Social Work Commons^™

Treatment Access For Dual Diagnosis Substance Use And Mental Health Disorders, Pedro Banuelos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In 2018, of 1.3 million Latinx adults in the United States facing concurrent issues with substance use disorders (SUD) and mental health disorders (MHD) 93% remained untreated for either diagnosis. This is concerning since Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data reveals that this population is at greater risk for suicidal thoughts, plans, and attempts. They also face structural barriers such as employment, housing, legal involvement, and insurability that further impede access to treatment.

This study’s purpose was to examine barriers to accessing treatment for Latinx populations confronting co-occurring SUDs and MHDs. This study used a ...

Five Love Languages: Assessment Of Marital Satisfaction In African American Couples, Freddricka C. Lee

LSU Master's Theses

This mixed-methods study examined marital satisfaction among five (n = 10) heterosexual, African American married couples. In particular, this study examined how acknowledging a partner’s love language (Chapman, 1995) can affect these couples’ level of marital satisfaction. The participants were native to the South and ranged from 26-55 years of age. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data revealed couples were satisfied with their marriages. Although only marginally significant, the findings also revealed acknowledging a spouse’s love language was positively related to higher levels of marital satisfaction. Seven themes emerged throughout the interviews, namely communication; financial stability; understand a ...

Using Quality Improvement (Qi)-Focused Evaluation To Redesign Direct Home- And Community-Based Services During The Covid-19 Public Health Emergency:, Marcia Moriarta, Anthony Cahill, Heidi Fredine

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Like many UCEDDs in the Developmental Disabilities (DD) network, the Center for Development and Disability at the University of New Mexico offers direct service programs in home and community settings. Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, services were delivered in-person to about 1,000 families across the state including clients with intellectual or developmental disabilities and/or from at-risk communities. In March 2020, due to the spread of COVID-19, a public health emergency was declared in New Mexico and home and community services were stopped throughout the state. This meant direct service programs at the Center had to turn ...

Understanding The Traumatized Brain, Sam Marion, Elizabeth Marston

National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference

Students who have experienced trauma are often in need of behavioral intervention due to challenging behaviors and reactivity. Understanding the body’s threat response system gives insight into these behaviors and allows for empathy within the interventions. This presentation will outline basic neuroscience theories, propose interventions focused on self-regulation, and demonstrate how adding basic elements to existing interventions can increase efficacy.

The Rise In Use Of Emotional Support Animals By College Students: The Impact Of Parenting Styles, Misty G. Smith, Samantha Ballard, Jill Willis

Georgia Journal of College Student Affairs

As the generational context of higher education shifts, a rise of Emotional Support Animals (ESA) and mental health concerns are present for students on college campuses. While previous studies have aimed to address the relevancy and controversy of ESAs in higher education as well as their effectiveness in supporting individuals, less research has explored underlying factors that contribute to the use of an ESA. The purpose of this study was to explore the parenting behaviors of parents/caregivers of students with ESAs in comparison to parents/caregivers of students without ESAs. An embedded mixed methods design was used. Participants completed ...

Methamphetamine Associated Cardiomyopathy In Pregnancy: The Distinctions And The Implications, Ashan T. Hatharasinghe, Hossein (Alex) Akhondi

HCA Healthcare Journal of Medicine

Introduction

Methamphetamine associated cardiomyopathy (MAC) and peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) are both rare obstetric conditions. Literature regarding methamphetamine associated cardiomyopathy in the obstetric population is limited, and it can be difficult to make the distinction between the two given the similarities in clinical presentation. However similar, there are significant distinctions in the pathophysiology of these two that can help clinicians with the management process.

Clinical Findings and Outcomes

This case involves a 35-year-old Hispanic G6P5005 at 37 weeks gestation presenting with acute respiratory failure secondary to acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction and superimposed preeclampsia leading to urgent cesarean ...

Mind Mapping As A Pragmatic Solution For Evaluation: A Critical Reflection Through Two Case Studies, Elbina Avdagic, Fiona May, Tom Mcclean, Fiona Shackleton, Catherine Wade, Karen Healy

Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation

Funders of social interventions that address complex child and family welfare concerns for highly vulnerable populations are increasingly seeking cost-effective and rapid mixed method evaluations of their services. This paper describes a mind mapping approach that was used to collect valid and reliable qualitative data from large numbers of informants across two separate evaluation projects. The mind mapping approach provided a rapid, credible solution to the need to extract and summarize views from a diverse range of informants, and to gain consensus agreement on themes arising from the data. Through the use of two case studies to illustrate the application ...

The Experiences Of Iraqi Refugees In Canada: A Life History Study Of War And Resilience In The Aftermath Of Migration, Nada Nessan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis reports on a life history narrative on the experiences of Iraqi refugees who resettled in Canada after living through war. The aim of this study is to help change the narrow perspectives on the mental health of war affected populations to a broader perception shaped by cultural and social aspects and to inform the development of meaning and cultural relevant programs and policies with a particular attention to the concept of resilience.

The first part of the study presents the chronological narratives, or profiles. of eight participants. The second part of the study is a thematic discussion of ...

Service Providers' Perceptions Of Stigma And Its Impact On Mental Health Services, Arthur Gabriel Montes

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Stigma is one of the most significant barriers to access and utilization of mental health services in the United States. Delays in receiving mental health services significantly contribute to health disparities and poor health outcomes. Social workers play an integral part in implementing best practices within health care settings and reducing health inequities impacting vulnerable populations. The purpose of this qualitative action research study was to explore social work service providers perceptions' toward stigma and how it affects mental health services among patients in California's Medicaid program. Stigma theory was applied to gain an understanding of how stigma interacts ...

The Systemic Experiences Of Social Workers In An Inpatient, State Psychiatric Hospital, Kesia Gwaltney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The National Alliance on Mental Illness surmised that 1 in 25 (9.8 million) adults in the United States are diagnosed with a serious mental illness annually. Of the 9.8 million people diagnosed, approximately 63% of them are psychiatrically hospitalized with repeat hospitalizations within 1 year of discharge. Social workers play a vital role in the treatment modalities of the patients they serve in the psychiatric hospital; however, there is no research that examined the professional systemic experiences of social workers in state, inpatient psychiatric hospitals and how these experiences may affect treatment outcomes of patients as it relates ...

A Promising Approach In Home Visiting To Support Families Affected By Maternal Substance Use., Donna M. O'Malley, Danielle F. Chiang, Emily Siedlik, Katharine Ragon, Marcia Dutcher, Oneta Templeton

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

INTRODUCTION: Many factors influence women's use of alcohol and other drugs while pregnant and postpartum. Substance use impacts the maternal-child relationship during the critical neonatal period. The first days and months of human development lay the foundation for health and well-being across the lifespan, making this period an important window of opportunity to interrupt the transmission of trauma and stress to the next generation. Pregnant and postpartum women with a history of substance use require specialized support services.

METHODS: The Team for Infants Exposed to Substance abuse (TIES) Program provides a holistic, multi-disciplinary, community-based model to address the complex ...

Mental Health In College Students: Disclosure & Seeking Support, Abby R. Smargon

Honors Program Theses and Projects

A study was conducted through Bridgewater State University in order to better understand the mental health and help seeking behaviors of college students. The data collected served to provide information regarding what specific types of mental health difficulties are reported by college students.

How Peer Support Specialists Uniquely Initiate And Build Connection With Young People Experiencing Homelessness, James Erangey, Connor Marvin, Danielle Maude Littman, Meredith Mollica, Kimberly Bender, Tom Lucas, Tara Milligan

Graduate School of Social Work: Faculty Scholarship

Young people experiencing homelessness are often apprehensive to engage in conventional service systems due to prior mistreatment by providers and others in their lives, as well as stigma associated with accessing services. Even when relationships between service providers and young people are initiated, they often end prematurely. Mutual aid, or peer-to-peer support, has a long and promising history within the mental health field, yet has received little empirical attention in work with young people experiencing homelessness. The present study used participatory qualitative methods to understand how peers uniquely initiate and build connection with young people experiencing homelessness. Through interviews and ...

Women Exiting Prostitution: Reports Of Coercive Control In Intimate Relationships, Tammy Schultz, Aimee A. Callender, Sally Schwer Canning, Jacey Collins

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

There is burgeoning research on intimate partner violence (IPV) experiences among women globally. However, there is a dearth of research on IPV experiences among marginalized populations in Western countries. Over the past decade, IPV research has shifted from a focus only on physical and sexual violence to include coercive control experiences. These include a continuum of nonviolent behaviors centered on maintaining dominance over one’s partner. However, the empirical literature on examining coercive control among women in prostitution within non-commercial intimate partners is lacking. In this study, we analyzed interviews with 17 women exiting prostitution and examined reported IPV sexual ...

Historical Trauma Response Scores As A Function Of Unresolved Grief And Substance Use Disorder In American Indian Populations, Andrew R. Saunders

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Abstract

Researchers are interested in the outcomes of interventions, specifically, measuring historical trauma (HT) among American Indian/Alaska Native communities and the long-term distress and substance abuse as a result of historical trauma response (HTR). Previous literature has implicated limitations in the clinical conceptualization of the relationship between intergenerational transfer of HTR and substance abuse. The aim of the current study is to examine treatment efficacy of 50 homosexual, American Indian males randomized to a culturally-adapted juxtaposition of (1) Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT), (2) Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and (3) Historical Trauma and Unresolved Grief Intervention (HTUG), or (4) waitlisted ...

When Trauma No Longer Disqualifies: Examining The Institutional Universality Of Traumatic Experience At A Workforce Development Nonprofit, Amadea M. Smith

The Macksey Journal

I explore how trauma becomes interwoven into the daily operations and the institutional mission of Baker Industries, a workforce development nonprofit in southeastern Pennsylvania which employs hard-to-employ adults. In a society short on empathy and structural support for some of the most vulnerable populations, Baker Industries offers full-time employment as well as life-skills training and support for adults with physical and cognitive disabilities, mental illnesses, substance abuse issues, criminal records, and home insecurity. Assumed among every participant, trauma becomes a resource for recognition and economic security. I illustrate how trauma saturates the institutional and routine practices of staff and participants ...

Flooding Schools: School Mental Health Providers And The Climate Crisis, Erik J. Reinbergs, Sarah Fefer

International Journal of School Social Work

This study provides an example of using a problem-solving model to explore the impact of the climate crisis on schools. Using publicly available climate change and flooding prediction data, we estimate that by 2100, assuming a “medium” climate change scenario, more than 1677 schools in the coastal United States are expected to flood every year and more than 2262 schools are expected to flood every 10 years. Within the data, “medium” is defined as warming levels that will lead to an estimated five feet of sea level rise by the year 2100. Limitations in the data suggest these numbers are ...

Wellness In The Helping Professions: Historical Overview, Wellness Models, And Current Trends, Ashley J. Blount, Dalena L. Dillman Taylor, Glenn W. Lambie

Journal of Wellness

Introduction

Wellness and the concept of holism have rich histories throughout the helping professions. However, Westernized medical models often promote the concept of treatment rather than prevention, limiting the helper’s ability to focus on wellness when working with clients/patients. Therefore, in order to support a re-integration to holistic wellness and the prevention of illness, and re-focus on a wellness ideology, we conducted a thorough theoretical overview of wellness in the helping professions to: (a) provide a historical overview of wellness in helping professions, (b) discuss prominent wellness models, (c) review wellness assessments, (d) present wellness supervision models, and ...

Application Of Self-Efficacy Training In Group Aural Rehabilitation: An Interprofessional Collaborative Model, Stephen D. Roberts, Nancy A. Delich

JADARA

Few studies have explored self-efficacy training with persons with hearing loss (PHLs), yet alone with their communication partners (CPs). The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine the impact of self-efficacy training as a framework for an Interprofessional Psychosocial Group Aural Rehabilitation (IPGAR) workshop with PHLs and their CPs. Four PHLs and their four CPs consented to participate in the IPGAR workshop that employed interventions including short lectures, psychosocial exercises, communication strategies training, speech perception training, adaptive/stress reduction exercises, and group discussions relevant to mutually established shared goals for each couple. The participants reported improved communication abilities in ...

Bridging The Gap: Understanding Non-Offending Parental Responses To Their Children's Sexual Abuse., Jennifer Latreill, Psy.D.

Dissertations

The parental response to children's disclosure of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is the most critical and important factor regarding the child's post trauma trajectory and overall trauma resolution. Understanding parental responses and the factors that prompt acceptance versus disbelief among the non-offending parent (NOP) is vital to children's success following disclosure given the weight of the NOPs response and its impact on long-term consequences of CSA. This literature review provides a comprehensive summary of what may deter the NOP from recognizing intrafamilial sexual abuse, factors that may contribute to the NOPs disbelief following disclosure, and possible clinical ...

What Are The Relationships Between Adverse Childhood Experiences And Age Of Initiaton Of Substance Use?, Alisha Dozier

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Child abuse and substance abuse are significant health problems in the United States and they negatively impact the physical, emotional, and biological health of millions of individuals. It is estimated that one in four children experience child abuse, which is a risk factor for the development of substance abuse problems later in life (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], 2018). Rates of substance abuse are increasing nationally, making the relationship between child abuse and the development of substance abuse problems important to study.

This research project analyzes the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and subsequent age ...

Associations Of Sex, Gender, And Gender Role Beliefs With Mental Health Attitudes, Ariel Erazo

Theses and Dissertations

Mental health stigma is a strong deterrent for individual with mental illness utilizing mental healthcare. Individuals living with a mental illness experience shame and marginalization due to stigma. Stigma is perpetuated through stereotypes created and used by people in the majority. Studies have been done to assess individual’s attitudes toward mental healthcare seeking in regards to gender, age, race, and profession. This study aimed to look at traditional gender role beliefs, sex, and gender expression as predictors of individual’s mental health attitudes and individual’s views of mental health norms. Using a cross-sectional survey, 392 participants completed scales ...

Relationship Between Type Of Health Insurance, Frequency Of Clinic Visits, And Clinic Income, Shelby M. Delille

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Art As Meditation: A Mindful Inquiry Into Educator Well-Being, Rachael Crowder, Jennifer Lock, Evelyn Hickey, Mairi Mcdermott, Marlon Simmons, Katrina Wilson, Rebecca Leong, Noeleen De Silva

The Qualitative Report

Being prepared for the intensity and complexities that educators face in their work means building strategies for managing well-being. This qualitative study explored educators’ conceptualizations about their well-being using an arts-based, community-based participatory research (AB-CBPR) methodology. After a brief mindfulness meditation and contemplation of prompting questions, educators were invited to participate in drawing and writing reflections. The artifacts were coded to determine themes. Themes suggested the importance of human connectedness and interconnection, self care and nurturance, the healing qualities of the natural word, and the recognition that institutions need to provide space and resources to support educator well-being. The mindfulness-based ...

From Isolation To Communication: Connecting Adults Who Have Hearing Loss With Their Communication Partners, Stephen D. Roberts, Nancy A. Delich

JADARA

As Baby Boomers enter the late adulthood stage of life, hearing loss continues to be one of the most prevalent, chronic, and isolating conditions facing older adults today. Research has focused on the negative consequences of hearing loss on the health and the person’s well-being, but it is equally important to recognize that hearing loss also leads to communication loss. The resulting social isolation and the collateral effects of hearing loss on the communication partner are the focus of this mixed-method study that explored the hearing loss-related quality of life for both parties. Five overarching themes emerged from the ...

Teen Depression, Stories Of Hope And Health: A Promising Universal School Climate Intervention For Middle School Youth, Michael S. Kelly, Peggy Kubert, Heather Freed

International Journal of School Social Work

This study describes the delivery of the Teen Depression: Stories of Health and Healing (TDSHH), a brief school-based depression awareness delivered for middle school students. The main objectives of the proposed evaluation were to examine the effects of TDSHH on middle school health students in the areas of knowledge about depression, willingness to seek help from adults and belief that adults can help. Two Chicago suburban middle schools agreed to be part of the TDSHH intervention study. In both schools, a pre/post-test wait-list control quasi-experimental design was used. Each student in the study (total N=223) completed a questionnaire ...

Durable Power Of Attorney For Health Care In Oncology, Monica Wilber

MSW Capstones

Almost everyone knows someone who has been impacted by cancer, but how many people do you know have a durable power of attorney for health care? Durable power of attorney for health care is a simple form that allows you to appoint whomever you trust to make health care decisions for yourself if you are deemed unable to do so. Durable power of attorney for health care, also known as DPOA-H, is a topic that can create some ambivalence within those working in the oncology field and those who have been impacted by a cancer diagnosis. The ambivalence comes from ...

The Wounded Body Of Christ: Social Trauma In Pastoral Care, Kelsi Watters

Graduate Papers/Theses

No abstract provided.

Home Health Care Resource Binder: A User-Friendly Guide For Crossroads Hospice And Palliative Care, Deanna Eder

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients and families searching for home health care need accurate information regarding the community resources available to them to promote aging in place and to maintain their quality of life. In connection to the social workers at Crossroads Hospice and Palliative Care, the researcher identified a need for a centralized source of up-to-date information regarding local home health care agencies due to the current resource deficit. Social workers and other health care professionals are expected to benefit from a concise list of resources readily available to provide their patients and families with adequate support to make informed decisions about a ...

National Guard Members With Suicide Ideation: The Impact Of Stigma, Mental Health, And Trauma History On Treatment-Seeking Outcomes, Amy Brown

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Background. Veterans are overrepresented among suicide deaths in the United States, representing 20% of annual suicide deaths but only about 1% of the U.S. population (Department of Veteran Affairs, 2010). Of all military suicide deaths in 2016, one-third (33.4%) were in the National Guard or Reserves (Department of Defense, 2018). Previous suicidal ideation or behavior (SIB) has been shown to increase risk of subsequent ideation or behavior in both active duty and veteran samples (Bryan, Rudd, & Wertenberger, 2016; Hazlett et al., 2016) but studies of SIB specific to National Guard service members were not found.

Access and Barriers to Care ...