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Montclair State University

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

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Articles 1 - 30 of 66

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

“It’S Just Hard Reaching Out”: Factors Affecting Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Independent College Students., Beth Sapiro, Svetlana Shpiegel, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz, Marissa Ventola, Oomi Helen Nwankwo, Tariro Munyereyi Mar 2023

“It’S Just Hard Reaching Out”: Factors Affecting Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Independent College Students., Beth Sapiro, Svetlana Shpiegel, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz, Marissa Ventola, Oomi Helen Nwankwo, Tariro Munyereyi

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Foster care alumni and other independent students experience considerable difficulties in pursuit of higher education, due to a lack of family support, financial problems, and the impacts of their experiences of maltreatment and system involvement. Nonetheless, many of these students are reluctant to reach out for help when they encounter academic or personal challenges. The purpose of the present study was to examine factors affecting help seeking behaviors among foster care alumni and other independent students enrolled in a four-year university. We conducted in-depth, individual interviews with 23 independent students ages 18-23, as well as 5 university staff connected to …

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Authenticity, Vulnerability, And Shame In Peer Relationships Among Marginalized Youth Living With Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Beth Sapiro, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz Jun 2022

Authenticity, Vulnerability, And Shame In Peer Relationships Among Marginalized Youth Living With Mood And Anxiety Disorders, Beth Sapiro, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Meaningful peer relationships are developmentally important for adolescents and young adults. Yet trauma histories and stigma around mental illness can impede connection for marginalized youth living with mental health challenges. This study was grounded in relational-cultural theory, which posits that relationships characterized by authenticity and supported vulnerability foster growth; however, in the absence of support for vulnerability, people are likely to relate inauthentically. This qualitative study explored how young people living with mental health challenges navigated issues of authenticity, shame, and vulnerability in peer relationships. As part of a broader feasibility study of an intervention providing services to youth living …

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Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale: Measurement Invariance Across Sexual Orientation, Sara Matsuzaka, Laura Jamison, Lanice R. Avery, Karen M. Schmidt, Alexis G. Stanton, Katrina Debnam Jan 2022

Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale: Measurement Invariance Across Sexual Orientation, Sara Matsuzaka, Laura Jamison, Lanice R. Avery, Karen M. Schmidt, Alexis G. Stanton, Katrina Debnam

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Gendered racial microaggressions are often assessed using the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale. Despite its use with mixed samples of heterosexual and sexual minority Black women, this instrument has yet to be evaluated for its measurement invariance across sexual orientation. This study evaluated the measurement invariance of the Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale across sexual orientation (heterosexual [n=1,147] versus lesbian, gay, or bisexual [LGB], n=359) in a sample of 1,506 Black cisgender women ages 18–30 years old. The Gendered Racial Microaggressions Scale’s four-factor structure, including Beauty and Sexual Objectification, Silenced and Marginalized, Strong Black Woman, and Angry Black Woman, was replicated with …

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Intersectional Anti Racist Advocacy Practice In Healthcare Organizations, Kimberly Hudson, Sara Matsuzaka, Gita Mehrota Jan 2022

Intersectional Anti Racist Advocacy Practice In Healthcare Organizations, Kimberly Hudson, Sara Matsuzaka, Gita Mehrota

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Health care organizations, like individuals, can evolve to become antiracist and promote racial equity within and beyond the organization. In this brief article, we introduce an intersectional antiracist advocacy practice framework applicable to health care organizations that seek restorative and transformative change, as well as participation in social and economic justice action. Becoming an antiracist organization requires an acknowledgment that no organization is impervious to racist and other oppressive ideologies. Organizations can then begin to interrogate, interrupt, and address how racism permeates agency policies, procedures, and culture. The implementation of an intersectional antiracist advocacy practice framework within organizations involves a …

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Online Victimization, Womanism, And Body Esteem Among Young Black Women.: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Sara Matsuzaka, Lanice R. Avery, Alexis G. Stanton Jan 2022

Online Victimization, Womanism, And Body Esteem Among Young Black Women.: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach, Sara Matsuzaka, Lanice R. Avery, Alexis G. Stanton

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Digital media use represents a central part of young adults’ daily life, within which social interactions increasingly center on visual content. While visual content, such as representations of self, may facilitate positive social interactivity, it may also increase susceptibility to harmful social interactions, such as appearance-related online victimization. Black women’s bodies are often the target of gendered racial microaggressions and sexual victimization which can contribute to body image concerns. Still, the online victimization–body esteem link among Black women remains unexamined. This study used structural equation modeling to examine the associations between four categories of online victimization (i.e., general online victimization, …

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Black Women’S Experiences Of Gendered Racial Sexual Objectification, Body Image, And Depressive Symptoms, Alexis G. Stanton, Lanice R. Avery, Sara Matsuzaka, Sarah Espinel Jan 2022

Black Women’S Experiences Of Gendered Racial Sexual Objectification, Body Image, And Depressive Symptoms, Alexis G. Stanton, Lanice R. Avery, Sara Matsuzaka, Sarah Espinel

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Black women navigate unique sexual objectification experiences and concerns about their bodies as a consequence of the race- and gender-based marginalization that they face. However, less is known about the influence of gendered racial sexual objectification experiences on Black women’s mental health (i.e., depressive symptoms) or the contributions of key body image indicators (i.e., body surveillance and current-ideal body image discrepancy) that reflect Black women’s engagement in monitoring and managing their bodies. We surveyed 1595 Black women to test our hypotheses that experiences of gendered racial sexual objectification (i.e., frequency and stress appraisal) would be positively associated with depressive symptoms …

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Resilient Outcomes Among Youth Aging-Out Of Foster Care: Findings From The National Youth In Transition Database., Svetlana Shpiegel, Cassandra Simmel, Beth Sapiro, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz Jan 2021

Resilient Outcomes Among Youth Aging-Out Of Foster Care: Findings From The National Youth In Transition Database., Svetlana Shpiegel, Cassandra Simmel, Beth Sapiro, Silvia Ramirez Quiroz

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The period of transition from foster care to independent living is frequently associated with poor outcomes. While some studies have conveyed patterns of resilience among transition-age foster youth, additional research is needed to examine its stability over time. The present study used data from the National Youth in Transition Database (NYTD) and the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) to examine the rates and stability of positive, or “resilient” outcomes among foster youth at ages 19 and 21 (N = 4,631). We included domains such as education, employment, and risky behaviors in our assessment of resilient outcomes. …

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“Render A Service Worthy Of Me”: A Qualitative Study Of Factors Influencing Access To Lgbtq-Specific Health Services, Sara Matsuzaka, Meghan Romanelli, Kimberly Hudson Jan 2021

“Render A Service Worthy Of Me”: A Qualitative Study Of Factors Influencing Access To Lgbtq-Specific Health Services, Sara Matsuzaka, Meghan Romanelli, Kimberly Hudson

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For a half-century, LGBTQ-specific health services have sought to address the unmet health care needs of LGBTQ people in the U.S. However, there is a dearth of research examining factors that influence LGBTQ care-seekers’ reasons for choosing LGBTQ-specific services and their experiences accessing care. This interview-based study explored factors that facilitate and inhibit access to LGBTQ-specific health services among a sample of 40 LGBTQ adults in a major U.S. city. Using framework analysis, emergent themes were organized into supply- and demand side factors, guided by Levesque et al.’s (2013) framework for patient-centered health care access. Supply-side factors included provider empathy …

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Anti-Racism And Substance Use Treatment: Addiction Doesn’T Discriminate, But, Do We?, Sara Matsuzaka, Megg Knapp Jan 2021

Anti-Racism And Substance Use Treatment: Addiction Doesn’T Discriminate, But, Do We?, Sara Matsuzaka, Megg Knapp

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Contemporary racism in the United States contributes to health, mental health, and substance use disorder (SUD) disparities among People of Color (POC) compared with White individuals. Despite entering into substance use treatment with a greater severity of SUD and related consequences, POC experience more barriers to treatment engagement, completion, and satisfaction than their White counterparts. As substance use treatment counselors are socialized within institutions of systemic racism, it is important to examine their positioning on racism in relation to their capacity for culturally competent care. This article articulates a need to implement an antiracist framework for substance use treatment.

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Both Insider And Outsider: On Conducting Social Work Research In Mental Health Settings, Beth Sapiro, Elizabeth B. Matthews Oct 2020

Both Insider And Outsider: On Conducting Social Work Research In Mental Health Settings, Beth Sapiro, Elizabeth B. Matthews

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The mental health clinic poses unique challenges for social work scholar-practitioners. The familiar setting, the nature of mental health data collection, and the researcher’s clinical training and experience all complicate efforts to maintain a reflexive stance in research. Additionally, conducting research in a clinical environment risks replicating a hierarchical medical model in the research relationship. Using a theoretical framework of critical realism, two doctoral-level scholar practitioners analyzed the advantages and challenges of conducting research in a clinical setting. Audit trails and experiences of peer debriefing from their dissertation research served as the basis for this conceptual analysis. The analysis considers …

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Marginalized Youth, Mental Health, And Connection With Others: A Review Of The Literature, Beth Sapiro, Alison Ward Aug 2020

Marginalized Youth, Mental Health, And Connection With Others: A Review Of The Literature, Beth Sapiro, Alison Ward

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For marginalized youth, the transition to adulthood is a stage of life in which inequalities can be either magnified or reduced. While most descriptions of these young people highlight their difficulties achieving self-sufficiency, the ability to form connections with others is an equally significant marker of adult maturity. Given that social isolation poses serious risks to health and well-being, the relational experiences of marginalized youth are a critical component of the transition to adulthood. Experiences of trauma, marginalization, and involvement in public systems of care can place these youth at heightened risk for mental health difficulties, all of which can …

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Assessing Trustworthiness: Marginalized Youth And The Central Relational Paradox In Treatment., Beth Sapiro Jun 2020

Assessing Trustworthiness: Marginalized Youth And The Central Relational Paradox In Treatment., Beth Sapiro

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Marginalized youth are at elevated risk for mental health difficulties, yet they encounter numerous barriers to engagement with mental health services. Past negative experiences with family, social workers, and systems of care contribute to distrust of service providers and ambivalence about engaging in trusting relationships with adults. This longitudinal qualitative study explored how marginalized youth living with mental health conditions make decisions about trust in their relationships with helping professionals. Semi-structured, open-ended indepth interviews were conducted with 13 young women living with a mood or anxiety disorder, exploring trust, mutuality, and disconnection in relationships between marginalized youth and helping professionals. …

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Staying Close To Home: The Significance Of Relationships For Immigrant-Origin Local College Students., Beth Sapiro, Ja'dell Davis Jan 2020

Staying Close To Home: The Significance Of Relationships For Immigrant-Origin Local College Students., Beth Sapiro, Ja'dell Davis

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

For local college students from immigrant backgrounds, entering college involves navigating both existing and new obligations to family, community, and school. This qualitative study describes the relational experiences of 14 immigrant-origin students, alumni of a college preparation program who attended college while living at or near home in New York City. In-depth, semi-structured interviews suggested that supportive relationships with family, peers, and mentors were key to helping students transition to college while maintaining existing ties, while some students also felt torn between their own needs and those of their families. Implications for culturally competent social work practice are discussed.

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Measuring The Impact Of Public Perceptions On Child Welfare Workers, Catherine K. Lawrence, Wendy Zeitlin, Charles Auerbach, Sreyashi Chakravarty, Shauna Rienks Aug 2019

Measuring The Impact Of Public Perceptions On Child Welfare Workers, Catherine K. Lawrence, Wendy Zeitlin, Charles Auerbach, Sreyashi Chakravarty, Shauna Rienks

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Public Perceptions of Child Welfare Scale measures how the social environment influences child welfare workers, including their job satisfaction and intent to leave. Psychometric studies have validated the scale for private child welfare workers, but there are no validation studies with public agency staff. This study fills that gap, showing stigma and respect are important constructs that also predict worker intent to leave. This research found an additional construct, blame, which was not present in private worker validation studies. The scale provides an important tool for the field as we continue to build evidence for effective recruitment and retention.

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Direct Practice Contact: Predicting Frontline Child Welfare Workers' Time With Clients, Wendy Zeitlin, Sreyashi Chakravarty, Catherine Lawrence, Angela Decristofano May 2019

Direct Practice Contact: Predicting Frontline Child Welfare Workers' Time With Clients, Wendy Zeitlin, Sreyashi Chakravarty, Catherine Lawrence, Angela Decristofano

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Understanding how child welfare workers manage their time is an important area of study because of the critical role they play in the lives of vulnerable children and families and because the demands of the job have been indicated as a factor in high rates of undesired turnover. This research identifies worker, client, agency and societal factors that are predictive of the amount of time frontline workers spend in direct practice with their clients. The sample for this study was drawn from a multi-state survey of child welfare workers (n = 3920) in two jurisdictions. Respondents were included in the …

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“My Body Is Strong And Amazing”: Embodied Experiences Of Pregnancy And Birth Among Young Women In Foster Care, Elizabeth M. Aparicio, Svetlana Shpiegel, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, Bryn King Mar 2019

“My Body Is Strong And Amazing”: Embodied Experiences Of Pregnancy And Birth Among Young Women In Foster Care, Elizabeth M. Aparicio, Svetlana Shpiegel, Claudette Grinnell-Davis, Bryn King

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Foster youth become pregnant at 2–3 times the rate of the general U.S. adolescent population. Yet, there is a dearth of literature exploring experiences of pregnancy and birth among such young women. This phenomenological study included 18 in-depth interviews with six mothers aged 19–22 years in or transitioning from foster care. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the specific phenomenological method used in this study, proceeded through six steps: 1. reading and re-reading; 2. initial noting; 3. developing emergent themes; 4. developing superordinate themes; 5. repeating steps 1–4 for each case; and 6. developing a set of final themes. This process yielded three …

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Communitarianism And Youth Empowerment: Motivation For Participation In A Community-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Autumn M. Bermea, David T. Lardier, Bradley Forenza, Pauline Garcia-Reid, Robert Reid Jan 2019

Communitarianism And Youth Empowerment: Motivation For Participation In A Community-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, Autumn M. Bermea, David T. Lardier, Bradley Forenza, Pauline Garcia-Reid, Robert Reid

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

In recent years, collaborative efforts between universities and community-based coalitions have helped develop prevention–intervention efforts to decrease the prevalence of drug and alcohol use among youth in low-income, majority–minority urban areas. One theory often employed to understand the efficacy of community member involvement is McMillian and Chavis's (1986) sense of community (SOC) model. This model posits how 4 main tenants (i.e., sense of belonging, emotional connection, needs fulfillment, and influence) lead to increased empowerment. The present study examines how individual SOC affected substance abuse coalition members’ (N = 17) motivations for serving on a coalition. Findings explore how all four …

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Teaching Note—Innovations In Teaching Research: Learning By Doing, Wendy Zeitlin Jul 2018

Teaching Note—Innovations In Teaching Research: Learning By Doing, Wendy Zeitlin

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The field of social work recognizes the need to evaluate one’s practice. Social work educators are mandated to prepare students to evaluate their own practices and be knowledgeable consumers of research. The goal of being competent in both of these is often challenged by the fact that many students do not initially understand the relationship between research and effective practice upon entering research classes. This Teaching Note was written to describe innovative techniques in a practice research course. This course uses innovative teaching practices including the use of freely available statistical software to teach students to analyze their data visually, …

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Ideals And Reality: Perceptions Of Healthy And Unhealthy Relationships Among Foster Youth, Bradley Forenza, Autumn Bermea, Briana Rogers Jun 2018

Ideals And Reality: Perceptions Of Healthy And Unhealthy Relationships Among Foster Youth, Bradley Forenza, Autumn Bermea, Briana Rogers

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Exploring romantic relationships is a hallmark of adolescence. As dating relationships are often new during this development trajectory, learning how to be in a relationship (e.g., learning healthy communication skills, etc.) is necessary to facilitate positive partnerships during the transition to adulthood. However, foster youth are a group routinely overlooked within the literature on developing positive and healthy relationships. This formative, exploratory study utilizes focus groups and in-depth interviews to understand foster youth perceptions of healthy and unhealthy dating relationships through a social learning theory lens. Findings explore foster youth perceptions of ideal relationships, the realities of their lived relational …

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Awareness, Analysis, Engagement: Critical Consciousness Through Foster Youth Advisory Board Participation, Bradley Forenza Apr 2018

Awareness, Analysis, Engagement: Critical Consciousness Through Foster Youth Advisory Board Participation, Bradley Forenza

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Foster youth advisory boards provide child welfare-involved young people a forum through which to impact the policies, programs, and services that govern their care. In addition to facilitating policy change, these boards may also enable participating youth to cultivate a deeper understanding of themselves and their worlds. The present study utilized a strengths-based, critical consciousness framework to describe the ways in which 15 foster youth advisory board members in a single state reflect on, analyze, and respond to their socio-political worlds. To this end, the author aims to describe youth advisory board processes, while attempting to answer the question, “How …

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Social Worker Identity: A Profession In Context, Bradley Forenza, Caitlin Eckert Jan 2018

Social Worker Identity: A Profession In Context, Bradley Forenza, Caitlin Eckert

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Social work is a broad field encompassing micro, mezzo, and macro areas of practice. Consequently, the field lacks a unifying professional identity due to the expansiveness of the profession. Professional identity is conceptualized as an extension of social identity, vis-à-vis the embodiment of three qualities: connectedness, expansiveness, and effectiveness. This study used 12 in-depth, individual interviews with practicing social workers to explore these qualities. Findings from interviews reveal six primary themes and 21 subthemes pertaining to social worker identity. Themes and subthemes are organized according to three broad families (social work in context, professional trajectories, and external influences). Implications for …

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Resiliency And Adolescent Motherhood In The Context Of Residential Foster Care, Autumn M. Bermea, Bradley Forenza, Heidi Adams Rueda, Michelle L. Toews Jan 2018

Resiliency And Adolescent Motherhood In The Context Of Residential Foster Care, Autumn M. Bermea, Bradley Forenza, Heidi Adams Rueda, Michelle L. Toews

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of the current study was to explore how adolescent mothers experienced pregnancy and parenthood within the context of residential foster care. Adolescent mothers in foster care are a vulnerable population although little research has explored their experiences, particularly from a resiliency framework. The present study begins to fill this gap by conducting focus group interviews with 39 adolescent mothers living in residential foster care. Using thematic analytic methodology, we uncovered themes that highlighted not only the mothers’ struggles, but also their capacities for resilience. Specifically, the mothers experienced societal stigma, parenting judgment, and challenging relationships with their child(ren)’s …

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The Impact Of Early Childbirth On Socioeconomic Outcomes And Risk Indicators Of Females Transitioning Out Of Foster Care, Svetlana Shpiegel, Michele Cascardi Jan 2018

The Impact Of Early Childbirth On Socioeconomic Outcomes And Risk Indicators Of Females Transitioning Out Of Foster Care, Svetlana Shpiegel, Michele Cascardi

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Few studies have documented the relationship between early childbirth and the adjustment of females transitioning out of foster care. In this study, data from the National Youth in Transition Database were used to evaluate the associations between childbirth at three time points (prior to age 17, ages 17–19, and ages 19–21) and females’ socioeconomic outcomes and risk indicators at age 21 (n = 3173). Findings revealed that over 40% of females had given birth at least once by age 21, with a substantial increase in birth rates from adolescence to early adulthood. Multivariate analyses showed that childbirth between ages 17 …

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Ambiguous Agency As A Diagnostic Of Power: Efforts Of Child Welfare Providers To Promote Responsible Agency Among Youth Involved In Sex Trades., Laura Johnson, Beth Sapiro, Catherine Buttner, Judy L. Postmus Jan 2018

Ambiguous Agency As A Diagnostic Of Power: Efforts Of Child Welfare Providers To Promote Responsible Agency Among Youth Involved In Sex Trades., Laura Johnson, Beth Sapiro, Catherine Buttner, Judy L. Postmus

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Ambiguous agency is a term which has been used to describe the ways in which young people demonstrate their agency in ways that challenge traditional ideas about how youth are supposed to behave. State and nongovernmental actors, such as service providers, generally view these behaviors as deviant and have utilized a variety of interventions to transform these youth so that they engage in acts of responsible agency instead. This article will explore how the concept of ambiguous and responsible agency relate to youth involved in sex trades by analyzing the case records of eight youth who were identified as survivors …

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Trans Feminine Sexual Violence Experiences: The Intersection Of Transphobia And Misogyny., Sara Matsuzaka, David E. Koch Jan 2018

Trans Feminine Sexual Violence Experiences: The Intersection Of Transphobia And Misogyny., Sara Matsuzaka, David E. Koch

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Trans feminine individuals are at a higher risk of sexual victimization than any other subset of the U.S. population. This New York City (NYC)-based study employed an intersectional framework with a phenomenological interview format to explore the experiences of trans feminine adult study participants with sexual victimization. A total of 10 in-depth interviews with a diverse sample of trans feminine individuals were conducted. Analysis revealed themes specific to (1) the diversity of experiences within sexual victimization, (2) transmisogynistic sexual victimization, (3) internalized transmisogyny and cissexism, and (4) the health consequences of sexual victimization. Recommendations for policy and programmatic enhancements, future …

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Alcoholics Anonymous Is A Fellowship Of People: A Qualitative Study., Sara Matsuzaka Jan 2018

Alcoholics Anonymous Is A Fellowship Of People: A Qualitative Study., Sara Matsuzaka

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This New York City-based qualitative study rooted in minority stress and grounded theories explores the experiences of 11 transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) adults in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Three themes emerged in the study: (1) AA as a foundation for sobriety and gender transition; (2) experiences with gender minority-based stigma in AA; and (3) use of adaptive strategies to negotiate survival in AA. This paper concludes with recommendations for AA members, substance abuse treatment professionals, social workers, and other healthcare providers to enhance TGNC experiences within substance abuse treatment and recovery communities.

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What Facilitates And Supports Political Activism By, And For, Undocumented Students?, Bradley Forenza, Briana Rogers, David T. Lardier Nov 2017

What Facilitates And Supports Political Activism By, And For, Undocumented Students?, Bradley Forenza, Briana Rogers, David T. Lardier

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Historically, undocumented students have been unable to attend public and private institutions of higher education in the United States. Lack of citizenship and/or financial aid precludes many from ever applying to college or other post-secondary institutions. This can create feelings of oppression, stigmatization, and/or inferiority for undocumented youth, who had no say in their ever coming to the United States. In the absence of a sustainable federal law that facilitates higher education attainment for this population, some states have enacted their own permissive policies. The present study utilizes a critical consciousness framework and a constant comparative approach to explore one …

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Dream Big: Exploring Empowering Processes Of Dream Act Advocacy In A Focal State, Bradley Forenza, Carolina Mendonca Oct 2017

Dream Big: Exploring Empowering Processes Of Dream Act Advocacy In A Focal State, Bradley Forenza, Carolina Mendonca

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

This original, qualitative research analyzed in-depth interviews with five undocumented, college-age, Latino DREAM Act advocates in a single state. An organizational empowerment framework was utilized to explore processes allied with such advocacy. Four emergent themes transcended the data inductively: (1) Challenging Social Injustice, which pertains to participant motivations for involvement; (2) Inherent Connection, which pertains to the unique personal experiences among DREAM-ers; (3) Combatting Internalized Stigma, which pertains to overcoming the shame or embarrassment of an undocumented identity; and (4) Civic Literacy, which pertains to political proficiencies that participants acquired throughout their DREAM Act involvement. Implications are discussed.

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Exploring The Affirmative Role Of Gay Icons In Coming Out, Bradley Forenza Oct 2017

Exploring The Affirmative Role Of Gay Icons In Coming Out, Bradley Forenza

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Coming out is a process experienced by many sexual minorities that necessitates the individual disclosure of a personal attribute (i.e., sexual orientation) about him or herself that may otherwise go unnoticed. Compounded by myriad stressors of youth, the coming out process can yield a host of negative outcomes (suicide, depression, etc.) for questioning young people. This research utilized sense of community and collective identity frameworks (specifically, the attribute of symbols that is explicated in both literatures) to explore the affirmative role that gay icons can have in individual coming out processes. Retrospective, open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 "out and …

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Smoking Behaviors Among Adolescents In Foster Care: A Gender-Based Analysis, Svetlana Shpiegel, Steve Sussman, Scott E. Sherman, Omar El Shahawy Sep 2017

Smoking Behaviors Among Adolescents In Foster Care: A Gender-Based Analysis, Svetlana Shpiegel, Steve Sussman, Scott E. Sherman, Omar El Shahawy

Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Background and objectives: Adolescents in foster care are at high risk for cigarette smoking. However, it is not clear how their smoking behaviors vary by gender. The present study examined lifetime and current smoking among males and females, and explored gender-specific risk factors for engagement in smoking behaviors. Method: Data from the Multi Site Evaluation of Foster Youth Programs was used to evaluate patterns of smoking among adolescents aged 12–18 years (N = 1121; 489 males, 632 females). Results: Males and females did not differ significantly in rates of lifetime and current smoking, or in the age of smoking initiation …

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