Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Lived Experience Of Psychological Occupational Stress In Early Childhood Teacher Leaders, Brooke Fletcher, Debora Basler Wisneski

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

The existence of occupational and specifically psychological occupational stress of early childhood education (ECE) professionals is well established. However, little qualitative research has been published describing the lived experience of psychological occupational stress in this setting. The aim of this study was to provide a deeper understanding of ECE professionals’ stress to better support their occupational health. This was accomplished through a secondary phenomenological analysis of interviews with ECE teachers (n=4) collected by the primary author for a larger study of professional development in ECE leadership. The researchers found that the essential description of psychological occupational stress for these ECE …

Disparities In Oral Health: Socioeconomic Status And Policies To Increase Access To Primary Dental Care, Mckenzie Nutter

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Primary dental care is a patient-centered service consisting of routine dental checkups. The oral cavity is the first point of entrance to the body for many harmful pathogens. Therefore, primary dental care is essential to not only prevent and treat conditions in the mouth, but to also reduce the number of systemic diseases in the rest of the body. However, people with higher incomes or wealth have increased access to primary dental care. People with low socioeconomic status have decreased access to primary dental care, at least in part due to difficulties in paying for separate dental insurance. Disparities in …

Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence Across Contexts: Mental Health, Delinquency, And Dating Violence Outcomes Among Mexican Heritage Youth, Lela Rankin Williams, Heidi Adams Rueda

Social Work Faculty Publications

Immigrant Mexican American (MA) youth are at greater risk for violence exposure due to risk factors associated with migration–postmigration processes and as they settle into urban U.S. communities marked by crime and poverty. Less is known about the contexts of this exposure. Specifically, what are the ecological contexts in which youth witness intimate partner violence (IPV), how do these experiences differ by immigration generational status, and what is the impact on youth’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors? MA adolescents (N = 279; 15–17 years, M = 16.17, SD = 0.81) from the Southwest United States participated in an online survey. …

Staff Perspectives Regarding The Influence Of Trauma On The Intimate Partnering Experiences Of Adolescent Mothers In Residential Foster Care, Autumn M. Bermea, Heidi Adams Rueda, Kwynn M. Gonzalez-Pons

Social Work Faculty Publications

Adolescent girls in foster care are disproportionately vulnerable to pregnancy and parenthood. These experiences of motherhood might be partially attributable to experiences of trauma, including sexual trauma. Trauma, particularly related to domestic violence and sexual abuse, have been linked to subsequent struggles in intimate relationships, such as dating violence or engagement in unsafe sexual behaviors. Although some research has begun to investigate experiences of trauma on relationships, there has been a lack of focus on intimate relationships in general and how they have been influenced by past and/or current traumatic experiences. The present study draws on 12 interviews with program …

Health-Related Quality Of Life And Health Literacy Among Mexican American And Black American Youth In A Southern Border State, Steven Hoffman, Heidi Adams Rueda, Lauren Beasley

Social Work Faculty Publications

Among adults, health literacy and health-related quality of life are highly correlated constructs that are associated with tangible health outcomes. While the connection between these concepts and health outcomes among youth is still unclear, studying these factors among at-risk adolescent populations can provide researchers, policy-creators, and educators a quantifiable summary of the challenge they face in their efforts to reduce health disparities. The purpose of this study was to better understand the health of minority youth living in a Southern state near the US-Mexico border. Specifically, we sought to describe their health literacy and health-related quality of life, and identify …

Protection Orders And Their Perceived Effectiveness - A Domestic Violence And Sexual Assault Crisis Center Program Evaluation, Shelby Connett

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

This presentation showcases the program evaluation of the Spouse Abuse Sexual Assault (SASA) Crisis Center's legal advocacy program in Hastings, NE. The quantitative and qualitative research components assessed the effectiveness of protection orders of individuals receiving services from SASA's legal advocacy program. Results, recommendations, and limitations are discussed.

An Assessment Of Mental Wellbeing And Health-Related Quality Of Life Among Youth Living In Central Mexico, Steven Hoffman, Heidi Adams Rueda, Stefan Chase

Social Work Faculty Publications

The current state of adolescent mental health and wellbeing in Mexico constitutes a serious public health concern. In an effort to better understand the potential impact this crisis is having on youth in Central Mexico, we designed a study to assess the connection between Mental Wellbeing and Health-related Quality of Life among a sample of children in junior high school. Descriptive statistics suggest that 22.5% of our sample was “at-risk” of poor health-related quality of life, with 19.8% at risk within the physical subscale and 24.3% at risk within the psychosocial subscale. Regression analyses showed that mental wellbeing scores significantly …

Drug Use Behaviors: 2020 Treatment Providers Survey, Dataset, And Interview Final Reports, Jeanette Harder, December Lange Treacy, Liam Heerten-Rodriguez, Jodi Gabel, Daniel Kreuzberg, Rachel Lubischer, Jennifer L. Smith

Reports

The purpose of this needs assessment is to deepen DOP’s (NE DHHS Drug Overdose Prevention (DOP) program) understanding of individuals’ drug use behaviors in Nebraska through the lens of treatment providers.

The results of this study will aid DOP in providing training and other resources to treatment centers, focusing prevention efforts, and informing their strategic plan and future studies. Ultimately, this study will support DOP’s efforts to reduce opioid-involved fatal and non-fatal overdoses in Nebraska.