Chaya S. Piotrkowski’s research while affiliated with Fordham University and other places

Following September 11, 2001, considerable research focused on the well-being of disaster and recovery workers at the World Trade Center in New York. Yet police officers who assisted the families of victims have been neglected. These officers worked long shifts escorting families to the site of the attack, reviewing lists of the deceased, distributing death certificates and memorial urns, and collecting materials for DNA sampling. Intense work with traumatized individuals can result in secondary traumatization. Six months after the attack, 23% of a convenience sample of these officers (N = 74) had possible posttraumatic stress disorder, as measured by the Posttraumatic Symptom Checklist (Weathers, Litz, Herman, Huska, & Keane, 199351. Weathers , F. W. , Litz , B. T. , Herman , D. S. , Huska , J. A. and Keane , T. M. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies . San Antonio , TX . The PTSD checklist: reliability, validity, & diagnostic utility , View all references). Additional exposures to the attacks and being Hispanic were associated with more severe symptoms, while years of experience as a police officer with the NYPD had no effect. Recommendations for preventive preparedness training and early intervention for police officers who assist victims’ families following disasters are presented.

Background and Purpose: Opportunity gaps, those differences that exist among our nation's youth in achievement and educational obtainment, continue to be central to the nation's school reform efforts (Rodrguez & Conchas, 2009). Multifaceted efforts to improve the opportunity for youths to achieve positive academic and social development acknowledge the importance of youth's help seeking behavior (Marchand & Skinner, 2007). Unfortunately, few studies of student help seeking have focused on their willingness to seek help for non-academic difficulties (Knapik, 2008). This study sought to investigate trends in middle school students' help seeking. Additionally, the extent to which willingness to seek help is associated with academic, social and health risk factors was also investigated. This study examined the extent to which middle school youth's unwillingness to seek help influences academic, social and health risk factors. Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of data from a cross-sectional study of middle and high school students' wellbeing, school, family and interpersonal life. The School Success Profile was the instrument used to collect data in the original study (Bowen & Richman, 2001). Exploratory analyses were used to examine the trends in middle school students' willingness to seek help. The analyses were carried out across grade levels (6th, 7th and 8th), gender and ethnicity (Euro- and African-American). Odds ratios were used to examine differences in likelihood of help seeking and differences in levels of somatic complaints between help seekers and non-help seekers. Results: Examination of odds ratios indicated that Euro-American females were more likely to express intentions to seek help than members of others gender and racial groups. Additionally, African American males were the least likely to express intentions to seek help. Across grade levels, the odds ratio comparing Euro-American females and African-American males was 1.36 (95%CI: 1.21, 1.53). The increased odds of seeking help by Euro-American females when they were compared to African-American males were also found within grade levels (6th, 7th and 8th). Additionally, Euro-American females were less likely to self-report high levels of somatic complaints when compared to African-American males. Across grade levels, the odds ratio comparing Euro-American females and African-American males regarding expressions of high levels of somatic complaints was .15 (95%CI: .10, .22). Results within grade level comparisons between Euro-American females and African American males only found differences in the odds of expressing high level of somatic complaints among 7th and 8th graders. Logistic regression analyses did not find evidence that supportive relationships with a teacher, school counselor, peer or parents were associated with youth's willingness to seek help. Conclusions and Implications: This study provides evidence of a gap between African-American males and Euro-American females in their willingness to seek help in times of interpersonal trouble. Those gaps correspond with increased likelihood of subclinical internalizing behavior disturbances (somatic complaints). Discussion of the implications of these findings for those seeking to identify interpersonal and attitudinal factors that contribute to the opportunity gaps experience by African- American youth will be addressed.

This study focused on volunteerism and activism of African and European American women. This study explored potential differences in the level and nature of civic engagement between African and European American. Additionally, differences in those factors that determine civic engagement activities between the women were examined. African American and European American female participants in the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey provided the data for this study (Saguaro Seminar, 2001). African and European American women did not differ in the extent to which they reported working on community projects and volunteering in their places of worship. However, their patterns of activism differed. Implications for social work practice were addressed.

The major goal of this study was to identify early risk factors for unsuccessful discharges among a sample of boys aged 12 to 17 in residential treatment. Three of the risk factors considered independently predicted unsuccessful discharge. Legal status at admission (person in need of supervision or juvenile delinquent), being older at admission, and exhibiting very serious emotional and behavioral problems during the first two months at the residential treatment center each were associated with increased likelihood of unsuccessful discharge. A secondary goal of the study was to describe and predict the types of emotional and behavioral problems boys exhibited during the transition (first two months) into residential treatment, as indicated by ratings of case records for a modified simple random sample of these youth. “Very serious” problems were exhibited by one-third of the boys. However, neither age nor legal status at admission, only prior psychiatric hospitalization, predicted occurrence of “very serious” problems. These data shed light on the importance of the first two months in care and highlight the importance of mental health concerns for young persons in residential treatment.

Using a retrospective case-control design, this study compared 42 boys in a residential treatment center who had a psychiatric emergency (defined as being moved from the RTC for temporary treatment in a psychiatric hospital or hospital diversion program) with a matched comparison group to determine which, if any, emotional and behavioral problems predicted psychiatric emergency. For both groups, progress notes written in the two months prior to the emergency were coded for the presence or absence of behavioral problems. Results revealed that boys who were moved due to psychiatric emergency had more problems, different types of problems, and a greater number of serious problems than the matched comparison group selected from the same cottage environment. Findings suggest that the type and number of problems exhibited prior to removal for intensive psychiatric treatment might serve as early warning signs that can lead to preventive interventions.

Six months after September 11, 2001 (9/11), 124 New York City workers participated in a self-report study of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although direct exposure to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was limited, estimates of the prevalence of current PTSD in this mostly ethnic minority population ranged from 7.8% to 21.2%, as measured by the PTSD Checklist (F. W. Weathers, B. I Litz, D. S. Herman, J. A. Huska, & T. M. Keane, 1993). Consistent with the study hypotheses, direct exposure to the attacks of 9/11, worries about future terrorist attacks (threat appraisal), and reduced confidence in self after 9/11 each predicted symptoms of PTSD, even after controlling for symptoms of anxiety and depression. These results support the idea that a traumatic event's meaning is associated with PTSD symptoms. Gender was not a significant predictor of symptoms, once other demographic variables were controlled. Most respondents who met the criteria for current PTSD had not sought therapy or counseling.

Six months after September 11, 2001 (9/11), 124 New York City workers participated in a self-report study of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although direct exposure to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 was limited, estimates of the prevalence of current PTSD in this mostly ethnic minority population ranged from 7.8% to 21.2%, as measured by the PTSD Checklist (F. W. Weathers, B. T. Litz, D. S. Herman, J. A. Huska, & T. M. Keane, 1993). Consistent with the study hypotheses, direct exposure to the attacks of 9/11, worries about future terrorist attacks (threat appraisal), and reduced confidence in self after 9/11 each predicted symptoms of PTSD, even after controlling for symptoms of anxiety and depression. These results support the idea that a traumatic event's meaning is associated with PTSD symptoms. Gender was not a significant predictor of symptoms, once other demographic variables were controlled. Most respondents who met the criteria for current PTSD had not sought therapy or counseling.

The present study was conducted by a research institute, The NCJW Center for the Child, in partnership with two Head Start agencies in New York City. The research grew out of practitioners’ concerns about parent involvement in their programs and what barriers may be inhibiting participation. Sixty-eight mothers whose children had completed one year of Head Start were interviewed using the Barriers to Parent Involvement Survey. Results revealed that mothers reported the presence of many difficult life experiences, but few were reported as actual barriers by many mothers. Five out of 20 of these experiences were associated with staff ratings of mothers’ level of participation. Developing ways to address barriers to participation at the Head Start agencies is discussed in light of the research findings. Information about wider application of the survey as well as research and programmatic implications of the results are included.

This study compared the beliefs of preschool teachers, kindergarten teachers, and parents in one mostly Hispanic and Black high-need urban school district to learn their views of what children should know and be able to do at kindergarten entry. Beliefs regarding the importance of 12 school readiness “resources” were assessed with the CARES survey designed for this study. Parents held remarkably similar beliefs, regardless of ethnicity or education. Parents and teachers also agreed that children must be healthy and socially competent, and be able to comply with teacher authority, although parents rated this latter resource higher. However, parents rated all classroom-related readiness resources as more important than teachers did. They believed it was necessary for a child to be able to communicate in English and to have basic knowledge and skills, which was more important than a child’s approach to learning. Preschool teachers also believed that knowledge was more important than kindergarten teachers did. Directions for further research and implications for policy and practice are discussed.

The Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a two-year home-based early education intervention program designed to help parents with limited formal education prepare their four- and five-year-old children for school. This article begins with a brief overview of the HIPPY program and then presents the findings from a series of interconnected research studies, including a two-site, two-cohort evaluation in New York and Arkansas, a one-site case study, and a three-site qualitative study. With respect to program effectiveness, results varied across the New York and Arkansas sites and across participating cohorts at each site. For Cohort I, children who had been enrolled in HIPPY scored higher than children in the control/comparison groups on measures of cognitive skills (New York), classroom adaptation (New York and Arkansas), and standardized reading (New York); and more children were promoted to first grade (Arkansas). For Cohort II, comparison group children outperformed HIPPY children on school readiness and standardized achievement at posttest (Arkansas). Analyses to account for the differing results between cohorts were inconclusive. Qualitative analyses revealed considerable variation in parent involvement in HIPPY. Program staff identified four patterns of attrition from HIPPY: (1) early attrition within the first month after enrollment, (2) attrition between the program's first and second years, (3) attrition due to changes in the life circumstances of participating families, and (4) attrition due to turnover among the home visitors. Families were more likely to participate in in-home than out-of-home aspects of the program (for example, group meetings), but different family characteristics were associated with participation in the in- and out-of-home aspects of the program. The authors conclude with recommendations for future practice and research.