Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Easa Connections: Community-Based Participatory Research To Develop A Peer-Based Early Psychosis Web Resource With Young Adults, Dora Raymaker, Tamara G. Sale, Mariam Rija, Nicholas Buekea, Nybelle Caruso, Ryan P. Melton, Natalie Cohrs, Veronica Gould, Christina Wall, Mirah L. Scharer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Young adults (YA) who have experienced early psychosis (EP) have valuable information about their recovery process yet are often left out of research. We used a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach in partnership with the Early Assessment and Support Alliance (EASA) EP program and Portland State University to develop a peer-driven, web-based, recovery resource.We used our CBPR process to collaboratively develop the resource and conducted an iterative usability study to test and refine it. The resource was well-received and accessible. YA partners emphasize the importance of being prepared to learn about research and one’s self, being open to new experiences, …

Exploring College Student Identity Among Young People With Foster Care Histories And Mental Health Challenges, Rebecca Miller, Jennifer E. Blakeslee, Chanel Ison

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

For this study, researchers from Pathways Research and Training Center at Portland State University explored the perspectives of college students with foster care histories and self-identified mental health conditions. Researchers aimed to better understand how the relationship between students’ foster care identity and their newly forming student identities might impact academic success. We conducted interviews with students participating in the FUTURES intervention efficacy study, which evaluated the impact of a 9-month self-determination coaching program for students enrolled in their first two years of college at Portland State University, Portland Community College, or Mt. Hood Community College. Interview participants (N=18) were …

Patterns Of Substance Use Before And After Hospitalization Among Patients Seen By An Inpatient Addiction Consult Service: A Latent Transition Analysis, Caroline King, Christina Nicolaidis, P. Todd Korthuis, Kelsey C. Priest, Honora Englander

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background and aims: Polysubstance use is common and contributes to morbidity and mortality of hospitalized patients, and yet little is known about patterns of substance use among hospitalized patients, or how an addiction consult service (ACS) might impact polysubstance use after discharge. The objective of this study was to identify patterns of substance use at admission and after discharge among hospitalized patients with substance use disorders who saw an ACS.

Design: Prospective cohort study. We used latent transition analysis of substance use scores at the time of hospital admission and 30 to 90 days posthospitalization.

Setting: Single, …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Transactional Sex Among Women Of Low Socioeconomic Status In Portland, Or, Timothy Menza, Lauren Lipira, Amisha Bhattarai, Victoria Cali-De Leon, E. Roberto Orellana

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Women who report transactional sex are at increased risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). However, in the United States, social, behavioral, and trauma-related vulnerabilities associated with transactional sex are understudied and data on access to biomedical HIV prevention among women who report transactional sex are limited.

Methods: In 2016, we conducted a population-based, cross-sectional survey of women of low socioeconomic status recruited via respondent-driven sampling in Portland, Oregon. We calculated the prevalence and, assessed the correlates of, transactional sex using generalized linear models accounting for sampling design. We also compared health outcomes, HIV screening, and knowledge …

Learned Lessons: Growing Social Workers’ Preparation For Upstream Policy Practice, Ann Curry-Stevens, Lisa Hawash, Sarah Bradley

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Over the last 10 years, the MSW program at Portland State University has gone from graduating 15% of its students in the macro concentration, to 32%, while the national average remains under 9%. This article traces that experience through a historically-grounded narrative line, and extracts learnings that are potentially relevant for the profession. Curricular practices include reviewing the content for horizontal and vertical integration, introducing macro content early in the first year of the program with sufficient time to inform students’ choice of concentrations, and providing students influence to shape content in the advanced year. Faculty specializations and community reputation …

The Importance Of “Being There”: A Qualitative Study Of What Veterans With Depression Want In Social Support, Alan R. Teo, Heather E. Marsh, S. Ono, Christina Nicolaidis, Somnath Saha, Steven K. Dobscha

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Social connectedness exerts strong influences on health, including major depression and suicide. A major component of social connectedness is having individual relationships with close supports, romantic partners and other trusted members of one’s social network. Objective: The objective of this study was to understand how individuals’ relationships with close supports might be leveraged to improve outcomes for primary care patients with depression and at risk for suicide. Design: In this qualitative study, a semi-structured interview guide was used to probe patient experiences, views, and preferences related to social support. Participants: We conducted interviews with 30 primary care patients at …

Childhood Abuse And Early Menarche Among Peruvian Women, Yasmin V. Barrios, Sixto E. Sanchez, Christina Nicolaidis, Pedro Garcia, Bizu Gelaye, Qiuyue Zhong, Michelle A. Williams

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose

Childhood abuse has been associated with age of menarche in some studies, but not all, and few have assessed the independent associations of sexual and physical abuse with early menarche. We examined the association between childhood abuse and early menarche among pregnant women in Lima, Peru.

Methods

Multinomial logistic regression procedures were used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for early menarche (≤11 years) in relation to any physical or sexual childhood abuse, physical abuse only, sexual abuse only, and both physical and sexual abuse in a cohort of 1,499 pregnant (first trimester) women.

Results …

Psychometric Testing Of Patient-Reported Instruments To Assess Healthcare Interventions For Autistic Adults, Christina Nicolaidis, Kelly Zhen, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak, Mirah L. Scharer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a growing recognition of the need for interventions to improve the healthcare of autistic adults. However, there is a dearth of validated measures to evaluate such interventions. Our objectives were to use a community based participatory research approach to create an accessible set of patient- and proxy-reported instruments to measure healthcare outcomes and potential intervention targets in autistic adults and to assess the instruments’ psychometric characteristics, including content validity, construct validity, and internal consistency reliability. We administered a survey to 244 autistic adults recruited from 12 primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA (194 participating directly, and …

Syrian Refugees’ Perspectives And Service Providers’ Viewpoints On Major Needs And Future Plans In Jordan, Mitra Naseh, Natalia Liviero, Maryam Rafieifar, Zahra Abtahi, Miriam Potocky

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ongoing civil war in Syria created the world’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. As exile continues for many Syrians, this study aimed to explore what refugees perceive as their major needs and plans for the future in comparison to what service providers believe is needed and should be planned in Jordan. Phenomenological design and inductive reasoning were used in this study to explore refugees’ needs and future plans from the etic view by interviewing key informants and from the emic view by analyzing interviews with refugees. After coding and comparing the key informants’ interviews and refugees’ narratives, …

Shifting The System: Aaspire And The Loom Of Science And Activism, Dora Raymaker

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

In 2006 Dora Raymaker, Autistic person and autistic rights activist, co-founded the Academic Autism Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE) with Christina Nicolaidis, a physician-researcher and parent of an autistic child. AASPIRE works within the sphere of academic health and social services research to conduct projects the A/autistic community wants done. It endeavors to return power to communities that experience oppression to make their voices heard in research and policy settings. For example, its website autismandhealth.org offers resources for autistic adults, their supporters, and healthcare providers to improve the healthcare of autistic adults in the US. AASPIRE has served …

Development And Preliminary Psychometric Testing Of The Aaspire Adult Autism Healthcare Provider Self-Efficacy Scale, Christina Nicolaidis, Gavin Schnider, Junghee Lee, Dora Raymaker, Steven K. Kapp, Lisa A. Croen, Anna Urbanowicz, Joelle Maslak

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Our objective was to develop a measure of healthcare providers’ self-efficacy in providing healthcare to autistic adults and to better understand their training needs. We used a community based participatory research (CBPR) approach with academic researchers, autistic adults, supporters, and healthcare providers. We developed a 1-page questionnaire which included the new 6-item self-efficacy scale, two items on how challenging and rewarding it is to provide care to autistic adults, and seven items on provider characteristics. We surveyed 143 healthcare providers from eight primary care clinics in Oregon and California, USA. Preliminary psychometric testing found the AASPIRE Adult Autism Healthcare Provider …

Determinants Of Motivation For Mentoring Among Adults Volunteering To Mentor Youth, Miriam Miranda-Díaz, Hyuny Clark-Shim, Thomas E. Keller, Renee Spencer

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Most youth mentoring programs rely on volunteers to serve as mentors to youth. This study investigates factors associated with motivations for volunteering in this capacity, specifically altruistic and self-oriented reasons for becoming a mentor. Because adults who volunteer as mentors and youth mentees typically come from different socio-cultural backgrounds, the study examines demographic characteristics associated with these different motivations. In addition, the study addresses the empathy-altruism hypothesis suggesting that individuals with higher levels of empathy exhibit greater altruistic tendencies. For this analysis, the focus is on ethnocultural empathy and its association with volunteer motivations. The sample consisted of 1,000 volunteers …

Assessing Refugees' Multidimensional Poverty In The United States, Mitra Naseh, Miriam Potocky, Shanna L. L. Burke, Paul H. Stuart, Fatma Huffman

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: This study is among the first to calculate refugee poverty using the capability approach in the United States. The concept is novel as it avoids limitations of the monetary approach to poverty and provides a more comprehensive perspective on multiple deprivations that refugees might experience within their first five years of arrival to the United States. As the majority of refugees flee war or conflict-affected areas, they frequently escape with limited assets (Jacobsen, 2005; Potocky & Naseh, 2019). Often they spend their last resources on paying the smugglers to reach safety (Jacobsen, 2005) and arrive to host countries with …