Social Work Commons^™

Serving And Protecting People With Mental Illness And/Or Developmental Disabilities: An Evaluation Of The Los Angeles Sheriff Department’S Field Operations Crisis Intervention Skills Program, Veronica Plascencia, Melissa Mcdonald

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT The Los Angeles Sheriff Department’s Field Operations Crisis Intervention Skills (FOCIS) program is a collaborative effort aimed at preparing law enforcement officers for crises that involve individuals with severe mental illness and/or developmental disabilities. That is, the ultimate goal of the program is to train officers to serve, protect, and build connections with the community’s most vulnerable citizens. Embracing a pre-experimental design, this study assessed the effectiveness and applicability of the FOCIS program among 53 law enforcement officers in Los Angeles County. Findings from non-parametric analyses revealed that the FOCIS training increased officers’ knowledge on mental illness and developmental …

Substance Abuse And Family Reunification: Perceptions And Potential Contributing Factors To Family Reunification, Ashley Odam, Tina Macmaster

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the contributing factors of family reunification (FR) according to social workers and other professionals working in child welfare. Existing research highlights the importance of the social worker’s relationship with the person with substance abuse as a contributing factor to FR; however, there is little research as to what influenced the social worker and other professionals from their perspective.

A quantitative self-administered survey was distributed to social workers and professionals in San Bernardino County and Riverside County that included questions about the participant’s background, experience, possible contributing factors, and influences potentially impacting family …

Social Workers' Perspectives On Chronic Pain And Mental Health, Ashley Danielle Patterson, Cynthia Christine Sanchez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored social workers’ perceived level of competency in addressing chronic pain and mental health. Chronic pain is a prevalent issue and individuals with chronic pain are more likely to experience a mental health concern (Dahlhamer et al., 2016; Gureje et al., 2008). The research design of this study was a quantitative cross-sectional survey distributed through social networks such as Facebook and Reddit. There were a total of 278 respondents, however, 79 were omitted due to not fully completing the survey leaving 199 respondents. The results indicate social workers have a moderate level of competency when working with this …

Perceptions Of Mental Health Among Asian Pacific Islander College Students, Jenny Phan

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As part of the demands of higher education, college students undergo stressful events that have a negative impact on their mental health. Furthermore, Asian American Pacific Islander (API) Asian Pacific Islanders (API) face cultural and structural barriers that further influences individuals to ignore their mental well-being. Through interviews and surveys, this study aims to explore the current perceptions of mental health among API college students and the possible factors that prevent these students from addressing the mental health concerns through interviews obtaining student’s personal narratives. The findings are to enhance social work practice through becoming more culturally aware of the …

Mental Health Therapists' Views On The Challenges Latinos Face To Continue Services, Jessica Gutierrez, Elizabeth Casas-Valdovinos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors leading Latinos to withdraw from mental health services through the perspective of mental health therapists. This study employed a qualitative design and data were collected from face-to-face and phone interviews with 10 therapists from Riverside and San Bernardino County. The results of this study identified that Latino client’s low levels of mental health literacy contributed to a higher level of mental health stigma that led to premature withdrawal from services. The study also found that language barrier and job-related issues were major challenges Latino families faced in their continuation of …

Evaluating The Perceptions Of Preschool Teachers And Administrators On Mental Health Services In The School Setting, Celia Tavarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health can impact a child’s success in many aspects, including in the school setting. School settings are very often the only place that provide an opportunity for families to be able to receive mental health services for their children. It is imperative that schools meet the mental health needs of the children who attend their schools. This research project examines data and information gathered from educators and school administrators to help us understand their experiences, successes, and/or displeasure about the services that are offered or not offered within the agency they work for. The literature review discusses the definition …

Burnout Mediated By Master Of Social Work Enrollment Status, Donna Andrea Villaseñor, Vanessa Lopez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The social work profession is widely known to be fulfilling, yet demanding. Burnout has been found to begin during the academic career in pursuit of social work profession. Therefore, addressing burnout in the academic setting can later impact job retention. This study was significant because it allowed for the identification, understanding, and recognition of burnout as a student which then could in turn delay the onset and alleviate the amount of burnout in the transition from student to professional. A cross sectional methods approach was applied by surveying Master of Social Work students from a local Southern California Master of …

Athletes With Mental Health Illnesses, Trenton Allmang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus for this research study is to understand the development of mental health symptoms that result from sports engagement. Participating in sports for several years within different developmental stages of human life can increase the probability of identity conflict and mental distress. This study addresses the risk factors that contribute to the development of mental health illnesses from former athletes’ perspectives through qualitative research. The study includes former male and female participants ages 18 and older as well as their family members, friends, sports stakeholders, sports officials, coaches, social workers, and athletic training staff. This study was conducted from …

Emotional Labor: How Gendered Racism Affects African American Women Working In Mental Health Crisis Response, Dana N. Sandoval

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The research uses the framework of emotional labor to analyze the effect of gendered racism on mental health, physical well-being, and burn out of African American women who provide mental health crisis response. The focus on the emotional toll an African American woman experiences while dealing with clients who may respond with racist and/or sexist actions or words. Also explored are coping strategies and protective factors while managing the stressors of sexism and racism while working in a mental health crisis response. The study uses in- depth interviews to explore the lived experiences of African American/Black women. Axial coding links …

Measuring Teacher Self-Efficacy In Addressing Pupil Mental Health Post Assembly Bill 2246, Samantha J. Ross, Christel Salas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Assembly Bill 2246, known as the pupil suicide prevention policies, was implemented into law at the start of the 2017-2018 academic school year. This legislation mandates that all secondary schools in the state of California implement a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policy for at-risk students. Assembly Bill 2246 specifically recognizes the role of teachers in addressing pupil mental health and aims to provide support through policy. The purpose of this study is to measure teacher self-efficacy in addressing pupil mental health post Assembly Bill 2246. This study’s research design is comprised of a quantitative, pretest/posttest model using an independent …

The Role And Impact Of Long-Term, Faith-Based Reentry Programs After Incarceration, Louie John Martinez, Rebecca Graf

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The focus of this exploratory study is on individuals who have completed long term, faith-based reentry programs after incarceration. Through one-on-one interviews with participants, this study will examine the impact that long-term, faith-based treatment programs have had in helping persons with a criminal past re-acclimate back into society. As more reentry programs focus on skills-based treatment only, this study seeks to explore the integration of faith and spirituality in long-term faith-based treatment programs in conjunction with other treatment modalities. This study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the critical elements necessary to help individuals overcome their past and collateral …

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 of …

A Study Of The Effectiveness Of Mediation Orientation Programs For Child Custody Recommending Counseling, Arlene Trevizo, Ana Paulina Romero Baltazar

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study examined the impact of a Child Custody Recommending Counseling (CCRC) orientation program on encouraging parental agreements in child custody and visitation cases. We used qualitative research methods by interviewing CCRC counselors to identify common case factors involved in obtaining full agreements. The interview questions addressed commonly noted case factors, perspectives of the mediators in regard to tools used by parents from the orientation programs, and areas of potential enhancement to the orientation. Eight mediators were interviewed, and their interviews were transcribed and thematically analyzed using conventional content analysis. As a result of this study, the themes that arose …

Analyzing Service Barriers And Risk Factors For Reentry Among Formerly Incarcerated Adults, Agustina Alejandra Sepulveda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Recidivism is a growing problem affecting formerly incarcerated adults struggling with reentry into society. After release, most individuals are dealing with barriers in their environment that affect their access to substance abuse and mental health treatment, which can be important to reducing recidivism. Thus, this study sought to understand the various service barriers and risk factors to reentry among formerly incarcerated individuals to help increase awareness of some of the challenges the reentry population is facing.

Self-administered surveys focusing on housing, employment, public assistance, and mental health barriers were collected among formerly incarcerated individuals from Southern California (n=103). Bivariate chi-square …

Perceptions Of Compassion Fatigue Amongst Master Of Social Work Students And Self-Care Strategies To Build Resilience, Daniel Wright

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Due to the unpredictable nature of the social work profession, MSW interns may find themselves unprepared when dealing with clients that have suffered through traumatic events. For those that are not adequately prepared, there can be risks of experiencing compassion fatigue. Compassion fatigue is a process by which a professional’s inner experience is negatively transformed through empathic engagement with clients’ trauma material (Killian, 2008). This research project examined possible contributing factors to compassion fatigue among MSW students and recent MSW graduates from a large public university in Southern California. The study also focused on whether self-care methods were being used, …

Self-Care, Burnout, And Compassion Fatigue, Among Child Welfare Workers, Angelica Castrejon

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child welfare is recognized as a stressful and overwhelming career the demands of which can result in poor retention and high turnover. Many factors contribute to the high turnover including, high caseloads, unmanageable administration requirements, challenging clients, and increasing amount of paperwork. Thus, this study aimed to explore child welfare social workers’ understanding of burnout and compassion fatigue, its effects on their work, and how self-care is integrated into their daily practice to reduce burnout and compassion fatigue. The study used qualitative methods to explore burnout and compassion fatigue among seven child welfare social workers employed by a large child …

Are Social Work Services Provided To Deployed Military Families Adequate, Janet Walker

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study was initiated to discover if Social Work services are as prevalent as they should be for deployed service families and troops abroad. Previous studies seem to suggest that social workers are minimally portioned without a true dedicated purpose. This study determined through input from enlisted personnel and their families what social work services are available to deployed military personnel and their families.

Deployed enlisted personnel and their families have a unique experience that from time to time cause trauma, both physical and mental. Whereas in the past, trauma was experienced only by fighting men, today’s military is multi-gendered …

Hospice Social Workers Beliefs, Ethics, And Values: How Do They Affect Terminal Clients Requesting Physician Assisted Suicide?, Jazmine Camacho, Jessica Huver

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Since the enactment of California’s End of Life Option Act in 2016, physician assisted suicide (PAS) has become increasingly relevant within the field of medical social work. As a result, social workers will find themselves educating and assisting clients on EOLO. Research suggests that the amount of education and training received regarding PAS all had an impact on social workers’ perceived preparedness to discuss PAS as and EOLO. Additionally, research indicates that social workers collectively support and have a positive attitude towards PAS; however, there is little research that explores the extent to which a social worker’s personal values and …

Reducing Depression And Anxiety With Equine Activities, Denise Todd

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Anxiety and depression are among the most popular mental health issues in the United States and across the globe, as many people continue to face personal, familial, and systemic challenges in their lives. It is believed that equine activities (those that involve interactions with horses) can play a significant role in alleviating anxiety and depression levels in adults. So far, however, the existing scholarship contains just a handful of studies supporting such a claim. Using a pre-experimental design, this study sought to extend the mental health literature by assessing the impact of equine activities on anxiety and depression among …

Educators' Barriers To Reporting Child Maltreatment, Miriam Figueroa, Mariaisela Maldonado

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify educators’ perceptions of barriers to reporting child maltreatment. This study used a survey design with self-administered questionnaires. Sixty five teachers from a large southern California school district participated in the study. Quantitative and demographic data was collected using Linkedin and Facebook to recruit study participants. The questionnaires gathered information about their knowledge, training, experience, and professional responsibility regarding reporting suspected maltreatment.

This study found that most educators received training in reporting requirements and were able to spot signs of maltreatment. However, the study also revealed that some participants had a low comfort …

Family Support In Relations To The Well-Being Of Dialysis Patients, Fabiola Rodriguez, Yesenia Ornelas

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

When recently diagnosed with a chronic illness, individuals face various challenging events that require social support. Nephrology social workers are expected to increase the psychosocial functioning and adjustment of individuals diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Limited studies are available regarding patients with ESRD, social support, and quality of life. This research was intended to explain the effect of familial support on the quality of life of patients diagnosed with ESRD. The research was measured by utilizing a mixed method design with convenience sampling of nephrology social workers employed at inpatient dialysis centers. Participants engaged in the study by …

Barriers That Influence Hispanics Decisions To Access Mental Health Care Services, Carolina Peters

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Despite the existing research on barriers to mental health services among minority ethnic groups, little is known about the barriers to the access of mental health services among different Latino groups. This research attempted to understand potential barriers such as gender, income, and education, among Mexican’s and other Latino subgroups (Salvadorian, Puerto Rican, Honduran, and other). Through the gathering of quantitative data in the form of surveys, research defined that there are no significant findings in barriers to access mental health services among Hispanics. A limitation encountered was limited participation of Latino subgroups. Future studies can improve on this limitation …

The Challenges Of Acculturating In The Los Angeles County: Immigrants Of Latin American Countries, Melissa Saldana-Alvarez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study intends to identify the barriers that may impede new immigrants from successfully acculturating in the United States. The researcher collected qualitative data through audio-recorded face-to-face-interviews with the participants. Participants were recruited through a local agency that provides a number of services to immigrant in the community. Data collected was transcribed and analyzed for the development of categories of individual, family, group, organizational, and community involvement in the lives of new immigrants who attempt to acculturate in this country. The research findings reveal the need for mental health, medical, and educational services, and workshops about rights and laws in …

Social Worker Perceptions Of Animal Assisted Therapy For Children With Trauma Histories, Tessa Hodge

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Untreated trauma can have significant lifelong negative impacts on children including poor emotional and mental health, social difficulties, poor physical health, juvenile delinquency, adult criminality, and substance abuse. Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) utilizes animals, typically dogs or horses, in goal-oriented treatment plans, and AAT has been found to be an effective treatment for trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress disorder, especially in children. Social workers working with children who have child welfare involvement are often responsible for services referrals, treatment plans, case plans, and direct provision of services. Current research does not address if the social workers responsible for referring children …

Masters In Social Work Student And Professor Understandings Of The Connectedness Of Social Work And Public Health In Education And Practice, Ashley Swatman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand Masters in Social Work (MSW) student and professor perspectives on the connectedness of public health and social work, and inquire about their opinions of barriers and facilitators to further merging these two areas in practice and education. The study was formulated on the knowledge that social well being directly impacts health outcomes, and public health and social work share many target objectives and populations. The study implements a qualitative design using face to face interviews with five advanced year MSW students, and two MSW professors at California State University, San Bernardino. The …

Mental Health Challenges Among Ethnic Minorities College Students, Fiorella G. Valles, Ruben Gonzalez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study explored the challenges of mental health-seeking services of college students of color in the San Bernardino area. College students of different ethnicities have unique needs and challenges that contrast with the general student population. Previous research stated that students of color deal with a greater number of unmet mental health needs and indicates a connection between mental health and attaining a college degree (Arria et al., 2013). To increase the utilization of mental health amongst students of color, this study aimed to identify the influencing factors that prevented students from help-seeking. The research design of this research …

Extended Foster Care: Self-Sufficiency Needs In The Perspective Of The Youth, Miranda Renee Rubio, Carmen Covarrubias

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this research project was to analyze current and former foster youths’ experiences in the Extended Foster Care (EFC) program. The program was created to better support youths’ self-sufficiency needs for recipients ages eighteen to twenty-one. This vulnerable population continues to grow in the public child welfare system and research is limited on how recipients far after leaving EFC. Previous literature illustrates foster youth who exited the program struggled to transition into adulthood. Many youth faced challenges such as homelessness, unstable employment, and involvement with the criminal justice system.

The researchers conducted a qualitative study of seven participants’ …

Childhood Trauma Within The Child Welfare System, Valarie Schulz, Angelica Bautista

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Childhood trauma among children in foster care is a major concern in the child welfare system and its impacts often go unaddressed. The purpose of this study was to gain knowledge from a social worker’s view on early trauma intervention for children in foster care and their successful transition into adulthood. This study used an exploratory qualitative method to collect data through face-to-face interviews with 7 social workers who have experience working with foster children. This approach gained participant’s unique insights pertaining to their experiences working with children impacted by childhood trauma.

Data obtained from this study identified early trauma …

Working With The Homeless Population: An Exploratory Study Of Graduate Social Work Student’S Confidence And Willingness, Ana Rosa Ortiz, Mariam Kiara Lowe

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Homelessness is a multilayered problem that affects hundreds of thousands of people across the United States. The social work profession cannot rest on its laurels when large numbers of individuals and families suffer due to a lack of shelter, a necessity. Historically, social work was at the vanguard of interventions against homelessness. However, over the past 30 years or so, the profession arguably has shifted its focus toward micro practice. As a result, macro issues such as poverty and homelessness have received comparatively less interest in the field. Using an exploratory design, this study examined factors associated with level of …

The Use Of Self-Disclosure In Clinical Practice: Exploring Graduate Social Work Students’ Perceptions, Kevin Alsina

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The use of self-disclosure in clinical practice has been a controversial issue among professionals across many helping professions, including social work. The guidance on self-disclosure from the National Association of Social Workers, via its code of ethics, has been arguably vague. As a result, the topic remains ambiguous within the social work profession. Using a Grounded Theory approach, this study aimed to obtain the perceptions of 137 graduate social work students on the use of self-disclosure in practice. Through three major themes and six sub-themes, the results confirmed the lack of clarity pertaining to the use of self-disclosure in social …