PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to examine mean differences between intrapersonal and instit... more PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to examine mean differences between intrapersonal and institutional variables and the overall perception of radiation safety (OPRS) among U.S. radiologic technologists. The study also sought to demonstrate the applicability of the socioecological model for radiation safety decision-making. METHODS A quantitative, cross-sectional design with the Radiation Actions and Dimensions of Radiation Safety survey instrument was used to collect data and guide hypotheses testing. The 425 research participants included radiologic technologists working in radiography, mammography, computed tomography, and radiology management. Categorical and descriptive data were calculated, and 1-way analysis of variance tests were used to analyze hypotheses. RESULTS Seven main effects demonstrated mean differences between groups for the OPRS, including age (F 5,419 = 2.55, P = .03), years of experience (F 5,419 = 4.27, P = .001), primary employed imaging modality (F 2,422 =...
Using data collected on 348 patients presenting to a hospital-based substance misuse treatment pr... more Using data collected on 348 patients presenting to a hospital-based substance misuse treatment program, the present study compares psychiatric symptomatology and severity of substance misuse among African-American and Caucasian alcohol and drug misusers. African-Americans had a higher overall severity of substance misuse and reported using more substances than Caucasians. African-Americans also had higher levels of somatization, interpersonal problems, depression, hostility, obsessive/compulsive behavior, phobia, paranoia, and psychoticism than Caucasians. African-Americans exhibited higher levels of psychosocial stress and lower levels of global functioning than did Caucasians. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The present descriptive case study reports on the state of treatment services and environmental s... more The present descriptive case study reports on the state of treatment services and environmental settings in adolescent residential treatment facilities (RTFs) conducted as part of the Residential Treatment Center Evaluation Project. The project frequently uncovered poor quality of care exposing youth to deleterious conditions. Observations related to harsh treatment practices, psychiatric practice and medication management, educational and aftercare planning, and general treatment planning were closely examined. The analysis indicated that accreditation and licensing are insufficient to assure the quality of the service process in RTFs. Future research should address the relationship between treatment quality and treatment outcome. Efforts should also be made to develop strategies for organizational change to support high-quality services in RTFs.
ABSTRACT This study investigated whether the three largest ethnic/cultural populations in the Uni... more ABSTRACT This study investigated whether the three largest ethnic/cultural populations in the United States—white Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Americans—entertain different notions of what constitutes Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). The study also investigated the circumstances under which individuals of these cultures deem an offense sufficiently severe to warrant reporting it to law enforcement agencies. Findings are that there are no significant differences between the ethnic groups' recognition of, or willingness to report, CSA except at the lowest levels of severity, where the two ethnic American minorities are somewhat more likely to recognize or report CSA than are white Americans.
This descriptive case study reports on the positive impact of a consultative review methodology u... more This descriptive case study reports on the positive impact of a consultative review methodology used to conduct quality assurance reviews as part of the Residential Treatment Center Evaluation Project. The study details improvement in the quality of services provided to youth in unmonitored residential treatment facilities. Improvements were observed in the areas of treatment planning and care, educational planning and
From surveyed responses and evolving technologies, technical issues related to developing a secur... more From surveyed responses and evolving technologies, technical issues related to developing a secure county/regional based human services information systems solution are identified. Components of such a system are identified and discussed as to their viability to successfully design and implement shared data between government agencies and non-profit groups throughout Lake County and the State of Indiana. Some of these components are a common intake function, master client/family index to including client education, training and history components, a master provider index, case coordination/management system, and the use of E-forms to reduce traditional paper processing and encourage more efficient usage of data storage and retrieval technologies within a clientcentric environment.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 01926187 2011 601192, May 4, 2012
The present study examines the relationship between adult attachment style, differentiation, and ... more The present study examines the relationship between adult attachment style, differentiation, and infidelity. Results indicated that attachment anxiety and avoidance showed significant relationships with infidelity at both the bivariate and multivariate levels of analysis. Differentiation also showed significant results at the bivariate level, whereas the differentiation subconstruct, fusion with others, contributed significantly to the overall model. The knowledge of a
This study tested the relationship between family dynamics and self-injury. A total of 189 partic... more This study tested the relationship between family dynamics and self-injury. A total of 189 participants responded to a web-based survey collecting information related to previous self-injury behaviors and family dynamics. Participants were over 18 years old who had used self-injury (intentionally harming themselves physically to relieve painful emotions without suicidal intent), but who had not used self-injury for over a year. Results indicated that healthy family dynamics were negatively correlated and associated with higher scores of self-injury behaviors. This study offers some evidence that family dynamics influence self-injury behaviors. The implications for family therapy are discussed.
ABSTRACT Traditionally, Durkheimian and Piagetian perspectives on moral education have been regar... more ABSTRACT Traditionally, Durkheimian and Piagetian perspectives on moral education have been regarded as standing in opposition to one another, but Lawrence Kohlberg's recent work, published posthumously, shows that an integrated socialization-developmental approach to moral character education is possible. This article contrasts the socialization approach of Emile Durkheim and the developmental approach of Jean Piaget, and then reviews Kohlberg's approach, emphasizing its creative integrative strengths and continuing sociological weaknesses.
The poor quality and quantity of data collected in tribal communities today reflects a lack of tr... more The poor quality and quantity of data collected in tribal communities today reflects a lack of true community participation and commitment. This is especially problematic for evaluation studies, in which the needs and desires of the community should be the central focus. This challenge can be met by emphasizing indigenous methods and voice. The authors provide an illustration of how to do this.
ABSTRACT Using data collected on 190 patients in a hospital-based substance abuse treatment cente... more ABSTRACT Using data collected on 190 patients in a hospital-based substance abuse treatment center in a large midwestern city, this study compared psychiatric symptomatology between 39 African-American and 151 Caucasian adults. Although the groups were equivalent in consumption and frequency of usage, African-American alcoholics used significantly more substances (beyond alcohol) than did Caucasians. With regard to psychiatric symptomatology, African Americans reported higher levels of somatization, obsessive–compulsive behavior, depression, hostility, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism, and an overall higher degree of stress. Although the overall level of alcoholic self-reported severity did not distinguish the 2 groups, African Americans exhibited lower levels of global functioning as assessed by trained clinical staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology - CULT DIVERS ETHN MINOR PSYCHO, 2012
This study describes the use of cognitive question testing methods to pretest a Web-based questio... more This study describes the use of cognitive question testing methods to pretest a Web-based questionnaire designed to gather information from American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth between the ages of 18 and 25. The questionnaire included items related to risk and resiliency factors as well as potentially sensitive topics of victimization and delinquency. Question testing was completed with a sample of 15 youth living in three different regions of the United States. The Three Step Test Interview Method was modified to collect information related to interface usability, cognitive response, and cultural interpretation of survey items. Data collected from the question testing process resulted in questionnaire changes that included query wording, the inclusion and exclusion of survey items based on cultural input, the reordering and rendering of survey items, and improvements in interface usability. Implications for survey research with the AI/AN youth population are discussed.
ABSTRACT This study assesses the quality of services in the therapeutic foster care programs used... more ABSTRACT This study assesses the quality of services in the therapeutic foster care programs used by one county in the Midwest. Using a consultative quality assurance review methodology, evaluators examined 67 randomly sampled cases across seven agencies to assess the service quality issues experienced by children. Following interviews with staff, foster parents, and children, and a review of case records, reviewers observed failures in service and in adherence to national program model standards and state regulations. The research indicates the need for consistent monitoring of child-placing agencies and the need for additional research linking service quality with foster care outcomes.
PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to examine mean differences between intrapersonal and instit... more PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to examine mean differences between intrapersonal and institutional variables and the overall perception of radiation safety (OPRS) among U.S. radiologic technologists. The study also sought to demonstrate the applicability of the socioecological model for radiation safety decision-making. METHODS A quantitative, cross-sectional design with the Radiation Actions and Dimensions of Radiation Safety survey instrument was used to collect data and guide hypotheses testing. The 425 research participants included radiologic technologists working in radiography, mammography, computed tomography, and radiology management. Categorical and descriptive data were calculated, and 1-way analysis of variance tests were used to analyze hypotheses. RESULTS Seven main effects demonstrated mean differences between groups for the OPRS, including age (F 5,419 = 2.55, P = .03), years of experience (F 5,419 = 4.27, P = .001), primary employed imaging modality (F 2,422 =...
Using data collected on 348 patients presenting to a hospital-based substance misuse treatment pr... more Using data collected on 348 patients presenting to a hospital-based substance misuse treatment program, the present study compares psychiatric symptomatology and severity of substance misuse among African-American and Caucasian alcohol and drug misusers. African-Americans had a higher overall severity of substance misuse and reported using more substances than Caucasians. African-Americans also had higher levels of somatization, interpersonal problems, depression, hostility, obsessive/compulsive behavior, phobia, paranoia, and psychoticism than Caucasians. African-Americans exhibited higher levels of psychosocial stress and lower levels of global functioning than did Caucasians. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The present descriptive case study reports on the state of treatment services and environmental s... more The present descriptive case study reports on the state of treatment services and environmental settings in adolescent residential treatment facilities (RTFs) conducted as part of the Residential Treatment Center Evaluation Project. The project frequently uncovered poor quality of care exposing youth to deleterious conditions. Observations related to harsh treatment practices, psychiatric practice and medication management, educational and aftercare planning, and general treatment planning were closely examined. The analysis indicated that accreditation and licensing are insufficient to assure the quality of the service process in RTFs. Future research should address the relationship between treatment quality and treatment outcome. Efforts should also be made to develop strategies for organizational change to support high-quality services in RTFs.
ABSTRACT This study investigated whether the three largest ethnic/cultural populations in the Uni... more ABSTRACT This study investigated whether the three largest ethnic/cultural populations in the United States—white Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Americans—entertain different notions of what constitutes Child Sexual Abuse (CSA). The study also investigated the circumstances under which individuals of these cultures deem an offense sufficiently severe to warrant reporting it to law enforcement agencies. Findings are that there are no significant differences between the ethnic groups' recognition of, or willingness to report, CSA except at the lowest levels of severity, where the two ethnic American minorities are somewhat more likely to recognize or report CSA than are white Americans.
This descriptive case study reports on the positive impact of a consultative review methodology u... more This descriptive case study reports on the positive impact of a consultative review methodology used to conduct quality assurance reviews as part of the Residential Treatment Center Evaluation Project. The study details improvement in the quality of services provided to youth in unmonitored residential treatment facilities. Improvements were observed in the areas of treatment planning and care, educational planning and
From surveyed responses and evolving technologies, technical issues related to developing a secur... more From surveyed responses and evolving technologies, technical issues related to developing a secure county/regional based human services information systems solution are identified. Components of such a system are identified and discussed as to their viability to successfully design and implement shared data between government agencies and non-profit groups throughout Lake County and the State of Indiana. Some of these components are a common intake function, master client/family index to including client education, training and history components, a master provider index, case coordination/management system, and the use of E-forms to reduce traditional paper processing and encourage more efficient usage of data storage and retrieval technologies within a clientcentric environment.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 01926187 2011 601192, May 4, 2012
The present study examines the relationship between adult attachment style, differentiation, and ... more The present study examines the relationship between adult attachment style, differentiation, and infidelity. Results indicated that attachment anxiety and avoidance showed significant relationships with infidelity at both the bivariate and multivariate levels of analysis. Differentiation also showed significant results at the bivariate level, whereas the differentiation subconstruct, fusion with others, contributed significantly to the overall model. The knowledge of a
This study tested the relationship between family dynamics and self-injury. A total of 189 partic... more This study tested the relationship between family dynamics and self-injury. A total of 189 participants responded to a web-based survey collecting information related to previous self-injury behaviors and family dynamics. Participants were over 18 years old who had used self-injury (intentionally harming themselves physically to relieve painful emotions without suicidal intent), but who had not used self-injury for over a year. Results indicated that healthy family dynamics were negatively correlated and associated with higher scores of self-injury behaviors. This study offers some evidence that family dynamics influence self-injury behaviors. The implications for family therapy are discussed.
ABSTRACT Traditionally, Durkheimian and Piagetian perspectives on moral education have been regar... more ABSTRACT Traditionally, Durkheimian and Piagetian perspectives on moral education have been regarded as standing in opposition to one another, but Lawrence Kohlberg's recent work, published posthumously, shows that an integrated socialization-developmental approach to moral character education is possible. This article contrasts the socialization approach of Emile Durkheim and the developmental approach of Jean Piaget, and then reviews Kohlberg's approach, emphasizing its creative integrative strengths and continuing sociological weaknesses.
The poor quality and quantity of data collected in tribal communities today reflects a lack of tr... more The poor quality and quantity of data collected in tribal communities today reflects a lack of true community participation and commitment. This is especially problematic for evaluation studies, in which the needs and desires of the community should be the central focus. This challenge can be met by emphasizing indigenous methods and voice. The authors provide an illustration of how to do this.
ABSTRACT Using data collected on 190 patients in a hospital-based substance abuse treatment cente... more ABSTRACT Using data collected on 190 patients in a hospital-based substance abuse treatment center in a large midwestern city, this study compared psychiatric symptomatology between 39 African-American and 151 Caucasian adults. Although the groups were equivalent in consumption and frequency of usage, African-American alcoholics used significantly more substances (beyond alcohol) than did Caucasians. With regard to psychiatric symptomatology, African Americans reported higher levels of somatization, obsessive–compulsive behavior, depression, hostility, paranoid ideation, and psychoticism, and an overall higher degree of stress. Although the overall level of alcoholic self-reported severity did not distinguish the 2 groups, African Americans exhibited lower levels of global functioning as assessed by trained clinical staff. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology - CULT DIVERS ETHN MINOR PSYCHO, 2012
This study describes the use of cognitive question testing methods to pretest a Web-based questio... more This study describes the use of cognitive question testing methods to pretest a Web-based questionnaire designed to gather information from American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth between the ages of 18 and 25. The questionnaire included items related to risk and resiliency factors as well as potentially sensitive topics of victimization and delinquency. Question testing was completed with a sample of 15 youth living in three different regions of the United States. The Three Step Test Interview Method was modified to collect information related to interface usability, cognitive response, and cultural interpretation of survey items. Data collected from the question testing process resulted in questionnaire changes that included query wording, the inclusion and exclusion of survey items based on cultural input, the reordering and rendering of survey items, and improvements in interface usability. Implications for survey research with the AI/AN youth population are discussed.
ABSTRACT This study assesses the quality of services in the therapeutic foster care programs used... more ABSTRACT This study assesses the quality of services in the therapeutic foster care programs used by one county in the Midwest. Using a consultative quality assurance review methodology, evaluators examined 67 randomly sampled cases across seven agencies to assess the service quality issues experienced by children. Following interviews with staff, foster parents, and children, and a review of case records, reviewers observed failures in service and in adherence to national program model standards and state regulations. The research indicates the need for consistent monitoring of child-placing agencies and the need for additional research linking service quality with foster care outcomes.
Uploads
Papers by Thomas Pavkov