforce their ability to be resourceful for long term stability.

Recovery from alcoholism and substance abuse has had an ignominious history. There does not appear to be any statistics that stand up to any rigorous fact-checking which show how well treatment centers do at helping their clients to stay sober. Statistics that are used to show success rates are not considered credible and they are shockingly low. Despite these issues, substance abuse research has failed to link the historical knowledge of why people stay sober for long periods of time with what is being taught in treatment centers in hopes of creating a better, more accurate outcome.

The qualitative, phenomenological research study was conducted to ascertain whether a treatment center was teaching the curriculum components that prior research studies had found allowed an addict or alcoholic to stay sober for 20 plus years. Twelve volunteer participants (i.e., nine clients and three counselors), at a treatment center located in Southeast Florida, were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the curricula being taught in the treatment center.

Patterns emerged with the clients regarding their perceptions of spirituality and 12-step programs, believing that spirituality and 12-step programs were significantly emphasized in treatment and that they were very important to their recovery when they left treatment. Counselors agreed with this finding, but felt stronger about the importance of family and social support than did the clients. Overall, the clients felt that what was emphasized in treatment was important to their recovery and intended to use their new knowledge in helping them stay sober. Implications for treatment centers and recommendations for future studies are discussed.

This study focused on the perceptions of K-12 school counselors on learned helplessness in children and families in rural areas. There has been research on learned helplessness, children in rural areas, and studies on school counselors; however, there is a lack of research on the counselor's perceptions of learned helplessness in children and families in rural areas. Therefore, this study was different than previous studies on learned helplessness, and it fills a gap in the literature. This study used the interpretive-constructivist approach. The experiences and perceptions of participants provided answers to the central research question, by providing their subjective observations of learned helplessness in the children and families in their rural areas. Data was collected for this study through face-to-face interviews with volunteer participants privately to ensure protection and confidentiality of participants. Bracketing was used to reduce the impact of research bias in this study, along with note-taking techniques and audio tapes, transcribed by the researcher using NVIVO software. Transcripts were reviewed, patterns were identified, and themes were categorized using codes as the researcher looked for connections among the themes. Themes that emerged included parental involvement, generational cycles and patterns, grandparents raising grandkids, poverty, helping agencies, cultural and community norms and lifestyles, beliefs and value systems, and drugs and substance abuse. The theme most discussed by the eight participants was in relation to parental involvement in the child's life, both positive and negative. Parental involvement was discussed by participants 70 times during the eight hours of face-to-face interviews. According to participants of this study, both the positive and the negative involvement by the parent is the number one influence of learned helplessness in the child's life.

Smokeless tobacco use is an increasingly growing health concern among South Asians immigrants. Different studied suggested that prolonged use of smokeless and chewing tobacco has adverse impact on physical and neurological health. However, there is lack of research on psychological effects of smokeless tobacco among South Asian population. The purpose of the present study was to examine the psychological dependence that develops from using smokeless and chewing tobacco among South Asian immigrants in the USA. The study utilized a quantitative research design using survey method including standardized questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with 24 male and 48 females (N=72) from South Asian immigrants in the USA. Overall, there was no significant differences were found between gender, level of education, types of employment, and attempts to stop and positive dependence. Although there is a small positive correlation between age and positive dependence (r=.26). Results suggest that there is strong correlation between positive dependence and tolerance (r=.95) and strong positive correlations between positive dependence and cravings (r=.92). The results also indicated a positive relationship between positive relations and smokeless tobacco use (r=.91, ?.05) and secondary dependence and smoke?less tobacco use (r=.98, ?.05). The study also showed that there is a positive correlation between behavior patterns (frequency of daily use and number of use) and level of craving and withdrawals was higher. The implications of the study for both researchers and health professionals need to understand the culture-specific reasons for its use along with other covariates to assess the prevalence, screen for risks, and build culture specific intervention strategies.