In the United States, unaccompanied refugee minors (URMs) are a diverse and extremely vulnerable group served by social workers about whom there is little research. URMs enter the United States from many lands without parents or kin, often having experienced war and other traumatic events. Using a risk and resilience framework, we summarize the…

The life model offers social workers a promising framework to use in assisting immigrant families. However, the complexities of adaptation to a new country may make it difficult for social workers to operate from a purely ecological approach. The authors use segmented assimilation theory to better account for the specificities of the immigrant…

Nearly 25 years ago, Allen-Meares and Lane appraised the status of adaptive behavior assessments in use at the time, citing their usefulness and relevance to the overall assessment of school children. This article revisits those instruments and examines select current instruments to gauge whether they include the multicultural sensitivity required…

This study explores factors that influence the general well-being (anxiety, depression, positive well-being, self-control, vitality, and general health) of low-income Korean immigrant elders by interviewing 206 older adults living in Los Angeles County and Orange County, California. Ordinary least squares regression results reveal that lack of…

Provides observations by a social worker functioning as a housemother to Ethiopian Jewish refugee adolescent boys recently arrived in Israel. Discusses boys' technologicial and cultural adjustment, health and mental health problems, and racial problems. (ABL)

Relocation can cause serious stress for older persons. Researchers have identified certain psychosocial, medical, and environmental factors that are often associated with this stress. Planners and practitioners can use these findings as a basis for effective intervention. (Author)

Conducted descriptive study in which 12 Black families shared their ideas about adoptive parenthood. Found most common reason for adopting was inability to have children biologically. Found need for post-adoptive services for Black families on an as-needed basis. Recommends adoption agencies and communities build on positive experiences of Black…

This study examines the retrospective reports of alumni of Israeli group homes on their experiences of leaving care, taking into account possible gender differences as well as associations with their experiences while in care. The reports of 94 alumni (38 men and 56 women) interviewed by phone revealed major difficulties associated with the…

The effectiveness of personal versus systemic-structural social-work practice models is evaluated. Recent independent studies (N=45) are analyzed for differential findings of effectiveness. Client's focus for change (on themselves or on environmental factors) is evaluated in relation to the success of the treatment models. Research needs are…

Many male adolescent Indochinese refugees have escaped from their homelands in Southeast Asia unaccompanied by relatives and have been placed in Caucasian foster homes following their resettlement in the United States. To cope, these unaccompanied minors use adjustment strategies that put great demands on foster care. (Author/ABL)

Notes that, although social work credits itself for using biopsychosocial perspective, "bio" is virtually absent from profession's knowing and doing. Review of areas in which biological knowledge is growing ("biology of hope"--psychoneuroimmunology, for example--and the new biomedical approach to mental health) yields some ideas about how theory…

There is a growing need for men and women to prepare for a significant period of living after they leave the work force. This article describes a seminar approach using group processes to aid preretirees and retirees. (EJT)

There has been little interest in, and only slight illumination of, the impact of therapeutic camping for emotionally disturbed children. This study seeks to validate the belief that camping is therapeutic. Subjects were 52 boys, 5 to 11 1/2 years of age. Results support the hypothesis. (Author/HMV)

Presents an overview of medical and psychosocial aspects of heart transplantation, with a focus on the program at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. Describes social workers' interventions which help patients and families to achieve optimal psychosocial functioning before and after transplantation. (Author/ABL)

In preliminary findings from research interviews with nonclinical remarriage families who were not receiving treatment, both marital satisfaction and children's adjustment were described in primarily positive terms, especially after the first few years. Families reported that the process of managing complexities, uncertainties, and mixed feelings…