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Characteristics and consequences of help-giving practices in contrasting human services programs

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American Journal of Community Psychology

Abstract

Relationships between human services program models and help-giving practices, and between both program models and help-giving practices and help-seeker control appraisals were examined in a study of 107 low socioeconomic background families. Three kinds of human services agencies were included in the study, each of which differed in terms of their implicit and explicit assumptions about the families they served and the roles professionals and families played as part of helping relationships. Results support the hypotheses that (a) a program philosophy that was family centered would be associated with more empowering help-giving practices compared to more professionally centered philosophies and (b) a family-centered program philosophy and empowering help-giving practices would be related to an enhanced sense of personal control over needed supports and resources from a target help-giver.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Family, Infant and Preschool Program, Center for Family Studies Western Carolina Center, 28655-4608, Morganton, North Carolina

    Carol M. Trivette

  2. Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University, 28655-4608, Philadelphia, USA

    Carl J. Dunst

  3. Family, Infant and Preschool Program, Western Carolina Center, 28655-4608, Morganton, North Carolina

    Deborah Hamby

Authors
  1. Carol M. Trivette
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  2. Carl J. Dunst
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  3. Deborah Hamby
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Additional information

Appreciation is extended to Mary E. Brown and Pat Condrey for preparation of the manuscript. The research was supported, in part, by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (H023000-62).

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Trivette, C.M., Dunst, C.J. & Hamby, D. Characteristics and consequences of help-giving practices in contrasting human services programs. Am J Commun Psychol 24, 273–293 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02510402

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