NCJ Number
51337
Date Published
1975
Length
263 pages
Annotation
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE INTEREST PATTERNS AND PREFERENCES OF HELPERS AT A PENNSYLVANIA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER AND THE HELPERS' SUCCESS IN TREATING INSTITUTIONALIZED MALE DELINQUENTS ARE EXPLORED.
Abstract
THE YOUTH SAMPLE INCLUDED 88 BOYS, RANGING IN AGE FROM 11 TO 18, WHO HAD BEEN IN RESIDENCE AT THE LOYSVILLE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT CENTER FOR AT LEAST 31 DAYS AND WHO HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED AS SITUATIONALLY DISTURBED (I.E., NOT OFTEN INVOLVED IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR, EMOTIONALLY SOUND, RELATIVELY STABLE IN SCHOOL AND IN PEER GROUP RELATIONSHIPS). THE HELPER SAMPLE INCLUDED 37 STAFF MEMBERS--COUNSELORS, HOUSE PARENTS--WHO HAD HAD CONSIDERABLE CONTACT WITH THE YOUTHS. ONE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WAS TO ASSESS THE APPLICABILITY OF THE A-B SCALE IN PREDICTING TREATMENT SUCCESS IN THE JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL SETTING. THE A-B SCALE WAS DEVELOPED ORIGINALLY BY PLOTTING THE VOCATIONAL INTEREST TEST SCORES OF PSYCHOTHERAPISTS WHOSE RELATIVE SUCCESS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIC PATIENTS HAD BEEN DETERMINED. A SECOND PURPOSE WAS TO LINK PERSONALITY AND ATTITUDE VARIABLES WITH THE A-B VARIABLE. AN INVERSE RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE HELPERS' SCORES ON THE A-B SCALE AND THEIR RATES OF SUCCESS WITH SITUATIONALLY DISTURBED YOUTHS. THE RELATIONSHIP WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IN CORRELATIONAL ANALYSIS, BUT NOT IN ANALYSIS OF COVARIANCE. THERE WAS AN INVERSE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE PREDICTIVE A-B VARIABLE AND TWO ATTRIBUTES: TOLERANCE FOR AMBIGUITY AND PREFERENCE FOR INTELLECTUAL CHALLENGE. A POSITIVE CORRELATION WAS FOUND BETWEEN A-B SCORE AND THE ATTRIBUTES OF ANXIETY ABOUT BEING NURTURANT, DEFERENCE ANXIETY, AND REJECTION OF ACTIVITIES REQUIRING MANUAL DEXTERITY. FULL DETAILS OF STUDY METHODS ARE PRESENTED. SUBSTANTIVE AND METHODOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS ARE NOTED, AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH ARE OFFERED. SUPPORTING DATA, STUDY INSTRUMENTS, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED.