Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Human Trafficking In Orlando, Florida, Danielle Cador

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal for my social change portfolio is to bring heightened awareness to my community through proper training, education, and community involvement to increase the prevention of human trafficking in Orlando, Florida.

Significant Findings: Human Trafficking has become a $150 billion industry globally (Toney-Butler et al., 2023). It has become a type of pandemic that either no one seems to be talking about or gets overlooked. Florida is listed as one (1) of the top three (3) states following California and New York where human trafficking is prevalent (Human Trafficking Hotline, 2021). Women and young girls typically come …

The Impact Of Gun Violence On African American Adolescents In Baltimore City, Maryland, Valerie Taylor

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change portfolio is to prevent gun violence in African American males in Baltimore City, Maryland, through increasing awareness in schools and communities.

Significant Findings: African American males are perpetrators and victims of gun violence at a substantially high rate in Baltimore City, MD. They are disproportionately affected in socioeconomically disadvantaged communities” (Shulman et al., 2021). According to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (2018), data from 2016 to 2020 revealed 44 firearm-related deaths per 100,000 people in Baltimore City, Maryland, compared to 12 people per 100,000 in the whole state of Maryland and 12 …

Smashing The Stigma: Promoting Mental Health And Resilience Among Veterans, Anna Wagle

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This portfolio aims to bring awareness and identify strategies and interventions to reduce veteran suicide rates by starting with the problem's source.

Significant Findings: This portfolio focuses on the high rate of U.S. veteran suicide, with 16.8 suicides per day and 51% more likely to die by suicide than non-veterans ("National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report," 2022; Vincent-Roller, 2022). Key findings highlight the complexity of suicide risk across various levels. The portfolio recommends enhancing mental health services, destigmatizing mental health, strengthening social support, and providing tailored interventions like peer support and trauma-informed care for transitioning veterans (Hester, 2017; …

Preventing Burnout Among Mental Health Professionals In Charlotte, Nc, Robert Marcy

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this social change project is to find ways of preventing burnout among mental health professionals in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Significant Findings: Burnout among mental health professionals is a critical issue for which prevention strategies can be highly effective. Charlotte, North Carolina, is one of the country’s fastest-growing cities, with demand for services, including those provided by mental health professionals, increasing with the growing population. Charlotte’s population growth, coupled with the lingering impacts of COVID-19, places Charlotte’s mental health professionals at increased burnout risk. Burnout among mental health professionals negatively impacts the individual and the clients …

Depression And Anxiety Among Lgbtqia+ Teens In Salt Lake City, Utah, Brittany Bullen

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: If we can create better programming to support LGBTQIA+ teens in Utah, we can decrease the suicide rate and the rates of depression and anxiety in this population.

Significant Findings:

Due to the unusually high rate of suicide among LGBTQIA+ teens in Utah (The Trevor Project, 2022), there is clearly a need for improvement in the quality and availability of programming that supports that population. Because teens go through so much emotional upheaval during their transition to adulthood (MacMillan & Copher, 2005), they are particularly vulnerable to the discrimination many of them face when exploring their sexuality. Keeping …

Combat Veteran Mental Health Care Advocacy, Gerald Graham

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal: The goal of Combat Veteran Mental Health Care Advocacy is to promote, support and draw attention to critical combat veteran mental health issues, such as PTSD, depression and substance abuse, where the real and actual consequence may lead to suicide.

Significant Findings: Presently, there are about 18 million living veterans (Inoue et al., 2023; Vespa, 2020), of which approximately 7.7 million served between 1990 and the present; roughly 42 percent of the total (Vespa, 2020). Wounded Warrior Project (2022) reported that these combat veterans face significant mental health issues such as sleep deprivation, PTSD, anxiety, and depression. …

Suicide Awareness And Prevention With Montana (Three Forks) Youth, Joshua Jarvis

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Lower the number of suicide attempts or completions with Montana (Three Forks) youth.

Significant Findings: The rate of suicide has increased dramatically over the last 30 years, and the rate for suicide for those between the ages of 5-14 have increased at least 60% since 1981 (Rosston, 2022). The population for this social change portfolio is Montana youth and the problem is suicide attempts and completions. Not all groups of youth are equally at risk for suicide, with Native Americans and the LGBTQ+ population facing a much higher risk of suicide attempts and completions (Rosston, 2022). The consequences …

Sex Trafficking In Reno, Nevada, Makayla Terelak

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The aim of this social change is to prevent the frequency of sex trafficking in the Reno/Sparks area through strengthened awareness and advocacy.

Significant Findings: Sex trafficking is defined by forced labor of sexual acts, and is typically done through force, fraud, and coercion (Harmon, 2022). The victims of this crime are often vulnerable populations like children and young women. It is estimated that 25 million people in the world were victims of human trafficking (Harmon, 2022). In Reno, Nevada it is a huge hub for sex trafficking. This can change with more border controls and awareness throughout …

Addiction Prevention In Itasca County, Minnesota, Amanda Keech

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The purpose and goal of this portfolio is to raise awareness regarding alcohol consumption by highlighting influential factors and prevention techniques in order to decrease excessive drinking rates for adults residing in Itasca County.

Significant Findings: Excessive drinking is present in 23% of the population in Itasca County (County Health Ranking & Roadmaps, 2018). Excessive alcohol consumption is a growing public health issue resulting from multiple systemic, cultural, governmental, and individual risk factors that are present within the rural community. Individual risk factors include food insecurity, poverty, housing instability, a family history, trauma, medical issues, and the presence …

Harmful Consequences Of Vaping Among Adolescents, Eva Uhlianitsa

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Raise awareness of e–cigarettes use and harmful consequences, as well as make media campaigns promoting a variety of positive identities not associated with vaping.

Significant Findings: Adolescence in the US abusing e-cigarette products that lead to significant health problems. Those are respiratory, digestive issues, and brain development complications (Grimm, 2022). The LGBTQ + youth population is at higher risk of developing vaping addiction due to stigma, rejection, physical abuse, and bullying (Kelleher, 2009). Implementing Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) and Stages of Change theories can increase the chances of preventing substance use (National Cancer Institute, 2005).

Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps:

1. …

Severe Housing Problems In Santa Clara County, Ca, Jessican Rothwell

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: My goal for social change within the community is to prevent severe housing problems by educating individuals and families of low and middle-income levels on available home environment assessments and housing rehabilitation programs.

Significant Findings: Severe housing problems plague numerous mid and low-income households in Santa Clara County, leaving them vulnerable to significant physical and mental health problems. This social change portfolio discusses the scope and consequences of severe housing problems as well as potential risk and protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels through a socio-ecological lens. In addition, this portfolio addresses two theories …

Preventing Psychiatric Hospitalizations In Sangamon County, Illinois, Rachel E. Rambach

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of my Social Change Portfolio is to prevent increased psychiatric hospitalizations by reducing the stigma associated with mental health through education, awareness, and resources.

Significant Findings: Sangamon County ranks in the worst 25% of Illinois counties in terms of hospitalizations due to mental health in people 18 years and older (Springfield Memorial Hospital, 2021). There were 7,483 preventable hospitalizations among Black people recorded in 2020, compared with 3,696 white people (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2018). The social-ecological model shows the tremendous impact that individual relationships, community and society have on the issue of psychiatric hospitalizations, …

The Sunnyside Movement Towards Mental Health Prevention And Resiliency, Eva Williams

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: To increase Mental Health awareness and resources among adults with untreated mental disorders in the Sunnyside community (Understanding Houston, 2023).

Significant Findings: 18,6004 residents reside in Sunnyside. Nearly half (48%) were between 20 and 64 years of age, 18% were 65 or older, and many out of this group have untreated mental disorders or have been hospitalized for mental health symptoms (Sunnyside Survey Shows Neighborhood's Social Fabric Is Strong, 2019). These findings include the LGBTQ community, which accounts for about 40% of people who reported experiencing mental illness in the last year (Kolanek, 2020). The target problem in …

Prevention, Mental Health Risk, Lgbtq+ Youth And Young Adults, Jackson County, Indiana, Darrian S. Jamison

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Acknowledge and highlight the increased mental health risks for LGBTQ+ youth and young adults while working to implement prevention efforts to mitigate, and eventually eliminate the increased risks for this population.

Significant Findings: The LGBTQ+ youth and young adult population faces many challenges throughout their daily lives. One such challenge plaguing the community is their increased risk for mental health concerns compared to their heterosexual, cisgender counterparts (The Trevor Project, n.d.; Marlay et al., 2022). In the rural Jackson County, Indiana community, very few prevention and treatment efforts are implemented to serve this community. It is worth noting …

Prevention Of Adult Obesity Through Targeting Adolescents With Counseling Educational Groups Combining Nutrition, Mindfulness, Self-Esteem, And Healthy Living, Kerri Shoumaker

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: The goal of this portfolio aims to prevent adult obesity through the immersion of counseling educational groups targeting adolescents within the communities of Kitsap County.

Significant Findings: Kitsap County, Washington, has an adult population of 214,142 people (United States Department of Commerce, 2022). Approximately 30% are obese, which is 2% higher than Washington state (CDC, n.d.-b). Obesity increases the risk factor for severe diseases, including depression, and is a major risk factor for premature death (Bergantin, 2020). Mitigating risk factors through bolstering protective factors is essential for obesity prevention at multiple levels of the Social-Ecological Model. Social Cognitive …

Healthy Aging Of Older Adults In Lansing, Michigan, Sarah Kavanagh

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This prevention project aims to increase awareness of the mental health issues that impact older adults in the Lansing area and identify healthy aging measures to prevent future mental health issues within the elder population to keep this demographic out of long-term psychiatric care facilities.

Significant Findings: The older adult demographic is growing and becoming more diverse (Kampfe, 2015). Older adults will outnumber children under 18 for the first time in United States history by the year 2034 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Individual and community risk factors and increasing discrimination, ageism, and isolation pose a greater risk of …

Educate Pregnant Women On Negative Effects Of Tobacco Use During Pregnancy In Okaloosa County, Florida, Cristina Dunahoo

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: Increase pregnant smokers’ awareness of the adverse effects of tobacco use on unborn babies and identify local resources that can be utilized to help pregnant women quit smoking and maintain a tobacco-free lifestyle.

Significant Findings: In Okaloosa County, Florida, studies have found that pregnant women who continue smoking while pregnant comprise nearly double the state average of 7.4 percent among White women (e.g. 13.1 percent), and nearly four times the 3.6 percent of Black women in Florida (McLaughlin, 2017). Given the wide range of adverse outcomes associated with tobacco use during pregnancy, the author recommends that various stakeholders …

Community Suicide Awareness And Prevention, Pablo A. Jimenez

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: To increase awareness of suicide and identify prevention strategies and resources to reduce suicide within my community. Significant Findings: Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in Texas and suicide deaths per 100,00 is 12.41 in Fort-Bend county (Fort Bend County Suicide Death Statistics, n.d.). The lifetime medical and work-loss cost of suicide is estimated around $4.264 million and medical cost alone for every attempt is averaged around $8,849 per patient (Texas Department of State Health Services Mobile, n.d.). Key findings show risk factors and protective factors varying across the socio- ecological model of suicide. Research supports …

Preventing Future Children From Living In Poverty In Port Isabel, Texas, January M. Walker

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Goal Statement: This prevention project aims to decrease Hispanic child poverty in Port Isabel, TX, from the current rate of 45% to 40% over five years by connecting with Hispanic families who live in poverty through focus groups and family counseling to address bicultural issues affecting educational success.

Significant Findings:

Population and Problem

Many Hispanic children in Port Isabel, TX, live in poverty (45%; County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2018), especially girls under the age of five (DATAUSA, 2018). How might this be decreased now and prevented in the future?

Key Findings

Risk factors for child poverty include parents living …

Obesity In Thurston County Washington, Sheaunna Guary

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Thurston County Washington is experiencing a steady increase in the rates of adult obesity within our community. Obesity can have a negative impact on the mental, physical, and financial health of individuals and the county at large (Pul & Suh, 2015). As such, the author proposes addressing this community issue through a social change project that contains both preventative measures as well as postvention efforts to address and decrease rates of obesity in Thurston County Washington.

Childhood And Adolescent Obesity Prevention In Twin Falls, Idaho, Allison Welch

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Obesity, a condition that negatively affects an individual’s physical and mental health, is a growing problem in Twin Falls, Idaho. Like the United States as a whole, Twin Falls County is experiencing an obesity crisis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ([CDC], n.d), the national obesity rate has increased by 12% from 2000 to 2018. The Twin Falls County obesity rate has increased from 21% in 2011 to 33% in 2020 (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2018). While it took the nation 18 years to increase the obesity rate by 12% (CDC, n.d.), it only took Twin …

E-Cigarette Use Among Youth In Iowa, Miranda Kieler

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Electronic cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery products are battery-operated, heating elements that individuals use to inhale nicotine products rather than traditional cigarettes or cigars (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2020). E-cigarettes can also be used to inhale illicit drugs such as marijuana. Electronic cigarettes can resemble traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes, while other products may look like pens, USB sticks, or mods (larger tanks) (CDC, 2020). The e-cigarettes have an atomizer or heating element that helps individuals inhale liquid nicotine vapors. Electronic cigarettes were developed as a potential health tobacco cessation product and thought to reduce the health …

Minority Women Experiencing Postpartum Depression In Colorado, Heather Schunke

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

One of the most common complications associated with childbirth is pregnancy-related depression. Postpartum Depression (PPD) affects a new mother’s ability to bond with and take care of their baby. When left untreated PPD not only impacts the mother’s health but can also cause behavioral, eating, and sleeping issues for the baby (CDC, 2020). New mothers experiencing PPD have reported feeling stressed, worried, and anxious about their children. New mothers also reported having doubts about their ability to be a good mother. Almost half of the new mothers experiencing PPD will not seek treatment. Minority women are even less likely to …

Societal Impacts Of Sports Betting In Colorado, Lawerence Wall Jr.

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Sports betting has become legal in many states across the Unites States after the Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association United States Supreme Court case was ruled in favor of the former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on May 14, 2018. This case overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), allowing state-sponsored sports betting. PASPA was passed by Congress in 1992 to prohibit state-sanctioned sports gambling, except in four states: Delaware, Montana, Nevada, and Oregon, which already established legal sports betting regulations. New Jersey failed to apply in 1991 to be added to the list of exempt states …

Preventing Opioid Addiction In Buncombe County, North Carolina, Rachel Franquemont

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Opioid addiction is a significant health problem in Buncombe County, North Carolina. Opioid addiction can result in death from overdoses, economic hardship including high costs for treatment, decreased work productivity, and legal involvement (NIDA, n.d.). Mental health issues including opioid addiction are widespread and therefore difficult and costly to help all those afflicted. It has been shown that in the United States fifty percent of people will have at least one diagnosable mental health issue in their lifetime. In addition, 6 out of 10 of these will be moderate to severe (Conyne, Horne, & Raczynski, 2013). Therefore, prevention is a …

Substance Use In Pender County, North Carolina., Khristine Winstead

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

This portfolio explores substance use in Pender County, NC. Recent data from the community health opinion survey indicates that substance use in Pender County is the number one community issue (Pender County Health Department, 2018). From 2012 through 2016, the number of Pender County resident babies hospitalized with drug withdrawal syndrome per 1,000 was 20. To contrast, as a whole, the state of North Carolina recorded 9 per 1,000 (Pender County Health Department, 2018). To date, the local management entity (LME) in Pender County responsible for managing state and federally funded services, including substance use disorders, is Trillium Health Resources. …

Healing Centered Engagement Of Black Survivors Of Sexual Trauma In Marion County, Indiana, Jillian Jay Watts

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Trauma is a manifestation of the pain and experiences that holistically impact an individual physically, mentally, emotionally, intellectually, and interpersonally. One element of trauma that is in need of exploring is its impact collectively. That is, the shared hurt by a community that transcends a personal silo. In particularly in the Black community, an ethnically marginalized community, this injury has a history of being “politically instigated…with aims at inflicting collective injury against certain groups thus undermines a collective wellbeing of a people” (as cited in Annie, 2020). This social phenomena, combined with personal experiences sexual violence that disproportionately impact …

Obesity Prevention In Morrow County, Oregon, Chris Humphreys

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

Morrow County, Oregon, is a county located in the north central part of Oregon, right along the Columbia River. The county’s industrial profile is a mix between large agricultural producers, longtime family ranches, and major tech companies like Amazon and Facebook. The largest town, Boardman, only has a population of around 3400 persons (2018), with several other smaller towns making up the rest of the county. Many of the subjects who work in Morrow County commute from several larger towns in adjacent counties. One result of this is that there are no open-to-the-public fitness clubs in Morrow County. Any access …

Young Adult Addition To Opioids And Synthetic Opioids In Atlanta, Georgia, Jennifer Gaul

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

The drug epidemic in the United States has grown significantly with increased drug overdose deaths quadrupling from 1999 to 2018 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (C.D.C.), 2019). Of those deaths by overdose in 2018, 70% were from an opioid. The trend in opioid misuse has shown the use of non-medical prescription opioids (P.O.s) is increasing with adolescence (mean age 16.8), in which 83% will transition to use heroin within four years (Guarino, Mateu-Gelabert, Teubl, & Goodbody, 2018). The rate of using heroin has doubled over the last decade for young adults, age 18-25-years-old. The county in Atlanta I live …

Covid-19 Safety Protocols And Procedures Designed For Minimizing Trauma In School-Age Children, Thomas Stacy Helton

Selected Social Change Portfolios in Prevention, Intervention, and Consultation

When COVID-19 arrived in the United States in March of 2020, most of the country was unprepared for the virus's severe nature. A collective mental state seized the public with a hard-to-fathom health emergency that bewildered most adults who have not witnessed during their lifetime. The closest parallels would be the HIV/AIDS pandemic that became embedded in the cultural mindset of 1985; however, once scientists and researchers identified the medical realities of HIV/AIDS, they could educate the populace with appropriate prevention mandates. With rare exceptions, this was not a disease that touched children, except a schoolyard taunt in the years …