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Introduction

Running Head: FOSTER PARENT DECISION-MAKING AND THE HBM Foster parent decision-making and the Health Belief Model Lin Marklin Western Michigan University A note about the APA format. I realize that many of my in-text citations should be shortened when the citations appears a second time in the paper. The strategy that works best for me is to get all my sentences and paragraphs into final order, and then do the final edit of my in-text citations. Abstract Foster children have more mental health needs than children in the general population (Blumberg, & Landsverk, 1996). The number of children in foster care is mounting, and children with high mental health needs are becoming a larger percentage of this population. Despite a strong need for services, many children in foster care have mental health needs that are unmet (Rosenfeld, Pilowsky, & Fine, 1997). Foster parents are primarily responsible for securing mental health services, but health communication research into the variables that influence a foster parent's decision to use mental health services is lacking. The Health Belief Model (HBM) could be insightful in understanding these parental decisions. This study will assess the contribution of the variables described in the Health Belief Model (HBM) to foster parents' decisions regarding mental health services. The Foster Care System History Providing care for children with abusive, neglectful, or indigent parents has long been a concern in this nation, and some form of foster care has been in place in America since colonial time. In the 1600's and 1700's abused, neglected, and poverty-sticken children were placed either in the poorhouses or with other families as indentured servants, to be released upon adulthood (Schor, 1982). In the 1800's orphanages became popular repositories for these children, and this remained the choice until the first two decades of the twentieth century. In response to a desire to better meet the needs of abused, neglected, or poverty-striken children, a 1909 White House conference acknowledged that home environments were preferable to institutions, and poverty did not predetermine removal from the home. ...read more.

Middle

The names of foster parents from both agencies will complied onto one list, and a computer program will be used to randomly select names until a total of 120 are selected. Invitations to participate will be mailed to these 120 licensed foster homes. (See Appendix A) The letter includes an explanation of the project, the requirement for participation, an appeal to the perceived need to enhance parent/worker communication, and an incentive of free movie tickets for the entire family upon completion of the focus interview. The letter ends with instructions to phone for an interview time. In addition, a phone call will be made 4 days after the mailings, inquiring about the foster parent's willingness to participate, and appointments will be made for interview times. If more than 60 foster homes meet the requirements of the study and are willing to participate, then the interview schedule will be expanded. If fewer than 50 foster parents agree to participate, the names of the unsolicited parents will be used to randomly solicit 20 additional participants. The primary foster parent of the participating foster children will be asked to complete a survey. A portion of the survey will include the Parent Rating Scale portion of the Child Behavior Checklist to help identify the degree of foster child behavior problems. This acting-out behavior subscale focuses on impulsivity, aggression, and disruptiveness (Hightower, Work, & Cowen, 1986) and these behaviors have been useful in identifying mental health disorders (Zima, Bussing, Yang, & Belin, 2000). The acting-out behavior subscale is a five point Likert-type scale, and previous users have identified participants "as being aware of a behavior problem if they rated the child at or below the 15th percentile" (Zima, Bussing, Yang, & Belin, 2000), so I will follow that model and rate children in the 15th percentile and below as having been identified with mental health needs. The Parent Rating scale is usually used in conjunction with the Teacher Rating scale which was implemented in study of "a large, ethnically ...read more.

Conclusion

Demand must be met immediately-easily frustrated.................. 68. Only attends if it is something she is very interesting in................ 69. Spiteful or vindictive......................................................... 70. Loses things necessary for task or activities (e.g., school assignments, pencils, books, tools, or toys) .............................. 71. Feels inferior to others....................................................... 72. Seems tired or slowed down all the time.................................. 73. Spelling is poor............................................................... 74. Cries often and easily........................................................ 75. Leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seared is expected............................................................ 76. Moods changes quickly and drastically................................... 77. Easily frustrated in efforts.................................................. 78. Easily distracted by extraneous stimuli.................................... 79. Blurts our answers to questions before the questions have been completed...................................................................... Never Rarely Occasionally Often Very Often (Not (Seldom (Just a (Pretty (Very True True) little much much At all) True) True) True) 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 0 1 2 3 4 Foster parent decision-making and the HBM 1 Foster parent decision making and the HBM 2 ...read more.

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