Social Work Commons^™

Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman

Critical Disaster Studies

Salman’s book centers two different constituencies, in two different locations, in the 2010s, who have been impacted by two different disasters. The first group are Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in Wayne County, Michigan. Trying to start again over half a world away, they are trapped in the transit lounge of life, never able to move on, never able to properly belong. They found a state in recession, the automobile industry collapsing, the city of Detroit bankrupt. Their particular county had higher unemployment than the state’s average and a poor median income as well. Economically speaking, ‘Michigan fared worse …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

Reaping What We Sow: The Implications And Outcomes Of Mississippi House Bill 1125, The “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (Reap)” Act, Kerigan Brewer

Honors Theses

Mississippi House Bill 1125 (MS HB1125), also known as the “Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act,” was signed into law by Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves in early 2023 (REAP Act, 2023). It is one of multiple policies passed into law that limit the rights of transgender people. This thesis aims to clarify the history of the trans community, dispel myths around gender-affirming health care and the trans identity, and discuss the current state of anti-trans laws and transgender rights. Using a policy analysis framework by DiNitto (2011), MS HB1125 is analyzed on points like its social and economic costs, the …

The Relationship Between Role Models, Socioeconomic Mobility Beliefs, And Academic Outcomes, Christian Koeu, Marisol Espinoza Garcia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Objective: This study aims to provide insights into the relationships between role models, socioeconomic mobility beliefs and the education outcomes of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds. While previous studies highlight the positive influence of role models on academic and career aspirations, the specific relationship between role models and socioeconomic beliefs remains unexplored. Our study addresses this gap by examining whether the presence of role models relates with more optimistic socioeconomic beliefs and how these beliefs, in turn, affect academic outcomes (academic engagement, academic intentions, and grade point average [GPA]). Additionally, we investigate the influence of role model characteristics to …

Machismo: The Impact It Has On Hispanic Male College Students Receiving Mental Health Services, Sara Barillas, Alexander Aguirre

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Machismo is an ideology held within the Hispanic community that endorses the expression of men’s dominance and power as well as aspects of bravery, honor, dominance, and reserved emotions. Higher rates of belief in machismo are connected to higher post-traumatic distress, stress, and depression. The goal of the study is to determine to what extent Machismo has an impact on male Hispanic college students’ beliefs about mental illness and their willingness to seek help. The following is a quantitative study. This study utilized male college students enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work programs. Additional …

Child Maltreatment Primary Prevention Methods In The U.S.: A Systematic Review Of Recent Studies, Maria Godoy-Murillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Background: Child maltreatment remains a widespread issue in the United States of America, (U.S.). Identifying effective methods of preventing child maltreatment is key to reducing the prevalence of this issue. Objective: This systematic review provides an overview of contemporary primary child maltreatment prevention methods in the U.S. to investigate their effectiveness. Methods: Using the OneSearch database, the following keywords were included: (“prevention methods” and “child maltreatment”), (“parental leave” and “child maltreatment”), (“primary prevention” and “child maltreatment”), (WIC and “child maltreatment”), (“home visit” and “child maltreatment”), (“child abuse and neglect” and “primary prevention”), (“affordable housing” and prevention and “child maltreatment”), (“early …

Supporting Formerly Incarcerated Individuals In Higher Education: A Quantitative Study, Lisa Marie Jones-Wiertz

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

People from various backgrounds in the United States have college aspirations. However, those with marginalized characteristics, particularly formerly incarcerated individuals, face multiple barriers in their quest for higher education. This study carries a twofold purpose: (a) determining the extent to which formerly incarcerated individuals in higher education in California feel supported and (b) determining types of support associated with educational success among formerly incarcerated individuals in higher education in California. Using the Person-in-Environment Framework, the nonprobability sampling methods of convenience and snowball, and a quantitative research design, this study surveyed 51 formerly incarcerated students enrolled across the California State University …

Healthy Teen Dating Relationships, Thalia Hernandez

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

Teen dating violence has become a damaging issue in Salinas, California, which forces the community to find immediate solutions to prevent the devastating aftermath of this problem on adolescents. This paper provides ideas for solving this issue by designing the "That's Not Cool" social campaign that was created to maintain healthy relationships between teens. Coordinated with the STRYVE program of the County of Monterey Health Department, the plan was implemented in the Salinas City High School District, where the population is predominantly Hispanic or Latino. As a result of studies, poverty, cultural beliefs, and poor education have been identified as …

The Disproportionate Impacts Of Certain Factors That Differentiate The Amount Of Mental Health Referrals Of School A Compared To School B, Jesus Barrientos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explores the relationship between a variety of factors the school of attendance for two schools in the Inland Empire. This research project sought to assess if there are differing rates of exposure to parental substance use, geographical location, diagnosis of anxiety, diagnosis of depression, and exposure to traumatic events based on the high school of attendance. Secondary data was acquired from a school district in the Inland Empire. Fifty assessments from school A and fifty from school B were used; a total of 100 adolescent assessments were used. The adolescent assessment explores the location of living, questions regarding …

Gender Dysphoria In Adolescence And The Models Of Care: A Systematic Literature Review, Arnold Briseno

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This systematic literature review examines and compares the efficacy of gender-affirming care and mixed-method approaches in treating adolescents with gender dysphoria. Through a detailed analysis of existing empirical studies, the research aims to identify optimal strategies that support the mental health and well-being of adolescents who are exhibiting criteria of gender dysphoria. The findings suggest a nuanced landscape where gender-affirming and mixed-method care models offer valuable benefits, highlighting the importance of individualized and flexible treatment approaches. This work contributes to the ongoing discourse on adolescent mental health care, advocating for policies and practices that prioritize the needs of this population, …

Students Of Higher Education Receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program And Its Impact On Mental Health, Cristina Palacios Mosqueda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus of this research study was the impact of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on the mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, of students pursuing higher education. The study analyzed if food security from receiving SNAP benefits relieved mental illnesses for students pursuing higher education. This study utilized a post-positivist paradigm. The data was obtained through qualitative methods, including 14 audio interviews and verbal observations of current undergraduate and graduate students from Southern California. At the time that the research interviews were conducted, the students participated in the student and discussed their experiences of dealing with mental health symptoms …

Cultural And Structural Barriers Of Utilizing Mental Health Services In A School-Based Setting For Latinx Populations, Silvia Lozano, Bridgette Guadalupe Calderon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This qualitative research study aimed to reduce mental health service disparities in Latinx communities and helps fill in the gap by addressing cultural and structural barriers to utilizing MHS in a school-based setting for Latinx youth. There is limited research regarding Latinx parents’ perspectives and the reservations they have on utilizing school-based mental health services (MHS) for their children. This study identified six important themes: cultural factors, trust and rapport, reservations, access and awareness, parental involvement and challenges, and school-based resources. Implications for school districts are that they can use these findings to increase early intervention mental behavioral health programs …

Seeding Sparks For The Right To Food, Alexandra Grace Winn, Shelby Lynn Davis, Kirsten Hannah Jaquish, Alexandra N. Ehlers, Joshua Lohnes

Undergraduate Scholarship

Seeding Sparks for The Right to Food partnered with Voices of Hunger to disperse a grant to community leaders. These community leaders have projects that are aimed to advance the Right to Food and promote food security. This project interviewed the applicants and pulled out common themes among their responses to further understand their motivations and passions related to food justice.

Food Policy Council, Alexandra G. Winn, Kirsten Hannah Jaquish, Shelby Lynn Davis, Alexandra N. Ehlers, Joshua Lohnes

Undergraduate Scholarship

Nourishing Networks is a workshop that promotes the development of Food Policy Councils, which are a group of community members that advocate for the Right to Food in their community. Through conversation surrounding food access barriers and strategies in their community, the workshop aims to educate participants on how they can improve food access in their community. This research project sought to conduct Nourishing Networks meetings in a variety of West Virginia counties with the intention of accompanying local community members and organizations to create a Food Policy Council for their region. Using a standardized organization process, curriculum, and reporting …

Health Care Professionals’ Stigma Toward People With An Opioid Use Disorder: Preliminary Findings On The Effect Of Amount Of Contact Has On Stigma, Gabriela Murza, Cris Meier, Lily Ward, Sydney O'Shay, Rachel Myrer

Transforming Communities

Opioid-related deaths are the leading cause of injury deaths in Utah. Individuals who seek treatment for opioid misuse report stigma from healthcare professionals as the leading barrier to accessing treatment. Health professionals provide a variety of treatment options in efforts of combating high rates of opioid misuse. However, these professionals may not be properly trained in stigma reduction strategies, thus leading to poor client care and outcomes. The current study examined the association between contact with individuals who misuse opioids and stigma perceptions among healthcare professionals. A one-time survey was administered to healthcare professionals who practice in Utah using convenience …

Censorship Of Family Violence In Cinema In Iran, Atefeh Batyari

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Prevention and control of family violence require an accurate understanding of its causes and effects. Iranian filmmakers try to fulfil their mission to raise awareness about family violence by showing hidden and unpleasant social issues in the family and presenting an accurate picture of family violence. However, to do so is taboo and goes against the Islamization policy of the Iranian regime against portraying family violence. Breaking the taboo leads to the seizure and censorship of films that show negative perspectives of family relationships. This article analyzes the Iranian regime’s approach to film productions based on Islamization policies and investigates …

Take A Closer Look: Combating Ageism Through The Use Of Children's Literature, Janice Buehrer

Honors Projects

This project was completed as my final honors project for Bowling Green State University in the spring of 2024. I wrote and illustrated the children's book, "Take a Closer Look," designed for kindergarten through second-grade children. The goal of the book is to be used as a value-socialization device to instill positive perspectives on aging within younger generations. The book itself is meant to be an intergenerational tool as adults read the book about older adults to children, reaching the entire lifespan.

Serving The Voiceless: Analyzing Local Organizations For Immigrant Empowerment, Daniel Kabithe, Acia Diallo, Kiya Demps, Chance Brown, Aliyah Whitfield

Undergraduate Research Events

This research project delves into the landscape of community organizations that serve the immigrant population in Louisville, Kentucky, focusing on 6 key entities: La Casita Center, Kentucky Refugee Ministries, Catholic Charities of Louisville, English Conversation Club, Backside Learning Center, and American Community Center. Through a combination of interviews, phone calls and research, we discovered the roles, missions, and offered services by each organization. Through these methods, we identified some of the critical needs within the immigrant community and examined how these organizations address them. Additionally, we discovered that not only did our research highlight the importance of the services provided, …

The Relationship Between Social Stigma And Career Decisions Of Individualized And Freelance Male Sex Workers, Luis Miguel Dos Santos, Ho Fai Lo

The Qualitative Report

Switching from a white-collar professional to a sex worker is not an easy step, particularly for individuals with a postgraduate degree in South Korea who may have significant expectations from their parents, peers, and communities. Based on the social stigma theory and social cognitive career and motivation theory, this study aims to understand how stress and pressure impact the motivations, career decisions, and decision-making processes of individualized and freelance male sex workers and their career transition experiences in South Korea. Based on the thematic analysis, ten highly educated male sex workers joined and shared their experiences. The researchers categorized three …

U.S. Military Veteran Identity And Civilian Adjustment, Darren A. Sosa

Pacific Journal of Health

U.S. military veterans transitioning back into the civilian sector often experience a variety of challenges and need to readjust into non-military environments. In order to examine the psychological challenges involved in the transition and readjustment processes among U. S. active military veterans, a qualitative study was conducted. For 6 months, data was collected from veterans in California, Nevada, Texas, Florida, and New York. Following an IRB approval, semi-structured open-ended self-developed interviews were developed and conducted with sixteen military veterans who have served in 4 branches of the U.S. Armed Forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. Data and information …

Rethinking The Mentor/Mentee Relationship: The Critical Mentoring Approach In A North Carolina Middle School, Kendra P. Alexander, Brianna Mccullough, Nikaizha Davis, Patrick Clifford

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

In this session, undergraduate and graduate students from North Carolina A&T State University describe the genesis and evolution of an internship-based, community-academic partnership grounded in the concept of critical mentoring. As mentors with the Nia Project, interns support middle school students in critical exploration of post-high school pathways. Along with the supervising instructor, students identify key concepts and prerequisites for successful implementation.

Exploring Purpose, Practices, And Impacts Of Non-Formal Education In Egypt, Mariam Hussien Sayed Abdelhamid

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores non-formal education in Egypt, analyzing its alignment or divergence with prevalent human capital and modernization discourses. Using a narrative approach, the study explores the practices of four organizations that offer non-formal education opportunities in greater Cairo: San3a Tech, Wataneya Society, Alwan wa Awtar, and AlAthar Lina. The study explores the narration of 9 educators and 10 learners from these organizations to understand from educators’ perspectives how they design their experiences and its relation to the culture and needs of the targeted audience. It also looks at what kind of impact do these experiences have on the learners. …

“There’S A Connection That Is Just Beyond Words”: A Qualitative Study Of Therapy Dogs In A Child Trauma Assessment Center, Angela M. Moe

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

The utilization of animal-assisted interventions with trauma survivors is a growing field of practice and research. This study explored staff perceptions of the impact of therapy dogs in comprehensive neurodevelopmental assessments of children who have experienced significant maltreatment. Such victimization causes devastating and long-term consequences across physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral domains. Trauma assessments have been used as a means of understanding the impacts of maltreatment and in guiding treatment. Following a go-along qualitative approach, the study occurred over 16 months wherein experienced therapy dogs were incorporated into assessments of 323 children. Data were collected through field interviews and participant …

Human Rights Organizations In Palestine: Scope, Opportunities And Challenges, Qusai A. Ibrahim, Salwa Ramadan

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study was designed to understand the scope, opportunites and challenges of human rights organizations (HROs) from the point of view of managers in the State of Palestine. The study adopted the quantitative method, using a probability sample of 39 managers in the HROs. A social survey, developed by the researchers, was used to collect the data after ensuring its reliability and validity. The data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and are discussed with descriptive statistics. Against the background of the pervasive attacks by Israel on Palestine, the study revealed that HROs engage in a …

Containerization Of Seafarers In The International Shipping Industry: Contemporary Seamanship, Maritime Social Infrastructures, And Mobility Politics Of Global Logistics, Liang Wu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation discusses the mobility politics of container shipping and argues that technological development, political-economic order, and social infrastructure co-produce one another. Containerization, the use of standardized containers to carry cargo across modes of transportation that is said to have revolutionized and globalized international trade since the late 1950s, has served to expand and extend the power of international coalitions of states and corporations to control the movements of commodities (shipments) and labor (seafarers). The advent and development of containerization was driven by a sociotechnical imaginary and international social contract of seamless shipping and cargo flows. In practice, this liberal, …

Immigrant Women From Iran And Afghanistan In Sweden: Experiences Of Domestic Violence During The Covid Pandemic, Fatemeh Hamedanian

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This paper explores the firsthand experiences of immigrant women victims of domestic violence amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Sixteen Iranian and Afghan women residing in Sweden were interviewed. Their responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. An intersectional perspective was used to understand domestic violence among the immigrant women. The study found high levels of psychological violence and controlling behavior by the women’s partners. The harm was compounded by economic instability, the temporality of residency permits, and the limited access to support services. The intersectional analysis suggests that multiple factors in the midst of the pandemic increase the vulnerability of abused …

Graying Incarcerated Persons And Education Programs In Nigerian Correctional Centre, Ijeoma B. Uche Phd, Agnes E. Okafor Phd, Okala A. Uche Phd *Corresponding Author

Journal of Prison Education Research

Correctional education programs are rehabilitation programs designed for incarcerated persons in Nigerian correctional institutions. However, getting the graying incarcerated persons to participate in education programs becomes quite challenging. This study investigates graying incarcerated persons and education programs in one correctional centre. Data were collected qualitatively from fifteen (15) incarcerated individuals aged 60 years and above using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was employed in analyzing the data generated for the study. Findings show that there are no available education programs for graying incarcerated individuals. The study also revealed that designing education programs in such a way that it will accommodate the …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Implementation Overview, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development (Qic-Wd)

Other QIC-WD Products

The Implementation Team

The QIC-WD worked with Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) Division of Child Welfare Services to establish a team to lead the development and implementation of their competency-based personnel selection intervention. The implementation team was called the Oklahoma QIC-WD Steering Committee. It included a Programs Analyst from each of the five geographic regions of the state and one from the Foster Care and Adoptions program, the Site Implementation Manager (SIM), the Data Coordinator, project sponsor (Deputy Director), representatives from Human Resources, training partners within OKDHS and from University of Oklahoma Center for Public Management, and three members of …

Alternative Shelter Evaluation Report, Jacen Greene, Todd Ferry, Emily Leickly, Franklin Holcomb Spurbeck

Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative Publications and Presentations

This report summarizes research by Portland State University’s Homelessness Research & Action Collaborative for the Joint Office of Homeless Services on the cost, participant experiences, and client outcomes in village-style and motel shelters as compared to each other and to traditional, congregate shelters.

Leadership Challenges With Mental Health Literacy And Cultural Stigma In The Hmong Community, Yeng J. Vang

School of Business Student Theses and Dissertations

It has been nearly 50 years since Hmong refugees started arriving here in the United States, as a result of the Vietnam War. Currently, the Minneapolis-St. Paul area is home to the largest concentration of Hmong Americans here in the states, approximately 81,000 (Pew Research, 2019). Because of the war atrocities that many Hmong refugees experienced, scholars and researchers conducted diagnostic assessments during early resettlement, but the data was disaggregated and combined all Southeast Asian refugees together. This made it difficult to determine mental health needs among the different Southeast Asian ethnicities, specifically Hmong Americans. Many years later, the Wilder …