%0 Journal Article %J J Evid Based Soc Work %D 2013 %T Achieving placement stability. %A Carnochan, Sarah %A Moore, Megan %A Austin, Michael J %K Adoption %K Child %K Child Welfare %K Decision Making %K Emotions %K Family %K Foster Home Care %K Government Agencies %K Humans %K Parent-Child Relations %K Parents %K Problem Solving %K Social Work %X

Placement stability as an outcome goal in child welfare performance measurement is grounded in the importance of providing stability for children as they are developing attachments and relationships to caregivers. Research shows that many children are vulnerable to placement instability, especially those who have been in long term foster care. This literature review provides an overview of the federal placement stability measure. It then summarizes the diverse set of factors has been found to be associated with placement instability, including characteristics of the child and family of origin, placement type and quality, and the child welfare system and services. Promising practices aimed at promoting placement stability are summarized, followed by questions designed to foster discussion about the relationship of the evidence to child welfare practice.

%B J Evid Based Soc Work %V 10 %P 235-53 %8 2013 %G eng %N 3 %R 10.1080/15433714.2013.788953 %0 Journal Article %J J Evid Based Soc Work %D 2013 %T Achieving timely adoption. %A Carnochan, Sarah %A Moore, Megan %A Austin, Michael J %K Adoption %K Age Factors %K Child %K Child Welfare %K Foster Home Care %K Government Agencies %K Humans %K Parents %K Sex Factors %K Social Work %K Socioeconomic Factors %K Time Factors %X

While family reunification is the primary permanency objective for children who must be placed temporarily outside of their homes, reunification is not possible for all children. For those children who do not return to their parents and cannot find permanent homes with other family members, adoption is the favored outcome. This review examines the composite measure in the federal Child and Family Services Review that measures agency performance related to the timeliness of adoptions of foster children. It summarizes the multiple factors that research has found to be associated with increased risk for adoption delay and disruption. These include child characteristics, family of origin and adoptive family characteristics, and features of child welfare services and systems. Practices that have been broadly linked to adoption timeliness or address risk factors associated with delays in adoption are described, including social worker activities and agency or system-wide practice.

%B J Evid Based Soc Work %V 10 %P 210-9 %8 2013 %G eng %N 3 %R 10.1080/15433714.2013.788950 %0 Journal Article %J J Behav Health Serv Res %D 2013 %T Health risks, race, and adolescents' use of school-based health centers: policy and service recommendations. %A Anyon, Yolanda %A Moore, Megan %A Horevitz, Elizabeth %A Whitaker, Kelly %A Stone, Susan %A Shields, John P %K Adolescent %K Asthma %K Depressive Disorder %K Ethnic Groups %K Female %K Health Policy %K Health Services Accessibility %K Health Services Needs and Demand %K Health Status Indicators %K Humans %K Male %K Mental Health Services %K Risk-Taking %K School Health Services %K Substance-Related Disorders %K Suicidal Ideation %K United States %B J Behav Health Serv Res %V 40 %P 457-68 %8 2013 Oct %G eng %N 4 %R 10.1007/s11414-013-9356-9 %0 Journal Article %J Soc Work Health Care %D 2013 %T Mild traumatic brain injury: implications for social work research and practice with civilian and military populations. %A Moore, Megan %K Afghan Campaign 2001- %K Brain Injuries %K Humans %K Iraq War, 2003-2011 %K Military Personnel %K Social Work %K United States %X

Over one million mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI) are treated in U.S. hospitals each year. In addition, mTBI has affected thousands of soldiers returning from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Many individuals experience post-concussive symptoms immediately after mTBI; some experience severe and prolonged symptoms. Symptom etiology is not well understood, and effective psychosocial interventions have not been well developed. Because of the high incidence of mTBI, many social workers in health care settings will come in contact with mTBI patients and need specialized knowledge to provide appropriate services. Social work researchers can contribute to improved services by elucidating symptom course, and developing and testing effective interventions aimed at preventing or alleviating symptoms. This article provides an overview of civilian- and military-related mTBI outcomes and psychosocial interventions. Recommendations for current social work practice and research are made with the goal of improving the care of persons with mTBI.

%B Soc Work Health Care %V 52 %P 498-518 %8 2013 %G eng %N 5 %R 10.1080/00981389.2012.714447 %0 Journal Article %J J Trauma %D 2011 %T Screening for mental illness in a trauma center: rooting out a risk factor for unintentional injury. %A Dicker, Rochelle A %A Mah, Jennifer %A Lopez, Dahianna %A Tran, Catherine %A Reidy, Rosemary %A Moore, Megan %A Kreniske, Phil %A Crane, Ian %A Knudson, M Margaret %A Li, Moon %A Menza, Rebecca %A Shuway, Martha %A Alvidrez, Jennifer %K Adult %K Chi-Square Distribution %K Female %K Health Services Needs and Demand %K Humans %K Injury Severity Score %K Inpatients %K Interview, Psychological %K Logistic Models %K Male %K Mass Screening %K Mental Disorders %K Middle Aged %K Pilot Projects %K Poisson Distribution %K Prevalence %K Prospective Studies %K Retrospective Studies %K Risk Factors %K San Francisco %K Trauma Centers %K Wounds and Injuries %X

BACKGROUND: Injury prevention and screening efforts have long targeted risk factors for injury recurrence. In a retrospective study, our group found that mental illness is an independent risk factor for unintentional injury and reinjury. The purpose of this study was to administer a standard validated screening instrument and psychosocial needs assessment to admitted patients who suffer unintentional injury. We aimed to prospectively measure the prevalence of mental illness. We hypothesize that systematic screening for psychiatric disorders in trauma patients is feasible and identifies people with preexisting mental illness as a high-risk group for unintentional injury.

METHODS: In this prospective study, we recruited patients admitted to our Level I trauma center for unintentional injury for a period of 18 months. A bedside structured interview, including the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and a needs assessment were performed by lay research personnel trained by faculty from the Department of Psychiatry. The validated needs assessment questions were from the Camberwell Assessment of Need Short Appraisal Schedule instrument. Psychiatric screening and needs assessment results, as well as demographic characteristics are reported as descriptive statistics.

RESULTS: A total of 1,829 people were screened during the study period. Of the 854 eligible people, 348 were able to be approached by researchers before discharge with a positive response rate of 63% (N = 219 enrolled). Interviews took 35 minutes ± 12 minutes. Chi-squared analysis revealed no difference in mechanism in those with mental illness versus no mental illness. Men were significantly more likely to be found to have a mental health disorder but when substance abuse was excluded, no difference was found. Four-way diagnostic grouping revealed the prevalence of mental illness detected.

CONCLUSIONS: This inpatient pilot screening program prospectively identified preexisting mental illness as a risk factor for unintentional injury. Implementation of validated psychosocial and mental health screening instruments is feasible and efficient in the acute trauma setting. Administration of a validated mental health screening instrument can be achieved by training college-level research assistants. This system of screening can lead to identification and treatment of mental illness as a strategy for unintentional injury prevention.

%B J Trauma %V 70 %P 1337-44 %8 2011 Jun %G eng %N 6 %R 10.1097/TA.0b013e318216f611