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The Relationship Between Adverse Childhood Experiences With Men's Lifetime Use Of Physical Intimate Partner Violence, Katherine Sias

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A national study on mental health asked men in a marriage-like relationship about their own use of physical aggression during their lifetime with the women in their life while dating and their current relationship). This study included questions on exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE). Access to those items provided a unique opportunity to examine the role of ACE and men’s self-reported lifetime use intimate partner violence (IPV). A hierarchical analysis using 15 variables in three categories of ACE (family-of-origin violence, impaired parenting, individual adversities) identified predictors within each category associated with IPV use. When the variables in the family-of-origin …

Evaluating Treatment For Trauma Bonding In A Sample Of Female Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence: A Single-Case Design Study, Cherelle D. Carrington

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A great deal of scientific literature addresses the adverse biopsychosocial sequelae of survivors of Intimate Partner Violence/Domestic Violence and the resulting financial costs of Intimate Partner Violence/Domestic Violence to society. Less is known about which clinical interventions can best mitigate survivors’ symptoms, while enhancing their capacity to survive and ultimately leave the abusive relationship. This study examined the effectiveness of the Traumatic Incident Reduction and the Trauma Bonding Protocol interventions in mitigating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and trauma bonding, and in increasing safety behaviors and readiness to change in a sample of female survivors of Intimate Partner Violence. Outcome measures …

Mediating Effects Of Foster Care Experiences On Employment And Educational Outcomes In Aged Out Former Foster Youth, John Campbell

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The economic well-being outcomes of youth who are removed from foster care status due to reaching the age of ineligibility (i.e., age out) is an important issue in public health and social work. This study investigated the interrelation between simultaneously embodying both a sex and race/ethnicity (i.e., intersectional identity), circumstances experienced through age 19 (i.e., foster care experiences), and economic well-being indicators at age 21, using secondary administrative data from a 4-year longitudinal study (N = 4657). In terms of intersectional identity, findings indicated that intersectional identity was directly related to employment and postsecondary education outcomes. In terms of foster …

The Effects Of Childhood Adversity, Juvenile Arrest, And Self-Regulation On Adults With Delinquency Histories, Michelle Ann Rhoden

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous studies reported that childhood adversity has debilitating effects on adult well-being. A high prevalence of youths with delinquency histories experience childhood adversity and are at high risk for lasting negative outcomes. Research identifies that the disruption in self-regulation (SR) development explains the effects of childhood adversity on well-being outcomes.

Using data from Add Health, a national study, this dissertation (1) developed a valid and reliable measure of adult SR deficiency, (2) assessed the mediating effects of adult SR deficiency on the association between childhood adversity (i.e., child maltreatment [CM], violent victimization [VV], and economic hardship [EH]) and adult well-being …

Organizational And Practitioner Characteristics That Impact Implementation Fidelity Of Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Kimberly Ann Purinton

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the field of child welfare, previous research has largely focused on assessing the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions rather than the implementation of the intervention. The primary aim of this dissertation was to expand understanding of implementation fidelity of an evidence-based practice (EBP) among community setting practitioners working with trauma exposed youth impacted by the child welfare system. The goal was to document specific practitioner and organizational characteristics that may influence implementation fidelity.

This dissertation is a secondary analysis of implementation fidelity of a volunteer practitioner group (N=201) that participated in TF-CBT training. To identify organizational and practitioner predictors …

Male Offenders Perspectives On Contextual And Proximal Events Associated With Incidents Of Domestic Violence, Sharon M. Aaron

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Domestic violence is a serious public health problem in the United States; one which has proven intractable to researchers working on theory development and on effective prevention interventions. Although much has been reported from the perspectives of battered women, there are few studies that examine the perspectives of male offenders. In particular, there has been a call for more research on contextual and proximal events associated with incidents of domestic violence from the male offenders’ perspective.

In this study, ten male offenders were interviewed to address this need. Interviews were analyzed using grounded theory method to identify themes in the …

Examining The Effectiveness Of Community-Based De-Addiction Camps Among Adults With Alcohol Problems In Rural India, Meenal J. Sawant

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

India has reported higher alcohol per capita consumption and problem use in the past. Per the 2005-06 NFHS-3, problem use has been disproportionately high among men, less educated people, those living in rural areas and lower socioeconomic groups. Despite the growing problem, the data available on the effectiveness alcohol treatment services is very limited. The proposed study intends to address this gap by analyzing the treatment outcome (i.e., complete abstinence) among adult users participating in de-addiction camps and the impact of various individual and environmental factors on alcohol use and treatment outcome. Data (N=176) was collected on adult alcohol users …

Concurrent Participation In Federally-Funded Welfare Programs And Empowerment Toward Economic Self-Sufficiency, Rigaud Joseph

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine the odds for low-income households to become and remain economically self-sufficient as a result of participating in federallyfunded welfare programs. An evaluation in nature, this study assessed the merits and shortcomings of federally-funded welfare programs. Using the public-use version of the 2008 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Panel, this quasi-experimental investigation compartmentalized 4,216 low-income households into two groups: an intervention group (n = 2,436) and a comparison group (n = 1,780). Households in the intervention group received one or more federal means-tested welfare benefits for the most part of the …

Institutional Ethnography: Utilizing Battered Women’S Standpoint To Examine How Institutional Relations Shape African American Battered Women’S Work Experiences In Christian Churches, Ursula Tiershatha Wright

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the collected papers dissertation was to critically examine the individual and institutional conditions that shaped battered women’s work experiences in church organizations. The studies in the collected papers shared the provision of using a methodological and analytic tool, institutional ethnography (IE), that offers a strategic and comprehensive means of investigating issues related to institutions and institutional processes that merge a macro and micro view. The first paper was a conceptual paper that emphasized the socio-political context in which adult vocation education is practiced and shared a practical means of using IE to uncover the interconnected and interdependent …

The Influence Of Gender On Perceived Treatment Need Among A Community Sample Of Substance Users, Sheila P. Vakharia

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: Most individuals do not perceive a need for substance use treatment despite meeting diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders and they are least likely to pursue treatment voluntarily. There are also those who perceive a need for treatment and yet do not pursue it. This study aimed to understand which factors increase the likelihood of perceiving a need for treatment for individuals who meet diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders in the hopes to better assist with more targeted efforts for gender-specific treatment recruitment and retention. Using Andersen and Newman’s (1973/2005) model of individual determinants of healthcare utilization, the …

Socioemotional Outcomes Of Children Sexually Abused During Early Childhood, Jennifer L. Becker

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the nature and impact of the sexual abuse of children ages birth through 6 years. The purpose was to enhance knowledge about this understudied population through examination of: (1) characteristics of the abuse; (2) socioemotional developmental outcomes of young victims; and (3) potential moderating effects of family dynamics. An ecological-developmental theoretical framework was applied. Secondary data analysis was conducted using data collected from the consortium Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN). A sample of 250 children was drawn from LONGSCAN data, including children who were sexually abused (n=125) and their nonabused counterparts (n=125), matched on …

Risk And Resilience Factors Associated With Delinquent Behavior Among African American Adolescent Males, Lynette Atteloney

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Juvenile crime is a social problem of increasing concern to many citizens in the United States. In 2000, there were an estimated 2.4 million juvenile arrests for a variety of crimes ranging from misdemeanors to violent felony offenses. African American males are disproportionately represented among juvenile offenders in the United States. In 2000, black youth were approximately 16% of the U.S. population between the ages of 10-17; however, they accounted for 42% of juvenile arrests for violent crime.

This study explored putative factors associated with juvenile offending among a sample of African American adolescent males. The independent variables in this …