Parental involvement and the effectiveness of an adolescent day treatment program

Results on an outcome study with adolescents in a partial hospitalization program reflect parental involvement during the treatment process. The study compared behavioral outcomes of adolescent patients with high parental involvement with outcomes of adolescent patients with low parental involvement. The partial hospitalization program led to improvement for adolescents aged 13–17 years with significant differences for improvement by parental involvement. Improvements were in primary function areas, school and home as perceived by the adolescent, and in a reduction in severity level and total pathology as rated by the parent. Further, adolescents with high parental involvement were less likely to need rehospitalization.Received M.A. in psychology, from Governors State University. Research interests focus on adolescent treatment.Received Ph.D. in counselor education from Loyola University of Chicago. Research interests concern individual and career development, and service delivery issues.     

Conducting Research on Counties in the 21st Century: A New Agenda and Database Considerations

Given local, regional, national, and global events of the last few years and the ever-increasing service roles and expectations of county governments, American counties warrant greater scholarly attention. To guide researchers, the research agenda published in this journal 15 years ago has been refined and expanded. This 11-point agenda includes fiscal capacity and responsibility; the role of structure, politics, and political participation; intergovernmental relations and networking; professionalism; service delivery; environmental issues; population changes; managing conflict and promoting integration; terrorism and security; information technology; and economic development. In addition, five database concerns and needs that pose significant challenges to researchers are identified and presented for consideration.     

The county perspective on intergovernmental relations and government capacity

This analysis examines the issues of state and federal responsiveness and state and local government capacity from the perspective of county officials. Using data from a national survey of county administrators, elected executives, and commission chairpersons, the study finds that county officials are: (1) very confident of their own capacities to respond to local problems, but not as confident of local fiscal capacities; (2) very concerned about the responsiveness of state governments, particularly state legislatures, to local needs; and (3) not confident of the responsiveness of federal government to local needs either, but desirous of federal fiscal support. The assessments of state responsiveness appear related to state efforts to expand the policy making, taxing, and borrowing authority of their county governments.     

The fiscal risk of all-hazards emergency management or the political hazards in rational policy

The professionalization of emergency management and the adoption of all-hazards policies mean fundamental changes in agency constituencies and budgetary politics. Professionalization can increase the distance between emergency managers and the public they serve, expand the need for scientific and technical knowledge among generalist administrators, and fragment the disaster community. The more “rational” approach to disaster policy may well alienate the supporters of disaster-specific programs. Fiscal risk may result, particularly at the state and local levels where there are fewer opportunities to secure funding and to cultivate political support.