Social Work Commons^™

Proficiency Of Social Workers In Teaching Mindfulness-Based Practices And Techniques, Vanessa Morales

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study explored the self-rated proficiency of social workers in teaching mindfulness-based practices as part of treatment. It paid special attention to what they feel is the benefit to incorporating mindfulness-based practices (MBPs) into treatment and as their own personal practice. Participant responses of what has helped to develop their perceived expertise are highlighted. The literature on mindfulness reveals that mindfulness-based interventions have been effective at decreasing psychological distress caused by mental illness. MBPs help individuals dealing with anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder to gain a sense of control when it comes to their mental health.

The study employed …

Social Workers And Client Resistance Behaviors, Elizabeth Sandoval, Kelly Martinez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The study aimed at exploring the extent that social workers feel competent and confident to respond to client resistance behavior. A quantitative technique using a survey questionnaire, including a standardized scale adapted by the researchers, was used to gather information regarding social workers' level of preparedness to respond to client resistance behaviors. Data was collected using Qualtrics from 137 participants, and 116 were analyzed (21 contained incomplete data). Data was analyzed utilizing SPSS. The results of two Independent Samples T-tests indicated that there is a significant difference between social workers who have less than 6.47 years of experience and those …

Impact Of Job-Related Stressors On Levels Of Compassion Fatigue, Curnishia Woodbury

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Compassion fatigue is an area of concern for direct practice social workers who engage with trauma material. This phenomenon has been deemed the cost of caring. The purpose of this study was to identify a relationship between job-related stressors such as caseload size, weekly supervision and job satisfaction and compassion fatigue. A total of 10 child protection social workers from various Southern California counties constituted the study sample. The Pearson Coefficient Correlation test was used to analyze the relationship between the identified variables. The findings revealed that there was a moderate correlation between caseload size and compassion fatigue as well …

Social Workers’ Knowledge And Preparedness In Serving Clients With Experience Of Intergenerational Trauma, Geneva Gandelman

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This research study explored intergenerational trauma and self-assessed competency levels of social workers who serve clients experiencing possible intergenerational trauma. Intergenerational trauma is a wide-spread issue, as it affects over a quarter of children and over half of adults in the United States. Intergenerational trauma, though affecting many clients, is not often discussed, and many mental health professionals are either uninformed on this topic or not interested. This study explored social workers’ self-assessed general knowledge of intergenerational trauma, training on intergenerational trauma, and whether they have knowledge of interventions or techniques tailored to working with families and individuals with possible …

Social Worker’S Adjustment And Perception When Dealing With Double-Exposure During A Natural Disaster, Magaly Santos

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Limited research captures the perceptions and adjustments of social workers living and providing treatment in the same communities during a disaster. Few studies have captured the stressors and responsibilities put on social workers during an ongoing disaster. This paper reports the findings of the double-exposure captured using a qualitative approach in collecting interviews from nine mental health professionals who continued working during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. A constructivist paradigm was used to capture each participant’s reality. Participants described the sudden change to remote work as difficult when having to find the balance between work and life demands, providing …

How Does Compassion Fatigue Affect Geriatric Social Workers In Their Personal And Professional Lives?, Nicole Elise Dawson, Joanna Romero Jacobo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study aims to research how compassion fatigue (CF) affects geriatric social workers in their personal and professional lives. Currently, there is little exposure on what the symptoms look like in CF among social workers, especially geriatric social services practitioners. The significance of this study is to address CF and how it may affect social workers in their daily activities. Geriatric social workers who work on a regular basis with vulnerable populations can lead to experience symptoms of CF. These symptoms include: emotional disconnect from their clients, less motivated at work, apathetic towards sensitive situations and affecting their quality of …

Which Interventions Do Social Workers Believe Are Most Effective When Working With Child Abuse Victims?, Ellen Davis

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Child abuse is often a very traumatic experience that can create long-lasting psychological and emotional effects for some individuals. Social workers often provide treatment services, such as therapy and/or case management services, with the goal of assisting child abuse victims in coping with and overcoming the negative impact of the trauma they’ve experienced. This study evaluates the types of interventions social workers utilize when working with child abuse victims, how the interventions address the resulting trauma of child abuse, which interventions social workers believe are most effective when working with this population, and why those interventions are believed to be …

Vicarious Trauma And Implications For Social Work Students, Maria Watts, Meosha Mcafee

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Social Work students may experience vicarious trauma at some point in their lifetime. Throughout the course of social work students’ internship experiences and outside employment, the management of trauma exposure is a concern within the field of social work. There are very few studies that have been developed in providing a specific rate of vicarious trauma among social workers and have provided quantitative research on the subject. This research study asks: What intervention strategies do social work students implement to address their vicarious trauma? This research conducted a descriptive study that used a quantitative measure to obtain the findings for …

Professionals’ Perspectives On Barriers And Facilitators Of Success With Teen Parents In The Child Welfare System, Zuleima Carrillo, Victoria Valenzuela

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the barriers and facilitators of success with teen parents who are in the child welfare system. The study examines these issues through the perspectives of professionals and paraprofessionals. The literature review suggested that having children at a young age negatively affects the mother as well as the child and that adolescents who have received or are receiving services from child welfare agencies become teen mothers at higher rates.

The study used a qualitative, exploratory design. The data was obtained from in-depth interviews with 15 professionals and paraprofessionals who …

Entering The United States From Central America And Mexico: Social Work Practice With Unaccompanied Minors, Crystal Duarte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Unaccompanied minors from Central America and Mexico have endeavored treacherous journeys to enter the United States for many decades. In recent years, there has been an influx of unaccompanied minors fleeing their native country and arriving at the United States border as a result of poverty, violence, limited prospects and to reunify with their parents. Unaccompanied minors have witnessed and faced adversities, sometimes causing various mental health problems. Providing services to a vulnerable population like unaccompanied minors from Latin America can be challenging. This study explores Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) social workers’ perceived confidence in working with …

Child Welfare Social Workers’ Perspective On Factors That Influence Longevity, Veronica Betancourt-Perez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The child welfare sector has been dealing with the issue of turnover for many years and it has yet to implement effective solutions to mitigate the problem. In this study, the researcher used a post-positivist approach to examine contributing factors that affect job longevity in child welfare. The researcher reviewed literature as well as used motivation and organizational support theory to determine what potential factors influence job longevity among child welfare social workers. The researcher gathered demographic information and qualitative data from ten interviews with child welfare social workers employed by the County of Los Angeles Department of Children and …

Understanding Social Support Among Dialysis Patients: A Study On Medical Social Workers Enhancing Social Support For Patients, Brandy Marie Covarrubias, Eloisa Cisneros Vizcaya

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Patients receiving dialysis treatment experience immense changes in their health and well-being, therefore receiving adequate social support services is an integral aspect of their care plan. Thus, the purpose of this study was to gain an understanding about social support services offered by social workers to patients receiving dialysis care. Furthermore, this study sought to develop awareness about additional services need to assist social workers in providing social, emotional, and physical support to patients. This qualitative study used data from a non-probability snowball sample of 10 social workers that work with patients receiving dialysis care. Findings of this study are …

Incarcerated Mothers Achieving Reunification: Providing Support To Child Welfare Social Workers, Francesca Villarreal

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This project explores the barriers to reunification with their children for incarcerated mothers in an effort to provide more support to child welfare social workers who engage with this population. Project participants were selected from one regional office of a child welfare agency in Southern California to complete qualitative interviews. Participants included seven Social Service Practitioners (SSPs), two Supervising Social Service Practitioners (SSSPs), and one Data Analysist. Each participant’s interview was digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following the systematic manual coding method with the assistance of Microsoft Word (Ose, S, 2016). Five common barriers were identified: child visitations with incarcerated …

Social Workers' Perception On The Needs And Services For Foster Children With Special Needs, Jessica Joanna Jimenez, Winnie Wing Yang Lee

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Foster children are already at a disadvantage given that they tend to live in a home without their parents. Social workers have direct interactions working with children with special needs, and through interviews with the workers, we aimed to understand whether or not the services available are able to meet foster children’s special needs. The research on special needs children in foster care is quite limited. The purpose of the study was to identify social workers’ perceptions of the needs of special needs foster children and their access to services.

This study used qualitative interviews with open-ended questions to gather …

Job Readiness Of Social Workers Serving Individuals With Developmental Disabilities, Danielle Marie Orozco

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The present study explored advance year Master of Social Work (MSW) candidates and graduated social workers perceived preparedness to serve individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). There has been minimal of studies that have explored perceived preparedness in serving individuals with DD, more specifically in the field of social work. Due to the lack of research on the topic and the recent growth of the DD population, the present research was an exploratory project that utilized qualitative techniques. Data was collected through face-to-face interviews that analyzed advance year Master of Social Work candidates and graduated social workers perceived preparedness serving individuals …

Social Workers’ Perceptions On The Usefulness Of The Structured Decision-Making Tool In Assessing Safety And Risk, Chinwe Erika Nwufo, Carol Yareli Castillo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In child welfare agencies, the Structured Decision-Making (SDM) Safety and Risk Assessment tools are utilized to support social workers in assessing families and make informed decisions while investigating child abuse and neglect. In the past, numerous studies have evaluated the strengths and weaknesses the SDM safety and risk assessment tools; however, studies have neglected social workers’ perspectives on using the tools during their investigations.

Using a quantitative approach, this study examines social workers’ perceptions on the usefulness of the SDM safety and risk assessment tools during their investigations. IS social work participants from one California county agency completed an online …

Child Welfare Workers’ Perspectives On Placement Instability And The Impacts On Foster Youth, Steven Joseph Delgado, Amanda Marie Fuerte

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

In this study, the researchers explored child welfare workers’ perceptions on placement changes for youth in foster care and the impact these changes had on youths’ overall outcomes. Using a Post Positivist paradigm, qualitative research was completed using snowball-sampling procedures. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with sixteen members from their personal networks of child welfare social workers that have direct contact with foster youth. The research participants included current child welfare social workers from two counties in Southern California. The study’s findings suggest that children’s behaviors and foster parents’ reactions to those behaviors impacted placement changes. Further, participants felt that …

Discussing Sexual Health Topics With Severely Mentally Ill Clients: An Exploration Of Social Work Practitioners’ Preparedness, Priscilla Rodriguez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Mental health professionals have an important role to play in assessing and addressing the needs of their clients, including those with severe mental illness. Research, however, has demonstrated a reluctance toward discussing sexual health topics with severely mentally ill clients. The purpose of this study was to explore social work practitioners’ attitudes and preparedness toward addressing the sexual health need of clients who are mentally challenged to a great extent. Under the qualitative research paradigm, this study sampled 8 licensed clinical social workers who currently work in the United States. Thematic analysis of interview data generated four major themes. First, …

The Insight And Factors That Promote Job Longevity For Child Welfare Social Workers, Dakota Caitlin Meza, Loretta Reyes Broadnax

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The high turnover rate of child welfare social workers has been a chronic issue that society has yet to mitigate. To understand this problem, the researchers looked at contributing factors in comparison to the factors that promote job longevity. The researchers reviewed the multidimensional theory of burnout, to explore the ongoing issue of high turnover rates. Also, organizational support theory was examined to determine if support from organizations contributed to job longevity. The post-positivist approach was used to gather qualitative data from this study as to the potential factors promoting job longevity through individual interviews with seasoned child welfare social …

Exploring The Relationship Between Occupational Burnout And The Behavioral Well-Being Of Social Workers, Damian A. Pisapia

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between occupational burnout and the behavioral well-being of social workers. Burnout is a multidimensional syndrome where workers experience feelings of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment as a consequence of work related stress and overwhelming job demands. Burnout can negatively affect organizational functioning, work performance, and pose significant health risks to workers. There are a limited number of studies focusing on the impact of occupational burnout on the behavioral well-being of workers. The findings of this study indicated that there was a significant relationship between burnout …

Burnout Rates Among Social Workers: A Systematic Review And Synthesis, Austin Taylor Kimes

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Research suggests that social workers experience burnout at elevated rates; however, no study has developed an average rate of burnout among general social workers and quantitative research on the topic is lacking in general. This study conducted a systematic review and synthesis of the existing literature on burnout among social workers in order to (1) identify average burnout rates among social workers; and to (2) confirm previous findings showing differences between social worker groups by area of employment. A quantitative secondary data methodology was used that included self‑report data from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) that contained both cross‑sectional and …

What Social Workers Need To Know About Cyberbullying, Laura Jeanette Franco, Brenda Maria Miranda

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Cyberbullying (CB) has been a growing concern that has affected students, parents, and professionals in significant ways.One of the main professionals that have been affected by CB are school social workers. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify what social workers need to know about CB. This study used a qualitative study design because we wanted to obtain an in-depth examination of CB views and beliefs.Data was gathered from 8 middle school teachers, a school principal and a school counselor from a public school in the western region of the United States.In the study participants were interviewed with …

Designing A Measure: Measuring Social Workers' Attitudes Toward Lgbt Youth In Child Welfare, Christi E. Bell, Raul A. Salcedo

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This study reports the results of an exploratory factor analysis conducted to analyze the reliability of a pilot instrument created to evaluate social workers’ attitudes toward LGBT youth in the foster care system. The sample (n = 60) included social workers, supervisors, and staff from the County of San Bernardino Children and Family Services. Data were collected from February 2011 to March 2011. A two factor solution yielded the best results; Chronbach’s alpha for factor one yielded a strong result for internal consistency reliability (α = .777) and for factor two yielded a less strong result (α = .628). Strategies …

Characteristics And Case Outcomes Of Families That Participate In Team Decision Making, Veronica Mendez Lopez

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to identify the demographics, case characteristics, and outcomes of families that participate in Team Decision Making (TDM) within the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services, Children's Services Division. The study used secondary data from Riverside County Child Welfare System/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) and Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) databases. Data was collected from 2253 families that first entered CWS and participated in TDM between the years 2008-2012.

A Closer Look At The Professional Relationship Of Children's Social Workers And Teachers In Regard To The Education Of Foster Children, Marnae Latrice Potts, Koumay Yang

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to explore the extent of interaction between teachers and foster children's social workers in regard to their education.

Differences Between Personality Traits Of Dcs Intake And Carrier Workers, Their Goodness Of Job Fit, And Its Effect On Job Satisfaction, Diane Lynne Mathis, Virginia Lynne Reed

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a different personality trait between Department of Children's Services, intake and carrier workers. If there is a difference, does it effect job satisfaction when the worker is placed in a position that is not compatible with their personality trait?

Religion And Spirituality In Social Work Practice With Older Adults: A Survey Of Social Workers, Elizabeth Antoinette Fraser

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Survey On Work Experiences Of Practicing Social Workers Who Are Disabled, Charles Robinson Freidel

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Perceptions Of The "Glass Ceiling" Effect Among Male Social Workers, Angela Schweig, Robert W. Sehi

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Factors Influencing Males In Their Choice Of Social Work As A Career, Frieda Kepple Heim

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.