This study examined the perceptions of officers with colleagues who perpetrate acts of domestic violence. This was a qualitative research design from a phenomenological perspective. The data was gathered by the use of face-to-face interviews using open-ended questions. The data was analyzed by the use of bracketing, horizonalization, clusters of meanings, textural and structural descriptions, and the invariant structure of the phenomena described by the study participants. Upon completion of the 30 interviews, the audio tapes were all transcribed, and loaded in to Atlas Ti for the purpose of coding the data for the major themes. A constant comparison method was used to analyze the data to help identify the similarities and differences between the study participants' perceptions with the ph...

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the organisational problems, and in particular the leadership problems, of self-help groups in Japan for parents whose children have intractable diseases. Since 1993, I have been involved with these parent groups, and have conducted three sorts of qualitative interview: thirteen informal conversational interviews, six focus group interviews, and fourteen guided interviews, involving the members of twenty-one parent groups. Part of the research was carried out as participatory action research in which a research team was formed and authorised by the parent groups. My findings have shown that the groups' most serious problems...

Intensive Case Management (ICM) did not evolve from a single, well-defined model format but from different case management models. As a result, it has been vaguely defined as meaning more "intense" than usual case management, thus highlighting the lack of consensus about ICM's definition and parameters. Despite these differences, ICM programs aspire to a set of common principles and core operational functions derived from the concept of continuity of care. Recent literature reviews have found mixed results regarding studies examining ICM effectiveness ( e.g., psychiatric hospitalizations, etc.). It has been difficult to make comparisons between studies because operational definitions have not been standardized. This study attempted to construct a program theory that unifies the various I...

This dissertation summarizes the research of 30 court referred, custody dispute cases assessing the behaviors of the parents and their children to determine the presence or absence of Parental Alienation Syndrome (PAS). The criteria to determine the parent and their children's behaviors is Dr. Gardner's definition of Parental Alienation Syndrome. The parents were placed in three categories (mild, moderate or severe) based on their symptoms and behaviors. Their children (59) were then categorized into three groups (mild, moderate, severe). This investigation seeks to determine additional information regarding the presence or absence of PAS. Reluctance by the courts and mental health community to accept the validity of PAS probably contributes to the perpetuation of the disruption of par...

Through the Department of Human Services in the State of Oregon, children with autism can access varying services, although, in the rural communities of Oregon, the delivery of those services becomes difficult. Rural availability is affected as members of the rural communities are less knowledgeable of the practices involved in administering effective services, instruction, and interventions to children with developmental disorders. The aim of this thesis is to identify areas within Umatilla County, Oregon where services and support systems are in place, or not in place. The population with whom this study was conducted includes individuals that have recent or past experience or relationships with children with autism living in Umatilla County, Oregon. The participants were asked to comple...

This study examines the meaning and the importance of spirituality in the well elderly who reside in their own homes and the significant spiritual experience that they encounter through relationships, religion, and services. Qualitative Research Methodology was incorporated in this study to help explore and interpret the research in order to uncover the importance and significance of spirituality on the daily lives of the well elderly. Twenty participants were invited and ten participated in an unstructured interview and were surveyed and asked to respond to a list of questions pertaining to the role of spirituality in their everyday lives. The results were collected via interview transcription, grouped into the respective themes and categories, and carefully evaluated. The study analyzed ...