Social Work Commons^™

Support For Social Workers Treating Adolescent Substance Abusers, Monica Delucia, Kethura Solano

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examines the barriers social workers experience when working with adolescent substance users. Research has not fully explored if intervention techniques are effective or suggest other approaches that may support substance use disorder professionals including supervisor support, training, and intervention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if social workers who provide interventions to adolescent substance users have the adequate resources to be successful in their field. The literature review provides a better understanding of the common themes social workers experience when working with adolescent substance users.

This study used a qualitative design and interviewed 8 professional social …

The Surgeon General's Facing Addiction Report: An Historic Document For Healthcare, S. Levy, J. P. Seale, Victoria A. Osborne, K. L. Kraemer, D. P. Alford, J. Baxter, D. S. Finnell, H. Kunins, A. Y. Walley, D. C. Lewis, D. Maclane-Baeder, A. J. Gordon

School of Social Work Faculty Publications

The publication of Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General's Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health presents an historic moment not only for the field of addiction medicine, but also for the United States as a nation. The Board of Directors of the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA), on behalf of our organization, would like to express our appreciation of the efforts of Dr. Vivek Murthy and the Surgeon General's Office to publish the first surgeon general's report covering substance misuse and substance use disorders.

"You're Doing Fine, Right?": Adolescent Siblings Of Substance Abusers, Cynthia E. Clarfield

Antioch University Full-Text Dissertations & Theses

There has been a rising interest in addiction medicine and addiction treatment in both the medical and behavioral health science fields. Research suggests having a family member with a substance abuse problem has negative impacts on both physical and mental health (Orford, Copello, Velleman, & Templeton, 2010a). Despite advances toward understanding the experiences of family members affected by a loved one's addiction, the siblings of substance abusers have been largely excluded from scientific research and literature. As a result, little is known about how siblings experience the impacts of a brother or sister's addiction; even less is known about the …

Implementing Outside The Box: Community-Based Social Service Provider Experiences With Using An Alcohol Screening And Intervention, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd, Alex T. Ramsey, Carissa Van Den Berk-Clark

Brown School Faculty Publications

Objective: The aim of this study is better understand perceptions of front-line social service workers who are not addiction specialists, but have to address addiction-related issues during their standard services. Method: Six social service organizations implemented a validated alcohol assessment and brief education intervention. After a 3-month trial implementation period, a convenience sample of 64 front-line providers participated in six focus groups to examine barriers and facilitators to the implementation of an alcohol screening and brief intervention. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) usefulness of the intervention, (2) intervention being an appropriate fit with the agency and client population, and (3) …

The Relationship Of Social Stress, Economic Hardship, And Psychological Distress To Addiction Severity Among Kentucky Substance Abuse Treatment Participants, Elizabeth A. Wahler

Theses and Dissertations--Social Work

Stress is associated with poor mental health, specifically anxiety and depression, and stress and mental health problems are predictors of substance dependence and relapse. Social characteristics, such as racial/ethnic minority status, female gender, and low socioeconomic status, are often associated with increased psychological distress and substance use disorders. Pearlin’s social stress theory postulates that this association is due to increased exposure to stress and subsequent experiences of distress related to social disadvantage and decreased access to resources for coping with stress. This project uses a social stress theoretical perspective to examine predictors of substance use after treatment entry and follow-up …

U.S. Cultural Involvement And Its Association With Co-Occurring Substance Abuse And Sexual Risk Behaviors Among Youth In The Dominican Republic, Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen, Juan B. Peña

Elián P. Cabrera-Nguyen

We examined the relationship of US cultural involvement with substance abuse and sexual risk behavior profiles from our nationally representative sample of public high school students in the Dominican Republic. Using a novel methodological approach to control for selection bias, we examined explanations for the so-called Latino or Hispanic immigrant paradox. A latent class regression analysis with manifest and latent covariates found that US cultural involvement indicators were independent and robust predictors of increased risk of co-ocurring substance abuse and sexual risk behaviors. Implications for prevention efforts targeting risk behaviors among Latino/a adolescents in the US and abroad are considered.

Best Practices For Treating Co-Occuring Disorders In A Chemical Dependency Treatment Setting, Michelle Dick

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project was to identify best practices for treating co-occurring disorders that could be utilized with adult males being treated for chemical dependency at the House of Hope, Inc. Identification of these practices will more effectively meet the needs of the clients served at House of Hope, Inc. and allow the agency to increase their capacity to better service clients with co-occurring disorders.

Denial In Alcohol And Other Drug Use Disorders: A Critique Of Theory., Patricia A. Stoddard Dare, Leaanne Derigne

Social Work Faculty Publications

Despite the centrality of the construct in the field of alcohol and other drug (AOD) addiction, denial remains poorly conceptualized. One reason for this narrow conceptualization is the recent unilateral devotion to the Transtheoretical Model (TTM). In an effort to demonstrate denial’s theoretical complexity, the TTM and five additional intuitively appealing theories of denial will be summarized.The strengths and weaknesses of each theory and possible treatment implications based on each theory will also be presented. The article concludes with a recommendation for future research to evaluate multiple theories of denial using consistent and rigorous research methodology in order to develop …

Predictors Of Depressive Symptomatology In Family Caregivers Of Wom-En With Substance Use Disorders Or Co-Occurring Substance Use And Mental Disorders, David E. Biegel, Shari Katz-Saltzman, David Meeks, Suzanne Brown, Elizabeth M. Tracy

Social Work Faculty Publications

This study utilized a stress-process model to examine the impact of having a female family member with substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders on family caregivers' depressive symptomatology. Participants were 82 women receiving substance abuse treatment and the family member providing the most social support for each woman. Greater caregiver depressive symptomatology was predicted by greater care recipient emotional problems, less care recipient social support, and poor caregiver health. Implications of findings for treatment and future research are discussed

Influences On Job Retention Among Homeless Persons With Substance Abuse Or Psychiatric Disabilities, Russell K. Schutt, Norman C. Hursh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job retention is an important psychosocial rehabilitation goal, but one that is not often achieved. We investigate facilitators of and barriers to employment retention among homeless individuals with psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses who were re-interviewed eight or more years after participating in a traditional vocational rehabilitation program. Most program graduates who maintained employment had secured social support from a variety of sources; personal motivation was also a critical element in job retention and compensated in some cases for an absence of social support. Both the availability of social support contacts and personal motivation influenced likelihood of maintaining sobriety. Physical …

Social Welfare Policy And Public Assistance For Low-Income Substance Abusers: The Impact Of 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation On The Economic Security Of Former Supplemental Security Income Drug Addiction And Alcoholism Beneficiaries, Sean R. Hogan, George J. Unick, Richard Speiglman, Jean C. Norris

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Prior to January 1, 1997, individuals with drug- or alcohol-related disabilities could qualify for federal public assistance through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. During the welfare reforms of the Clinton administration, this policy was changed, resulting in lost income and health care benefits for many lowincome substance abusers. This paper examines the historical underpinnings to the elimination of drug addiction and alcoholism (DA&A) as qualifjing impairments for SSI disability payments. Following this, empirical evidence is presented on the effect this policy change had on the subsequent economic security of former SSI DA&A beneficiaries. Findings indicate that study participants who …

Increased Hiv Risk Associated With Criminal Justice Involvement Among Men On Methadone, Matthew Epperson, Nabila El-Bassel, Louisa Gilbert, E. Roberto Orellana, Mingway Chang

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper examines the relationship between HIV risk and criminal justice involvement among a random sample of 356 men enrolled in methadone maintenance treatment programs in New York City. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to estimate the associations between measures of criminal justice involvement and participant HIV risk, controlling for socio-demographic variables. A lifetime history of incarceration was significantly associated with being HIV positive (Adjusted OR = 5.08). Recent arrest was associated with unprotected vaginal sex and having multiple female sexual partners. Sex trading was associated with both arrest and incarceration, and the strongest association was found between …

Bridges And Barriers To Housing For Chronically Homeless Street Dwellers: The Effects Of Medical And Substance Abuse Services On Housing Attainment, Tatjana Meschede

Center for Social Policy Publications

In the winter of 1998/99, after the deaths of 16 homeless people in the streets of Boston attracted wide attention by the media, the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH), Dr. Howard Koh, convened a group of I stakeholders serving the homeless street population. The goal of this MDPH Homeless Taskforce was to reduce the number of homeless people dying on the streets as well as to improve service delivery to those homeless individuals most at risk of dying. A wide range of individuals serving or encountering the homeless street population, including homeless outreach teams, law enforcement …