Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Impacts Of Poverty On Language Development How Low Socio-Economic Status Students Are At An Academic Disadvantage, Farbod Samari

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Socioeconomic status impacts a variety of mental health outcomes, including language development. Delays in language development have consistently been linked to poverty. Decreases in vocabulary and phonological awareness are among developmental delays in school-aged children living in poverty. This research aims to contribute to the field of human services by examining the negative impacts of poverty on language development from a social worker’s perspective. As social workers thrive to serve disadvantaged populations, this research brings awareness to how language development deficiencies occur in school-aged children living in poverty.

To fulfill the purpose of this study, a quantitative, descriptive/explanatory design …

The Role Of Community Outreach Programs In Partnership With The University Of Mississippi In Combating Food Insecurity In The Oxford/Lafayette Area, Gabrielle Miller

Honors Theses

Grow Club is a community outreach programming effort that was formed in Oxford, Mississippi in the fall of 2020 by University of Mississippi undergraduate students. The program works towards bringing community members as well as university students and staff together in attempts at alleviating many stressors felt by local community members living in poverty. This written work aims to offer a breakdown of how this program began and the steps taken to recognize a community need, formulate solutions, and work with the community to offer resources.

On Income Inequality And Poverty In Egypt: Is Prosperity Immoral?, Mohamed Karim Lotfy Abdelkhalek

Theses and Dissertations

There are varying perspectives on, and divergent solutions to, the phenomena of income inequality and poverty. There seems to be polarizing views on both of these sensitive topics. One side of the argument believes income inequality should in itself be mitigated through redistribution measures, while the other argues that this should not be the focus of policy makers, as it deters them from facing the more pressing issue facing society – which is absolute poverty. The relationship between income inequality, poverty, and citizen well-being in Egypt is one that warrants further research, and this paper aims to fill this lacuna. …

The Wheel Of Oppression: Rolling Towards Substance Use In Central Appalachia, Sydney Cox

DSW Capstone Projects

For nearly 100 years, Central Appalachia has been characterized by some of the highest poverty rates in the nation. Not coincidentally, the region has also been characterized by some of the highest rates of substance use. Despite decades of funding and support, Central Appalachia continues to foster a symbiotic relationship between poverty and substance use. The purpose of this project was to explore the missing link that ties the two poor determinants of health together and to provide a name to a phenomenon otherwise omitted from social work and policy making practice within Central Appalachia.

The first product of this …

Reducing Family Risk Factors Caused By Poverty Through Family Support Services, Aaliyah C. Williams

MSU Graduate Theses

This study aims to determine whether preventative measures are effective if implemented while a family is in crisis, through Family Support Services (FSS), to alleviate Risk Factors, prevent family separation and ensure prolonged family stability, instead of as services to reunify a family that already separated due to a lack of resources. This study examined the Poverty Related Risk Factors of Homelessness, Single Parenthood, and Unemployment as Risk Factors that families enrolled in Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation (OACAC) Head Start experience as negative influences on child development and Family Unity and analyzed OACAC Head Start’s implementation of FSS as …

Compassion Fatigue And Intersectionality In Human Service Practitioners: Latina Low-Wage-Earners Fighting Poverty, Marlo Greponne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma among professionals are well-documented within clinical settings. Human service practitioners working directly with people experiencing poverty and trauma, hunger, homelessness, victimization, and depression are considered at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue. Latina low-wage-earners may suffer compassion fatigue when handling cases mirroring their personal experiences with poverty. The purpose of this descriptive single case study was to explore marginalized workers’ experiences with compassion fatigue using intersectionality to understand what Latina low-wage-earning human service practitioners’ experiences with compassion fatigue were and what coping strategies they developed while serving people experiencing poverty. An intersectional approach …

The Economically Disadvantaged Speak: Exploring The Intersection Of Poverty, Race, Child Neglect And Racial Disproportionality In The Child Welfare System, Angela Gail Cause

Dissertations and Theses

The relationship between poverty and child maltreatment has long been addressed in the literature. Disproportionally, children, especially those of color, are more likely to live in poverty than adults. It has been established that the risk of child maltreatment increases the longer impoverishment is experienced. Thus, the likelihood that racial disproportionality may have negative impact upon the child welfare system is potentially increased. Much attention has been given to the overrepresentation of certain children of color within the child welfare system when cared to their representation within the general population. This study explores the intersection of poverty and race upon …

Long-Term Impact Of Welfare Reform: Biopsychosocial Barriers To Successful Transition Away From Welfare Reliance Among Rural Women In Louisiana, Jake Jerome Guidry

LSU Master's Theses

The discussion regarding government benefits and reliance on welfare benefits is one that takes place in arenas of policymaking and academia alike. These discussions often focus on poverty that exists in densely populated metropolitan areas, resulting in a scarcity of research regarding unique characteristics of rural poverty. Eighty-four rural Louisiana women participated in a longitudinal study of the impacts of welfare reform in their lives. Twenty years later, two (N = 2) rural Louisiana women, each former welfare recipients, participated in an in-depth qualitative case study examining their transition away from welfare programs. Data show that neither woman was …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy For Homeless Women And Women At-Risk Of Homelessness, Kelcey Storkersen

Student Capstone Papers

This paper seeks to identify the occupational barriers and needs of homeless women and women at risk of homelessness. A qualitative research study was performed to learn more about the lived experience of two women at-risk of homelessness. Themes uncovered in this study are described in order to provide more understanding and advocacy for this population. A program proposal was delivered for future fieldwork students to provide occupational therapy students at this resource center.

Invisible Poverty: Awareness, Attitudes, And Action, Joseph W. Johnson

Doctor of Ministry Theses

In small-town rural America, we do not tend to see poverty. Poverty is relatively invisible, especially among our youth and children. Invisible Poverty explores the issues, challenges, stereotypes, and causes of small-town rural poverty while presenting possible solutions. Drawing from Alvin Luedke, Craig Van Gelder, Alan Roxburgh, Patrick Keifert, Cynthia Duncan, and Shannon Jung, Invisible Poverty presents a missional theology of accompaniment seeking justice and avoiding shame. In an effort to understand the complexity of rural poverty, Invisible Poverty asks; How might Action Research interventions affect awareness, attitudes, and actions of the congregation concerning the issues of poverty?

Poverty In The United States: An Analysis Of Its Measurement And The Long-Term Social And Economic Costs, Abby Magnus

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the role of poverty in the United States and how it has impacted social and economic systems. It explores how U.S. poverty measurements developed in the 1960s may not be accurately measuring poverty now, and the ways in which these measures could be improved upon. This work also reviews literature on health and educational inequities stemming from socioeconomic class, and the role these play in long-term economic mobility. Finally, it analyzes how larger social institutions like mass incarceration and capitalism have developed around poverty, and the role they play in maintaining its prevalence today. This thesis finds …

Understanding The Role Of Art Programming In Mitigating Social Exclusion As Experienced By People Experiencing Poverty, Emmalee Harper

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Inspired by her own work in the art programs in Denver’s own The Gathering Place, the author explores the role that art programs play in the lives of people experiencing poverty. This interdisciplinary thesis challenges our traditional notions of poverty-alleviation services that would construe art programming as a misappropriation of limited resources. The author explores social isolation and social exclusion in the lives of people experiencing poverty through the broad framework of intersectionality. Art programming is offered as one potential way we could navigate intersectional concerns of exclusion, and this programming is explored through the framework of Relational-Cultural Theory. Art …

An Intersectional Analysis Of The Role Race And Gender Play In Welfare Recipients’ And Case Manager Experiences, Stephanie Baran

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of food insecurity in Milwaukee and how people receiving benefit assistance understand themselves, others and how they thought others understand them. This frame was duplicated for social workers and poverty organizations in the Milwaukee area. Using a series of theoretical viewpoints, the study utilizes racial theories, as well as, symbolic violence and annihilation to discuss how various aspects of recipients, social workers and poverty organizations interact within the theoretical margins. Taking place over one and a half years and including 350 observation hours at a local food pantry, the study found that respondents feel …

How Does Living In Poverty Affect Infant And Toddlers' Development?, Megan Aalgaard

Graduate Teacher Education

Research findings showed that significant development takes place during the infant and toddler years of children’s lives, however, children who lived in poverty were often faced with many challenges and life adversities that affected development (Brewer, 2007). Children’s language development, physical health, cognitive development, and social-emotional skills were often negatively impacted when children grew up and lived in poverty (Brito, 2017). Also, distress among parents from the exposure to poverty negatively affected the quality of parent and child interactions (Evans & Kim, 2013). This paper synthesized various available research on poverty’s negative effects on children’s development, as well as discussed …

Coping Mechanisms Utilized By Single Mothers In College, Natasha Elise Maness, Kristina Rene Munoz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of study was to explore the various coping mechanisms used by single mothers who are pursuing higher education. Furthermore, this study examined the various relationships, personal and financial needs the mothers face. This study also explored the interpersonal relationships that exist for single mothers raising their children in the U.S. while facing financial burdens, lack of resources and childcare dilemmas. This study utilized a qualitative design. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews. The data collected from this study will allow for social workers to provide services in order to ensure single mother attending college are utilizing effective coping …

Barriers To Higher Education Among Calworks Recipients, Esther Ramirez, Melissa M. Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Individuals and families in poverty face an abundance of barriers to self-sufficiency with the lack of higher education being the most prominent of them. The California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program has been the primary intervention to aid poverty following the welfare reform of 1996. Through their work first approach the CalWORKs program intends to set recipients on the path to self-sufficiency. Although education is the biggest weapon against poverty, CalWORKs recipients face a plethora of barriers while pursuing a college degree, as CalWORKs regulations are rigid and unsupportive toward higher education. Due to the minimal research …

Mn Food (In)Security: Are Anti-Hunger Interventions In The Twin Cities Perpetuating Food Insecurity And Poverty?, Emma Kiley

Departmental Honors Projects

While anti-hunger organizations across the nation have been doing important work to address this issue, we have yet to see a significant decrease in food insecurity or poverty. This project uses a literature review and interviews with Twin Cities anti-hunger organizations to answer the following questions: How are anti-hunger interventions and the root causes of food insecurity mismatched? And what would it look like if anti-hunger organizations who are heavily engaged in the ‘feeding movement’ shifted their understanding to see food insecurity as a symptom of poverty, rather than an isolated issue? Working through themes of food charity models, privatized …

Strategies For Increasing Self-Efficacy In Long-Term Welfare Recipients, Crystal Mcclure

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

With the imposition of lifetime limitations on an individual's ability to receive cash assistance, there is a group of long-term Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients that have approached the lifetime limitation without becoming gainfully employed. Many long term TANF recipients report low levels of self-efficacy which inhibits their ability to successfully transition off welfare and into the workforce. However, most welfare-to-work programs do not address the emotional or psychological well-being of their clients, instead they focus on job placement and job readiness skills. The purpose of this sequential–exploratory mixed methods study is to identify the primary barriers to …

Generational Homelessness In New York City Family Homeless Shelters, Deborah Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Homelessness has been a problem in New York City (NYC) for decades. Part of the problem is children who grew up in the shelter system and then returned as adults, a phenomenon known as 2nd-generation homelessness. Literature indicates that no researchers have interviewed second-generation homeless adults about their experiences. The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of 2nd-generation homelessness from the perspective of homeless adults returning to the shelter system. The sample included 1 second-generation homeless adult and 10 case managers at Tier II homeless shelters. Interviews were conducted and data were analyzed using hand coding to …

Clinicians Perspectives When Treating Adults In Poverty Living With Anxiety Disorders, Natalie Stout, Paul Maldonado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study explored the perceptions of clinical therapists who have conducted treatment on adults who live in poverty with an anxiety related disorder. Previous studies have discussed the relationship between poverty and the development of anxiety related disorders, while others have discussed the negative impacts anxiety can have on physical health, mental health, and social functioning. To improve the efficacy of therapeutic intervention for low income adults with anxiety related disorders, the study explored what clinicians believe are the most effective aspects of therapy to utilize. The study elicited qualitative data, reflecting on the experiences of ten participants who had …

Exploring The Relationship Of Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics With Food Behaviors Of Low-Income, Food Insecure Women In The United States (Us), Kimberly Ann Wollard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) self-reported surveys from 2007-2012, this research explored the relationship between four healthy lifestyle characteristics - healthy weight, adequate daily fruit and vegetable intake, regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and not smoking - with food behaviors of low-income, food insecure women. The study examined three specific food behaviors (the use of SNAP, consumption of fast foods, and the utilization of community emergency food programs) to determine if these behaviors had a significant impact on low-income, food insecure women to follow healthy lifestyle characteristics. A secondary data analysis was conducted …

Systematic Review: Social Work School Interventions For Food Accessibility Among Impoverished Children, Rebecca Christensen

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Mothers and children from impoverished families discuss the continuous sacrifices related to food insecurity. Sacrifices like trade-offs can lead to attention of a family’s immediate needs like food but these often come with the cost or sacrifice of other long term needs such as a means of income. Working with children and their families in attending to the underlying causes for their food insecurity may not only help to alleviate their immediate but also their long term needs in maintaining a standard of living. This systematic literature review was designed to investigate the research question: What interventions are being taken …

Smoking Cessation And The Role Of Stigma: A Systematic Review, Carl White

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

There have been smoking cessation programs in existence for more than three decades. Stigma has been used in smoking campaigns with good results for individuals in higher socioeconomic status, but not for those in poverty. Perceptions of smokers and behaviors of smokers continue to be stigmatized. This paper reviews the existing literature in an attempt to understand what role stigma plays in smoking cessation programs for those living in poverty.

Accessing Alternative Response Services : A Multi-Level Examination Of Family And Community Characteristics On Racial Equity, Tana D. J. Connell

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Although research has identified factors associated with child welfare involvement, less attention has been given to how Black families are assigned to types of child welfare services. The advent of alternative response pathways allows child protective workers to assign child abuse prevention services to families based on the type and seriousness of the maltreatment, history of prior reports and age of the child. Given the history of disparate outcomes in child welfare for Black families and the fact that alternative response pathways are a promising approach for improving outcomes for families, this study examines the effect of family and community …

Wisdom From Experience: Understanding Men’S Experience Of Marriage And Poverty, Aaron Rusnak

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

The current study looked to understand the relationship between marriage and poverty from a male perspective. Previous research identified a number of barriers to marriage of those in poverty, with an emphasis on a female perspective. Previous research also found that there is a desire to marry amongst women who have experienced poverty, however many do not because of the lack of quality, marriage-ready candidates. The current research sought to fill this gap through better understanding men’s experience of marriage and poverty. Data was collected through a qualitative design by interviewing 13 men who had experienced poverty and had been …

The Impact Poverty Has On Adolescents’ Experiences At School According To School Social Workers, Kelly Williams

Master of Social Work Clinical Research Papers

Poverty is prevalent throughout the United States and can impact an individuals childhood following them into adolescence. The purpose of this project is to look at the impact poverty has on adolescents’ experiences at school according to school social workers. Using a qualitative design, seven school social workers were interviewed regarding poverty in relation to their adolescent student’s experiences at school. The interviews were transcribed and coded into themes and sub-themes. The emerging themes correlated with the literature. The findings showed themes of adolescents’ living in poverty, academic, social and emotional experiences, to be key experiences school social workers see …

"It Takes Time To Shift Historical Paradigms": Changes In Structure, Governance, Perception, And Practice During A Decade Of Child Welfare Policy Reform In Florida, Amy Catherine Vargo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explored changes in structure, governance, perception and practice within Florida's child welfare system over a ten-year period (2001-2011) inclusive of two concurrent, statewide reform efforts: the privatization of child welfare services and implementation of a Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration. Using an anthropological perspective and holistic approach, the child welfare system is presented as a type of meta-organizational culture inclusive of subsystems and subcultures which are all embedded in historical and socioeconomic context that involves alternations between child safety and family preservation approaches to care.

Guided by a grounded theory approach to qualitative data analysis, content analysis of child …

Effects Of Prenatal Stress And Poverty On Fetal Growth, Teresa Anne Lefmann

Doctoral Dissertations

Background. Prenatal stress has negative effects on the developing fetus through the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Programming of the stress response system during gestation has lifelong effects that put the infant at risk for multiple stress-related pathologies. Populations most vulnerable to prenatal stress are African-Americans and individuals of low socioeconomic status.

Methods. The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) research project, a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and individual state health departments, was utilized for this study. Tennessee data from 2009 were compiled from individual birth certificates and PRAMS questionnaire responses to examine three …

Discovering Compassion: A SchoolʼS Guide To Working With Difficult Children, Youth And Teens, Allyson Land

MSW Capstones

On a daily basis school teachers, administrators, counselors, and social workers deal with students who present inappropriate classroom behaviors. These behaviors can create barriers for their future success. Mental illness, poor discipline, violence in the community, and the inability to understand cause and effect can all be contributing factors influencing poor behavior. Each of these lead to poor coping skills, little respect for authority, desensitization to violence, and lack of remorse for their actions in childhood and adulthood. Typically these children come from single, low-income families and spend more time in school and daycare than with their families. For this …

The Impact Of Social Integration On The Lived Experience Of Resilience Among Women Who Lived In Poverty During Childhood, Nedra R. Peter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis is a study of the lived experience of poverty and resilience among women who lived in poverty during childhood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of social integration on resilience to the adverse effects of poverty. This investigation was conducted as a retrospective study. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, seven women who lived in poverty during childhood were interviewed in semi-structured interviews lasting 60 to 90 minutes. These interviews, along with a member-checking meeting, were the primary method of data collection. Data was analyzed through thematic analysis informed by van Manen (1990, 1997). The …