Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

“She Posted It On Facebook”: Mexican American Adolescents’ Experiences With Technology And Romantic Relationship Conflict, Heidi Adams Rueda, Megan Lindsay, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

We examined experiences with technology and dating conflict among Mexican American (MA) adolescents (ages 15-17 years) using mixed qualitative methodologies. Focus groups, divided by three levels of acculturation and gender (N = 20), and videotaped observations of couples (N = 34), found that technology (i.e., cell phones, social media) afforded adolescents increased visibility of their partners’ day-to-day peer interactions. Feelings of romantic jealousy resulted in text message harassment and the expectation of immediate technology-facilitated contact. Females were more flirtatious as well as emotionally affected by jealousy resulting from social media sites, and males set rules regarding other-sex texting. …

Ending Poverty In Mongolia: From Socialism To Social Development, Richard J. Smith

Social Work Faculty Publications

While recent literature on social welfare has included Asian countries, less is known about low-income and former socialist countries in Central Asia. This article combines a documentary-historical method with a value-critical approach to analyze Mongolia’s social policy response to poverty. Mongolia is unique in Asia because it transformed from nomadic pastoralism to socialism without a phase of capitalist industrial development. The case study found that Mongolia lost social welfare when it transitioned from socialism, a statist model, to market liberalism and multiparty democracy. In the 21st century, Mongolia has been aspiring to promote social development by redirecting mining revenues to …

Aging In Rural Appalachia: Perspectives From Geriatric Social Service Professionals, Natalie D. Pope, Diane N. Loeffler, D. Lee Ferrell

Social Work Faculty Publications

This paper uses qualitative methodology to explore the experience of growing old in rural Appalachia. Given the growing population of older adults seeking and utilizing services, it is important to understand the challenges and specific needs related to aging. Within the context of rural Appalachia, these challenges and needs may be different than those in urban areas or areas outside of the region itself. From interviews with 14 geriatric service providers in rural southeast Ohio, the authors were able to identity three prevalent themes associated with aging in rural North Central Appalachia: scarcity of resources, valuing neighbors and family, and …

Personal Network Recovery Enablers And Relapse Risks For Women With Substance Dependence, Suzanne Brown, Elizabeth M. Tracy, Min Kyoung Jun, Hyunyong Park, Meeyoung O. Min

Social Work Faculty Publications

We examined the experiences of women in treatment for substance dependence and their treatment providers about personal networks and recovery. We conducted six focus groups at three women’s intensive substance abuse treatment programs. Four coders used thematic analysis to guide the data coding and an iterative process to identify major themes. Coders identified social network characteristics that enabled and impeded recovery and a reciprocal relationship between internal states, relationship management, and recovery. Although women described adding individuals to their networks, they also described managing existing relationships through distancing from or isolating some members to diminish their negative impact on recovery. …

Termination Of Parental Rights For Parents With Substance Use Disorder: For Whom And Then What?, Jun Sung Hong, Joseph P. Ryan, Pedro M. Hernandez, Suzanne Brown

Social Work Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlates of termination of parental rights (TPR) for parents with substance use disorder (SUD) and to determine what happens with regard to permanency once a TPR decision is made. Bivariate techniques and hierarchical non-linear modeling are used. Parents of older youth, boys, and Hispanics were less likely, while parents who failed to make progress in substance use treatment and parenting skills are more likely to experience TPR. At follow up, 85% of the children were adopted, 7% remained in a substitute care settings, and 7% were reunified with their parents. Concerns …

Trust, Cheating, And Dating Violence In Mexican American Adolescent Romantic Relationships, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda, Julie L. Nagoshi

Social Work Faculty Publications

Many adolescents experience some aspect of cheating in their romantic relationships, yet developmental and cultural influences on this experience are not well understood. A grounded theory approach was used to uncover the processes through which cheating resulted in dating violence among 64 Mexican American adolescents (15 to 17 years old). Focus groups, separated by level of acculturation and gender (N = 20), revealed paradoxical expectations for trust and cheating in romantic relationships. Low acculturated youth, particularly males, held broader definitions of cheating behaviors, used peers to monitor cheating behaviors, and took breaches of cheating more seriously. Males were perceived …

Experiences With Pregnancy Of Adolescents With Disabilities From The Perspectives Of The School Social Workers Who Serve Them, Kristen Faye Linton, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescents with disabilities are more likely than adolescents without disabilities to become pregnant, although very little is known about the lived contexts of their sexual and pregnancy experiences. Such youths are often deprived of sexual health information across a range of potential sources, although school social workers are in a unique position to provide them services. Thirteen school social workers working primarily with adolescents with disabilities were interviewed using a phenomenological study design to offer their perspectives concerning the sexual and pregnancy experiences of such youths. Inductive content analysis revealed that school social workers provided services for pregnant and parenting …

School Social Workers' Needs In Supporting Adolescents With Disabilities Toward Dating And Sexual Health: A Qualitative Study, Heidi Adams Rueda, Kristen Faye Linton, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

School social workers approach their direct practice from ecological systems and justice-oriented perspectives. As such, they may hold a critical role in providing needed sexual health and dating education and services to adolescents with disabilities. Thirteen high school social workers who work closely with adolescents with disabilities were interviewed to identify their needs and challenges in supporting such adolescents toward dating and sexual health. Mesosystemic challenges at the school level evidenced three themes: (1) the desire for school-based comprehensive sexual education for all adolescents, (2) a multitiered and ancillary approach to educating adolescents with disabilities about dating and sexual health, …

Mexican American And European American Adolescents' Dating Experiences Across The Ecosystem: Implications For Healthy Relationships Within An Ecodevelopmental Framework, Heidi Adams Rueda, Julie L. Nagoshi, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

Dating health interventions that target the complex, multi-systemic spheres in which adolescents experience their first romantic relationships are required. This study utilizes an ecodevelopmental approach to better understand Mexican American and European American youths' perceptions of how peers, parents, school, and the media act both independently and collectively to affect their dating lives, also elucidating how such systems are at times in conflict. Seventy-five middle adolescents participated in focus groups divided by gender and ethnicity to uncover differences and similarities within and across groups. Findings underscore the importance and widespread effects of romantic relationships for adolescents' social development and the …

Student Perspectives On How Trauma Experiences Manifest In The Classroom: Engaging Court-Involved Youth In The Development Of A Trauma-Informed Teaching Curriculum, Shantel D. West, Angelique G. Day, Cheryl L. Somers, Beverly A. Baroni

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study explores how the lived experience of court-involved youth impacts learning and school culture, and solicits youth voice in creating a trauma-informed intervention to improve student educational well-being. Thirty-nine female students, ages 14 to 18, participated in focus groups to describe externalizing behaviors that they have both witnessed and personally struggled with in the classroom, discuss the perceived causes of these behaviors, and their suggestions for improving school culture to reduce these behavior manifestations in the classroom. Two major categories of behavior were identified, including: “anger emotions” and “aggressive actions.” Students described the causes of behavior as, “environmental influences” …

In The Best Interest Of The (Adult) Child: Ideas About Kinship Care Of Older Adults, Tezra Jennings, Tam E. Perry, Julia Valeriani

Social Work Faculty Publications

This article uses a qualitative, ethnographic approach to examine the experiences older adults and their kin, as the older adult engages in relocation. Studies looking at caregiving by kin for older adults highlight burdens for the adult child. This study offers a life course perspective on kinship care, analyzing older adults’ decisions’ to move. It was found that many older adults are strongly influenced by the desire to not be cared for by their kin as well as to select housing near their existing social network, which might exclude kin. In conclusion, policy implications are discussed.

Relocation Remembered: Perspectives On Senior Transitions In The Living Environment, Tam E. Perry, Troy C. Anderson, Daniel B. Kaplan

Social Work Faculty Publications

The experience of aging may necessitate transitions in living environments, either through adaptations to current residences or relocations to more supportive environments. For over a half century, the study of these transitions has informed the work of researchers, health and mental health providers, policymakers, and municipal planners. In the 1970s and ‘80s, knowledge about these transitions advanced through Lawton & Nahemow’s ecological theory of competence and environmental press, Wiseman’s behavioral model of relocation decision-making, and Litwak & Longino’s developmental perspective on senior migrations. This paper revisits influential theoretical frameworks which contribute to our understanding of senior transitions in living environments. …

Social Capital And Suicide: Social Workers' Obligation Toward Contemporary Suicide Prevention, Christopher Hodshire, Roghayeh Khosravi, Shuresh Lotfi

Social Work Faculty Publications

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “approximately 1 million die by suicide in the world every year and it is estimated that 1.5 million will die from suicide in 2020.”To many in the social work field feels this is disturbing news that deserves far more attention both by the academics and the mass-media. This study pertains to the applications of social capital theory and its everyday practice in the social work profession. In particular, the study provides a deeper understanding and review of social capital, suicide and its application of social capital theory in the social work practice with …

“It’S Not Just You Two”: A Grounded Theory Of Peer-Influenced Jealousy As A Pathway To Dating Violence Among Acculturating Mexican American Adolescents., Heidi Adams Rueda, Lela Rankin Williams

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: To develop a deeper understanding of how jealousy escalates to physical dating violence within Mexican American adolescent romantic relationships. Method: Using grounded theory, 20 focus groups of self-identified Mexican American adolescents (N = 64; 15–17 years old) were analyzed by level of acculturation and gender. Results: Three distinct “jealous” typologies resulting in dating violence were identified: normative jealousy (typically highly acculturated or bicultural male and female adolescents), jealous and possessive (typically bicultural male adolescents), and jealous and accepting of dating violence norms (typically low acculturated male adolescents). Across types, jealousy was upheld within a peer culture that constructed loose …

Progress In A Social Work Writing Course: Self-Efficacy, Course Objectives, And Skills, Jane D. Woody, Mary G. Zeleny, Henry J. D'Souza, Jeanette Harder, Jacqueline Reiser, P.Eter Szto

Social Work Faculty Publications

Although instructors express concerns about social work students’ writing skills, little research has been conducted. One remedy is a social work-focused writing course. This study assessed a required writing course with a sample of 49 baccalaureate students. From online pre- and post-test surveys, two student outcomes improved significantly: self-reported scores for writing self-efficacy and competence in course objectives. On-demand writing samples improved significantly based on anonymous rating by the course instructors; however, blind ratings found gains but not at a significant level. Improved outcomes were not associated with demographic or background characteristics. We discuss limitations of the study and implications …

Self-Reflections Of A Gay Immigrant Social Worker, Jonghyun Lee, Kate Willow Robinson

Social Work Faculty Publications

Social workers strive to end various forms of social injustice that cause the marginalization of people and their suffering. One way to dismantle social injustice is to engage in a self-reflective process. As a form of self-discovery, self-reflection guides us to recognize our own experiences of privilege and power as well as inequality and oppression. In this article, I utilize intersectionality as a method of self-reflection to examine the ways race/ethnicity, sexuality, and immigration status intersect and create a particular form of vulnerability. Making private experiences public takes courage. Nevertheless, through self-reflection, I reinforce my moral and ethical commitment to …

Go To The Hospital Or Stay At Home? A Qualitative Study Of Expected Hospital Decision Making Among Older African Americans With Advanced Heart Failure, Faith Pratt Hopp, Christina Marsack, Jessica Camp, Shirley Ann Thomas

Social Work Faculty Publications

To address the need for more information concerning hospital decision making, we conducted in-depth interviews among African Americans with heart failure and their family caregivers (n=11 dyads). Using a case scenario, we asked participants about their anticipated hospitalization decisions. Most patients indicated that they would seek care to avoid further deterioration or death from their worsening condition. Many family caregivers anticipated having an active influence on hospitalization decisions. Findings suggest that social workers should encourage the development of adequate home-based services, recognize diverse communication styles, and use this information to facilitate medical decision making by these patients and …

Age-Friendly Environments And Self-Rated Health: An Exploration Of Detroit Elders, Amanda J. Lehning, Richard J. Smith, Ruth E. Dunkle

Social Work Faculty Publications

While a number of organizations and government entities have encouraged the development of more “age-friendly” environments, to date there has been limited research linking these environment features to elder outcomes. Using a representative sample of older adults living in Detroit, this study examined the association between age-friendly environment factors and self-rated health. Results indicated that access to health care, social support, and community engagement were each associated with better self-rated health, while neighborhood problems were associated with poorer self-rated health. Moreover, individual-level income and education no longer predicted self-rated health once age-friendly environment factors were taken into account. These findings …

Developing Cross-System Communication To Promote Educational Well-Being In Foster Care Youth: Recommendations For A National Research, Practice, And Policy Agenda, Angelique Day, Cheryl Somers, Joanne Smith-Darden, Jina Yoon

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study captures the voices of school-based behavioral specialists who are employed across the state of Michigan to share how well schools and child welfare agencies communicate and collaborate to address the educational well-being of foster care children on their caseloads. This includes knowledge of federal policies and how they support and hinder communication across systems. Participants included a total of 249 K-12 employed school psychologists, counselors, and social workers. Survey methodology was used and both inferential and narrative analyses revealed that these school practitioners were highly unaware of how to identify the foster care children in their schools, and …

Identifying Appropriate Sanctions For Youth Sexual Behavior: The Impact Of Age, Gender, And Sexual Orientation, Erin B. Comartin, Poco D. Kernsmith, Roger M. Kernsmith

Social Work Faculty Publications

Although statutory rape laws were initially developed to protect youth from coercion by adults, youth are sometimes also prosecuted under these laws. This article investigates public attitudes regarding sanctions for youth engaging in sexual behaviors with peers. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to determine if age and gender of the offending youth, and sexual orientation of the relationship,has an impact on the public's level of agreement for sanctioning youth for three types of sexual behavior: intercourse, oral sex, or touching. The study participants (N= 757) were drawn from the general population of adult Michigan residents; the sample was racially representative …

Rectal Douching And Implications For Rectal Microbicides Among Populations Vulnerable To Hiv In South America: A Qualitative Study, Jerome T. Galea, Janni J. Kinsler, John Imrie, César R. Nureña, Jorge Sánchez, William E. Cunningham

Social Work Faculty Publications

Objective: While gel-formulated rectal microbicides (RM) are the first to enter clinical trials, rectal douching in preparation for anal intercourse is a common practice; thus RMs formulated as douches may be a convenient alternative to gels. Nonetheless, little is known about potential users' thoughts regarding douche-formulated RMs or rectal douching practices, data that is needed to inform the advancement of douche-based RMs. This qualitative study examined thoughts regarding douches, their use as an RM and current douching practices among men who have sex with men and transgender women.

Methods: 12 focus groups and 36 in-depth interviews were conducted …