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SOCIAL INTERVENTION PROGRAMS

Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011

Social Intervention Programs are activities by government, social agencies and volunteers designed to change and improve the social situation of individuals, groups and communities, strengthen social bonds and encourage internalization of social control.

Current challenges in psychology of social intervention
CASAS, Ferrán. Psicol. Soc. [online]. 2005, vol.17, n.2, pp. 42-49. ISSN
According the author, psychologists involved in social intervention programs are often focused in microsocial assessment and personal or family change. Social psychology has often underlined the importance of contexts. In our present societies the macrocontext has some unique characteristics, which never existed before: we live in an ever-quickening changing society. That raises a set of new challenges to practitioners of the welfare systems, particularly that of taking more into account the new macrosocial dynimics. From that perspective reflections about the need to change social representations of social groups, of their social problems and of the way to cope with such problems are proposed. The importance of non-material dimensions of social life in social change processes are pointed out. The new perspectives and goals involved with the quality of life concept are discussed. Media influence in the processes of social change are also considered. And finally an scheme to reflect and debate some outstanding challenges for social intervention are offered.

Evaluation of Social Intervention Programs
Guttentag, Marcia
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, vol. 218, issue 1 Critical Huma, pp. 3-13

Social Intervention for Children with Language Impairment: Factors Affecting Efficacy
Journal article by Bonnie Brinton, Martin Fujiki; Communication Disorders Quarterly, Vol. 28, 2006.

The Graduated Recovery Intervention Program for first episode psychosis: treatment development and preliminary data.
Community Mental Health Journal, 44(6), December 2008, pp.443-455.
Abstract: The Graduated Recovery Intervention Program (GRIP) is a novel cognitive-behavioural therapy program designed to facilitate functional recovery in people who have experienced an initial episode of psychosis. In this paper, the treatment development process of GRIP is described and data from an open feasibility trial are presented. Findings suggest clinical and psychosocial benefits associated with GRIP, and the treatment was well-received by clients and therapists. The retention rate of 67%, however, suggests the need for protocol modifications to improve engagement. Initial data on the efficacy of GRIP are encouraging, although the study design precludes more robust conclusions at this time.

A Group Social Skills Intervention Program for Survivors of Childhood Brain Tumors
M. Barrera, PhD CPsych and F. Schulte, MA
Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on March 25, 2009
Abstract:
Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a social skills group intervention program for child brain tumor survivors.
Methods: Participants were 32 survivors (14 females) aged 8–18 years. Medulloblastoma (28%) was the main diagnosis. The intervention consisted of eight 2-hr weekly sessions focused on social skills including friendship making and assertion. Survivors and parents completed measures of social skills, quality of life, behavior and depression, at baseline, pre- and post-intervention, and 6 months later. Results Feasibility analyses revealed promising acceptability, retention, recruitment, and treatment fidelity. Significant improvement was found after intervention based on parents’ reports of self-control [F(1,27) = 5.97, p <.05], social skills [F(1,28) = 5.70, p <.05], and quality of life [F(1,15) = 17.98, p <.01].
Conclusions: The intervention is feasible and outcomes based on parental reports provide preliminary support for the efficacy of the program.

Can an Intervention Program Provide Social and Cultural Capital for Minority Students?
Acherman, Dora. and Perez, Linda
Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association
Abstract: This paper reports on preliminary findings of a longitudinal qualitative study evaluating an NIH funded program designed to increase the participation of underrepresented minority students in biomedical research. Forty students at different stages of the program were interviewed during the first half of the study. Students displayed large variations in their levels of previous exposure to specific kinds of social and cultural capital that according to the literature are associated with success in scientific careers. Exposure to these types of capital through the intervention program had a positive impact on all students, particularly on those entering the program with little or no previous exposure. Students acquired the skills to develop professional relations with senior researchers in their fields of interest and had opportunities to create these relationships. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that students embodied these kinds of capital and were activating them in order to further their careers. It is still too early to ascertain whether these program benefits will have a long term impact on their career paths. Findings point to the need for interventions for underrepresented groups to include exposure to social and cultural capital as well as their traditional academic components. Theoretical implications include the need for researchers to examine whether students can acquire social and cultural capital outside of the home environment.

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