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Abstract

Reported is a research study to assess the opinions of family practitioners on the status of families in Oklahoma. Researchers employed the Delphi method to achieve consensus among key informants in the family practice field about the strengths and weaknesses of Oklahoma families, threats facing families in the state, and means to strengthening family life in Oklahoma. The study yielded qualitative data from the key informants, which the researchers then condensed into response categories to feed back to informants to rate. Family practitioners identified resilience, spirituality, and access to support systems as the greatest strengths, and listed substance abuse, poverty, and generational cycles of dysfunction as the greatest weaknesses of Oklahoma families. Recommendations by these practitioners are given for improvements in addressing family needs.

Author Biography

Kathleen Romero, MSW, is Director, Cleveland County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Norman, Oklahoma. At the time of the research, she was a Knee Scholar, Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, University of Oklahoma. Jessica Crowder, MSW, is Social Worker, Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health Center, Norman, Oklahoma. At the time of the research, she was a Knee Scholar, Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, University of Oklahoma. Kenneth R. Wedel, PhD, is Professor Emeritus and Coordinator of the Knee Center for Strong Families at the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work, University of Oklahoma. He has co-authored several books and written numerous articles during his career. His academic and research areas are social program administration and social policy.

Responses to this Article:

John Ronnau, Commentary on "Practitioners’ Views of Family Strengths: A Delphi Study" (November 2011)

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