Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Parental Perceptions And Experiences Of Physical And Emotional Violence Between Siblings: A Mixed-Methods, Comparative Case Study, Nathan Perkins

Theses and Dissertations

Sibling violence is a common occurrence for many children yet this form of family violence has received minimal attention in research compared to other forms of child maltreatment. With parents as an integral component in the lives of many children, parental perceptions and experiences of violence between siblings are important to understand. Furthermore, with the increased variation in family structures within society, inclusion of multiple types of families in research is necessary to encompass a broad understanding of sibling violence. This case study included seven parents from four different family structures to examine their perceptions and experiences of physical and …

Crossing Boundaries: Building A Model To Effectively Address Difference In Community Practice, Jason Sawyer

Theses and Dissertations

Community organizing has a rich tradition within the field of social work. Prevailing community practice models, approaches, and frameworks remain primarily based on practice wisdom, experience, and intuition. Difference, pervasive in various contemporary contexts of practice, largely mediates interactions at the community level. Although difference is addressed at various levels of the practice continuum and within the IFSW and NASW codes of ethics, few methodologically driven tools exist within the literature to guide practitioners. This grounded theory study initiates early development of a community practice model based on forging alliances across boundaries of difference. The Critical Difference Engagement model is …

United States Women Marines’ Experiences And Perspectives About Coping With Service Life: A Phenomenological Study, Beth-Ann Vealey

Theses and Dissertations

Women are expanding their numbers and roles in the United States military. This new generation of military women is exposed to unique factors related to their gender that contribute to challenges for psychosocial well-being and optimal performance. In support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), researchers have identified unique factors for military women, including increased combat exposure, continued military sexual trauma and harassment, and conflicting dual roles. These factors may create obstacles that inhibit help-seeking behaviors and support for military women, and remain an under-researched topic of study. Gender-specific research on military women is limited; current …

Dementia Caregivers: An Exploration Of Their Knowledge, Beliefs, And Behavior Regarding Advance Care Planning For End-Of-Life Care, Mariette Klein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to explore what knowledge dementia caregivers have about advance care planning (ACP), how they learn to execute formal advance directives (ADs) or have engaged in an informal ACP process, and how they understand their roles as decision makers for the patients. Factors that contribute to the completion of an ACP process such as demographic, psychosocial, and situational factors are identified. From the grounded theory data analysis, a theory emerged about how ACP is accomplished and used by caregivers. Findings reveal that caregivers understand ACP as having the power to shape the dying process for …

A Demonstration Of Canonical Correlation Analysis With Orthogonal Rotation To Facilitate Interpretation, Patrick V. Dattalo

Social Work Publications

This paper describes and demonstrates Canonical Correlation Analysis (CCA) with orthogonal rotation to facilitate interpretation. The purpose of CCA is to explain the relationship between two or more sets of variables. CCA can be thought of as a kind of principal components analysis on two set of variables, except that the criteria for the pairs of linear combinations is that they have the highest possible correlation while being orthogonal to “earlier” pairs. Social work researchers should rarely be satisfied with a strategy that determines which sets of variables to model on purely statistical grounds. However, there are times when there …

Partnering For Mental Health Promotion: Implementing Evidence Based Mental Health Services Within A Maternal And Child Home Health Visiting Program, Lisa A. Gray, Sarah Kye Price

Social Work Publications

This article details the clinical foundations of a social work focused community-based participatory research project promoting women’s mental health during and around the time of pregnancy. Specifically, we discuss the theoretical, empirical and organizational implementation of an enhanced engagement model of mental health service delivery that integrates evidenced based practices into the structure and services of an existing non-profit maternal and child health home visiting agency. The model is grounded in literature addressing barriers to accessing mental health care among minority women living in low-income communities. We discuss informing the intervention through direct consumer involvement, as well the rationale supporting …

Framing Ethnic Variations In Alcohol Outcomes From Biological Pathways To Neighborhood Context, Karen G. Chartier, Denise M. Scott, Tamara L. Wall, Jonathan Covault, Katherine J. Karriker-Jaffe, Britain A. Mills, Susan E. Luczak, Raul Caetano, Judith A. Arroyo

Social Work Publications

Background

Health disparities research seeks to eliminate disproportionate negative health outcomes experienced in some racial/ethnic minority groups. This brief review presents findings on factors associated with drinking and alcohol‐related problems in racial/ethnic groups.

Methods

Those discussed are as follows: (i) biological pathways to alcohol problems, (ii) gene × stress interactions, (iii) neighborhood disadvantage, stress, and access to alcohol, and (iv) drinking cultures and contexts.

Results

These factors and their interrelationships are complex, requiring a multilevel perspective.

Conclusions

The use of interdisciplinary teams and an epigenetic focus are suggested to move the research forward. The application of multilevel research to policy, …

Characteristics Of Adults Involved In Alcohol-Related Intimate Partner Violence: Results From A Nationally Representative Sample, Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez, Nadine M. Connell, Michael S. Businelle, Wesley G. Jennings, Karen G. Chartier

Social Work Publications

Background

More than 12 million women and men are victims of partner violence each year. Although the health outcomes of partner violence have been well documented, we know very little about specific event-level characteristics that may provide implications for prevention and intervention of partner violence situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to evaluate substance abuse and dependence as risk factors for event-level alcohol-related intimate partner violence (IPV).

Methods

Data were derived from Wave II of the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (2004–2005). Eligible participants (N = 2,255) reported IPV the year before the survey. Negative …

A Multi-Site, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Clinical Trial To Evaluate The Efficacy Of Buspirone As A Relapse-Prevention Treatment For Cocaine Dependence, Theresa M. Winhusen, Frankie Kropp, Robert Lindblad, Antoine Douaihy, Louise Haynes, Candace Hodgkins, Karen G. Chartier

Social Work Publications

Objective—To evaluate the potential efficacy of buspirone as a relapse-prevention treatment for cocaine dependence.

Method—A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 16-week pilot trial conducted at six clinical sites between August 2012 and June 2013. Adult crack cocaine users meeting DSM-IVTR criteria for current cocaine dependence scheduled to be in inpatient/residential substance use disorder (SUD) treatment for 12–19 days when randomized, and planning to enroll in local outpatient treatment through the end of the active treatment phase were randomized to buspirone titrated to 60 mg/day (n=35) or to placebo (n=27). All participants received psychosocial treatment as usually provided by the SUD treatment programs …

Understanding The Impact Of Regulatory Changes On The Implementation Of Therapeutic Day Treatment: A Case Study Approach, Angie Mann-Williams

Theses and Dissertations

Therapeutic Day Treatment (TDT) is a community-based mental health treatment program regulated and funded by the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This case study sought to understand how DMAS regulatory changes impacted the implementation of the TDT program in the Commonwealth between fiscal years 2004 and 2011. In an effort to respond to this question, sources of qualitative and quantitative data were collected including: TDT fee-for-service data, regulations in the Community Mental Health and Rehabilitative Services manual guiding the implementation of the TDT program, and structured interviews with eight key stakeholders who interface with …

Food Landscapes: A Case Study Of A Cooking And Art- Focused Program For Teens Living In A Food Desert, Jessica R. Norris

Theses and Dissertations

This study constructs themes and propositions about the experiences of youth participants in the fall 2013 Food Landscapes program at the Neighborhood Resource Center in Richmond, Virginia. During the program, youth participated in cooking-based volunteerism with adults with disabilities and created short videos about their experiences. In this study, I analyzed pre- and post-program participant interviews, twice-weekly program observations, and facilitator reflections to understand how Food Landscapes affected youths’ conception of community engagement and communication strategies. This case study offers insight into how youth experience after-school programming of this design. Based on my findings, youth develop and rely upon a …

Fathering And Child Maltreatment: A Grounded Theory Study, Jennifer Shadik

Theses and Dissertations

Literature related to fathers and child physical abuse and neglect is lacking (Guterman & Lee, 2005; Lee, Bellamy, & Guterman, 2009). The purpose of this study was to better understand several pertinent aspects of fathering related to maltreatment. Three research questions were examined: 1.What are the attitudes, behaviors and contexts of fathers who have abused or neglected a child that relate to maltreatment? 2. What are the resources and capacities of these fathers which could be capitalized on? 3. How does goodness-of-fit or a poor fit between the father and child impact the parenting relationships of these fathers? Fifteen fathers …